Rachel Richards (The Rachels)

The evil Rachel Richards

Rachel Richards (Caitlin Carver) was the main villainess of the 2017 Lifetime film The Rachels (alternately titled Infamous; airdate January 15, 2017).

Rachel was one of the two most popular girls at Hills High School, with the other being her best friend, Rachel Nelson. Rachel reveled in the popularity and dreamed of being a star someday. She became jealous when Rachel Nelson began to outshine her both socially and athletically (the girls were both on the school's track team). After Nelson is named Homecoming queen, Richards confronts her at a party, where she accused her of being ungrateful for making her popular. As she tried to storm off, Nelson tried to stop her, resulting in Richards accidentally pushing her off the roof. She managed to grab the rooftop's fencing and cried to Richards for help, but instead, Richards chose to leave. Additionally, Richards was aware that another villainess also chose to deliberately ignore Nelson's tearful pleas for help, with her decision ultimately sealing the latter's fate when Nelson finally lost her grip and fell to her death.

Following Nelson's demise, Richards was ecstatic at the chance to be the sole queen bee of her school, putting on an act of a grieving best friend. She even attempted to seduce Nelson's love interest Tom, which fails. While being interviewed on a talk show about her friend's death, Richards faked tears and falsely implied that Nelson's death was a suicide. Determined to stop her, Richards' former friend Roxie — a frequent target of Richards' bullying — started to undermine Richards' attempts at gaining popularity, angering her. She eventually confronted Roxie in the hallway, claiming that she wanted to talk in the main office, where she and Nelson used to do the morning announcements prior to the latter's demise. Once inside, Richards locked both herself and Roxie in the room; the pair had a heated discussion which Roxie broadcasted over the PA system. Once she caught on, Richards spoke into the microphone and claimed to have intentionally pushed Nelson to her death, wanting to achieve fame through her arrest. Roxie then turned off the PA, with Richards proceeding to recall that Roxie was also present during the final moments of Nelson's life and also chose not to help her; this revelation revealed Roxie as the movie's hidden secondary villainess.

Roxie slapped Richards, leaving scratches on her left cheek. The two then got into a fight, and as Richards tried to strangle Roxie, the police burst into the room and arrested her. As she is led out of the school in handcuffs, Richards looked at the crowd of students watching her being led away and imagined them giving her applause. She smiled, having supposedly achieved the fame she desired.

Trivia

• Caitlin Carver also played the villainous Becca Arrington from the 2015 movie adaption of Paper Towns.

Gallery

Rachel Richards front and center on the movie's poster

Rachel Richards at track

Rachel Richards with Rachel Nelson in the hallway

Rachel Richards with Rachel Nelson, giving announcements

Rachel Richards and Nelson at a party, not too long before the latter's demise

Rachel confronts Roxie