Roxie woke up to the smell of antiseptic and Angela crying.

That was never a good sign.

For a second, she stared at the white ceiling and tried to understand why the gym lights had turned flat and quiet. The last thing she remembered was the music slipping out of count, the floor moving under her shoes, and Karen saying her name like Roxie had done something stupid on purpose.

Then her body remembered before her brain did.

Her head hurt.

Her mouth felt dry.

Her arms felt heavy against the thin blanket someone had pulled over her.

Great.

She had fainted.

In front of the whole school.

During a pep rally.

Roxie closed her eyes again. "Kill me."

Angela made a broken sound. "Roxie."

She never thought she’ll be back in the nurse’s office anytime soon.

"After you stop crying," Roxie added. Her voice came out rough. "I can’t die while you’re making that face."

Angela cried harder.

Karen appeared beside the bed, arms crossed tight over her chest. Her eyes were too bright, and her smile looked wrong on her face.

"Well," Karen said, voice too loud. "That was a bold performance choice."

Roxie turned her head slowly. "Did we win?"

Karen’s laugh came out sharp. "The pep rally? Yes. You made it very memorable."

Angela wiped her face with the sleeve of her cheer jacket. "You scared us."

"I added drama."

"You passed out."

"Same category."

"Roxie."

She hated how Angela said her name like that. Soft. Careful. Like Roxie was one bad answer away from breaking in her hands.

Coach Miller stood near the foot of the bed with his clipboard under one arm. His jaw was locked so tight Roxie could see the muscle moving.

He looked pissed.

He also looked scared.

The scared part was worse.

"You fainted in the middle of a routine," he said.

Roxie tried to sit up.

The room tilted.

Coach Miller moved forward fast. "Stay down."

"I’m fine."

"No, you are not."

Nurse Palmer stepped into Roxie’s view with a cup of water.

"Sit up slowly," she said. "Slowly means slowly."

Angela helped her lean against the pillow. Roxie took the cup and drank. The water felt too cold against her throat and somehow like the best thing that had happened to her all day.

Nurse Palmer watched her closely. "You are exhausted, dehydrated, and you need food."

Roxie lowered the cup. "I ate."

Karen gave her a look.

Angela gave her a worse one.

Coach Miller’s face went flat.

Nurse Palmer only held out a small packet of crackers. "Eat."

Roxie stared at it.

Everyone stared at Roxie.

She took the packet.

"Wow," Karen said. "So do we need Nurse Palmer every meal to make sure you eat?"

Coach Miller turned his head toward Karen.

Karen’s mouth snapped shut.

Roxie opened the crackers with fingers that still felt weak. The first bite turned dry in her mouth, and for one awful second, she thought she might cry because chewing felt like admitting everyone had been right.

She blinked hard.

God, this was humiliating.

Her eyes moved to Coach Miller.

He knew she was on scholarship. He knew she worked hard. He knew she was always early, always sharp, always trying to look like she belonged on every mat, every hallway, every list with Briarwick’s name on it.

Now she was sitting in the nurse’s office with crackers in her hand and everyone watching her eat like she was a problem they had finally caught.

Did he think she was too poor to eat?

The thought hit so hard her lips trembled.

She kept chewing anyway.

Nurse Palmer checked the small monitor beside the bed, then looked at Coach Miller. "She needs to go home. Rest. Food. Fluids. No practice today."

"No practice?" Roxie repeated.

Coach Miller stared at her. "That is the part you are worried about?"

"We have State."

"And I have a captain who dropped in front of the student body." His voice cut harder than usual, but it cracked at the edge. "We have time to practice. I would rather have an unpolished cheerleader than one on the floor."

Roxie looked down at the crackers.

Coach Miller’s voice lowered. "Roxie, I am angry because you scared me. Understand that first."

Her chest tightened.

She nodded once.

Nurse Palmer moved toward the desk and picked up the phone. "I tried the number listed for your mother."

Roxie’s hand stopped halfway to the cracker packet.

Coach Miller looked at the nurse.

Angela went very still beside the bed.

Karen stopped pretending to smile.

Nurse Palmer’s tone stayed calm, but Roxie heard the answer before she said it.

"No answer."

Roxie swallowed the dry cracker. "She’s probably busy."

Nobody said anything.

That was worse.

Nurse Palmer looked at the file on her desk. "Is there another adult we can call?"

Roxie felt Zac before she saw him.

