How to be Cool

Lesson #23: Violence Doesn't Solve Problems

A/N: Here, have a short chapter with protective Derek :) 

Derek had been avoiding me since school started on Monday. We spent the weekend together as normal, just hanging out at his house and we even went to the movies together, but as soon as the first bell rang on Monday morning, he was no where to be seen. We talked about coming out at school, so the rumors about me and Lydia would stop and so that we could just be a normal couple without having to worry about being seen. I wasn't sure how we could come out if he wasn't talking to me at school. 

Tuesday was a repeat of Monday, where I didn't see even a glance of Derek at school. I tried talking to him after school, but we both had practice, so we didn't see much of each other. On Wednesday, I planned on forcing him to talk to me, so I could figure out what the hell was going on with him. I had to wait until after school, though, because apparently he had found a way to avoid me at all costs during the day. 

After gym, I took a slightly longer shower than usual, not really looking forward to going to lunch next where my friends would ask me about Derek and how things were going. I wasn't exactly thrilled about Derek ignoring me, but I wasn't mad either. I was confused and didn't want to talk about it with anyone but Derek. 

After I got out of the shower and dressed myself, I grabbed my things, moving towards the exit when I noticed one other person was still hanging around in the locker room. I stopped, taking a few steps backs to see if he wanted company. "Hey, Danny," I greeted him with a smile. He looked up from his notebook, returning the smile as he set his homework off to the side. "Whatchya working on?" I prodded, sitting down beside him. 

"Hey Stiles," he laughed, turning to give me his full attention. "Just some math homework. What's up?" he wondered, raising an eyebrow curiously. It was normal that he seemed confused about why I was talking to him. We weren't exactly friends, other than being on the same team. He hung around Jackson a lot and Jackson wasn't exactly my favorite person. Therefore, Danny and I weren't close either. 

"You give good advice, right?" I answered, nervously. Danny cocked his head to the side, watching me with narrowed eyes. I took that as a cue to keep talking. "Danny, I'm bisexual," I blurted out, not really sure what direction to take this in. 

Danny's confused expression didn't change as he opened his mouth, hesitating as he debated what to respond. "Stiles, I'm flattered, but-"

"Oh, God no, Danny," I cut him off with a nervous chuckle. "I have a boyfriend." I realized as soon as the words left my mouth that it sounded like I was coming onto him, so I shut that down quick before another rumor could get started. Not that Danny was the type to start rumors, but better safe than sorry. 

"Right," Danny mumbled, embarrassed. "I'm happy for you," he added, a small smile on his lips. 

"Thanks," I replied, glad I dodged that bullet. "Anyways, my boyfriend and I decided we were going to go public this week, but he's kind of been avoiding me. . . and I'm not really sure what to do?" I explained, hoping he had some sound advice for me. 

Danny's face scrunched as if he felt my pain. Finally, he sighed. "That's a tough one," he admitted. "It sounds like your boyfriend has cold feet. Maybe he thought he was ready to come out, but realized he wasn't. In cases like that, you can't really do anything about it. Trust me, I know."