Lydia's Shy (completed)

10. Ugly

Stiles had thought about the meaning of her words almost all night until exhaustion took over and he finally slept. He dreamt so purely out of his heart that night, emeralds shining brightly in a strawberry blonde sunset and birds that carried Lydia's voice and so many of the things associated with the girl in the room next to his. Morning come and he hadn't remembered the dream, a smile on his face for a completely different reason. Because today was the day he would be going to Susan's with Malia.

"So this girl that you live with, what's that all about?" Malia asks, folding her legs up into her side of the booth. They'd been at the cafe for a little over twenty-five minutes and the conversation was rough but then again Stiles was almost always tripping over his tongue.
"I don't know much about her. She keeps to herself mostly. Likes to read." He shrugs, pushing the ice in his soda around with his straw.
Malia perks up. "What does she like to read?"
Stiles shrugs. "Anything really. My dad bought her seventeen books when she first moved in and she'd read them all in two weeks."

Malia wasn't really interested in the girl or what she liked to read but it was something to talk about. And Stiles could tell too. He could see she was getting bored with him. The two stay in silence for a few minutes as Stiles continues to internally freak out. She didn't like him, he thought, she's not talking, she didn't like him.
"We should go to my house." He says causing Malia to look up from her drink. "Watch a-a movie or something..." Or something. He knew she would say no. Or something? What was the 'or something'? It's not like they would do anything other than watch a movie. That was if she even said yes.
"Actually I think I have to go meet my dad somewhere." It was obviously an excuse.
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"I need you to be honest with me." Stiles storms through the front door, letting it slam closed. His sneakers squeak through the house to the kitchen where he knew she would be. Lydia was sitting criss-cross on the counter (apparently her favorite spot) with a bowl of Cheerios in her lap and she stopped mid-chew. She looked. Different. Her hair was messily thrown atop her head with long strands framing her face. A black shirt tucked into jean shorts and matching black converse, a red flannel loosely hanging off her shoulders. And was that makeup?

"Shoot." She speaks through a mouthful of food. He throws his keys on the bar too before placing his hands on his hips while taking a breath for himself.
"Am I ugly? Because I just repelled a girl without saying a single word." And maybe that was the problem, him not saying anything. Lydia raises her brows, bringing another spoonful of cereal to her mouth before setting the bowl aside.
"Honestly?" She asks.
He nods. "Honestly."
"You're ugly as shit." She gives a nod back.
"Thank you!" Stiles points to the girl before flopping down on the living room couch. He sighs, running his hand across his forehead.

But he looks back at her as she messes with the few remaining bits of cereal in her bowl. And why did she look so different.
"Why do you look good?" He asks.
"You're taking me to get a phone." She replies, hopping down from the countertop to place her bowl in the kitchen sink. She failed to mention how Allison had dropped by some of her old clothes earlier.
"Is that my flannel?"
"Possibly."
"Did Dad leave money?"
"Better." Lydia pulls a plastic card from her pocket with a smile.

The credit card was a symbol of more than just getting Lydia a phone. Stiles knew it was basically secret code for 'take her shopping'. He knew how his father was. Even better yet, Lydia was getting used to speaking to him. Her stomach knotted in twists and ropes and turns every which way every time she did speak but it was slowly becoming a normal occurrence. Although silence filled the jeep on the ride. He wanted to ask what had happened to the boxes of things people had donated to her, the ones his father had struggled to carry in claiming that piles of books weighed them down.

But he didn't.

Same as how he didn't push her when she had said "because it's not here" the statement almost permanently embedded in his mind. Stiles could practically hear her abnormal heartbeat upon pulling into the parking lot of the large department store. The girl sunk lower in her seat, shaking breathes leaving her mouth instead of her nose and Stiles put the jeep into park with his eyes still trained on her.
"You okay?" He asks in a voice so gentle and concerned. Lydia nods while swallowing, closing her eyes to take deep breathes. She wasn't okay. He knew that. Peering out the windshield he spotting a few girls passing by, some dragging boys behind them and others laughing with the girl next to them and he put the jeep into drive.

He never really cared for name brand clothing anyway.
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Authors note:
I'm having a deep feels conversation with DYLBERRY right now and I swear I'm on the verge of tears because stydia.
Comment, reading, crying. (Jk I'm not....but I'm close..)
-Chloe