Skin Deep (Are the Secrets I Keep)

CHAPTER 5

Sure enough, that very same night, Derek swings by his house and tries to come in through Stiles' open bedroom window. In his chair, Stiles watches, thoroughly amused as Derek slams into an invisible barrier and crashes right back onto the front lawn. Hopefully, none of the neighbours saw that.

"Stiles!" Derek snarls once he's climbed the tree outside instead. "What are you doing? Let me in!"

Stiles rolls his eyes and spins back to his desk. "No."

Derek growls at him. "Quit fooling around. There are Alphas in town and they took Boyd and Erica. I need the blueprints to the bank they're locked up in."

Stiles shrugs, not looking away from his laptop. "So get them yourself."

"They're in the police archives."

"So basically you want me to steal them, and if I get caught, I'll be the one to go down for it, yes?"

"Your dad's the Sheriff; he's not going to arrest you or something."

Stiles rolls his eyes again. Yes, because clearly that's the worst that could happen. Never mind that their already shit relationship will get even shittier. "No."

"Stiles!" A fist thumps against the side of the house.

Stiles heaves a sigh before spinning around again. "No means no, Derek. If you're that desperate, get Scott to do it. He knows the station almost as well as I do." He meets the werewolf's angry red eyes. "I'm not in your pack. I'm not your friend. I'm not even an ally. You've made that plenty clear by treating me like some gopher boy every time you need something only I can get you, and I'm tired of it. You can't order me around. Now go away. And tell your goddamn uncle to stop stalking me all the time too."

Derek bristles. He looks momentarily taken aback that Stiles actually has the balls to very firmly tell him to fuck off, because in the past, whether either of them liked it or not, Stiles always ended up helping him, and if he didn't help him fast enough, Derek just shoved him into a wall and threatened him a bit, and Stiles would hop to it.

Gods, Stiles disgusts himself.

"Stiles-"

He gets to his feet, stalks over to the window, slams it shut, and then draws the curtains for good measure. Derek threatens him some more, voice muffled, but Stiles just ignores him until he finally goes away, although not before hammering a fist against the house again.

Stiles blows out a breath and gets back to his research on the Bermuda Triangle.

-0-0-0-

"Stiles!"

Stiles is hard-pressed not to groan. First day back at school and he's already being ambushed. He gets his locker open just as Scott rushes up, Isaac and Allison a few steps behind him.

"Stiles!" Scott exclaims in a rush, a disappointed frown already on his face. "I've been trying to get a hold of you but you wouldn't answer any of my texts or calls! What's with you, man?"

Stiles drops off the textbooks he doesn't need for first block. "I deleted them. Wasn't aware I had to answer them."

Now Scott just looks hurt, hovering in Stiles' periphery. "What are you talking about, Stiles? We're friends!"

Stiles finally glances at him. "Are we? Well," He jerks his chin at Allison, who stiffens. "Looks like you're still with the bitch."

Allison's mouth drops open, looking stunned. Scott looks equally thrown before his eyes flash yellow and he growls, "Don't talk about her like that! What the hell is wrong with you?"