DJ's life had been full of ups and downs.
Learning how to ride a bike, Up.
Falling off said bike and breaking his arm, Down.
Joining the football team in 5th Grade, Up.
His crush Leia Cooper rejected him and took someone else to the Valentine's day dance, Down,
Scoring his first Touchdown, Up.
Finding out his parents were almost killed in 2011, Down.
Getting his car. Up
Finding out his parents were getting a divorce, Down. Yeah, that one hurt like a bitch.
But this...this was different. This time the ups and downs happened too quickly for him to process. And this time there not in order.
His crush gets stabbed, Down.
Tara's going to live, Up
Tara becomes his girlfriend, Up.
He and his friends are all being targeted by a serial killer, Down
He and Tara get attacked, Down.
He gets Tara to safety, Up.
He gets stabbed twice, Down
He gets shot, Down.
His dad saves him, Up
His dad...
His dad...Dies, Down.
Down.
Down.
Down!
Down!
Down!!
DoWn!!
dOwN!!
DOWN!!!
DOWN!!!
DOWN!!!
DOWN!!!!
"Son it's time to get up now".
"Dad?"
I SAID WAKE UP!!!!!!!!!
The first thing DJ heard when his eyes opened was the beeping sound of his heart monitor. He blinked a couple more times letting his eyes adjust to the hospital light. He looked around the room and saw his mom sitting in a chair resting.
So many questions were going through his mind. How did he get here? Why is he at the hospital? Why was his mom here? Where was his dad? He tried to sit up but a pain in his shoulder made him freeze. He looked at his shoulder and saw the red gauze.
His eyes widen in horror as he stared at the red-stained gauze. Images of what happened in the hospital entered his mind making him want to throw up. Tears swelled in his eyes as he gripped his hair.
"No no no" he whimpered.
"DJ," a soft voice said.
He turned to the voice and met his mother's gaze "He's gone" he said.
She nodded her head at him. "Yeah sweetie, he's gone," Gale said with tears.
At the confirmation, DJ went quiet. He didn't know what to do at that moment. His heart was telling him to break down and fall apart. But he didn't instead he chose to listen to his brain that told him to not let his dad die in vain.
He glanced at his mother who looked ready to fall apart at any moment. He held open his arms. Gale let out a sob as she buried her head into DJ's chest. He didn't care if his shoulder was screaming in pain. He gripped her just as tightly as she held him.
When his mom had calmed down a doctor came in and explained how he was lucky the bullet went right through his shoulder. His doctor then gave him some water and something for the pain.
When the doctor left DJ started to take out his IV making Gale's eyes widen.
"What the hell do you think you're doing," she said.
"I'm getting dressed" DJ replied bluntly.
Gale scoffed and folded her arms. "Like hell you are"
"I'm not just going to sit on my ass while the piece of shit is still out there. We have to do something"
"no 'we' are not doing anything. Your gonna get out of town and-"
"what, I'm not leaving," he said angrily.
"Yes you are this is not up for debate"
"That maniac killed my dad, he died protecting me and now you expect me to just leave"
"YES!!" She shouted.
The was quiet as the two narrowed their eyes at each other neither backing down from the stare.
"I just lost your father today, I refuse to lose my only son too," she said.
DJ's face softened at the words. He felt her words in his chest and he knew she was right to act and feel this way. But he couldn't leave, not yet. That's when his dad's voice popped up in his head.
'I know better than to argue with you'.
DJ slowly walked over to his mom and pulled her into a hug. Gale released a shaky breath and leaned into the hug.
"I'm sorry, your right" she broke the hug and looked DJ in the eye.
"Really," she said surprised.
"Yeah, your right, we need to get out of this shitty town. And I can't lose you too so when do we leave" he asked.
"In two hours, I want you to rest up some more before we go" she replied.
"is it alright if I say goodbye to Tara"
"Who is that"
"She's my- the girl I was at the hospital for," he said softly.
Gale looked at her son suspiciously but nodded her head. "Yeah that's fine just be careful don't strain yourself".
DJ gave her a small smile and kissed the top of her head. "Thanks, mama".
He got dressed and with the help from the nurse he found Tara's room. He walked into the room and found a sleeping Tara. He smiled down at his girl and pulled up a chair next to her. He sat there for 25 minutes and occasionally moved hair out of her face.
When he heard her shifting in the bed his head snapped up. "Tara?" He said softly. When her eyes met his, she leaned forward to place a hand on his face.
"T-"
Smack!
The room was deathly quiet as DJ felt the stinging sensation on his face. He slowly turned to meet fury in her eyes.
"Don't you ever scare me like that again" she growled.
DJ was still stunned by the fact he just got slapped. "I- I had to get you to safety," he said.
"Yeah and what about you huh Dwight, you almost died" she argued.
"You're mad at me," he asked.
"Your damn right I'm mad," she said. He couldn't help but smile at the girl in front of him. He leaned forward and kissed her cheek. Tara's stomach filled with butterflies as her face flushed red.
"W- what do you think you're doing," she said flustered.
"I'm sorry I didn't mean to make you worry," he said softly.
She huffed before looking away. "Sorry I hit you" she whispered.
