Milkshakes

The locker room was dark after the game, both Stiles and Scott talking quietly. A lacrosse ball rolled out, leading the boys to Derek's silent figure

"Thank God! Where the hell have you been? Do you have any idea what's been going on?"

Peter stepped out of the shadow behind them, speaking lowly "I really don't get lacrosse... When I was in high school, we played basketball. It's a real sport. Still, I read somewhere that lacrosse comes from Native American tribes, and that they played it to resolve conflict. Do I have that right?"

He paused, "Hmm... I have a little conflict of my own to resolve, Scott... But I need your help to do it."

"I'm not helping you kill people." Scott said, Stiles nodding.

"Well, I don't want to kill all of them-- just the responsible ones. And that doesn't have to include,"

"Allison." Derek finished looking between the two.

"You're on his side? Are you forgetting the part where he killed your sister?" Scott said, incredulous.

"Plus, where the hell is Cassie?" Stiles cut in, looking at Derek.

"It was a mistake," Derek said, not acknowledging Stiles' question.

"Scott, I think you're getting the wrong impression of us. We just really want to help you reach your full potential." Peter said, taking another step forward.

"By killing my friends?" Scott challenged.

"Sometimes the people closest to you can be the ones holding you back the most." Peter shrugged slightly.

"If they're holding me back from becoming a psychotic nut-job like you, I'm okay with that."

"Maybe... you could try and see things from my perspective..." Peter said finally, sinking his claws into the back of Scott's neck.

-----☾-----

I woke up with a massive headache. I suppose Derek had the class to drop me off before he went off with Peter. I reached for her phone, frantically texting the boys, asking if they were okay. They both replied with yes and a detailed recap of their conversation with Peter and Derek. I replied with my own story, promising that I was okay, just shaken up. I said I was probably going to skip school tomorrow, but would see them later. I shot Isaac a text as well, promising that I would pick him up for their date but wasn't coming to school. I also texted Lydia and Allison, before curling up and going back to sleep.

I slept soundly, waking up just after noon. I was exhausted, but couldn't help being excited about the date.

I stood in front of my closet, arms crossed, glaring at the rows of clothes like they had personally betrayed me. Even though Lydia had picked me out an outfit, I was second guessing her choice.

"Why is this so hard?" I muttered, running a hand through my hair.

It wasn't like this was my first date ever, but it was my first real date with Isaac Lahey—and somehow, that made all the difference. I wasn't supposed to be this nervous, but my stomach was already flipping just thinking about seeing him in a few hours.

After way too much debating, I finally ended up going with Lydia's pick; it was casual, but still put together. Exactly what I was going for. Now, onto my hair and makeup. I sat down at my vanity, staring at the organized chaos of brushes, palettes, and products. Okay, keep it simple.

I just did my usual routine, tried and true. I hesitated before reaching for my eyeshadow palette, eventually settling on a soft, neutral shimmer. Just enough to enhance my features, make me feel a little extra pretty. I finished off with my favorite lip gloss, pressing my lips together to make sure it looked perfect.

I blinked at my reflection. Okay, this is actually going well. Now for my hair. I ran my fingers through it, debating between curling it or throwing it up in a ponytail. After a second of hesitation, I grabbed my curling iron and worked quickly, wrapping strands of hair around the barrel. Once I was done, I ran my fingers through the curls to loosen them up. Right on cue, my phone buzzed from the vanity. Isaac texted he was making his way over to my house.

"Alright, Cassandra," I whispered to myself. "It's just a date. You've got this."

Still, as I grabbed my jacket and made my way downstairs, I couldn't stop the small, excited smile on my lips.

I tried to calm my anxious pacing, it was just a casual date—low stakes, nothing to freak out over. Isaac and I had spent time together before, but never like this. Never with the unspoken weight of this is a date.

A knock at the door snapped me out of my thoughts. I took a deep breath, smoothed down my jacket one last time, and opened the door.

"Hey," he said, flashing that small, shy smile that made my stomach flip. He was wearing a hoodie and jeans, casual but somehow still effortlessly good-looking.

"Hey yourself," I replied. "Ready to go?"

