CHAPTER 16

[Tristan Hayes POV]

"Tristan, hey!" Allison called out to me after class and skipped towards me which made me slow my pace for her to keep up. 

I was on my way to meet up with Malia as our class schedules were different which actually concerned me a little. Just like me, she was not a favorite of learning, or simply sucked at it, and was prone to become quite aggressively agitated when something kept frustrating her. 

"Are you heading somewhere?" She asked me as we walked together. Compared to how reserved she was a little bit yesterday, she seems to have a lot more skips in her steps today. 

I nodded. "Malia." My ears caught the grating sound of metal and given the direction it was coming from, it looks like I was right to be worried. 

"I see. Well not all our classes are the same so it's unavoidable." She said and put on a thinking expression. "Apart from the obvious love of lacrosse, what do you guys do for fun around here?"

We continued walking down the hallway until we came to the door of the female restroom which caused a confused look to mar her pale face. 

"I believe you can find whatever fun activity you are looking for in Beacon Hills. You'll only need people to enjoy it with you if you're the friend group type." I finally answered her question but the expression on her face only told me that she had more brewing up in her head. 

Looking between the female restroom and me for a few seconds before she slowly nodded. "Uhm…why are we in front of the female's restroom?"

She looked a bit awkward, wary even, as she asked that and I could tell what was probably going through her head, fortunately for me, none were correct. "We're waiting for Malia." It was funny how her entire face changed at the realization. 

"Oh."

"Mhm mhm."

"Oh God." She groaned as an embarrassed look settled on her face at the implication that I knew her train of thoughts. "I didn't… I mean, it's not…"

I totally understand. "Don't worry about it." 

She let out a breath of relief and composed herself after her previous blunder. "How do you even know she's in there?"

I only shrugged at her question without answering and thankfully didn't need to say anything as Malia finally came out of the restroom and saw the both of us. "I hate math." Those were the very first words that left her mouth. 

I nodded as I could reciprocate what she most likely felt. Everything apart from the basic function and application of numbers made no sense whatsoever. 

"So you both hate math? That's… actually not surprising. Well I'm quite good at it so I think I can help you guys out if you run into some problems." Allison offered and I just shook my head at the trap she just dug herself because there was no way would want to do her assignments if she had someone like Allison around. 

"Seriously?" Malia asked, which prompted an earnest nod from Allison. "You, Allison, just became my best friend."

She became flattered, unknowing of the troubles she just heaped upon herself, as she smiled in earnest appreciation. 

We found ourselves back in the lacrosse field because I was interested in watching McCall and also a bit apprehensive about what might happen if he played because tonight was a full moon, and since he was just recently turned, it will also be his first full moon experience. 

I saw McCall getting ready to get into the game only for someone, Stilinski, probably his friend, to run up to him and started telling him something which made me strain my senses. 

~Just hold on, okay? I overheard my dad on the phone~ He started despite seeing the impatient look on McCall's face. ~The fiber analysis came back from the lab in LA. They found animal hairs on the body from the woods!~ 

Now wasn't this interesting? This all but confirms everything, but unfortunately for me, McCall wasn't interested in the conversation and was in a hurry to play the game. ~Stiles, I gotta go.~

"Earth to Tristan."

"Uh?" I turned to the girls beside me as I heard my name being called. 

"You've been staring at the players quite intently. I don't think they'll be opposed to you trying out, you know?" Allison said but I just shook my head in denial. Playing the game would be easy for me due to my supernatural physique but I don't have the dedication the players had. 

"It's not that. I was just figuring something out."

"Well, Allison here was asking me about fun things to do and I don't think she's down for some bar brawling." Malia's words caused Allison to give her a look; one filled with skepticism and uncertainty. 

"What? It really gets your blood pumping." Malia defended her claim but Allison wasn't buying it. 

"Mhm mhm." She shook her head vigorously and looked at me. "At least tell me you know something that doesn't involve violence."

I knew some outdoor activities but I didn't know the ones girls would like… normal girls. "I think I overheard something like a party being held at her place. Supposed to be the whole 'vibe check' thing." I said pointing at Lydia. 

"Oh, the bitch from yesterday?" I nodded at her words. 

"Come on, guys. I don't think she's that bad. It was probably just a misunderstanding that blew out of proportions. You know, normal girls stuff?" Allison tried raising a defense only to be met with a look from Malia. 

"Wait. Apart from Tristan here, do you even know other people?" She asked. 

"Of course I do. What do you take me for? An animal?" Quite the apt analogy there Malia. 

"Girls?"

"Yes."

"Hmmn. And pray tell, how often do you hang out with just girls?"

"Well… I don't think we've ever hung out. They're more like an extended family actually, so it's just a matter of 'always call if you need me' type thing." Malia replied. 

That was basically what our pack was so it made sense to describe them as an extended family. 

