⠀⠀𝟮𝟬. ❛ EVEN AFTER WE DECAY ❜
━━━━━━━━┛ ✶ ┗━━━━━━━━
𝙑𝙊𝙇𝙐𝙈𝙀 𝑰𝑰. ── CASUALTY OF YOUR DREAMS!
❛ 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒏 𝒂𝒇𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒘𝒆 𝒅𝒆𝒄𝒂𝒚 ❜
─── chapter twenty! ❫
020. ╱ ✹ ⠀⠀ ❝ dug yourself a grave,
no surprise. . . should've known better,
so now, it's time that you die in it. ❞
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
A CURLED FIST WAS PRESSED AGAINST THE LEFT SIDE OF KYNLEE MANRAL'S CHEEK. Her head was lulled to the side while she was slumped in a chair. Every few seconds, her eyes would flutter shut before snapping wide open. It was taking everything to keep herself from falling asleep.
It'd been almost twelve hours since the friend group and Kirby Reed had been found and rescued at the abandoned theater. Luckily, they were taken to the same hospital Mindy and Gale were at.
Presently, Kirby and Tara were being tended to. Sam had only sustained a concussion and two stab wounds. Other than that, she was fine and residing in Tara's room until the girl woke up. Danny was with her, too. Meanwhile, Kynlee and Mindy were in Chad's room. Hospital personnel had yet to convince them to return to their rooms and rest. Especially Kynlee, since she had sustained multiple stab wounds and been grazed by a bullet. It would be best if she rested in a bed and was monitored, but she refused.
The parental figures— Andi, Malik, Ibrahim, Martha, and Daniel— had yet to arrive. Their flight landed around midnight, according to what Andi told Kynlee on the phone yesterday. However, with the young adults' phones being dead, no one had heard from them.
To Kynlee and Mindy's knowledge, Sam had taken it upon herself to contact the Manral and Meeks-Martin families. They weren't certain if she'd been successful, though. It'd been a silent morning and a gradual shift into noon.
Streaks of sunlight broke through the partly closed window blinds with birds chirping and cars honking in the distance. Besides that, it was eerily quiet aside from the intermittent beep coming from Chad's EKG monitor. Kynlee and Mindy hadn't spoken much. Both of them were far too tired to attempt to have a conversation. All they'd managed to share were small thanks to Danny, who'd gone to their dorm and grabbed them clean clothes.
A soft sigh escaped Mindy, and she shifted in her seat. There was a budding headache that she was trying to ignore, but it wasn't working. If anything, it was getting worse, and she knew that the painkillers were wearing off.
On the opposite side of the hospital bed, Kynlee's eyes were finally shut. Steady and even breaths left her parted lips, and she was beginning to doze off. Her right hand was clutching Chad's, and she hadn't let go since she sat down hours ago.
And even though he was knocked out and didn't have a clue where he was, Chad somehow knew the tattooed girl was with him. A small smile was on his face, and he was holding onto her hand for dear life. It was a sight that made Mindy tear up, but she'd never admit to it.
Every fiber in her wished that could be her and Anika, but it never would be, and that broke her more than she could ever express. Not a second went by that she didn't miss her. Anika Kayoko was her first love, and she didn't know if she would ever want another.
Suddenly, there was a knock at the door and Mindy flinched. However, she made no effort to get up and answer it— let alone glance behind her. Whoever it was could easily let themselves in.
"Mindy, honey?"
"Sam, we're fine. Seriously," Mindy said robotically. This was her fifth time saying that since arriving at the hospital.
The door closed and by the entrance were Martha and Daniel Meeks-Martin with Andi Manral, Malik Cyrus, and Ibrahim Fadel. After hours of searching for their children and finally getting in contact with Sam and being filled in, they were there. They made it.
"Minadora... Turn around, kiddo."
At the sound of her dad's nickname for her, Mindy's eyebrows shot up and she slowly looked over her shoulder. "No fucking way," she muttered, dropping her hand from where it'd been keeping her head up.
"Yes fuckin' way," Malik smirked, waving cheekily. "Hey, girl."
