Page 29 of The Ruse

Even though there would be less students to stare at me, a huge part of me wished I could still eat my meal with Owen in his classroom. But since I was pretty sure I’d be sticking with Eden Falls Academy for the long haul, I got in the cafeteria line and resigned myself to another meal where my classmates just gawked at me.

Once everyone got used to me being back and they saw that no other female students were suddenly disappearing, they’d eventually trust me again, right?

I filled my tray with chicken fried steak and mashed potatoes then found a table with some freshmen and asked if I could sit with them. They looked at me like I had blood dripping from my hands, but they did reluctantly scoot closer together to make room.

So I sat down to eat my meal and tried not to take too personally how quickly my tablemates started shoveling their food into their mouths.

But when I started cutting into my meat and all eyes were on my plate, as if they were watching to see how I’d handle a knife, the impulsive side of me wanted to make a big spectacle of it.

I wanted to say something about how juicy and tender the steak was before stabbing my fork into it and chewing it in a way that would be horrifying to my aunt Vivian.

But I didn’t. Instead, I tried to eat in as friendly and non-threatening of a manner as I could.

Not everything in my life needed to be a big show.

As I took a bite of the creamy potatoes with country gravy, I couldn’t help but think that putting on a show was exactly how this problem had started in the first place: the chance to put on the show of a lifetime.

I’d known that dating Bailee Vanderbilt would bring me a certain level of attention. I mean, how could it not with her family basically being royalty with money so old no one was really sure where it came from?

Bailee had always been the queen of this school. The rest of us her loyal subjects.

Of course everyone would think I’d done something to her. That I was somehow jealous of her for always stealing the spotlight.

They just didn’t know that when it came to Bailee, I really didn’t feel what they thought. I’d always seen through her act, never been a part of her fan club.

Which was why our arrangement had been so perfect. I mean, could you really have a healthy relationship if one person was always putting the other on a pedestal?

It just didn’t work.

And Bailee knew it, too. Knew that no one else at school could be the boyfriend she needed. So I’d gone along with her little plan.

The ruse, as Bailee had called it.

I’d done everything she asked. Played my part perfectly—even got us the title of Prom King and Queen.

And then, in true Bailee fashion, she left me to pay for her sins.

I was the one being punished for the mess she’d created.

But I’d played my part well. So well that if I told the police the truth of our arrangement, they would never believe me—the truth of what happened the night she disappeared would only make me look more guilty.

So I continued to play her game even when she wasn’t here. Because playing it was the only way to survive now.

And so, even though the impulsive part of me wanted to play into everyone’s fears and have a little fun with them, I decided that now was probably the time to give the speech I’d been rehearsing ever since I came back to this school.

I set my utensils down and said, “Can I have everyone’s attention? I have something to say.” I stepped back over the bench seat so I could stand. When I saw that I had most everyone’s attention, I continued, “I know there’s been a lot of talk about me today. That a lot of you are worried that the school has put you all in danger by allowing a suspected killer in your midst.” I paused for dramatic effect, looking around the room and seeing that I really did have all eyes on me. “And I get it. I really do.” I shrugged in a helpless gesture. “It’s always the boyfriend, right?”

I looked down and swallowed, knowing that this was probably my one chance to convince people that they didn’t need to be afraid of me.

It was my one last chance to convince everyone that I wasn’t guilty and was actually devastated by Bailee’s disappearance.

I looked back up, and putting as much emotion and anguish into my voice as I could muster, I said, “But I didn’t kill Bailee.” I put a fist to my mouth like I was trying to hold back a wave of emotion brought on by those words. “I didn’t know she was gone until everyone else did, and I’ve been just as confused and desperate to find out what happened to her as all of you.” I sighed. Then with a shrug, I added, “I’ve been working with the police and spent the past seven months searching for clues for what might have happened to her that night. Where she might have run away to, or who might have wanted to hurt her. Because I loved her. I truly did love Bailee.” My voice cracked and the tears pricked at my eyes right on cue. “I really thought we would have a future together. Not knowing what happened to her still keeps me up late at night.” I let out a gasp, as if I was all choked up and having a hard time breathing. “Not knowing if she’s alive, or somewhere being tortured by someone. It’s just…” I drifted off and wiped at my eyes again. “It’s just hard wondering what she might be going through right now.”

I sighed heavily, and then turned my gaze back to the crowd again.

Was anyone buying this?

Had I delivered the performance I needed to get back in their good graces again?

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