"..and the witch was forced to choose a side," Kate said as I started drifting off to sleep. "She needed to choose a side to win the war, and the werewolves tried to trick her. She didn't like that though, and chose the hunters, letting the werewolves drown in her vengeance..."

I woke up with a start, blinking away the sleep in my eyes as I looked at the unfamiliar room. I rubbed my eyes, sighing after yet another dream about Kate and got out of bed. I checked the time, finding myself awake earlier than usual, no doubt because of the nerves I had for the day ahead.

I got dressed and ready for school before heading downstairs into the kitchen, where a freshly made meal was resting on the counter.

"That one's for you," Victoria said behind me.

I turned to her, startled, before looking back to the meal. Kate had only made me breakfast when I couldn't do it myself, and the occasional celebration for when I'd done something good. It made seeing this, a home cooked meal made by someone else for me when I hadn't done anything outstanding, very strange.

Nevertheless I thanked Victoria and took the plate, heading to the dining area where I found Allison eating. She greeted me with a warm smile, and I was relieved when that was all. She seemed nice enough, and I was reassured knowing I'd have a semi-friend at school with me.

Once I'd finished my food, Chris led me to his car where Allison and I got in, because apparently he was driving us to school. Allison gave me a sympathetic glance in the car, no doubt noticing the anxious state I was in as we drove closer and closer to school.

"Nervous?" she asked.

I grimaced. "You have no idea."

"It'll be alright," Allison assured me. "The people at Beacon Hills are nice. Mostly."

I raised my eyebrow at her. "Mostly?"

She shrugged. "It's still a high school."

"Touché."

The rest of the drive was short and silent, and before I knew it Chris was parking in front of the school, glancing at me from his rear-view mirror.

"You okay?" he asked, likely because I looked like I was about to throw up.

I certainly felt like it.

Instead of saying that though, I just nodded, because I was afraid if I did open my mouth then I might've actually vomited.

I got out of the car and observed the school in front of me, feeling my heart hammering in my chest. It was... a school. Nice garden front, plenty of park spaces, and a giant building where the classes would be held. It did seem rather big, so I guess I was lucky on that front. It made avoiding people easier.

"Come on," Allison said, noticing my hesitance. "I'll help you find your locker."

I nodded my head, silently thanking whatever being let me meet Allision before school. I knew I would be clinging by her side the whole day and just hoped she wouldn't mind, and if she did, well, too bad for her.

We entered the foyer, and I was hit with a wave of queasiness as I saw how many people were there, just idling about. Bad side about having a big school; it meant more people. I followed Allison as she led me to the office where an old lady with glasses gave me my timetable and locker number, along with the combination.

Then we had to brave the crowds of students again as we travelled through the halls to get to my locker. I was forced to doge several sports balls flying around and at one point even a shoe that had been tossed in the air.

When we finally arrived at my locker I was ready to leave school forever and make a living looking after cats, and classes hadn't even started yet. I opened my locker and started swapping my books from my bag to my locker while Allison looked over my timetable for the day.

"You've got Chemistry first with Mr Harris," Allison read, grimacing. "Good luck."

I turned to her in a panic. "Is Mr Harris bad?"

"You could say that."

I groaned, letting my head softly fall against my locker. Just my luck that the teacher would be hated and feared. Great. Allison started explaining the directions to my classroom before asking if I wanted her to take me there.

I glanced at the time, noticing it was getting concerningly close to the bell and Allison hadn't even gotten her stuff for her own class. I shook my head, urging her to go to her class and promising that I'd be fine.

When Allison left I took a deep breath, mentally preparing myself for my first class with dreaded Mr Harris, and started walking in the direction I thought Allison told me to go. I honestly couldn't remember half of what she said, but I was sure I'd be fine. Hopefully.

I looked back at my timetable, trying to see if it had the classroom number on it when I walked right into someone. I stumbled back in surprise and dropped some of my stuff, silently scolding myself for not looking where I was going as I looked at the poor victim I just harassed.

"Oh god, I'm so sorry," I said, as my eyes met theirs.

