War isn't over • LM / SS

Chapter 9 - i dont do reading

"Brown guilty eyes and little white lies,
yeah, I played dumb,
but I always knew."

word count: 5.6k

Jade strutted through the school hallway, electricity still buzzing through her from her early morning workout with Lydia. The pair had already started to learn hand-to-hand combat, the blonde keeping her promise about teaching Lydia how to fight.

It turned out that going to school afterwards still on a high had been a smart idea. It gave her the energy to get things done, almost as if she was walking on air. It didn't compare to the adrenaline rush she got when using her magic, but it kept her going for now. So far, she had scared a freshman into giving her a dollar for a chocolate bar and sent a gust of wind at two fighting lacrosse players, knocking both of them down on their asses. It was only ten o'clock in the morning yet.

Her eyes drifted to two familiar kids, slamming her locker door closed as she bounced over to them, joining their hushed conversation. "What we talking about?"

Liam hesitated, chancing a wary glance to Mason, who shrugged, still relatively new to a supernatural world that he hadn't been aware had existed until recently. Liam chose to ignore her piercing eyes that were waiting for a reply, running a hand through his hair instead. He trusted Jade but she could be reckless at times. Really reckless. He didn't want her to do something stupid, not when he had no proof to back up his accusation.

Coming up with a lie on the spot proved to be more difficult than he had thought, quickly rambling on about a video game he had just bought, getting away with it by the skin of his teeth. He watched as a seemingly bored Jade skipped away, tripping up a couple that was making out on her way past them. He let out a sigh of relief, gingerly returning to what he had actually been talking about.

He loved Jade; she was like the older sister that he never had. Even if she was a bitch at times, she had always looked out for the younger teen, starting from the moment she had realised Scott had been forced to give him the bite. She had been surprisingly good at giving advice when he wondered what he needed to do to survive in this world.

She had explained every minuscule thing in detail, ranging from what had occurred before he joined the pack to the variety of supernaturals he could bump into. She let him sit in the front seat and allowed him to blast whatever music he wanted while they drove, although she swore that she would kill him if he told anyone that every Olivia Rodrigo song was on her playlist. She face-timed him to help with homework when he asked, sending him the online quizzes and videos that she used to revise.

Scott was his alpha and Stiles was the annoying friend that he had learnt to tolerate, but they still saw him as someone who couldn't be of any real help. To them, he was still the irritating, younger teenager that tagged along, being left to sit in the back seat because he couldn't be trusted to go on trips. They never said it, but they didn't need to.

Lilith and Jade weren't like that. He had a suspicion that Max wasn't either, but he hadn't had the chance to get to know him before he disappeared.

He knew that Lily was only allowed to be called that by a select few people. He knew that he could go to them if he wanted advice on the girls he liked, or if he needed help with choosing what to wear. They were unbiased and blunt, which was what he needed at times. He knew to go to her for French homework, given that it was her mother tongue. He knew that Lily would stick up for him against other people, because, frankly, she couldn't give a fuck what other people thought of them. If he wanted to watch action movies, or if he needed to talk to someone, Lilith was who he went to.