BLOOD MONEY

chapter one ; wolf moon
[ season one - episode one ]

𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐒𝐄𝐘 𝐀𝐑𝐆𝐄𝐍𝐓 had only ever heard things about the new town she would call home. After hearing about the sudden move, the first thing she did was talk to her mother about it, firstly, to question why she was moving with her uncle again, and secondly, to interrogate the woman on what she knew about the town. Perhaps her mother wasn't the most reliable source, but Google could only tell her so much.

Beacon Hills, a quaint town located in central California wasn't up to the standards of Katherine "Kate" Argent. The woman had a particular set of standards for where she chose to reside, high ones at that, this town was too small for her, the people in it living on top of one another, able to know each other's business. That wasn't how Kate liked to live. She liked a private life, anything or anyone too friendly made her queasy. Her secrets were for herself only, that applied to Kinsey too, her mother told her nothing, even if it was about the teenage girl herself. A necessary evil, as the woman had always called it.

Despite her mother's clear distaste toward the town, Kinsey tried to keep an open mind ahead of the move, unbeknownst to what it might have in store for her. Besides, her Uncle Chris asked for her to be positive about it, which wasn't always her strong suit, but she agreed to try her hardest nonetheless. The man meant a lot to her, he was the closest thing that she had to a father, Chris was more often a parent to her than Kate.

For the past four years, Kinsey had been living with her uncle and his family, her aunt Victoria, an astoundingly terrifying woman with bright blue eyes and luminous red hair, and Allison, her only cousin and best friend all rolled into one. Moving in with them saved her from travelling with her mother for the family business, allowing her to settle and focus on school, at least that was what Kate's excuse was, though Kinsey couldn't help but believe it was for her sake too, allowing Kate to experience the freedom of not having a child tying her down.

But she couldn't complain, she had lived a good life for the past four years. Chris gave her a life that every child could dream of, a good home and a tight-knit family, all of the things living with her mother didn't provide. Not to mention the bonus of living with Allison, making the two girls more inseparable than ever.

Kinsey hadn't quite been saved from the constant moving that her mother's job would bring, her uncle also traveled for the family business, though he tried to limit himself to the states, making the packing up and moving a little less frequent. They had lived in their fair share of cities, even in the four years of living with her Uncle she had moved her fair share. New York, her favourite of homes, Phoenix, Chicago, and San Francisco. They managed to stick some out longer than other places, but neither of the girls were used to spending more than six months in a city, at least not until San Francisco where they had spent a year and a half, an Argent record. They never stayed in the same place for too long, it was almost as if they were allergic to commitment.

Now, came Beacon Hills, Kinsey wasn't sure how long it would last, but if she were to base it on her mother's opinion, it wouldn't be long. Kate had only spent a short winter in the town while Kinsey was 10, allowing her to stay with her uncle over Christmas break, and in turn, spending her birthday that was just before the holiday with them. Her mother nowhere to be seen when her daughter hit double digits. It had only taken that short winter there for Kate to grow to hate the town so much, it had been the one she was most desperate to get away from, sending Chris there instead, as far as she was concerned she never needed to step into Beacon Hills again.

Occasionally, Chris would join her for the larger business deals, but for the most part, he tried to stay close to home, the kind of deals he could sneak out to in the middle of the night with duffel bags thrown over his shoulder, the kind Kinsey and Allison had seen him with while raiding their fridge for a midnight snack.

Now, with just an hour before the moving truck was due to arrive, Kinsey sat packing the smaller pieces of her belongings that she would take in the car with them. After all of her experience, the girl had become an expert in packing, though that didn't stop her from procrastinating until the final moment possible. Allison had warned her not to, they both knew it would end this way, but Kinsey was stubborn, ruthlessly stubborn, a trait she regretted after waking up at 5 o'clock to do her final packing, late, as she did everything. She packed late. Arrived everywhere late. Wake up late. She couldn't remember a day in her life that she had been on time.

Allison and her organizational skills had offered to help multiple times, but with Victoria lurking around every corner, she always managed to interject, insisting that Kinsey do it alone, suffering enough until she learned to be on time. For four years she had tried that tactic, and still, the girl was late for everything.

Kinsey admired her final belonging, a picture of her and her mother, the last one they shared. It was an old photo, enough for the young girl to be unrecognizable to even herself. Old pictures of them were the closest thing Kinsey had to seeing her mother lately, it had been months. With an apparently booming business, she didn't have time to visit her daughter, not even for her child's sixteenth birthday, arguably one of the biggest birthdays a person can have. She claimed that it would be made up for, but Kinsey wasn't sure whether to believe it, her mother wasn't exactly a maternal person, showing love was far from her area of expertise, as were keeping promises. But even in light of all of that, she still missed her mother being around. She missed her, even if Kate hadn't ever given her much to miss.

"Kinsey!" Victoria's name bellowed through the house. Always so formal. Victoria was the only one to call her by her full name, Allison and Chris opted for nicknames, typically Kins or Kin, the occasional Kinny if Chris felt the need to prove that he was a fun uncle. "Kinsey!" she yelled once again as the teenager quickly gathered her final boxes, rushing to bring them to the car that they had probably packed hours ago.

She stood up with a large huff as she tried to lift her heavy boxes, taking a moment to look at her room a final time, it was now bare, with nothing but a dresser that needed to be loaded into the moving van. Already it was gathering dust, covering up any memory that she had ever been here in the first place.

