To Be Human [6]
Pairing: Stiles Stilinski x Female!OC
Words: 10,503
Warnings: Swearing, fluff, mentions of death, mentions of burns, mentions of fire
Summary: Maybe a night at the ice rink will be a good stress-reliever or not
A/N: Finally getting somewhere with this chapter. But also, can yโall believe weโre getting a Teen Wolf movie? WILD. And big thank you to @peter-parkers-passportย โs for being my beta reader ๐ญ Please lemme know what yโall think!! If you want to be tagged, send me an ask. I only ask that you reblog every chapter, please!! You can also read on my Wattpad, AO3, and FFN all @/starksparker !!
ch. 3 || ch. 4ย || ch. 5
series masterlist // masterlist
Cam wakes up to the sound of Stiles's phone blaring. His arm is wrapped around her shoulders and her head is laid on his chest and it is by far the most comfortable place she's been in too long. And for those few seconds it takes Stiles to realize his phone is ringing and to let go of Cam to reach for his phone, she almost forgets why she was with him in the first place. Forgets the ache in her chest and the burning eyes and sore throat. Congested nose. For a few seconds, she is at peace. And then those seconds pass.
"Hello?" Stiles's voice is groggy as he answers the phone, clearing his throat and rubbing his eyes. "Oh, uh, yeah hi Mr. O'Riley. Yeah, she's here." Stiles looks to Cam with sleep in his eyes but he has a gentle smile, one with hints of sorrow. Cam shakes her head, hoping Stiles gets that she doesn't want the phone. "She's sleeping, is it okay if I have her call you when she wakes up? She was up most the night." Stiles scratches the back of his neck with the small lie. "Yeah, of course. It's no problem. Bye." He hangs up and lays back down with an exhausted groan. "He's worried about you." Stiles says, looking over to Cam.
"Everyone is always worried about me." Cam sighs, her voice cracking from crying the night before and lack of sleep.
Stiles moves his mouth to the side as if to be in thought. Of course, people are worried about Cam. Her mom's been dying for a long time and it got worse real quick and then there was the body and now the actual death of her mom. People are gonna worry but the stuff Cam doesn't know makes Stiles worry more.
Stiles shrugs, not really sure what else to say. "You okay?"
Cam shrugs back. "Yeah."
Stiles squints his eyes. "Are you?"
"Were you?" Cam asks, her voice is quiet and soft, lacking the snark that would normally come along with that question.
Stiles shakes his head. "No." Stiles looks away from her before he gets up from the bed, Cam visibly deflated as he gets up. "Which is why you're coming with us tonight."
Cam quirks a brow, the sound of being around anyone besides Shep or Stiles is repulsing at best. "Where and who is us?"
"Ice rink, Scott, Allison, and Lydia." Stiles explains, moving to his closet.
"Why?"
Stiles turns around and crosses his arms. "Because you need some fun in your life."
"And being the fifth wheel with Scot and Allison who aren't together." Cam rolls her eyes knowing full and well they are definitely together and not broken up. "And you and Lydia while you pine over Lydia the whole time and she ignores you as she's done our entire lives?"
Stiles hangs his head before moving his hand to his hip and lifting his head back up. "Sometimes, you're so negative." Stiles groans. "It'll be fun and I don't pine after Lydia. Besides, I helped--"
"Find her." Cam rolls her eyes. "Blah blah blah. I get it. She knows who you are now so surely you two will live happily ever after." Cam claps her hands together, pulling her hands to her face, pressing her cheek to them.
Stiles narrows his eyes. "Jee, tell me how you really feel." Stiles snarks and Cam opens her mouth but Stiles cuts her off before she has a chance to actually say what she really thinks. "Please." Stiles says. "I want you to come."
"It'll be fine, Stiles. I'm fine."
"You're a damn liar." Stiles groans, turning back around and grabbing a hoodie. "It'll be more fun with you there." Stiles says, turning back around, hints of the sarcasm and annoyance gone as he looks to the floor.
This wasn't just for Lydia. Stiles planned a night for just the group of them for Lydia and Cam. He didn't know her mom would die the night before but he knew it was coming so he thought planning something like this, something he knew Cam definitely liked and he hoped Lydia would to, would make them both feel better afte what's happened and is happening. He cares so much about them both and he just wants them to be okay. He wants them both safe and to not get wrapped up in any of this. Lydia is already unknowingly a part of it, but Cam? Stiles can keep her away from it. Or at least try. She has enough going on.
The offer is nice and Cam knows that. It's just, being around other people doesn't sound fun. It'll be better than sitting in her room and crying over her mom. She needs to grieve but she can do that and still be with her friends, or kind of friends. Truthfully, she just doesn't want to be pitied. She'll be the girl whose mom just died and now everyone needs to be careful. She knows because she watched it happen to Stiles. Everyone tip-toeing around him and offering him things, being nice to him when they normally wouldn't. That's not her. And she doesn't want to bring them all down. She just wants everything to be normal. Nothing about her mom. Just normal, like her mom had never been sick, like she didn't just die. Just normal, teenage life. But, there's something, something she can't quite put her finger on, where she almost feels the disappointment Stiles feels with her saying she doesn't want to go.
She's turned Stiles down to do things and he's been disappointed before but she never felt this. She's felt bad, of course, but this is different. There's something in her bones that feels his exact disappointment and sadness. And it's leaving her in a state of confusion and she just becomes lost because why does she feel like she can feel what he's feeling?
"Are you disappointed with me saying I don't want to go?" Cam asks bluntly watching Stiles get the rest of his clothes.
Stiles stops and looks over to her. "Uh...y-yeah. Why wouldn't I be?" Stiles asks, hesitance in his voice. The question is just odd coming from her, someone who doesn't normally ask.
"I don't know." Cam shrugs. "Just...wondering, I guess." She lets out a sigh and maybe it's just because she's jam-packed with emotions or maybe it's because Stiles is extra disappointed this time. She can't just know how someone is feeling. His tones of voice must have just been strong but due to Cam's lack of sleep, she didn't consciously notice.
"Are you really not gonna come?" Stiles asks.
Cam rolls her eyes. "What time are you picking me up?"
Stiles smirks, ear-to-ear knowing all along that Cam was gonna say yes, even if he had to kidnap her. "Around nine?"
"Okay." Cam says. "I'll get going then so you can get ready."
