The sunlight felt so warm, the girl rested along the edge of her bed as she heard the distant bang of a car door slamming outside. She jumped at the sudden noise of it as she pushed her eyes open, her hand moved towards her face as she frowned deeply. Her gaze looked at her clock that rested beside her bed and then her eyes widened when she saw the time.

She sat up quickly as she rushed towards her window, she watched as her father drove off down the road and as if like a reflex her hand rose. She waved weakly and then she felt the panic slipping into her head, Corey never showed up. She'd wake up almost every morning to the soft knock on her front door that is Corey Becker. He'd always greet her with a half made up joke and a pack of skittles he'd steal from Casey.

Today he didn't even show up and now Sidney was going to be late, walking along the sidewalk towards the highschool felt depressing alone. She wished she'd hear the jokes Corey would tell her until she smiled or laughed, his pressure was always so peaceful and she ached for it desperately right now. She only ever felt at peace whenever she was surrounded by Corey, she didn't have to act or put on a show at all for the boy, he paid attention regardless.

His eyes were always focused on her and the way she held herself as they would walk beside one another. If Sidney was extra careful when she walked she'd feel his hand graze hers softly. He never said anything when it would happen but she'd see him smile almost as if he was waiting for her to say something. Her cheeks would get so red when she'd accidentally trip on the sidewalk and he'd catch her perfectly.

It was like he anticipated it every time because no matter what, she'd never once hit the ground. He'd laugh so loudly and tell her to watch her step, he was so cautious and aware of everything she did, it was almost kinda terrifying. No one ever cared enough to pay attention to Sidney, or even notice the little things she did whenever she was lost in her thoughts.

Corey noticed her hair cut long before Billy did, she remembered that morning so clearly. She had just trimmed her hair and had her bangs slightly cut shorter so she'd see better. Corey greeted her like he did every morning and while he pushed a skittle into his mouth his eyes lingered on her hair for so long.

He grinned and then as they walked along the sidewalk he told her he liked her hair. She saw Billy and the boy didn't even notice and when she mentioned it, he said it looked the same. Sidney never noticed the differences between Billy and Corey until now, she didn't have a lot of time to think about it. She smiled to herself as she looked beside her, Corey's absence made her feel weird as she turned down the sidewalk towards the school more.

The smile on her lips faltered when she saw the news faces that lingered along the school grounds. She could see the bright red jacket of Gale Weathers as the woman spoke loudly into a microphone. She saw the bright lights of the police cars as they drove through the road, she felt her body grow anxious.

Her body hadn't felt that way since her mother... she ignored her feelings as she grasped tightly onto her bag and walked towards the entrance of the school. She jumped when someone touched her shoulder "can you believe this shit!" Tatum Riley looked at her with a look of disbelief as she looked around.

Sidney let out a soft breath "what happened?" Tatum's eyes widened at her best friend's words "holy shit, you mean you don't know?". Sidney let out a nervous breath "was I supposed to?" Tatum sighed deeply almost as if she just remembered Sidney never once listened to the radio or news anymore.

"Casey Becker and Steve Forrest were killed last night, I mean it's all everyone's been talking about since it hit the news this morning". Sidney paused, and she saw the way Tatums mouth twitched, almost as if the girl regretted her words.

"Wait, Casey Becker... that's Corey's ..." she stopped talking when she caught the slight hint of sadness in Tatum's eyes. Sidney opened her mouth but no words came out, she felt stuck as she felt her heart begin to race. Corey couldn't have been gone? Tatum didn't say his name but what if she stopped herself before she could even muster his name. It wasn't hard to tell that Sidney and Corey were into each other, they were always together before class started and Tatum was the only one to see it clearly.

Tatum let out a soft breath, as she lightly smacked herself "shit I forgot Casey is Corey's sister, shit that makes this a lot more complicated". Sidney felt like she was being pranked as she looked around in search of Corey, maybe he'd pop out and laugh and then he'd tell her everything was going to be fine.

"Don't worry Sid, Corey survived but he's in pretty bad shape, I'm not supposed to know this but Dewey told me that Corey is at the hospital with like two police officers outside his door. Apparently by some miracle he didn't die last night, the doctors said he lost a lot of blood and should've died, I mean his heart literally stopped for two minutes, and then it started again when he was revived".

Sidney's eyes brightened and she pressed her hands into her chest slightly. She felt her heart beating like crazy as she looked at Tatum "what room is he in? Did Dewey tell you?". Tatum grinned "he's on the first floor all the way in the back, it's not hard to miss the creepy officers right outside the door. He's under twenty four hour watch until this dies down".

Sidney sighed to herself, missing school wasn't something she'd do but part of her needed to make sure Corey was okay. He checked on her when her mother died so she'd return the favor. "I'm gonna go see him, make sure he's okay" Tatum looked almost surprised by Sidney's words "are you serious?".

Sidney nodded and she held her head up high, "he'd do the same thing if I were in his position, besides I won't be gone long, I can be back by lunch". Tatum sighed "alright but just be careful, there's a killer on the loose and I don't need you getting hurt".

