━━━━━━━━┛ ✶ ┗━━━━━━━━

𝙑𝙊𝙇𝙐𝙈𝙀 𝑰. ── CASUALTY OF YOUR DREAMS!

❛ 𝒊'𝒅 𝒃𝒍𝒆𝒆𝒅 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒚𝒐𝒖 ❜
─── chapter seven! ❫

❪ 𝚃𝚆 ⠀ : ⠀ 𝙶𝚁𝙰𝙿𝙷𝙸𝙲 𝚅𝙸𝙾𝙻𝙴𝙽𝙲𝙴, 𝙶𝙾𝚁𝙴,
𝚆𝙴𝙰𝙿𝙾𝙽𝚂, ⠀ ⠀ 𝚄𝙽𝙳𝙴𝚁𝙰𝙶𝙴 𝙳𝚁𝙸𝙽𝙺𝙸𝙽𝙶,
𝙼𝙴𝙽𝚃𝙸𝙾𝙽𝚂 𝙾𝙵 𝚂𝙼𝙾𝙺𝙸𝙽𝙶, ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀𝙰𝙽𝙳
𝙳𝙴𝙿𝙸𝙲𝚃𝙸𝙾𝙽𝚂 𝙾𝙵 𝙱𝙻𝙾𝙾𝙳 𝙰𝙽𝙳 𝙳𝙴𝙰𝚃𝙷. ❫

007. ╱ ✹ ⠀⠀ ❝ green flags turned red
from all my bleeding. . . i fell quickly
for words, misleading. ❞

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

     THE PARTY WAS IN FULL SWING. If Kynlee Manral had to guess, she'd bet that nearly every student from Woodsboro High was there. Amber Freeman's house was wall-to-wall packed with drunk and high teenagers.

     While Chad guided her through the crowd, Kynlee couldn't help but think about Wes and how he'd react to people remembering him through a party. She could almost vividly picture him cringing at the blue "FOR WES" sparkly banner strung above a counter in the kitchen. Similar to how she did when they entered the kitchen. Wes probably would have hated the party, but gotten high with Kynlee and Mindy before being dragged into a conversation with the football players by Chad.

     God, she would give anything to have him there.

     "Keep pouring, Wheeler," Chad told his teammate, nodding at the shot of whiskey he held. "Thank you."

     Kynlee came to a stop at the desk near the entrance of the kitchen. Not a single ounce of her wanted to be there. She'd rather be at home with Wes' hoodie and watching Garo: Crimson Moon with Pa, Malik, and Ibrahim. However, Chad, Mindy, and Amber begged her to come and even Pa encouraged her to go celebrate Wes Hicks' life with the rest of her friends. Eventually, she caved, showered, put on makeup and a dress with her favorite platform knee-high boots, and begrudgingly left her house.

     In her humble opinion, a party wasn't a great idea given a killer was on the loose in Woodsboro, but everybody else seemed to sidestep that fact. Even Mindy, who deep down knew it was a bad idea. Apparently, teenagers were fine with dying, but Kynlee was not. Getting shot and stabbed twice was more than enough for her.

     So tonight she planned to stay diligent while also trying to have fun. She knew Wes wouldn't want her to mope in the corner and not at least take one shot in his name.

     "Kynz, here." Chad brought her a shot of whiskey and she took it, giving him a nod of thanks. Then, he faced the crowd and raised his own glass in the air. "Hey!" he shouted, gathering people's collective attention. "To Wes! Beautiful son of a bitch." He and Kynlee clinked their drinks together before downing them.

     A unanimous "To Wes!" echoed across the space.

     Grimacing at the burn in her throat, Kynlee stared at the empty shot. "Love you, apuesto," she murmured.

     "Shots, really?" Amber scowled, walking straight past her ex-girlfriend and snatching the shot out of Chad's hand. "This is supposed to be a memorial." She placed it on the counter and rolled her eyes.

     "Well, this is how I mourn," Chad defended himself, pointing at the glass, "and distract myself from the looming specter of Death."

     A slight smile tugged at the corners of Kynlee's lips at the exaggeration. It was cute.

     "Hey, we're low on beer," Mindy announced, approaching the three.

     "There's more in the basement. I'll go get some," the Freeman girl stated, turning around to go to the basement. Her eyes lit up the tiniest bit when she noticed Kynlee standing by the desk at one of the many entrances to the kitchen. "Kynni, hey. I'm glad you made it."

     Kynlee gave her a small smile, unable to force a genuine one at this time. "Me too," she breathed.

     "We still have Victory Golden Monkey left in the basement. I'll make sure to grab some for you," Amber said, referring to the girl's favorite brand and flavor of beer. It also happened to be her dad's favorite brand and flavor.

     "That'd be great, thank you."

     Mindy narrowed her stare slightly. There wasn't a single thing about the ex-girlfriend's recent interactions that she liked. Something was off. Primarily on Amber's end, she didn't know what it was, but it wasn't good.

     At that, Amber set off to the basement and Mindy decided to follow her.

     This left Chad and Kynlee alone with the rest of Woodsboro High. It was only for a split second though before Liv arrived.

     "Hey, guys!" the pink-haired girl greeted merrily.

     Painting on a faux smile, Kynlee waved. "Hey."

     Liv gasped at the tattooed girl's presence, not expecting her to be there. "Oh, my God. Kyn, I heard what happened. I'm so glad you're okay!" she breathed, giving her a quick hug.

     "Thank you," Kynlee patted her backside gently before they parted ways. "I am too."

     Flashing her a final smile, Liv turned to her boyfriend. "Hey babe," she laughed when he picked up her, swaying them side-to-side.

     Kynlee directed her gaze elsewhere when the couple kissed and tapped her foot against the floor. Mindy and Amber were gone. Chad and Liv were entangled in each other's arms, off in their own world. And that just left Kynlee, alone.

     Awesome. This was awesome.

     With a quiet huff, she slipped out of the room. Maybe Tara was free to text.

     Despite knowing more than half the people at the party and waving to them while she moved through the crowd, Kynlee just wanted to be in the presence of one of her best friends. Her chest still ached with grief and she needed someone to lean on for support. Being alone and being comfortable with solitude was not a strong suit of hers.

     Climbing up the stairs at the front of the house, she sat down on the top ledge. Memories of her and Amber lying on the stairs, laughing and talking for hours on end played in her mind. Pushing them away, she retrieved her phone from the pocket of her dress. Texting with one hand was going to be so annoying.

     hey <3 how're you feeling?

     It took only fifteen seconds for Tara to respond.

     Hey! <3 I'm all right. We're about to leave the hospital.

