𝐅𝐄𝐀𝐑 𝐌𝐄, deena johnson

𝐎𝐍𝐄

❝ANOTHER SHADYSIDE MURDER❞

DAISY FRANCIS anxiously stood outside her house, eagerly awaiting her girlfriend's arrival to pick her up for school. Daisy was accustomed to her girlfriend's punctuality, so she couldn't help but grumble as she tapped her foot impatiently. After what felt like an eternity, the car finally pulled up in front of her driveway, and a smile instantly spread across Daisy's face as she approached the vehicle with a perplexed expression.

"Why the delay, miss?" Daisy playfully inquired. Josh, Deena's brother, hopped out of the front seat and made his way to the back, allowing Daisy to slide into the passenger seat. "Hello," Daisy greeted Deena.

"Hi," Deena replied, flashing a warm smile before planting a gentle kiss on her girlfriend's lips.

"What kept you so long?" Daisy asked, curiosity lacing her words.

"Oh, nothing important. Josh was taking forever," Deena excused herself.

"HEY!" Josh interjected from the back, prompting Daisy to chuckle.

"I'll take your word for it," Daisy nodded understandingly, allowing Deena to restart the car and drive off.

꘎♡━━━━━♡꘎

Daisy and Deena strolled through the school halls, hand in hand, while Deena shot annoyed glances at couples displaying affection. Daisy had grown used to Deena's aversion to public displays of affection, and it never bothered her. After all, high school couples could be quite obnoxious and peculiar. However, sometimes Daisy wondered if Deena was missing something...

Her thoughts were interrupted when Deena banged her hand against a row of metal lockers, causing Daisy to turn her attention towards the commotion. A couple was engaged in a passionate kiss right in front of Deena's locker. "Move," Daisy firmly told them, and the couple rolled their eyes and walked away.

"People have no shame," Deena grumbled as she opened her locker.

"I suppose," Daisy replied nonchalantly. Suddenly, Daisy's eyes widened as she spotted a picture of Heather Watkins, a girl from their school who worked at the Shadyside Mall. To her shock, a boy in a green hoodie approached and etched the word 'RIP' onto the locker with a knife.

"Heather... she's dead," Daisy exclaimed, capturing Deena's attention.

"You see? It's the witch," someone behind them asserted, causing Daisy to jump in surprise.

"Kate!" Daisy called out.

"Sarah Fier is back," Kate declared with a smirk.

"Oh, for heaven's sake. Not you too," Deena sighed, clearly annoyed. The three girls walked away from the lockers and headed towards the girls' bathroom.

As they entered the bathroom, Daisy gasped at the chilling words scrawled across the stalls. "She reaches from beyond the grave to make good men her wicked slaves!" Kate repeated dramatically, wearing a mischievous grin.

"Not funny at all," Daisy scolded, pushing Kate away and making her way to the sinks. Deena went into one of the stalls, but just as Daisy was about to join her, Simon, one of their close friends, popped out of another stall, startling Deena.

"She'll take your blood!" Simon exclaimed, following Deena as she hurried towards Daisy.

"She'll take your head. She'll follow you until you're dead!" Simon continued his eerie proclamation.

"Wow," Deena drawled sarcastically. "You guys are real charmers."

"Total dicks. You do know someone actually died, right?" Daisy interjected.

"It's just fun," Kate defended herself.

"It's not funny," Daisy retorted, narrowing her eyes.

"It's sick!" Deena chimed in.

"What? The guy was wearing a Halloween skull mask! How is that not fun?" Simon challenged.

"Because someone, I don't know, died," Daisy replied, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

Deena spoke up, her tone filled with frustration. "People died. Heather died. The guy was probably just some miserable soul who hated his life, like the rest of us. He probably thought, 'Hey, why don't I leave this place for good?' And 'Hey, why don't I take Heather and a few other mall rats with me?' There's no vengeful witch who made him go berserk! The only thing that drove him crazy is this town!"

Silence hung in the air after Deena's outburst, and she let out a sigh. Daisy reached out and grabbed Deena's arm, causing her to flinch. Concerned, Daisy asked, "Are you okay, babe? What was that about?"

"Yeah..." Deena nodded, her voice filled with uncertainty. "I'm fine."

"It seems like you might have a little witch in you," Simon joked, sporting a mischievous grin.

"You know you're not funny, Simon," Daisy quipped back, returning his grin.

Simon frowned in response, while Kate chuckled. Then, out of nowhere, Deena exclaimed, "Dude, why are you even in here? This is the girl's bathroom!" Deena directed her question at Simon, who was now fiddling with the vents and holding a box.

"Candy store," Simon explained, placing the white box with a red ribbon on the floor.

Kate turned towards the mirror, fixing her ponytail. "You know we don't actually believe in this witch stuff, right? It's like a messed-up version of Santa Claus or something."

"Ho ho ho," Simon chimed in.

Daisy crossed her arms and gave Simon an amused look. "You're such a child."

Deena held up the box and extended it towards Kate, who appeared confused. "What's this?"

"I need you to give this to Sam tonight," Deena requested, causing Daisy to look at her in disbelief.

"What? Deena!" Daisy exclaimed.

"What?" Deena turned to face Daisy.

"You can't be serious," Daisy scoffed.

"I have to, Daisy," Deena replied with a heavy sigh. She removed Daisy's hands from her cheeks. "Plus, I quit band."

"Since when?" Kateasked, genuinely surprised.

"Since who gives a shit!" Deena shrugged, clearly indicating her lack of interest.

"Was band your only extracurricular activity?" Kate inquired, receiving no response other than a dismissive gesture from Deena. Taking that as a yes, Kate continued, "You still have your band uniform, right? Just wear that one last time." Kate then took the box from Deena's hands. "I've got something that'll give you the courage to face Sam."

Kate opened the box, revealing an assortment of drugs inside. Daisy looked down at them, a mix of concern and confusion on her face. "I thought you stopped doing that after Simon's brother OD'd," she said, her voice tinged with worry.

"Timothy?" Simon chimed in.

"Uh... Timmy didn't actually overdose. He didn't die. They managed to bring him back," Kate explained, a smile on her face as Simon made a sound effect and mimed bringing someone back to life.

"You're both idiots," Deena laughed.

"Excuse me, but which one of us is the valedictorian?" Kate retorted. The four friends began walking out of the bathroom, with Daisy and Deena still holding hands. "The president of every club this dump has to offer?" Kate continued, her tone filled with pride.

As they made their way out, a boy sprinted down the hallway, holding a doll with a rope and shouting, "WOO! THE WITCH LIVES! LONG LIVE SARAH FIER!"