The Captain's Dirty Little Secret

Chapter 249: Chapter 249 - Too Perfect

The entire school was already gathered inside the gym when the Briarwick cheer team entered through the side doors.

Noise rose from the bleachers as soon as students noticed them.

Roxie walked beside Kendall at the front of the team, both of them wearing their uniforms beneath the new championship jackets the school had ordered overnight. The jackets were black with red sleeves, and STATE CHAMPIONS stretched across the back in white letters.

Angela bumped Roxie’s shoulder from behind.

”They’re louder than yesterday.”

”They’re trapped in a gym,” Kendall said. ”They have nothing else to do. Bet not even half of the students are here.”

”You can pretend they love us.”

”They love missing first period. Half here doesn’t even care.”

Roxie smiled as they crossed the floor.

Coach Miller stood near the stage with the trophy in both hands. The principal waited beside him while teachers directed the cheerleaders into a line at the front.

Phones appeared throughout the bleachers.

Roxie had spent years hating the feeling of people looking at her. Attention usually meant somebody had noticed her old shoes, repeated clothes, or the way she avoided anything that cost money. After her relationship with Zac became public, attention meant whispers, staring, and people waiting for another fight.

This felt different.

They were looking because Briarwick had won State.

Because Roxie had earned her place at the front.

Coach Miller stepped toward the microphone.

The gym quieted slowly.

”Most of you already know why we’re here.”

Someone near the football team shouted, ”State Champions!”

The bleachers erupted again.

Coach Miller waited for the noise to settle, though the corner of his mouth lifted.

”Last Friday, Briarwick Academy competed against some of the strongest cheer programs in Virginia. Our team entered that floor after months of injuries, extra practices, and corrections none of them enjoyed hearing.”

Kendall looked straight ahead.

Angela whispered behind Roxie, ”He means you.”

”They delivered the best routine they have performed all season, and they brought home Briarwick’s first State cheerleading championship.”

The principal lifted the trophy.

The gym exploded.

Roxie heard Angela scream beside her. Karen grabbed Fiona’s arm while Ava covered her mouth, smiling so hard her eyes narrowed.

Roxie looked into the bleachers.

Zac stood with Dylan, Mason, and Kyle near the center. He had both hands raised above his head, clapping while the football team shouted her name.

”Roxie! Roxie! Roxie!”

Her face heated.

Kendall leaned closer. ”Your boyfriend is embarrassing.”

”You are embarrassing.” Roxie muttered looking at Zac. He looked so proud of her.

The principal began calling the team members one by one. Each girl stepped forward to receive a certificate and pose beside Coach Miller and the trophy.

When the principal called Roxie’s name, the gym became louder.

She stepped forward.

Coach Miller handed her the certificate before placing one hand against her shoulder for the photograph.

”Smile,” he said quietly.

”I am smiling.”

”You did good.”

”A compliment? Is this the end of the world?”

Coach Miller gave a small laugh as the camera flashed.

Roxie moved beside the trophy and looked toward the bleachers again.

Zac was still watching her.

She lifted the certificate slightly.

He smiled and pressed one hand against his chest before pointing at her.

Roxie understood.

Proud of you.

The warmth that moved through her had nothing to do with the crowd.

She returned to her place beside Kendall as the principal called the next name.

After the final certificate, Coach Miller asked Roxie and Kendall to step forward as co captains.

Kendall took one side of the trophy. Roxie took the other.

The gym filled with applause as they raised it between them.

For once, Roxie allowed herself to enjoy every person looking at her.

She had worked for this.

She had earned it with bruised shoulders, exhausted arms, and practices that ended long after dark. She had held Karen in the air when her body wanted to give out. She had stayed through every fight with Kendall and every correction from Coach Miller.

State Champion belonged to her. To everyone of them.

The ceremony ended before second period, but the attention followed them through the hallways.

Students Roxie barely knew congratulated her. Teachers stopped the cheerleaders before class and asked questions about the competition. Mr. Callahan allowed them five minutes to talk about VCU before threatening to assign extra work if anyone mentioned pyramids again.