"Need some help?" Allison's voice came from the door, startling her as she dropped the box onto the floor, sending a large clattering sound through the bare house. Kinsey was relieved, Allison's voice was like an angel. As her agreement, she shoved the heaviest box in Allison's arms with her usual devious smile, she had to admit she found some joy in watching the weight almost pull the girl down to the floor. "Jesus, Kins, did you pack the entire of San Francisco in here?"

"Oh there's more where that came from, wait until you see the box of flannels."

Allison looked over at the unsealed box of flannels on the floor, her brows raising as the heaving cardboard box. "That is an unhealthy addiction, you know, right?" she laughed. "I think I might have to host an intervention," she suggested, spinning on her heel as she waddled back toward the door. "Oh, don't forget your necklace." she pointed out, nodding toward the statement piece on her dresser. It wasn't often the girl took it off, only ever for a shower, it just so happened that in all of the fuss of the morning that she had forgotten to put it back on.

She was sure that if she didn't have Allison she would forget her own head. Every day Allison was her personal reminder to put on the necklace she had owned since birth. The family had always joked about when the brunette had forgotten to wear it, insisting she was like a different person. A much angrier, feral person.

It had been the first and only time her mother showed some sentimentality toward her daughter or anyone for that matter. Once Kinsey was old enough to understand the woman explained the meaning behind the silver locket, what it contained however was a mystery to all of them. She'd tried multiple times to see, but it was sealed tightly, just like her mother's mouth with secrets. It was a beautiful necklace, a Celtic knot engraved into it, a sapphire in the middle.

According to Allison, the self-proclaimed crystal fanatic, a sapphire had plenty of meanings, her favourite being that it offered calmness and protection. Though Kinsey believed it was simply a hint of blue in it that made Kate buy it, she knew blue was her daughter's favourite colour, there couldn't be anything else behind it. Kate was both a simple yet awfully complicated woman. She didn't do deeper meaning. A vast difference from Kinsey herself.

Chris couldn't hide the fact he was glad that Kinsey hadn't turned out like his little sister, he had spent the past four years trying to ensure that she didn't become wild like Kate had. Frankly, he didn't think he had anything to worry about anymore, Kinsey was nothing like her mother, from her opposite appearance to her contrasting personality. She lacked everything Kate did, it was a blessing in disguise.

With another box in hand, Kinsey rushed to follow Allison, grabbing her necklace on the way, she had to at least make it look like she was trying to be proactive. It was too early for Victoria to try and lecture her again, even if it was noon. She was sure Victoria would have plenty of chances to lecture her during their three-hour drive.

If she tried she could probably recite her lectures, they were always the same. As though Victoria stood and practiced them in the mirror as a nightly routine. Most of it consisted of how the girls should try their hardest to make a good impression in this town, especially towards the teachers at the new school so they didn't think the two of them were 'delinquents'. Keeping up a perfect appearance had always been important to the woman, for reasons neither of the teenagers had ever understood, but they tried to adhere to her wishes of having a good reputation.

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"Kins! You're going to be late"

A small groan sounded from the brunette as she rolled over, pulling a pillow over her head while mumbling that an extra half an hour never hurt anybody. Though that wasn't exactly the truth. A half an hour snooze would cost the girl crucial time on her first day at a new school, her and that extra time was what would stand between her and getting to school on time to meet Mr. Thomas her new principal. He planned on showing the two of them around school before class started to help them settle, now, she would find herself suffering the consequences of her lateness again.

Within fourteen minutes, Kinsey pulled into the school parking lot, record time. Usually, the girl would have taken a few seconds to look at the school and take it all in before she dared to step a pinky toe over the threshold of it. But right now she was on a time crunch and couldn't afford to be a moment later. She threw her backpack over her shoulder as she jumped out of the car with the hopes that this school would have some navigational signs to help her toward the office.

By the time she had jogged across the parking lot, her backpack was teetering from her shoulder as it struggled to hold on. Just like she was without a morning coffee. She had passed a handful of straddlers as she made her way through the halls, each and every one staring into her soul as they tried to put a name to the unfamiliar face. Beacon Hills people didn't miss a trick, her mom had been right about that. They looked at the brunette as if they already knew every secret she had ever kept, it was safe to say she was slightly intimidated.

As she approached the office desk, she tried not to act flustered. Behind it, sat a woman closely resembling her aunt Victoria. They had the same eccentric red hair, the eyes that could turn you into stone, she didn't think that Principal Thomas would have gone this far when he told her and Allison that he would make Beacon Hills feel just like home. What next, a teacher who resembled Chris or her mother? Maybe even someone who looked like Allison?

Name? The woman asked in a mumble, not bothering to look up from her computer. Kinsey, she told her. Kinsey Argent. You're late, the woman deadpanned while the teenager bit her tongue as she fought the urge to make a sarcastic comment, that certainly wouldn't help the situation. The poor woman clearly loathed her job already, she couldn't push her over the edge on the first day back from Winter Break.

Instead, she nervously laughed, avoiding eye contact, which was much easier than riling up the woman who already seemed to hate anyone under the age of eighteen. She slammed a piece of paper on the desk, laying out her schedule for the semester. English. Room 304 with Mr. Argall.

Kinsey threw her another polite smile before making her hasty exit, she hadn't even thought of asking for directions before she left, she was too focused on getting out before the receptionist did in fact turn her to stone. It wasn't until she noticed the numbers on the walls that she knew her instincts had led her in the right direction. Her destination was confirmed with the scent of strong coffee and a need to overcompensate, what better described an English teacher.

