Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Tatum had always been my everything since we were practically babies, and the feeling was mutual. Our moms were best friends in high school and were overjoyed when they discovered they were both expecting baby girls around the same time. We spent countless hours together, doing typical kid stuff like playing dress-up in my mom's closet or hanging out at the park near my house. But like all good things, our story had to come to an end, and that end came during the summer after eighth grade.

"Hey, I was wondering if you'd wanna go to this party that the guy who used to sit behind me in English invited me to?" Tatum turned to me, a smile on her face as she held up a red mini-skirt paired with a white babydoll top. She had planned to wear it to the party.

Sitting up from where I was lying on her bed, I looked at her and asked, "Are you talking about Stuart Macher? I'm not sure, Tate. Wouldn't it be a little awkward if I'm just tagging along with you guys?"

She grabbed a stuffed teddy bear from the other bed and threw it at me, exclaiming, "What do you mean, tagging along? I'm not interested in a guy like him. He's too loud, too goofy, and way too tall!"

"Hm... It sounds like you might have a crush on him," I said, smirking.

"Ok, if I admit that I like him, will you come to the party?" she asked, taking a seat in front of me on the bed.

"Deal!" I said, leaning in to hear her confession.

"Yeah, you're right. Even though he can be a bit annoying, I can't help but find him sweet and funny. But it doesn't matter anyway because I heard that Casey Becker is totally into Stu." Tatum's cheeks turned slightly pink as she spoke.

Tatum had no idea, but I felt the same way about Stu as she did. Stu and I weren't close, but we were both part of the film club, along with Randy Meeks and Billy Loomis, two more of our friends. Billy was the one who introduced us. You would think that being friends with both the guy I liked and his best friend would increase my chances of dating him. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case, especially now that I found out my lifelong best friend also likes him. And to make matters worse, Casey is probably on her way to dating him by the time school starts.

"We're heading to that party!" I exclaimed, extending my hand for Tatum to shake.

With excitement, Tatum shook my hand and replied, "Yes! Trust me, we're going to have a blast! And I'll even let you borrow my one outfit to make it even better."

Tatum rushed to her closet and grabbed a pair of low-rise bootcut jeans and a black Milkmaid top that I had been eyeing since our last thrift shopping trip.

Taking the outfit from her, I stood up from the bed.

As we prepared for the party, it suddenly dawned on me that neither of us had a ride. "How are we going to get there, Tate?"

"I thought you knew that Billy was picking us up given how... close you two are. He recently learned how to drive from his dad. It seems like you're out of the loop when it comes to our friends," Tatum replied.

Now it was my turn to be surprised. "Me and Billy Loomis? Are you kidding? He's head over heels for Ms. Perfect, Sidney Prescott."

"Well, you're friends with the most popular guy in school. It's hard to believe you don't find him even slightly attractive," Tatum said, admiring her outfit in the mirror.

"No thanks, I'll leave him for Sidney. He's just not my type," I said, walking up to Tatum to admire my outfit.

"You know, some people might start assuming you're into girls. I mean, when was the last time you showed interest in a guy? Not that it matters if you're gay or anything," she casually mentioned, braiding her hair into twin tails.

If only she knew that not only was I into guys, but I was also into the same guy she had been crushing on for months and about to party at his house.

"Whatever, Tatum. When is Billy going to get here?" I asked, grabbing an oversized leather jacket from her closet to complete my look.

"Ummm..." She glanced at her alarm clock. "In about ten minutes!"

She rushed to finish getting ready in a hurry.

"Hey, just in case our parents ask, there's some meeting going on for that dumb club you're a part of, alright?"

"Sure, whatever. Let's go wait outside so we can leave as soon as possible?"

"Yeah, let's go."

And so, the night that would forever alter our friendship had begun.

