Chapter 199 - Everybody Knows
Roxie’s POV
By the time Roxie reached school, the hallway kiss had appeared on three student accounts.
The first photograph showed Zac taking her hand. The second caught his mouth against hers. The third showed Roxie gripping the front of his shirt after she recovered from the shock and kissed him back.
Someone had placed the pictures beside photographs from Winter Formal.
The caption read:
So those fights were flirting?
Roxie saved the post before locking her phone.
She already had copies of the pictures, but another one felt safer.
Karen and Angela waited near the school entrance. Karen held her phone toward Roxie as soon as she approached.
"People built a timeline."
Roxie looked at the screen.
Someone had listed every public argument between her and Zac during the school year. Winter Formal appeared near the top, followed by the chemistry project, Zac visiting cheer practice, their cafeteria fights, and the photograph from Kyle’s party.
Angela scrolled through the comments.
"They think you became jealous at the dance because you secretly liked him."
"I was jealous because he was my boyfriend."
Karen looked at her. "You could correct them."
"I’m sure they’ll survive without the complete history."
A student walked past and stared openly at Roxie. The girl whispered something to her friend before both looked back.
Roxie ignored them.
The attention felt different from yesterday. Nobody was guessing whether she liked Zac anymore. Nobody was discussing which girl should approach him first.
Everybody knew.
The relief lasted until Roxie noticed Zac near the lockers.
He stood with Dylan, Mason, and Kyle, though he barely followed their conversation. His shoulders were tense beneath his jacket. One hand remained inside his pocket, and his attention kept returning to the main entrance.
The moment he saw Roxie, his expression changed immediately.
Zac left the boys without waiting for a pause and walked toward her.
Students noticed.
Roxie heard someone say his name behind her.
Zac reached her and took her hand without checking who was watching. His fingers threaded through hers, and his thumb passed over her knuckles.
Mason called after him.
"Prescott, at least pretend you still have friends."
Zac looked back. "I saw you five seconds ago."
"You’ve changed."
"Deal with it."
Dylan laughed and followed while Mason complained about losing Zac after only one day.
Roxie tightened her grip around Zac’s hand.
Two girls passed them and stared at where their fingers were joined. Zac noticed, but instead of releasing Roxie, he stepped closer until their shoulders touched.
The movement settled something inside her.
Yesterday, people had treated their relationship like a rumor. Today, Zac held her as though he wanted every person in the building to remember what they had seen.
They reached AP Chemistry with Karen, Angela, and Dylan behind them. Mason and Kyle continued farther down the hallway toward their own classes.
Mr. Callahan stood near the door.
His attention dropped to Roxie and Zac’s joined hands.
"I assume the chemistry project produced unexpected results."
Several students laughed.
Roxie kept holding Zac. "It was a long experiment."
Mr. Callahan looked at him. "I expect proper credit when people discuss this project."
"You got it, Mr. C."
"Do not call me that."
Zac took the seat beside Roxie instead of walking to the back. The decision caused another round of whispers.
Karen sat behind them with Angela. Dylan took his usual desk farther back.
Roxie removed her notebook from her bag.
Zac placed his phone facedown on the table. His jaw tightened when it vibrated, but he never checked the screen.
Roxie watched him.
He looked better than he had during the previous morning’s hangover, though the skin beneath his eyes remained dark. The split in his lower lip had started closing, but the bruise beside it had become easier to see.
"Did you sleep?" she asked quietly.
"A little."
"Did you eat?"
Zac opened his notebook.
"I wasn’t hungry."
That meant no.
Roxie waited for him to explain what had happened at home.
He offered nothing.
Last night, he had told her everything was handled. She had asked whether his father touched him again, and Zac said no.
His phone vibrated a second time.
His hand covered it without turning it over.
Roxie wanted to ask who kept messaging. She wanted to know whether his father had seen the photograph, though she already knew Miranda would have found it soon after it appeared online.
Zac had said the situation was handled.
She decided to let him keep whatever he was still trying to control.
During the lesson, Zac rested his leg against hers beneath the table. When students turned to look at them, he stayed where he was.
Roxie kept glancing down at where their knees touched.
The contact settled her more than Mr. Callahan’s explanation of equilibrium.
When class ended, Zac waited while she packed. He took her hand again as they entered the hallway.
Students had created new versions of their story during the forty minute class.
Roxie heard pieces as they walked.
"Remember when Roxie hit his ex?"
"I knew that was about him."
"They were probably together during Home Coming."
Roxie looked toward the last speaker.
The boy immediately faced his locker.
Zac laughed beside her.
"You find this funny?"
"A little."
"I could tell them we weren’t together when I hit her, but that would sound pathetic."
Zac turned toward her and touched the end of her ponytail.
"I’d probably sound conceited, but I like believing you hit her because of me."
"Keep dreaming, Prescott."
"I don’t need to. I got you."
Roxie’s face warmed.
She punched his arm.
"Shut up."
Zac caught her hand before she could pull it back.
A group of girls approached from the opposite direction. One stared at him, then at Roxie.
Zac released Roxie’s hand only long enough to place his arm around her waist. He pulled her against his side as the group passed.
The girl looked away.
Zac kept his arm around Roxie until they reached her next classroom.
"You can let go," she said.
"Do you want me to?"
"No."
His mouth curved.
"You knew that."
"I wanted to hear it."
Zac waited outside until Roxie’s teacher arrived. He kissed her forehead before leaving for his own class.
Several students watched.
Roxie entered the room smiling.
The expression faded after she reached her seat.
Her phone was filled with congratulations, questions, photographs, and jokes. Being public had removed one fear, but everything else remained.
Claire’s ashes still waited beside the blue mug.
The bungalow would still be empty when Roxie returned.
