CHAPTER SIX:
heart monitor

The inside of the boys room was perfectly neat, not a single piece of dust laced the top of his desk or even the window seal. The same one he had a habit of pushing open and sneaking out of, the late night adventures is what he would call it. Stiles used to sometimes tag along, the two boys cracking lame jokes as they walked along the streets of beacon hills.

For the most part they'd remain silent and if they were ever lucky they'd see a full moon in the distance. Times changed and they grew apart, Stiles latched onto Scott and Miles was the unlucky third wheel. Every adventure they ever did together turned into Miles walking alone. Then altogether he stopped, the town didn't seem all that interesting anyways and Miles would rather stay inside.

He didn't think on his day of returning home his room would be completely spotless. Likely a punishment Stiles had to endure or perhaps he was just feeling generous for once in his life. Miles scoffed as he sat down on his bed, he felt like a mummy with the thick bandages that were wrapped around his wounds.

He knew cleaning them would be difficult and he doubted anyone would wanna help him. He wasn't greeted when he got home, Scott's mother was kind enough to drop him off. According to her his father was nearly attacked by a mountain lion at the school. Of course his father for the most part was alive and well but just held a few bruises and scratches.

Miles for the most part knew Stiles was likely with him or he was running around doing whatever he does these days. Miles didn't really care what Stiles did half the time but he was way more secretive lately. He would whisper a lot in classes and the halls of their own house. Miles could ask about it but Stiles would likely change the topic or just make up a lie.

Everything was so silent, Miles was used to the loudness of Stiles pacing around his bedroom and muttering nonsense under his breath. Tonight was just silent, he dreaded it deeply. He thought being dragged through the woods and nearly dying would make someone notice him more. Everything remained the same, it was always the same pattern with Stiles.

The boy sat in the darkness of his bedroom as he looked outside his window. The moon looked so beautiful as he sighed and pushed the blanket over himself carefully. He knew the second he walks through those doors in the morning for school, every single pair of eyes will be on him.

He didn't want the attention if anything he'd rather people just ignore him completely like they always did. He knew for the most part Erica would be excited to see him, given he lost his phone and he had to rely on the phone in the hospital to call her. Of course he made that call hours ago and his father didn't own a house phone, it was always breaking.

He'd likely have to get a new phone over the weekend or whenever he has spare time. He ignored the sting that hovered along his wounds as he pushed his eyes shut. Sleeping felt better than being alone.

—

Miles felt like a headless chicken as he pushed his backpack over his shoulder and shoved the jeep door shut. "You sure you don't wanna just stay home? I mean dad practically gave you a get out of school card! The fact that you didn't even take it, I would've already been hauling my ass to bed".

Miles rolled his eyes at his brother's comment as they trailed along the steps of the high school. "I can walk perfectly fine and it's not like I'm dying, besides I gotta see Erica. My phone was lost in the woods and I called her yesterday morning".

Stiles looked at Miles with an unreadable expression, his eyebrows twitched slightly in anger at the sight of Scott walking along the sidewalk. "Wait, are you and Scott like not friends right now? You did that weird eyebrow twitch whenever you're pissed at someone".

Stiles huffed as he looked away from Scott, Miles could see his eyebrow twitching like crazy as he mumbled under his breath. "I should get nearly murdered more often if that's what it takes for you and Scott to not be friends. I give it a good three hours before you're crawling back to him, you'll be kissing each other's asses by the end of the day".

Miles laughed slightly as he pushed open the door of the high school. The laugh faded all together when the hallways grew silent, he gulped awkwardly as he walked inside. He could see the eyes on him, he didn't even have to turn to know every single person was watching him like he was naked.

"You're like popular now" Miles side eyed his brother as he walked towards his locker "I don't want to be popular, especially if it means everyone eyestalks me like I murdered their grandma or something". He pulled open his locker as Stiles leaned on the one beside it "dude do you know what this means! You could talk to Lydia, maybe mention me".

Miles pushed his locker shut "I'd rather eat my own foot than speak with Lydia Martin. That whole dumb act she pulls is ridiculous, like seriously she needs to dump Jackson's ass already and be independent".

