"Can't believe I wasn't there to hear it." Adeline said, the four sat at a small, round table built for just the three. "That'll definitely add more time on."

"He's a troubled kid." Noah nodded his head. "Not to mention, my lovely son, fueling him."

Stiles looked up, mouthful with the casserole Eli made. "What?"

"Well, at least he stands up for you. A lot of kids don't care what happens to their parents. I've seen it when I make arrest." Adeline nodded her head, the causal and natural talk between the two not affected by the presence of their children.

"It's because kids have a lot of anger toward their parents, so they think they don't care what happens to them." Stiles spoke up with a nod of his head. "Often because of abuse, lack of attention, neglect, all that."

Adeline cracked a smile with a sip of her wine. "You're wanting to do something in the Law field?"

"Hopefully, yeah." Stiles nodded his head.

"Have you started applying to colleges already?" the strawberry blonde spoke with a raise of her nicely arched eyebrows.

"A few, yeah. I haven't heard back from any yet but it's still early." Stiles said, nearly knocking his drink over but catching it quickly.

After hearing from everyone at the table, aside from one, all their eyes turned to the right side of the table to look at the slumped down boy. Noah cleared his throat. "What about you, Eli? Are you wanting to do something in the Law field?"

Eli's dark eyes had a glisten from the kitchen lighting, looking over at him. "No."

Noah rose his eyebrows, somewhat expecting a explanation.

"Eli wants to study Biomedicine." Adeline spoke for her son with a small smile.

"Really? Bachelors?" the Sheriff looked toward the youngest, getting a nod. "Do you know what you wanna do after you get the degree?"

"Biomedical researcher." Eli spoke the most he had all evening, biting at thumb nail. "Or Forensic Toxicologist."

"That's why he's taking AP biology." Stiles spoke up with a clear of his throat, feeling it start to become awkward.

"What about college? Staying close to home?" Noah went on, because it was clear Eli wasn't gonna talk unless spoken to.

"Sweden, i'm pretty sure." Eli exhaled deeply, grabbing his glass of sparkling water. "My mom was suppose to come with me but it's unknown if that'll still happen now."

The table was silent, Stiles eyes going wide. Eli tilted his head back, down in the last of his drink before setting the empty glass onto the table.

"Is that Scott's flannel?" Stiles looked Eli's way, recognizing the beige and brown flannel.

"Oh yeah, he gave it to me." Eli nodded his head.

"You mean, you stole it." Stiles corrected him.

"Stole a flannel?" Adeline questioned with a frown of her eyebrows. "Of Scott McCalls?"

"Well, stole it after him and Stiles kidnapped me and Liam." Eli nodded his head with a point of his finger.

"What?" Noah spoke loudly as Stiles forced a laugh.

"Lacrosse initiation." the Stilinki boy gave a wink with a point of his finger. "Been trying to get it revoked but you know, traditions die hard."

"Clearly." Eli mumbled.

"Scott's been training Eli more." Adeline hurried to add in. "He says he's managing to keep the ball without falling over."

"Well, that's a plus." Noah looked his way. "Stiles never was very good. He just sat on the bench until Scott became captain."

"Right here." Stiles pointed to himself in disbelief.

"I like the bench." Eli rose his eyebrows at the man across from him. "My mom also likes me on the bench. She says it keeps me safe. She tell you that?"

Stiles slapped his forehead.

"Eli." Adeline forced a smile to get him to knock it off.

"What about our fish? Has she told you about our fish?" Eli went on, getting a questionable look. "His names The Hulk and he's been alive for a year now."

"Is he gr-" The sheriff began.

"Or maybe she's talked to you about my dad?" Eli asked, his voice was getting angrier as he sat up straight. "Did she tell you about how we all use to ride around and try to find houses that still have their christmas lights up in February? In the car that is just collecting dust in the garage now. And how we'd randomly choose two movies to watched every Thursday night? The same night that she now works night shifts alongside you."

