Sagesse ☾ Derek Hale {2}

eleven; catching friends?

I cross my arms over my chest as I watch Allison and Scott, the current rock wall victims, climbing above. I try to ignore my ability to hear the murmurs of their conversation and instead turn to Stiles. "You're gonna climb the wall?"

He scoffs lightly and rolls his eyes, "Yeah, Abby, I'm gonna climb the wall," His eyes suddenly look up above where Scott and Allison currently are and his confidence quickly dissipates.

I put his arm supportingly, "You'll be fine, Stilinski. You fall, I'll catch you."

He laughs lightly at my words of encouragement before we turn back forward. I can't hold in a loud laugh as Scott suddenly goes flying down to the ground, but his safety cord catches him inches from the mat. As his back hits the mat lightly, laughter comes from the group of teens around us.

I place my hand over my mouth and grimace as Coach sits next to him laughing, "McCall, I don't know why, but your pain gives me a special kind of joy," He stands and looks through the crowd, his eyes settling on two people.

"All right, next two. Stilinski, Erica, let's go. The wall."

Stiles nods to himself encouragingly before he moves forward, but I notice the blonde next to him, Erica, looking extremely pale. Without thinking I rest my hand on her shoulder, "Hey, it's not as bad as it looks. I know it sucks, but you do it."

Her fearful eyes reach mine and she gives me a soft smile before walking towards the rock wall. I step back and look down at the hand I just rested on her shoulder confusedly.

I've always been one to try and help, but she was a complete stranger to me. I didn't even think about my actions before doing them, but thankfully she didn't think I was some creepy weirdo.

I shake the feeling away and watch as Stiles moves somewhat quickly up the wall. I notice Erica moving hesitantly, as if at any second she would fall straight to the ground.

In seconds Stiles is back in the ground and raises his arms in the air proudly. Any other time I would be cheering him on, but my eyes were glued to girl still trying her hardest to climb.

Erica starts to cling to the wall harshly and I push through the crowd to move to the front. I ignore the startlingly tingling sensation in my finger tips as she starts to cry to herself, "Oh, please."

Her voice is light, but fearful as she stops moving completely.

Coach looks up as worriedly as he can, "Erica. Dizzy? Is it vertigo?"

I look to my side and stare at him dumbfounded, but thankfully Lydia comments before I can, "Vertigo's a dysfunction of the vestibular system of the inner ear. She's just freaking out."

I sigh and bump her arm at her bluntness and she just shrugs nonchalantly.

Coach ignores the both of us and continues to watch her, "Erica-"

I hear her suck in a deep breath before her broken voice raises, "I'm fine."

Allison looks to me worriedly, but standing next to Coach: "Maybe it's not safe. You know she's epileptic."

Coach looks utterly surprised by her words, "Why doesn't anybody tell me this stuff? I have to get-Erica, y-you're fine. Just kick off from the wall. There's a mat to catch you. Come on," I watch silently as she slowly starts to let her fingers detatch from the fake colored rocks on the wall above. She sinks to the ground and her feet land softly on the mat.

Without thinking I reach out and lay a comforting hand on her shoulder once again, but this time her small smile is filled with sadness as she moves away from me. My skin gross hot with anger as I hear kids around me start to giggle and laugh as she walks away.

I turn to two boys next to me obviously laughing at her misfortune, "Grow the hell up."

At my words, they both stop laughing and I roll my eyes before walking out of the gym. I turn at the feeling of a hand on my arm and I see Allison looking to the locker room, "Aren't you going to change?"

I nod to the hallway before speaking, "Yeah, I just need to grab my hoodie from my locker before I change."

She sends a smile before turning and walking to locker room doors with Lydia. I rub my bare arms as a chill from the hallway causes goosebumps to raise.

Thankfully, my locker is only a few feet from the gym so it takes me minutes to grab my hoodie before I turn back. I stop walking completely when I hear the sound of panic breaths coming from all around me.

They sound so close for a second I think they're coming from me, but as I listen I realize they're coming from the gym.

I feel dread fill my chest as I realize, I should not be able to hear this.

The dreadful weight in my chest only increases when the tingling returns to my fingertips, but this time-full force.

As if on overdrive, my hoodie falls from my fingers and onto the hallway floor before my feet start racing across the ground. I push open the heavy metal doors of the gym and the sight before me causes my heart to stop briefly.

Erica is on the rock wall once again, this time something is terribly wrong. I hear her gasps of pain and I see her body convulsing, inches away from letting go. As if I could feel his presence I look to my right to see Scott before we both race forward to catch Erica as she falls from the wall completely.

She isn't wearing a harness.

We lay her on the ground and I quickly turn her convulsing body on its side.

I hear Allison's voice as the rest of the students rush in, but all I can focus on is Erica's hand gripping mine, as if her life depends on it.

I reach out with my free hand and stroke her blonde hair out of her face, "It's going to be okay."