Chapter Text

It's amazing how a simple mistake can easily destroy a friendship that once meant the world to you. It's been almost four years since Tatum and I have been close. As I expected, Casey and Stu started dating, but their relationship was short-lived. Tatum had always been interested in Stu, and when Casey began seeing someone else, Tatum took the chance. Predictably, Billy and Sidney ended up together. As for me, Tatum ended our friendship abruptly after discovering that I had feelings for Stu. Randy was the one who found out and told her, as I made the mistake of confiding in him.
I spend a lot of time in the school library these days, trying to avoid my former friends. It's a shame things turned out this way, but I'm grateful that Tatum kept my secret to herself, even after we fell out. The only time I've connected with anyone from that group recently was when I found Sidney crying in the bathroom after her mom died. I sat with her and tried to offer some comfort. Despite my efforts to distance myself from my old friends, Stu still asks me to join them for lunch by the fountain almost every day.

Stu towered over me as he stood by his locker and asked, "Have you considered my proposal?"

I have heard him asking this question more than 300 times.

"I don't understand, Stu. Are you ever going to give up on this? Even if I wanted to, I couldn't. Why are you even here? Why don't you go get your girlfriend?" I said, not bothering to look at him while I rummaged through my locker for my biology textbook.

"First of all, why are you so grumpy? Second, Tate has cheer today, so I don't have to pick her up, which means I have more time to spend bothering you. We used to hang out all the time, so let's do it again!" He said to me with a hopeful look in his eyes.

"Okay, if I finally agree to your proposition, what's in it for me?" I said, grabbing my textbook and turning to look up at him.

"I have an idea," he said as he leaned closer to me. "You could make new friends, or I guess reconnect with old ones, and you might even be able to get your hands on your favorite cigs through someone I know who has a fake ID."

"How did you know that?" I asked, surprised that I hadn't been hiding my slight addiction as well as I thought.

"I saw you smoking on your lunch break when I took Tatum on a date to the mall a while ago," he said, shrugging his shoulders.

"Fine. But, so help me, if you don't get me those cigarettes, just remember that I know where you live," I said, half serious and half joking as I pointed at his chest, pushing him back slightly, before turning on my heels and walking away.

"I'll meet you at your class!" he called after me with his signature grin, saying we'll meet up later.

As I turned the corner, I almost collided with Tatum in the hallway.

"Hey, watch where you're going- oh, hey..." Her tone shifted quickly as she recognized who almost collided with her. "By the way, I know Stu asked you to sit with the group today. I just wanted to let you know that I don't have a problem with you sitting with them, but for your good, do not try anything." She smiled at me, but it seemed a bit forced.

"Yeah, of course... I kept telling him that I didn't want to, but he made me a deal, so I couldn't say no." I said as I shifted awkwardly in my spot. "Okay then... well, I have to go, so I'm just gonna..." I said while stepping around her and quickly making my way to class.

𝘓𝘦𝘵'𝘴 𝘩𝘰𝘱𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘭𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘰𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘳𝘶𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘥...

Chapter Text

As I sat in class, my mind was consumed with thoughts of how badly I needed this plan to work out. It was my only chance to finally belong to a group, instead of wandering through the halls like some sort of ghostly outcast. Suddenly, the piercing sound of the lunch bell echoed throughout the school, I instinctively snatched my bag and made a mad dash out of the classroom. Perhaps it seemed a little desperate, but truthfully, I was grasping for this small opportunity to fit in.

¨Hey! Just the little lady I was looking for!" From a little distance away from my class, Stu called.

I hurriedly approached him and murmured semi-incoherently, "Uh, hey Stu."

"Well what are we waiting for we gotta head over to the fountain I mean lunch is like what 5 minutes long?" He spoke these words as he took hold of my hand and pulled me down the stairs and, hopefully, in the direction of a bright new beginning.

As we walked through the school, I felt a burning sensation in my hand from him holding my hand, which made me feel dizzy and made my heart pound in my chest. The hallways were filled with my classmates' penetrating gazes, which made me feel like I was being torn apart limb by limb. I couldn't help but notice their disapproving looks, but I knew that I couldn't blame them for their judgment. After all, why would a shy and awkward girl like me be holding hands with one of the most desirable boys in school? To make matters worse, I had only spoken to three people in total within my whole high school career, excluding my teachers. Adding to that, he was also the boyfriend of one of the top cheerleaders in the school.  As we proceeded towards our destination, I made every effort to ignore my classmates' stares and concentrate only on traveling from place A to place B.

