Down Under

Chapter 6

How do you apologize to a future murderer in order to save your own skin? Step one - subtly interrogate his friends into giving you any and all data on them so that the apology and gifts feel genuine. Step two - track him down despite his obvious disdain for you, leading to him not only refusing to be around you but also your friends, who also happened to be his friends and were reading far too much into the tension. Step one was already practically finished, with Tatum and Randy giving you the bare minimum in terms of information. Even you remembered the side comment of Carrie in the movie, since they used the same formula for the fake blood, but at least Randy gave you something to work with while Tatum started ranting about you deserving a better man in your life.

Sidney was far better when it came to information. Trying to lay it on smooth with her didn't quite land because she was already grinning when Billy's name was mentioned. It all happened during your brief packing of possessions that you had in her house. There was practically nothing to work with so it passed on quickly, but your intuition made you stick a little longer to the point where he just had to be mentioned.

"Tatum already told me about your crush. Poor Randy seems to be brokenhearted, but I think he'll get over it soon," she laughed, brushing her bangs to the side as she flopped onto her bed. She could see the retort already forming in your mind, so she shut you up with a single pull that made you land next to her on the bed. "I think it's cute. I mean... the silently brooding (y/n) obsessed with romance movies but never making an actual move on her crushes is finally gaining some nerve. Tatum just wants to be confrontational for the drama, Billy is an okay guy."

"Even if I liked him, which I don't. I don't think I would want to date an okay guy," you retorted, air quoting the final two words as Sidney muffled her laugh into the sheets. Pushing yourself to the side to fully face her, you pulled in a pillow closer so that your neck wouldn't cramp from the positioning. It was a silent comfort that enveloped the pair of you. One that allowed you to count the freckled adorning her face while she daydreamed at the sight of your sleepy complexion. "I think that I really hurt his feelings with a comment I made." Bullshit, you knew that his feelings were hurt, but that didn't matter to you. What mattered here was to guarantee your name being off his hit list. "I know he likes horror movies and cheap snacks, but there has to be something more to make it feel extremely sincere. Something that just goes that extra mile for him to feel special, y'know?"

"You don't like him, but you want him to feel special at the same time?" she teased, struggling to push back a full smile as you tried your best to glare at her. A warming sensation tingled throughout your body the longer you stared at her. Her happiness was contagious, a danger to your seriousness as it managed to bring out a lackluster smile. "I don't mean to make fun. It's just surprising to see you so hellbent on wanting to make someone happy."

"Am I that much of... well, I don't know? A mean girl?"

"No! You're wonderful! Just a little bit of a recluse that never really talks about her emotions outside of romance movies. Okay, you can be a little bit of a mean girl, but only to guys for some reason. You are a literal angel to me and Tatum despite our constant pushing," she replied, leaning into her palm so that her head was raised off the bed. The warm glow of her lamp lightly highlighted her features, outlining any definition it came across. "Billy is the real surprise here. Sure, he puts on the bad boy role that takes care of the girls in the friend group, but I never thought that would have worked on you."

"And it did not. Because I do not like Billy like that. Again, I said some shitty stuff, was a bad friend and wanted to fix my errors before they come back to haunt me," you complained, quickly taking a jab at her arm to make her lose her frail balance. "He seems like the type of guy to hold a grudge until graduation, so let me appease him while I have the chance."