The Captain's Dirty Little Secret

Chapter 16: Chapter 16 - Drink For Her

”More now.”

Zac stared at Roxie for a second, then his mouth curved a little.

”More now?” he asked.

Roxie lifted her empty cup. ”Don’t look too proud. The standard was low.”

”Because of Noah?”

”Because of your little stomach performance.”

His brows lifted. ”So you were watching.”

Roxie rolled her eyes. ”You were making a whole scene in the middle of the kitchen. Did you expect everyone to politely stare at the ceiling?”

Karen made a sound beside her. ”Roxie, tell me everything about this later. Angela is starting to fight Marc.”

Roxie glanced toward the kitchen island.

Marc, the guy who had spent the whole night calling himself the bartender like pouring blue liquid into red cups was a career, was laughing while holding a bottle over Angela’s cup. Angela had one hand on the counter and one foot hooked on the bottom of a barstool.

Roxie blinked. ”Is she climbing furniture?”

Karen cursed under her breath. ”Angela!”

She pushed through the crowd before Angela could get both feet off the floor.

Zac watched Karen disappear into the kitchen crowd, then looked back at Roxie.

The party was still loud. People were laughing near the sliding doors. Someone in the living room was singing badly with the music. Marc was probably about to lose an argument to Angela on a barstool.

”Can I talk to you now?” he asked.

Roxie froze.

The kitchen suddenly felt too warm.

She remembered the gym. She remembered crying where no one could see her. She remembered his face when he walked away. She remembered the ugly things she had said because she was angry and embarrassed and wanted him to hurt too.

His smile was gone.

Roxie tightened her grip around the empty cup. ”You’re talking.”

”You know what I mean.”

”If I didn’t want to talk, I’d walk away.”

Zac’s mouth curved. ”You could apologize too, you know.”

Roxie leaned back against the counter. ”I’d rather chew my own foot.”

He chuckled, and the sound eased something between them before Roxie could decide if she wanted it eased.

Then he leaned one hip against the counter, eyes still on her. ”You think I did that over there because I wanted some girl licking salt off me?”

Roxie looked at him. ”That sentence is disgusting.”

”Answer.”

”No,” she said. ”I think you enjoy being watched.”

Zac laughed and took a drink from his cup. ”I like your eyes on me.”

Roxie’s chest tightened.

Stupid.

So stupid.

She got angry at herself before she could even get properly angry at him, because her heart had actually reacted to that. Like it had no self-respect. Like he had not just spent the last ten minutes acting like the human version of a bad decision.

Zac lowered the cup. ”But I didn’t like seeing you laugh with him.”

”With Noah?”

”You know another guy who nearly pissed himself?”

Roxie grinned despite herself. ”He’s a good guy.”

Zac huffed. ”He’s a weakling.”

”He survived your death stare. Barely, but he survived.”

Zac looked like he wanted to argue, but his mouth curved instead.

The party kept going around them. Someone dropped a cup near the fridge. A girl yelled from the living room. Three football players near the sliding doors started singing along to the song even though none of them knew the lyrics.

Then a hand landed on Zac’s shoulder.

”Zac.”

Zac’s smile faded just a little.

The boy who stepped beside him was the receiver from the game. The one who had caught the final touchdown.

Dylan Martinez.

He was a little shorter than Zac, but not by much.

He had the kind of Spanish hotness girls pretended not to notice while absolutely noticing. Dark hair pushed back from his face. Warm tan skin. Brown eyes. Sharp cheekbones. A small stud in one ear that caught the kitchen light when he leaned closer. He was leaner than Zac, less broad through the shoulders, but still built from football in a way that made his confidence even more irritating.

Zac was all dark hair, blue eyes, and Briarwick golden-boy attention.

Dylan looked darker, sharper, and way too aware of how good he looked.

He slid his arm around Zac’s shoulders like it was normal and leaned in with a grin.

Dylan looked at Roxie, then at Zac. ”So this is her.”

Roxie lifted a brow. ”Her?”

”The girl who made Zac forget about me.”

Zac’s smile came back too fast. ”Dylan.”

”What?” Dylan said. ”I was open twice tonight.”

”You caught the winning pass.”

”Yeah, and imagine how much easier that would’ve been if our quarterback wasn’t looking at the sideline every five seconds.”

Roxie looked at Zac.

His ears were red again.

”Was he?” she asked.

Zac pointed at Dylan. ”You’re drunk.”

Dylan offered his hand. ”Dylan.”

”I know,” Roxie said. ”You caught the touchdown.”

