𝗙𝗟𝗜𝗖𝗞𝗘𝗥, billy loomis & stu macher

26 nothing like a funeral to bring the family together

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(   chapter twenty-six,   nothing like a funeral to bring the family together  )
❝ giddy with delight, seeing what's to come
the image of the dead, dead ends in my mind ❞

april 13th, 1998

KATHRYN'S LEGS CARRIED her swiftly across the campus yard toward Dewey Riley - an old friend she hadn't seen in months.

"Dewey!" Sidney called, grabbing his attention. His face lit up with a wide smile as Sidney reached him first for a hug, followed by Kathryn.

Pulling away, Kathryn took a moment to study him. "What are you doing here?"

"I was worried about you guys," Dewey answered, his smile faltering slightly at the mention of the murders. "I heard about what happened and got on the next plane. Can we talk?"

Sidney and Kathryn exchanged a look before glancing back at their friends, who watched them with curiosity. Kathryn nodded, leading Dewey and Sidney to a secluded gazebo, away from the busy front of the school.

"So," Dewey began with a sigh, nervously rubbing his hands on his thighs. Kathryn couldn't help but smile; he was still the same Dewey from all those years ago, only now burdened with the same bad memories they all carried. "Are you okay?"

Sidney took a deep breath, arms crossed over her chest. "We're... fine," she muttered, glancing at Kathryn, who nodded in agreement. "Or, we were, at least."

"I mean, things were okay until now," Sidney continued as they sat at the picnic table. "The theater's going great, booked my first lead role. And Kathryn got back into cheer."

"Temporarily," Kathryn added with a tight-lipped smile.

Dewey furrowed his brow. "Temporarily? What happened?"

"She didn't pass the drug test and got kicked out," Sidney answered bluntly.

Kathryn shot her a glare, but Dewey looked shocked - and slightly amused. "You do realize I'm an officer, and you're a minor, right?"

Kathryn just shrugged. She knew Dewey wasn't serious - he was teasing, and his smile confirmed it. "Sidney has a boyfriend," Kathryn said, desperate to shift the attention away from herself.

"Yeah. Nice guy. Premed," Sidney replied, catching Dewey's attention. "No apparent psychotic tendencies."

A strained chuckle passed between the three of them, but Sidney's jab at Billy only made Kathryn uncomfortable.

They hadn't talked much about Billy since the killings, and it bothered Kathryn not to know what Sidney thought of her lingering feelings for him. After all, Billy had been Sidney's boyfriend. Kathryn figured Sidney assumed she hated Billy, just as Sidney did, but that wasn't entirely true. Kathryn didn't hate him - not completely.

Dewey hesitated for a moment, a pained look crossing his features. "I was just worried," he muttered quickly, but the girls understood the deeper reason for his concern.

It was because of Tatum.

Kathryn lowered her eyes, the reminder of her dead best friend hitting her hard. They should have been experiencing college together, going to frat parties, and arguing over who got the bigger dorm room. But Billy and Stu had stolen that dream and crushed it.

"We've been searching high and low for any signs of Billy and Stu, but we've found nothing," Dewey continued, pulling Kathryn and Sidney from their thoughts. "A lot of their blood was found in that house. Even if they did make it out, who's to say they survived?"