Chapter twelve,

the last moments

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    "I love you too, mami." Citlali had sweetly spoken into the phone with the smile not leaving her face, and adjusting her phone back into her pocket as she made her way back towards her boyfriend, the cane was slightly just moving around to find the way towards the kitchen, but she paused her movements when she had heard something that had just made her swallow down her saliva.

   The way Tara Carpenter was to be heard speaking to her boyfriend, "I think you should get out of the city tonight safely. . ." Citlali had bit her bottom lip anxiously because the way the girl was sounding it didn't even sound like a worried friend, but something more, her ears perked up as the girl continued, "Considering what happened to you last year, I just don't want you getting hurt." Citlali attempted to not think much of it.

Anxiety suddenly began to build up in her body, and her insecurities. Tara sounded like she wasn't just worried for him, but a tinge of flirtation was also detected in the girls voice, she felt her eyes getting glossy, a part of her just felt pathetic for wanting to cry.

It stung hearing a girl flirting with Chad.

   Though a small smile lingered on her lips when she heard her boyfriend speak, "I'm not leaving this city with a masked killer who's been threatening Citlali, I have to protect my girlfriend." He remarked before he continued even more, "She means the absolute world to me, and thinking of her getting hurt with me gone genuinely kills me, so I'm not leaving my girl behind." He stood his ground, he wasn't even aware that Tara was even so interested him.

   His attention is always focused on his girlfriend, Citlali that he's never aware of the flirty eyes or tone that Tara uses on him.

Tara sounded bitter, "Right. . . Citlali."

Chad noticed the bitter tone on his friend, raising his eyebrow, "Is there something wrong with her? Why do you sound pissed, she's done nothing to you, you barely met her." His tone was getting rough.

Tara had suddenly stumbled with her own words, "I — No, it's just that you've been ditching us for so long now, and it's always about her now. . . it used to just be us." Her voice gone shy.

Mindy had noticed that Citlali was eavesdropping on the conversation, so she intervened whatever tara was attempting to do, "He has a girlfriend, you know? Even before we knew that she's very much real, and he fucking loves her, and she brings the best in him. Quit it, Tara we're not in high school anymore." Mindy had remarked to her friend, all while shaking her head.

Tara felt her cheeks reddened, "I wasn—"

She was then ultimately interrupted by Mindy who spoken over her, "I need to speak to you, Chad. . . like, right now." She knew that even though she had intervened what Tara had been doing, the girl won't stop her flirtatious comments unless she has her brother to tell her to quit the flirty remarks, she didn't want to see Citlali or her brother in tears over a girl ruining something.

   Citlali had suddenly taken that as her ultimate cue to instantly find her way towards her friend, stumbling a bit when she bumped into a table, Anika's eyes quickly widened and immediately stood up to help her friend and leading her towards the sofa, "Come on clumsy girl." She teased her friend.

   Citlali had scoffed, "I'm not clumsy, it's the tables fault." She lied through her teeth, as she doesn't even like admitting that she's clumsy at points, but she didn't know this apartment, or where the furniture was, so it was an easy way for her to accidentally bump into things, or get confused.

Anika had instantly chuckled at her friends small joke, but noticed the hint of sadness that was laced in her friends eyes, softly speaking to her, "What's the matter?" She retorted.

"It's nothing," She didn't want to tell her friend about her insecurities, especially when she's friends with Tara, she didn't want to ruin a friendship because of her insecurities.

Anika hummed, "It must be something, Citlali. Don't bottle up your feelings, it's not healthy." She softly told her friend.

Citlali nodded her head, and instantly whispering back to her friend, "It's just that Tara, she's very flirtatious with Chad, and I don't like it. . ." She swallowed down her own saliva, "I also know that there's a difference between worrisome, but it didn't sound like that when she was speaking to him just now." She revealed, her lips were curled downwards.

Anika had ultimately let that sink in, speaking truthfully to her friend, "I think you should tell Chad this, and it's not a bad thing for him to know about how you feel over that situation. . . if it makes you uncomfortable her being that way with him, he can know to set his boundaries, or cut her off his life." She sternly told her friend.

