PLAYER | DEREK HALE

Second Chance First Line

I woke up this morning, still reeling from the realization that my strange dream about being a werewolf wasn't a dream at all.

The truth hit me like a freight train: I, Jailee McCall, was a werewolf.

So was my twin brother, Scott, and Derek Hale. 

It felt like I was living in some kind of horror movie. 

This sort of thing wasn't supposed to happen to regular people like us. I wasn't even sure I was cut out for this. I could barely handle everyday life, let alone transforming into a werewolf. And it was all Derek's fault. He was the one who bit us, dragging us into this mess.

Despite everything, I couldn't stop thinking about Derek. 

Sure, he might be a hundred percent pure evil, but he didn't seem that way all the time. 

He'd given me a lift home when it was raining and had calmed me down before I could hurt someone. 

His face, his eyes, his mouth, his hair—everything about him was too perfect. I couldn't get him out of my mind. When our eyes glowed together, it was surreal. His eyes always seemed to glow in sync with mine, and I had no idea why. So many things in my life were a mystery now.

Before class, I had the dubious pleasure of getting sweaty and gross while I ran hurdles. Dressed in black gym shorts, a red and white Beacon Hills High School track team t-shirt, and my Nike sneakers, I considered quitting track the other night. But my mom was really excited when I told her I was the anchor for the relay races.

I was excited too, mostly because I loved seeing the hatred in Judy's stare when I outperformed her.

The track was right next to the lacrosse field, so I could see Scott and Stiles practising from where I stood. Our practices always coincided.

Standing on the line, I crouched down, readying myself for the whistle.

As soon as it sounded, I sprang up, sprinting and jumping over the hurdles.

Coach Finstock's voice rang out, but he wasn't yelling at me.

"McCall's gonna do it again! McCall's gonna do it again!" 

I tried to ignore it and focus on my race, but then I saw Derek standing nearby.

I stumbled, crashing into the last hurdle and rolling in the dirt.

"Shake it off, Jailee!" Coach Johnson barked. 

I got to my feet, dusting myself off and groaning when I heard Judy snicker with her group of puppies that followed her around. 

What the hell was Derek doing here?

A loud thump and a growl snapped my attention back. Jackson was down on the ground, and Scott was hunched over him with Stiles rushing to his side. Everyone around us was staring.

"Hey," Hayley came up to me, "is your brother okay?"

"I don't know," I breathed out, watching Scott and Stiles run off to the locker rooms.

Glancing over at Derek, who remained in his spot, I decided to follow the boys.

All I could hear from the boys' locker room were Scott's yells and Stiles' not-so-manly shrieks.

When I reached the door, Stiles bumped into me, a fire extinguisher in his hands.

"Ah!" he jumped.

"Calm down, Stilinski," I almost whispered, raising my hands in defence.

"Stiles?" Scott's raspy voice called out, and we both walked into the locker room.

"What happened?" Scott asked, confused and slightly hunched over on a bench.

"You tried to kill me," Stiles threw the fire extinguisher and his lacrosse gloves to the floor.

"You did what?" I asked, but was ultimately ignored.

"It's like I told you before. It's the anger, it's your pulse rising. It's a trigger," Stiles explained, crouching in front of Scott.