The Captain's Dirty Little Secret

For one second, nobody moved.

The question sat there in the warmup area, sweet and ugly.

Heather smiled like she had asked about the weather.

Two Riverside girls stood behind her, one blonde and one with a tight braid, both wearing the same bored face. The kind girls wore when they wanted everyone to know they were above reacting, even while they were standing there to watch someone get embarrassed.

Roxie held Heather’s stare.

Her pulse jumped, but her face stayed still.

Beside her, Kendall’s shoulder stayed against hers.

Behind them, Angela went quiet.

Karen did not.

"Sorry," Karen said. "Was that a real question or did your bow cut off circulation to your brain?"

Angela grabbed Karen’s wrist.

Heather’s eyes flicked to Karen, then back to Roxie. "Cute."

Karen smiled. "I know. You wouldn’t know how that feels."

Heather’s smile soured for half a second.

Then her eyes slid back to Roxie, dismissing Karen completely. "Your dog is barking."

Karen went still.

That was worse than if she had moved.

Roxie caught Karen’s arm fast.

Relax.

Karen’s eyes stayed on Heather. "Say that again."

Heather raised one brow, almost amused, then smiled. Soft. Mean. "I’m just surprised. Last year, Briarwick placed fourth. That’s usually when programs figure out their level."

Roxie’s mouth curved before she could stop it. "Your level being what? Walking over here during warmups because you need attention?"

The braided girl made a tiny sound in her throat.

Heather’s smile sharpened. "We already warmed up."

Kendall looked her up and down. "Then why are you still here? This is actually embarrassing."

Heather’s eyes slid to Kendall.

"Oh. You’re the other captain." She tilted her head. "Didn’t know Briarwick needed two."

Kendall’s expression stayed flat. "Some teams have depth."

Heather laughed softly. "Or confusion."

Roxie took one step forward. "You walked over here for that?"

Heather’s eyes returned to her.

"Mostly I walked over because I wanted to see what fourth place looked like this year."

Karen let out a short laugh. "Wow. That was weak even for you."

Heather didn’t look at her.

She kept her eyes on Roxie.

"You girls are always so loud at football games," Heather said. "Very school spirit. Very cute."

The word cute sounded like an insult in her mouth.

Roxie felt her jaw tighten.

Heather noticed.

Her smile widened a little.

"But regionals is different," Heather said. "Nobody here cares if your football team likes you."

Kendall stepped closer.

Roxie kept her eyes on Heather. "You finished?"

Heather looked past her at the rest of Briarwick.

"Almost." Her voice stayed light. "I’m just saying, pep rallies and home games are one thing. State is for teams that can stand on their own. Not depend on the popularity of their football."

The words hit the team harder than Roxie wanted them to.

Heather saw it.

That was why she looked satisfied.

Roxie smiled.

"Then why are you still standing here trying to convince us?"

Heather’s eyes narrowed.

Roxie stepped closer, close enough to make the two Riverside girls straighten behind Heather.

"If we’re just school-level cheerleaders," Roxie said, "you should be relaxing."

Heather’s smile thinned.

Kendall’s voice came beside Roxie, smooth and mean. "Unless last year’s champion is nervous."

The blonde Riverside girl scoffed.

Heather lifted one hand slightly, and the girl went quiet.

That annoyed Roxie more.

Heather had trained them too well.

Heather looked from Kendall to Roxie.

"So that’s the strategy?" she asked. "Two captains pretending they don’t hate each other?"

Roxie smiled wider. "We don’t have to pretend with you."

Karen made a pleased sound behind her.

Heather’s face changed for half a second.

Then the smile came back.

"See you on the mat," Heather said. "Try not to place fourth again."

Roxie’s heart hit hard, but she kept her face bored.

"Try not to need last year’s trophy to feel brave."

Heather’s eyes sharpened.

For once, her smile looked less perfect.

Then Coach Miller’s voice cut through the warmup area.

"Is Riverside Gale lost?"

Heather turned with that polished little smile. "Just wishing them luck, Coach."

Coach Miller looked at her.

His face gave her nothing.

"That takes two seconds," he said. "You’ve used thirty."

Karen covered her mouth badly.

Angela looked at the floor.

Heather’s cheek twitched.

"Of course," she said.

Roxie hated the way she said it. Sweet. Fake. Like even being dismissed was beneath her.

