Eli looked at Malia asleep in Stiles arms.

"You know this is where it all started." Stiles spoke up, making Eli break his eyes away from the sleeping pair. "117 million in bearer bonds."

Kira looked at the shelves. "How do you even change bearer bonds into cash?"

"The banks, I guess." Stiles answered her. "They just let it sit here the whole time collecting dust."

Eli picked at the lint on his sweater vest, back against the wall with one leg pulled upwards to lean on his knee.

"You know bearer bonds are basically extinct?" Stiles asked them, arm across Malia.

"Why does it matter?" Kira shook her head curiously.

"You know how many problems that money could solve?" Stiles shrugged his shoulders.

"98% of them." Eli said honestly, Scott looking over at him curiously. "What?"

"98?" he asked curiously.

"Money takes stress off your shoulders, meaning no more anxiety, no more therapy, no more hating your stupid job. Also pays for expensive skin care products and food, so, goodbye insecure bodies. Stressed about school? Don't be. You can just pay to get you into an expensive school and they'll take you as long as you give them cash each month." Eli listed on in his head as he bounced his legs slightly, leaning on it better so his cheek pressed against it. "That just leaves world issues and people actually liking you for the last two percent."

Scott had to agree after a second. "Yeah, you're right about that one."

"Medical bills." Stiles added into Eli's list, eyes turning his way. "The Eichen House and MRI bills are crushing my dad."

"Do you guys have insurance?" Eli asked him, his voice echoed slightly.

"Not a very good one." Stiles answered.

Scott rubbed the back of his neck. "Mom does this. She writes down all the items in our budget and how much they cost. Then she adds them all up and figured out how long we have until we'd loose the house."

Eli reached over and patted his knee.

"Eli." Kira spoke up as her, him, and Malia sat together. Stiles and Scott went to the wall, Scott listening in on the other side. "What you said earlier, do you feel that way?"

"What'd he say?" Malia asked, being ignored.

Eli have a shrug. "Sometimes, not always."

Kira gave a half grin. "We like you, you know?"

Eli gave a grin. "Yeah, I know."

"Not Stiles." Malia pointed out. Eli laughed as he nodded his head.

"Definitely not Stiles." Eli agreed before he recalled a memory. "Last year, when I was still a freshman, Lydia smiled at me in the hallway. Obviously , I went kinda crazy and didn't shut up about it. A few days later I went to talk to her but Stiles was with her. I guess he saw me because he sent me two middle fingers and I ran. Hasn't liked me much ever since."

This made the pair of girls laugh before Malia coughed. She took a deep breath, sweating and leaning back in pain. Eli put a hand on her arm with a frown, Kira doing the same. Her eyes went to Eli's wrist. "When do you get that off?"

"Tomorrow." he nodded his head. An idea hit his mind, a way of getting Malia to hold on a bit. "Malia will be all better by then, she can come with me."

The girl looked at him and smiled slightly. "You know that doesn't make me feel any better, right?"

"Yeah." Eli shrugged with a half grin. "Figured I should try just incase."

She nodded off slightly. "I'm tired again."

Kira helped her lay back down. Eli licked his thump and whipped the side of her mouth that was getting discoloration, only finding it not to work.

"Eli." Stiles voice caught his attention.

"I wasn't-" the Foxx boy began but stopped when he saw Stiles waving him over. Eli left the two girls to walk over. "Somethings wrong on the other side?"

"It's getting worse for them, and people are looking for us." Stiles spoke for the trio. "You and me, we have to go out there."

Eli looked back at Malia, then to Scott and Kira. "I don't wanna leave them here. Not like this."

"I know." Stiles agreed with him. "But I don't think we have much of a choice right now."

Eli frowned but nodded his head. He looked back to Malia before facing Stiles again. "Go tell her goodbye."

Stiles passed, Scott reached over and tapped Eli's shoulder. The sophomore looked his way. "You're gonna be good at this."

"At helping Stiles?" Eli asked him oddly.

Scott gave a pained smile. "Being apart of the pack."

Eli and Stiles left soon after, though they didn't get far before Eli stopped,
his head feeling like it began to spin.

"Eli." Stiles stopped when he noticed Eli not following. "We gotta go, come on."

Eli held his hand infront of his face, seeing it blurrier and as if he was squinting. "Something isn't-"

Stiles swooped forward when Eli lost his balance, catching him before he fell. "Okay, okay, stand up. You're fine, let me look at you."

Stiles grabbed Eli's wrist, examining his right hand that was inflamed with the same rash the virus was causing. His arm went around Eli's waist. "Alright, you little shit, work with me."

"Mrs Martin." Eli confirmed, feeling tired as him and Stiles went down the hallway together. "Go to her."

After two more hallways, the pair came across the quarantine tents together and sat their eyes on Natalie Martin. She looked at the pair in worry. "Boys, you're not looking so good, maybe you ought to lie down."

"It's okay." Eli nodded with a forced smile, being able to stand on his own as Stiles let him go.

"Have you seen Mr Yukimura?" Stiles asked her quickly.

"Yeah, he's fine, he's helping the other students." Natalie nodded at the pair.

"Okay." Stiles nodded, nudging Eli as they turned to go. Stiles froze as he looked in at coach, turning back to Mrs Martin. "Is Coach the only adult that got sick today?"

"As far as I know." she nodded her head.

"Why's he the only one?" Stiles whispered. Eli whipped sweat from his forehead, his entire body starting to spin again.

"I think-" Eli began before his vision didn't just blurry, it went completely dark and he felt a sudden force on the side of his head.

When Eli opened his eyes, he felt hands on the side of his face. He blinked a few times, slowly opening them as the dark brown eyes looked up at Malia. She leaned over him, looking better, a smile on her face. Eli blinked. "I'm sorry."

She gave a odd look. "What are you sorry for?"

Eli's lip trembled in guilt. "For failing the pack."

Scott heard him, walking into his quarantined tint as everyone slowly began to leave. Malia met Scott's eye as he stared down at Eli. "You didn't fail the pack, Eli."

"Is Stiles okay?" the boy asked, his eyes watered.

"He's okay." Malia nodded, her hand pressed to his shoulder when she saw him flinch at the bruise on his head, from where he hit the ground when he passed out. Without him noticing, she took his pain from him.

"Wanna go see for yourself?" Scott asked as Malia pulled Eli to sit up. "How do you feel?"

Eli swallowed as he rubbed his eyes. "Guilty."

"You helped us more then you think you did." Scott promised him, leaning down some, considering Eli was still sat down. "If it was both of you, I don't know what would have happened. It was better this way. Trust me."

Eli looked to Malia as she rubbed his head, encouraging him to stand with the rest of them as they headed out of the school.

"Eli!" Adeline called when she saw her son, standing next to Lydia and dressed in her uniform. Eli let the two go as he met his moms hug immediately, holding her as she held him tighter. Over her shoulder, his eyes found Stiles. Eli gave a guilty expression, but Stiles hurrying over toward them caused panic to raise through his veins.

Eli yanked away from his mom and backed up, stopping when Stiles pulled him toward him and hugged him tightly.

•

kylie speaks

super emotional chapter
jesus, had my eyes watering
and everything.