Creatures from the Ocean (Sciles)

53: A Wendigo?

Stiles POV

It's been a week since the people from the other universe left. I still miss them, especially the other me. He gave me so much advice and support that I should take on board. I want to keep my promise that I made him. So far, things are looking pretty good. I've decided to completely ignore Samantha altogether. It's working out well for the both of us. I honestly don't want to see her again. I might end up doing something that I'll regret. As I am avoiding Samantha, unfortunately that means I don't see Scott as much. Actually, I haven't seen him much at all. That's because he is always with Samantha. It is so annoying. I've been hanging out with Kara, Kira, Lydia, Danny and Isaac a lot in the past several days. Out of everyone I know, they are the most suspicious of Samantha. They also feel really sorry for me. They hate the way that Samantha is treating me. I'm grateful for their support. Yes, the other day I did admit to Danny how bad the situation was. Danny seemed surprised. I guess he had a feeling things weren't looking good, but didn't really know how bad things were.

"So, did you hear that there is a pack meeting tonight?" Lydia asks me curiously as we walk down the school hall together at the end of another school day. "Yeah, Scott texted me while I was in geography." I nod.

"Are you going to go?" Lydia raises her eyebrows. I shrug.

"Honestly? I have no idea." I reply.

"Look, I know you want to avoid Samantha, I get that, but what if this meeting is important?" Lydia frowns.

"I think the pack would be fine without me." I tell Lydia.

"What if it was about finding your Dad?" Lydia suggests quietly. I stop in my tracks. I turn to the side to look Lydia seriously in the eyes. "I highly doubt that, Lydia. Deaton has alerted other kingdoms for reinforcements, remember? I want to hear the feedback from that before anything else happens. I know Deaton wants that too. We need all the information we can get. We can't just go into a battle blindly. Besides, what makes this any of the pack's business? This is my family, my home. You guys can't breathe underwater. How can you possibly help?" I snap more harshly than I intended. Lydia looks a little hurt. "We just want to help you, Stiles. In whatever way we can..." Lydia replies as she bites her lip. I suddenly feel terrible.

"I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that..." I apologize quickly.

"It's okay, don't worry about it." Lydia replies.

"No, it's not. I'm sorry about what I said. I shouldn't have said it. I never meant for it to come out like that." I continue. Lydia laughs.

"Stiles, you beat yourself up too much! I have already forgiven you, I don't need a 10 minute apology, okay? It's fine, I promise. We all have times where we can't hold back our emotions." Lydia assures me. She grabs me by the arm and starts pulling me down the hall again. I chuckle. You gotta love Lydia's determined attitude. "If you say so." I comment. We make our way to our lockers. I quickly throw away any books that I don't need for homework. "Another day of school done." I sigh happily as I close my locker door.

"One day closer to graduation." Lydia reminds me.

"Nah, I don't think I need to think about that yet, thanks." I laugh.

"Why not?" Lydia queries.

"I don't know, I guess it's because I don't know what I'm going to do after school. The typical cliche teenage worry, you know?"

"Yeah, coming from a not so typical cliche teenager." Lydia smirks. I roll my eyes playfully.

"So you're not coming to the pack meeting?" Lydia looks at me with sad eyes.

"If Samantha is going to be there, probably not. I can just hang out with Danny instead." I shrug.

"Stiles, you've barely seen Scott all week. I wouldn't be surprised if he thought you were ignoring him intentionally. You're his best friend, he still needs you. I think he will always need you. He obviously invited you to the pack meeting for a reason." Lydia points out. I consider her argument for a moment as we walk out of the school. I bite my lip uncertainly. "I guess I might be able to make an appearance... Might be able to." I sigh. Lydia smiles brightly at me.