Dylan’s grin widened, showing one small sharp fang at the side of his smile. ”She noticed. Yes, I know. I’m awesome.”

Roxie almost smiled.

Of course.

Was every boy on this team this conceited, or did it come with the jerseys?

Roxie shook it because refusing would look weird. His grip was warm and easy, and he looked at her like he was already entertained.

”So,” Dylan said, still looking at Roxie, ”are you always this pretty, or is that just for Prescott’s eyes only?”

Roxie let go of his hand. ”Depends. Are you always this annoying, or is that a football thing?”

Dylan laughed.

Zac’s face tightened.

Dylan noticed, obviously, because boys like him never missed the fun part. His grin sharpened, then he turned toward the sliding doors where half the football team had taken over the corner near the coolers.

”Come on,” he said, reaching for Roxie’s wrist lightly. ”You’re standing with us now.”

Roxie pulled her hand back before he could fully take it. ”Am I?”

”Yes.”

”Was there a vote?”

”I voted. It passed.”

Zac looked at Dylan. ”Don’t.”

Dylan ignored him and walked backward toward the football boys, hands lifted like he was innocent. ”Captain’s coming through.”

The football group reacted immediately.

”Captain!”

”Cheer queen!”

”Prescott’s girl finally joined the winning side!”

Roxie’s smile froze in place.

Fantastic.

This was exactly why she avoided football players in groups. Alone, they were irritating. Together, they became a public safety concern.

Dylan stepped beside her again, close enough to make the group open a space for her. ”See? Warm welcome.”

One of the boys shoved a red cup toward her. ”Captain has to drink.”

Roxie stared at the cup.

The smell hit her first. Sweet, sharp, and wrong.

”No, thanks.”

”Aww, come on.”

”Just one.”

”Chug, captain!”

Someone started clapping.

Then another.

”Chug! Chug! Chug!”

The circle picked it up too fast.

Roxie stood there with the cup in her hand, smile still on her face because everyone was looking. The football boys were laughing. A few girls near the sliding doors had turned to watch. Someone already had a phone up.

Her fingers tightened around the plastic.

She could say no.

She should say no.

But the word got stuck because she already knew how they would say it afterward.

Prude.

Uptight.

Too good for everyone.

Fake.

Boring.

The same stupid words, passed around by people who would forget them in five minutes while she carried them for a week.

Her stomach turned.

Then Zac’s hand closed around the cup.

Roxie looked up.

He did not say anything. He just took it from her hand like it had always been his, lifted it, and drank.

The chanting broke into shouting.

”Prescott!”

”Oh damn!”

The teasing got worse instantly.

Roxie’s face burned.

Zac lowered the empty cup and looked at the boy who had handed it to her. ”She said no.”

The boy’s grin faltered. ”I was joking.”

”Then laugh.”

The group went quiet for one awkward second.

Then Kendall stepped into the circle with Tori and Marissa behind her, all three of them smiling like they had arrived just in time to make things worse.

”Wait,” Kendall said, looking at Roxie’s empty hands, then at Zac. ”Is she playing with us or does Prescott have to do everything for her?”

Roxie’s smile froze.

The football boys looked between her and Zac. The blonde girl near the counter crossed her arms. Someone by the sliding doors lifted a phone higher.

Zac’s jaw tightened. ”Drop it, Kendall.”

Kendall blinked at him, sweet and innocent. ”What? I’m just asking. Everyone else is playing.”

Roxie looked at her. ”Playing what?”

Dylan’s grin came back slowly. ”That sounds dangerous.”

Mason shoved through the group with a baseball cap full of folded slips. ”Seven Minutes in Heaven. Seniors only.”

The football boys started yelling immediately.

”No way.”

”Prescott, you better play.”

”Captain too.”

Roxie stared at Mason. ”Absolutely not.”

Kendall’s smile widened. ”It’s fine if you don’t want to. Nobody expects you to.”

Roxie looked at her.

There it was again. That soft little voice that made every insult sound harmless enough for adults to ignore.

Kendall lifted one shoulder. ”I mean, after all that attitude, I thought you’d be more fun.”

Roxie felt the trap close around her.

If she refused, Kendall would call her scared. If she joined, everyone would watch her. If she walked away, the story would be written before she reached the hallway.

So she smiled.

”Fine,” Roxie said. ”I’m playing.”

The room erupted.

Zac turned his head toward her. ”You don’t have to.”

Roxie kept her eyes on Kendall. ”I know.”

Kendall’s smile flickered.

Mason shook the cap, already grinning. ”Names in, then.”

Roxie lifted her chin and stepped toward the living room with everyone watching.

She was playing.