Heather looked back at Roxie one last time.

"Good luck, Briarwick."

Roxie smiled. "Watch closely."

Heather’s mouth tightened.

Then she turned and walked off, the two Riverside girls falling in behind her like it was all just part of the show.

Roxie exhaled through her nose. Kendall muttered something under her breath that sounded like "bitch," but Roxie didn’t call her on it. Not this time.

Karen waited until Heather was definitely gone before she spoke. "I hate her so bad. I hope she trips on her own bow and the judges see it."

Angela made a tiny stressed sound. "Karen, please. I’m already stressed enough."

"I’m helping," Karen said. "Manifesting. It’s basically the same thing."

Roxie rubbed her temple. "You two are actually insane. Can we please focus before I lose my mind too?"

Kendall turned to Roxie. "You need to control your face."

Roxie stared at her. "Likewise."

Kendall opened her mouth.

Coach Miller cut in. "Enough. Focus."

Everyone froze.

His eyes went from Roxie to Kendall, then to Karen, Angela, and the rest of the team pretending they hadn’t been listening with their whole bodies.

They moved to holding after warmups.

The competition had started in full now.

Briarwick sat in their assigned team section halfway up the bleachers, bags tucked under their seats, bows fixed, lipstick checked, bodies too tense to relax.

From there, Roxie could see everything.

Music blasted through the speakers as another team took the floor. The girls ran out smiling, ponytails swinging, faces bright under the lights like they weren’t about to be judged on every count.

Roxie watched their opening formation hit.

Sharp.

Then their first stunt went up.

A little shaky.

Her stomach tightened for them even though she didn’t know them.

The flyer saved it. The crowd clapped.

Angela exhaled beside her. "God, I hate watching."

Karen leaned forward, elbows on her knees. "I like it. It’s educational suffering."

Teams came off the floor through the side tunnel below their section. Some were flushed and laughing, high on the performance. Some were crying happy. Some were quiet in a way that said they already knew. One girl passed with mascara under her eyes while her coach whispered close to her ear.

Roxie watched all of it.

The good teams were easy to spot.

They came off the floor with bodies still sharp, eyes bright, hands trembling from adrenaline. Their coaches smiled before they tried to hide it.

The bad routines left marks too.

A dropped stunt.

A late tumbling pass.

A pyramid that went up ugly and came down worse.

Every sound made Roxie’s stomach tighten.

Every cheer from the crowd felt like a score she couldn’t see.

Every team that hit made top three feel smaller.

Then the crowd near the entrance shifted.

Roxie looked up.

Zac.

Dylan.

Mason.

Kyle.

They moved up the aisle with the kind of careless teenage-boy confidence that made every girl nearby look twice. They wore Briarwick colors, jackets thrown over hoodies, hair messy from the cold. Mason had both hands free.

Thank God.

No sign.

Roxie’s shoulders loosened before she could stop them.

Zac reached the row behind the Briarwick student section and turned like he was looking for something.

Her.

His eyes found her across the arena.

Even with the distance, even with girls moving between them, even with music pounding through the speakers, Roxie felt it.

Her stomach dipped.

He smiled.

Small.

Proud.

Like he knew exactly where she was and exactly what she was about to do.

Roxie looked away fast.

Karen leaned close. "Prescott and his little football parade have arrived."

Roxie elbowed her. "They came to support the team."

Karen squinted at her. "How do you know that?"

"Because we’re at regionals, Karen."

Angela watched the boys settle into the bleachers. "Wow. They really did come to support us."

She waved at them, and Mason waved back with both hands like an idiot.

"See?" Roxie said. "Angela gets it. Because that makes sense."

Angela tilted her head. "Although, with their reputation, it is also possible they came to pick up girls."

Karen snapped her fingers. "Exactly."

Roxie stared at both of them. "I hate this team."

Angela smiled apologetically. "I said also possible."

"That didn’t make it better."

"I know."

Kyle sat first, face blank, arms crossed like he had come to judge a war. Dylan dropped beside him. Mason leaned over the railing and shouted something Roxie couldn’t hear, but several Briarwick girls laughed.

Then Zac cupped his hands around his mouth.

"BRIARWICK!"

The boys shouted with him.

A few Briarwick students joined.

The sound hit Roxie straight in the chest.

Briarwick.

