Lethal Weapon

2

Lydia spent the rest of the day trying her best to avoid Stiles which, in the two years he'd been gone, she thought she'd never do. He sat with them at lunch as the rest of the pack seemed to bombard him with questions and compliments, most of which he spent avoiding as Scott sat in deep thought, remaining silent. Despite the clamouring from the pack that surrounded him, Stiles spent the entire lunch with his eyes glued to Lydia, whilst she spent the entire lunch trying to pretend he didn't. Kira suggested that the pack meet after school, like old times, Scott only nodded quietly in agreement. As soon as the bell rang to signal the end of lunch, Lydia jumped up immediately and headed off as she felt the urgent need to get the hell out of there quickly. She felt tears brimming her eyes as she immediately felt devastated. Here she'd been for two years missing Stiles, praying everyday that he'd come back, missing everything about him and when he did return, he wasn't him, he wasn't the same at all. This was like a different person all together, like an imposter, and to her it just showed her that maybe her Stiles was actually dead after all. She heard Stiles following her as he called after her but she ignored him, rushing into the girls bathroom with haste as she headed into the nearest stall. As soon as the door closed behind her, she broke down, tears streaming her face as she tried her best to stay silent, her heart aching as she feared she had spent so much time missing someone that no longer existed. Even worse, she couldn't even hate him, she couldn't bring herself to hate him even though she knew she should. He'd ruined her life for the last couple of years, made her life a living hell and he couldn't seem to be even bothered to let her know that he was okay. But she still loved him, she still wanted him, that was never going to change. She had missed him so much, that despite his change in personality and looks, she still wanted to kiss him, to the point where she was almost impressed by how much control she'd shown so far. They were still tethered no matter what.

Lydia couldn't really remember spending so long in there but she heard another bell which signalled the start of the next class and thought now would be the perfect time to leave the bathroom. No one should be around and she'd be able to leave with no one noticing. She left the stall, practically cringing at her reflection in the mirror as she noticed her eyes, which were now red and blotchy. "God Lydia...you're such a mess. How did we get here huh? " She stated aloud sadly, talking to herself, as she splashed some cold water over her face in a weak attempt to fix her appearance. A voice sounded suddenly from behind her, taking her by surprise. "You're far from a mess." Malia stepped out from around one of the stalls, standing next to her in the mirror as she gave her a slight smile. "Dammit Mal! You gave me a heart attack!" Lydia snapped as Malia rolled her eyes. "Lydia you literally could be wearing a bin bag and still look like a super model. You don't look like a mess, if anything I think crying has just made your eyes look more green, and absolutely I hate you for it." She complimented her with a slight shake of the head and a smile as Lydia scoffed. "Thank you." She wiped a way a stray tear, a smile falling on her face as she couldn't help feel relieved that she was there. "You know you're holding up well, very well in fact, you shouldn't be so hard on yourself. It was bound to all come out eventually." She admitted as Lydia dropped her gaze, her heart still heavy as she tucked loose curls that fell out of her bun behind her ears.

"You think so?" Lydia's voice was squeaky and full of emotion as she turned to face the tall girl. "Erm yes of course! I mean the guy you love, one of our best friends, has just returned after two years of everyone thinking he was dead, he looks completely different, acts different, and won't tell you anything. I think you're coping better than the average person would in this situation." Malia admitted as Lydia furrowed her eyebrows slightly, she couldn't help but wonder if Malia was also talking about herself too. "I feel so lost. I don't know what to do Malia, I know he's not the same, I can tell he's not, but...I still want him. I've missed him so much." She confessed as Malia gave her a sympathetic smile. It was strange, here she was having a heart to heart about Stiles with the one person she thought she never would. "I think that's normal. You love him Lydia, just because he's different, those feelings you have don't just go away. But I do think you two need to talk." The answer made her involuntary wince as Malia smiled at her, placing two hands on her shoulders as she made her meet her gaze. "But-I don't think I can..." Lydia cried as Malia gave her a knowing look. "Yes you can. It's Stiles. You're Lydia. You two have made it through so much, I don't know why you can't make it through this." Malia stated as Lydia gave her a small smile. "Thank you, really, for everything." She replied as Malia grinned, bring her in for a comforting hug as Lydia felt comfort for the first time in ages. She fell into the tall girl as she couldn't help some tears that escaped.