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TWENTY TWO

         "Sage, stop complaining." 

        "No. I'm not going to stop complaining. I'm going to continue to complain until Coach realizes just how annoying my complaining is and decides not to make me do it because I complain so much." 

        "Sage." 

        The blonde glared over at the taller brunette boy to her right. For a good twenty minutes, Stiles and Sage have been bickering about the obstacle that was facing them. A rock climbing wall was positioned in the middle of the gym, taunting Sage. She wasn't the most enthusiastic person when it came to things like this, especially since she wasn't the most fond of heights. Werewolves, she could deal with. Hunters, she was perfectly fine handling. Heights? Yeah, no. She'd rather take her chances with Peter again. 

        "So, you," Stiles pointed a finger at her. "Sage Connelly, the girl that continues to throw herself into life threatening situations just for the hell of it, are afraid of heights. A rock wall, to be exact." 

        "Stiles, I swear to god, I will bite your finger off and not think twice about it." 

        Stiles scowled, retracting his finger away from Sage's face. Allison and Scott were just prepping up to go on the rock wall, and Sage was supposed to be going after with Matt. She wasn't the most excited about her choice of partner, seeing as Allison and Scott got paired together but she wasn't paired with Stiles. After the whole deal at the police station with Isaac and the not-so-real deputy, Stiles and Sage gravitated towards each other. She knew it had to do with her struggling in the hunter's arms, she just didn't think it would affect Stiles the way it did. She was also feeling restless avoiding the tension that was obvious between the two. 

        After the night of the formal, the atmosphere between them changed. It was like all of those kisses were erased, the fight they had just became nonexistent, and they were just the friends they had been in fifth grade; her threatening Stiles, and him barking back at her when he had the courage. Things were good. Allison and Scott were going strong, apart from the constant fear of her grandfather, Gerard, slicing him in half, as well as her father. Lydia seemed to be getting better from her hike in the woods. Sage noticed that she wasn't the happiest, and had a feeling 'Jackass' Jackson was involved. He's been AWOL lately, barely taking the time out of his day to even associate with her. Apparently the whole bite thing is under control  because when she sees him in class he doesn't seem to be crawling on the floor with blood coming through every part of his body. 

        As for Derek, the two were clearly still drifting apart, and it sucked. Sage missed the conversations the two would have late at night, or, better defined, their arguments late at night. Some part of her needed him present in her life forever because he was the constant reminder of her past, their past, and all that they had been through in the past six and a half years. He was the only one who understood fully why she had such intense trust issues, and no matter how much they fought, or lost their way from each other, he was still her best friend. Even when he turns into a grumpy asshole. 

        "Connelly, Daehler,  you two are up," Coach boomed, getting up from crouching next to Scott, who seemed to have fallen in the time that Sage and Stiles were talking. Sage's whole body froze, and she stared at Stiles with wide eyes. He grabbed a hold of her arm, giving it a small squeeze. 

        "Hey, you'll be fine. Just think about how much you want to beat Matt," Stiles assured. Sage took a deep breath before turning around, coming face to face with her partner himself, who was wearing a huge grin. It seemed like he knew exactly how to push a person's into thinking he was some stalker. 

        Matt glanced over her shoulder, his grin slowly falling when he saw that Stiles was now moving towards Scott, giving the boy a pat on the shoulder. Looking at Sage, he narrowed his eyes. "Are you and Stilinski dating?" 

        "Uh, no," Sage denied, pulling her legs into the harness. Her heart was thumping in her chest but she had to remember Stiles' words. Show Matt that she can beat him. Maybe his ego will be ruined and he'll stop taking pictures of her. "We're just friends." 

        "Are you sure about that?" 

        "Daehler, get your ass in the harness! I'll lose my job if you go splat all over the floor!" 

        Sage snickered before finishing up her final strap, allowing Coach to walk over and make sure it was secure. After Matt got his on, the two wasted no time racing towards the top after Coach blew the whistle. Her hands were shaking, and she thought she was going to fall any second, especially when her foot slipped, but she refused to let Matt win. Even now, he was still a bit behind her. There were cheers from the rest of her class, mostly coming from Allison, Scott, Lydia, and Stiles. Jackson was somewhere in the crowd too, but she didn't want to acknowledge him. 