That was stupid.

She still did.

Her eyes shifted toward the door.

The nurse’s office door was half open. Through the gap, she could see part of the hallway. Coach Hayes stood near the wall, and Zac was just beyond him.

His hair was messy from his hoodie. His shoulders were tense. His eyes stayed on the room like he had been standing there long enough to memorize the doorway.

He looked like he wanted to come in. Roxie looked away first.

Nurse Palmer followed her glance. "Is there someone else?"

Zac shifted in the hallway.

Roxie’s fingers tightened around the blanket.

For half a second, the answer sat right there.

Zac.

He would come in. He would take her home. He would probably argue with Nurse Palmer, Coach Miller, and the entire building if he thought it would make Roxie drink more water.

But then everyone would know.

Angela would know.

Karen would know.

Coach Miller would know.

The school would know by the end of the day, and Zac’s parents would know by dinner.

Roxie looked down at the blanket.

Claire was the only family she had listed.

And Claire was gone.

Maybe—

Roxie looked back at Nurse Palmer. "Mr. Robinson."

Angela blinked.

Karen turned her head. "Mr. Robinson?"

Roxie kept her eyes on the nurse. "Daniel Robinson. I know his number."

Nurse Palmer picked up a pen. "Relation?"

Roxie paused.

Family friend sounded clean.

Safe enough.

"Family friend."

Karen’s eyes narrowed slightly, but she stayed quiet.

Roxie gave the number before anyone could ask more.

Nurse Palmer dialed.

Roxie looked down at the cracker packet and pretended the whole room was a lot less interested in her life than it was.

"Hello, Mr. Robinson?" Nurse Palmer said. "This is Briarwick Academy. Roxie Jones is in the nurse’s office. She fainted during the pep rally."

Roxie closed her eyes.

Fantastic.

Nothing said dignity like a school nurse announcing your collapse to a man whose kid you babysat.

She hoped he came.

That made her feel worse.

Because if he decided he was busy, if he hesitated, if he asked why Claire was not handling it, Roxie would have to sit here and let everyone watch that too.

Nurse Palmer listened.

Then her eyebrows rose a little. "Yes, she is awake. She is stable, but she needs to go home."

Another pause.

"Yes. Thank you."

Nurse Palmer hung up. "He is on his way."

Something inside Roxie loosened.

She hated that too.

Karen leaned closer. "That was quick."

Roxie looked at her. "He drives fast."

Angela wiped under her eyes. "Roxie."

"What?"

Angela opened her mouth, then seemed to change her mind. "Eat another cracker."

Roxie stared at her.

Angela stared back, still teary but suddenly firm.

Roxie ate another cracker.

Karen nodded. "Look at us. Healing. Growth. Crunching."

Coach Miller rubbed a hand down his face. "Karen."

"I’m sorry."

"You are being loud."

"Yes. I said I’m sorry."

Roxie looked at Karen properly then.

Karen’s smile was still too wide. Her hands kept opening and closing at her sides. She looked like she was seconds away from making another joke or throwing up.

Roxie’s chest softened despite everything.

"I’m alive," Roxie said.

Karen pointed at her. "Barely. And for the record, fainting is a very selfish hobby."

"I’ll choose something quieter next time."

"Good. Knitting is the total vibe right now."

Angela let out a wet laugh.

Coach Miller shook his head, but some of the tightness around his mouth eased.

Nurse Palmer checked Roxie’s pulse again. "More water."

Roxie took the cup.

From the hallway, she heard a low voice.

Zac.

She could hear the shape of his anger even without clear words.

Coach Hayes answered him, quieter.

Roxie looked toward the door again.

Zac had moved closer, close enough now that she could see both hands curled at his sides. Coach Hayes stood in front of him like a wall wearing a whistle.

Zac looked past him and caught Roxie’s eyes through the door gap.

For one second, nobody else existed.

His face said too much.

Are you okay?

Why didn’t you call me?

Let me in.

Roxie looked down at her water.

She could not give him any of that.

A car door slammed outside a few minutes later.

Nurse Palmer looked through the window. "I think that is your ride."

Roxie’s hand tightened around the cup.

For one second, relief came first.

Then panic followed it.

Mr. Robinson was here.

Which meant he would walk through the front office. He would pass the hallway. He would meet people.

Roxie had called Mr. Robinson because he was safe.

She had not thought about what he’d say when he got here.

The door opened wider.