Lesson #22: Stiles has a Girlfriend?

"So it's official?" Scott asked, his eyes lighting up as I told him about how last night went. "You and the most popular guy in school. . . who would have thought?" he teased, making me roll my eyes.

"Thanks for the confidence boost," I grumbled, thumping his shoulder as he chuckled at his own jokes. "Anyways, we're not public yet. He still hasn't come out at school and obviously, the only people I've come out to are you, Lydia, my dad, and Derek's family."

"Are we planning a huge coming out party or something?" Scott asked, sarcastically. "I mean, honestly, you two don't even have to come out. Just be yourselves and if people ask, you can tell them, or don't. Whatever," he said, through a mouthful of pizza. We had taken a break from our video game to eat, but Scott had eaten a majority of our pizza while I talked.

"I'll do whatever Derek wants to do," I answered with a small shrug. "I just wanted to tell you before we came out at school. Tomorrow, we're telling Lydia. And then everyone important will know." I would have been fine with just those people knowing, because it made things easier, but then it would be difficult to hold Derek's hand in public. One of the perks of having a boyfriend was pda and I'd never gotten to do that before.

"Cool, so do you want to go on a double date this weekend?" he asked, taking this all surprisingly well. I knew he'd be happy for me, but he was even asking to hang out with Derek and I. It was weird because Derek and Scott never really got close, considering I was always with one or the other, but never both at the same time.

I laughed, stealing the last piece of pizza before Scott could scarf it down. "Yeah, I'll ask Derek," I answered. Scott grinned, jumping into conversation about what we could do on their double date. The rest of the night we spent talking and hanging out, which I realized we hadn't done in awhile. It was a good night.

The next day was game day. Derek promised he would be at the game with Lydia, in the front row, cheering me on. He also promised to hang out with me after the game, even though it would be in public around people from school. If they won, the entire team went out for pizza and ice cream. If they lost, we usually didn't do anything. The team we were going up against was one we usually beat, so we'd probably be going out afterwards. Derek wanted to be there, so I was a little nervous about the whole team finding out about us.

"Stiles, we need to talk," Lydia said, making me jump as I realized she was there. I took a deep breath, shutting my locker as I glared at her. "Don't look at me like that," she hissed, grabbing my arm. "Listen, Jackson broke up with me and-"

"Wait, you were dating Jackson?" I asked, cutting her off. I knew she flirted with him all the time, but I had no idea they were an actual item.

Lydia rolled her eyes, still clamped onto my arm as we walked down the hallway. "It was an on and off kind of thing," she explained, waving it off as if it didn't matter. "The point is, I told my parents I was bringing my boyfriend to our family dinner this weekend because they've been pestering me about him. Now, he officially dumped me and I need a boyfriend."

"How is this my problem?" I asked, confused what she expected me to do about it. "You're the most popular girl in school, Lydia. I'm sure any guy would love to be your boyfriend." It was the truth. A month ago, I would have jumped at the opportunity to be with her, but things were clearly different now.

"Stiles, I need you to do it," she said, her voice hushed. "Please, it's only one night," she begged, stopping me in the middle of the hallway so she could look at me. "I don't want a real boyfriend. I just need you to pretend for one dinner with my family."

"Absolutely not," I answered quickly, shaking my head. "Derek and I just made things official last night, Lyds, I can't be your fake boyfriend."

Lydia gasped, grabbing my arms excitedly. "Oh my god, that's amazing news!" she gushed, hugging me tightly as I laughed, hugging her back. I knew Derek wanted to tell her together, but it seemed important to the moment to tell her now. "I'm so happy for you guys!"

"Thank you," I chuckled, prying her away from me. She still held onto my arms, grinning from ear to ear. "Derek wanted to be the one to tell you, so pretend I didn't tell you that. But I told him everything, about you helping me and all that. I thought he'd be mad, but he actually laughed at me."

"I'm glad you two worked everything out. You both deserve to be happy," she said with a fond smile. It quickly changed back to her devious smirk. "I also deserve a fake boyfriend for one night to please my parents, and since I helped push you and Derek together. . ." she trailed off, looking at me hopefully.

"Do not use that against me, Lydia," I warned, walking away as she followed after me, desperate. "If it'll make you happy, I'll do it, but only if it's okay with Derek."

"If what's okay with Derek?" someone interrupted from behind, and immediately I knew Derek was behind us. I groaned, turning to face my boyfriend as he crossed his arms, looking between me and Lydia. "What are you two hiding from me?"

