Chapter 7
CHAPTER SEVEN
SAFETY IN NUMBERS
TARYN
Dance is my salvation.
At least for the few minutes of our performance, my mind was blissfully blank.
If Carole and Lexi’s smiles are anything to go by, we did a good job both on the platform and in the stands.
Like we killed it with our show, the Cove Knights wiped the floor with UCLA. Tucker is absolutely on fire, making save after save and denying the opposing team even one goal to save their dignity.
Nash and Davis, one of the younger guys on the team, protect the crease with tough efficiency.
Mack and Colsen are a duo to fear with a hat trick and a ton of assists.
Even the second and third lines do a great job and score some goals.
To be truly unbeatable, however, the Cove Knights need to cover the right wing better.
It’s their weakest spot hands down. And while tonight it wasn’t a huge problem against a slower UCLA, who’s obviously behind in their training schedule, it could become a definite Achilles heel later in the season.
But despite how fast-paced and riveting the game is, I don’t give the action on the ice my full attention.
The words of the latest text message keep playing in my head on an endless loop, distracting me from the game.
What would the thousands of people watching you perform think if they knew they were watching a murderer and a slut? Would they lose their heads like your latest victim? I told you to break it off with them. The clock is ticking, bitch.
The person who sent the text knows how Tim died and knows that I’m dancing here in Star Cove.
In theory, it could be anyone who went to school with me and saw me with Tim at that party. Knowing that I’m here is easy because of how popular the reality show has become since the first episode.
It could be someone who isn’t even in the state but all the way back in South Carolina or anywhere in the country.
But on second thought, they demanded that I break up with my guys.
To know that I’m dating Colsen and Tucker, my mysterious blackmailer must have seen me with them.
Could it be someone who saw me with them in town but not connected with the cheer or hockey team?
It’s possible. I was out with Tucker and Colsen at the pier the night of the county fair, and the whole town was out.
Then that photo of me and Tucker dancing and kissing at Starstruck went viral. Could someone be basing their threats on seeing me with them around town?
But then how would they know about Tim?
My head is spinning as I keep trying to figure out who could know the information in these text messages and hates me enough to threaten me.
Genevieve is the first person who comes to mind. She obviously knows about me and Tucker. I’m pretty sure she was the one who forwarded the photo of me and Tucker to Carole. And if I recall correctly, she mentioned a murder at my previous school.
Gen hates me because she sees me as her biggest rival on the team, and she’s also convinced that there’s something between me and Mack. Maybe the “them” in the text doesn’t refer to Tucker and Colsen but to Tucker and Mack.
The details of how Tim was murdered are public, so she could have just tried to put two and two together knowing that Hemlock Beach isn’t a huge school. It makes sense because Gen already tried to sabotage me once and even physically hurt me when she kicked me.
I mean, the accusation isn’t realistic unless one knew that I was with Tim on the night he died, but Gen doesn’t care about accuracy when she throws accusations at people.
The proof is in the fact that she keeps accusing me of being more than friends with Mack, when we have both been telling her that she’s wrong until we were blue in the face.
There’s someone else who could be sending those texts.
Just the thought that Nash could be behind those threats makes me feel sick to my stomach. Is it possible?
When I think about it, I can’t exclude it. Nash knew me from school, and he was convinced he had seen me at the party the night of Tim’s death. He also made no mystery of his jealousy toward Tucker and Colsen.
I told you to break it off with them.
Could he be saying that because he wants me to himself?
It doesn’t make sense because if that were the case, he would have fought for me. Right?
But then why taunt me with anonymous texts? If Nash doesn’t want me, he could either ignore me or tell the cops what he thinks he remembers about that night at the party.
A shudder works its way up my spine at the thought that maybe he just enjoys messing with me.
This is it. Whoever is sending those texts is taking pleasure in scaring me. I don’t think Nash would do that.
The more I think about it, the more I’m convinced that Genevieve is somehow behind all this.
I’ve seen so distracted, wrapped up in my own thoughts, that when Mack scores his third goal of the night, the entire arena jumps to their feet to celebrate except for me.
“Tar, you ok?” Jodie gives me a quizzical look.
“Yeah, babes. Sorry, I’m just… tired.”
It’s true. The last couple of weeks have been good but exhausting. That’s if I don’t think about those texts.
