The Captain's Dirty Little Secret

Chapter 29: Chapter 29 - Spirit Day

By Thursday, Briarwick High had lost its mind again.

The hallway outside the cafeteria had been turned into a full shrine to school spirit. Black and silver streamers hung from the ceiling. Paper ravens covered the lockers. Someone from student council had taped cutout footballs on the walls with player numbers written in silver marker, and three freshmen were arguing over whether the balloon arch near the gym doors looked sad or modern.

It looked sad.

She stopped in front of the biggest poster and stared at her own face.

Her own smiling, polished, school approved face.

Beside Zac Prescott.

The poster was huge in a way that felt too much. They turned them into one glossy rivalry graphic with Briarwick vs. Fairmont stretched across the top in silver letters.

Maybe she should ask for talent fee.

Zac stood in his football uniform, helmet tucked under his arm, expression serious like he had been hired to protect the entire county. Roxie stood beside him in her cheer uniform, poms at her hip, smile bright enough to lie for both of them.

They were not even looking at each other.

Somehow, that made it worse.

Roxie sighed through her nose.

Karen appeared beside her with a strawberry lollipop in her cheek and a silver ribbon tied around her ponytail. ”Aw.”

Roxie did not look at her. ”Shut up.”

”You two look like a couple.”

Karen leaned closer to the poster and squinted. ”Actually, you look like the girlfriend who tells him to stop fighting at parties, and he looks like he ignores you because he thinks it’s hot when you yell.”

Roxie rolled her eyes.

Angela walked up on Roxie’s other side, wearing a black skirt, silver cardigan, and a headband with tiny glitter ravens on it. She had gone full spirit week in a way that should have embarrassed her, but somehow made people smile instead.

She looked at the poster, then at Roxie.

”Oh,” Angela said. ”Yeah. Everyone definitely thinks you’re together now.”

Roxie faced the poster again. ”They’re dumb.”

”No denying can change that,” Angela said.

”I will never get tired of repeating it to anyone willing to listen.”

Karen pulled the lollipop from her mouth. ”Nobody is willing anymore.”

A junior passing by slowed to look at the poster, then looked at Roxie, then smiled with his whole annoying face.

Roxie gave him the kind of stare that sent him walking faster.

Karen laughed. ”See? Couple behavior.”

”Karen.”

”What? You threatened him with your face. Zac would be proud.”

Roxie made herself keep walking before she ripped the poster down and got blamed for destroying school property, which would be humiliating because the photo of her was actually nice.

That was the worst part.

The three of them moved down the hallway with the rest of the afternoon crowd.

Everyone had dressed for spirit day. Football players wore their jerseys over hoodies. The cheerleaders had black and silver ribbons, glitter, fitted tops, skirts, and enough lip gloss to blind someone under fluorescent lights. Even the quiet kids had Briarwick stickers on their cheeks, like the entire school had decided participation was mandatory.

Roxie wore a black pleated skirt, a white fitted top, and a cropped silver cardigan she had borrowed from the woman she babysat for two weeks ago and had no plan to return yet. Her hair was half up with a black ribbon, curled at the ends, and her lips were glossy enough that she had already caught three girls checking the shade.

Briarwick liked spirit.

Roxie gave them spirit.

Karen lifted her phone. ”Selfie.”

Angela immediately leaned in. ”Wait, my hair.”

”You look fine.”

”I want to look cute.”

”You always look cute,” Roxie said.

Angela froze for half a breath, then smiled like she wanted to act normal about it and failed. ”Thanks.”

Karen lifted the camera.

Angela leaned close to Roxie’s shoulder. Karen tilted her head, lollipop between her fingers, expression smug. Roxie smiled because she knew how to smile when a phone was involved.

Karen took five photos.

Then four more.

Then one where Angela laughed because someone behind Karen dropped a binder and whispered a curse loud enough for the entire hallway to hear.

Karen checked the screen. ”This one.”

Angela grabbed her arm. ”Wait, send it to me.”

Karen posted it with a caption about Rivalry Week and a stupid number of raven emojis.

Almost immediately, the likes started climbing.

Karen smiled at her phone. ”People are so easy.”

Angela leaned over to look. ”Wait, who posted that?”

Karen tapped the screen and turned it toward them.

A photo popped up from one of the other cheerleaders’ stories. Half of the girls from the squad were at the fall carnival downtown, standing near the ring toss booth with caramel apples in their hands, laughing under orange lights. Behind them, the Ferris wheel glowed against the dark sky.

Angela’s face dropped.

”Ugh,” she said. ”We should have gone with them.”