She stopped at room 304, peering through the small glass window, able to see a sea of teenagers who would judge her from the second she opened the door. Her stomach churned with anxiety. They would all stare at her, trying to figure out her darkest secret, they would be disappointed to find out the darkest secret she had wasn't even her own. The best she had to offer them was the fact Allison's real name was Celestine, and Allison was only her middle name.

With a deep breath, Kinsey worked up the courage to open the door, preparing herself for the first time that she would be meeting the people with whom she'd be spending the remainder of sophomore year with. Unless Chris decided to move again. The door opened with a large creak that turned every head beside the teachers towards her, immediately making her wish that the ground would swallow her up or that maybe her alarm clock would sound any second and wake her up from this nightmare. But it didn't.

Kinsey scanned the room for a free seat which was when she had noticed Allison sitting near the back of the class with a faint smile across her face, clearly, she was still feeling the same nerves as when she had entered the class. Luckily the only free seat in the class didn't stray far from her cousin, just a seat in front and to the left directly behind a boy who was sporting a buzzcut and a blazer as well as his own nervous smile.

"You're late." Mr. Argall deadpanned, refusing to turn and look at Kinsey as she walked past his desk with her head down in embarrassment.

"So I've heard," Kinsey mumbled under her breath. Just loud enough for a few people to hear as she filed her way through the rows of desks. The boy who'd be sat in front of her must have been one of those who had heard her comment as she heard him release a small snigger. As soon as he had noticed that she had looked in his vicinity he had stopped his laughter to shift in his seat. It was clear that he was the awkward, nervous type but right now so was she. And that churning in her stomach was only getting harder to subside.

Kinsey sank in her seat watching as Mr. Argall wrote Kafka's Metamorphosis on the chalkboard. A slight reliever after she had studied it only last semester, she turned to Allison who also seemed to have eased into her seat, perhaps it brought her some relief too. Kinsey's sense of ease ended promptly as Argall turned around, beginning his class with a warning about tardiness, making it painfully obvious who he was referring to.

He may as well have just made Kinsey stand in front of the class to gesture as he gave everyone his lecture on why being on time was so important to their grades. But at least she had escaped having to stand in front of the class and introduce herself as if she were in kindergarten again. If people hadn't already been giving her peculiar looks before his lecture they certainly would be now. Maybe next time she should have taken Allison's advice and got up when she first shouted, not after an extra half an hour in bed.

"I don't think he likes you." a small whisper sounded from the boy sitting in front of her, raising the brunette's head as she furrowed a brow. The buzzcut-haired boy had turned in his seat, just enough to talk to her without drawing too much attention, though he didn't seem the type that would care if he were caught.

"Does he like anyone?" she asked, genuinely curious.

"He isn't even the worst one." he laughed quietly, a slight warning in his words. She didn't know how it could get worse than him, but she took the boy's word for it. "Stiles Stilinski," he told her, holding out a hand. At first, she paused, unsure what the words that had come out of his mouth were until she finally realized that it was his name, not some random nonsense words that he'd thrown together in awkwardness.

"Kinsey." she smiled as she shook his hand. "Argent," she added, realizing it was only fair to say both names like he had. As soon as her surname left her mouth she watched his eyes turn to the other Argent in the room, wondering if there was any connection between the two of them, or if it was just a coincidence. It was something the girl was used to by now, it never took people long to draw the conclusion they were related somehow. With their similar features and shared name it was often assumed the two of them were twins. "We're cousins," she told him, saving him from the wandering. He continued to stare at Allison for another second before moving back to her, a moment of silence as he took her appearance in too.

"You look a lot like for cousins."

"It's a blessing and a curse." she shrugged with a smile.

The remainder of the day had gone slowly for the girl, it quickly became repetitive, walking into a room where people stared at her. It was made bearable when she hadn't had to do it alone, if not having Allison at her side, Stiles Stilinski offered his company, along with a friend of his who she had forgotten the name of. It was when she sat with the two of them during Chemistry that she had learned who Stiles was referring to when telling her that someone was worse than their English teacher. A man named Mr. Harris. The devil incarnate. He seemed to hate the two friends more than anyone else. Every time Stiles or his friend spoke, he snapped.

Once the final bell had rung, Kinsey practically ran to Allison's locker, eager to get out of school. Not only that, but the two had learned over their time together that any gossiping they wanted to do had to be done outside of the house, they couldn't risk the prying ears of Victoria, she was a sorceress at times, appearing around every corner, always lurking, always listening. Chris had his moments too, nothing was ever a secret for long in the Argent home.

It meant that often, the two girls went on late-night drives for a chance to talk to each other, not only that, but they found comfort in those drives now, even if it meant driving in silence. In every town, the two of them had tried to find a spot, a place to call their own that could provide them with the serenity and comfort they needed. She hoped it wouldn't be long until they found that in Beacon Hills.

The two spent a few moments standing at the older brunette's locker making plans for their first real night in Beacon Hills before they were approached by a curly-haired redhead, arguably, she was a strawberry blonde, but that didn't matter. Not when she carried the kind of confidence to distract anyone from anything. This was a moment the two of them had anticipated, every new school had it, the time when the girl who "ran" the school would approach them, claiming them as one of her own, making or breaking their high school experience.

However, one thing differed from this girl to the usual. This girl wasn't swarmed by followers in awe of her, trying to be just like she was. She was alone, and seemingly happy being so. For that fact only the two couldn't help but wonder if she wasn't the self-proclaimed Queen Bee after all. Perhaps she was another overly-smiley Beacon Hills citizen, another thing Kate was right about, everyone here seemed much too happy to be alive. Or perhaps she was the odd one.