     Kynlee tilted her head to the side. This was news to her.

     ¿por qué?

     Sam and Richie want to get out of town so GF can't find us.

     A frown appeared on her face and she inwardly sighed. As long as Tara was safe, that's all that mattered to her.

     that's smart

     I'd tell you where we're going, but I can't.

     no no no, don't worry about it :) just be safe pls

     I will! How're you feeling? Did you end up going to the party at Amber's?

     Kynlee could hear Backstabber by Kesha playing through the speakers and she tapped her feet along to the beat.

     unfortunately. i wanna go home lmao

     Is it too much?

     yeah and i just wish wes was here. i really fucking miss him

     I do too :(

     and i miss you, t. it's soooo boring not having you around

     I miss you too, K! It's boring not having YOU around! Especially with Sam and Richie around.

     are you flirting with me??? if so, i've recently become single

     LOLLLLL PLEASE AMBER WOULD KILL ME

     A laugh slipped out and Kynlee grinned at her phone screen.

     that's not a denial

     It's not a confirmation either

     such a tease

     Such a flirt

     me haces sonrojar

     More than Chad does?

     Face dropping, Kynlee narrowed her eyes at Tara's text. She played too much.

     why'd you have to ruin our moment like that? this isn't about him

     HAHAHAHAHAHAHA

     you're laughing like something's funny

     "Hey, what're you doing up here?" Amber asked, making her way upstairs. In her hands, she held two bottles of Victory Golden Monkey.

     Locking her phone, Kynlee began to bounce her knee up and down. "Texting Tara," she replied, tucking her hair behind her ears. "I'm not really in a party mood."

     Amber let out a short laugh. "Since when? You're always the life of the party." She sat next to her ex-girlfriend, passing over a beer.

     That statement was true. Kynlee Manral was always the life of the party whenever the group went out. The past few days she hadn't been given the circumstances, but she was always the extroverted one, along with Chad. She could adapt to any situation and got along with most people she met. She had a magnetic energy that drew everyone in and was very high-spirited. Whenever she was around, people had a good time.

     "Not tonight," the tattooed girl stated matter-of-factly. "Not up for it."

     There was a solemn tone in her voice and Amber picked up on it. "Wes?"

     "Yeah," Kynlee muttered, managing to unscrew the cap off the drink. A question that'd been lurking in the back of her brain from earlier that day came back to the surface. Ever since her headache subsided and she realized that Amber left her place earlier, she'd been wondering something. "Did you leave my house earlier because of Chad and I? Or because you actually had to get this all set up?"

     Amber scoffed, taking a large gulp of beer. "Both. I don't like seeing the two of you together. You know that," she grumbled, immediately in a sour mood at the mention of the pretty boy jock.

    This switch in behavior was noticeable and Kynlee tried to not let it annoy her. "I do, but you also know that we aren't together. He's dating Liv and I was with..."

     "Me."

     Pressing her lips together, she nodded. "Yeah."

     "Well, we both know how that turned out," Amber remarked, giving her a cold glare.

     All right. She was starting to piss her off.

     Kynlee mimicked her scoff from a minute ago. "Yeah, we do, and we both know who ended it and who wanted it."

     The pair was staring the other down with no sign of stopping. Both of them tended to be hot-headed. Amber more than Kynlee, but when they clashed, they clashed. Eventually, the black-haired girl sighed.

     "Why does there have to be so much animosity between us? Primarily from your end."

     Clenching her jaw, Amber's grip on the beer bottle tightened. "'Cause I can't stand the two of you and your friendship. I don't trust that you wouldn't leave—" she inhaled deeply and tried to collect herself. "Kynni, we've been over this."

     "Yeah, one too many times, and you still don't believe a single word that comes out of my mouth," Kynlee argued. Buried feelings from the past were emerging and she couldn't control it. The last few days had been operating on a new level of stressful and painful. Her emotions were all over the place.

     Amber rolled her eyes. "It's kind of hard when I have to witness the way you both stare at each other. It makes me want—" she managed to catch herself before she said something she shouldn't. "I don't like it. I don't trust either of you like that."

     But why?

     "I never gave you a reason not to trust me," Kynlee pointed out, gesturing to herself and then to her. "The reason why you don't is that you projected your insecurities onto our relationship and self-sabotaged yourself to a point of no return."

     A tense silence settled over them. It was obvious that was something Kynlee had been wanting to say for a while.

     Amber knew she was right, but she was never going to acknowledge that. "You're a bitch for that," she spat, venom dripping off every word.

     Shrugging, Kynlee chugged some of her beer. "Maybe," she breathed, lowering the bottle, "but we both know it's true. That's why you aren't getting defensive. You only get defensive when something isn't true."

     It was infuriating how she knew certain parts of Amber so well. The Freeman girl didn't like it.

     "Fuck you." That was the only thing Amber could think of to say.

     "Fuck you too."

     Kynlee was done with this conversation. She wanted to be in the company of friends, but that didn't include Amber when she was well aware that all they were going to do was argue. They had too many issues left unresolved, but tonight was not the night to address them. Clearly.

     "Thanks for the beer. I'll see you later," she said dryly, pushing off the steps and descending downstairs.

     Across the house and in the living room, Mindy was talking with some friends from the high school's movie club. A few feet away, Chad and Liv were lying down on one of the couches making out. They had been for a little bit, but no one paid them any attention.

     "I think I'm ready," Liv whispered in between their kisses. "I mean, I think we should." She pressed her body further into Chad and moved her lips to his neck. "Like now. You want to go upstairs?"

     The question caught his attention and Chad pulled back. "Like... Like upstairs?" he asked, eyebrows pinched together as she kissed him again.

     "Uh-huh. Right now."

     Oh.

     Part of him wanted to go upstairs with the pink-haired girl while the other knew it wasn't a smart idea. Having sex was one of the three no-no rules to surviving a horror movie and a one-way ticket to an early death. Given everything that happened last night, they were beginning to reach the end of this horror movie. Also, the killer could be anyone in their friend group.

     "Um," he hummed, holding up a hand. "Don't take this the wrong way," Liv drew back, breathless, "but I think I have to pass on that."

     Liv let out a laugh. "What?" Surely, he was joking. They'd been building up to this moment for months, why didn't he want it now?

     It was when Chad's facial expression didn't change that it dawned on her he was being serious. "Why?"

     Was it her? Did he not want to have sex with her?

     "Well..." the jock paused, unsure of how to word his reasoning. "You know, I'm not like entirely sure that you're not the... killer."

     "Don't take this the wrong way?" Liv repeated, raising an eyebrow. Every bit of her was taking offense to the accusation.