        "Come on, Sage, you're almost there!" Allison exclaimed, and Sage looked to see that Allison was right. As soon as she reached the top, she turned her head to see that Matt was staring at her. Then he did something that she wasn't expecting, he grabbed the foothold that she was supporting herself on, smashing her foot off. Sage could have held herself up if it weren't for the overwhelming fear of falling to her death that was now getting even worse. Her harness started to zip her down to the ground, and Sage just shut her eyes, clenching her jaw. 

        The harness must have broken because instead of suspending a few inches above the mat, her body just fell straight down with a loud popping sound. Groaning, Sage opened her eyes to see the whole class staring down at her. Coach was the closest, while Lydia was doing her best to undo the harness. "Connelly, are you alright? Do you need to go to the nurse? Hospital? Do you need surger-" 

        "Coach, I'm fine," Sage croaked out, getting up to steady herself. Stiles grabbed her arm, putting it over his shoulder to keep her standing. "Perfectly fine, just a bit sore." 

        Coach pursed his lips before turning back around to see Matt getting himself free from the harness, "Okay, I'll give everyone an 'A' if this stays between us! It was just a slight malfunction, everything is good! Now, who's up next?" Coach didn't seem as affected by the mishap as everyone else was, and to be honest, Sage wasn't even hurt. She might be bruised tomorrow, but at least she didn't die. 

"Stiles, Matt push-" Sage leaned in to speak when she got cut off by Coach's loud voice. 

        "Stilinski! Erica! Get on up there! Stilinski, you take Connelly's harness." 

        Sage snorted, "That's a reassuring thought." 

        Stiles didn't seem to mind the possibility of the harness breaking again, happily strapping himself in while Erica seemed less that pleased about having to climb. She actually looked more nervous that Sage was, and that's saying something. Leaning on Danny's shoulder, completely ignoring all of the stares she was getting from Matt across the room, Sage watched as Stiles made it to the top at the same pace she went, easing himself onto the floor with no disruptions. So clearly the harness just didn't like her. 

        Stiles raised his hands in victory, but Sage's attention was on Erica, who had yet to move. She was still stuck in the middle of the wall, shaking like a leaf as she gripped onto the wall. When the cries rolled around, everyone simultaneously took a step forward, seeming to forget all about Sage's mishap. 

        "Erica! You dizzy? Is it vertigo?" 

        Lydia turned to look at Coach and rolled her eyes, "Vertigo is a dysfunction of the vestibular system of the inner ear." Glancing up at the blonde, she shrugged, "She's just freaking out." 

        "Hey, Erica, are you okay?" Sage called out, moving her body so she could get a look at her face. Stiles and Scott were next to her while Allison and Lydia strayed on the other side of Coach. 

        The blonde let out a small whimper, "I-I'm fine." She was definitely not fine by the sounds she was making. Sage gripped tightly onto one of the footholds, wishing she could do something to help the girl. She may not know anything apart from her name, but Erica was still scared. She still needed help. 

        "Coach, maybe it's not safe for her to be up there. You know she's epileptic," Allison said, causing Coach to stare over at her like she had just told him she killed his dog. 

        "What? Why doesn't anyone tell me these things? Uh, Erica, you're fine! Just, just kick off from the wall. There's, uh, there's a mat to catch you!" Coach explained, trying to get the girl to come off of the wall. Sage knew that the Coach probably wasn't doing his best at reassuring the blonde, especially since she was there to see Sage's harness break. No doubt, that just made the situation even worse. 

        When Erica made no move, Sage sighed, "Hey Erica? I know you probably don't want to look down right now, but it's Sage. Or Connelly, whatever. But you're going to have to push yourself off of the mat, okay? I know what happened before probably scared the hell out of you, but you've got to get yourself down. If anything happens, you've got twenty students waiting to catch you." 

        Everyone seemed to stare at her like she was crazy, Coach's face breaking out into shock when he heard her little speech to Erica. Sage figured she might as well try and help as much as she can. Erica seemed to process Sage's words because slowly her hands detached from the rocks she was gripping onto as if her life depended on it. Just like Sage said, the whole class seemed to inch forward as if waiting for the harness to fail. 

