Gather The Ashes || Stilinski || Book Three

Thirty-One

"SIERRA!"

The empath turned at the sound of her name being called, pausing in the busy hallway. She had been on her way with Stiles, who also stopped, to first period. Now, Stiles wasn't taking AP Biology with her, but still held a want to walk with her before heading to his own calculus class.

Sierra looked around in confusion before her eyes landed on a familiar face and a wide grin split her lips apart. "Hayden!" she replied brightly, Stiles having a moment of recognition for himself. "How are you?"

The last time Sierra or Stiles saw Hayden Romero was when they were freshmen and she was in the seventh grade. Now, Hayden was a sophomore and held the same kind smile and excited brown eyes as she headed towards the couple.

Sierra remembered when she tutored the girl through a Big Brother, Big Sister program. Hayden used to come to Sierra's house after school to study until her older sister, Deputy Clark, picked her up. Hayden found someone she could be honest with during her struggles--as Sierra understood the situation from living with Jemma and offered great advice to help her cope.

"I'm doing okay," Hayden expressed honestly, accepting the hug that was offered by Sierra. "I'm glad to be back in Beacon Hills. Freshmen year I bet would've been better here compared to Greyfield."

"I'm glad you're back too," Sierra replied, cheerful. "I've missed my little sis." She motioned to her boyfriend who had been waiting patiently. "You remember Stiles, right?"

Hayden nodded, "Of course! It's nice to once again see the most popular couple in school together."

Sierra blinked, thinking she misheard the sophomore. "I'm sorry, the most popular what?"

"Oh, don't act like you don't know," Hayden chuckled, waving her hand. "My friends filled me in. They were all saying how you two, Scott and a few other girls are the ones who create most of the talk around here. Nothing bad though, I promise."

"No way, we would've noticed," Stiles disagreed. He exchanged an unsure look with Sierra. "Right?"

"I don't know," she shrugged her shoulders. "Our lives tend to get a little busy so we really don't gossip much."

"Everyone says you two are the cutest couple and I have to agree," Hayden shared, her eyes glancing down to their intertwined fingers. "But you have to know that I totally saw this coming since I was in middle school."

Sierra quirked her lips up, "Apparently a lot of people thought that." She glanced up at Stiles and widened her smile, to which he returned. "Turns out they knew before we did."

Athought dawned on her and she turned back to Hayden. "Hey, speaking of relationships, there is someone I want you to meet."

"Oh, no," Hayden forced a chuckle, holding her textbook closer to her chest. "I'm not really looking to date anyone right now. Between work, soccer and school, I don't have extra time on my hands."

"But everyone needs friends," Sierra pointed out to her, "and since you just moved back, it wouldn't hurt to meet more people." She noticed the hesitation in Hayden's eyes, leading her to continue. "Look, he's in your grade and one of the sweetest people I know. He plays lacrosse with Scott and Stiles."

"What's his name?" Hayden asked curiously.

"Li-"

Hayden cursed under her breath, accidentally cutting Sierra off. "Dang it, I left my notebook in my locker." She raised her gaze from her purse to look back at the senior. "I have to go get it for history before the minute bell rings. Can you find me after second? I wanna talk, I swear, but my locker is on the other side of the building."