❪ ﹟TWELVE ❫ ࿐ྂ
━━ BLACKMORE UNIVERSITY'S OMEGA BETA ZETA HOUSE / BLACKMORE UNIVERSITY !

     A FEW MONTHS in New York and at Blackmore made Carina start to believe things might actually be going back to normal. Truthfully, after last year, it was almost a lot to think about. Nonetheless, she didn't like dwelling on it too long, because she didn't want to ruin it for herself or any of the others. This is probably why she agreed to go out for Halloween instead of staying in, no matter how much she would've preferred the latter. For a moment she did debate staying home with Quinn, but when the other girl said that she would be having company over, she was a little more easily convinced.

     So, here she was, staring at a couple making out sloppily while she sat on the arm of a couch next to Mindy and Anika. The couple made it official some months ago, and the dark-haired girl has been part of their group since. Carina likes her, and she smiles at her simple pumpkin costume when her eyes fall on her. "It doesn't bother you?" she asks, looking up at her and then at her girlfriend. "Being at a house party after you were almost brutally murdered at a house party?"

     Carina laughs lightly and ignores the tiny churn in her stomach at the reminder. "Was trying not to think about it," she calls to be heard over the music.

     "No," Mindy answers after. "I think of it like being struck by lightning. The odds of it happening twice to the same person are extremely low."

     The words hit dig under Carina's skin, and she tries not to make a face as she brings her cup to her lips. Amaya gave it to her when they first got there and she has no idea what it is, but suddenly she needs a drink. As lovely as it would be to think like Mindy, Carina can't help but think of her Aunts Sydney and Gale, and especially her Uncle Dewey. They had to face numerous Ghostface killers repeatedly, and it wasn't something she could forget or wave off. Actually, she thought about it often. Stewed in it and what it could mean for her and her friends, especially when rumors about Sam were still circulating the internet to this day. Those things drew weird people in, and it wasn't easy to wave it off and act like it might not affect them like Mindy does.

     Scanning the room under the brim of her pirate hat, she wonders briefly where the rest of their friends went. Despite Mindy being her best friend, she had a compelling urge to leave her and Anika in the moment.

     "Ah. Guess I should stay close to you then," Anika muses, swinging her legs into Mindy's lap. Carina smiles a little despite the sour turn in her mood because it's nice to see that Anika doesn't shy away from them despite knowing what they've dealt with in the past and the repercussions it still causes in their daily lives. More often than not one of the five of them will wake up in a cold sweat, panic at a noise too loud, or something along those lines. Carina had assumed people would steer clear of them for a while because of that--along with the rumors--but their new friends have taken it all in stride and been understanding.

     Speaking of, out of the corner of her eye, Carina spots Amaya's bright red devil costume. Pushing off the couch, she smiles at the couple on it and motions over her shoulder. "Gonna go find Amaya," she tells them, stepping away when they nod. 

     Crossing the room, she rolls her eyes at the drunk dude who ogles her up and down but it melts into a smile when she comes up to Amaya. "Hey," she greets, sliding an arm in her elbow and pulling her to her side.

     "Ciao, Chickadee." Amaya kisses her head briefly where the pirate hat falls before scanning the room again. "You seen Tara?"

     Pouting, she shakes her head and looks around the room herself. "Not since she was with you. Lose her?"

     "Mmm," she hums, shrugging a little. "She's a big girl, but..." The other trails off, but Carina knows what she was going to say. Smiling cheekily, she shoves her face into Amaya's arm and giggles. "But you worry because you care about her."

     Amaya's is a little hard on the edges, something that isn't hard to recognize. But, she opens up more with their friend group. That being said, it took time. At least, for most of them, it did. Where Tara's concerned, Amaya's always had the biggest soft spot for the younger girl. Even before they'd told Amaya about what happened back in Woodsboro, she was protective of the raven-haired girl. After, it only got worse. Tara seems to be the only one of them who hasn't noticed, despite mooning for the girl right back. Secretly, Carina and Mindy like to tease their friend for her obvious type of girls who look like they'd kill someone for her.

     "Yeah, yeah." Carina can't see it, but she knows her friend is rolling her eyes.

     Just then, Tara walks into the room from the hallway, and Carina feels it when Amaya relaxes a little. They walk to meet her halfway, the smaller girl waving to Mindy and Anika on the couch as she heads for the kegs set up on the table.

     "Tara!" Carina exclaims, smiling at her friend as they to a stop in front of her. "How's your night been?" She releases Amaya, who steps a little closer to the new addition almost subconsciously.