While he spoke, a gasp tumbled from Martha's mouth, and she rushed to her children. Daniel followed after. Tears brimmed in her eyes, and she could hardly swallow the mass in her throat. "Oh, my sweet pumpkins," she whispered, pulling her daughter into a hug.
Grunting in pain, Mindy grimaced. "Ow," she mumbled, almost falling out of her chair at the force of her mom's embrace.
"Oh, my boy," Daniel pressed a kiss to the top of Mindy's head before moving to his son. "Chad..." His watery eyes took in the picture of his son, bandaged and bruised, lying unconscious on the hospital bed. Chad was unresponsive but wore a small smile. Daniel glanced from him to the girl he was holding hands with. A small smile of his own appeared on Daniel's face.
The kids were safe and alive.
Ibrahim jutted his chin at Kynlee's sleeping figure. "There's your crackhead daughter," he said, nudging Andi in the ribs.
That touch was all Andi needed to snap out of his stunned daze. "Kynlee..." He brushed past his friends and sped over to her. Dropping into a squat, he brushed her wavy black hair out of her face and tucked it behind her ears. The image of his child alive and breathing was all that mattered.
Not far behind were Malik and Ibrahim, equally relieved to see that Kynlee Manral would remain in their lives until (hopefully) the day they died. Neither could imagine life without her, even if they took great pleasure in making hers a living hell sometimes.
"Yo, dumbass of the year," Malik called, flicking a finger against the side of the sleeping girl's head. "Wake the hell up, Sleepin' Beauty."
Ibrahim chuckled and crossed his arms.
Groaning, Kynlee stirred and squeezed Chad's hand as she sat up. "What, Minds?" she grumbled, under the impression that the curly-haired girl had woken her.
Mindy glanced away from her parents, leaning into Daniel's arms while Martha was sitting on the hospital bed. Martha was holding onto Chad's other hand and trying to stifle her crying.
"Kynz, not me," Mindy snorted, swatting her dad's hands away from messing with her hair. "That's Malik's flat ass."
At the comment, Malik gave her a deadpan stare. That wasn't necessary.
The mention of the tattoo artist's name caused Kynlee's eyebrows to rise. Finally, her eyes re-opened and she took in the presence of Pa, Malik, and Ibrahim. "Oh," was all she was able to say before she was dragged onto her feet.
"Chiquita," Andi gasped, bringing his daughter into a warm embrace. Tears were gathered in his eyes, and he was muttering words of gratefulness under his breath. "Thank God. Thank God."
Kynlee was blinking rapidly to fully wake herself up, but it wasn't working. "Yeah, hi," she mumbled sleepily, returning the hug.
"Yeah, hi? That's all you have to say to us? Are you—"
Well, she was certainly awake now.
"All right, all right," she sighed, pulling away from Pa. This was going to get melodramatic very quickly, as it tended to. These three had a knack for notoriously overreacting. Exhibit A: the last two phone calls she's had with them. "I can hear that this isn't going to go well—"
"Conejito, we haven't even gotten started. I fucking—"
"Go well?! Lee-Lee, Ghostface may not have killed you, but I sure as—"
"Girl, I'm 'bout to make that stupid ass concussion of yours ten times—"
And there we go...
Shooting an apologetic smile to the Meeks-Martin family (which they accepted with tearfully amused expressions), she grabbed Ibrahim and Malik by the collar of their shirts. Not bothering to show any restraint, she yanked them so hard they stumbled over their feet. A cloud of curse words floated after the four as they exited the hospital room.
Once they were in the hallway and the door was shut, Kynlee released Ibrahim and Malik. A huff of annoyance came from her, and she could feel a headache developing. Her eyes were heavy with exhaustion, and she wanted nothing more than to stay glued to Chad's side until he woke up. First, however, she had to deal with a mess of her own.
Andi ran his hands through his hair, overwhelmed by relief and anger. "What the hell happened?" he asked the tattooed girl, tilting his head and pointing at her with a shaking index finger. "I told you to stay at you and Mindy's dorm— to lock the doors, close the blinds, keep the police on speed dial. What the fuck happened to that, huh? To staying safe?"
