Nothing Personal

Over the Course of the Week:

"Are you sure you're all right?" Madison pressed Stiles, rubbing a hand over his shoulder. He nodded slightly while covering her cold hands with his own. The pair received odd looks from passing bystanders who were as equally curious about the beautiful new girl as they were about her weird attraction to the pariah of Stiles. Stiles shot her a soft spoken smile as she pecked his cheek.

Since she came barging into his room the day he returned home, he noticed how affectionate she was. From kissing his forehead to his cheek, it seemed innocent at first but it got to him, seen from his burning cheeks. He wasn't used to that kind of treatment from the opposite sex, not since his mother…

"You know I'm here for you, okay? If you need to talk, I'm ready and willing. If you need to ditch school for a day, tell me, I'll drive you to Los Angeles just to clear your mind. I used to do it when the reality of my parents really struck me and I went into this who-am-I phrase though my dads' say it was more of a rebellious streak. The inner city really clears my mind. It gives you an escape knowing there is another world out there you can submerge yourself in."

Stiles laughed lightly. He knew she was telling the truth, maybe with a bit of exaggeration on her part, but he believed her nonetheless and appreciated every word she spoke. In truth, Madison was telling the truth. Each day she spent with Stiles the more protective she got of him. He was too sincere and delicate. She engulfed him in her tender arms and held him tight. He held her waist and resting his chin on her shoulder while the fresh scent of apple and citrus overwhelmed his nostrils as her hair curtained his face.

Scott noticed this afar while he led Allison to her next class. Allison narrowed her eyes at Madison as she felt some uncertainty towards the stunning blonde. Unlike with Scott and Jackson, Madison hadn't extended any friendliness towards her. Madison had been getting too close to the guys far from her comfort level. Allison felt threatened that her spot next to Scott would be replaced by her.

Maybe she felt like there was competition but why should Madison compete with Allison for Scott when she had Stiles in the palm of her hands? Maybe she was just playing Stiles to get to Scott? She trembled. Allison would not let that happen! Not over her dead body!

Scott felt equally suspicious. Not that he wanted to undermine his best friend but girls like Madison didn't go for the underdog like Stiles. It just didn't happen. He tried to remind himself that it did for his case, when he and Allison clicked but instantly he also reminded himself that was the day after he got bit. If he remained human and avoided the bite, Allison most likely would be with Jackson or some other guy. Scott's human charm was nonexistent. There was something odd about Madison but he couldn't point what.

He was also still shaken about her friend Tabitha. It couldn't be a coincidence, could it? That as soon as Madison transferred schools, a new werewolf steps onto the scene? What could Tabitha want anyways? The question burned in the back of his brain and had his blood steaming. She wanted to prove something when she attacked Stiles but what? He didn't know and he was frustrated beyond compare because of that. Did Madison even know Tabitha was behind Stiles' shaken condition? He doubted it as Madison continued to keep friendly tabs with her friend over text.

"Come on, the bell is about the ring," Stiles directed at Madison as he carried her textbooks for her. She strode alongside him effortlessly, intersecting arms and weaving her fingers into his spare hand. He blushed and she giggled, poking his cheek with a slender finger. He was dazed by her blinding white smile and diverted his gaze before he plunged face first. Madison was honest when she admitted she enjoyed the attention. It was pure admiration and respect and unlike her Omegas, she didn't have to demand it. It boosted her ego through the roof and at the same time, softened a piece of her heart designated just for him. She unintentionally adopted the role as his protector posing as his hopefully-to-be-girlfriend.

"So I have a game this Saturday," Stiles announced, leading her into class. "I was hoping you would come and cheer us on."

Unfortunately, they didn't share any classes but luckily, kept close proximity as they shared the same hallway. He leaned against the doorway while dropping his face to the ground, hiding his awkwardness. She picked up his chin and pecked him softly on the said cheek before confiscating her textbooks from his loose grasp.

She smiled as he choked on words. Oh yes, she was definitely flattered. "I would love to. I'll be cheering you on." She laughed. "I'll make a sign and everything! Just tell me the time and I'll get a front row seat."

He grinned from ear to ear. Now he knew how Scott felt. Paralyzed with joy, the sound of the bell didn't registered into his head until Madison was physically forced to push Stiles away, ushering him to the hallways. Laughing awkwardly, he waved her goodbye and ran to the nearest door that a teacher was about to close. With a disgruntled look, the teacher shot him a glare and then rolled his eyes as he shut the door.

