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TWENTY NINE.

Sage's knee refused to stop moving as she waited outside. Stiles and Scott were just brought in by the Sheriff, Melissa having shown up about five minutes after they did. When the Sheriff asked Sage to stay outside of the room, she realized that the restraining order was only being put up against Stiles and Scott. This also meant that she couldn't be in the room to hear all of the details, and that Jackson obviously didn't bother to mention she was involved despite it already being completely obvious. The teenager had already been taken into another section of the station by a deputy while his father stayed to settle the papers. She was a nervous wreck, whether it was pulling her hair in and out of it's bun or tapping her fingernails on the side of the wooden chair. Directly before she was thrown out and the boys were thrown in, they called Allison after the brunette explained that the word Morrell told them had been wrong; a Kanima doesn't seek a friend, it seeks a master.

Sage had also felt a thump form in her throat when Sheriff asked to call her guardian. She hadn't been associating with Derek ever since he almost tried to kill both Lydia and Jackson. He hadn't been to her apartment in weeks, making it impossible for them to even have a civil conversation. She was past her angry phase, now she just needed to talk to him about the information she got from Deaton. Although he was cut from her life right now, he still had a right to know what she was, and what is going on with her. More importantly, where her mom had been on her so-called vacation. But there was no time, none at all. When Stiles' dad realized her guardian wasn't coming, Sage watched as he put the phone down. It wasn't brought up again.

The sound of a door opening made Sage shoot up in her seat, looking to see that Scott and Melissa were emerging from the room, both mirroring looks of defeat and disappointment. Melissa barely glanced at her, moving around to reach her son. Sage frowned, and stepped back to give the family space. She really didn't want to pry into their lives. Scott may be one of her best friends, and she might know almost everything about his life, but she wasn't going to interrupt. She walked into the room they just exited, and saw that Stiles and his dad were standing there, sharing glowering looks.

"Hey, sorry to interrupt," Sage apologized, nearly wincing when she heard how hoarse her voice was from not having talked in the past hour. "Um, Stiles, when you two are done, do you think you could give me a ride home?"

Both of the male's had turned to look at her, their faces softening. Stiles immediately answered. "Yeah, of course." He turned to his dad. "Can we go? Or is there something else I need to be yelled at for?"

He sighed, and rubbed his eyes before nodding "Go ahead, and be careful."

Stiles pulled his keys from his pocket, holding them tightly in his palm as he grabbed Sage's hand, the two of the starting to walk out of the room. Right before they were turning to leave, they glanced to make sure their friend was okay. He was being yelled at by Melissa, although it wasn't really yelling seeing as though the woman didn't have a mean muscle in her body.

"Fine, no TV," She decided, crossing her arms over her chest. Scott looked over his mom's shoulder to see his two friends standing there, mimicked looks of guilt contorting on their faces. He didn't see why they looked like that, seeing as though he didn't exactly go against the plan. He was just as much involved as they were.

Scott pursed his lips, looking back towards his mom. "My TV's broken, remember?"

"Then no computer!" Melissa opted, shaking her head as she tried to think of any other punishment. Sage winced when she heard how the mother's voice almost cracked. It was extremely difficult to watch. Melissa was such a good mother, something that both Stiles and Sage haven't even experienced for a long time. It just felt horrible to watch their only real mother figure begin to crack.

"I need the computer for school."

"Then, uh." Melissa looked back to see the two teenagers standing behind her. "Then no Stiles and Sage." While Sage was hurt that she would no longer be able to see her friend, she wasn't extremely depressed because there was no way that they could go a day without seeing each other due to the huge secret they were hiding. Stiles, on the other hand, didn't think of any of this as he let out a series of wailing sounds.

"Wha— No Stiles?!" Stiles protested, his hand ripping from Sage's as he moved forward a bit. Sage sighed, and ran a hand across her face. Why couldn't things just be over for the night?