Opening her mouth to explain everything that went down, she was promptly cut off.
"And why the fuck weren't you answerin' your phone? Huh? Missin' in motherfuckin' action. What's your genius excuse?!" Malik demanded, hands on both hips.
Fucking hell. She might get arrested today.
"My phone's been fuckin' dead, you ignorant fuck. Tara and Mindy's both fuckin' died, too," Kynlee snapped, flashing him a middle finger. Her tolerance of bullshit for the day had just reached its limit in a matter of mere minutes. "What the fuck did you want me to do?! And when would I have time to charge it? Hmm? In between being given a villain monologue, attacked, or stabbed?"
Ibrahim raised his eyebrows. "If this were a drinking game for the word fuck, we'd all have alcohol poisoning." Out of everyone, he was surprisingly showing the most amount of self-control.
A cluster of nurses down the hall observed the four with a mixture of amused, confused, and irritated countenances. It wasn't even noon yet, and people were cursing up a storm.
In unplanned unison, the duo snarled, "Shut the fuck up."
"You just proved my point."
Andi ran a hand down the side of his face. "¡Ay, Dios mío! Everyone, cállate!" he demanded, waving frantically.
"Look," Kynlee began, meeting each of their varying facial expressions. It was a mixture of alleviation, incredulity, and frustration. "I didn't go back to my dorm because we were practically at the subway station when our phone call ended." She motioned between her and Pa. "Tara and I came up with a plan to turn the tables on Ghostface and end this shit. We had to see it through, Pa. Also, we had it in the bag. Kind of."
"Not at all."
Kynlee's mouth shut and she glared at Ibrahim.
"Like... at all."
"Fuck you, fuck off, don't fucking interrupt me," she instructed, flipping him off, too.
Scoffing, he went to speak again, but the tattooed girl picked up where she left off.
"Back to the plan and what happened so you'll stop yelling. We got to the subway station, were split up because New York City is disgustingly infested with people, were attacked regardless of being in public thanks to Detective Two-Faced for telling us to travel with people around and setting us up, Mindy was stabbed twice, Ethan dragged me to the theater where he knocked me unconscious— side note, the pendejos behind the bloodshed this time created a Ghostface and Stab shrine that was housed in an abandoned theater that Gale found— I woke up in a hallway, found Sam and Tara, Kirby was shot, turned out there were three Ghostfaces this time, clearly they weren't as ambitious as the previous killers and needed extra help. The killers were Detective Bailey, who I doubt was even a real cop, Quinn, Sam and Tara's dead roommate, and Ethan, Chad's "shy and dorky" roommate who almost had a tantrum because he wanted to be the one to kill me and turned out to be Quinn's brother and Bailey's second son.
"We were given a villain monologue, mainly because I asked them to get it over with, the motive for why they did this shit is because Richie was Quinn and Ethan's older fucking brother, and they wanted revenge for Sam killing him. Then, it turns out that they knew Amber's psychotic ass, and Quinn was going to avenge Amber and her brother by killing me, but I managed to kill her instead. Sam, Tara, and I survived, I found Chad's body and thought he was dead, thank God, he wasn't, the paramedics and police finally showed up thanks to Danny, Sam's boyfriend or whatever, and we were brought here. Now, I'm standing in this goddamn hallway giving you three a recap while you stare at me like I'm bat-fucking-shit crazy."
Kynlee let out a gasp for air and her chest heaved. She was nearly out of breath from talking so fast. "That about sums it up. Any questions before I go back and sit with Chad?" she asked, raising an eyebrow challengingly.
All was silent for a few seconds. The only reactions she received at first were blank countenances and blinking eyes that held no detectable emotion. None of them could find the words to respond just yet.
An awkward tension soon hung in the air, and she twisted her lips to the side. "Great!" she exclaimed, clasping her hands together. A sharp pain was sent through her right arm and she did her best not to visibly wince. "Glad we could have this enlightening chat!" She made a move toward the door but halted when she heard Pa speak.
"Pump those brakes, Kynlee Elyse."
Closing her eyes, she huffed.
