Chapter Text
By the end of the night, Richie couldn't find them a room at any motels for that night as the earliest check-in was the next day at 10 a.m. So, instead, the nurses were kind enough to pull more chairs into Tara's room for them.
Ethan felt awkward as he settled in the chair next to Quinn, who was already curled up in her chair for the night and had her headphones plugged in. Tara was asleep in the bed, Sam was resting in the chair in front of Tara's bed, and Richie was on Tara's other side, closest to Ethan and Quinn, on his phone, watching some movies.
Ethan would bet money it was a Stab movie.
Richie was fucking weird like that.
Suddenly, Richie looked up from his phone like he could sense Ethan insulting him in his thoughts. Instead of Richie's ordinarily cold, scary look, a soft and genuine smile covered Richie's face as he looked at Ethan.
Ethan didn't trust that smile.
Well, he didn't trust Richie, but that was another issue.
"Get some sleep, buddy," Richie whispered. His voice was soft and kind, like it always was in front of Sam. Out of the corner of his eye, Ethan could see Sam look at them with a soft look of adornment.
Ethan hated how much Sam thought his brother was this fantastic, loving brother. That Richie could act like such a good brother.
Why couldn't Richie be that brother?
The two brothers stared at each other for a moment. Ethan could feel his eyelids getting heavier, and as much as he didn't trust Richie, He let his eyes slowly shut.
When Richie passed a hand through his hair, Ethan closed his eyes tighter and pretended it was Quinn as sleep took over his body.
Ethan's not-so-peaceful sleep was interrupted by a hand on his shoulder, shaking him awake.
Opening his eyes, Ethan jumped when the first thing he saw was Richie crouching in front of him and Quinn. A hand on both of their shoulders, trying to wake them both up. Ethan slowly sat up. The leftover sleepiness was quickly wiped clean from his body once he saw the craziness in the room.
Sam was wiping tears from her face as more police officers were making their way into the room. Richie was now standing between his younger siblings, holding each of their shoulders. Glancing over at Quinn, Ethan saw his sister wiping the sleep from her eyes and stretching out.
"...Richie? What happened?" Ethan asked, looking up at his older brother, keeping his voice quiet so as not to interrupt the police officers. Richie glanced down at Ethan. There was concern written all over his face. And for the first time in Ethan's life, He couldn't tell if it was fake.
Ethan suddenly felt ill; what could've happened if his brother was concerned?
Richie squeezed Ethan's shoulder, looking down at Quinn and himself, moving his hand from their shoulders and slipping his hand into both of their hair, causing Ethan to flinch back, but Quinn leaned into the touch. Suddenly, Richie pulled them closer to him, almost tucking them into his side.
Ethan felt so uncomfortable. Never in his life has Richie ever hugged him or cared like this. He hated it.
Ethan felt his body tense up at being so close to Richie suddenly. Ethan wasn't used to this kindness from his brother at all. Turning slightly, Ethan saw Quinn rest her head against Richie's side.
It made Ethan worry how fast Quinn believed that Richie changed.
What if this got her hurt?
Quinn has always had too big of a heart for her own good. She was prone to heartbreaks and trusting too easily.
What worried Ethan the most was that family was the most important thing in the world to Quinn. Ethan knew how badly Quinn had always wanted Richie to be a good brother to them.
And Ethan knew that Richie knew that about Quinn, too. Ethan was scared Richie was using that against Quinn, but he had no proof, so he stayed quiet.
But then again, maybe Ethan wasn't trying hard enough to accept that his brother could change.
Maybe Quinn was right, and he changed.
The whole situation hurt his head and heart.
"There was another attack while you both slept–here, at the hospital, but don't freak out, okay? You two are safe. I won't let you guys get hurt, okay?" Richie explained quietly, looking between his younger siblings.
Ethan felt himself tense up as fear overtook his body. Ghostface was here? While he slept? He could've been attacked! Or worse–Quinn could've been attacked. The thought almost almost sent Ethan into a panic attack.
Reaching over, Ethan grabbed Quinn's hand as tightly as he could. Immediately, Quinn held back just as tight and shuffled her chair closer to Ethan's. At this point, she almost hid her face in Richie's side, but her grip on Ethan never let up.
Ethan squeezed his eyes shut as he focused all thoughts of Quinn getting attacked while he slept. He could feel Richie's eyes burning into his head as he stared them down, but Ethan didn't care then.
