The Ravens won again.

The stadium exploded like the whole town had personally thrown the winning pass. Students poured down the bleachers. Parents clapped too loudly. The band butchered the fight song for the third time, and the football team got swallowed by helmets, shoulder pads, and people screaming their names.

Roxie cheered through all of it.

Smile up. Pom-poms high. Captain face locked in place.

Her body knew every count even when her brain was somewhere else, because Bianca Reeves had been staring at her the whole game. Not at the scoreboard. Not at the team. Not even at Zac.

At Roxie.

Bianca sat low in the bleachers with Lily beside her, close enough to see every move. Every time Roxie turned, Bianca was there with that soft little smile. Once, when Roxie hit a jump, Bianca lifted two fingers in a lazy clap.

Cute.

Very brave from a seat.

When the final whistle blew, Zac got swallowed by his team. Mason jumped onto someone’s back. Dylan shoved Zac hard enough to make him stumble, then dragged him into a hug that looked more like a tackle with feelings.

Zac’s eyes still found Roxie through the chaos.

Relief passed over his face first.

Then pride.

Then worry, because apparently Zac Prescott had decided worrying about her was a personality trait.

Roxie looked away before he could start walking toward her. She could not deal with him right now. Not with the game noise still ringing in her ears and Bianca walking down the bleacher steps with Lily, both of them smiling like they had been waiting for the second half of the night.

Karen appeared beside Roxie, dark hair pulled tight, face sharp under the stadium lights. "She watched you the whole game," Karen said.

Roxie’s fingers tightened around her pom-poms. "I know."

"You think she did this?"

Roxie watched Bianca laugh at something Lily said. "I know she did."

Karen’s eyes sharpened. "Do you want help?"

Roxie should have said no. She should have gone to Coach Miller, gone to Angela, gone literally anywhere else. She should have remembered that parking lots had students, parents, headlights, and phones.

Instead, she said, "Yes."

Because she was only going to talk.

Probably.

Karen fell into step beside her.

Angela caught up before they reached the gate. "Where are we going?"

"Nowhere," Roxie said.

Angela looked at Karen.

Karen said, "Bianca."

Angela’s face changed. "Oh."

"Go back," Roxie said.

Angela scoffed. "You first."

They caught Bianca and Lily near a white SUV in the parking lot.

Bianca had one hand on the passenger door when Roxie said her name.

"Bianca."

Bianca paused.

Lily turned first, already smiling. "Can we help you?"

Roxie stopped a few feet away. Close enough to be heard. Far enough that Angela and Karen still had time to grab her if her body made a decision before her brain approved it.

Bianca looked over her shoulder. "Oh. You made it through the game."

Roxie smiled. "You noticed."

"Hard not to." Bianca’s eyes dropped to the uniform. "You were very visible tonight. Surprised you even found one after the last one got ruined."

Angela made a sound. "Visible?"

Karen crossed her arms. "Choose your next words carefully."

Bianca looked at Karen, then back at Roxie. "What? I’m complimenting her. She found a uniform after all. Surprised it still fits with all that red hair flying around like a warning flag."

There it was.

Small. Smiling. Stupid enough to think Roxie would not hear it.

Roxie stepped closer, voice steady. "Funny thing to say. Almost as funny as you pretending you had nothing to do with it. We both know why you’re really here."

Bianca’s mouth curved. "Is it?"

"Very."

Lily leaned against the SUV. "Maybe someone felt bad for the little ginger. Or maybe someone got tired of the redhead acting like she owns the squad."

Angela’s eyes widened. "Excuse me?"

Roxie’s pulse hit hard, but she didn’t flinch.

Bianca gave Lily a tiny look, but she did not stop smiling.

That was enough.

"What happened to your old one?" Bianca asked. "Laundry accident? Or did it finally fall apart from all the desperate clinging?"

Roxie’s hands curled at her sides.

Karen moved half a step closer, steady beside her.

"I don’t know," Roxie said. "Why don’t you tell me?"

Bianca laughed. "You’re accusing me?"

"I’m asking."

"No, you’re not." Bianca turned fully now, hand dropping from the car door. "You’re doing that thing where you act like the whole school is against you because people finally got tired of your drama. The ginger temper tantrums are getting old, Jones."

Angela stepped forward. "Her uniform was cut up."

Bianca widened her eyes. "That’s terrible."

"Don’t," Roxie said.

Bianca tilted her head. "Don’t what?"

"Don’t do the innocent face. You’re bad at it."

Lily scoffed. "You’re insane. All three of you. The redhead who thinks she’s queen, the Italian girl who thinks attitude makes her American, and the stacked blonde whose only talent is bouncing when she walks."

Karen’s jaw tightened.

She took a half step forward, shoulders squaring like she was ready to swing.

Angela’s hand shot out and grabbed her wrist, yanking her back hard.

"Not here," Angela hissed under her breath. "Karen, stop."

Karen’s eyes stayed locked on Bianca, breathing through her nose like she was fighting the urge to lunge. Angela kept her grip tight, pulling her half a step behind Roxie.

Roxie looked straight at Bianca.

"Wow," she said. "You got ugly fast."

Angela’s voice shook. "What the hell did you just say?"

Bianca smirked. "What? Suddenly everyone’s sensitive?"

Roxie didn’t even blink. "You’re right. I do like drama. Especially when it involves calling out someone’s obsessed ex-girlfriend who still can’t take a hint. How’s that working out for you?"

Karen answered before Bianca could recover. "Isn’t that you? Targeting Roxie because Zac won’t give you attention. That’s embarrassing."

