Kali sat on the edge of the bed, her back to Mickey who was sprawled out with has hands behind his head. Kali had since gotten changed and was pulling on a pair of boots.
"I thought we were staying in today." Mickey stated.
"Yeah, we were, but I want to see Sidney. It's almost lunch so I can meet them at the cafeteria and grab something to eat."
"I have a kitchen." Mickey shot back as Kali glanced of her shoulder with a stern look. "Alright, alright, I'll get dressed." He stated, beginning to sit up.
"No, it's okay. You can stay here if you want, I won't be long." Kali added, standing and heading to the door, without turning to face Mickey.
"Whoa, whoa, Kal, hold on." Mickey jumped up and followed her. "What's the matter?" He demanded, picking up on her strange behaviour.
"It's nothing, really. I'm just worried."
"You know I'm not letting you leave this room alone." He warned.
Kali sighed, but nonetheless nodded and waited for him to get changed. She wasn't sure how this was going to work, but she wanted to speak with Sid or Randy alone. She hated herself for it, but at the moment they, and her brother, were the only people she trusted and she needed to talk about it.
On the way to the cafeteria, however, Kali spotted Randy heading to the car park alone.
"Hey, there's Randy. I'm gonna go see how he's doing, meet you inside?" She asked before quickly adding, "I won't be alone and nothing will happen in an open yard, surrounded by people."
Mickey sighed, but nodded, "Fine."
"Grab me an apple." She said as she gave him a kiss on the cheek. "A red one."
"Yeah, I know." He confirmed before heading to find their other friends inside.
"Randy!" Kali called as she ran up to him.
"Hey, what are you doing alone?"
"Mickey just went to get lunch, what are you doing alone?" She counteracted.
"I'm meeting up with Dewey. We're going to go over a few theories. You don't have any do you?"
"Not really. All I can say is that we probably know them." Kali looked over her shoulder to where Mickey had headed before dropping her gaze to the ground and looking back up at Randy. "Tatum would have known." She found herself saying. "She hated Billy and Stu, no-one knew why, I don't think she even really knew, but she was right."
"She didn't hate them, she was friends with them." Randy added in a small voice.
"She didn't trust them, but me... I never thought..."
"Hey, neither did I. Tatum was a special circumstance, the could smell a bad egg a mile away. You can't beat yourself up over this." Randy said comfortingly.
"What do you think she would have thought of Mickey?" Kali found herself asking.
Randy seemed taken back for a moment, trying to work out what she was thinking exactly. "Kal..." He started, "do you think..."
"No." She quickly cut in, shaking her head, "but that's just it. I didn't suspect Billy and Stu. I don't know who to trust, Randy."
"Hey." He said softly, bringing her in for a hug. "You can trust me, okay? And Sid, Dewey, probably Gale." He joked causing Kali to chuckle before pulling her back a little by her shoulders to look her in the eyes, "You and Mickey have been together for two and a half years, we've known him for almost three. I don't doubt he loves you."
"Did you doubt Stu?" Kali asked and Randy's silent reply was as good as any. "It's the same time frame, Randy. We had been friends with Stu for almost three years and we'd been dating for two and a half."
"Yeah, I know." He muttered.
"God, what's wrong with me." She whispered, shaking her head.
"Nothing, there is nothing wrong with you, Kal. It's perfectly understandable. Look, I'm going to go meet with Dewey and when I get back you're going to come to my dorm room and we're going to watch a movie, just like old times, okay?"
Kali smiled up at her friend and nodded. "Alright, but we used to watch horror movies, is that appropriate?"
"I think we could probably get away with 'Alien'." Randy stated.
"Okay." She leant up and gave him a hug that he returned. "Come get me when you're back."
"Okay, see you later." Randy began to walk away, but Kali stopped him after a few paces.
"Hey, Randy? Don't tell Dewey about this conversation? It'll only worry him and he'll probably come and interrogate Mickey himself."
"You got it." He agreed.
As Kali began to head to the cafeteria a thought of the last time Randy and her had watched a horror movie together and the last time she had seen her sister alive popped into her mind.
***
"They're at the door." Kali announced to Stu as she pulled a top over her head and looked out the window at the forming crowd.
Stu got off the bed, quickly ripping on some clothes and of all things throwing on his red silk dressing gown over the top of his clothes. It was like his favourite item of clothing to wear around the house because he felt rich and powerful.
Stu came up behind Kali and kissed her neck before leaving the room to greet his guests while she freshened up in the bathroom. When she came downstairs everyone had already gathered around the living room. Some were in the kitchen talking, but everyone seemed to be voting to watch scary movies because of recent events. Sidney and Tatum were sitting on the long couch flicking through a few of the DVDs while Randy stood in front of the crowd, taking control of the voting.
"How many Evil Dead?" Randy asked, gaining a few raised hands. "How many Hellraiser?"
"I got a little hellraiser right here." Stu announced, grabbing Kali's hand and pulling her onto his lap from where he sat in the single couch.
"The Fog, Terror Train, Prom Night. How come Jamie Lee Curtis is in all of these movies?" Sidney asked.
"She's the 'Scream Queen,'" Randy whispered, coming up beside Sidney.
"With a set of lungs like that, she should be." Stu added delicately.
