𝐄𝐘𝐄𝐒 | Tara Carpenter SCREAM VI/VII

•FIVE

I bite my lip nervously and decide to call Anika, fully aware of her possible reaction.

Out of the corner of my eye, I watch Tara as she walks toward the door of her apartment after taking me up with her in the elevator. Tara's brown eyes shift to me, and a small smile stretches across her lips. My heart races against my chest, and I quickly look away to avoid blushing in front of the younger Carpenter.

After the third ring, Anika answers the phone.

"WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN?" my best friend yells angrily, forcing me to pull the phone away from my ear. "Anika! How's it going?" I stammer nervously, feeling my friend's breath grow heavier from her outburst.

"How's it going?! I was worried about you, Y/N!" she says seriously, making me feel guilty. "I had a rough day... Ghostface attacked a store, and I..." I start hesitantly but am interrupted again by her voice, this time laced with panic.

"Were you THERE? Are you okay? Are you hurt?" she fires off, clearly worried.

A warmth spreads through my body as I realize how much she cares about me.

Tara glances at me, her brow furrowed in confusion. "Is everything okay?" she whispers, not wanting to disturb my call.

I give her a thumbs-up.

"Sweetheart, leave her alone... She's alive. Can you calm down for a second?" Mindy says gently to her girlfriend. I let out a sigh of relief, feeling grateful for Mindy's presence in our dorm.

"Calm down? Anything could have happened! She was alone, Mindy!" Anika exclaims venomously at her girlfriend.

"Actually, I was with Tara and Sam..." I mumble shyly, "then the police took us in for questioning," I finish with a grimace.

Tara, hearing me mention her name, turns to me, the key already in the lock. She reaches for me with her free hand, inviting me to give her the phone as her other hand expertly opens the door.
"Anika, Y/N is with me now," she murmurs, her eyes glancing sideways at me to keep an eye on me.

Silence.

"Yeah. I'm fine," Tara replies.

A confused grimace paints her face.

"No, I'm not hurt... No, Mindy..." she starts, her tone tired, rolling her eyes at her friend's incessant chatter. "NO!" she blushes deeply.

I watch the scene with a raised eyebrow.

"That's none of your business," she snaps coldly, making me chuckle at her expression of pure annoyance. Seeing that her friend won't stop asking questions, Tara pulls the phone away from her ear. "Bye, Mindy, Anika," she says before hanging up, handing me back my phone.

I tuck it into my pocket.

Tara lets out a deep sigh as she opens the door to her apartment, a faint smile gracing her lips. I remain frozen in the doorway, hesitating, as her eyes meet mine, watching me with playful curiosity. "Aren't you coming in?" she asks lightly, tilting her head to the side. I nod, trying to mask my nervousness, and take a step inside.

The living room opens up before me, simply and functionally furnished. In the center, a large gray couch occupies the space in front of a TV mounted on the wall, with a couple of shelves nearby holding books and some potted plants.

There's a cozy, almost relaxed atmosphere.

From the living room, two corridors branch out toward three different doors. Tara follows my curious gaze and with a nod of her head indicates the first door on the left. "That's my room," she says casually, then points to the opposite door. "And that's Sam's room."