The events of the last seventy-two hours were not going to be let go of easily. Especially now that the parental figures, outside of Sam, were present. Kynlee, Tara, Mindy, and Chad were in for an earful. Christina Carpenter certainly didn't care about her daughters' well-being, but Kynlee knew that Andi was going to chew the Carpenter sisters out, too. He treated them like they were his own, particularly Tara.
"I'll give you an enlightening chat," Andi said, inching forward. "And don't pass it along to T or S. They're going to get their own versions of this."
Kynlee gave him a look. This wasn't necessary, but she understood that it was for him.
Inhaling deeply, Malik shared a glance with Ibrahim. Neither uttered a word.
"I can't begin to believe or understand what you and your friends, our family, have gone through. You've experienced and witnessed more grief and horror in the past year than one person usually does in a lifetime. All right? I acknowledge that, and I wish I could turn back time and change that. I do." There was a thick and heavy lump in his throat, and he tried to clear it. "I know that we haven't spoken much about Ghostface, Amber, Richie, and what happened that night. I will never expect you to open up about it more than you already have. The same applies to everything that's happened here."
"Pa, you don't—"
"Let me get this out," he held a palm out at her, indicating for her to stop. She reluctantly obliged. "The first time the killings happened, me, Malik, and Ibrahim were there in Woodsboro, but we were kids. We never took it seriously or understood the gravity of what Billy and Stu had done. The following killings didn't take place in Woodsboro until twenty-eleven. You were eight, almost nine. You were in elementary school; you weren't the target age of the kids who were dying. I was nervous at the time, but I wasn't scared for your safety. None of us were. The killers were caught and died. Nothing happened for eleven years. Then, T was attacked, and the killings started again. We've never taken it too seriously, and that was our mistake."
Malik and Ibrahim didn't object or make a joke about being thrown under the bus. Instead, they listened and nodded along.
"It was my mistake," Andi corrected, pointing at himself. "I didn't do my job as your Pa to keep you safe. I wasn't involved. By the time I realized how bad things were getting, it was too late. Wes and Judy were dead." The mention of the Hicks family brought tears to Kynlee's dark-brown eyes. "Once it was over and Amber and Richie were dead, the guilt set in. I vowed to myself, Malik, and Ibrahim, that if it happened again, I'd protect you the way I should have. Malik and Ibrahim promised the same."
As the tattooed girl looked at the other men, a tear escaped and fell down her cheek. Quickly, she brushed it away.
"And look at us now. It happened again, and none of us were here to protect you." Andi was on the verge of crying but was managing to keep it together. "S was, and she did great. So did Chad, and the rest of our family. All of you are alive, thank God."
Kynlee gulped and furrowed her eyebrows. "Then why are you mad at me? And what else am I supposed to say? Every time we've talked throughout this, you're pissed at me. I get being mad because I went missin' in motherfuckin' action—" Malik narrowed his eyes at the phrasing he'd used earlier. "—last night. I do. I do, Pa. But why are you still mad at me?! And listen, if it was Chad and I's kid, I'd be damned if I let them go through this alone, too. I'd also be mad as hell."
To push the conversation further along, Ibrahim entered. "And why would you be mad, Lee-Lee?"
Normally, he or Malik would tease her for the comment made about her and Chad having children. However, now wasn't the best time.
"I'd be mad because it's happening to my kid and there's nothing I can do or say to stop it! I'd be mad because my child's life is in... danger..." she trailed off as everything clicked into place.
Oh. Wasn't she just a great big bag of idiocy?
Malik smirked while he watched the realization kick in. "And since Dee sucks at regulating his emotions half the time, he was projectin' his anger onto you," he added.
Grunting, Andi shot him a glare. "Malik, I didn't ask."
"You never have to," Malik winked, nudging his arm.
"Will the two of you kiss already?" Ibrahim retorted, receiving two glares and one amused smirk. Easily ignoring them, he pivoted to Kynlee. "Now, do you get why we've been mad, Lee-Lee? We care about you and whether we get to keep making your life a living hell. We've invested twenty years into this shitshow."
