Chapter 399 - Let Briarwick Talk

Chapter 399: Chapter 399 - Let Briarwick Talk

Karen’s mother took three pictures before they even made it out of the driveway, and by the fourth Karen finally turned around with both hands over her face.

"Mom, I’m going to school. I’m not deploying."

Her mother lowered the phone slightly. "This is your first day back."

"I was gone for less than a week."

"You were in the hospital."

"Exactly. Which makes the pictures weirder."

Angela was already laughing beside Roxie, who leaned against the passenger side of the car and told Karen to smile. Karen dropped her hands just long enough to glare at her, which gave her mother the perfect opportunity to take another picture.

"Perfect," Roxie said.

"You’re all assholes."

"Karen," her mother warned from the porch.

Karen closed her eyes. "See what I’m living with?"

Roxie laughed as Karen climbed into the back seat. She looked much better than she had a few days ago. There was still some paleness around her face and she moved carefully without seeming to realize she was doing it, but she had fixed her hair, put on makeup and worn her school uniform like she intended to walk back into Briarwick as herself instead of the girl everybody had been whispering about.

Her mother came to the open car window before Angela could pull away and reminded Karen to call if she felt dizzy, sick, tired or if her heart started racing. Karen endured the first few instructions with increasing irritation before finally cutting in.

"Mom. I’ll call."

Her mother stopped, studied her face for a moment, then nodded and stepped away. As soon as Angela drove off, Karen dropped her forehead against the back of Roxie’s seat and announced that she was moving out.

"You’re grounded," Roxie reminded her.

"Then I’m escaping."

"With what car?"

Karen lifted her head just enough to glare at her while Angela laughed. "You could walk."

"I nearly died."

Roxie turned around slowly. "You’re the one who keeps telling us to stop treating you like you nearly died."

Karen stared at her for a beat. "Fuck you."

Roxie grinned and turned back around.

That was better.

By the time Briarwick High came into view, Karen had gotten quieter. Roxie noticed her staring through the window at the building while Angela found a parking space. Karen looked normal enough from the outside, but there was a tightness around her mouth that hadn’t been there five minutes earlier.

"You okay?" Roxie asked.

Karen immediately looked at her. "If you start making that hospital face again, I’m going home."

"What hospital face?"

"The one where you look at me like I’m going to die if I breathe wrong."

Roxie lifted both hands. "Fine."

Karen opened the door and climbed out. "Good."

The staring started before they even reached the building. Two students near the parking lot looked at Karen and whispered to each other. Someone on the steps stopped talking when the three girls passed, and by the time they entered the hallway Roxie could almost feel the rumors moving with them.

Karen noticed too, but she kept walking. Angela stayed closer than usual without making it obvious, while Roxie watched a boy near the lockers clearly debate whether he should say something. He changed his mind at the last second, and Karen muttered, "Coward," as they passed.

Roxie laughed. "He looked scared."

"He should be."

The first person brave enough to approach was a girl from their English class. She stepped toward Karen near the stairs and asked if she was okay, careful enough that Karen actually stopped.

"Yeah. Better."

The girl looked relieved. "Good. I heard you were in the hospital. People are saying a lot of stuff."

Karen smiled. "I know. My favorite is still the drug deal."

The girl laughed despite herself, and Karen moved on.

Angela looked at her. "That was almost nice." She touched Karen’s forehead. "Do you have a fever?"

Karen shrugged her hand away. "Shut up. I can be nice."

Roxie and Angela exchanged the same expression without planning it, and Karen immediately caught them.

"Both of you can fuck off."

By lunch, Roxie realized something strange.

She really didn’t care.

People were looking at them. People were whispering. Someone had probably already posted that Karen was back, and half the school still had questions about why she disappeared, why there had been an ambulance, who had been with her and what actually happened.

A few months ago, Roxie would have noticed every stare. She would have tried figuring out who knew what, which version had spread fastest and whether there was something she needed to shut down before Briarwick decided it was true. She had spent years doing that, watching and managing whatever image of herself she could because there had always been so much about her life she couldn’t control.

Claire’s daughter. The poor girl from the bungalow. Cheer co captain. Zachary Prescott’s girlfriend. The girl whose private life somehow became public entertainment every few weeks.

Roxie had cared so much about which version of her people believed.

Now some sophomore near the cafeteria doors stared directly at her before whispering to a friend, and Roxie almost laughed.

Karen noticed. "What?"

"Nothing."

"That’s suspicious."

Roxie shook her head, still smiling. "I just realized I used to spend so much fucking time worrying about what everyone here thought about me."

Angela looked around the cafeteria. "That sounds exhausting."

"It was."

Karen leaned back in her chair. "Character development."

"Shut up."

"I’m proud of you."

"You’re making it worse."

Karen laughed, but Roxie looked around again and realized she meant it. Same tables, same noise, same people who had watched her life like it belonged to them because Briarwick had always been small enough for everybody to know something about everybody else.

Then she looked at Karen.

Karen had been back for less than a day and already had a drug deal, a car crash, a bathroom overdose and probably three more versions Roxie hadn’t heard yet.

Then Roxie looked at Angela.