He could've lost Quinn.
Suddenly, Amber busted into the room, causing everyone's attention to turn to her as she rushed over to Tara, hugging the shorter girl tightly. Ethan opened his eyes and watched Amber brush the hairs out of Tara's face, whispering to the girl too softly for Ethan to make out. Still, it seemed to help as Tara hid her face against Amber's shoulder.
The room fell into a peaceful quiet as everyone finally settled down. The other police officers left, leaving just the Sheriff. Ethan watched as the Sheriff looked over them till her eyes fell on Ethan, causing them to make eye contact.
Ethan immediately looked away and pretended to be focused on his hands.
Sam sat down beside Tara, watching over her protectively as Amber slowed and pulled back from Tara. Ethan watched as Sam and Amber glared at each other before Amber made her way to the other side of Tara's bed, sitting beside her.
Clearing her throat, Sheriff Judy drew the room's attention back to herself. Turning to Sam, the Sheriff started questioning Sam about what had happened. Richie's grip on his two younger siblings tightened slightly as the Sheriff's eyes lingered on them momentarily.
"He called you on your phone?" Judy asked, pulling out her notepad to take notes. Sam sighed and rolled her eyes before nodding.
"Yes," Sam answered, glancing over at Amber as she spoke. "It was Amber's number."
Amber scoffed, rolling her eyes at Sam's words as she held Tara's hand tighter. "He must've cloned my phone when he stole it and pretended to be me. He already called Tara for the first time."
Richie's grip on his siblings' shoulders tightened as he leaned forward, slightly towering over their heads. Ethan tensed up slightly, and out of the corner of his eyes, he could see Quinn's face take on a somewhat uncomfortable look.
"Yeah, maybe. Or you did it." Richie said, his voice nearing the tone that Ethan was used to hearing whenever Richie spoke about the Stab movies. With a glance at Quinn, Ethan knew she also heard the excitement in his voice.
Judy turns to Richie. Her eyes looked over the three siblings with a calculating gaze as she took in Richie's words before her gaze turned into a slight glare.
"Richie, right? And where were you when this happened? Any of you three?" Judy asked, pointing her pen at the three of them.
Ethan felt his throat close as he realized these people could think he or Quinn could be the killer?! Quinn, who can't kill a bug and puts it outside instead? Himself who–well, honestly, blood makes him wanna pass out!
Suddenly, Richie's grip on his shoulder tightened to an almost painful grip. Ethan didn't dare move away, though. This would be the worst moment to piss off Richie.
"I was watching over my siblings as they slept…I was watching Netflix…but more importantly–watching Ethan and Quinn. I wasn't going to leave my two baby siblings alone while there was a murder on the loose." Richie said his tone was light, but by the grip he had on Ethan and Quinn's shoulders, he was pissed.
"Super solid alibi, bro. Netflix and sleeping people." Amber sassed, rolling her eyes at Richie's words.
Ethan wished she would stop pissing off Richie cause Ethan was pretty sure he was getting a good-sized bruise on his shoulder at this point.
"So, where were you?" Richie shot back, his friendly expression falling off his face as he glared at the younger girl before him. From his side, Quinn's grip on his hand tightened slightly. Without looking at her, Ethan knew she was scared.
"Me? I was at the police station talking to the Sheriff. But, you know, the Netflix alibi's good too. Or the sleeping siblings who can't even vouch for you." Amber responded, her eyes turning cold as she spoke.
Ethan decided at that moment that he liked Amber for how she stood up to Richie but also hated her for making him angry.
"Both of you, stop it," Jude said quickly, cutting off whatever Richie was going to say, causing Richie to shoot the older woman a glare.
Ethan needed these people to stop pissing off Richie for fucks sake.
"You're gonna put more cops in her room, right?" Sam suddenly popped up, calling the attention back to herself. Thank God. Ethan thought to himself.
"Well… We're stretched thin. The best we can do is move you to a private floor. Deputy Vinson knows what he's doing. You'll be safe," Judy spoke in a kind tone and smiled, showing up in her words. Trying to comfort the group in the room, Sam scoffed at her words. She stood up to face the Sheriff, an annoyed look on her face.
"Oh really? Like we've been so far?" Sam spit out, her words dripping in annoyance as she glared at the Sheriff before her. Judy's kind smile and look froze into an icy glare, and a cold smile sent chills up Ethan's back.
