The Captain's Dirty Little Secret

Chapter 343: Chapter 343 - Count Your Happy Days

The cafeteria looked the same but the atmosphere was different. It still got that fever from the Nationals.

A huge CONGRATULATIONS, NATIONAL CHAMPIONS banner stretched across the far wall above the windows, surrounded by blue and white balloons somebody had tied around the pillars.

Pictures from Orlando had been printed and taped near the entrance too.

Roxie spotted one of their final pose, another of the team holding the trophy, and one where Coach Miller looked dangerously close to crying while everyone around him screamed.

People smiled when Roxie, Karen and Angela walked in. A few students called congratulations across the room, some waved from their tables, and somebody near the vending machines started clapping until Karen laughed and told them to quit it.

It was strange seeing the same students who barely cared about cheer a few months ago suddenly treating them like celebrities, but Roxie found that she barely minded anymore. They had brought home a National Championship trophy. If Briarwick wanted to celebrate now, she was going to enjoy it.

What felt stranger was knowing there was nowhere they needed to be after school.

For months, Roxie had walked into this cafeteria already thinking about practice. She would count the hours until Coach Miller got them into the gym, wondering which stunt needed fixing, who would stay late, and how many days remained before Regionals, State or Nationals.

There was always another routine to clean, another mistake somebody had to fix, another competition waiting ahead of them.

Coach Miller had given the team the entire week away from cheer, and after that the graduating seniors could still join conditioning, help train the younger girls or start preparing for college cheer tryouts if they wanted, but none of it was required anymore.

Roxie sat carefully and stretched her braced ankle beneath the table while Karen dropped into the chair across from her. Angela sat beside Karen and quietly started opening her lunch.

Karen stared at her tray for several seconds before sighing. ”This is weird.”

Roxie twisted the cap off her water. ”I woke up thinking we had practice.”

Karen immediately looked at her. ”Me too. I packed my cheer bag.”

Roxie laughed. ”Seriously?”

”I realized halfway to school.” Karen shook her head at herself. ”I almost told my mom to turn around because I thought I forgot something for practice, then remembered I wasn’t going anywhere after school.”

Angela smiled faintly beside her before lowering her eyes to her food again.

Karen pushed her tray slightly forward. ”What are we supposed to do after class now?”

”Go home?”

”That sounds horrible.”

”We spent months complaining about practice.”

”And now I miss it, which apparently means something is wrong with me.”

Roxie laughed, but she understood exactly what Karen meant.

For years there had always been something else to chase. Making varsity had turned into proving herself, then becoming captain, Regionals, State and finally Nationals. They had reached the biggest competition available to them and somehow ended it holding the trophy.

There was nowhere higher for Briarwick Cheer to go this season, and Roxie finally understood why the football players had wandered around looking miserable after their season ended. Their entire lives had revolved around practices, games and Friday nights, then suddenly the schedule was gone.

”At least we won,” Roxie said, looking toward the banner.

Karen followed her gaze and smiled. ”That definitely helps.”

Roxie’s attention drifted toward the football table. Dylan was talking loudly while Kyle reached across Mason to steal something from his tray, and Mason slapped his hand away without even looking.

Zac sat near the end, listening to whatever Dylan was saying until his eyes wandered across the cafeteria and landed on Roxie.

He smiled, then winked.

Roxie immediately lowered her eyes to her food as heat crawled up her neck. Her thighs pressed together underneath the table before she could stop herself, and the dull ache between them answered immediately.

She shifted carefully in her chair while her body reminded her exactly why Zac looked so pleased with himself. Apparently one night was enough for every muscle between her legs to remember what had happened. Walking was manageable because the limp and brace kept her from moving too quickly, and sitting was mostly fine, but stairs were absolute hell.

She cursed whoever decided that an expensive school like Briarwick only needed one elevator.

She risked another glance across the cafeteria.

Zac was still watching her with that irritating little smile.

