she knows - tara carpenter

꧁one: the first attacks꧁

QUINN MACHER WAS more than just his name. Deep down, somewhere inside of him, he knew that. His belief was just constantly pushed farther down by people accusing him of doing things he'd never dream of doing just because of his last name. And he thanked his Uncle Stu for that.

Sometimes people would ask Quinn if dear old Uncle Stu was still alive. He never responded. He didn't want to feed into anything anymore than he'd already been forced to. The comparisons consumed him— yet they also allowed Quinn to see things more clearly.

He'd heard a million times how Uncle Stu had killed those people alongside Billy Loomis, and how many copycats he'd inspired to go after Sidney Prescott over the course of twenty years. But the copycats had never been fully successful— at least not as much as Stu and Billy. They were the originals, and while they never achieved their goal of murdering Sidney Prescott, they came the closest.

Quinn was very observant. He noticed the smallest details about everyone, especially his friends. He noticed how Wes' knees bounced whenever he got anxious. Tara bit her nails often— no matter how she was feeling. Maria, whenever she lied, would twist a lock of her curly hair around her finger. Mindy always wore a cold expression, although everyone noticed that. Quinn liked Mindy the most— she was very funny, no matter her appearance on the surface. Chad was a jock, but he always showcased his soft spot for Quinn. It was like they were brothers. Not to mention his protectiveness of Maria, who quietly appreciated the notion.

And then there was Amber, but Quinn noticed everything about Amber. She liked to tease everyone, no matter how close or distant they were. She, like him, was curious and inquisitive, and she would defend the often silent (when he wasn't around his friends) Quinn from the rest of the student body. She knew who Quinn was, and Quinn knew who Amber was. She could be touchy, depending on the situation, and Quinn theorized it was how she showed affection.

It was dark out, but not too dark considering it was only September and the days were still considerably long. Quinn sat himself in his living room beside his best friend, Carson Thorn, who was sprawled out on the couch, leaving hardly any room for Quinn.

"God, move over." grumbled Quinn begrudgingly as he rested his head back on the couch cushions. Reluctantly, Carson picked up his head and began scrolling through his phone.

"Stalking Chad again?" Quinn's eyes were on the television, yet his mind was elsewhere, specifically on imagining Carson's reaction to his words.

"N-No," stammered Carson nervously, "t-that's so-"

"Shut up, I know I'm right."

Carson scoffed. "As if you don't think about Amber every second of every day."

Quinn rolled his eyes, tilting his head so he was looking at Carson. "I'm not going to deny it. Because I'm not an insufferable idiot like you."

Carson mocked Quinn's voice as he swiftly stole the television remote out of the slightly taller boy's hand. "What are we watching? Stab?"

Quinn shuddered. "God, no."

Carson's eyes dropped a little, sensing Quinn's sudden coldness. He could only imagine how Quinn felt about his uncle's life getting made into a movie. He decided to clear his throat and change the topic.

"Isn't Tara coming over?"

Quinn shrugged nonchalantly— he wasn't worried. "She might. Maria said they were hanging out tonight."

"Then invite both of them," suggested Carson, "it's too quiet if we're not planning on watching anything."

Quinn groaned as he got up off the couch and moved towards his kitchen, where his iPhone was plugged in on the counter. He picked it up and called Maria.