"You can stay here." Stiles offers. "My dad isn't gonna care."
A gentle smile falls onto Cam's face. "Thanks but, uh, I think I should probably go home to my dad, especially if I'm going out."
Stiles nods and the room falls silent before Cam realizes the rink will be closed. "How're we getting into the rink if it'll be closed?" Cam asks, brow quirked and eyes narrowed.
He chuckles with a hint of confidence. "Boyd."
"Paying him off, are you Stilinski?" Cam chuckles.
"Maybe." He wiggles his eyebrows with the response. "Turn around." He spins his finger, holding a pair of jeans in his hands.
"Seriously?" Cam rolls her eyes and turns around without protest. "Since when are you so modest?"
"I'm not modest!" He defends. "I gotta leave something up to the imagination." Cam can almost hear the grin from across the room. "You can turn back around."
"Oh yeah, I'm really imagining Stiles Stilinski in Batman boxers." Cam snarks, turning back around, the grin leaving Stiles's face immediately.
"First of all, they're not Batman." Stiles states, grabbing his shirt from the chair beside him. "Second," He pauses and Cam waits patiently, the grin not even budging. "Shut up."
Cam gasps sarcastically. "Did...did I just leave thee Stiles Stilinski without a quip?"
Stiles huffs and takes his shirt off, throwing it at Cam before sliding the clean one over his head in a quick movement. "Hey! Jerk!" Cam yells, throwing the dirty shirt back at him.
Stiles chuckles, putting the purple hoodie on and zipping it up just over halfway. "Look who's talking!"
"I'm the princess of kindness actually." Cam chuckles, grabbing her laptop from the floor and realizing it definitely died on them last night.
"More like the princess of pain in my ass." Stiles snarks back before grabbing his backpack.
"And you wouldn't have it any other way." Cam holds her head up with confidence which makes Stiles laugh.
"I wouldn't." There's a kind smile on Stiles's face.
He can't believe he let so much time go by without her. Her mom just died and she's sitting in his bed cracking jokes. It's her way of coping with literally anything but she's always been like that. Crack jokes and everything feels like it's okay. Stiles does the same. They both rely on sarcasm to get through anything that's just too much for them to handle. But, even though he knows that, it's still nice. And it was just such a waste to not just reach out to her after everything. It's squashed but there's a part of him that blames himself for not being there for her even though she didn't want it.
And....it's just nice to have her back, someone who understands him better than anyone. Someone who can pinpoint exactly how he feels at any time. Someone who just gets him and can go back and forth with him.
"When did you finally fall asleep?" Cam asks as she grabs her bag from the floor and puts her laptop away.
"Not long after you." He shrugs before slinging his bag over his shoulder. "Wanted to make sure you actually got some sleep." He looks to the floor as he bites his lip.
He always does that. If he does something for someone just out of the pure kindness of his heart, he looks to the ground. It's like he doesn't want anyone to thank him because, to him, it's just a common courtesy thing. It's almost embarrassment of the impending gratitude but not quite. You can tell that it's not a big deal to him. He just cares because he's Stiles.
"Thanks, Stiles." Cam lets out a breath.
Just like Stiles, Cam can't believe she really messed up their whole friendship. But she'll swear she'll never let it happen again. She's watching him finish getting ready for school and he's too kind for the world. And he's smart and funny and a good person. He cares about everyone and Cam swears, right here, right now, she won't let anything happen to him. To them. She's always liked him, as much as she has wanted to deny it, she always has and that hasn't changed and she doesn't think it's going to. So, if she doesn't have the guts to say it any time soon, at least she has him now as her friend. And at least she has this promise to herself that it's Stiles. And anything and everything will have to go through her if it wants to hurt Stiles.
"I'm glad I have you." Cam says the simple phrase, knowing it'll mean more than what Stiles will take it as and that's okay.
"You've always had me." He says as if Cam should have known better. He let a lot of time go by and there's not a doubt in his mind that if Cam would have come to him the day after that fight, a month, a year later, doesn't matter, he would have been there. No question asks. When Cam is hurt, when Cam needs someone, he's gonna be there. "M'I taking you home?" He asks, leaving it at that as Cam stands up.
"If it's not too much trouble." Cam gives him a pleading smile to which he shakes his head and walks over to the bed.
Stiles grabs Cam's bag from the bed. "Already gonna be late anyway. Might as well make it count." He jerks his head towards the door.
The teens make their way out of the silent house and out to the jeep. The silence wasn't much of a surprise and neither was the sight of the sheriff's car being gone with Stiles having freed Isaac the night before. So, it's just the two of them going to the jeep and Stiles opening the door for her as he always does. And the silence just continues.
Stiles doesn't really know what to say. Last night was a whirlwind of emotions, not only for Cam but for him. Cam's mom was like a second mom to him so it feels like he kind of lost another mom in a way. Of course, he hadn't really seen her since the falling out between him and Cam. But, he did stop by the hospital every so often to see her mom, not that he'd tell Cam that and he begged Melissa and Keith not to say anything. It's just, he saw it once and he still cared about Cam's mom. It's part of why he knew Cam was at the hospital that first night, he already knew she was in the hospital and Stiles would stop by, if he saw Cam, he'd leave and if he didn't see her, he knew it'd likely be safe for at least a few minutes. So, knowing Cam's mom died from the very same thing his mom died from, it hurts him a lot, too.
And on top of that, there was that whole reconnecting thing, like old times. In a way, it hurts. It makes Stiles think about how he has always felt about Cam, how he feels about her now. It's confusing. He's always so set on Lydia and that has not changed but Cam makes him question it and she challenges him without knowing so it's a lot for even Stiles to keep up with.
As for Cam, she's just sitting looking out the window as impeding doom glooms over her. When she's with Stiles, she doesn't have to think about anything. She can just exist, ramble about anything, joke, be sarcastic, just be herself without ever thinking twice. And he clouds everything. She remembers reading something once, it said something about how right before you enter a tunnel in the rain, it's loud and pounding, possibly overwhelming but then you enter the tunnel and it's just....quiet. Like you can breathe and relax for that short time because you're protected from the storm outside but then you exit the tunnel and it all hits all over again. Stiles is the tunnel for her. He makes the rain and the storms quiet. He makes them bearable. But, now she's going home to a home that will feel even less like a home than it has since her mom was hospitalized. The death of her mom is gonna make that house feel even more empty despite her mom not being there for a while. She's gonna see her dad and it's gonna be uncomfortable. His eyes will be red and swollen, cheeks pink from crying. He'll be pale and look miserable. Which is fair but Cam doesn't like facing any of that. She'd rather run.