However, I had no way of knowing if point B would be much worse than point A in terms of what my thoughts could morph into.

As I walked further towards the door to meet my old friends, I felt an odd sensation of nervousness. It was strange, considering our shared history. I remember seeing Sidney cry, Billy's awkward phase in middle school, and even once confided the knowledge of my crush in Randy. But as we walked out of the building, it dawned on me that I knew nothing about these people anymore. It had been four years since we last legitimately spoke, and a lot has happened. I couldn't help but think about how much life they had experienced, especially considering that Sidney and Billy had both lost their mothers. It must have been a challenging time for them, and I barely even knew how much it had affected them. As we walked towards each other, I couldn't help but wonder what stories they held and how much they had grown in our time apart.

Even while Stu was the boy I once knew and then -even now-  think of as one of the loves of my life, he might have changed so much as a person that it feels like I have no idea about him.

Before we left the building entirely, Stu turned to face me and exclaimed, "Okay, I just had the best idea ever! What if we surprise these guys, who might or might not know that Tate is for now being replaced?"

"Sure, but only if you're confident that it won't piss them off in any way."

"I mean, it would be really strange if these guys saw that you were hanging out with us and weren't just about jumping for joy. Believe me when I say that I am not the only one who missed our friend."

As I heard his final sentence, it hit me like a bullet. It felt like a rude awakening. But now, after all this time, he still considered us friends. It made me question everything. Had I been wrong all along? Had I been imagining things? Or was it me who had been avoiding them, all along? I couldn't help but wonder. And, to be honest, I was still avoiding Tatum. I knew that I shouldn't, but I couldn't seem to shake off the bad feelings from our falling out.

"Okay, then, let's go if you think so."

"Ok, I plan that basically, I'll just hide you behind my back, and then you can pop out and be like, 'Suprise!"

"Sounds good," I answered, attempting to put on my cheeriest smile.

As we walked forward, he walked past me a little and held out his hand for me to take. I hesitated for a moment, but then I reluctantly took it. His hand was warm and comforting, and I could feel the adrenaline starting to flow through my body. With every step we took, my nerves were on fire.

"Hi, guys!" As we got closer to the fountain, I heard Stu call. "As you may have noticed, Tate isn't there at the moment, but I've found someone just as lovely in her stead!" He yanked me forward and rested his hands on my shoulders.

"Suprise..." I said, fumbling with my tiny jazz hands.

They all gazed at me, making me feel like I was in a lion's den until Sidney got up and came over, holding my hands in hers and saying, "Oh my gosh, it's so good to see you, we've all missed you so much." The way she looked was so sweet that I felt nearly heartbroken because I knew how sincere she must be. "Guys, hurry up and tell her." She murmured, turning back to face an uninterested Randy and Billy, who was now sitting up.

Billy agreed with his girlfriend, "Yeah, I guess we missed Ghost Girl a little."

Randy simply nodded in agreement with Billy's remarks. It's safe to say that lunch was going to be a lot of fun...

"Hey, how about we go sit and talk? It feels like ages since we last chatted." Sidney pulled me over to sit at the fountain between her and Randy.

Stu said, "Move over, Randy," as he followed Sidney and me.

"Why ought I? Is it too difficult for you to simply sit next to me?"

Stu followed Randy's remark with an overly dramatic sigh, "Well, let me think because not only did I bring her over to meet up with all of us like the good guy I am, but also because I'll just push ya into the fountain if you don't," he continued.

Randy sighed and moved for Stu to sit as he replied, "Fine, whatever you big bully, but all I know is that Tatum would tar and feather the two of you if she saw you and Ghostie being all buddy." He finished gesturing with his finger between me and Stu.

"Hm well, unless someone went and ratted us out, how would she know?" Stu replied glaring daggers at Randy.

