We fucked until we were boneless, giggling like idiots when we had to clean up our mess. Then, we left the dance studio hand in hand, stealing kisses every other step on the way to my car.
That afternoon kicked off two weeks of unshakeable bliss.
And then everything went to hell.
Emily
I was on my period the day my world came crashing down.
Practicing again with a bum wrist that I was still figuring out two weeks after getting my cast off was one thing, but doing it alongside cramps sent from the Devil himself was pure hell. Add in that my emotions were as unstable as the WiFi connection at the stadium during a sold-out game, and you could say I wasn’t exactly living my best life.
On the plus side, I wasn’t pregnant — so that was a win. Especially considering how insatiable Braden and I had been since my birthday. Gone were the pretenses of playing it cool and seeing each other only a few times a week. Now, we were lucky to get even one day without one of us flashing the Bat Signal.
Never enough.
His words echoed in my mind whenever I wasn’t with him, and I felt them down to my bones.
“How’s it feeling?” Marcus asked during a break, tilting his water bottle to his lips before chugging half of it down. The rest of our squad was pulling out their phones or grabbing a snack, some still running the choreo even though we were told to break.
“Terrible. I need a heating pad and to be horizontal.”
He blinked at me. “I meant your wrist.”
“Oh. Fine,” I said, holding it up to stretch like I could somehow show him how it was feeling. “Still a bit stiff, but much better than it was two weeks ago. I’m definitely not ready for handstands or flips any time soon.”
“But you can dance at the game!” Darcy said excitedly, plopping down on the floor next to me and Marcus. The room was alive with voices and phone pings now. “I’m so excited to have you with us again.”
My heart surged, like a clan of butterflies was preparing for liftoff. “Me, too. It’s been so long. And don’t get me wrong, I love watching all of you, but…”
“Don’t lie,” Marcus said. “I know it was killing you to be on the sidelines. It’s okay to admit it.”
“Fine. I hated it.”
Darcy laughed. “I would have, too. But you’re back now, baby!”
“Not fully,” I reminded her.
“You’ll be shaking that fine ass of yours next to us,” Marcus chimed in, threading his arm through mine. “And that’s all that matters.”
We all nuzzled together in a group hug, and then Darcy frowned, pulling away with her eyes roaming the room. “What’s with all the noise? Is something happening?”
I followed her gaze, noticing various groups of people huddled together around phones. I frowned. “That’s odd.”
Suddenly, eyes started drifting to me, one pair after another, until practically the whole room was looking at me.
“Shit, did I bleed through or something?” I popped up to stand, turning my ass toward Darcy. “Check me.”
“You’re fine,” she said, inspecting my ass. “I don’t know what—”
“Fuck.”
The curse came from Marcus, who had his phone in hand.
“What?” Darcy and I asked in unison, already bending over his shoulder.
My heart fell to the floor when I read the headline on his screen.
Seattle Seahawks Cheerleader Slams Franchise Over Pay, Alleges Gender Double Standard
