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CHAPTER TWELVE
"reverse stalking 101"
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  LEX SAT ACROSS FROM Connie and wondered what it would be like to be inside of her head. 

 She would probably be thinking about something completely random. Like iced lattes, or a cute sweater she saw at the mall, or a pretty girl who grinned at her in the parking lot of a Burger King. Normal things; things that Lex wished she could be mulling over. Her best friend knew there was something up with her, so Lex spent thirty minutes ranting her guts out about how Scott was confusing, and about how her and Stiles somewhat made amends. She made it seem simple - normal. In reality, it was everything but. 

 Wolfsbane. That's what she was thinking about. Lydia found wolfsbane in Coach's obnoxious whistle; so every time it was blown, it scattered the stuff throughout the bus and the werewolves breathed it in. It helped some evil tree fucker ( a Darach, as Stiles called it - or, the piece of shit responsible for the sacrifices ) get into their heads and make them... well, suicidal. And Lex hated it more than anything. 

 She was filled with such a strong sadness whenever she looked at Scott now. All she could picture was his face in that parking lot; doused in gasoline. Feeling alone, stranded, hopeless. And she couldn't help him. She liked to think that in that moment, he would've helped her. So she had been avoiding him in the most nonchalant way she could. 

 Connie didn't have to know about any of that. So her presence was comforting in a way similar to when Lex does bad on a test and is too nervous to go home. She was safe. And familiar. Lex needed a little bit of that. 

 "He better get his shit together," Connie said, drawing her knees to her chest. They were sitting on her bed; Connie's back against her wall, as Lex splayed out across her white striped pillows. They had been like that for at least two hours now; having spent their time talking and binge-watching Greys Anatomy. The dark-haired girl brushed some of her braids behind her back, "you should scare him. That's what I would do. If you see him even glance at Allison once, turn and kiss Stilinski on the mouth."

 Lex's mouth dropped open, a scandalized gasp pushing past her lips. "Connie!" She scolded, "that's disgusting, I would rather kiss a fully unvaccinated street-pitbull than Stiles."

 She shrugged, grinning. "I never said I was good at advice. Take it or leave it."

 "I chose leave it." Lex rolled her eyes at her friend's antics, a smile pulling at her lips. She laughed, hitting her hand against the pillow she was laying on. "God," she said, before bursting into another round of laughter. "Could you imagine?"

 Connie cackled, falling sideways onto her side. Laughter was infectious; and it spread between the two as they laid side by side and tried to catch their breaths. Lex sat upright, her face red. "Can we just take turns fucking with them?" She asked, struggling to breathe as her eyes shone. "We can kidnap Stilinski and make them give us four hundred dollars ransom."

 Connie shrieked, "oh my god - let's please take turns seeing who can kiss Allison in front of Scott more before he notices."

 Lex fell back onto the pillows, tears in her eyes from how hard she was laughing. She reached over to smack Connie's leg, her chest beginning to hurt. In a good way, a way so welcome it almost made her tears spill over. 

A muffled shout from downstairs caught their attention. "Connie!" 

 The girl snorted, still laughing as she answered, "yeah?"

 "Come downstairs, there's someone-" Lex didn't catch the rest of Connie's mom, Teresa, 's sentence, but she got the gist. The girls groaned, Lex turning to roll off the bed, landing on the carpet. Connie pretended to step on her back as she passed, and Lex grabbed her ankle, making her trip and grab onto the doorknob for balance. 

 The latina giggled, pinching her best friend's cheek as Connie swung the door open. The girls ran down the stairs, Lex grinning as she caught sight of Teresa at the bottom. She threw her arms around the woman, spinning them around once. "Tess! How was work?"

 "Exhilarating." The woman chuckled, smoothing down Lex's hair. "How long were you two up there for?"

 "Years," Connie drawled, ruffling Lex's hair to mess up her mother's tidying. "It's a cocoon of hibernation."

