-DISCLAIMER-

I do NOT own Teen Wolf

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Thanks for being patient guys.

Prepare yourself for some freezer related emotions.

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The door creaked as I slowly entered the house. I had rarely been in there, so it felt weird. Especially without Isaac there with me.

Taking careful steps, I headed straight for the basement door.

The whole house was dark and empty, dust already beginning to gather on the furniture. The air felt heavy with silence, pulling at my lungs, each small sound echoing through the rooms. It felt wrong being there; the home itself felt darker than it appeared.

I finally reached the basement door. It had been replaced since Scott smashed it when he was here last. I think they were planning to sell it eventually, so that was why there was a fresh new one hung on the hinges.

Standing there for a couple of moments, I attempted to prepare myself. Both Isaac and Scott didn't want me to know what was down here; was I really about to go and see anyway?

Yes. Yes I was.

Taking a deep breath to compose myself, I slowly turned the knob on the door. It opened without a sound, the movement almost eerie.

Instead of turning on the light, I decided just to use the flashlight on my phone. Less light, therefore less chance of someone seeing it through any windows and calling the sheriff's station.

I walked down the steps cautiously, using the light to guide my way.

The basement looked like any other from where I was standing. Shelves filled with paints and tools and such, boxes labelled and stacked upon each other, some old furniture, and a freezer.

I wasn't really sure what I was supposed to be looking for, so I just stood there in the middle of the room with the flashlight pointing at random objects. Thinking back to when I followed Derek and Scott, I remembered how Scott found what Derek wanted to show him.

Peter said something about me, and Stiles seemed to think I was different also. Maybe I could do the same as Scott.

It was worth a try.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, letting the feeling of the room wash over me.

A minute passed and nothing happened. I grumbled in frustration, stomping my foot like a child.

Trust your instincts. That's what Derek had said.

"I can do this," I coached myself.
After turning the flashlight off, I closed my eyes once more, allowing myself to be submerged in the darkness.

I felt air tickling the back of my neck, sending shivers down my spine and through my body. With every breath I felt like I was able focus better.

I opened my eyes and walked over to the freezer. It was large, like the industrial type you would find in a restaurant or something like that. But something felt off. Something about it made my chest tight and throat dry.

Resting my hands beneath the lid, I lifted it slowly. Once it was completely open I grabbed my phone and turned the flashlight back on.

Gasping, I almost dropped my phone in shock. My free hand covered my mouth, trapping any sound I could have made.

The inside of the freezer was covered in scratches. Scratches left by fingernails. Taking my hand away from my mouth, I ran my fingers over the marks indented in the inside of the lid.

How could Mr Lahey do that to his own son?

I felt a wave of emotions come over me, my knees buckling beneath me as my eyes began to well up. His dad had basically been torturing him, and I had no idea.

How could I not know?

Isaac should've told me. I could've done something. Anything.

I could've helped him get out of that house, or called the police or something. Anything had to be better than that.

Pulling myself back up to my feet, I stared at the freezer. Without thinking, I stepped into it and sunk down onto my backside.

Laying down slowly, I stared up at the ceiling. At least I was able to see the ceiling; Isaac never had that luxury.

I felt as if the space was getting smaller, the air running out. It was like my body was enacting what it thought Isaac may have experienced.

Closing my eyes, I imagined being trapped for hours on end. I began to sob, my emotions getting the better of me. He was so strong. I don't think I'd be able to get out of bed every day if I had had to endure that.

I let out a long scream, attempting to let out all of the pent up anger I was feeling towards everything. Mr Lahey for doing it, Isaac for lying to me, myself for not trying harder, Scott for not telling me.

Unfortunately, screaming didn't resolve all of my issues. Climbing out of the freezer, I slammed the lid shut and stormed out of the house. I knew exactly what might help sort some of this out.

Getting into my car, I put it into drive and drove straight to the animal clinic. Scott was closing up tonight and I needed to have a word alone with him right away.

Parking out the front, I slammed my car door shut before striding up to the clinic and knocking on the door. I didn't stop knocking, and it also slowly grew louder as I waited on Scott.

"I didn't think you were coming until later. Hang on," I heard him say from the other side of the door.

As soon as it opened, I stepped forward pushing my hand against his chest, fuming. All I felt was anger.

He was shocked to say the least, stabilizing himself. He definitely wasn't expecting me to be here.
"Riley? What the hell?"

"Get over it," I ground out between gritted teeth. "How could you not tell me about Isaac?"

His expression softened as he sighed heavily. "You'd better come in."

Shoving my keys into my pocket, I walked into the clinic and stood in the middle of the room. Scott gestured to one of the chairs, "Do you wanna sit down?" When I didn't answer, he was smart enough to take it as a no. He fiddled with his fingers, avoiding my eyes.
"Riley-"

"No, Scott," I interrupted. "You're supposed to be my friend. Why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't think you'd want to know," he almost whispered.

Shaking my head, I pursed my lips, "That wasn't for you to decide."

"I know, and I'm sorry. But I don't know why you're directing all of this at me. Isaac asked me not to tell you."

