"Aye, loser! Pass me another soda!"

"Get it yourself."

"I would rather kill myself right now."

You giggled a bit as the two bickered on each side of you. Stu sat besides you on the bed as Billy stood besides the nightstand, grabbing himself and you (and possibly Stu) another can.

Ever since the night that Billy and Stu revealed themselves to be your secret friend on the other line, life has felt just a little more... right. The two boys were much more open with their feelings around you, and you got to listen in on a lot more personal conversations between just the two of them that you would have never heard just casually.

It felt like you knew them much more intimately now, maybe even more than Tatum and Sidney ever did. You're sure that maybe they knew the surface of the two boys, but it was clear among the three of you that you guys clicked together much more effortlessly than they ever did with their relationships.

You still didn't have the guts to tell them that you had feelings for them- feelings that have only grown stronger since the confession that night. Despite it being a common fact that you all cherished each other more than their current girlfriends, you still felt like, maybe you'd mess up by asking them about the relationship you all shared. Of course, they still were dating the two girls; there must be something they like about them, right? A reason?

You would often feel helpless about this, since you really couldn't open up to anyone other than them about your issues. And they could tell you've been holding back when discussing your own sexuality or polyamory with them. Like always, it felt like they knew you well enough to see right past your barricades. They knew you were withdrawing some type of information from them, a type of information that you never even secured with the 'mystery' caller.

Billy slumped onto the bed and buried his head into your shoulder as the movie played, handing Stu a soda as the two bickered over the girls in this film lacking any common logic.

"I just don't understand why she thought that would be comfortable to wear in the woods? Like, sorry you got bugbites everywhere but that's what you get for wearing a skirt and flip flops into the fucking woods." Stu remarks casually.

You giggle "Maybe she is just here to serve some looks, ever considered that?"

"Serve some looks to who? The owls?" Billy chuckles "Her boyfriend is pathetic. He doesn't even know how to treat her."

You nod a bit "Can't argue with you there."

You rest your head on the backboard of the bed, sighing a bit "This school year is almost over, guys. There is only about one more quarter. Then we are all done."

Billy nods a bit "You plan on moving away, far away. You probably won't see us much out of state, will you?"

You nod a small bit "I don't know what to do, I can't just give up on everything I worked for, but..."

"You shouldn't have to. Me and Stu were actually debating on getting a car, maybe a van or something, maybe moving up there with you." Billy says.

You grin a tiny bit "Really? You two would do that? What would Sid and Tatum say?"

"Well, we weren't really planning on staying with them by the end of high school." Stu admits "I mean, we don't really feel much for them."

"You'd rather move with me than stay with them? Really?" You ask, a small bit shocked. The smile Stu gives you only warms your heart all the more.

"Of course, dork. We care for you a lot, after all." Billy chuckles "Besides, a life with you would be far better than anything Woodsboro has to offer us."

"You two could live with me, we could get an apartment off campus and get jobs in town." You say happily "Maybe we can try working at a place together."

"That sounds great." Stu says "We can split rent."

You grin "That'll be really cool. Are you guys really sure you want to do all that, though?"

"Of course," Billy says "Besides, after we are done with Woodsboro, it won't want anything to do with us."

You simply giggle at that comment, completely obvious to the idea that it might mean something more.

You three managed to spend the whole day together, watching horror films and occasional 'so bad it's good' movies, and just casually talking back and forth about school, about life after school. You stayed with them until the sun started to sink, and your mother called to ask if you would walk back home.

Of course the two offered to walk with you, and you had no reason to say no. You three walked as the sun set around you, the town was completely quiet, and it felt like the world was giving you three your own moment. It felt like nothing could go wrong.

They stopped at the edge of your lawn and watched you walk to the front porch. You turned and waved to them, and waited for them to wave back before turning into your home. You and your mother prepared dinner, as you recalled small parts of the day and reported them to her, with her commentary.

You felt grateful that your mom wasn't horribly strict on you for spending so much time with boys, and instead she was happy for you blossoming into a more social person. You're sure that she's noticed how you've been more happy and less anxious in public. You've also picked up small speech patterns from Billy and Stu, which she often finds annoying at points but overall doesn't seem to mind.

That night you remember thinking right before you went to bed; this was the life you always wanted. The future seemed so good, and it seemed for a moment that the path in front of you was concrete. Everything might just go right.

Well, it should have.

⇜-⇝

"Did you hear? Casey was straight up murdered! Her boyfriend, too!"

"No way, do they know who did it?"

"Nope, but they think it was a student at the school!"

When you got to school the next morning, the campus was alarmingly active. News vans parked at every corner, a few cop cars to maintain at least a bit of order. Students around you whispered, and you quickly picked up on the most gruesome details of it all.

