Writing in Red Ink (Bloody Painter x reader)

Ch.8 Smiles

- Your pov

It been weeks since the news of Lucas' murder spread through the school. And now the chatter in the halls changed to the murder of Jacob. I won't miss him after what he did a couple days before he died, but I know others will. My thoughts switched back and forth from satisfaction to pity through almost the whole school day. It didn't occur to me that I grabbed the wrong book for class until I was halfway to my seat. I rushed back to my locker and had my hand ready to grab it. I ended up grabbing a piece of paper instead. My mind paused for a moment when I started to open the note only for chills to run down my spine as I read it.

Silence and distance from it is long overdue. What's in the dark is best left alone. Even if it's following you. I flipped it over only to see the same red smiley face. My nerves were everywhere as I put the note in my bag with the others.  I don't understand. These notes seemed reassuring at first, but not anymore. It makes me want to look back constantly to make sure I'm not being followed. I turned the corner and almost bumped into a group of girls blocking practically the whole dam hallway. I have no choice but to stay behind and bear through the drama they might have.

"The only thing I want is the ass who killed Jacob get caught and put behind bars." Jacob's girlfriend said. I swear smoke was coming out of her ears.

"I heard the police say that it's the same killer that murdered Mr. Travis and Lucas." One girl said. I could feel my curiosity pulling at my ears to make me eavesdrop on their conversation.

"How do you know it's true?" Another girl asked. She does have a point since people will say anything and it all needs to be taken with a grain of salt.

"I know because they said that there were smiley faces drawn on the walls at each site." She finished before I froze. I opened my bag and took out the notes. Each one had a smiley face on it. The killer is leaving these in my locker. The killer is in the school. I'm sure of it. Are they a teacher or a student? Is it the janitor? My mind grew so scrambled that I walked into the wrong class. I ran to algebra and sat down before trying to pull myself together. The teacher started writing problems on the board when I realized I went to my locker and only grabbed the note instead of my book. I rolled my eyes and tried to wing it through the class. Saying random numbers to questions is not my main problem right now.   No matter how embarrassing it might get. The teacher was pretty disappointed with the three answers I gave her, but her face also showed a little concern. She was about to say something before the bell rang. I got up and was close behind everyone else to leave.

"Y/n, I'd like to speak with you before you leave." She stated. I sighed and walked over to her desk. She invited me to take a seat as she sat down herself.

"Y/n, your performance has been abnormal today. You've been doing very good this semester and this change today is very sudden." She stated.

"I forgot my book in my locker." I explained. The teacher seemed convinced for a moment.   Until she raised an eyebrow at me.

"You left the room to get it      just to forget it?" She asked. I didn't know what to do.

"Yes." I replied as I hung my head. She sighed as I looked back up at her. She looked worried.

"Y/n,       is everything ok?" She finished. The temptation to tell her about the notes appeared in my mind. I opened my mouth to tell her but then paused. If I tell her, she might turn into the killers next victim. If I start telling people, I'll be another victim for sure. If I tell her that Helen and I are being bullied, will she think one of us is the killer?

"Everything is fine. I've just been having a bad headache all day." I lied. She nodded her head reluctantly accepting my response.

"Ok.  Well, I'm here if there's anything you want to talk about.  You're free to go." She said. I thanked her before going to my locker.  I appreciate her saying that I can talk to her if I need to, but I just prefer talking to Helen.

-Helen pov

I ripped the notes out of my locker while grabbing my bag. The notes in my locker stopped bothering me, but the ones classmates left in Y/n's pissed me off. I did a brief glance before opening her locker and taking out every note I could see.  I started walking towards the trash can while examining the handwriting on each note. They all were from the same person. I recognized the swirls on some of the letters. She's left notes many times along with sabotaging Y/n' s work. I sighed and tossed all the notes. I'll have to wait a while before I go after Emma.

"Hey Helen! What are you up to?" Y/n called out from her locker. I smiled as she walked up to me.

"Nothing much. Just taking the trash out." I replied. She smiled but didn't laugh. It grew more obvious as we chatted and walked towards her house that something was bothering her. She was quiet and always looking back as if we were being followed, but it's just the two of us. She grew quiet as we approached her front door. I flinched when she suddenly grabbed my hand and brought me over to the porch table.

"Y/n, what's wrong?" I asked as we sat down.

"Is it true that the killer leaves smiles on the walls?" She asked. My mind panicked for a moment.

"It's what the sheriff said on the news." I commented. She wiped away a tear before placing her bag on the table.

"Why do you ask?" I added as Y/n rummaged through her bag. She was silent for a moment before pausing. Next thing I knew I had notes in my hand. She made sure that the smiles were visible to get her point across.

"The smiles on the notes,  I'm scared that the killer wants to kill me too." She said as she took the notes from my hand and back into her bag. I grabbed her hand and walked back to the door.

"They won't kill you Y/n. I won't let them even hurt you." I said. She was still shaken up, so I wrapped my arms around her.

"I promise." I finished before kissing the top of her head. Y/n hugged me back as she calmed down. We eventually let go and she smiled her prefect smile.

"Thanks for being my friend Helen." She said making me smile.

"Thanks for being mine." I replied before she opened the door and stepped in. I walked back to the sidewalk before I felt like I couldn't breathe for a moment. My heart was going crazy. My mind is in panic. Nothing is working. The notes and smiles are scaring her, but they don't terrify her to make her stay away from me. She has to hate me, but I can't get myself to make her. She needs to stay away from me for her own sake, but she refuses to do so.  What the hell am I doing?!   Time is running out. My obsession is getting out of hand.  It needs to end,  and it needs to end now.