     "No, no, look!" Chad was quick to expand upon his comment, but his words didn't make things better. "I'm almost one hundred percent certain that you are not, but the safest option is to be down here with all the people..."

     Liv hit his chest with the back of her hand. "Fuck you."

     "—and the potential witnesses."

     Getting off his lap, she grabbed the strap of her purse angrily and rounded the couch.

     "That is a completely valid emotional response to have!"

     Liv spun around and stuck her middle finger out at him. "Fucking asshole," she scoffed.

     "That too!" he clamored, mentally cursing at himself. That could have gone much better.

     Before she left the room, Liv stopped and took a deep breath. She gathered the courage to spin around. With purpose fueling every step she took, she briefly returned to the sofa so Chad could hear her. "If it was Kynlee asking you to go upstairs to have sex, you wouldn't hesitate," she spat bitterly.

     "Woah, woah, woah. Hey, now!" Chad scrambled to sit up while shaking his head adamantly. That was never something he thought she'd say. Things were going a little too far now. "That is not true! Liv, she has nothing—"

     Flipping him off one last time, Liv hissed, "Fuck you. We're done."

     Chad's jack slackened. "Liv!" he shouted, but she ignored him. Instead, she strode her way out of the living room and rammed her shoulder against Mindy's.

     Stumbling back with a can of beer, the curly-haired girl's eyes widened. "Good job," she mouthed, shooting her brother a thumbs-up.

     Chad gave her a sarcastic smile and thumbs-up. Then, his face fell and he wore an annoyed glare. "Fuck you, Mindy," he grumbled, giving her the finger.

     At the front of the house, excusing herself from a conversation with some of the players on the football team, Kynlee was headed to the living room. Though the guys were fun to chat with, she was in need of time with one of her friends. Probably Mindy since Chad was with Liv and she and Amber definitely weren't on talking terms for the rest of tonight.

     Suddenly, she bumped into someone and came to a stop. "Shit, my bad," she cursed, averting her gaze up. A tearful Liv McKenzie stood in front of her and her heart dropped. Concern filled her chest. "Liv, hey," she said, placing a hand on her arm. "What's wrong? Are you okay?"

     Liv yanked away from her touch, too hurt to bother being nice. "Fuck you, Kynlee. Fuck you."

     Blinking, Kynlee's head reeled back an inch. "The fuck did I do?!"

     "Chad's all yours," the pink-haired girl choked out, reaching her limit of bullshit for the night. "I'm done with this shit."

     "What are you talking about?" Kynlee asked, confused beyond a doubt. In her mind, this was coming out of nowhere.

     Liv shook her head and the lump in her throat doubled in size. "I was fooling myself by thinking he could love me the way he loves you." It hurt to share the insecurity she'd had for so long, but it was honest and true. More honest than her boyfriend was willing to be.

     Eyes wide, Kynlee was stunned at the statement. "What—" Before she could even begin her question, she was interrupted.

     "It's true! You know it, I know it, Amber knows it!" Her heart paused when it dawned on her that Amber told Liv everything about their relationship. That's the only reason she could think of as to why Liv would say that. "Everybody fucking knows it! Don't stand there and deny it."

     "Liv..." Kynlee started out slowly, trying to keep her temper under control. "Chad cares a lot about you. He likes you a fuck ton. You're his girlfriend. Whatever is going on... You should talk to him, not yell at me."

     Apparently, that wasn't the correct response or the best approach.

     "Don't you fucking get it?! He loves you! Not me, you!" Liv directed her pointer finger at the tattooed girl. Kynlee blinked in response. Clearly, Liv was getting a lot of things off her chest tonight. "You two deserve each other." Kynlee opened her mouth only to be cut off. "I'm out of here. Fuck you." Slamming her shoulder into Kynlee's left arm, she stormed past her and out of the Freeman house.

     Although the two-story home was as loud as could be, a speechless silence settled over Kynlee. Did that really just happen?

     From a few feet away, Amber stood in the middle of a group of teens. She'd watched the interaction and heard every word. A dark shadow clouded her face and she stepped out of the foyer.

     Meanwhile, Kynlee was taking a deep breath and gathering herself. It was taking a lot to be the bigger person and not let her anger take over. That confrontation was the most unexpected and random thing to happen to her in a while that had nothing to do with the current state of Woodsboro.

     Wow.

     Shaking her head, she muttered, "Chingada madre..."

     Taking a gulp of beer, she resumed making her way to the living room. When she entered, she saw the exact people she was searching for lying on the couch.

     "All right. ¿Qué mierda?" Kynlee called, grabbing the attention of the Meeks-Martin twins. At the sight of her slightly pissed-off demeanor, they knew something was wrong. "Someone wanna tell me why the fuck I just got yelled at by Liv?!" she asked sharply, marching over. Once she stood between the recliner and elongated couch, she glanced between the duo. If anyone had an explanation, it would most certainly be them.

     At the question, Mindy sent her brother a pointed look. This was going to be fun. She chewed on a mouthful of Doritos, waiting for him to take the reigns on this. After all, he was the one who got into the argument with Liv.

     Groaning, Chad ran a hand over his face. If he'd known his girlfriend was going to take things out on his best friend, he would have gone after her rather than giving her space. That wasn't fair to Kynlee. Regardless of her being indirectly involved.

     "We got into an argument," he sighed, meeting the black-haired girl's expectant stare. "I didn't know she was going to take it out on you, Kynz."

     Kynlee went to cross her arms but huffed in frustration when she was reminded of the sling. "Do you mind sharing what the argument was about? 'Cause she just said a lot of shit that I would like an explanation for," she said, angling her body toward him.

     A beat of silence passed as she waited.

     "Liv got pissed because Chad wouldn't have sex with her," Mindy put it bluntly, tossing another chip into her mouth. If she'd let Chad eventually respond, he probably would have told their friend that it was nothing to worry about.

     Chad gave her a deadpanned stare. "Dude..." At least she didn't mention what else his girlfriend had said.

     "What?! That's literally what happened," his sister defended.

     Kynlee slowly raised an eyebrow. "Oh..." At that moment, she felt incredibly awkward and her irritation subsided. "Uh, better safe than sorry. She could be the killer?" That was meant to come out as a statement but it sounded more like a question.

     "Exactly! Thank you!" Chad exclaimed, motioning at her. "I'm trying to stay safe, guys. Besides, never have sex in a horror movie, right?"

     "Correct. I've taught you well." Mindy grinned smugly before glancing at Kynlee. "By the way, Liv also told Chad that if you were to ask him to go upstairs and have sex, he would do it." She couldn't help but snicker at the dumbstruck and taken aback expression on the girl's face. Not to mention how red her cheeks became. "Just thought you should know."

