The Captain's Dirty Little Secret

Chapter 38: Chapter 38 - Carnival

Ravens were unbeatable.

She was tired of hearing that.

They had won again on Friday against a team nobody cared enough to hate properly, which somehow made everyone worse. The Eagles game had already turned them into town heroes, and the next win made people act like the season was blessed, the scoreboard was sacred, and Zac Prescott was one touchdown away from getting his own statue outside the gym.

Roxie heard at least three boys say dynasty in the hallway on Friday.

They were seventeen.

Embarrassing.

Now the whole town had spilled into the fall carnival with black and red face paint, varsity jackets, and Ravens hoodies everywhere. The carnival stretched across the fairgrounds near the park, all bright booths, food trucks, cheap games, and rides that looked safe only because everyone had agreed to ignore the rust.

Roxie walked between Karen and Angela with a paper tray of loaded fries in her hands.

Karen had a corn dog. Angela had a cup of lemonade and a bag of mini donuts she had already declared too hot, then kept eating anyway.

”This tastes like shit,” Karen said, looking at her corn dog.

Angela reached for one of Roxie’s fries. ”Then why are you still eating it?”

”Because I bought it.”

Roxie moved the tray away from Angela. ”Buy your own fries.”

”I bought donuts. Let’s trade.”

”Uh-huh.” She moved the tray closer to her. ”Mine.”

Angela stole one anyway and smiled sweetly.

Roxie let it happen because Angela had dimples and used them like a weapon.

The carnival was packed. Little kids ran between parents, shrieking over glow sticks and prizes bigger than their bodies. Briarwick students crowded every food booth, pretending they came for the rides and not to see who showed up with whom. A group of cheer girls from another school walked past in matching jackets, and Karen made a small hmp sound under her breath.

Roxie kept looking around.

She told herself she was checking the crowd because carnivals were messy. People bumped into you. Phones came out. Rumors happened near cotton candy machines like nowhere else.

That was all.

Angela noticed anyway.

”Are you waiting for someone?” she asked.

Roxie stabbed a fry with her fork. ”No.”

Karen looked over Roxie’s shoulder and smiled too slowly. ”I think I know who.”

Roxie did not turn around.

She refused.

Then the crowd near the ring toss shifted, and the football players walked in like they had been announced by invisible speakers.

Mason came first, loud in a Ravens hoodie, already arguing with Kyle about which game was rigged. Dylan limped beside them with a brace under his jeans and the kind of grin that said he was very aware people were looking. A few other players followed, laughing, shoving each other, owning space the way football boys did after two wins and too much school attention.

Zac walked near the middle.

Roxie’s hand tightened around the fork before she could stop it.

He saw her almost immediately. He gave her a small smile, careful enough that Roxie hated it more than the cocky one.

Karen leaned closer. ”Look at that. Our quarterback has facial control now.”

”He is not our quarterback,” Roxie said.

”He is literally Briarwick’s quarterback.”

”You know what I meant.”

Angela pressed her lips together, trying not to laugh.

The boys reached them near the fried dough stand.

Mason lifted a hand. ”Cheer royalty.”

Karen looked him over. ”Football peasants.”

Dylan held a hand to his chest. ”That hurt, Karen. I’m injured.”

”You’re milking it.”

”I almost died for this school.”

”You hurt your ankle.”

”And spiritually, I suffered.”

Angela smiled. ”How is it?”

Dylan immediately straightened like her concern had healed him. ”Better now.”

Mason groaned. ”That was disgusting.”

Kyle pointed at the game booths. ”We’re doing basketball toss. Come watch me destroy everybody.”

Karen snorted. ”At a carnival game? Dream bigger.”

One of the other players leaned toward Angela. ”You girls should come with us.”

Angela glanced at Roxie.

Roxie shook her head. ”No.”

Karen looked disappointed and amused at the same time. ”Wow. Immediate.”

