i hate scary movies.

2.7

"That shouldn't have been Randy," Sid says, her eyes red and puffy while she rubs her hand over her forehead. "It should've been me."

I'm sitting across from Hallie in the police station with my arms crossed as Dewey says, "No."

"I should call his mother," Sid starts, going to stand up.

"I already did," I say. "And I talked to his sister."

Dewey sighs, leaning towards Sid. "Are you okay?"

"Stop treating me like glass, Dewey," Sid says. "I'm not gonna break."

"It's okay to break," Hallie says.

"It's not gonna happen."

I hear Cotton's voice raise inside the Chief's office, making both Sid and I look over at the office. I cross my arms on the table and put my head down, mumbling, "I hope that dick burns in hell."

I don't have to look up to know that they can't keep Cotton. Or that he walks out of the Chief's office and signs a paper, having a conversation with Gale before walking over to us. He stops and bends by Sidney, handing her a business card. "Sidney, if you change your mind."

I grab the card from him and rip it before crumbling the paper and dropping it in a trash can behind me.

"Come on, take a hike," the Chief says, pushing him away.

Dewey sits down. "Sorry about that," he says. "What a creep. They're gonna take you somewhere safe, Sid."

"Yeah?" Sid asks. "Where's that?"

"I don't know," Hallie says. "But I'll be there with you."

—

"Hey, put the phone down," Richards says as I dial in a number and put the phone to my ear.

"Stop being a buzzkill," I say. "I'm calling my mom."

No I'm not.

I start packing my bag while Sid does hers and the phone is wedged between my ear and shoulder. When Billy picks up, I say, "Hey, Mom," then cough, "we're leaving campus. I don't know where we're going."

"Dia, I'm not your mother."

"I know," I say through gritted teeth, zipping my back once I'm done packing it. "I just wanted to let you know. I thought you would want to know."

"What's going on, Dia?"

"I can't tell you that much because I don't know half of it. They're gonna make us leave now. Okay, bye. Love you."

"Love you too," he says. Before he can say anything else that I know he's going to try to say, I put the phone on the receiver and swing my bag over my shoulder. Andrews and Richards nod for Sid and I, so we follow them downstairs and out the doors.

Sid slows down a little when she sees Derek, so I keep walking to the back of the cop car with Andrews and Richards. I toss my bag in the trunk.

"Hey, wait up!" Hallie says, coming to a stop next to me. Richards and Andrews look at her weirdly.

"She's fine," Sid says.

"I'm her therapist," Hallie says, tossing her bag into Richards' arms. Andrews opens the door for her. "Bye, Derek," she says before getting in the back seat of the car.

I salute Derek before following her into the car.

"Hun, are you ever going to get a boyfriend?" Hallie asks. "Not that you need one, obviously. But Sid has Derek, and I have Mickey, and you're the only one without a boyfriend."