Hailie raised her hand and took a selfie with the phone. She was too lazy to make another shot, so she figured that this one should be just fine. She was barely taking any selfies at all, but there was a promise made and she was going to fulfill it.

Still alive!

She sent the message to Shane along with her photo on the background of the campus building. Finally, the classes ended and she could go back home.

"Damn it!"

Hailie looked at the lady, who stumbled upon uneven cobblestones. Now all her papers were laying on the ground and she was struggling with collecting it all.

"Let me help you." Hailie crouched down beside the woman and helped her with the students' papers. She must have been a teacher around here. There was something familiar in her, but Hailie couldn't remember if they've ever met. Maybe she saw her once on the campus, but definitely she had no classes or lectures with her. Such a shame, because she looked nice.

"For years I've been asking to fix this cobblestone. That's the only place in the campus, where I'm always falling into the trap. I wouldn't be able to count how many times I've stumbled here," she laughed and stood up, taking the papers from Hailie and putting them back to her bag. "Thank you, miss," she didn't finish, waiting for Hailie to introduce herself.

"Hailie Millis." They've shaken their hands.

The woman had some wrinkles on the face and neatly pinned up light brown hair, but it was the light green eyes, which gave up who she was, before Hailie heard her name, "Professor Blackwell, it's my pleasure to finally meet you."

Hailie slowly opened up her mouth, noticing more similarities between Mrs. Blackwell and her son.

"You're Shane's mother."

She remembered that day, when she met Shane on the campus. He was visiting his mum and dropping something off. That's when she found out that Professor Blackwell is teaching third year business and economics.

"And you're his dear friend. He's talking about you a lot, but don't tell him that I've told you that," she smiled and lightly chuckled. Hailie's instincts were telling her that Shane's mum was a good person, just as he was. "I hope you're doing fine, Hailie." She put her hand on Hailie's hands. "I've heard about your roommate's death."

Whole town already heard about this, even if the police found out yesterday.

"We weren't close at all, but thank you."

Mrs. Blackwell took her bag and checked the time on her watch.

"I need to go now, but I hope we'll meet again." She leaned to her. "It may take Shane some time, but you're always welcomed in our house, Hailie. I'd be delighted if you came for dinner once."

Hailie smiled as well and answered, "So would I," even though it wasn't possible in the nearest future.

"See you around, Hailie." Shane's mother walked away towards the campus building.

Hailie took out her phone, seeing that Shane still didn't reply to her message. She was hesitating for a moment, then she typed, I saw your mother at the campus. She's really nice. Hailie was still mad at him, but she was trying to act normal at the same time.

Usually at the parking lot she was looking for her car, trying to remember where it was parked. This time it was quite obvious, considering that Amy was laying on its hood and taking photos of herself. When Hailie saw her, she felt like screaming.

"Amy, seriously? Get off!" She delicately slapped Amy on her leg.

"Chill, Hailie. Aren't you happy to see me again?" She got off the hood.

"No, I'm not," she replied, looking for keys in her purse, so she could drive off as fast as it's possible. "And before you ask again, I'm still not interested in your revenge plan."

Hailie opened the car's door, but she couldn't slam them after she got in. Amy put her hand on the door.

"Come on, Hailie. You've got the chance here. Declan framed you into meeting with Jayson and he testified against you in the court."

Sometimes Amy had her brighter moments, but then again she acted like thinking was too much to do.

"You know that you did the same exact things? Should I invite you to my house along with Declan? Just let me know when you two want to come and drink tea with demons, who would like to tear you apart." She smiled ironically. "Get it, Amy. My house is my private space. I don't want to see any of you there, because it would be like a violation to me. Besides, Declan already was in my house at the party and hey, he's still standing and breathing."

"But Debra isn't. She died the same day I told you about her and Declan." From her words it sounded like Hailie had something to do with it, but Amy knew that it was impossible. Maybe she never was a friend to Hailie, but she knew her well enough to be sure that Hailie wouldn't be able to hurt somebody, even for revenge. That was the problem. That was the reason why she didn't want to go along with her plan. "I've told you about hit and run and-"

"Go to the police with that," Hailie advised her, waiting for Amy to take her hand from the car door.

"You know I can't. Jayson would destroy me."

Hailie never thought that Amy could be afraid of him too.

"His parents would, but he doesn't have them anymore and I doubt that he can do anything at all."

Amy seemed impatient. It would be easier if Hailie agreed. She didn't want to put her at risk, even if it should be indifferent to her.

"Both of them have been capable of leaving a dying woman from that hit and run I've told you about. And you said that in the funhouse you were scared about your life. You believe that Jayson could kill you." Even if that for Amy was nonsense.

Hailie rolled her eyes.

"Firstly, they were drunk and they weren't thinking clearly. I'm not justifying it. I'm just saying that it's different situation than a murder in cold blood. Secondly, maybe Jayson would be capable of doing that, but not Declan. That's why I'm scared of my ex, not yours. And here I am, still not inviting even him to my house. You know why? Because it isn't a killing machine. Stop talking nonsense, Amy. My house is perfectly safe," she lied, getting tired of Amy's bullshit.