 Lex tapped on the older woman's arm. "I got a ninety-two on my pre-calc test." She said, her heart soaring when the woman took her hands and did a little victory dance. She loved Connie's home, because the things that she would be berated for at her own could be celebrated there. A ninety-two was something to be proud of. Tess and Anthony ( Connie's father, who was the subject of many 'hot dad' jokes ) tended to focus on the success, rather than the lost points. 

The woman pumped her fist and gave Lex's shoulder a celebratory shake. "Thats my genius!" She said, and the two briefly discussed the properties of sinosudial waves before they turned the corner and Lex's heart stopped. 

 Scott was standing in Connie's entryway, his large bike helmet under his arm and a sheepish expression on his face as he smiled nervously at the three women in front of him. Lex blanched, feeling like she was thrown into a time paradox; because Scott and Connie's mom do not exist in the same universe in her mind. She wished desparately that she wanted him to be gone so that she could retain her small smudge of peace; but unfortunately, the desire to walk toward him overpowered the desire to walk away.

 But she couldn't seem too eager, so she crossed her arms. "Scott?"

 "Hey," he turned toward her, the expression on his face not at all matching his bike helmet and dark army jacket. "I've been looking for you."

 "Obviously pretty hard."

 He shrugged, "second time's a charm."

 She couldn't help her smile. She turned to Connie, who raised her eyebrows so high she looked like an owl. "Give me a second."

 "I guess I'll allow it," the girl exchanged a look with her mother, and then flashed Scott an over exaggerated wink. "Be safe out there, McCall."

 He shoved his hands into his pockets awkwardly, "I always am."

 Lex waited until the two had turned the corner, and then approached the boy. Grabbing onto his arm, she swung the door open and pulled him outside, closing it with the back of her heel. The outside air was surprisingly chilly, so she wrapped her arms around herself and took a step backward. "To what do I owe this pleasure?"

He shifted nervously back and forth on his heels, as if he was nervous to talk to her. Lex couldn't possibly fathom why. After all, he wasn't the one who watched her hold a lit road flare in a pool of gasoline... 

 "I just wanted to see you." He finally said. "To see if you're okay. I haven't really... we haven't really seen each other much since - since the motel. I mean, I haven't seen you."

 "I haven't seen you either," she shot back, uncrossing her arms to hold her hair behind her ears as a gust of wind made it splay uncomfortably in front of her eyes. "I haven't been stalking you or anything."

 "Yeah, yeah I know. You've been reverse stalking me."

 "Reverse stalking?"

 "Yeah, like... I don't know." He frowned, "I mean, I get it. Like, I understand. It's just, things have been getting kind of messed up. There was this whole thing at the hospital, and a dead body-"

 Lex's eyes widened, "a dead body?"

 Scott continued, "- and we think the Darach is targeting healers now for the next round of sacrifices. So I wanted to like... check in. To see if you wanted to talk or something."

 "Talk?" She smiled for the briefest of seconds before it disappeared, "talk about what, Scott? I'm not a healer. I'm alive, you're alive, it's fine."

 "Of course," he nodded, hugging his helmet to his stomach. There was a long pause, in which another breeze blew Lex's hair out like it was trying to make a barrier to separate them from the rest of the world. Lex supposed she'd like that. The world was out to get them far too much, it would be nice to have a breath of air. Even if it was like breathing straight out of a hurricane. "It's just..." he took a half step closer to her, and Lex's heart jolted to her throat when he stared directly into her eyes as if he was interrogating her at a murder trial. "I'm sorry about what happened at the motel. That wasn't me, and you didn't deserve to see that, or have to deal with that -"

 "Well someone had to deal with it," she interrupted, crossing her arms indignantly. "And you don't have to be sorry, it's not like you wanted it to happen. And it's not like I didn't think that fucked up shit was gonna happen when I learned about-" she gestured vaguely to his face. "Y'know." She pursed her lips and rubbed a hand on her chest to try and dissipate some of the tension in her muscles. "I should be asking you if you're okay."