"Samantha, let's step outside," Judy spoke low, opening the door and gesturing for Sam to follow her.
Sam rolled her eyes before following the Sheriff out, causing the room to fall silent. Ethan let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding in as he relaxed into his chair.
Quinn leaned over and pressed their shoulders together, sensing that Ethan needed some grounding.
And as always, Quinn was there for him.
If Quinn wasn't here, Ethan didn't think he could make it through this.
Richie suddenly crouched in front of the two younger siblings before reaching into his pocket and pulling out his wallet. Ethan watched as Richie fished out a few ten-dollar bills before handing them to Quinn.
The confusion must've shown on the siblings' faces because Richie rolled his eyes before standing back to explain.
"Go down to the cafeteria and get breakfast. You two haven't eaten since the night we left. They have breakfast."
Once Richie mentioned food, Ethan's stomach woke up and grumbled loudly, causing Ethan's face to flush with embarrassment. Ethan quickly stood up, pulling Quinn with him, and rushed them out of the room before Richie changed his mind and made them return the money.
The two siblings walked silently as they made their way to the cafeteria. Ethan could tell by how Quinn's hands were tugging at her fingers and glancing around them that she was getting increasingly anxious.
Making a quick decision, Ethan gently grabbed Quinn's hand, pulled her into one of the 'family rooms' they were passing, and quickly shut the door behind them.
"Quinn, What's going on—. "Ethan started to say, but Quinn threw her arms around Ethan and pulled him into a tight hug before he could finish his sentence.
Without hesitation, Ethan quickly held back. Resting his head against Quinn's, Ethan could feel his shirt dampened with what he had to guess to be Quinn's tears. Ethan felt his own eyes beginning to burn as he tightened his grip on his sister.
The two stood there in silence for what could've been hours, but in reality, it was about five minutes. Neither wanting to let go, the realization that one of them—Or both of them, could've been killed in their sleep settled back in for them both.
Finally, the two slowly pulled back. Quinn looked over Ethan's face, seeing the tears slipping down his face mirroring hers. Gently, Quinn took her sleeve and wiped the remaining tears off Ethan's face, causing a small laugh to bubble its way out of Ethan.
"I'm glad you're okay, E. I don't know what I would've done if you got hurt while I slept." Quinn admitted softly, tilting her head towards the ceiling, urging the tears not to fall again.
"I know Quinn. The same goes for you." Ethan responded, gently tugging Quinn back in for another hug. Quinn immediately hugged back, taking a few deep breaths to calm her nerves.
"We're okay. We will be okay." Quinn softly spoke, her words helping Ethan's nerves settle as well. The two siblings stayed in their hug for another moment.
Before Ethan's stomach growled again, breaking the soft atmosphere built into the room.
Quinn immediately pulled back, looking at Ethan, shocked for a moment before breaking out into a loud laugh, which caused Ethan to laugh along as well.
"Let's get some food before your stomach eats itself." Quinn joked before she grabbed Ethan's arm and tugged him towards the cafeteria.
Once they reached the dining hall, Quinn instructed Ethan to wait for her by the entrance as she went and purchased their food. While waiting, Ethan scrolled through his phone as he read the newest news reports on the attacks he was living through.
Suddenly, a hand landed on Ethan's shoulder. A small yelp ripped out of Ethan's throat as he jumped away from the unwanted touch.
"Wooh—I'm sorry, man!" A soft, familiar voice called from behind him as the hand lifted off his shoulder. Ethan quickly turned around to see Chad standing inches from his face. The two were so close that their noses brushed before Ethan promptly stepped back.
"Chad! Chad—shit, I'm sorry! Just a bit.., Jumpy? I guess?" Ethan responded, his fingers tugging on his sleeves as he looked into Chad's eyes. He could feel his cheeks burning with embarrassment from his reaction to Chad surprising him. But to his surprise, instead of a cruel comment or poking fun at him, Chad gave him a soft smile.
"Hey! My bad. With everything going on, I shouldn't have snuck up on you with everything going on right now…Especially with what happened last night." CHad's voice was soft, and there was a look of pain in his eyes.
It took Ethan a moment to connect the fact that Chad heard about the latest Ghostface last night.
The attack that could've killed his sister. His brain oh-so-nicely reminded him.
