Tethered // Teen Wolf // Isaac Lahey

FIFTY-THREE

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KOREY

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"Nope," I quipped, catching Kira's shoulders and turning her back around, "if I have to go watch sweaty boys throw a ball around, so do you."

"But—" Kira dug her feet into the floor, "Malia is going! Go with Malia!"

"You're going too," I decided finally, "you're going to support Scott."

Kira's heart stuttered, and she whipped around, her eyes wide, "What do you know?"

I took a step back, holding my hands up, "Nothing, damn, relax. I just meant that Malia is going for Stiles, I'm going for Isaac and... someone should be there for Scott."

Kira's face smoothed out with relief before she forced a smile, "Oh."

"Yeah," I nodded slowly before pointing my finger over her shoulder, "so... lacrosse try-outs?"

Kira was reluctant, but she went along anyway, reeking of anxiety that overshadowed the small spark of excitement she felt. She and Scott had had a weird, on/off, cat, and mouse type game going on for a month now. She liked him very clearly, but she was nervous because Scott, for ages now, had only ever seen Allison.

Allison was also back in the dating game, so everything was a mess, and no one really knew what was going on. Once again, I wanted to bring forth my argument that the whole friendship group didn't have to be an incest tree.

Malia was already on the bleachers when we arrived, her precalculus book draped out in her lap and her eyes wide and confused reading through it.

"Oh, honey, no," I scrunched my face up, grabbing the book from her lap and slamming it closed. "Don't do that to yourself. Pick joy."

"Stiles said math is important for tipping," Malia reached for her book, "I'm trying to learn, but I don't understand anything."

I plopped on the other side of her, leaving her in the middle, and I flipped her book open again, scouring the pages. 

She'd highlighted everything in red marker to the point the colour had seeped through the pages. Every once in a while, there was a yellow line, but mostly, it was just red. Malia pointed out at it, "Red is for what I don't understand, yellow is for I'm getting there and green is for I know it."

"Hm," I flipped through more of the pages, "any chance you're colourblind?"

Malia huffed in frustration, snatching the book back from me at last, "It's hard, okay? This sucks."

I sighed heavily, nudging her shoulder, "Are you using Lydia's notes?"

"Yeah," Malia huffed, "I don't understand them either."

I smiled slightly, remembering my own frustrations when I'd first started attending school properly again. "I can help you if you like."

"Are you smart?" Malia asked bluntly, "You're never in class."

"That's because I learn from life," I snorted, my eyes trailing over the field as the lacrosse players came out on it, "but I get good grades. I learn at home. I take my time, practise what I read, go online, and figure it all out at my own pace." I glanced at her as I felt the intensity of her stare on me, "You have to find what works for you."

Malia nodded slowly before she turned the cover of her precalculus book open again and scanned something inside it. "Can I come to your place on Thursday?"

"Sure," I leaned back on the seat, my eyes narrowing when I couldn't find Isaac amongst the boys. I dug my hand into my pocket, pulling out my phone and going to find his contact before I was interrupted by a hand tapping my shoulder as someone ran down the bleachers.