Part of the Pack

Brayden got in her car, driving back to her best friends' house whilst trying to come up with a story that would ensure Mariah wouldn't hate her forever.

It was getting close to 1 AM, and as Brayden pulled up to the house and turned off the car she saw people starting to leave.

She walked in, the whole crowd shuffling out the door. By now, Mariah had sobered up a bit, but was still a mess. Mariah made a bee-line for Brayden with an annoyed look on her face.

"Where were you?" Mariah asked her, making Rebecca come over as well.

"There was an emergency, I-"

"You left with your new crew because you weren't having fun. I get it. Whatever, Brayden." Mariah scoffed.

"No, listen I-"

"I saw you get in Stilinski's car." Rebecca added. "So what was your emergency?"

"I-I, I can't tell you." Brayden still hadn't thought of an excuse or anything even remotely close to the truth she could say without completely lying to her best friends.

"Great, you're already one of them. Acting all mysterious, and like you're better than everyone else. And all exclusive, like only certain people are allowed to be friends with you." Mariah sneered.

"What, are you like, selling drugs with them or something? Why won't you tell us anything?! Why do you keep sneaking off with them, Bray?! You're not telling us something." Rebecca said. Brayden looked down, putting her hand to her forehead.

"I know what it is! You're ashamed of us! You don't want us hanging out with them, because now that you're hanging out with them, you're popular. And you don't want us to steal your spotlight." Mariah shouted. "Well screw you, Brayden!"

"That's just low, Bray. You've changed."

You've changed. Probably the biggest understatement, ever.

"No, no. You guys, that's not it at all. I'm not ashamed of you. I just, don't want you to get hurt." Brayden rubbed her temples.

"What are you not telling us?! We're supposed to be best friends, we're supposed to tell each other everything. We're supposed to tell each other all our deepest, darkest secrets." Rebecca said, giving Brayden a sympathetic look.

"I can't tell you." Brayden said, almost inaudible. "I have to go."

Mariah and Brayden looked at each other confused as Brayden rushed out the door to her car.

~~

After the confrontation, Brayden tried all weekend to get her friends to talk to her. Text messages, calls, stopping by their houses. Absolutely nothing worked. At school on Monday, they gave her the silent treatment. And again, she tried putting notes on their lockers, passing notes in class, trying to catch them in the hallways. Nothing.

This would be her final attempt, lunch. Brayden spotted them sitting at their regular table and went to sit down. Finally, Mariah spoke.

"Why don't you sit with your new best friends?" Mariah spat.

The McCall pack watched from their table.

"Hey Stiles, what did Mariah just say to Brayden?" Allison leaned over whispering in his ear.

"I don't know, they're the ones with the supernatural powers. Not me." he replied, motioning towards Scott, Lydia and Isaac.

They watched as Brayden walked out of the cafeteria, throwing her lunch out on the way from instantly losing her appetite.

Finding a table in the courtyard, Brayden sat down crossing her arms on the table and burying her head in them.

Lydia got up from the table, the other's asking her where she was going, but she took off too fast to reply. She went up to the brown haired girl and sat beside her, carefully.

"Brayden?"

"I want it to go away, and I want it to go away now." Brayden muffled into her arms, not looking at Lydia.

"I know," Lydia sighed. "But it's not exactly something any of us ask for."

Brayden lifted her head up, her eyes red and puffy, she started to wipe the tears away, she looked at Lydia. "I'm sorry."

Lydia pulled her into a hug. Brayden seemed a little confused, but eventually hugged back.

Usually Lydia wasn't this affectionate with someone she hadn't known for very long, or known very much about, except for being in a few classes together. But she understood what Brayden was feeling. She knew how terrifying it was to suddenly be pulled into something that seemed like a night terror, but was actually her new reality. And Lydia knew that it was her turn to be a mentor to Brayden now.

"I know this is hard, but you've got us now. Okay? So screw whatever your friends think! They have no idea what you've gone through these past few weeks. I do, and I'm going to help you get through this. Because honey, let's be honest. There's no one else like us here."

"Thanks, Lydia." she offered a small smile. Lydia returned it.

"You okay?" Lydia asked her. Brayden nodded. "Come on, let's get back to lunch. You can sit with us."