Chapter Twelve

I had woken up early to go to school the next day. Stiles had left way before eariler in the night, and I don't blame him. I knew it was Allison's birthday today, so I wanted to do something special for her. I had gotten her a bracelet, a friendship charm. Lydia and I both pitched in for it, buying a special charm for her each on the bracelet. I hope she loves it, I know she will.

I also had the idea of putting balloons in her locker, since Lydia and I had her cominbiation. That's why I woke up extra early, to make sure she has a special day. Besides, it's not every day you turn 17. She's a little older than us, but that's completely okay, because she has traveled a lot and needed to be held back a year.

I stood in the hallway that lead to her locker, leaning against some lockers, waiting for her arrival with my present in my hand. Lydia didn't make it in today, neither did Jackson, which was understandable because of last night. 

I noticed Allison approaching her locker and opening it, she was surprised and I grinned. She quickly ushered the balloons back into her locker, embarrassment filled her.

"Happy Birthday!" I bound round the corner and she jumped, placing a hand on her heart, her mouth dropping.

"Paige!" She hissed. "Oh, my God. How did you know?"

I shrugged. "Lyds has her ways. Anyways, now, open your birthday gift! From me and Lydia." I hand her the velvet red box, and she smiled.

"Awe, you guys' shouldn't have." A blush formed on her face as she takes it from me. She opened it carefully, and she grinned. "It's so pretty! I love it." I take the box from her so she can hold her charm bracelet properly. "Help me?"

"Of course." I grin and put the box in between my arm, and clipped the charm bracelet around her tiny wrist. "It's perfect for you."

She hugged me, wrapping her arms around me. "Thank you."

"It's nothing." I smiled, happy that she liked it.

"It's your birthday?" Allison and I both turned to Scott, who looked completely lost on what was going on.

"No." She blurted out, then sighed. "I mean, yes. But don't tell anyone. I don't even know how Lydia and Paige found out."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Scott looked a little hurt.

"I don't want a lot of people to know. Since I'm seventeen." Allison looked at the ground, fiddling with her bracelet.

"You're seventeen?" Scott's eyes widen and I glared at him.

Allison's face dropped. "And that's the reaction I'm trying to avoid."

"Why? I get it. You had to repeat a year because of all the moving around, right?" Scott figured out and Allison looked at him, surprised. She shuts the locker door then kisses him on the lips. I smiled. "What was that for?"

"For literally being the first person to ever make the correct assumption. Everyone else says "What? Were you held back? Were you pregrant?"" Allison rolled her eyes.

"That's what you hear on your birthday?" Scott frowned.

"All day long." Allison pouts.

"Then... What if we got out of here?" Scott questioned her.

Allison frowned. "Skip class?"

"The whole day." Scott smiled.

"You're asking someone who's never even skipped one class to bail on an entire day." Allison pointed out shyly.

"Come on, Allie. You gotta do it." I nudged her softly. "See, that's perfect. If you get caught they'll go easy on you."

Allison's lips twists slightly. "What if you get caught?" She looked at Scott.

"Let's try not to think about that." Scott shrugged.

Allison looked at me. "You gotta say that me and Scott are sick or something, okay? If anybody asks." She tells me.

"Of course. I've got your back. Have fun, birthday girl." I grinned and Allison beamed at me.

"Thanks, Paige, you're literally the best." Allison happily said. She side hugged me and grabbed Scott's hand, before they both ran down the hallway, getting far away from this hellhole.

⇉

I take my seat in Mr Harris class, sitting beside Stiles. Stiles looked around, clearly looking for Scott but I don't say anything.

"Just a friendly reminder: Parent/Teacher conferences are tonight. Students below a C average are required to attend. I won't name you since the shame and self disgust should be more than enough punishment. And has anyone seen Scott McCall?" Mr Harris questioned.

"He's sick." I piped up, and Mr Harris frowned.

"Sick, sure." Mr Harris retorts. I don't move a muscle as I stare at him. Suddenly, the door opens and in comes Jackson, something slightly off about him. Everyone watches. Harris crosses to him. I purse my lips together, I thought he wasn't going to come. "Jackson, if you need to leave early for any reason... You let me know."

I rolled my eyes. I was there too, where's my special treatment? Jackson just glared at Harris, clearly annoyed by the pity.

"Everyone, start reading Chapter Nine. And Mr. Stilinski try putting the highlighter down between paragraphs. It's Chemistry. Not a coloring book." Harris spoke harshly. I looked over at Stiles who was colouring in his book with highlights. Stiles smoothly spits out the highlighter cap in his mouth and caught it, befor turning to Danny.

"Danny? Can I ask you a question?" Stiles questioned.

"No." Danny responded back.

