IF LOOKS COULD KILL
iii. Our thing

scream v,
chapter three

❝ scary movies were
     always our thing. ❞

✸

          Everyone had mostly broken apart from the twin's home. Amber was seconds from leaving but before she did, she checked up on Starr. "I could see by the look on your face, that you're not taking this very well." Amber surveyed the situation. "You know if there's something else going on, you can tell me, right?"

Starr takes a deep breath, her eyes staying connected with Amber before moving to the space behind her. The little girl was standing there, a look of fear present in her eyes, "Amber's nice. We're friends." She giggled.

"Starr?" Amber repeats.

"You remember that little girl I told you I started to see when I was just a child?" Starr swallows the nerves.

Amber's eyes softened, "yeah? Are you seeing her again?"

Starr felt tears well up in her eyes, "Yeah...My father is worried that Arlo is a schizophrenic like my mother, that's why he's trying to send him to a mental hospital...but it's me, I think I'm the crazy child, not Arlo."

"Hey," Amber wipes her tears, "you're not your mother and your fathers probably scared to death, he doesn't want to see his children end up like his wife."

"I'm seeing people who aren't there, Amber, this isn't normal." Starr lowered her voice.

"You said that this little girl was something that appeared after your mother passed, maybe it's just a coping mechanism for when you feel stressed. Maybe she appears only in those moments." Amber pulls on random strings.

"Maybe." Starr mumbles.

Amber then realizes something, "Starr, have you slept?"

"A little—like two hours. I was worried about my brother most of the night. Now our fathers going to be looking for him." Starr wipes her face, almost as if it would make her hurt stop hurting. "If we find the killer, we can convince our father that Arlo's not crazy."

Amber sighs, "How about this? It won't be long until your father comes here, he'll find Arlo."

"What are you saying?"

"He can stay at my place until then, your father won't check there because he never really liked me," Amber chuckles, "don't know why."

"I guess if he's okay with that." Starr nods.

"Hell yeah, I'm okay with it!" Arlo skips his way in, "Amber's house is like a mansion—hey, Amber, is it cool if I invite a few of my friends over, ya know, to keep me company."

Amber felt her mouth part, but no words came out. Starr mouthed the words, "Sorry." Apologizing the best way she could.

Amber sent him a tight smile, "Sure."

"Starr, I'll need to use your phone to call my friends, Dad took mine."

Amber nods, "Hurry, I'll drop you off at my place. I've got things to do."

✸

Starr stayed at the Meeks-Martin household. Chad and Liv were in their own room while Mindy invited Starr to hers to watch movies and Aleta popcorn.

"Anything but a scary movie, please," Starr suggests, "I can't handle one of those today."

"You sure?" Mindy raises a brow, "scary movies we're always our thing."

"Our thing?" Starr repeats, her lips forming a smile.

Starr knew what she felt for Mindy wasn't normal, and that's why she tried her best to avoid the feeling. What she felt for Mindy is what she should be feeling for boys.

All Starr could think about was her father anytime she felt her heart flutter around Mindy. If Jin thought anything was happening between them, she knew he would flip.

"How about mean girls? Everyone loves them some Regina George every once in a while, huh?" Mindy shakes the DVD.

"Sure." Start snaps back into reality.

There was a knock downstairs before Mindy had the chance to put the DVD in. Mindy groans, "Go get the door, Doofus Twin!"

Chad came around the corner, glaring, "Why can't you get it?"

Mindy scoffs, "Please, it's not like you two were having sex, go get the door."

Chad sends Mindy a quick middle finger before moving along.

Starr chuckles, "You know, Chad's sweet."

Mindy closed the door. She slightly crawled her way towards Starr's end of the bed before laying her head in her lap, "but I'm sweeter, right?"

"I...well—you." Starr stutters.

Mindy chuckles.

They then heard a mild bang downstairs, followed by yelling from Chad.

"The hell?" Mindy mutters as she walks down the stairs, Starr following shortly behind her.

"Where is Arlo? I know that boys here!" Jin had pushed Chad against a wall and began looking through the home.

"Have you lost your mind?" Mindy spoke to Jin, wide-eyed.

"Dad," Starr spoke, catching his attention and making him stop in his tracks.

"You helped him didn't you?" Jin walks over, "I thought I told you to mind your business, child!"

"Respectfully, Mr. Kimens, you are not welcome here." Chad lightly pushed on his chest.

Jin slaps his hand away, "Your brother could be out there right now... losing his mind and hurting more people and you stand here and try to defend him."

"He's not sick—"

"Yes, he is!" Jin tightened his fist.

"No, he isn't!" Starr yells for the first time, she felt her frustration boiling in her throat.

She soon regretted that when she felt the back of her father's hand connect with her face, making her stumble back as she felt a siring sting coat her soft skin.

"Hey!" Chad forcefully pushes the man away.

"What the hell is going on?!" Liv came down, confusion in her tone.

Mindy takes hold of Starr by her shoulders, her eyes wide.

"Mr. Kimens," the owner of the home came in, Martha Meeks, "I understand you are worried for your son, but you barging into my house and laying your hands on my son is something I will not allow. Leave now before I call Sheriff Hicks."

Jin gathered himself together, taking a few steps away from everyone. "Good luck with that, I've tried calling and I still haven't gotten an answerback."

Her turns to his daughter, "If I find Arlo, you are both in major trouble, do you hear—"

He was cut off, "You can leave now." Mindy waved goodbye.

Jin scowls, slamming the door on his way out.

✸

         "Ouch." Starr flinches when the ice pack touched the handprint imprinted on her face.

Mindy cringed, "Sorry."

"How could he do that?" Chad shakes his head, his arm around Liv, "how could he hit his kid?"

"He wasn't always like that." Starr had to close her eyes, she took the ice pack out of Mindy's hands, "I owe you guys the truth."

"You don't have to tell us anything you're not comfortable with." Mindy stops her.

"My father came into your house without your permission, he was out of line." Starr shuddered. "...My mother was a schizophrenic who saw many hallucinations, along with other many things."

There she was again, a blonde ten-year-old girl standing in the corner quietly.

Starr ignored it. "She killed herself at a mental hospital when I was ten. Arlo eleven."

You could see the look on the three faces change.

"After the death of my mother. My father changed. When Arlo assaulted Vince at that bar and then ended up dead only an hour later, My father was worried it was him. "

"But it wasn't," Chad mutters.

"That's not what my father thinks...now he's trying to send Arlo to a psych ward, he thinks it can help him." Start sighs, placing her hands on the kitchen island counter for support.

"That's why Arlo went to Amber's place," Liv realizes. "...he knew his father would come here."

"Yeah," Mindy nods, "and the fact that he was trying to contact the Sherrif, probably means it won't be long until the station puts out a missing person report."

"Guys," Martha came in, a horrified look in her eyes.

Mindy quickly stood, "what's wrong?"

"Wes and the Sheriff were found dead at their home."

Start felt all sound leave her ears, she went silent. Mindy, Chad, and Liv's mouths were moving, but Starr couldn't hear it. They all looked frantic.

As much as they hated to admit it, Wes was a good guy. He may have been a mama's boy, but he cared for his friends.

Before Starr knew it, she was bent over as God knows what came from her mouth, spilling over the kitchen floors.

✸

˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡ใƷ ♥●•٠·˙

word count: 1413

SIREDNOTES !—
Mindy and Starr are great
friends, am I right?