It Hurts Because It's Real

"Your dad just paid for all the damage? Just like that?" Stiles asked as Bella pulled into the school parking lot. She was finally back in her Mercedes-Benz SUV again, which she was immensely grateful for since it was her dream car.

Bella shrugged as she turned off the engine. "It was outside when I got home last night, so I'm pretty sure it was him." She looked to the boy beside her and smiled. "Unless I have some rich secret admirer." She joked as she opened her door and climbed out.

"Haha, you're so funny." Stiles replied dryly as he got out too.

"He's just trying to get on my good side." Bella explained her father's generous actions as they walked towards the school. "I've been so mad at him for what he's trying to do to your dad."

"Yeah, I know." Stiles replied. "Don't worry about it." He looked up and two familiar hated faces caught his eye. "Hey, is that the twins?"

Bella followed his gaze and frowned. "Yeah, with Scott." Stiles started speed walking towards them, making the girl groan and reluctantly follow after him at a slower pace.

"You need a pack." Bella heard Aiden say as she arrived. The werewolf gave her a glance but she looked away. "We need an Alpha."

"Yeah.. absolutely not." Stiles replied abruptly. "That's hilarious though."

"Why would I say yes?" Scott asked calmly.

"We'd add strength." Ethan tried to convince the superior werewolf. "We'll make you more powerful."

"There's no reason to say no." Aiden added.

"I can think of one. " Isaac's voice became clear as he strolled up to stand beside Bella. "Like the two of you holding Derek's claws while Kali impaled Boyd." He looked to Scott. "In fact, I don't know why we're not impaling them right now."

Aiden's fangs extended as a growl escaped his throat and his blue eyes started glowing. "You wanna try?"

Isaac grinned as he stepped forward to take the offer but Bella grabbed his hand to pull him back. The werewolf looked down at the girl who just shook her head at him. Isaac nodded once and stepped back to stand beside her again. Bella let go of his hand and the chill that it sent through her.

"Sorry, but they don't trust you." Scott told the abandoned twins, referring to the group of three standing around him. "And neither do I."

-

"Who even is this guy?" Bella asked as she, Stiles, Isaac, Lydia and Allison walked through the hall. Stiles had told her that both of their fathers were at the school because of reports of a criminal being seen near by.

"William Barrow. Convicted mass murderer." Allison informed the girl.

"He walked onto a school bus full of teenagers and detonated a bomb." Stiles added to the terrifying information. "Four people killed."

"Oh, well, he sounds great to me." Bella spat out sarcastically.

"Wait, it actually gets worse."

"Yeah, he said he killed them because they had glowing eyes." Isaac told Bella and waited for her reaction, which was all of the colour draining from her face.

"No one knows how he woke up from anesthesia." Stiles exclaimed. "Just that when they opened him up, they found a tumor of live flies." He said and Bella gagged as she walked. "Which in any other circumstance would be all kinds of awesome."

"In what world is that awesome?" Bella asked with a grimace on her face.

"Did you say flies?" Lydia spoke for the first time, making the rest of them stop and turn around. "All day I have been hearing this sound, it's like... this... buzzing."

"Like the sound of flies?"

"Exactly like the sound of flies."

-

"Scott and Isaac are in the basement, right?" Bella asked as she and Stiles searched the upper level of the school for any sign of Barrow.

"Yeah, with Ethan and Aiden." Stiles told her. "Their plan is to meet in the middle at the boiler room."

"All of the wolves." Bella said as something clicked in her brain. "All of the ones with glowing eyes are in the basement at the boiler room." She realised, remembering how Isaac had told her about Barrow's reasoning for his crime.

"Oh my God." Stiles replied as he turned to look at her. "Barrow used to be an engineer... he would know how to use the boiler room to blow up the whole school."

"Stiles, we have to get them out of there." Bella said urgently, the thought of something bad happening to any of them scaring the hell out of her.

"Yeah, we have to get everyone out."

"How do we do that?"

Stiles decided that their best bet at getting everyone out of school would be pulling the fire alarm. He said he would go do it and meet Bella outside, so that she wouldn't get in trouble for being involved. Bella was reluctant but followed his plan anyway, standing outside as the fire alarm rang throughout the halls.