For a moment I just stopped moving, startled by how pretty this stranger was. They were a guy, about 6 feet tall, with light brown hair that was slightly curled and light freckles dusting his nose and cheeks. He had blue eyes that weren't vibrant, but unlike Chris Argents' weren't dull either. They were more subdued, like grey mist was swirling through them, obscuring them from view and coating them with a dark filter.

I stared at him as he seemed frozen, his posture stiff as he stared at me, eyes roving along my face. I gave him an awkward smile and he seemed to snap out of whatever daze he'd been in, kneeling down to pick up his stuff. I followed his lead, grabbing my things until the floor was book free.

"Sorry about that," the boy muttered, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly as he glanced at me.

I smiled again. "Don't worry about it. Pretty sure it was my fault anyway." There was a moment of silence before I spoke again. "I'm Y/n by the way. Y/n Argent."

I held out my hand and the boy moved his own hand to shake it, his jumper lifting up a bit and revealing a line of bruises that looked similar to fingerprints. I ignored the observation as we shook hands, his skin soft and warm.

"Isaac Lahey," he said with a smile.

"Nice to meet you Isaac, and sorry again for bumping into you," I started to leave when Isaac called out my name, making me turn and look at him questioningly.

"Are you new here?" he asked.

I smiled wryly. "Is it that obvious?"

He laughed slightly. "No, I just haven't seen you around before."

"Oh, well in that case, yeah I am."

Isaac had a pleased expression on his face, probably because his guess had been right. "What class do you have now?"

"Chemistry with Mr Harris," I explained.

Isaac frowned, looking slightly confused before pointing back the way I came. "Chemistry is that way."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

"Whoops."

His smiled slightly. "I have Chem too. I can take you there if you want."

I sighed, relieved. "That would be amazing."

We arrived at the class just in time, the bell ringing mere moments after we entered the room. There were only two seats left in the class next to each other and we took them, sending the other an awkward smile.

"Class has started," Mr Harris said, his voice silencing any student that had dared to speak after the bell. He was a tall teacher, around 6'3, perfect for looming over students and scaring the shit out of them. He had short brown hair, glasses, and a permanent frown on his face as he stared at his class, like teaching was the last thing he wanted to do with his life. It probably was.

"Today you will be given a project to complete that is 25% of your grade, so I suggest you don't screw it up," he continued. "You and your partner will be assigned an element from the periodic table that you will have to write an essay about. It must include the element's atomic structure, what chemicals react to it, what chemicals it can bond with, and everything else that is listed on the sheet I will give to you on it. Now, because I do not wish to listen to teenagers moan and whine, the person sitting next to you will be your partner for this project."

Isaac and I glanced at each other, once again smiling awkwardly. How many times could you smile awkwardly at a person? Was there a certain amount you couldn't do, a line you couldn't pass? Because if there was Isaac and I had certainly passed it.

Mr Harris walked around the classroom, handing out the rubric for the project as well as a slip of paper that contained what element you would have to work on. My eyes widened as Mr Harris gave me the rubric sheet that was double sided.

"How much work does he expect us to do?" I asked in disbelief as I read through our teacher's expectations.

Isaac laughed humourlessly. "You'd better get used to it. Mr Harris always sets a lot of work."

I groaned as I looked at the workload. "We're definitely gonna need to work outside of school on this," I glanced at Isaac nervously before continuing. "We could study tonight if you want, to get a good chunk of it done. Or we don't have to, if you're not free or just can't be bothered. Y'know, whatever's good for you."

A six-foot-deep hole was looking quite appealing in this moment. Put myself in there, cover it with dirt, let myself suffocate to death and never be seen by anyone else again. Sounds better than the current predicament I was in right now. What was that ramble I went on? Whatever's good for you? Whatever's good for you? Honestly just kill me here and now, it would hurt less.

"That sounds good," Isaac agreed. Okay so maybe I overreacted a little bit. "You can come to my house if you want; my dad isn't going to be home until late." Isaac's eyes widened at his words. "I didn't mean it like that. I just meant he's not there to bother us. Oh God that sounds even worse. I meant-"

I laughed, cutting him off and he seemed to relax a bit. "I get what you meant, and it sounds good."