"Oh…yeah." Ethan's voice was quiet as he tugged at his sleeves harder, stretching the fabric as far as possible. Ethan could feel Chad's eyes look over his face.
"Are…you okay? You were here last night, too, weren't you?" Chad asked, concern leaking into his voice as Ethan pulled his eyes away from his hands to meet Chad's eyes slowly.
Ethan saw the concern sketched into Chad's face as the two met eyes. For some reason, Ethan could feel his face start to heat up with blush as he looked into Chad's eyes before he quickly dropped his gaze.
"I'm…fine. Quinn and I are both okay." Ethan responded quietly, trying to keep the thoughts of Quinn dying or getting hurt because of a ghostface attack out of his head.
"That's great, man!" Chad's voice was soft as he reached out and patted Ethan's shoulder gently, the motion awkward for the both of them. The two boys looked at each other momentarily before breaking out into uncomfortable laughter before Chad dropped his hand.
The two boys stared at each other, smiling as the laughter calmed down. As he watched Chad's gentle smile, Ethan could feel the blush staining his face again.
The moment between them was peaceful. And Ethan was the calmest since he got into the car yesterday morning. It was like a bubble around the two, suddenly blocking out all the bad and scary that had happened in the last 24 hours.
Ethan felt himself relax, the stress from the morning melting out. He could feel the smile on his face turn more relaxed and happy as he watched Chad do the same. The warmth around them felt comforting during this horrible time. Ethan didn't ever want to leave this bubble—.
"Ethan!"
The bubble popped.
Ethan looked over to see Richie quickly power-walking toward them. The warm comfort had iced over and became uncomfortable in seconds.
Richie made his way up to the two younger boys before quickly pushing Ethan behind him. Giving Chad one of the dirtiest looks Ethan had ever seen.
"Why are you talking to my brother?" Richie's voice was incredible and collected, but he didn't trust Chad. Once more, putting on the 'protective big brother' façade.
"Wooh…Sorry man. I just wanted to check in. I'm here to visit Tara. She's one of my best friends." Chad explained, somehow not offended by Richie's rude behavior, as he gently smiled at the two of them.
For some reason, Ethan felt suddenly sick to his stomach at the idea of Chad believing that Richie was a good brother.
Why did he hate that so badly?
Richie stared at Chad for a moment before sighing and dropping his dirty look for a look of exhaustion. Richie carefully touched Ethan's shoulder and tugged him slightly closer.
"Fuck… I'm sorry, man. Just this whole Ghostface shit has got me really worried, you know? I don't want to risk shit and Eth or Quinn getting hurt." Richie explained with a humorless laugh.
'Eth'
Ethan felt like he was sucker punched in the stomach.
Eth was Quinn's nickname for him. She gave it to him when he was three years old. Richie has never called him that. Ethan never wants him to call him 'Eth' again.
It felt like the nickname was now dripping in acid when Richie said it.
"Na man! I get it. No need to explain yourself. I get it completely. I have a twin sister, Mindy. She's only younger than me by like 5 minutes, but I'm still protective over her!" Chad responded with a laugh and a gentle smile.
Ethan hated every moment of this fucking conversation.
He hated how easily Richie could get people to believe he was this great brother.
Ethan felt his stomach twist into knots of uncomfortable anger out of nowhere.
It took Ethan a moment to realize that he was openly glaring at Richie and another moment to realize that both Chad and Richie were staring at him.
Chad had a confused smile directed toward Ethan, while Richie looked confused on the outside. Still, Ethan could see the sublet's anger underneath.
Fuck.
Ethan pissed off Richie.
He needed to fix this fast before Richie got really pissed.
"Sorry—I..uh..Richie forgets I'm not some little kid anymore! I'm 17, and he forgets and still treats me like I'm 7! He's uh…a good brother like that." Ethan stumbled over his words. As the lie left his lips, it felt like he was burning alive. He hated this.
But he knew sometimes he needed to lie for Richie for self-protection. And this was one of those times.
The three stood silently for a minute, Chad glancing between the two siblings. At the same time, Richie's grip on Ethan's shoulder got tighter and tighter.
Suddenly, Chad cleared his throat and quickly excused himself, waving goodbye to the siblings with a lingering look to Ethan before walking out of the cafeteria.
Richie quickly turned to face Ethan. His eyes lit up with rage as he glared Ethan down. Ethan immediately dropped his eyes to the floor. Richie squeezed Ethan's shoulder tight enough to make Ethan wince.
