The Captain's Dirty Little Secret

Chapter 171: Chapter 171 - Who’s Taking You

By Wednesday morning, Roxie’s body had started moving ahead of her brain.

Alarm.

Shower.

Concealer under the eye.

Hair up.

Uniform.

Binder.

Coffee she had no business drinking on an empty stomach.

She had slept maybe four hours again, which was starting to feel generous. Every night, she told herself she would sleep early. Every night, something got in the way. Review packets. Work. Cheer follow up forms. A house that made too many sounds when she was alone.

And Zac.

Sometimes only his texts.

Sometimes the memory of his voice in the hotel room.

I love you too.

That should have made everything easier.

It didn’t.

It made everything sharper because now she knew exactly what she wanted, and she still had no time to stand beside him where people could see.

Finals started, and Briarwick turned mean in a different way.

The hallway gossip lowered, mostly because everyone had started panicking about grades. Students who had spent last week whispering about Roxie’s imaginary pregnancy were now begging teachers for extra credit and arguing over study guides.

Pregnant was old news.

Stoichiometry was the new public enemy.

Roxie should have felt relieved.

Mostly, she was tired.

She sat in AP Chemistry with her pencil in hand and her review sheet covered in notes she only half remembered writing. Mr. Callahan walked between the rows like a man enjoying everyone’s misery.

”Finals are a beautiful opportunity,” he said.

Karen, two rows over, muttered, ”To suffer?”

Mr. Callahan pointed at her without looking. ”Exactly. Thank you for participating.”

A few students laughed weakly.

Roxie looked across the room.

Zac sat with his head bent over his packet, hoodie sleeves pulled over his wrists. His eyes were still tired. He had shaved, but he still looked like he had left part of himself on the field. People had finally stopped crowding him every five minutes about the record, but they still looked at him like he had become something after losing.

A legend.

A tragedy.

A story.

Roxie knew he hated it.

Their eyes met for half a second.

He lifted his pencil slightly.

She lifted hers back.

That was all they had.

Apparently, love meant silent pencil greetings across Chemistry because Mr. Callahan would absolutely enjoy catching them.

The final was ugly.

Roxie knew enough to survive it, but every page felt longer than the last. She checked every calculation twice because her scholarship had never cared how tired she was. She had never failed to pass all her subjects. She had never let herself get lazy at the wrong time.

She was not starting now.

When Mr. Callahan called time, half the class groaned like he had personally injured them.

Roxie set her pencil down and flexed her hand.

Angela leaned over from the next table, face pale. ”I think Chemistry and I broke up.”

Roxie rubbed her eyes. ”Chemistry was never loyal.”

Karen gathered her things. ”I guessed on three questions with confidence. That has to count.”

Zac passed Roxie’s desk on the way out. Their hands brushed near the edge of the table, hidden by the rush of students.

Barely a touch.

Her skin still noticed.

His thumb pressed once against her finger before he walked away.

Roxie hated that such a small thing could hold her together.

The rest of Wednesday became a blur of finals, review periods, teachers handing out last warnings, and people comparing answers in the hallway like they could still change them by suffering together.

By Thursday afternoon, Roxie had finished her last final and felt less like a person than a folder someone had overstuffed and dropped.

She walked out of class with her shoulders tight and her eyes burning from reading too many essay prompts.

The second finals ended, Briarwick changed costumes.

The same hallway that had smelled like stress and printer paper at noon smelled like peppermint by last period. Student Council had covered the bulletin boards with snowflake cutouts, silver ribbon, and posters for Winter Formal.

Someone had wrapped garland around the stair railing. The office had a tiny tree with uneven ornaments. The cafeteria had started playing Christmas music low enough to annoy everyone without giving them enough volume to sing along.

Everyone became excited too fast.

That was another cruel thing.

God, people had too much energy.

Roxie still felt like she had not slept since Sunday, but the school had moved on to dresses, dates, group photos, and whether the gym lights would make everyone look green.

Angela was glowing.

There was no other word for it.

She stood by Roxie’s locker with her phone in both hands, smiling down at the screen like Caleb had personally invented happiness.

Karen watched her with open disgust.

”I miss when you were normal,” Karen said.

Angela looked up. ”I am normal.”

”You are smiling at a phone.”

”Caleb sent me his tie options.”

Karen leaned closer. ”He sent you fabric and you’re blushing?”

Angela turned the phone toward Roxie. ”Which one?”

Roxie looked at the screen.

Three ties.

All dark.

All basically the same.

”This one,” Roxie said, pointing at the middle.

Karen pointed at the left. ”That one says he owns a boat.”

Angela smiled. ”He doesn’t own a boat. He owns my heart.”

Karen faked gagging. ”I definitely miss the real you.”

Roxie chuckled, then closed her locker and leaned against it. ”You’re going with him officially?”

Angela’s cheeks turned pink. ”Yes.”

Karen groaned. ”Officially. I hate that word now.”

Angela hugged her books to her chest. ”He asked after finals. It was sweet.”

”Of course it was sweet,” Karen said. ”He probably looked respectful while doing it. Terrible behavior.”

Roxie looked at Karen. ”You could go too.”

Karen scoffed. ”I am going.”

Angela blinked. ”You are?”

Karen rolled her eyes. ”I never said I wasn’t. I said it was stupid.”

”That means you care,” Roxie said.

”That means I like music and judging outfits.”

Angela smiled. ”Do you have a dress?”

Karen looked away too fast.