Madison walked back to her desk as Mr. Harris closed the door and directed the class to copy the notes consuming 60% of the blackboard. Madison brought out her Mac laptop and popped up another window of Microsoft Word where she furiously typed down his
chalk-written words. Behind her a quiet Lydia stared curiously as Madison's figure.

Lydia was surprised to see Madison here, in her physics class, and slightly intimidated by the new competition. Everyone seemed to flock to Madison as the new shiny toy and it made Lydia burn with envy as she noted the curious stares from the rest of the class. They stared at Lydia, too, but for the opposite reason. She was like a freak show underneath her clothes and she made sure to cover her scratches and bruises. Madison was different, fresh and flawless with a beautiful face that attracted every guy's attention, including Jackson's. Lydia gritted her teeth just thinking about it.

Other than that, there seemed to be no difference between Madison and her. Madison was as sleek and stylish, a little more conservative versus Lydia's knack for flare but recent events caused Lydia to change her style to match Madison's conservative stile like her neat, pressed dark denim pants and simple, solid purple shirt under an expensive looking white blazer, complete with a set of matching diamond earrings and a long, gold chain necklace. Her golden hair fell freely on her shoulders in perfect waves while Lydia's copper locks began to thin from recent stress. Lydia's eyes –though eccentrically green –couldn't compare to Madison's unique grey eyes that seemed to pierce through one's soul.

Lydia only had one impression of Madison from when she confronted her in the hospital. She startled Lydia when she stated she knew what Lydia was but promised not to tell as long she kept her mouth shut and not do something stupid to reveal herself. Lydia didn't know what she was talking about but from the intense look in her cool eyes, Lydia all but complied. Lydia knew Madison was dangerous but didn't know how exactly and was hesitant to discover exactly what. The thought made her gulp.

Another thing that had intimidated Lydia was Madison's intelligence. Her prying eyes saw how quickly –and accurately –Madison finished the difficult physics problems like spreading butter on bread. It made Lydia even more envious of the blonde. Screw the dumb bimbo stereotype, Madison was anything but dumb. Lydia was clinging onto her last shred of dignity thinking about how Madison easily excelled at the same subjects Lydia did. She felt her reputation threatened but was too scared to confront Madison on it. She knew she couldn't manipulate her. Madison didn't seem like the type to take orders and she would most definitely sniff out Lydia's tactics and cut her to pieces for it. No, it was the other way around, with Madison being one the barking orders. Lydia didn't know how on-key she was with that.

Of course, it seemed odd Madison would go for a type like Stiles. Lydia noticed how close the two had gotten since she arrived at school and was told by Scott the bond formed long before she even came to school. A sour twinge shocked Lydia as she tried to comprehend her new feeling whenever she thought of the off couple. She frowned as an idea popped into her head but she shook it off. There was no way she could be jealous of Madison over Stiles of all people. She was already jealous of Madison from the attention Jackson was giving her but… Maybe she was jealous of the quantity of boys giving Madison attention. She guessed if she was going to lose Jackson, Stiles would be there as a rebound but Madison seemed to be making sure Lydia was left with none.

The thought of the possibility made Lydia grind her teeth in annoyance. She knew Madison probably didn't mean to do intentionally but still… Lydia felt threatened and she knew Allison had her doubts, too, as Madison was getting especially close to Scott, too, but excused it and reasoned the two boys were best friends. It was all purely coincidental. Recently though Lydia began to doubt coincidences existed, not with what just happened to her.

As the hours passed, Stiles looked forward to lunch more than usual as he waited for Madison outside the doorways. He saw her bright blond hair bob from the thick crowd and called out for her. Her head perked up and she smiled brilliantly at him. He felt his heart stop when she did that. It felt so surreal that any female could greet him so eagerly. It felt so foreign. She ran up to him and wrapped her arms around his waist. The two waited in line while Madison scooped up a simple salad and Stiles asked for a pizza slice, specifically pepperoni, from the crabby lunch lady. After paying up front, the pair sat down at the crowded table where Allison and Lydia glanced at each other cautiously. Allison subconsciously moved closer to Scott while Lydia levitated towards Jackson who shot her an agitated look. Didn't she get that they broke up already? He thought bitterly but didn't shove Lydia away, considering her fragile physical state. His blue eyes drifted from Lydia's bright red hair to Madison's golden locks and wondered how on earth she could be attracted to that loser Stiles. What did he have that appealed to her? It was obvious she was way out of his league. Maybe it was just pity… No, Jackson rejected the idea. There has to be more! He swallowed a hot piece of cheese down his throat, ignoring the burn, as he stared directly at her.

