CHAPTER FOURTEEN
[14]

song: rules by doja cat

THE HALL WAS BUSTLING WITH STUDENTS as only ten minutes remained before the first bell rang. Daisy pushed past the group of band kids, who paid no attention to how much space they took up with their instrument cases.

She crossed her arms over her dark red coat, the morning chill creeping into the school from open doors. Students talked excitedly and ran about the halls, jokingly punching each other, or making out up against a wall— a perfect contrast against the flowers and notes taped up on Jenna Silvey's locker as a memorial.

Daisy eyed it as she walked by. Of course she felt bad, but she mostly felt bad for Jenna's family, not so much for her. She didn't admit that to others though. Jenna was just another one of the girls who found pleasure in tormenting Daisy all throughout high school, and at this point, what happened to her was bad karma.

The police hadn't dropped the case, and Daisy didn't think they would until someone was caught. She'd see Detective Alana and a few other deputies around the school once in a while, but they haven't spoken to her since the first day. George says they ruled Daisy out as a suspect after George said she was with him at home when Jenna was reportedly killed.

Daisy opened her locker, and immediately a yellow piece of paper fell as she swung the door open. She bent down and picked it up off the ground, only to see 'murderer' written in red lipstick across the page. She crumbled it up quickly, looking around cautiously from reflex.

Rumors of course flooded the school. Some people think Daisy did it, some people even think Carol did it. But they had no reason to back up their claims— they just wanted something interesting to happen within the school. Daisy threw the paper in a nearby trashcan and grabbed her books before shutting her locker again.

"Can we talk?" Someone spoke from behind her. Daisy almost jumped at the voice, and she turned to see Tommy. He looked almost... embarrassed.

"Right here?" Daisy swallowed, looking around at the busy hallway.

"Well—" Tommy says. "Outside."

Daisy smiled faintly in response, and Tommy returned it. It had been their first interaction since Daisy proposed they went on a break. She followed Tommy out to the front lawn, and they sat down on a stone bench, watching as students made their way indoors from the parking lot.

Daisy hugged her coat around her, and cursed herself for wearing a skirt and tights on such a cold day. "How are you?" She asks, raising her eyebrows.

Tommy nods. "Alright." He says after a sharp inhale. He hesitates before he speaks again. "I miss you."

Daisy was surprised at his words for a second. She was unsure how to react, and she couldn't tell if she was relieved or disappointed that this 'talk' wasn't going to lead to a break up. She clenched her jaw. "You do?" She spoke.

Tommy nods again. "Yeah." He says. "Is that bad?"

"Why would that be bad?" She asks.

He shrugs, shoving his hands in his varsity jacket pockets. "I don't know, you just sound disappointed." He laughed nervously.

Daisy felt a little pang to her heart. She didn't mean to sound disappointed. "I'm not." She shakes her head quickly. "It's just not what I expected to hear."

Tommy swallows, looking around and thinking before he spoke again. "I know what I did was— too much." He says. "And I apologize."

Daisy inhales sharply. "It's not me you have to apologize to." She lets out a quiet chuckle.

Tommy scoffs. "Well you're the one I upset, right?"

"But you didn't break my nose." She makes an awkward face.

"I broke his nose?" Tommy looked shocked. Daisy nods. His face softened and he shook his head, letting out a deep sigh. "I'll talk to Kai— I just—"

"I appreciate that you... felt like you needed to do that for me." Daisy inhales, searching for words. "But I don't need you to punch people for me— and I definitely don't need you to tell me who I can and can't talk to. I hear that enough from my family." She awkwardly laughs.

Tommy nods. "You're right. I was just— I was mad. I'm sorry."

Daisy smiles softly. Tommy was sweet, too sweet. He really didn't mean any harm, not to Daisy at least. But she couldn't help feeling  guilty when she was around him now— she couldn't help thinking about Kai. And she felt herself undeserving of being with someone like Tommy, when she knew what kind of girl she really was.

"Being apart from you this week made me realize something." Tommy spoke up again. Daisy raises an eyebrow in response. "That I love you."

Her heart dropped immediately. Oh shit. She thought. Time felt like it stopped for a second, as she just sat their unresponsive. The thought of loving Tommy hadn't even crossed her mind, she never thought it would actually get to that point. Her mind raced with every single response imaginable, she could either tell him she loved him too, which would be a lie, but it would save her the awkwardness, or she could—

"I gotta go to class." Daisy forced a smile. She stood up from the bench, and walked into the school as fast as her feet could take her.

Daisy wanted the earth to swallow her hole. She wanted something so catastrophic to happen right now that Tommy would completely forget who she was. She didn't mean to do that, she didn't mean to just get up and leave— but her feet just carried her away before she said something she'd regret.

—

The bell avid the door to the gas station rang as Daisy pushed it open, the bright fluorescent lights hitting her skin as she walked in. She had avoided going home all night. While sitting in class, she had imagined ever case scenario, one being that Tommy would be at home waiting for her to ask if she loved him— to which she would inevitably have to tell him she didn't feel the same yet. So instead, she avoided all of her issues and came to the gas station to buy food to eat her feelings instead.

Scanning the isles, and filling up her basket with Twinkie's, and chips, and sour gummy worms, the door to the gas station rang again. Reflexively, she glanced up to see who came in, only to duck behind the isle when she realized it was Kai.

