Bridget Moretti (Aubrey Peeples) is the protagonist turned villainess of the 2019 Lifetime film Death of a Cheerleader, a remake of the 1994 TV movie of the same name (airdate February 2, 2019).
Bridget was introduced as a shy student at Hollybrook High School in California who—after seeing rich and popular girl Kelly Locke—aspired to join the Bobettes, the school's most popular group of girls. She had developed an admiration of Kelly as she attempted to become a varsity cheerleader, but when it was revealed who made the team, Bridget was not among them. This was followed by the protagonist also being rejected from Hollybrook's yearbook staff, but in spite of her anger, she still aspired to become friends with Kelly.
Bridget met Kelly late one night in the former's car, convincing the latter to join her by lying to her and Kelly's mother Betty about the Bobettes throwing a surprise dinner party. Once they were at an isolated parking lot, Bridget revealed her adoration of Kelly and stated that she wanted to be friends with her. However, Kelly claimed that Bridget's adoration of her was really an obsession with being popular, and after her jealousy was revealed when Bridget blasted Kelly as a bully, she came to the conclusion that Bridget wanted to be her rather than be friends with her. Kelly walked off and left Bridget, who drove behind her former acquaintance and followed her. She spotted Kelly run into a nearby house, and tracked her as she was driven back to her own house by a stranger.
As Kelly prepared to go inside, Bridget came from behind and stabbed her with a kitchen knife, continuing to do so after angrily asking her victim why she wasn't "good enough" to be her friend. The psychotic villainess left Kelly to struggle for her life, and upon returning to her house, the evil Bridget washed the blood from her hands and her knife. She then received a call from Trish Doyle, who told Bridget about Kelly being attacked and revealed that she died of her injuries, with Bridget feigning shock in response. The teenager later disposed of the evidence to her crime in a dumpster and spent the following months covering up her murderous actions, even while taking a polygraph. Bridget additionally became the Bobettes' treasurer, doing so after convincing her friends to not disband the group because of Kelly's demise.
Bridget's one-on-one encounter with FBI Agent Veronica Murray saw her on the receiving end of accusations, as the latter stated to the former that she believed she killed Kelly due to her matching the murderer's psychological profile. In the film's climax, Bridget confessed everything to her mother Marge by leaving a letter that she meant for her to read after she left for school—which she did. After mother and daughter hugged each other, cried, and talked things out, the latter turned herself in and was arrested. She was charged and convicted of second-degree murder before being sentenced to nine years in prison, with the epilogue revealing that she was incarcerated for seven years, after which she was released on parole.
Quotes[]
- "Why wouldn't you just let me be your friend? Why am I not good enough?" (Bridget's last words to Kelly while she is repeatedly stabbing her)
