I would like to thank those of you who have followed or fav-ed my story so far. Special thanks to the guest and two members who have taken the time to leave a review. I am so glad that people seem to like Riley so far and I hope Frank and Boomer are also well liked. I thought the dynamic between werewolves and dogs something worth exploring and would love to know what you guys think. I decided to post what I have for now, since it has been a while now. Let me give a disclaimer since I have not in previous chapters, I do not own Teen Wolf or any other TV Show, Book, Movie, Etc. beyond having bought DVD's. I make no money writing this fanfiction and if I owned anything beyond my own characters, I would not be writing on the internet. Alas I am a very poor college kid with no life, so here we are…

Chapter 3: A Second Chance at First Line Part 1

The weekend ended up being very quiet after the crazy that was Friday night. Riley spent most of her time with her dogs and Stiles. Both teens tried to get Scott out, but he felt his time best spent sulking over his failure of a date with Allison. Stiles and Riley were more than a little tired of Scallison drama and their friend hadn't even really dated the girl yet.

Frank and Boomer stuck very close to Riley since Friday. When all three began getting restless, Stiles drove them out to the Beacon Hills Preserve. Both teens decided a little training was in order. Just because Riley was a werewolf now, did not mean she was ready to fight or run for her life from hunters who made killing beings like her their goal in life. Stiles wanted to be able to keep up with his supernatural friends. Both dogs were more than happy to accommodate them.

"Oh god, RILEY! How do you stop him!" Stiles was doing an incredible interpretation of a kite, flailing after Boomer as the dog ran at top speeds. Riley's sides were splitting from laughter. "Seriously, someone stop this thing!"

Eventually, Stiles let go of Boomer's leash and the dog felt the lack of boy immediately. He stopped and turned to find his lost passenger. As soon as the boy was located, Boomer administered emergency licks to the face. That is were Riley came up upon them with Frank. Frank decided to join Boomer and licked the boy on the ground back to life. Riley decided to help Stiles and got him to his feet.

"How about the werewolf takes the demon dog next time?" He sarcastically asked her. She just giggled at him. Stiles had all sorts of leaves and twigs stuck in his clothing and hair. She began gently extracting them from his person while he whined. "That beast has an evil streak…"

"I think he is a bit bitter from the other day at your house, when you stole his couch from him Stiles." Riley had him bend down so she could reach his head. He was a good 10 inches taller than her 5 foot frame.

"His-his couch!? He literally pushed me off it. I just took back my couch." Stiles huffed at her. Riley picked up Boomer's discarded leash from the ground and passed Frank's leash to Stiles. They both jogged back to the entrance, where Roscoe the Jeep was parked.

They made a stop at the McCall house to see how Scott was holding up. He was just moping in his bed. Stiles tried to get him up to play video games, but Scott ignored his friend. Riley finally got Scott out of his bed and in the shower. While he washed up, Stiles helped her fix a simple lunch. Sandwiches were the extent of their culinary prowess with what was in the fridge. There wasn't much conversation while they ate. Stiles was ready to burst, but Riley made him keep silent. They both wanted to talk about werewolves, but Scott was particularly bothered by the subject so they would allow it for at least that weekend.

Riley seemed to be adjusting better to their new life compared to Scott. She realized that there was little to do to change her new creature status. If there was some sort of cure out there, it would probably be rare and difficult to acquire. She still had Stiles, and he was being super supportive of everything she was now. If she had the chance, she might not take it. Scott on the other hand was in a state of denial and would jump at a chance to become normal again. Riley had a strong feeling that Scott would be have more problems the more he pushed that new part of himself away.

Once Scott decided to go back to sulking, Stiles took Riley and the dogs to her house. Coach was watching something sports related in the living room with some guys, so the teens made a nest on Riley's bed with the dogs. She had a flat screen TV mounted on the wall. They spent the rest of their weekend cuddled together watching action movies. They both felt content to rest as much as they could, there was an agreement that this was the calm before the storm.

Neither had brought up the shift in their relationship. They both knew something was there, but seemed to just allow things to fall into place on their own. They would have to define themselves at some point, but it wasn't necessary at this point. Riley was sure Lydia would know something was up, but she wouldn't have to face the girl until Monday. Lydia and Jackson seemed to be spending their weekend locked away, so Riley hadn't gotten any texts back from her friend. She checked her cellphone once more and curled back into Stiles' side.

Monday came faster than anyone was ready for. They were not ready for reality to hang back over their heads once again. Riley had to make a stop to pick up Frank. Miss Morrell was waiting there with Erica when she reached the office. Frank perked up from his spot on the floor and ran over to Riley. Erica frowned slightly but said nothing.