As far as I could tell, the rivalry between Randy and Stu has kept going on for quite some time. Despite being friends for nearly our whole lives, it seemed that they had never been able to see eye to eye. Whenever they were forced to interact, whether it was by sitting together or engaging in a conversation, it was inevitable that they would end up in a debate, argument, or just Stu straight-up bullying Randy. However, whenever things escalated, Billy or I would step in to try and diffuse the situation before it got out of hand. Normal people would think that they could sense the tension between them. But truthfully it was just that there was some unspoken competition that they held against each other. Despite their constant bickering, everyone could see that deep down they still cared for each other as friends.

Sidney leaned forward to look at the two lads and said, "Hey, guys, leave it alone. We haven't hung out all together in forever, and all you two can do is bicker over a stupid seat."

"Oh yeah that's true, how come we haven't seen you in a while?" Randy questioned.

Billy whispered, "Cause she's scared of Tatum for some reason."

"What did you say? I turned to face him and asked.

"Nothing special, but I have to run and ask Mr. Macnamara something about homework. But Stu, do you remember our plan that we have later, right?"

Stu was looking at Billy, who was now standing, and I noticed that something had changed in his eyes. He said, "Yeah, yeah, Billy, I'll pick you up later."

The expressions in the eyes of the two guys were incredibly disturbing, almost as if they were looking at each other with the same intensity as a psychopath would. The way they looked made me feel uncomfortable and on edge as if they were plotting something. 

Chapter Text

Living in Woodsboro has its perks, one of which is the tranquility of the surroundings. Today was particularly challenging at school, and I couldn't wait to get home. As I entered my house, I felt a sense of relief wash over me. My dad was at the office, and my mom was attending a book club hosted by a girl's mother with whom I went to school. So, I had the house all to myself. I kicked off my shoes and made my way to my bedroom. The soft comforter on my bed welcomed me, and I couldn't resist the temptation of a quick nap. It was the perfect escape from the chaos of the day.

𝘙𝘪𝘯𝘨... 𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨... 𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨

I suddenly woke up from my nap and glanced at the glowing digits on my bedside alarm clock. The time read 7:47, indicating that I had slept way longer than I should have.

"Who in the world could be calling right now?" I got up and moved to my desk, where my landline was, muttering to myself.

I took it out of its holder and said, "Hello, who is this?" into it.

"Hi there. Who is this?" There was a thick, gravelly voice on the other end.

"Hmm," I answered the stranger on the other side. "I asked you first."

I went to open my window and grabbed my carton of cigarettes from my purse next to my desk while I waited for a response. I reasoned that I should get the craving out of my system before anyone returned home.

"What's your favorite scary movie?" They asked completely ignoring my original question.

"Most likely Psycho, Hitchcock was a true genius," I replied while laughing and taking a puff of my cigarette.

"I see that you have good taste. Would you please tell me what your name is, pretty?" They said going back to their question from earlier.

"Why do you want to know my name so bad? Will you cast some bizarre witchcraft on me, stranger?"

"I just want to know what beautiful girl I'm talking to," the stranger on the other end of the line said, sounding like they were enjoying my reaction.

"I doubt we've ever met, so how do you know I'm so beautiful?"

"Well, since I'm staring at you."

As soon as the person on the other end of the line finished speaking, a sudden pang of fear hit me like a ton of bricks. It was as if I had been hit by a wave of icy coldness that sent shivers down my spine. I slowly got up from the place where I was sitting, feeling a sense of unease creeping up on me. I turned around, carefully facing the window, but the darkness outside was so dense that I couldn't see anything beyond it. The only sound I could hear was the faint hum of the crickets outside, which seemed to be the only thing keeping me company at that moment.

I mumbled, "W-what did you say?" as I hurried to put out my cigarette and shut my windows.

"I just know," they responded.

"You did not say that. Listen, please don't call me back; I have to go." After putting the phone back on its cradle, I practically dashed downstairs to make sure the entire house was locked.