We walked to my car, the conversation flowing easily as I drove. When we pulled up to the diner I grinned. I loved this place, growing up doing Sunday lunches with my parents and brother here. It was the kind of place where the menus were laminated, and the waitresses probably called you hon.

Sliding into a booth, he looked over the menu. "So, what's the verdict? What's the milkshake I'm supposed to try?"

I grinned, giving him a small smirk. "I feel like you're a classic vanilla kind of person."

He scoffed. "Vanilla? That's so boring."

"Not if it's good vanilla," I countered. "But, you do you hun."

The waitress came by, and we both ordered burgers, fries, and two different milkshakes—strawberry for him, cookies and cream for me.

"So," he said, leaning forward, "tell me something I don't know about you." I laughed, shaking my head.

"There's a lot you don't know about me."

"Fine, tell me something most people don't know about you"

I tapped my fingers on the table, thinking. "I used to do ballet when I was little."

His eyebrows shot up. "Ballet? You?"

"Why is that so shocking?" I laughed, rubbing the back of my neck.

He shrugged. "I don't know, you just seem more... competitive. Like, I imagine you challenging someone to a debate or doing martial arts before I imagine you twirling in a tutu."

"Okay, rude," I said, pretending to be offended. "I was very graceful, thank you very much. Plus, I also was trained in martial arts. My parents wanted to be a well rounded young lady." Talking about my parents sent a pang of pain through my chest, but it quickly vanished as I looked back up at him.

"Yeah?" He smirked. "Prove it."

I narrowed my eyes. "What, you want me to just bust out a pirouette in the middle of the diner? Or are you offering to let me kick your ass in a spar"

"Definitely the first option," he said.

I shook my head, laughing. "Not happening. Your turn. Tell me something I don't know about you."

He considered for a second. "I, uh... I really like thunderstorms."

"Like, watching them? Or just the whole vibe?"

"Both," he said. "The sound, the smell, the way everything feels different after. It's weird, I know."

I smiled. "It's not weird. I get it." I tried to calm the rising emotions in my chest, and stayed silent for a moment, just memorizing the lines of his face.

Before he could say anything else, our milkshakes arrived. I took a sip of mine, humming in happily.

"Okay, fine. This place does have good milkshakes." He said as he drank his.

"Told you." I replied with a cheeky grin

We ate, swapping stories, teasing each other about dumb things, and just... enjoying it. The easy back-and-forth, the way he seemed a little lighter around me. He was always so quiet and closed off at school, so seeing him relaxed and laughing made my heart flutter.

At some point, he stole a fry from my plate. I gasped in mock betrayal. "Excuse you."

"Should've been guarding them better," he said, smirking as he popped it into his mouth.

"Oh, it's war now." I stole one of his in retaliation, grinning as he let out an exaggerated gasp.

By the time we finished eating, I didn't want the night to end. As we stepped outside, the air was cool, the streets quiet.

Isaac glanced up at the sky. "Weird. I think it's gonna storm later."

I smiled. "Guess that means it's a good night, then."

He looked at me, something soft in his expression. "Yeah. It is."

For a second, neither of us moved. Then, he reached for my hand, lacing our fingers together. My heart stuttered, but I didn't pull away.

I just smiled at him, squeezing his hand as we walked back to the car.

"Do you want me to drop you off? You live by Jackson right?" I said as I slid in the driver's seat, releasing his hand.

He froze, before nodding. "Sure, yeah, that would be nice."

I nodded, pulling out and making my way towards his place. I slowed to a stop on the street, putting the car in park.

"Thanks for coming out with me" I said, my voice hesitant and kind of quiet as I fiddled with my fingers.

"Thanks for asking me," he replied, his voice equally soft. I smiled, leaning over to press a kiss to his cheek.

"I'll see you on Monday."

His cheeks were flushed pink as he nodded, stepping out of the car. He headed up to the door, turning to give me one more smile before going inside. I sat there for a minute or two, a stupid smile on my face before I pulled off and headed back home.

I went to sleep happy for the first time in a long time.

-----☾-----

The next morning I met up with Allison and Lydia to go shopping. Allison had taken us to the woods, saying she needed to do something quick.

"Allison... when you said you needed to stop for an errand before we went shopping... a five-mile hike in the woods was not what I was expecting." Lydia grumbled, stumbling along in her heels. I had been practical and was in boots.

