♡

her locker, Dakota pulled it open and shoved in her books that she needed for later lessons in the day. Sidney was closing hers beside her, Tatum with Stu at her own.

"I shouldn't be here." Sidney mumbled, putting the lock back on.

"I want you to meet us right here after class, okay, Sid?" Tatum asked.

"Alright." Sidney agreed before she looked up at Stu. "Hey, I haven't seen Billy around. Is he really pissed?"

"Oh, you mean after you branded him the Candyman?" Stu chuckled. "No, his heart's broken."

"Stu!" Tatum exclaimed, poking his chest harshly.

A sudden loud shrieking sounded and they looked down the hall to see someone running through the corridor screaming and dressed as the killer. They shoved into Sidney, making her inhale sharply.

"Why are they doing this?" Sidney asked.

"Are you kidding me? Look at this place. It's like Christmas." Stu smiled.

"Dick." Dakota slapped him around the back of the head, rushed off after Sidney as Tatum slapped her boyfriend as well but with her lollipop.

"Sidney!" Tatum called but she didn't turn back.

"Ah! Jesus, shit!" Sidney yelped when her body collided with Billy's.

"It's just me." Billy said and she shoved herself off him. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. You still think it's me."

"No. No. I-I don't." Sidney stuttered. "It's just... Somebody was there. Billy, someone tried to kill me."

"I know, I know. The cops said I scared him away." Billy replied.

"I'm gonna go to class, love." Dakota mumbled, eyeing Billy wearily as she walked off.

"It wasn't me, Sid." Billy assured.

"I know. He called me again last night at Tatum's house." Sidney said.

"You see? It couldn't have been me. I was in jail." Billy held up his hand that had been dirtied with pen to take his fingerprints. "Remember?"

"I'm so... sorry. Please understand." Sidney muttered, taking a step closer to him.

"Understand what? That I have a girlfriend who would rather accuse me of being a psychopath killer than touch me?" Billy shot back.

"You know that's not true." Sidney stated.

"Then what is it?" Billy asked.

"What... is it? Billy, I was attacked and nearly filleted last night." Sidney raised her voice slightly.

"I mean between us." Billy corrected. "You haven't been the same since... Since your mother died."

"Is you brain leaking? My mum was killed. I can't believe you're bringing this up!" Sidney exclaimed.

"It's been a year." Billy defended himself.

"Tomorrow! One year tomorrow." Sidney retorted.

"Well, I think it's time you got over that. I mean, when my mum left my dad, I accepted it. It's the way it is." Billy continued. "She's not comin' back."

"Your parents split up. This is not the same thing." Sidney scoffed. "Your mum left town. She's not lying in a coffin somewhere."

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry. It's a bad analogy." Billy apologised. "It's just that... I want my girlfriend back." Sidney shook her head and started to walk past him, "Sid!"

She span to him, "Billy, I am sorry if my traumatised life is an inconvenience to you and your perfect existence."

"What? Wh- Nobody said that. Sid!" Billy called but she was rushing into the bathroom. "Stupid."

In the bathroom, Sidney placed her bag on one of the sinks, glancing in the mirror as she though over what Billy had said. Her mind drifted to what Dakota had said a number of times about how she shouldn't have to push aside her grief just to wet his dick.

"She was never attacked. I think she made it all up." A girl in one of the cubicles spoke up, talking about Sidney, not knowing she was there.

"Why would she lie about it?" A second girl asked.

"For attention!" The first, let's call her Bartholomew, exclaimed as though it was obvious. "The girl has some serious issues." The toilet flushed and Sidney grabbed her bag, rushing into an empty cubicle because they were about to come out of theirs. "What is she did it? What if Sidney killed Casey and Steve?"

"Why would she do that?" The second, let's call her Barbara, questioned.

"Maybe she had the hots for Steve and killed them both in a jealous rage." Bartholomew shrugged.

"What would Sidney want with Steve? She has her own bubble-butt boyfriend, Billy." Barbara said, coming out of her bathroom cubicle.

"Maybe she's a slut, just like her mother." Bartholomew suggested.

"You're evil." Barbara mumbled.

"Please, it's a common fact." Bartholomew scoffed. "Her mother was a tramp."

"Cut some slack. She watched her mum get butchered." Barbara defended.

"And it fucked her up royally. Think about it. Her mother's death leaves her disturbed and hostile in a cruel and inhumane world, she's delusional. Where is God? Et cetera. Completely suicidal. One day she snaps. She wants to kill herself, but she realises teen suicide is out this year, and homicide is a much healthier, therapeutic expression." Bartholomew explained.

"Where do you get this shit?" Barbara asked.

"Ricki Lake."

"You are pathetic."

They left the bathroom, Sidney having heard everything with tears in her eyes. She pushed open the cubicle door and placed her bag back on the sink, sniffling slightly as she looked in the mirror, mumbling, "Pathetic,' to herself before she opened her rucksack.

"Sidney." Came a whisper from the other end of the bathroom.

Crouching, Sidney looked under all of the bottoms of the cubicles, seeing no one else in them. Confused, she stood back up and glanced to the vent which was hissing air. Deciding she was just paranoid, Sidney looked back down to her rucksack.

"Sidney." Came the whisper again and she turned sharply to it.

"Is someone there?" Sidney asked hesitantly.

A click sounded and she crouched again, still seeing no one. After a second of silence, boots hitting the floor could be heard and she looked down to see them being covered by a slightly sparkly black cloak.

The killer.

The cubicle door opened as Sidney went to run forwards and out of the toilets. The killer screamed, trying to jump at Sidney but she slipped under him across the floor, crashing into the bin as the killer slammed into a sink.

The killer stood up but Sidney pushed backwards on the door, running out of the bathroom, terrified. She passed a teacher and ran down the stairs, her bag still in the toilets.

{1075}