Mrs. Delgado did not answer right away.

Her eyes moved from Zac to Kendall, then to Mrs. Whitlock.

Roxie saw it.

Mrs. Whitlock’s shoulders stiffened just a little.

"We’re not trying to post anything that would affect your reputation, Zachary," Mrs. Whitlock said carefully.

Zac looked at her. "My reputation?"

Mrs. Whitlock’s smile tightened. "You know what I mean."

"No, I really don’t." He slipped his phone into his pocket. "So what, because I’m a football player and everyone already talks about me, this doesn’t matter?"

Kendall’s tissue lowered.

Zac’s eyes flicked to her. "Because it matters when it’s your daughter crying in a chair, but when my name is in the caption, it’s just school gossip?"

The room went quiet again.

Roxie sat very still.

For the first time since she walked into the office, everyone was not staring at her like she was already guilty.

Mrs. Whitlock’s hand tightened on Kendall’s shoulder. "We can have the video taken down."

"That’s nice," Zac said.

"We don’t want trouble with you or your family." Mrs. Whitlock’s voice stayed polite, but the words came out thinner now. "We only want justice for Kendall. Look at her face."

She touched Kendall’s cheek, turning her slightly so the bruise showed.

Kendall sniffled on cue.

Zac looked at the bruise.

Then he looked at Kendall.

"You started this, didn’t you?"

Kendall froze. "What?"

"You grabbed her hair first."

"I... I didn’t."

"You did." His voice dropped, and somehow that sounded worse than when he had been louder. "I saw your hand in her hair when I came out."

Kendall’s mouth opened. "She attacked me first."

Mrs. Whitlock stepped forward. "Zachary, I understand you’re upset about the video, but you have no right to accuse my daughter."

Zac looked at her. "And you have a right to sit here and accuse Roxie?"

Mrs. Whitlock’s face flushed.

Roxie’s fingers tightened around the strap of her bag. Her heart was pounding.

Zac was still standing near the door, shoulders tense, phone in his pocket, face calm enough to make the whole thing more dangerous. He was not smiling, there was no hallway charm, no lazy Prescott grin, no cute little football captain act for people to clap at.

He looked angry.

For her.

Roxie looked down before she could think about that too much.

Mrs. Delgado cleared her throat. "Zachary, I appreciate that you’re trying to provide additional context, but this is still a disciplinary matter."

"Then discipline it properly."

Mrs. Delgado blinked.

Zac finally moved.

He crossed the room and sat down in the empty chair beside Roxie like he belonged there.

Roxie turned her head. "What are you doing?"

He gave her one quick look, like he knew exactly how much this was going to annoy her, then faced Mrs. Delgado again.

Zac leaned back in the chair. "Don’t we have security cameras in that hallway?"

Kendall’s face changed.

Mrs. Whitlock’s hand slid off Kendall’s shoulder.

Mrs. Delgado paused. "There are cameras in that wing, yes."

Zac nodded. "Great. Then why are we all watching a cropped phone video?"

No one spoke.

He looked at Kendall. "Why didn’t you ask them to check the camera?"

Kendall swallowed. "I didn’t think about it."

Annoyingly, Roxie hadn’t thought about the cameras either. She hadn’t even noticed there were cameras in that hallway.

"You didn’t think about the one thing that would prove you didn’t start it?"

Her eyes shone again, but the tears did not come as fast this time.

Mrs. Whitlock stepped in. "My daughter was frightened."

Zac looked straight at Mrs. Delgado. "Then settle this after the principal checks the security footage."

Mrs. Delgado’s mouth pressed into a thin line.

For the first time, she looked less annoyed at Roxie and more annoyed at the situation sitting in front of her.

"I will request the footage," she said.

Mrs. Whitlock straightened. "And in the meantime?"

"In the meantime," Mrs. Delgado said, "there will be no final decision until I review it."

Roxie’s breath caught.

Kendall’s head snapped up. "But she attacked me."

Mrs. Delgado looked at her. "And now I need to see what happened before the video started."

Kendall’s lips parted.

Mrs. Whitlock’s face tightened. "Mrs. Delgado, surely you’re not suggesting my daughter lied."

"I’m saying I need the full incident before I make a decision."

Zac leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "That sounds fair."

Mrs. Delgado closed the folder on her desk. "Kendall, I’ll speak with you and your mother again after I review the footage. Roxxane, you may return to class for now. You are not suspended at this time."

At this time.

It still sounded terrible.

But it was better than expelled. Better than suspended. Better than Kendall getting exactly what she wanted before lunch.

Roxie stood slowly, her bag clutched against her side.

The door closed behind them.

Roxie made it three steps down the hallway before her breath caught in her chest.

Heat rushed up her face and spread down her neck, and she tightened her grip on her bag like that could hold the rest of her together.

She hated that Zac was behind her.

She hated that Zac probably heard it.

"Roxie," he said behind her.

She kept walking.

"Roxie, wait."

She stopped so fast he almost ran into her.

The hallway was empty except for the secretary at the front desk and one boy sitting outside the guidance office, pretending very hard that he could not hear anything. Roxie turned around anyway.

Zac looked careful now.

That annoyed her more than anything.

"What?" she asked.

His brows pulled together. "Are you okay?"

Roxie laughed, and it sounded ugly even to her. "You people love asking that after making everything worse."

His face shifted. "You people?"