"Tits, see?" Tatum said with a roll of her eyes as Kali looked up at Stu from her reclined position across his lap. Seeing her look he immediately mouthed the words 'Always You,' gaining a shake of the head, but still a smile from Kali.
The doorbell ringing snapped everyone's attention to it, not expecting anyone else to show.
"We need more beer." Stu announced, shuffling out from under Kali and getting off the couch.
"I'll get it, you get the door." Kali cut in.
"No." Stu said quickly. "You sit down, rest."
"Stu, I can get a beer." Kali said.
"Jesus, I'll get it." Tatum said to shut them up as she stood up and Stu ran to the door, but quickly ran back.
"You are not going to believe who's here. It's that chick from 'Top Story', Gale Weathers.
Tatum and Kali threw each other looks as their brother came into the room with the news reporter.
"Dewey." Kali called, her arms crossed in front of her as Tatum rested one hand on her hip and gestured with the other one for Dewey to come over to them, which he did reluctantly seeing the two pissed of expressions.
"What is she doing here?" Tatum asked.
"She's with me." He grinned like a five year old that had been given a puppy. "I'm just checking things out."
"And so you have." Kali nodded. "Now leave."
"And take your media mouth with you." Tatum added.
"Getting my camera." Randy said with a goofy grin as he passed the three Riley children.
Dewey sighed at his sisters and turned to check on Sidney before he left while Tatum muttered, "I'll grab those beers." Angrily, wanting to step out of the room until Dewey and Gale had left. Kali rounded on Stu who was enjoying the celebrity visit. Once his gaze met Kali's stern one his smile dropped and she mouthed the words, 'kick her out.'
Stu huffed and walked up to Kali, taking her arm and whispering, "She'll be gone in a minute, but how cool is this?" Kali sighed and decided to let him have his fun.
"Fine, go and ask for an autograph if you want one, I'm going to help Tatum with the beer." Kali stated and turned to leave, but Stu grabbed her arm and pulled her back, quickly moving his hands so he could pick her up bridal style and jump back down on the couch with a chuckle.
"Na-ah. Can't let you do that."
"Oh really?"
Stu threw a look in Dewey's direction and then turned back to Kali to speak quietly. "I'm not meant to tell you this because Dewey thinks you'll kick his ass."
"Well if Dewey thinks that then I probably will."
"He grabbed hold of me at the school today and told me to keep an eye on you. I'm on guard duty." Stu grinned like it was a badge of honour.
"Well, what about Tatum?"
"He said he can keep an eye on her and Sidney, but you're more likely to sneak away. Speaking of, he means sneak away to see me, right?"
"No, I secretly run off with different members of the football team each night." Kali teased as Stu dramatically cupped a hand over his heart causing her to chuckle and place a hand on his cheek to kiss him.
Only about ten minutes later Gale and Dewey had taken their leave and everyone had mostly settled down over the buzz as they got into watching 'Halloween.'
Kali and Stu were standing by the door, saying goodbye to a few people who had to leave, not wanting to stay past curfew. Stu had practically dragged Kali there, claiming that if he was hosting then she was by default and had to be a polite host. In other words, Stu didn't want to leave her in the living room with Troy who Stu was convinced had a crush on her. Sidney also wanted to leave and was running around trying to find Tatum.
"Kal, I can't find her." Sidney explained.
"Did you check upstairs?"
"No." Sidney said.
"Try the bedrooms." Stu stated with a suggestive edge earning him a nudge in the abdomen. Not that he was completely wrong.
Suddenly, while they were standing in the doorway, Billy jumped around the corner and frightened both Sidney and Kali, who for the second time that day, jumped back into Stu's chest.
"Billy, hmm. What are you doing here?" Stu asked pretending he was completely innocent in inviting his best friend. Kali didn't mind as much, but if Tatum saw him...
"You know if Tatum sees you here she'll draw blood." Sidney concluded.
"How about you guys head up to my parents room. You can talk... and whatever." Stu said with the same tone he had used before earning yet another glare from Kali and this time Billy as well.
"Subtly, Stu. You should look it up."
"It's okay, we do need to talk." Sidney nodded and began to lead Billy upstairs.
"Hey." Stu started, spinning Kali around. "How come you're so jumpy?"
"What?"
"You're the least jumpy person I know."
"I don't know, Stu. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that two people we knew now look like they lost a fight with Freddie Krugar."
"What's Leatherface doing here?" Randy asked the young couple as he walked over to them and looked up at where Billy and Sidney were.
"He came to make up." Stu said in a mushy voice.
"Damn, there goes my chance with Sid."
"As if." Stu cut in. "That's all I'm saying... as if." Kali rolled her eyes, but Stu's friendly teasing of Randy had been going on for years so there was really no need to scold him.
***
As Kali made it to the cafeteria she instantly laid eyes on her friends at their usual table. Mickey was only just making it over to them, probably after getting stuck in line up for food. He was holding Kali's red apple between his teeth as his left hand held his usual small certain of milk and his camera in the right. Kali hadn't even noticed him pick it up on their way out, but he always had it with him, so she probably just didn't notice anymore.
Mickey placed his milk down and then grabbed the apple as he took a seat, not noticing Kali in the distance as she began to head over to them.