Teen Wolf: The Alternate Path

Chapter Twenty-One: The Party's Shadow

The car felt too small, the air too thick. Matt's eyes flickered between Allison and me, his smile stretched a little too thin. 'You know, Scott's not really the guy I expected you'd go for,' he said, his tone too casual, his eyes too sharp. I could feel Allison's grip tighten on the wheel, her knuckles whitening. I forced a smile, my heart pounding in my chest, wondering if he knew more than he let on. The discovery of photos on Matt's forgotten camera, glimpsed by Allison, seemed to confirm Stiles' growing suspicions, adding a layer of unease. When Matt returned, catching us in the act, his demeanour had shifted; desperation tinged his voice, his attempts to sway Allison transparent and feeble. Wanting rid of him, I felt the familiar twinge of energy coil in my chest, a flicker of heat that I tried to direct towards Matt, willing him to leave. But instead of the calm I usually felt, there was resistance, a pushback that sent a wave of nausea crashing over me. My heart raced, a cold sweat breaking out on my brow. I gripped the seat, trying to steady myself as a torrent of doubt flooded in. What was happening to me? Why wasn't it working? "Allison, I don't like that guy," I confessed as we sped away, the alcohol from the rave still warming my blood. "I know what you mean," she replied, her voice tight with concern.

---

Lydia's upcoming birthday promised to be the event of the year, a beacon of normalcy amidst our spiralling chaos. As I hurried to get ready for Lydia's party, the door to my room creaked open, and my mom's face peeked around the corner. Her expression was softer than usual, a touch of concern etched into her features. She hesitated for a moment, like she was searching for the right words, and that pause alone was enough to catch my attention.

"Andrew," she began, her voice unusually tentative, a far cry from her usual sharpness. "Do you have a moment?"

I glanced over at her, half-dressed and fumbling with my shoes, but something in her tone made me pause. She looked different—paler, her skin seeming to hang more loosely around her face. There was a dullness in her eyes that hadn't been there before, and her usual composed posture was slightly slouched, as if a weight pressed down on her shoulders.

"Yeah, Mom?" I said, more out of reflex than actual engagement, already sensing the urgency of the time ticking away.

She took a step inside, leaning against the doorframe, and I noticed how she seemed to catch her breath for a second, a subtle, almost imperceptible wince passing over her features. "I... I just wanted to talk, for a bit. It's been a while since we..." she trailed off, searching my face, and I realized with a pang of guilt that I hadn't really looked at her properly in days, maybe weeks.

I moved toward her, but my phone buzzed in my pocket—another message from Allison, reminding me not to be late. I pulled it out, glancing at the screen briefly. When I looked back up, her expression had shifted slightly, a flicker of hurt crossing her eyes before she masked it with a faint, tired smile.

"Sorry, Mom. I've just got to..." I gestured vaguely at my clothes, feeling a stab of regret as I noticed her gripping the edge of the doorframe a little too tightly. Her knuckles were white, and her fingers trembled just enough for me to catch it in the dim light of my room.

For a fleeting second, I thought about asking her if she was okay, if there was something on her mind, but the words caught in my throat. My mind was already cluttered with too many things—the rave, the Kanima, my near-confession to Stiles. I couldn't handle another layer of worry right now.

"I... understand," she said softly, a weariness in her tone that didn't quite fit her. Her eyes, however, stayed fixed on mine, searching for something, perhaps a connection we hadn't shared in a while. "Just... be careful tonight, okay?" she added, her voice a little strained, almost as if it took effort to get the words out.