It took a considerable amount of restraint for her not to make a smartass remark. "Yes. I get it and thank you," she said through slightly gritted teeth.
"You wanna spit out that weak-ass comeback you're so desperately holdin' in?" Malik questioned, raising an eyebrow.
Kynlee's gaze swept to him, and she shook her head. "I really hate you," she grumbled bitterly.
"What was that?" he asked, bringing a hand to his ear and angling it toward her. "I didn't catch that shit."
"I said: Malik, I fuckin' hate you," she directed a finger at the man, emphasizing the statement. "Suck dirt and die." Those were the words she'd spoken to him forty-eight hours ago, and she knew he hadn't forgotten.
Jaw-dropping, Malik scowled. The audacity of this child sometimes. "You're a fuckin' bitch, Lee-Lee," he stated loudly. "I hope you suck dirt and die!"
Suddenly the door to Chad's room cracked open and Mindy poked her head out. Once her line of sight settled on the group of four standing in the hallway, she rolled her eyes. "You guys are so fucking loud," she groaned, staring specifically and pointedly at Malik.
Malik's eyebrows raised and he turned to fully face her. "Girl, if you got somethin' to say, say it."
"Fine," Mindy huffed, opening the door enough to mimic his stance. "Malik, you are so fucking loud that we can hear your ass from inside. Exercise your right to shut up, please."
Ibrahim grinned at the taken-aback expression his friend wore and snorted. "Someone finally said it," he quipped, not at all phased by the middle finger thrown his way.
Redirecting her gaze to her best friend, Mindy clicked her tongue. "My stupid brother doesn't believe you're still sexy and alive," she informed her, nodding in agreement at the incredulous look on Kynlee's face. "Yeah, I know. Get in here so he'll shut up and sit down."
"Sit down?" Kynlee echoed, stepping away from the three men and moving toward the room.
Coming from inside, everyone could hear Chad distantly yell, "Mindy, shut up! That's my girlfriend, dude!"
Martha's voice came next. "Sweetheart, take a breath. Kynzie is perfectly fine and will be in here in a second."
"Kiddo, come on. Sit back down, please," Daniel urged.
Rolling her eyes for another time, Mindy snapped her fingers twice and motioned for the Manral family to come back in. Her patience had been tested for the last ten minutes, and she wanted to hit her brother over the head with the random bedpan in the corner of the room.
Naturally, Kynlee was the first to enter. A breath of relief immediately left her lips when she saw her boyfriend awake and moving. Thank God. Tears blurred her vision for the umpteenth time, and she swallowed harshly. Yes, she knew he was alive and well, but seeing him conscious made it all the more real and concrete.
Currently, Chad was being forced by Daniel to sit back down on the hospital bed. He was trying to fight back and get to his feet but hardly possessed the strength to do so. His hospital gown was gradually slipping off his shoulder, revealing bandages that covered the areas he'd been stabbed in, but he didn't care. "Dad, let me go," he pleaded, desperate to make sure his girlfriend was okay.
To him, that was more important than anything else. That was his main concern and had been his whole life; he would always make sure Kynlee was all right far before he checked in with himself. Today, right now, was no exception to that. He hadn't seen her since the friend group was at the subway station and didn't know what'd happened to her. All Mindy shared when he woke up was that they'd been attacked and she was injured, but fine.
"Chad, sit down. Kynzie is right there," Daniel informed his son, gesturing to the left.
Finally listening to something someone told him, Chad averted his gaze upward. Immediately, his shoulders relaxed and dropped. All the strained muscles in his face disappeared. "Kynz," he whispered, feeling like he was finally able to take a breath.
"We told you, honey," Martha said, patting him softly on the arm as she stood from the bed.
An ecstatic smile spread across her lips and Kynlee rushed over to him. It wasn't long until their arms were wrapped around one another. Everything felt right in the world now.
Almost breaking down into a fit of sobs, Kynlee whimpered and held onto him a little tighter. One hand gripped his back while the other was holding the back of his head. His arms were enveloped around her waist and he'd buried his face into the crevice of her neck. Both of them were undoubtedly in pain from their injuries, but the discomfort could wait.
