𝐒𝐇𝐄 𝐂𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐒 𝐌𝐄 𝐁𝐀𝐂𝐊, Lydia Martin

02 | telephones

"i wish i could live without you
but you're a part of me"
-Vacations

TOBIAS SCOWLED DOWN AT HIS PHONE, jabbing at every button like sheer force alone could will the ancient device back to life. The screen remained stubbornly black, mocking him.

"Come on," he muttered, flicking a glance at the digital clock on his nightstand. 7:15. Forty-five minutes until class, and he hadn't even showered yet.

"For fuck's sake." He exhaled sharply, tossing the useless phone onto the bed beside him before pressing his palms over his eyes. His fingers dragged down his face, frustration heavy in his chest.

A knock sounded from the open doorway. Tobias blinked blearily to the left, expecting his sister but finding someone else instead.

Chris Argent stood there, arms crossed, gaze sweeping over Tobias' disheveled form. The past few months had put an undeniable strain on all of them, but the air between them was—if not exactly light—definitely less suffocating than it was with Allison. They didn't live by the same code, but morals were morals. Even for hunters.

"Hey," Chris greeted, his voice even. "You staying home today?"

Tobias scoffed. "No, I'm going." He leaned forward, elbows resting on his knees. "I just—" He clicked his tongue in annoyance. "I haven't heard from Isaac in a while, and I was gonna call to see if he needed a ride, but it looks like my phone finally gave up on life." He lifted the useless brick in demonstration before dropping it again.

Chris reached into his pocket. "You want to use mine?"

Tobias shook his head. "Nah, it's fine. I'll just swing by his place on the way. It's the first day—no one cares if you're late."

"Says the junior."

A second voice chimed in, laced with judgment. Tobias turned just in time to see his little sister standing in the doorway, eyes wide with horror.

"You're not actually wearing that to school, are you?" Leonora gestured at his mismatched SpongeBob and Spider-Man pajama combo like it was an active crime against fashion.

Tobias raised an eyebrow, entirely unbothered. "You got a problem with that?"

Her lips pressed into a thin line. "Looks like I won't be making any new friends this year."

She spun on her heel, already retreating down the hall.

"Have you ever?" Tobias called after her.

"Screw you!" came her parting shot.

•,¸,.·' '·.,¸,•

SITTING IN FRONT OF STILES WAS A SPECIAL KIND OF TORTURE. Tobias usually avoided it like the plague, but when you know there's a pack of alphas roaming around and the air already started smelling like shit has hit the fan, sitting in front of the hyperactive, overly curious idiot was the only way to make sure he was up to date with any discoveries he'd made between the night before and that morning. 

Which were none, it seems, since—for the first time since they'd met—he hadn't said a single word. 

Tobias was about to call him out when the sudden cacophony of buzzing and ringing phones swept through the classroom, snapping him—and everyone else—out of their thoughts.