Camilla's eyes darted up from her phone as André entered the chemistry lab only seconds before the late bell rang.
"That's a new record," she noted, chuckling. "Five seconds before the late bell, and you've only been here for three days."
"That's still early," he defends.
"No, it's not!" Camilla argued with another laugh.
"I was five seconds early." He laughed with her, plopping his bag and himself down at the other end of the table.
Before Camilla could retort in response to his ridiculous reasoning, Meagan tapped her on the shoulder and whispered in her ear, "I need you for a sec."
Camilla left André at their table and met Meagan across the room with Michelle. "What do you need?"
"It's about the newspaper," Michelle stated, spinning in her chair to face her best friend.
"What about it?"
"We've been thinking about a name," Meagan said. "See, the other newspaper is called the Edwardsville Paper, but since our mascot is a tiger, we decided to call it the Tiger Times."
"I decided on the name, actually," Michelle boasted, flicking her blonde hair.
Camilla laughed at her, noting, "That's a great name, but who all is writing it?"
"I'm the founder, duh," Meagan informed, batting her eyes, "and I'm going to write it most of the time. Then, we picked Cassady Adair to write anytime I can't."
Michelle butted in, saying, "And I'll be doing the interviewing. From what we know, the Edwardsville Paper has the founder, Zoey Larson, the interviewer, Leah Miller, and the other writer and cameraman, Dylan Something. I dunno his last name, but it's not important."
"So we have all the same people. Cassady can be our camerawoman too. She said she knows how to work a camera."
"That's great guys," Camilla said. "Is Jared not helping, though?"
At that, the girls busted out laughing. "Jared? Seriously!?" Michelle asked.
"That guy couldn't pass English to save his life," Meagan pointed out, "and you think he could write a whole newspaper article? Even if it's to defend you, he couldn't do it."
"C'mon, guys," Camilla reasoned, "you didn't tell him all that stuff, right?"
"It's true, girl," Michelle stated.
"That probably upset him a little, don't you think?"
Meagan scoffed and waved a hand dismissively. "Oh, he's fine. If he can't handle that, he should work harder to actually pass English class."
"Why, Camilla?" Michelle asked with a hint of mischief in her voice. "Why don't you want him to be upset?"
'Not this again,' Camilla thought. 'No matter how sly you think you are, your intentions are clear as day, Michelle. It's pathetic, really, but I guess you're much too oblivious to notice your own unintelligence.'
She concealed her intrusive thoughts, though, and retorted, "Because he's my friend, and I care about my friends. I'd defend any of my friends if someone said that about you."
"Sure you would," Michelle responded, dragging out her statement, but Camilla chose to ignore her implication and wandered back to the table with André.
"What was all that about?" he asked, and Camilla tensed up.
During the two days since André's arrival, he and Camilla had become much closer, as well as with her friends. Jared, true to what Michelle had suggested before, stayed distant and cold toward André, but her other friends on the football team welcomed him. He even planned to play at the game that Friday because, according to the coach, he was going to be responsible for their much-needed comeback.
But despite his effortless fit in with their clique, Camilla blocked any mention of the recent events from him. Even her other friends abided by her request and neglected to mention anything, so she had been sure to keep any discussions with her friends about the newspaper or campaign away from him. Regardless, she knew that it would only be a matter of time before someone else informed him, and she didn't want him to find out from anyone with a different standpoint than her and her friends.
Reluctantly, Camilla told André about the recent events, making sure to lightly mention the accusations against her and highlight the reasons why it couldn't have been her. She used a similar tactic as she had with her friends, but it was much gentler in that she assured him repeatedly that she was innocent. In a way, she worried it would make her seem more guilty, but he pitied her.
"I can't believe that happened to you, I'm so sorry," he said.
"It's okay," Camilla replied.
There was a moment of silence followed by him saying, "Why would Amy say that?"