Bianca’s smile thinned. "You always talk for her?"

Roxie knew that look.

Bianca’s attention shifted, and the air changed with it.

She took one slow step closer, eyes flicking between the three of them like she was deciding which one to cut first. The fake sweetness dropped. What was left was colder.

"You really think you’re untouchable because you’re captain," Bianca said, voice low and sharp. "You and your little crew. The redhead who throws tantrums the second someone calls her out. The Italian girl with the mob-wife attitude. And Angela—"

Bianca’s gaze slid to Angela’s chest, then back to her face.

Angela went still.

Roxie felt Karen shift again beside her.

Bianca smiled. "Well. Angela already knows what people notice first."

Roxie saw red for half a second.

Actual red.

Angela’s face changed like the words had slapped her, but she lifted her chin fast. Too fast. Like she refused to let anyone see it land.

Karen pulled against Angela’s grip this time.

Angela tightened her hold on Karen’s wrist even while staring at Bianca. "Don’t," she whispered.

The fact that Angela was the one holding Karen back while her own face looked like that made Roxie angrier.

Bianca kept going, sweet and ugly. "You act like the whole school revolves around you, and then when things go wrong, you cry victim. Maybe if you stopped chasing after Zac like he’s some prize and actually focused on your own squad, you wouldn’t keep finding your uniform in pieces."

Karen jerked forward again.

Angela yanked her back harder, voice low and urgent. "Karen. Look around."

A few students had stopped walking.

Two juniors lingered near a truck. A group by the sidewalk pretended they were not watching. Someone held a phone angled too casually, like Briarwick students had not all been born with surveillance instincts.

The parking lot was turning into an audience.

Exactly the way Bianca wanted.

Bianca noticed too. Her posture shifted just enough to look reasonable if any adult glanced over.

"I don’t know what your problem is," she said louder, almost bored. "But maybe if bad things keep happening around you, you should stop blaming everyone else. Especially when your little crew clearly doesn’t belong here in the first place."

Roxie felt that one.

She hated that she felt it.

Angela’s voice shook. "She didn’t put gum in her own hair."

Bianca’s eyes flashed.

Fast.

Almost invisible.

But Roxie saw it.

Karen saw it too.

Her voice dropped. "There it is."

Bianca looked at Karen. "What?"

"You reacted."

"I reacted because this is ridiculous."

"No," Karen said, voice tight. "You reacted because Angela got specific."

Bianca’s smile thinned. "You always talk for her?"

Roxie stepped in front of Karen before Angela had to pull again. "She doesn’t need anyone to talk for her. But someone has to say what everyone else is too scared to."

Bianca’s eyes returned to her.

Good.

Roxie wanted them there.

"You’re not mad at me," Roxie said. "You’re mad Zac chose me."

Bianca’s eyes narrowed.

Roxie didn’t stop. "You’ve been circling him since freshman year like he’s the only thing that matters. It’s getting sad, Bianca. Even the freshmen are starting to notice."

Karen’s mouth twitched, half a grin. Angela’s grip on her wrist loosened just slightly.

Bianca’s smile was gone now. "Careful, Jones."

Roxie smiled back, small and mean. "Or what? You’ll cut up another uniform? Throw gum in my hair again? We both know you don’t have the guts to do anything that can actually be traced back to you."

Bianca’s face went still.

Roxie kept her voice low, just for the three of them. "You wanted a show? You got one. But next time you come for my friends, my uniform, or anything that belongs to me, remember this moment."

Bianca’s eyes glittered with something ugly.

Roxie leaned closer. "Because I’m done playing nice."

For the first time that night, Bianca did not have the perfect comeback ready.

Lily opened the SUV door. "Come on. This is boring."

Bianca gave Roxie one last look, longer than before. "See you Monday, Captain."

Then she got into the SUV.

Lily followed.

The door shut.

Roxie stood there, breathing hard, Angela still holding one arm and Karen holding the other.

The white SUV backed out slowly. Bianca looked through the window as it passed.

Still smiling, but it did not reach her eyes.

Angela let out a shaky breath. "I hate her."

Karen released Roxie’s wrist, but her face stayed too blank. Her whole body was still wired like she wanted to chase the car down.

Roxie turned to her. "Are you okay?"

Karen shrugged. "I’m fine."

Angela’s mouth tightened. "Karen."

"I said I’m fine."

She was not.

Roxie knew because Karen’s voice sounded too clean.

Bianca had wanted Roxie humiliated. Then she had gone for Karen because Bianca hated missing a target. And she had thrown Angela in for good measure because why stop at one when you could gut all three.

Roxie looked back toward the line of cars leaving the lot.

Her whole body felt hot.

First the note.

Then the gum.

Then the uniform.

Then Karen.

Then Angela’s body turned into a punchline.

Bianca had not just wanted Roxie embarrassed. She wanted Roxie small. She wanted all of them small.

And Roxie Jones had spent too much of her life being made small by people who thought a pretty smile made cruelty look harmless.

Her fingers curled into fists.

The stadium behind them was still celebrating another Ravens win. Roxie barely heard it.

All she could hear was Bianca’s voice.

Roxie smiled slowly.

Meanly.

Angela saw it and went still. "Roxie?"

Roxie did not look at her.

"I’m not okay with talking anymore," she said.

Karen’s eyes slid to her.

Roxie kept watching the parking lot exit.

Bianca Reeves had just made the mistake of thinking Roxie needed proof before she got even.