Chapter 319 - Head High

Chapter 319: Chapter 319 - Head High

The second Roxie stepped out of the Tesla, she wanted to get back in.

Her heels had barely touched the pavement when two girls near the entrance looked over. One leaned toward the other and said something Roxie couldn’t hear, and her stomach tightened immediately. She knew this was going to happen.

She had spent the last few hours telling herself she could handle people looking at her, but standing in her bedroom while Karen did her makeup was completely different from actually coming back here.

The school looked almost too normal. Cars were pulling into the parking lot while students climbed out in dresses and suits, laughing, fixing each other’s hair and taking pictures beneath the Sweetheart decorations near the entrance. Parents were dropping people off, and music was already coming from inside.

The same building where pictures of Claire had fallen around Roxie’s feet only hours ago was ready to have a fucking dance.

Roxie stood beside the Tesla longer than she meant to until Karen shut the passenger door and looked at her.

"Keep walking."

Roxie glanced at her.

"You stopped."

"I know."

Karen looked her over slowly. "You look hot. Let them stare."

Angela came around the other side of the car and nodded. "Seriously. Some of them are probably staring because of the dress."

Roxie looked down at herself. The dress had looked fucking amazing in her bedroom, and she had actually felt good when Karen finished her makeup and Angela fixed the last part of her hair. For maybe ten minutes she had forgotten why she had almost stayed home.

Now every eye felt suspicious again.

"How am I supposed to know why they’re looking?"

"You can’t," Karen said. "So stop trying."

Roxie gave her a look. "Great advice."

"I know."

Angela slipped her arm through Roxie’s and started walking, leaving Roxie with little choice except to go with them.

The closer they got to the entrance, the more people noticed her. A couple of students glanced over and then looked away when Roxie caught them.

Someone farther ahead stared long enough that heat climbed up her neck, but then a girl passing them smiled and told Roxie she looked pretty, which caught her so off guard that she almost forgot to answer.

"Thanks."

The girl kept walking.

Roxie watched her for a second before continuing.

Maybe Angela was right. Maybe some people really were looking at the dress.

Then somebody whispered behind her and Roxie’s shoulders tightened all over again.

This was going to drive her fucking insane.

Angela squeezed her arm. "Noah."

Roxie looked ahead.

He was standing near the entrance with several Student Council members, dressed better than Roxie had ever seen him dress at school. He still had a clipboard in his hand, probably because nobody had managed to convince him the fundraiser was over, and the second he saw Roxie, his whole face changed.

He smiled.

"You came."

Roxie exhaled. "Apparently."

Noah looked her over. "You look good."

"You too."

"Obviously."

Karen made a sound behind Roxie, but Noah ignored her. His eyes moved past Roxie’s shoulder toward the parking lot before returning to her.

"You’re going with Zac."

Roxie blinked. "Noah."

He shrugged. "The fundraiser worked. Dana saw me. Everybody saw me, actually. I spent half the morning running around like a lunatic."

Angela laughed.

Noah lowered the clipboard. "Our deal is done."

Roxie studied his face. "You sure?"

"Yeah." His expression became a little more serious. "After today, making you pretend anything sounds fucking stupid."

Something tightened in Roxie’s chest.

She hadn’t expected to feel guilty about leaving Noah without a date. Their arrangement had started as something stupid and useful but he had worked his ass off for it.

"Thank you."

Noah smiled. "You’re welcome."

Roxie hugged him, and he looked surprised for half a second before putting an arm around her.

A familiar voice came from behind her.

"Bro. Thanks."

Roxie turned.

Zac was walking toward them.

Her stomach did something completely different.

He had actually dressed properly, which Roxie hadn’t fully expected even though he knew he was coming to Sweetheart. His hair still looked like he had run his hand through it too many times, but the rest of him looked unfairly good.

He left them alone and went to Dylan’s to get ready and he looked really good.

Roxie stared a little too long and Zac noticed.

His mouth curved, and Roxie narrowed her eyes before he could say anything.

Noah looked between them. "You’re welcome."

Zac glanced at him. "For what?"

"Giving your girlfriend back."