"Ethan, Ethan, Ethan! Come on now…Why are you acting like you don't know these movies? What are you thinking? Acting all buddy-buddy with a suspect? Never trust a love interest." Richie asked, his tone mockingly soft. His hand clasped down on Ethan's shoulder painfully tight.
"I—Chad? You think Chad is a suspect?" Ethan asked, his voice laced with shock. If he was honest, that thought had never crossed his mind. Chad had seemed kind and sweet. He didn't seem like he was a killer.
"Ethan…Come on. You're not that stupid." Richie's voice dropped its softness and returned to the cold tone that Ethan knew all too well. Dropping his eyes to the floor, Ethan focused on his eyes on anything but his brother.
Richie's hand moved from Ethan's shoulder to Ethan's hair again like that morning. He was gently moving his hand through Ethan's curls. Ethan's whole body tensed up like he had been electrocuted.
"Maybe you are that stupid. I wouldn't be shocked if the killer went after you next. That would be something, wouldn't it?" Richie's voice dropped to a whisper.
The words hit Ethan like a truck. It felt like a bucket of cold water dumped over Ethan's head as his eyes snapped up from the floor and met Richie's eyes.
His eyes were dark with a slightly crazed look in them. The look Richie got when he got too into his Stab rants or when he was writing his own Stab scripts.
Suddenly, Richie's hand dropped from Ethan's hair, and his eyes lost the crazed look and took on a soft, kind expression.
Ethan knew without turning around who was walking up to them.
"Hey, Rich…Can we head out now?" Sam spoke as she walked up next to the two brothers. Her eyes were puffy and red. Ethan watched as she glanced between the two brothers. Richie quickly pressed a soft kiss to Sam's cheek before nodding.
"Course babe! Let's go see that expert you mentioned, yeah?" Richie's voice was kind as he started to wave Quinn over. Ethan glanced between the couple, confused.
"Where are we going?" Ethan asked, confused as Quinn walked over, holding two bags of food she had bought with Richie's money. Quickly, Quinn handed the second bag to Ethan.
"Sam and I need to talk to someone important! You two can eat in the car." Richie barely explained as they grabbed Sam's hand and started to walk to the car.
Confused, the two younger siblings looked at each other before following the older two to the car.
Quinn and Ethan quickly ate the hospital sandwiches in the car as Richie drove them to some trailer park on the other side of Woodboro from the hospital. Both younger siblings turned out the conversation between the couple in the front seat in favor of finishing their food.
Richie parked the car at some run-down trailer as the two took their last bites. Quickly shoveling their garbage back into the respective bags, Quinn and Ethan followed Sam and Richie out of the car and up to the front door of the trailer they were parked in front of.
Ethan watched as Sam quickly began to pound on the front door, her foot tapping anxiously. Richie's hand snaked around Sam's waist and settled on Sam's waist.
"Go away!" A voice called from inside the trailer. Quinn and Ethan shared a confused look, wondering who exactly they were there to see because whoever this was did not want to see them.
"We're sorry to bother you, Mr. Riley. We just want to ask you a few questions!" Sam called back through the door, glancing at Richie nervously.
'Riley?' Ethan thought, not connecting who this mysterious expert was yet. But Quinn's quiet gasp beside him told him she figured it out.
"I don't give interviews!" Mr. Riley shouted, his voice dripping with anger. Sam sighed, going from worried and nervous to clearly annoyed and frustrated.
"We're not looking for an interview—"
"Go away, or I'll call the police!" Dewey quickly yelled, cutting off Sam. Who glared at the door before starting to bang on the door harder.
You're a suspect in a homicide, so go ahead, call the police!" Sam shouted back, her words laced with annoyance.
There was a long pause as both sides of the door went quiet. Ethan glanced around, seeing Sam glaring at the door. Quinn was checking her phone, and Richie was watching Sam closely.
"You're being an Asshole!" Mr.Riley finally shouted back through the door, causing Sam to groan and hit the door again. Richie shrugs at her, patting her shoulder gently.
"You kind of are, babe," Richie told her quietly. Sam quickly turned and glared at Richie instead of the door, causing Richie to drop his hand and mutter a quick apology.
"Give me one good reason why I should talk to you!" Mr. Riley shouted again. This time, sounding much closer to the door.
