They Wish They Were Us

by Jessica Goodman • 2001

Jill Newman's best friend, the enigmatic Shaila Arnold, was killed by her boyfriend three years ago. After that dark night on the beach, Graham confessed, the case was closed, and Jill and her friends tried to move on. Now, it's Jill's senior year and she's determined to make it her best yet. After all, she's a senior and a Player--a member of Gold Coast Prep's exclusive, not-so-secret secret society. Senior Players have the best parties, the admiration of the entire school, and the highest grades. This is going to be Jill's year. She's sure of it. But when she starts getting texts proclaiming Graham's innocence, Jill's dreams of the perfect senior year, in her perfect seaside town, with her perfect group of friends, starts to crumble. Suddenly, flashes of that night on the beach freshman year start coming back to her, along with memories she's tried to suppress. More than anything, Jill wants to uncover the truth about what happened to Shaila, but she soon realizes that doing so means putting her friendships, and her future, in jeopardy.