As I finished locking the front door and moved to secure the window, the shrill sound of the phone in the living room suddenly pierced through the silence of the house, interrupting my thoughts and causing me to pause momentarily. The ringing continued persistently, echoing through the halls.

𝘙𝘪𝘯𝘨... 𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨... 𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨

"Hello," I took up the phone and responded in a tremulous voice.

"𝐈'𝐥𝐥 𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐭 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠 𝐮𝐩 𝐨𝐧 𝐦𝐞, 𝐰𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐞!" The same voice from earlier boomed through the phone.

"Please don't hurt me; I'll do anything you ask of me." I started to cry, as I pleaded with the stranger.

With much more composure, the speaker answered, "I just wanna play a little game with you."

"What game?"

"Oh just a little game of trivia. You said you like scary movies right?"

"Yeah, that is what I said..."

"Then you'll be ok, I'm sure of it. But keep in mind that you're out, beautiful, if you get one wrong!"

"W-what you mean I'm out!"

Ignoring my question further, the voice added, "Let's start easy for you. You mentioned Pyscho's your favorite, so how many rooms are in the Bates Motel?" This one should be easy."

"Twelve! Twelve rooms are in the hotel." I practically scream out.

"Haha! You're right, but how about one more? Who was Halloween's murderer?"

"Yeah, it was Michael Myers, that's who it was."

"You're a smart cookie aren't ya! One last question: what was the blood used in Carrie?"

"It was corn syrup, right corn syrup?" I spoke as quickly as I could, thinking that the sooner I responded, the sooner this nightmare would end.

"Well, gorgeous, I apologize, but that is not correct. Better luck next time!" The stranger then hung up the phone.

I was overwhelmed by emotions and tears were streaming down my face. I felt like I was losing control and my mind was racing with thoughts. Suddenly, I realized that I needed to do something to calm myself down. I rushed to the kitchen in search of a knife, hoping that holding it would make me feel more secure. However, as soon as I entered the kitchen, I heard the sound of a car pulling into my driveway. I was startled and immediately turned to the window, wondering who it could be.

"Mom!" I yelled.

As soon as I saw her car fully back into the driveway, I felt a sudden rush of emotions and bolted from my house towards her. As she stepped out of the car, I all but ran to her and wrapped her tightly in my arms, crying uncontrollably. It was a mixture of relief, joy, and overwhelming gratitude to see her safe and sound after what had just transpired.

"What's wrong, my love? I didn't leave for very long." As she held me, she said.

In a sudden frenzy, I let go of her and turned around to scan the surroundings, my heart racing with fear and apprehension. I searched the area with my eyes, checking for any signs of danger or anything out of the ordinary. My senses were still on high alert, and every sound and movement seemed to magnify in my mind. After a few moments of intense viewing, I began to feel a sense of relief wash over me as I realized everything was as it should be. I took a deep breath and tried to calm my racing heart. It was only then that I allowed myself to relax and let my guard down.

I laughed a little and turned to face my mother, who had placed her hands on my shoulders, "I guess it must have been a ghost."

Chapter Text

The following morning, my dad opened my door and said, "Hey sweetie, you gotta head to school soon." The tremendous thumps from his knocking woke me up.

I replied, "Good morning to you too, Dad," with a stretch and a yawn as I got out of bed to get my things ready.

"By the way," my dad mentioned, "Tatum's downstairs and she said she wanted to give you a lift to school."

As I turned towards my dad to ask about what he was talking about, I realized that he had already left the room to finish getting ready for work. Leaving me with no option but to figure out the situation on my own one of which was deciding to postpone my shower until later tonight.

Just as I was running to get dressed, I heard someone burst into my room, and it was Tatum herself. She answered my scream with a simple, "Hey ghostie." She concluded with a smile and flopped onto my bed, "Since we'll now officially be in the same circle, it could be good to hang out a little."

As I tried to absorb what she had just said, I was struck by a wave of disbelief. The turn of events had caught me off guard, leaving me feeling thoroughly astounded. I couldn't help but wonder how things had changed so drastically in such a short period. Only yesterday, she had seemed completely against being associated with me, and now she was going out of her way to drive me to school. It seemed like a complete reversal of her previous stance, and I couldn't help but feel a mixture of disbelief and confusion.