Melissa didn't even glance back at him. "No Stiles!" Stiles and Sage both jumped in shock at how the woman raised her voice, Stiles backing away until he was in his original place next to his girlfriend. "And no more car privaledges. Give me your keys." Scott hesitated. "Give them to me!"

"Okay," Scott mumbled, fishing through his pockets until he found them. Melissa grabbed them from his palm, and started to pull the key from the ring with nimble fingers. After a few seconds of trying, along with a few angry huffs, Scott stared at his mom sadly. "Mom, do you want me to—"

"No."

She continued to try, and Scott sighed as his mom's stubbornness. "Mom, come on, just let me. Mom." He grabbed a hold of her hand, stopping her from attempting to free the key. Sage chewed on her lips, looking up at Stiles. It sucked. It really sucked. She could never understand how bad it felt lying to your parents, but she knew how bad it felt lying to people that you loved.

"What's going on with you?" Melissa finally asked. "Is this about Allison?"

Scott inhaled, keeping his eyes on his mother. "Do you really want to know?"

"Yeah," Melissa replied. Sage and Stiles were both shaking their heads from behind the woman, Stiles having much more rapid head movements that she. Melissa couldn't be involved in this, it would only hurt her. Scott noticed, but didn't say anything to them. Right when he went to speak, his mom beat him to it. "Is this about your father? It is, isn't it?"

Sage scowled at the thought of Scott's father. She remembered him when they were little. Her parents didn't like having her visiting the McCall house when he was at home — which wasn't often — because he was a drunk. Overall, he was just a bad parent. She remembered a couple of months before she left Beacon Hills, Scott had showed up on the playground and started crying in front of her and Stiles. He said that his dad just vanished. Sage knew that Scott still held a grudge when it comes to his father, despite never speaking about him.

"Okay, you know what, we'll talk about this when we get home. I'm going to go get the car," Melissa assured, moving past her son to go outside of the station to retrieve their car. After she left, Scott walked over to his friends, his shoulders hung low as he walked without pep in his step.

"I'm the worst son ever," Scott told them. Sage moved a hand on Scott's shoulder, giving it a tight squeeze in assurance before they turned to look through the open door.

Stiles flinched when his dad started getting yelled at my Mr. Whittemore, and shook his head as he watched. "Yeah, I'm not winning any prizes either."

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"This is a terrible idea."

"It's the only idea we have."

"It's still a terrible idea."

Sage rolled her eyes at her boyfriend, shoving her books into her locker. School started a couple of hours ago, and she was just brought the plan of action from Allison, Scott, and Stiles. Having not been there during the plan because Mr. Anderson tracked her down to ask why she didn't attend detention two days ago, and why she wasn't at school yesterday, she made up the excuse that her dog died. It was terribly cruel, and made her a liar but it got her off the hook because she knew how much Anderson loved anything that had four legs and looked cute. So while her friends were conniving in the library, she was announcing that Wiggles got ran over by an asshole in a mini-van.

The plan was for Sage to talk to Jackson. Apparently a Kanima can't be changed until it releases all of it's problems and changes from it's old self, in Stiles' words. The only problem was that no one really knew Jackson's problems, Stiles and Scott couldn't confront him because of their restraining order, and Sage was the only person that knew the teenage boy well enough to ask him about his dead parents without him growing angered. It wasn't even the first time she's talked to him about it, she remembers back to the beginning of the school year when they had the conversation in the car on the way to the hospital. It seemed like forever ago.

"Yeah, well, it's the only idea we've got. I'll be fine. Scott said he would help if anything happens, but I honestly don't think anything will. Jackson wouldn't hurt me," Sage explained, grabbing a hold of both Stiles' hands, playing around with them as they waited for the first bell to ring. Sage had free period, same as Jackson, while Scott was making up one of Harris' tests and Stiles had Anderson. Stiles was also supposed to find Lydia and ask her about Jackson, as well. The five minutes they had to collect their stuff was the only time her boyfriend had to convince her how terrible this idea was.

