Chapter 241 - Third Place Came Back
Roxie stared at the card attached to the front of Briarwick’s assigned section.
BRIARWICK ACADEMY
REGIONAL PLACEMENT: THIRD
Their performance order and school colors were printed beneath it. Red and black. Beside them was a photograph from regionals, with the whole team crowded together after qualifying for state.
Angela was crying in the picture. Karen was crying while trying to look angry about it. Roxie and Kendall stood in the center holding the third-place ribbon between them.
"I hate that picture," Roxie said.
Karen leaned over her shoulder. "You look good."
"That makes one of us." Roxie looked at Kendall in the picture. She had that resting bitch face even during a moment when they were supposed to be celebrating. "Kendall looks like she wants to bash the photographer’s head in."
Karen looked at it again. "Oh yeah. Oh God, I look emotional. It’s disgusting."
"I’m getting a copy after this." Angela dropped her bag beneath one of the chairs while Karen gave her a sharp look. "Karen’s crying face needs to be immortalized. We all look terrible anyway. We were crying for twenty minutes."
"You were crying before they announced third," Karen said.
"I was stressed. No judgment, please."
"You cried when Hampton Ridge got fourth."
"Because it meant we qualified."
"You were still too early."
Angela pressed a hand against her stomach and looked around the holding area. "Can we talk about something else? I already feel sick."
Roxie returned her attention to the card.
Third place had brought them to VCU, but third place also meant Riverside and Westbrook had beaten them. She had spent the ride from the hotel telling herself it was different now. Regionals were finished. Scores started clean at state. Nobody carried points from the last competition.
Then she walked into the holding area and found their placement printed beneath Briarwick’s name for every team to see.
Karen followed her stare. "You look like you want to fight the sign."
"I want to rip it down."
"That would make us look insecure."
"I don’t care how it looks."
"You care about everything."
Roxie turned toward her. "I care that they put third in bigger letters than our performance time."
Angela stepped closer and checked the card. "They’re the same size."
"Whose side are you on?"
"The side that can read."
Karen laughed and sat in one of the chairs.
Their red and black warmup jackets stood out against the pale wall behind them. Silver Briarwick lettering caught the fluorescent lights, and the red bows above their ponytails looked brighter beneath the white ceiling.
Teams were settling into their assigned sections all around them. Garment bags hung against walls. Makeup cases covered chairs. Girls stretched in narrow spaces while coaches studied schedules and volunteers called schools toward registration.
Television monitors above the entrances showed the performance order, sponsor logos, and clips from previous Virginia championship routines. Every few minutes, a state champion appeared on the screen holding a trophy beneath falling confetti.
Riverside Gale had already appeared twice.
Briarwick had appeared once, on a list of regional qualifiers with the number three beside their name.
Roxie tried to relax by looking around, but the size of the place only made the pressure worse.
State was nothing like regionals.
There were more cameras near the arena entrances, more officials wearing headsets, and more coaches carrying thick folders instead of single clipboards. Teams moved through the building with matching luggage, matching water bottles, and expressions that said state was exactly where they expected to be.
Briarwick had spent the whole morning trying to look the same way.
Angela had stretched four times.
Karen had talked since breakfast. Karen talking nonstop should have irritated Roxie, but somehow it calmed her more than Karen being quiet would have.
Every girl on the team was doing something to control her nerves. Roxie had found something wrong with every room they entered because irritation felt better than fear.
She looked around their section again. "Where is Kendall?"
"With Coach Miller." Angela leaned toward the small mirror on her makeup case and pressed an ungodly amount of glitter onto her cheeks.
"What are they doing?"
Karen lifted one shoulder. "Maybe Coach Miller is finally asking whether we can return her."
Roxie looked back at the placement card. "They wouldn’t take her."
"Store credit?"
Angela giggled. "Both of you, stop."
A team in black and gold walked past carrying matching garment bags. One girl glanced at Briarwick’s placement card, whispered to the teammate beside her, then looked directly at Roxie.
Roxie held her stare until the girl faced forward and kept walking.
Karen watched her leave. "Congratulations."
"For what?"
"You won a staring contest against someone who probably doesn’t know your name."
"She looked first."
A sharp voice came from behind them. "She mistakes poor impulse control for talent."
Roxie closed her eyes before turning.
Kendall stood at the edge of their section with a printed schedule in one hand and her bag over her shoulder. Her red and black jacket was zipped to her throat, and her bow sat perfectly centered above her ponytail.
She looked fully prepared.
Roxie hated her immediately.
Karen smiled. "We were wondering whether registration rejected you."
"They nearly rejected Briarwick because someone entered the wrong assistant coach information." Kendall dropped her bag beneath a chair and sat down.
Roxie looked toward Coach Miller, who was speaking with a volunteer across the room. "Who did that?"
"It was submitted with the team forms."
"That doesn’t answer the question."
"It means Coach Miller is fixing it. Try to keep up."
Kendall opened her bag and started checking its contents. She pulled out athletic tape, extra hair ties, pins, makeup, and a small sewing kit.
Roxie stared at the kit. "You brought sewing supplies?"
"Uniforms tear."
"You think you’re someone’s grandmother?"
"I think I’d rather repair a skirt than perform with someone’s underwear showing."
Karen glanced around the team. "She has a point."
Roxie folded her arms. "Nobody’s skirt is tearing."
Kendall looked Roxie over. "Your uniform is already fighting for its life. Buy a new one, for God’s sake."
Roxie’s face hardened. "Maybe stop staring at my body."
"It’s difficult when the seams are begging for help."
Angela pushed the glitter toward Karen. "Could both captains act normal for ten minutes?"
"This is normal." Karen opened the glitter and checked herself in the mirror. "If Kendall stops being a bitch for a minute, that’s when we worry."