Lydia noticed this too and jealously burned in her inner core. She couldn't believe Jackson could move on so quickly. Would Madison reciprocate his attention or keep munching on her lettuce obliviously? Lydia scowled. The new girl had to know about the attention she kept getting and Lydia betted Madison was gloating in it. On contrary, Madison wanted the opposite and tried to seem as inconspicuous as she could get but not much happens at Beacon Hills and she was the highlight of the new semester it seemed. She remained silent as Stiles rubbed her back reassuringly. He was falling for her act too easily, she thought sourly. Sure, she liked the boy, and she was pleased he wasn't putting much of an obstacle, but it made her sicker knowing she was playing the boy and would probably break his heart for no damn good reason. Another careless casualty, she scowled. She wasn't that heartless.

"So," Scott drawled out, glancing at Jackson wearily. "Jackson and I were wondering about your friend, Tabitha…"

"That one you met at practice two weeks ago?" Madison played dumb. Scott nodded. "Why?"

"I don't know. Her name just kind of popped up in our conversation. We were talking about how… scary… she was. She threatened us, you know? She said if we ever hurt you, that she'd track us down and spread our body parts all over California."

Scott purposely left out the part they all acknowledged each other as werewolves. Madison, on the other hand, already knew about the transaction, and was really quite flatted her Beta would defend her like that. She really did stick true to her word. She smiled at the thought. She also knew Tabby would have no issue delivering her threat with ease. She already proved that with her stunt on Derek. Yes –Tabitha tells her everything, like a good Beta does. Madison was sure the sudden attack and disabling of their Alpha really shook Jackson and Scott to the core. That's why they were probably bringing it up.

She noticed Stiles beside hide his face from them behind his palm as a red blush crept up his enflamed cheek. Stiles remembered Tabitha, too, she mentally mused, but not for that. She hid back a giggle. Tabitha certainly left a different impression on the boy. Every time her name gets brought up, he gets flustered and suddenly his voice dies down so no one can get a peep out of him. It's been really frustrating his friends, she could see that, but that wasn't really the issue at hand.

Madison giggled. "Oh, Tabitha… Yeah, I'm not surprised. She's really protective of her friends, even distant ones. Don't take it personally, she's just says that make you shit yourself. She enjoys that, especially with emasculating men. I don't know why but she does."

"What is she really like?" Scott continued.

Madison made sure to re-organize her mind so she wouldn't let any critical information slip from her lips but indulged them. Even without the werewolf aspect, she was sure Tabitha's biography would still intimidate.

"First and foremost, she emphasizes her bi-racial nationality. Do not get her confused for simply as white. She will chew your head off. She is Venezuelan from her father's side and Irish on her mother's. She's very proud of her Latin roots, speaks fluent Spanish, and –well don't repeat this, okay? I mean it. I don't want to get in trouble with her."

Jackson and Scott nodded furiously while the girls leaned in, more curious. Lydia by far the most, as she also noticed the boys fascination with this Tabitha girl who she didn't even meet but coincidentally was tied to Madison. She felt bitter.

"When her grandfather came here to lay roots like thirty five years ago, he didn't have enough to bring his whole family over, so she has some distant relatives and cousins over there that are supposedly tied to the Columbian Drug Cartel. Actually, the whole family is like sprawled out all over South American but generally populated on the north point, closer to the US borders. No one can prove it but it's under wraps because of her father's military position. If you tie a General to the Columbian Cartel, add the weapon connections, it comes together as really incriminating even though her father would never aid them. But it's kind of like the family secret. So, I mean it, don't tell anyone."

Scott held it hands up in surrender, reassuring her that his intentions weren't vile.

