♞

05
-The Tell-
(season one; episode five)
♞

It was late. Joey knew that. But the constant headaches were keeping her awake. Her room felt like it was shrinking, and her brain felt like it might explode. No amount of Tylenol was helping her tonight. So... That left her and her thoughts only.

•.•

Joey quickly threw her bag on the ground and sat in her seat. Glancing at Stiles every now and then until Mr. Harris spoke.

"Just a friendly reminder, parent/teacher conferences are tonight. Students below a 'C' average a required to attend. I won't name you, because the shame and self-disgust should be more than enough punishment."

Slowly he walked over to the blonde and stood quietly. "Has anyone seen Scott McCall?"

The classroom door clicked open and Jackson walked inside. Mr. Harris immediately reassured him, hinting at the accident he had the night prior. "Everyone, start reading chapter nine."

"Mr. Stilinski, try putting the highlighter down between paragraphs. It's chemistry, not a coloring book." He said calmly.

Joey wanted to know more about the accident; why Lydia didn't show up. She hated the idea of caring for the girl again, but, she would be lying if she said she wasn't the tiniest bit worried.

"Hey, Danny, can I ask you a question?" She asked leaning forward slightly.

"Yeah, what's up?" Danny replied.

"Um, did Lydia show up in your home room today?"

"No..."

"Can I ask you another question?"

"Sure?"

The blonde grasped her stool slightly. "Does anyone know what happened to her and Jackson last night?"

Danny sighed. "He wouldn't... Tell me."

"Isn't he your best friend?"

"I would tell you if I knew, Russo."

"Alright, thanks Danny, sorry to bother you." She gave him a slight smile before returning to her work, not wanting to bother him anymore.

•.•

After the bell rang Joey ran down the hall, against Stiles' many protests to stay with him. She wanted to get to her locker to drop off most of her things. She would be late if she didn't go quickly. She started to put in her combination when a hand shoved her locker shut.

"Joey... Come with me."

She turned to see Derek standing there with a straight face.

"What are you doing here? C'mon."

The girl shoved him into an empty classroom and stared at him. Waiting for him to talk.

"How's your head?" He asked.

She scoffed, shaking her head. "It's fine?"

"Really? I can tell you're in pain." He smirked.

"What do you want?"

"I want you to tell me if you're okay. No bullshit."

Joey rubbed her hands through her hair and sat down on one of the stools. "It's just a headache."

The werewolf slowly sat down next to her and grabbed her hand softly. "I know you don't trust me, none of you do. And I don't really care to be honest. But... I feel a sort of, pull, towards you. Like I need to keep you safe."

The grip he had on her hands were gentle, like a brother, or father, holding their child. She felt at home. She knew that the moment he got in Stiles Jeep the other day. And she couldn't tell why either. It was just an instinct.

"I don't know what to tell you."

"Tell me you're truly okay."

She thought for a moment before responding, letting her words flow effortlessly. "I'm not sure. I just smell things differently. Like, I can smell the tiniest bit of blood on your shoe. It happens when I'm having these headaches. They just won't go away. That's it."

Derek nodded and stepped away from her.

"Get to class, alright? We can talk more after school." He said.

•.•

Sylvia and Robert Russo sat down across from Joey's teacher. Ready to endure whatever was going to be thrown at them about their daughter.

"Joey is a great kid. She's smart and driven. Everything you could want for your child academically."

Sylvia scoffed. "Academically? What else is there?"

A brief pause was shared before they continued.

"Her mind, is somewhere else... It seems to be focused more on the things around her than her schoolwork."

Joey's parents shared a look. "What do you mean?"

"She's constantly looking around the room, out the windows. She's fidgeting all the time. I'm more concerned with her mindset. Does she have past history with anxiety or adhd?"

Robert leaned forward, almost threateningly. "Are you saying she has that?"

"I'm just trying to understand her better."

"She has adhd, yes. Anxiety, no. " He looked towards his wife. "Maybe we should look into that, honey."

"She's fine, dear. It's just her nervous tendencies. She always says she thinks someone could be watching her. Especially lately. I think she's just paranoid because she's got nothing to do."

The teacher stared at the pair curiously.

"Is she seeing things?"

Sylvia laughed humorously, "Dear god, no!"

"Alright, well, other than her not being focused, she's a straight 'A' student."

"Great. Are we done here?"

They nodded. "Sure we are. Let me walk you out."

•.•

Joey grabbed her mirror off her desk and looked in it intently. Studying her face. She looked tired and anxious. The mirror warping her slightly. Her leg bounced up and down, her nails pushing into her palms. After studying almost every mark left on her face, she stood up and dropped herself on her bed roughly. Causing the bed to shake.

Her mind felt foggier than it did this morning. Random thoughts clouding her mind every second. It was scaring her. But then, her phone rang. She picked up immediately.

"Hello?"

"Joey! I haven't seen you all day. Are you alright?"

Stiles.

"Yeah, I'm all good. How's it going?"

"It's alright. I was just headin' to bed. I wanted to say goodnight."

Joey yawned at the thought of sleep. "Well, goodnight. I'll see you tomorrow?"

Stiles smile could be heard when he talked.

"Yep! Goodnight Jo."

Then the phone clicked and hung up.

Another restless night to get through with no sleep.

Very short chapter but i had no idea what to write for that episode cuz the trio being together barely happened. Mostly some Scallison moments and random parent/teacher conferences? i dunno. give me a ship name for joey and stiles!! also, a trio name! And the jeep is literally the bat mobile. Whatever. 💪😭

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