"I have no idea. At first, I thought maybe she was just suspicious because I left around the same time, but that doesn't add up because she reported Amanda as being dead even before she was announced as missing. Besides, I have no clue why she'd go this far off of a suspicion. Maybe she just has something against me."
"That's gotta be it."
"All my friends think she's responsible for Amy's disappearance," Camilla commented, wanting to make sure the topic was brought up.
"Do you think so?"
"I know I had nothing to do with it apart from being at the same place at nearly the same time, so I think it's possible."
The rest of the class period—even after Meagan and Michelle returned to the table—they ranted about the events. The situation had started only a week ago, but the talk about it was already dying down especially around Camilla. Nobody wanted to rant over and over about the same issue every single day, so they had stopped. But since André had only just learned about it, they couldn't help but fill him in.
It was the same routine everytime, though. Camilla would go off for a while, she'd become frustrated, Tiffany would be brought up, she'd be in tears, her friends would comfort her. She was bored of it. It was just another one of those days when everyone in her friend group was talking about it, and by the end of the day, she was nearly drained.
At least she got one step closer to André. Opening up to him, she was sure, was the first step to winning him.
In fourth period, Meagan was still ranting about it to Shane, and by then Camilla left for the bathroom because she'd had enough. Or, at least, she pretended to have. Sure, she was burnt out from faking her emotions on the daily, but it was convincing to anyone who happened to be nearby, just like Jared who met her in the hallway.
"Skipping as usual?" Camilla asked with a knowing smile.
"Maybe I was just going to the bathroom," Jared suggested.
"Or maybe you were sick of English class again."
Jared's smile widened. "Maybe you're right. But you can hardly talk since you're here too."
Her smile fell, and as she had hoped, Jared noticed immediately. "What's wrong?"
"We told André about everything."
His jaw tightened. "He seriously didn't believe you?"
"What? No, he did," she promised, and his muscles loosened up. "It was actually really sweet. He was so supportive and promised to protect me."
Jared looked away, but she still caught a glimpse of his eyebrow twitching in annoyance. "I already protect you," he muttered before quickly adding, "I mean, we all do."
"Yeah, so it's good to have someone with no original bias on my side. But I'm just sick of everyone talking about it."
Camilla was actually being honest, in a way. She was sick of it but not in the way she made it seem.
"I'm sorry," he mumbled as he glanced up at something. Before she could look too, he suddenly pulled her into a tight hug by the waist. With their bodies so close, she couldn't resort to hugging him by his waist as well and instead draped her arms around his neck.
Camilla hated the interaction, but it was necessary to keep him head over heels for her, so she went with it. He didn't let go for a while, but when he finally did, he was glaring across the hallway. Camilla followed his gaze and met André's.
Ignoring the tense atmosphere created from their shared jealousy, she waved him over.
"Seems like everyone's skipping today," she said, poking him in the side once he was close enough.
His mouth formed a halfhearted smile, and he defended himself, saying, "Meagan texted me that you seemed upset, so I came looking for you."
"Oh, yeah, but it'll be alright. I feel better with both of you caring about me. Thank you, André." Camilla grabbed his hand and gave it a quick squeeze.
She then turned to face Jared, whose face was stoic until he met her gaze, and pulled him into a short hug by the waist. Them, she left, leaving the two of them to choose between separating from or arguing with each other.
By the end of the school day, Camilla was more than ready to dip, but it was a Thursday, which, as always, meant that the cheerleaders, marching band, and football team would be practicing for the pep rally the following day.
"You okay today?" Michelle asked in the locker rooms. "You seem out of it. Like, more than normal, I mean."
"I'm alright," Camilla assured her, intentionally sounding unconvincing.
Michelle looked up from tying her shoes and focused directly on her friend. "Hey, I'm sorry if we bothered you talking about...well, everything."
Camilla sighed. "It's fine. André needed to know, and I'm glad he does. I just want all of this to go away."
