Not Today, Sweetheart

Chapter 7: Not Today, Sweetheart

The next day at school, Hope leaned against her locker, sipping her coffee while scrolling through her phone. She wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone, her sour mood lingering from the night before.

"Hey."

She looked up to see Stiles standing in front of her, hands shoved awkwardly into his jacket pockets. His usual sarcastic grin was replaced with a sheepish smile.

"What do you want, Stilinski?" she asked, arching a brow.

"First of all, good morning. Second of all..." He pulled a crinkled brown paper bag from behind his back. "A peace offering."

Hope gave him a skeptical look. "What's in it?"

"Chocolate."

"How much chocolate?"

Stiles smirked. "A lot."

Hope snatched the bag, peeking inside. Her eyes widened at the sight of an assortment of chocolate bars, truffles, and even a giant Reese's cup. "Did you rob a candy store?"

"Only metaphorically," he replied, leaning casually against the locker next to hers. "Figured I owed you, y'know, for Scott being...Scott yesterday."

Hope sighed, pulling out a bar of dark chocolate and unwrapping it. "You don't have to apologize for him, Stiles. He doesn't trust me, and honestly, I get it. I'm not exactly easy to read."

"Yeah, but you didn't deserve the third degree," Stiles said, his tone softening. "You've been nothing but helpful-even when we're being total idiots. You're...you're good. Like, annoyingly good at keeping us alive."

Hope paused mid-bite, a faint smile tugging at her lips. "You think I'm good?"

"Well, yeah," Stiles said, his ears turning red. "Not like, 'good good,' but, you know, competent. And smart. And...uh..."

"You're rambling."

"Right. Sorry." He cleared his throat. "What I'm trying to say is, Scott will come around. He just needs time to get his head out of his-"

"Stiles."

"Right. Time. That's what I meant."

Hope studied him for a moment before letting out a soft chuckle. "Thanks, Stilinski."

"Anytime." His signature grin returned, this time lopsided and genuine. "So, are we good? Or do I need to bring you another bag of candy tomorrow?"

"We're good," she said with a smile. "But for the record, bribes work shockingly well on me."

"Duly noted."

They started walking down the hall together, Stiles nudging her shoulder playfully. "So, what do you do for fun, Hope? Besides scaring the crap out of Derek and saving our butts?"

She smirked. "Read, eat, sleep, and repeat. The classics." She used to do that before all the supernatural chaos turned into her reality. She stills sometimes feels surreal, like she is locked up in a mental hospital imagining all this.

Stiles laughed. "Wow, you're a party animal."

"Obviously."

Then his tone turned more serious. "You know you can trust me, right? Like, really trust me."

Hope's steps slowed, her gaze softening at his sincerity as she looked at him. "I know, Stiles."

"Good," he said, his grin returning. "Because if you ever need someone to help you eat all that chocolate, I'm your guy."

Hope rolled her eyes but couldn't help smiling as they walked into class together. Maybe, just maybe, she was starting to find her place here.

---

In class, Hope sat behind Stiles, resolutely ignoring Scott, who looked guilty and uncomfortable. She waved at Lydia, seated at the back, and received a warm smile in return. Her good mood faltered when Jackson plopped into the seat next to her.

"Testicles left and right-what the hell is a kanima?" he muttered to Scott and Stiles.

'You,' Hope thought with a sigh, flipping idly through her notebook.

Scott and Stiles snapped their heads toward Jackson at the mention of the creature.

Coach Finstock's booming voice interrupted. "Alright, listen up! A quick warning before we start our review: some of you, like McCall, might want to form a study group, because tomorrow's midterm is so profoundly difficult... I'm not even too sure if I could pass it. Now, who wants to volunteer to answer the first question?"

Hope smirked slightly. Coach Finstock might actually be more entertaining than hypocritical Alaric.

Meanwhile, Jackson leaned closer to Scott and Stiles. "Derek kidnapped me and tested me to see if I was the kanima. He used some paralyzing goo on me!"

"Wait-why would they test you?" Scott asked.

"How should I know?" Jackson snapped.

"Do they think it's Lydia?" Stiles asked, his voice dropping.

Hope's ears perked up at the mention of Lydia.

"All I heard was Lydia and something about chemistry," Jackson replied.

"JACKSON!" Coach bellowed. "Got something you want to share with the rest of the class?"