"I need to borrow your boyfriend," Lydia whispered, even though the hallway had emptied. Classes were about to start and they were all about to be late. "I need a pretend boyfriend for one night so my parents will stay off my case."

Derek rolled his eyes. "And it has to be mine?" he snapped, clearly annoyed. I knew he wasn't going to like the idea, which is why I didn't agree to her in the first place. "Lydia, I just got him. I'm not going to just hand him over to you."

"He's not a football, Derek. We're not passing him around. I just need to fool my parents because I already told them I had a boyfriend, and then Jackson ditched me," she explained, mirroring Derek's defensive stance with her arms crossed. "Are you jealous, or something?"

"Maybe," Derek retorted. "He was in love with you before he liked me."

"Woah, Derek, that was low," I said, grabbing his arms to relax him. "You know it wasn't like that. I never loved her, just the idea of her. I'm in love with you. There's a difference."

"Ouch," Lydia teased, a grin on her face. "But see, Derek? There's nothing to worry about."

Derek sighed, his eyes meeting mine as I squeezed his arm. "Alright, fine," he mumbled. "But it's a one time thing and I swear to god if you kiss my boyfriend, Lydia, I will kill you."

"I don't want to kiss Lydia," I laughed, and Lydia quickly seconded that. "Anyways, we should get to class," I added, letting go of my grip on Derek. "I'll see you both at the game tonight."

"We'll be there," Derek promised, giving me a small smile. I returned it, then left them in the middle of the hall to argue as I went to class, making it right before the bell.

I half paid attention in the remainder of my classes, mostly thinking about what Derek and I would be doing later tonight, and sometimes thinking about the game. Eventually, the last bell for the day rang and I met up with Scott so we could walk to practice together. We practiced for an hour and a half, then coach let us go relax and get ready for the game.

When the game started, the first person I looked for was Derek. Just as he promised, he was sitting in the front row next to Lydia. They both smiled and waved at me until I returned their enthusiasm. Soon, the game started, and I had to momentarily forget that they were watching so I could focus on playing.

The game was one of the easiest wins for us the whole season. We wiped the floor with the opposing team and left the crowd cheering and chanting for us. Scott and Isaac sandwiched me between them as we left the field, throwing their arms around me despite us all being covered in sweat.

"That was a good game," Isaac sighed, squeezing my shoulders a little too tight. I chuckled, elbowing his ribs playfully. "You're both coming to the pizza place?" he asked, giving Scott and I a serious look as we unlinked from each other to enter the locker room.

"We wouldn't miss it," Scott answered for me, offering Isaac a boyish grin. Isaac winked at us with a smirk before he disappeared to his own locker, leaving Scott and I alone to talk. "So, is tonight the night you're telling the team about Derek?" he asked, once we were out of ear shot from everyone else. "He is coming, isn't he?"

I felt the heat in my cheeks, and not just from sweating my ass off on the field. "He's coming, but I'm not sure if he wants to go public," I mumbled, secretly hoping Derek did actually want to tell people. I didn't really give a shit who knew about me being bi because it was my business anyways. I wasn't sure how Derek felt about his own reputation, though. I hoped I was enough for him to feel comfortable coming out, but we didn't really talk about it much.

"Stiles, that boy is head over heels in love with you," Scott chuckled, stripping down to his underwear before digging a towel out of his bag. "I don't see why he wouldn't want to tell the whole world." I laughed nervously, hoping he was right. We left the conversation at that and went off to the showers. I tried to make it quick because Derek and Lydia were waiting for me in the parking lot.

After I showered, I walked back to my locker to get dressed. Scott was with me, but he was too busy texting Allison to talk to me, so I got dressed in silence. I jumped when I heard someone behind me and turned around to see Jackson Whittmore and a few of his friends who were also on the team. "What's up Jackson?" I asked innocently, hoping he wasn't about to kick my ass for no reason. The last time we talked, he was nice to me. But that was before Derek told him to leave me alone. Looking back, I realized that was because Derek liked me and he was jealous, but it didn't make sense that he was jealous of Jackson.

Jackson smirked, like he knew something he wasn't supposed to know. For a second, I was afraid he would out me and Derek before we had the chance to tell people ourselves. "Congratulations on getting my sloppy seconds," he said, his friends laughing as if it were the funniest joke. "Rumor is you and Lydia are together. Someone said you were making out in the hallway at school the other day. You've got your hands full with that girl."

