The Captain's Dirty Little Secret

Chapter 236: Chapter 236 - The Psycho’s Coming

Thursday’s practice began better than Roxie expected.

She called the opening count, stepped into position, and kept her attention on the routine. State was two days away. There was no time left to argue over missed transitions or repeat the same section because someone entered late.

Karen went up cleanly during the first stunt. Angela caught her foot without shifting her grip, and Fiona moved into the next formation before Roxie had to call her name.

Coach Miller stood near the speakers with his arms folded.

He stopped the music once when Lily moved early, then restarted from the previous count. Roxie corrected the spacing before the second attempt and kept the team moving.

By the time Coach Miller called for water, Roxie’s shirt clung to her back and the muscles in her legs had begun to ache. She walked toward the bench and reached for her bottle.

Several girls gathered near the wall behind her.

”Are you going tonight?” Lily asked.

”Maybe,” Ava answered. ”Who’s going to be there?”

”Everyone.”

”That means nothing.”

”Football players. Some basketball guys. I think Dylan invited people from Briarwick too.”

Roxie’s hand stopped around the bottle cap.

”Dylan’s having it?” another girl asked.

”Apparently. His parents are gone again.”

”Thursday is a weird night for a party.”

”It’s supposed to be a sendoff before State.”

Roxie turned the cap slowly.

Zac had left the bungalow early the night before.

He said he needed to handle something with his family. He took the Tesla, sent two short messages, and never told her good night.

Roxie had believed he went home.

Kendall walked past the group without joining the conversation. Roxie could not tell whether she was listening.

”What time?” Ava asked.

”After eight.”

”We have school tomorrow.”

”That has never stopped anyone.”

Someone laughed.

Roxie took a drink and faced them.

”Nobody should be partying two nights before State.”

The girls looked toward her.

Lily lifted both eyebrows. ”I didn’t say I was going.”

”You’re asking what time it starts.”

”I can ask.”

”You can also stay home.”

Angela came over with a towel around her neck. ”She’s right. We can celebrate after State.”

Karen sat on the bench and stretched one leg in front of her. ”Coach will kill us if anyone comes in tired tomorrow.”

”I’m not getting drunk,” Ava said.

”That isn’t the only way to show up useless,” Roxie answered. ”If you stay out until two, you’ll feel it during the first stunt.”

Ava raised both hands. ”Fine. I’ll skip it.”

”I might go for an hour,” Lily said.

Roxie looked at her.

Lily sighed. ”Or I won’t.”

”Good.”

The answer came out stricter than Roxie intended.

She took another drink and returned the bottle to the bench. Dylan’s party had nothing to do with the cheer team as long as none of them attended. She should have left it there.

Instead, she thought about the Tesla disappearing down the road Wednesday night.

Zac could have gone to Dylan’s before going home.

He might have stayed for a while because he needed to return the next morning anyway. That did not mean he had lied.

He had only said he was going home.

Kendall stopped beside Roxie while the others returned to the mat.

”Maybe you should worry about your boyfriend.”

Roxie looked at her. ”What’s that supposed to mean?”

Kendall adjusted her ponytail and glanced toward the girls moving into formation.

”You’re lecturing everybody about parties. Prescott has been at Dylan’s almost every night.”

Roxie’s fingers tightened around the towel in her hand.

”How would you know?”

”People talk.”

”Then they should find something interesting to talk about.”

Kendall looked amused.

Roxie wanted to ask if Zac had been there Wednesday. The question reached her mouth before she stopped it.

Kendall could not know Roxie had spent the night checking her phone and believing Zac was at the Prescott house. She could not know Zac kept leaving the bungalow and offering the same vague explanation.

”He can do whatever he wants,” Roxie said.

”Sure.”

Kendall walked toward her position.

Roxie remained beside the bench for another moment.

The small smile on Kendall’s face bothered her more than the comment. Kendall knew she had found something Roxie could not answer without showing it mattered.

Coach Miller lifted the whistle to his mouth.

”Jones.”

Roxie grabbed her towel and dropped it onto the bench.

”I’m coming.”

She returned to the mat and took her position beside Angela.

”What did Kendall say?” Angela asked quietly.

”Nothing.”

”You look pissed.”

”I’m fine.”

Coach Miller started the music before Angela could ask again.

Roxie called the first count and moved into the routine. She kept her voice steady through the opening formation, but her attention slipped when Fiona crossed in front of her.

Zac had been at Dylan’s almost every night.

Roxie entered half a beat late.

Angela’s hand caught her arm before she moved into the wrong place. Roxie corrected herself immediately and locked her position before Karen went up.

Nobody fell.

Coach Miller still saw it.

His eyes stayed on Roxie after the stunt came down.

She looked away and moved into the next count.

Zac could have stopped at Dylan’s to see his friends. He had always spent time with them. Dylan was helping him while Arthur kept his truck.