"You gonna be okay?" Stiles asks as he parks against the curb.
"Yeah," Cam shakes her head and brushes a hand through her hair. "See you tonight?"
"Pick you up at nine. Just, ya know, call if you need something." He gives Cam a soft smile as one hand rests on the steering wheel.
"Thanks, Stiles." Cam leans over and pulls him into a hug. The hug is quick but a hug nonetheless. "Okay, bye." Cam rushes the words and grabs her bag, nearly running out of his jeep.
Cam walks quickly into her house that still has the porch light on. Cam's best guess is that her dad has left it on in case she happened to show up and didn't shut it off when he woke up. But, she doesn't think much of it as she opens the door, kicking her shoes off as Shep greets her
"Aww, hi, Shep." Cam smiles wide as Shep licks her face, tail wagging as fast as ever.
"Are you okay?" Cam's dad stands a few feet in front of her as she looks up to him, not sure when he even appeared.
"I'm fine." Cam nods, patting Shep on the head before standing up and giving Keith a smile that was already plastered across her face.
"You didn't come home." His eyes are red and swollen while his cheeks are sunken in, accurately displaying his lack of sleep.
"I stayed with Stiles. He said you called." Cam states, wanting to dart up the stairs her dad is so conveniently blocking.
"I know. Sheriff called last night to tell me but, Cam, you can't keep running off and not telling me where you're going, especially now." His voice is stern but has hints of softness like he knows he just can't be mad about it.
"I know." Cam hangs her head with guilt. "I just, I couldn't be there and I couldn't be here. I-I couldn't be around." Cam barely looks up as she tugs at the strap of her backpack.
She does feel bad for leaving and not even answering her phone or being overall irresponsible of the entire situation. She left her dad to deal with the initial hit of her mother dying all by himself while she found comfort in a friend. Selfish? Maybe. But it was what was best for her. She feels bad but she doesn't regret her choice.
"No, it's okay." Keith says quickly as he moves to her and rests his hands on Cam's shoulders. "Just, from now on, scream where you're going or something." He sighs with a soft nod.
"I'm going with, uh, Allison and Scott and Stiles and Lydia tonight." Cam says, almost as a question with hesitance also not wanting to tell her dad this because he might just tell her she's not allowed to go.
He shakes his head and Cam knows he wants to tell her to stay home but she also knows he won't actually say it. "Where are you going?"
"Allison's." Cam lies.
He'll be pissed if he finds out they'll be at the rink after hours. It is breaking and entering? No, because Stiles is getting keys from Boyd. But are they technically allowed to be there? Also no. So, Cam's best bet is to lie. She will be with the group just not at Allison's. Saying she'd be at Stiles's would just be stupid since their dads work together. Saying Scott's is almost just as bad. Keith talks to his mom all the time and with Lydia disappearing and being found, there's a chance her mom is talking to the police still. The only safe place is Allison.
"Alright." He puts his head back and looks back to her. "Why don't you come in the kitchen then and I'll make you breakfast?"
"Dad," Cam stares up to him with sympathetic eyes. "Why don't you get some sleep? I'm fine, really."
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah." Cam nods her head with widened eyes.
"Wake me if you need anything." His face grows hard with the words, but he's not even arguing over the offer of sleep because the exhaustion has set in and he's flooded with relief to have his daughter home.
"I will." Cam rolls her eyes and walks away from him.
Cam feels her dad eyeing her for a few more seconds before he walks away. As a parent, it's unbearably difficult. He needs to grieve himself but he has to be there for his daughter who also needs to grieve and who will need him for support. But, he still has a job to do and bills to pay and sure most everything offers some type of grace period but it's not helpful in any emotional way. It's a lot for any adult to take in and Cam is just a teenager who's trying to figure out who she is and what she wants and now the loss of her mom is being tossed on top of her like a ton of cinder blocks. The only relief Keith even has is that Cam does have Stiles who already went through this. So, if he can't be there because he does need to sleep and he does need to work and take care of so many other things, at least she has Stiles.
Cam, on the other hand, is just satisfied to be by herself. She doesn't have much appetite as she looks through cupboards but she's just with Shep and that's pretty much where she's always been happiest. But, there's a void lingering in the pit of her stomach as she walks into the living room and she just looks around.
Pictures are on the mantle of the fireplace, pictures hung on the wall, the couch is one her mom picked out. There's a throw blanket her mom had knitted sitting at the end of the couch, not folded of course. The TV stand is one her mom had specially made. It's all of these littering the living room Cam has walked by everyday and not once did they all scream her mom's name until now. Everything reminds Cam of her and tears sting the very base of her eyes while her heart starts to race and a lump forms in her throat.
Cam bunches her fists at her side and every piece of her wants a baseball bat. Just start swinging at everything in this hallowed house. It is a void of endless sorrow with everything being about her mom and she isn't here anymore. She's gone and it doesn't matter she wasn't lucid before. She was here and now she's not and everything is empty. It's like an empty pit just swallowing Cam hole and her brows are knitted together, barely even noticing the tears trickling down her cheeks with gritted teeth. It's not fair. It's not fair and she wants it all to just disappear and shatters and break because it doesn't matter anymore.
Cam gasps as she wipes the tears from her cheeks, chest burning with every passing second, Shep whining at her feet. She doesn't have a baseball bat but she has a dog who loves her and she has a shower with hot water where she can try to wash away some of the pain. So, she turns her back to the living room swearing to take down every single picture later and avoid the entire living room like the plague after.
With a shower done, Cam cleans the steam off the mirror and it definitely looks like she hasn't slept in a week and has spent the entirety of that time crying. And she hates it. With a deep breath, she opens the second drawer where all of her makeup is stored. She looks like a mess and she refuses to look how she feels so she decides that a full face of makeup is the best option and in her mind, she won't want to mess it up. This does two things. Distracts her from crying again because she'll take her time with every step of the process and the second is that she won't want to mess it up so she won't be allowed to cry anymore. So, a full face of makeup it is.
While doing her makeup did make her feel a little better, when she walks into her room, the void takes over all over again.
