𝚍𝚛𝚞𝚐𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚖𝚘𝚗𝚎𝚢 | 𝚝𝚎𝚎𝚗 𝚠𝚘𝚕𝚏 [1]

what she couldn't

—

"Scales? Like a fish?"

Stiles shook his head, looking to Austin for reassurance, "No, more like a reptile? Um, and, uh, your claws have this liquid that paralyzes people, and you have a tail."

"I have a tail?"

"Yeah, you have a tail." Stiles repeats, scooting over a bit as Ryder had finally joined them.

"Mm. Does it do anything?"

"Other than swing awkwardly behind you when your stare at us with those ugly eyes—"

"No, not that I know of."

Jackson hums, "Can I use it to strangle you?"

Ryder jerks her heads back, realizing Jackson was speaking to her, "You can try."

Stiles sighs in defeat, "Yeah, you still don't believe me. All right. The night of the semi - final game, what did you do right after?"

"I went home." Jackson stated, seemingly confident in his response.

Stiles: Are you sure about that?

Jackson: Yes, you idiot. What the hell else would I do?

"You attacked us and Derek at the school, and you trapped us in the pool." Austin muttered, feeling awkward as he expected someone to him him off.

"You also killed a mechanic - right in front of me and Ryder, by the way." He placed a hand on the girls shoulder, only to get shoved off seconds later, "That was lovely. And one of Argent's hunters. Oh, and last night, you tried to kill Danny."

"Why would I want to kill my best friend?"

"Are you homophobic, Jackson?"

"Now is not the time for jokes, Ryder."

She scoffed at Stiles' tone, making a face at him before deciding to leave the van and possibly find something entertaining to do.

She frowned at the buzzing of her phone, looking down at the text she received from Josie with an odd look.

mom's upset. says she wants to talk to you.

•••

While it might have been inconvenient for them to have Ryder leave, she honestly didn't truly care.

The girl had called her dad, asking him if he could pick her up from in the middle of the woods. The car ride was awkward, the two not having had a real conversation since a couple nights ago.

"I'm sorry, Ry."

The girl chuckles, leaning back against the seat, "My dad is full of apologies today, isn't it?"

"You deserve them." Aaron admitted, "We've all treated you so badly, lately. You don't deserve that."

"I know I don't deserve it."

Aaron nodded, sighing as she wouldn't even look in his direction, "You're mother wants to apologize to you too."

This is what confused her.

Romona Anders was a lot of things, and set in her mind was one of them. It made her wonder what the woman could have possibly went through the last couple of days of them not talking.

While Ryder pretended she was fine, she truly did miss speaking with the woman. After not hearing her voice for nearly ten years, she had gotten used to the sound over the past few weeks, so not hearing it for a couple days sent her back into her sad ways.

"She hasn't spoken to Josie and I since your falling out." The man continued, turning the car down their street, "We don't want her to go back to her old ways."

Ryder suddenly felt guilty. She felt like she would be feeling that for a while.

•••

"Mom?"

The door creaked as she pushed it open, almost scared to walk in. Ryder didn't know why, but it had been a while since she had seen her mom get genuinely upset, and that didn't turn out good for her seventh grade school project.

Romona's eyes snapped to the door, wide, full of wonder.

"Ryder."

The girl stepped forward, "Are you okay?"

"I am alright." She smiled falsely. It didn't take long for Ryder to pick up on the redness under her eyes and notice that she was crying, "I have missed you."

"I missed you too, mom." Ryder closed the door, shocked at the sob that came from her mom as soon as the door shut. "Mom?"

"Everything is okay, Ryder, I promise. I just— I am so sorry."

Ryder now knew where she got her guilt holding from.

"Josie spoke to me. She told me how upset I made you, and that was never my intention. I should have noticed it the minute you told you were not comfortable with partnering with Scott and his friends. I only wanted you do what I could not." Romona rambled.

It took Ryder a minute to understand what her mother was referring to, but her heart sunk at the realization. She wanted Ryder to do what she couldn't. She wanted her to save the people she couldn't.

"I should have never projected my life onto yours. I should have never forced you to do what I could not."

"Mom—"

Ryder was now sat next to the woman, holding her hand as she watched her mom cry. She felt bad that it took her this long to realize why her mom was so persistent with Ryder helping Scott and his friends. But then again, she wasn't a mind reader.

"It is not an excuse, and I now know that I should not have done this. I only thought I was doing right by myself and my Talia." The Miller teen nodded along, not wanting to interrupt the woman.

"Once I found out that Peter bit you, and he used that as a 'gift' to me, I could not help but take this as an opportunity to redeem myself. Ryder, I am so sorry."

"Mom, relax, please." Ryder cut her off, wiping the woman's tears from her face, allowing her to lean into the action. "I get it. I mean, I probably wouldn't have done it, and you definitely shouldn't have done it, but I get it. Just please don't do it again."

"I won't. I promise I won't." Romona nodded, pulling her daughter into a hug, "I am so sorry, Ryder."

Ryder sighed,

Four apologies down, three of them being horrible, and fifteen million to go.