"I'm Billy Loomis's daughter!" Sam called back.
Everything in the world paused for Ethan at that moment. It felt like Sam turned around and punched Ethan in the gut.
Quickly but quietly, Ethan stumbled back, grabbing Quinn's sleeve as he did. Ethan could feel Quinn grab his wrist in a tight grasp, and they both turned to look at Sam and Richie horrifiedly.
But their look was met with an icy look from Richie. A look Ethan and Quinn knew all too well; it was the look that Richie gave them when they spoke up too much about his scream obsession to their father—who never cared anyway.
Ethan and Quinn quickly looked away from the couple and wiped any look of fear on their face like Richie had trained them over the years.
It was silent from inside the trailer and all around them. Then, there was a sound like a deadbolt turning; it cracked through the silence so loud it felt like a gunshot.
An older man about Ethan's father's age opened the door, looking a bit grungy; there was a coffee stain on his shirt, and his beard was unkempt, but even through all these, Ethan immediately recognized who this was finally.
Dewey Riley.
Ethan recognized from the interviews and photos Richie had forced them to watch over the years. Ethan never thought that cool-looking Sheriff he saw on the TV would look like this. Then Ethan reminded himself that he probably looked like shit after one Ghostface attack, and Dewey's been through six of them by this point.
"That's a terrible reason for me to talk to you," Dewey spoke quietly, his eyes looking over Sam's presents like he was trying to figure out if she was telling the truth or even real.
Ethan didn't blame him; he felt the same way right about now.
"My sister was stabbed seven times by Ghostface. I know you know what that's like. I just want to keep my family safe." Sam responded, her voice softer now that the two were face to face. Dewey's eyes flit inside his eyes, settling on something in the house that softens his cold glaze.
"Five minutes, that's all I'm asking." Sam pleaded, her eyes watering slightly. Ethan shifted uncomfortably, looking away from the other and glancing at Quinn instead. Quinn finally looked up from her phone, staring at Dewey with a slight look of awe.
Ethan remembered a conversion he and Quinn had years ago, back in Middle School. Quinn told him that out of all the " Stab" characters, Dewey was her favorite and the one she felt the most sorry for because he had to find his little sister Tatum's body dead in a cat door.
Ethan shivered at the idea of Quinn finding him like that, hating that it was a real possibility now.
Dewey looked at the group of them; he had a look of anger on his face that was slowly melting into something softer before dropping his head and sighing softly.
"You have two. I'm missing a show I like." Dewey responded quietly before disappearing into the house, leaving the door open so the group could follow him inside.
As they walked into the small trailer, Ethan noticed how the TV had the TODAY show playing with Gale Weathers as the host. There was coffee split on the table and floor by the couch, and the place smelled like whiskey.
Ethan stepped closer to Quinn as Dewey switched the TV off and sat back down in front of the coffee, subtly trying to cover it with his shoes.
The others slowly took seats around him. Sam and Richie were next to each other on one of the loveseats, and then Quinn and himself sat at the kitchen island on the stools there. It was an awkward few minutes before Quinn spoke up suddenly.
"Gale Weathers. Weren't you two…married?" Quinn asked, messing with the sleeves of her shirt again as she glanced around the trailer, looking for what Ethan had to guess were photos of the couple she was looking for.
Her question earned her a dirty look from Dewey (And an amused look from Richie) before he turned to Sam and gestured to Quinn.
"Who's she?" Dewey asked, annoyance dripping in his voice, causing Quinn to flush with embarrassment and look away.
"Oh! Quinn. My sister, that's Ethan too, my little brother." Richie answered, pointing to each of them as he introduced them. Dewey stared at Richie for a moment before looking back at Sam.
"Who's he?" He repeated his question.
"My boyfriend," Sam answered, smiling slightly at Richie as she spoke. Missing the way that Dewey narrowed his eyes at the couple, glancing between the couple and Quinn and Ethan behind them.
"How long have you known him? All of them?" Dewey asked, still glancing around at the three siblings. Sam looked confused before answering.
"Six months. Why?" Sam asked, glancing at Richie confused, who shot back an equally confused look. Richie turned slightly to face Dewey more, leaning forward in his seat.
Dewey rolls his eyes at this.
"What?" Richie asked, sounding slightly offended as he glanced back at his younger siblings, who were watching closely. Ethan slowly shuffled his chair closer to Quinn's as she leaned closer to Ethan as well.
