Hoping for Heroes

Chapter 30

Harley's staring out the window in the backseat of Allison's car as they follow the cross country team to their meet. This wasn't a situation she ever expected to find herself in, but given what had happened with Isaac, she wanted to be able to keep on eye on him.

Harley is half asleep when she hears a knock at her door. She rolls out of bed and opens the door, finding a shaking Isaac on the other side. She steps aside silently and allows him to come in. As she sits down next to him on the bed, he speaks up.

"Derek kicked me out," he explains. "To make room for Cora."

"That's shitty of him," Harley hums, rubbing his back softly. 

"He threw a glass at my head when I wouldn't leave."

"What?" Harley retracts her hand and stands, heart breaking when Isaac flinches at the sudden movement. "I didn't mea-"

"No, I'm not scared of you." He sniffles, and Harley crouches by his feet, looking up at him. "I just--I don't know. My dad--he wasn't a good guy. He'd hit me, and punish me for stupid shit. He'd lock me in the freezer in the basement when he got mad enough."

"Isaac," Harley breathed. "Isaac, please look at me." She felt a few tears fall as he looked her in the eyes. "You did not deserve that. None of that."

"I just-" 

"No." Harley stands up and hugs him, drawing small circles on his back as he lets it all out. After he finished crying, he spoke again.

"Thank you."

"It's what friends are for, Isaac. Besides, you did the same for me."

"Calling it even then?" 

"Nah. I'm still gonna be here for you no matter what." Isaac smiles at her, and she smiles back.

"Am I getting too close?" Allison worries, drawing Harley out of her thoughts. "I'm getting way too close, aren't I?"

"That depends," Lydia says, twirling her hair. "Are you just following the bus, or are you planning on mounting it at some point?"

"Yeah, I should back off."

"Well, that also depends. Do you mean the bus, or the ex-boyfriend you're currently stalking." Harley lets out a low whistle, and Lydia turns and winks at her.

"Well, after what happened, I'm not letting him out of my sight." Harley tunes them out yet again as she remembers what happened when Isaac came back in the previous night.

Harley is sitting on the couch, waiting for Isaac who had mysteriously disappeared earlier in the evening. She looks up when the front door opens, and the retort on the tip of her tongue dies when she sees Isaac and Scott both staring back at her. She places her book down and stands.

"What happened?" she asks. The boys look at each other before Isaac storms upstairs, not bothering to respond to Harley. "Scott?" Scott sighs shakily before stepping forward and hugging Harley. "Scott, what's going on?"

"Derek's dead," he says.

"What?"

"We were fighting the alpha pack. They killed him." 

"Oh, no." She hugs Scott tighter, who winces. She pulls back and notices the slashes on his stomach. "You're hurt. I'll go get-" He grabs her wrist and pulls her back.