Tainted Love | scream series ¹ ✓

[9]

I took a deep breath and walked into the store and noticed it was empty other than the clanging of Clive doing stock "it's just me," I called out, hearing a small laugh in return.

"When I said to get here when you get here, I didn't think you would be this late kid," I heard Clive say, walking up to me, looking down at the clipboard in his hands.

"Jesus, Katherine, what happened to you?" he shouted, dropping the clipboard and grabbing my face in his hands, checking me over as I winced at the fresh wounds and bruises he touched.

Clive was an old family friend of my dad's, so he was always worrying about Sid and me. "What happened to your face Kat?" he asked again, grabbed my arms, and sat me on the seat next to the counter.

"You know the killer that's in Woodsboro?" he nodded, slowly chewing on his toothpick as I looked up at him with tears in my eyes "he was at my house. He tried to kill us", I whispered as his eye widened.

Clive was silent while listening to my story all down to the bit where Billy Loomis was the one to best arrested, and I had been thrown through a glass table. "Well, kid, I think you've had a rough day, I'm sure I'll be fine here if you want to go be with Sidney."

I shook my head but smiled in appreciation. "I think I'd be better staying here. I want to be here," I told him, feeling a little safe with Clive around, not that he'd be a lot of help if we did get attacked.

Clive was in his late 60's and had a bad limp from where he'd been shot in the leg by a gangster in the '50s, but apparently, Clive told other stories to scare the kids in Woodsboro.

"Sidney is staying with Tatum," I told him, noticing him giving me a once over.

"Well, okay, but you might want to change," he muttered, taking out his toothpick and pointing it at me as I looked down at my top and noticing a few rips and bloodstains.

I walked into the back room and opened my locker, gasping when I saw my reflection. My hair was matted, my face looked a mess, but I was still me. I was still alive and kicking.

I reached into my locker, taking out the spare clothes and makeup I keep here. I looked into the mirror after getting changed and smiled, feeling a little more me again. I walked back out into the shop floor.

"Ah, there she is and looking much better," Clive announced as I started to stock some shelves next to him, work was usually slow and tedious, but sometimes you had a few kids trying their luck to get beer and cigarettes.

Clive knows I turn kids away and knows how responsible I am when it comes to selling alcohol, so he pretends to not notice when Stu or Casey come in when we have a party to arrange.

I watch the clock tick by thinking about Sidney and wondering what she was doing right now. Like me, she was probably thinking about our attack and who would want us dead.

I hear the door ping, signaling we had a customer. I put the magazine I was reading down and stood up to look like I was actually doing something.

"Oh hey Stu, it's just you," I laugh, seeing my best friend waltz up to me smiling, but the smile was wiped off his face.

"Shit Kat" he leaned over the counter, taking my face into his hands much like Clive had done hours before.

"Oh fuck, I didn't think it would look this bad," he said, anger displayed across his face. I took his hand in mine and moved it from my sore face,

"the medic said it's just a superficial wound and should be gone in a couple of days," I told him, smiling at the look of concern on his face.

"but you're in pain," he mumbled, looking at our hands.

I let out a laugh, but Stu didn't join in. "Well, I did get thrown into a table."

"That's not funny Kat, you could have been hurt a lot worse," Stu berated me as I looked at him, shocked. Stu was never usually this serious.

"Okay, I'm sorry," I told him, putting my hands up in surrender.

"How did you know I was attacked anyway?" he looked shocked, kind of like deer in the headlights kind of look.

"Uh, Tatum told me, and it's all over the news, you know?"

I nodded. I thought as much between Tatum and Gale Weathers, it wasn't going to be a secret for long. It wouldn't surprise me if Tatum works for Gale after graduation, it's the perfect job for her.

"I hope you're here to take Katherine home and make sure she's safe, Mr. Macher" I laughed at Clive's bluntness and looked at Stu, who was laughing too.

"Actually, I am," I looked at him, shocked, and raised my eyebrow at him when he produced some movies from the bag I hadn't realized he was holding until now.

"I was thinking about a movie sleepover?" Stu asked with a grin. I shook my head, knowing there was no way I could say no to his puppy face, and he knew it too.

It was times like these that I knew Stu would be the perfect boyfriend. He was a horror buff like me, he's never cheated on a girl ever, and he knew exactly what I liked.

"Well, you two kids better go then," Clive said, giving me a soft squeeze on my shoulder as I passed by him.

"Thanks, C," I whispered as he winked at me.

Following Stu to his car, I was surprised when he opened the passenger door for me to get into. "who said chivalry was dead," I joked as he leaned on the door. "Stu, I'm not that hurt".

I looked at him softly when he nodded before bowing majestically. "Well, If I can't treat you like a princess, who can?" I laughed at his classic Stu antics, he'll definitely be voted class clown.

I smiled in the passenger seat, realizing I always laugh and smile a lot more when I'm with Stu than anyone else. "What are you thinking about?" I turn to see Stu mirroring my happy expression.

I bit my lip, wondering if I should tell him or not. "Nothing," I answer, making my decision, other than the rumors Stu has never admitted to liking me, "It's...Nothing".