Chapter 314 - Beat That

Chapter 314: Chapter 314 - Beat That

Kendall was really fucking good.

Roxie knew that already. She trained beside her every week, watched her hit difficult sections over and over during practice and knew exactly how much control Kendall had when she wanted it.

Still, knowing it and watching her perform alone in front of a packed gym were two different things.

Kendall moved like she had built the entire routine around the music instead of trying to keep up with it. Every transition was clean, every turn landed exactly where it was supposed to, and even when she slowed down, there was enough control in her body that Roxie could see how deliberate every movement was.

The crowd noticed too. The screaming got louder every time Kendall hit another section cleanly, and Roxie folded her arms tighter as the reaction rolled through the bleachers.

Fuck.

Kendall really came to win.

The routine was sexy, obviously. Kendall had made sure of that before she even walked out in that outfit, but she wasn’t relying on it. She worked the crowd when the choreography called for it, then snapped straight into something technically harder before anybody could dismiss the performance as her simply looking good.

A sharp turn sequence carried her across the floor before she hit a high kick, turned again and dropped smoothly into a split. She held it just long enough for the gym to react, then pushed herself back up without breaking the rhythm.

Roxie’s eyes narrowed.

She knew how hard that was after everything Kendall had already done.

Angela came up beside her. "She’s good."

"I can see."

Kendall hit another section and went straight into an aerial.

The crowd exploded.

Roxie’s stomach tightened. "Oh, fuck her."

Angela laughed.

"I mean it."

"I know."

Roxie tried keeping her attention on the performance instead of mentally tearing apart every choice Kendall had made, but that lasted maybe ten seconds.

Her eyes went to Kendall’s outfit, then the music, then the reaction from the bleachers before immediately moving to her own routine.

Roxie had planned hers without knowing what Kendall was doing. Now every part of it suddenly felt like something people would compare.

Kendall had gone sexy.

So had Roxie.

Kendall had flexibility.

Roxie did too.

They were co captains, both popular and both known as some of the strongest performers on the team. People had compared them for years whether either of them asked for it, and there was no fucking way the gym was suddenly going to stop tonight.

Maybe going after Kendall had been a terrible idea.

Maybe Roxie should have asked for an earlier slot.

Maybe she should change the opening.

The floor section suddenly felt too slow. Maybe she needed tumbling sooner. Maybe she needed to push the first half harder because Kendall had already given the crowd something sexy and Roxie couldn’t walk out there looking fucking boring after it.

A clipboard appeared directly in front of her face.

Roxie blinked.

Karen lowered it. "Stop."

Roxie frowned. "What?"

"Whatever the fuck you’re doing in your head."

"I’m watching."

"No, you’re staring at Kendall like you’re rewriting your entire routine before she finishes hers."

Roxie looked back toward the court. "I’m fine."

Karen gave her a look.

Roxie sighed. "She’s really good."

"Yeah."

"That’s all you have?"

"What do you want me to say? That she sucks?"

Roxie looked at her.

Karen shrugged. "You’d know I was lying."

That was irritatingly true.

Roxie looked back toward Kendall just as she hit another difficult turn sequence. "Easy for you to say when you aren’t next."

"You already know your routine."

"That has nothing to do with what I said."

"So go do yours."

Roxie stared at her. "That’s your advice?"

"Yes."

"Very inspiring."

"I’m busy."

Roxie rolled her eyes, but Angela moved closer before Karen could leave.

"She’s right. You’re captain."

"Well, technically she’s co captain too."

Karen gripped Roxie’s arm. "You earned yours through hard work. You can fucking do this."

Roxie appreciated what she was trying to say, but it didn’t exactly settle the pounding in her chest.

Being captain wasn’t only about who could dance better.

Leadership mattered. Reliability mattered. Knowing how to keep a team together when everybody was tired, pissed off or ready to kill one another mattered. Roxie knew she had earned her position through more than what she could do alone on a floor.

Tonight stripped all of that away.

There was no team around her.

No leadership to prove.

Just Roxie and Kendall performing one after the other while everybody in Briarwick watched.

Of course people were going to compare them.

Kendall reached her final section, and somehow the bitch still had energy.

She turned into another sequence, landed cleanly and went straight down into a split before transitioning back up with enough control that Roxie could practically hear every cheerleader in the gym appreciating how fucking difficult it was.

Then Kendall hit the final pose exactly as the music stopped.

The gym erupted.

Roxie exhaled slowly. "Fuck."

Angela nodded. "Yeah."

Roxie turned toward her.

Angela immediately lifted both hands. "You told me to stop lying."

Roxie stared at her before Angela smiled.

"Bitch."

"Love you."

Kendall was breathing hard when she walked off the floor, sweat already starting along her hairline, but the smug look on her face had survived perfectly.

Naturally.

She spotted Roxie waiting near the side and came straight toward her.

"Your turn."

Roxie looked her over. "You look tired."

Kendall smiled. "You look scared."