Stiles rolled his eyes "At least you have the girl, I can't even speak with Lydia because she'll never go for someone like me. Not when she's with Jackson''. Miles' gaze looked down the hallway seeing Erica's locker "I actually made a move, plus Erica doesn't even pretend to be someone she's not, she's herself and that's perfectly fine for me".

Stiles groaned in annoyance "your love life is better than mine, how is that even possible! You barely even leave the house and you have no friends besides me and Scott". Miles blinked away his hurt as he chuckled "I have friends Stiles, Issac and Boyd are technically my friends and I don't even hang out with you and Scott. So we're not friends".

"You sit with Issac and Boyd at lunch, they are literally lunch friends. You've hung out with them once and it was bowling, and I was there too". Miles started to walk towards Erica's locker, he turned towards his brother "you're an idiot Stiles".

He could practically hear the loud scoff that left Stiles mouth as he kept walking down the hallway. He could see Erica the closer he got towards her locker, she was standing alone pushing her books into her backpack. She bit down on her lip, a habit she always did whenever she was anxious or upset. Her hair was pulled back in a weak ponytail and she looked like she didn't sleep very much last night.

"I think your backpack is pretty full" her gaze looked towards Miles as he leaned beside her locker with a smile. He pointed at her bag "I mean I doubt it's like Hermione Granger's bag in deathly hallows".

Erica's eyes brightened and he noticed the way her backpack almost relaxed in her hold as she pushed her locker shut. "I thought you were supposed to be resting, you should be at home and not here of all places". He rubbed at his forehead slightly "I mean it's not everyday one survives an animal attack, I could've stayed home and gloated in bed all day but that's boring. Besides I had to make sure you knew I wasn't like dead or anything".

She pushed her backpack over her shoulders as Miles looked around the hallway "I should've worn sunglasses and a leather jacket. With the amount of people who are looking at me I could totally sit with the popular kids at lunch". Erica chuckled "you could but they'll likely just ask about what happened".

He shrugged "I'd rather sit with you and the boys instead. I mean Issac and Boyd would probably wanna make sure I'm not dead as well. Besides we're the cool table now, screw the popular kids table".

—

Miles had never been noticed this much before, the second he walked into class the coach practically hugged him. It was extremely awkward and he could see his brother covering his mouth to suppress his laughs that were likely on the verge of happening.

He awkwardly made his way down the row of seats and sat behind Stiles. He noticed the boy's gaze looking down at a phone and he rolled his eyes as he looked towards the front of the class.

"Let's start with a quick summary of last night's reading" like always, Coaches voice was loud. Of course Miles at the excuse of being nearly murdered to not do the reading and coach told him he could catch up when he could. Of course Miles had actually read it last night when he woke up in cold sweats and found himself not being able to sleep.

"Greenberg, put your hand down. Everyone knows you did the reading. How about, uh..." his gaze looked around the room for a solid second before they landed on a tense looking Scott.

"McCall?" Scott looked like he was on the verge of tumbling out of his desk as he sat up "what?". His voice cracked horribly and Miles felt bad for the boy as he looked down at the notes he took about the reading the night prior.

"The reading?" Coach looked down at the boy with an intense gaze and Miles rubbed at his forehead as he watched the way Scott folded more into his desk. "Last night's reading?" Scott gulped and Miles looked at the phone in Stiles hand with a frown.

"How about, uh, the reading of The Gettysburg Address?" Once again Scott answered with a stutter, his mind likely confused as the coach rolled his eyes. "That's sarcasm, are you familiar with the term "sarcasm," McCall?" The boy nearly looked at Stiles as mumbled under his breath.

"Did you do the reading, or not?" Scott scratched the back of his head, his hands aggressively twirling his pencil around. "Uh, I think I forgot..." he looked like a deer watching headlights as he awkwardly let his pencil fall on his desk. Miles could see the expression on the coaches face shift from annoyance to frustration in a single second.

"Nice work, McCall! It's not like you're not averaging a D in this class. Come on, buddy-- you know I can't keep you on the team if you have a D. How about you summarize, uh, the previous night's reading?".

Scott was dead silent and Miles could see the way the boy kept tugging at his pencil. "No? How about the night before that? Or how about you summarize anything you've ever read in your entire life?".