It took few missing cases after wild party and one suicide, and once again entire town woke up, remembering about the Bloody Mansion. Suddenly everybody is talking about one thing: her house and its killing properties. Hailie was so tired of people looking at her like she was crazy or worse – like she was the devil's daughter, who must have signed some kind of pact to be still alive. Seriously, people at the supermarket are moving away from her like she could curse them and others are just whispering, not even trying to hide it from her. Whole school is talking about the party, about the missing students, about Debra's suicide and about her house.

"Fine." Amy finally took her hand.

"Amy, he's not worth your attention. Go live your life before you do something you might regret forever," advised her Hailie, although she had a feeling that Amy won't give up so easily. It wasn't in her style. She just hoped that Amy won't have some stupid ideas to fulfill her revenge plan.

"What I regret is losing three years of my life to some douchebag." She slammed Hailie's car door and walked away, gazing at the college building.

She checked the time. It was called stalking, but whatever. She knew when Declan was having his last classes and where his car was parked. And if Hailie didn't want to help, then she had to take this into her own hands.

Amy didn't have to wait too long for Declan to show up, along with Jayson. She put her fake smile on the face and waved at both of them. They've stopped a short distance away from her and Declan whispered something to Jayson, who looked at Amy with doubt, but nodded and left his friend alone.

"Missed me?" she asked, when Declan stopped in front of her.

He took out a box of cigarettes from his pocket. Amy didn't smoke, but the fact that Declan liked it wasn't a problem for her. From the guy with body full of tattoos she expected nothing less.

"What do I owe the pleasure of seeing you?" He tried to play indifferent, but one look at his face was enough for her to know that he missed her. "Let me guess." He put a cigarette in his mouth and lit it. "You've come to make me feel even worse about our break-up."

"I've come to see how you're handling the suicide of your girlfriend."

Declan released a cloud of smoke from his mouth.

"She was never my girlfriend and I couldn't care less."

It wasn't a lie. Debra was just a good time and a way to find out more about Hailie, so he could provide this information to Jayson. At first he had no idea why his best friend would still have an obsession about his ex, who wasn't even that pretty, but when Amy broke up with him, he understood it.

"Brutal," said Amy.

"Truth. Both Debra and Mindy were a mistake and none of them was nearly half as good as you are."

Debra was a bitch, who betrayed her sorority sister, that's why Amy hated her more. Mindy had no idea that Declan had a girlfriend and she actually said sorry to Amy, when she first arrived at the town. That was unexpected and that's why Amy still wasn't sure about getting revenge on Mindy. She was also lied to.

But Debra? That one was a horrible person. Amy was actually happy that she died.

"It's easy to say so after the damage was done, huh?"

Declan threw a cigarette in the parking lot and trampled it with his shoe.

"Listen, Amy. You were far away and I was lonely. Before our college split up, I was loyal only to you. What happened with Debra and Mindy was terribly stupid and I understood it only after I've lost you. The best thing in my life." He came one step closer, and then another one, like he was checking how close he can get, before Amy will step away. "I still love you."

"Do you?" She didn't have to ask that, because deep down she knew he was telling the truth. But that didn't matter. She could never forgive him. And she would never trust him again, because it was obvious that something like that could happen again.

"I do and you clearly also have some feelings for me in your heart."

Yes. Hatred.

"Declan-"

"Otherwise, you wouldn't come here."

She put her sad face on. That's not why she came, but Declan could believe differently. To get her revenge she was ready to sleep with the enemy. How epic would it be? Their last goodbye. A lie and a knife in his back, just like she felt after finding out the truth.

They should make a movie about me. That would be a really interesting rom-com drama.

"It's hard," she replied, not daring to look in his eyes. "You've hurt me a lot. That's so stupid I'm still coming back. You-"

"I'm the perfect man for you." He touched her cheek and she noticed the tattoos on his knuckles.

Love.

He made them for her.

On the other hand he had tattooed hate. He always called it his fighting fist.

"We were so good together."

"And we still can be. You're here and I'm going to do everything to get you back. Name it, I'll do it."

She couldn't give herself away with her facial expression, but that was just the thing she was waiting to hear. Declan had many flaws, but he was usually fulfilling her wishes. Probably because of the wild, passionate sex they were having later.

"Hailie doesn't want to be friends with me."

Declan frowned, not sure why she suddenly changed the topic.

"And why do you care about her?"

She spread her hands like it was obvious.

"I don't have anybody else here and she kicked Debra out of her house after finding out about you two. I'm so angry at her right now." She wasn't angry at all, but Declan believed every word she said, even though he couldn't understand why everybody was always revolving around Hailie. "Do you remember what I used to do, when I was after a fight with Hailie?"

"Playing pranks." He thought about that one time, when they kidnapped her for fun. It was only a few minutes. Amy couldn't withhold her laugh, so basically after Hailie was taken into the car, she understood it's not for real. The other time Amy stole her clothes after gym, but that resulted in an even bigger fight between them.

"I have something big in mind. Would you like to prove yourself and help?" She caught him by a t-shirt and pulled closer.

A mischievous smile appeared on his lips.

"I'm listening."