Dots and Dashes | Billy Loomis, Stu Macher; Scream 1996

Six

    Ophelia's heart practically burst from her chest at the sound of her cell on Stu's bedside table. She took a breath and looked to her side with Stu, nowhere to be found but saw a faint light underneath the closed bathroom door. At least Ophelia knew where Stu was.

    Ophelia nervously bit her lip before picking up her phone and answering it. "Hello?" Ophelia couldn't help how her stomach began to turn, or her hands wanted to tremble at the fear she was starting to feel. From what Ophelia heard, a phone call meant death. Despite the attempt to hold it in, Ophelia yawned.

    "Aww," a gravelly voice cooed on the other end. "Tired little thing, aren't you, Ophelia?" The demand Ophelia planned to make after her yawn died in her throat. Everything in her body seemed to freeze.

    "How–" Ophelia had to force her question past her lips. "How do you know my name? Who are you?" Ophelia added force to her words, though the attempt at intimidation didn't land. She could tell by the taunting, almost adoring chuckle from the caller at how her voice shook.

    "I know everything." He cryptically answered.

    "Impossible." Ophelia shot without hesitation.

    "Maybe so." The man conceded. "But I sure know a lot of things about you." Ophelia couldn't find a response. "I know that you're currently in Stu Macher's house, spending the night when you should be safe in your own home. I know you're wearing the baggy sweater you wore during the day without pants." Ophelia flushed, looking away to avoid eyes that weren't in her line of sight. "I know that you're deeply in love with a boy in a holding cell and a boy that's currently taking a piss."

    "How do you know all this?" Ophelia quietly choked out, her watery eyes darting all over Stu's dark bedroom.

    "I told you; I know everything."

    Ophelia couldn't take it anymore. Her shaking hand dropped the phone, and she screamed. "Stu!" Tears began to fall.

    Over her heavy breathing and quiet sobs, Ophelia heard the bathroom door burst open. She blinked her tears away to the best of her ability, barely seeing Stu stand in defense mode with his boxers pulled up and his pants around his ankles. She would have laughed if things had been different. "Phelia, princess, what's wrong? What happened?" Stu's voice was urgent and quiet as he pulled Ophelia into him. Ophelia tried to answer, but nothing came out as she clung to him.

    Ophelia felt as though she couldn't breathe. Her nose was beginning to clog, and her chest felt heavy. She didn't doubt a killer being in Woodsboro, but the reality of the situation was now far more apparent. "I-" she choked out, sniffling loudly. "He- He called."

    Stu's grip on Ophelia tightened, and she could hear his heartbeat pick up over her breathing. She felt one of his arms leave her and assumed that Stu had grabbed the phone. It was quiet for a moment before Ophelia heard a muted thump of the phone hitting the mattress. "It's okay, babe, it's okay."

    Ophelia wanted to believe Stu's attempt to comfort her, but she couldn't. Whoever was on the other end of the call knew who she was when she answered, and Ophelia could only assume that the person who called knew she wasn't home. That thought alone only furthered Ophelia's sense of dread.

* * *

    Ophelia tried to drown out the noise of Stu's alarm, curling closer into the boy beside her, whose arms were still protectively around her. Though it did nothing to escape the repetitive drone of his alarm, it soothed any remaining anxiety from the night before. Ophelia wasn't alone, and they were safe and sound in Stu's bed.

    Stu groaned loudly from beside her, reaching over to stop the alarm. Stu stopped his alarm clock and proceeded to drop his weight onto Ophelia. Briefly, Ophelia mentally joked that she might not be as safe as she hoped with Stu's dead weight on top of her. Her train of thought ended with Stu's head moving to the crook of her shoulder, his closed eyes resting against Ophelia's neck.

    Now fully awake with a warm face and ears, Ophelia let one of her hands come up and play with Stu's hair. "Morning." She pleasantly mumbled. Her words slurred with sleep, but it was clear enough to understand.

    "Mornin', Lia." Stu slurred back, shifting to lean his chin on her stomach. Through bleary eyes, Ophelia looked down her nose at the boy. Stu's dopey grin was even sweeter when dazed.

    They continued to stare at each other, neither commenting on how warm Ophelia was nor the color that began to spread to her neck. Butterflies began to swarm Ophelia's stomach, her teeth biting the inside of her lip. Stu's dopey grin turned into a warm, adoring smile, causing Ophelia to wonder if she would melt.

    A knock came from Stu's door, followed by his mother making sure they were awake through the wood. Stu raised his voice to respond as Ophelia laughed at the feeling of his jaw moving against her stomach. After answering his mother, Stu buried his face in Ophelia's stomach.

    "Stu, it's time to get up."

    Stu shook his head in the plush of Ophelia's stomach. "I don't wanna." Ophelia resisted the urge to laugh.

    "I don't either," she agreed, "but we have to see if Billy comes back today." It was as if a lightbulb had gone off behind his eyes. Stu pushed himself up, kissing her nose before heading out of the room, likely to the bathroom.

    Ophelia pushed herself up with a heavy sigh. She talked Stu out of his bed - Ophelia could suck it up and get ready for the day with him. As Ophelia slid off the mattress, she wandered to Stu's dresser, ignoring the chill spreading from the cold floor. As tempted as Ophelia was to re-wear her jeans from the day before and steal one of Stu's shirts, Ophelia opened the drawer Stu kept full of her and Billy's clothes. Ophelia hadn't bothered to look at what she grabbed from her side of the drawer and started changing. She knew Stu wouldn't do anything if he came in.

    Ophelia pulled the clean pair of her jeans on, contemplating going to school in just her jeans and a bra. As comfortable as it sounded, Ophelia knew she wouldn't get far. There were only two outcomes with that action; immediately getting dress coded or harassed. Ophelia wasn't sure she had the energy to deal with it. She sighed, pulling a sage green tank top over her head.

    As Ophelia continued to get ready, waiting for Stu to come back out, her mind thought about the day ahead. Ophelia wasn't sure about any specifics, but she knew things would be off. There would still be news vans and cop cars, and people would still talk about the murders and Sidney getting attacked by Billy. No one would believe someone else attacked her.

    The longer Ophelia was awake, the more she remembered from the night before. In a way that made her feel toxic and self-centered, she wondered if anyone would believe her if she flaunted the fact that she got a call from the same person who called and killed Casey Becker, the same person who called and attacked Sydney Prescott. Ophelia rolled her eyes at herself in disgust. She found herself wishing she had stayed in Stu's bed.