When Kynlee saw his bloodied body, she thought it was over and that Ghostface had managed to kill another member of the Meeks family. She didn't think that she'd ever hold Chad like this again. Luckily, she was.
"You're okay, you're okay," she murmured, ignoring how wet her cheeks were. "You're okay."
"Yeah, I'm okay," he reassured her; his voice was muffled and scratchy. This, right here, with Kynlee in his arms, was his happy place. He couldn't be more content.
Off to the side, Mindy observed the pair with a watery smile. Clearly, they needed a moment to reunite, but nobody was making an effort to leave. So, she prepared for herself to be rewarded Best Sister of the Year for a second time.
Silently, she waved at the group to gain their attention. Then, she moved her finger in a circle, gesturing at all of them, and threw a thumb in the direction of the door. Thankfully, everybody caught the drift and nodded. One by one, they quietly left the room with Mindy leaving last.
After a few more beats of silence, Kynlee reeled back. She moved to hold his face while her eyes scanned over him. "I thought I lost you," she choked out, on the verge of crying.
"You didn't. You didn't," Chad whispered, shaking his head. "I'm right here, sweetheart."
Nodding, she bit down on her trembling bottom lip. Without fully realizing it, she began memorizing every little detail and feature on his face. She'd done this multiple times while sitting by his bed and holding his hand. It eased her nerves.
Chad couldn't help but smile, admiring how she was examining every detail of him and ensuring that he was really there. She began muttering to herself as she did so, worrylines slowly etching into her forehead. It was obvious that she was still concerned.
"Kynz, hey," he said gently, dragging her attention back to him. "I'm right here. I'm okay. You're safe; we're both safe; everyone is safe," he murmured, tucking her hair behind her ears. It was the mantra he always told her after a nightmare.
"No. No, I know. I know," she breathed, running her thumb over his cheek. Chills rushed down his spine and they could hear his heart rate accelerating on the monitor. Neither commented on it or the fact that they were alone now. "I just... I really fucking love you. I love you."
Chad broke into another grin. "I love you." And just like every time he said those three words to her, she blushed. He hooked a finger under her chin and brought her face closer to his. Both of them heard the way Kynlee's breath hitched but disregarded it. Leaning in, he left light pecks on her lips. "I... love... you..." he murmured in between each one, drowning in how good it felt to kiss her.
Breaking into a grin that matched his, Kynlee accidentally broke off the kiss. "I'd love you even more if you sat back down to rest, though," she mused, tilting her head toward the hospital bed. The only way she was going to keep her emotions in check was if she kept talking and focused on something else.
"Only if you lay with me," he replied, watching as she peeled back the blankets.
"You're funny," she snorted, grabbing him by the hands and luring him to the bed. "You got stabbed over ten times in your chest, abdomen— your entire upper fucking body, basically, C. I'm not laying with you in this tiny ass bad because I know you're going to want to cuddle and have me on top of you."
Chad's cheeky smile fell, but he still allowed her to sit him down on the mattress. "Am I that predictable?" he questioned, adjusting himself so he was leaning on the headrest again.
Kynlee pulled the blankets over him and kissed his forehead. "Only 'cause I sleep with you on a regular basis." Almost instantly, he wiggled his eyebrows suggestively and smirked. "And before you say anything, yes, I meant that both ways," she added, sitting on the bed and adjusting herself until she was satisfied. There was less than a foot separating them.
A comfortable silence encompassed them, and their fingers intertwined.
It wasn't until a minute of peace and quiet had gone by that it was broken.
"How are you feeling?" Chad asked, squeezing her uninjured hand. All Mindy said after he woke up was that they'd been attacked on the subway and she'd been stabbed. After the attack, Kynlee and Ethan had gone to the theater. Mindy revealed that the tattooed girl was injured, but alive. Other than that, he had no idea what happened at the theater after he, Tara, and Sam had been ambushed, and he'd been stabbed.
Shrugging, she tapped her foot on the floor restlessly. "The painkillers are wearing off, so not great, but I can't complain. How are you feeling?"