"Miss Finstock, I wanted to have a word with you and Miss Reyes together." She motioned for both girls to follow her into her private office. Riley was confused but Erica seemed to know what was going on and wasn't happy about it. Once everyone was settled in the room the counselor got right to the point, "I believe it would be best if you kept Frank with you exclusively Miss Finstock. I know you really want to aide your classmates, but there has been a lot of demand for him to be away from you. I have spoken with your doctor, who also expressed concerns."

"But-" Erica tried to interrupt the counselor.

"Erica, we have discussed this. You know Riley had Frank for a reason. I know he is of comfort in your sessions, but as we discussed, you have been focusing more on the dog than on your problems." Riley felt like a third wheel there.

"If Frank can't be here, I could see if the organization that trained him would be able to lend one of theirs for the school day. Maybe not a fully trained one, but they do have programs for people to help train the puppies…" Erica smiled at Riley at the suggestion, "Or we can try to get a seizure service dog, which would really help her condition."

Miss Morrell gave her a slight smile too, "We can look at other options, but I must insist that Frank stay with you for the entire school day. I can't control what you do out of school, but I assume you spend plenty of time with him and Boomer at home." The teacher turned to Erica, "Erica, we can look into other options at a later date. I agree with Riley here, an actual service dog would be a great benefit. We might have to discuss it with your parents."

"I could help too, Erica, I know how much they can help and might help convince them this time." She looked at her classmate and tried to smile. She wasn't going to lie, It was hard to lend Frank out like she had, especially since she was bitten. She felt better having at least one of the dogs with her, especially when Stiles was not there. It must be a werewolf thing, being so possessive.

"While your treatment has been going well, I know it hasn't disappeared. I understand you have had a stressful time back since break and we don't want you to relapse. It would end badly for everyone, and Frank is here for you, not anyone else." Riley felt suspicion at the teacher's words. She was definitely hinting at something that wasn't just her panic attacks. She couldn't possibly… There was a sense of threat in those last words, which had Riley holding her wolf back. Frank moved in closer to her chest from her position on his person's lap.

Riley gave a tight smile to Erica and the counselor before leaving the office. She gripped the dog to her chest and began searching for Stiles' scent. Her body was urging her to be near him, that being near him would help her relax. His unique smell mixed with Scott's in the male locker room. She decided to change first and turned into the opposite room. She was quick to change into her full uniform and pads. She took Frank's work coat off and put his own little jersey on the dog. The change in his demeanor was very obvious, he relaxed a tad and acted more like an excitable dog out of work mode. Once both were ready for practice, they walked out to find the boys. Both scents were still in the locker room, so Riley opened the door and walked in. As the only girl on the team, she had spent plenty of time in there with the boys.

Both were toward the back, Scott was still not ready for practice and looked like he was slapped in the face. She walked around the other players still changing and stopped behind Stiles.

"What is going on? You look terrible Scott…" Stiles looked at her and shook his head.

"Allison's dad…um was the guy who shot Scott…" He seemed a bit mystified by his own words.

"Are you serious? He's a…hunter? Is she…" Riley could not bring herself to finish the sentence. While she was not overly close with the girl, she didn't seem the type to kill, and make no mistake, hunters were right on the line of murderers in Riley's eyes.

"Not sure…" Scott's slightly mystified tone.

"Ok Scott, lets take this one step at a time. Focus on lacrosse." Stiles began gathering Scott's gear and pushing everything at Scott, "Take this. Take this and focus on lacrosse for now, ok?"

"Yah Scott, we will tackle the other stuff together, for now we have practice. I need you to play and offset the hot air Jackson exudes." Riley moved to Scott's side and put a hand on his shoulder in support.

"Lacrosse." Scott was still not all there, but he would at least try.

"Here we go!" Stiles took Riley's hand and dragged her out of the locker room.

Everyone was gathering out on the field. There were still some stragglers behind the trio of teens, but everyone important made it out there. They set up Frank's bed and water bowl while they waited for Coach to get started.

"Let's go! One – on – one from the top! Jackson! Take a long stick today. Atta boy. That's how you do it!" Everyone sprung into action, Jackson grabbing the long stick for defense at Coach's command. Greenberg had somehow crept up close to Riley as she moved to line up, she didn't notice but her uncle did, "Greenberg, take a lap. Let's go. Faster, Greenberg! Let's go." The creepy guy jumped when he was called out and started running. While keeping an eye on Greenburg, Coach turned back to the lined up players. McCall was up and Coach was ready to really push him. "McCall, what are you waiting for? Let's go. Hey McCall. Hey, McCall!"

