Do You Fear Me?

I let out a growl and sat up. Rosie jumped back, untangling her fingers and legs. Her back hit the wall and I sighed.
“God dammit.”
“Isaac-”
“I know.” I stood up, pulling my shirt from the ground and back over my head. I kissed her, on her cheek, and left to the main room.
“Yes, Derek?”
“Don’t throw your attitude at me. Get down here.” I rolled my eyes and began down the stairs and soon stood in front of him.
“What the hell are you doing here?”
“Uh-skipping.”
“And Rosie?”
“Skipping as well.”
“Isaac, you could have hurt her.”
“How would you know?”
“You reek of sex and you didn’t even do it. Take her to school.”
“Derek, she’s supposed to be in a class right now, I can’t just take her back in the middle of it. She has free period next anyway.”
“You’re treading on thin ice, Isaac.”
“Yea, yea.” He growled at me but I closed the door to my room.
Rosie sat with her back to the door and was fixing her hair.
“I should get back.”
“You have a free period next, Rosie.”
“Yea, well, it’s better than sitting here and getting a lecture from Derek.”
“He’s not mad at you, he’s mad at me.”
“Because of me.” I was across the room in a flash and brushed her hair away from her shoulder.
“No, he’s mad at me because of me.” I leaned forward, pressing my hands into the bed and pressing my lips against her pulse. She froze, her hands falling to her sides. Her head tilted to the side and let me kiss up her neck to her jaw.
“Isaac, he’s right.”
“What?”
“You reek of sex.”
“I’ll have you know-”
“I don’t wanna know.” She turned her head, to kiss me one more time before falling forward on my bed.
“Tell me a story.”
“About what?”
“Anything…”
“Anything…alright.” I laid down beside her and pulled her against me.
“Once upon a time,” She giggled, cutting me off. “Is there something wrong with my story?”
“No, but it’s a cliché beginning.”
“Hush.” I put my hand over her mouth.
“Once upon a time, there was a little boy…he lived with his dad and lived a perfect life…but it wasn’t that perfect. The little boy was sad. His mom wasn’t…around…she had died when he was very little.” I felt Rosie curl up closer to me. “The little boy’s father was very mean to him…he wanted him to be perfect…just like him.”
“Was the little boy’s father really perfect?”
“Is anyone?” Rosie blinked, slowly, and kissed my chest, over my heart.
“So, the father made the boy practice. Lacrosse, swimming, school. Everything. The boy was to practice everything. Because practice makes perfect…he worked with his dad too…in the graveyard…and the boy lived. But, like I said and you asked, the father was far from perfect. Whenever the little boy messed up, and I use the term lightly, because the boy was known for messing up the simplest things, the father would punish him…”
“By…?”
“The most common punishment…was putting the little boy in the ice box in the basement. The father would lock him in there for hours…and for hours…the boy would sit in darkness and try to get out. But the darkness, it closed in on him. It was impossible to move. He would stay in the same spot, covering in darkness and, and he couldn’t get out-he had to sit there and suffer-and it was so small-it was so small and he couldn’t move-there was no way out-”
“Isaac-”
“Hours-he spent hours in there-”
“Isaac, listen to me-”
“Hours!” I heard a scream. “I spent hours in there! It was so small! So fucking small!”
“Isaac!”
There was a crash, and I felt hands grip my shoulders and drag me off my bed. The scream because louder and I felt claws embed themselves into my shoulders and I let out a roar.
Then it went black.

♒♋♊

Rosemary
I cried into Derek’s shirt. He had pulled Isaac away from me and explained why Isaac had gone into a panic over the story.
“I-I didn’t know it was him!”
“I know…it’s okay, Rosie…” I didn’t want to look at Isaac.
After Derek had pulled him away, he’d easily knocked him out so he wouldn’t become a ‘threat’ to me.
“Rosie, what’s your last period?”
“I-my free period is my last period.” Derek sighed.
“Okay. I’ll take you back so Stiles can take you home.”
“I-I wanna be here.” Derek stood back to look at me.
“What?”
“I-I wanna be here-when he wakes up.”
“That’s not a smart idea, Rosie. You could get hurt.”
“I want to be here, Derek!” He was taken aback by my anger.
“Fine, then. I’ll be back…in an hour or so.”
“Okay…” Derek sighed, his whole body moving with the breath.
“At least don’t touch him. If you do it might wake him up and he could do damage.”
“Okay.” He shook his head but left.
I glanced over at Isaac, still halfway across the room from him. I couldn’t not touch him. He’d saved my life, I’d save his. Or try to at least.
Ignoring Derek’s warning, I went to him and lightly touched his arm. He didn’t move. So I went and laid beside him, curling up and moving his arm around me.
“Isaac, I’m so sorry…”
Lying beside him, feeling his chest rise, slow with his breaths, I fell asleep.

