Poison and Wine

The Saturday after her first full week at Beacon Hills High, Hailey borrowed her Mom’s car to drive to Allison’s house so they could work on their first lab assignment of the year for Physics. She was slightly upset with herself because the whole rest of the week she had not seen that Derek guy lingering around the school again. So either she was just seeing things as her friends suggested or he was just better at concealing himself. She shook thoughts of him out of her head as she pulled into the driveway. Leaning forward in the driver’s seat she stared up at Allison’s house through the windshield.

“Whoa,” she said to herself, looking up at the beautiful brick house. The front door opened and Allison walked out with a smile on her face.

“Glad to see you didn’t get lost,” she said, opening up the back door to grab Hailey’s bag for her.

“It wasn’t as terrible as I thought navigating the streets. Thanks,” she said, taking her bag from Allison. “Your house is gorgeous.”

“Thank you,” Allison said. “Come on in.”

Hailey stepped into the house and was amazed at the high ceilings. She took in her surroundings and in the kitchen could see a man whom she assumed to be Allison’s father.

“Dad, this is Hailey,” Allison said, introducing the two.

“Nice to finally put a face to the name,” Chris Argent said, shaking Hailey’s hand.

“Likewise,” Hailey said with a smile.

“Allison, I’m heading out for a bit. Good luck on your assignment,” he said, touching Allison’s shoulder as he headed to the door.

He leaned in; making it look like he was giving her a kiss on the cheek but Hailey could hear him whisper something though she couldn’t quite make it out. Allison turned to make eye contact and nodded her head as he closed the door behind himself.

“Alright, you ready?” Allison asked.

“Better to just get it over with,” Hailey said with a laugh, following Allison up the stairs to her room. Hailey walked in and looked around quickly. Something in the corner of the room caught her eye. “What the hell is that?”

“Oh that?” Allison asked with a somewhat shaky laugh. “That’s just my bow and arrow.”

“For what? Shooting bears?”

“I just like archery,” Allison said, opening her book, trying to turn the attention to their assignment.

“That’s some pretty fancy equipment for someone who just likes archery,” Hailey said, reaching out to touch it.

“Don’t!” Allison shouted, reaching over to move Hailey’s hand away. Hailey stepped back and stared at her. “Sorry it’s just… it’s really dangerous. I don’t want you to get hurt.”

“Sorry,” Hailey said, moving over to the bed and emptying her bag out. She looked up and saw a picture frame on Allison’s bedside table. It was of Allison, her father, and another woman. “Is this your Mom?” she asked softly, having learned of Mrs. Argent’s tragic suicide.

“Yeah,” Allison said quietly, looking over to the picture, the corner of her lips turning up into a half smile.

“I’m sorry, Allison. I can’t believe you and Stiles both lost your mothers,” she said, shaking her head and taking a seat on the bed.

“Neither can I. But Stiles’ Mom lost her life due to health. My mother’s life was taken from her,” Allison said, her voice turning cold.

“I thought she killed herself?” Hailey asked slowly, looking up at Allison.

“Yeah…” Allison said, shaking her head. “But um, someone must have led her to that… I mean, I don’t believe her letter saying she suffered from depression.”

Hailey furrowed her eyebrows and looked down at her book. Allison was making it seem like her mother’s death wasn’t her own choice and she was making it sound like she knew the reason why. But Hailey didn’t want to press the issue. She didn’t want to make her friend turn against her because of some stupid questions.

“I see,” Hailey said, attempting to end the conversation. “If you ever need to talk about her when you miss her or something I’m here for you.”

“Thanks Hails,” Allison said with a smile. “We should start working now.”

****

After struggling over their Physics assignment and discussing some other homework they had, Hailey decided she should get home because it was nearing dinnertime. When she was leaving Allison’s house the sun was almost down and a light fog was rolling in. She drove home carefully since she still wasn’t too familiar with the streets. Halfway home she drove through a heavily wooded area. Up ahead her lights shone on a person running quickly across the road. She squinted her eyes to see if there was anyone else in case she had to slow down but didn’t see anything.

Suddenly she slammed on her brakes when something or someone darted out in front of her. Her heart was beating so fast that she was having trouble catching her breath. She looked up to see none other than Derek Hale himself standing mere inches away from the hood of the car. He took one look at her and for a moment it looked as if he could kill her. But then, his look changed to one of… intrigue? Hailey couldn’t put her finger on it. Before she could even blink he was turning and running back into the woods. Hailey gulped and tried to even out her breathing as she looked towards where Derek just ran. It was the same direction the other person had been running.

When she could finally breathe normally again, Hailey continued on her way home, her eyes wide so that wouldn’t happen again. Her brain went crazy trying to piece together what just happened. First of all, why was Derek running through the woods? Second, who was the person he seemed to be chasing? And third, how did she not hit him? It was so close that she was sure he would have been lying on the ground with a broken bone of some kind but he was just standing there. None of it made sense.

As soon as she walked in the house her parents could tell that something wasn’t right. Her father came out of the kitchen where he had been helping her mother and put a hand on her shoulder.

“Honey are you alright?” he asked, leaning down to look in her eyes. “You’re shaking.”