Scott was taken out by Jackson. As he was getting up, Jackson took an opportunity to goad him, "You sure you still want to be first line, McCall?"

Stiles and Riley both winced as they watched. Scott was still not in the right frame of mind and Jackson was doing him no favors. They prayed Scott could keep it together. "My – my grandmother can move faster than that." Riley rolled her eyes at his words, "And she's dead. You think you can move faster than the – lifeless corpse of my dead grandmother?" Great Granny Willow was certainly not dead and Riley would be sure to tell her what her favorite grandson said about her…

"Yes, Coach." Scott got up. Riley had a bad feeling about how he was acting, Stiles felt it too.

"I can't hear you." Coach was really pushing Scott's nerves there.

"Yes, Coach." He was eyeing Jackson.

"Then do it again." Coach walked back toward the line, "McCall's gonna do it again! McCall's gonna do it again! Let's go!" The man missed his calling as a cheerleader, with his repetition of everything.

Scott took off toward Jackson and the resounding sound had everyone wincing. Riley could actually hear the sound of Jackson's bones moving. If nothing was broken, it had to be dislocated. Everyone rushed to Jackson's side, but Riley and Stiles. Scott had still not gotten up and he was panting heavily. They both ran to their friend's side.

"Scot? Scott, you ok?" Stiles gripped his shoulder. Riley saw the problem immediately.

"Stiles, he's gonna change! He can't control it…" She whisper yelled, "We gotta get him out of here."

"It's happening…." Scott was struggling. Stiles' face lost all blood and he felt a bit faint.

"Hat? Right here? Now?" Riley gave him a nudge to move, "Come on, get up. Come on, Scott. Come on." They pulled their friend to his feet. They were able to move Scott into the locker room. He was looking worse than before.

"Come on, here we go. There. That's it." They sat their friend down and Stiles tried to look him in the face, "You ok? Scott, you ok?" Riley saw it before Scott moved. She grabbed Stiles and pulled him back right as he really freaked out.

"Get away from me!" Scott was in full werewolf mode at this point. Stiles tried to crawl away as Scott started jumping on the lockers. Riley felt herself lose control a bit. Stiles was in danger, Scott was losing it and she had to snap some sense back into him. She let out a deep growl, something she didn't realize she had in her. The stress from earlier that day seemed to overflow and her control slipped. Stiles was still running out of the way and Riley jumped in from of a lunging Scott. As she grappled with him, keeping him away from the much more fragile Stiles, they were both shot with something freezing cold. Stiles had sprayed the CO2 fire extinguisher at them, which was cold enough to burn if they had been regular people.

"What just happen?" Scott was still out of it. Riley stumbled back into Stiles. He had to hold her up as she calmed down. They both lowered onto the floor and breathed.

"You tried to kill me and Riley had to hold you back." Riley felt tears leave her eyes, overcome with stress. She felt something on her leg and looked up. Frank had gotten off his leash and followed them into the locker room. He was pawing at her leg and she picked him up. Stiles saw her bury her face into the dog's fur and moved closer to put a comforting arm around her shoulders. "It's like I told you Friday, the anger…your pulse rising…that's a trigger."

"But that's lacrosse. It's a pretty violent game, if you hadn't noticed." Scott sounded weak.

"Well it's gonna be a lot more violent if you end up killing someone on the field. You can's play like this, you're gonna have to get out of the game." Stiles sighed and gripped Riley.

"I'm first line…" Scott whined.

"Not anymore." Stiles finally felt his heart slow down.

"What about Riley? If I can't play, she can't either." Stiles rolled his eyes at Scott's tone.

"When has Riley ever lost control playing lacrosse. She has never so much as had a minor panic attack on the field. That is probably the only time she is 120% focused on something." Riley looked up from Frank's coat at the topic.

"I can try to get out too, but I doubt anything less than hospitalization in a full body cast will keep my uncle from sending me in." She was being realistic. "Stiles is right though, I have always felt in control of myself on the field." Lacrosse gave her a sense of control of both herself and the world around her. Even when they were behind, losing helplessly in a real or practice game, she felt things would be ok because it was a game and she was still having fun.

Once all three teen made it safely home, Riley spent a good hour listening to Lydia rant on the phone. She was angry about Scott taking out Jackson. The fact that Riley was defending her male friend put her on Lydia's shit list for a bit. Riley knew her friend could be petty when it came to her popularity and tried not to let it get to her too much. Lydia had a hard time turning it off and this wasn't the first time she had argued with Riley. Scott was her brother, maybe not in blood but her brother all the same. She could not let Lydia insult him.