Roxie’s own smile came easily. "Keep telling yourself that."

Kendall stopped close enough that only Roxie could hear her next words.

"Beat it."

Then she walked away.

Roxie stared after her while something inside her shifted.

The nerves stayed, but they felt sharper now, mixed with enough irritation to push some of the fear aside.

Fine.

The bitch wanted competition.

She was getting one.

Roxie headed toward the changing area to prepare.

The noise from the gym followed her even when she got farther from the court. Another act had already been announced, but people were still talking about Kendall while Roxie checked her shoes and stretched one leg against the wall.

Her hands felt colder than they should.

She rolled her shoulders, checked her hair and adjusted the waistband of her outfit before realizing she had already checked it twice.

Angela appeared in the doorway. "You’re doing it again."

Roxie looked at her through the mirror. "Doing what?"

"Thinking too hard."

"I’m checking my outfit."

"For the third time."

Roxie dropped her hands.

Angela came farther inside. "Do your routine."

Roxie turned toward her. "What if I change the beginning?"

"No."

"You don’t even know what I was going to change."

"No."

Roxie frowned.

Angela leaned against the counter. "You watched Kendall and now you want to make everything sexier because she did."

Roxie said nothing.

Angela nodded. "Exactly."

"I can do sexy."

"I know."

"Then what’s the problem?"

"There isn’t one. Your routine already has it."

Roxie looked toward the mirror again.

Angela continued, "Then you start doing all the shit half the people out there couldn’t do if their lives depended on it."

That made Roxie’s mouth twitch. "Very supportive."

"I’m serious. Do your routine."

Roxie stared at herself for another moment.

Angela was right.

Her choreography was different from Kendall’s. It started with attitude, control and enough sexiness to make the audience pay attention, but it built into what Roxie was actually strongest at. Tumbling, flexibility, acrobatics and power.

She had planned it that way for a reason.

Changing it now because Kendall had rattled her would probably fuck up something she already knew she could hit.

"Fine."

Angela smiled. "Good."

Someone called her from outside.

Angela looked toward the door. "I have to help Karen."

"Go."

"You okay?"

"Yeah."

Angela hesitated.

Roxie waved her away. "Seriously. Go."

Once Angela left, Roxie stayed in front of the mirror for a few more seconds before following more slowly.

She had almost made it back toward the side of the gym when voices from the hallway stopped her.

"Roxie’s next, right?"

"Yeah."

Then another voice lowered.

"That’s the girl everybody was talking about?"

Roxie stopped walking.

Her stomach dropped.

There it was.

Kendall disappeared from her thoughts almost immediately, and the gym suddenly felt full again.

Three hundred fifty eight tickets.

Walk ins.

Families.

Students.

Teachers.

People who had actually come for cheer.

And people who had come because Bianca had practically sold Roxie as another attraction.

For a few minutes, Roxie had been worried about something normal. Whether Kendall had better choreography. Whether Roxie could beat her. Whether she would land everything cleanly.

That had almost felt good.

Then somebody said her name in that tone and Claire came crashing back into the night.

Roxie walked away before the students came around the corner and slipped farther down the side hallway until the noise from the gym dulled enough that she could breathe without feeling like hundreds of people were already staring at her.

She inhaled slowly and rolled her shoulders.

Fucking hell.

She could do this.

She had performed in front of bigger crowds. She had competed at State and done routines where fucking up actually mattered.

Tonight was supposed to be fun.

Arms suddenly wrapped around her from behind.

Roxie nearly jumped out of her skin.

"Relax, babe. It’s me."

She twisted around.

Zac grinned.

For half a second, Roxie forgot why she had come back there.

Then she remembered his stupid boy band performance.

Her eyes narrowed. "You."

Zac smiled. "Hi."

She pinched his arm.

He laughed. "Ow."

"You asshole."

"You liked it."

"You didn’t tell me."

"That was the point."

"How long were you planning that?"

Zac shrugged. "A while."

Roxie hit his arm again.

He caught her wrist this time, laughing.

"You looked way too happy out there."

"It was fun."

"I noticed."

Zac’s smile widened.

Roxie narrowed her eyes. "You loved those girls screaming your name."

He didn’t even try denying it.

The asshole grinned.

Roxie stared at him. "Wrong answer."

"What did you want me to say?"

"That you hated every second."

"That would be lying."

Roxie tried pulling her wrist away, and Zac let her go while still smiling.

"You flirted with half Briarwick yesterday."

"That was charity."

Zac laughed. "So was mine."

Roxie stared at him.

He lifted his hands. "For Nationals."

"You are so annoying."

"You were enjoying yourself yesterday."

"For the team."

"I was enjoying myself for the team."

Roxie tried holding onto her glare.

It lasted maybe two seconds before she laughed.

"Fuck you."

Zac smiled.

And just like that, some of the pressure inside her loosened.

Roxie leaned against the wall and exhaled.