"Did he know who your dad was when you met? Express any interest in
Woodsboro or the Ghostface killings?” Dewey asked, glaring slightly at Richie.
Ethan tensed up. He could feel Quinn tense as well, as they both were starting to check off boxes in their heads mentally.
" That did fit Richie…Keyword Obsessed." Ethan thought to himself, watching Richie closely, trying to see if he had any reactions to Dewey coming so close to who Richie was pretending not to be anymore.
"What the hell are you talking about?" Richie asked again. But this time, his words were more tense, sounding angrier than before, but the others in the room, Ethan and Quinn, were the only ones to pick up exactly how angry he sounded.
"Your killer's obsessed with the Stab movies, right?" Dewey asked, glancing around the room at everyone as he took a sip of whatever coffee he didn't spill all over the place.
"Well, there are certain rules to surviving a Stab movie. Believe me, I know. Rule One: never trust the love interest. They seem sweet, they seem great, and then in the third act, they try to rip your head off." Dewey explained quickly, sounding all too familiar with the rules.
Ethan suppressed an eye roll; he had just heard that rule about Chad from Richie earlier in the day and had heard it a million times growing up from Richie.
"I was with Sam in Modesto watching my siblings when Tara was attacked," Richie explained, pointing over to Ethan and Quinn. Both siblings waved and nodded, backing Richie's claims up because they were true.
"And let me guess, you were in the next room and completely unaccounted for when she was attacked in the hospital?" Dewey pressured, causing Richie to glare more, crossing his arms over his chest. Turning slightly to face Sam again instead of Dewey.
"Do I really have to take this from shitty Sam Elliot here?" Richie asked, sounding every bit as annoyed as he looked. Ethan glanced at Quinn. She was biting her nails– a nervous tic as she glanced between Richie and Dewey. She looked every bit as anxious as Ethan felt.
"Rule Two, the killer's motive always has something to do with the past. Billy killed everyone because of Sid's Mom. Then Billy's Mom killed everyone 'cause of Billy. The point is that this stuff is always rooted in something from the day." Dewey continued on, acting like Richie never spoke.
"Well… I'm related to Billy, and Tara's related to me, which makes sense…" Sam started, glancing at Richie before slowly holding Richie's hand, lacing their fingers together. Ethan once more tried not to roll his eyes.
"But then why kill that random Vince guy? It doesn't fit the profile." Richie asked, looking back at Sam confused.
Ethan glanced at Quinn again to see if she had any idea who this 'Vince' was, but all she did was shrug. Ethan knew better than to interrupt, but he now knew the first question he had for Richie once they left this trailer–hopefully soon. Ethan was starting to get really uncomfortable with the scent of alcohol in here.
"That's your job to figure out. Rule 3, and this is the most important, is that the first victim always has a friend group that the killer is a part of. Does your sister have a close-knit group of friends?" Dewey asked, looking like he already knew the answer. Ethan felt himself lose more and more hope of getting out of Woodsboro alive the more they went through these questions.
Sam and Richie exchanged a look before Sam sighed quietly, putting her head into her hands.
"She does," Sam responded, sounding almost defeated as Richie rubbed her back gently, pulling her closer.
"Then that's where you'll find the killer. Maybe it's the nice one, maybe the funny one, maybe the quirky one - any and all of them could be your murderer. You find out why they're doing this. You can figure out who's next." Dewey explained more. He finished his drink before getting up and went to the kitchen, nodding at Quinn and Ethan as he passed them before filling his mug with more coffee.
Sam and Richie quickly got up to follow. Sam entered the kitchen, following Dewey as Richie stopped beside his younger siblings. Standing behind them, Richie messed with their hair with an amused smile.
As Quinn squeaked quietly and rushed to fix her hair, Ethan didn't miss how Dewey looked at the three with a painful expression before looking away and downing his coffee, glancing away.
So help us. Help figure out who's behind this." Sam said, leaning on the counter across from Dewey and right in front of Ethan and Quinn. Dewey groaned loudly before reaching into his cabinet and pulling out a whiskey bottle. He was done with coffee and switched to whiskey as he filled his mug up again.
"You're kidding, right? I've been stabbed eleven times and almost died twice. I have permanent nerve damage and a fun little limp. You think I want to go through it again?" Dewey asked, sounding shocked that Sam would even suggest something like that. But Sam pressed on.