     Chad's heart dropped and panic flooded his nervous system. There were reasons why he didn't plan on including that one detail of the fight when telling Kynlee later.

     One, he felt it wasn't appropriate given his relationship status. Two, he was dedicated to Liv. Three, nothing physical had happened between him and Kynlee and they'd never discussed anything happening between them ever. Even if they both secretly had thought about it over the years but never said anything.

     "I hate you." That was the only thing he could force himself to say.

     Mindy only shrugged indifferently.

     "That's why she..." Kynlee trailed off, feeling mildly exposed when she and Chad locked eyes. It wasn't like she hadn't pictured the two of them getting physical because she definitely had, but it wasn't something she wanted to acknowledge. At least not often. Especially when she believed that she didn't have a shot in Hell with him and he had a girlfriend. "And everything is starting to make sense. Great. Fuck me," she sighed, choosing to ignore the confused look Chad gave her. Everything Liv told her made complete sense and now she was left with questions that she'd wondered for years, but never voiced. "I'm not drunk enough for this."

     The twins watched the tattooed girl stalk out of the living room while downing the rest of the beer bottle she held. As soon as she was gone, Chad glowered at the side of Mindy's head.

     "I fucking hate you."

     "I know. I heard you the first time."

     Inhaling deeply, he clenched his eyes shut. "Why'd you have to tell her that? Why?"

     "'Cause I'm fucking tired of the slow burn between the two of you. It is so painful at this point," she groaned, throwing her head against the cushions.

     All these years, she and Andi Manral had been the ones on the sidelines of this will-they-won't-they friendship. They both knew that Kynlee and Chad were meant to be. Everybody seemed to know it but them; they just kept fighting the inevitable, too stubborn to believe the other could possibly return their feelings.

     "You know why I've never made a move, Mindy," her brother muttered, not wanting anyone to overhear the conversation.

     Mindy rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I do, and it's a stupid reason. Especially since Kynlee feels the same way." Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a girl from her English class sitting on the couch to her left. It was Frances.

     "You always say that and I still don't believe you."

     "I say it because it's fucking true, doofus."

     Chad was the one to roll his eyes this time. "Besides, I'm dating Liv and I like her a lot," he added.

     "Dated and sure," Mindy scoffed. "Keep lying to yourself."

     Scowling, the jock flipped her off. "Fuck you."

     And in return, she replicated the gesture.

────

     AN HOUR HAD OFFICIALLY PASSED BY WITH NO WORD FROM LIV MCKENZIE AND CHAD WAS STARTING TO GET WORRIED. He'd texted her several times, apologizing and asking her if they could talk. Never once did he get a reply.

     "Are you still texting her?" Mindy asked, not taking her attention off the TV. The original Stab was on and the opening party scene of the third act was about to begin. Perfect timing.

     Chad scrolled through his texts with Liv for the seventh time. There was a bad feeling in his gut. Something didn't feel right. "Yes, and she hasn't replied," he replied, standing up and sliding on his letterman jacket.

     Noticing the movement, the curly-haired girl groaned. "Don't do it," she warned, throwing her head back on the couch. "Don't go outside after her."

     "She's not texting me back."

     "Because she's probably dead."

     Jaw slackening, Chad gave her a 'what-the-fuck-is-wrong-with-you' expression. "Jesus, Mindy! That's my girlfriend you're talking about," he snapped, refusing to believe her words.

     Mindy rolled her eyes. "Was your girlfriend."

     "So, what? You're just gonna sit and watch a movie about our uncle getting stabbed?" he retorted, assuming she wouldn't be coming with him.

     "It calms me down, okay?" she explained, gesturing to the television. "I'm also gonna smoke some weed and possibly hook up with Frances." With a flirtatious smirk, she made eye contact with Frances from across the room. Frances smiled shyly at her.

     Shooting his eyebrows up, Chad shook his head. "Have fun."

     "Oh, my God. At least take some sort of weapon!" Mindy exclaimed, throwing a hand in the air exasperatedly.

     Picking up a metal candle stick, Chad waved it at her. "There you go."

     Right as he left through the doorway leading to the kitchen, Kynlee arrived from the opened doorway that connected to the foyer. She was swaying side to side, a silly smile on her face. It was obvious that she was more than tipsy. All plans she had of staying diligent and not getting drunk had been forgotten.

     "Hey, Minds Minds," Kynlee sang, wrapping an arm around the twin from behind.

     Mindy patted her arm, snorting. "Hey, Kynz."

     Sweeping her eyes around the space, Kynlee frowned. "Where's C?" she asked, kissing the top of Mindy's head.

     "He went outside to look for Liv's dumb ass."

     Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Where was Liv? Yeah, the girl was mad at her, but Kynlee still cared about her well-being.

     "Alone?"

     Nodding, Mindy glanced up. "Yeah. Can—"

    The question didn't need to be asked. Its answer was simple and automatic.

     "I'll go find him and help!"

     A breath of relief slipped between Mindy's lips. "Be careful," she advised.

     "Always am," the black-haired girl sang, placing down her fourth bottle of beer and twirling out of the room.

    With a skip in her step, she weaved in and out of the party. It wasn't until she got outside and found herself standing on an empty porch that her giddy mood dimmed. It was eerily quiet when the door shut behind her and a gentle breeze brushed against her. The sound of drunk teenagers laughing and talking was muffled, as was the music.

     "Chad?" Kynlee shouted, beginning to make her way down the porch steps.

     "Kynz?"

     Off to the right side of the yard, Chad stood with his phone in hand. A look of confusion was present when he heard his best friend's voice. It transformed into a smile, though, when he spotted Kynlee walking to him.

     "Hey, I don't mean to be an ass, but I can't really talk right now. I gotta find Liv and apologize to her," he said, glimpsing down to see that Liv's location hadn't changed.

     Kynlee tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, nodding. "Minds told me. Do you want company while you look? Buddy system is a good idea when there's a killer on the loose." She almost laughed at the candle stick gripped tightly in his palm.

     Chad hummed. "Good point."

     Joining him, she peered down at his phone screen. The Find My Fam app was displayed and two dots were blinking on the map at Amber's house. One for Chad and the other for Liv.

     "She accepted your Find My Fam request?" the tattooed girl asked, skeptical. Why now, of all times, did Liv finally decide to share her location with Chad?

     Chad nodded. "Yeah, just now." He didn't appear to catch onto the questionable timing of it all the way Kynlee did. "It's showing she's up there near the bushes."