Riley had pointed out that Scott hadn't intended to hurt Jackson, but the same couldn't be said for Jackson. All it too was a little force in the wrong place to get a bad injury in a contact sport like lacrosse. As good as he played, Jackson was rarely on defense like he had been today, so he wasn't use to properly shifting to take on the force of a player while maintaining his position. The force Scott had used, was not beyond what a human could do despite being connected to his change. It was more like force just above what human Scott had been capable of. It certainly was not the first injury of the sort to happen at practice, and normally those were caused by Jackson. About time he got a taste of his own medicine.

After getting off the phone with a fuming Lydia, she set her laptop on the floor where she had an assortment of lounge pillows and blankets. The dogs took positions around her while she connected with Stiles on video chat. "He had a separated shoulder. Lydia said the doctor wasn't sure about signing off on his participation for the game." Stiles nodded, he could feel how tired Riley was from her voice.

"She was mad at you wasn't she." Riley tried to protest but he wasn't having it. "I know she was, she does this all the time. I know you are friends and all but I hate the way she treats you sometimes. She has not right to make you feel like shit when she gets upset." He had a point and she knew it. It was a conversation they had many times. Lydia was friendship challenged for all her genius. If Riley had to give a reason, she would blame Jackson. Their relationship was messed up, Lydia could never be herself with him and those feeling bottled up until they exploded. Riley was the only one who didn't force her to put on a persona, so she often felt the brunt of her feelings, good and bad.

"Can we talk about something else, I still feeling raw from defending Scott for injuring her tool of a boyfriend." She was tired of beating a dead horse right now. She would face the Lydia issue another time, she expected to be ignored until after the game.

"We have time before Scott should be on. What was up when you met us in the locker room?" Stiles had noticed her behavior, despite the focus at the time being on Scott and his love life drama.

"Frank is no longer going to be working with other students." She simplified the conversation with Erica and Miss Morrell.

"There is more though, isn't there?" Stiles could read her well and knew something was bothering her.

"I think Miss Morrell knows something…like she was implying she knew something was up and she even…threatened me…" She had time to think it over and became more convinced the woman was in the know about supernatural problems.

Stiles looked both stunned and not even surprised. "Miss Morrell always knows everything, like to an annoying degree. She isn't wrong though, even if she wasn't talking about your furry problem. I can tell the dogs help you stay calm. They have been so much more responsive since Friday." Riley had noticed it too, said dogs were currently laying around her in the nest of pillows half asleep. "I wonder if she is a hunter or something. I mean we would never have suspected Allison's family if Scott hadn't seen them with his own eyes. I doubt they are the only hunters out there…"

"That's a good point. I don't really see her much anymore, so it won't be difficult to avoid her. She really put me on edge…like I could actually feel the wolf inside me on edge, ready to defend from attack or something." She took a breath and hugged her sleeping dogs before going on, "After I just had to…find you Stiles…"

He took a breath at that confession. "I helped you?"

She nodded, "More than I can express with words, you just feel…safe." Stiles felt warmth at her words. He was ecstatic that he could actually help with her wolf problems. "It was like Friday, touching you made the…pain kind of fade away. I was just drowning in all these sensations but you kept me focused."

"Is that why you didn't take a jaunt through the woods like Scott?" Stiles had all sorts of ideas and theories racing through his head. Above them all was the assurance that she did feel something for him. "Like I kept you in control, where he let instincts control him?"

She had to think back on her feelings from today and from that night. "I don't know if I was not going with my instincts Stiles. It felt pretty instinctual to find you, but it was like…both the human and wolf brain were in sync." It was a difficult thing to put into words.

Stiles felt even more excited at the new information. Before they could continue the conversation, Scott's call box came up. Stiles grabbed his toy gun and pointed it at the camera as the video appeared. Riley laughed and Scott scoffed at the childish action.

"Did either of you find anything out?" He knew Riley at least would have heard from Lydia at this point.

"Jackson's got a separated shoulder." Stiles was the first to speak.

"Because of me?" Scott felt guilty for losing control still.

"Because he's a tool. Not sure if he is playing yet, but I'm sure he will do so with or without the permission of the doctor. It is not the first separated shoulder our team has seen from practice." Riley tried to reassure her friend.

Stiles nodded along with her, "From what I have gathered, the team will be counting on you regardless of Jackass playing." Something caught his eye in Scott's video feed. The feed was cutting out a bit, the McCall's internet was not the best. He began typing, which caught Riley's attention, 'it looks like…'

Scott was getting frustrated with his connection too, "What? Looks like what?" as he waited for the text to load. "Come on. Damn it. What?"

