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Lydia Martin was absolutely honored when her mother made her assistant hostess at the annual Christmas Party. She had been working to prove herself since last year's party and she'd finally convinced Natalie that she could be mature enough to handle it.
The eight-year-old had been handed a clipboard and was in charge of marking people off the RSVP list as they arrived. The job she was most excited about though was given to her by her mother early in the day.
“Alright, Lydia. This is very important. I need you to make sure the kids are entertained while I entertain the adults. I don't want them getting into anything. Okay?”
“Okay, Mom. I can do it.”
She would finally be able to put her hosting skills to the test (and boss people around-her two favorite past times).
The first kid to arrive was Scott McCall. Lydia really didn't know that much about him, even though he lived right next door to her. They didn't speak to each other at school, but he'd had an asthma attack in class one day. She didn't know what asthma was, so when she got home she looked it up. When she mentioned it to her mom later that night, Natalie shook her head sympathetically. Later, she'd overheard her mother and father discussing Scott's parents, and how they were going to get a divorce (Natalie had linked Scott's asthma attack to the stress he must have been under at home). Lydia didn't know exactly what that meant, but she didn't want them to know that she was eaves dropping. So she read about that too.
And then she cried...and prayed that her parents would never have to get divorced because it all just sounded so sad.
Scott was moving next week and they wouldn't be neighbors anymore, which actually made Lydia happy. Not because she didn't like him, but because seeing Scott alone made her sad, and seeing him with his best friend just made her annoyed.
Scott was a shy kid by nature, but when he got together with Stiles his personality did a complete 180.
Which is why Lydia groaned when Ms. Claudia walked through the door, because her son was sure to follow. Ms. Claudia was one of Natalie's friends, and she came by their house every so often. She'd always bring her son, but he would hang out with Scott; and Lydia was perfectly fine with that.
It wasn't any one thing that Stiles did that bothered Lydia, he just couldn't keep still in class! He was constantly moving and fidgeting. He would talk out of turn and act up for no reason. It was like he didn't want to learn and Lydia loved to learn, and loathed anything that would distract her from it.
And Stiles was distracting.
“Stiles,” Lydia greeted and rolled her eyes subtly, before taking a deep breath and plastering a fake smile on her face, “Scott's in the living room."
“Uh...thanks.”
Stiles walked off toward the living room, and Lydia narrowed her eyes after him. If anybody was going to get into anything tonight, it would be them.
Shortly after Stiles and Scott got together, they'd sneaked outside, and Lydia was not about to follow them either. There were a few other kids that had joined the party, and she was too busy making sure they were having fun.
The food got put out and that brought Stiles back inside. His dad made a plate for him and then he disappeared back out the door, then Scott came back and his mom made his plate.
They came back for seconds and their parents helped them again, but it was when Stiles came back for thirds that Lydia grew suspicious.
He didn't ask his parents for help, even though he couldn't see over the table that the food had been put on. Every time he'd reach his arm above his head to grab a spoon and scoop the food out of the chafing dish, Lydia cringed. When he got to the mini corn dogs, they flew into the air, making more of a mess than any of the other food had.
The mini corn dogs had fallen onto the floor, and Lydia expected her hyperactive classmate to just walk away from them and pretend that nothing happened. Although, that wasn't the case. Stiles picked up all of the corn dogs, and Lydia stared from the living chair she was seated in. When he looked around after picking them all up, her hands gripped onto the arms of the chair. If he tried to put those back in the chafing dish, so help her.
Instead, he used his shirt to help him carry them all and began to sneak back outside.
That was it.
Lydia jumped up from the chair and marched over to him, stepping right in front of him and halting him in his tracks.
“Ly-Lydia...”
“What do you think you're doing?”
“What do you mean?” he asked as he shifted his weight.
“Stiles!” Stiles raised his eyebrow and looked over Lydia's shoulder. “Pssst!” Lydia turned around to see Scott McCall standing at the door leading to the side of her yard. Scott's eyes widened.
Lydia whipped her head back to Stiles, who was wearing a goofy grin, “What's going on out there?” Her tone was suspicious.
“Uhhh.....”
“Either you tell me, or I'm going to follow you out there and find out for myself.”
Stiles sighed. “Okay, fine. Come on.”
He began to walk away and Lydia followed after.
“What'd you bring her for?” Scott whispered angrily.
“She-”
“I made him. This is my party and my house.”
