Free Thrive by Krista Ritchie, Becca Ritchie

change.”
    I knew that was coming.
    I kiss Lily on the lips, and she grips my belt, not letting
me go. “What is it?” I ask.
    “I’m scared,” she whispers. “But I don’t want to disappoint
anyone by giving up.”
    Without the wig, her hair’s in a messy bun. I tuck a flyaway
strand behind her ear. “If anyone stares, it’s because you’re Catwoman, not
because you’re Lily Calloway.” Or a sex
addict. I kiss her forehead. “You can do this, Lil.”
    Her hand slides along my waist, and I snatch it before she
clings to me. She can’t drown her anxiety with her vice.
    I know this better than anyone.
    “Okay?” I ask.
    “Yeah,” she nods more resolutely.
    I leave her side to go stand next to Connor by the sinks,
our backs facing the girls while they change. I imagine Rose pretending to be
my girlfriend the moment we exit the bathroom, and I just shake my head at the
mayhem. “Rose and I are going to kill each other five feet out the door.”
    “On the bright side,” Connor says, “Emma Frost doesn’t have
a weapon.” He unfurls the whip and snaps it in the air. “That could’ve been
your ass.”
    “You’d like that, wouldn’t you?” I banter.
    He grins widely, looking less like Batman and way more like
Connor Cobalt. “So much it hurts,” he replies. “Just make sure you walk next to
Rose and not ahead of her when you leave. She hates that.”
    Are you shitting me? “Anything
else? I’m trying to avoid my heart being ripped out and fed to baby demons.”
    “I heard that,” Rose retorts.
    I almost spin around.
    But she shrieks, “Don’t you dare look, Loren! I’ll literally
stab your eyeball with my needle!”
    “She’s topless,” Lily clarifies with a grunt, like she’s
struggling to put on her boots or pants.
    I glare at the ceiling. “I’m definitely going to die today.”
    “You won’t,” Connor says. “You’ve lasted this long.”
    “True.” I let out a sigh and then nod to him. “I’m surprised
you’re not going to try and catch a peek.” As far as I know, he’s never even
seen Rose naked. They get off by talking more than they do by fooling
around—it’s kind of nuts.
    “I know better,” he tells me, taking his mask off, his wavy
brown hair still contained, not even close to being unkempt and out of control.
I pull my red visor to the top of my head and think back to how Rose described
him. He has more power in his eyes without the mask, I realize.
    “We’re finished,” Rose declares.
    We both turn towards the girls who stand beside the stalls.
My gaze immediately falls on Lily, standing with way more confidence in her
black leather jacket and pants, less revealing.
    I smile at how cute she looks in cat ears and a simple black
eye-mask.
    “Is anyone going to say something?” Poppy wonders.
    Lily and I break our gazes at the same time, and the moment
I see Rose, my jaw just fucking drops. I laugh. “Damn, Rose.” She sewed the
strings back on the corset, but it’s much smaller on her chest, pushing up her
breasts, and the silver spandex shorts might as well be underwear, riding up
her ass. “You’d make a perfect Cowboy’s cheerleader.”
    “Shut up, Loren.”
    “You’re a terrible blonde though.”
    She actually flips me off.
    I probably deserved that one.
    Connor hasn’t said a word, but I read the expression on his
face really well this time. His eyes graze every inch of her, full of lust,
like he’s saving the image for later. Might as well. Who knows when Rose will
be comfortable enough to have sex?
    “Do you have something to say?” Rose asks, raising her chin
like she’s ready to combat him.
    “You look beautiful.” The sincerity is clear in his voice.
    Her shoulders drop, caught off guard.
    Lily approaches me and holds my hand about the same time
that Rose walks up to her boyfriend.
    “You know what?” Lily says, her lips curving upward.
    “What?” I ask, her smile making me smile.
    “Catwoman is awesome.”
    I’m not sure if