"Jackson might not, but how do you know the homicidal, knock-off ninja turtle won't?"

Sage grinned at Stiles' description of the Kanima. "Stiles, you just have to trust me."

"I do trust you. It's him I don't trust," Stiles grumbled. Sage leaned forward and gave him a peck on the lips before releasing their hands. It was only a matter of seconds before he had to leave, and she had to find a Ninja Turtle. "Scott's ass better be there the second anything happens, or I'll sell his fur for money to afford his funeral."

"Go to class," Sage joked, shoving him towards the exit. He smiled, but it didn't meet his eyes. He was still concerned about Jackson doing something, and he couldn't lose her. There was always that overwhelming fear every single day, seeing as though she's literally a sponge for injuries, but he wasn't going to treat her like a baby.

Sage watched as he disappeared down the hallway, and her smile turned into a frown. She was extremely nervous to confront Jackson, mostly because of how unpredictable he's been lately. Taking a deep breath, she shoved her hands into the pockets of the hoodie she wore today. It was only a few turns before she ended up near the locker room, and she almost got caught following Jackson when his head twisted around quickly. She ducked behind one of the walls, and waited a few seconds before peeking back around just in time to see the door to the locker room close.

She quickly followed after, her hand outstretched to go into the room when the door flung open. For a split second, she worried that it was Jackson coming out to catch her and yell at her, but she noticed it was only Matt. He hadn't been relevant lately, more important things coming up than his creepy obsession with taking odd pictures and knocking her off rock walls. "Whoa! You scared the hell out of me!"

Sage have a small smile before glancing past him to see if Jackson was there. "Sorry. I was just... I was just looking for something."

"Oh, well. Nice hoodie," Matt announced, making Sage glance down at the hoodie she was wearing. It was the same from last night, this being about the fifth hoodie she's taken from Stiles. Unlike the other's that were void of color, this one was a deep maroon with the number '24' printed on the front along with the school's name. She couldn't help but smile at it before nodding towards Matt.

"Uh, yeah. I just found it in a pile of clothes laying around my room," Sage answered, continuing to try and look through the crack that was in the locker room door. She needed to get to Jackson, and Matt was just holding her up.

"Kind of like a tornado went through it?" Matt laughed, attempting to make a joke. Sage, being distracted, stared at the boy in question, wondering what he was just asking. He sighed, and scratched his neck. "Hey, did you hear about the Underground Shell? Apparently they've got some big names spinning."

"Oh," Sage said, nodding her head. When is this boy going to leave? "You mean like a rave."

"Well, is it still a rave if you don't roll? I would just call it a party but hey, I've got a friend who can hook us up with tickets if you're down, as friends of course. Alright?" He asked, silently pleading for a yes. Sage hummed under her breath, her attention still on the locker room. Tugging on the sleeves of her hoodie, she gave Matt a smile.

"Yeah, sure. Cool," she answered, not completely sure what she was agreeing to.

Matt's eyes lit up in surprise, and she watched as he moved around her with a smile. "It's Friday, so I'm looking forward to it!" When he disappeared around the corner, Sage furred her eyebrows in confusion. What just happened? She shook her head, and moved to walk into the locker room when there were shouts and groans of pain. Hearing them, she swung the door open.

"Jackson?" She called out, shoving her hands deeper into her pockets. She glanced around the room, trying her hardest to ignore the pungent smell of boy. It was abandoned, but she expected as much considering most of the players didn't have a free sixth period.

"In here!" Jackson shouted, and she finally acknowledged the small pattering of a shower. She narrowed her eyes before moving past one of the benches, making her way over to the showers. When she got to them, her eyes widened in shock when she saw Jackson completely naked. Unlike before, he wasn't covered by Stiles' jacket. He was free for the world to see. She moved around the corner, her cheeks flushing red in embarrassment. She did not need to see that. "Something wrong?"

