The New Boy

Chapter 18

I'd been pacing for a while now, at least twenty minutes. My dad had left for work already and I couldn't exactly do anything but think. Allison would be here any second and I still had no idea what I was going to do or say. I should definitely start with apologising... Right? Girls like apologies don't they? I let out a groan and sat on my bed, staring at the blank wall in front of me. I should be apologising to a lot of people... Allison, Stiles, I guess even Katherine deserves an apology for me leaving just like that... I should of apologised to my dad at the very beginning, it was my fault mom was gone and he didn't even know what I'd done. Mom... She was the person I wished I could apologise to over and over, I wouldn't stop apologising until my voice cracked and I couldn't speak anymore.

There were three loud knocks on the front door and I ran down the stairs to answer it.

Allison stood outside, biting her lip as she looked up at me. As much as I knew it was a stupid time to think it, she did look beautiful. She always did.

"Hi..." She mumbled as I moved aside to let her in. I could see her taking in her surroundings, wondering along the hallway, looking at all the photos on the walls until she reached one above the foot of the steps, "I've never been in your house before..." She sighed once I caught up with her, "is this your mother?"

My eyes glanced in the direction she was looking. It was a small photo of me and my mom by our old house when I was thirteen.

"It was the first day of middle school..." I explained quietly, "I was so freaked out after all the stuff I'd been told about bullys, who knew I'd become one?" I chuckled lightly, but cut off when I saw the sad look on Allison's face, "My mom always smiled at me in photos because she  said if she looked directly at the camera lens her eyes would definitely be closed and the picture would be ruined. I loved that about her..."

"She was beautiful Scott" Allison gazed between me and the photograph.

"Yeah... Yeah she was" I smiled slightly, sucking in a breath before shaking my head and leading her up the steps, "Dad loved that picture, he always used to say how mom chased the school bus down two whole blocks just trying to get in a couple more goodbyes... I never saw it for myself"

I let her into my room and she sat herself at the edge of my bed, looking around curiously. If she was ever going to trust me at all again, I needed to show her the truth, it was the only way. Well, the only right way.

I crouched in front of her and pulled out a small black box from under my bed.

"What's that?" Allison asked as I sat next to her.

"Some people have skeletons in a closet, I have my lies in a box" I shrugged, flipping it over and pulling the key out of a small compartment, concealed completely. I unlocked the box and cracked open the lid, "Allison some of the stuff in here Katherine doesn't even know"

Allison tilted her head, brushing her shoulder against mine, "why would you show it to me then?"

"Because I trusted you more in two weeks than I trusted Katherine in four years" I replied quietly, feeling Allison's eyes trail over me without me even looking up, "This was the guy" I lifted out a small photograph of the young man who's face still kept me awake at night, it was him and his friends at some sort of party.

"Where did you get the picture?"

"I went to see him" I sighed, "he obviously wasn't conscious yet but it was with in a packet with other photos and some flowers, I had to take it, it felt like I deserved a reminder of what I'd done... These are..." I pulled out a scrunch of tickets and places them next to me, "Police tickets, I'd get them for driving over the speed limit, petty crime or vandalism, having a party too loud or fighting I'd keep the tickets, burn the letters to my parents and pay off the fine over time. Some call it stupid, Some call it diabolical and some people call it a cry for help"

"What do you call it?" Allison whispered, picking one out of the pile for vandalism.

"A little bit of all of them I guess" I shrugged, taking out a small necklace with a small, silver crescent moon on it, "This was my mom's. I found it in an envelope for me a couple hours before they found her body. All the letter said was 'give this to someone worthy of the love I should of given you', here" I showed her the little envelope that the the necklace was in. Allison read it over and over again in silence, I wasn't sure whether it was a good silence of a bad silence just yet. "That was all she left to me specifically, there was nothing else"

"I think it's a beautiful necklace" she nodded, hesitantly rubbing my arm.

"I just wished she'd hated me like I hated her in the last few days of her life. At least then I wouldn't feel as guilty"

"Don't say that Scott, she could never hate you, you were her son, I can tell she loved you so much" she sighed, pulling me into a side hug.

"I loved her too..." I muttered, leaning my head against hers.

"And she's given you the necklace because she knew deep down that one day you'd be in love again. Maybe she didn't know when, or how but you would and you'd give that necklace to the love of your life" she explained quietly.

That was when everything fell into place. I knew why hadn't shown the box to Katherine but I'd shown it to Allison, it wasn't about trust, or it least it wasn't just about trust. It was about love. All those years that I assumed I loved Katherine, in the back of my mind I had a shred of humanity left in me that knew, yes I loved the thrill of being with Kat and I loved the idea of power, but I wasn't ever in love with her.

I was in love with Allison. I'd only known her for a short amount of time but I was utterly infatuated with her from the beginning, like in the fairy takes with love at first sight. I was uncontrollably and irresistibly in love with Allison Argent and I didn't want to admit it to myself simply because I'd loved my mom and that ended up in pure pain and guilt. The necklace represented my second chance, the chance to get it right... And I knew that I wanted to get it right with Allison.

"I want you to have it" I whispered dropping the necklace into her palm.

"I can't..." She said quickly, clearly surprised the sudden grand emotional gesture.

"You said she knew I was going I fall in love, and I know that she knew that being in love would make me a happier, person who wanted to be better in every way for the perfect girl. Well, you're the perfect girl for me" I smiled shyly, pulling away from the hug so I could turn properly and look into her eyes. "I know I've been the world's stupidest guy, and a first class jerk but that was because I assume that's what I'm supposed to be. But when I was with you I really wanted to be a better person, so I could make you happy"

"What are you saying?..." Allison mumbled, staring into my eyes.

"Allison I love you" I blurted out.