Neriah Hale lost her family at the age of ten, leaving her in the town of Beacon Hills with no one but two boys and a secret that she'd spent her whole life hiding. But when one of the two boys gets bitten, she has to reveal her true self to help sa...
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"HAVE you seen Lydia?" Stiles asked me, stopping in front of my table with his phone in hand and a worried look on his face.
Staring up at him, I was kind of pissed if I were being honest. All night, I had been avoiding him and Lydia, yet here he was, asking me if I'd seen her.
"Why?" I asked dryly, clicking my tongue.
He ran a hand over his head. "She went to find Jackson ages ago but hasn't come back."
Shaking my head with a scoff, I stood up. "I don't understand it," I muttered, boring my eyes into his as his brows furrowed. "Why do you chase after her when all she has ever done is ignore you? She came here with you tonight, and yet she's running after her ex. Don't you ever get sick of it?" I asked, and maybe I was being harsh, but how could he not see what I saw?
"What's up with you?" he asked, his tone turning sharp. "You've been weird all afternoon, and I know you heard me yell out to you earlier. You just straight out ignored me."
"What's up with me?" I sharply repeated. "Stiles, Lydia is still in love with Jackson, and you're hurting yourself more and more by chasing her all the damn time." Stepping back, I shook my head in realization. "Actually, I'm such a hypocrite," I whispered before turning around and walking away, feeling my heart throb.
"What do you mean you're a hypocrite?" he asked, grabbing my arm and turning me back around to face him in the doorway. "Can you talk to me for once in your life, Neriah? It's so frustrating when you continue to shut me out."
"Let go of me," I ordered, pulling on my arm.
He kept staring at me, tightening his grip. "Not until you tell me what's really going on with you. You've never had a problem with me liking Lydia until now. You're the one who told Lydia I would go with her!"
"Because I want you to be happy!" I raised my voice, hating myself for getting so emotional. "All I've ever wanted is for you to be happy, even if I had to watch you chase Lydia while it was hurting me!"
His grip on my arm loosened, and his jaw dropped, telling me I said too much. "You actually like me," he breathed with realization.
Pulling my arm out of his hand, I stepped back with tears filling my eyes. "I do, Stiles," I admitted, my voice breaking. For eleven years, I had kept that to myself. Eleven long years. I shook my head, hating the next words that left my mouth. "Which is why I think we need to stop being friends." His face dropped, and I took another step back into the hallway. "It hurts too much to be your friend and to be in love with you. It's not fair. I'm sorry, Stiles," I choked out, feeling tears fall down my face.
Still frozen, his lips parted in shock, and I turned around, walking away from him while wiping away my tears.
"Neriah!" Jackson called out, walking toward me with a pale face. "I need to talk to you and—"
"Not now, Jackson," I whispered, putting my head down and walking straight past him.
I started jogging, kicking my heels off as I made it outside, and the cold hit me like a wave, making me shudder. But I couldn't care with how much my heart was throbbing in my chest, feeling like a broken mirror with the sharp pieces carving out my chest.
Stiles knew everything now, and I just ended our friendship.
I just ruined everything because of my stupid feelings.
Wiping away my tears, I looked around as I noticed I was on the lacrosse field where all the lights were on, revealing a figure in the middle.
"What the hell?" I mumbled, wrapping my arms around myself.
"Jackson!" the figure called out, turning around to face me, and I groaned, realising it was Lydia. Of course, it was Lydia. "Jackson, is that you?"
"It's Riah—" I cut myself off, stopping a distance away when I saw someone walking up behind her. "Lydia! Run!" I shouted, my legs working before my mind processed the thought.
Lydia turned back around to the person and screamed, making my heart drop.
