How to be Cool

Lesson #6: Pretty Girls make Pretty Girls Jealous

"I talked to Erica Reyes," Derek informed me after helping me up off the ground. He was getting too much joy out of body checking me while we practiced lacrosse. But, at least I was getting better. Try outs were in two days and blocking him from knocking me to my ass was the only thing I still sucked at. "She wants to meet you, but she agreed to help you make Lydia jealous."

"Why would she make Lydia jealous?" I wondered, picking my stick up off the ground. Derek walked back to the other side of the yard to start the play over again. "I mean, Lydia is beautiful. How could she be jealous of anyone else?"

Derek chuckled, like he knew the punchline to a joke that I didn't even know was being told. "Lesson number six," he explained, but that didn't help at all. I shrugged, waiting for him to finish. He sighed, as if disappointed in me. "Pretty girls make pretty girls jealous," he finished. "Lydia sees Erica all over you, she'll start to see you. I promise, it works every time."

I wasn't following, but he was the expert in coolness here, so I nodded anyways. "When will Lydia see us together though? Erica doesn't go to Beacon Hills." There was no way she'd transfer just to help me, considering she didn't even know me. I also knew I wouldn't be invited to hang out with Lydia anytime soon, so I was right to be confused. 

Derek sighed, dropping his lacrosse stick on the ground before walking back over to me. "Will you just trust me for once?" He placed his hands on my shoulders, forcing me to look at him after I let my lacrosse stick hit the ground. "Stiles, in these two weeks that we've been hanging out, when have I ever let you down?" His touch was making my thoughts a little cloudy for whatever reason, but I knew he was right. For now, I had no other choice but to listen to him. 

"As long as you know what you're doing," I mumbled, wishing I could tear my eyes away from his. When he smiled, it only made it harder. "I-um, I'm actually getting a little hungry, aren't you?" I managed, shaking his touch off. "Maybe we could order a pizza, or something?"

"Or," Derek countered, ruffling my hair. "I could take you out."

The words "like on a date?" almost came out of my mouth, but I stopped them. Of course, Derek would never suggest something like that. He just had a weird way of wording things. "Oh, like where?" I said instead, ignoring the heat on my cheeks at the way he teased me.

"I know a place," he insisted, gesturing for me to follow him back inside. "But first, you need a new shirt. That one is covered in grass stains." I tried to object before quickly realizing it was pointless. The white graphic t-shirt I had put on this morning was now green in some places. A shame, since it was one of my favorite shirts. 

"I didn't bring a change of clothes," I remembered, stumbling up the stairs after Derek. I followed him into the room and shut the door behind me out of habit. "I'll just wear a jacket over it," I suggested, but Derek shook his head and started going through his drawer. 

He finally picked something, then turned around to throw it at my chest. "You can keep that shirt. I don't wear it anymore. It's a little tight." I held up the shirt and bit back a smirk. Derek was into Star Wars? He sure didn't seem like the type, but there were a lot of things about him I didn't know yet. "Don't say anything," he warned, as if reading my mind.