"I don't care what Isaac told you!" I shouted. "I'm one of your best friends; I'm supposed to come first! I've barely spoken to him since we broke up and been angry at him this whole time and you let me!"

"I know, and I'm sorry!" He shouted right back. "I just didn't want to see you hurting. You were already really bad after the break up, and I knew that this would push you over the edge. Because I'm one of your best friends, I couldn't do that to you."

I felt myself beginning to cry again, and Scott pulled me into a tight embrace. "Why wouldn't he let me help him?"

"I don't think I can answer that, Ri. Any answer I give won't give you the closure you need."

I wanted to say something, but didn't get the chance before there was a knock on the door. Scott gave me a squeeze, before stepping back.
"That's Derek. You should probably go. Or you can stay if you like. Up to you."

I took a moment to consider his offer. "I might stay. I don't want to be alone."

He nodded, going to unlock the door. His face was flushed with shock. "What's he doing here?"

What? Who was he talking about?

"I need him," Derek replied as he walked into the clinic.

"I don't trust him," Scott scowled.

I heard a sigh as the 'he' spoke up, "Yeah, well, he doesn't trust you either."

The person walked ahead of Derek, and I felt my stomach drop through the floor. Isaac. We stood there staring at each other .

"You know what? And Derek really doesn't care," Derek said in third person. "What's she doing here?" The Alpha looked me up and down, slightly confused.

I shook my head. "Doesn't matter. She's leaving."
Scott grabbed my arm as I was walking past him, giving me a look. "I can't be here. I'll talk to you later."

Scott nodded, letting me go.

Breathing felt difficult as I headed towards my car. I didn't regret finding out, I just wished I had known sooner. Maybe Isaac and I would have been on better terms.

"Riley," Someone said from behind me.

Speak of the devil.

I stopped in my tracks, not turning around. I knew exactly who it was. For this exact reason, I couldn't bring myself to face him.

"Turn around."
I didn't move. I should've just got in my car and left, but I didn't.

With a sigh, he walked forward and stepped around me to stand directly in front of me. I closed my eyes, not wanting to see him.
"Riley," Isaac said softly. "Riley, please look at me."

I shook my head, my eyes remaining shut.

Suddenly, I felt a hand rest on my cheek. "There was nothing you could've done."

"There were several things I could've done," I whispered, breaking my silence.

Tucking my hair behind my ear, he sighed, "I would never have let you do any of them."

Slowly opening my eyes, I glanced up at him. He seemed genuinely sad.
"I'm so sorry," I whispered.

He pulled his hand away from my face, smiling weakly. "I know."

The silence enveloped us, the wind wrapping its cool tendrils around my body. I crossed my arms in front of my chest, staring at my feet.

I could tell Isaac was trying to think of something to say, but that was obviously working as well for him as it was for me.
"Riley, what does this mean for us? What does this change?" He asked softly.

I thought for a moment, biting my lip, before shaking my head. "It doesn't mean anything. It can't."

His eyebrows creased in shock and anger, "Riley-"

"No," I shook my head again. "I understand why, but I needed you to trust me. And you couldn't. And now you're a werewolf and you just tried to kill one of my only friends, like, yesterday. It's just. . . it's too much, Isaac."

He clenched his jaw, "Don't lie to me, I can hear your heartbeat."

"I'm not," I said defensively, still not meeting his eyes.

"Some of it may be true, but that's not the real reason you don't want to be with me anymore."

I felt the air leave my lungs as my chest tightened. Where was he going with this?

Scratching the back of his head, he chuckled humourlessly. "It's him, isn't it?"

My face formed a look of confusion as I peered up at him, "What are you-"

"Stiles," he cut me off. "He's the reason why you're not giving us a chance."

My mouth fell open in shock. Did everyone assume this? Everybody but Stiles, apparently.
But that didn't matter anymore. He didn't like me like I like him.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," I replied stubbornly.

He chuckled lightly, shaking his head. He just stared at me for a few moments, his smile melting to a solemn look as he examined my face.

I felt so exposed, out in the open with him. We had had barely two conversations since we had broken up, and neither of us had left them happy.

As my head fell and my eye line gravitated to my shoes once again, Isaac lifted my chin gently to get me to look at him.
"I love you, Riley Winters. I always will."

"I love you, too," I managed to say.
My throat closed up as I felt like I was shrinking in his gaze. His eyes were so certain; so sure.
"But not the way you want me to," I mumbled, softly pulling his hand away from my face.

"Riley, please."

"We can be friends, Isaac, but nothing more than that," I told him. He looked disappointed, his eyes falling to the ground.
"I should get going," I said softly, before heading over to my car.

Unlocking it and climbing in, I sat in my seat trying to catch my breath. Looking in the side mirror, I could see Isaac watching me, before shaking his head and walking back inside the veterinary clinic.

Leaning forward, I rested my forehead on the top of the steering wheel. How did we go from normal teenagers to this?

♡♢♤♧

Pulling into the driveway, I closed the door as quietly as I possibly could. I was definitely past my curfew at this point. My mum wasn't going to be impressed.