Why did I plaster my room in pictures? Cam thinks to herself.
Given Cam's love for photography, her room is covered in her own pictures. There are some she made to look like polaroids hanging from a string of fairy lights, others are in various picture frames. Many are just of Shep but there are a lot of her dad and her mom, there are even still some of Scott and Stiles, those aren't very good but Cam felt they still deserved a place in her room. If it weren't for the pictures of her mom maybe it wouldn't feel so empty but it does and it's terrible. But she doesn't have it in her to cry or scream because she didn't just calm herself down to go back to agony so she looks around to the floor and decides to clean. And so she does.
Cam cleans and cleans puts clothes away and makes the bed, something she hasn't done in probably two years. (Why bother if she's just going to sleep in it later anyway?) But cleaning and putting clothes away distracts her enough to get things done. She just cleans. No thoughts, just absent moving until everything is clean. And then she's left staring at a neat room and so she draws her attention to the only wall with nothing on it.
The wall was covered in posters from J-14 and Tigerbeat but Cam took all those down a few years ago and it's been empty ever since. It's not that that was really the intention. She's wanted to do something, a collage, but she can't quite figure out what exactly. She wants it to be made of her own pictures but if she's going to spend all of that work and all that money to develop her pictures, she wants to be sure. Positive she has enough pictures. Positive she has the right pictures. Positive the collage means something to her. It has to mean something. But she doesn't know what. Her thoughts are cut short, however, by her phone screaming a song from her bed to which she jumps to it before it wakes her dad up.
"Hello?" Cam asks, not bothering to check the caller ID.
"Hey, Stiles said you're coming with us today?" Allison asks.
Allison. What time is it? Cam wonders, confusion taking over as she didn't realize how long she'd been cleaning.
"Oh, yeah. Is that okay?" Cam asks, getting up from her bed and shutting the door quietly.
"Yeah, of course! I was just calling to see if you wanted to come over and hang out with Lydia and me until we go."
"Uh," Cam looks around, wanting to go but also growing a little nervous. Lydia and Allison have become best friends and Cam doesn't really want to feel like she's intruding the whole time. Plus, she has no idea what Lydia thinks of her so she doesn't want it to be weird "I don't have a ride."
"I can pick you up. School just let out."
"Yeah, okay." Cam agrees and moves to her desk. Hanging out with Lydia and Allison might end up being weird but it's still a lot better than being here. "I'll text you my address."
"Be there in a few minutes." Her voice is happy as the line goes silent.
Cam sends the text to Allison before getting ready. She opts for white skinny jeans, a plain orange t-shirt, black and white Air Force Ones, and the red hoodie Stiles loaned her. It doesn't match but she likes it. It smells like him. Then, she goes for her bag making sure her camera and lens are packed with a spare battery which is when she realizes her laptop had died and now she needs to charge it. So, she plugs it in and digs under her bed for her ice skates. By the time she has everything gathered, Allison is pulled against the curb outside of her house, leaving Cam just enough time to grab a poptart for a snack before heading out.
"Hey, how are you doing?" Allison asks as Cam gets in the passenger seat of her car.
"I'm fine." Cam shrugs and puts her seatbelt on.
"I'm really sorry." Her eyebrows knit together with remorse.
"It's fine but I, uh, don't really want to talk about it." Cam gives her a soft smile that shows she appreciates the apology. "It's just...ya know?" Cam doesn't really know how to explain it but it's just better to avoid it.
"Oh yeah, of course." She nods and pulls away from the curb. As she drives, she gains a smile before looking to Cam and then back to the road. "So, you stayed with Stiles last night?"
Cam rolls her eyes and laughs. "Yeah, that's what friends do."
"Just friends?" Allison has a grin, keeping her eyes on the road.
"More just friends than you and Scott, apparently." Cam chuckles.
She bites her lip with a guilty smile. "I don't know what you're talking about."
Cam laughs again. "You're obviously still together. I can tell."
"How?" Allison asks, almost yelling but there's still a smile etched across her face.
"You weren't offended when I said it." Cam grins to herself, looking down to her lap. "Also, Scott is the worst liar. I mean you could have picked anyone else to have a secret relationship with ย and you chose the world's worst liar."
Allison lets out a soft groan. "I know." She laughs. "Don't tell anyone, okay? My dad will kill him...and me."
"Everyone I talk to already knows."Cam shrugs, looking back to Allison. "I don't tell people's business anyway fo the recod."
Her laughing slowly subsides. "Right, that's true." She pauses, glancing back to Cam once more. "But really, did something happen last night?"
"Uh, no? As normal as it could have been given the circumstances. Why?" Cam quirks a brow wishing Allison would have been someone that let her deflect questions but if she were she probably wouldn't be dating Scott so it's only fitting.
"He was acting weird when he got to school."
"I don't know if you've noticed, but Stiles by definition is weird."
"No." Allison shakes her head. "Like, weirder than normal Stiles." Allison shrugs.
"What kind of weird?"
"Happier." Allison laughs. "I don't know. He was talking more than usual, too."
"Oh, I am so sorry." Cam says exasperated. "Really, I just stayed the night. I mean," Cam pauses. "We cuddled? I guess? But we did that a lot a few years ago. Was just...normal."
"Oh?" Allison perks up. "So, this all happens and Stiles is the first person you call and you stay the night with him cuddling?"
"Yeah, ya know, friends. Platonically cuddling." Cam says.
"I know what platonically means." She laughs again. "But, are you sure you know what it means?"
"What are you suggesting? Friends can't cuddle and call when something happens?" Cam questions, dying to know why Allison is asking so many questions. What does she know that Cam doesn't know?
"Of course not. But, do you like him or not? Scott says you do." A laugh leaves Allison's lips. "Scott's a bad liar, remember?"
"I'm gonna kill him. I told him that a few years ago because I was mad about Lydia ignoring him. Oh my gosh." Cam groans.
"Don't worry. I'm not gonna tell him." Allison assures. "I was just wondering because of the whole Lydia thing."
Cam sucks in a breath. "Scott always thought I was jealous of her." Cam pauses. "I'm not. She is very pretty. I, too, and very attracted to Lydia Martin so it was never that. She just pretends like she doesn't know who he is and that bothers me. Is that why he told you?"
"I don't think she does it on purpose." Allison explains. "Lydia is..."
