46: Time Away [3]

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"Uh, maybe this isn't a good idea." Allison said, her eyes darting around the campus anxiously. "My dad would kill me if he found out."

We were both sitting in her car, strapped into our seats, and she was getting last-minute jitters about skipping school for the first time.

"Do you always follow your dad's rules?" I asked, raising my eyebrows in challenge.

"Not lately." She replied with a small smile.

"Good." I nodded. "Start the car."

"Where are we going?" She asked.

I smirked, about to answer, when I caught a glint of red and blue lights out of the corner of my eye. Narrowing my gaze at the side mirror, I noticed a police car pulling into the parking lot.

"Uh, I know a place." I muttered, my eyes never leaving the cop car.

That's strange-there's never a patrol this close to the school. Could it be because of Jessica? Maybe.

"Nowhere I can be seen, right?" She asked, her voice tinged with worry. "I could get detention."

"Just start the car. Now." I urged her as I saw the police car slowly rolling toward us. Allison sighed before finally reversing the vehicle out of the parking space.

------

The hot showers weren't doing much to help.

Jackson reached back to touch the claw mark on his neck-it still hurt like hell, but that was pain he could handle.

"Huh." He muttered, taking a step back as Isaac walked past him, giving him a weird look at the flinch.

The paranoia of seeing that monster everywhere, that's what he couldn't handle.

The constant pity and mocking looks from the losers around him only made it worse.

"Jackson." His eyes widened in panic as he turned around with a gasp.

His breath caught in his throat, and he stumbled back in fear, pressing his back against the locker as he stammered out in a shaky voice, "I don't know where Scott is."

He looked around desperately for help, but the room was empty except for them. Derek moved forward, his face expressionless but with curious eyes.

"I'm not here for Scott." Derek said, shaking his head slightly. "I'm here for you."

"Why me?" Jackson blinked in confusion. "I didn't do anything."

Derek nodded in agreement.

"No, but you saw something, didn't you?" He asked, almost amused.

"No, I didn't-I didn't see anything." Jackson insisted, shaking his head.

"What was it, hmm? An animal? A mountain lion?" Derek kept walking closer, closing the distance between them.

"I didn't see anything, I swear, I'm not lying."

Derek listened to Jackson's heartbeat, which seemed steady, indicating he wasn't lying-or at least, he believed he hadn't seen anything.

"Fine." Derek finally said, reaching out to touch the back of Jackson's neck.

Jackson shut his eyes tightly, holding his breath as Derek examined the claw marks etched there. The Alpha had definitely left a mark, but it wasn't deep enough to change him.

"One more thing." Derek whispered. "You should really get that checked out."

Jackson opened his eyes and exhaled as he watched Derek walk out of the room.

"Fuck."

------

The car was quiet as we drove, thick trees passing by.

My phone rang, displaying Scott's name on the screen. I groaned, noticing the 32 unread messages from him popping up.

"What?" I answered the call.

"Finally." He shouted from the other end. "Have you been getting any of my texts?"

"Yeah, all nine million of them." I said, raising my voice slightly, which earned a look from Allison.

"Do you have any idea what's going on?" He asked.

That's something I've been asking myself since last night, in a completely different context.

"Lydia is completely M.I.A., Jackson looks like he has a time bomb strapped to his face, another random guy's dead, and we need to do something about it, but you're just nowhere to be found." He complained, his exasperation clear in his tone.

I took the phone away from my ear and let out a long sigh.

I'm exhausted-mentally. I've been trying to keep everything together for so long that I'm drained.

'Is a peaceful day too much to ask for?' I shook my head as the thought crossed my mind.

No, Scott's not wrong. We really do need to do something. The longer the Alpha's out there unchecked, the more people will die.

"Fine. You check on Lydia, and I'll see you tonight after the PTA-" I started to say, but then noticed Allison driving close to the turn we needed to take. "Left, left, left!"

I instructed her too suddenly, causing her to jolt the wheel and make a sharp turn. She placed her hand on my chest to stop me from being thrown over.

"Sorry, sorry." She muttered, quickly pulling her hand away. "I just totally soccer-mom'd you. I'm sorry."

"It's alright." I shook my head with a smile. "I'll pick up my masculinity on the way back."

She laughed as the car ventured deeper into the forest with every passing second.

"And we're here." I said as the trees opened up to reveal a quaintly furnished cottage nestled in the lush green forest.

"Wow." She muttered as the car came to a stop.

"Yeah, she's a beauty." I chuckled, getting out of the car.

"I agree." She said, following me.

"Come on." I said, pointing to a path. "I know a spot."