I was more than confused as I stared back at Jackson in disbelief. Suddenly, even Scott was paying attention as he moved to stand beside me, ready to defend me if he needed to. "Jackson, what the hell are you talking about?" I demanded, pulling my shirt over my head so I didn't feel so exposed as he stared at me.

"Oh, I'm sorry, were you two thinking you could keep it a secret to protect Lydia's precious reputation? How did you expect to do that when you can't even keep your hands off of each other in the hallway?" he mocked, narrowing his eyes at me. "If she wants to waste her time on a nerd like you, that's her problem."

"Lydia and I are just friends," I defended myself, glaring at him. "I don't know who's starting stupid rumors like that, but it's not true. So why don't you just fuck off, Jackson?" I spat, grabbing my things quickly before pushing past him, wanting to get the hell out of there. I had no idea how I was supposed to deal with this stupid rumor. I wasn't even sure how many people had heard it. More important, I didn't know if Derek had heard it. That was the last thing I needed.

Scott and I made our way out to the parking lot where Derek, Lydia, and Allison were waiting for us. Scott didn't say anything about what Jackson had just said, which I was grateful for, because I didn't want to talk about it until I had a chance to talk to Lydia and Derek. When we got out to the parking lot, Derek and Lydia were talking in hushed voices, their faces red as if they were arguing. Allison leaned against Derek's car, scrolling through her phone.

"What's up with them?" Scott asked, quietly.

"Something Jackson texted Lydia," Allison shrugged. "They've been fighting since the game ended pretty much."

"Great," I grumbled, walking over to Derek and Lydia to insert myself into the middle of their argument. They shut up quickly when I interrupted them, both of them scowling with their arms crossed, refusing to look at me. "So there's a rumor going around. . ."I started, which then turned their scowls on me. I gulped, realizing I probably could have started with something else.

"A rumor that my boyfriend was seen making out with my best friend in the hallway at school," Derek nearly yelled, his face red with anger. "What the hell is that about, Stiles?"

I raised an eyebrow, stepping away from him. "Derek, do you think that actually happened?" I asked in disbelief. "After everything, do you really think I'd do that to you? Do you think Lydia, your best friend, would do that to you?"

His face softened for a moment before it turned into a look of guilt. "No," he sighed. "But that doesn't explain why people are talking about it."

"Because, Derek, I was comforting him after he found out you lied to him about Brett," Lydia snapped, her arms still crossed angrily. Clearly, they had been fighting for a while before I showed up. "Someone probably saw us hugging, assumed the worst, and then spun a stupid lie to get attention."

Now Derek really looked guilty as the truth was revealed. "Alright, I get it," he sighed, running his hands over his face in frustration. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to overreact. I just want to fix this."

"We could come out," I suggested, holding my breath as he looked at me, biting his lip in hesitation.

"Yeah," he agreed, and I let out a breath of relief. "But I don't want to make a big deal out of it. I just want to hold your hand and kiss you in public and let people figure it out for themselves." I understood not wanting to make it a big deal, and I agreed. I just knew that people would still spread rumors, no matter what we did to stop them. I had a feeling that people were going to say horrible things about me and  Lydia no matter what, but we had to get through this somehow.

"You're lucky I think you two are cute," Lydia sighed, finally letting her arms relax at her sides. "I can't believe you assumed I stole your boyfriend," she snapped at Derek, playfully this time. "Derek, he's been off limits since freshman year since you told me you thought he was cute."

Derek rolled his eyes. "I never told you he was off limits, Lydia. If that were true, I never would have tried to help him win you over knowing it was a losing game."

I laughed, wrapping my arms around Derek's waist. "Sure, Derek. We'll believe that. We all know you were just trying to get me to fall in love with you."

Derek kissed my head, then pried me off of him with a smirk. "It worked, didn't it?" he teased, making Lydia roll her eyes.

"You got lucky," I grumbled, stepping away from him as Allison and Scott joined us. "Are we ready to go, because I'm starving," I complained. Allison and Scott both agreed as Lydia and Derek rolled their eyes at us. Finally, we all piled into Derek's car to go get pizza. As we drove, Derek reached over to the passenger seat and grabbed my hand, making my heart flutter. I knew we had a lot to deal with in the next few days, but moments like this made it all worth it.