"Junior year, man," Scott says to me, elbowing my side playfully. "Considered the upperclassmen, huh?"
I nodded. I don't know, I just wasn't feeling it. I didn't like school. I didn't like being around other people, unless it was Scott. He's like my brother.
Other people? No. I'm just another anxiety ridden teenager to everyone else who attends Beacon Hills. Which is actually true.
"Stiles?" Scott says. "What's wrong?"
I shake my head. "Nothing, I just don't want to be here right now."
"C'mon, dude," he says. "Let's just forget about everyone else and pick out some hot junior girls, yeah?"
I laugh. "Come on, Scott. You know I already have mine picked out."
Scott shook his head as I pointed to the beautiful ginger that was about to pass.
"Hey, Lydia," I say as she passes us. "You look--"
But by that time, she was already speeding past us, not pay attention to any part of me.
"--like you're gonna ignore me," I say, finishing that sentence.
Scott snorts and shakes his head as he says, "Bro, you need to find a new chick. You know you don't stand a chance with Lydia Martin."
I shrug. "She's not like that, Scott."
"Yeah," he chuckles. "Well, she sure knows how to ignore you."
"She does that to lots of people," I say, defending my point.
Scott nods and laughs. "Like him?"
I turn around, and witness Lydia and Jackson Whittemore. God, I hate him. He plays on our lacrosse team, and he's such a conceited jerk. Why Lydia likes him is a mystery for all of us.
"Stiles, man, you gotta start thinking smarter," Scott says.
I snap my head in Scott's direction. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"This love crap, it doesn't apply in high school. Especially when the girl you so dearly love doesn't believe in it. At all," he begins. "Dude, you don't have to worry about that for years. Hell, not even until you're, like, thirty! All you gotta do is find some really hot girl, get laid, and move onto the next one."
"Scott, I'm not turning into you," I say.
"Stiles, we're sixteen," he huffs. "Any wacky scenario that you could possibly think of happens at Beacon Hills but love."
"I'm walking away now," I laugh.
Scott smiles and shouts at me more and more as I walk away.
+++
Each year, Beacon Hills gives us our schedule a week in advance, and along with the schedule, they give us a roster of who's all going to be in our classes.
Every year, I look for classes with Lydia. And this year is finally my year. Archaic Latin and AP Calculus.
And the best part? I get to see her at the beginning and end of my school day, everyday. Archaic Latin first period, and AP Calculus last period.
And as we're walking into Archaic Latin, Lydia was the first one there; a seat wide open next to her.
I almost make a mad dash to the seat, and when I finally get there, she doesn't even turn her head to glance at me.
"Lydia, right?" I say, trying to get her attention.
She slowly turns her head towards me and says, "Yeah...?"
"I thought you normally take Classical Latin," I blurt out. "What made you switch to Archaic--"
"I know some of Archaic Latin, I got bored with Classical," she says all in one breath. "And you are?"
"Stiles," I say. "You know, the nerdy kid from the third--"
"What the hell is a Stiles?" she says in the most annoyed tone possible.
"Right," I nod, sighing. "I don't even know myself."
She shot a fake smile, and went back to doodling in her notebook until class started. All class long, she never even looked my way.
God, that was the most embarrassing thing I've ever encountered.
