The Captain's Dirty Little Secret

Chapter 18: Chapter 18 - Out

The door flew open, and light slammed into the pantry so fast Roxie forgot how to move.

Oh shit.

Her hands were still on Zac’s chest.

Both of them.

Her palms were pressed flat against him like she had been personally holding him in place, and Zac was standing so close the whole thing looked worse than it was.

Or maybe exactly as bad as it was.

Roxie’s stomach dropped.

Then the screaming started.

”Oh my God!”

”No freaking way!”

”They were definitely doing something!”

Roxie snapped back into her body and shoved Zac hard enough that he stumbled back a step.

They had forgotten about the timer, the game, and the people waiting right outside the pantry.

Roxie’s face burned as she stepped out.

”Roxie,” Zac said behind her.

She kept walking.

The second she reached the living room, people moved closer, loud and excited like they had just caught something important.

”What happened in there?”

”Prescott, what did you do?”

”Did you kiss?”

Roxie pushed through them with her chin up, refusing to give anyone the reaction they wanted.

”Move,” she said.

A girl near the couch made an obnoxious kissing sound, and two football players lost it like they had just witnessed history.

She ignored it and headed straight for the kitchen.

Behind her, Zac tried to follow.

”Wait, Roxie.”

He barely made it past the pantry door before the football players crowded him, grabbing his shoulders and blocking his way.

Zac looked over their heads at Roxie, but he couldn’t get through them without making the whole thing even louder.

Roxie turned away before anyone could read her face.

She needed water. She needed to stop blushing. She needed everyone in that house to find a new hobby.

Her face was still hot when she pushed through the living room, and then she saw the phones.

Oh God.

Several people had them raised, some pretending to text, some not even bothering to hide it. Nothing improved a girl’s reputation like walking out of a pantry with the quarterback while half the senior class recorded it for evidence.

Roxie wanted everyone in the house to suffer in very specific, creative ways.

Then she spotted Kendall.

Kendall stood near the couch with her arms crossed and a red cup in one hand, her fake party smile completely gone. She took a slow sip without taking her eyes off Roxie, while the girls beside her whispered and threw nasty little glances like they had been waiting all night for something to use.

Roxie smiled sweetly.

Kendall’s eyes narrowed.

Behind Roxie, Zac finally stepped out of the pantry, and the room started yelling again like he had just done something impressive instead of spending seven minutes in a storage closet.

Dylan nearly slid off the arm of the couch laughing. ”Seven minutes and that’s all you got?”

Zac shot him a look. ”Shut up.”

Roxie wanted the floor to open up and take her somewhere quieter, preferably underground.

Stupid pride.

She pushed past the living room and found Karen in the kitchen, dragging Angela by the arm.

”What happened?” Roxie asked.

Karen looked ready to commit a crime. ”Your friend happened.”

”I heard that,” Angela slurred.

Karen tightened her grip on Angela’s wrist. ”She insulted Marc and demanded he give her the real booze.”

”Oh God.”

”It gets worse.” Karen looked at Angela with pure exhaustion. ”She tried to take off her shirt because she said it was too hot.”

Angela mumbled something and weakly lifted the hem of her top.

Roxie grabbed her hand and pulled it down fast. ”Absolutely not.”

Angela blinked at her. ”Rude.”

Roxie pressed her lips together, trying so hard to keep from laughing that her face almost hurt.

Thank God Angela had somehow made worse choices than her tonight.

Karen did not find any of this cute. ”We need to leave.”

Roxie looked toward the living room.

Through the archway, she could still see bodies packed together, music shaking through the floor, people laughing too loud because they wanted everyone to know they were having the best night ever. Someone had started chanting for another round of the game.

Zac stood near the couch now, half surrounded by football players, but his attention was on the kitchen.

On her.

Roxie’s stomach pulled tight.

She looked away first.

”Fine,” she said. ”We’re leaving.”

Angela gasped like Roxie had personally ruined her life. ”But I’m having fun.”

Karen stared at Roxie. ”I’ll have fun too if I kill her right now.”

Roxie set her cup down and grabbed Angela’s other arm. ”Come on. I need to go home too.”

Leaving the house was apparently a full-contact sport.

Every three steps, someone tried to stop them. A cheerleader asked if they were leaving already. A football player tried to get Angela to chant something. Mason appeared with a grin and asked if Roxie wanted to play again, which earned him a look cold enough that he raised both hands and backed away.

Near the door, Kendall slipped into their path.

”Leaving so soon?” Kendall asked.

Roxie adjusted Angela’s weight against her side. ”Some of us know when the party’s over.”

Kendall’s gaze flicked toward Angela, then back to Roxie. ”Right. Responsible captain.”

”Try it sometime.”

A few people nearby went quiet.

Kendall’s smile sharpened. ”You looked pretty busy being responsible in the pantry.”

Karen stiffened beside Roxie and glanced at her, questions all over her face.