"I'm going to anyway. Did Lydia show up in your homeroom today?" Stiles asked.

"No." Danny continued to answer back.

"Can I ask you another question?" Stiles questioned.

"Answer is still no." Danny rolled his eyes.

"Do people know what happened to her, Paige, and Jackson last night?" Stiles asked.

Danny glanced at Stiles. "He wouldn't tell me."

"But you're his best friend." Stiles pointed out. Danny shrugs. "One more question?"

"What?" Danny snapped.

"Do you find me attractive?" Stiles asked and I almost choked on my own spit. Danny doesn't reply as Stiles practically fell out of his seat. He quickly sat back, his cheeks red.

"What was that?" I murmur to him, and he glanced at me.

"What was what?" Stiles asked back, continuing to highlight his book.

I rolled my eyes. "Why are you asking about Lydia and Jackson?"

"I just want more information." Stiles admitted. "Dad won't tell me anything. It's kind of annoying."

"Maybe because you're not apart of the investigation." I jabbed, giving him a look. Stiles just frowned. "Look, all I know, is that me and Lydia were recording a video on her phone, and she had it the wrong way, then something crashed through the glass. I couldn't get a proper look at it, but it had to be the Alpha, no?"

"Wait, rewind." Stiles turned to me. "You said something about a video."

"Yeah, me and—Oh, my God. You're right." I whispered exctidetly. "Me and Lydia got it on camera. We need to get it before she looks through her phone."

Stiles nodded his head quickly. "Okay, we'll check up on her after school."

"Mr Stilinski and Miss Madden." Harris had spoken, causing up to look up instantly. I gulped. "Move." Stiles sighed and grabbed his things before moving to an empty seat at the back.

⇉

Stiles and I rushed down the hallway, trying to reach Scott. He finally picked up after the tenth call. "What?" Scott asked, clearly annoyed.

"Finally! Are you getting any of my texts?" Stiles asked.

"All nine million of them." Scott had annoyance in his tone again.

"You have any clue what's going on? Lydia's totally M-I-A, Jackson looks like he had a time bomb inserted into his face, another random guy is dead and you need to do something about it." Stiles explained to him,

"Like what?" Scott snapped.

"Something." I spoke into the phone.

"I'll deal with it later." Scott whispered, hanging up the phone and Stiles and I looked at each other in disbelief.

"Are you kidding me?" Stiles muttered.

"He's with Allison right now, though." I excused his behaviour. "And it's her birthday, so..."

Stiles groaned. "This is stupid." He dugged through his pockets, grabbing out his car keys. "Let's just go see Lydia."

⇉

We finally pulled up to Lydia house's, Mrs Martin letting us in. We followed her up to Lydia's room. Mrs Martin knocks on the door. "Sweetheart, there's Paige and a Stiles to see you." Mrs Martin informed her daughter. Lydia lies in bed, glazed eyes fixed on the ceiling.

"What the hell's a Stiles?" Lydia slurred out.

Lydia's mother turns to Stiles and I with an embarrassed smile. "She's had a little something to ease her nerves." Mrs Martin explained to us. "Go right in." 

"Thanks." I mumbled and Stiles and I slipped into her room.

"What are you doing here?" Lydia eyed us as we approached her bed.

"Just wanted to make sure you're okay." Stiles explained to her. She tilts her head a little.

"Why?" Lydia questioned.

"Because I was kind of worried about you. You feeling all right?" Stiles questioned her.

"I feel ffffffantastic." She slurred out. I glance to the prescription bottle on the night stand. I pursed my lips together.

"Bet you can't say I saw Susie sitting in a shoe shine shop five times really fast." I tell her and her eyes laizy glazed over to me.

"I saw Shusie... I shaw... I saw..." Lydia slowly trailed off. Lydia's gaze drifts. Stiles sits on the bed next to her, noticing both her look and change in demeanor. I stayed perfectly still standing beside the corner of the bed.

"What? What did you see?" Stiles questioned her.

"I saw something..." Lydia mumbled.

"What?" Stiles eyes her carefully.

"Something."

"Was it a mountain lion?" I suggested and her eyes looked at me again.

"Yeah. A mountain lion." She agreed with me.

"You definitely saw a mountain lion? Or the cops told you it was a mountain lion?" Stiles asked her.

Lydia nodded. "A mountain lion."

Stiles grabs a teddy bear off her daybed and he holds it up. "What's this?"

Lydia's eyes drifted to the teddy bear. "A mountain lion."

Giving up, Stiles sets the teddy bear back down. He looked over at me. "I guess we should leave and let you get back to the whole post traumatic stress thing."

He starts to get up, but then her hand closes over his. "Stay." Lydia insisted, and Stiles turned to her.