A young girl, a beautiful girl, hung from a tree. Her own parents found her, apparently not even a moment after she was murdered. The killer was fast, so they were guessing a younger man. Probably a classmate of the girl. Her boyfriend was found in the backyard, gutted. People didn't seem to care about him too much unless they were on his football team or hard a big crush on him.

You felt a small bit unease. It never seemed to really settle with you, the idea that one of your peers was gone forever, that she was never coming back. That her life, her story, her entire future was ripped from her. It was horrible, but something in your gut refused to let it really settle with you, it felt like it wasn't real.

The way other students at the school were treating the issue didn't make it any better. They were just kids, so you didn't expect much, but they were alarmingly insensitive about the matter. They really didn't seem to care for the boyfriend, it seemed like he was just a minor detail in the story. And that's what it really felt like, a story. The way kids around you were treating it. Maybe it was just their own way of coping, but it sounded like they were comparing the killer to something fictional. Despite the fact it could have very well been one of their own friends. One of your own friends.

"Hey, hey (Y/n), you've been off in space all day. Zone back in. Look, I drew another cock on my paper and this time Mr. Elk only gave me a D-." Stu said shaking your shoulder. You glanced over at the paper and grinned, only a small bit.

"I can't believe how people are treating this all. Somehow, you two avoiding the conversation seems more respectful than half the school; 'Damn, I banged her once' isn't the most heartfelt comment I've heard when it comes to a murdered girl." You say with a sigh "What's wrong with these kids?"

Billy sighs "You aren't hung up on that, still, are you? If you keep thinking like that you're just going to feel worse."

You nod a bit "The death itself doesn't bother me much. I mean, yeah it's horrible. I'm more upset with people's sudden desire to link themselves in any way possible to the victim for attention."

"Yeah, most of the people with something to say never met her, either." Stu sighs "Annoying."

"Yesterday this school felt so normal, and now it's like... Jesus, it's so fucking tense." You grumble "I want to skip to when everyone is over this, and it's just a staple of something horrible. You know, like when Sam Riley got killed on the train tracks last year? People cared for a week and then went on."

"This is a murder, though. And the killer probably goes to the school." Billy sighs "We might not hear the end of this one until the end of the school year. Unless they hurry up and catch them."

"I don't think they will; in the nicest way, the police force around this town is kinda... stupid." You mumble "No offense to Dewey, he's the only cop dude in uniform I really care for at all, and most of the reason behind that is the lack of authority he really holds."

"Understandable." Billy says "We should meet after school, though. Talk a bit. But please try to avoid hearing about all that death stuff. It'll only stress you out more. Besides, a lot of what they are throwing around is fake anyways."

You nod a bit "I will."

He grins "Good, now, let's fill page 420 with dicks."

⇜-⇝

You were called down to the office later that day, and you spoke briefly with Dewey and the principal, along with another officer and a few other strangers who were there. They asked you about how familiar you were with Casey, to which you admitted that you only tutored her for a month around the beginning of Sophomore year, before she dropped the class you were tutoring her for because it was becoming stressful for her to keep up with the work.

They assumed no ill intent of you, mainly because they highly doubted someone like you could do something like that.

"You don't seem like the rebellious, kill-a-kid type. You are friends with Billy Loomis and Stu Macher, though, correct?"

This caught your attention quickly, and immediately some defense rose from your chest "Close friends, actually. They might not seem like it, but they are good kids. Just a little bit on the rebellious side, is all."

"I'm sure they are." The officer said shortly.

"Am I free to go, or is there anything else you ask of me?" You replied, in the same tone the officer before you implied onto you. He glares up at you, only lightly, with a hint of shock in his gaze. You could tell your response shocked him; little girl with straight A's snapping at an officer didn't sit well with him.

"Watch your back out there. Some kid in this school might be a monster."

"I'm sure most of them are." You respond getting up "It's going to be hard finding the ones who are actually acting on it, though." You feel their eyes on you as you turn out of the room quickly, moving quickly back to your classroom and quietly taking your seat in English.

You felt a small tap on your shoulder, which made you tense a small bit, you turn and look behind you to see Katelyn, mouthing 'are you okay?' to you. You manage to smile a little bit, nod and whisper a small yes in response before returning your attention to the front of the class.

You really didn't mean to get horribly defensive, not to the literal police. Sure, you didn't really trust them with the crime presented - mainly because you assumed they just would end up pinning it on a random problem child who didn't have an alibi (Let's face it; most likely a minority) - but you never meant to become aggravated towards them.

It frustrated you, though. That horribly uncalled for comment;

"You don't seem like the rebellious, kill-a-kid type. You are friends with Billy Loomis and Stu Macher, though, correct?"

What the fuck did that even mean? You've worked all your life to get where you are, sacrificed so much time just to see a glimmer of success. You have gone out of your way to become a smart, well spoken human being; Simply because you are friends with two of the most supporting people in Woodsboro, you are a hooligan now? It's almost comedic. Even the slight implication that you could be the murdering type because you hang out with those two means nothing.