 He blinked, and all she could see was his wet hair and sad eyes as he stood under the neon fluorescent lighting of the Glen Capri. All she could see was the tears in his eyes and the weight of his words as they stared at each other in the parking lot. Maybe I should be no one again, no one at all...

She jumped at the sharp pain in her chest and turned away from Scott, pulling her hair over one shoulder as she stared at his bike out in Connie's driveway. She sat down on the porch, keeping her gaze ahead as Scott moved to stand behind her. "I've never seen Stiles cry." She finally said. "Which is weird, because he used to cry a lot. But never in front of me. I think he was embarrassed. So it was weird. I guess it's just... you know, I really thought I was gonna lose both of you for a second."

 She felt his arm press against hers as he sat next to her. She inhaled deeply, trying to catch the smell of his cologne in the wind, and exhaled deeply as the silence settled back around them once again. She could vaguely hear music coming from inside of the house, the playlist that Connie plays when she does dishes, and was so momentarily distracted that she almost missed it when Scott spoke. "Once, he cried because there were no more marshmellows left in his Lucky Charms box."

 Lex snorted, leaning her head in her hands, and then started laughing as goosebumps rose up her arms. "Yeah, that checks out."

 She could feel him looking at him, so glanced over and looked away quickly. "What?"

 "Nothing." 

 "Sure."

 "I'm just glad you're not a healer, that's all."

 She smiled, tilting her head to look at him, her palm still nestled against her cheek. Oddly enough, she felt better - but that could have been the side effects of her stupid crush. The warmth of her cheeks counteracted the chill in the air and the fast beat of her heart didn't fit with the stillness of the subdivision at night; but she didn't feel out of place. She was glad Scott found her. She was glad that she didn't have to pretend that she wasn't freaked out from what happened. She was glad she could move forward without it haunting her; because he was here. She could feel the warmth of his skin from under his jacket, and she could see the softness of his skin and forget how much it had bled. It was easy to forget; the stupid crush was like a painkiller.

 "Sorry for reverse stalking you," she said. "I didn't know what to say."

 "I'm sorry for actually stalking you. And I'm sorry that your mom is gonna ask about me later."

 Lex groaned, bringing her hands to her head. "Shit! You saw my mom?"

 "And almost your dad but I narrowly escaped."

 "No!" She dramatically flopped backward, "I'm sorry you had to be subjected to that."

 "Why?" He laughed, leaning back so he could see her face. "They seemed nice." 

 "Do you think two nice people could have created me?"

 He paused, and Lex reached over to lightly punch his stomach. "Hey!"

 "What! You said it!"

 "You're supposed to tell me that I'm the kindest person you've ever met and that I'm an inspiration to all who meet me."

 "What kind of boyfriend would I be if I lied?"

 Bam - it was like he said something illegal; like a pact had been broken somehow. Lex felt it in two stages - immense desire to prick her heart with a pin so that it would stop feeling as if it would explode, and then a sharp weight in her stomach like she was anxious. Because why - why did he say that? Did he forget? Did he do it on purpose? What were the guidelines for a fake relationship?

 He obviously knew his mistake, but she didn't want to embarrass him, so she just rose to her feet and outstretched her hand. "Try to stay safe enough until school tomorrow. I don't want to sit alone in English."

 He accepted it, and she pulled him to his feet, their hands lingering for a second too long as he looked down at her and it felt more intimate than a kiss. She felt like she was naked; like he could see every single inch of her and pick her apart fiber by fiber. She hated it and loved it all at once - she never wanted to shove someone away so much just to see if they would come back.

 She let go first because she didn't want him to, and smiled as she walked over to Connie's door. 

 "Lex?" He called, so she turned with her hand on the doorknob. 

 He smiled softly, "Thanks."

 She couldn't even ask what he was thanking her for, because he turned away and began walking back to his bike.

 ***

"OKAY, I CAN'T TALK FOR LONG. I'm faking several illnesses at the moment, and I can't have you blowing my cover."