Soon after the alarm was sounded, Isaac, Scott, Ethan and Aiden found Bella and gathered around her. She gave them a hopeful look but it wasn't returned.

"We didn't find anything." Aiden revealed, making Bella's stomach drop.

"Not even a scent."

"It's three o'clock, right? That means schools over." Bella said. "If there was a bomb, wouldn't he of set it off by now?"

"Does that mean everybody's safe?" Ethan asked.

"I don't know." She replied and looked around. "I just... I don't know."

-

"Did you get detention for pulling the alarm?" Bella asked as she lay on her stomach on Stiles' bed. She couldn't find him outside school so she had gone to his house to see him and check that he was okay.

"Yep, every day this week." Stiles replied. "It's okay though, we were on to something."

"Do you think he was really there?" Bella inquired quietly.

"Yeah, I think he was." Stiles said and Bella looked down to play with her hands. She couldn't imagine something bad happening to any of her friends. Stiles turned around when she didn't reply. "Hey," he said and waited until she looked up. "don't worry about it, Bella. He's not gonna hurt anyone."

"You tell me not to worry about a lot of things." She replied bluntly.

"Well, yeah, cause you're gonna give yourself a heart attack if you keep doing it." He said and held out his arms. "You don't need to protect all of us."

Bella scrunched up her face at him. "How can you even say that?" She asked and pulled herself to stand. "Do you think I want to worry about this mass murderer who's on a hunt to kill my brother and our friends?" She demanded and stepped towards him. "As well as having to think about you going insane and my dad trying to get your dad fired?"

"You think I'm going insane?" Stiles asked quietly.

"I wouldn't call what's happening to you normal." She said harshly and then immediately regretted it, but it was the truth.

Stiles nodded, obviously hurt. "Well, then maybe you should go. I'm sure you have a better way to spend your night than with a crazy person." Bella opened her mouth to speak but he stopped her and held out his arms. "Hey, I bet Isaac would just love to spend some quality time with you."

Bella groaned and put her hands up in frustration. "Why would you even bring that up?!" She yelled at him.

"Because you never talk about it!" He yelled back.

"There's nothing to talk about!" Bella screamed at him; she was so tired of having the same conversation over and over.

"Oh, come on!" Stiles replied. He stepped closer to her and was inches from her face. "Do you think I'm an idiot?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

Stiles breathed out a spiteful laugh and shook his head. "God, when are you gonna stop lying to yourself, Bella?" He spat out and the girl just looked up at him. "You feel something for him."

"No, I don't!" She yelled in reply but her voice shook.

"Admit it, Bella!" He screamed back at her. "Just admit it, just once! You owe me that much."

He was right. Bella at least owed him the truth.

"Fine!" Bella cried. "I like him, okay? But that's all it is — just some stupid crush!"

Stiles looked like someone had ripped his heart from his chest and Bella couldn't believe what she had just said. This was the first time she had let herself realize her feelings — and she hated herself for it.

"Stiles, I love y—"

"Don't." Stiles choked. "Go." He told her and she felt her world caving in.

"Stiles, please..."

"No, I'm serious, Bella." He interrupted her sternly, his voice barely a whisper. "Just go."

Bella blinked back tears as she turned and walked out of his room.

-

"Hey." Bella greeted quietly as she walked past Isaac's room in her mom's house. His head jolted up from his book at the sound of her croaky voice. "What're you doing?" He was surrounded by papers and books.

"Still looking for anything about flies coming out of people's bodies." Isaac replied tiredly, closing the book and setting it down.

"No luck, I'm guessing?" Bella asked in the same tone and walked over to sit beside him on the edge of his bed.

"Nope... nothing." He sighed and turned his head to see her looking at the floor. "Hey, you okay?"

She lifted her head quickly and looked at him. "Yeah, yeah, course I am." Bella forced a smile when all she wanted to do was cry for days. She had sobbed the whole way home from Stiles' house and she was pretty sure she looked a mess.

"You don't have to pretend with me, Bella." Isaac told her softly. "Seriously, what is it?"

Bella stared at him for a moment before looking back at the floor. "Everything." She choked out as the tears started flowing again.