Karen shrugged. ”I was busy. You should have gone with them.”

Angela gave her a look. ”Hmmp. I can’t. I won’t. Kendall went plus I’ll turn invisible without you two.”

Roxie glanced at her. ”You’re popular on your own, Angela.”

Angela rolled her eyes. ”Please.”

”You are,” Roxie said.

Karen nodded, still chewing her lollipop. ”Yeah. People call you something.”

Angela narrowed her eyes. ”What something?”

Karen’s smile widened. ”Big Boobs Angela.”

Angela’s entire face went red. ”Karen.”

Roxie pressed her lips together.

Karen lifted one shoulder. ”I didn’t invent it. I’m reporting local news. Be grateful we didn’t let you lift that tiny top at Mason’s, or they would have made the nickname worse.”

Angela leaned closer to Roxie and lowered her voice, loud enough for Karen to hear anyway. ”She has too much perfume on.”

Karen gasped. ”Hater.”

Roxie laughed before she could stop herself.

Roxie watched her for a moment, then looked back at the carnival photo still glowing on Karen’s phone.

The girls in the picture looked carefree. Hair down. Caramel apples in hand. Bright smiles caught under carnival lights like they had never made a bad decision in their lives.

Roxie locked that thought away before it made her bitter.

”Come on,” Karen said, slipping her phone into her pocket. ”I’m hungry.”

They pushed through the cafeteria doors with everyone rushing toward lunch.

Briarwick’s cafeteria was already loud.

Lunch had turned sharp because Rivalry Week made everyone act like homework, sleep, and basic dignity had been canceled yet everyone have their seats.

The cafeteria had rules.

Nobody wrote them down because that would have been embarrassing, but everyone knew.

Freshmen stayed near the entrance unless they wanted to be humbled or bullied. Sophomores floated wherever they could without attracting the wrong attention. Juniors acted like they owned the room because they had not yet learned seniors were worse.

Seniors took the center.

Football had the long tables near the middle.

Cheer had the window side.

Kendall had the best cheer table.

She had inherited it from last year’s captain, Madison Anderson, who graduated in May and left behind a boyfriend in college, two shelves of trophies, and a seating arrangement powerful enough to survive her absence.

The table sat beside the football section, angled perfectly so anyone entering the cafeteria saw it first. Kendall sat there now with Marissa and Tori, laughing at something on Marissa’s phone like the entire room existed for her reaction.

Roxie hated that table.

She hated it more because everyone knew it was the best one.

But Roxie had her own table.

Second from the window. One table away from Kendall. Close enough to matter, far enough to make the split obvious.

It was not officially reserved because Briarwick did not put nameplates on cafeteria furniture, but everyone knew better than to sit there. The younger cheerleaders waited for Roxie before taking seats. The juniors asked with their eyes. Random students walked past it like there was a rope around the chairs.

Roxie had never announced that it was hers.

She had sat there one morning.

Karen and Angela had followed.

Then the squad had followed.

That was how things worked at Briarwick. Power was not always about who had the best table. Sometimes it was about which empty chairs stayed empty until you arrived.

The other cheerleaders had not arrived yet, so the empty chairs around them looked empty. At Briarwick, an empty chair was basically a social dare.

The cafeteria doors opened again, and the room shifted.

Roxie kept her eyes on the table because she had some dignity left, but Angela’s eyes widened, and Karen’s mouth curved around the rim of her flask.

The football boys had entered.

Zac came in with Dylan and Mason, their jerseys over hoodies, backpacks slung over one shoulder like rules were suggestions made for other people. Mason was laughing before he even reached the middle of the cafeteria. Dylan had a tray in one hand and the kind of grin that meant he had already decided today needed entertainment.

Zac saw Roxie immediately.

Roxie looked away.

That did nothing.

”Do not start,” she said before Karen opened her mouth.

Karen swallowed her drink. ”I’m just saying. This whole fucking with your eyes is disgusting.”

”We never did that.” Roxie whispered embarrassed.

Angela pressed her lips together, amused.

Zac’s group did not go to the football table.

Roxie realized it a breath late.

They came straight toward her table.

Her stomach dropped.

”No, absolutely not,” she said.

Angela blinked. ”What?”

Karen looked over her shoulder and started laughing.

Zac reached the table first and set his tray down across from Roxie.

Dylan slid into the chair beside him as if this is normal.

Mason sat at the end and stretched his legs out with a sigh. ”Finally. A table with the sun.”

Roxie stared at them.

Her brain refused to accept what had happened.

They were sitting at her table, the one even underclassmen knew better than to touch.