ASSHOLES | scream au

2. amber, amber, amber

Amber Freeman sat in the yard area of her high school, a heavy weight pressing down on her chest as she stared at her phone. Her screen lit up with missed calls from Tara—multiple calls that felt like urgent cries for help. Each notification was a reminder of her failure to answer. Anxiety gnawed at her insides, twisting like a knife. She couldn't shake the feeling that if she had just picked up, maybe she could have called the police sooner or done something to prevent whatever was happening to Tara.

She ran a shaky hand through her hair, the dread coiling tighter around her. Her heart raced, and she gulped as she glanced up at Wes, who had insisted—no, forced—her to allow him to call Sam.

"You're an asshole," she muttered under her breath, frustration mingling with guilt as she scolded herself for not being there for Tara when she needed her most. She felt sick, a swirling pit of regret settling in her stomach.

"That was Sam," Wes said, pulling his phone from his ear and slipping it into his pocket.

Amber looked up, searching his expression for any glimmer of reassurance. "Is she coming?" she asked, her voice edged with skepticism.

"Yeah," Wes replied, a hint of optimism in his tone.

"Great," Amber mumbled, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Watch everything get worse."

Wes shot Amber an annoyed look, but before he could respond, Chad's voice cut through the tension. "Listen, all I'm saying is, with everything going on right now, I think it's time we take our relationship to the next, most intimate level."

He and Liv plopped down at the table across from Amber, their presence instantly grating on her nerves. Typical alpha male behavior from Chad, who oozed confidence, and Liv, with her perky demeanor, made Amber roll her eyes. How did Tara even accept her into the friend group just because Chad started dating her?

"It's true!" Liv exclaimed, rolling her eyes as if she were talking to a child. "He wants me to accept his Find My Fam request."

Chad nodded, confirming her statement. "It's the smartest option with a would-be killer on the loose. You know exactly where I am, and I know exactly where you are."

Liv pouted, feigning innocence. "Aw, you can stalk me like a jealous boyfriend," she said, smirking playfully.

"And you can stalk me like a jealous boyfriend," Chad replied, pressing their foreheads together with a goofy grin.

Amber scoffed, irritation bubbling up inside her. God, they made her sick. Sure, it sounded horrible to think that, but when those two were around, she wanted to strangle them into silence. "Is this because you two aren't having sex yet?" Amber laughed, trying to mask her disdain with humor.

"Not everyone has had sex with their girlfriend, Amber," Chad fired back, crossing his arms defiantly. "But that's a very good point. Not that I want to sound like a stereotypical jock trying to get into his girlfriend's pants."

Liv rolled her eyes, playfully patting Chad's shoulder before leaning in to kiss his cheek.

Wes, ever the serious one, cut in. "Don't do it, Liv. There's a psycho out there. You make yourself harder to find. Delete social media, tape over your phone camera, disable GPS."

Chad sighed dramatically, rolling his eyes at Wes's paranoia. "Yes, thank you very much, Edward Snowden. By the way, your mother just interrogated me about Tara's attempted murder." He pointed back at the sheriff, Wes's mom, Judy, who was waving at her son like they were at a family picnic. "That was a very fun experience."

"I'm sure she's asking everybody," Wes defended, his brows furrowing in concern. "I mean, Ghostface is back."

"The press still isn't saying Ghostface," Mindy chimed in, pulling her earbuds out, her tone casual but her eyes sharp.