"Lydia." Cam chuckles. "I know."
"It just slipped out." Allison explains. "Scott was telling me why Stiles is so obsessed with Lydia and then you came up."
"Ah, as I do in those conversations."
"Maybe he likes you, too."
"Yeah, maybe." The sarcasm immediately starts up and Cam has no control over it. "If Lydia didn't exist or if I had strawberry blonde hair, green eyes, and was five foot three."
"You've heard him talk about Lydia a lot, haven't you?"
"Yeah." Cam raises her eyebrows quickly and checks the time on her phone.
"Well, have you ever asked him about you though? Or told him?"
"HA!" Cam yells and throws her head back. "I don't do the whole, Stiles Stilinski 'let me announce my undying feelings' thing. I'd rather brush them under a rug and pretend they don't exist." She looks over with the corner of her mouth tugged up and her eye narrowed. "He did say I was beautiful last night though."
"And?"
"I almost died." Cam nods, her voice calm and level. "So there was also that."
Allison laughs. "He thinks you're beautiful even though you don't have strawberry blonde hair."
"Yeah." Cam can't control the smile across her face. "I'm still not gonna announce my undying feelings though. Either he's dumb or he knows. Stiles pays attention. It's what he's good at." Cam sucks in a breath. "So, where is Lydia?"
"She's coming over later. She had to feed her dog or something." Allison brushes it off and the conversation is dropped soon after.
The girls arrive at Allison's house and it's large. There are two large, black SUVs in her driveway and her house is completely brick, surrounded by absolutely beautiful landscaping. The house actually suits Allison. Some people just look like a certain type of house and that's Allison. Of course, that's not a bad thing. Cam is certain she looks like she belongs in her own house.
"Hi, you must be Cam." Cam is greeted by a woman with short, dark red hair who's honestly kind of scary looking. Not the unkept scary but the maybe Cam shouldn't ever cross her because she might kill her and get away with it scary. "I'm Allison's mom."
"Hi, it's nice to meet you, Mrs. Argent." Cam says politely as she sticks out her hand and lightly shake hers.
"Oh and this is my husband. This is Cam." She says kindly, but Cam still feels like she's judging every single movement Cam makes.
"It's nice to meet you." He nods and holds out his hand so Cam can shake it.
"Okay, now that's done. We're going to go up to my room to study." Allison says quickly and grabs Cam's arm and pulling Cam with her.
"It's nice meeting you." Cam looks behind them and quickly follows Allison.
"Sorry, they're kind of overprotective." She rolls her eyes as they get to her room which is so aesthetically pleasing Cam actually just wants to take close-up shots of everything. It's kind of shades of pinks and pale oranges with accents of black decorations and framed pictures. Her room is the exact opposite of Cam's and she still loves it.
"It's okay. My dad's the sheriff's deputy. Helicopter parent." Cam sighs and sits at her desk, resting her bag on the floor.
"What's that like?" She questions as she sits on the edge of her bed.
"It's all I've ever known." Cam shrugs, not really sure how to answer. "Not that bad, really. Only is a problem when you want to do something illegal and the cops show and they all know you." Cam chuckles a little at the few times her, Stiles, and Scott were caught trespassing. "Just trespassing but still."
"At least you won't get arrested." Allison remarks.
"True."
The conversation starts bouncing around. They talk about Cam's photography and how she still plans on photographing the game in a few days even if her dad won't let her go to school. Cam realized mid-way through that conversation that her dad hasn't said when she has to go back which is understandable but Cam thought he covered everything beforehand.
After that though, Cam tells her about being friends with Scott and Stiles when they were younger. She was happily listening and laughing as Cam told the idiotic stories of the three of them getting into petty trouble. Scott always being the optimist while Stiles had the game plan and Cam helped with execution and planned for the inevitable trouble they were sure to get into when they got caught. It never really gets old telling those stories.
"You know," A high-pitched voice comes walking into Allison's room. "you really need to try this mascara. It'll really bring out your eyes." Lydia finishes as she takes a seat on the chair beside the vanity. "Oh...hello." She looks to Cam with confused eyes. "Cam, right?"
"Yeah." Cam chuckles lightly and looks back to Allison.
"Cam's coming tonight." Allison says as they move their attention to Lydia.
"Are they forcing you to come, too?" Lydia asks, eyes wide.
"Kind of." Cam nods and her and Lydia look to Allison who just shakes her head.
"You dated the other one right?" Lydia looks back to Cam and she pinches a small nerve but Cam's not gonna bother even mentioning it. She was just lost in the woods for two days.
"Stiles?"
"Yeah, him."
"Uh, no. We've always been friends." Cam looks to Allison with a raised brow, an 'I told you so' look across her face.
"Oh...I always thought you two had a thing."
"He's been announcing his undying love for you since we were nine." Cam cocks an eyebrow wondering how someone can be so completely and utterly oblivious on purpose.
"He has?" She asks, pretending to be completely obvious. For Lydia, itโs easier to pretend like she has no idea whatโs going on when isnโt quite sure of a person or where they stand with other people. Itโs kind of like her own coping mechanism.
"Yeah." Cam says slowly with a slow head nod.
"Oh." She says quickly and looks down with creased eyebrows. "Well, when are we going?"
"We have to leave in about an hour." Allison says.
Cam honestly does not hate Lydia even when she wants to. No one on the planet is that stupid. Cam has had Lydia as a partner and she is extremely smart, like genius-level smart. But, Lydia wants to act dumb. Cam's best guess is because boys a lot of the time, the ones Lydia likes anyway, don't like girls that are smart. So, it's easier to pretend to be stupid but she shouldn't. She deserves better than Jackson and better than anyone who would rather have her dumb herself down. Cam can only hope Lydia will figure that out one day.
Luckily, the hour came and went. Before Cam knew it, she was sitting in the back seat of Allison's car as they pulled into the parking lot of the ice rink. The pale blue jeep is right next to them with the headlights and engine off but Scott and Stiles sitting and waiting.
"How ya doing, Cam?" Scott asks as they make their way to the side entrance of the building.
"I'm fine." Cam nods and gives him a smile, silently begging to not be asked that again.
"Are you sure?"
"She's fine!" Lydia butts in and laces her arm with Cam's. "She's our new best friend." Lydia says with enthusiasm as she takes Cam along with her, walking in front of Scott.
