hold me closer

20

"Oh, hey, Lucy!" I heard Stiles's voice. I turned around and he walked up to me, Malia following him.

"Yes?"

"Theo," he stated.

"What about him?" I asked, glancing at Malia and she shook her head.

"Did you get, like, a feeling from him?" Stiles asked. "Like a bad aura or bad intentions? Anything?"

"Nope... " I replied. "Kind of seems like a normal teenager. As normal as we are at least."

"Really?" Stiles questioned, doubtful. "Nothing? You didn't detect any lies?"

"What's this about?" I asked.

"He ran a background check and found a speeding ticket," Malia told me.

"A speeding ticket signed by Theo's dad eight years ago," Stiles added on. "Who speeds? People trying to get away from something. We went through this, Malia."

"Well, how many tickets do you have?" I asked Stiles.

Stiles scoffed. "None."

"How many would you have if your dad didn't get you out of them?" I questioned.

"Seventeen," he answered quietly.

"I don't know, Stiles," Malia said. "I mean, I see why you're worried. He's really hot. He's got great hair, perfect body. You should definitely feel threatened."

"Thank you," he said, staring at her. "Because I do... Now more than ever."

"Stiles, a lot of people get speeding tickets," I told him. "Alex got many of them. Doesn't mean that they're bad."

"You can't tell me that there wasn't even the smallest feeling," Stiles said.

I shrugged. "Look, there were a lot of things going on. I wasn't exactly concerned by your old friend. Why are you so suspicious of this guy?"

"Because I remember Theo from fourth grade, okay?" he said. "That's not Theo."

:::

If I was going to study forensics science in the future, I needed high marks in my science classes in high school. In the past, my overall grades were a low ninety percent. I was surprised I even passed.

It's ironic, isn't it? Me, who wants nothing to do with science, maybe wants to become a forensic scientist.

I grabbed my things and walked with Lydia and Kira to our first class, AP Biology. My freshmen year at my old high school, I took the mandatory biology class and passed with flying colors. It was the area of science that I understood the most. This year, I was also taking physiology as one of my electives.

Just before class would start, Scott came inside and took a seat beside Kira. She gave us a look and we looked back at her, telling her she should be the one to bring it up.

"Scott? Are you in the right class?" Kira asked.

"AP Biology?"

"Do you know what AP stands for?" she questioned.

"Advanced Placement?" he said.

"Welcome to AP Biology," said our teacher, Mrs. Finch. "Let's see who's awake. Can somebody tell me what plasmids are?"

"Circular, self-replicating DNA molecules often used in cloning proteins," Lydia answered.

"Nicely stated, Lydia," she said. "Now, can you tell me what vitamin is absorbed in the stomach via parietal cell production of a glycoprotein?"