Zac stood a few feet away, looking straight at her.

Roxie’s stomach dropped.

Ethan stepped beside her. "Prescott."

Zac’s eyes stayed on Roxie first, then moved to the hoodie in Ethan’s hand and the mask in hers.

"Angela said you went home," Zac said.

Roxie lifted her chin. "I changed my mind."

"With him?"

Ethan laughed once. "She can walk around a carnival with whoever she wants."

Roxie turned on him. "You’re not helping."

Zac finally looked at Ethan. "This is between me and Roxie."

Ethan’s smile sharpened. "She looked fine before you followed us."

Roxie froze.

Mason’s voice came from behind Zac. "Oh, hell."

The football boys were coming over fast. Mason looked annoyed already. Kyle looked ready for entertainment. Dylan limped behind them with his crutch, moving faster than someone with an injured ankle should.

Zac held one hand back without looking. "Stay there."

Kyle ignored him. "Who are we fighting?"

"Nobody," Zac said.

Roxie snapped, "Exactly."

Dylan leaned in, squinting at her mask. "That you, Captain?"

Roxie fixed the mask higher on her face. "Mind your business."

Mason’s grin spread. "Oh, that is definitely her."

Kyle looked from Roxie to Ethan, then laughed. "Fairmont’s dirty as hell. First you take out our receiver, now you’re trying to steal our captain?"

Roxie’s head snapped toward him. "Excuse me?"

Kyle lifted both hands. "I’m asking questions."

"You are starting problems."

"Just saying."

Ethan’s smile thinned. "Nobody stole anyone."

Dylan shifted on his crutch. "Fairmont does love a late hit."

Ethan looked at him. "That hit was clean."

Dylan’s mouth curved, but it had no humor in it. "My ankle disagrees."

Kyle pointed at Ethan. "Exactly."

Ethan’s eyes moved to Kyle. "Maybe your receiver should learn how to land."

Mason’s face changed first. "That was dumb."

Roxie felt the mood turn before anyone stepped closer.

Zac had been quiet until then, but his eyes moved from Roxie to Ethan. "Don’t talk about Dylan."

Ethan gave him a quick smile. "You always speak for him?"

Dylan lifted his crutch a little. "I can speak. I’m injured, not dead."

Kyle laughed once. "He’s irritating, but he’s ours."

Ethan looked back at Dylan. "Then tell your boy to stop acting like Fairmont tried to murder him."

Dylan’s smile dropped. "Tell your team to stop playing like they need bail money."

Kyle made a noise. "See? That was better than mine."

Roxie stepped in fast. "Okay. Enough."

Ethan looked at her. "I thought we were all joking."

"You’re not funny anymore."

Zac moved one step closer. "Walk away."

Ethan’s eyes went back to him. "You first."

The basketball toss booth worker glanced over. They were still near the edge of the game booths, half-hidden by the crowd moving toward the food trucks. Most people were busy with rides and cotton candy, but a few Briarwick students had started looking over.

Roxie lowered her voice. "Ethan, go."

He stared at Zac. "Why? Because Briarwick said so?"

Mason muttered, "Here we go."

Kyle leaned around Mason. "You already lost Friday. You want to lose Saturday too?"

"Kyle," Zac snapped.

"What? He started it."

Mason pulled him back again. "You are done speaking."

Ethan stepped closer to Zac, his face fully changed now. "Your team talks a lot for people who barely won."

Zac’s jaw tightened. "A win is a win."

"By one drive."

"Still a win."

Dylan nodded. "Math supports him."

Ethan looked at Dylan’s crutch again. "You really going to carry that around all week for sympathy?"

Dylan’s eyes sharpened. "You really going to keep talking about my ankle like your defense didn’t get cooked after I left?"

"I said walk away." Zac stepped face to face with him. 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Ethan shoved Zac first.

Hard enough that Zac took one step back.

Roxie grabbed Ethan’s sleeve. "Are you insane?"

Ethan pulled away. "He was in my face."

Zac’s hand flexed once at his side, but he stayed where he was.

For a second, Roxie thought it might stop there.

Then Ethan swung.

His fist caught Zac across the mouth.

Zac hit back before Mason could reach him.

Ethan’s head turned with the punch, and both of them crashed into the side of a booth. The stuffed prizes shook on the wall, and a little kid holding a ball screamed before his mother pulled him back.

The booth worker shouted, "Hey!"

Now people noticed.

Someone near the lemonade stand yelled, "Fight!"

Phones came up. Two carnival security officers turned from the food truck line. One of them pointed toward the booth, and the police walking near the entrance started heading their way.

Roxie grabbed Zac’s wrist with both hands. "Stop."

Mason caught him from behind. "Enough."

Kyle tried to move toward Ethan, but Dylan stuck his crutch in front of him. "Do not make me trip you."

Kyle snapped, "Move."

"No. I’m injured and somehow still smarter than you."

Ethan wiped his mouth and glared at Zac. "Need the whole team to save you?"

Zac pulled once against Mason.

