The Summer of '97 | Billy Loomis x (OC) - Stu Macher x (OC) !!!ON HOLD!!!

Chapter Seven

"Goodmorning, man," Stu greeted at the front door. Mickey walked in with a few boxes of candy. "Hey, what's up?" He greeted back. Mickey nodded to Billy as he met me on the couch. He kissed my lips, whether that be a sign of territory guarding against Mickey or just a simple act, and placed the bowl of popcorn on the coffee table. Billy snuggled in behind me and pulled me flat against his chest. "Hey," Mickey greeted the two of us sitting on the adjacent couch. "Hey, Mickey," I smiled. The boy behind me, and Mickey greeted each other with a handshake.

"Alright, y'all ready to start the movie?" Stu asked sitting another bowl down next to the other. We nodded, and he set up the movie. It was some older, less popular one, not one worth my time. Minor jump scares here and there, the ridiculous tropes, just your average horror movie. "Oh come on, no breasts, and she's running up the stairs?" Stu yelled pointing to the screen. "Come on, Macher, you can go to one movie without tits!" I laughed. "Isn't that a fact though?" Mickey asked dragging our attention to him. "What do you mean?" Billy asked. "Like wouldn't a natural reaction be to run up the stairs?" Stu leaned forward. "Yeah, it is!" Billy made a noticeable glare toward the taller boy. "I mean I did! Isn't that right, Val?" 

I nodded, "Yeah, you did," I paused to try to re-kindle the thoughts without triggering anything, "...and then I jumped out of the window..." The group laughed. It was easier to laugh at these topics now. If it isn't so serious you can brush it off easier. Just brush it off, and you won't think about it. But what if you can't brush it off? "Oh shit look at that!" Mickey laughed leaning back and marveling at the movie. The protagonist gripped the biceps of the killer as she pleaded for mercy. They laughed at the horribly fake spray of blood as he sliced, and the pool of bright red stuff at her feet. "Where are the car keys?" I whispered to Billy. "What?" He asked squeezing my torso. "Car keys?" I repeated. "On the stand by the door." I nodded standing up. "I'm going to take a drive." He nodded and squeezed my hand as I moved further away from the movie. "Where are you heading, Val?" Stu asked. "Just out," I quickly said before walking out the door.

I jumped into the small car and drove off. I drove anywhere. A street I didn't know, a road that looked familiar, a street with a river next to it, just driving. I pulled up to a gas station and parked out front. When I opened the door, a little bell went off. 

The man working the register nodded to me as a greeting. I nodded back and went to the back of the store. I grabbed a bottle of Coca-Cola, and a pack of skittles before making my way to the front. I placed the two items on the counter and he rang them up. "Can I also get a pack of cigs and a lighter?" She pulled out her ID and slid it to him before he could even ask for it. 

"Valarie Michaels, just a high school student at the time, endured some of the worst that any parent can imagine."

My head lifted up at my name just in time to see my own face on the screen. "I didn't know what to do, I just froze." My voice was higher pitched. One could pass it off as nerves, but only a few knew that it was because I was lying. "That's you..." A voice behind me spoke. I turned quickly and smiled and nodded sheepishly. "Yeah," I mouthed a thank you to the clerk and handed him a twenty. "Valarie, right?" I nodded as he counted my change. "Tell me, Val did someone else do it?" My face went cold as I turned around to face him. "I'm sorry?" 

A sly smile fell across his face. "Did someone other than Prescott kill those teens?" I shook my head. "What do you mean?" The man behind the desk handed me my items and I began walking out. "What I mean is did Billy and Stu do it? Like in the movie?" I took out a cigarette and lit it. "Honestly, fuck off dude, you don't need to pry into my shit."

"I'm not prying if it's on the news!" I rolled my eyes and took a deep breath, and then released the smoke. "Come on, just let me in on a little!" He joked. I turned my back to him and dismissed his attempts. 

"Oh just come on Val-" He grabbed my arm and before I could even process my movements, my hand collided with his jaw. "Fucking bitch!" He yelled. "Really? I'm the bitch?" I yelled. "Don't fucking touch me!" 

He stared in utter disbelief. "I could fucking sue your ass!" He yelled back. "Self-defense!" I called back as I made my way to the car. He muttered a few more cusses at me as I sped off. The whole way home, there was only one question that was stuck in my mind.

Where the hell did my cigarette go?

*****

A/N: Hello everyone! Sorry for the large break between chapters, I've been busy with starting school, as I assume some of you are. I just want to say thank you for all of the support that you guys have been giving my stories, and stay tuned for Chapter Eight!

-Madison Lopez