"Fuck off, Karen."
Karen blew her a kiss.
Kendall gave her the middle finger before returning to her bag.
The conversations near the entrance suddenly softened.
Several girls turned their heads, and one of Briarwick’s freshmen stopped whispering the opening counts.
Karen looked past Roxie and muttered, "The regional personality disorder found us."
Riverside Gale entered in navy and white. Their warmup jackets were zipped to the same height, their ponytails sat beneath identical white bows, and even their water bottles matched.
At regionals, Riverside had looked polished.
At state, they looked comfortable.
That was worse.
Briarwick had stared at every banner, camera, and championship display since entering VCU. Riverside walked through the building like they had already decided where the new trophy would sit.
Heather led them. The same blonde and braided cheerleaders from regionals followed behind her.
Heather noticed Briarwick’s section.
Her eyes moved to the placement card.
Then she smiled.
Angela grabbed Karen’s wrist before Karen could move. "Stay seated."
"I haven’t done anything."
Roxie folded her arms while Heather spoke briefly to one of the Riverside coaches. Heather then separated from the team and crossed the holding area with the blonde and the braided girl behind her.
Kendall watched them approach. "You invited her."
Roxie looked at her. "How?"
"You’ve been staring at Riverside since we arrived."
"So has everyone."
"Most people hide it better."
"Maybe she came because she missed you."
Kendall’s expression hardened. "Keep talking and I’ll let you handle her alone."
"I was planning to."
Heather stopped in front of Briarwick’s placement card and read it slowly. "Third place came back."
Karen leaned into her chair and crossed one leg over the other. "You memorized our placement? That’s sweet."
Heather looked at her. "You’re still here too."
"Your disappointment makes me feel welcome."
Angela tightened her grip around Karen’s wrist.
Heather dismissed them and looked directly at Roxie. "How does VCU feel? I’m only asking because, you know, you’ve never made it this far. State must be overwhelming when you’re used to performing beside a football field."
The blonde Riverside girl laughed before catching herself.
Roxie glanced at both girls behind Heather. "She’s talking about football again?"
The girl with the braid lifted one eyebrow.
Roxie returned her attention to Heather. "You mention it every time you see us. Starting to think you came over looking for Zac."
Heather’s expression shifted before she recovered.
Karen smiled. "That explains the makeup."
The blonde stepped forward. "You think anyone came here for your football players?"
Karen looked at her. "Nobody asked the backup choir."
The girl’s face tightened.
Heather lifted one hand without looking at her, and the blonde immediately stopped.
Roxie hated that gesture. Heather controlled the girls behind her without having to say anything, and they obeyed.
Heather returned her attention to Roxie. "You should worry less about who I’m looking at and more about your routine. State judges care about technique. They won’t score you higher because your school brings loud boys."
Roxie stepped closer.
Angela said her name under her breath, but Roxie continued until only the placement card separated her from Heather. "If football is the only reason people watch us, you should have performed better at regionals."
Heather stared at her. "We won regionals."
"And you’re still standing here reminding us."
Heather’s smile thinned.
Roxie felt the fear inside her sharpen.
Heather could mention third place all day. She could walk through VCU like Riverside owned the floor. She had still crossed the room to bother Briarwick.
That meant they mattered enough for her to notice.
Heather looked past Roxie toward Kendall. "There’s the other captain. I thought she might let you embarrass yourself alone."
Kendall stayed beside the chairs. "I was considering it."
Roxie glanced back. "Nobody asked."
Heather smiled. "You two still hate each other."
Roxie faced her again. "We agree that you’re boring."
Kendall rose slowly and walked forward, stopping on Roxie’s other side while leaving enough space between them. "I wouldn’t use agree. Roxie usually reaches the right answer by accident."
Roxie turned her head. "You want me to handle this?"
"I’m making sure you don’t ruin it."
Heather laughed. "This is your leadership?"
Kendall looked at her. "You walked across the room hoping we would fight in front of you. Is that your strategy? You’ve spent more time talking about regionals than we have. Starting to think you’re scared it was the last time Riverside beats us."
The blonde stopped smiling.
The braided girl looked at Heather.
Heather laughed, but the sound came out harder than before. "You placed third. I’d be more worried you’d embarrass our region."
Kendall’s face stayed blank. "We can read and... we can also smell desperation from here."
Heather’s jaw tightened.
The holding area continued around them. Volunteers called teams toward warmups. Music came through the arena walls in heavy bursts. Coaches checked clocks while pretending they were ignoring the confrontation.
Heather glanced at the placement card before looking at Roxie again. "Whatever. Enjoy being here. Most teams never make it this far. Make sure you go out with a bang too. Maybe use that move from your viral video." Her grin widened. "That one was really unique."
Roxie’s jaw tightened.
Heather saw the reaction and smiled wider.
Kendall stepped forward, wearing a sweet smile that looked wrong on her face. "Are we really going to talk about viral videos? Because I know one."
Heather’s smile faltered.
The girls behind her went still.
Heather straightened and looked between Kendall and Roxie. "All right. Let’s see what you bring."
She turned and walked away, with the blonde and braided girls following her without another word.
Roxie watched them leave, her jaw still locked.
Kendall glanced at her. "You’re welcome."
Roxie turned toward her. "I didn’t need your help."
"Obviously. You were doing an excellent job standing there with your mouth shut."
"I was about to answer."
"I saved everyone ten minutes."
Karen finally released the breath she had been holding. "There they are again."
Angela loosened her grip on Karen’s wrist. "At least nobody got punched."
Roxie continued staring at Kendall.
Kendall sat down and reached into her bag as though Heather had never mattered.
Roxie hated that almost as much as Heather walking away smiling.