Roxie’s head snapped toward Noah. "I was never yours."

"Details."

Zac laughed.

Roxie shoved Noah’s shoulder. "Go find other girls than Dana."

"That is the plan."

Roxie smiled, but guilt still sat there. "Seriously. Thank you. We owe you a lot."

Noah looked at her for a second before grinning. "Stop looking like that. It actually worked. I’m now the nice guy left standing at the altar. Learned some girls like that."

Roxie stared at him.

"You’re already using this?"

"Obviously."

She laughed.

Noah nodded toward the entrance. "Go have fun."

Then he walked away.

Roxie watched him disappear among the Student Council members before she felt Zac’s fingers brush hers.

She looked down, then toward the entrance.

Several people were already watching them.

Her heart started pounding harder.

Zac didn’t grab her hand or try pulling her closer. He just stood beside her and waited.

When Roxie looked at him, the smug expression he had worn when he caught her staring was gone. He knew exactly what this meant.

Tomorrow had been the plan.

After Sweetheart.

After Noah.

After everything was done neatly enough that Roxie could decide how people found out.

Nothing about today had been neat.

Roxie slipped her fingers between his.

Zac closed his hand around hers.

Someone nearby said Zac’s name. Another voice followed with Roxie’s, and her stomach tightened, but Zac still waited until she started walking before moving with her.

They entered together.

Roxie had somehow expected the whole room to stop.

It didn’t.

People looked, a lot of them, and someone near the entrance nudged her friend when she saw Roxie and Zac holding hands. Another girl stared openly, while a group near the photo wall immediately started whispering. Roxie knew at least some of that had nothing to do with Claire anymore.

But the music kept playing. Students kept dancing. Someone laughed loudly near the refreshment table, a couple nearby was arguing about where their friends had gone, and two girls taking pictures beneath the decorations barely looked at Roxie at all.

The room hadn’t stopped because Roxie Jones walked in holding Zac Prescott’s hand.

Apparently, she had needed to see that happen for herself.

She kept walking. Her heart was still beating too fast and every glance still registered, but it wasn’t quite as sharp as it had been outside.

"Everybody’s staring," she muttered.

Zac looked around, then let his eyes travel down her dress.

"You’re wearing that."

Roxie turned toward him. "Seriously?"

"What?"

"You know why they’re staring."

"I know why I’m staring."

Her mouth twitched. "Idiot."

Zac grinned and squeezed her hand.

Karen came up behind them. "Can we get to the table before he starts dry humping you in the entrance?"

"Karen," Angela said.

"What? Look at him."

Zac didn’t even bother denying it.

Roxie laughed and kept walking.

Their table was farther inside, and the second Roxie saw Mason sitting there, she almost forgot about everyone else in the room. He looked ridiculously pleased with himself, and the second Karen stopped beside Roxie, Mason’s grin widened even more.

Roxie looked at Mason.

Then Karen.

Then Mason again.

Karen immediately pointed at her. "Don’t."

Roxie hadn’t even opened her mouth.

She didn’t need to.

Zac leaned toward her ear. "Magic Mike worked."

Roxie burst out laughing.

Karen heard him. "Fuck both of you."

Mason leaned back in his chair with the smug expression of someone who thought he’d accomplished something incredible. "Art works in mysterious ways."

Karen glared at him. "You took your shirt off in a school gym."

"And look where it got me."

"Temporary access to this table."

"Still counts."

Roxie laughed as she sat down, and for the first time since arriving she realized she had stopped thinking about who might be watching her.

Angela slid into the chair beside Caleb, and Roxie’s eyes immediately went between them.

Caleb caught her looking.

The pharmacy aisle flashed into Roxie’s head so quickly that she choked on absolutely nothing.

Zac laughed under his breath.

Roxie looked away.

Dylan and Kyle joined them not long after, with Jace stopping by for a few minutes, and somehow the conversation immediately returned to the morning performances.

Mason was still offended Noah had closed the curtain.

"That was censorship."

"It was mercy," Kyle said.

Mason looked at him. "You barely speak and that’s what you use your words for?"

