Feral

4: First Line

Stiles basically corners Harper in the hall the next morning. She hadn't gotten much sleep, drinking from a large thermos that when she left the house was full of coffee - it only had a few good swallows left. "What?" she says bleakly. She's too tired for this. 

The overhyped boy still smiles, "How long have you and your brother been in town?"

She blinks for a moment, "What?"

"You and Derek Hale. How long have you been in town?"

She blinks again, "Why?"

"I saw him at your house. Or... old house. Never mind. How long have you been in town?"

"Less than a week," she yawns so hard her jaw cracks. 

"Are you alright?" Stiles frowns. "You look really tired."

"Nothing out of the normal," She waves off. "See ya." She walks down the hall, shaking her head. She had dulled the ache in her chest, the want for human connection. She isn't human, and connections get you hurt. She can't hurt again.

Allison walks beside her, "You always an ass?"

"Talking about Martin or Stilinski?" Harper asks before taking a sip from her thermos. She huffs when she finds it empty.

"Lydia."

"We used to be friends. She knows what she did," Harper pulls out an energy drink.

"Didn't you just finish a coffee?" Allison asks as Harper opens it and then pours it into her thermos.

"Couldn't fall asleep," she shakes her head. "I play to ease my nerves, my nerves were still fried... couldn't run them out. I'll be alright." She takes a large sip of her drink. "So, is that all?"

"I mean... What did she do?"

"Really?"

"Well, yeah."

Harper rubbed her eye a moment. "She made fun of my cousin, and my cousin almost got into really bad trouble. It's history, but she wanted to still be my friend. She got mad when I didn't want anything to do with her. The next two years consisted of glares and backhanded comments... then I moved."

"I heard about the fire... I'm sorry." She jolts to a stop, looking at Allison. 

"Yeah." As if remembering something, Harper staked off, leaving Allison utterly confused. Harper curses as the bell rings, hurrying into her class. Her senses her a bit haywire with her exhaustion, but she just needs to make it through the day.

She is particularly upset she hadn't managed to get Derek to let her get another energy drink, though the one she did half lasted her through to Lunch. She dozes after eating her sandwich quickly. At the other end of the table, Stiles and Scott were talking between themselves. 

The landscape of school tips and the crackle of fire makes her hair stand on end. Like she had been paralyzed, she listened and watched as her family was killed. Laura suffered minor burns pulling Peter out, and he was more severely injured. She screamed daddy and rushed to him, kneeling in the leaves - her back to the fire. She holds his hand, which was limp, and sobs as the firetrucks arrive.

"Harper," a hand on her shoulder makes her reach out and grab it in a tight grip, suddenly perfectly alert. Scott and Stiles were standing in front of her - Stiles looking shocked at her grip on his wrist. She had fallen asleep. She lets him go and sits up fully, looking around. The student body was filing out of the cafeteria. Allison was waiting for them, but Harper pushes herself up. 

"Thanks," she says before leaving the cafeteria without another word. She really hopes she gets to play today.

Harper was prepared for just about anything, except hearing Stiles mention that wolf fur was found on Laura Hale. Given the fact she saw the murderer, she isn't completely shocked but it still sent a stone in her stomach as she readied up with Scott for the practice game. Settled in her element, she forced her rotten after-school life and focused on practice. 

Scott got the ball first, though she chases after. Scott dodges around the defense until it's just Jackson in front of him and Harper behind him. While Jackson was prepared for a ground run, Scott takes a leap and flips over him. The ball crashes into the net. Harper wasn't even out of breath, going back to the starting position while Coach talked with Scott.

He surveyed the group next, "Alright! let's go again." 

Harper scoops the ball before Scott this time, her cleats digging into the grass as she turns and bolts. She weaves, lither than the other players and faster, between the defense until she simply twirls her stick and throws the ball. The net swings at the impact, the goalie looking at her in shock. The ball had sailed exactly one inch below the crotch of his shorts.

"Hale, first line!" he shouts at her before swapping the players around. By the end of practice, she felt the best she had since the day Derek told them they were going to find Laura. She uses the towel in her bag to sop up the sweat on her neck.

"Hale!" Jackson clips. "You're coming to the party."

She frowns, "no."

"Not an option. As your captain, I'm ordering you to go. Ya know, team bonding. Right, coach?"

"Yep," Coach was distracted, notating his first line on his clipboard. She rolls her eyes and wipes her face off. 

"Alright, fine," she shrugs. "When does it start?"

"eh, 7."

"Right," She rolls her eyes, again, and tosses her towel into her bag. "Gotta run."

Derek was hanging about again, waiting for her. "Strong game," he tells her, slinging an arm over her shoulders.

"Can I go to a party?" she asks, smiling at his compliment. 

"Just get your homework done. Need a ride?" 

"Yes, please. We should probably go to a used dealership," she hums to herself. 

"You're gonna shower, right?" he sniffs her hair, making a face. "Congrats on first line, kid."

"You're only five years older than me!" She shoves him gently, sticking her tongue out. "Yes. And nap," she yawns. 

"You should talk to Deaton," he frowns, worried. "You didn't go to bed last night, did you?"

"I will, don't worry. And no..." she shakes her head. "I couldn't sleep... not after... I thought about that day."