"Eli, Älskling, enough." Adeline grabbed his hand softly.

Eli's chair screeched across the floor when he stood up, yanking his hand free of his mothers. "Or maybe she just forgot to mention that when she didn't tell you that you're sitting exact where he use to sit!"

It only took him five seconds to realize  what he was doing, how unfair he was being, how it wasn't anyones fault accept his parents for not seeing how it would affect him. Eli's eyes watered, gripping the table as he looked at Noah. His voice came out so low that the table nearly missed it. "Sorry."

It was new, that side of him. Not only for the trio at the table, but also for himself. Eli didn't like acting that way,  the guilt afterward always getting the absolutely worst of him. A honk was heard outside. Eli's head turned toward the red door. "That's Lydia, she's picking me up for driving lessons."

Adeline let him go, because his outburst not only opened Eli's eyes to how much anger he kept stored away, but also her own in realizing how she'd simply pushed all his feelings aside after the divorce because it was too painful for her to deal with.

Eli opened the back door, seeing Malia in the driving seat and Lydia in the front. Lydia turned to watch him get in, a teasing grin across her lips. "Hey, sweetness. Get in, we have to go pick up Kira.

"How was dinner? Any fake deer?" Malia asked. Neither were answered, Eli closing the door and laying down in the seat. The two in the front turned to look back at him. "That bad?"

"Aw, wanna talk about it?" Lydia asked, reaching back to touch his arm. Malia unbuckled her seat belt to see his face. "We'll listen if you wanna talk about it."

"Stiles mess it up?" Malia asked honestly.

"No." Eli said back, keeping his eyes shut.

"Mama?" Lydia asked.

"No." he repeated.

"The Sheriff?" she questioned in disbelief.

Eli sat up. "My fault."

The girls looked at him. Malia reached back, pushing his knee slightly. "Did you try to eat them?"

"Malia." Lydia looked over.

"Pretty much." Eli said honestly, his head tilting back on the seat. "I really hurt my moms feeling."

"Were your feelings hurt first?" Malia asked him, getting a nod as his eyes shut again.

"Did anyone care?" Lydia asked, leaning against the seat to look at him.

"I don't think they noticed." the boy mumbled.

"Then screw that, you deserve to be mean if they don't care." Malia said with a stern look across his face. "We care."

"We care so much." Lydia nodded her head in agreement.

Malia frowned. "Sorry your dinner was horrible."

"The casserole was really good too." Eli sat up, his hand brushing with Malias as she pulled it away from his knee. "Can I even be mad though? I mean, I took it out of the sheriff and it wasn't even his fault. He just likes my mom, it isn't his fault my parents got divorced and they both just decided that I had to be fine with it and never talk to me about my feelings regarding the situation. But then I feel like I can't be mad at my mom."

"If your mom is ignoring how you feel then you can completely be mad at her." Lydia shook her head his way, their matching watched both giving a small glisten from the street lamp right outside his house. "Even though I do love your mom, I notice she avoids talking about things when she doesn't want to."

"Exactly. So why it is my place to upset her by talking about it?" Eli voiced his clear concern.

"She's the only person that will get it." Malia said confidently. "It's not just her she has to deal with. It's you too."

"I think that's probably the issue." Eli frowned. "I don't think she'd dealt with it either."

Lydia gave a frown back at him. "The sheriff will forgive you, and you should talk to your mom. Tell her how you really feel."

His sad eyes glanced away with a nod.

"Now, come get some love before Malia kills us." Lydia encouraged with a wave forward. Eli leaned up, Malia arm grabbing his head, pressing her hand to his face, as his head dug into her shoulder. Lydias arms went around both of them, her cheek pressing into Eli's shoulder with a rub to his back. "Now, we get Kira."

"Now we get Kira." Malia nodded her head as they all pulled apart, buckling up again. "She's not that far from-"

Her attempt to drive forward put them in reverse, running into Eli's mail box and knocking it down.

•

kylie speaks

aw, eli and his ladies.