Jackson hesitated before reluctantly replying, "Just an undying admiration for my coach."

Coach Finstock blinked, looking genuinely touched. "That's really kind of you." Then, a second later, he roared, "NOW SHUT UP! SHUT IT. Anybody else?"

As the class quieted, Scott leaned closer to Stiles. "How do we know it's not Lydia?"

Finally, Hope spoke up. "Because I know who the real kanima is, and it's not Lydia."

All eyes turned to her, including Jackson's, who finally seemed to notice her presence.

"Who is this?" Jackson asked, staring at her a little too long and Stiles felt annoyed at that.

"Who's the kanima?" Scott and Stiles asked in unison.

Hope smirked. "I'm not telling."

"Why not?" Scott asked, incredulous.

"Because you wouldn't believe me even if I did," she said with a shrug, rising from her seat. Before anyone could press her further, she left the classroom. Missing Lydia's breakdown in class.

---

Later that day, Hope leaned casually against her car, tossing out the words "Jackson is the kanima" to Derek as though it were common knowledge.

"He passed the test," Derek said, his expression skeptical.

"Yeah, well, I'd bet my book collection on it. And if I'm wrong, you can try taking them. Good luck with that," she replied with a smirk.

"You're a witch," Derek said bluntly.

"Glad we cleared that up," Hope said, not looking impressed.

"How do you know he's the kanima?" Derek pressed.

"I know the future," she said, inspecting her nails with faux indifference.

"Do you expect me to believe that?"

"Do you?" she countered, raising a brow.

"No."

"Then stop asking questions. For someone so broody, you sure talk a lot."

Derek stared at her, unsure whether to be offended or impressed.

"What do you want me to do?" he asked finally.

"Nothing," she said with a nonchalant shrug. "Just thought you should know."

And with that, she walked away, leaving him standing there with more questions than answers.

---

As Hope strolled through the school hallways later, the sound of a camera click caught her attention. She turned to see a boy with a camera aimed at her, looking apologetic but intrigued.

"You don't mind, do you?" he asked, lowering the camera slightly.

She shook her head. "Not at all."

"Great. Can I take one more?"

"Sure." She posed with a peace sign, earning a satisfied grin from him.

"You're new here, right? What's your name?"

"Hope. And you?"

"Matt," he said, offering a smile.

Hope blinked. The name rang a bell. Matt Donovan? "Nice to meet you, Matt."

"Likewise," he replied, walking off with his camera. 'I think I am forgetting something very important' She thought. She needs to eat more almonds to keep up with the old memories. She is slowly turning into Nemo, but wait- She is Nemo, She forgot about her home too. Ironic, No? I think it's sad.

___

Hope decided to call Lydia.

"Where are you?" Lydia's demanding voice came through the phone.

"Well, bossy much, Miss Martin. Hello to you too," Hope said, her tone cheerful.

"Before you say anything, listen to me carefully. Stiles, Allison, and Jackson are going to come to you. You'll go with them without asking any questions. Remember when I said something supernatural is going on? This is related to that. Am I clear?" Hope explained firmly.

"Yes, ma'am, but you need to cook today if I'm going to listen to you," Lydia replied.

"Just admit you love my spaghetti," Hope teased.

"Don't flatter yourself," Lydia said, smiling despite herself. For a moment, the recent breakdown she'd experienced felt distant. Someone cared for her. She wasn't alone.

"One more thing..." Hope hesitated, recalling the hateful things Jackson had said.

"Hmm?" Lydia encouraged.

"You are loved," Hope said abruptly before hanging up, feeling embarrassed for getting sentimental.

---

"Huh," Lydia murmured, staring at her phone in confusion. But despite her puzzlement, a warm feeling crept into her chest. She snapped out of her daze when Stiles, Allison, and Jackson arrived with their usual "study group" excuse to take her to Scott's house-just as Hope had said. But how had Hope known?

Questions swirled in Lydia's mind, but she kept them to herself as they headed toward Stiles' Jeep. Her unusual silence didn't go unnoticed.

"Do you know where Hope is?" Stiles asked Lydia suddenly.

Lydia turned her suspicious gaze on him, scanning him from head to toe. She could sense it-women's intuition, perhaps-but Stiles liked Hope. It was obvious. Just days ago, however, he'd been fawning over her.