        But it didn't, and Erica was on her feet in seconds, quickly fumbling around trying to unhook herself. Sage could only watch as the girl pushed herself through crowd, disappearing from the scene. When people around her started to snicker, she went to walk towards the first laughing person she saw, only when hands grabbed her arms from behind. 

        "Just leave it, you did the best you could." She heard Stiles voice from behind her, releasing his hands from her arms. She turned to look at him and frowned. 

        "Stiles, I didn't fall. I was pushed." 

        And she left after that, Coach shouting for everyone to get to the locker rooms. When she made it into the room, she looked around, desperately trying to find Erica. The girl must have disappeared, or already changed because she was nowhere in sight. Sage ran her hands through her hair, and slowly walked over to Allison and Lydia. They turned around when they saw her, both of them sharing equal looks of concern. She still found it weird seeing people concerned for her. Normally it was the other way around. 

        "Are you okay? You hit the mat pretty hard. Even for a mat," Allison concerned, raising her eyebrows as she lifted her gym shirt over her head. Sage shrugged, but immediately regretted it when she felt her shoulders tense up. 

        "I probably just pulled something. I'll be fine, really. It's no big deal. I'm more concerned about Erica," Sage explained, pulling her own clothes off to change back into her regular ones. Lydia sighed before turning towards the girl, crossing her arms over her chest. 

        "What's with you lately? Did something happen between you and Stiles?" 

        Sage turned to see that Allison stopped what she was doing as well. "What do you you mean, 'did something happen between you and Stiles'?" 

        "I mean, did you get into a fight or something? Allison and I both noticed you two acting weird around each other," Lydia explained. "He gets all awkward and you two are bickering more than making out in abandoned classrooms." 

        "One time, Lydia." 

        Allison grinned, shutting her locker, "It still happened." 

        "You two suck," Sage glared, "Seriously, everything is fine. We're j-" 

        "Just friends," Allison and Lydia spoke in unison. Lydia rolled her eyes, putting on her heels, "Yeah, we know, Sage. That's the only excuse you two use now. Remind me again why you two aren't dating? You've kissed, what, three times now? Get over your trust issues and go after the twitchy boy."

        Sage went to deny, but there was a sound from outside of the locker room. Quickly sharing a look with the other two girls, they all ran out to see that Erica was lying in Scott's arms. Careful not to slip in her socks, Sage ran forward, falling down to the ground. "Put her on her side, Scott. Now!" 

        Scott did as told, and Erica was placed on her side, clawing at his arms for any sort of comfort. Sage leaned over, looking to see that Stiles was already staring, giving her a look that said this was far from over. 

        Allison moved next to Scott, "How did you know?" 

        "I just felt it," Scott admitted, keeping his eyes on Erica as they waited for the ambulance. 

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        "Where are you taking me?" 

        "Shh, we're going to lunch." 

        Sage gaped at him, "Then why are you holding my arm like you're afraid I'm going to run off?" 

        "Because I am afraid you're going to run off," Stiles said, raising his eyebrows as he turned to her. Sage stopped in her place, and Stiles was forced to as well. "I know you noticed Erica didn't show, and I have no doubts that you're thinking of ditching to find her. Ms. McCall said she's fine, you need to relax." 

        Sage chewed on her lips as a nervous habit, wondering when Stiles got so good at reading her. Giving a small nod, Sage started walking forward, "Stiles?" 

        "Hmm?" 

        "I never run off when there is food." 

        Stiles rolled his eyes, but grinned anyways, playing around with his pockets, "Great to know you have your priorities in check." Pushing open the doors to the cafeteria, his eyes roamed around the room, and at first Sage thought he was looking for Scott but then she saw him start moving towards Boyd, her partner in one of her classes. 

        Sitting down, Stiles pulled Sage with him and she crashed into the seat across from Boyd. He stared at her, and she gave a small smile, "Hey Boyd. Nice to see you when I'm not accidentally blowing up our assignments." 

        "You two know each other?" Stiles asked, stunned. 

        Sage frowned, glancing over at Boyd, nodding, "Yeah, we're lab partners." 