Stiles continued to type, 'there's someone behind you.' Scott felt his heart stop when he read that. He whirled to face the intruder only to be grabbed and thrown against the wall. It was Derek Hale.

"I saw you on the field." The leather clad wolf all but snarled at him. Scott was scared shitless at that moment, they had no idea what this guy was capable of. Stiles and Riley were freaking out from the little the camera was catching.

"Wha-what are you talking about?" He tried to keep his voice steady but was not doing a very good job.

"You shifted in front of them! If they find out about what you are, they find out about me. About all of us." Scott was slammed into the wall again, "and then it's not just the hunters after us, it's everyone."

Scott protested the accusation, "But – They didn't see anything! I…s-swear, I-"

Derek cut him off and got closer to look the terrified teen in the eyes. "And they won't! Because if you even try to play that game on Saturday – I'm gonna kill you myself." And before Scott could catch his breath, the man was gone and he was once again alone in his home. Scott heard his computer, the video call was still open and both his friends were frantic.

"Riley, he threatened me not to play, he might be headed for you next!" Scott warned his friend. This sent the already frantic Stilinski through the roof and before anything more was said, Stiles was missing from the video window which had been left connected.

Stiles' mind blanked as his feet carried him to his trusty blue jeep. He was on the road in seconds and going way above the legal limit to reach the Finstock house. He saw Coach's big truck, so he figured he would be jumping the fence tonight. Before he could begin his climb, the gate opened and Riley was standing there.

"I figured…Boomer and Frank are guarding my room if tall dark and furry shows up." Riley's voice was quiet and Stiles pulled her to his chest. He shut the gate and clicked the lock back into place. They remained close as they walked back around the corner to Riley's room. Boomer was standing at attention, guarding the door. He had made no noise so they guessed the Hale werewolf had not made it there yet, if he would actually show up that night. Stiles brain was working enough before he left, he had grabbed his backpack so he would be able to stay the night.

"Dad is working late tonight, I have everything but a change of clothes so I'm not leaving you alone." Stiles informed her. He grabbed his phone and shot his father a text letting him know he would not be home that night, in case he stopped by the house or got off early.

"You and Scott left some jeans and stuff here a few of weeks ago. I keep forgetting to get them back to you guys, but I washed them so you have a change of clothes for tomorrow if you don't want to stop at your house before school." Riley pulled out a stack of clothes from a shelf in her closet. He looked them over and nodded. They were probably from one of the many times he practiced lacrosse with Riley and Scott over the holidays. He was sure he had some of Riley's stuff too, Scott's clothing was probably mixed into his own closet at this point.

Stiles shed his jacket and shoes some time into the night. They had been watching Netflix and joking around quietly. Coach had poked his head in at some point and eyed Stiles before telling them they better show up to class tomorrow. Riley had just stepped into her closet to change. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Boomer move toward the French doors, growling very low. He turned and pulled the curtain back enough to spot movement in the yard. 'Looks like our guest finally arrived', Stiles scowled in thought. He grabbed Riley's aluminum bat and slid the door open enough to face Derek.

"You seem a bit old to be singing high school girls midnight serenades." His voice came out stronger than he was feeling. He was scared but he was not letting this asshole lay a finger on his girl.

"She doesn't seem to be having the same issues as your friend. That kind of control right out of the gate seem unusual to me, seems like she's setting up to go off in a bigger, bloodier way. She can't play." He got to the point.

"Riley has not lost control yet. Besides more physical changes Friday, and protecting me today, you wouldn't guess she was anything but human dude." Stiles squared his shoulders and gave Derek a smartass grin, "If you want to discuss Riley's participation in extracurricular activities, Coach Finstock is here. I'm sure he would love to pull out one of his best players and niece from the first game of the season."

Derek glared at him, "If she plays, someone is going to die. All it takes is one player pissing her off and it will be a bloodbath. She-wolves tend to be the most vicious, once she starts, she will not stop."

"You know nothing about her. You have know of her for maybe a week. We met you literally the morning after she was bit. I understand you know about werewolves, but she was a human first and that doesn't go away." Stiles had to take a breath to keep calm. His grip in the bat was so tight his fingers were white.

"It's not like I automatically can't play sports because I distinctly remember my uncle filling in for Coach Yoast in 2004. There was a Derek Hale on the team for the champion game. It was one of the first things I did with my uncle after getting out of the hospital." Riley had snuck up on both of them. She ducked under Stiles' arm and tucked herself into his side. Stiles didn't let his eyes stray from their guest. He felt Boomer close in on the side opposite of Riley. He guessed Frank was probably at her side, but didn't want to risk looking away from Derek.