     "Huh," Kynlee darted her line of sight to the very empty-looking bushes. "Sure. That's not weird at all."

     "Shut up," Chad muttered, picking up on her unconvinced tone. "Liv?" he shouted, approaching the shrubbery with Kynlee a foot behind him.

     The closer the pair got, the less likely it seemed that Liv was there. There was no sign of movement or life. Liv's pink hair was nowhere to be seen.

     Yeah, Liv had her moments where she overreacted, but she was never one to falsely tell someone her location just for the hell of it. Nor was she someone who ever shared her location through her phone with anyone. All of this felt too much like a trap.

     "Liv?"

     A dead silence answered them.

     Kynlee shook her head and grabbed Chad's bicep. "Fuck this. Something doesn't feel right," she whispered, tugging him closer to her. It felt like they were sitting ducks waiting to be attacked.

     "Yeah, no. We're going inside," Chad agreed, tucking his phone into his pocket.

     Suddenly, Kynlee felt something sharp and cold pierce through the strap of the sling, the fabric of her dress, and slice through her skin. It was long and plunged into the upper right side of her back. Choking out a gasp, she fell against Chad's side when the object was extracted. She could feel blood rushing down her clothes.

     Unlike last night, this didn't happen in a blur and she had time to process each millisecond of the pain.

     "Kynz?" Chad spun on his heel to see her hunched over with a crimson-red liquid coating her back. "Kynzie!" It was then that he saw Ghostface standing there with a blood-coated knife held high. "Fuck!"

     Ghostface swung down and stabbed him in the thigh. Chad let out a cry and swung the metal candlestick, smacking the killer across the face. The stick fell to the ground and he charged forward, sending Ghostface flying through a bush.

     Kynlee fixed her posture and ignored the throbbing ache near her shoulder blade. A flood of blood was pouring from Chad's left thigh and he was struggling to stand. Her physical state of being didn't matter right now. She needed to get them to somewhere safe that they'd be able to get to quickly.

     The shed. It was only a couple of yards away.

     "Come on," Kynlee muttered, throwing his arm over her shoulder and wrapping her arm around his waist. "Come on. I got you."

     With some difficulty, she led them through the tall bushes in the opposite direction and toward the shed. The pain in her back and arm in combination with the weight of Chad's body leaning against her was making it challenging to walk but she had to keep going.

     Eventually rounding the small building, she removed Chad's arm from her shoulders. Using her left hand, she pressed him against the back of the shed.

     "Fuck," Chad hissed, resting his head on the plastic panels.

     Not responding, Kynlee raised her right arm and unhooked the sling. She grimaced at the sharp wave of pain that ran up and down her arm but ultimately ignored it. Instead, she dropped down to her knees and placed the fabric behind Chad's left thigh.

     Glancing down, Chad continued to breathe heavily. "W-What? Kynzie, what are you doing?" He watched her start to tie the sling she'd been wearing around his thigh. It was covering the spot where he'd been stabbed.

     "Helping minimize the bleeding. I see people do this on TV all the time. Shut up," she whispered, not meeting his bewildered stare.

     "But you need that for your—"

     "And turn down your damn phone. I'm trying to save your life and it beeping is fucking that up."

     It'd completely slipped his mind that Find My Fam was still open and beeping the louder Liv's phone got to them. He scrambled to take it out of his pocket and struggled to type in his passcode with all the blood on his hands. It was too slippery.

     "Goddammit," he grumbled, trying to press down on the 'one.' "Goddammit."

     Finishing off the knot she'd made, Kynlee snatched the phone out of his grasp. Despite her hands being lathered in more blood than his, she managed to type in eleven-thirty-zero-two. It stood for November thirtieth, two-thousand-and-two— her birthday.

     "Your back..." Chad whispered, finally noticing how the blood trickling from the stab wound was trailing down her legs. She was losing a lot.

     Kynlee brushed off his concern and turned down the volume on the phone before standing up. It wasn't a graceful transition and she misstepped as she chucked the device far into the woods. "I'm fine," she murmured, feeling him catch her by the waist.

     Tilting his head to the side, he pulled her out of view and against the shed with him. "Kynz..."

     Again, she brushed off his concern and disregarded how the front of their bodies were pressed against the other. They had bigger things to focus on.

     "We need to get you inside and call the police on a phone that doesn't give away our exact location to the killer," she peeked out from behind the building, feeling him hold onto her hips tighter. From where they were hidden, she couldn't see anyone. If they were going to make a break for it, it had to be now. "I think we're good. Ready?"

     Kynlee shifted back to glance at the jock and almost faltered when their noses brushed. "Ready?" she repeated, waiting for him to give her the go-ahead. If it weren't for the gravity of their situation and if she hadn't sobered up some, she might have done something stupid.

     Chad nodded, subconsciously flashing his eyes to her lips. "Have to be," he whispered. Luckily, she didn't notice.

     Together, they moved in silent unison up the side of the shed. Kynlee was positioned in front and looked from left to right. There was nobody there and the light inside the shed was still off.

     "Go," she whispered, shifting out of the way so Chad could go first. That way, she'd have his back and be able to tell if anyone was approaching them.

     Chad limped as fast as he could, but he began to slow down rather quickly halfway across the small closed-off lawn. Everything was starting to blur and his head felt fuzzy.

     Kynlee immediately picked up on this and walked forward to assist, but was abruptly bodyslammed into the wall of the shed. Yelping, she collapsed onto the grass.

     "Kynz!"

     Lifting her head, she saw Ghostface racing at Chad with a knife. "Chad, go!" she yelled, but it was too late. Ghostface struck the blade into the boy's back and he fell. The killer placed both feet on either side of him and stabbed him in the side.

     No. Please, no. God, no.

     Kynlee winced as she placed her palms down and started getting up. "Stop!" she screamed, witnessing the masked assailant stab Chad in the stomach and back five times. "No!" Using all the strength she had, she sprinted over.

     Ghostface went to strike again when they were seized by the waist and tackled. They and Kynlee rolled several feet away, both harshly landing on their backs. It felt like the wind had been knocked out of her and Kynlee coughed at the impact in which her head hit the Earth. A groan escaped her and she opened her eyes to find Ghostface striding over to her.

     "Fuck you," she spat, kicking her foot up once they were close enough and striking them in the face. At the same time, they swiped their knife through the air and managed to draw a deep cut down her right calf. The blade went straight through the boot and directly into her. Kynlee let out a cry and tried to kick them away again, but Ghostface grasped onto her leg.

     Yanking the girl toward them, they quickly climbed on top. There was no hesitation in their next move as they swung the weapon down and into her chest. Kynlee gasped loudly in response, eyes wide.