"It will. These kinds of rumors always do."
"But this isn't just a rumor, it's a murder accusation." She made sure to whisper the last part so that none of the girls talked about it. "That's not something that just goes away, at least not until Amanda is found."
"She will be," Michelle promised. She had a habit of promising even if she had no idea what the outcome would be. But Camilla knew that her promise wouldn't come true. She almost wished it would.
"I hope so."
Out on the track, the girls lined up. Camilla watched as the band filed into the stands, some of the members spotting her and whispering. They weren't discreet, especially not those that directly pointed at her. She pretended to be oblivious, as usual.
"Alright, girls," the cheer captain, Caroline, called, "we have a new teammate joining us today!"
Indeed, a short, curvy girl with straight black hair and tan skin was standing beside the captain, someone Camilla didn't recognize. She hadn't heard about a new student nor a new cheerleader, perhaps because she was so caught up in ranting the entire day.
The new girl planted her hands on her waist and stuck out her tongue provocatively. Camilla knew she was the stereotypical "hot cheeto girl" that thinks she's "ghetto."
"Hey, guys," the new girl greeted us. "I'm Avery, but you can call me Ava. I'm a senior, and I'm looking forward to being on the team!"
Caroline guided her to a spot beside Camilla, and as Ava caught her eye, she plastered on a smile that seemed a little too forced.
But Camilla stopped caring as they started going over cheers for Ava. Camilla—being the assistant captain—guided her whenever she needed help, but they didn't talk otherwise. Her demeanor was cold and distant.
Michelle jabbed her elbow into Camilla's side, dragging her out of her thoughts. "Oh my god, girl," Michelle squealed.
"What was that for?" Camilla snapped back.
"Literally turn around, dumbass! André is totally staring at you!"
Camilla forced a smirk from showing on her face. "Okay? I'm busy trying to go over these cheers with—"
"Girl, he's gesturing for me to get your attention. Just turn around!"
"Michelle, I—"
Michelle interrupted her by grabbing her shoulders and whipping her around to face André. And he was eyeing her from the field like Michelle claimed. He laughed and waved at her before Shane and Thomas noticed and shoved him around. Camilla suppressed her giggles as she turned back around.
"Girl, he's so into you!" Michelle nearly shouted.
"Oh my god, you're so loud," Camilla said, shushing her.
Michelle shook her head and continued teasing her, saying, "André likes you, André likes you, André likes you!"
"Oh, stop acting like a middle schooler."
"You know I'm right! And you know you like him back."
"No comment."
Michelle screamed in excitement, earning a scolding from both Camilla and the captain.
"You're too easy to read, Camilla," Michelle commented in a whisper.
Camilla had to shove down the bubble of laughter that formed in her throat. She couldn't help but be amused that Michelle of all people thought she knew her. As if! The only person that knew her true nature was Zach, and even he didn't understand her true feelings, or rather, lack of feelings.
Ava went through the rest of the practice without speaking to Camilla, not even for assistance. Michelle, meanwhile, wouldn't shut up about André.
Back in the locker rooms afterwards, Camilla tried to start a conversation with Ava.
"So, it's actually kinda crazy," she began. "You and this guy on the football team both moved here in the same week from Chicago."
Until all of her belongings were properly shoved into her locker, Ava avoided eye contact. She then swung the door shut and looked at me with another odd smile.
"Wait, really?" she asked. "That's crazy! What's his name?"
"André Garcia," Camilla answered, feeling somewhat reassured by Ava's behavior.
"When did he move?"
"Literally on Tuesday."
"Oh my god, really? I can't even, that's so cool!"
They laughed for a moment, but after that, silence washed over them again. Ava's grin faded quickly after the moment ended, and she continued packing her things.
Camilla left practice before Ava, but she couldn't stop thinking about the new girl's demeanor. Something about her unsettled Camilla.
But she had to focus on André because that was her priority. And nothing was going to get in her way.