"You could have warned me, asshole," She hissed, hearing him turn off the water.

"You're the one that walked into the locker room, Sage."

She clenched her jaw. "I thought I heard you— I thought... never mind."

"Do you want to talk about something?" He asked, and she could practically feel him behind her. Already, she could tell that her heart was racing, and she fought to control it. She didn't want to be this close to him, to whatever was happening to him. There is no way this is really Jackson, because even though he's a complete asshole sometimes, he's never this bad. He knows she's dating Stiles, and she knows he still loves Lydia.

"We can talk when you put on a pair of pants," She snapped, and then there was a hand stopping her from moving, Jackson walking to stand in front of her, completely bare. He stared at her, and she couldn't help but send a scowl his way.

Smirking at her, he shook his head. "No, let's talk now."

"I have to get to class. Move."

"No, no. You don't," He denied, giving her a snicker as he leaned in closer to her face. "No, you have a free period today. Besides, I want you to stay here with me. I always knew there was something about you ever since you ran into me that first day of school."

"Jackson, stop," Sage pleaded, moving her head to keep him from getting any closer to her. She could barely breathe, she felt so confined in between the wall and Jackson's face. He backed up a little, and gave her a sadistic grin.

"Are you okay? Your heart is beating like crazy. Almost like the time we kissed. Oh, you remember that, don't you?" Jackson asked, his eyebrows raised. Sage gulped, slowly backing up. This was one moment where she felt completely useless. Hitting him would only hurt her because it is still Jackson. It's just not Jackson. "We can always try that again instead of talking."

"I— I have a..." She stumbled over one of the benches, nearly tripping. Jackson went to grab her, and she recoiled from his touch. "I have a boyfriend."

Jackson snickered. "That's right. Stilinski. He won't mind, you look a bit stressed anyway. Is it him? Are you two already fighting? I still can't believe you're with him. Especially after all the secrets you two have kept from each other. How long do you think that's going to last? How many guys have you kissed before him?"

"You don't know anything about me," Sage stumbled through her words, continuing to back up as she felt a lump form in her throat. She shouldn't be letting him get to her, especially not now. Not while she was vulnerable and alone.

"Oh, but I do know about you, Sage. You're a little whore who lost her mommy and daddy. Where exactly is Derek? Didn't he purposefully hurt Scott even though he knew the same thing would happen to you too? Is there trouble between you two? That really would suck considering when all of this is over, it's just going to be you two to rot in hell all alone with no one but each other."

"Shut up!" she spat, feeling tears begin to well in her eyes. She wasn't crying because of the insults, she was crying because everything he was saying is true. There is no way Derek or her are going to be getting out of Beacon Hills alive. There's absolutely no way. Having Jackson confirm all of her fears only made it harder to breathe.

"What are you going to do about it, Sage? When your moronic bitch of a boyfriend leaves you, huh? What about when they all do? Are you going to go cry to Derek like the little baby you are?" Jackson snarled, shoving her into the wall. She flinched, but kept her eyes on his. She wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of seeing her turn away. "Come on, little baby, go ahead and cry. Or you can just do what I've wanted all along." Jackson's hand extracted into claws, and she whimpered when he touched her face, tracing all the way down from her lips to her neck. "I really thought you would have put up more of a fight considering you lived with werewolves for six years."

Sage huffed out a shaky breath. "I haven't tried to fight yet." When the words finished falling out of her mouth, she brought her hand out and elbowed him in the stomach, attempting to trip him with her foot only to have them both go crashing to the floor, him falling on top of her. She cried out in pain when she felt all of his weight fall onto her, and leaned over to keep her eyes away from him.

"Sage?" Jackson called out, his voice having changed completely from what it was a few seconds ago. She shot over, her eyes wide as she gaped at him in surprise. He was back. "What are you doing here?"