     Chad was lying nearby, watching helplessly with tears muddling his vision. There was nothing he could do. With all the injuries he'd sustained and the growing pool of blood around him, his body was too weak to do anything. All he could do was utter, "No..." and pray to whatever God existed that Kynlee made it out of this attack alive.

     The flash of a car's headlights streamed through the shrubbery and cast a bright glow against the stark white of Ghostface's mask. The killer glanced up and yanked the blade out of Kynlee before racing off. They disappeared into the backyard without leaving a trace.

     "Kynlee..." Chad wheezed, unable to move as he twitched in pain against the damp lawn.

     Pressing her left hand against the ground, Kynlee shakily pushed her upper body up. Every movement she made was with the intent of getting closer to her best friend and making sure he was in somewhat one piece. The pain in her chest was nothing compared to the despair she felt in her heart when she looked at his state of being.

     She let out a moan of pain, almost crumpling under the weight of her body. It was taking a lot to drag herself toward him. "Chad, a-are you okay?" Kynlee checked, whimpering at the sensation of grass, twigs, and leaves digging into the long slash wound on her leg.

     "A-Are you okay?" Chad returned the inquiry, tearing up more at the sound of her struggling to get closer.

     "I'm f-fine," she choked out, blinking rapidly to keep her mascara out of her eyes. The waterworks had already started. "Don't worry about me."

     Chad coughed, nearly gagging on his own breath. "I always worry... about... you..." he shut his eyes when he heard her whimper again. "You could have... have run. Why didn't you?"

     There were multiple opportunities for the black-haired girl to save herself and leave him, but she didn't. Why?

     Well, if it was the other way around, he'd never leave her.

     "'Cause I love you." The response was automatic and required no thinking. It was obvious to her and had been since they were young. There would never come a day where love didn't fuel every decision she made in regard to him or her other friends.

     Of course, in this case, it was a different kind of love. And with the soft and delicate way in which she said those four words, it was apparent that she meant them differently this time.

     Chad re-opened his eyes and saw that Kynlee was lying next to him on her side. She was staring directly at him with tears falling horizontally down her face, dripping over the bridge of her nose. Leaves were entangled in her hair and a few strands were stuck to the sides of her face with sweat. Specks of blood were dried on her forehead from where they'd dripped from Ghostface's knife. Black mascara and eyeliner were smudged underneath her waterline and she was significantly paler than normal.

     "There's nothing I wouldn't... wouldn't do for you," she whispered, swallowing harshly. Her head was back to pounding and she could feel her eyelids getting heavy. "I'd... I'd bleed for you."

     Those sentences struck a chord within the jock and he wanted to respond. He wanted to return those same sentiments. He wanted to tell her that he loved her too, even if it was possible that she didn't mean it in the way that it came across. He wanted to say so much to her, but it was getting harder to stay awake.

     So neither of them uttered another word. Instead, they gave into the all-consuming darkness and lost consciousness.

────

     THE IMPACT OF HER BODY BEING DRAGGED ACROSS A SLANTED AND BUMPY SURFACE WAS WHAT FINALLY WOKE KYNLEE MANRAL UP. It wasn't the slaps to the face, someone screaming her name, or being jostled side-to-side. It was the insistent pangs of wooden steps digging into her shoulder blades and spine that caused her eyes to flutter.

     "If you orchestrated all of this, shouldn't you be able to pick up a one-hundred-pound girl?"

     "Yeah, but she doesn't deserve it."

     Out of the two voices, only one of them was familiar.

     "Let's go, bitch."

     Half of her body was dropped on a cold surface with a long and thin metal rod running along her lower back. The reverberation of footsteps fading caused Kynlee to squint, taking in the blinding light coming from the chandelier in the foyer.

     Amber. It was Amber's foyer.

     Tilting her head back, she got an upside-down view of the entry. There wasn't a single person in sight and the music was gone. The strobe lights were cut off and all she could hear was the sound of people talking in the distance.

     Bringing her head up, she got a clear view of the front porch and the midnight sky. Blinking, she came to realize that she'd been placed in the doorway of the house. Half of her was inside while the latter was out. Again, it came to her attention that there wasn't a single person in sight, and now every car was gone except for one: Richie's.

     Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion and she averted her eyes to see that she was coated in a bright crimson color. The cut above her right breastbone was still bleeding, but she couldn't feel it stinging anymore. She wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing.

     "Oh, finally."

      Without forewarning, Kynlee was grabbed by the biceps and brought to her feet. Blinking slowly, she met Amber Freeman's bitter glare. Now she was extremely confused.

     Did Amber find her and Chad? Did she rescue them?

     "A-Amber?" she asked, placing a hand on Amber's arm to steady herself.

     It was then that she felt a strange material brush against her fingertips and she glanced down. Amber adorned a black robe reminiscent of the one Ghostface wore. Every inch of her tensed and Kynlee's wide eyes flashed back to her ex-girlfriend.

     Fuck.

     In the background, Gale Weathers stood to the side in the dining room. She was holding onto her torso where she was bleeding from a bullet wound.

     "Let's go."

     Amber dug her glove-covered nails into the bandage on Kynlee's arm and hauled her further into the house. She took Gale, too. It wasn't long until the three entered the kitchen that they joined the rest of the group.

     Kynlee first spotted Sam Carpenter standing at one corner of the kitchen counter and Sidney Prescott at the opposite. Richie was there too and holding a knife under Sidney's chin.

     What the hell was going on... When did everyone get there? And where was Tara, Mindy, and Liv? Were they all dead?

     "Gale!" Sydney called over Richie's shoulder, instinctually inclining forward to go to the woman's aid. Richie promptly blocked her attempt.

     "Kynlee!" Sam cried, jaw-dropping at the blood pouring from the right side of the girl's upper body and the open wound on her left leg. Dark crimson stained her hands, arms, and legs, and the sling was gone. The only part of her that hardly had any red on it was her neck and face.

     Amber shoved the black-haired girl to the floor and forced Gale into the chair at the kitchen desk. "Sit the fuck down!" she ordered, poking the woman in the arm with the tip of her knife.

     Groaning, Kynlee involuntarily teared up at the stinging pang she felt in her leg. Every part of her body ached in pulsating pain, but she refused to give in to it. She pushed herself into a seated position, leaning against the chair Gale resided in. They were both in visibly excruciating pain.

     Without a word, Amber took Richie's spot in front of Sidney and Richie moved to where Sam stood in the right corner of the kitchen where the counter connected to the wall. She was hunched over, holding onto her injured abdomen. Sweat coated her forehead and she was wincing every few seconds.