Derek's eyes flashed blue at the growling Boomer, but the dog didn't flinch or back down from the werewolf. Derek seemed a little surprised at that, enough that both teens could notice the minute change in expression. "If you change on that field-"

Riley cut him off, "If I feel like I might lose control, I won't play but that is my choice. You may be more experienced as a werewolf, but Stiles is right, you have no idea what I am capable of nor do you have a right to give me commands." Riley's eyes flashed gold but she remained composed. "I think it is time for you to leave."

Derek gave them both a look before nodding and turning to leave. He was less concerned for her after meeting her. She seemed to have found grounding in herself and in her pack. Unlike the other new wolf, she seemed to have reached an inner equilibrium. The annoying kid seems to contribute to that, maybe as her anchor or maybe more…

Stiles and Riley calmed some after Derek left. It was late and they were both ready to collapse. Riley went to wash her face and brush her teeth. She passed Stiles an extra toothbrush, a cheap new one from a dentist visit, so he could get ready for bed too. They quietly brushed their teeth side by side, neither had spoken since they finished with Derek as there was no need to. Stiles removed his jeans and tee shirt before pulling the covers of Riley's large bed back. He was on the right side, closest to the French doors. Stiles looking forward to sleeping, not only to hold Riley, but because her bed was huge and very soft. It was much more comfortable than his own bed. Once Riley settled in the bed, he pulled her over his chest. The warmth of her body and the soft bed sent him to sleep in short order. He didn't even feel the dogs make their own places on the bed.

"You little delinquents had better get up and get your asses to school!" Stiles and Riley woke to pounding on her bedroom door. It was still dark out and neither wanted to move from the warmth of the bed, intertwined together. Suddenly Stiles took a tail to the face, Boomer had stretched out at his back with his head toward the foot of the bed. Turning his head, he saw Frank on Riley's pillow above where her head rested on his chest. Dogs.

"What time is it?" Riley moaned out, not moving from her place a single inch. Stiles groped behind him, maneuvering around Boomers butt to reach the bedside table fro his phone.

"Like…fiveish…" Coach was a dick sometimes.

"I should punch him. School doesn't start for another two and a half hours." Both just closed their eyes and prepared to get at least 30 more minutes of rest.

"I don't hear movement in there! I have a bucket of ice water with your names on it if you don't move!" Damn that man. Both teens simultaneously groaned and pulled back the very soft and warm blankets piled on them. As they extracted themselves from the bed, the dogs in complete synchrony rolled into the warm spot they had just left. Riley started laughing while Stiles glared at them.

"That is so unfair, they get to sleep in…don't have to deal with school…" Stiles was mumbling.

"Frank has school too. I could see if Uncle wants to hang with Boomer in class if it will make you feel better. He is still allowed at the school as a service dog, even though we retired him." She pat his face, "If Scott goes through with his plan to not play, my uncle might need the comfort for his dying championship dreams." It wasn't the first time Boomer went to school since getting Frank. They didn't like leaving him alone all day since retiring. Plus a lot of the teachers, besides Harris, loved Boomer and gave him lots of attention when not on duty as her service dog.

After both teens were dressed, Riley fixed breakfast for everyone, just some bacon and her special scrambled eggs with toast. Her uncle spent the meal staring Stiles down. Stiles couldn't stop fidgeting and Riley had to hide her smile. She knew her uncle was just trying to mess with Stiles, like he did every time they were around each other at the Finstock house. It was a highlight of Bobby Finstock's life, messing with anyone she brought over.

"Do you want Boomer in class today?" She broke his laser stare to spare Stiles. "He hasn't been since we started back, and I don't want him getting lonely here…"

"He can sit with me, but I have to leave now so you're gonna have to bring him." Her uncle cleaned his plate and set it in the dishwasher. "If she isn't in class and on time today, you're gonna be running suicide drills until your legs fall off Blinsbi." With that lovely image, he left to get to work early.

"Well you heard the man Boomer, get your school bag boy!" Boomer looked up from his food bowl with his tail wagging. He went to grab his bag, like he was trained to. "Do we need to pick up Scott today?" She turned to Stiles, who was just finishing up his food. The boy shrugged and pulled his phone out to send their friend a text. He got an affirmative and Riley got both dogs ready to leave. Scott lived a bit farther away, so if they wanted to be on time they had to leave soon.