        "Huh, well, Boyd," Stiles started, drawing out the boy's name, "You got the keys?" 

        Sage clacked her tongue, wondering what the hell  Stiles was going on about. Boyd's hand lifted, keys secured by the strap connected to it. When Stiles' hand lifted to pull it away, Boyd clasped the keys in his palm, "This isn't a favor. It's a transaction." 

        "Right, yeah, absolutely." 

        What the hell is going on? 

        "I said fifty," Boyd corrected, staring at the twenty dollars laying on the cafeteria table. Sage caught on that the keys had to be what opened the ice skating rink, seeing as everyone in the school knew Boyd worked there. He was one of the few people that had a job Sage wished she could work at. Despite loving animals, Scott's wasn't on that list. She couldn't handle any more canines. She'd go crazy. 

        "Really? 'Cause I remember twenty. I don't know. I really have a good verbal memory. And I remember twenty," Stiles spluttered, trying to convince Boyd. Sage rolled her eyes, leaning back into the chair to try and enjoy the show. "I remember the distinctive 'twah' sound. Twah-enty." 

        "I said fifty. With a 'fuh' sound. Here the difference?" Stiles shook his head, making a incoherent sound, "If you don't, I can demonstrate some other words with the 'fuh' sound." 

        Sage grinned, proud of Boyd's comeback. He might be quiet, but he wasn't a stranger to sarcasm. Stiles noticed he wasn't getting anywhere, "Okay, I got it now. Maybe I just got it confused with fuh-orty." Boyd wasn't pleased, taking a chip from his lunch, sticking the thing into his mouth. "Come on, man. Have you see the piece-of-crap jeep that I have?" 

        "Have you seen the piece-of-crap bus that I take?" 

        "Have either of you see the the piece-of-crap conversation this is?" Sage asked, fishing for money in her pocket. When she looked to see that it was a ten, she slammed it hard onto the table, getting up to walk over to Scott. Stiles better be taking her to the damn ice rink if she's paying for part of it. 

        Stiles showed up a few seconds later, sitting down next to Sage, "Got 'em. So, after you get off work I'll pick you up. Blondie, you're driving with Allison and Lydia." 

        "One," Sage held up a finger, "Never call me blondie. And two," She raised her second, "Is this your way of inviting me? Because if it is, you really suck at it." 

        Stiles glared, going to speak up when the sound of heels clacking on the tile floor interrupted him. All heads turned when they saw Erica stride in, looking like a completely new person. For a second, Sage thought it had to be a twin sister because there was no possible way for that to be the Erica they saw before. The girl bent down next to a random freshman, grabbing the apple that he had laying out on his tray, biting into it. 

        "What the holy hell is that?" 

        Sage didn't keep her eyes of Erica, but still replied to Lydia, "She looks like me. Erica is literally the sluttier version of me." Turning around, she scowled to her friend, "She stole my thing. " 

        Stiles grabbed a hold of Sage before she could better digest that Erica was the less modest version of her, pushing her along as the three ran out the door, following after a departing Erica. They crashed through the front doors, opening them up to see that Erica was getting into a Camaro, one that was so familiar, she felt utterly betrayed. 

        She clenched her jaw, never feeling more angered at Derek that now. 

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        Sage laid upside down on Allison's bed. She already discarded her leather jacket, no longer feeling comfortable wearing the fabric if Erica was just going to be replicating her. Now, she was just listening as Lydia spoke about all of the clothes she was going to get Sage into junior year. Apparently, they were all going to come back new people with new personalities. Allison was already talking about cutting her hair, Lydia said she was going to start wearing her hair straight more often seeing as it's almost always curled, and Sage kept quiet, not sure what she was going to do. 

        "I think you should get your hair lighter," Lydia inputted from her position on Allison's chair. Sage flipped around, quirking an eyebrow. Her hair was already blonde, she wasn't exactly sure what 'lighter' meant. 

        "What exactly is 'lighter'?" Sage asked. 

        Allison sat down next to her, "I think you should start wearing lighter clothes too."

        Sage gaped at her two friends, "Are you trying to say I'm dark? I think I have a wide selection of colors-" 

        "Sage. The only time I've ever seen you out of black and white is at the formal," Lydia sassed, looking up from her phone. Sage grumbled, crossing her arms over her chest. They were right. Overtime she'd just grown familiar to darker colors; she'd been converted by Derek and Laura. 

