Chapter 131 - Zone 2
The medal felt heavier outside the arena.
Inside, everything had been noise.
Girls crying. Parents shouting. Coach Miller smiling like the world had lost balance. Angela sobbing into her mother’s shoulder. Karen pretending her eyes were wet because of allergies. Kendall holding the third-place ribbon like she was personally offended by bronze and still proud enough to die over it.
Outside, the air was cold.
The parking lot was full of buses, parents, glitter, and girls in uniforms walking like their bodies had finally remembered pain existed.
Roxie stood near the side of the building with her medal under her jacket, one hand wrapped around the ribbon through the fabric.
Third place.
State.
VCU.
The happiness stayed.The disappointment stayed too.
It sat under the medal like a bruise. Yes, they were going to state, but they were also third.
Riverside had looked like they belonged in first.
Briarwick had looked like they were still trying to catch up.
Both things were true.
That made Roxie want to scream and sleep for ten hours.
"Hey."
She turned.
Zac stood a few feet away in his Briarwick hoodie, hands in his pockets, grin softer than usual. Dylan, Mason, and Kyle were behind him near the curb, arguing beside Dylan’s car.
Mason lifted both hands. "Congratulations, state people!"
Karen, who was standing near Roxie with her aunt’s keys in her hand, pointed at him. "Why are you here, people?"
Mason looked offended. "How could I let the goddess Karen perform without watching?"
Karen made a face. "Ew."
Kyle said, "Nothing else to do."
Dylan smiled at the team. "You guys killed it."
Angela’s face crumpled again. "Don’t say nice things. I’ll cry."
Karen looked at her. "You’ve been crying for twenty minutes."
"I know. I’m tired."
"You want a hug?" Mason asked, opening his arms.
Angela blinked like she almost considered it.
Karen grabbed her and pulled her back. "Absolutely not."
Mason dropped his arms. "That felt personal."
"It was," Karen said.
Coach Miller walked by with the score packet in one hand and his phone in the other. "Everyone riding the bus back, on the bus in ten. Everyone leaving with family, tell me now. Anyone who disappears will run until I forgive myself for trusting you."
Karen lifted her hand. "That sounds like never."
"Correct."
Angela’s mother called her name.
Karen’s aunt honked once.
The team started breaking apart again.
Roxie looked at Zac while everyone moved around them.
He was standing with Dylan and Mason now, laughing at something Mason said, looking normal. Just another Briarwick boy congratulating the cheer team. Nothing special. Nothing obvious.
Then she saw him pull out his phone.
A second later, hers buzzed.
Roxie looked down.
Zac: I’ll wait in Zone 2.
Her heart jumped.
She turned the screen off fast.
Too fast.
Karen’s eyes narrowed. "Who was that?"
"My mom," Roxie said.
The lie came out before she could think.
Karen’s expression shifted.
Roxie hated that too.
Before Karen could answer, Coach Miller’s voice cut through the lot.
"Jones!"
Roxie turned. "What?"
"You riding the bus?"
Zac looked at her, then looked away.
Roxie looked at the bus. Then at Angela climbing into her mom’s car. Karen getting pulled toward her aunt.
The bus would be loud. Girls crying. Girls calling parents. Girls talking about Riverside. Girls talking about VCU. Girls asking why Roxie was quiet. Girls asking why the boys had come. Girls noticing everything.
"My mom’s waiting for me," Roxie said.
Coach Miller nodded. "Go home safe."
"I will."
His eyes stayed on her for half a second longer than she liked.
Then he pointed toward the bus and started yelling at two freshmen trying to drag one giant makeup bag between them.
Mason turned to Roxie. "You sure you don’t want to come with us? We’re getting food."
Roxie shook her head. "Can’t. My mom’s here."
Dylan nodded. "Tell her congrats from us."
"Yeah," Mason said. "Tell Mrs. Jones her daughter is going to state."
Roxie’s smile tightened.
"Sure."
Zac stood beside them, quiet now.
His hands were in his hoodie pocket. His face gave away nothing.
That should have helped.
It made her stomach twist instead.
"Well," Karen said, looking between Roxie and the parking lot. "Text when you’re home."
"I will."
"You say that and then vanish."
"I’ll put it in my calendar."
Karen pointed at her. "That joke is getting old."
"So are you."
Karen’s mouth opened. "I’m emotionally fragile right now."
"You threatened to choke Mason ten minutes ago."
"He deserved it."
Angela hugged Roxie quickly. "State."
Roxie’s chest tightened.
"State," she said back.
Karen grabbed her next and squeezed hard, fast, almost violent. "We’re not done."
Roxie swallowed. "No."
Karen pulled back. "And you better text."
"I will."
Zac walked away with Dylan, Mason, and Kyle.
Roxie watched him go for half a second, then forced herself to look at her phone like she was waiting for Claire.
She stood near the curb while the parking lot thinned.
The bus doors closed.
Parents pulled out.
Girls climbed into cars with medals flashing under jackets.
Roxie waited until Karen’s aunt’s car disappeared around the turn. Then she waited longer, because Karen had the suspicious instincts of a guard dog and would absolutely look back if she thought Roxie was lying.
Five minutes.
Then seven.
Then the cold started biting through her cheer jacket.
Roxie checked around her one more time and walked toward Zone 2.
The farther she got from the main lot, the quieter it became. Fewer cars. Fewer voices. Less glitter on the pavement. The regional center still glowed behind her, loud and bright, but Zone 2 sat near the side road, half full and mostly ignored.
She saw the car before she saw him.
A dark sedan.
Too clean.
Too expensive.
His mother’s car.
Roxie stopped.
Then she smiled despite herself.
The passenger window lowered.
Zac leaned over from the driver’s seat, one hand on the wheel, grin already waiting for her.
"Dinner?" he asked. "My state cheerleader girlfriend?"
Roxie’s chest did something stupid.
She looked over both shoulders. "Lower your voice."
"There’s no one here."
"The ghosts from Margaret’s side of the family might hear."
His grin widened. "Get in."
She opened the door and slid into the passenger seat.
The car smelled like leather, expensive air freshener, and Zac’s hoodie.
Roxie shut the door and finally let out a breath.
Zac looked at her.
For the first time since the arena, really looked.
Proud.
Happy.
A little careful.
She hated how much that carefulness mattered.
"You made state," he said quietly.
Roxie looked down at the medal under her jacket. "Third."
"State."
She rolled her eyes, but her mouth almost smiled. "You sound annoying in every parking lot."
"You like it."
"I tolerate it because you’re buying food."
He laughed and started the car.
Roxie leaned back against the seat, medal heavy against her chest, heart still racing from the lie, from the win, from him.
Outside, the regional center lights slipped past the windshield as Zac pulled out of Zone 2.
For the first time all day, no one was watching.
Roxie turned her head toward the window to hide her smile.