For once, cheer was not background noise for them.

They had come.

They were shouting for the team.

Roxie’s throat tightened, and she hated that too.

Across the arena, several girls from other schools turned toward the bleachers.

Then the staring started.

A group in red whispered while looking directly at Zac. One girl in a purple warmup jacket leaned closer to her friend, eyes wide. Two Eagles girls looked at Dylan and Mason like they had forgotten they were at a competition. Even one of the Riverside girls glanced over, then looked again when Zac stood to let someone pass.

Roxie’s smile disappeared.

Of course.

Of course they were drooling.

Zac Prescott was already a name before he walked into a room.

Undefeated quarterback.

Playoff headline.

Briarwick’s golden boy heading toward regional football like the whole town had personally agreed to carry him there.

And he had brought Dylan, Mason, and Kyle with him, which only made it worse. They looked like a recruiting poster for girls who made bad decisions.

She hated it more.

She looked away before she got more distracted.

Riverside took the floor.

The arena lights hit their uniforms, and the navy looked almost black from where Roxie sat. Their opening formation was clean. Too clean. Their arms snapped into place at the first beat of music, and the whole arena seemed to lean forward.

Heather was good.

That was the worst part.

She moved like every count had been built around her. Her jumps were high. Her landings were sharp. Her facials were bright without looking desperate. The team hit their first stunt solid, then their second, then a pyramid that made the crowd clap before it even finished.

Angela whispered, "Oh God."

Karen said nothing.

That scared Roxie more than an insult.

Kendall sat beside Roxie with her arms crossed, eyes locked on the floor.

Roxie glanced at her.

Kendall’s jaw was tight.

Riverside’s tumbling pass cut across the mat in a clean line. Their spacing stayed sharp. Their transitions had no dead air. Even their smiles looked practiced enough to score.

Then came their elite stunt sequence.

Roxie held her breath.

One flyer wobbled.

Barely.

A tiny correction in the ankle.

A base stepped in fast.

They saved it.

The crowd probably missed it.

The judges might not.

Heather didn’t miss a beat.

Of course she didn’t.

Riverside finished with a final hit so sharp the crowd exploded.

Their team froze in the ending pose, smiles wide, chests heaving.

Then the music cut.

The arena went loud.

Very loud.

Roxie’s heart pounded.

Heather stepped off the floor with her team, flushed and glowing, and for one awful second, Roxie understood exactly why everyone acted like Riverside owned the building.

They looked like state.

Heather passed their section on the way back.

Her eyes found Roxie again.

This time, she didn’t say anything.

She didn’t have to.

The routine had spoken for her.

Roxie’s hands curled into fists against her skirt.

Kendall leaned closer. "They had a wobble."

Roxie looked at her.

Kendall’s eyes stayed on Riverside. "Tiny. But it was there."

Roxie swallowed.

"Yeah," she said.

Karen finally leaned in. "So basically they’re human. Annoying, but human."

Angela nodded too fast. "Human is good. We can beat human."

Roxie breathed through her nose.

In.

Out.

Her heart was pounding harder now.

The kind that made her stand straighter even while her legs shook.

Coach Miller appeared at the end of their row.

He looked at Riverside leaving.

Then he looked at Briarwick.

"You saw that," he said.

Nobody answered.

"They hit," he said. "Mostly."

Karen’s mouth twitched at mostly.

Coach Miller’s eyes moved over them. "Good. Now stop watching them like fans."

Roxie’s throat tightened.

Coach Miller looked at her.

Then Kendall.

"Captains."

Roxie stood.

Kendall stood too.

The team rose with them.

In the bleachers, Mason shouted something again.

Dylan clapped.

Kyle’s deadpan face somehow looked threatening from three sections away.

Zac stood at the rail.

His eyes were on Roxie.

Roxie looked at him for one second.

Just one.

His mouth moved.

She couldn’t hear him.

But she knew.

You got this.

Roxie’s chest lifted.

She turned away before anyone saw her face change.

The announcer’s voice cracked through the arena speakers.

"Next on the floor, from Briarwick Academy..."

Roxie’s pulse slammed.

Angela grabbed Karen’s hand.

Kendall moved beside Roxie.

Coach Miller stepped back.

The whole world narrowed to the aisle, the lights, and the blue mat waiting below.

"Briarwick," the announcer called, "take the floor."