        Allison began laughing, and soon enough they were all cracking up for no reason. They were such an odd trio of friends; one brunette, one blonde, and one redhead that prefers strawberry blonde. The laughter died down when there was a knock at Allison's bedroom door, her father walking in with a small smile on his face. 

        "You headed out?" He asked. Sage rolled off the bed, pulling up her jeans. She got a text from Stiles as a reminder to wear thick clothes despite her already being aware of that seeing as though they'll be in an ice box for a few hours. She was wearing one of the grey hoodies she'd taken from Stiles as well as a black scarf wrapped around her neck. 

        "We're just studying," Allison lied, giving a small smile. Her dad nudged his head back, silently asking for her to come over. As the two conversed, Sage stared in amusement at Lydia, watching as the girl took pictures on her phone, not having a care in the world. 

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        Getting to the ice rink, Sage started to get more and more excited. She knew that Lydia and Allison were too, all three of them were practically bouncing up and down. For some reason, it just felt like a chance for the five of them to have a bit of normality in the crazy world they were living in. Sage hadn't stepped into an ice rink in a long time, and her last time wasn't exactly memorable seeing as she got into a fight with her ex boyfriend. 

        They wasted no time running for the skating shoes, all of them getting the correct sizes. It didn't take long for Allison and Scott to leave Stiles, Sage, and Lydia alone, going over to tie their own shoes. Lydia had brought her own pair, having skated when she was little. Sage was just finishing up her laces when she felt Lydia shiver from beside her. 

        "Could it be any colder in here?" Lydia complained, rubbing her hands on her arms to try and create friction. Sage snorted; she tried to tell the girl that it would be cold, but Lydia was being stubborn and refused to wear something heavier than her cardigan. 

        Stiles dug through his bag, and Sage looked up from her shoes to see him holding out an orange shirt out for Lydia. "Here." Sage cleared her throat, moving towards the sleeves she had pushed up for the time being. He was just being nice, and they were just friends. 

        "I'm wearing blue," Lydia deadpanned. "Orange and blue? Not a good combination." 

        "But it's the colors of the Mets." 

        Sage saw Stiles' face fall, and jumped up, "Okay, Stiles. Let's see if you can skate." Turning to Lydia, she asked, "You'll be good, right? I highly doubt you'll be needing our help." 

        Lydia suggestively quirked her eyebrows, darting from Stiles to Sage. The blonde narrowed her eyes before walking towards the gate that led to the rink. Allison was trying to get Scott onto the ice from the other side of the field. Turning towards Stiles who was scratching his neck, she grabbed a hold of his wrist, helping him onto the ice. 

        "You'll be fine. Trust me, I used to skate here when I was little," Sage assured. Stiles sighed before starting to move, and he was surprisingly able to keep his ground. After they started to move around a bit, Sage glanced over at Stiles who was staring amazed as Lydia did a few tricks. "Are you still in love with her?" 

        His head jerked over, "Wha- No. Of course not." 

        "Are you sure?" Sage asked. 

        "Yeah, I'm sure." Stiles nodded, "I just wish there was some way for me to get my mind of everything, you know? This is supposed to be fun and I'm still worrying about everything going on with Gerard, and Derek." 

        Sage nodded, and stopped skating, which in turn made Stiles stumble a bit, crashing into her. She quickly grabbed his arms to steady him while his hands grabbed her hips. The two didn't seem to realize how close they'd gotten until they looked up to see they were just centimeters away. 

        "If I kiss you right now, do you promise we won't forget about it?" Stiles breathed out. 

        Sage smiled, "Go for it, Mets." 

        He leaned in, and their lips crashed together. His left hand kept it's grip on her waist while his right trailed up, tangling into her hair like he always did. She heard cheers from across the rink and pulled to see that Lydia had stopped her skating to grin at them while Scott and Allison were cheering and whistling. Stiles let out a laugh, and Sage leaned her head onto his chest as they nearly toppled over once again because of their skates. 

        "I thought you said you were good?" Stiles joked, looking down at her. 