Isaac smiled, relieved, and we spent the rest of the class working on the project together. We didn't get much done, and cemented the plans to study later tonight when the bell went. We exited the classroom together as I looked at my timetable.

"What class do you have?" Isaac asked me.

"English. You?"

Isaac sighed. "Maths. Don't worry though, English is right over there..."

Isaac gave me directions to my next class and we bid each other goodbye. I thankfully managed to make it to my next class without anymore assistance and sat behind a boy with a buzzcut and one with short black hair.

I wondered if I should introduce myself, pondering whether the risk of embarrassing myself in front of them was worth the possibility of more friends. Unfortunately before I managed to come to a decision, the teacher started the class, one my timetable just labelled as Coach.

I listened to Coach, who didn't seem too bad a teacher, when a student walked into the classroom. He was tall with icy blue eyes and perfect hair. He wore clothes that I could only guess were designer and walked like he was handsome and he knew it, which he was. Handsome, that is.

"Whittemore," Coach drawled. "You're late."

Whittemore flashed Coach a charming smile. "Sorry Coach. Won't happen again."

Coach muttered something that sounded a lot like 'I highly doubt it' but let the guy off the hook. He looked around the classroom, spotted me with an empty seat next to me and started towards me.

No, no, please no I'm begging you.

I liked hanging out with Isaac because he seemed just as awkward as me and seemed unlikely to judge me for anything I might do that would embarrass me. This guy though, with his confidence and good looks, seemed like the type to laugh at me if I got a question wrong, making me shrink further into my seat as he sat down next to me.

"I'm Jackson," the boy said, holding out his hand. "You must be new."

I shook it warily. "Y/n, and yeah I am. I just moved to Beacon Hills to stay with some... family."

I winced at the word. It didn't seem right, to call them family, even though we shared the same last name, because they weren't really my family. When Kate adopted me she changed my legal name to Argent, but I'd never felt like one. Not one that would be considered family anyway.

Jackson raised his eyebrows. "Why the hesitance at family?"

I sighed. "My legal guardian died and so I was sent to stay here, with her family, though I'd never met them before, so..."

"You're Y/n."

I blinked at the black-haired boy who had turned around to look at me, the boy with the buzzcut following his lead.

"Uh, yeah. Who are you?"

The two boys looked at each other before back at me. "I'm Scott," the black haired boy said, "and this is Stiles."

Stiles gave me a little wave.

"How did you know my name?" I asked.

Scott was the one who answered. "Oh, I know- I mean, I heard you tell it to Jackson."

I nodded my head slowly, unconvinced. "Right. Okay."

Jackson rolled his eyes. "Why don't you two losers shove off? Can't you see we're having a conversation?"

I instantly did not like this guy. Calling the two boys' losers for literally no reason and being a jerk was not someone I wanted to converse with.

"Anyway, before they interrupted- "Jackson started

"Whittemore! No talking while I'm talking or I'll bench you next game," Coach threatened.

Jackson looked outraged. "But I'm first line!"

Coach glared at him. "So stay quiet."

I was grateful for the excuse to stop talking to Jackson and managed to avoid talking to him for the rest of the class. As soon as the bell went, signalling the end of class, I was out of my seat and heading towards the door before Jackson got to say another word to me.

I walked down the hallway aimlessly, unsure where to go, when I spotted Isaac at the end of the corridor at what I assumed was his locker. We made eye contact and I smiled slightly. Isaac mirrored my expression, bringing up one hand to wave when someone grabbed my arm.

I swivelled around but felt relief when it was just Allison.

"You've got some reflexes there," Allison joked.

I grinned. "You should see them in action."

"What class do you have third period?" she asked. I gave her my timetable and she smiled. "Cool, we have the same class now and for fourth period. Wanna go there now?"

I glanced behind me in search of Isaac but he was gone, so I turned back to Allison and nodded, following her as she led me to our class. We got along well enough, having been made to work together for an activity, and as I got to know her I found that Allison was a really cool person and I enjoyed talking to her. Thank god she was already my friend. Sort of. Maybe. Was she?

"Are we friends?" I blurted out just as the class ended.