Roxie narrowed her eyes, and his grin widened.

Asshole.

She lifted her water and drank, hoping the cold would help the heat in her face. Karen was busy tearing open a packet of ketchup, and Angela was still staring at her tray, which meant neither of them had caught the exchange.

Roxie planned to keep yesterday between herself and Zac for a little while longer. She could already imagine Angela screaming loud enough for half the cafeteria to hear, while Karen would probably stare at her for several seconds before saying something horrible that would make Roxie regret telling her. Definitely later.

Her gaze returned to the championship banner, and that strange empty feeling settled over her again.

Cheer had occupied so much of her life that losing the schedule made everything waiting beyond high school suddenly feel closer, especially college.

She had an awesome boyfriend, friends she trusted, and a National Championship that still felt unreal whenever she looked at the banner. Somehow her life had become good, and maybe that was why college suddenly felt bigger instead of easier.

There was only one major thing left now, and in a little over a month she would graduate.

Roxie pushed food around her tray while the thought settled heavily in her chest. After everything she had spent years chasing, the future was finally close enough that she had to decide what she actually wanted from it.

She still had choices she had barely touched, and now there was no competition schedule to distract her from them.

Around them, students were still talking about Nationals and the interviews. Roxie caught pieces of conversations from nearby tables, her name mixed with the team, Orlando, the championship and everything that had gone online during the competition.

She also caught people looking at her, some curious while a few carried the same judgment she had learned to recognize after everyone found out about Claire, the motel and everything Roxie had spent years hiding.

A few months ago, those looks would have stayed with her all day. She would have wondered what they were whispering, which version of the story they believed and whether they thought everything about Roxie Jones had been a lie.

Now she had a little over a month left in Briarwick High, and suddenly the opinions of half these people felt smaller than they used to. Who cared what they thought anymore? She had Karen and Angela sitting with her, Zac was across the cafeteria trying to make her blush every time she looked at him, and her team had just won Nationals.

Somehow her life had survived everyone learning the truth about her. In another month, most of the students staring at her would become people she used to know.

For once, Roxie liked where she was. The future was the frightening part now.

Karen had started talking about helping Coach Miller with the next group of flyers when Roxie noticed Angela had barely touched her lunch. She watched her for a few seconds and realized Angela had barely spoken since they sat down either.

Actually, she had been quieter today. Her makeup was heavier around her eyes, and while the concealer covered most of the shadows underneath, Roxie could still see how tired she looked.

Karen noticed too. ”Did you sleep last night?”

Angela glanced up. ”Yeah.”

”You look exhausted.”

”I stayed up late.”

Roxie watched her push food around her tray. ”Everything okay?”

Angela gave them a small smile. ”I’m fine.”

The answer came quickly enough that Roxie almost asked again. She wanted to push because something felt wrong with Angela, especially with the way she kept checking her phone.

Every time the screen lit up, her shoulders tightened before she looked at it, and sometimes she would read the notification and immediately lock the screen again.

Still, Roxie stopped herself.

Angela had given her space plenty of times when Roxie had been hiding things. Sometimes she waited until Roxie was ready to speak, and sometimes she simply stayed close enough that Roxie knew she had someone when she finally broke.

Roxie could give her that same space, even if every instinct she had was telling her Angela was keeping something from them.

Her attention shifted when she caught Mason staring toward their table.

More specifically, he was staring at Karen.

He looked away the second Roxie noticed, which only made the smile pulling at Roxie’s mouth wider.

Karen caught it. ”Why are you smiling?”

”Mason keeps staring at you.”

Karen continued eating. ”Okay.”

”He looks miserable.”

”Sounds too personal for me to care.”

Roxie laughed. ”He likes you.”

”He liked me years ago. We do not care.” Karen gave her a flat look. ”You have become very invested in this.”

”Because it’s funny.”

”Mason is sweet.”

Roxie paused, and Karen seemed to realize what she had said a second too late.

