Touched by the Fear

[19]

The town of Beacon Hills finally felt at ease now that the big, bad mountain lion had been shot down Monday night. The veil of terror that had enveloped the town lifted for everyone but Hollis. A gut feeling told her that this was far from over, that more attacks were to come. The appearance of the mountain lion at such a public setting seemed very sudden, and the kill by Mr. Argent just a little too easy. The animal from Monday night resembled nothing of the one she'd had past encounters with. She kept these thoughts to herself, though as no one was likely to believe her, save for Stiles who told her it was possible the attacks were caused by something else.

With her mind swimming in thoughts from Monday night to both her conversations with Stiles and Carter, Hollis pulled into the parking lot on Wednesday morning with a heavy sigh. Her car was finally back from the mechanic and in perfect working condition though her dad had still been cautious in letting her drive that morning. But he had let her take the car after Hollis had pointed out they would both be late if they kept up their disagreement.

The radio played quietly while she gathered her belongings. Glancing towards the school building, she willed for this day and week to end quickly though it would likely drag on. Hollis turned the engine off, and a deafening silence filled the interior but was soon broken when she opened the door. A flood of voices reached her ears. The door closed with a soft click, and she slung her bag over her shoulder as she stepped onto the busy sidewalk.

"You got your car back," Stiles said, appearing by her side.

She turned her head, a smile tugging at her lips. "Yeah, picked it up last night," she told him. "My dad still thinks it's going to magically break down or something, but..." she paused, shrugging. "It works fine."

"For now," Stiles said, grinning.

Hollis narrowed her eyes, shooting a playful glare in his direction. "Wow, thanks," she said, sarcastically.

"Yep, anytime," he told her.

Rolling her eyes, she shifted the books she was holding. A silent moment passed between them, which left just enough room for the nervousness to enter. She had tried to keep things casual between them, had tried to leave the confused feelings locked up but they slipped out through a small crack. Hollis fidgeted with her books and kept her attention focused on them as a distraction but that only lasted for so long. Before, the silent moments between them were so comfortable. Now, they were awkward...at least to her they were. Not being able to stand the silence, she asked, "So, how's your dad?"

"He's okay. You know, just a couple bruises but he's good," he answered.

"That's good," Hollis answered, happy to hear that. In the chaos of that night, she was glad to know that no one had gotten seriously injured. A few people had been hurt, acquiring a few cuts and bruises, but nothing beyond that.

"So," Stiles started, throwing a look her way. "Do you have any plans after school? Because I was thinking...."

"I'm actually staying after," Hollis interrupted with an apologetic smile. She ignored her sped up heartbeat, almost cursing it for reacting like that. "I wanted to get a few pics developed so I reserved the dark room."

He nodded understandingly, replacing the disappointed look with a smile. "Oh, okay. Sounds cool, though. Can I see them later?"

"Yeah, definitely," she told him. "Don't you usually hang out with Scott after school?" Hollis looked over at him but he averted her gaze. She tilted her head, sighing. "Are you two still not talking?"

"No. I mean, we-we're talking," Stiles answered. "Scott's talking. I'm just...not listening."

Hollis arched an eyebrow. "What's going on with you two? Everything was fine Monday and now...." she trailed off.