"Wait, family?" Malia nodded which caused another groan to escape Allison's mouth. "So basically you don't have any other friends outside of your family, is that right?" She asked after some hesitation and even I was starting to see what she was gunning at. 

"Um… no?"

"And you've been living with Tristan since…" She was holding her head in both her arms at this point. 

"Since we were… kids." Malia didn't seem to understand what was wrong with Allison but she could tell something was wrong with the almost pale petite girl. 

At that last utterance, Allison looked at me with grievance in her eyes as if I made some kind of mistake. 

"I blame you." Was the next thing that came out of her mouth. 

"Okay, stop going through corners and tell me what's up with all the questions?" Malia asked Allison and it might probably just be me but I think there was an increase in level of compassion as she took Malia's hands into hers. 

"Family is the most important thing, no denying that, but you still need to make your own friends, Malia." Allison said and given the 'ah' face Malia made, she finally understood. 

But the thing was Allison was wrong but it wasn't her fault. We were from different parts of the same world and even if we made friends, it would never be something genuine if the person was ignorant of what we truly are and it'll never mean that much to us. Even our current relationship with Allison was bound to fade away sooner, probably before the year ends, and it wouldn't mean that much to us. 

"It also doesn't help that the person you are closest to is your best friend/brother. We need to… you know what? We are hanging out tonight." Allison got into some kind of zone and Malia being the poor victim just got pulled along. And she also somehow confused my relationship with Malia. 

Malia shrugged, not bothered by Allison's words. "Well, I'm cool with hanging out, but the problem is the difference in tastes." She pointed out. 

"We can work on that later, but we're going to the party tonight." Allison said. 

"Are you sure that tra- Lydia, won't be a prissy bitch about it if we turned up to her party uninvited?"

"She might, but it's also a way to smooth out whatever grievances she might have." Allison offered a peaceful resolution only for Malia to snort. 

"Yeah, that's all you. She tries any of that stupid queen bee shit on me then I'm zipping her up." It wasn't the first time Malia's hated someone at first sight so I wasn't that surprised. 

"Queen bee?" Allison asked but none of us gave her any answer. 

I was listening to their conversation while watching the game until something caught my attention. I wasn't the one with the best smell but I could identify a werewolf if they were near me. I focused on my senses but it was not here in the stands, nor any of the players. 

I turned to look at the surrounding forest around the field and I was sure someone had been there, watching, but he left. 

'Maybe McCall's Alpha, or another beta keeping an eye out for him probably.'

"Tristan you're coming to the party, right?" Allison asked but I shook my head. 

"Parties are not my thing." They really weren't so this wasn't a lie. 

There was no reason for me to be there when it was clear that I'll only be getting in the middle of them having fun and I also didn't have any worries about Malia since she wasn't affected by the full moon. Yesterday's wolf moon had been different because she'd woken up in the middle of the night due to a nightmare with there being a wolf moon and all kinda threw her emotions all over the place. 

A wolf moon was the first moon after yule, or the first moon of the year and it symbolized a spiritual connection between an Alpha and their pack. The wolves would usually howl at the moon to signify a hunt, mark their territories or call out to other pack members. The wolf moon however is a time of personal reflection and seeing your true self… and Malia decided to sleep through it, not that I was surprised. I had been in meditation when she started acting out and had to put her under control. 

"Seriously, you guys need to go out and make at least a few friends. So you're going to spend the night on your own while your classmates are probably out having fun?" Allison asked, and now I was getting mixed vibes from her. "What?" 

"Nothing. It's just that my image of you is constantly changing." I answered. 

Sometimes she gave you this shy feeling and other times she was almost as blunt as Malia but with a polite undertone. She sometimes makes me think she's a sheltered girl who tries not to mix much with wrong people and at other times, she's just… this. 

'Something about her makes me want to sink my fangs into her neck.' Thoughts like these sometimes flash through my head at random whenever she's talking or expressing herself. 

Maybe she's not the weird one, maybe we are and she's just a normal teenager unlike us. 

"So who's going to take us to the party?" She asked which prompted a deadpan from me. 

"You have a car." I said. 

"We might get a little tipsy and I don't drive with a light head, and no, I'm not letting Malia drive either." She retorted. 

"Then have someone, your dad or an Uber, come pick you up." I told her. 

"I'm not calling my dad to come pick us up at a high school party and really? Two drunken high school girls in an Uber?" She asked as if what I said didn't make sense. This is not San Francisco or wherever she's from, so I don't know what's up with her Uber experience but this is Beacon Hills. Nothing ever happens in Beacon Hills… rarely ever happens. 

"What do you want from me, Allison?" I asked as I got up from the bench and strapped my bag. 

"Drive us. And besides, my dad would be less snoopy if he knew someone was taking me to a party and bringing me back rather than me going on my own. It's the second day of school after all." She pleaded. 

"Well it's not like you're doing anything at home anyway." Malia quipped at the side. 

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