“What?” Hailey asked, looking up at her father, then into the kitchen at her mother. “No I’m fine. I’m okay.”

“Did something happen on your drive home?” he asked and Hailey shook her head. She decided as she was getting out of the car her parents didn’t need to know about how she nearly almost killed Derek Hale.

“No, it’s just… kind of creepy with all the fog,” she said, trying to act normal.

“She’s not kidding,” Aaron said, joining the rest of his family in the entryway. “I was outside kicking my soccer ball and the fog got so bad I couldn’t even see my goal anymore!”

“I guess that’s just something else we’ll have to get used to living out here,” Alyssa said, putting her arm around her son’s shoulders. “Hailey why don’t you go upstairs and wash up, dinner will be ready soon.”

“Good idea, maybe washing my face will calm my nerves,” Hailey said, sliding her shoes off and bringing her bag up the stairs to her room. She dropped it next to her bed and sat down, running her fingers through her hair.

After taking a moment to completely calm down she made her way to the bathroom. As she splashed the cool water on her face she heard an engine revving outside. She walked down the hallway to the front of the house and looked out the window. The lights on the car parked across the street were so bright that she could tell it was a black Camaro. It lingered for a moment and Hailey waited to see if anyone entered or exited the car but after a minute nothing had happened. The engine revved again and the car sped away.

“That was weird,” she said as she made her way down the stairs.

“What was?” Jason asked as she helped Aaron finish setting the table.

“Didn’t you guys hear that car engine just a minute ago?” she asked, looking up at her parents.

“No,” Jason said, exchanging a look with Alyssa.

“What is going on?” Hailey asked quietly.

“What do you mean honey?” Alyssa asked, concern in her voice.

“It’s… nothing. I guess I’m just still adjusting and everything,” she said, shaking her head. As she sat down to dinner she knew she needed to talk to one of her new friends. Not Allison, not after what she said at the Lacrosse game. And Scott seemed to act the weirdest when she mentioned seeing Derek that first time at lunch. Stiles. She’d go talk to Stiles.

After they ate Hailey quickly rinsed the dishes and put them in the dishwasher. She went upstairs to her room and grabbed the notebook where she had written down Allison, Scott, and Stiles’ information. Pulling out her phone she dialed Stiles’ number.

“Yo,” he said when he picked up.

“Hey Stiles.”

“Hailey, what’s up girl?” he asked and she tried not to laugh.

“I was wondering if I could come over and talk to you about something for a bit,” she said, keeping her fingers crossed hoping it would be okay.

“Yeah sure. You’ve got my address right?”

“Yeah I found it,” she said, letting out a sigh of relief. “I’ll be over soon.”

“Alright. See ya,” he said, hanging up. Hailey raced down the stairs, shoving her phone in her pocket. Her parents were sitting in the living room waiting for Aaron to pick out a movie.

“Hey guys?” she asked and they both looked up at her.

“You need the car,” her father said, noticing the overly predictable smile on her face.

“How did you know?” she asked.

“It’s a Saturday night and your first weekend in a new place with friends,” he said, shrugging his shoulders. “You can take my car. My keys are on the table in the hallway.

“Thanks Dad!” Hailey called over her shoulder as she grabbed the keys. “I shouldn’t be too long.”

****

As she pulled up in front of Stiles’ house she noticed his father’s Sherriff’s car wasn’t there. However, there was a black Camaro. Her heart started to race as she pulled up next to it, wondering if it was the same car she had seen just hours earlier. She slowly got out of the car and walked up onto Stiles’ porch. Before she could even ring the bell the door swung open. On the other side stood Stiles and Derek.

“Hailey,” Stiles said, a hint of nerves in his voice. “That was quick.”

“Sorry I didn’t know you had anyone over,” she said, her eyes turning to Derek and for the first time she was really able to take in his features. He had a strong jaw and his eyes were pale green.

“It’s alright,” Derek said, and her heart raced even more at the sound of his voice. “I was just leaving. Stiles.”

“Right, yeah,” Stiles said, turning to look at Derek. “I’ll let him know.”

Hailey stepped to the side so Derek could get out. When he was parallel to her he stopped for a moment. Hailey wanted to turn her head to look at him but felt almost afraid to. She heard him take a deep breath before walking down the steps to his car. Once he was off the porch she turned to watch him get in his car. His engine revved loudly and her eyes widened. It was Derek who had been parked outside her house.

“So,” Stiles said once Derek’s car was out of sight. “You want to come in or…?”

“Yeah, sorry,” Hailey said, shaking her head and walking into the Stilinski house.

“So what did you want to talk about?” he asked, leading her up to his room. Once inside he sat in his desk chair and turned to face his bed where Hailey sat. She placed her hands in her lap and looked down as she played with her claddagh ring.

“Him,” she said softly, looking up at Stiles.

“Him? Who him?” Stiles asked and Hailey gave him a small smile. “Derek?”

“Yeah,” she said, shrugging her shoulders.

“Derek Hale?” he asked again, leaning forward in his chair and she just nodded her head. He sighed and raised his hands up behind his head, locking his fingers together.