Roxie was opening her chemistry notebook when her phone vibrated inside her bag.

A message from Cynthia appeared.

Jason wanted to know when you’re meeting him again.

Another message followed with a photograph of Jason sitting at the kitchen table in his uniform, holding Cynthia’s phone close to his face.

She smiled.

She had started typing a response when Zac hooked one foot around the leg of her chair and dragged it toward him.

The chair scraped across the floor.

Roxie caught the edge of the desk before her notebook slid off.

”What are you doing?” she whispered.

Zac looked down at his chemistry book as though nothing had happened.

Their knees touched beneath the desk.

”You’re annoying.”

His hand settled against the back of her neck.

Roxie went still as his thumb moved beneath her curls.

They sat near the middle of the classroom. Everyone already knew about them, but being touched openly still made heat spread across her face.

Zac looked at her.

His mouth formed two silent words.

Love you.

Roxie glanced toward Mr. Callahan, who was writing an equation on the board.

She mouthed it back.

Mr. Callahan turned around.

”Prescott. Jones.”

Roxie faced the front immediately.

Zac kept his hand against her neck.

Mr. Callahan stared at them.

”You’re both becoming increasingly difficult to tolerate.”

Several students laughed.

Roxie covered part of her face while Zac leaned back in his chair, completely unbothered.

Mr. Callahan pointed toward the equation.

”Since your relationship has survived another weekend, perhaps it can survive twenty minutes without physical contact.”

”We can try,” Zac said.

She bit the inside of her cheek to stop herself from smiling.

The rest of the day passed without anything going wrong.

Her life was beginning to settle into something she could understand.

She had Cynthia.

She had Jason.

Mr. Robinson remained outside the part of their lives Roxie was ready to touch, and Cynthia had never pushed her toward him.

She had the championship.

She had Tennessee waiting after graduation.

She had Zac.

The thought made Roxie suspicious for a moment.

Everything felt too good.

She had learned that happiness usually came with something waiting behind it. Claire could turn one calm evening into shouting. A bill could arrive after Roxie finally saved enough money to breathe. Zac could kiss her softly one day and refuse to answer questions the next.

Roxie pushed the fear away.

Something bad did not have to happen simply because she was happy.

After the final class, the cheerleaders started walking toward the locker room before remembering Coach Miller had canceled practice.

Angela stopped in the middle of the hallway.

”What are we supposed to do now?”

”Go home,” Kendall said.

”This early?”

”It’s three thirty.”

”That’s early for us.”

Karen stretched both arms above her head. ”I’m sleeping until tomorrow.”

Zac waited near the trophy case with his backpack over one shoulder.

Roxie walked toward him while Angela and Karen continued arguing about whether sleeping at four in the afternoon counted as a nap.

”No practice,” Zac said.

”I know.”

”What are you doing?”

”Sleeping.”

”What about dinner?”

Roxie looked at him.

”A real date?”

Zac’s face changed as though she had insulted him.

”We’ve gone on dates.”

”Raven’s Point was sandwiches on a blanket.”

”You liked the sandwiches.”

”I want a restaurant.”

”That was a restaurant.”

”You cooked the food at home.”

”It was better than a restaurant.”

”I want somebody to bring the food to the table.”

Zac watched her for a moment, then nodded.

”Fine.”

Roxie narrowed her eyes. ”That easy?”

”You asked for dinner.”

”I expected more resistance.”

”I’m growing.”

”You’re suspicious.”

Zac pulled her closer by the front of her championship jacket.

”Seven?”

Roxie smiled.

”Okay.”

He kissed her before letting her go.

Roxie spent longer choosing what to wear than she wanted to admit.

Angela and Karen had convinced her to buy several outfits during their last shopping trip. Most still hung inside the closet with their tags removed but barely touched.

The money made her uncomfortable.

Every blouse, pair of jeans, and dress came from an account created by the father who watched her struggle while sending money to Claire. Wearing the clothes sometimes felt like accepting his apology before she had decided whether she wanted it.