"You want me to stay? Me?" Stiles almost looked baffled and I rolled my eyes. He was forgetting why we were coming here in the first place.

Lydia nods her head. "Yes. Please, stay. Please, Jackson."

I pursed my lips at Stiles' disappointed face. "And we're done here." Stiles got up and moved in front of me but I placed a hand on his chest.

"Wait, Stiles." I told him, making eye contact with him. "You're forgetting something?"

His eyes widen. "Oh, right. Yeah." He turned around as Lydia's phone buzzed on the bedside table. He walked over and grabbed the phone. I walked over to him, watching over his shoulder as he clicked onto a video. A dark shape hurtles through the store front window. Stiles hits pause. Breath caught in his throat, he zooms-in to a perfectly captured image of a nightmare.

Standing there on two feet, a dark and monstrous silhouette with glowing red eyes...

The Alpha.

⇉

Leaving another hundred voice mails to Scott, you can see that Stiles was getting more and more irritated by the minute. "One last time." Stiles picks up his phone.

"Stiles." I groaned, laying on his bed as he sat at his desk. "Just give up. Scott will call you back when he's not busy."

Stiles completely ignored me and dialed Scott's number. "It's me. Again. I found something and I don't know what to do and if you don't turn your phone back on I'm going to kill you. I'm too pissed off to come up with a witty description of exactly how I'm going to kill you. I'm just going to kill you." Stiles hangs up frustadetly.

"Wow." I spoke sarasticaly. "Brilliant—"

"Paige," Stiles turned to me. "It's annoying enough as—"

A knock on the door interrupt him and the door clicks open, revealing Sheriff Stilinski. Sheriff Stilinski smiled at me. "Hi, Paige."

"Hi." I greeted back, sitting up slightly.

Sheriff Stilisnki looked at his son. "Please tell me I'm going to hear good news at the parent teacher thing tonight."

"That depends on how you define good news." Stiles nervously spoke.

"I define it as you getting straight A's with no behavioral issues." Sheriff Stilinski tells him.

"We clearly have different definitions of good news." Stiles mumbled.

"Say no more." Sheriff Stilinski went to leave, but Stiles cuts him off.

"Dad—" Sheriff Stilinski pauses at the door. "You guys find out what it was that attacked Lydia, Paige, and Jackson last night?"

"You know I can't talk about that." Sheriff Stilinski reminded him.

"But everybody's thinking mountain lion, right?" I questioned him.

"It's the best we've got at the moment. We're setting traps, talking to Animal Control. You don't have to worry." Sheriff Stilinski explained to us.

"It's not that. It's... forget it." Stiles rolled his eyes.

"You sure?" Sheriff Stilisnki asked. Stiles gives a nod. As his father lets the door close, Stiles reaches into his jacket and removes Lydia's phone. He brings up the video footage.

"Come on, Scott." Stiles mumbled. "Where the hell are you?" After five minutes, Stiles was still starring at his phone. Struggling with a decison if he should delete the video. I walked over to him and leant on the chair behind him. He glanced up at me for a second.

"It's probably for the best." I tell him softly as I stare at the; are you sure you want to delete? His thumb hovers over selection. He then puts the phone down. Then almost immediately picks it up again. And finally... He taps the button, deleting the footage. "Good job, Stiles."

I placed a hand on his shoulder, trying to sooth him. He looked way too nervous. "Aren't you going to the parents teachers conference?" Stiles asked me, turning the whole chair around so he was facing me. I stood in front of him and blinked.

"Uh... No. I have perfect grades. Expect for Math." I shrugged.

"Why Math? I thought you were smart with everything." Stiles tells me.

"Well, I have dyscalculia." I explained. "And I'm not very good with numbers, sure, some people might think a B– is pretty good, but not good enough in my family."

"If you want me to, I can help study sometime." Stiles tells me and I smiled.

"Really?" I asked.

"Yeah, I'm pretty good at Maths." Stiles shrugged. "Just let me know when you need help. I'll come."

"Thanks, Stiles." I grinned. "You think Scott will show up to the parents teachers conferences?"

"God knows." Stiles rolled his eyes. "I just hope Scott knows what he's doing."

"Half the time, Scott never knows what he's doing." I pointed out and he half-smiled.

"You're not wrong." Stiles agreed. "Hey, wanna watch a movie or something? Then I can drive you home."

I nodded, agreeing. "We're not watching Star Wars again, I've already made up my mind. We're gonna watch Clueless."

Stiles groaned. "Clueless? Seriously?"

"Oh, come on, you've already made us watch Star Wars. It's only right that I get to make us watch Clueless." I whined. "Just this once, and you never have to watch it again." Stiles reluctantly agreed, and for the rest of the night, we just did a movie marathon.