The bell rang and you hurried to the bathroom, taking a stall quickly and calling your mother. You didn't want to stay at school today, you told her that you were stressed by everything going on today, that the concept of one of your peers dying upset you.

Your mother said that she understood, and that she would leave work early to come get you. You hid your phone and walked into the hall, quickly moving to Stu's locker where him and Billy were talking.

"I'm going home early." You said quietly, causing both of them to look at you with worry and concern "Nothing is wrong I just... One of the officers who spoke to me said something that really got to me, I don't know why."

"What did that idiot say?" Billy asked in a low tone, a tone that was horribly serious.

You sigh "He said that I didn't seem like the killing type, but me being friends with you guys made me questionable - as if that fucking changed everything about me."

The two looked at each other, like they understood something you just didn't, but it was a look glazed in sympathy.

"I'm sorry, dork." Stu said quieter "We can talk about this later, if you really want to. You should go home, though. Just don't let what he said to you get to you so much. He's just some fucking cop with a mouth that doesn't stop; a lot of those are in this town."

You giggle a small bit "Guess you're right. I'll see you guys later, hopefully?" You ask glancing at the two.

"Of course," Billy says ruffling your hair "Get some rest, this death stuff seems to be stressing you out."

You shake your head "I'm not horribly affected by it. As much as I hate to admit, Casey wasn't wonderful to me and I never got to really know the side of her most people are looking back on now that she's gone. I feel very little for her as a person, and more for the idea of what was lost - if that makes sense."

"You always know how to use big words and heavy philosophy in casual conversation." Billy jokes "This isn't exhibition, nerd. Who the fuck is writing this shit?"

You chuckle "Shut up, loser." You jokingly shove him a bit as you spoke "I'll see you guys!"

You start heading off as they mumble small goodbyes, heading down the hall just as you hear your name getting called over the intercom. You quickly rush to the front office, where your mother sits waiting for you. You quickly rush up and hug her.

"I'm so sorry to pull you out of work, it's just really stressful to be around this school right now. Everyone keeps going into really gross details about it all and I can't handle it." You didn't love lying to your mother, but you knew that in the long run it would really do you better.

Your mom pats your back and nods a bit "I understand. Death is a horrible, horrible thing. Especially one like this. You sure you won't fall behind in work because of this?"

You shrug "Teachers are lightening a lot of the workload since the end of the year is coming up, the only huge projects I'm working on right now are essays that can be done from home."

Your mother only nods, turning to leave as you follow her close behind.

⇜-⇝

You sat in your room, trying to focus on writing that essay in front of you. It was an end of the year reflection, something you had to do at the end of every quarter, but since it was the last quarter of the year, and the last essay of your senior year, it should at least come off more meaningful.

But you couldn't do it. Your mind jumped in a million different places. You felt horrible, you still felt a bit of rage for how that officer treated you. Dewey knew you, he knew you'd never do anything to Casey or anyone for that matter. You felt horrible for that girl's death, of course, but you had nothing to do with it.

Randy mentioned once that Stu used to date her, which he quickly cleared up was "something far in the past" and that he only really dated her for about a week. Stu didn't seem to care much for the girl's death- then again his idea of empathy seemed much different from your own.

You sat back in your chair and decided to just save the file to work on later. Your head wasn't in a wonderful place and you felt like the world around you was different. It was a bad feeling, like something bad was happening and you had no control of it. You could just sit and wait, or hide away.

You debated calling the boys, but Stu and Billy have both planned to visit their girlfriends that night. So you decided not to bother them. You decided to change into your pajamas and get into bed. Maybe you could distract yourself with some music or a movie.

After searching your room, you decided on a book. You got it from the library and you haven't gotten the chance to jump into it. So burning through a few chapters tonight would probably help calm you down.

⇜-⇝

After completing the entire novel in one night, you felt a little more relaxed. It was a good story, a bit refreshing to finally sit back and complete something you put off for so long.

Soon, the phone rang. It was Stu's number.

"Hey, Stu, how's it going?" You asked

"Oh- oh god, um, well, can I come over, really quick?" He asked

"Of course, my parents are out tonight - is everything okay?"

"Thanks." He says before quickly hanging up. You hold the phone for a moment, shocked that he would just hang up. You put your phone down and head outside, sitting on the porch and waiting for Stu to walk up.

He arrives quickly, you're sure he was already on his way long before he actually called you. He looks like a mess, really tired. You quickly rush over to him as he makes it up the sidewalk to your porch.

"Stu, you look horrible! What's wrong?" You asked quickly grabbing his arms and examining his expression. He looked so blank as he answered;

"Sidney got attacked by Casey's killer and they think it's Billy. He's in police custody, (Y/n), he's in jail."