Roxie’s eyes narrowed. ”You do.”

Karen pointed at her. ”Drop it.”

”You have a dress.”

”I said drop it.”

Angela gasped softly. ”Karen.”

Karen looked trapped. ”It’s black. It was on sale. Nobody make this emotional.”

Roxie grinned. ”You secretly want to go.”

”I want to supervise disasters and you.”

”Me?” Roxie pointed at herself, smiling now. ”You want to dance.”

”I want to make sure both of you return with your dignity.”

Roxie laughed, and for a second, it actually felt easy.

She had a dress too.

A simple one she had ordered online after staring at the price for ten full minutes. It had cost more than two nights of shifts at the Grill, so she had swallowed that pain and told herself Winter Formal came once.

Then a girl from Student Council walked by with a clipboard.

”Roxie, who’s your date for the photo list?”

Roxie’s smile froze.

Angela stopped glowing.

Karen’s face sharpened.

Roxie lifted one shoulder. ”I don’t know yet.”

The girl looked surprised. ”Really? I thought maybe that Fairmont boy.”

Karen made a strangled sound.

Angela’s eyes widened.

Roxie kept her face smooth. ”Why would you think Ethan?”

The girl shrugged. ”You came to the party with him.”

”People walk through doors together sometimes.”

”Okay.” The girl wrote something down anyway. ”Single for now?”

Roxie’s stomach tightened.

Single.

Again.

”Sure,” she said.

The girl moved on.

Karen waited until she was gone before turning slowly toward Roxie.

”No,” Roxie said.

Karen raised both hands. ”I did not speak.”

Angela lowered her voice. ”Roxie.”

”I know.”

Karen leaned against the locker beside her. ”Go alone.”

Roxie looked at her.

Karen held her gaze. ”I mean it. Go alone. Wear something dangerous. Look expensive. Make everyone uncomfortable. That works. Besides, I need someone beside me because Angela will be too lovestruck to even look at me.”

Angela bit her lip.

Roxie looked down at her shoes.

”Plus if you go with Zac,” Karen continued, ”you bring that pregnancy rumor back to life.”

Roxie swallowed.

She knew that.

She knew exactly what would happen if Zac Prescott walked into Winter Formal with her.

Every rumor would explode again.

Miranda would know.

The school would stare.

And some part of Roxie, the stupid part that kept getting stronger no matter how tired she was, wanted it anyway.

She wanted one night where he could take her hand without checking who was watching.

She wanted one picture where she was not cropped out of his life.

She wanted to stand beside him and be real.

Angela touched her arm. ”You’re hoping.”

Roxie looked at her.

Angela’s face was gentle.

Roxie hated gentle today.

”I’m realistic,” Roxie said.

Karen snorted. ”You are many things. Realistic while in love is not one of them.”

Roxie’s face heated. ”Lower your voice.”

Angela smiled. ”You said it?”

Roxie went still.

Karen’s mouth opened. ”Wait.”

Roxie shut her locker hard. ”No.”

Angela stepped closer. ”You said it?”

”We have to go to practice.”

Karen grabbed her sleeve. ”Roxie.”

Roxie looked at her.

Karen stared at her face, then groaned. ”Oh my God, you did.”

Angela’s eyes went soft. ”Did he say it back?”

Roxie looked away.

That was enough.

Angela made a tiny sound and covered her mouth.

Karen pointed at the ceiling. ”I hate this. I’m happy, but I hate it.”

Roxie pulled her sleeve free. ”I’m leaving.”

”Leaving so soon?”

Roxie almost groaned at the performative sweetness behind her.

Bianca.

Of course.

Roxie turned and saw Bianca walking toward them with Lily beside her. Bianca looked too pleased with herself. Lily looked eager, which somehow made her worse.

”You need a hobby,” Roxie said. ”Or is being my stalker the only thing you have going for your life?”

Lily smiled sharply. ”You’re going alone again? No boy you bewitched this time?”

Karen stepped forward.

Roxie grabbed the back of Karen’s sleeve and held her in place.

Angela went stiff beside them, fingers gripping her books so hard the corners bent.

Roxie looked at Lily. ”No one needs to hear your squeaky voice. Shut up.”

Lily’s smile dropped.

Bianca stepped in before Lily could answer. ”Zac is going single too.” Her gaze dragged over Roxie’s face. ”But I bet with his new title, he’ll get someone soon enough.”

Roxie’s jaw tightened.

Zac’s name still hit too fast.

Karen put her tongue against her cheek and smiled at Bianca. ”If you plan on being that girl, dream lower.”

Bianca’s eyes sharpened. ”Talk all you want, Karen. You only yap anyway.”

Karen took one step forward.

Roxie caught her wrist this time.

”Walk away,” Roxie said quietly.

Karen looked at her like Roxie had personally insulted her family.

Roxie held on.

Bianca smiled, satisfied, then turned with Lily and walked away.

Angela let out a breath. ”I hate them.”

Karen watched Bianca’s back. ”I could have handled that.”

”You would have created paperwork,” Roxie said.

”She called me yappy.”

”You are yappy.”

Karen turned to her. ”Excuse me?”

Roxie looked back at the Winter Formal poster.

Friday.

Everyone had dates.

Everyone had questions.

Everyone had an opinion about who she should stand beside.

Roxie was so tired her bones felt borrowed.

Still, her chest hurt with the same stupid hope.

For one night, she wanted the honest answer.

Zac.

She wanted to say Zac.