Stiles squirmed under her scrutiny. A boy who switched affections as easily as clothes didn't seem reliable.

"None of your business," Lydia said, flipping her hair dismissively, leaving him speechless. Allison smiled sheepishly as she followed Lydia, while Jackson smirked, clearly amused by Stiles' discomfort.

When they finally reached Scott's house, Stiles hurriedly locked the door. Lydia watched him suspiciously.

Stiles glanced at Jackson for help, but Jackson suddenly found the ceiling more interesting.

Lydia stared at him more, silently asking the question. She was quiet because Hope told her not to ask questions but her eyes can speak for itself.

"Uh... it's been a few break-ins around the neighborhood," Stiles stammered.

Lydia raised a brow when Stiles stick a chair at the door handle.

"And a murder," Stiles added, Jackson sighed dramatically.

"It was bad," Stiles finished solemnly.

"Lydia, follow me. I need to talk to you for a minute," Jackson said suddenly.

"Seriously? What is going on with everyone?" Lydia said, exasperated but followed him anyway.

---

"I miss Hope," Stiles muttered as he peeked out the window at Derek's pack. "She would've blasted Derek's ass right now. You know what? Just shoot them-uh, Derek. Yeah, shoot him. Preferably in the head."

"Are you serious?" Allison asked, her expression incredulous. "If my boyfriend can catch an arrow, I'm sure Derek can too."

"Look, they think we're not going to fight, and if one of them gets hit, I guarantee they'll back off," Stiles reasoned.

"Which one?" Allison asked skeptically.

"Okay, just... uh... shoot one of the three," Stiles said.

"You mean two?" Allison corrected, glancing at Derek and Boyd.

"No, I mean three," he said, scanning the scene. "Where the hell is Isaac?"

Right then, Isaac charged at Allison, landing a blow on her jaw. He turned to Stiles, but before he could attack, a sudden kick sent him flying.

"Not today, sweetheart," a familiar voice said saving the boy in distress.

"Hope! Where were you?" Stiles asked in relief.

"Looking for a job, darling," she replied with a smirk that made his heart skip a beat.

Before they could say more, Isaac got back up, and Hope dove into the fight. She could've ended it with one swing, but where was the fun in that?

Pinning Isaac to the wall, Hope turned at the sound of a whimper and spotted Lydia. Lydia stared at Hope's glowing yellow eyes in shock-this was far beyond the supernatural talk they'd had before.

"Get back inside and lock the door," Hope commanded. Lydia didn't hesitate, bolting into the house and locking herself in a room, where she promptly called the cops.

Meanwhile, Stiles hid in the kitchen while upstairs Allison managed to knock Erica out with kanima venom.

When Scott arrived, he surveyed the scene: Erica unconscious, a triumphant Allison, a love-struck Stiles, and Hope dusting off her hands like she'd just finished a chore.

"What are you looking at? Throw out the trash," Hope said, snapping Scott out of his daze.

"Right away," Scott said, hauling Erica and Isaac outside.

Derek, standing nearby, looked like a deflated balloon of disappointment.

"I think I'm starting to understand why you keep refusing me, Scott," Derek said. "You're not an omega. You're already the alpha of your own pack."

"But you know you can't beat me," Derek added with a smirk.

Hope rolled her eyes at Derek's smug tone. This guy really thinks he's something special.

"I can hold you off until the cops get here," Scott replied. Right on cue, the sound of sirens filled the air, accompanied by a screech from the roof. They watched the Lizard on the rood and right on time Lydia emerged from the house, visibly shaken. "Would someone please tell me what the hell is going on?"

Derek turned to Hope in bewilderment.

"Hate to say I told you so," Hope said smugly. Lydia wasn't the kanima-Jackson was.

"You knew," Stiles exclaimed, staring at Hope in awe.

"Oh, I did," she replied with a dazzling smile, and Stiles felt his heart drop. He was utterly, hopelessly smitten.

****

A/N: The vetting process of my original work "Born Of Fiction, Bound By Fate" is finally completed, Please, Please, Please... check out the book and show some love. It is a Modern Dark Fantasy Romance, The main male character is inspired by Gojo. It is a story about Fictional character stepping into the real world. Thank you so much for reading so far, Do leave a review and vote. And if voting is not possible, at least leave a comment for motivation. Stay happy and healthy.