Roxie tightened her grip on Zac. "Go. Police are coming."

Ethan’s eyes shifted toward the officers moving through the crowd then back to her. Students started scattering.

"Let’s go," Ethan said.

She shook her head. "Go."

Ethan cursed under his breath and ran.

Zac’s eyes followed Ethan, and Roxie felt him tense under her hand.

She pulled harder. "Move."

"I’m not running from cops."

"You’re walking away before Coach Hayes hears you got into a fight at the carnival."

That worked.

Zac looked toward the officers again, cursed under his breath, and let her pull him toward the side path beside the food trucks.

Mason stepped into the small crowd’s view and started talking loudly to Kyle like they were having a normal team discussion. Dylan turned to the booth worker and began complaining about his ankle, which distracted two adults fast.

Roxie kept hold of Zac’s wrist until they reached the darker sidewalk beyond the fairgrounds.

Then she let go and turned on him. "Are you fucking insane?"

Roxie looked behind them.

Ethan was gone. Mason, Kyle, and Dylan were still near the booth, all three of them doing a terrible job of acting casual. The officers had not followed yet, but people were still pointing toward the basketball toss.

She faced Zac. "Walk."

Zac stayed where he was.

Roxie stared at him. "Are you seriously going to stand here?"

His jaw worked, and his eyes moved back toward the carnival like he was still thinking about Ethan.

Roxie had no patience left for that. "Fine. Stay. Explain the blood on your mouth to the police, Coach Hayes, your team, and whoever already recorded that mess. I’m going home."

She turned and started down the sidewalk.

For a few steps, he did not follow.

Then she heard him behind her.

Of course.

"Why were you with him?" Zac asked.

Roxie kept walking. "His name is Ethan."

"I know his name."

"Then use it."

"He’s Fairmont."

She laughed once, angry and tired. "That is not a criminal record."

"He called you Roxxane."

Her stomach tightened, but she kept her face forward. "News flash. That’s my name."

"People at school don’t call you that. Not even your friends."

"Congratulations. You noticed."

Zac caught up beside her. He was still breathing hard, and there was blood near the corner of his mouth. It made him look more pissed off than hurt, which was very Zac and very inconvenient.

Roxie pointed at his face. "You need to wipe that."

He touched his lip, looked at the blood on his thumb, and gave a short, humorless laugh. "He hits like Fairmont plays."

"Do not start again."

"He started it."

"And you finished it in front of police."

His mouth tightened.

At least he knew she was right.

They walked past the last row of food trucks. The carnival lights were still bright behind them, but the sidewalk ahead was darker and quieter. Roxie could already feel her phone buzzing in her bag. Karen, probably. Maybe Angela. Maybe both of them losing their minds in all caps.

Zac looked at her. "Is he your boyfriend?"

Roxie stopped so fast he had to stop too.

She turned toward him slowly. "You cannot be serious."

"I’m asking."

"You got punched, nearly got caught by police, and that is what your brain picked?"

"That’s not an answer."

"No, Zac. He is not my boyfriend."

"Then why did you lie to your friends and walk around with him in a mask?"

Roxie opened her mouth, but the answer jammed in her throat.

Because Ethan knew the old her.

Because Karen and Angela did not.

Because explaining one thing meant explaining ten more.

So she said, "It’s complicated."

Zac stared at her. "That is what you say when you don’t want to answer."

"Then maybe take the hint."

He stepped closer, but he stopped before touching her. At least he had learned that much.

"Roxie, I’m not trying to start another fight," he said. "I’m trying to understand why you can walk around with him like that when you told me we shouldn’t even talk."

"You think I wanted to walk around with him?"

"You were laughing."

She glared at him, frustrated because that was the part he saw. The worst part. The easiest part to misunderstand.

"He knew me back in middle school," she said. "I didn’t want him saying things in front of Karen and Angela."

Zac’s face changed.

Roxie adjusted the cap on her head and started walking again. "That’s why I hid. That’s why I lied. That’s why I wore the stupid hoodie. Happy?"

Zac caught up to her.

Before she could step away, he reached for the mask and pulled it off her face.

Roxie stopped. "Seriously?"

He took the cap next.

"Zac."

"Take off the hoodie."

She stared at him. "Excuse me?"

His jaw tightened. "Take it off before I rip it off."

Her mouth parted.

He looked away for a second like he knew how that sounded and hated that he said it anyway.

"Say that to me again and I’ll make you walk home bleeding." Roxie yanked the hoodie off and shoved it against her forearm. "You are unbelievable."

Zac shrugged out of his jacket and put it over her shoulders.

She froze.

His hands stayed there for a second, holding the jacket in place.

"Sorry. You just look better in mine," he said.

Roxie hated how fast her face heated. "That was so unnecessary."

"I know."

"And annoying."

"I know."

She pulled the jacket tighter around herself anyway.

Zac noticed.

Of course he did.

"I’ll take you home," he said.

Roxie looked at him, then back toward the carnival where everything had already gone wrong.

She let out a tired breath. "Fine."