        Sage rolled her eyes, her smile suddenly falling as she realized something. This was a new beginning. In a way, going to the ice rink was her way of accepting whatever she had going on with Stiles. The last time she had been to one, a relationship started to crumble, and she just needed a new memory instead of old ones. She was tired of letting one boy hold her back from ever being happy again. 

        Glancing up to see Stiles face contort in concern after noticing the mood chance, she blurted out, "Date me." 

        "Wha- huh?" Stiles stuttered, his eyes going wide. She cracked a smile, leaning in closer. 

        "Stiles Stilinski, will you be my boyfriend?" 

        Stiles began rapidly nodding, and Sage couldn't help but snicker. Frowning down at her, he pouted, "I'm supposed to be the one that asks." 

        "Yeah, well, you didn't and I will hold that against you for the rest of eternity," Sage joked, shoving him on the shoulder as the two started to move again. Scott and Allison disappeared, and Lydia was back to do figure skating tricks. 

        "Technically, I did ask you-"

        Sage turned to him, "Stiles, you had the worst timing. That doesn't count. It will never count. Just face the facts that I'm the one wearing the pants in the relationship, and we can get on with our night." 

        "I hate you," Stiles retorted, making Sage's grin only get wider. "I swear, can we break up? I want to break up." 

        "Too bad, you're in it for life now," Sage declined, and grabbed a hold of his jacket, moving to kiss him again when a scream echoed throughout the rink. Sage's whole body was screaming for her to turn her head, and when she did she saw Lydia lying in the middle of the rink, clawing at the ice. Sharing a look with Stiles, the two raced over to her, Sage getting there first, falling down next to her friend. "Lydia, Lydia, what's wrong? Lydia!" 

        Sage desperately tried to pull the girl away from the ice, and after a few tries, the strawberry blonde fell onto Sage's chest, clawing at the grey hoodie like her life depended on it. When she looked up, she caught Scott and Allison standing by the entrance. 

        None of them knew what was happening to their friend. 

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        Stiles and Scott rushed through the hallway the next day at school after realizing Derek's big plan. When Boyd didn't show up to school, or lunch for that matter, Stiles wasted no time finding Scott. They already knew that Derek needed another beta, it was only a matter of time before he found his last victim that just so happened to be Boyd. The worst part of it all is that Stiles and Scott weren't sure whether or not to tell Sage, seeing as she is Derek's friend, basically a sister. 

        "Man, we need to tell her. She's just as mad as us with Derek," Stiles explained, glancing at Scott as they trudged down the stairs. He was still trying to wrap his head around everything that happened both last night and today. He was dating Sage. He was finally dating her. He was finally dating someone. It just happened to occur right when Lydia went crazy, screaming at a ice. 

        Right as they turned around the corner, Stiles nearly rammed into a blonde's body, "Tell who what?" Sage asked, raising her eyebrows at the two. She was just on her way to lunch, but clearly Stiles and Scott weren't. "Where are you two going?" 

        "We're pretty sure Derek is making Boyd is third beta," Scott explained. 

        Sage opened her mouth, eyes widening when she comprehended what he was saying, "Oh my god." 

        "I'm going to the ice rink to see if he's there, Stiles is going to check Boyd's house. You two need to call me if he isn't there," Scott said, starting to walk again. 

        Sage shook her head, "No, I'm going with you." 

        "What? No," Scott protested. Sage narrowed her eyes, wondering if he was actually going to try arguing with her. Letting out a sigh, Scott shook his head, "Fine. Whatever, Stiles' call if he isn't there, alright?" 

        Stiles nodded, giving Sage a quick kiss on the cheek before they parted ways. 

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        When Sage and Scott arrived at the ice rink, they couldn't have been more relieved to see Boyd driving the Zamboni along the ice. There was a possibility that Derek hadn't gotten to him yet. Scott took a step forward onto the ice, and Sage hesitated before following after him. These damn boots better not fail her. The ice crunched beneath them, and it was hard to believe they were just skating around on it last night. 

        "Boyd! We just want to talk!" Scott shouted over the noise. Boyd, either not having heard the wolf or just choosing the ignore them, continued to drive the big hunk of machinery around. "Hey, come on, Boyd! Did Derek tell you everything? And I don't just mean going out of control on the full moon, I mean everything!" 