"But, from what I know, and from what I seen and heard, when she visits them every year around the summer time, she picks up a few… tricks." Madison swallowed another forkful of salad. Believe it or not, but the words coming out of her mouth weren't just stories. Tabitha indeed had that ugly family secret. "Now, before anything else, let me explain to you. Tabby is an avid gun fanatic, just like with the rest of her family," Madison shot a glance at Allison. "I mean, they own about every fire arm to exist. It could be from her military upbringing, or … maybe… her Columbian connections. What I'm saying though, aside from where she got these guns, or how, she definitely knows how to use them. It kind of scares me to be honest."

"She is a guns expert, just like her dad," Madison continued, acknowledging Allison's wide eyes. Good, something she can bring back to her bastard of a dad, Madison bitterly thought. "She's not scared to use her guns and she always carries a pistol thing on her after school or a rifle when she scouts her ranch. She lives in the Wine district by the way, on like a 40 acre ranch. It's really difficult to find it."

"Has she shot anything?" Jackson asked incredulously. His blood rose as he realized Tabitha was more dangerous than he thought. Not only was her physical condition at its peak but she also was a sharp shooter. That didn't make a good mix for her opponents.

"A couple coyotes," Madison shrugged. "She absolutely loathes them with a passion! I think it because one tried to eat her puppy, luckily the older dogs chased it away but even then, she has a vendetta against them."

Madison shook her head, remembering a time when Tabitha had spooked her by shooting an unfortunate coyote pacing behind the chipped fence around her vast property. The shot echoing through the hair made her tremble as she recalled the real possibility of death. Tabitha pulled another surprise on Madison that –realizing Madison's insecurities about her self-defensive abilities –and handed her a Colt 22 from her arsenal from the detached garage. Though Madison was still shaky on the small pistol, it definitely gave her an extra sense of empowerment.

Madison still had yet to master the rifle but to be honest, didn't look forward to wielding the heavy artillery or suffer the shock of recoil, not like at Tabitha's level…

Madison rather stuck to tearing open the jugular than guns. It felt too unnatural and too impersonal. When she would kill, she preferred to do it with her own claws and teeth, to leave her own mark, instead of leaving behind a shell casing. Tabitha was different. She was more a merciful killer but that would be a different story to tell on a different occasion.

"Aubrey," Allison interrupted. "How about you tell us about yourself?"

"Um," Madison struggled for words. "I live with my fathers in Beacon Hills. We lived in San Diego for a while before moving here to escape the crime."

"Fathers… as in two," Jackson asked, obviously confused as seen in his knitted thick light brows.

Madison shot him a harsh look. "Yes, as in two. They're gay and I don't have an issue with it. Do you?"

"No, no," Jackson held up his hands in surrender. "I don't. I'm just surprised. That's all. Trust me, I don't have an issue. My best friend is gay. His name is Danny. So were you adopted?"

"No."

"Wait, how is that possible? Two guys can conceive a kid!"

She repressed a growl at Jackson's ignorance.

"They use a surrogate, dumbass," Lydia criticized.

"Actually," Madison corrected, "I'm biologically related to one of them. He's my uncle –Frank –adopted me after my parents died."

"I'm sorry," Allison sent her sympathies.

"How," Jackson asked, curious. Everyone shot him a heated glare, including Madison who was getting really annoyed by his rudeness but answered nonetheless.

"They died in a house fire."

"I'm sorry," Allison sympathized again. Scott nodded, silently agreeing. Jackson looked down, embarrassed.

"How did you deal?" Lydia asked curiously.

"I dealt well. I don't remember much of it because I was really one but I do know that I consider Frank my father pretty much because he taught me everything I know. Frank later met and married my second dad, Trevor, in San Diego where we lived for a while."

"Where did you live before that?" Allison asked.

"Around here actually," Madison offered a lousy smile. "Ironic, I know. I don't remember where, I was really young, but I'm not curious either."

That was a lie. She knew exactly where she lived. It was burned in her mind. She just couldn't force herself to go there to relive those memories. It was too excruciating. She'd probably break down and cry. She knew the lot was either cleared or rebuilt.

"How do you like it here so far?" Allison asked, trying to be polite.

"It's awesome. Everyone is great, especially all of you. Without Stiles and Scott I'd be a mess wandering around hopelessly lost. Plus, I'm so glad to ditch the uniforms. They were so restricting. Only a few people could get away with bending around the dress codes and unfortunately I wasn't one of them."