Scott kept struggling to get his words out and it was clear the coach was making it worse by adding more to the situation. "No? A blog? How about, uh, how about, uh... the back of a cereal box?".

Miles looked down at the phone in Stiles' hand seeing whatever was on the screen heighten, the numbers got higher by the second and Stiles grew tense.

"No? How about the adults-only warning from your favorite website you visit every night? Anything?" Scott lowered his head almost as if he was on the verge of either crying or murdering someone.

"Thank you, McCall. Thank you for extinguishing any last flicker of hope I have for your generation. You just blew it for everybody. Thanks. Next practice, you can start with suicide runs... unless that's too much reading for you". Scott seemed to relax as Allison grabbed a hold of his hand from underneath the desk, the small action caught Miles' gaze.

While the coach finally stopped picking at Scott and got to teaching Miles felt a sudden shift of energy. His eyes blinked rapidly as sweat coated his forehead and he felt a sharp stinging sensation all over his wounds as he picked at the bandage around his arm.

His foot began to shake along the ground, the constant thump thump thump of the heel of his shoe creating a slight noise that made his head ache. Thump thump thump he inhaled so sharply he felt lightheaded as he heard the distant sound of the bell ringing.

He acted as if his entire body wasn't on the verge of collapsing as he put his notes onto the coaches desk and made his way out of the classroom. He could hear the muffled voices all around him and for a split second he could've sworn he saw Scott sniff the air like a maniac. Miles pushed open the locker room doors knowing no one really came here during this hour due to classes. He nearly tripped over his own feet as he aggressively scratched at his bandages.

He could feel his body tensing up as he pushed himself into the wall. His breathing was heavy as he pulled his jacket off and let it collide along the ground as he struggled to keep his eyes open.

He gasped at the pain that spread along his body as he collapsed towards the ground. The distant sound of a growl smacked into his eardrums making him grip his head as he groaned and dug his fingers into his skull.

"No!" He pinched his eyes shut and the growling increased making his mind spin as he folded into himself. "Miles" he snapped his eyes open, his vision blurry as blood ran down his nostrils. He pushed his finger against his nose in panic as he quickly moved towards the sinks. He cringed as he pushed napkins against his nose to stop the bleeding "you gotta be kidding me..." he looked down at the bandages on his arms watching as blood seeped through them.

He unwrapped the bandages quickly cringing as he looked down at the bite marks "I definitely have rabies". He pushed a napkin over his arms holding the bleeding would stop as he looked into the mirror his mind for once felt better and after a good few minutes the bleeding stopped. He washed the blood off his face and arms carefully and he nearly cried when he got water all over his shoes and shirt.

His skin was itchy as hell and he felt exhausted as he walked out of the locker room with his jacket the only thing he was able to wear. He pushed his shirt into his backpack alongside his socks as he walked down the hallway. He grew tense as he turned and caught sight of the one creepy guy from before. He was standing awkwardly beside a pair of lockers and he was watching Miles with such an intense expression.

Miles gulped nervously as he opened his locker to grab new bandages he looked away for literally a minute and when he turned the man was gone. Then he gasped when he was pushed into his locker, the man staring into his soul before his gaze looked down at the bite marks on his arms. The man didn't say anything, his eyes mainly looking at the bite marks before he looked up at Miles with a frown.

Miles was stunned, his mouth shut as he was let go of and the man walked off down the hallway. Miles let out a heavy breath as he held onto himself. The bell went off and despite the numerous kids walking into the hallway, Miles remained completely still.

—
authors notes:
I've never written anything so fast in my entire life, my obsession for teen wolf is slightly back due to my Tik Tok being full of edits of it. I literally didn't hesitate to update this once someone asked for an update for it, I would just binge write the first season of teen wolf but I fear I'd lose inspiration so fast for this fic if I spam update for it. So I'll at least wait a few days and then update it again if my obsession for teen wolf is still present. Anyways enjoy this chapter, it's kinda hard writing for Miles since he's not aware of what's going on with Stiles and Scott, he won't be aware until like season two and even then it won't be right away so he'll be kind of away from the main plot of teen wolf until then.