     "Good." She smiles at Carina and then Amaya, and Carina has to cover her giggle at her obvious heart eyes by taking another drink of her spiked punch. "Where'd you go?"

     "Bathroom. Remember?"

     Tara hums and nods, leaning a little into Amaya's side as she sways because of it. "Okayyy, tiger," Amaya drawls, wrapping an arm around her waist and steadying her. "Think that's enough for you tonight." She motions to the cup in her hand that's empty.

     Carina almost wants to roll her eyes at the display the two of them make, but she refrains. Still, she can't hide her smile, and her cheeks ache just a little.

     The two in front of her bicker about Tara's alcohol intake, and she's debating cutting them off when there's a tap on her shoulder. Turning, she takes in the man in front of her. He doesn't seem to have a costume on, just a white button-up with sunglasses stuck in one of the holes and a gold chain around his neck. He's smirking down at her, curls falling on his forehead that glistens with the slightest sheen of sweat. She grimaces a little. "I'm Frankie."

     "Charmed," she smiles tightly, curling her arm to her chest. He seems to wait a moment for her name, eyes lingering on the scar across her cheek. She squirms under the attention, but after a minute of her not offering her name back, he moves on like nothing happened.

     "You Omega Beta Zeta?"

     "No." She shakes her. "But my friend is debating rushing." Tara's mentioned it once or twice and even asked if she'd want to join her, but she knows frats and sororities aren't her scene in large doses. Looking over her shoulder at the thought of Tara, she sees both she and Amaya have joined Mindy and Anika on the couch, the four talking between themselves.

     "Freshman," Frankie hums, smirk growing sharper. He steps closer, and Carina steps back. Only there's a wall behind her, and when did that get there? "You from around here?"

     She attempts to step around him, feeling uncomfortable and cornered. "Can't say I am," she hedges, trying to push him back a little and failing miserably. In the end, he only steps closer. Behind him, someone surfaces and grabs his arm. "Hey, let's back off," she hears. It sounds a bit like Amaya, but because Frankie's taller and cornering her in, she can't see around him to verify.

     He waves a hand over his shoulder. "We're fine," he denies, waving the arm off his bicep.

     "No," she laughs uncomfortably, "we're not." She's always giggled when she's nervous, and it's great to see it still applies to moment's like this.

     "I'm getting Chad," someone else says, and she can at least confirm then that those are her friends.

     Pushing at Frankie again, she looks up at him to see his eyes harden just a little. Grabbing her wrists in one hand, his smile feels almost predatory as he leans his face closer to hers. Turning her face only does so much, and she feels his hot breath on her cheek. Just as his lips graze her cheek, a new hand clasps his shoulder. "Hey, partner."

     Frankie jerks back a little like the hand on his shoulder had pulled him, and she looks up to see Chad and her friends standing there. All of them look pissed, Chad most of all. "Carina's with us," he nods at her, but his narrowed eyes don't leave Frankie's face.

     "Sorry bro, didn't catch that."

     "Yeah," Chad chuckles without humor. "You did." His hand falls off the frat boy's shoulder, and it clenches into a fist.

     Swallowing, she pushes past Frankie now there's enough of a gap, and comes to stand in front of Chad. "It's alright." She puts a hand on his chest to try and push him away before the scene escalates, and she resoundingly ignores the fact that he's not wearing a shirt. "It's okay. Let's just go."

     Slowly, Chad's eyes pull away from Frankie and land on her, and she feels her breath hitch. His arm wraps her waist, and the sudden weight of it is heavy and almost dizzying. "You sure?" he asks, scanning her from head to toe like he wants to make sure Frankie really didn't touch her. "Mhmm," she confirms. Looking away from the intensity of his stare, her eyes land on her friends now all in one place. "We ready to go?"

     "Yeah," Anika breathes, grabbing Mindy's hand and starting toward the door. The rest follow behind, and Carina watches Ethan hand Chad his shirt and letterman he seemingly left behind somewhere else. When her eyes connect with him, he smiles at her awkwardly behind his robot helmet. Chad grabs the shirt and jacket and slide them on, and before she can mourn to loss of the arm on her waist, it's back like it never left. She attempts to ignore the blush on her cheeks.

     Shockingly, just as the group is exiting the house, they run into Sam about to enter. Tara, who's still a little drunk, straightens from where she was leaning on Amaya. "Sam. Are fucking kidding me? You're stalking me now?" Before she can answer, Tara pushes away from the group and starts striding down the street, Sam watching; mouth agape. "Tara!"