Kyle’s mouth twitched.

Dylan smiled at Roxie. "Your performance was insane, by the way."

"Thanks."

"Thought Zac was gonna pass out during that last pass."

Zac looked at him. "I was fine."

"You stopped breathing."

"I was watching."

Roxie smiled, but something shifted inside her as she listened to them.

They had all been there when the pictures fell. They had seen Claire’s face across the gym and watched Roxie stand there while everybody started whispering, yet they were sitting here talking about her routine because that had happened too.

Nobody at the table was treating her like she might break if they said the wrong thing. Mason was still being an idiot, Karen still threatened him every few minutes, Dylan was charming practically everybody who passed their table, and Kyle barely spoke while somehow still managing to insult people whenever he bothered.

It felt normal.

Roxie hadn’t realized how badly she needed that until she had it again.

As she relaxed, she started noticing the room differently. A girl across the floor looked directly at Roxie, pointed toward her dress and mouthed, "Pretty." Roxie smiled and mouthed thanks. Another group glanced toward Zac’s hand resting against the back of Roxie’s chair, while somebody else waved at her on the way past.

A couple of girls still whispered and looked toward Roxie before quickly looking away.

Maybe that was about Claire.

Maybe it wasn’t.

Roxie couldn’t know, and for once she was beginning to understand that trying to figure out every person’s reason for looking at her would only make her fucking crazy.

Then she saw Bianca.

Roxie’s smile disappeared.

Bianca sat across the room with Lily and several other people, dressed beautifully and looking completely untouched by the morning.

She was staring directly at Roxie.

Smiling.

Enjoy tomorrow.

The words came back immediately.

Zac had chased a blonde girl from the second floor. He had seen something around her neck, possibly a lanyard. Bianca had access through Photography Club and had spent the day before practically promising Roxie that something was coming.

Roxie still couldn’t prove anything.

But looking at Bianca now made her stomach turn.

Zac felt Roxie’s hand tighten around his, and when he followed her gaze, his entire body changed. His jaw tightened and his shoulders shifted before his hand started slipping away from hers.

Roxie grabbed it.

"No."

Zac looked at her. "Roxie."

"No."

His eyes went back toward Bianca.

Roxie tightened her hold. "Not tonight."

"You know it was her."

"I think it was her."

"She fucking smiled."

"She’s Bianca. She smiles when people get paper cuts. Even if it wasn’t her, she’d enjoy every fucking second of this."

Zac gave her a look that said none of that made him want to sit down.

Roxie leaned closer. "She wants us looking at her."

He stayed tense, but he stopped trying to move.

Roxie looked across the room again.

Bianca was still watching.

Maybe she had expected Roxie to stay home. Maybe she thought the pictures would send her hiding for the rest of the weekend while everybody talked about Claire without Roxie being there to see it.

Maybe that had been the whole point.

The thought made Roxie even more glad she had come.

"She already got the morning," Roxie said quietly. "She’s not getting tonight too."

Zac finally looked at her instead of Bianca.

Roxie squeezed his hand once.

"Come dance with me."

His eyebrows lifted slightly.

"You’re asking me?"

Roxie rolled her eyes. "Don’t make me regret it."

That got him moving.

Zac stood and pulled her chair back while Roxie got up. She was aware of Bianca watching from across the room, aware of the people who noticed when Zac took her hand again and led her toward the dance floor.

But this time Roxie didn’t spend the walk trying to figure out what everybody thought.

The music was loud, the floor was crowded and Zac was beside her.

That was enough.

When they reached the dance floor, Roxie turned toward him and slid her arms around his neck. Zac’s hands settled on her waist as naturally as if they had never spent months hiding this from everybody.

People looked.

Roxie saw them.

She also saw Karen already arguing with Mason at the edge of the floor, Angela laughing beside Caleb, Dylan talking to somebody he had probably known for less than five minutes and Kyle standing nearby looking like he wanted to go home.

Then Roxie’s eyes moved toward Bianca again.

Still watching.

Roxie smiled.

Bianca could fucking watch.

Roxie turned back to Zac and pulled him closer as they started dancing.