Roxie kept her eyes on Kendall.

”If you wanted to switch with me so you could flirt with Zac, you could’ve just asked.”

Kendall’s smile disappeared.

Roxie leaned closer, still holding Angela up. ”Move.”

Karen pulled the door open, and cold air rushed in as they stepped outside. Roxie did not look back until the door shut behind them and the party noise dropped into a muffled throb.

The night outside Mason’s house was wet and cold. The street shone under the porch lights, cars lined the curb in crooked rows, and somewhere down the block, someone laughed loud enough to wake the whole neighborhood.

Karen dug through her small bag for her phone. ”I already called my brother. He said he’s coming.”

Roxie glanced down the street.

Her place was close enough by car, and close enough on foot if she cut past the creek and took the back road. She had done it a hundred times when she was younger, before she understood which streets looked normal in daylight and turned ugly after dark.

”I’ll call an Uber,” Roxie said.

Karen stared at her. ”Absolutely not.”

”I live on the other side of town. I’ll text you when I get home.”

”No. We came here together, we go home together.”

Roxie felt her chest tighten.

That was the problem.

Together meant Karen would know where Roxie lived, and once one person saw the street, the yard, the busted porch light, it stopped being private.

It became gossip.

Before Roxie could answer, Angela made a horrible sound.

”Oh, seriously?” Karen groaned.

Angela bent forward and puked near the curb.

Roxie grabbed her hair fast and held it away from her face while Karen stepped back with both hands raised.

”How did she get this drunk so fast?” Roxie asked, half horrified and half impressed.

Karen shook her head. ”I think she was drinking before she found us.”

Angela coughed weakly. ”I’m fine.”

”You just threw up on Mason’s grass,” Roxie said.

Angela blinked at the ground. ”That’s his grass?”

A car slowed in front of the house and stopped by the curb. Karen looked at the headlights, then at Angela, whose head had already started to loll against Roxie’s arm.

”He’s here,” Karen said. ”We need to go.”

Roxie helped her get Angela into the backseat. Angela collapsed sideways like someone had removed her bones.

Karen turned back to Roxie, torn between panic and guilt. ”I can’t just leave you here.”

”I’ll be fine.”

”You keep saying that like it makes me less stressed.”

”I’ll call an Uber.”

A voice cut in from behind them. ”I’ll bring her home.”

Roxie turned.

Zac stood a few feet away with his hands in his pockets, his jacket open against the cold, his eyes moving from Angela in the backseat to Roxie’s face.

Before Karen could answer, Roxie said, ”Yes. Zac’s taking me home.”

Karen glanced from Roxie to Zac, then back again. ”Since when do you let him take you anywhere?”

”Since your best friend is about to throw up on your brother’s seats.”

Roxie softened her voice because Karen still looked like she might climb back out of the car and interrogate her in the middle of the street.

”I’ll text you when I get home,” Roxie said. ”And tomorrow, I’ll tell you everything.”

Karen’s suspicion shifted fast.

”Everything?”

Roxie gave her a look. ”Don’t make me regret offering.”

Karen pointed at her. ”Pantry included?”

Roxie looked away. ”Drive away before I change my mind.”

Karen still looked unsure, but Angela groaned from the backseat and her brother snapped, ”Can we go?”

Karen exhaled through her nose. ”Fine. But text me.”

”I will.”

”And tomorrow, I want details.”

”You’ll get details.”

Karen looked at Zac next, her expression turning sharp. ”Get her home.”

Zac nodded once. ”I will.”

Roxie rolled her eyes. ”I’m standing right here.”

Karen ignored her and climbed into the car. ”Text me.”

Roxie shut the door for her. ”Go.”

The car pulled away from the curb, and Karen twisted in her seat to stare through the back window until they turned the corner.

Roxie stood there for a second, watching the taillights disappear.

Then she looked at Zac.

”You can go now.”

His brows pulled together. ”What?”

”I’m waiting for my ride.”

Zac stared at her. ”Roxie.”

She lifted one hand before he could start. ”Leave, or we’re done being friends.”

His mouth closed.

For a second, he just looked at her like he was trying to figure out if she meant it.

She did.

Mostly.

Zac bit the inside of his lip, then let out a quiet breath. ”You drive a hard bargain.”

”I know.”

He looked down the street, then back at her. ”Text someone when you get home.”

”I already said I would.”

He looked like he wanted to argue anyway.

Roxie lifted her brows.

Zac exhaled, jaw tight, then stepped back.

”Fine.”

Roxie held his stare.

He turned away first.

”It’s your funeral,” he muttered.

She rolled her eyes, even though her stomach had already started to twist.

Zac walked back toward Mason’s house, toward the noise and the lights and the people who belonged there.

Roxie waited until he was far enough away.

Then she turned around and started walking.

Her house was close if she cut past the creek.

She had done it before.

That was the part she kept telling herself as she crossed the street and headed toward the darker road.

She had done it before.