"I am?" Cam asks with raised eyebrows.
"Of course!" She says as if Cam should have known.
If anyone said a few months ago, Cam would end up being declared as one of Lydia Martin's best friends, she would have probably laughed herself to death. They're just polar opposites so Cam never, ever expected this. Even if she would magically end up with Stiles, Cam always assumed they'd just be friendly but not have that best friend title. Regardless, there's something very pleasing being so quickly declared as her best friend. Not that it was ever a status thing but it's nice that Lydia really isn't as shallow and cold as she makes it out to seem sometimes. And to Cam, it's just nice to have friends. Friends that are not Scott and Stiles.
Stiles unlocks the doors with the keys he paid Boyd for. All of them walk inside and take seats on benches, putting on their skates. Allison and Scott sit with each other and watching Scott mess up the laces, Cam remembers he's never been skating a day in his life. While Stiles will be watching Lydia with his full attention, Cam will have Scott falling on his ass every few minutes to entertain her. Cam is starting to think she made the right decision coming tonight.
"Here." Stiles says as he pulls out an orange hoodie and offers it to Lydia.
"I'm wearing blue." Lydia says. "Orange and blue, not a good combination." She says with a finger in the air before she goes back to lacing her skates.
"But it's the colors of the Mets." Stiles's voice is slightly hurt but Cam is pretty sure it wasn't over her rejection of the hoodie. He narrows his eyes at Cam as she lets out a soft laugh.
"Sorry, I'll go harass Scott." Cam puts her hands up and makes her way to Allison and Scott, very unsteadily.
"What's up with that?" Scott asks as Cam approaches and she turns around to see Stiles offering a Reese's to Lydia.
"Orange and blue aren't a good combination." Cam laughs but not with the intention of actually making fun of Lydia or Stiles.
"Are you sure you're okay?" Scott asks again.
"Yes. I am fine. Please, stop asking." As Cam finishes talking, Scott starts walking behind her. "What's with him?"
"I have no idea." Allison shrugs as she leans against the glass.
"Do I give off a negative vibe?" Cam follows her lead and leans against the glass.
"I think he's just worried. You're his friend."
"Yeah, but he just asked and he asked throughout the day. And before last night. He asks every time he sees me, multiple times. I love him like a brother but, weird." Just as Cam finishes she feels someone leaning over her and she looks over to see Scott's face right by her. "Are you...smelling me?" Cam squints with confusion and a hung jaw.
"Uh, yeah! Something smelled good, thought it was you." Scott keeps his title as the worst liar ever.
"I probably smell like Stiles?" Cam nods and pulls the hoodie forward and releases it. "Still wearing his hoodie from last night."
"Maybe it's your shampoo."
"I...I, guess? Do you want me to pick you up some Big Sexy shampoo the next time I go to the salon?" Cam's words are sarcastic, waiting for him to tell her what he was really up to and why the fuck he was smelling her.
"No, I'm good." He says nonchalantly and wobbles over to Allison. "Ready?"
"Sure." She raises her eyebrows at him and looks back to Cam, unsure of what just happened.
"He wasn't this weird growing up. Don't ask me." Cam laughs and watches as they go to the entrance to the ice.
Scott starts stepping out and his face holds all sorts of nerves but he reassures Allison that he's perfectly fine and he'll help her if she needs it. But, Scott isn't on the ice a minute before he completely slips out. Cam bursts into laughter as Allison covers her mouth to suppress her laugh.
Cam follows their lead once Scott is back on his feet and gets on the ice. It's been so long since she's been on the ice, she nearly falls just like Scott. However, it doesn't take long for her feet to adjust and she starts gliding around the rink, just like she never left. Cam picks up speed and her hair flows lightly and it feels like she's being completely absorbed in the sky. There's just something nostalgic about it. Cam comes to a quick stop, ice flying from her skates, as she gets closer to the side of Stiles.
"You still got it." He smirks.
"Magically." Cam catches her breath and rolls her sleeves up.
"Wow..." Stiles says with his jaw hanging open and his eyes completely glued to Lydia as she skates in elegant circles.
"Woah." Cam says in response and they both just stand and watch her.
Cam can't help but notice how Stiles looks at her, however. Yes, what she is doing looks so pretty but Lydia could make a bag of moldy garbage look pretty. But, the way Stiles has his eyes glued to her and the way his mouth is hung in complete and utter awe, it's more than her elegant and graceful circles and spins. It's just her. Lydia Martin. And it's like Cam can almost feel his infatuation radiating off of him.
Lydia finishes with a giant smile on her face and she skates between Stiles and Cam, cocking her head to one side with confidence. Her smile changes to a soft smirk as she grabs Stiles's hand and drags him with her but quickly turns her head and waves for Cam to come along. Cam skates on the other side of Stiles and somehow, she doesn't feel like a third wheel. She kind of expected to thanks to Stiles's infatuation but it just doesn't feel that way. The energy is perfect and indescribable.
After a little while of skating with Stiles and Lydia, Cam needs a break. With everything that's happened, she feels more tired than usual so she decides to just take a break and use the time to take pictures. So, she gets off the ice and grabs her camera with her lens before returning to the ice.
"Hey, what were you going?" Stiles asks as Cam makes her way back on the ice.
"I brought my camera for a reason." Cam wiggles her eyebrows as she smirks at him.
Cam moves very carefully around the ice, staying close to the wall as she starts taking pictures of the group. She loves photographing Shep because, well, he's a dog but probably her second favorite thing to photograph are candid group shots. She just loves watching people in their environment and being able to just capture the moment in a single shot. Just being able to capture the happiness everyone feels, doing their own thing, paying no mind to her. Those are always the best pictures that look the best and she finds herself looking back on those with the best memories.
"Having fun?" Stiles asks as he skates over, leaving Lydia to do her figure skating thing while Scott and Allison leave the ice thanks to Scott's most recent fall.
"Of course." Cam gives him a genuine smile and starts going through the pictures she's taken so far.
"God, she's so beautiful." Stiles says as he gawks at Lydia.
"She is." Cam agrees as she glances to Lydia and back to her camera.