Of course. She kept her head hung low, hoping to avoid him at all costs, because he was the last thing she needed right now. She made her way up to the cashier so she could buy her things and leave as quick as possible, but as soon as she came out of the isle she bumped right into his chest.

"Fuck." Daisy whispered to herself before looking up at him. "Hi." She said quickly.

"Hi?" Kai says, examining her frantic stature and basket full of junk food.

Daisy was frozen in place for a second before realizing she hadn't moved away from his chest. She quickly backed up and straightened herself out. "Sorry." She nodded quickly, spinning on her heel to turn around and go right back down the aisle she was just in.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. She panicked as she tried to make herself look busy as she made her way away from him.

"What are you doing?" Kai asks.

"Please God, kill me." Daisy muttered, before turning back around to face him. "I'm just— getting some snacks." She swallowed.

Kai raised an eyebrow at her basket, stepping closer into the aisle. "I can see that." He says.

Daisy wasn't going to let herself fall into another awkward situation, when she had an even worse one to deal with right now. She forced herself to make a mature decision. "I need to talk to you." She forces a confident stature.

Kai narrows her eyebrows at her. "I thought us talking was off limits?" He says.

"I—" She stammers. "We have to talk about it eventually."

A smirk tugged at Kai's lips. "Talk about what?"

Daisy eyes fall bored. "You know." She says impatiently.

Kai shrugs happily. "Okay." He says. "Can I buy you a slushee first?"

Daisy narrows her eyes at him, thinking for a second. "I mean—" She shrugs. "I guess."

Daisy waited and sat outside of the gas station on one the curb, a cigarette in between her lips, as she watched Kai come out with two slushees in hand before sitting down beside her.

"Thanks." She spoke quietly, taking the red one from him.

The two both waited a while before speaking, just sitting side by side as the sun set behind them, the neon lighting of the gas station sign beginning to be their only source of light. Daisy takes a drag from her cigarette before offering it to Kai and taking a sip from her slushee.

"This is disgusting." Kai says, after taking a sip from his.

"Yeah you're never supposed to get the blueberry flavor from here." Daisy scoffs. "Jen says they haven't cleaned out that dispenser for like five years." She says.

Kai makes a disgusted face and sits his slushee down beside him. "I saw you and Tommy talking this morning." Kai says. "I assume things are good between you two again?"

Daisy internally groans. "You could say that." She says. Kai scoffs, and Daisy turns to look at him with a questioning face. "What?"

He shrugs. "I don't know." Kai says. "Are you just— not gonna tell him? About us?"

"Woah." Daisy's eyes widen a bit. "There isn't an us."

He scoffs again. "Really?" Raising his eyebrows at Daisy dramatically, handing her her cigarette back.

She thinks for a second before speaking again. "You haven't told anyone about it, have you?" She asks.

"Who am I gonna tell?" Kai says. "Everyone I talk to is right here." He smiles.

Daisy stifles a laugh, Kai could be funny when he wasn't being a prick. "Just like— don't tell Josette. Please." She nods.

"I won't." Kai shakes his head. "We barely talk anyways."

She glanced at him. "You guys are together all the time?"

"Probably because my dad doesn't like it when I'm left alone." Kai says. "He thinks I'm gonna get myself into some really bad shit if she's not watching me twenty four seven. She's like my no-pay full-time babysitter."

"Hm." Daisy says, taking another sip from her slushee. "Your parents don't trust you either?"

"Nope." Kai says. "And probably for good reason."

Daisy scoffs, and the conversation falls silent for a bit before she spoke again. "I should probably go home." She says.

"I'll drive." He responds.

She shakes her head. "That's okay—"

"There's a teenage girl killer stalking the woods of Wayward and you think I'm just gonna let you walk home alone at night?" Kai says, standing up from the curb and throwing the slushee away. "I might be a dick but I can actually be a decent human sometimes."

Daisy chuckles. "Okay." She shrugs.

The drive home was quiet, despite the painfully obnoxious punk music Kai played from the stereo. As he pulled into their neighborhood, he brought his jeep to a slow outside her house and turned to face her after putting it in park.

"Thanks for the ride." Daisy says, grabbing her slushee from the cupholder. "And this."

He nodded in response. "So is the no-talking ban over now?" He raises an eyebrow.

Daisy scoffs. "If you can promise me that you won't show up in the middle of the woods, pretend to kidnap me, and then kiss me out of nowhere— then sure."

He smirked. "I did not kiss you out of nowhere— if I remember correctly you said I could 'have' you?" He mocks.

Daisy quickly opened the car door, stumbling out of it with embarrassment before leaning back into the car. "See, I was just starting to tolerate you and then you go and fuck it up." She says, hiding a laugh. Kai smiles proudly, and just as Daisy was about to shut the car door and go inside, she leans in to speak again. "Let's just be friends." She says. "Because believe it or not, you can be likable sometimes."

"Just friends is a temporary thing, right?" Kai cocks his head to the side.

Daisy annoyedly shakes her head. "Good night." She says, before shutting the car door and walking towards the front door.

Kai rolls down his window. "Hey!" He yells. Daisy turns around and faces him. "Open your blinds."

Daisy couldn't help but laugh. "Fuck off, Parker."