season one, episode three

- pack mentality -

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Aurora was checking out the shelves of bowling balls, casually picking them up and looking them over. Stiles leaned on the counter next to her, pretending he wasn't way more excited than he should've been.

"So, uh, you ever bowl before? Like, really bowl, or do you just grab a ball and hope for the best?" Stiles asked her, a wide grin on his face.

"I bowl every now and then. It's just a fun way to hang out, you know?" Aurora replied with a small laugh.

To Stiles, Aurora was one of those effortlessly cool people, and it made him feel all kinds of nervous in a good way. He always got those weird flip feelings in his stomach whenever she laughed or smiled. And ever since she had turned into a werewolf, he had finally got what he wanted: her attention.

Meanwhile, over at the bowling balls, Scott and Allison were picking out their weapons of choice. Allison was in full pro mode. She was testing out different weights and seemed totally at ease.

"You look like you know what you're doing." Scott nervously glanced at Allison, who just shrugged like it was no big deal and continued her search for the perfect ball.

"Used to bowl with my dad." The girl simply replied with a small smile.

Stiles caught Scott's expression, and he could tell he was getting intimidated by the looks Jackson was sending his way and he was probably also feeling nervous because he told Allison he could bowl... which he could not.

"When was the last time you bowled?" Allison turned to Scott with a teasing look, like she had known he had lied about his bowling ability.

"Uh, at a birthday party." Scott mumbled under his breath, looking through the balls, trying to come over as a professional. "When I was eight."

Aurora, who was still standing next to Stiles now, noticed Scott's awkwardness and raised an eyebrow. Aurora snorted softly when she heard what the Mccall boy had added at the end, trying not to laugh out loud. Stiles had to hold back his own chuckles when he heard Aurora's.

"Poor Scott." She whispered to Stiles.

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Over by the lanes, Jackson and Lydia were up next. Jackson, being the show-off he was, came up behind Lydia and wrapped his arms around her waist, getting way too close while she tried to line up her shot. Lydia giggled, clearly enjoying the attention.

When Lydia threw the ball, it was obvious she wasn't putting much effort in. The ball didn't even make it halfway down the lane before it slipped into the gutter.

"I'm so bad at this." The girl putted dramatically.

Stiles leaned over to Aurora, unable to resist. "Gutter ball!"

Aurora smiled, holding in a laugh, but then Jackson turned to look at them, giving Stiles a weird look.

"Hey, you okay there, McCall? You look a little nervous." Jackson asked as he turned his attention to the Mccall boy.

Scott shot Jackson a glare, but Jackson just shrugged, still laughing.

When it was Allison's turn,  she picked up a pale lilac ball and threw it with such ease. She nailed a perfect strike, knocking all the pins down without a hitch.

"Somebody brought their A-game." Lydia spoke, clapping for her new friend, while Aurora let out a sheer.

Jackson, still showing off with that sapphire blue ball, got a strike too, and then turned to Scott with a smirk. " You're up, McCall."

"You can do it, Scott." Allison encouraged him.

Scott picked up a green ball, still looking nervous as he made his way to the lane. He took a deep breath and tried to focus, but the second he threw the ball, it went straight into the gutter. Jackson burst out laughing immediately, and both Aurora and Stiles couldn't even help but roll their eyes at that. "Oh, man! That's embarrassing." Jackson added, still laughing. Allison shot Jackson a glare, but he just couldn't help himself. He was still cracking up.

"Jackson, mind shutting up?" Allison asked, visibly irritated.

Stiles felt bad for Scott. He was clearly frustrated, sitting down next to Allison with his head down. He gave him a quick, sympathetic look. He knew how that felt—being bad at something in front of everyone was never fun.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm just flashing back to the words, "I'm a great bowler..." Jackson continued his laughing, but it was clear that Allison wasn't about to let Jackson humiliate Scott like that.

"Maybe he just needs a little warm-up." The girl shrugged, and Aurora nodded her head at that.

"Yes, it's only the first round, Jackson." Aurora spoke, leaning back in her seat, whispering to Stiles again. "It's times like these, I really wished his parents had called him Jackass."

Stiles stifled a laugh, glancing at Jackson's smug face. "You and me both." he muttered under his breath, before giving Aurora a sly grin.

"How about you aim for anything except for the gutter?" Jackson ignored the girls as he asked Scott his question. Lydia made a face, agreeing with her boyfriend, but staying quiet about her own opinion.

"Let him concentrate." Allison whispered more to herself than to Jackson and Lydia.

Scott self-consciously made his way up to take his next shot, his nerves clearly getting the better of him. He muttered to himself, almost like he was praying for some kind of miracle.

"Come on, just one pin, please..." He muttered under his breath.

Allison leaned forward slightly, her eyes on Scott as he lined up his shot. She was paying close attention, clearly rooting for him to do better. Scott took a deep breath, trying to steady himself. His first throw had been a disaster, but maybe this time would be different. He released the ball, and it was, well, a little less clumsy than the first. The ball stayed in the middle of the lane for most of its length, but, predictably, it veered off course and slipped right into the gutter once again.

Jackson, who'd clearly been waiting for this moment, burst into loud, obnoxious laughter again. "Great job, McCall! Man, you are a pro."

Scott's shoulders slumped as he made his way back to his seat, defeated. He plopped down next to Allison, feeling the weight of the embarrassment hit him. But she was still totally supportive, keeping a soft smile on her face.

"It's okay. We only just started." Allison softly spoke to Scott, who rubbed the back of his neck.

