Ava did not know when the newspaper committee would reach out to her, but she did not think it would be during her class the very next day. She certainly did not hope that the scary girl—Zoey was her name according to Camilla—would be her interviewer.

It felt more like an interrogation.

“Avery Chavez,” Zoey said. She had taken Ava to an open study room in the library. It was private and made Ava even more uncomfortable.

“That's my name,” Ava replied with a slight smile, “but like I said yesterday, you can just call me Ava.”

Zoey rolled her shoulders. “Ava…, I have been told that you moved here very recently.”

“Yeah, like, last week.”

“That is what I heard.”

“Seems like you've heard a lot about me. Who've you been asking?”

“We are in the same grade, so it is easy to find out information about you.”

“Oh, you're a senior, too?”

“I am. You are a bit older than most of us. If I am not mistaken, you are 19 years old.”

“Yeah, I was held back last year. Failed some classes, so I wasn't able to graduate on time.”

“You failed classes?” Ava nodded slowly. “Do you even have a 3.0 GPA?”

“No, but—”

“We do not accept members with a GPA below a 3.0. In fact, no sports here are supposed to have students with such low grades. How are you on the cheer team?”

“Oh, I was given an exception.”

“Have you even been involved in a journalism or writing club before? Have you done any writing outside of class?”

Ava swallowed. “No.”

“Then why should you be allowed into our committee? Even if we offered exceptions, what makes you think you should have one?”

“Like I said yesterday, the three of you can't get near Camilla anymore because you've confronted her. So, if you were planning on getting any more information out of her, your only hope is with me.”

“You speak as though we are incapable of watching her.”

“You're incapable of doing it safely.”

Zoey took a step forward. “There is no safety interacting with her in any capacity. We, in the committee, are in danger because we have confronted her, but you are in even more danger just by speaking with us. Being on the cheer team with her and even attending this school is not safe for anyone else. No one is safe. However, there is no safe way of being involved with this committee. If you want to join, you must understand that.”

Ava's eyes widened as she thought, I didn't realize they thought Camilla was this dangerous. Do they really believe she would've killed someone?

“I do understand,” Ava lied. “To tell you the truth, I don't really care what danger you put me in. I'm not one who scares easily, and I'm not one who cares much for my well-being. I'd rather risk my life and take her down than do nothing and let her keep rampaging.”

Zoey paused. “What makes you so certain that Camilla is a murderer? You only just moved here. I'm having trouble understanding how you are so adamantly opposed to her.”

“I saw the video of the fight. That redheaded girl—”

“Amy.”

“Amy. She was so confident in her accusations. Her rage… I've never seen anything like it. I can't imagine what it was like in person.” Ava looked down and shook her head. “To accuse someone like Camilla for something as heinous as murder…, Amy must be telling the truth.”

Zoey leaned back. “She is.”

“And that's exactly why I need to help. I'll help keep an eye on Camilla. I'll help investigate her. Hell, I'll even pretend to be her friend. I'll do whatever it takes to help Amy because she has been through more than I can imagine. I lost my mother last year, and her killer isn't just wandering around. Camilla should be in fucking prison.”

Zoey scrunched her nose. “You use very vulgar language.”

Ava crossed her arms. “I grew up in a city that hardly gave a damn about me or my family. When my mom died and there was no family left to care for, I got nothing but her car and what few possessions she left behind. There was no money left for me and no supportive figure in my life. I was 18 years old. According to the government, that's old enough to take care of myself. I left that city with a car to sleep in and a fleeting glimpse of hope. I took all of that to this suburban town where no one looks or talks like me, and yeah, I feel like an outcast. When you've gone through what I have and grown up where I have, your language can get a little vulgar. That's what I was surrounded by for my entire life.

“Now, I don't know what you were surrounded by that makes you talk like a robot, but that ain't my business. It might make me uncomfortable—just like my language seems to make you uncomfortable—but that's your past.”

“I was raised to speak properly,” Zoey said.

“And, again, that's your business. I'm still going to speak this way whether I'm on the committee or not, so either you welcome me and deal with my way of speaking in exchange for spying on Camilla, or you miss out on a golden opportunity just because you don't want to hear me say the word ‘fuck.’”

Zoey shifted her weight. “You may have to listen to my ‘robot voice’ giving you instructions.”

Ava shrugged. “Isn't that what I'm signing up for? I'm here to help you guys. If that means I'm being told what to do, that's fine by me.”

“Even if that means you are put into danger?”

Ava smirked. “I'm not afraid of danger.”

꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒦

“Camilla Greene for Class of 2020’s president,” Michelle announced in the hallway after class. She roamed the bustling halls with stickers, doing what she did best—chatting. If there was one person she was best at talking about, it was Camilla.

“If you're looking for the most well-rounded candidate,” Michelle continued, “then Camilla hits the mark, without a doubt. Experience? She's been class president since middle school; she knows what she's doing. Academics? She's been top of the class for the same amount of time. Sports? She's captain of the cheer team, so she's going to be your biggest cheerleader. Arts? She's in drama and choir. Clubs? She's one of the top members of the debate team. In every category, she checks off the boxes, so make sure she has your vote today.”