None of that explained why Zac said he was going home.

Maybe he went to Dylan’s first and returned to the Prescott house afterward.

Maybe Kendall heard about another night.

Maybe the girls from Dylan’s house were there again.

Roxie pushed the thought away and focused on Karen’s foot in her hands.

When the practice ended, Roxie changed quickly and ordered the ride before either of them could offer again. She did not message Zac. He had not contacted her, and she did not want to ask whether he was coming when Kendall’s words were still inside her head.

She also did not message Ethan.

If she told him she was coming, he might tell her to stay away.

Roxie watched Angela and Karen leave the parking lot before climbing into the Uber. She placed her practice bag across her knees and kept her phone face down for most of the drive.

She told herself she was going to apologize.

That was true.

Ethan had helped her when she called. He cleaned the bungalow, made soup, and stayed while she cried. When Zac arrived, Roxie defended him, pushed Ethan away, and acted like Ethan had created the problem by interfering.

She owed him an apology that did not come through a message.

The fact that Zac had been leaving early had nothing to do with it.

Roxie repeated that until the Uber stopped outside the Corner Grill.

The parking lot was busy with the dinner crowd. Through the front windows, Roxie could see customers at most of the tables and two families waiting near the entrance.

Ethan moved behind the counter with a tray in one hand.

He looked toward the window.

Their eyes met.

His steps slowed, but he continued toward the kitchen without reacting.

Roxie paid for the ride and walked around the side of the building. She waited near the employee entrance where the outdoor light reached the brick wall.

She could hear dishes inside and the kitchen door opening whenever someone carried trash toward the bins.

Ten minutes passed.

Roxie considered leaving before Ethan finally pushed through the side door.

He wore the black grill shirt with the sleeves pulled over his arms. His hair looked damp near his forehead, and there was a dark spot near the bottom of his apron.

He stopped when he saw that Roxie had stayed.

”Why are you here?”

”I wanted to talk.”

”I figured.”

Ethan leaned against the wall but kept several feet between them.

Roxie held the strap of her practice bag.

”I wanted to apologize.”

”Again?”

”I never apologized properly.”

”You said sorry.”

”I thanked you. Then Zac came, and I acted like you were the problem.”

Ethan looked toward the parking lot.

Roxie waited.

He rubbed one hand across his jaw.

”Are you here because you’re sorry, or because Zac isn’t giving you enough attention again?”

The question hit harder because Roxie had no immediate answer.

She looked toward the dumpsters.

Ethan’s face changed when she stayed silent. He pushed away from the wall and looked down.

”That came out worse than I meant.”

”No, it didn’t.”

”Roxie.”

”You wanted to say it.”

”I’m still pissed.”

”I know.”

She tightened her grip around the bag strap.

”I came because I treated you like shit after you helped me.”

Ethan looked at her again.

”You called me crying. I came over because I thought something happened to you. Then he showed up, attacked me, and you acted like I deserved it.”

”You hit him too.”

”After he shoved me.”

”You told him I was afraid of him.”

”You were.”

”I was upset.”

”You had bruises everywhere.”

Roxie’s shoulders tightened.

”I told you I fell.”

”And you were lying.”

The words stayed between them.

Ethan watched her face.

”You were sitting on the floor hitting yourself before I got there. Then I saw your wrists and the bruises on your legs. What was I supposed to think?”

”You could’ve asked before saying things to him.”

”I did ask.”

”No, you decided.”

”You kept defending him.”

”Because he didn’t do that to my legs.”

”He grabbed your wrists.”

”And I hit him in the face.”

Ethan looked away.

Roxie could feel the argument moving toward the same place as before. She breathed in and loosened her hand around the bag.

”I didn’t come here to argue about who hit who.”

”Then why did you come?”

”To say I’m sorry.”

Ethan remained quiet.

Roxie stepped closer, though she still left space between them.

”I called you because I needed someone. You came. You cleaned everything, made food, and stayed with me. Then Zac walked in, and I pushed you away because I didn’t want him to leave again.”

Ethan’s jaw tightened at Zac’s name.

”That wasn’t fair to you,” Roxie continued. ”You didn’t deserve it.”

He looked at the side door as someone moved behind it, but nobody came outside.

”You made me look like some guy waiting for a chance with you.”

”I know.”

”I’m not.”

”I know that too.”

”Does Zac?”

Roxie looked down.

Ethan gave a short laugh.

”Right.”

”I’ve told him.”

”He doesn’t believe you.”

”He doesn’t believe any guy who talks to me.”

”And that’s normal to you now?”

”I didn’t say it was normal.”

”You keep accepting it.”

Roxie felt herself becoming defensive again.

She closed her mouth before she ruined the apology.

Ethan watched her take a breath.

His shoulders lowered slightly.