Stiles looks to Cam who seems like she can't be bothered with looking back to Lydia. He, too, is a little surprised to see the two of them getting along so well but it makes him happy. Stiles also kind of thought Cam might have a little hatred for Lydia, not for the reasons Scott did but thought she hated her nonetheless. But, as Stiles watches Cam look at the pictures, he knows she isn't in a single picture. The photographer never is. They're the ones capturing memories of everyone else. Who captures their memories? Memories where they're actually in them?
"Here." Stiles says as he sticks out his hand.
"What?" Cam furrows her eyebrows and purses her lips.
"Give me your camera. You gotta be in some of these, too."
"HA. Nooooooo." No one touches the camera. Cam doesn't have the money to just go buy a new one. He's lost his damn mind.
"Come on." Stiles pleads, not budging his hand. "One picture." The corner of his mouth tugs into a playful smile.
How can she say no to that look?
"I will murder you, cut you up, and throw your pieces into the damn ocean if you break it." Cam threatens him as she takes the camera off her neck and slides it over his head.
"Well, that's violent." Cam glares at him, letting him know she's serious. He's holding her life in his hands and around his neck. "Just go."
Cam rolls her eyes and skates over to the middle as she just skates around. She can't do anything like Lydia is but she can just glide across the ice and that's enough. Stiles has the camera to his face, this time, his attention only on Cam. He meant what he said about her being beautiful and with every click of the camera, he hopes she can see it, too. She's important and she means something to him and he wants her to have pictures of these moments that involve her in the same way he wants pictures of things that are important to him. People take pictures of things they're afraid to lose. Cam and Stiles face the fear of losing their memory every day.
After a few minutes, Lydia joined Cam and the girls continued to skate around, letting Stiles take more than just a few pictures. But, it only lasted a few minutes before Cam figured Stiles had had his fun and she departed Lydia, skating back to Stiles.
"Alright, hand it over." Cam says as she skates back to Stiles, leaving Lydia to go back to what she was doing.
"You looked like you were having fun." He smiles as he slides her camera around her neck.
"Yeah." Cam nods with a sheepish smile. "Thanks for this."
"Anything for you." He puts his arm around Cam's shoulders to give her a side hug.
"What's she doing?" Cam looks to Lydia who's on her hands and knees staring at the ice.
"I have no idea..." Stiles's words trail off as he stares at her.
No more than a few seconds later, Lydia's screaming at the top of her lungs. It's like an earthquake shakes Cam's entire body and she feels like Lydia is screaming directly in her ear, screaming at an octave she shouldn't be able to. Cam covers her ears, trying to shield it out and her eyes slam shut after a few seconds and just like that she's seeing something she shouldn't.
A house on fire. People screaming and trying to get out but they're all trapped and there's a man. He's covered head to toe in burns, yelling out in pain. Everyone is screaming for their lives but no one is there to help, they're just stuck and dying. Fear overwhelms Cam. Panic starts setting as her breathing becomes shallow and her heart begins to ace. She can physically feel the terror. And she can't take it anymore.
"Lydia!" Cam screams, louder Lydia and suddenly, everything goes silent, the fire goes away and it's all back to normal.
"Cam?" Stiles asks, standing in front of her, hands on her shoulders. "What...are you okay?" He asks and he looks terrified as Cam looks to him.
"Yeah, her screaming was just....painful." Cam says, taking in a deep breath, leaving out the whole thing about her seeing some random fire and suddenly feeling like she's having a panic attack out of nowhere.
Stiles pauses, just looking Cam over as his heart is in his stomach. "Cam, your eyes were purple."
"Huh?" Cam asks.
Stiles shakes his head. "We gotta check on Lydia."
Do a kanima's eyes turn purple? Is she actually the kanima? Scott brought it up but only just throwing ideas out there. He didn't actually think it was Cam, he was more certain it was Lydia. And Stiles for sure doesn't think it's either of them. Or at least he didn't until now because why else would Cam's brown eyes turn purple? That doesn't make any sense. Normal people don't have eyes that suddenly change color drastically. But, if she were bitten by something, she would have told Stiles, right?
"Lydia, hey, let's go." Stiles says as he reaches Lydia, kneeling down beside her, Cam not far behind, still stuck on why Stiles said her eyes were purple.
"Are you okay?" Cam asks, as she helps Lydia up.
"You didn't see that?" Lydia asks, doe-eyed.
Stiles looks confused while Cam, looks petrified. She didn't also see people burning alive, did she?
"See what?" Stiles asks calmly.
"I-I don't know." Her voice is distant as she almost looks completely through Cam.
Stiles and Cam help Lydia up and head back over to where Scott and Allison are, everyone deciding it's time to head home. Everyone is quick to pack their things and meet back up at the door as soon as they're ready.
"I'm gonna get her home but I'll see you guys tomorrow." Allison says to Scott and Stiles as everyone approaches their cars. "Cam, am I taking you home or Stiles?"
"Uh, up to you guys." Cam bites her lip, hoping Stiles will take her home. But a part of her also wants to ride with Lydia because she asked if they saw it and that's not sitting right. The whole purple eyes thing is also bothersome but not nearly as much as Lydia and Cam potentially seeing something that wasn't there.
"I'll drop ya off." Stiles jerks his head toward the jeep.
"Just text me about Lydia and I'll see you later." Cam nods to Allison before getting in the back seat of the jeep while Scott takes the passenger seat.
The drive back to their streets was pretty silent. They were approaching midnight and they were just tired and worried about Lydia. Cam doesn't bother asking if either of them know what happened since they probably won't tell her if they did so she sits back and goes through the pictures. Stiles though, he's still trying to figure out if his friend is the kanima that's running around killing people and he just doesn't know it. He's so stuck on it that he barely says bye to Scott when they drop him off or even notices Cam move into the front seat. None of it makes any sense.
"You okay?" Cam asks as she shuts her camera off, bored of the silence and wanting to know what's going on.
"Yeah, why?" Stiles asks, glancing over to her.
"You're unusually quiet."
"Oh, yeah. Worried about Lydia, ya know?"
"I'm sure she's fine. She did just have that whole animal attack and the woods thing. It's probably PTSD and her mom will get her help." Cam reassures him but it doesn't seem to help.
"Yeah, maybe." Stiles chews the inside of his cheek. "Were you bit by something recently?"
"Um....no?" Cam asks. "I would have told you?"
"Your eyes were purple." Stiles insists.
