I LIVE THIS, I BREATHE THIS, YOU CRAVE IT

CHAPTER 9: The New Normal

"I don't know," I said. Honestly, today was the first day that Michael was out of my mind for longer than five minutes, and being reminded about this right now gave me a bit of whiplash.

"We can trust them, Emma. You know we can. And this whole situation is too much for us to handle on our own. Do you trust me?" She asked, taking my hands in hers.

"Rhea, it's not about trust. I don't want to burden them with my bullshit. I've already burdened you with all this," I explained.

"I thought we agreed not to talk like that anymore." Her voice became a bit harder than a few seconds prior.

I shrank back. We had a whole hour-and-a-half-long talk about me not saying things like 'burden' or thinking that I'm in this alone. And above all, she made it very clear that if I talk down about myself in any way, shape, or form there would be a price to pay.

"I'm not going to force you to agree with this, Emma. If you don't want to, then we won't. Just think about it, alright?" She said.

"Yeah, I'll think about it," I conceded. We began to walk out of the locker room when I stopped in front of Rhea and turned to her. "Um, sorry for talking like that. I didn't mean it like that, I just didn't know how to explain it right." I looked down as I spoke and Rhea placed a hand on my cheek, lifting my head.

"It's okay, baby. I know," she smiled as she kissed my forehead.

Lately, things with Rhea have been very black and white, which I was thankful for. I wouldn't go so far as to say that there are things that I'm not allowed to do, but I will say that there are things that will have a consequence if I do them. That being said, I do like to push my limits.

As we walked back to where the boys were, I fell into step slightly behind Rhea. Mischief was practically calling my name so I racked my brain for something harmless but effective to get a reaction from Rhea. As soon as the thought crossed my mind, my eyes landed on the soft curve of her ass in her spandex shorts. Before I knew it, it was like my hand was moving on its own.

"I think we're gonna head out in a few," Rhea started. "Do you-"

She was cut off by a hard slap on her ass from none other than the brat herself: me. I smiled brightly, knowing the boys heard it.

"Yeah, boys, we're gonna head out," I mocked, deciding that I needed a little cherry on top. I didn't need to look at Rhea's face to know that she was fuming, but I did shrink back just a little when I heard her chuckle darkly at my antics. "Um, we'll catch you boys later, yeah?" I said nervously.

I turned to walk away before Rhea had anything to say to me in front of them, my earlier bravery was dwindling at dangerously low levels. I knew I would be in for it when we got back to the hotel. Before I could reach the locker that we had our stuff in, Rhea caught up to me right as I opened the door to the locker room. I felt her strong arm slither across my shoulders, effectively stopping me from continuing on any further.

"You don't listen. I said we were gonna head out in a few. Not right now." Her tone made me shiver as she steered me back to where the boys were standing expectantly. They saw that little exchange and they weren't stupid. The embarrassment of walking back to the scene of the crime was enough to make my skin crawl in the best way possible.

"Before I was interrupted, I was going to ask you boys if you wanted to get something to eat before we head back," Rhea said.

"Seems like you've got your hands full," Damian remarked. I shot him a look and he raised his hands in surrender with a wide grin on his face.

"That I do," Rhea said back.

"I think we're just gonna head back and relax for a bit," Finn said, shooting a knowing glance in mine and Rhea's direction.