Another Argent.

Battlefield

I was sitting in Ms. Morrell's Office a week later after everything. "You know when you're drowning, you don't actually inhale until right before you black out. It's called voluntary apnea. It's like no matter how much you're freaking out, the instinct water in is so strong that you won't open your mouth until you feel like your head's exploding." I explain to the guidance councilor. 

"Are you saying you hope Matt felt peace in his final moments?" She asks me. I sigh.

"I don't feel sorry for him." I reply.

"Can you feel sorry for the nine - year - old Matt who drowned?" She asks me.

I sigh. "Just because a bunch of dumbasses dragged him into a pool when he couldn't swim doesn't really give him the right to go off killing them one by one." I rely back, looking down at my hands. "And by the way, Stiles' dad told me that they found a bunch of pictures of Allison on Matt's computer." I say to her. "And not just of her though. I mean, he photoshopped himself into these pictures. Stuff like them holding hands and kissing. You know, like he had built this whole fake relationship. That's crazy." I explain to her. "So yeah, maybe drowning when he was nine years old was what sent him off the rails, but the dude was definitely riding the crazy train."

"One positive thing came out of this, though. Right?" She asks me.

"Yeah.: I reply, thinking about how Stiles' dad got his job back. "Yeah, but I still feel like there's something wrong between us. I don't know. It's just like tension when we, me and Stiles, talk. Same thing with Scott. And Allison." I explain to her. 

"Have you talked to them since that night?" She asks me.

I shake my head. "No, not really. Me and Stiles, we still like each other but there's this huge rift in our relationship, I don't- I don't think we're gonna make it. And- And, I mean, Scott, he's got his own problems to deal with though." I tell her, thinking about what he must be going on with his mother. 

"I don't think he's talked to Allison either, hell I haven't. But that might be more her choice, you know. Her mom dying hit her pretty hard." I tell her. "But I guess it brought her and her dad closer."

"How did her death affect you?" She asks me.

I look down. "It sucks losing a family member, someone you love. I never knew my father but when my mother was killed, it broke me. And I thought, okay no more losing family. And the Victoria died." I explain to her. "And Jackson? Jackson hasn't really been himself lately. Actually the funny thing is, as of right now, Lydia is the one who seems the most normal." I say, slightly bitter. 

"And what about you, Melanie? Feeling some anxiety about Stiles' championship game tomorrow night?" She asks me.

"Why would you ask me that? Ah. Uh, no. I - I don't play. But hey, since one of his teammates are dead and another one's missing, who knows, right?" I say to her. 

"You mean, Isaac." She says and I nod. "One of the three runaways. You haven't heard from any of them, have you?" 

"How come you're not taking any notes on this?" I ask giving her a curious look. 

"I do my notes after the session." She tells me.

I give her a weird look. "Your memory's that good?" I ask, raising an eyebrow. 

"How about we get back to you? Melanie?" She asks me. 

"I'm fine. Yeah, aside from the not sleeping, the jumpiness, the constant, overwhelming, crushing fear that something terrible's about to happen." I explain to her. 

"It's called hyper - vigilance, the persistent feeling of being under threat." Ms. Morrell says.

"But it's not just a feeling, though. It's - it's like it's a panic attack. You know, like I can't even breathe." I tell her.