How is he supposed to ask if she were bit by a werewolf or something else without saying that? If she's not the kanima, he still doesn't really want her to know everything that's going on because it's definitely safer for her not to. But, the whole purple eye thing is throwing Stiles completely off.
"Stiles, people's eyes don't just turn purple. That's not how it works. And what does that have to do with me being bitten?" One thing has been confirmed already and that's that something much bigger is going on and Stiles knows something.
"Yours were." Stiles's voice is stern but not mean. "Lydia started screaming and your eyes turned purple. What's going on?"
"You're gonna ask me what's going on?" Cam asks, annoyance rising in her voice. "Something's going on and you've been keeping me in the dark! If my eyes turned purple, I don't know why!"
Stiles is quiet for a few seconds. "You swear you'd tell me if you were attacked by something?"
"Yes. Why wouldn't I?" Cam waves her hand, annoyed at the entire conversion. This would be a lot easier if Stiles would just tell her what's going on.
Stiles does believe her because she doesn't have a reason to lie unless she is in fact the kanima. But if that were the case, why would she have killed Isaac's dad? Or anyone else? Cam doesn't really hold that many grudges. At least, not to the point she'd go out and kill someone. And if she were the kanima, why would she have so many questions about what's going on? If Cam knew anything, she would lay low and listen, pay attention. Because she'd get more information that way. It's how she always was. If she knew something was happening and she knew something she wasn't supposed to know, she'd stick to listening and waiting for others to slip up so she wouldn't. Stiles knows that better than anyone. It's how they got around trespassing and investigating miscellaneous things as kids. So, she can't be the kanima. So what the hell is happening?
"It's just weid." Stiles says, voice low and distant, almost deflated.
"Yeah, Scott has lens flares on his eyes, too. That's also weird. Mountain lion attacks are also weird. There's a lot of weird shit going on." Cam states, raising her bows with a sigh.
"I'm sorry." Stiles says. "Uh, maybe-maybe it was just...the ice or something."
"It's fine." Cam shrugs. "I'm telling you, my eyes have always been brown my whole life. If they were changing color, I would have told you cause that's kind of cool." Cam chuckles softly.
"Yeah, good point." Stiles agrees, giving Cam a fake smile as they reach Cam's house.
Cam's battling between telling Stiles what happened and not telling him. She wants to tell him because he'll reassure her that she's not completely insane but he's also leaving stuff out when she asks him questions so why should she tell him the truth? The whole truth. That doesn't seem very fair. But, on the other hand of that, if she doesn't, she'll likely be up all night anyway thinking about it and her only option will be to tell Stiles.
"Don't say I'm crazy, okay? I need reassurance that I'm not." Cam states, seemingly out of nowhere gaining Stiles's full attention.
"Uh, okay?"
"When Lydia started screaming..." Cam sucks in a breath. "I-I saw something?" She isn't really sure how to put it. Saw something, kind of? It was more like a memory not a hallucination or a vision. She felt the fear of everyone. Their pain. Everything.
"What do you mean?" Stiles asks.
"A fire. Like, I don't know. I saw a fire and people trapped in a house. They were yelling and I saw a guy who was covered in burns."
Stiles is silent. That doesn't sound like a kanima but it sounds like something. People don't just see things. Not when they're wide awake and in a situation where daydreaming isn't really going to happen.
"Lydia asked if we saw something so...I don't know." Cam shrugs.
"Do you want the house looked like?" Stiles asks.
"Um...two stories, basement. Old? Wood I think, not like the shingles on my house or brick. I think it was just wood, darker."
All Stiles is thinking about is the Hale house which did in fact see a fire. Cam could easily know about that. It's in police records and she's gone through some but why would she look at the Hale house? Because it's Cam who's interested in that sort of stuff but if she had looked into it already, why wouldn't she just know it'd be the Hale house?
"You didn't recognize it?"
"I don't think so. It, uh, it wasn't like I was trying to concentrate on it and it was quick. As soon I yelled for Lydia, it stopped." Cam says and saying it all out loud makes her sound stupid which is also reassuring in a way because now she knows it must be from lack of sleep. "Maybe I'm just tired and overwhelmed."
"I don't know." Stiles scoffs. "That sounds a little weird, Cam." He states, getting a glare from Cam. "You're not crazy." He quickly adds, putting his hands up. "Just sounds weird." He repeats.
"What else would it be?" Cam asks with the shake of her head.
Stiles shrugs, looking over at her. "I don't know." He half-lies.
He has no idea and Google is gonna turn into his best friend tonight while he tries to piece it all together. But he knows it's something. And is it just a coincidence that her mom died and now this is happening? It doesn't seem like it. Cam was all perfectly normal, as normal as Cam has always been, and now she's not. Understandable if it weren't for the terrifying vision and eyes changing color.
"Well," Cam unbuckles her seatbelt. "That was fun. I'm gonna go to bed."
"This doesn't bother you?" Stiles questions with a huff.
"Uh," Cam grabs her bag from the floor, shrugging. "Yes but the only logical explanation would be that I'm just tired."
"Yeah." Stiles nods. "Yeah, maybe." He pauses but he can't just let her go because what if there is something? They need to know what it is. "What if isn't?"
Cam's brows furrow. "Stiles, what else would it be?"
Stiles shakes his head. "I don't know. We could, ya know, figure it out though. Ya know, investigate like old times." A sheepish smile comes to Stiles's face, one that's only there due to memories of old times.
Cam thinks for a second and decides it might be fun to humor him. "Sure, but you start tonight since you seem wide awake and we'll pick up tomorrow."
"Will do." Stiles assures her.
"I'll give you your hoodie back tomorrow once I wash it." Cam says as she gets out of the jeep.
"You can keep it." He shrugs, a hint of a smile gracing his face as Cam walks over to his window.
"Are you sure?" Cam asks, unable to control the smile coming to her face.
"Yeah," He nods the smile becoming more evident. "Got plenty more and that one looks good on you."
There's a look Cam hasn't seen in a long time. One of 'oh I didn't mean to say that's on Stiles Stilinski. Stiles doesn't always think before he speaks, especially with Cam, but with compliments most of the time he does but not this time.
"Are you flirting?" Cam gives him an arrogant smile with the sarcastic remark.
"Goodnight, Cam." He rolls his eyes, dodging the question.
"Goodnight, Stiles." Cam laughs and walks inside of her house, ready to try and not think about anything, besides getting some much-needed sleep.
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