        Boyd seemed to reevaluate his silent treatment, turning off the Zamboni, "He told me about the hunters." 

        Sage clacked her tongue, shaking her head as she laughed in astonishment, "And that's not enough for you to say no?" 

        "Whatever you want, there are other ways to get it," Scott assured, trying to get Boyd to understand him. Sage shoved her hands into her pockets, trying to get warm as she stood in the ice box. 

        "I just want to not each lunch alone every day." 

        Scott and Sage both fell silent, and Sage felt sadness wash over her. She never even realized that Boyd ate lunch alone, she was always occupied doing things outside of the cafeteria or she was too busy trying to deal with Scott's issues. If she had known, or even seen that he ate alone, she would have sat with him because he was one of the first people not to stare when she walked into the classroom that first day of school. 

        Every single time she looked at him, she saw sadness wash in his eyes, and she just wish she could figure him out. She didn't want him to have the life of a werewolf, she's seen firsthand what it does to a person. She's seen them rip apart people like it was wrapping paper, she's even seen them rip apart their own. Peter tore up his own niece just to have the abilities of an Alpha, and Derek did just the same to Peter. Being a werewolf is such a vicious cycle, and Sage didn't know if she could handle watching someone as good as Boyd go through something like that. She already had a hard enough time coping with Scott's transition. 

        Sage bit down on her lip, "Boyd, if you're looking for friends, you can do a lot better than Derek. Trust me, I would know." 

        "That really hurts, Sage!" Her head whipped around to see Derek standing behind her, Erica and Isaac just to the right of him. "I mean, if you're going to review me, at least take a consensus." Turning towards his two betas, he asked, "Erica, how has life been for you since we met?" 

        "Hmm," Erica thought, staring at Sage, "In a word? Transformative." The blonde made it her point to growl at Sage, and the other blonde couldn't help but crack a smirk. If only Erica knew that Sage was nowhere near scared of her. 

        "Isaac?" 

        Isaac, who was also sporting leather, shrugged, "Well, I'm a little bummed about being a fugitive but other than that, I'm great." 

        "Yeah, I'm sure you are," Sage spat, turning her attention over to Derek. "So what? We finally on opposite teams now, Derek? Because I'm not standing with them, or with your choices. How are you going to feel when one of them does something stupid and they get themselves killed? Huh?" She went to take a step forward but Scott grabbed her arm, keeping her back. Biting down on her jaw, she couldn't help but push him over the edge, "It wouldn't be the first time someone's died in your arms." 

        Utter betrayal was all Sage felt, finally moving back as she shook her head, refusing to cry over Derek. The Alpha didn't budge, while Isaac and Erica both took steps towards Sage. 

        "Woah, woah, hold on. This isn't exactly a fair fight," Scott said, baffled. 

        Derek, who refused to show any emotion towards Sage, gave a fake grin, "Then go home, Scott." 

        "I meant fair for them." 

        Scott brought his hand down, the hit breaking the surface of the ice. Sage closed her eyes, backing up until she was far enough out of the crossfire. There was a hundred percent possibility that she would be experiencing extreme amount of pain, whether it be from Derek's pack or Scott. She shouldn't be surprised that Derek didn't take that into consideration as he sent his two betas forward. 

        Erica was the one to fall first, getting her body thrown into the Zamboni. Scott wasted no time throwing Isaac into the protection guard surrounding the ice rink. Sage continued to back away, her attention moving from the fight to Derek who was staying as far away as she was. She should feel bad bringing up Paige, his ex girlfriend, but there was nothing. Not after he proved he could no longer be trusted. Jackson was the first straw, and it ended with Boyd. 

        Sage was surprised when she didn't feel any pain, turning towards Scott who growled at the two, "Don't you get it? He's not doing this for you, he's just adding to his own power, okay? It's all about him. He makes you feel like he's given you some kind of a gift, but all he's done is turn you into a bunch of guard dogs." 

        "It's true," Derek said, slowly walking towards Scott. Sage followed his pace, jogging until she was at Scott's side. "It is about power." When Sage saw Derek begin to transform, she grabbed a hold of Scott's arm. Derek had never intentionally hurt her, but right now, it doesn't look like he gives two shits about her health. 

