44: Time Away [1]

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Allison looked at herself in the mirror with a small smile, giving herself a once-over. As far as she could tell, she had done well.

She wore standard black jeans, a dull brown T-shirt, and a black jacket. Her hair was clipped and tied back, just like every other day.

"Nobody's gonna know." She mouthed to her reflection before turning back to get her backpack ready.

As she rearranged her notes and books, she heard a knock. She turned her head slowly and saw Kate leaning against the door with a sly grin on her face, her hands held behind her back.

Allison blinked as Kate walked into her room, the sly grin growing with each step.

"What is it?" Allison asked, skeptical.

"I…" Kate started before she gulped and began again. "Look, I know I was the one who invited Stiles to dinner, and my jackass of a brother went all creeper on him. So I'm sorry."

Allison immediately nodded and shook her head. "Oh no, no, don't be. It wasn't your fault, and Dad was… just being protective."

"A protective ass, you mean." Kate said, rolling her eyes.

She sighed and stepped closer, genuinely concerned. "So, everything's cool between you and Stiles?"

Allison nodded slowly. "Yeah, I think so. Trust me, we're just friends."

Kate smirked, raising her eyebrows tauntingly. "Sure, I'll trust you."

Allison sighed exasperatedly, unable to convince her aunt otherwise.

"Anyway." Kate continued as she brought her hands forward, revealing a box wrapped with a ribbon. "Did you seriously think I would forget your birthday?"

She smiled as Kate gestured for her to open the present. Allison's eyes widened as she looked inside.

It was a necklace with a golden chain and a pendant of a hound with a sword stabbed in its back.

"You like it?" Kate asked.

"I love it." Allison replied, not taking her eyes off the piece.

"It's a family heirloom." Kate explained, taking the chain out of the box and wrapping it around Allison's neck. "If you ever want a bit of family history, look it up."

Allison scoffed. "You're gonna make me work for it?"

"Well, some mysteries are worth the effort." Kate winked as she walked away. "See you in the evening."

Allison sighed as she gazed at the pendant hanging around her neck.

'Nobody else is gonna know.' She thought.

---

As soon as she opened her locker, a couple of party balloons flew out, surprising her. She immediately reacted by pulling them back into the locker, hiding them before anybody else noticed. Unfortunately, someone did.

"Lydia." Allison groaned, reading the note stuck on one of the balloons.

"Is today your birthday?" Stiles asked.

Allison shut her eyes tightly, cursing herself internally before answering.

"No, no, no. I mean, yes." She muttered, shutting the locker in annoyance.

"Please don't tell anybody." She pleaded with puppy eyes. "I don't even know how Lydia found out."

Stiles squinted in curiosity and asked, "Why wouldn't you tell me?"

"Because I don't want people to know." She mumbled. "Because—"

Allison gave him a judgy look before revealing, "I'm 17."

Stiles blinked, taken aback. "You're 17?"

"Shush!" She immediately hushed him with a dangerous glint in her eyes.

"That's the reaction I'm trying to avoid." She whispered, rolling her eyes dramatically.

"Why?" He asked. "I mean, I totally get it. You had to repeat a year because of all the moving around, right?"

Her head turned towards him, her eyes wide in mild surprise, and no words came out of her mouth.

Under her gaze, Stiles began to get awkward and broke the silence. "Do I have something on my face?" He asked, patting all over his head.

"No, no." She shook her head and raised her eyebrows. "You are literally the first person to ever make the correct assumption."

"Really?" He asked, doubtful.

"Trust me, everybody's always like, 'What? Did you get held back?', 'Did you ride the short bus?', 'Did you have a baby?'"

Stiles scoffed with a chuckle. "That's what you hear on your birthday?"

"Oh yeah." She shrugged sadly. "All day long."

He sighed with her and asked, "Wanna keep me company? I've got a lot on my mind, and I'm thinking about getting out of here."

"Skip class?" She asked skeptically.

"Yeah, the whole day." He smiled.

She mused with an interested smirk before her reasons kicked in.

"Well, you're asking someone who's never skipped one class to bail out the entire day, and I don't…" She shook her head and turned away from him.

"No, see, that's perfect." He said, tempting her like a little devil on her shoulder. "If you get caught, they'll go easy on you."

She grumbled, convincing herself before turning towards him.

"What if you get caught?"

Stiles grinned with a proud shrug. "Detention is literally my second home."

---

[Scott's POV]

"Just a friendly reminder, parent-teacher conferences are tonight." Harrison's voice rang through the room as he walked between the rows.

Most of the students groaned at his words. The day they all dreaded was finally here, and I feared it more than the others.

An angry Alpha werewolf doesn't hold a candle to my mom's disappointment.

"Students below a 'C' average are required to attend." He smiled in delight, showing his meticulous nature. "I won't name you, because the shame and self-disgust should be more than enough punishment."

His steps halted right in front of my seat, and I grumbled as I looked up at his disapproving eyes narrowed on me.

"Has anyone seen Stilinski?" He asked.

I stayed silent, looking around at everyone else. No one answered, and I hadn't seen him since this morning.

Harrison sighed, and just as he was about to speak again, the door opened and a pale-faced Jackson walked in.

He was sweating a lot, his body slightly tense and fidgety with every step he took. Last night's shock hadn't worn off yet.

He calmly took his seat without a word, and Harrison slowly approached him.

"Hey, Jackson." He said, giving him a gentle pat on the back. "If you need to leave early for any reason, let me know."

Jackson gulped before nodding. Harrison returned the nod and walked towards the board.

"Everyone, start reading chapter nine."

I watched everyone open their books, and my eyes slowly moved towards Tara, sitting in front of me.

I leaned forward and called her, "Hey, Tara. Can I ask you a question?"

"No." She immediately shut me down.

"Did you see Stiles leaving school?"

Tara took a moment before answering, "No."

"Do you know if he was—"

"One more word, and both your ear and tongue will be missing tomorrow."

I slumped back into my seat, grumbling internally with no idea where Stiles was. Just then, a curious thought passed through my mind. I turned towards Danny, sitting beside me, and leaned closer.

"Hey, Danny, did Lydia show up in your homeroom today?"

Danny sighed, taking his eyes off the book. "No. I don't think she came to school today."

"Can I ask you another question?"

"Sure."

"Did Jackson tell you what happened last night?" I looked at Jackson shifting uncomfortably and asked.

"He wouldn't tell me."

"But he's your best friend." I said, raising my eyebrows.

Danny let out a long breath and shrugged.

"One more question."

"What?" He asked, squinting his brows.

"Do you find Stiles attractive?"

His head darted towards me, and for some reason, Tara's did too. Danny gave me a doubtful look while Tara seemed earnestly waiting for his reply.

Taking a moment, Danny finally answered, "Well, he is—"