"Yes." She stepped closer, gripping her bag strap until it hurt. "You, Kendall, her mother, Mrs. Delgado. All of you looked at me like I was guilty before I even opened my mouth."

"I was on your side."

Roxie laughed, but it broke halfway through.

Her nose tingled. Her eyes burned so fast she had to blink hard and look away, because if one tear fell in front of him, she might actually die from the humiliation.

"That’s the problem," she said, forcing the words out before her voice could shake again.

Zac looked at her like she had slapped him.

"You walked in there," she said, her voice low now because the secretary was absolutely listening, "and suddenly everyone believed every word you said."

Zac opened his mouth. "Roxie."

She couldn’t stand it.

The way he said her name made her face burn harder, like he had caught her with every ugly part showing.

Roxie turned and walked away fast.

"Roxie, wait."

She didn’t.

She pushed through the side exit by the gym and stepped into the warm afternoon air, blinking hard because the tears were already there and she hated them more than anything.

The new garden sat bright and perfect beside the walkway, all fresh flowers and little painted stones from the student council. Roxie passed it without slowing down.

She went straight to the old bench in the corner behind the gym.

No one used it anymore. The paint was chipped, one leg was uneven, and the shrubs around it had grown too wild because the school only cared about fixing things people could see.

Roxie sat down and pulled her knees up, pressing her chin against them.

She tried to breathe.

It came out shaky.

She tried again, and the sob broke through before she could stop it.

God, she was so tired.

Tired of Kendall. Tired of whispers. Tired of adults with nice clothes and nice voices deciding she was guilty before she even spoke. Tired of working so hard for one little piece of respect, only to have it snatched away the second someone richer cried louder.

She thought becoming captain would fix something.

Stupid.

It had only put a bigger target on her back.

Footsteps slowed behind her.

"Roxie."

Her whole body stiffened.

She wiped her face hard and turned her head just enough to glare at him. "Why are you here?"

Zac stopped a few feet away.

"I wanted to check on you."

She laughed, but it came out cracked.

"What do you want, Prescott?" she snapped. "A thank-you speech?"

He stared at her.

She stood too fast, wiping under her eyes again like that would erase the proof. "Want me to bow? Clap? Tell you how amazing you are because everyone else already does?"

Zac’s face changed. "That’s not why I came."

"Sure."

"It isn’t."

"Then why?" Her voice rose, ugly and sharp. "Why are you here? You already got your moment. You walked in, everyone listened, Kendall shut up, her mother looked like she swallowed glass. Congratulations. Very impressive."

His jaw tightened. "I was trying to help you."

"I didn’t ask you to."

"I know."

That made her angrier.

Because he said it too calmly. Like he was giving her space. Like he was being decent. Like she was the one acting crazy on a bench behind the gym with tears on her face and her whole life sitting wrong in her chest.

"Then stop," she said.

Zac took a breath. "Stop what?"

"Acting like you get to show up whenever you want and make everything about you."

His eyes narrowed. "I didn’t make it about me."

She crossed her arms, trying to hide the way her hands were still shaking. "You don’t even have to try. People just move for you. They listen. They straighten their backs. They start choosing words carefully. It must be exhausting."

"That’s not fair."

Roxie smiled, but it felt mean. "Oh, sorry. Is life unfair to Zac Prescott today?"

His face hardened.

Fuck him.

Let him be angry.

"You’re taking this out on me," he said.

Roxie laughed, wiping her cheek with the back of her hand. "What, my thank-you wasn’t enough?"

Zac’s face tightened. "That’s not what I said."

"No, seriously." She spread her arms a little. "What do you want, Prescott? A trophy? Want me to kiss your shoes?"

"I was helping you."

"Right." Her laugh came out worse this time. "Helping me. Is that what we’re calling it?"

His eyes narrowed. "What the hell does that mean?"

"I don’t know. You tell me." She stepped closer, tears still hot on her face, too angry to care anymore. "Is this about fucking the captain? Is that it?"

Zac went still.

Roxie saw it hit him.

She kept going anyway.

"You defend me once and what, I’m supposed to be grateful enough to make it worth it?"

His jaw clenched. "I didn’t go in there because I wanted to fuck you."

"Sure."

"I’m serious."

"Of course you are." She smiled at him, sharp and mean. "You always look serious when you’re trying to be the good guy."

His face changed. "Don’t do that."

"Do what?"

"Make me sound like some asshole because you’re pissed."

"Oh, sorry." She wiped under her eye again, furious when another tear slipped out. "Did I ruin the hero moment?"

Zac laughed once, short and ugly. "I can have any girl I want, Roxie."

The second he said it, the air went dead.

Roxie stared at him. Her mouth curved. "Aww."

"Stop."

"Is the football star thing not working anymore?" she asked. "Needed a sad little charity project?"

His eyes flashed. "Fuck you."

The words hit harder than she expected.

Roxie’s face went still.

Zac stepped back, shaking his head. "You know what? Fine. Be mad. Cry out here. Blame me. Blame everyone. I don’t care."

Her throat tightened.

He pointed toward the office building. "But don’t act like I’m Kendall just because I was stupid enough to give a shit."

Roxie opened her mouth.

Nothing came out.

Zac stared back, breathing hard, jaw tight like he knew he had gone too far and was too angry to fix it.

Then he turned and walked away.

Fast.

Roxie stood by the old bench with her face wet, her hands shaking, and the horrible feeling that she had finally made him angry enough to stop caring.