Zac’s expression changed almost immediately when he looked at her properly.

"You okay?"

"Yeah."

He kept looking.

Roxie looked away.

That was all it took.

She sighed. "Kendall was really fucking good."

Zac paused.

Roxie’s eyes snapped back to him. "Don’t you dare say anything stupid."

"I wasn’t."

"You watched her."

"Everybody watched her."

Roxie stared.

Zac’s expression shifted.

"Okay. That sounded bad."

Despite herself, Roxie laughed. "You’re terrible at this."

"I’m trying."

"You should’ve stayed with the boy band."

Zac smiled, then studied her more carefully.

"This isn’t just Kendall."

Roxie’s amusement faded.

She looked toward the distant entrance of the gym. "I heard people talking."

Zac waited.

"They know I’m next."

His jaw tightened slightly.

Roxie rubbed her palms against her thighs. "What if I walk out there and half of them are just waiting for me to fuck up?"

Zac stayed quiet for a moment.

Roxie appreciated that.

He had stopped rushing to tell her everything was fine whenever both of them knew it wasn’t.

Some people probably were waiting for her to fail.

Some probably wanted her embarrassed.

Some had bought tickets because Claire had turned Roxie into the most interesting thing happening at Briarwick that week.

Zac stepped closer.

"Then disappoint them."

Roxie looked at him.

His expression stayed serious.

"That’s it?"

"What else do you want?"

"I don’t know. Something inspiring."

"You already won State doing harder shit than whatever you’re about to do out there."

Roxie’s mouth twitched.

"You know the routine. You know the floor. Kendall being good doesn’t suddenly make you bad."

Roxie stared at him for a moment.

"That was almost inspiring."

"Thank you."

"Don’t get used to it."

Zac smiled.

Someone called from farther down the hallway.

"Roxie!"

Her stomach jumped.

Probably Karen.

One minute, maybe less.

Roxie glanced toward the sound, and when she looked back, Zac was already stepping away.

"Go."

Roxie caught the front of his shirt.

He stopped.

She kissed him.

Zac made a surprised sound against her mouth before his hands found her waist.

Roxie had meant for it to be quick, but once his hands settled around her and he kissed her back, she stopped caring about quick.

Her fingers tightened in his shirt as she kissed him harder, letting all the nerves still bouncing inside her turn into something easier to handle. Zac pulled her closer, and for several seconds the gym disappeared completely.

Then somebody yelled again.

"ROXIE!"

She broke away, both of them breathing harder.

Zac stayed close enough that his forehead almost touched hers.

He smiled. "Better?"

Roxie swallowed and loosened her grip on his shirt. "A little."

His hands stayed on her waist for another second before he let her go.

"Go beat Whitlock."

Roxie smiled. "Finally, something useful."

She turned toward the gym.

"Roxie."

She looked back.

Zac stood where she had left him, his expression softer now.

"You’re gonna kill it."

Roxie smiled despite herself and walked away.

By the time she reached the performance entrance, Kendall was waiting nearby with a towel around her shoulders.

Her eyes immediately moved to Roxie’s face.

Then narrowed.

Roxie knew exactly what she had noticed.

Kendall glanced toward the hallway behind her before looking back.

"Seriously?"

Roxie touched her mouth automatically before catching herself. "Focus on your own business."

Kendall almost laughed.

"Try not to trip."

Roxie smiled. "Try not to cry when I beat you."

Kendall’s grin widened. "There she is."

That was probably the closest thing Kendall Whitlock would ever give her to good luck.

Noah’s voice came through the speakers as the previous act finished and the crowd gradually settled.

Roxie moved closer to the entrance.

Her heart started pounding harder.

"Next up..."

The gym quieted a little more.

Then Noah said her name.

"Roxxane Jones."

The reaction hit immediately, much louder than Roxie expected.

Her stomach dropped and lifted at the same time as people started calling her name from different sections of the gym. She heard cheer girls, students, somebody screaming near the front and dozens of other voices she couldn’t separate.

Maybe some were there because she was Briarwick’s cheer co captain.

Maybe because she had helped win State.

Maybe because she was popular.

Maybe because of Friday.

Maybe because of Claire.

Roxie couldn’t tell anymore, and standing there trying to separate them was pointless.

She stepped onto the court.

The lights hit her immediately, and for a moment the packed bleachers looked even bigger from the floor.

Roxie saw Karen at the side with her stupid clipboard and Angela beside her. Coach Miller stood near the scorer’s table, while Kendall watched from beyond the curtain with her arms folded.

Then Roxie found Zac.

He was back with Dylan, Kyle and Jace like nothing had happened in the hallway.

His attention was already on her.

Roxie walked toward her starting position while the noise around her slowly faded into the background. She placed her feet exactly where they belonged, settled her hands and loosened her shoulders.

One breath.

Then another.

Kendall’s voice from yesterday came back to her.

Make them fucking pay.

Roxie lifted her head.

The music started.