𝐁𝐞𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐲𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐁𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐝

Chapter Five

Strange looks and cautious questions followed Camilla all day. It became exhausting to feign innocence, but she had more difficulty pretending to care about River’s whereabouts.

Camilla had committed many heinous acts in her life. Somehow, she had never once been caught, so she was not accustomed to the effects of that. Even after rehearsing with Zach over what she would say to her peers, Camilla could not tell how genuine she appeared.

Luckily, others were not as bold as the musical cast when questioning her. Somehow, even their curiosity came across intensely to her. By the end of the day, Camilla was beyond drained.

Still, she had an entire cheer practice to get through. She wondered what her team knew about River’s disappearance, if anything.

She entered the locker room with Michelle and Meagan at her sides. Although it had become a challenge for Camilla to distinguish the looks she received, those from her fellow cheerleaders seemed normal.

Her shoulders relaxed as she walked to her locker, but they quickly tensed up again as Meagan spoke.

“How do you think practice is going to go?” she asked in a low voice.

Michelle leaned back against a bench. “The girls I spoke to earlier heard about the disappearance,” she noted, not as quiet as Meagan, “but they didn't even know River. No one seemed to have heard any of the false accusations.”

Camilla cringed, saying, “We should try to keep it that way, so maybe we don't talk about it.” Meagan’s brows scrunched. “I've had to talk about it all day. I really just want to take this practice as a chance to get away from the rumors.”

“We're just trying to help,” Meagan reasoned.

“You're my friends,” Camilla replied. “Of course you're going to help me. I wouldn't expect anything else.”

The girls exchanged glances before Camilla continued, saying, “And, obviously, I appreciate the updates. For right now, though, I just want a break.”

With a small smile, Michelle wrapped Camilla into a hug. As her arms tightened, Camilla forced herself to return the gesture, although her body remained rigid.

“You deserve a break,” Michelle agreed. “We'll give you that. Right, Meagan?”

If that's what you need,” Meagan responded, “then sure.”

Michelle pulled back and met Camilla's blue eyes. “We're always going to be here for you.”

Camilla plastered on a grin. “That means a lot.”

Still, their support wasn't enough to put an end to Amy's defamation. Camilla could hardly feel grateful at all.

The cheer practice began with no mention of River. She felt just as relaxed as she had during the last practice—before River had taken her role and Camilla killed them.

She could sense her tension melting away. Finally, she felt as though these moments would pass, and her reputation would revert back to normal.

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Those carefree moments did not last when Camilla returned home.

As she drove closer to her house, she noticed an unfamiliar car in the driveway. It wasn't until she began to pull in that she read “police” on the side of it.

It was too late to turn back.

Unable to see into the car's windows, Camilla feared officers would rush out of the vehicle and surround her, guns drawn. Yet, she exited her own car with no confrontation. Upon closer inspection, she could see nobody inside the car. For a moment, she imagined Zach in the backseat, as if he'd confessed to their crimes. But, of course, he was not there either.