Free Web NovelChapter 60: Chapter 60 - Bianca Reeves
"Roxie Jones? She’s reaching."
Roxie stared at the inside of the stall door.
The universe had apparently seen her almost have a decent morning and decided that was illegal.
The second voice laughed. "Stop."
"I’m serious," the first girl said. "Zac Prescott?"
Roxie recognized her then.
Bianca Reeves.
Perfect hair. Perfect nails. Zac’s ex. The kind of girl who looked like she had never once had to check if a window locked.
The other voice belonged to Lily Finnigan, her best friend and professional agreement machine.
"I mean," Lily said, "he was looking at her in chem."
"Everyone noticed," Bianca said.
Roxie leaned her head back against the stall wall.
Whatever.
People noticed things. That was basically the school’s only extracurricular.
Bianca sighed like the topic was exhausting her personally. "I don’t hate her."
Roxie almost laughed.
There it was.
The official opening of every sentence that was about to be hateful.
"I just don’t get it," Bianca continued. "Like, really? He’s doing her now?"
Lily made a shocked little sound, then laughed. "Oh my God."
Roxie’s hand tightened around the strap of her bag.
Doing her.
Very classy.
Bianca turned on the faucet. "She acts like she’s this whole thing."
"She kind of is a whole thing," Lily said. "Cheer captain. Red hair. Always walking around like she knows people are looking."
"Exactly. It’s a lot."
Roxie looked down at her shoes.
Her first instinct was still to roll her eyes.
A lot.
Fine. She was a lot. Her hair was a lot. Her eyeliner was a lot. Her walk was a lot. That was the point. If she made enough noise with everything else, people usually forgot to ask what she was hiding.
Lily said, "That top she wore Friday was so 2020, though."
Bianca laughed. "Thank you. I thought I was the only one who noticed."
Roxie blinked.
The top was cute.
Also, okay, yes, maybe it was from 2020, but trends recycled. Everyone knew that. These girls were acting like fashion had a legal expiration date.
Roxie stared at the latch.
Whatever.
Boring.
Try harder.
"She probably thinks Zac looking at her means something," Bianca said.
That one landed closer.
Roxie’s jaw tightened.
Lily hummed. "Maybe it does."
Bianca went quiet for a second.
Roxie pictured her in the mirror, probably fixing lipstick she did not need to fix.
"Zac gets bored," Bianca said finally. "He always does."
Lily lowered her voice. "Did he get bored with you?"
Bianca laughed, but it sounded thinner. "No. We ended because of timing."
Sure.
Roxie pressed her lips together.
Timing. Famous killer of relationships and convenient excuse for girls who still cared.
"I just think Roxie should be careful," Bianca said. "Girls like her get excited when guys like Zac give them attention."
Girls like her.
Roxie’s stomach dipped.
They did not know anything.
They did not know her house, her mother, Steve, the window, the scholarship, the way she had spent the weekend in Zac’s bed sleeping while he sat in a chair because she kept waking up scared.
They knew hair, skirts, rumors, and whatever version of her made them feel taller.
Lily said, "I heard she sends pictures."
Roxie went cold.
Bianca snorted. "To who?"
"I don’t know. People talk."
"People always talk."
"No, I heard she has, like, an account."
Bianca paused.
Then she laughed. "OnlyFans?"
Lily giggled. "I’m just saying."
Roxie stared straight ahead.
For a second, she did not even feel angry.
The rumor was so stupid her brain refused to pick it up.
OnlyFans.
At Briarwick.
While she was still begging her phone not to die half the time.
Sure. Absolutely. Between cheer practice, chemistry homework, avoiding her mother’s boyfriend, and pretending her life was not on fire, Roxie was apparently running a subscription business.
Busy girl.
Bianca’s voice sharpened with amusement. "That actually explains a lot."
Lily laughed harder. "Right?"
Roxie’s fingers dug into her palm.
Ridiculous rumor became believable because they wanted it to be. fɾēewebnσveℓ.com
Bianca turned off the faucet. "I mean, look at how she dresses."
"She’s a cheerleader."
"You know what I mean."
Roxie swallowed.
She did.
That was the ugly part.
They never had to say all of it. Girls like Bianca knew how to leave enough space for everyone else to fill in the insult.
Lily lowered her voice again. "People call her a slut."
The bathroom went quiet except for the paper towel dispenser.
Roxie’s face went hot.
Then cold.
Then hot again.
Bianca did not answer right away.
When she finally spoke, her voice was softer. Meaner because of it.
"I wouldn’t say that."
Roxie closed her eyes.
"But?" Lily asked.
Bianca sighed. "But if you act like that, people are going to talk."
Roxie opened her eyes.
Act like that.
Laugh too loud.
Wear the wrong top.
Let Zac Prescott look at her in chemistry.
Exist with red hair and a body and a face people noticed.
Apparently, that was enough.
Lily said, "Do you think he actually likes her?"
Bianca laughed once. "Please."
Roxie’s throat tightened.
"He likes a challenge," Bianca said. "And she’s available."
Available.
Roxie almost stepped out of the stall right then.
Her hand went to the latch.
Then stopped.
Because what was she going to do? Walk out with wet eyes and give them exactly what they wanted? Let Bianca see the hit land? Absolutely not.
Roxie Jones did not bleed in public bathrooms.
Lily said, "Still, if he’s into her, that’s kind of embarrassing for you."
Bianca’s voice went flat. "It’s not embarrassing."
"Okay."
"It’s not."
"Okay."
A compact clicked shut.
Bianca’s heels shifted against the tile. "He’ll get over it."
Roxie’s chest pulled tight.
Lily asked, "And if he doesn’t?"
Bianca laughed, quiet and confident again.
"He will. Zac always does."
The bathroom door opened.
Their voices spilled into the hallway, then faded.
Roxie stayed in the stall.
Her hand still rested near the latch.
For a few seconds, she did not move.
Then she unlocked the door and stepped out.
The bathroom was empty. fгeewёbnoѵel.cσm
The mirror showed her face before she had time to fix it.
Pale.
Tight.
Too still around the mouth.
She walked to the sink and turned on the water even though she did not need it. She let it run over her fingers while she stared at herself.
The girl in the mirror looked like she could survive gossip.
The girl in the mirror looked like she would toss her hair, call Bianca pathetic, and move on with her day.
Roxie wished she could climb inside that version of herself and stay there.
She turned off the faucet.
"Whatever," she whispered.
Her voice shook.
Annoying.
She grabbed a paper towel, dabbed under her eyes, and lifted her chin.
Roxie threw the paper towel into the trash.
Then she smiled at the mirror until it looked real enough to use.