Mason looked at Zac. ”See? This is why nobody invites cheer captains to fun things.”

Roxie lifted her tray. ”And yet you keep standing here.”

Dylan laughed. ”She has a point.”

Zac had not said anything yet.

He stood close enough that Roxie could smell his cologne mixed with the fried food and cold night air. He looked at the fries, then at her face, like he wanted to say something and was checking every word before it left his mouth.

That was also annoying.

He was respecting the space.

She should have been pleased.

Instead, she felt tense and stupid.

Mason clapped his hands once. ”Fine. See you around.”

The boys started moving past.

Zac passed last.

His hand brushed hers.

Barely.

Just his fingers grazing her knuckles near the tray.

Roxie’s grip almost slipped.

He did not stop. He did not look back right away. He kept walking with the team like nothing had happened.

Karen’s head turned so fast Roxie was surprised she did not injure herself.

Roxie started walking toward the next food booth. ”I want something sweet.”

Angela followed, eyes bright. ”That was his version of giving space?”

”It was an accident.”

Karen laughed. ”With his hand? That boy aimed.”

”He walked past me.”

”He grazed your hand like he was in a music video. He’s literally panting over you.”

”Karen.”

”What? I’m describing accurately.”

Angela tucked her lemonade against her chest and smiled. ”So that’s why you wanted to come.”

”I came because you two dragged me.”

Karen pointed her corn dog at Roxie. ”False. You agreed too fast.”

”I wanted fries.”

”You have been looking around for twenty minutes.”

”I was looking for better fries.”

Angela lifted the mini donuts. ”You’re bad at lying tonight.”

Roxie opened her mouth to argue.

Then someone called her name.

The wrong name.

”Roxxane!”

Her whole body went tight.

Karen and Angela turned.

Ethan came through the crowd in a dark hoodie, his Fairmont jacket tied around his waist, blond hair pushed back. He smiled when he reached her, casual, bright, like he had not just said the one name she did not want shouted across a carnival full of Briarwick students.

Karen’s eyebrows lifted. ”Roxxane? Who calls you Roxxane?”

Angela looked between them. ”Again?”

Roxie forced a smile so hard her cheeks hurt. ”I’ll be right back.”

Karen’s eyes narrowed. ”With him?”

”Two minutes.”

”Roxie.”

She did not answer.

She grabbed Ethan’s sleeve and pulled him toward the side of the cotton candy booth, away from the main path and away from Karen’s face, which was starting to ask way too many questions.

Ethan let her drag him, still smiling. ”Nice to see you too.”

”What is wrong with you?” Roxie snapped under her breath.

His smile faded. ”What?”

”You can’t just come here and talk to me.”

Ethan leaned back against the side of the booth, studying her. ”You really want to pretend we’re strangers here.”

”We are strangers.”

”That’s kind of messed up.” His face changed a little. ”We were friends.”

Roxie almost laughed.

Friends.

That was one way to say it.

In middle school, Ethan had talked to her because nobody else wanted to sit near her unless they needed homework answers or someone to mock quietly. She had been the weird girl with cheap shoes, bad lunches, and a mother everyone knew too much about.

Ethan had been nice sometimes. He had shared chips. He had walked with her after school once when boys from the other class threw bottle caps at her backpack.

That did not mean she wanted him dragging that version of her into Briarwick.

”You knew me a long time ago,” she said.

”That still counts.”

”Not here.”

Ethan’s mouth tightened. ”Wow.”

”What?”

”You really erased everything. I get it. You’re the hot and famous captain.”

Roxie stepped closer. ”No. I became the hot and famous captain. I did it.”

That shut him up.

For a moment, he looked like he understood.

Then he looked toward Karen and Angela, who were definitely pretending not to watch from near the lemonade stand.

Ethan’s expression shifted.

”Fine,” he said. ”I’ll treat you like a stranger.”

Roxie looked at him carefully. ”Good.”

”If you hang out with me today.”