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Aurora stood up with a grin. She picked up a sleek, silver ball, her eyes flashing with confidence as she made her way toward the lane. Stiles, on the other hand, gave her an exaggerated thumbs-up, leaning back in his seat like he already knew she was going to take a good shot

"Alright, let's see what you got, Aurora." Stiles called out, his tone teasing but playful.

Aurora playfully winked back at him. She adjusted her grip on the ball before tossing it down the lane with effortless grace. The ball spun and glided smoothly, knocking down all ten pins with a satisfying crash. A perfect strike.

"Boom! Nailed it!" Aurora threw her arms up in triumph, grinning at Stiles. He was quick to jump out of his seat, clapping with exaggerated enthusiasm.

"That's how it's done!" Stiles cheered. Aurora shook her head at him, but her smile was wide and pleased.

"Your turn, buddy." She said, handing Stiles the ball.

Stiles took the ball with both hands, pretending to inspect it with exaggerated seriousness.

He stepped up to the lane, his form awkward as he attempted to line up his shot. Aurora leaned against the side, cheering him on. Stiles gave the ball a throw, but it wasn't exactly graceful—he ended up sending it to the side with a wild spin.

The ball veered off to the left and hit the gutter with a sharp clunk.

"Well, that went about as well as expected." Stiles muttered. "I guess I'm just here for moral support, right?"

Aurora couldn't help but giggle, clearly amused by Stiles' antics. "Nice try, Stilinski." She teased, patting him on the back as he made his way back to her. "One throw doesn't mean anything. I'm sure the next one will be better."

Stiles sank back down beside her, shaking his head in mock disappointment. "I swear, I was aiming for the strike... it just didn't work out that way."

Aurora rolled her eyes, still smiling.

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Scott's turn came up, and everyone could see the nerves on his face from a mile away. He was standing there like he was about to get shot at or something, staring at the lane like it was a battlefield.

Stiles, who'd been watching with a grin, nudged Aurora and leaned over. "Poor Scott's about to crash and burn," he whispered, smirking. Aurora just gave him a look. "You're so mean," she muttered back.

Then, out of nowhere, Allison stood up and made her way over to Scott. Aurora watched curiously, as Allison leaned in close to Scott, saying something in his ear. Aurora hadn't concentrated on what exactly her friend had told Scott, but whatever it was, it seemed to help. Scott looked a little less tense now, like someone had just given him a new chance at life.

Allison walked back to their seat, leaving Scott standing there, blinking in shock as the thought settled in. It didn't take long for his nervous energy to turn into something else.

Scott stepped up to the lane, his hands gripping the ball with a new intensity. His werewolf vision flickered for a moment, everything turning red as he took a deep breath, focused, and threw the ball. The moment it left his hands, everyone watched as it hit the center pin and—bam—all the pins went down in a perfect strike.

Aurora cheered, raising her hands in the air. "Let's go, McCall!"

"Whoo!" Stiles cheered for his friend as well.

"What did you say to him?" Lydia asked, turning to Allison, clearly as surprised by Scott's strike as her boyfriend was pissed about it.

"I, uh, just gave him something to think about." Allison stammered for a second as Scott sat back down next to her with a grin on his face.

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The bowling game was still going strong, and Scott had just scored another strike, leaving everyone in the group staring at him in disbelief. Allison was practically glowing with pride as she clapped. "That is seriously amazing!" She then turned her attention to Jackson, who was practically steaming with jealousy. She couldn't resist a little teasing. "Jackson, uh, how many strikes is that?"

Jackson gritted his teeth, his voice dripping with frustration. "It's six... in a row."

Scott just shrugged modestly, clearly trying to play it cool as he returned to Allison's side. "Something just clicked, I guess."

"Maybe it's natural talent." Allison replied.

Lydia, who was getting more and more annoyed that Scott was now owning the game instead of Jackson, shifted her focus away from her boyfriend to Scott. She couldn't resist trying to turn on some charm. "I could use some natural talent. You mind helping me out this time, Scott?"

Scott, totally distracted by Allison and clearly not picking up on Lydia's flirtation, smiled warmly at her. "No, you're good. Go for it."

Lydia's face fell, her disappointment clear as she crossed her arms and gave Scott a fake smile. "Thanks for the vote of confidence." She turned and marched over to the lane, Jackson, desperate not to be left out, quickly followed behind her.

"Hey, I'll help." He offered.

"How about I just try this on my own?" Lydia asked snidely. Jackson stepped back as she picked up her bright pink bowling ball. She threw it down the lane, the ball spinning perfectly and knocking down all the pins with ease. Lydia couldn't hide her satisfaction as she threw her hands up in victory. "I think I'm getting the hang of it.

She strolled back to her seat next to Jackson, who was now looking at her like she'd just done something supernatural. Lydia, with her typical smugness, played it cool.

"That was kind of perfect form."

"Lydia, acting clueless, blinked innocently. "Was it?"

Allison and Aurora both shot her a look, her eyes narrowing as she leaned closer so Jackson couldn't hear. "Maybe you should stop pretending to suck just for his benefit." Allison whispered.

Lydia rolled her eyes dramatically, her sarcasm on full display. "Trust me—I do plenty of sucking just for his benefit."

"Oh, gross, Lyds." Aurora groaned.

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Katherine xoxo

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WORDS: 2660

POSTED: WEDNESDAY 08/04/2025

WRITTEN: WEDNESDAY 08/04/2025