In Between || Teen Wolf

Chapter Three

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"Smell things?" Stiles asked skeptically, earning a glare from Scott, who nodded. "Like what?"

"Like the mint mojito in your pocket." Scott replied.

"You told me you didn't have any gum!" I argued, sticking my hand into Stiles' pocket.

"I don't have any mint mojit-" But his words cut off when I pulled a piece of gum from his pocket. It was old and broken in half, covered in lint. I wrinkled my nose and tossed it into the leaves around us.

"So... all this started when you got the bite?" Stiles asked, referring to the smelling and hearing and amazing lacrosse skills. Scott nodded, stuffing his hands into his pockets.

"What if it's like an infection and my body's flooding with adrenaline before it goes into shock?" Scott asked, his voice hitching up an octave in fear. I rolled my eyes, grabbing onto Stiles' arm and letting him help me up the steep hill.

"You know, I think I have heard of this. I read about it somewhere." I said, exchanging a look with Stiles, who was smirking.

"Are you serious?" Scott paled, stopping and looking between Stiles and I, then down at our hands. Stiles quickly dropped my hand, stuffing his own back into his pockets.

"Yeah. I think it's called lycanthropy." Stiles replied in a serious voice. Scott paled, looking terrified only because he had no idea what we were talking about.

"It's pretty bad. In fact, I first heard about it when I was reading Twilight. Pretty dramatic." I played along, and Scott looked even more worried.

"What is that? Is it bad?" Scott asked, looking between us in panic.

"Yeah, it's the worst. But it only happens once a month." Stiles nodded in agreement.

"Once a month?" Scott pleaded, looking completely lost and confused.

"Mhm, only on a full moon." Stiles nodded, and I leaned back, cupping my hands around my mouth and howling. Stiles joined in before we both burst out laughing, earning glares from Scott.

"This isn't funny! There could be something seriously wrong with me." Scott complained, and I rolled my eyes.

"I know, you're a werewolf! Okay, obviously we're kidding." Stiles said at Scott's impatient look. "But if you see me in shop class trying to melt all of the silver I can find, it's cos Friday's the full moon." Stiles replied seriously.

"And as far as I'm concerned, becoming suddenly good at something for once in your life, getting the attention of a hot piece of ass like Allison, being able to smell things, and hearing things from like ten miles away isn't a bad thing." I shrugged simply, and Stiles nodded along.

"I could have sworn this was it." Scott stopped, looking around at the ground as if we hadn't been talking at all. "I saw the body, the deer came running, and I dropped my inhaler."

"Maybe the killer moved the body?" Stiles suggested, looking around while I kicked up leaves in search of the little red object. I wish I hadn't let them drag me off into the woods again in a dress. Jesus, it was getting cold early this year.

"Well if he did I hope he left my inhaler." Scott muttered, crouching and moving some leaves aside. I opened my mouth to tell Scott how mad Mom will be if she has to buy a new one, but a voice cuts me off.

"What are you doing here? This is private property!" A man dressed in all black with bulging muscles and a shadow of facial hair shouted, crossing his arms across his protruding chest.

"Sorry man, we didn't know." Stiles holds up his hands, glancing at me and stepping in front of me protectively, Scott doing the same. Yes, boys, I'm not here.

"Yeah, we were just looking for something but nevermind. Just forget it." Scott said, stepping backwards and running into me. I pushed him away, crossing my arms over my chest and stepping towards Mister Dark and Handsome.

"We'll take it now, thanks." I said, sticking my hand out. Stiles laughed awkwardly and grabbed my hand, but not before the guy tossed something red, Scott catching it from in front of me and staring down at the inhaler in his palm. Stiles stared at me like I was insane, his eyes wide. The guy wouldn't have come over if he didn't know what we were looking for and have it. You don't just wander on your own property.

"I have to go to work." Scott mumbled, turning towards the direction we'd come, where Stiles' jeep was parked. I nodded, turning and following him while pulling my cardigan closer around myself.

"Dude, that was Derek Hale! You remember him, right? He's just a couple of years older than us." Stiles said, catching up with us and talking animatedly with his hands.

"Remember what?" I asked, matching Stiles' pace while Scott walked ahead of us, clearly keen on getting away faster.

"His entire family burned to death in a fire like ten years ago." Stiles explained, and I nodded, remembering the case.

"So what's he doing back?" I asked, looking at Stiles. He shook his head, stuffing his hands deep into the warmth of his pockets.

"No idea."

>>

"Jessa, thank God." Stiles panted, running straight in between Lydia, Allison, and I, decked out in his full lacrosse uniform. It was before lacrosse practice and we were all planning our outfits for Lydia's party- the one Allison was going to with Scott, thanks to that poor dog she ran over the other night.

"Uh, hi?" I asked, wrinkling my eyebrows at my friends and turning to Stiles, who was red in the face and breathing heavily. "Are you okay?"

"Uh- yeah." Stiles breathed, glancing at the two girls before grabbing my arm and dragging me off down the hall.

"Where are we going?" I asked, but Stiles stayed quiet, yanking me into the locker rooms and closing the door. He glanced down each of the rows of lockers, his hands still tightly wrapped around my upper arms. When Stiles had decided the coast was clear, he whipped back around and pushed me against some lockers, a very serious look on his face.

"If I didn't know better I'd think you were about to kiss me." I said before I could stop myself, my eyes going wide as soon as I realised what I'd said and who I'd said it to.

"Uh- no." Stiles stuttered, a splotched blush spreading across his face. "You aren't going to believe this, but I overheard my dad on the phone,"

"I believe it." I mumbled, earning a look telling me to shut up from Stiles.

"They got the fiber analysis back from the lab and they found animal hairs on the body from the woods. It was a wolf!" Stiles exclaimed, sucking in a much needed breath.

"What! Stiles, there aren't wolves in California!  That whole lycanthropy thing was just a joke." I sighed, turning away from him and adjusting my large grey cardigan, which paired with a black mini-dress and knit tights was keeping me quite warm.

"Well it's not a joke anymore, Jessa. Scott is a werewolf." Stiles said adamantly, grabbing my arm again. I pulled my arm out of his grip, shooting him a look before crossing my arms over my chest and starring him down, my shoulders squared.

"My brother isn't some little teen wolf sour puss from an angsty romance novel." I said in the voice I normally reserved for a) small children who were getting on my last nerve and b) Jackson. "Your little fantasies aren't real, Stiles."

"This isn't a joke!" Stiles threw his hands up, slapping then back down at his sides. "I'm serious, Jessa. You think I want Scott to be some sort of dangerous creature from a Twilight novel? I don't! But I don't want to see him- or you- get hurt. This stopped being a joke, Jess." Stiles sighed, leaning against the lockers opposite me with a dejected look on his soft features.

Adjusting my appearance one last time, I met Stiles' eyes and made sure my words were clear and precise. "It never stopped being a joke."

I do not own Teen Wolf