"Tate exactly, what are you talking about?" I questioned as I was finishing up my getting ready and hurriedly applying my makeup—that is, putting on some lip gloss and mascara—so that we might leave the house as quickly as possible.

"I mean, everyone missed you so much that they want to keep hanging out with you, and who am I to stop them? Plus, I would be lying to myself if I said I haven't missed our little girl time," she said, rolling over to stare at me through my vanity mirror.

After applying my makeup, I couldn't resist staring at Tatum with my mouth hanging open. "Really? Because if you're kidding, I have no problem keeping my half of the bargain and walking away."

"No, I mean I think that even Billy missed spending time with you, and I haven't seen that guy exhibit even the slightest bit of emotion since, like, the sixth grade?" She answered.

After laughing at her statement, I took my bag and said, "Let's go, Mrs. Cruz will kill me if I'm late to stats again."

We said goodbye to my parents before heading out the door. I found it pretty strange that my life felt practically normal again after what had transpired the previous evening. It felt as though the curse rooted in girlhood—that I always have liked the same guy as my once best friend—had been lifted in exchange for what might have been a close call with a serial killer. Still, it made no difference now. Technically speaking, I am unharmed, as is my family, as I clarified to my mother last night after she kept telling me that I ought to call the police to report what had occurred.

"We've reached our destination! When Tatum parked her car, she grinned.

"Same place as yesterday?" I smiled at her and asked as I got out of the car and shut the door.

"Yep, we'll be around at the same time!" Tatum answered.

As she was about to complete her response, Stu appeared behind her, seemingly out of nowhere, like he had materialized out of thin air. It was as if he had been approaching all along, but we hadn't noticed him until that moment. His sudden appearance caught her off guard, making her slightly jump.

"What the heck are these two stunning girls doing simply hanging around?" As he walked behind Tatum, he said while embracing her and giving her a cheek kiss.

Tatum answered, "Actually, we were just making sure that little ghostie over there is going to join us for lunch again."

As I watched the guy I liked hanging all over someone, I couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness. It was going to take some time getting used to seeing them together like that. However, I knew deep down that I could eventually get over it. After all, I had already spent the last couple of years trying to move on, so what was another year? In an attempt to hide my bitter look, I quickly turned my back on them and pretended like I had dropped something. It was a small gesture, but it gave me a moment to collect myself and gather my thoughts.

"Hey, ghostie," Stu moved in front of me, kneeling to jiggle the pack of cigarettes in front of me where I'd been acting like I was tying my shoe. "I got your goods by the way," Stu remarked.

"Wow, tiger, it's not like they're going to run away from you, jeez," He smiled and got back up as I quickly grabbed the pack from him.

I put my cigarettes in my bag while standing as I got back up, I looked up at him and said, "Uh huh, thanks."

As I found myself in this sticky situation, I quickly scanned the area, hoping to catch a glimpse of Tatum who could potentially rescue me from my predicament. Maybe she could convince Stu to take her to class. However, to my dismay, Tatum was nowhere to be found. She had probably set off to attend her classes on her own after Stu let her know that he had to fulfill his end of the bargain.

With his hands stuffed into his pants' front pockets, Stu remarked, "Well, since Tate seems to have abandoned us, why don't you let me walk you to class."

"Uh, are you sure that? I genuinely don't want to cause any trouble." I replied, clutching and kneading my arm nervously.

"It's not like I'm cheating on her by taking you to class, dork; that's what friends are for," he said, pulling one hand out of his jeans to offer it to me to hold.

I reluctantly accepted his hand, thinking aloud, "Well, but oh I swear it, if someone calls me a home wrecker, I'm gon' blame you."

"Yeah, whatever you say. Let's head out before Mrs. Cruz gets mad at you for being late once again." He said this as he took my hand and brought me toward the school.

This felt nice. It was nice to feel... normal.