✓ | battle wounds, scott m.

chapter four.

Ella sat on a desk beside her brother, her head in her hands which made her glasses lift up. Her blue eyes searched around the room, trying to occupy herself whilst Scott tried to convince Derek that the bruises on Allison and Lydia's arms were a sign to show where he could find Erica and Boyd. "I don't see anything," Derek said flatly, his arms crossed over his chest. "Look again," Scott said. Derek exhaled, "How is a bruise gonna tell me where Boyd and Erica are?" "It's the same on both sides," Scott pressed, motioning to girls' arms that were held out, "Exactly the same." "It's nothing," Derek stated. "Pareidolia," Lydia spoke as she lowered her arm, "Seeing patterns that aren't there. It's a subset of apophenia."

"They're trying to help," Scott sighed. "These two?" Derek scoffed, then pointed to Lydia, "This one, who used me to resurrect my psychotic Uncle. Thank you." He then pointed at Allison, "And this one, who shot about 30 arrows into me and my pack." "Okay, all right, now, come on. No one died, all right?" Ella spoke up in her soft voice, seeming to make everyone blow off their steam and the tension in the air. "Look, there may have been a little maiming, okay, a little mangling, but no death. That's what I call an important distinction," Stiles finished off for his sister. "My mother died," Allison stated, glaring daggers at Derek.

"Your family's little honor code killed your mother. Not me," Derek said. "That girl was looking for Scott. I'm here to help him, not you," Allison shook her head. "You wanna help?" Derek asked, "Find something real." Ella let out an annoyed huff as Derek walked towards the door, Scott following him to try to persuade Derek into giving Allison a chance. Ella turned to her brother and sighed, getting off of the desk and giving him a hug. "What's with the random hug?" Stiles chuckled, though he hugged her tight. "For always taking care of me," Ella responded, resting her head on his shoulder and closing her eyes.

▼

Stiles, Scott, and Daniella walked under the foot bridge, heading towards their class. "Okay, what would a pack of alphas want with Erica and Boyd?" Stiles asked. "I'm not sure it's them they want," Scott answered. "Okay, what, like Derek? Like they're recruiting?" Stiles asked as Scott came to a stop, eyeing the new twins as they walked by. "Hey, Scott. You coming?" Ella's voice was enough to make Scott snap back into reality. Scott turned to the Stilinski twins and nodded, following them towards the school. Scott and Ella walked side by side, their hands brushing against one another. Ella had a million butterflies in her stomach, but she knew that it was nothing. Their bodies were so close together, how would their hands not touch each other? Suddenly, Scott looked down at her small fragile hand and connected their pinkies. 'It's nothing. He's not over Allison,' Ella thought to herself.

And as much as she wanted to hold his hand, even if it was just the pinkie, she let go and placed her hand on the other strap of her backpack, letting her hair fall in her face as she walked ahead of her brother and crush.

▼

Finstock slammed a book onto his desk, causing everyone in the class room to snap their heads up, to wake up, or roll their eyes. Ella was one of the people to wake up. "The stock market is based on two principles. What are they?" Finstock asked. Scott raised his hand. "Yes, McCall, you can go to the bathroom. Anybody else?" Finstock asked. "Uh, no, coach, I know the answer," Scott stuttered. Coach began to laugh loudly before his face turned flat, "Oh, you're serious." "Yes. Risk and reward," Scott replied, glancing over at Ella's chair to see her with her head in the palm of her hand, her glasses pushed up.

"Wow! Who are you? And what have you done to McCall?" Coach asked as he walked over to Scott's desk, Scott beginning to smile, "Don't answer that. I like you better. I like you better. Does anybody have a quarter? A quarter." "Yep," Stiles answered as he reached into his pocket, an XXL condom flying out and onto the floor. Ella turned and began to laugh, shaking her head as coach awkwardly walked towards him and handed him it, "Stilinski, I think you, uh. . You dropped this. And congratulations." Ella looked at her brother and snorted quietly, shaking her head. Stiles clicked his tongue at his sister, squinting at her before looking back at Coach.