André watched on with a chuckle. “Wow,” he said. “She certainly knows what she's doing.”

Camilla grinned. “She's been the biggest supporter in my campaigns since I started.”

“Back in middle school?” Camilla nodded. “You've been friends for that long, huh?”

“Yup. All the way back at Liberty Middle School. Maybe that's the only reason I can tolerate her.”

Meagan laughed. “Maybe that's why I can't.”

“Oh, Meagan, you didn't meet in middle school?” André asked.

“No, I went to a different school. We met freshman year. I had basically all the same classes as Camilla, plus we were on the cheer team, debate team, and student council together. We were bound to become friends. Michelle just sort of came with Camilla, like a package deal.”

“You're on the student council, too? I guess I'll be voting for you. I don't know anyone else running.”

“Oh, no,” Meagan began, “you won't be voting for me.”

“Why not?”

Camilla slowly nodded, lips pursed as she answered, “She's technically running against me.”

“Well, not really,” Meagan said. “I mean, on the actual ballot, I'm running for president, but I'm really running for vice president, like I was last year.”

“Is that not a separate position?” André asked.

Meagan shook her head, responding, “No, the vice president is whoever receives the second highest number of votes in the presidential running.”

“Camilla!” Michelle called. “Come here!”

“Here we go,” Camilla said with a sigh as she left Meagan and André.

André paused. “So you don't… want to be class president?”

“I mean, it's not that,” Meagan replied. “I just….” She sighed. “What's the point in running against someone like Camilla? She's involved in so many things and she's been class president for so long. Our class knows who they want, and it's her.”

“But you're involved in a lot, too. Don't you think you're just as qualified?”

Meagan huffed. “That's a topic I don't want to get into.”

“Is it because I'm dating her?”

“Absolutely.”

André smiled. “Whatever you say will be kept between us.” He placed a hand over his heart and raised the other. “I swear.”

Meagan waited, thinking before she spoke. When she finally did, her words came out like dripping molasses. “Camilla is… not someone you want to run against. Not so much because she's popular but because… she doesn't take kindly to competitors.”

“Really? I didn't see her as much of a competitive person.”

“You must not know her that well, then. She is the most competitive person I know. And that probably contributes to her accomplishments. She's so determined to be the best at everything that she's almost unstoppable.” She turned to André. “I guess, to you, that's probably admirable.”

“It depends. If she's competitive and respectful, then yes, but if she's discouraging to her opponents…”

“Maybe not, then.”

André tilted his head. “Has she discouraged you?”

“At first, yes. I mean, even the idea that I would run against her was, like, betrayal to her. She didn't want me to do it at all, but I convinced her that someone had to be vice president, so she became willing. It was pretty tense during election week, but after she got class president, she relaxed. I think that's why she's not as worried about it this year; she knows she'll get it again.”

“Is anyone else running?”

“Nope.”

“So you're both guaranteed to be on the council. Do you want to be class president?”

Meagan blinked. “Well, I mean…, yes.”

“Then why don't you go for it?”

She sighed. “You don't know Camilla like I do. I couldn't be her friend if I do that. I'd become her rival.”

“That's not really fair. I can understand Camilla being frustrated with you running against her, but to get rid of your friendship over it would be immature. I sincerely hope she wouldn't really do that.”

“Who knows.”

“Apparently you know better than I do. But, look, unless you think you're underqualified, I think you should go for it.”

Meagan looked down and shrugged. “It's a bit late to go for it. Elections are today.”

“Well, give yourself a case. At the very least, you can go for it again next year.”

Nodding slowly, she said, “We'll see.”

André's gaze traveled down the hallway before it halted. “Oh, it's Ava.”

Looking in the same direction, Meagan spotted her teammate. Ava stood idly beside the lockers, staring at her phone. From what Meagan could tell, Ava did not seem to have many friends yet, even on the cheer team. Despite her natural beauty with caramel skin and thick hair, she seemed to fade into the background.

“Do you know her?” Meagan asked André, observing his lingering eyes.

He bit his lip. “She looks strikingly familiar.”

Meagan raised a brow. “Really? I mean, you both moved here recently. Is it possible—”

“That's it!”

Without an explanation, André marched down the hall in pursuit of Ava. She did not notice him until he was directly in front of her. As her head snapped up, she flicked her phone screen from his sight.

“Avery Chavez,” André said. “You went to Brentwood High School with me back in St. Louis.”

Ava's face, already red from being startled, lit up with a smile. “Oh, so you remember me now.”

“Did you know who I was on Saturday?”

“Sure did.”

They laughed together. “Why not say anything?”

Ava shrugged. “I'd rather be a mystery until the memories click back into place.”

“Well, I'm glad to see you again. I thought you were a senior last year. Did you—”

“Oh, um, no I'm a senior now.”

“Gotcha. It's too bad we don't have classes together. It could've been like the good old days.”

Ava giggled. “Maybe I'll take up another psychology class for no reason.”