She would already know that I wasn't home, but at least if she's not awake we wouldn't have to speak about it that night. I'd argued with enough people already.

Walking inside and closing the door, I noticed all of the lights off already. Figuring she had just went to bed and decided to yell at me in the morning, I went upstairs to my bedroom.

Flicking on the light, I jumped in fright, "Holy crap!"
I had dropped my bag, clutching my chest in attempts to slow my heart rate down. My mother was sitting at my desk, her arms crossed and her face stony with anger.

"Where the hell have you been?" She asked as she stood up, placing her hands on her hips all mother-like.

Picking my bag up, I exhaled heavily, "Scott needed help at the clinic. One of the dogs had gotten loose and he was having trouble calming it down," I lied.
It was becoming easier and easier to do that those days. It definitely wasn't my best lie, but if she bought it, then it would do the job.

"Riley," she said sternly.

"Carol," I said right back.

"You're supposed to be staying away from Scott and Stiles." Stepping closer to my, she sat one hand on each of my shoulders. "You know I'm just worried about you, don't you?"

Why wasn't she yelling? She usually would be yelling at me at this point.

Her eyes were a bit pink, as if she had recently been crying. I really scared her. Why was she always so on edge about my whereabouts lately?

It probably had something to do with all the murders, but that was just a guess.

"I'm sorry, mum," I whispered sincerely, wrapping my arms around her. "I promise you, I'm staying out of trouble. I just miss seeing my friends. I understand why you were mad at us with the whole Jackson thing, but they're my best friends."

She nodded slowly as she returned my embrace. "I just don't want to lose you. I've lost so much already. You and Lottie are all I have left."

I felt guilt eat away at me. I couldn't think of an acceptable response, so I just continued to hug her, praying it would be enough.

♡♢♤♧

The next day, Stiles had picked Scott and I up for school. Apparently we needed to talk about what was happening next.

According to Scott, Jackson was going to be attending an underground rave tonight. One which had tickets which were very difficult to procure.
"There's got to be some other way to get tickets, right?" Scott asked as we pulled into the school.

After he climbed out, I pushed the seat forward so that I could get out of the back. We all stood in front of the Jeep, pulling our backpacks on.

Stiles face scrunched up, "It's a secret show. There's only one way and it's a secret."

"Plus, they're expensive and completely sold out," I tacked on. "You'd need a miracle."

Scott looked over to me, nodding in agreement. Just as we were about to walk into the school, someone called out to us. We turned to see none other than Matt standing behind us, his backpack hanging off of one shoulder.

"Any of you guys know why no one's getting suspended after what happened the other day at school?" He asked, looking really confused.

We didn't have time to make another lie to tell someone. "Why can't you just be glad that no one did get suspended? Why does it matter?"

His eyes narrowed, surprised by my answer. I guess a person would have normally been wondering the same thing

Stiles agreed with me, "Just forget about it. Nobody got hurt."

That wasn't completely true. Erica had had a seizure; I would classify that as hurt.

"I had a concussion," Matt scoffed.

Stiles jaw clenched slightly, "Well, nobody got seriously hurt."

"I was in the ER for six hours."
He looked confused and irritated, wondering why no one was agreeing with him.

"Hey, do you want to know the truth, Matt?" Stiles snapped.

I shook my head lightly, whispering, "If you're going to be mean, then no."

Stiles said it anyway. "Your little bump on the head is about this high on our list of problems right now," he claimed, leaning down to demonstrate the scale.

It wasn't very high up.

Grabbing one of the boy's shoulders, I made him stand back up straight before getting him to take a step back away from Matt. Scott took this as his cue to step forward and take the lead.

The teen wolf sighed, "Are you okay?"

Matt looked from Stiles and me to Scott, his eyebrows weaved in confusion. "Yeah, I'm fine now." He hoisted his backpack up further onto his shoulder. "So you didn't get any tickets last night either."

"What's it to you?" I asked rather rudely. I didn't trust him that much. He was very weird, and not in a good way.

His eyes narrowed in confusion as he looked at me, but Scott spoke before he could retaliate. "Are they still selling?"

Matt dragged his glance away from me to Scott, "No, but I managed to find two online," he said smugly. "You should keep trying. Sounds like everyone's going to be there."
He then proceeded to turn around and walk away from us.

Stiles watched him go, head lolled lightly to the side. "I don't like him."
I nodded in agreement, hitching my bag back up onto my shoulders in frustration. There was just something. . . off about him. I couldn't explain it; but, I could feel it.

Scott didn't reply, just started to make his way into school. Stiles finally stopped watching Matt and grabbed Scott's elbow, giving him a look. "Hey, are you sure about this?"

The boy shrugged, "Last time, whoever's controlling Jackson had to kill somebody because he didn't finish the job. So what do you think he's going to do this time?"

"He'll be there," I sighed.

Stiles bit his lip, eyes rolling as he completed my train of thought, "To make sure it happens."

"Well, we'd better find a way to get tickets then. And fast," I said.