Roxie chose a dark red dress that stopped several inches above her knees. It was simple enough for dinner, though the fabric fit more closely than anything she usually wore to school.

She changed twice before putting it back on.

The money had paid for the dress.

It could not decide whether she enjoyed wearing it.

Roxie fixed her curls and added light makeup. She had just finished putting on her shoes when headlights moved across the front window.

Zac knocked instead of walking inside.

Roxie opened the door.

He stood on the porch wearing dark jeans and a black button down shirt with the sleeves pushed to his forearms. The fading bruises along his face remained visible, though most of the swelling had disappeared.

Zac looked at Roxie and said nothing.

She waited.

His eyes moved down the dress and returned to her face.

”What?”

”You look beautiful.”

Roxie leaned against the doorway. ”So I looked ugly before?”

Zac stepped inside.

”That’s what you heard?”

”You seemed surprised.”

”I’ve seen you wearing my shirts for three days.”

”And?”

”And I like those too.”

Zac caught her waist and pulled her against him.

Roxie smiled before his mouth reached hers.

The kiss started soft, but Zac kept her against him when she tried pulling away to tell him they would be late. His hand moved across her back while Roxie gripped the front of his shirt.

When he finally released her, she had forgotten what she planned to say.

Zac looked down at her.

”You still offended?”

”A little.”

He kissed her again.

Roxie laughed against his mouth and pushed him toward the door.

”Take me to dinner.”

The restaurant was fifteen minutes from the bungalow, near the center of Briarwick. It had cloth napkins and low lighting but lacked the prices that made Roxie nervous before opening a menu.

Zac smiled as the hostess led them toward a table near the windows.

He pulled Roxie’s chair out before sitting across from her.

For the first few minutes, they talked about the assembly. Zac claimed the football team had started chanting Roxie’s name because Mason became bored. Roxie told him Kendall nearly dropped the trophy when Mason climbed onto the bench.

Their food arrived before the conversation became serious.

Roxie told him about Jason asking to meet up again.

”Go after class tomorrow. It’s good to spend time with him.”

”I know.” Roxie smiled, touching her phone. She bit her lip remembering his relationship with his brother. ”How is Mia? I still haven’t met her.”

Zac leaned back in his chair with a deep breath. ”She’s good. Last night we watched Huntrix for the 100th time. As for meeting her, do you think it’s too early to meet my family member?”

Roxie grinned punching his arm. ”Shut up. I want to meet her soon.”

”Yeah.” He smiled back. ”She wants to meet you too. Can I sleep with you tonight?”

Roxie nodded eagerly. ”Yeah.” He had gone home last night at midnight.

”Maybe I’d get lucky tonight.” He winked at her.

Roxie kicked him lightly beneath the table.

”Everything feels too perfect.”

Zac’s thumb moved over her knuckles.

”You won State. You’re allowed to have a good day.”

”I know.”

”Then stop waiting for someone to ruin it.”

Roxie smiled.

Zac lifted her hand and kissed her fingers.

The nervous feeling eased.

Nothing had to go wrong.

The server returned to clear their plates.

Roxie watched him place cash inside the folder.

”You still train others after class?”

Zac smiled at her. ”What? You worried about my money now?”

”Well, I got money now.”

Zac grinned and took her hand in his mouth. ”Wanna be my sugar mommy?”

She pulled back her hand. ”Gross.”

He stood and adjusted the sleeves of his shirt, laughing. ”I need the bathroom.”

”You’re leaving me in the middle of our romantic date?”

”The date is over. You ate.”

Roxie looked offended.

Zac leaned down and kissed her temple.

”I’ll come back.”

”You better.”

He walked toward the hallway near the bar.

Roxie watched him disappear before checking her own phone.

Light appeared beside her hand.

Zac’s phone had received a notification.

She glanced at the screen without meaning to read it.

The name caught her first.

Holly

Then the message appeared beneath it.

I miss you so much, Zac.

Roxie stopped typing.

Roxie looked toward the hallway where Zac had disappeared, then back at the phone.

The notification faded.

The screen became dark.

Roxie continued staring at it.