You were cut out of your day dreaming when cold water jetted against your body from the shower head you were standing under.
Two days had gone by since you nearly passed out from the gift you had recieved.
Ever since then, there was this fear, actual fear of stepping a foot into what should have been your safe haven that now felt like the opposite.
Hallie had noticed your strange behaviour even though you hadn't told her about the photographs. It was written all over your face that something was gnawing away at you, especially considering your appetite was basically non-existent anymore.
You hated people fretting over you. It made you feel like a burden, and you didn't want to put others up with your problems.
You heaved out a breath that felt like it had been punched straight out of your chest, the moisture in your eyes brimming at the edges and threatening to spill over washed away by the running water coming from above.
More than anything did you want to take the words you'd spoken to Derek back, but even a pure intention like that was a selfish one.
You didn't want him to die.
You didn't want more people to die because of you.
After taking your sweet time in the shower, drying yourself and throwing on some clothes, you stepped back into your ever so messy shared room.
Daylight was fighting its way through the curtains that you swiftly pushed to the sides. Hallie's bed was empty since you woke up later, having no class to attend to until later in the day.
Having her not with you made you realize just how few people you had to talk to.
Hallie, Mickey and Joel were probably your closest friends right now. You couldn't bring yourself to face Derek and you didn't want to depend on Altieri keeping you company necause you knew he'd be getting the wrong ideas.
The two cops tailing you weren't the most sociable people to be around with and Dewey—
Speaking of Dewey, you hadn't seen him around much lately.
Before you could give him any more thought, two steady knocks coming from the other side of the door startled you and nearly made you react like a confused cat.
"Miss (L/N)? There's someone here to see you."
After telling the officer to let whoever it was in, you were surprised to see Mickey standing in the doorway with a bag in his hands and a huge, bright smile as he greeted you.
"Heya, sugar."
Sugar?
You squinted your eyes at him. "What are you doing here this early?"
He let himself inside, taking in the details of the room as if it was the first time he hsd been there, before he put the bag on Hallie's bed and flashed you the contents in it.
Some games, drinks and movies.
This made you all the more suspicious because Mickey had been awfully nice to you lately.
He seemed to guess exactly what you were thinking. "Don't look at me like that. It's not sexy."
"You didn't answer my question," you firmly told him, folding your arms as you dismissed his comment. "Hallie's not here if you're looking for her."
"Actually," he grinned, giggling with his tongue pinched between his teeth. "I'm here for you."
Your eyes widened when he showed you one particular game, one you really loved. Mickey sat himself on the ground and without invitation, started packing out.
"Don't think we'll be taking any clothes off, Mickey boy," you gave in and sat down as well, not missing the lustful look glazing over his deep, brown eyes.
Mickey smacked his hand to his chest with an exaggerated 'offended' face. "Wouldn't dream of it."
The rules to this particular game were simple; one person says a random word, and the other replies with a word that starts with the first word's last letter.
For example, tiger - rattlesnake. The words have to be connected in some way, in this case both were animals.
You'd played this game multiple times with him, Hallie and Derek and Mickey had come up with his own edition, movies.
If you can't come up with a word in 5 seconds, you were required to remove a piece of clothing to your choice but you made it abundantly clear that the only clothing articles you would take off were your socks, at which Mickey pouted disappointed.
So now you were dealing with the snacks he had brought with him instead.
"Titanic," said Mickey, sitting there proudly with his hair pulled back by some random headband he had found. His legs were crossed as his torso leaned back, propped up by his arms.
You replied with, "Cabin In The Woods."
"Sinister."
Damn. It was getting harder.
"Repulsion!" You offered.
Mickey snorted, surprising you as he leaned in slightly. "Nightmare on Elm Street."
A mischievous smile crawled up your face, though it was a struggle to deliver it. For once in your life you were grateful of your horror movie knowledge. "The Exorcist."
But Mickey was quick to counter with a devilish, toothy smile of his own, turning out to be more of a movie freak than even Randy. "The Shining."
Curse you for the letter G!
"G... Gu-uh..."
Mickey's left fingers were thrown up, counting from 5.
"G- ge-! G..." You tried but couldn't come up with anything during your struggle. "Hold on! Wait, uhm..."
3... 2...
Mickey ran out of fingers as he hummed nonchalantly, his voice blunt but playful. "You lost, hot stuff."
Then, he tapped on his cheek expectantly with his forefinger. "My prize..."