"That jacket is absolutely killer." the redhead beamed, pointing at the khaki jacket Allison had picked out this morning, paired with a teal scarf. The compliment had Allison smiling from ear-to-ear, fashion was far from her area of expertise, most often, she made her cousin pick out her outfits to save ridicule, of course, with the brunette fast asleep this morning it wasn't an option. "And those boots. What size are you? You have to let me borrow them from you sometime." she added, looking down at the knee-high brown boots Kinsey sported, even she felt giddy from the compliment. "Where did you get them?"

"My mom was a buyer for a boutique back in San Francisco." Allison smiled politely.

The redhead looked in awe, as though it was the best thing she had ever heard. She gripped the wrists of the two Argents, insisting that the two of them were her new best friends. Lydia Martin, she finally named herself. Lydia's attention was soon swept up by a tall, muscular boy who had wrapped his arm around the redhead, the two looked at each other with lust, and maybe even a tiny hint of love, but definitely lust. Kinsey quickly assumed that they were the popular couple in school. With Lydia's confidence and beauty and the lacrosse equipment on the boy's back, they had to be the typical high school couple of popular girl and jock.

Jackson Whittemore, was his name, after finally pulling his tongue out of Lydia's mouth, he had realized they had company. He was just as pleased as his girlfriend to see there were some new faces in town, as he had told them, he was sick of seeing the old ones. New people weren't very regular here. It was like a rare sighting.

As the couple in front of them continued to flood them with compliments and questions, Kinsey found her eyes wandering over the other side of the corridor where she recognized Stiles and his friend along with a dark-skinned beauty she'd had the pleasure of meeting during gym class, she believed she was named Harley. Stiles and Harley flashed a nervous smile as though Kinsey had just caught them in the middle of a conversation about her while the other boy stood wearing a blank expression, staring straight over at them. Or more so Allison who'd slyly nudged the side of her to bring her attention back to the conversation that she was desperate to get out of.

Kinsey managed to catch a single word of the conversation, making it clear why Allison needed a bit of assistance. Party. Allison's least favorite word. She chuckled nervously, repeating it. Allison had always hated them, for no particular reason, they just weren't a thing that she enjoyed. Her cousin on the other hand was the complete opposite.

"Yeah. Friday night. You should both come." Jackson nodded.

"Friday?" the younger brunette repeated, her mind compiling a lie within a second. "Sorry, we'd love to but it's family night. Mandatory Argent tradition. But thank you for the invite." both of the teenagers seemed to believe her lie, but they had expected that, lying came naturally to Kinsey, just like her mother, she had mastered the art of deception. Perhaps the only good thing she had gotten from Kate.

"You sure? I mean, everyone's going after the scrimmage."

Kinsey and Allison looked at one another before turning back to Jackson. "Scrimmage?"

Lacrosse talk, he told them. That was the sport in Beacon Hills, and thanks to him, team captain, they had won the state championship for the past three years. He invited them to watch him and his team practice, an offer the girls were eager to turn down, if only they were given the chance. Only Lydia hadn't allowed them to decline before insisting they were coming, already beginning to drag them down the hall by their wrists.

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On Wednesday night, Kinsey found herself driving to the video store across town. It was the first night she and Allison had been able to have one of their ritualistic girls' nights with a movie and takeout, which the older Argent had been put in charge of tonight. Though the past three days in Beacon Hills hadn't been torturous, they had been tiring.

Usually, their girls nights were weekly, but with the move, they had missed out on the last week, meaning they had to make up for lost time. Since neither of them had homework and Chris had snuck out with his duffel bag and Victoria working late, there didn't seem a better chance than tonight. The two of them had the run of the house, which typically meant Mamma Mia blasting at full volume and dancing around like they were two little girls again, singing at the top of their lungs, poorly, she might add. It was exactly what they needed to settle into the new house and to make it their own, or as much as possible considering both of them had refused to unpack so soon.

So, to commence their settling in, Allison was headed to a pizza place across town that Lydia had recommended while Kinsey drove to the only video store in town, on a mission to pick a film the two of them would find suitable, most likely, a romcom. That was Allison's preferred genre while Kinsey found herself drawn to horrors. This time, she settled for the choice her cousin would find more appealing- 10 things I hate about you.

With the movie secured, Kinsey headed hope, trying to follow what her GPS had described as a quick route. Short and quick sounded like something she wanted, something that would come useful, only that was before it had taken a turn for the worst. Soon enough, torrential rain set in, making the road barely visible. The heavy rain distracted the girl from her driving, rather than concentrate on the GPS and getting home quickly, she followed her instincts, taking any turn or road she saw fit.

For a while, it was smooth sailing, and then, when the girl had seen a large puddle in the middle of the road, she knew that the worst was upon her. She had only had her license a month, it was as fresh as she was 16. She was still a hesitant driver, and at times like this, her uncles' advice in her head was haunting. He had always told her to be weary of big puddles, and to never, under any circumstances, drive through them.

In the middle of the road, she sat there, staring at the obstacle, contemplating her options. She eventually decided that the smartest option would to be search for an alternative route on the GPS, a choice her uncle would be proud of. Only when she tried, she found her GPS hanging on her windscreen, dead. She wasn't sure how long it had been dead, but it left her with only one other option, her phone, but she turned to look at where she usually placed it on the passenger seat, only to remember she had left it at home. Along with her braincells.