“Look, I just… I need some answers. Allison got all weird about it the other day when I had seen him at the Lacrosse game and I figured she wouldn’t be too happy about me talking about him.”

“You saw Derek at the Lacrosse game?” he asked. “Was he the guy you saw outside the Physics classroom?”

“Yeah. And today on my way home from Allison’s house I was driving through a wooded area as the fog was slowly starting to roll in. I saw someone run across the road and then next thing I know I’m slamming on my brakes because a second person followed. When I looked up it was Derek,” she said. Stiles stayed silent as she spoke. “Then at home I heard a car engine revving and when I looked outside there was a black Camaro parked outside for a few minutes and I found it weird. Then I get here and Derek is here and he drives a black Camaro and when his engine revved it sounded exactly the same. It’s just really weird to me that he keeps showing up.”

“Could you tell who the first person was who ran across the road in the woods?” he asked, his eyebrows pulled together in curiosity.

“No. I think it was a guy though,” she said and Stiles’ eyes widened.

“What did Allison say when you saw him at the Lacrosse game?”

“She said that I shouldn’t bother with him because trouble seems to follow him. But then I see him here with you and it almost seemed like you two are friends. So I don’t know what to believe,” she said, her voice catching in her throat, almost on the verge of tears.

“Hey, hey, it’s alright,” he said, jumping up to sit next to her. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders as she took deep breaths.

“Like I said it’s just weird that he keeps showing up. And then he’s outside my house, what was that all about?”

“Here’s the thing with Derek,” Stiles said, waving his hand. “He, Scott, and I work together on stuff periodically.”

“What kind of stuff?” Hailey interrupted.

“Uh, j-just… stuff… nothing, uh, interesting,” he said and Hailey could tell he was lying but she wasn’t going to press it.

“So what’s Allison’s problem with him?”

“I think… I think that’s something you need to let Allison tell you herself. When she’s ready,” he said. “There’s just past stuff between them and it’s all… complicated.”

“Okay,” she said, nodding her head.

“But really, unless you have to, try not to worry about Derek.”

“What do you mean by that?” she asked and he hesitated.

“Stiles!” a voice called up the stairs making them both jump. “I’m home!”

“I’m up here, Dad!” Stiles called back. He looked at Hailey with a sympathetic look on her face and went back over to his desk.

“Please tell me you want pizza for dinner,” Sherriff Stilinski said, walking into his son’s room. He looked over to the bed and saw Hailey then looked back at his son, raising an eyebrow.

“Dad this is Hailey Miner,” Stiles said, scratching his head and gesturing towards Hailey.

“So you’re Alyssa’s daughter,” Sherriff Stilinski said, walking over and shaking her hand.

“You know my Mom?” she asked.

“I met her the other night at the hospital. Melissa, Scott’s Mom, introduced me to her. I’ll be seeing her frequently if things keep going the way they are,” he said, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

“Another one?” Stiles asked, excitement in his voice.

“Yes and no, I’m not telling you who it was or how.”

“Oh come on, you know I’m just going to find out anyway.”

“I’m sorry, another what?” Hailey asked, looking between the father and son.

“Another murder,” Stiles asked and Sherriff Stilinski smacked the back of his head.

“Which is supposed to be kept confidential until released to the public. But when you have a loud mouthed snoop of a son like I do that never seems to happen,” he said causing Hailey to laugh.

“Well I hope you can figure out what’s been happening,” Hailey said, standing up. “I should get going.”

“Don’t leave on my account,” the Sherriff said. “Do you want some pizza?”

“I’d love to stay but I already ate dinner. Maybe some other time,” she said with a smile. She turned to Stiles and gave him a hug. “Thanks Stiles. I’ll see you Monday.”

“Yeah no problem. Uh, I’ll come down with you, see you out,” he said. Hailey headed down the stairs as Stiles followed her. She heard him stop walking and his father say something. “I need to tell you something later,” he whispered and that peaked Hailey’s interest.

She acted like she didn’t hear anything and continued down the stairs as Stiles ran down behind her. Before she could get to the door he stepped around her and opened it for her. She walked outside and started to head down the stairs.

“Wait up a sec,” Stiles said and she turned to look at him. He stepped onto the porch and closed the door behind him. “If you want, I can ask Derek to back off for you if he’s creeping you out.”

“No,” she said automatically. It was the last thing she wanted. “He’s not creeping me out. I promise. As I said I was just curious as to how and why he was showing up everywhere. But, if you could ask him what he was doing in front of my house I’d appreciate it,” she said with a smile.

“Alright, will do,” he said, placing his hands on the rail of the porch and looking to the road.

“I should get going now,” she said, gesturing to her car.

“Yeah, yeah, drive safe.”

“See ya,” she said, continuing down the steps and walking to her car.

It wasn’t until she started the car that Stiles went inside. As she drove home she kept replaying Derek’s voice in her head. His voice had a hint of mystery in it and his eyes… Hailey had never seen eyes that color before. And when he stopped right next to her she could practically feel the heat radiating from his body. She had two choices. She could either listen to Allison and Stiles and ignore Derek. Or, she could ignore Allison and Stiles and find out more. And at this point she was leaning more towards the second option.