With a scoff that has a corner of your mouth lifted upwards for a smirk, you grabbed a small bag of gummybears from next to you and threw it at him. "In your dreams, Mickey Mouse."
You heard him quietly grumble something under his breath but as expected, your refusal did little to nothing to deter him from trying throughout the four more rounds that were played.
Thirty minutes before your first lesson started, the conversation had turned to a more serious one.
"I thought that maybe if I push people away..." Your eyes were casted down down in insecurity, shedding away their hard exterior for this vulnerability of yours as you searched for the right words. "I don't want more people to die, Mick."
Upon meeting his eyes, there was this rare spark of sympathy shimmering in them. After a few seconds of holding your own, your friend glanced away and poured more Cola into his glass, before shrugging.
"Don't go blamin' yourself, babes. Pushing us away will only make you feel like a sack of shit," Mickey stated as he gulped down some of his drink, staring at you amusedly as you began packing your things for the day. "I'd die for ya."
His last words made you freeze temporarily.
You doubted that, heavily.
But at the same time, the serious and promising undertone in the brunette's voice made you almost break from the stoic, blank expression you were keeping.
Pain lodged in your throat, and so was the heavy burden in your heart. You couldn't hide how your lips and fingers trembled, and your eyes couldn't stay at one place.
You struggled to maintain your normal breathing pattern before you flinched when two lean, warm arms held you.
"Believe it or not, I don't mean anything with this," Mickey felt your body relax at this and sighed. "You don't deserve this crap. But if you want, I can be the white kn–"
"Shut up and hug me, Mouse," you cut him off with a giggle that morphed into breaths exhaled in deep, reflective wind.
Soon, day turned to night and college life came to a deadly stand still as everyone observed the imposed campus restrictions.
You were trying to focus on your homework while Hallie was channel surfing, obviously bored out of her mind.
"We're missing the Sig Ep party, (Y/N)."
You chewed on your lip, your eyes dropping in annoyance. "Parties and mass murderers don't go well together."
"No, no. I hadn't planned on going. It's just that Mickey will be pissed," she told you, giving you a playful pout.
You blew out a sigh as your friend kept switching through the channels, when a knock from the doot came.
You answered, pulling your face back when you saw Gale and Dewey, the latter of which had both his hands shoved inside his pockets.
Normally you would've been happy to see him, weren't it for the awfully grim and sour expressions they were wearing that made your heart drop to the floor and every muscle in your body seize up.
Clearly, someone else had been killed.
-
The Sigma Phi fraternity house sat in the dark quiet. A young, brown haired male walkeing up to the walk to the front door, tapping on it three times and was quickly ushered inside.
He made his way down a long hallway, down a spiral staircase and through a thick basement door to walk into a raging party.
Music peeled paint as everyone was rocking to deafening tunes. A row of kegs lined one wall as the party geared up for a drunken night ahead.
Derek was filming Lois and Murphy who were both tipsy and chatty with his camera. "It's all... About sisterhood. Everyone thinks it's about partying and blowjobs, but..."
"... We only promote safe rubbered sex," Lois hiccuped drunkely.
"It's really about family and tradition..." Murphy added, pointing her finger up to spin it in small circles. "Harmonica style is o-... Okay."
Mickey was the one to be approaching him as Derek finished up.
"Thanks, ladies," he spoke with a flat expression as they took off to the kegs.
"Are they aware of your not-so-positive portrayal of Greek life?" Mickey halted in front of him, twirling a toothpick between his lips as he tilted his head with a lazy smirk.
Derek gave him a cautious look through squinted eyes. "Not one bit."
"Where's (Y/N)?" He asked after surveying the room and not finding you anywhere.
"She dumped me," Derek rubbed the back of his neck, feeling bothered and awkward by the question.
Mickey stared at him like he had three heads, just gaping. You didn't mention that once during your talks so it came as a complete shock. "No way."
They looked each other dead in the eyes as Derek heaved a long sigh, stating in an absent tone 'yeah'.
Mickey's face broke out into an excited, disbelieving toothy grin as he threw his head back with a loud cackle. "You freakin'?"
Derek shrugged without offering another word, clearly upset by it.
Then, out of nowhere, several frat boys appeared, picking Mickey up before lifting him over their heads. Everyone started cheering and clapping.
"He lavaliered. He's dead."
They carried him around the room chanting and abducting him, taking the boy up the stairs and out of sight.
Derek brought his hand up to rub his temples, reluctantly grabbing his camera before following them out.