"It always goes back to the past, right? If I'm in danger, you're in danger. So let's do this together." Sam said, her words much softer than before. Ethan could tell by the look in her eyes that she hoped for Dewey to agree. Ethan was so focused on the conversion before him that he didn't feel Richie place a hand on his shoulder.
Dewey looked between the four of them before his eyes settled on Sam for a moment longer before quickly drinking the rest of the alcohol in his glass. Then he reached for the remort and flipped the TV back on.
"Your time's up." Dewey pushed past them and returned to the couch, sitting back down right where the coffee spill was again. Looking at the TV like they weren't even there.
Sam sighed quietly before quickly making her way to the door, clearly done with Dewey's shit. She flipped him off before slamming the door open and returning to the car outside.
Richie, Ethan, and Quinn stood there momentarily, shocked, not fully processing what had happened. But Richie quickly caught up and gestured for Ethan and Quinn to follow him outside, Ruffling their hair once more as they walked past him.
Just before Richie shut the door behind them, Dewey called out to them.
"Richie. Despite you being a suspect…Watch out for them. Ghostfaces love to go after family and break them up…Just…Be careful." Dewey didn't look over at them as he spoke; Ethan looked at the man, seeing that his eyes were locked on a photo on a shelf beside them instead.
Looking over, Ethan saw a photo and a box of–what he had to guess was ashes. The frame held a picture of a much younger Dewey in his deputy uniform with a shorter strawberry-blonde girl beside him, smiling widely. The box next to the photo read,
"In loving memory of Tatum Riley, Beloved sister, daughter, and friend."
Ethan heard Quinn's sharp inhale as she read the box as well. Knowing what his sister was thinking, Ethan quickly pushed Quinn out the door, wanting to avoid all these thoughts as soon as possible.
"Oh! Uh…Thanks. I'm already protecting them; I always will." Richie responded before quickly shutting the door behind him and jogging up to Sam, who was waiting for the three of them by the car.
Ethan looked over at Quinn and took in her shaken-up expression. Ethan carefully bumped his shoulder against hers to get her attention; it worked, and she quickly looked over at him.
"I'm okay, Quinn," Ethan whispered softly to her, smiling a little, trying to comfort his older sister. It helped a little because Quinn relaxed her shoulders slightly and nodded before pulling them to the car.
"Yeah, he's way more fun in the movies… What's next?" Richie asked, glancing around at the three of them, crossing his arms over his chest as he spoke.
The three of them were silent momentarily before Sam looked up quickly and met Richie's eyes.
"Time to meet the friend group, I suppose…But how do we get them together?" Sam asked, pulling out her phone and scrolling through it like she was looking for something.
"I uh…I have Chad's number. He gave it to me yesterday; I could text and ask him for all of us to meet up?" Ethan quietly suggested, pulling out his phone and quickly pulling up Chad's contact number.
"He gave you his number? Why the fuck would he do that?" Richie blurted out. The shock was laced in his voice and expression as he stared at Ethan before glancing at Sam. "I mean… It's a good idea! Great thinking, Eth." Richie smiled at Ethan gently, but Ethan could see how strained it was.
"Thanks…" Ethan responded, smiling a little before distracting himself with his phone and figuring out a text to Chad.
ETHAN: Hey, it's Ethan Kirsch. My brother and Sam want to meet with your guy's friend group. We met with Dewey, and he gave us some information that might help.
CHAD: Hey!!!!! I'm glad to see you put my number to good use! Though I was hoping for a little bit more of a flirty text ;)
CHAD: we can meet up at my place. I'll send my address.
Ethan could feel his face turn as he read the text from Chad, so he quickly ducked his head down so that Richie didn't see the redness and told Sam the address before quickly jumping into the car with the rest of the group.
Ethan settled into his seat in the back of the car, taking deep breaths, trying to control the redness over his face as he could feel Quinn's amused gaze burning into his side. At the same time, Richie constantly glanced at him through the review mirror.
Suddenly, Ethan felt his phone buzz once more. He quickly pulled it out to check what it said.
CHAD: I'll save you a seat next to me <3
Ethan's face went completely red again as he sank into his seat. Unable to hide it from Richie this time, Ethan's thoughts were so consumed by Chad's flirting that he couldn't find it to care in that moment.
Ethan was excited to see Chad again.