𝐇𝐎𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐆𝐄 | stiles stilinski ² ✔️

XVII. THE KISS THAT SAVED THEM BOTH

Stiles raced down the concrete steps inside the high school, Harper and Lydia rushing a few steps behind him. The teenage boy had height on his side, while Lydia was crammed into heels and Harper just had short legs.

The strawberry blonde was frantically texting someone on her phone as Stiles' hazel eyes searched for either Allison or Scott.

"Aiden isn't texting me back," Lydia huffed, throwing her phone into the back slung over her shoulder, "so maybe we could just- we could just go over there-"

Lydia was cut off by Harper's phone making a loud buzzing noise. It was barely heard over the chatter of the teenagers walking around them in the busy hallway. The brunette pulled it out of the back of her mom jeans.

Stiles didn't miss the way that Harper's face fell when she read what had ever popped up onto her screen. His eyebrows furrowed together worriedly, Lydia folding her arms across her chest.

"What is it?" His voice was barely above a murmur as he was so emotionally exhausted from the past day.

"It's from Isaac," Harper looked up at the other two teenagers regretfully, her hands shaking a little bit, "Jennifer... she took Chris."

Harper wished she didn't have to be the one to deliver the bad news and therefore shatter Stiles' heart. She watched as he stumbled a little, his entire body shaking and his eyes glossing over.

"S-she has all three sacrifices," Stiles stammered, swallowing the lump in his throat.

Stiles exhaled shakily as Harper slipped her phone away.

"There's still time," Lydia reassured them, although it sounded like she was trying to reassure herself at the same time, "we still have time, right?"

Harper's eyebrows were pulled down into a frown when she saw the way Stiles was slightly swaying and how much he was trembling. He made a gasping noise as if he was trying to say something, but he shut down.

"Stiles," Harper called urgently, rushing to his side to keep him up right, "Stiles, listen to me. Everything's going to be okay..."

She realised that the Stilinski boy couldn't hear a word she was saying. He just kept shaking his head and muttering incoherent vocabulary under his staggered breath. Every emotion Stiles experienced coursed through Harper's system. She managed to shake off his feelings with ease.

"He's having a panic attack," Harper turned to Lydia, a serious look on her face, "I'm gonna take him to the locker rooms."

Lydia nodded quickly, "o-okay, I'll be there in a few minutes."

Harper returned the nod and held onto Stiles' arm tightly, pushing him gently towards the locker rooms which she knew would be empty. Thankfully the students in the hallway ignored them both.

"Ha-Harper," Stiles stuttered as he fell down against one of the tiled walls, "Harper!"

"I know, I'm right here," The brunette cooed, attempting to sound strong for him, "you're okay, Stiles. Remember how you've always helped me through my panic attacks and I've been fine? I'm gonna do the same for you, okay?"

"Okay," he forced out, clenching his eyes shut momentarily, his hand resting on his chest where he could feel his pounding heart.

Harper grabbed his hand and made him place it above her heart, just like he had done for her once before. Stiles panted as he looked up from her hand resting on top of his to her big, brown eyes.

"Breathe with me, Sti, okay?" Harper instructed firmly before demonstrating, "in, out. In, and then out. In, out..."

Stiles copied her actions, slowly feeling all of the anxiety melt away. A thin layer of sweat lay across his pale skin but his heart had calmed down and he was no longer shaking.