That changed the joke slightly.

Angela still had people looking at her too, except her rumors had never been funny. Bianca had made sure half the school saw something they were never entitled to see, and even now Angela still caught people staring or whispering. She had gotten better at holding her head up through it, but Roxie knew there were days when it still hurt.

Roxie leaned back and looked between them. "Jesus. Between the three of us, I think we’ve covered every rumor Briarwick has ever had."

Karen immediately started counting on her fingers. "Poor girl scandal, quarterback scandal, fighting, drugs, overdose, public relationship drama."

Angela stared at her. "And apparently my contribution is being topless in half the school’s phones."

Karen’s hand dropped.

Roxie’s smile faded slightly.

Angela gave them both a look. "Relax. I’m allowed to say it."

Karen’s mouth tightened. "Caleb’s still a piece of shit."

"Yes," Angela said. "He is."

Roxie studied her for a moment, then Angela sighed dramatically and pointed at both of them. "Also, excuse me, are we forgetting that we are national fucking champions?"

Karen blinked.

Roxie started laughing.

Angela looked genuinely offended. "Seriously? We represented this school nationally."

Karen nodded slowly. "Oh, right. We did something respectable."

"We won Nationals."

"And still somehow became Briarwick’s biggest gossip column," Roxie added.

Karen lifted her drink. "Multitalented."

Angela stared at both of them. "I hate you."

Roxie laughed harder, but the joke settled differently inside her now. She could laugh at the rumors because somewhere along the way she had stopped needing Briarwick to understand her. Angela was still working on that because what happened to her had been crueler in a completely different way, and Karen had just returned to find the school creating entertainment out of the worst day of her life.

Still, all three of them were sitting together.

And in a week, they were graduating.

For once Roxie didn’t feel any need to control the story. People could believe whatever stupid version they wanted because soon she wouldn’t be sitting in this cafeteria listening to any of it.

Cheer practice that afternoon felt almost normal. Karen still wasn’t cleared to participate, so she sat on the bleachers with Angela while Roxie practiced with the team. Coach Miller had barely looked at Karen since she arrived, which Roxie knew meant he had noticed everything and was waiting.

Kendall, meanwhile, had returned to her favorite hobby. Acting like she was auditioning for the next Mean Girls.

Of course, Roxie couldn’t let her outdo her.

A few minutes later Kendall glanced toward the bleachers where Karen sat drinking water while Angela showed her something on her phone.

"She looks better."

Roxie turned toward her with one eyebrow raised.

Kendall immediately frowned and crossed her arms. "What?"

"You care."

"I asked one thing."

Roxie smiled.

Kendall rolled her eyes again and called toward the bleachers. "Karen."

Karen lifted her head. ℴ

"You still look like shit."

Karen stared at her for half a second before smirking. "Missed you too."

Kendall flipped her off and turned back toward sophomores like that covered everything she wanted to say.

Roxie laughed under her breath until Coach Miller blew his whistle and told her to pay attention.

Practice finished early because graduation rehearsal was scheduled afterward. As the team started packing up, Coach Miller finally walked toward the bleachers. Karen saw him coming and immediately sat straighter while Angela looked toward Roxie.

Coach Miller stopped in front of Karen. "How are you feeling?"

"Good."

He studied her until Karen sighed.

"Better."

"That’s more believable." He nodded toward his office. "Come see me before rehearsal."

Karen’s eyes immediately found Roxie, who looked away before Karen could drag her into it.

Angela was already smiling. "You look scared."

"I am scared."

"He’s a teacher."

"Just our coach."

Roxie picked up her bag. "That’s what you should be scared of."

Karen looked at her. "You’re coming."

"No."

"You’re my captain."

"You’re also eighteen. You’re a grown, independent woman."

"Barely."

Angela laughed, and when Coach Miller called Karen’s name from across the gym, Karen closed her eyes before standing.

"If I don’t come back, tell my mother she was right about everything."

Roxie laughed as Karen followed him toward the office.

The door closed behind them, and Roxie and Angela stayed near the bleachers while the rest of the team packed up.

Nearly fifteen minutes passed before the office door finally opened.

Karen came out first looking irritated, which wasn’t surprising. The red around her eyes was.

Roxie glanced at Angela. Angela looked back, and they waited until Karen reached them before Roxie asked if Coach Miller had yelled.

"Worse."

Angela frowned. "What did he do?"

Karen looked back toward the office and rubbed at one eye like it suddenly bothered her. "He fucking cared."

Roxie almost laughed, but Karen pointed at her immediately.

"Try it."

Roxie felt her eyes sting too. Coach Miller never let them feel alone. "Gone through that. He’s a master manipulator."

"That he is."

Karen started walking toward the gym doors, forcing Roxie and Angela to follow. She explained that Coach Miller wasn’t interested in punishing her because apparently almost dying, losing her car keys, being grounded and having her mother monitor every ounce of water she drank counted as enough consequences.

"What he’s actually pissed about is that I was drinking while coming here every day and somehow decided there wasn’t one adult in this building I could talk to."

That quieted both Roxie and Angela.