     "Eee eee eee," Amber grinned manically, making a stabbing motion in the air toward Sidney with her knife.

     Kynlee carefully observed the scene, noticing the subtle looks shared between Amber and Richie. They knew each other long before Tara's initial attack. "They're the killers, right?" she muttered weakly, looking up at the dark-haired reporter.

     Gale didn't bother returning the glance. "No shit."

     "Mmm. That's comical," she snorted, shaking her head miserably. If tonight was the night she died, at least she would get to tell Wes that he was half-right in his suspicions about who the killer was.

     Part of her was surprised, but also not. Kynlee didn't know how she felt about the way things were unfolding, but there was definitely an underlying and delayed sense of betrayal. Yeah, she knew Amber was mad at her and had been for a while, but she never thought that anger would lead to a bloodbath.

     Surely, this couldn't all be able her, though. Why would Richie be murdering people if this was only about her and Amber? There was something more going on that didn't involve Kynlee. There had to be.

     "So, you did all this just to make me the hero of your fucked-up movie?!" Sam retorted, returning to the previous conversation. Unbeknownst to everyone else, she had an ulterior motive behind that question. Maybe if she kept them talking long enough, it would buy Tara time to call the police and find a way to get the upper hand.

     "Sweetie," Richie chuckled, tilting his head to the side, "you're not the hero. You're the villain." With the tip of the gun in his hand, he lifted her chin up. "The daughter of Billy Loomis who sees fucked-up visions of her dead dad? Sidney Prescott killed your father." Sam shakily glanced at Sidney to see that she was already staring at her. "You did all this," Richie motioned to the house as a whole with his knife, "just to get her back to Woodsboro."

     Yup. This wasn't about her and Amber.

     Kynlee watched wearily, unsure of what was going to happen next.

     "You know what the biggest problem with the Stab movies is? There's no Michael Myers or Jason Voorhees." Amber said with a sick smile, holding her knife beside Sidney's face. "No bad guy to keep coming back," she waved the end of the blade at the woman more and more with each word, "but the illegitimate daughter of the original mastermind? Now that's a fucking villain!"

     Sam directed her fixated stare on Richie to the Freeman girl. "How did you know?"

     "What, about your father?" Amber stared at Sidney with a 'can-you-believe-this-bitch' expression. "I mean, it's a small town and your mom's a drunk!" she giggled, truly amused. "I met Richie on the Stab SubReddit." The giddy tone vanished. "I've been obsessed ever since my parents bought this house. We realized pretty quickly we had similar ideas."

     Richie gazed adoringly at his girlfriend before addressing Sam. "Wasn't that hard for me to find you in Modesto," he gloated, pressing the gun to Sam's throat. "It wasn't that hard for me to fuck you, either. But I guess being a sexually available woman is supposed to be empowering these days."

     "Fuck you!" Sam spat.

     "Well, now you're just quoting the original," he said, beaming at her.

     "Modesto?" Kynlee spoke up. Wes had told her yesterday that Judy found out the calls she'd gotten were from Modesto, California. "Are you the fuck that called me the night Tara was attacked from a blocked number?!"

     "Fortunately. I had to hear the voice of the girl who broke my girlfriend's heart. To see if you were even worth including in this franchise." Richie replied loudly, not putting in the effort to properly acknowledge the girl. If he had it his way, she'd already be dead.

     This particular comment made Kynlee's eyebrow form a jagged line. The logic of these two killers wasn't sound at all.

     "Turns out hearing someone's voice can cause enough anger in a person for them to reconsider things."

     "But the movie wouldn't work with just you, Sam," Amber said, bringing the conversation back to its original point. "See, we had to bring the legacy characters back to make it matter." Sidney glanced from the girl to the knife on the kitchen island. It was only a few feet away. "Can't have a bona fide Halloween without Jamie Lee!" Amber used the edge of her blade to turn Sidney's head back toward her. She wanted to make sure she had her undivided attention for the next part.

     "Nope!" Richie chimed in.

     "Dewey had to die to make it real. To show that this wasn't just some bullshit, cash-in, run-of-the-mill sequel because our movie has fucking stakes!" Kynlee flinched at the screaming. The intensity of her mood changes was ludicrous. "'Cause anyone can die in a requel," Amber sang, curtseying.

     There was about two feet between her and Sidney now and the woman dove for the knife on the island. Amber responded instantly and stabbed her in the gut.

     "No!" Sam screamed, lunging over to help Sidney.

     "Sid!" Gale shouted, falling out of the chair toward her friend.

     Richie huffed. "Goddammit." He walked over to Amber and Sidney with his gun aimed at the notorious Final Girl.

     "Shit!" Kynlee gasped at the blood leaking through Sidney's fingers and crawled forward. Her action didn't go unnoticed, though, and Richie spun on his heel. He pulled back the trigger of the gun and shot her in the stomach. A scream echoed throughout the kitchen and Kynlee rolled onto her side.

     "Kynlee!" Sam's eyes widened and she ditched Sidney to run to the tattooed girl.

     Richie swung the weapon in her direction. "Whoa, whoa! No, hey! Sit the fuck down!" he shouted and she lowered herself to the floor. Sam rested against the kitchen island and grimaced at the sight of Kynlee withering in pain on the tiles.

     "I'm so sorry, Sid," Richie sighed, crouching in front of Sidney. He held a knife out at her with one hand while the other pointed his firearm at Sam, Kynlee, and Gale. "We can't let you live, either. I mean, surviving this many times... that would just be ridiculous. This time the fans are gonna be the ones who win." Sidney gasped out in pain, clenching her eyes shut. "That about cover it?" Richie looked to Amber for confirmation.

     Smiling sweetly, Amber nodded. "Nailed it, baby," she murmured before glimpsing at her ex-girlfriend. "There's one last thing, though."

     Everyone watched the Freeman girl stand up and march over to the black-haired teenager. All it took was one yank for her to bring Kynlee to her feet and she slammed her into the end of the kitchen counter. Blood splattered across the countertop and dripped off the ends of Kynlee's hair as she leaned back against the trim.

     "Hiya, Kynni." Amber greeted, clenching the mesh fabric of Kynlee's dress in her fists.

     Sweeping her gaze up and down her disheveled and maniacal appearance, Kynlee wet her lips. "Coño," she grumbled bitterly, wincing at the discomfort in her back. It'd almost slipped her mind that she'd been stabbed there too.

     Tears were sliding down her cheeks and Amber brushed them away with her knife. The droplets of water were gone and streaks of crimson replaced them. Then, she moved the blade to Kynlee's neck and smoothed the excess blood on her skin.