Citlali had swallowed her saliva, "But that'll make me a bad girlfriend, Ani." She shook her head in defeat.

Anika replied, "No, it won't. Relationships need communication, and he needs to be aware that Tara makes you uncomfortable, you are not a bad girlfriend, Citlali." Anika pulled her friend into a comforting hug, all while Citlali had let her tears drop.

Sniffling a bit, all while she also wiped her salty tears that were staining her cheeks, and exhaling her breath.

   Anika had then gasped that captured her friends attention who had her head placed on her shoulder, "What's the matter?" She wasn't even aware of the television until the volume had gone up, that made her eyes widen, as well.

   Anika shouting, "Guys! What the hell!"

   Citlali had then heard the friend group entering the living room, all while she felt Chad pressed a soft kiss on the top of her head, and placing his hands on her shoulder, a now very comforting sensation set in herself.

   The conversation he had with Mindy had opened his eyes a bit more, as he slowly began to let his thoughts get into his head, that once all this is over, he needs to have a conversation with Tara that they can't be friends, and all of her flirtatious comments amongst looks has to stop, that he only has eyes for Citlali.

His attention was focused back on the television.

"We're hearing sources from inside of the homicide devision that the prime suspect is none other than Samantha Carpenter. One of the survivors of the Woodsboro killings in 2022 — Seen here is her attacking a woman on the street last night. In the wait of the Woodsboro tragedy last year, rumors sprout up here online that Carpenter was actually responsible for the killings, blaming her crimes on her boyfriend, Richie Kirsch and Amber Free —"

The television had turned off, a awkward silence had stirred up until she had felt her boyfriend whispering in her ear, "I'm going to check up on, Sam. I'll be back, pretty girl." He pressed a soft kiss on her forehead.

Citlali smiled at him, whispering back to him that only he can hear, "Okay, pretty boy. Though, tell her that I hope she's doing alright, and that I have always believed her innocence, and that she's not for a second bad person." She had remarked.

He had smiled down at his girlfriends kindness, "I will, pretty girl."He placed several kisses all over her face before planting a big kiss on her lips, she had easily reciprocated the kiss. All while, he began to make his way over towards the dining table, and slightly hearing the conversation of the two friends.

Anika making a fake gag, "Gross."

Citlali playfully scoffed, "You're gross."

   Anika had instantly gasped in complete excitement, grabbing her friends hand, "So, now that I know you're dating my girlfriends twin brother. . . we can now all have double dates." A small squeal had then left both of their lips.

Citlali answering, "We definitely should. I hope this masked killer ends soon, so we can all go to the Saturday couple nights, it's so fun! And Elizabeth and Tommy will be there." The two old married couple, that Chad and her had befriended.

Anika smiled at her friend, "I can't wait to meet Elizabeth and Tommy. . . though, I can't wait when you begin college with us." She was just so damn happy.

Both were unaware that their plans would soon be ruined, especially when phones began to go off, that made Citlali furrow her eyebrows in confusion, it wasn't until she had then felt Anika getting her to stand up, all while she had then felt Chad just quickly wrapping his entire arm around her waist, Citlali's breathing was just getting heavy, a sense of anxiety began to kick in when she felt her boyfriends heart just beating rapidly behind her back.

Citlali was just so fucking terrified at the moment, and just whispering to him, "What's going on?"

He quietly spoke, "Ghostface. . ."

Her heart began to beat rapidly.

She felt fear.

The sound of thumping and also screaming was heard, that it had ultimately gotten silent for a moment, all while Mindy had then quietly spoken, "Run." The sound of something that dropped was ultimately heard, all while all that was heard now was screaming.

Chads instinct was leading her out of the apartment not turning himself all around, all while she worriedly cried out and being tugged out of the apartment, "Ani!" She yelled out in worrisome.

Citlali wasn't even aware that at any given moment, Anika's final breath would be in this apartment.

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𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐞, hope you
liked this chapter.

Sobbing rn. 🥲🥲.

The plans they had
together.

Chad cutting off tara out
of his life!!! 🤞🏻🤞🏻👀