André grinned, and Ava admired his wide lips. She watched the caramel shade of his cheeks glow under the lights. His narrow, dark eyes gleamed at her. They would be so much prettier, Ava thought, catching a brunette in the edge of her vision, if they did not look so longingly at another girl.

“Hey,” André greeted as Camilla arrived at his side. “Done campaigning for now?”

Camilla laughed. “Who knows.”

Ava glared at Camilla, eyes traveling between the couple. As Camilla met her gaze, she fought back a knowing eye roll. The only reason she had come by to retrieve André was to fulfill her end of the deal, which Ava had been demanding for the past half hour over text. After finding Camilla’s phone number from another cheerleader, Ava was determined to use it the moment she became a part of the committee. Now, finally, she would have her André back.

Camilla sighed, turning to him and saying, “I wanted to talk to you about something.”

“Sure,” André replied. He briefly turned back to Ava. “I'll see you later.”

“Bye, André,” Ava cooed.

Facing away from André, Camilla was finally able to roll her eyes. She searched the hallway for a secluded area to speak with him, but because there were still five minutes left before the next class, there was no such spot. Camilla scoffed and settled for a slight nook where the hall turned.

“Everything okay?” André asked, leaning his shoulder against the wall.

Camilla took a deep breath, getting into character for the scene she created for herself. “Um, not really.”

André raised a brow. “What's up?”

“Well…, it's about our date.” He noticeably stiffened up, and Camilla relished in it. “I wasn't lying when I told you that I enjoyed it. It was nice, and of course, I enjoyed getting to know you better.”

“But…?”

Camilla sighed. “I don't want to keep dating you.”

André tilted his head. “Why?”

“I don't really think we're compatible… romantically.”

His brows scrunched. “What changed? Because, from what I remember, you asked me out.”

Camilla raised her palms in front of her. “I did, but that doesn't mean my feelings can't change.”

“No, they can change, but what changed them in the first place? Because you seemed completely fine during the date. Texting me afterwards, you seemed normal. Yesterday and today in class, you acted the same as before. What happened?”

“I just… did some thinking, and I don't think we're compatible anymore.”

“Anymore. So, you used to think we were, but now you don't. I'm just asking you what happened to change that?”

“You didn't do anything to change how I feel. I just don't feel ready to date you right now.”

“That's a completely different reason, Camilla. Do you think we're not compatible, or do you not feel ready to date me? Which is it?”

Camilla hesitated. “I don't feel ready to date you.”

“Why is that?”

“It's just… I don't think I'm in a position to be dating right now.”

André stared at her, brows furrowed. “Then why did you ask me out in the first place?”

“Well, I wasn't sure if I was ready or not, but now I know that I wasn't.”

“Don't you think you should've figured that out sooner?”

“How was I supposed to know? I liked you, and I thought I wanted to date you. I tried it and realized it wasn't the time for me. Like, there should be no issue.”

“But what made you realize you weren't ready?”

“Oh my god, André.” Camilla scoffed. “Does there have to be a reason for everything?”

“If you used me as a test dummy for your mental state, then yes.”

Camilla’s huffed. Her pulse intensified, and she could feel her face becoming flushed. “You are literally insane.”

“How am I insane for wanting to know the truth? You're clearly lying to me.”

“I'm not lying. I'm sparing your feelings, but you're too stuck up to be grateful.”

“Why spare my feelings when you keep throwing insults at me? Just say it. Why don't you want to date me anymore?”

Camilla sucked her cheek. “Last year, I was in the best relationship of my life. I was adored, respected, and cared for. I was treated the way I had always deserved, yet it still fell apart.”

“So, what, you're worried we'd fall apart?”

“No. You're nothing like him. I don't think we'd be as compatible as my ex-boyfriend and I were.”

André sucked his teeth. “Why don't you get back with Jared, then?”

“Because it might fall apart—wait, who told you I dated Jared?”

“I'm on a team with him, and that team has seen me and you together. They were quick to tell me. It explained why he had such a grudge against me from the moment I moved here.”

“Yeah, well, that's Jared. He gets very… attached.”

“Apparently, so did you.” Camilla tilted her head. “You're clearly not over him.”

“I wouldn't say that—”

“No, you should've said that from the start of this conversation. In fact, you should've figured that out before leading me on.”

“I didn't lead you on, André. Will you just relax? I was testing the waters, and now I'm respectfully communicating with you that this isn't going to work anymore. You really have no reason to be this upset.”

André squinted. “She was right about you.”

“What?”

“Someone recently told me something that gave me a glimpse into your character. I thought I knew you pretty well, but clearly I didn't because you are not someone I want to date.”

“Don't try to shield your pride. I'm breaking things off with you.”

André sighed and shook his head. “I sincerely hope you don't rekindle things with Jared. I can't even imagine what you did to him while in a relationship.”

“Oh my god. He loved me. We had a healthy relationship.”

“The way you talked to me just now, I doubt you've ever had a healthy relationship with anyone.”

Camilla opened her mouth to speak, but before she could, André turned from her. He did not look back.