     "I've been waiting for this moment." Amber breathed, breaking into a menacing grin. "Your death has been the one I've been looking forward to the most."

     Sam watched on wearily, praying that Tara had already called the police and they would be rescued soon.

     "Fuck you."

     "Already did."

     A dark glare took over Kynlee's facial features.

     "At first, I wasn't sure if I wanted to kill you," Amber started, inhaling deeply. She'd been rehearsing this speech for weeks. She had to get it just right. "I mean... I've had a crush on you since the day we met. Hell, I even fell in love with you!" Kynlee winced when the knife was pushed firmly onto her neck. One wrong move and her throat was slit.

     "But when I finally asked you out and we started dating... I realized that no matter what I did, it would never measure up to Chad perfect Meeks-Martin." At the mention of the last name Meeks, Sidney and Gale's ears perked. "You and your insistent, stupid love for him... It makes me sick."

     "So, what?" Kynlee grunted, feeling her ex-girlfriend press against her. "If you can't have me, no one can?"

     A sinister smirk spread across Amber's lips. "Something like that." She inched closer until their faces were centimeters apart. If she leaned in the tiniest bit more, they'd be kissing. "It felt so good to kill him." Kynlee gripped the counter tightly and her jaw was set. She didn't know for certain if Chad was dead, but either way, she'd kill Amber for trying to kill him. "It's going to feel even better killing you."

     Kynlee said the first thing that came to mind. "Go to Hell." Amber only smiled. "Were you planning to kill me the entire time we were dating?"

     Breaking into a short laugh, Amber shook her head. "God, no." Their noses brushed and she traced the outline of Kynlee's face with her eyes. "Richie and I knew, though, that in order to achieve our biggest dream... We had to be willing to make a few sacrifices. For him, that'll be killing Sam once this is all over. Thank, God." A dramatic sigh was made. "For me, it's killing the girl who never loved me back."

     Those last five words caused Kynlee to tear up. It felt like she'd been stabbed in the heart and that underlying sense of betrayal was coming in full force.

     That wasn't entirely true— that comment. Her feelings for Amber had run deep and there was a world in which she fell for her, but they never got to that point. The relationship ended before she could fall.

     "Then, we'll be the ultimate survivors, in charge of the narrative. People will have no choice but to believe us."

     "You and Sam are simply the number one casualties of our dreams," Richie added, winking at Sam. "We've been waiting a while for this day."

     Casting a look of adoration at her boyfriend, Amber nodded. "That's right, hon."

     Wow.

     Kynlee wanted to shake her head in disbelief but had to remind herself of the knife being held to her throat. "Are you seriously telling me," she choked out, "that I have to die so you and your rebound Reddit boyfriend can reach your dreams of reinventing a movie franchise that won't matter fifty years from now?" Immediately, Amber and Richie glared at her. "Do you realize how fucking delusional you sound?! Give me a break, please."

     A surge of anger flooded Amber's nervous system and she acted on impulse. The knife was swung down and she stabbed Kynlee on the left side of her torso. A bone-chilling scream filled the room and the women flinched. Amber jerked the blade out and struck twice more.

     "Stop!" Sidney screamed, finding it in her shift back onto her knees.

     "No!" Sam's mouth fell open and she went to stand up, but Richie aimed his gun at her. Not wanting to risk being injured further so she could fight back, Sam sat back down.

     A loud thud sounded after Amber stepped away and let Kynlee fall to the floor. Her vision blacked out for a second, but she came back in time to hear Amber talking to her.

     "We're not done. I'm coming back for you."

     Kynlee struggled to breathe her next words. "Que te jodan, perra."

     In another fit of anger, Amber drew her foot back and sent two blows— one to the stomach and another to the side of her head.

     Wheezing, Kynlee rolled onto her backside. She coughed roughly, blood bubbling from her mouth as she turned her head with great difficulty. Her eyes landed on the puddle of blood that was flowing from her back, chest, torso, and leg.

     As her vision blurred with black dots, Kynlee's consciousness faltered, and she coughed again. More clots of blood dripped down her chin and cheek. In the distance, Sam's voice was calling out her name. There was no fight left in her, though, and she felt a chilling numbness contorting her mind.

     Blinking slowly, she weakly met Sam's tearful gaze. The woman was mouthing something to her, but she couldn't make it out. She tried to, but she failed.

     Suddenly, everything ceased, and an incredible sense of peace washed over Kynlee's body. All the pain faded away, and so did she.

━━━━━━━━┛ ✶ ┗━━━━━━━━

❝ you were on my 𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒅 all the 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆. . .
𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒏𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 out a 𝒇𝒖𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒆 for 𝒕𝒘𝒐. . .

what i'd 𝒅𝒐 in a room 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒂𝒍𝒐𝒏𝒆, only 𝒎𝒆 and 𝒚𝒐𝒖! ❞

╭⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀╮

Apuesto ━━ Handsome
Me haces sonrojar ━━ You make
me blush
Chingada madre ━━ Motherfucker
¿Qué mierda? ━━ What the hell?
Coño ━━ Pussy/Cunt/Fuck
Que te jodan, perra ━━ Screw you,
bitch

╰⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀╯

     WE'VE GOT ONE MORE CHAPTER LEFT OF VOLUME ONE!!!!! I HOPE EVERYONE ENJOYS THIS CHAPTER!!

     i had so much fun writing this chapter, but it was also incredibly long and tiring. a lot was packed into this, but i think it works. i didn't want to drag out "Act Three" over multiple chapters; i wanted it to be one and done.

     the next chapter is a good one and i cannot wait for kynlee + chad to talk about the "i love you" moment!

     ps... the title drop in this chapter is *chef's kiss*

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

˒⠀𝑹𝑬𝑴𝑰𝑵𝑫𝑬𝑹. . . ▬⠀⤸

Thank you all for taking the time out of your day to comment on this story. It means a lot and helps the story be spread to a broader audience &&& allows me to grow as an author. All I ask is that people vote on each chapter, please. As a creator, it takes time to write and develop stories. So please, vote on every chapter. It means a lot more than I could ever express.

Don't forget to vote & comment!

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

˒⠀𝑪𝑶𝑷𝒀𝑹𝑰𝑮𝑯𝑻. . . ▬⠀⤸

❝ All Rights Reserved.
No part of this publication may be
reproduced, distributed, or transmitted
in any form or by any means, including
photocopying, recording, or other
electronic or mechanical methods,
without prior permission of the author,
except in the case of brief quotations
embodied in critical reviews and
other noncommercial uses permitted
by copyright law. ❞

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━