     After a moment, the group follows after her, Sam faster on her heels than the rest of them. Behind them, the group look at each other in exasperation, because this argument already felt familiar. Anika pulls her hat off her head, and Ethan playfully replaces it with his helmet. She laughs, shaking her head before pulls the orange cap over his curls.

     In the same spirit, Carina reaches up and switches her pirate hat with Chad's cowboy one, smiling at him playfully when their eyes connect.

     "Will you stop?"

     "I cannot believe you did that! You don't trust me!"

     Sam scoffs, and Carina pulls her eyes back and shakes her head at the display in front of them. Despite peaceful months, Sam has failed to fully relax. And while none of them really have, Sam is the worst about it. It especially rains down hard on Tara, who Sam never fails to be overbearing with. "House parties are dangerous. We know that first hand."

     "So?" Tara turns on her heel, arms flaring out. "If I want to go to a house party, that's my decision! Okay? It's my decision!" Her eyes are wide and almost pleading, and Carina winces. Despite moving states away and being an adult, Tara hasn't got the chance to really feel like one with Sam around and still dealing with the aftermath of everything. "It's not about you! I mean, you're out of my life for five years, and then you can't leave me alone for five minutes."

     "Because you're not dealing with what happened to us," Sam argues. It's the same argument she's been using for months, and it's a weak excuse. "Have you even gone to see the counsler once?"

     "No, I'm not going to."

     "Why not?"

     "Because I'm uninterested in living in the past like you are," she exclaims, arm out in front of her like she wants to grab Sam and shake her.

     "What's that supposed to mean?" She asks, head reeling back like she's been slapped by the words.

     "Guys, come on," Chad calls, waving the hand not holding her hip in the arm toward Tara and Sam. Carina nods, but neither of them are looking at her.

     "It means I'm not gonna let what happened to us for three days define the rest of me life!"

     "So you're just going to pretend it never happened."

     Carina's brow furrowed. That's not what she was saying. None of them were ever going to forget what happened, but they didn't have to let it be their every waking thought either. "Sam, no," she denys for Tara, even if she doesn't know if either sister is listening. Sam doesn't turn around, and Tara shakes her head.

     "What are you doing here, Sam? In New York. You're working two shiity jobs to help with rent, or whatever, but what's your plan?" When Sam doesn't answer, Tara keeps going. "I know what I'm gonna do. Okay? Because I'm gonna keep going to college, I'm gonna get my degree, and I'm gonna live my life."

     As Tara goes on her tangent, the group of six behind them shuffle on their feet. It's decedily awkward, having to listen to this conversation, but it's nothing new either. "My life." She pounds on her chest with a flat palm. "Okay? I know. You just followed me here, and you won't let me out of your sight."

     She can't see Sam's face with the older girl facing away from her, but she can imagine what it is. Especially when she says, "I'm just trying to look out for you."

     "I--" Tara starts and stops, running her hands down her face as she takes a deep breath. "I know. I know you are. You can't do that for the rest of my life, though. You have to let me go."

     Before either sister can more, or maybe even apologize, someone shouts out to them from a distant. "Hey!" They shout, and as everyone directs their eyes toward the group approaching them just in time for an unnamable person to throw their open drink at Sam, drenching her white sweater in soda and splashing both Carina, Chad, and Ethan behind her as their friends record. "Murderer!" they shout, spitting in Sam's face.

     Chad pulls away from Carina and lurches forward to grab Sam alongside Tara, the older girl already lunging. "What the fuck is wrong with you, bitch? You got a problem with me?"

     "Stop!" Carina shouts, moving to block the cameras along with the others not holding Sam back, shaking her head. "What the fuck?"

     The girl that threw the drink points at all of them, scoffing. "You guys should stay away from her. She knows what she did."

     "I didn't do anything," Sam denys, overlapping with the rest of them protesting the random girl's claim.

     "Sure, bitch," the random girl drawls as Tara calls out, "Walk away!"

     "I'm so sick of this shit," Sam bites out, adjusting her wet sweater. Carina wipes at her face, already feeling sticky from the drops of soda that landed on her.

     The group starts walking again, rattled and annoyed. "Hey, calm down. Come on," Mindy tries, moving on. Carina pushes next to her and Amaya, shaking her head. "Fucking ridiculous."

     Fucking ridiculous indeed, she thinks as they continue their walk back to the apartments. Will we ever know a day of peace?

madi speaks! 💌
don't mind me...finishing this because i love it but not having touched wattpad for a hot minute bc my mental health went downnnnn