With an irritated groan, the brunette threw her head back, staring at the roof of her car, trying to think of any other option but driving through the puddle. She knew it in her gut that it wouldn't end well, but she was a stubborn and determined person, one who liked to think that she knew better than the likes of her very, annoyingly, wise uncle. She was a teenager, and stupidity was in her name. She took the plunge, quite literally.

Muttering a small prayer to herself, Kinsey wrapped her hands tightly around the wheel, taking a deep breath as she proceeded forward into the deep puddle. She didn't breathe as she slammed her foot on the gas, closing her eyes as she drove into the water. For a split second, it was almost hopeful as she heard the sound of her tyres splashing through the water, but within a second, it was replaced by the sound of a failing car that came to a slow, shaky stop.

Kinsey felt her face drop in realization but she was still unable to open her eyes, unwilling to let this become a reality. She didn't just do that, her car was still running, she'd listened to Chris and hadn't gone through the puddle. Wearily, she opened her eyes to see the sight of her dashboard lit up like a Christmas tree before it had cut out completely leaving her in almost sheer darkness beside the dim street light hanging over her.

"Fuck."

After a short-lived tantrum, she looked up again, knowing she had exhausted every other option. No GPS. No phone. And now, no car. All that remained were the good old-fashioned things that a teenager like her shivered at the thought of. Communication. She looked around at the street of houses around her, one of them had to be her answer, even if she had to spend hours looking for someone willing to help. They were her only hope.

Perhaps she would regret it, she had seen horror films that started this way. A few years ago she had snuck into The Human Centipede with a friend, and since then, had been scarred. That was the thought that came into her mind now, it made her skin crawl and a lump grow in her throat. Would she be that kind of girl? The one at the start of the horror movie? The one whose death is the first domino in a long line of other deaths?

But she had no other choice.

She stepped out of her car, immediately wrapping her arms around herself, regretting her choice of clothing. She donned a classic white tank top and her low-waisted blue jeans, her highlighted blonde hair drenched within a second. It was a cold January night, a chill in the air making every hair on her body stand tall. She approached the closest house while swallowing thickly, looking at the powder blue Jeep parked on the driveway, it didn't seem like the car of a murderer and as for the house, it looked too homely to house a murderer who was waiting for their next victim to break down in a suburban street.

Without hesitation, she knocked on the door, shielded by the porch as her hair dripped from the rain. The weather was unapologetic to her as she dithered, her mascara running and her entire appearance completely disheveled from the short walk from her car to the strangers' front door. Within seconds of her knock, heavy footprints sounded loudly from inside of the house, whoever lived here was either waiting for someone else or never had visitors. She hoped they wouldn't be disappointed by the lack of takeout in her hands, she knew she would be if that was who they'd rushed downstairs for.

The girl was blinded by the light in the foyer that was switched on, barely able to see as the front door had finally opened. As she squinted, blinking away the light, she heard the familiar voice of her chemistry partner and acquaintance Stiles Stilinski. Not an organ-harvesting murderer.

"Kinsey?" he questioned as he looked the soddened girl up and down. She was the last person he had expected to see at his door, but he wasn't going to complain. He stood with a mouth that was opened wide enough to catch flies, in awe that she was at his door. He wasn't sure whether to question that first, or how someone who was absolutely drenched could still look so good. It was like she didn't even have to try.

He gathered her spontaneous visit wasn't intention, the two hadn't shared phone numbers or an email address let alone home addresses. His eyes looked past her, noticing the car in the middle of the road, at a complete standstill. Nervously, she chuckled, unsure how to explain her she had stupidly thought herself better than a deep puddle. She was humiliated, her cheeks flushed with a shade of red, still taunted by her uncle's words.

Stiles didn't further her humiliation by asking how it had happened, he was sure the puddle that made an appearance in his street every time had something to do with it. She wasn't exactly the first victim to that puddle, he was sure he hadn't been either when his Jeep got through it barely alive.

"Erm... could I borrow your phone?" she asked him, feeling rude for imposing on his night in. He wore a black T-shirt and a pair of plaid patterned pajama bottoms, he seemed prepared to turn in for the night, perhaps waiting for that takeout he thought she had been when she knocked on his door. "I just need to call a tow truck, or Allison and I'll be out of your hair," she reassured him.

He nodded his head. "Right. Sure. Come in." he stammered nervously as he moved aside to let in the girl he had been thinking about nonstop since Monday morning. She was in his house. Scott wouldn't believe him when he told him. "Can I get you anything? Hot drink? Towel? Some clean, dry clothes?" he listed, trying to be a good host.

She shook her head. "No, no. Just a phone please" she asked. "I don't want to impose on your night more than I already have."

"You're not imposing," he reassured, hell, if he had the confidence he would have asked her to stay, hoping to get to know the girl better before he drove her home and made an impression on her parents so that maybe one day in the future when he asked for her hand in marriage after the two of them had been high school sweethearts for years, they would remember this night. It might have been a little crazy of him, but he was a dreamer, and she had been constantly playing over in his head since the moment she had walked into his English class late.

He left the girl standing in the foyer as he rushed back upstairs for his cell phone, his frantic and heavy footsteps sounding through the ceiling as she stood looking up at the ceiling. He was like a ball of energy, like someone who had popped a few too much Adderall. At least that was what impression he gave, but who was she to judge a book by its cover?

She looked around the house, not daring to move from the spot he had left her in, but she tried to find out a little more about the character that was Stiles Stilinski. He intrigued her, there was something about him, she couldn't quite put her finger on what it was, but she had a gut feeling that he would be important in her life somehow.

