The Creekside party was already loud when Roxie arrived with Angela and Karen.

Music thumped from the speakers near the water, string lights hung between the trees, and half the football team was acting like they had just won the state championship instead of another regular season game they were fully expected to win.

Red cups moved from hand to hand. People laughed too loudly. Bodies crowded the open space near the creek where a few couples were already dancing under the lights, some joking around, some pressed close enough to make everyone else pretend not to stare.

Kendall was in the middle of it all, laughing with a group of cheerleaders like she did not have a single ugly thought in her head. Her hair flipped over one shoulder as she moved to the beat, her smile bright and easy, her whole body relaxed in a way that made Roxie suspicious.

At least Kendall looked too busy to care about her.

That was one blessing. Small, probably temporary, but still worth noting.

Roxie told herself she was only there because Angela had dragged her. She was not looking for Zac. She was not scanning the yard, the deck, the trees, or the group of football players near the speakers.

Then she saw him anyway.

Zac stood near Mason and Dylan, still in his game-day hoodie, his shoulder taped under the fabric but moving easier than it had the day before. He looked relaxed in that annoying post-win way boys got, like bruises and dirt and being tackled for three hours were just part of his charm.

Angela leaned close to Roxie’s ear. "There is your maybe-boyfriend."

Roxie kept her face flat. "There is your mouth, still making noise."

Karen gave a tiny laugh. "She’s defensive already."

Before Roxie could answer, Janice appeared.

The tall blonde slid up beside Zac with her friend trailing behind her, both of them giggling like they had rehearsed it in the car. Janice touched Zac’s arm while she said something, then looked him up and down slowly, her smile turning brighter when he gave her a polite answer.

Roxie’s stomach tightened so fast it annoyed her.

Angela’s expression changed immediately. "Oh, absolutely not."

Karen crossed her arms. "She has been flirting with him far too long. It’s embarrassing, really."

Angela was already stepping forward. "Someone needs to tell her he’s busy."

Roxie moved in front of them before either girl could create a public incident. "Stop. Both of you."

Angela stared at her. "Roxie."

"Leave it."

Karen’s eyebrows lifted. "You want us to leave that alone?"

"Yes."

"Are you sure?"

Roxie looked past them.

Janice laughed again and touched Zac’s sleeve.

Roxie smiled without any warmth. "I said I’ll handle it."

Angela’s mouth opened, then closed. She looked at Karen, and Karen slowly raised both hands.

"Fine," Angela said. "But I support violence in theory."

"I’ll write that down," Roxie said.

The music shifted into something slower and heavier, which felt rude because the universe had no right to help Janice flirt in better lighting.

Roxie walked straight toward Zac.

Zac saw her coming before she reached him. The polite smile he had been giving Janice faded, and for one second he just looked at Roxie like he was trying to figure out if she was really walking toward him in front of everyone.

Roxie almost stopped, but Janice’s burning stare made her keep going.

Roxie stopped in front of him, her heart beating too fast.

"Dance with me," she said.

Janice’s smile dropped.

Mason, who had been drinking from a red cup beside Dylan, lowered it slowly. "Oh."

Behind Roxie, Angela whispered loudly, "Oh my God."

Karen laughed under her breath. "You go, girl."

Zac did not answer right away.

That annoyed her more than it should have.

"What?" Roxie asked. "Did the game damage your ears too?"

His mouth curved, but his eyes were still searching her face. He looked pleased, yes, but more than that, he looked surprised in a way she had never seen from him before. Zac Prescott was used to girls looking at him. He was used to being wanted loudly, casually, shamelessly.

He was not used to Roxie choosing him where everyone could see.

"You want to dance with me?" he asked.

Roxie lifted her chin. "I said that."

"Here?"

Her face warmed. "Do you need a written invitation?"

His smile came slowly this time, softer at the edges, like the answer mattered more than the joke. "No."

Zac took her hand.

He did it carefully, almost like one wrong move would make her take it back. His fingers closed around hers, warm and steady, and he led her toward the open space under the string lights.

Roxie could feel her hands trembling.

Zac felt it too. She knew he did by the way his thumb brushed once over her knuckles.

When they reached the edge of the dancing crowd, he turned to face her and settled one hand at her waist. His other hand held hers, tight and warm.

Zac looked down at her, and this time the smile on his face was not cocky. It was quieter than that.

"You’re really doing this," he said. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

Roxie looked away first because eye contact with him in private felt like him peering into everything she’s hiding.

"It’s a dance, Prescott. Don’t make it historic."

"It kind of is."

"Don’t."

His thumb moved lightly against her waist. "You came over in front of everybody."

"Janice was annoying me."

His smile widened. "So this is about Janice."

"This is about me wanting to dance."

"With me."

"Do you want me to leave?"

"No," he said immediately, and the word came out so fast that Roxie’s chest tightened before she could stop it.

Around them, the party kept moving, but Zac looked like he had forgotten most of it existed. He was still watching her with that stunned, careful happiness, like he could not believe she had crossed the yard, taken his hand, and stayed.

Roxie hated how much she liked that look on him.

Roxie looked away from his face and fixed her gaze on the lights over his shoulder. Eye contact with him felt unsafe in public, especially with half the school nearby and Janice probably burning holes into the back of her head.

Zac’s thumb brushed lightly against her waist. "I didn’t think you would after everything."

Roxie’s eyes flicked toward the side of the yard, where Janice stood with her friend, trying very hard to look unbothered.

"You want to stop?" Roxie asked. "Maybe dance with her instead."

Zac did not even look over. "I don’t want to dance with her."

"You looked like you were enjoying her attention."

His smile widened. He looked way too entertained for someone standing close to danger.

Roxie narrowed her eyes. "Do not smile like that."

"Like what?"

"Like this is funny."

"It’s a little funny."

"It’s not."

"It is when you’re jealous."

Roxie’s head snapped up. "I am not jealous."

Zac’s expression said he believed exactly zero percent of that.

"She was all over you," Roxie said, keeping her voice low. "And you just stood there."

"I was trying to be polite."

"Polite is saying hi. Polite is not letting her rub your arm like she’s checking for a skin disease."

Zac bit back a laugh and immediately winced because of the cut at his mouth.

Roxie pointed at him. "That’s what you get."

"For being polite?"

"For enjoying this."

"I’m enjoying you."

Roxie looked away again, but he saw the heat climb into her face because his smile turned softer.

She stepped on his foot lightly.

Zac looked offended but grinned. "I’m injured."

"Your shoulder is injured. Your foot is fine."

"My feelings are also in recovery."

"Then stop smiling."

"I can’t help it," he said, his voice dropping a little as he pulled her closer with just enough pressure to make her heart trip. "You walked over here and asked me to dance in front of everybody."

She hated that, for a second, all she could think was how good-looking he was.

Around them, the party kept moving. People laughed near the coolers. Mason shouted something from the deck and got shoved by Dylan. The creek moved dark behind the trees, catching bits of light from phones and string bulbs. The noise should have made the moment feel safer, but Zac was close enough that the rest of the party started to blur.

He took her hand to rest on his chest. His hoodie was soft under her palm, and beneath it she could feel the slow rise and fall of his breathing.

Zac looked down at her hand.

Then back at her.

The air between them changed.

Roxie knew it immediately, and judging by the way Zac’s smile faded, he knew it too.

Behind her, the music kept playing, and the party kept laughing like nothing had happened.

Near the side of the crowd, Kendall lowered her phone.

The picture on her screen showed Roxie and Zac under the string lights, his hand at her waist, her hand against his chest, their faces close enough to start rumors without needing captions.

Kendall looked at the photo for a long second.

Then she smiled.