Speaking of the said-dress-codes, across town Tabitha fumbled with the hem of her pleated skirt while staring off at the window, sighing softly, hopelessly, as the bright sun taunted her from the clear blue sky outside while she was contained in the steaming, bland grey classroom. Her feet furiously tapped the worn out tile floor, annoying the people around but they were too shy to speak out, hesitant of retaliation from Tabitha herself or the aid of her well-known, intimidating brothers. Behind her, Alex gazed at her attentively. Sympathy and understanding clear in his bright, baby blue eyes.

"Don't worry Tabs," he whispered to her from behind as the teacher left the classroom quickly to talk with another co-worker in the hall. "Fifteen more minutes and we'll be out of here."

She nodded, mute and distressed as she couldn't shake off a bad feeling. Nervously she looked down at her phone in her lap hidden by a notebook, waiting for a text from Madison but her face fell in disappointment. She had been feeling antsy all day and assumed it was because of the full moon but was always embarrassed to admit it. Madison was very good control and Alex seemed so calm. Lucas had called in a day sick, knowing practice would be catastrophic if we were to be reckless enough to play while ready to phase into a beast. It appeared only she was the one who was practically jumping out of her skin ready to explode here. She let out another shaky breath.

This wasn't Tabitha. She was always in control, cool, and collected, a disposition she attained from her militaristic father as well as a face she had to keep up around her rough brothers, to assert her own power around the masculine bullies.

She was the one who could pull out her Remington from a strap and shoot off a round in 5.5 seconds without a single blink. She could wrangle with Benny the bull even if he could cause a collapsed lung with a single kick from his hooves. She could wrestle down any boy she wanted to prove she didn't need her brother's to stick up for her. She was hit in the head with a golf ball for heaven's sake but was tough enough to walk it out. Her body was beaten and bruised from the intense tennis matches with her and Beverly, the girl set on aiming at her soft spots. Tabitha was epitome of tough.

She wasn't a trembling type. Hell no. She would not emit any sense of fear at all. Fear had long since abolished ever since she was a little girl. (She might have been daddy's little girl –still is –but she refused to hide behind her father.) She was brave enough to face her fears. Then why was she so anxious? She had been through this, she knew how it went. She knew how to control herself! Something was off. It didn't feel right.

Time passed slowly but when the bell finally rang, she bolted out of her seat, heaving her backpack from the ground over her shoulder, where her simple white tennis shoes slapped against the faded and worn floor as she quickly passed the crowds of people. She used a back door to escape the oppressive, dim lit building and into a direct beam of the sun. The gold radiated off of her almond skin and her hair reflected red tones embedded in her natural mahogany locks. Alex followed faithfully behind her, keeping his distance but enough to keep a close eye on his superior. Diverting his dark eyes from her, he pulled out his phone and dialed his Alpha's number.

"Alex?" Madison asked, confused, from the other line. He heard another male voice behind her asking who 'Alex' was. 'Just a friend,' he heard her reply to the unknown presence before placing the speaker in front of her mouth. "What's up?"

"Tabby is acting weird."

"How weird," she demanded.

"Anxious, antsy, jumpy… I don't know why. Maybe it's the full moon?"

"Probably," He knew Madison shifted because he heard the phone's static as she switched hands. "Just take her out, get her mind of things." A silence broke out and he waited patiently as Madison secluded herself away from a crowd. "Take her to the woods and let her run loose. Make sure no one is around. I'll call her brothers and tell them she's with me. Okay? Keep an eye on her."

"Got it Aubrey," Alex understood before cancelling the call.

"What was that?" Stiles asked as he stood next to Aubrey's brightly white BMW. Jackson eyed it curiously, impressed by its style –even if it couldn't compare to his Porsche –but recalled seeing it somewhere… Nah, he shrugged it off. That type of model was probably popular.

"My friend Alex," Madison began to explain but Jackson's questioning glare made her rethink her statement. "He and Tabby had a fight so I suggested that he let her run it off and not to get worried about it. She'll run off her anger. He just asked me to cover for her. That's usual for Tabby." Stiles and Jackson exchanged a weird look before Stiles made a mental note to remind Scott. Madison tried to act normal but she felt her nerves jump as she headed back to her car.