Everything Has Changed [LIAM DUNBAR] #2

How Desperate?

"Aspen, just, wait," Liam called to her as she marched across the parking lot to her car, "You're hurt."

"I'm fine. We need to find Mason," she shrugged him off, pulling on the handle of her car, finding it locked. "Where are my keys-"

"Just hold on, you're bleeding," Liam said, reaching to wipe the blood from her cheek. She snapped, shoving him off of her a little harder than she meant to. Liam stumbled back, hurt flashing in his blue eyes. "Oh my God, I'm fine. All right, Liam? Stop being so paranoid."

"I'm just worried about you," Liam defended. "I can take care of myself," she spat. He laughed, clenching his fists together in frustration. Couldn't she just let someone care about her for once? "Yeah, you seem to think that."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Aspen parried, turning to face him, her cheeks blood red. "Every time you think you can handle something by yourself, it all goes to crap, Aspen," he retorted at her, clearly fed up, "I want to save Mason just as much as you do, trust me, but if you're hurt-"

"This isn't about me, Liam," Aspen growled, "This about saving people. Not just Mason, but the hundreds of other people he could be killing right now."

Liam scoffed again, running his hands angrily through his hair. "You know, this is exactly why I didn't tell you about the night in the school," he uttered angrily, "You care so much about being the hero that you never stop to look at yourself, Aspen. You're so careless sometimes a-and you can't save anyone if you're dead!"

Aspen was so speechless, frozen in honest-to-goodness shock, that she barely noticed when Hayden walked up. Hayden knew something was up, glancing carefully in between the fuming couple.

"Here are your keys," Liam spat at her, pulling the lanyard out of his pocket and shoving it into Aspen's hand, "I'm gonna go check the preserve. See if I can find anything." There was still fire in his eyes as he turned and left, the same angry look in Aspen's own.

She didn't even look at Hayden as she climbed into her red Mazda, ignoring the looks she was giving her. "You wanna tell me what that was about?" Hayden asked quietly.

"Nope."

-/-

After hours of searching, Aspen and Hayden finally gave up, Aspen going to Scott's.

"My dad's got an APB out," Stiles said as Scott walked into the kitchen where everyone waited. "For a 5'8" sixteen year old?" Kira asked, fingering her braids.

"I recommended nine foot tall rampaging werewolf," Aspen shrugged. "It still might not be him," Liam said quietly. Aspen sighed and they all looked at him. "But," he added, "I already looked on the preserve."

"Hayden's checking the school," Aspen said. "I can keep checking the woods," Malia offered.

"And my mom can check all the hospitals in the county," Scott said, "We can find him."

"What happens then?"

Scott smiled at his pack. "We figure out a way to save him."

Lydia nodded along. "Okay.. Where else can we look?"

"Let's ask Corey," Scott said, reaching out beside him and pulling Corey from thin air. The boy panicked, wide-eyes, and Aspen gasped out a small "oh my god".