Allison seemed surprised by my question but answered it nonetheless. "I mean, I'd like to think so."

I smiled at her, relieved, and she smiled back. We exited class together, and I checked my timetable for my next subject only to realise it was lunch. I looked at Allison but she seemed distracted my someone, and as I followed her gaze I found Scott.

I knew they must have known each other. How else could Scott have known my name? And from the way the two were staring at each other, it was obvious they had something going on.

"I'll see you in fourth period," I told her. "Have fun."

Allison looked confused for a split-second before understanding crossed her features. "Wait, that's not- we're not-"

"Mhm, sure," I said. "Bye."

I walked away, leaving Allison spluttering as I grinned. She could deny it all she wanted, but no one just looks at someone the way Scott had looked at Allison. Like she was the most important thing on the planet.

I managed to make my way to the cafeteria and my smile slipped when I saw how many people were there. It was a lot. I focused on getting my food, telling myself where to sit was a problem for future Y/n, but started to get increasingly stressed when future Y/n started to become present Y/n.

Eventually I was forced to choose somewhere to sit, and I scanned the tables for a familiar face, finding Isaac in the crowd. He was sitting on a table alone, and then he looked up and our eyes met. I smiled and started to go up to him when I heard someone call out my name.

"Y/n, come sit here." It was Jackson, and I grimaced at the sound of his voice.

Nevertheless, I didn't want to upset anyone on my first day, even if I did think they were jerks, because maybe not everyone at his table was a jerk like him. I walked over and sat next to a boy who introduced himself as Danny. Everyone else introduced themselves, but there were so many people on the table I only managed to remember a few names.

I found my gaze straying to Isaac, only to find him already staring at me. His gaze flickered briefly to the people I was sitting with before he looked away. I felt guilt rise in my stomach as I stared at the back of his head. I should have just sat with him.

Jackson was saying something, but I barely paid him any heed until I noticed him throw his foot out in the air. I was about to ask what he was doing when a blonde girl carrying a tray of food walked past and, oblivious to Jackson's foot, tripped over it and went tumbling to the floor.

People on the table started laughing at the girl's figure sprawled on the ground, food stuck to her clothes and hair. I felt my stomach roll in disgust as I stared at the boy I was sitting next to. How much of a bastard was this guy?

Amidst the chaos of laughter from the table, I caught someone shout 'epileptic freak' to the girl, and I realised she must have had epilepsy, making me feel worse because they were making fun over her condition.

"You're a jerk," I spat at Jackson, the boy looking startled at my hostility before I left the table and bent down to help the girl up. She had foot splattered all over her, and I hoped she had a spare change of clothes.

"No need for the bitchiness," Jackson said, mockingly raising his hands up. "I was just giving you some entertainment."

I seethed. "You and your entertainment can fuck off."

There were a few scattered gasps from the table, the spectators no doubt surprised by my aggression. I was surprised myself; I'd wanted to hold off making any enemies for at least a week.

Oh well.

I took the girl's arm and helped her upright, leading her out of the cafeteria and away from any prying eyes. As soon as we'd left I started apologising about what Jackson did, feeling rage simmer just below the surface as I talked about him.

"I didn't realise he was such a jerk," I said.

Erica looked up at me, an unreadable expression on her face. "Really?"

I shifted uncomfortably. "I mean, I had my suspicions but I didn't want to make any assumptions-"

"Just leave me alone," Erica muttered, turning away and swiftly walking down the hall.

I watched her go, a bitter taste in my mouth. I'd already messed up here and I hadn't even lasted a day. I sighed and turned around, wondering where to go since I certainly wasn't going to back into the cafeteria, when I spotted Isaac exiting it.

He noticed me and gave me a small smile, one I returned brightly before walking over to him.

"One hell of a show back there," he said.

I winced. "Yeah.."

"It was cool how you told him to fuck off though," Isaac said.

I laughed. "Yeah well he was a jerk. Besides, I had actually wanted to sit with someone else."

Isaac smiled and looked at his shoes, and I felt my heart flutter. Not even a full day at school yet I had already found myself falling for someone.

"So, are we still studying tonight?" Isaac asked.

I grinned. "Definitely."