The Carcajou

Chapter Eight: Ghostface in New York

"Whose idea was this?" Luke asked as he sat in a karaoke bar with Tara, Mindy, and Chad.

Joining them was Ethan, Chad and Luke's new roommate for the college term, and Anika, Mindy's Asian-American girlfriend.

"I mean, seriously," Luke said as he downed some whiskey and looked at Mindy and Anika. "Out of all the places in New York we could go to hang out, you two picked a place where we kinda have to sing?"

At the end of the previous school year, and with what happened, Tara convinced Luke, Chad, Mindy, and her older sister Sam to move to New York for college. That was the furthest away from Woodsboro anyone could get. And they needed this.

"Sorry, Wolvie," Mindy lightly laughed as she took a sip of her beer bottle. "Next time, you pick."

"How many times do I have to tell you not to call me Wolvie?" Luke growled as he tapped the bar, signaling for another shot. "I'm trying to put that behind me."

After downing his shot, Luke silently cursed his healing factor for not giving him the satisfaction of getting drunk or wasted. As Luke signaled for another shot, Tara looked at him and smirked deviously as she stood up and walked away.

"Hey, Luke," Chad said drunkenly as Luke finished downing his shot. "You know where Tara went?"

"What?" Luke asked. Looking down the bar, he noticed Tara was, indeed, missing. He looked back at Chad, who had a stupid grin on his face.

"Where'd she go?" Luke asked, not wanting to deal with his drunk friends anymore. Chad just pointed at Ethan and the girls, who were all looking behind them with smiles. Curious, Luke followed their gazes.

"Oh, no," he muttered.

"Hey, Luke!" Tara slurred as she leaned on one of the microphone stands on the karaoke stage. "Come on up here! Let's do a song!"

"No," Luke said, eyes wide as he shook his head.

"Oh, gee, he's shy," Tara said. She then began chanting his name, everyone following her lead. "See, Lukey? They're all cheering for you!"

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me," Luke muttered. Finally, he stood up and made his way to the little stage, earning applause from everyone.

"Just for the record," Luke said to Tara as he covered the microphone with his hand so no one heard him, "I don't sing."

"You'll be fine," Tara said with a grin, patting his chest. Luke almost grimaced at the smell of alcohol radiating off of her as she stepped up to the microphone.

"Hit it!" she shouted. Bebe Rexha and Florida Georgia Line's hit duet began to play. Gathering his courage to not roar in rage, Luke grabbed the nearest microphone and reluctantly began to sing.

"Baby, lay on back and relax. Kick your pretty feet up on my dash. No need to go nowhere fast. Let's enjoy right here where we at. Who knows where this road is supposed to lead? We got nothing but time. As long as you're right here next to me, everything's gonna be alright.

"If it's meant to be, it'll be, it'll be. Baby, just let it be. If it's meant to be, it'll be, it'll be. Baby, just let it be. So won't you ride with me, ride with me? See where this thing goes. If it's meant to be, it'll be, it'll be. Baby, if it's meant to be."

Tara then began to sing into her mic. Despite being super hammered, she sang very beautifully and in tune.

"I don't mean to be so uptight. But my heart's been hurt a couple times by a couple guys that didn't treat me right. I ain't gon' lie, ain't gon' lie. 'Cause I'm tired of the fake love. Show me what you're made of. Boy, make me believe."