Isaac's heart broke — he had never seen her like this. The fire that was always in her had burned out. He moved his hand to her cheek to turn her face and make her look at him. Her eyes were bloodshot from crying so much. Isaac brushed away the tears rolling down Bella's cheeks with his thumb. "What happened?"

"Stiles and I got into a fight." She told him quietly.

"What about?"

"You."

Isaac dropped his hand and moved back. "W-what... what do you mean — me?"

"I think you know." Bella's voice was hoarse and weak from crying so much.

Isaac blinked at her and then his face stiffened. "I need to hear you say it."

"Isaac, I can't." She sobbed and shook her head at the boy. He had been there for her through everything, even saved her life. And she still couldn't give him what he wanted. "I'm sorry, I love him."

Isaac nodded slowly and turned his head to the floor –– he had heard that same phrase too many times. He turned back to the crying girl. "Then I need you to let me go."

"What?" She choked out. "Isaac, please––"

"It's never gonna be me, Bella. You know that. You're always gonna be stuck on the same boy that doesn't even know what he has." Isaac exclaimed and looked her over once more. "I need to get over you and that's not gonna happen if we stay friends."

"Isaac, please, I'm begging you, don't do this." Bella pleaded but the Werewolf was hard as stone as he looked back at her. "I can't lose you too."

This was so much harder than he had ever imagined, but he had to believe that he was doing the right thing for the both of them. "It's the best thing for both of us, Bella. We just need some time apart."

"No, we don't, Isaac." She cried and leaned closer to him, he didn't move. "I need you."

"Then do something about it." Isaac replied lowly, their faces inches apart. "Or I need to stay away from you, Bella. Because I can't stand to see you with him anymore."

The girl stared up at him for a few moments before doing something that she knew she would probably regret - but all she could think about was keeping Isaac in her life. Bella closed the small gap in-between them and crushed her lips onto his. Isaac was confused for a few moments but then placed his hands on either side of the girl's face and leaned into her; Bella reached up to rest her hand on one of Isaac's. Neither of them could believe what was happening and all they wanted to do was stay in their own little world. No werewolves, no murderers, no threats. No one else but them.

After what seemed like forever, Bella pulled back and took in a deep breath. She kept her eyes closed for a few moments to brace herself. When she opened her eyes, Isaac's hands were still on her face and he was looking at her in the way every girl wanted to be looked at. He looked like he was ready to jump in front of a bus for her at any moment, like there was no one else in the world but her. His eyes glistened and his lips were a sweet pink as his chest heaved up and down.

Bella chewed on her lip for a moment; she had absolutely no idea what to say or do next. And it looked like Isaac didn't either. "I'm really sorry." She whispered.

"What?" Isaac breathed out and shook his head. "Don't be." He used his thumb to stroke her cheek before Bella pulled his hands away from her face and set them down. Isaac frowned slightly but ignored it. "I've been wanting to do that for way too long."

Bella smiled lightly but didn't look up at him.

Isaac sighed heavily; he could tell that she thought she'd done the wrong thing. "Nothing's ever going to happen between us, is it?"

Her eyes flickered up to him and she felt so guilty. She just didn't know what to do or what she wanted. "I just don't want to hurt Stiles. I've basically just proved his point of the argument."

"Bella, if he loves you, he'll just want you to be happy." Isaac said quietly and Bella just felt worse. She had this pit in her stomach that she thought would never go away. After a few moments of silence, Isaac started to stand up. "I, uh, I have to go to Allison's for a little while."

The girl looked up at him. "What? Why?" She almost whispered, her voice breaking.

"I promised I'd help her find something on this Barrow guy and the flies." He replied and Bella could tell that he didn't want to leave. "I'll see you later, okay?" Isaac said softly and reached up to touch her face for a moment before turning to leave. He stopped in the doorway to glance back at her one more time but she was looking at the floor.

Stiles would never forgive her. Ever. He would probably never speak to her again. Even Scott would be angry at her for what she just did. But the thought of not having Isaac in her life was just too much - Bella probably would of done anything to make him stay.

She needed both him and Stiles. And it was going to be the death of her.