"Scott, Riley's opening the door, you have five seconds to get your furry butt in before I speed up!" Stiles shouted into his cell as they came in view of the McCall house. Riley opened the passenger door as a disheveled Scott bolted for the moving vehicle. He barely made it in before Stiles sped off, taking the speed limit as more of a suggestion.

"What the hell Stiles!?" Was all Scott could get out before climbing over Riley to sit in the back next to Boomer.

"I like my legs where they are Scott!" Was all Stiles shouted out as he tried to concentrate on the road. Riley was no help either, cackling like mad. Scott remained as he normally was, in a state of perpetual confusion.

The three occupants of Stiles' jeep made it safely to the high school nice and early. Stiles was not a fan of excessive running despite the training he started with Riley and he was not willing to risk Coach's ire at bringing her even a second late. They never did explain to Scott why Stiles was so riled up, but the boy had a feeling it had something to do with Riley's uncle. That man had a talent for getting under the boy's skin and messing with his head. All three teens, with two dogs in tow, made their way to Coach's office. Scott still had to talk about the game, Stiles wanted to present Riley to keep his legs like some messed up hostage exchange, and Riley had to drop Boomer off with her uncle.

"Hey Uncle B, I'm here to drop of Boomer. I think Scott also had to talk to you." Stiles gave the man a nervous wave and waited in the hallway. Riley set Boomer's bag, down near the dog corner of his office. She took out his travel bowl and a water bottle to get him situated as her nervous friend tried to get out of the game.

"What do you mean, you can't play the game tomorrow night?" Her uncle was incredulous.

"I mean- I can't play the game tomorrow night." Scott nervously repeated himself, like he would understand from those words alone.

"You can't wait to play the game tomorrow night." Her uncle supplied.

Scott sighed in frustration, "No, coach, I can't play the game tomorrow night."

"I'm not following." Scott should have let her come up with an excuse, theis would have gone much smoother.

"I'm…having some personal issues." The boy really should have let her handle her this, it was painful to watch.

"Is it a girl?" Coach fished.

"No." Scott didn't expand on that so the man continued.

"Is it a guy?" Riley had to hold a laugh in as her uncle continued, "You know, our goalie Danny is gay…"

"Yeah, I know, coach, but that's not it." Scott stuttered out.

"You don't think Danny's a – good lookin' guy?" Riley could hear Stiles laughing quietly in the hallway.

Scott's face was flushed as he tried to bring this conversation back on track. "I – think he's good looking. I – but I – I like girls. And that's not it, anyway! I – I-"

Her uncle cut Scott off, "What, is it drugs? Are you doing meth? Because I had a brother that was addicted to meth. You should have seen what it did to his teeth – They were all cracked and rotted. It was – it was disgusting."

Scott looked at Riley and Coach in shock at hearing that. "My – God. What happened to him?" Riley had never told him about an uncle who did meth…

"He got veneers." Both Finstocks chimed in unison, missing Scott's point completely. "Is – is that what this is about? Are you afraid of getting hurt, McCall?" Coach continued on.

"No – I'm – having some issues dealing with aggression…" Scott supplied.

"Well, here's the good news." Coach leaned into Scott's face like imparting a sacred grain of wisdom to the boy. "That's why you play lacrosse. Problem solved."

Scott was done with this, "Coach, I can't play the game tomorrow night."

"Listen, McCall, part of playing first line is taking on the responsibility of being first line." He was done too, "Now, if you can't shoulder that responsibility, they you're back on the bench until you're ready." Riley sighed, Scott should have let her handle this. Now he might do something crazy and/or stupid.

"If I don't play the game, you're taking me off first line?" Scott's voice cracked a bit.

Coach looked Scott in the eyes, "McCall, play the game." Scott left the room, leaving Riley with her Uncle and the dogs. Stiles was still out in the hallway waiting for her and Frank. "What is up with your friend Riley?" Riley stood from her position on the floor next to Boomer.

"I think…" She paused to gather her words and figure out a good excuse. "Some of the guys have not been to welcoming of his appointment to first line. They may have made this…abundantly clear to Scott." Not quite a lie, Jackson and his minions had made their displeasure apparent. Her uncle gave her a critical look at this

"Has he been…threatened by some of the players?" She internally winced.

"Not in so many words…Jackson has been trying to exclude him at practice for example. Messing with Scott is why he wasn't…focusing and got hurt." Still not lying to her uncle, "I think Scott really wants to play, but Jackson had been getting to him. He really blames himself for the injury too."

"Jackson holds some of the blame, he may not be a full time defender, but he didn't appropriately shift the brunt of the force like I know he knows how. Underestimating his opponent like that…" Her uncle trailed off.

