Chapter Text
Derek’s first week back at school wasn’t going quite as he’d thought it would. Sure, his classes were going as he’d hoped, but he had other plans. And of course, those plans revolved around one Stiles Stilinski. See, Derek had been crushing on Stiles since he’d moved to Beacon Hills in middle school, and now he’s in his last year of high school. Stiles still hasn’t really noticed him. But Derek was going to change all that. Well ... if the plan worked out.
Half way through his summer holidays he’d decided he had to change something if Stiles was ever going to notice him. Because, let's face it, Derek’s a nerd. He’s got the glasses, the awkwardness, and plenty of books to spare. And judging by the people Stiles hangs out with, nerds just aren’t his type. So, something's gotta give. Now, Derek’s a pretty observant guy, and it hadn’t exactly escaped his notice that all of Stiles’ friends are jocks.
Thus begun his plan. Every morning he ran before breakfast, 5 miles around the preserve. It kept his head clear, and woke him up enough to prepare for the day. All he had left to do was pick a sport, something that he could do well enough to impress Stiles, but not something that would consume all of his time. He didn’t need to be first string for whatever sport, he just needed to make the team.
-
Anyway, that brings us back to now. Sitting in the locker room before swim team tryouts.
Derek releases the shaky breath he’d been holding and braces himself for the strong smell of chlorine that surrounds the school’s swimming pool. He hates swimming at the pool and he would far prefer the lake down in the preserve. There, he doesn’t have to deal with loads of people swimming, like at the public pool. As he steps out into the pool area he looks towards the stands and notices his sister, Cora, chatting with a couple of students. A red haired teen and what looks to be her boyfriend, considering the arm around her shoulders. The girl turns slightly, and Derek’s jaw drops.
What the hell is Cora doing chatting with Lydia Martin ?!
Derek wouldn’t consider himself even remotely popular, whereas Cora had always chosen not to be popular. She has always been vehemently against the high school hierarchy. In fact, just last week she’d been ranting about how stupid it was that people even ‘defined themselves by adolescent cliques.’ She’d even included finger quotes.
He was honestly surprised she’d even showed up to watch the swim team tryouts today. He’d only mentioned it in passing at breakfast this morning.
Derek sighs and shrugs it off.
Cora can hang out with whoever she wants to anyway. There’s no point in trying to make sense of what she’s doing anyway, he has a swim tryout to focus on.
-
Forty five minutes later and Derek is just pulling himself out of the pool. He hears some whooping and hollering in his direction and knows it’s Cora, being her loud, usual self. He looks back over at the stands where she’d been before and feels his face go beet red. A certain, special someone has joined her in the stands. Right next to his sister sat Stiles Stilinski, the reason he was here in the first place.
Derek waves awkwardly at his sister, who is now standing up and waving him over enthusiastically. Dammit Cora.
He sighs before picking his towel up and tossing it over his shoulder. Making his way over to where his sister is sitting couldn’t be more embarrassing. Unless he was naked… Which ... he basically is in his speedo.
“Cora,” Derek nods, hoping like hell that his face isn’t as flushed as it feels.
“Hello, brother of mine. Do you know Lydia, Jackson and Stiles?” his sister asks, knowing full well that he does, in fact, know who they are. She even has the nerve to wink at him behind their backs. God, he wishes he’d never told his sisters about his massive crush.
“Uh, we’ve met?” Derek says, cringing hard at how stilted he sounds.
“Have we? You don’t sound so sure,” Jackson says with a smirk.
Lydia flicks her hair over her shoulder before sighing loudly.
“Jackson, don’t be rude.”
Derek ran a hand through his wet hair and looked over at the door to the changing rooms, longing to just walk away from this conversation.
“Actually, I think we have met.”
He turns to look back at Stiles, who’s looking directly at him.
“You’re in AP chemistry, right?” Stiles asks him.
“With Harris, yeah.”
“Wow, so we’ve all met,” Cora pipes up, rolling her eyes at her brother.
“I think we’ve established that,” Lydia says, clearly bored.
Derek flicks between watching his sister and looking over at Stiles, who has moved down a step on the bleachers.
“I should, er, go get changed,” he says, awkwardly, pointing his thumb in the general direction of the changing rooms.
“Right, you’re probably getting a bit cold,” Stiles replies, gazing over at him with a small smile.
Unable to break eye contact with the Stiles, Derek jerks his head down in a slight nod, feeling really self-conscious. He steps back, and starts walking towards the locker room, desperate to get away.
“I’ll meet you by the camaro!” his sister calls cheerfully after him.
-
Derek sighs in relief as he stands in front of his locker. He opens his locker door and looks in the mirror and forces out a breath. At least his cheeks aren’t as bright as he thought they’d be. He pulls the towel off his shoulder and starts dabbing himself dry. He pats over his arms and down his legs before quickly pulling on some sweats and a t-shirt. He can shower when he gets home, and at least then he won’t have to worry about how much hot water he’s using.
As he’s pulling on his shoes he wonders if Stiles and the others will be with Cora out in the car park. He wouldn’t mind talking to Stiles again, he’d just prefer not to be in his speedo when it happens.
Derek hurriedly packs the rest of his stuff back into his duffle bag so he can make his way through the school and out to where his sister is sitting on the hood of his car. Alone. He tried not to let his disappointment show.
He watches as she slides off the hood and picks her bag up from where she’d left it on the ground. “So, what was your time?” she asks him.
He shrugs as he unlocks the car and hops inside. “So, you know Stiles?”
“Of course I know Stiles, we were english partners last year.”
“And you didn’t wanna mention that when I told you and Laura I liked him?” Derek asks, looking over at his sister in exasperation.
“Ha. Where’s the fun in that?” She laughs.
Derek huffs, slightly annoyed but doesn’t say anything else as Cora fiddles with the radio.
“Besides, you never would have let me help you if you knew we were friends,” Cora grins to herself.
“Dammit Cora!”
“What?! You totally need my help.”
“I don’t need any help!”
“ Please , you totally need my help,” Cora says, rolling her eyes.
Derek grumbles but doesn’t argue as he pulls the car out of the car park and heads home.