“Well, that's my house,” Scott rolled his eyes and pointed at the house next door. “And that's where we're going. So you can't come.”
“Scott!” Stiles almost whined.
Lydia huffed and crossed her arms. “Well, fine! I'm glad you're moving!” Lydia turned around, and tried not to take his dismissal personally.
It wasn't working. She could feel tears begin to burn her eyeballs. Suddenly she heard Scott sigh. She didn't see the silent conversation the boys had, but she imagined Stiles convinced him somehow. “Wait.” Lydia turned her head back and looked at Scott. “Follow me.”
The kids walked over to Scott's backyard and Stiles dropped to his knees, letting the mini-corn dogs fall onto the ground. That's when Lydia saw the puppy.
“You got a puppy?” Lydia gasped and bent down to pet the dog.
“Well....not exactly.” Scott said slowly.
She turned her head back toward Scott. “What do you mean?”
“I just found her.”
“Do your parents know you have her?”
“No.” Scott looked down. “They haven't been paying attention.”
Lydia looked away and back at the puppy that was lapping up the mini-corn dogs.
“Hey, Scott...” Stiles began, “What's going to happen when you move? You're going to have to tell your mom before that.”
“I'm going to tell her,” Scott assured him. “I just don't know how yet.”
“What's her name?” Lydia asked.
“Roxy.”
“That's a good name.” She told him with a smile.
They got quiet for a moment, before Stiles suddenly blurted, “Scott wants to be a vet when he grows up.”
“You do?” Lydia asked after giving Stiles a strange look. Scott nodded. “And what do you want to be?” Lydia turned back to Stiles and asked.
“Um...” He shrugged, “I don't know.”
“What are you going to be, Lydia?” Scott asked.
Lydia straightened up and proudly pronounced, “I'm going to be a professional party planner.” Then she shrugged. “Or a lawyer.”
Stiles chuckled. “Like those are the same things.”
“They basically are.” Lydia rolled her eyes. “A lawyer's party just takes place in a court room.”
“Right...” Stiles said slowly.
“You know what?” Lydia told Scott as she stood up. “I'm going to help you tell your mom about Roxy.”
“You are?” both boys asked at the same time.
“Yep,” she nodded. She looked over at Stiles and rolled her eyes again. “Come on,” she said and grabbed his hand.
“Wait..where are you taking me?”
“You're going to help me. Scott, stay here with Roxy.”
Lydia led Stiles back inside her house, then took him down a dark hallway.
“Is this where you kill me?” Stiles whispered in the silence.
“What?”
“In all the scary movies...this is what happens.”
“No! I'm not going to kill you here...If I was going to kill you, it would be more public,” she told him resolutely.
“That....doesn't make me feel better.”
Lydia sighed. “If I wanted to kill you bad enough, I wouldn't care if I got caught, so I may as well not try to hide it. But you have nothing to worry about. I don't want to kill you. Not yet at least.”
“You watch too much TV,” he told her decidedly.
“And you watch too many movies.”
She led him into her father's study and climbed into his big office chair that sat in front of the computer. “Alright,” she continued. “Let's get to work.”
Melissa was having a conversation with Natalie when a stack of papers was plopped down onto her lap.
“Lydia!” Natalie gasped.
Lydia ignored her mother, “Scott found a dog, and these are all the reasons why you should let him keep it.”
Melissa looked up to see Stiles smack his palm against his forehead.
“What dog?”
“I still can't believe my mom is letting me keep her! This was the best Christmas present ever!” Scott exclaimed the next day when he saw Lydia outside.
Lydia shrugged. “You're welcome.”
Ms. Claudia's car pulled up, and Stiles jumped out and ran up to the two of them.
“Let's go!” Stiles yelled excitedly.
“Where are you going?” Lydia asked.
“Mrs. McCall is taking us to the pet store to get stuff for Roxy! You can come too if you want!”
Lydia was tempted, but she didn't really want to be seen in public with those two. Spending time with them last night was bad enough.
“No thanks,” she shook her head. “I'm good.” She began to walk away, but sighed and turned back around. “Thanks for inviting me though.”
Once she was gone, Stiles turned to Scott.
“Scott, I think I'm in love.”
Scott shook his head. “I don't think you are.”
“Well, I could be!”
Stiles was yelling something at Scott as Lydia watched them from the window.
“Yep,” she muttered under her breath, “still annoying.”