The Alexandra Chronicles ¤ Derek Hale

Chapter 8

"Alex, will you please just talk to me?" Ethan begged as he followed me down the school hallway. I ignored him as I walked, hoping maybe he'd just get the hint and leave me the hell alone already. Apparently I hadn't been clear enough on the night of the party that I wanted nothing to do with him. And, unfortunately, he followed me all the way to my locker and waited for me to respond to him.
"Go away," I said flatly as I put my combination in and popped the locker open.
"I want to talk," he responded. "Just hear me out, okay?"
I clenched my jaw in annoyance as I looked at him. "You have fifteen seconds."
He made a face. "Fifteen, really? That's all I get?"
"Ten. And counting," I deadpanned.
"Okay, fine!" Ethan exclaimed with a huff. "Look, I'm an idiot, okay? But let's face it - you need me just as much as I need you! We're supposed to be Prom King and Queen! You're screwing everything up!"
"Times up." I turned to walk away but paused, looking back at him with a scoff. "Oh, and by the way? I don't need you at all - and you're the one that screwed everything up when you screwed Kendra. Jerk." Ethan glared at me and started to respond, but I walked away without giving him the chance to speak. I was starting to wonder what the hell possessed me to be in a relationship with him in the first place, let alone for as long as it was. He's always been an asshole, sort of like Jackson I guess, but he had his moments here and there. I've always known he had a wandering eye, though. It was only a matter of time until his hands started to wander as well.
"Hey girl!" Cassidy chirped as she appeared by my side, slinging her arm around me. "Tomorrow, you and me: Girl Night. We can watch movies, complain about our problems, search up colleges together... What do you say?"
I smiled at my best friend - it was moments like these I appreciated her the most. Cassie was an expert at making me feel better, even if she didn't know why exactly I was stressed or upset to begin with. Having our signature Girl Night together was just what I needed to get my mind off of all things werewolf - and Ethan, too. "I say it sounds great," I admitted. "I'll text you when I'm on my way tomorrow."
"Great!" She grinned as Riley appeared down the hallway. "I'll talk to you later, Al." I nodded and continued on my way out of the school as she ran to catch up with her boyfriend.
"Lex!" I shut my eyes and groaned to myself, knowing there was only one person who called me by that nickname: Jackson. Sure enough, the lacrosse captain caught up with me and grabbed my arm. "Who's the creep wandering around school looking for you and Scott?" He demanded.
"What?" I blinked, confused.
He rolled his eyes. "I'm pretty sure you heard what I said. Is that Scott's supplier? Who is he?"
I glared at him. "Again with the steroid accusations," I snapped. "Scott's not on drugs, Jackson! And as for who the guy is, I have no clue-" Derek. The name popped up in my mind spontaneously as I realized that was the only person it could be. Who else would be looking for Scott and I that Jackson didn't know? He knew everyone in Beacon Hills - except for Derek, since he just moved back here. "I gotta go," I muttered, maneuvering around Jackson. He yelled after me again, but I ignored him on my way out into the parking lot.
I tried to find the werewolf, but when I couldn't, I just walked over to my car and got in. Just when I was looking for my aux cord to play music from my phone, a bunch of people started beeping. Confused, I looked up to see what was the problem; I knew they weren't beeping at me, since I hadn't pulled out of my parking spot in the second row yet. My gaze landed on an all-too familiar powder blue jeep and I sighed - leave it to Stiles to traffic jam the entire school. But then I realized why he had stopped: Derek. I scrambled out of my car and hurried over there just as Scott did. "What are you doing here?" Scott demanded.
"I was shot," Derek muttered, short of breath.
My eyes widened at this and Stiles commented, "He's not looking so good, dude."
"Why aren't you healing?" I asked Derek, trying to ignore the sound of all the beeping.
"I can't," he responded, still breathing heavily. "It was - it was a different kind of bullet."
"Wait, like a silver bullet?" Stiles sounded way too excited about this.
"No, you idiot," Derek snapped.
Scott blinked as he thought about something, ignoring the bickering. "Wait, that's what she meant when she said you had forty-eight hours."
"What? Who - who said forty-eight hours?"
"The girl who shot you."
I raised an eyebrow. "How in the hell do you know who shot him?" I demanded. "Were you there?" Scott didn't respond, but his expression said it all. I glared at him. I know this was all new to him and everything, but he was still fifteen years old and just because he was a werewolf didn't make him indestructible. Hell - Derek was proving that fact right now. Speaking of the werewolf, his eyes started flashing electric blue... the same color they did when he wolfed up. "What are you doing?" I hissed, glancing around us to make sure no one saw.
"Stop that!" Scott demanded.
"That's what I'm trying to tell you: I can't," Derek growled in annoyance.
The beeping grew more insistent and when I heard a few car doors, I wrapped an arm around Derek's waist and guided his arm around my shoulders. "We have to get him out of here," I explained when Scott and Stiles stared at me like I was crazy. Neither of them moved when I helped Derek up to his feet and I rolled my eyes. "Help me get him into the jeep, you idiots!" Scott scrambled to Derek's other side as soon as I spoke and with his help, we managed to get Derek into Stiles's passenger seat.
"I need you to find out what kind of bullet they used," Derek said to my brother once he was sitting in the car.
"How the hell am I supposed to do that?"
"'Cause she's an Argent, she's with them!"
"Why should I help you?"
I elbowed Scott in the arm. "Scott, he's dying," I pointed out quietly. Even though neither of us were sure if we should trust Derek or not, we weren't cold-hearted, and we couldn't just let him die.
"Because you need me," Derek told him as he glanced over at me for a moment.
Scott huffed. "Fine." To Stiles he said, "Get him out of here."
Stiles glared at us. "I hate you for this, so much."
"Quit whining and drive," I ordered as Scott and I stepped away from the jeep. Stiles rolled his eyes but drove off anyway, just as Allison started making her way toward us. I patted Scott on the back. "This one's all yours, buddy," I told him before walking back to my car.
I could hear Scott groan as I walked away and couldn't help but laugh.