—

Corey felt lightheaded, his eyes body was on the verge of falling apart as he tried to sit up. He couldn't focus on anything besides the loud beeping of the machines that were attached to him. He'd thought the sound would make him go insane but instead it made him feel better, he was alive and that made his heart ache in its own way. Casey was dead and he couldn't even think about it without crying, his arm was stuck inside a thick cast and his stomach was covered in such thick bandages that itched.

He felt the small cuts on his skin from the glass but they didn't bother him much, he'd get used to the stinging sensation eventually. He let out a heavy breath as he pushed his head against the pillow, he felt the hardness of it digging into his neck. This bed wasn't comfortable at all and he could barely move without his body burning. The pain medication was wearing off by the second and he couldn't keep his eyes open, he was exhausted.

He leaned more into the pillow as he felt his eyelids grow heavy, he felt his hand sink into the mattress as he began to close his eyes. He felt the warmth of sleep overtaking his body but then his eyes ripped themselves open when he heard the door open. Panic slipped into his bones pretty quickly and the exhaustion faded away as he sat up.

He ignored the pain he felt as his eyes looked at the door with freight. "Corey?" he let out a breath of relief as the door opened fully to reveal who it was. "Sidney, you scared the shit out of me... I thought you were the asshole who attacked me last night".

She smiled weakly as she walked inside, he noticed the way her eyes saddened at the sight of him. He felt ashamed for being so weak, he could barely even look at her without his head hurting. "Sorry, the guards outside said I could come in for a few minutes, I heard about what happened last night, are you...".

He sighed "I'm alive, no need to ask if I'm alright because we both know that's what you would've asked. Everyone who comes into this room asks me that, and it's always the same answer". Sidney sat down beside the bed, and he winced at the loud squeak the chair made as she shifted it slightly closer towards the bed. "I was just gonna ask if you were in any pain, I noticed you were clenching your fist, you always do that whenever you're hurt".

He sighed deeply "of course you'd notice that, it's nothing, just slight discomfort is all, but I mean it's not like I can just take more pain medication and hope it goes away, it sorta just has a mind of its own. My arm especially, it hurts like a bitch and I can barely move my fingers without the entire thing throbbing".

Sidney looked at the thick cast around his arm, she saw the smudged sharpie marks on it, the red ink wasn't hard to miss and the endless names of people she didn't recognize. "Get a lot of visitors?" he pushed the cast slightly back to cover the marker as he sighed in annoyance. "Just news reporters who keep sneaking in, apparently I'm the next best thing around here, they keep putting their phone numbers on my cast in hopes I'll call and ask for interviews".

Sidney looked at the different numbers with sorrow, she remembered the looks she'd get whenever she'd walked along the small town. Her mother's death had haunted her life and the cameras tormented her memory like parasites. She looked at the bold blue ink that was slowly seeping into Corey's cast, the thick letters of Gale Weathers made her head feel unsteady. Corey flipped his arm over to cover the words and Sidney looked at him "think she'll make a book about me? She apparently has a habit of it".

Sidney couldn't help but chuckle as she looked outside the window, she saw the news vans that slowly parked along the road. "I think you'll be surprised just how much you'll hate the idea of being put inside a book, especially one by Gale Weathers".

Corey smiled weakly "it's not like she'd listen to me if I told her not to write a book, I used to think no one in this town even knew who I was. Then everything went to shit last night and now half of the town wants to actually speak with me, I don't even know who any of the people who sent the flowers are".

Sidney didn't even notice the endless piles of flowers that rested along the window seal and the wooden table beside Coreys bed. Not until he looked around in discomfort, she noticed a few gift baskets and random cards that were likely filled with strangers names. Corey didn't enjoy being in the spotlight and he didn't intend on being forced into it after surviving nearly dying. He was only meant to get popcorn, that's all his night would be filled with, popcorn and then endless silence as he watched the clock tick away.

Instead he was ripped into the light and he couldn't find the off switch, the suffocation that rested along his throat was tightening at least in the presence that is Sidney Prescott he can breathe. The weight of the world was on his shoulders and it was pushing him further down into the darkness. He watched the clock tick and his eyes shifted downward towards Sidney when he noticed the way she picked at her fingernails.

"You should get out of here, you don't have to stay here with me Sidney" she could sense the uneasiness in his voice, his fingers grasping the blanket slightly almost as if he was clinging onto something. Anything was better than the dread he felt in his chest, Sidney was hesitant but she latched her hand atop his.

She felt the softness of his skin, he looked so lost as he flipped his hand over and let his fingers mold into hers desperately. His heart was burning, he inhaled so carefully as his hand melted away into the warmth of Sidney. His lips ached as he looked at her with an unreadable expression, that same look she always yearned for. His eyes were so dull and empty as his lips parted into beautiful possibilities.

The temptation was strong enough to be cut with a knife, it'd carve itself into any flesh it could. The redness of the blood would be intoxicating, Corey felt the pain of it running along his lips as he let go off Sidney's hand. He felt cold, he ignored it by forcing his lips shut, the world turned so silent and he felt like he was going through a tunnel that didn't end. He had only hoped Sidney was at the end.

—
authors notes:
Corey and Sidney are already so much better than this rewrite, gosh the chemistry is off the charts and I'm loving it. Also kinda a little depressing since this month is Valentine's Day and I'm single asf. Love is overrated and I'd rather write for Corey instead, anyways keeping this short, enjoy!