        Scott, once again, shoves Sage away, making her fall down onto the cold ice. In a matter of seconds, Scott was being headbutted five times. Derek's claws extended, and Sage watched in horror as he quickly slashed Scott in the stomach. And then her whole abdomen was exploding with pain, hurting bad enough that she was curling her body away from Derek. 

        When she let out a cry in pain as she felt her airways begin to close, she had to flip over in order to see what was happening. Derek had his foot on Scott's neck, but it wasn't Scott that the Alpha was looking at. It was her. She curled her lip at him in disgust, one hand pressing down on the wound, Scott's wound, that Derek created. 

        "I suggest you leave," Sage snarled. Derek backed away after her words, and she moved over to Scott, leaning in to grab the place on his chest where he was bleeding. The faster she healed him, the faster she healed herself. She looked up when she heard something connecting with the ice, turning to see that Boyd was out of the Zamboni and in front of them. "Boyd, don't. Please." 

        "You don't want to be like them," Scott tried to explain, shaking his head as he begged the boy not to leave with Derek. 

        "You're right," Boyd agreed, before pulling up his shirt to reveal a bite, "I want to be like you." 

♐ ♐ ♐ ♐ ♐ ♐

        "Hey, hey, hey, you're alright." 

        Sage and Scott carefully walked into the animal clinic, a place Sage hasn't had the honor of seeing until now. Both teenagers were still injuries, and had to lean onto each other for support. While Scott was still bleeding, Sage was just forced to deal with the pain that Scott still felt. She got off the phone with Stiles while they were getting the clinic, her boyfriend having explained that Erica knocked him out while he was looking for Boyd. This only added onto the growing hatred Sage was feeling towards the girl, regretting ever helping Erica in the first place. 

        "Why isn't it healing?" Scott asked, looking down at Sage. She went to speak but was cut off before a word ever uttered out of her mouth. 

        "That's because it's from an Alpha." Jerking their heads up, Sage and Scott both stared in shock at seeing Deaton, Scott's boss standing there. Sage only remembered him from when he was unconscious and in the back of Derek's car. "I think we better have that talk. I have a few things to talk to Sage about as well." 

        Sage stared at him in surprise, "How do you know my name?" 

        Deaton gave a polite smile, moving to stand in front of the body that was placed on the operation table. Sage cautiously stared at him, ready to run out the door, taking Scott with her. She still wasn't comfortable with whoever this man was, or whatever he was. 

        "I knew your family, Sage." 

♐ ♐ ♐ ♐ ♐ ♐ ♐ ♐ ♐ ♐ ♐ ♐

        n.e. 

        So, I wrote this chapter on my Word Doc which I don't normally do. Normally I write straight off the website, but anyways, I didn't know how many words I was at so I just kept going until I finished the whole episode. So that's why the chapter is actually longer than my usual seven pages. Also, I want to thank you guys for getting Sage to 70k views, I'm glad you guys are enjoying the story, really. I have nine episodes left, and I'm actually starting to like season two more. It's definitely not my favorite, but this chapter didn't make me want to kill something. 

        BUT STAGE IS A COUPLE, FREAKING FINALLY. I've been waiting to write this episode, especially the whole 'are you still in love with her' scene. Hopefully I did Stage's relationship up to this point justice, and know that even though they are together, stuff is still going to happen soon. 

        ONE MORE THING. I've just published a new story called Recovery, I'm not entirely sure who the love interest is yet, but it's a Liam sister fic type sort thing, and it's going to be taking up some of my time as well. This means that Sage's updates might be interfering with Recovery's. In translation: Emily doesn't get enough sleep to write two different chapters that are 5000 something words every day. This also brings me to the task of apologizing. If Sage is partially out of character, which I really hope she  isn't, it's just because I've been writing Kayla(Recovery) for the past few days and I'm used to writing her personality and comebacks. She's a bit more aggressive than Sage, so it might have come off a bit like that. 

        Hopefully you enjoyed the chapter. Comment what you thought about it, and what scenes you're excited to see Stage in coming up in the future.