”Sweet?” Roxie leaned closer. ”You’ve thought about it.”

”I said he’s sweet.”

”That means you’ve thought about him.”

Angela smiled faintly while Karen picked up her water bottle and held it against her chest. ”Mason is also painfully innocent.”

Roxie stared at her before her mouth dropped open. ”You really have thought about it.”

”Oh my God.”

”You have!”

”I have eyes, Roxie. I’m capable of looking at a man and forming an opinion without planning a wedding.”

Roxie started laughing. ”Mason being too innocent for you is a very specific opinion.”

Karen sighed deeply. ”You can both save your energy because you’re never pushing me into dating anyone.”

She lifted her water bottle and cradled it against her chest. ”This is all I need.”

Roxie rolled her eyes. ”Romantic.”

Angela actually laughed at that, and for a moment she looked more like herself again.

Then her phone chimed.

Angela’s smile disappeared.

Roxie stopped laughing when she saw the way Angela stared at the phone beside her tray. She left it there for several seconds, almost like she already knew she would hate whatever was waiting on the screen.

Another notification appeared before Angela finally picked it up, and Roxie noticed her fingers trembling as she opened the message.

The color drained from Angela’s face.

”Angela?”

Her eyes filled almost immediately.

Karen straightened in her chair. ”Angela?”

Angela shoved her chair back so quickly that it scraped loudly against the floor. Several people nearby turned toward them, but Angela had already grabbed her phone and was running toward the cafeteria doors.

Roxie and Karen exchanged one startled look before Karen jumped up. Roxie grabbed the edge of the table and pushed herself to her feet, moving after them as fast as the brace allowed while frustration burned through her every time the injured ankle slowed her down.

”Did something happen with Caleb?” Roxie asked once they reached the hallway. ”He didn’t come to Nationals either.”

Karen shook her head. ”She hasn’t told me anything. She only said Caleb had family problems he needed to deal with.”

That tightened something in Roxie’s stomach.

They pushed through the doors leading outside and looked around the walkway, but Angela was already gone. Karen scanned the parking lot before pointing toward the far side.

”There.”

Angela had crouched behind one of the low bushes near the edge of the lot with her body folded forward, almost like she was trying to make herself small enough that nobody passing by would notice her.

Roxie’s stomach dropped.

Karen reached her first and crouched beside her while Roxie carefully lowered herself onto the pavement, stretching her braced leg out in front of her. Angela had one hand pressed against her mouth, trying to quiet herself, but a sob escaped anyway.

”Angela,” Karen said softly. ”What happened?”

Angela shook her head.

Roxie moved closer. ”Angela, tell us.”

Another sob broke through her hand.

Roxie’s heart dropped. Angela was usually the happiest one among them, always loud and laughing, so seeing her cry this hard sent panic straight through Roxie. Her own eyes started burning before she could stop them.

Karen touched Angela’s arm. ”Show us.”

Angela looked at both of them with tears running down her face. Her breathing was uneven, and for a few seconds she seemed unable to make herself move. Then she slowly turned the phone around.

Roxie stared at the screen.

It was Angela.

Topless.

The picture looked private, something taken for one person, probably with the expectation that it would stay with that person. Seeing it on Angela’s phone as part of a message made something cold move through Roxie’s stomach.

Underneath the picture were four words.

COUNT YOUR HAPPY DAYS.

Karen went completely still beside her.

Roxie looked from the screen to Angela, who started crying harder now that they had seen it. Karen carefully took the phone from her shaking hand and checked the number.

”Who sent this?”

Angela shook her head. ”I don’t know.”

Her voice cracked so badly that Roxie almost missed the words.

Roxie stared at her friend while everything she had noticed over the last few hours suddenly connected. The exhaustion, the thick concealer, the way Angela had gone quiet in the middle of conversations, the constant glances at her phone and the tension every time a notification appeared.

Whatever was happening had already been going on for a while, and judging by the terror on Angela’s face, this message had only made it worse.