"Better now that you're here," he sighed, trying to figure out if she'd sustained any further injuries last night. So far, he had no idea. She was wearing black sweatpants and one of his anime hoodies; most of her body was covered so it was hard to tell. He could see that her right hand was re-wrapped in clean gauze and tape. That was all, though.
"Happy to be here," she murmured, lifting his hand and kissing the back of it.
The act made him blush and smile. "Good," he muttered softly. "What uh, what happened? Mindy explained the subway attack and that you left with Ethan to come to the theater. She said you were injured. That's it."
Kynlee rubbed her temple with her right hand, feeling her head beginning to throb a little. "Yeah, funny story about that shy and dorky roommate of yours..." she chuckled sourly.
A look of confusion took over Chad's face, but it didn't last long. As his girlfriend began to recount everything that happened, not leaving a single detail out, the confusion transformed into anger and then into shock and relief. It was a wave of emotions, truthfully. It was a lot to take in, but he was keeping up surprisingly well. By the end of the story, he was left speechless.
"Woah," was all he could manage to come up with.
Laughing, Kynlee nodded in confirmation that everything she told him was true. It sounded ridiculous. She knew it did.
Before anything further could be said, there was a loud knock at the door.
"Can we come in? Are you guys decent?" Tara could be heard from out in the hallway, and she giggled after speaking.
Kynlee's scoffed and glimpsed over her shoulder. "¡Ay, Dios mío! Yeah, we're decent, T." If she didn't love the girl as much as she did, she would've sprinkled a curse word in there.
"Okay, good," Mindy shouted, and the door burst open. "'Cause I was going to come in regardless. It's been almost twenty-five minutes of alone time for the mighty and the horny. That should be enough for now."
Chad's stunned silence transformed into a deadpan look. "Mindy, I fucking hate you."
All Kynlee did was drag a hand down her face. Of course, she'd say that in front of their parents.
His twin strolled in with Sam and Tara, wearing an indifferent expression. Danny trailed behind them. "I know. I don't care," she waved at him dismissively.
The second Tara's eyes landed on Chad, her face lit up and she broke into a sprint. "You're fucking alive!" she cheered, coming to a skidding halt when she got to the hospital bed. Unexpectedly, she threw her arms around him and they swayed side to side. "I knew you were going to fucking make it! Sam thought you were done for."
Sam rolled her eyes. "Chad was turned into a pin cushion, Tara. Forgive me for thinking he was dead."
The other adults remained outside, wanting to give the friend group the chance to reunite. After everything they went through, they deserved a moment together.
Snorting, Chad returned the hug and rubbed Tara's back. "You guys aren't getting rid of me that quick. Come on. We're the High Five," he grinned, and the black-haired girl released him.
"I still kind of hate that name, but yes. We're the High Five," she caved, rounding the bed and sitting next to Kynlee. They shared smiles and Tara pressed a kiss to her cheek.
"It's good to see you awake," Sam said, standing at the edge of the bed with Danny. He nodded in agreement. "I'm really glad you made it, Chad."
Chad's smile didn't fade. "Thanks. Me too."
While they spoke, Tara pulled her legs up and looped them around Kynlee's torso from behind. She snaked her arms around her, too, and rested the bottom of her chin on top of her shoulder. It was her version of a koala hug.
"Wait, I wanna join," Mindy whined, noticing the pair and how they were cuddled up.
Kynlee laughed, unable to glance at the curly-haired girl. "Well, get over here. Join the party," she motioned for her to come over with the hand that wasn't holding Chad's.
The others watched in amusement as Mindy sat behind Tara and mimicked the pose the girl was in. It was heartwarming to see the group together and safe.
After her legs and arms were secured, Mindy sighed happily. "This is great. We should do this more often," she suggested, leaning her head against Tara's. A small part of her heart healed right then and there.
"Say less," Tara's reply was automatic and firm.
Danny abandoned Sam's side and moved to sit on the bed. "Just to balance it out," he reassured the jock, gesturing to how the three girls were huddled adjacent to him. Chad gave him a thumbs up and chuckled.