"Better than this?" She asked.

"Better than this." I replied confidently.

We began walking slowly, side by side in silence, and I noticed that not even a minute had passed before Allison was constantly checking her phone-something that started to bug me after a while.

"You're still not okay with this, are you?"

"I just feel like I need an alibi." She replied with a smile.

"Well, if we get caught, I'll just say it was my fault."

"You don't need to take the blame for me." She said, shaking her head. "It was my choice too."

"Oh good!" I laughed. "Because if we get caught, I'm totally gonna blame you."

"Oh really?" She asked, raising her eyebrows.

"Hell yeah." I nodded. "And they'd believe me-like, who could say no when a totally hot girl asks you to skip school with her?"

"So you'd throw me under the bus, just like that?" She asked.

"For a view like that?" I said, pointing to an area where the trees cleared, revealing the sound of crashing waves, the bright sunlight filtered through passing clouds, and a long stretch of shimmering blue water. "I'd consider it payment."

Allison walked ahead, not commenting, completely mesmerized by the view.

"So, what do you think?" I asked, following behind her.

"This is just-" She stepped a bit closer to the cliff as she replied. "Stunning-oh!"

Her boots slipped against the sandy ground, causing her to lose her balance. She yelped in surprise as she started to fall.

"Hey!" I shouted, reaching out to grab her arm. I pulled her close, holding her steady as she caught her breath and regained her balance.

"I think you just earned your masculinity back." She commented with a nervous smile.

"I aim to please." I chuckled, but my laughter died down quickly as I realized how close our faces were. Allison seemed to notice it too. Our breaths became shallow as we stood there, still.

Allison's hands slowly moved up, wrapping around my neck, just like my hands were around her waist.

My mind went blank as she leaned in and kissed me.

I felt myself go weak as she pulled me into another kiss, and before I knew it, I was kissing her back.

I pressed her body closer against mine as we continued making out.

Then, as a single thought entered my head, my eyes widened-Scott.

I abruptly pulled away from her, surprising her in the process.

I looked down at the ground, unable to meet her eyes, but I could feel her gaze on me-surprised, worried, and nervous all at once.

We stood there in silence for a moment, and I could hear her swallow, preparing to speak, but I cut her off, not wanting to put that pressure on her.

"I'm sorry, Allison. I can't do this." I muttered. "I can't do this to Scott."

She bit her lip, clenching her hands as she spoke. "Stiles, Scott and I-"

"Are not a thing." I finished for her. "I know."

A second passed.

"I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking-"

"No, it's alright. It's fine. I-I understand." I slowly lifted my head, and she averted her eyes, trying not to make it awkward.

I sighed as I walked closer to her. She turned back to look at me as I moved closer.

"Look, Allison, um, I'll be honest. I like you." I admitted, and she seemed surprised by my words. "But we're kinda in a gray zone here, and I'm in the middle of something complicated. I need to figure some things out."

Images of me, Tara, and Amber on the yacht flashed through my mind.

"Give me some time. Once I get things settled, maybe we can figure this out." I said, extending my hand to her.

She stood silently for a moment, giving it some thought before slowly taking my hand with a smile.

"Sure." She replied.

I smiled back at her and motioned for her to walk with me along the cliff. Today was turning out differently than I expected.

---

[Lydia's POV]

The medication wasn't doing much to help. The migraine persisted, and she had no idea how to get rid of it. The pills made her feel tipsy and drowsy but not enough to fall asleep.

No one seemed to care. She had barely escaped death, and the memory of those glowing red eyes still sent chills down her spine. Her mother didn't care-she was off at the spa, getting ready for the PTA meeting tonight. Her father didn't even notice her, too busy with his own life, leaving her alone in the house.

She just needed someone, but no one seemed to be there for her. Even Jackson hadn't checked on her since last night. He was probably too wrapped up in his own shit to realize she hadn't been at school today.

Her ears perked up when she heard a knock on the door.

Slowly, she got up from the couch and walked over to answer it.

When she opened the door, she found Scott standing there, his jaw dropping as his eyes scanned her lingerie. He couldn't blame her-she was in her own house, after all.

"I-uh, well-you…"

She sighed and gave him a once-over.

'He'll do.' she thought, grabbing him by the collar and pulling him into the house.

"What-?" Before he could finish, she shut the door and pressed herself against him, kissing him hard. He hesitated for a moment, but after the second kiss, he pulled her onto his lap.

Lydia wrapped her legs around his waist as Scott gave in, pushing his hands under her top while she tugged at his shirt.

Right now, she just needed this warmth.