𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐝𝐚𝐧𝐭 ▷ 𝐬. 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐤𝐢 ✓

𝟐𝟖. 𝐩𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐲

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
pity party

YASMINE MCCALL

Once Scott had finally woken up, Derek had taken him with him. They apparently needed to discuss new methods to stop Jackson, but personally I was not feeling up for it. Stiles had arrived soon after and offered to give me a ride home, which I had accepted. While we did not speak during the entire way home, just knowing he was there helped me feel less alone. We had made it to my house and after assuring him that I would text him tomorrow, I left the car and ran up to my bedroom.

Melissa was already sleep by the time I made it home, since it was very late at night. In the early hours of the morning, I found myself moving almost like zombie as I changed into some comfortable pajamas, took off my makeup and climbed into bed. Being all alone in the darkness lead to reality creeping in on me and laying there, staring up at the ceiling, tears began pooling in my eyes as my lower lip trembled. Silent tears slid down my face as I thought back to Scott on the ground, his life nearly snatched from him due to his sort-of girlfriend's mother.

When someone had entered my bedroom later that night, I had made no moves or effort to see who it is. When someone pulled back my duvet and climbed into bed with me, I made no moves to turn or even react. Gently wiping away the tears from my face, Scott wrapped his arms around my shaking body and pulled me into his chest, leading to me completely losing it as I began sobbing into his chest. The beating of his heart alongside the rises and falls of his chest reminded me that he was still here - that my brother was still alive. Running his one hand through my hair, his other hand held me tight as I cried.

This reminded me of the night of the Winter Formal, but now the roles were reversed. I remember making it home that day and sleeping in Scott's bed, holding him as he silently cried all night. That night he had continuously woken up after having severe nightmares and every time we woke up, I was right there to assure him that I was still here and that I was still alive.

The truth was we had been way too close to death these past few months and I did not know how much more I could take of it.

_

It was Wednesday which meant it was Lydia's birthday and like always, she would throwing the biggest party in Beacon Hills.

I had been attending school the past two days, but keeping my distance and staying relatively quiet. I only really spoke with Stiles and Scott, also keeping my distance from Allison to a certain extent. Matt was someone I did everything to not come across, especially when Allison told me what she had discovered. Friday night, after I took off to get some fresh air and subsequently found her mother trying to kill my brother, I never returned to the party. Allison had found Matt wandering around the premise in confusion, allegedly looking for me. The party promoter named Kara had been brutally murdered, most likely by Jackson, and therefore the whole rave was shut down and everyone was told to go home.

Matt had enquired about my whereabouts and since I was nowhere to be seen, Allison had figured something had happened and I had to leave. Nonetheless, she had offered him a ride home and driven him home, him asking about me the whole drive and apparently also mildly asking about her and Scott. She had told me that when she dropped him off, he forgot his bag in his car and she stumbled across his camera. While there were many pictures taken of the lacrosse team and the games, she told me she had been scared and pretty freaked out when she saw the array of pictures he had taken of me ranging from me merely in the school hallways to some even taken of me outside my house.

Matt had been following me around and taking pictures of me.

That alone was enough to make me stay the hell away from him. It was one thing for him to randomly ask me to a rave and then kiss me - that felt teenage-y and normal enough. But for Allison to tell me he was a borderline stalker, who took pictures of me anytime he had the chance? No, thank you. Sneakily she had managed to take pictures before he came and had showed me the slightly blurry images from his camera, which were different candids of me everywhere from the lacrosse field to my front yard. When he had came back to retrieve his stuff, Allison claimed he did not even seem embarrassed or weird having those of me; instead he made a comment about how good the candids of me were.