Every wall of the home was plastered in photos, the Stilinskis were clearly a family who valued memorabilia, sentimental people who liked to show how much love there was in their family. A vast difference from her own family. Her heart almost panged with jealousy as she laid her eyes on an image of the happy trio, she assumed from the image that Stiles was an only child. He was similar to his mother, he had the same dark features as she did, he was young in the photo, and she couldn't see a more recent one than that.

That was when a thought struck her, but she didn't want to jump to rash conclusions, especially not one like that. But the more she looked around from her place in the foyer, the more she had come to notice the lack of feminine touch in the home, and any that were, were outdated by at least a few years. The jealousy over a happy family in her heart quickly changed to a feeling that she assumed was guilt, only slightly over the fact that Stiles might have lost his mother, but the fact that even then, she was still jealous of his family. At least he didn't see her for good reason. What excuse did Kate have?

Stiles returned with not only his phone in hand, but a set of dry clothes and a towel thrown over his shoulder. Though she had told him that it wasn't necessary, she couldn't help but smile, the boy might have ignored her, but she was quite glad he had, she was freezing. It was sweet of him to be so helpful. She stopped blushing the moment she noticed something else in his hand, her face contorted with confusion at the duct tape he held.

"I called a tow truck, it's about a half an hour wait." he told her, beginning to hand her all of the supplies he had grabbed from his room. "So I got you a towel to dry yourself off and a change of clothes for in the meantime. If you want them. You don't have to take them I just thought that-"

"Thank you," she said, stopping him from rambling, he clearly needed the help.

"And this is for next time," he said, holding out the roll of duct tape.

"Next time?" she questioned with a raised brow and a slight smile across her face, was she really that obvious of a bad driver that he knew there was a risk of it happening again?

Duct tape fixes everything, he proposed. So the next time she broke down and it wasn't because of a puddle the depth of the school swimming pool, all she needed to do was duct tape it, or so he claimed, though she wasn't sure that his logic was reliable.

She looked down curiously at the roll of tape in her hand confused at how it could fix everything, especially the car problems he was referring to. Her uncle had spent fortunes on fixing cars over the years, usually, it was Allison's or Victoria's cars, neither of them were good drivers either, but since he had brought her a car for her sixteenth birthday last month, she had been added to the list of bad drivers in the family too. "And that theory... you've tested it?" she asked hesitantly, in a careful tone that she hoped wouldn't offend him.

He nodded assertively. "Yeah, that baby is the only reason my Jeep is still running." he laughed. "But don't tell your dad about it, I'm sure he won't approve of it."

"That won't be a problem." she said, her gaze trailing off. Stiles quickly apologized, coming to a similar conclusion she had about his mother. "Oh, no. He isn't dead. At least I don't think he is. I never met him-" the girl began to ramble herself, realizing she was getting too deep into talking about herself as she quickly stopped talking altogether. She cleared her throat, pointing down at the clothes in her arms. "Is there somewhere I can go to put these on?"

He directed the brunette girl toward the bathroom to throw on the t-shirt and joggers that he'd dug out from the black of his closet, trying to find a pair that might fit her petite figure, but they still buried her, acting like more of a dress than a shirt. He wasn't large himself, he was a skinny, tall boy, but that was where they differed, she was only five-foot-three, he towered over her, but not in an intimidating way, more so the kind of way that made her stomach flutter whenever he looked down at her.

With a quick rub of the towel, her hair was dry and the natural wave returned to her brown but slightly bleach-damaged highlighted hair as she returned to the foyer where he patiently stood waiting for her, fiddling with his hands as though the thought of a girl in his home had made him anxious. After calling Allison, the two sat together in the living room, continuing to talk while the older Argent made her way over. Their topic of conversation mainly stuck to school, the two felt as though they had learned a significant amount about each other either way. Like both of them missing a parent, or that Kinsey was a terrible driver, or that he was an awkward person with an unreliable car that was probably filled with duct tape.

Her older cousin arrived within a few minutes of the tow truck, the three of them watching it pull away her new car to the garage, hoping to salvage it. Allison didn't comment, she was far from in a position to talk about Kinsey's driving after she had hit a dog tonight, thanks to Scott McCall, it was safe, and her conscience was almost clear. If not for him, she didn't know what she would've done. But perhaps she would thank that dog for stepping out into the road one day because she had walked away from the animal clinic tonight with a date for the party Friday with the lacrosse team's newest jock, a boy that had already been catching her eye since he had offered her a pen in English class on Monday.

"Hey, Kinsey." he stopped the girl just as she stepped down from his porch. Allison was already in the car, patiently waiting to dish out all of the details about what had happened tonight, but more importantly, what had happened to Kinsey tonight. She already had a smirk on her face as she watched the two of them from the car, liking what she saw in her cousin and the strange boy from their English class.

"Yeah?" she said as she turned to greet him again.

"Friday night. Lydia's party." he stated plainly, nervously running a hand through his shaven hair, still working on his confidence. "Are you going?"

She thought about her answer for a moment, wondering whether she would use her excuse of a family night again, or whether for Stiles Stilinski she would cave in and agree to attend. "Are you going?" she questioned, buying herself some time.

"Me?" I think so." he stammered. "Maybe. Yeah." he continued, unsure himself. Technically, they weren't invited, they being him and Scott, the uncool kids, but it wouldn't be the first time he'd snuck into one of Lydia's infamous parties, and she never seemed to notice.