She looked back at him and buried her head in his chest and hugged him. DJ smiled as he hugged her back and kissed her head.
"Tate".
DJ hummed as he rested his head on hers. "I'm sorry about your dad" she whispered. His eyes snapped open as he thought back to his father.
"You don't have to say sorry you didn't do this," he said.
She shifted in his arms and accidentally bumped into his shoulder making him wince. Tara backed away immediately with concern written on her face.
"Oh shit I- I'm sorry," she said stuttering over her words. DJ smiled at her reaction and laughed. When he stopped laughing he looked back at Tara who was giving him a death stare. He cleared his throat and sat forward.
"Do you know what you're doing after this?" he asked.
Tara shrugged her shoulders "I don't know I'll have to talk to Sam about it, what about you" she asked. DJ shook his head and sighed. "My mom wants to get the hell out of town" he replied. He went quiet and was in his thoughts until Tara put a hand on his.
"But..." she trailed off. "But I can't leave, not when the person that killed Wes and Ms. Hicks, attacked you, the person that killed my...".
He let his head drop as he started to feel the tears coming on. He took a deep breath and quickly pushed the feelings down. He looked back at Tara. She gave him a reassuring smile.
"So what are you gonna do".
"I'm going to find Ghostface and kill him or her or them or whatever the fuck" he said frustrated.
There was a pause before anyone spoke again.
"Ok," Tara said.
DJ was taken aback at the reaction and wondered if this was a trap.
"Wait that's it, no argument," he asked suspiciously.
"Well, I'm not really in a position to stop also maybe I want to be a supportive girlfriend and maybe get some payback" Tara admitted.
DJ just stared at the girl with a skeptical look. "You're high as shit right now-"
"I'm high as shit right now," she said with a smile on her face.
DJ and Tara both laughed loudly until their stomachs hurt. When the two calmed down Tara started to sink into her thoughts. This of course didn't go unnoticed by DJ.
He gently lifted her head to meet his eyes. "Hey I'm going to be alright," he said.
"I know, I just- I can't lose you too," she said softly.
DJ sat up and cupped her face with his hands. "you won't, I made a promise to always be by your side I intend on keeping it" he said resting his forehead on hers.
She grasped one of his hands and looked into his eyes. "I love you" she whispered.
DJ's eyes widen in surprise. "You love me," DJ asked smiling.
She nodded her head as she bit her lip. "I didn't say it when you told me because I was scared. Scared you would leave" she said admitted. Tears started to form in her eyes making DJ's heart stop.
DJ smiled before slipping a hand behind her neck and bringing her into a gentle kiss. Tara kissed back immediately while running a hand through his hair. They broke the kiss when they were out of breath.
"I love you Tara Carpenter. And I promise once this is over we'll watch The Babadook together on repeat" he said wiping a tear from her face.
She laughed before nodding. "Promise".
DJ flashed her a toothy grin. "Scout's honor," he said before standing up and leaving the room.
DJ gently closed her door and was met by Sam outside.
"Sam," he said surprised.
"DJ," she said softly. She looked like she wanted to say more but was hesitant.
"You ok-" he was cut off when Sam's body crashed into his.
"Thank you so much for protecting Tara, if anything had happened to her I don't- I wouldn't" He gently patted her back to calm her down.
"Hey it's ok I know how you feel," he said. They broke the hug and Sam gave him a grateful look.
"I'm so sorry for your dad I-" "It wasn't your fault. I don't blame you for asking for his help. He would've given it regardless. It's just the type of person he was," he said.
"Again Thank you if you ever need a favor just let me know," she said. "That's not necessary, but if you want to help me. Get Tara far away from this god-forsaken town" he said in a serious tone.
With that, he walked away from the women and headed back to his room. When he got back his mom was asleep in the chair.
He sighed and went to her purse for his keys and phone. He quietly got his things and went to leave. He froze when he saw his Dad's gun in the purse.
He gently picked up the weapon and stared at it. Images of what happened flew through his mind before he shook his head.
He tucked the weapon in his pants and put his hood up. He walked over to his mom and kissed her head before walking out the door.
He found his car and pulled out of the parking lot. As he was driving towards his house he heard his phone ring.
His breathing grew heavy as he reached for the phone. He glared hard at the Unknown number before answering it.
"I was wondering when you would call, you piece of shit" he growled
"Hello Dwight," a ghastly voice said.
"You son of bitch you'll die for what you did," DJ said angrily.
"I didn't want to kill your father, but he got in the way and someone had to pay the price".
"Fuck you," DJ growled.
"It was supposed to be you, but you got lucky I won't make that mistake again".
"Alright you piece of shit why don't we just get this over with and you tell me what you want," he asked.
"I want you to forget about everything you care about, you don't deserve it"
"Forget about your friends..."
"...Forget about family..."
"... Forget about love"
"By the end of this day, you'll have none of it".
"Well, I guess I'll just have to stop you," DJ said gripping the steering wheel.
Ghostface let out a dry laugh making a shiver run down DJ's spine "And how are you going to do that" he asked.
"How else do you kill a Ghostface..." DJ trailed off.
" by putting a bullet through your fucking skull". Before the killer could reply DJ hung up the phone.