Tardy | Tara Carpenter x Female Reader

chapter 10

Sitting in the ambulance doesn't feel right. You don't think you deserve to be here, getting taken care of; while the rest of the gang goes on searching for clues. You lean against the van door, struggling to keep your eyes open.

You can't bear to watch as the police lift Ethan's body and wheel him into their black van.

You're so tired that you can't even cry.

You turn and bury yourself in the crook of Tara's neck, trying to distract yourself with her warmth, her smell, her. She hasn't left your side for a second since the paramedics arrived, and she doesn't seem to mind you clinging desperately onto her either.

It might be how exhausted you are, or the fact that her comfort makes you feel so safe, it lulls you to sleep quickly.

It feels like a blink of an eye before you're getting woken up to the sound of Sam interrogating Anika and Mindy.

"Found them just a couple minutes ago, they were knocked out," Tara whispers to you, reading your face in the blink of an eye and knowing exactly what you were going to ask.

You inspect the pair carefully. They look like they've been through it.

Along with red marks all over her arms, Mindy has a little scrape of peeled skin at the top of her head.

Anika's looks even worse. There's a huge purple-ish green-ish bump just right above her eyebrow. It's in the shape of a perfect rectangle like someone had tried to knock her out with a brick.

"Where have you guys been?" Sam's asking, sort of calm but sort of rough at the same time. There's no doubt there is an underlying tone of suspicion in her voice.

Mindy sighs heavily, seeing right through the fake calm facade Sam's putting on.

"Sam, we swear we do not know anything." She's saying, eyes wide. "We saw Ghostface coming, we ran! And the next thing you know we both got knocked out. I mean, look at the wound Sam. I know Ghostfaces have done this before, the whole hurt yourself thing. But I swear. Please, Sam."

She looks put-together, all things considered. But Mindy's always been one of those people, she goes through life swiftly; with nothing on her mind except for obscure indie horror films and her girlfriend.

She doesn't sound like she's lying, you'll give her that.

"So you just left Danny alone?" Sam asks, clearly not as persuaded as you are.

Anika breathes loud, a sound of growing impatience.

"We were being chased. I'm sorry Sam but if it was between Mindy and Danny there's no way I'm picking your boyfriend." She explains, waving her hands wildly. "And we don't even know if he's Ghostface." She ends, the last statement said in nothing but a hushed whisper.

Sam can't say much about that. She breathes heavily, very much resembling the look of an angry dragon as she stands; towering.

You snuggle into Tara, deciding that you in fact do not want to be a part of this conversation.

She looks down at you and smiles, pressing a soft kiss to your forehead. Then she's wrapping her arms around you and slipping a hand in your back pocket.

She wiggles around in there a moment before you feel her fish something out and shift away from you slightly, smiling.

"Now what's this?" She's whispering teasingly, quiet laughter shaking her body.

You crane your neck to look at it, but all you see is a backside of a tiny piece of paper, all yellow and old looking.

Paper? You don't remember having paper in there.