After the game, we file back into the locker room.
Carole and Lexi are there to address the entire team, as everyone was required to attend the game tonight, even the dancers who weren’t selected to perform.
“Girls,” Carole’s eyes glitter with pride. “That was a great performance. There are a few things we can still work on, but I’m nitpicking. The eighteen dancers who performed tonight did a fantastic job and put the Shooting Stars Cheerleaders on the map.”
Lexi nods in agreement. “Social media is ablaze with videos of your performance. We’re trending. Well done.”
“But,” Carole makes eye contact with pretty much everyone in the room.
“We still have eight cuts to make before we get to our final roster of thirty-two. Tonight will definitely give me and Lexi a good indication about some of you, but anything could still happen. We still have many routines to learn, and every day counts. If you want to be in the final thirty-two, we want to see bring in your A game every single day.”
“And in that spirit,” Lexi says. “Practice is tomorrow morning at eight a.m. as usual.”
A collective groan sounds in the locker room.
“We know it’s tough.” Carole’s tone is sympathetic. “But doing training camp in eight weeks is a challenge, and we can’t afford to waste any time. Have a good night, and I’ll see you all in the morning. Well done again to those who performed tonight.”
I know there were vague plans to hit the town tonight, but getting dressed to go out to a bar or a club is the last thing I want right now. Especially when we have practice tomorrow morning.
Several of the girls are debating exactly whether we should go out or have an early night.
“I say let’s go,” Hillary says. “You only live once, and I bet the guys are going to Joe’s. Surely Carole and Lexi can’t get mad if we bumped into them, right? Star Cove is a small town; there are only so many places to go on a night out.”
“Actually,” Talia argues. “They can get mad at us for bumping into the hockey team. If you read the updated rules for our stay at camp, that’s included in the no fraternization clause. If you walk into a bar and you spot even one of the players, you’re supposed to leave.”
Hillary rolls her eyes. “Whatever. What they don’t know can’t hurt us, right? It’s a Friday night and all the bars and clubs downtown are gonna be packed.”
“All it takes is one photo of one of us with one of the players in the background to cause trouble.”
Several other people chime in. Some are in favor of going out; some think it’s a risk they aren’t willing to take.
“We aren’t going out,” Gen says.
Even though Talia was against going to Joe’s, she turns to glare at our roommate. “Oh yeah? Who made you captain? Last time I checked, you don’t have any authority over us and you can’t tell us what to do.”
Gen rolls her eyes, a condescending smile on her flawless face.
“God, Tal, chill. Getting so aggro isn’t good for you; it gives you wrinkles.
I wasn’t trying to tell anyone what to do.
But if the reason for going out was to bump into the guys, it’s pointless.
” She shows her cell phone. “I just got added to a group chat with some of the guys, and Vaughn said the hockey team has a curfew, so they aren’t going out. ”
That piece of information is met with disappointment by most of my teammates.
“Check your phones, girls. He’s invited me to a party at his place. I don’t know how much of an inner circle thing this is though.”
The disappointment of a few seconds ago turns into excitement.
As I retrieve my phone from my locker, my texts have been blowing up. I find the group chat Gen was talking about, but I also have texts from both Tucker and Colsen. The guys ask me if I want to hang out at the party or if I would prefer to go to their place.
Mercifully, my mysterious stalker has been silent after the last text he sent before the show.
“Did you get invited?” Jodie asks. “I did.”
I nod.
It looks like everyone got Vaughn’s message.
“It turns out it wasn’t an inner circle thing.” Jodie says loudly enough to be heard over the chatter of all our teammates making plans for the party.
“Oh, shut up, Jodie,” Gen snaps. “I said that because I didn’t want anyone to be disappointed if they hadn’t been included.”
My BFF snorts. “Sure you did.”
Before Gen can respond, Talia climbs onto the wooden bench in front of the lockers and sticks two fingers into her mouth to whistle.
“Girls. I don’t know if we should go. What if we get caught?”
Olivia, one of Gen’s best friends on the team, reassures Tucker’s sister. “We’ll be ok. See what Vaughn said? If we’re all there, they can’t kick us all out. And he said we’re just gonna have a few drinks and mingle, no loud music or crazy party games.”