i hate scary movies.

2.6

After I tell Richards I have to go to the bathroom down the hall, and I slip out of the room when he isn't looking, I get down to the courtyard and find Randy and Gale and Dewey sitting on a bench under a tree with Gale's new camera man.

Randy swings his arm over my shoulders when I sit down, and I let him. He's one of my best friends. I've gotten just as close with him as I have with Sidney. I mean, we don't go to the bathroom together or anything, but you get the idea.

"All right," Gale says, "let's just assume the killer is repeating Woodsboro—" She gets cut off by her phone ringing. She flips it open and puts it to her ear. "Yes? I'll have to call you back." She flips the phone shut.

"That doesn't explain Sidney and Diana's attack," Dewey says. "Neither of you were killed in Woodsboro," he says to me.

I shrug, leaning on Randy. "I was attacked, and we were almost killed at that party. I guess that means something?"

Randy nods. "Wasn't for a lack of trying. The killer's trying to finish what was started."

"Sid and you are under protection, right?" Gale asks me.

I nod. "Yeah. We have these two officers following us everywhere. Well, not everywhere. Dewey, don't tell the Chief that I snuck past them. I'll be in deep shit if you do, and I don't want to have that talk with dumb and dumber."

Gale's phone starts ringing again, so she opens it and puts it back to her ear. "What?" she snaps, annoyed. "Tell Bob I'll call him back." She puts a cigarette in her mouth and blows out a puff of smoke after hanging up the phone again.

"When'd she start smoking?" Dewey asks us.

"Ever since those nude pictures on the internet," Randy replies.

"Don't send nudes," I say. "Rule number one: men can't be trusted."

"It was just my head," Gale defends. "It was Jennifer Aniston's body. Anyway, you're forgetting something. In Woodsboro, there were victims before the homestretch." She gives me a glance. "Tatum, my camera man, Himbry—"

"Time out!" her camera man says. "See, I don't need to be hearing about no dead camera men, all right?"

I turn to him, squinting a little at the bright sun. "I saw his throat get slit."

He shakes his head and points to me, but looks at Gale. "See? That is what I'm talking about. I am warning you guys. I am a verb away from vacatin' these premises. I'm gonna get me some coffee, donuts, Prozac, see if I can find some crack, Special K 'X,' not Malcom, and I'll be back when you guys start talking about something a little more Saved By the Bell-ish, all right?" He stands up and walks away.

"He seems a little shaky," Dewey acknowledges.

"Don't worry about him," Gale says, shaking her head. "If the killer is following a pattern, then maybe we can figure out who's next."

"I wouldn't follow the killer's pattern," Dewey says. "We were all involved in Woodsboro. Could be any one of us."

"Okay, so, what do you wanna do, bonehead?" Gale asks. "Sit here and wait and see who drops next?"

"Well, I don't know, 'phonehead,'" Dewey retorts back when her phone starts ringing again.

She rolls her eyes, and the ringing starts again. Randy huffs and picks it up, answering it. "Gale's not here!"

"I'm not interrupting anything, am I? You four look deep in thought."

Randy's eyes and mine snap to each others when we both hear the voice.