"I love you guys."
All heads and eyes shifted to Sam and her tearful stance. The declaration had come from her, so they waited for her to continue. It was clear that she had more to say.
With a shaky inhale, she cleared her throat. Her vision was obscured, and she could hardly make out the blurred figures of her friends, boyfriend, and sister. "Thank you for becoming the family I didn't allow myself to have for five years. And thank you for sticking by me and allowing me to follow you all to college," she forced out a laugh and a few tears fell.
"I know we've been through some fucked-up shit in the last year due to me, and don't argue. It's because of my father that all of this started in the first place, and I'm so sorry for everything you've each gone through." Her words weren't intended to make anyone emotional, but they did. The young adults were tearing up and Danny was frowning. Everything she was saying was things she'd talked to him about in the past. "Like I said, you've stuck by me through it all, and I didn't think that I deserved that kind of care, but I do. You all showed me that I do, and I can't even begin to say how much that means to me. Just... Thank you. I love you guys."
A profound silence coated the hospital room.
Tara was the first to break it. "Family sticks together and has each other's back. Family protects family. That's what we've done and will continue to do. We've only made it this far because of each other." She gave her sister a look that only she understood.
The twins spoke in unplanned unison, "Agreed."
"I speak for everyone when I say that we love you, S." Kynlee felt Chad squeeze her hand, and she returned the act. The girls nodded in agreement. "There will never come a day where I leave your side. We're family. You are family."
Sam sniffed and wiped away the tears. "Thanks," she choked out, and a feeble smile emerged.
"The High Five," Chad mentioned, trying to brighten the mood the tiniest bit. "We're the High Fucking Five! Featuring Danny, I think..."
Danny raised an eyebrow. "Oh, cool." He still didn't entirely know what that meant, but he was going along with it.
The five burst into collective laughter and Sam surveyed the group. This, right here, is all she could ever need.
A few feet away, Kynlee was thinking the same exact thing. Maybe today was the day when things changed, and the horror and tragedy stopped. Maybe it died with the Kirsch family, and it was over for good. Maybe this was their chance to live without fear.
There was a tug on her hand, and she blinked. Her attention diverted to Chad and her heart fluttered at the endearing look on his face. Never would there come a day when she didn't adore it.
"I love you, gamer," he whispered with a lovestruck smile.
A rosy pink color stained her cheeks, and she sighed contently. "I love you, nerd."
Oh, yeah. This was the day when things changed. Ghostface was the past and the future was up to their heart's desire. All of them were getting their happy ever after, as cheesy as that sounded.
━━━━━━━━┛ ✶ ┗━━━━━━━━
❝ you know i'm 𝒈𝒐𝒐𝒅 at 𝒌𝒆𝒆𝒑𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒔𝒆𝒄𝒓𝒆𝒕𝒔,
you know that you're my 𝒘𝒆𝒂𝒌𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔. . .
and i'll 𝒂𝒍𝒘𝒂𝒚𝒔 repeat 𝒊𝒕! ❞
╭⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀╮
Chiquita ━━ Small, petite
Conejito ━━ Bunny
¡Ay, Dios mío! ━━ Oh, my God
Cállate ━━ Shut up
Pendejo ━━ Asshole
╰⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀╯
AND THAT IS THE END OF CASUALTY OF YOUR DREAMS, EVERYONE!!!!!
it took me a little longer than i expected to write this. (i was stalling, truthfully. i wanted this to be perfect but wasn't sure what to do so i went with my gut. also, i didn't want to finish this story yet lmao.) this has been the most fun i've had writing a book in a long time. thank you to everyone who gave this story + kynlee manral a shot!
i'm going to miss kynlee + chad + her relationships with every single character in this book. this is the first time i've ever gotten emotional typing out an author's note. there aren't enough words to express how much i adore and love this story. hopefully, someone was able to feel my love through these words and chapters. fingers crossed.
again, thank you so much for reading. i appreciate the love (in the comments and the votes) so much.
mwah mwah mwah 💋🔪 stay dangerous
grayson, xx
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˒⠀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!
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˒⠀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. ❞
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