𝗺𝘆 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻 ~ 𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗻𝘀𝗸𝗶

f o u r t e e n

i clambered out of my window and onto the roof below it. stiles told me to wait for him at the top of my street, and that he would try to be as inconspicuous as he could. with my phone hand and my jacket in the other, i slowly tiptoed down the roof, careful not to make any noise. unlike the other night with my friend, i was successful in my goal. i struggled to slide down the pipe on the side of the house, but i still managed to do so. when i got to the bottom floor of my house, i looked into the living room window. thankfully, my father wasn't in there. his car was still in the driveway, so he was still in the house. i ran up the street a little so i was out of my house's view, then slowed down. i slipped my jacket on and looked over my shoulder, feeling pretty slick about myself. i kept my hands in my pocket, holding onto my phone. then, i saw headlights from behind me. i instinctively turned around, only to see the blue jeep pulling up to the curb. i pulled the door open and got in. 

"so, what do ya wanna do?" he asked, about a minute into the drive. i was sat with one knee hugged to my chest, and the other rested against the seat, on the drivers side of the car. in between changing gears, he rested his hand on my thigh. i obviously noticed, and it made me soft, but i didn't let stiles know that i was bothered by this. 

"anything! i'm just so angry with my dad at the moment. let's get drunk! or high, or we could go swimming in the lake. come on stiles! let's be wild." i replied, excitedly. stiles chuckled at me, and then patted my knee. 

"t, it's january, the lake is frozen over. and, neither of us have access to drugs or alcohol." 

"you're no fun." i replied after rolling my eyes. "well we have to do something fun. i'm not spending another friday night in you bedroom being forced to watch horror films. i've gotta do something more with my life!"

after my rant, i had turned my head to completely face stiles, and he kept looking between me and the road. i had my eyebrows raised and my lips pressed together. he noticed my expression, and then dramatically sighed, before going down a road that would most definitely not take us to his house. i didn't recognise where we were going, i was just hoping that it was fun. we pulled up to the other end of the beacon hills reserve. stiles turned the engine off, and got out of the car. i was uncomfortable, so i didn't move. he made his way around to my side of the car, and rested his arms on the open window. 

"you coming?" he asked. i tried to hide the nervousness on my face; this is what i had asked for. instead, i opened the door and joined him. i didn't ask any questions, instead following him into the woods. stiles held the flashlight in one hand, and mine in the other. it was practically pitch black between all the trees, and i had absolutely no clue as to where we were heading. we finally stopped walking when we reached an abandoned park. 

"stiles..."

"don't worry, i'm not gonna kill you." he cut me off. i laughed and followed him into the playground. 

"what is this place?" i asked, running my hand along the monkey bars. a few years ago i wouldn't have been able to reach the ground from the monkey bars, but now i had to crouch to walk underneath it. "i don't think i've ever been here."

"my mom used to take me here when i was little." he started to explain. i could hear the hurt in his voice, so i began to make my way over to his side. i listened as he continued, and took his hand in mine. "it was abandoned around the time we were born, too many injuries happened. the state locked it up, but my mom used to play here all the time and she wanted me to have the same memories. i was too scared to go to the one in town, so she would bring me here every thursday after school. we still came every week, until she got sick."

"stiles, you don't have to-"

"no, i want to, really. no one ever wants to hear about the dead mom. i need to talk to someone, anyone." he cut me off, but i didn't mind. stiles was right, he deserved to talk about this. i grabbed his hand and led him to the monkey bars. we climbed on top, and sat with our legs dangling off the edge. "when she got sick, my dad tried to bring me here, to keep up with tradition. but..."

"it wasn't the same, don't worry, i get it. why didn't you tell me about this place? does scott know?" he declined to finish the sentence, but i understood what he was saying. when i asked this, he looked up at me with teary eyes.

"scott was a huge blabbermouth in elementary school, and you and i weren't that close until middle school. i just- this was our special place, you know?" i nodded, and scooted slightly closer so i could comfort him. stiles stayed in my arms for a while, and i could feel him sobbing lightly, but i didn't say anything. i knew it would embarrass him. when he pulled out of my embrace, he quickly wiped his eyes. "sorry. why didn't you want to stay at your house?"

i played with a loose thread on my jacket as i considered telling my best friend what i had just found out. it's not that i couldn't trust him, because i really could. but, he told scott everything, and would struggle to not tell him this. plus, i was absolutely humiliated. i mean, what kind of man cheats on his wife. i didn't want my mom to stay with him, but if they worked it out, i didn't want my friends knowing about his affair. however, stiles, although he was a jokester, always knew what to say. he gave the best advice. 

"i just found out my dad's cheating on my mom. i just can't believe him." i stated, dryly. this was because if i switched on to what i was saying, i'd cry, and i didn't want stiles to see me cry.