"I know that, and told Scott as such, but Jackson is petty and I'm positive he will retaliate. That retaliation may be why Scott is trying so hard not to play. Jackson may have said something and Scott would never say anything to me or Stiles…" That should be enough to shift the blame. Her uncle may be an ass, but he doesn't support outright bullying. Plus Jackson would for sure retaliate and when he did, it would wrap everything with a neat bow in her uncle's eyes.

"If he does try something, let me know Riley. That kind of toxic sprit can ruin a season. I'm not letting some superiority complex lose us a championship." She gave her uncle an innocent smile in agreement. If they were lucky, they might get rid of some of Jackson's cronies and have a place for Stiles on first line.

Stiles had stopped in the bathroom when Lydia ambushed Riley in between classes. "What is going on with McCall?" She demanded, "Why am I hearing that he will not be playing the game tomorrow?"

Riley sighed, if she was a monster when it came to lacrosse, what was Lydia? "You were ready to crucify him on the phone, why do you care if he decided he wasn't going to play?" Lydia shot her a look.

"Look, Jackson will be playing but he is still injured. I will not let us lose because that loser decided he wanted to start something with Jackson." Riley had to hold back an eye roll.

"You do know, we have won games without Jackson before." Last year there was a bad stomach bug and the only first line players not glued to the toilet were Riley and Danny. Everyone else were people usually benched, like last choice players. Even Scott and Stiles were better players half dead and drunk. They had been sick too. Her uncle bribed some other students to play since they had so few people semi-well. They won three games like that.

Lydia glared at Riley before sighing. She would have to find her answers straight from the source. Riley was still obviously upset about their phone conversation and Lydia was not ready to swallow her pride and apologize to her female friend, which she knew she would have to. Riley was her friend, but sometimes Lydia took it for granted. All the other girls just fell in line, even Allison to an extent, but Riley was stubborn and would not back down when Lydia pushed her. Lydia decided now was not the time to push her further and walked off.

Riley shook her head and grabbed her books for the next class. The bell was going to ring and she didn't want to be late. Stiles was still freaked out from her uncle, who probably completely forgot that entire conversation. Speak of the devil, he came powerwalking toward her. Stiles put his hands on her shoulders and started pushing her to their next class.

"You know he isn't going to punish you right?" she giggled over her shoulder.

"He already hates me Ry! I don't want to give him a reason to…" He trails off and Riley took his distraction as an opportunity to turn around.

"Do what? Keep us from hanging out? He doesn't hate you Sti." She put a hand on his chest. Stiles looks away from her, chewing on his bottom lip. "He likes getting under your skin, you are so easy to rile up."

"I just… don't want to get on his bad side before I can even…" He turned back to her and they began walking to class.

"Before you can what?" Stiles shakes his head at her question. They made it to their shared classroom with time to spare. Stiles takes Riley's hand and pulls her toward their seats in the back. He wasn't ready to voice everything and this was not the place he wanted to do it.

Stiles was waiting for Riley to return from the gym complex so they could leave when he spotted his father and a deputy speaking with one of their vice-principals. He quickly hid around the corner before his dad could spot him.

"What are you doing?" His hear jumped out of his chest, Riley was standing there with Frank and Boomer.

"Shh! My dad's here!" He franticly told her in a low voice. "He's talking with Mr. Renshaw and Deputy Franks. Can you hear what they are saying?"

She peaked and saw the group of adults talking and tried to focus her ears. She had trouble hearing over Stiles heartbeat so close to her ear. He had molded himself into her back. "…everyone under the age of 18…home…9:30 p.m.…institute the curfew, effective immediately." When she finally got something she gasped in surprise.

"What? What is it!?" Stiles breath hit her ear.

"They are instituting a curfew…9:30, effective tonight." She explained.

Stiles scowled at that, "Unbelievable. He's out there trying to find a rabid animal while Derek, who actually did it, just does whatever he wants."

"You want to tell your dad about werewolves? Not sure how well it will go over but it seems like that will be the only way he can solve the case at the moment. Not sure how they would convict…or if a jail can hold a werewolf but…" Stiles just sighed.

"There has to be…" Stiles stopped midsentence.

"I don't like that look. That's your 'something seriously stupid is going to come out of my mouth' look." Riley stepped in his path. Scott walked up to them looking both annoyed and scared.

"What's going on? Why does he have his 'bad idea' face on?" Scott asked Riley.

Before she could answer, Stiles grinned at the and pulled both to him. "We've gotta find the other half of the body."

"Called it." Riley stated dryly.