fragile | teen wolf

FOURTEEN | THIN ICE

Rhea hated gym class. It wasn't that she hated sprinting or being active. She hated teenagers which she knew was ironic considering she was sixteen. But she still found many teenagers repulsive. Of course, not all teenagers. It was mostly the boys except for Scott and Stiles. They weren't like the other guys at school. They were kind and gentle whereas the boys in her gym class stared at the girls, lustfully. Rhea leaned against Stiles, uncomfortably, as she watched Scott and Allison scale the climbing wall. Her arms were wrapped around her waist, self consciously, as she wasn't used to wearing a thin tank top and athletic shorts in public.

"Hey," Stiles called, grabbing the girl's attention. She hummed in response, gesturing for him to continue. "Scott, Allison, Lydia, and I are going to the ice arena tonight. You want to come with us?" He asked as she sighed, heavily. She used to skate a lot when she was little. Her parents let her and Cora take skating lessons and it had become one of her passions but after the fire, she never went back. Honestly, she was afraid of going back without her sister but she wanted to be with her friends. "Yeah, I guess that could be fun," she replied, trying to sound cheerful. Stiles hesitated as he felt that something was wrong with her but he pushed it aside. Rhea's head lifted from his shoulder as she felt him staring at her with a content smile. She stared back into his eyes but their moment was quickly ruined as they saw Scott fall off the wall and plummet towards the gym floor. Laughter broke out around the wall as he relaxed once the tether saved him from hitting the ground. Coach crouched down to his level, laughing uncontrollably.

"McCall, I don't know why, but your pain gives me a special kind of joy." He laughed as Rhea approached the two with a smile. "C'mon, Scott," Rhea snickered as she latched onto Scott's arm and tugged him up off of the ground. He pushed her, playfully, before walking with her back to their group. "Alright, Greenberg and," Coach paused, looking around for any slackers. His eyes landed on Rhea who returned to leaning her whole weight against Stiles who didn't seem to mind. "Hale," Her head perked up at her name, a disgusted look coming on her face as her name was called. "Oh, you've got to be kidding me," she grumbled. Most of the boys in the class, including Greenberg, whistled at and mocked the girl. Scott and Stiles sent harsh glares at the boys, a growl coming from the werewolf's chest as well. From behind Rhea, Stiles' hands rested on each side of her shoulders, squeezing them. "Kick his ass," he whispered in her ear with a smirk. Rhea flipped her long braid, which Stiles had done earlier, over her shoulder. After getting secured in the climbing gear, she climbed the wall with great speed and Greenberg wasn't that far behind. After Rhea hit the bell on the top, she paused, hearing a whistle. Her head snapped down to Greenberg who was staring at her butt. So, Rhea did the best thing to do at that moment. She listened to Stiles and kicked his ass, literally, sending a screeching Greenberg to the floor. The whole class, even Coach, burst into loud fits of laughter at the interaction. Rhea suppressed her laugh as she slid back down to ground level, winking at Greenburg who sent her an uncertain look. Stiles high-fived the girl as she passed him.

"All right, next two. Stilinski, Erica, let's go. The wall." Immediately, Stiles began climbing the wall but Erica hesitated. Rhea tilted her head, her eyebrows furrowed as she watched the anxious blonde try to calm herself down and scale the wall. By the time Stiles came back down, Erica was only a couple feet up off the ground. You didn't need werewolf hearing to hear the heavy breathing come from her. "Erica. Dizzy? Is it vertigo?" Coach asked as he tried to comfort the girl but was failing. Lydia scoffed from the side of him, her face scrunched up. "Vertigo's a dysfunction of the vestibular system of the inner ear. She's just freaking out." Rhea nudged Lydia, sending her a harsh look before glancing back up at Erica. "Erica," Rhea exclaimed, her voice gentle as she walked up next to Stiles. "I'm fine." the small girl whimpered, but Rhea knew that she wasn't. "Erica, you're fine. Just kick off from the wall," Erica's sobs just got louder at her teacher's words. Rhea sighed and turned to an anxious Stiles, taking the gear off of him.