Karen kept walking, eyes ahead. "He said if I ever get that bad again, I walk into his office, I could call. Apparently I don’t even have to talk. I can sit there and swear at him for an hour if that’s all I can manage."

Angela’s expression softened immediately.

Karen caught it from the corner of her eye. "Stop."

"I didn’t say anything."

"You have the emotional face."

"What emotional face?"

"The one that makes me regret telling you things."

Roxie laughed, and Karen rubbed both hands over her face. "I would’ve preferred yelling."

"Probably why he didn’t," Roxie said.

Karen glared at her, but Roxie only smiled.

Graduation rehearsal had already started filling the auditorium by the time they arrived. Teachers were moving through the rows trying to organize seniors by surname while half the students ignored instructions and the other half complained about their assigned seats.

Zac stood near the front with Dylan, Mason and Kyle. He saw Roxie almost immediately and smiled while she made her way toward him.

"How was practice?"

"Kendall still hates me, so everything is normal."

Karen passed them. "She deserves it."

Roxie reached for her, but Karen moved away before she could grab her. Zac laughed and wrapped an arm briefly around Roxie’s waist.

"You good?"

"Yeah."

For once, she meant it without having to think about the answer.

Mason had already gone toward Karen and was asking how she felt in a voice trying very hard to sound casual. Karen told him she was fine and complained that everyone needed to stop asking, while Mason smiled like even being yelled at by her was enough.

Beside them, Dylan was showing Zac something on his phone and talking about something, probably Tennessee. Apparently one of the reporting dates had moved forward, which sent the two of them into another discussion about training schedules and arrival times.

Roxie listened for maybe five seconds before losing interest.

Dylan and Zac had been talking about Tennessee for months. Training, workouts, forms, reporting dates and whatever they needed before leaving had become background noise by now. Half the time Roxie understood none of it, and hearing Dylan remind Zac about another football deadline barely registered anymore.

It was normal.

Roxie moved toward Angela as the teachers started calling for everyone to find their seats.

The rehearsal was exactly as chaotic as expected. Students sat in the wrong rows, people missed their cues, names were mispronounced, and one teacher finally threatened to restart the entire ceremony because the students in the back refused to stop talking. Karen nearly fell asleep during the explanation of diploma procedures and immediately denied it when Roxie caught her.

"You were asleep."

"I was blinking."

"For that long?"

"I’m recovering. Leave me alone."

Roxie smiled and looked around the auditorium.

For years Briarwick had felt enormous to her. Every rumor had mattered, every fight seemed permanent, and every embarrassing moment felt like something people would remember forever. Now teachers were explaining how to walk across a stage, take a diploma and leave.

That was it.

Everything that had once felt so huge was ending with assigned seats, badly pronounced names and teachers begging seniors to listen for five minutes.

Roxie laughed quietly.

Angela glanced toward her. "Again?"

"I can’t help it."

"What?"

Roxie leaned closer. "I just can’t believe how much I used to care about all of this. Who was talking about me, what they knew, what they thought they knew. I spent years trying to control what everybody here thought."

Angela followed her gaze around the auditorium. "Good for you."

Roxie looked at her.

Angela smiled, but there was something more tired behind it. "I’m still working on that part."

Roxie immediately understood.

"Fair."

Angela glanced toward a group of students several rows away, then shrugged. "But I’m graduating, so at least I’ll stop seeing most of these assholes every day."

That made Roxie laugh.

"Now that I can support."

They looked toward Karen, who was arguing with Mason because he had asked if she was tired again, then toward Zac a few rows ahead where Dylan was still talking to him about Tennessee.

Roxie smiled.

In one week, Briarwick could keep every rumor it had ever made about them.

The truth was bigger than any of it anyway.

The three girls everybody loved talking about had also walked onto a national stage together and won.

They had done something here.

Something real.

When everyone finally settled down, the principal walked onto the stage and ran them through the ceremony one last time. Names were called, students crossed the stage, shook hands and returned to their assigned seats while teachers corrected timing and reminded everyone where their families would be sitting.

Once they finished, the principal stepped back toward the microphone and looked over the senior class.

"That’s it for rehearsal. When you come back next week, you’ll walk across this stage as graduates."

The auditorium immediately filled with cheers, whistles and students talking over one another.

Karen leaned across Angela toward Roxie with a grin. "We actually survived Briarwick."

Roxie laughed. "Barely."

Angela shook her head. "The school survived us."

Karen considered that for a moment. "Still debatable."

Roxie laughed.

Karen shrugged. "Nearly getting expelled is more memorable."

"I hate both of you."

Angela was smiling when she said it.

Roxie looked toward the stage again. After all the fights, rumors, humiliations, games, practices, relationships, teachers, stupid decisions and moments she had once been convinced would define her forever, Briarwick was almost finished.

For years Roxie had cared desperately about what this place thought of her because she believed somehow she could control what people saw if she worked hard enough at it.

Now she realized she didn’t need to.

Angela might need longer before she felt the same way. Karen would probably spend the rest of the week hearing new versions of her own hospitalization. Briarwick would keep talking because that was what Briarwick did.

The three of them had one week left.

They were national champions.

They were graduating.

Let Briarwick talk.