There was a tighter grip on my side, pulling me closer. A breath hot on my cheek. And a hand twirling on my hip.
I opened my eyes slowly and Isaac, who was focused solely on making shapes into my side, was lying awake beside me.
I didn’t make a sound, I just let him continue to draw and twirl on my hip.
“I know you’re awake.”
“You woke me up.”
“Rosie, I’m sorry-”
“You don’t need to apologize, Isaac.”
“I almost hurt you.”
“Well, you saved my life so I owe you.”
“You don’t owe me your health for me saving you life once.”
“Derek helped anyway.”
“I know.”
We sat in silence for a bit, Isaac’s eyes still trained on my hip and his fingers.
“Why’d you tell me that?”
“That what?”
“Story…why’d you tell me?”
“Because you wanted to hear it…”
“I said tell me a story, not tell me about our past.”
He chuckled. “I guess so…”
“Why’d he do that?”
“He was a terrible…terrible man.”
“Where is he now?”
“Six feet under.”
“I don’t know whether to say sorry or just let it be.”
“Sorry would be nice but…I never really liked him.”
“How could you like someone like that?”
“Rosie, you’re a whole different theme, aren’t you?”
“I don’t know what that means but sure.” He smiled, laughing lightly.
“It’s a good thing.”
“Isaac, school’s almost over. We should go back.”
“I don’t wanna.”
“You have practice.”
“Are you gonna watch?”
“Isaac…”
“Please.”
“Uh…”
“Pretty please.”
“Are you gonna beg me?”
“I will if I have to.”
“That’d be a sight. Isaac Lahey on his knees begging a girl to watch him practice.”
“I’ll do it if necessary.” He leaned in, kissing the corner of my lips. “Please. Stiles has to drive you home anyway.”
“Fine.” He smirked and sat up.
“Isaac?” He looked back and I yanked him down to kiss me again. He fell forward in shock but kissed me back. His hand moved down and forced my legs around his waist and he knelt on the bed, letting me sit on his hips as I kissed him.
“What does this mean?”
“That we can kiss.”
“Rosie.”
“Isaac, sometimes, things don’t always work out.”
“You’re going to tell me no because of your brother and Scott?”
“I’m sorry. They’re my brothers.”
“What am I?”
“I don’t know. What are you?” I kissed him again.

“Where was Isaac in last period?” I looked at Lydia.
“I don’t know…”
“You sure?” I gave her a weird look. “You two just arrived on his bike.”
“And?”
“You skipped third and fourth.”
“Did not.”
“Did so. Don’t argue.”
“Don’t you have anything to do?”
“Nope.” I looked back at the field, away from Lydia.
“You two would be cute together.”
“Lydia, please.”
“I’m just saying.”
“Lydia I don’t like him like that.”
“Why’d you kiss?”
“I-what!?”
“Stiles told me.”
“Ooh…”
“I bribed it out of him.”
“He shouldn’t have said anything.”
“Are you really mad about it?” I glanced at her, then back at the field. Isaac turned and threw the ball towards the goal, hitting the back of the net hard. Then looked up at the stands to wink at me. I smiled.
“No.”
“Thought so.”
Lydia didn’t say anything else throughout the rest of practice, just sat at my side and made small comments about the game.
As practice ended, the boys slowly left the field.
“Hey Lydia?” I stopped her, pulling her back lightly by her arm. She stopped, looking at me with a smirk on her face.
“Yeah?”
“Um…I need your help.” I said, twisting my fingers together in front of me. I was nearly blushing at the thought.
“With what?”
“Finding a dress for the formal.”
“Should I assume you’re going with Isaac?”
“Well…kinda.” She smiled.
“I knew it. I’ll call Allison.”
“But-but not today. I just need help finding a dress.”
“Why don’t you ask Isaac to help?”
“B-because he-I don’t know.”
“I think you should ask him.” Lydia said, a smile on her face.
“N-no, that’d be weird.”
“I’ll ask him for you, then.”
“No! Please don’t do that!”
“Do what?”
“Ask-” I slapped a hand over Lydia’s mouth.
“You should go see Allison, I think she wanted to see you tonight.” I shoved her away. Stiles and Scott gave me a weird look but allowed my behavior and I slipped into the back of the jeep.
“So…you skipped?” My mouth fell open at Stiles’s accusation.
“Excuse me. What?”
“We know you skipped third and fourth. Lydia was looking for you during your free period and you weren’t anywhere.” Scott said.
“Who said I wasn’t where she wasn’t.”
“And Isaac wasn’t in his last class.” Stiles continued.
“Okay…”
“You two pulled up to the field on Isaac’s bike.” Scott said.
“That doesn’t mean anything.”
“Derek called.”
“God dammit!” I cursed, throwing my hands forward and slamming them against the back of Stiles’s seat.
“You shouldn’t hang out with him, Rosie.” Stiles pulled into the driveway.
“Who are you to tell me who I can and can’t hang out with?” I jumped out, from the back of Stiles’s jeep. But Stiles caught my arm and pulled me back.
“Your brother. You see him again and I’ll tell Dad.”
“You’re gonna tell on me!?” I ripped my arm from his grasp and turned towards the door. I unlocked it and threw it open.
“Yes.” Stiles said with pure angst.
“Oh my god! Are you five!?”
“No, but I know who my sister should and shouldn’t hang out with.”
“You’re not the boss of me Stiles!”
“I am when Dad’s not around.”
“You’re not even my real brother!”