”I’m still pissed,” he said.

”I know.”

”You don’t get to call me when you need help, then tell me to stay out of your life because he shows up.”

”I know.”

”And I’m not apologizing for thinking he hurt you.”

”I didn’t ask you to.”

”You were about to.”

Roxie almost smiled despite herself.

”I was going to say you still shouldn’t have called him abusive in my house.”

”If it keeps looking like abuse, I’m going to call it abuse.”

”And then we start arguing again.”

Ethan rubbed the back of his neck.

”Fine.”

Roxie waited.

He looked toward her practice bag, then back at her.

”If you need help, call me.”

Her throat tightened.

”Even after everything?”

”You’re still my friend.” Ethan’s mouth pulled slightly to one side. ”A terrible one sometimes, but still. Besides, you got none.”

Roxie laughed weakly and wiped beneath one eye before anything could fall.

”Thank you.”

”Stop crying. I have to go back inside, and I don’t need him showing up because you cried near me again.”

The sentence removed the small amount of relief she had felt.

Roxie lowered her hand.

Ethan studied her face.

”What happened now?”

”Nothing.”

”You took an Uber here after practice without warning me. Something happened.”

”I came to apologize.”

”You already did that.”

Roxie shifted the strap on her shoulder.

Ethan waited until she sighed.

”Zac has been leaving the bungalow early.”

”And?”

”He says he’s going home.”

”That sounds normal.”

”It isn’t for him.”

Ethan leaned against the wall again.

Roxie looked toward the cars moving through the lot.

”He used to stay until I was asleep. Sometimes he stayed all night. Now he leaves even when I ask him not to.”

”Maybe he wants to sleep at home.”

”Kendall said he’s been at Dylan’s almost every night.”

Ethan’s eyebrows lifted.

”How does Kendall know?”

”I don’t know. She said people talk.”

”People at your school talk when somebody changes shampoo.”

”I know.”

”Did she say she saw him?”

”No.”

”Did she say he was with anyone?”

”No.”

Roxie’s frustration rose.

”I didn’t come here so you could question Kendall’s sources.”

”Then what do you want me to say?”

”I want to know if I’m making something out of nothing.”

Ethan stared at her.

”Ask Zac.”

”He gives me part of an answer and waits until I fill in the rest.”

”Then stop filling it in.”

”That’s easy for you to say.”

”No, it’s obvious.” Ethan folded his arms. ”You’re asking Kendall. Now you’re asking me. Ask your boyfriend where he goes.”

”I did.”

”And?”

”He said home.”

”Then ask why people see him at Dylan’s.”

Roxie looked away.

Ethan shook his head.

”You came all the way here because you’re scared he’ll know you don’t trust him.”

”I came to apologize.”

”And this part?”

Roxie stayed quiet.

Ethan let out a breath.

”You are paranoid.”

Roxie glared at him.

”That doesn’t mean he isn’t lying.”

Her anger paused.

Ethan looked toward the parking lot again.

”Both can be true. You can make things worse inside your head, and he can still be hiding something.”

Roxie adjusted the bag on her shoulder.

”That wasn’t helpful.”

”It was honest.”

”I wanted to know if I was being stupid.”

”You’re asking the guy he punched.”

”You hit him too.”

”He shoved me first.”

”You said domestic shit to him before that.”

”After he walked in acting like he owned the house.”

”It’s my house.”

”Tell him that.”

Roxie gave him a flat look.

Ethan looked almost pleased with himself now that they had returned to arguing.

”You still hate him.”

”I hate what both of you become around each other.”

”That wasn’t the question.”

”I also hate his face.”

”Because he hit you?”

”Because he has this irritating face and yes because he is fucking crazy.”

Roxie’s jaw tightened.

Ethan stopped smiling.

”That’s what I mean,” he said. ”Every time something happens, both of you turn it into who chose who. You were hurt, but the second he came in, it became about whether you’d defend him.”

”You don’t know everything.”

”No. Neither do you, apparently.”

Roxie stared at him.

Ethan looked over her shoulder.

His expression changed.

The small amount of humor disappeared from his face, and he pushed away from the wall.

”The psycho’s coming.”

Roxie turned.

The Tesla was parked near the edge of the lot.

Zac had already crossed half the distance between the car and the side of the building. He still wore the clothes from school, and his face was tight as he looked between Roxie and Ethan.

Roxie’s stomach dropped.

She had taken an Uber without telling him. If he had gone to school to pick her up, Angela or Karen must have told him she left for the grill.

Zac’s eyes moved over her face.

Roxie realized too late that she had wiped beneath her eyes when Ethan forgave her. Zac would see the redness and assume she had been crying with Ethan again.

Ethan muttered beside her.

”Here we go.”

Zac stopped in front of them.

His attention stayed on Roxie.

”Why are you here with him?”