Chapter 117. Famous Since High School

Chapter 117. Famous Since High School
By the time Roxanne gets to the hospital with Madelyn, the news of her arrival has already traveled everywhere. In a county where people recognize one another by family name, ranch, and truck, it doesn’t take long for word to spread that Robert Stephen's eldest daughter is back in Texas after four years in New York.

By breakfast, people are already talking about it. By lunchtime, half the county seems to know. Roxanne notices the difference almost immediately.

When she walks into Caleb's hospital room with Madelyn beside her, there are already more flowers than there were the previous day. A large basket of fruit sits beside the window, along with several gift bags containing snacks, books, expensive-looking chocolates, and things Caleb insists he doesn’t remember asking for.

Roxanne stops beside his bed and looks at everything. "What's all this?"

Caleb grins. "People heard you're back. And the nurse station has been full with it, they said they'll wait until the visit time."

Madelyn laughs from behind her. "You have no idea."

Roxanne looks between them, still trying to understand why the hospital suddenly seems so busy. It becomes clearer as the morning passes and familiar faces begin appearing around the building, though most of them remain in the waiting area rather than coming straight into Caleb's room.

They’ve heard that Roxanne is back, but visiting hours haven’t started yet, so they’ve no choice but to wait. Some are people she remembers from school, some are children of families she used to see around the county, and others are old friends who have grown into adults while she has been away.

Several of the boys waiting outside are particularly familiar. They used to follow Roxanne around during high school, finding every possible excuse to sit beside her at lunch, walk her home, or offer to carry something that she could easily carry herself.

At sixteen, Roxanne never pays much attention to their behavior. She considers them friends and classmates, while they silently compete for her attention without ever admitting what they feel.

And now, four years later, they’re still hoping for her, only now they’re making considerably more effort to look their best. One has gone home to change into a clean button-up shirt, carefully fixing his hair before returning to the hospital.

Another spends far too long checking his reflection in the dark screen of his phone, smoothing down his collar and making sure his boots are free of dust. One even brings a small bouquet, then repeatedly checks the flowers while waiting for visiting hours to begin, apparently reconsidering whether giving them to Roxanne will make his intentions too obvious.

They pretend they’re there because they are concerned about Caleb, but nobody believes that explanation for very long.

When visiting hours finally begin, the group slowly makes their way toward the room, trying to appear casual despite having spent nearly an hour waiting. Roxanne remembers some of them vaguely as they approach, recognizing their faces beneath the changes that four years have brought.

Then they see her, for several seconds, the boys who once had no trouble talking to teenage Roxanne suddenly struggle to find anything to say. The girl they remember has changed considerably.

Her brown hair falls neatly around her shoulders, shining beneath the hospital lights, while her clear skin and carefully maintained appearance make her look completely different from the teenager who used to arrive at school with her hair loosely tied back after riding horses.

There’s also a confidence in her now that they don’t remember. Roxanne carries herself with different composure than they remember, speaking naturally and making eye contact without the slightest trace of the shyness she sometimes had as a teenager.

Years in New York and everything she has experienced have shaped her into someone far more polished, someone who seems comfortable in almost any room. One of the boys stares a second too long before realizing she’s looking directly at him.

"Roxie?"

Her smile immediately becomes warmer. "It's been a long time."

That simple smile seems to make him forget every prepared sentence he has been rehearsing. Behind Roxanne, Madelyn notices the reactions and has to bite back a laugh. She remembers exactly how some of these boys used to behave around her sister, and watching them now is almost too entertaining to resist.

Roxanne, meanwhile, remains completely unaware of the effect she’s having on them. She’s simply happy to see people from her childhood again, unaware that several of them have spent the entire morning preparing themselves for a few minutes with the girl they never managed to forget.

The reactions make Madelyn and Caleb increasingly amused. “Holy shit," Caleb mutters.

One young man brings Caleb an entire box of his favorite snacks despite never having spoken to him more than twice. Another arrives with flowers that he awkwardly insists are for the room rather than Roxanne. A third suddenly remembers that Caleb might need a new gaming headset.

Caleb watches all of it with growing amusement. "You've got a fan club," he tells Roxanne.

Roxanne laughs and shakes her head. "They're just being nice."

"Sure," Caleb says, clearly unconvinced.

The gifts continue throughout the day, and eventually Caleb can’t contain himself anymore. He looks at his sister with an expression full of amusement and disbelief. "You're amazing, Roxie."

She looks at him and smiles. "Why?"

"Because you came back and suddenly everybody cares about me."

Samantha, who comes late in the afternoon, laughs from her chair, and even Madelyn has to cover her mouth to hide her amusement.

By late afternoon, the hospital already quiets down. Caleb is tired from the visitors, and thankfully the visiting hours are done. And their father back after some work at the ranch, “Y’all can go back home.”

Roxanne promises to return the following day, and eventually she, Madelyn, and Samantha leave the hospital together. They end the day at a small diner Samantha has visited for years, one of those local places with worn wooden booths, laminated menus, and large windows overlooking the road.

“Ah, it’s been a long while since I had some good ol’ greasy food,” Roxanne says, amused.

Samantha stares at her. “What the hell have you been eating up there in New York?”

“The chef cooks it. I just eat whatever he cooks for me,” Roxanne replies.

“You got a chef?” Madelyn’s eyes widen.

“Yeah, for different seasons. Even when I went off to boarding school, they’d give me all sorts of fancy food. So this is really exciting for me,” she says, practically bouncing in her seat as her Texas accent comes loose.

Samantha sits across from her, laughing about the day’s events while Madelyn keeps bringing up the boys who nearly tripped over their own boots trying to impress Roxanne. “You should've seen the look on their faces,” Madelyn says.

Roxanne hides her smile behind her glass. “I wasn’t looking'."

“That’s exactly why it was so dang funny.” The evening feels easy, almost normal, until the diner door opens again.

Several of the boys from earlier walk inside, Samantha notices them first. Her expression changes as she watches them approach the table, and Madelyn instinctively shifts closer to Roxanne.

The boys are smiling, but there’s something too eager in the way they move toward her. One of them reaches the booth and starts talking before anyone invites him to sit down.

Roxanne remains polite, but the growing crowd makes her uncomfortable. She tries to answer their questions, yet they keep talking over one another, asking about New York, her life, and whether she’s staying in Texas permanently.

Then one of them reaches toward her shoulder. Before his hand can get anywhere near her, the atmosphere around the table changes. "Roxanne," She says, before any of the boy can touch Roxanne.

The diner door opens, and Alexandra walks inside. She crosses the room quickly as several men in black suits follow a few steps behind her. They don’t need to raise their voices or threaten anyone. Their presence alone is enough to make the boys fall silent.

Alexandra reaches the booth and looks briefly at the young men surrounding Roxanne. Madelyn scoots over to Samantha’s side as Alexandra sits next to Roxanne and then places an arm around Roxanne's waist, drawing her gently against her.

Roxanne immediately relaxes into her embrace, Alexandra presses a soft kiss against her hair before looking at the group. "Is there a problem?" Her gesture isn’t intimate or too much, just enough to be seen as protective.

Nobody answers.

Madelyn watches the entire exchange with wide eyes, while Samantha lowers her gaze, barely managing to hide her amused smile. Roxanne, meanwhile, feels the warmth of Alexandra’s arm around her and the familiar sense of safety that comes whenever she’s close to her.

One of the boys, broader and taller than the others, steps forward with a challenging look. “Who the hell are you?”

Alexandra does not even raise her voice. Her expression remains calm, almost gentle, as she looks directly at him. “I’m the one who can ruin your whole family if you keep pushing your boundaries.”