She stared. ”Excuse me?”

”You heard me.”

Roxie laughed once. ”You’re unbelievable.”

”I’m bored. Fairmont people are annoying, Briarwick people hate me, and you’re the only familiar face here.”

”That sounds like a personal problem I don’t give a fuck.”

Ethan tilted his head. ”One hour.”

”No.”

”Thirty minutes.”

”No.”

”I’ll stop talking to you after this.”

If she just spent some time with him, maybe she could pretend after this that they barely knew each other. She looked around. The carnival was filled with people their age.

”I can’t walk around with you,” she said. ”People will talk.”

”Then don’t look like you.”

Roxie blinked. ”What?”

Ethan pulled off his hoodie and held it out. ”Wear this.”

She looked at it like he had offered her a snake. ”Absolutely not.”

”It’s just a hoodie.”

”It says Fairmont.”

”Inside out.”

”No.”

”Then keep the hood up.”

”No.”

Ethan looked around, then pointed toward a booth selling cheap carnival masks, light-up headbands, and ridiculous hats. ”I’ll buy you a mask.”

”This is insane.”

”This is a carnival. Half the people here already look insane.”

Roxie glanced toward the main path.

The football players had stopped near the basketball toss. Zac stood with Mason and Kyle, but his eyes had found her again.

And Ethan.

Oh God. Don’t make a scene Zac.

Roxie turned back to Ethan. ”I have friends waiting.”

”Tell them you’re going home.”

”I’m not leaving my friends to sneak around with you.”

”You’re not sneaking around. You’re walking around a carnival.”

”In your hoodie and a mask.”

He smiled a little. ”So maybe a little sneaking.”

Roxie hated him.

She hated that he had leverage.

The worst part was that she wanted to know what he remembered. That was stupid, because Ethan remembered a version of her she had worked very hard to bury.

That was dangerous.

”I have thirty minutes,” she said.

His smile widened.

”Do not look happy,” she added.

He looked happy anyway. ”I’ll get the mask.”

He walked toward the booth before she could change her mind.

Roxie turned back toward Karen and Angela.

Karen was already waiting with her arms crossed. ”What was that?”

”Nothing.”

Angela looked worried. ”He’s that new quarterback, right?”

”Yeah. I helped him find his way last time and now he thinks we’re best friends.”

”Ugh.” Angela made a face. ”He’s full of himself. Fairmont behavior.”

Roxie looked away first. ”Listen, I need to go home.”

Karen’s eyes narrowed. ”Now?”

”Yeah. My mom needs me to go get something.”

They both looked suspicious. ”Fine. We need to come back after this.”

”Thanks. I’ll text you later.”

Then she walked toward the bathrooms near the edge of the carnival, hoodie tucked under her arm.

She changed fast.

Fairmont hoodie inside out. Hood up. A plain black cap Ethan had also bought from the booth shoved low over her hair. A cheap silver half-mask covered enough of her face to make her feel stupid and hidden at the same time.

When she stepped out, Ethan was waiting near the fence with his hands in his pockets.

He looked her over and smiled. ”My jacket looks good on you.”

Roxie pointed at him. ”Say one more thing and I’m leaving.”

He chuckled.

She looked back toward the carnival.

Karen and Angela were still by the food stalls, searching the crowd. Zac stood near the basketball toss, looking in the wrong direction.

Roxie pulled the hood lower.

This was stupid.

This was exactly the kind of decision that turned into a problem.

Ethan offered her a bag of fresh mini donuts like this was normal. ”Ready?”

Roxie stared at the donuts.

Then at him.

Then at the carnival she had just lied her way through.

”Thirty minutes,” she said.

Ethan smiled. ”Sure.”

If she gave him thirty minutes now, maybe she could keep him from saying something worse later.

Roxie walked beside him into the crowd, wearing a Fairmont hoodie inside out, a cheap mask, and the full knowledge that this was a terrible idea.