With his agreement, Kinsey made her decision. "I'll see you there, Stilinski." she smiled with her cheeks blushing slightly as she walked to Allison's car with a slight spring in her step. Kinsey had only gotten so far down the path before she turned to him again, just about catching him while he was mid-fist-pump. "And thank you for helping me tonight. I really appreciate it."

He stammered for a reply, but by the time he had thought of one, she had already gotten to the car, giving him a final parting smile before Allison sped off, proving she was as bad of a driver as Kinsey had made her out to be. With a smile on his face, he retreated back inside of his home, a deep sigh of awe escaping his lungs as he leaned against the door like a lovesick kid. And then as soon as it had occurred to him, he rushed upstairs, eager to tell Scott everything.

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Four long hours had been spent helping Allison get ready for her date with Scott McCall, the two of them had raided her entire wardrobe trying to find something appropriate, only to come out completely unsuccessful. Everything that Allison had proposed, made her cousin cringe, and she was sure it would Lydia too, the two of them had a very particular taste, and Allison, well, didn't. The idea of pairing together the perfect outfit stressed her out, so while Kinsey raided her closet instead, she straightened her hair, hoping that she was at least capable of that without needing any assistance.

The anticipation of waiting for Kinsey to come back in with something to wear was killing her. It felt like forever since she had walked out of the room that looked like it had been hit by a bomb. Her stomach was already churning with nerves, she hardly knew anything about Scott, but she liked him, he was the first boy she had liked in a long time, and even though she swore that this time she wouldn't get into relationships, she couldn't help but imagine one with him. The boy had swept her off of her feet, and she was on cloud nine.

She sat on the edge of her bed, playing with the end of her hair, twisting it around her finger as the natural curl began to return. It was on the edge of her tongue, and she couldn't fight it for a moment longer. "Maybe I should just... cancel?" she shouted over to the girl in the next room. A loud thud sounded before Kinsey rushed in, breathless with an outfit in her hand. After breaking into every packed box of clothes she had, she found something. A black blazer and white shirt to pair with a set of blue jeans. You're not canceling, Kinsey insisted, shoving the clothes in Allison's lap. She didn't dare argue, not after the younger girl had spent an hour searching for something for her to wear, Scott would be here any minute.

With that in mind, Kinsey quickly rushed back into her own room to find an outfit, settling for an old, simple black sequin top with a black leather jacket and her blue jeans. As soon as she threw the outfit on, the horn sounded from outside, signaling that it was time to leave.

Kinsey walked into the party behind Scott and Allison, who had been more bearable during the car ride than she had anticipated, so far, she didn't feel like the third wheel to a first date, but it was clear that Scott was going out of his way to make sure she didn't feel uncomfortable. That couldn't last all night, she had to find someone to hang out with, giving the two lovebirds their chance to make this a real date.

The music blasted loudly in their ears as they made their way through Lydia's luxuriously large house, people already dancing in every free space, if not dancing, then making out with people who they probably knew little to nothing about. Every corner was filled with a keg surrounded by jocks as they showed off their muscles to one another. It seemed the three of them were the only sober ones here. But Kinsey planned to soon join them.

As the couple headed outside where it seemed less packed, Kinsey lingered in the kitchen where most of the booze was kept, soon picked up by an intoxicated jock. "Argent!" he shouted, waving two shots in the air, the best sight Kinsey had ever seen as she approached Jackson. "Shot?" the boy offered, holding out a blue and red shot to her.

"A boy after my own heart." she gushed teasingly, taking the blue one from his hand, after they'd completed a small countdown, the two threw back the shot, allowing the alcohol to burn down their throats as they shivered with laughter, slamming the empty glasses back on the counter. It was the first of many, many shots.

Kinsey quickly lost count as she entered a glorious stage of intoxication where anything and just about everything was hilarious to her. She sat on the kitchen counter, giggling away as the room spun around her, all of the drinks seemed to merge into one until she couldn't tell the difference between a fruity shot or a beer that tasted like tar. She simply took every drink Jackson handed to her.

Even through her drunken mind, Kinsey remembered how Stiles had described Jackson, but the boy she was with tonight couldn't seem further than the "jackass" Stiles had referred to him as, he had kept her company all night, he had pushed away every other drunken jock who had tried to make a move on her. He was friendly, approachable. She didn't believe Stiles was a liar, no, he had known Jackson all of his life, she simply found it hard to believe the two of them had seen a different side to the same person.

It wasn't long after she had begun thinking about the boy that he appeared in front of her, blurry as the room continued to spin around both of them. His eyes were wide as he looked at the very drunken girl who swayed side to side. "Stiles!" she beamed with open arms as he came closer, a raised brow as he questioned why she was so excited to see him, though he was glad, even more glad that she was too drunk to notice him blushing. The girl wiggled, trying to get down from the counter as Stiles held his arms out, ready to catch her, she took it as a sign to jump into them as she laughed, almost knocking them to the floor.

"Your drunk." Stiles deadpanned, taking in a deep inhale of her alcohol-infested breath.

"Me? No. Well... maybe a little." she replied in a giggly slur. She went quiet for a moment as she looked through the crowded party, her eyes landing on her cousin and her date outside as they danced with one another. She turned to the boy who still kept his arms around her, ensuring the girl didn't fall over. "Dance with me." she insisted.

"What?" He asked, having to yell over the music, sure that he hadn't heard her properly.

"Dance with me, dumbass!" she yelled again, this time, not waiting for an answer before taking it as a yes, dragging him out to the back garden as she stumbled through the crowd. Stiles was far from a good dancer, he knew that, he didn't dance, he had never been asked to dance, but he tried to follow the lead of the girl, confident in the fact he wouldn't remember it anyway.