 The urgency to Isaac's tone made Lex's eyebrows shoot up. She had stopped the boy in the hallway to try and interrogate him on the exact details of all that was happening at the moment, but he seemed to have a certain purpose to his stride; so she decided to not keep him long.

"Who died?"

 The boy squinted at her, his hair messier than usual as he nervously ran a hand through the curls, "you're gonna have to be more specific."

 "Last night. Something about a healer. Sacrifice, dead body, ecetera?"

 "Oh-" the boy fell into step next to Lex as she beckoned for him to walk with her. "It was a doctor. A healer. Duh. The next round of sacrifices - not really anyone I've ever heard of. Why, are you friends with a lot of ER surgeons?"

 "No, but I'd like to catch up." She grabbed his arm as they reached the doors, shooting him a look. "Why are you faking several illnesses? And why are you even here if you have some place to be?"

 He sighed deeply, doing a quick discreet glance around them to make sure no one was eavesdropping. Lex thought it was obvious that they were in the clear - the bell had rung several minutes ago, and the only other people in the hallway were a couple walking side by side laughing loud enough to drown out any nearby whispers. "Derek's alive, and he's being targeted by the Alpha pack, so me and Boyd are gonna-" 

 "Crackhead Derek?"

 "Yes. He's not as dead as we thought."

 "Huh." Lex pursed her lips. "So... he survived his death, and is now gonna get murdered by a bunch of bloodthirsty Alphas. That's where Ethan and Aiden came from, right?"

 "Right."

 "I thought your big plan was to get them."

 Isaac's nostrils flared in frusteration. "I am gonna get them."

 "Well you're taking your damn time."

He rolled his eyes, gesturing to the door in front of them. "Can I go now?" 

 Lex scrutinized the boy. She knew he was affected from the wolfsbane at the motel, Stiles and Lydia had found him while her and Allison were searching for Scott, and those two (despite being an incredibly discombobulated duo) were far more successful. Stiles told her after that they had found Isaac hiding (from what remains uncertain) under his bed. The thought made her heart clench. He seemed so confident and untouchable, but she supposed they were alike in that way. They had sharp tongues to defend themselves, but their armour was crooked. She suddenly had to resist the urge to hug him. 

 "What?" He demanded, crossing his arms. "It's fine. It's not like they're actually gonna kill him - getting through me and Boyd will be a run for their money."

 She snorted, "I'm pretty sure I could get through you and Boyd."

 "Thanks for the vote of confidence, Lex. I'll see you later."

 She bid him good luck, watching as he jogged out of the school. Gritting her teeth, she turned and figured that a late in biology was better than an absent, but before she could even turn the first corner, she was almost knocked off her feet as a body collided with her. 

 "Ay-" She reached her arms out, furiously grabbing onto the shirt of whoever ran into her. In a split second, she was steady on her feet again as Scott (ever graceful) grabbed onto her arms and spun them around before anyone could fall over. "Lex?"

 "Holy shit!" She hurriedly let go of his shirt, placing a hand over her rapidly beating heart. She felt her face flush red, the initial shock of almost becoming werewolf roadkill diminishing. "Haven't you ever heard to not run in the hallway?"

 "Isn't that by the pool?" Stiles - who appeared behind the two - asked. Scott let go of Lex's arms, awkwardly taking a step back as the girl rolled her eyes. 

 "Thanks for the lesson, Stilinski. Where are you guys going?"

 It was only then she noticed how uneasy Scott looked. His face was about three shades paler than it normally was, and his eyes kept darting behind her as if he was waiting to be confronted by the police. Or an evil tree demon. 

 Concern flushed her insides with ice. "What's wrong?"

 The boys shared a look, Scott turning back to her as Stiles began to run to his car.

 "We need to leave now."

a/n:

guys lol what. what even is updating?

i try, i try. and this is, in fact, an update - even if it is kind of shit and basically nothing happened. i only have lie 3% of the brainpower that i used to for writing, but i still adore lex and scott <33 and stiles, i adore him. and isaac. and connie, i love them all.

anway... sorry! see you eventually!