She placed the phone inside her bag before anyone noticed the change in her face.
At lunch, Karen and Angela claimed their usual table.
Roxie sat with them. Zac remained at the football table, but he moved his chair enough to face her directly.
Mason looked down at the changed arrangement.
"You ruined the table."
Zac ignored him.
Dylan placed two wrapped sandwiches in front of Zac and pushed one toward him.
Zac shook his head and opened a bottle of water instead.
His phone vibrated beside his elbow.
He glanced at the screen, then turned it facedown.
Roxie watched him take one drink.
He had skipped breakfast.
Now he planned to skip lunch.
Angela followed Roxie’s gaze.
"He hasn’t stopped watching you."
"He also hasn’t eaten."
Karen opened her yogurt. "Maybe love feeds him."
Roxie stood.
Karen looked up. "Where are you going?"
"To prove it doesn’t."
The lunch line had shortened. Roxie used part of the money she had planned to keep for her shift meal and bought the chicken sandwich Zac usually chose after practice. She added the blue sports drink he always took when Kyle gave him several options.
Then she bought a smaller sandwich for herself.
When she carried the food toward the football table, conversations around her slowed.
Mason noticed her first.
"This is getting serious."
Zac turned.
Roxie placed the sandwich and sports drink in front of him.
He looked at the food, then at her.
"I’m not hungry."
"I didn’t ask."
Kyle leaned back in his chair. "She got the exact drink."
Dylan looked at Zac. "You should probably eat before she gets mad."
Roxie placed one hand on the back of Zac’s chair.
"I want to feed my man."
Mason covered his face. "I didn’t need to hear that."
Kyle pushed the sandwich closer to Zac. "Eat before she says it again."
Dylan looked down while laughing.
Roxie kept her face straight.
Zac stared at her for another second before his mouth curved.
"My man?"
"You heard me."
"I want you to say it again."
"Eat before I take it back."
Zac caught her wrist before she could leave and pulled her closer until she stood beside his chair. His hand moved from her wrist to her waist.
Roxie rested one hand against his shoulder.
His attention moved to the sandwich she still carried.
"You bought food for yourself?"
Roxie lifted it slightly. "Yes. Now eat yours."
Zac studied her face as though checking whether she was telling the truth.
Then he opened his sandwich.
"Thank you."
The quiet answer reached only her.
Roxie touched the back of his neck.
"You’re welcome."
Zac took the first bite while keeping one hand around her waist.
Roxie returned to Karen and Angela and opened her own food.
Whenever someone stopped near the football table to congratulate Zac or ask about the relationship, he looked toward Roxie before answering.
One girl remained beside the table longer than necessary.
Zac reached across the space between their tables.
Roxie placed her hand in his.
The girl looked at their joined hands and moved away.
Some of the tension left Zac’s shoulders.
Roxie squeezed his fingers once before returning to her lunch.
She liked being the person who could settle him.
After lunch, Zac walked her to class.
A boy standing near the doorway congratulated them and asked how long they had been together.
"Long enough," Zac answered.
The words came quickly, as though he had already used them somewhere else.
Roxie looked at him after the boy walked away.
"Did your parents ask how long?"
Zac’s expression changed.
"Among other things."
His phone vibrated inside his pocket.
He left it there.
Roxie touched the front of his jacket.
"You said it was handled."
"It is."
The tension beneath his calm expression told her otherwise. She saw it in his shoulders, the ignored calls, and the way he kept her close whenever someone stared.
She wanted to know everything.
She also wanted to give him one place where nobody demanded an explanation.
"Then I’ll believe you," she said.
Zac looked at her for several seconds.
His grip softened around her waist.
The teacher opened the classroom door.
Roxie stepped away.
Zac caught her hand and kissed her knuckles.
Several students reacted behind them.
He looked amused again.
"You’re doing that every time someone watches," Roxie said.
"Is it bothering you?"
She looked down at their hands.
"No."
"Then I’ll keep doing it."
Roxie entered class with another smile.
By the end of the day, students had connected the arguments, the project, Winter Formal, Zac’s visits to cheer practice, and Roxie’s reaction to the party photograph.
Half the school claimed they had always known. The other half acted personally betrayed that Roxie and Zac had hidden it.
Zac waited outside her classrooms and walked with her whenever their schedules allowed.
His phone continued vibrating.
He never answered.
After school, he waited through cheer practice despite the messages telling him to go home. When Roxie left for her shift at the grill, Zac followed in the old truck and stayed until closing.
By then, the excitement of being public had worn into exhaustion.
Zac drove her home after the streets had grown quiet.
The bungalow came into view while the last daylight faded behind the houses. He stopped beside the curb and switched off the engine.
Roxie remained in the passenger seat.
The bungalow windows were dark.
Nobody waited inside.
For most of the day, students had watched Zac touch her. People had congratulated them, teased them, and asked for details. Their attention had filled every hallway.
Now the house waited in silence.
Zac rested his hand on the center console.
Roxie placed hers over it.
"What happened when you went home?"
His fingers became still beneath hers.
"Mostly yelling."
She looked at the bruise beside his mouth.
"That’s all?"
"Yeah."
Zac turned his hand and threaded their fingers together.
Roxie knew he was keeping something from her.
She also knew he had spent the entire day ignoring calls so he could stay close to her. He had waited outside practice and through her shift even though his family expected him home.
Pushing him now would only make him hide the truth harder.
Roxie leaned across the console and kissed him.
"I love you."
His hand tightened around hers.
"I love you too."
She opened the passenger door.
Zac remained at the curb until she unlocked the bungalow and stepped inside.
The rooms were dark.
Claire’s ashes still waited beside the blue mug.
Roxie closed the door and opened the photographs on her phone.
For tonight, she had proof that someone had chosen to stay.