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Liam knew he should have stayed in bed. He just knew it, he knew this would happen and he knew that he didn't want to be in school to witness it or to suffer it, to be more precise. It would have been for the best if he had just stayed in bed and told his stepfather that he was sick. But of course Scott hadn't agreed with his plan and had come to his house to kick him out of bed with a speech about Clark Kent and more of his friends dying. How could he stay in bed and risk not being there to protect Mason and Corey if something happened at school? It had been enough with Brett and Lori, Liam couldn't let it happen to anyone else.
It had started with the stares, Liam could feel the eyes on him, people not looking away, maybe thinking that if they stared long and hard enough they would be able to see through him and, somehow, see his fangs, claws and glowing eyes, that they would be able to have the confirmation they wanted.
Then it was the whispers, supernatural hearing could be a curse really, he didn't try to hear what they were saying, he even tried to ignore it, but he just couldn't, every word spoken about him, every scared or angry whisper his classmates said was like a bullet thrown at him by a hunter.
Having the team looking at him like he was some kind of disease broke him beyond belief, like it had been the last straw. He loved playing lacrosse, he loved being team captain, and all of that was being taken away from him because he was different, because he was a werewolf, because they knew, or at least suspected, that he was one, because they were afraid and angry, and Liam couldn't really change things at this point. He knew that, and so he accepted his faith with the lacrosse team.
He wouldn't be able to take it much longer. Trying to control himself enough in order not to shift and make suspicions and rumors turn into certainties.
And of course, to top it all, because his day wasn't already being epic enough, the school's guidance counselor was the new hunter. Liam's day couldn't get any worse.
Or at least, that's what he thought, but of course he was wrong, he should have already expected it.
The situation he was in right now wasn't that surprising, to be completely honest. Corey had said they wanted him to shift in front of everyone, he had said that they were blocking the exits so he couldn't escape, he really hadn't thought that their plan would work, of course being invisible with Corey wouldn't have worked, but it had been worth a shot.
They were punching him and kicking him and angering him as much as they could, wanting for him to shift in front of everyone. His nose was broken, but the worst was looking at the door and seeing his best friend look so upset and sad. He had never seen Mason like that and he never wanted to see it again.
After the teacher appeared and didn't do anything, letting them beat him up, Liam just lost all his hope that he would be able to, somehow, escape the situation. He was ready for the next punch Gabe would throw at his face, but it never came.
He opened his eyes and saw a hand holding Gabe's arm, but he couldn't see who it belonged to, that is until the owner of the hand pushed Gabe off of him and threw a punch of his own.
Mason and Corey used the distraction to get to Liam and help him get up, but Liam couldn't look away from the person who had came out of nowhere to help him. He was impressed by the amount of punches and kicks he was throwing at Gabe, but he knew that if he kept going like that he would end up killing him, and that wouldn't be good.
He winced while trying to stand on his own and move to where they were; he was still week, but he managed even if stumbling a bit.
"Theo," he called, as soon as he was near them. "It's enough."
Theo seemed to wake up from some kind of daze, he let go of Gabe who felt to the floor and just stood there for a bit, chest heaving with each breath. He then looked at the people who were watching and narrowed his eyes.
"Get away from my sight," he snapped. "All of you! And someone take this one before I do something worst," he looked at Gabe with disgust.
They all scrambled to get out of the classroom, two lacrosse players struggling to take Gabe with them, clearly scared that the guy who had appeared there to kick the boy's ass was going to do something to them too.
When Corey and Mason were the only ones standing in the classroom with them, Theo turned to Liam and his face softened a little.
"They really did some pretty good damage, didn't they, kid?" He said while walking up to him.
"Theo," Liam said, but was I interrupted by a cough.
"Don't talk, come on, let's get you cleaned up."
He put one arm under Liam's legs and the other around his back and lifted him off of the floor.
"I don't need you to carry me," he grumbled.
"Shut up, Liam, let me take care of you."
Too weak to argue with him, Liam let Theo carry him out of the classroom and into the bathroom, faintly aware of Mason and Corey following them closely, he let Theo and Mason clean up his blood and inspect for more injuries and he let them do the talking, knowing that Mason would eventually ask the questions.
He wasn't wrong.
"How did you know?" Mason asked.
"I know everything," Theo shrugged.
"I'm serious."
'Theo sighed. "I know you are. I'm a chimera remember? I could smell Liam in trouble."
Mason looked at him suspiciously for a bit, but let it go, returning to cleaning Liam's blood.
"Why did you come and help?" It had been Corey who asked, and Liam was grateful that he wouldn't have to be the one asking it.
"Why wouldn't I?" Theo said with a little smirk, and looking like he wouldn't explain more. "I wanted to help," he shrugged and they all knew that they wouldn't be able to get anything more out of him.