Time seemed to pass quicker while dancing. People got drunker, the music got louder, and those who arrived "fashionably" late or had simply gatecrashed the party swarmed the multiple rooms where the party was being held in. Throughout the entire night, neither Kinsey nor Allison had seen Lydia, maybe she was busy being a host, or maybe it was the fact they had barely even seen each other tonight.

Neither Stiles nor Kinsey had stopped dancing until they noticed Scott shoving his way through the crowd, his forehead lined with beads of sweat and his face disorientated. Kinsey looked back at Stiles with a furrowed brow, swearing that Scott hadn't had a drip of alcohol tonight, the two of them had been dancing all night. The two looked back at him with contorted faces, watching a second longer, once they saw Allison chasing after him, they decided to also.

Both Allison and Kinsey managed to get through the crowd with ease, passing through as they'd parted for them, Stiles on the other hand, couldn't get a single person to move out of his way. He tried to call for Kinsey, but she was adamant on keeping hot on Allison and Scott's tail, suddenly sobered up as she found herself able to walk properly. Her cousin had just been abandoned on a first date, she had to be there for her, she had to find out what had happened to Scott. He looked so desperate to get out.

After a temporary blockage getting out of the front door, Kinsey and Allison finally pushed their way outside, only to see Scott running to get into his car, not daring to look back. Not when the chance of meeting Allison's disappointed face was so high. He sped off down the street, leaving the girl without answers as she turned to Kinsey with a furrowed brow, questioning what she'd done wrong. But Kinsey shrugged, she didn't know, but she doubted Allison had done anything, or said anything to make him leave so abruptly.

"Allison." An unfamiliar, older voice came from behind the two girls, both turning to look at the older man behind them, stood with his hands in his pockets. He had to be a few years older, at least twenty-two, if Kinsey were to put an age on it, he had a cunning smile, one that made the two feel safe despite not knowing who he was. "My name's Derek. I'm a friend of Scott's." he'd introduced himself, though neither of them had ever heard Scott talk about a friend that wasn't Stiles. "Kinsey, right?" he asked, pointing at the younger brunette as she nodded, he had to be a friend of Scott's to know who they both were. "Come in, I'll give you both a ride home."

Allison looked back in the direction that Scott had driven off in, she couldn't deny the stinging sensation in her chest. She was worried for him and hurt that he'd ditched their date without explaining why he'd been in such a rush to leave. It wasn't the ideal end to a first date. But that was it, the end. She turned back to the man offering a ride, nodding that she wanted to go back home now, as did Kinsey. He made small talk as he guided the two of them to his black Camaro parked in front of the house, with how he acted it was hard to see him as an opposing threat. He seemed harmless and friendly. That didn't come as much of a surprise to Kinsey, it only proved her mother's words further.

Once the two had gotten home both had decided that they'd make the most of what remained of the night, neither had expected to be home so soon. By making the most of the night it meant ordering a pizza and watching Mamma Mia while Kinsey tried to sober up, though the fresh air while dancing had helped to ease her she still couldn't walk in a straight line and her words still had that slight slur that showed how much alcohol she had consumed tonight.

It had taken both of them to help get the girl into her pajamas, but this wasn't new to them, the girl had often taken it too far with her drinking, but she loved a party, it couldn't be helped. And with Allison around, she always had someone to take care of her.

She had lay on the bed, lifeless as Allison tried to clean up some of the mess from earlier off of her bed, it was obvious that she would be sharing it with Kinsey tonight, but that wasn't out of the ordinary for them either. When the sound of the front door knocking sounded loudly and repeatedly, echoing through the large, still quite empty house, Kinsey jumped up from the bed with a sudden burst of energy, her loud voice shouting that she would get it as she rushed down the stairs, leaving Allison in her dust.

But by the time she had gotten to the grand staircase Victoria was already standing at the front door with it wide open, and it was almost like deja-vu. But reversed. Instead of her being stood at the front door of Stiles Stilinski's house he was stood at hers, though he didn't seem to have broken down nor look like a drowned rat.

"Well haven't the tables turned," she said as she approached the door, her aunt leaving them to talk, though she was sure to be lurking around the corner, listening as her husband told her that eavesdropping was rude.

"You're here," he said in relief. "Is Allison?" he asked, he seemed nervous, more than usual. Like he didn't expect the two of them to be in their own home, even if Kinsey had waved at him while getting in Derek's car. She thought he would have talked to the man, if he was Scott's friend, she assumed he was Stiles' friend too.

Kinsey nodded, the girl was upstairs, questioning if he needed to talk to her. But Stiles shook his head, he just wanted to make sure the two of them got home okay, and as he could see, she was fine. "Is Scott okay?" she asked him, knowing she had to take the opportunity, she hoped that he and Scott had caught up since the party, that maybe he could tell her why he was so eager to get away from her cousin. "Allison's worried about him."

Stiles stammered for a few seconds thinking of a viable excuse before he blurted out one single word, that word had been too much information. More than Kinsey would ever need to know about Scott. "Diarrhea." He nodded, questioning his sanity after the word had already come out of his mouth. But luckily for both him and Kinsey, she wouldn't remember it by the morning. She probably wouldn't remember anything about tonight by the morning. Scott's behavior, Stiles blurting out the word diarrhea, how much she had drunk, or anything that might stir up some questions by the morning. But maybe that was better for everyone that she wouldn't.