Allison didn't reply, continuing to walk. "Before I forget, I wanted to ask if you're okay with something..." she paused, "Jackson invited me to the winter formal."

"Did he?" Lydia said, her voice tight with fake calm.

"Uh-huh. Just as friends. But, I just wanted to make sure you're okay with it, first." I froze, looking between the two girls.

"Sure. As long as it's just friends." she said hesitantly.

"Well, yeah. I mean, it's not like I would take him to the coach's office during lacrosse practice to make out with him or anything..." I let out a quiet breath, not saying anything.

"Uh, about that..." Lydia mumbled, following behind Allison. I just shook my head, telling her to drop it.

We walked in silence for a few more minutes before Allison stopped, opening her bag. I gasped as she pulled out an arrow.

"What does that do?" Lydia asked.

"We're about to find out..." All three of us flinched as the arrow hit the tree and lit up in sparks. I recognized the arrow, having seen it get shot at Derek more than once. I stayed silent, unlike lydia.

"What the hell was that?"

"I don't know..."

"Well, that was fun! Any more lethal weapons you wanna try out?"

Allison paused, shoving the bow into Lydia's hands, which I quickly took from her "Hold this"

"What? Why?" I asked, looking at her.

"Because I thought I heard something." Allison said.

"So... what if you heard something?" Lydia said, her voice tinged in fear.

"So, I want to find out what that something is." Lydia looked at her in disbelief. "Don't worry-- it's probably nothing." she assured me, and I nodded.

"Well, what if that nothing is something, and that something is dangerous?"

"Then Andie can shoot it," she said before walking towards the sound. She came back a few minutes later and shook her head. "It was nothing. Let's go"

I nodded, before looking at my phone. I had meant to tell them about my date with Isaac, but they both seemed rattled now.

"Lets just call it a day, okay?" I said after a beat of silence, and they both agreed. I said my goodbyes at the car, heading home instead.

Instead of being able to go home, I got a frantic call from Scott.

"Peter Hale is on a date with my mom." He said.

"Shit. Okay, Stiles and I will tail them. Shoot him a text." I said, swearing to change course and go to Stiles. I hopped out of my car, moving towards the passenger door as Stiles came out, meeting me.

"Ready to crash a date?" I said, but Stiles looked tired. "You okay?" I asked, and he nodded.

"I'm going to hell already, so why not add some more bad things."

I looked at him, concerned before nodding, choosing not to push it. We drove in silence, trying to find Melissa and Peter. Scott met us on the street, crawling into the back seat of the car and laying low.

After a few more minutes we spotted them, their car was pulled over on the side of the road.

I sighed, rubbing my eyes before I spoke. "Hit them."

They both looked at me, shocked.

"Get them out of the car, rear end them. Make it an accident." Stiles looked at me like I was insane but did as I said.

We all lurched forward at the impact, and we both quickly got out.

"STILES! CASSANDRA!" Melissa said, anger clear on her face.

"Mrs. McCall?" Stiles said, faking surprise.

"Yes!"

"Wow, this is-this is just crazy. What a coincidence, huh?" Stiles said, shifting uncomfortably.

"Ha. Ha."

"I mean, I do not know what happened. You guys just came out of nowhere–"

"Came out of nowhere??? We were parked on the side of the road, Stiles!" Melissa said.

"Melissa I'm sorry, we were talking and I distracted him, it's on me. I'll pay to fix it sir" I said, looking at Peter.

" I mean, we should probably call the cops, you know? Do like, an accident report thing?" Stiles said.

"I don't think that's necessary." Peter said coldly.

"Are you sure? I think I'm feeling a little whiplash.." Stiles said, rubbing the back of his neck. .

"Whiplash??? You hit us!" She said, shaking her head.

"I'm sorry again Melissa, I will fix it. But, we will go, uh, I guess let you all finish the date?"

She just signed, turning away. I exhaled slowly and got back in the passenger seat. Scott was gone, and I looked around, not being able to see him.

"Let's go home, Stiles." He nodded, driving away from the scene. I gave him a tight smile as I got back into my own car.

The drive home was silent, and I was exhausted by the time I reached my bedroom. I crashed on the bed, eyes shutting immediately. But I was not free from dreams.