The Dixon Rule: Chapter 37

A WEEK INTO THE NEW SEMESTER, I RUN INTO SHANE’S EX–GIRLFRIEND on the tree-lined quad. I know Shane saw her already, but this is my first Lynsey encounter in the Briar wild.

As usual, her smile holds a trace of coldness. I don’t know if aloof is simply her default state or if it’s because I’m dating her ex.

Lynsey closes the distance between us, sauntering toward me in a pair of dark-blue skinny jeans and a black tank top with lace trim. Her hair is arranged in a tight bun. I swear, this woman is elegance personified. In comparison, I feel almost juvenile in my black-and-silver Briar cheerleading uniform.

“Diana, hey.”

“Hi.” I paste on a friendly smile. “How was your first week?”

“Overwhelming,” she admits. “This campus is a lot bigger than Liberty. I keep having to check my map.” She shows me her phone screen, which is open to a map of Briar.

“Where do you need to be?” This time my smile isn’t forced. I get it. I remember being a freshman here. I was late to every class for a solid week.

“The Greenley building. It’s supposed to be somewhere around here.”

“Come on, I’ll walk with you. I’m going in that direction.”

“Thanks. Do you have class?” she asks.

“Cheer practice. The sports facilities and gyms are on the way to Greenley.”

We fall into stride together, dodging a group of guys in Briar football jerseys. They’re fans, not players, and they all whistle at me as I pass in my pleated cheer skirt. I ignore them and keep walking.

“How’s it going with Shane?” Lynsey tips her head toward me. “He said you’re still seeing each other.”

“We are, yeah. And it’s going pretty great.”

More than great, in fact. Our friends-with-benefits arrangement has proven to be fruitful and resulted in some of the raunchiest sex I’ve ever had in my life. Like with Will watching us while Shane fucked me on the kitchen counter? Never thought that’s something I’d be doing.

“How’s Tyreek?” I ask her.

“He’s good.” Her tone is noncommittal.

I raise an eyebrow. “I sense some hesitation. Everything okay on that front?”

“I don’t know.” She shrugs. “BU is only an hour away, but it seems like anytime I ask him to come here, he convinces me to come up to Boston instead. It’s not super long distance, but he’ll have to come during the week because I’ve still got rehearsals.”

“I can’t believe you’re entered in the American Nine,” I say, unable to stop a note of grudging respect. “You must be phenomenal.”

“I can’t believe you managed to get Shane to enter one event, let alone three.” Her tone becomes rueful. “It’s nice to see him maturing. Growing into the man I always knew he could be.”

I bristle on his behalf. “What was he like before?”

“Selfish,” she says bluntly. “He had a one-track mind, and that track was hockey.”

“I mean, it still is.” I shrug. “But maybe now he’s better able to incorporate other items into his schedule.”

“Yeah, well, he didn’t do that with me.” Annoyance clouds her expression. “No offense to you, but it’s frustrating, you know? It’s like you have this fixer-upper house that you’re pouring all your time and energy into, and then when it’s beautifully renovated, you don’t even get to live in it.”

It’s difficult to keep my jaw closed. Is she seriously comparing Shane to a run-down house that she, what? Slapped a coat of paint on and made better? Bitch.

He was fine the way he was, I want to retort.

But at the same time, I have no idea what he was like in high school. Maybe he was a total bonehead and a terrible boyfriend.

“Someone else is reaping the benefits,” she says, waving a hand toward me as she continues with her insensitive analogy. “And it makes you want to dip into your savings and buy that house back.”

I don’t know if she’s joking, but I laugh regardless because it’s so ridiculous. Does she truly think she can just snap her fingers and get him back?

“I don’t think it’s going to be that easy.” I gesture at myself. “You know, on account of his girlfriend.”

“It was a joke.”

“No,” I say evenly. “I don’t think it was.”

Any lingering humor fades. “It was a joke,” she repeats.

“Really.”

We stare at each other for a minute. Her unwavering gaze doesn’t bother me. I jerk a finger toward the ivy-colored building twenty yards away.

“That’s you right there.”

“Thank you.” Lynsey takes a step forward, then stops to look over her shoulder. “I don’t want Shane back, Diana.” She pauses meaningfully, a smirk forming on her pouty mouth. “If I did, though, it wouldn’t be that hard to get him.”

With that, she saunters off.

I’m utterly fuming as I walk into the gym a few minutes later. What the hell was that? This chick actually thinks she can steal my man?

He’s not your man.

Okay, but she doesn’t know that.

And she has a boyfriend of her own! What kind of selfish-ass bitch goes around threatening to steal someone’s boyfriend when she’s got one at home?

He’s not your real boyfriend.

Well, maybe he fucking should be, I silently snap at the voice in my head.

My volatile response to Lynsey’s threat gives me pause. Is that what I really want? For Shane to be my boyfriend? My mind is suddenly a jumbled mess.

The only thing I’m certain about is that I cannot fucking stand Shane’s ex.

I stomp into the locker room and yank open my locker, so I can shove my backpack into it. Then I take a long, calming breath.

I can’t go into practice this riled up. You need a cool head when you’re performing stunts and tumbling routines where one misstep can mean a broken bone or a concussion. Not only that, but I have an added dose of pressure when it comes to this squad. Not only am I the captain, but I’m also one of three flyers and the top girl. That means I’m at the top of the pyramid, which is fucking terrifying. The pressure is liable to choke you alive if you let it.

As captain, I always show up early for practice so I can check in beforehand with our coach, Nayesha. So I’m startled when I hear footsteps nearing the locker room door. A lot of them. Which is even weirder. One girl might show up thirty minutes early, but not the three that enter a moment later.

Suddenly I find myself on the receiving end of three grave expressions.

“Sit down, Captain,” Audrey says.

It’s sort of a random trio. Crystal and Audrey are friendly but not close, and Madison doesn’t really interact with either of them. The only thing they have in common is…

Shane.

Goddamn it, Lindley.

Is his fan club going to beat me up in the locker room for getting with him? I told Crystal during our first cheer practice this week that I was seeing Shane. It was a full-disclosure, I-need-to-be-transparent chat that I really didn’t want to have but forced myself to because I knew eventually it would get around.

“Sit down,” Crystal urges, and that’s when I realize they don’t actually look mad.

They’re concerned.

“I’m going to keep standing, if you don’t mind.”

They all cross their arms in identical poses. Crystal speaks up in a firm tone.

“This is an intervention, Diana.”