fragile | teen wolf

TWENTY-SIX | ALIVE

Rhea clicked the lock button to her car, slipping in between Scott and Stiles as they stepped up onto the sidewalk. The latter gave her a lopsided smile which she returned, but the grin didn't meet her eyes. The boy noticed her off-mood immediately and squinted, looking at the identical expression between his girlfriend and his best friend. "What?" Stiles grumbled. The beta and brunette shared a glance, knowing that he was referring to their sour looks. "What do you mean what?" Scott countered, getting a frustrated sigh from his friend. Stiles swung his hand back, reaching behind the girl to smack Scott's shoulder. "I mean what, and you know what." Rhea stuffed her cold hands into the back pockets of her ripped jeans. She shivered, regretting the white, low-cut shirt she chose to wear. The thin long sleeves did nothing against the night breeze. "That look you two were giving." He accused. She snorted at his attitude, giving him a shrug in response.

"Were we giving off a look?" She asked Scott. "I didn't give a look." He denied it, but Stiles continued to criticize them. "Oh, there was a distinct look, Scott." Rhea shook her head at him, her brows lifting at his accusation. "What kind of look are we talking about here?" She asked, the girl suppressing a grin at the random switch in his mood. "The look that says that the last thing you guys feel like doing right now is going to a party." Rhea nodded at the accurate assumption. "Oh, then yeah. It definitely was that kind of look," she admitted, sticking her tongue out at the boy who waved his arms around in a wild gesture. "It's not that. It just seems weird going to a different high school's party." Scott reasoned as he got lost in eyeing the sidewalk as he walked over them. Stiles knocked his head back with an irritated groan. "Would you...God, one drink, all right? You'll be fine. I went to nursery school with this girl, okay? She promised to introduce us to all of her friends." He begged them. Scott nudged her. "Are you okay with this?" He asked. "Why wouldn't I be?" she shrugged.

"You hate parties and strangers." He wasn't wrong. Rhea truly loathed going to parties. She absolutely refused unless her friends or people she knew were going as well. Even then, she still didn't enjoy them. The thought of spending hours mingling with others, hearing the same party joke, and drinking didn't appeal to her. Every experience she had with parties ended horribly, so when Stiles told her that they were going to a birthday gathering for his childhood friend from a few towns over, she didn't want to go at first. Her mind changed when she found out that it was either going to the party with the boys or hanging out with the person she hated the most. She accepted the invitation instantly and even offered to drive. "Heather isn't a stranger. We've met a couple of times and she's really sweet." She said, reassuring herself that it was better to know at least one other person besides the two boys. "So yes, I'd rather go to a party than go clothes shopping with Allison." She gave Scott a tight-lipped smile, the boy chuckling at her slight insult towards his ex-girlfriend.

"You know what? Tonight, no Allison, for either of you. Tonight, you're moving on." Stiles proposed as Scott pulled out his phone. Rhea leaned over to see that he had a few missed calls from the huntress. He stared at it for a few seconds before shutting the device down. The brunette gave him a proud clap on the back, happy that he was taking the steps to move on. It wasn't just her disliking of the girl that made her want Scott to find someone new. She wanted him to be happy like she and Stiles were. "You're right." He gave in, putting his phone away. "That's right I'm right." Stiles dropped his hands, turning to Scott as they halted. Rhea paused as well, crossing her arms as she watched his expression lighten and Stiles get excited.

"Moving on." Scott agreed, facing the boy. "Onward and upward." Stiles nudged him, throwing his hands up in the air. Rhea shook her head at their antics, laughing as the two puffed out their chests. "Let's do this." Scott nodded to himself, wiggling out his arms as he hyped himself up. "That's what I'm talking about. No-look me." Stiles raised his hand up, the boy staring directly at Rhea as Scott high-fived him without looking. As their hands hit, they swung down and high-fived again before twisting around and setting off toward the house. Rhea stared after them with raised brows, the girl slightly confused at what had just happened. Stiles reached for her, slipping his hand into hers like it was second nature. She smiled at their entangled hands. He definitely was a physical touch person and it warmed her heart.