𝖙𝖜𝖊𝖑𝖛𝖊.

"ʰᵃⁱˡ ᵗᵒ ᵗʰᵉ ᵏⁱⁿᵍ ᵃⁿᵈ qᵘᵉᵉⁿ ᵒᶠ ʳᵘᶜᵏᵘˢ."
ᵖˡᵃʸ ʷⁱᵗʰ ᶠⁱʳᵉ ᵇʸ ˢᵃᵐ ᵗⁱⁿⁿᵉˢᶻ, ʸᵃᶜʰᵗ ᵐᵒⁿᵉʸ

• • •

The sun had yet to set, still being an early evening in Woodsboro. Josie had gotten to the diner right around 4:40pm. In the back of her mind she played different excuses of why she couldn't go into work that day but she ultimately got in her car and wound up in the gravel parking lot. Of course once she stepped inside of the diner, she was already hoping the shift would go by quickly. Josie wanted nothing more than to go home and take a bath. She just wanted to relax but she felt as if she wasn't going to get that luxury.

Sidney had let her know before Josie walked out the door that she was going to be staying with Tatum once the girl had gotten done with cheer practice. The Riley girl had been given the instructions by Josie to lead the practice since she had to work. It was basic motions and the dance, so Tatum had it all under control. Josie was weighing on if she was happy to not be at the practice or if she wished she was there instead of in the diner. Practice had been one of her excuses as to why she wouldn't be able to make it to her shift, but money was money, and the girl needed it.

The bell to the front door rang around 6:00pm which drew the Prescott girl's attention to see Stu Macher and Billy Loomis strolling in. Stu had a goofy grin on his face while Billy couldn't help to hide his smirk. Both of them sat themselves at the counter, Stu instantly grabbing a menu to look at what he wanted but he always picked the same thing everytime. Billy's eyes drilled into Josie who was talking to another customer on the other end of the counter. Glancing over towards Billy to give him a look that told him to 'stop' but his stare didn't falter. Not even when she walked away from the customer towards the two.

"Why are you here?" Josie asked. Stu jutted his lip out in a puting manner. Billy clicked his tongue as his dark brown eyes scanned over the girl's face, seeing the slight annoyance on her face.

"Billy wanted me to—-. Ouch. That was mean, man. That was my head." Stu groaned, rubbing his head from Billy hitting him.

"Fine. I came to apologize for basically saying a female can't kill. However..." Billy and Jo gave him a look which caused him to shut up.

"Yeah, whatever. We can always test that theory out next time you want to bring up that." Josie said with a sarcastic smile. She wrote down on her notepad what Stu usually got before putting it on the line for the cook.

"Your food will be up soon. I'm taking my break." Josie told them before untying her apron and placing it under the counter. She gave Billy a look to see him already moving to his feet, following after the girl as she disappeared into the small break room across from the bathrooms.

Once the boy came through the door, the girl was quick to wrap her arms around his neck and bring their lips together. Both of them roughly grabbed onto each other like they were each other's life support at that moment. Billy's hands roamed down, gripping her tightly which caused the girl to let out a moan. He pulled her towards the table before laying her down causing them to break away from each other for a moment. She stared up at his dark eyes as hers began to reflect his. Tugging on his belt, she pulled him towards her eagerly.

+

"What brought the two of you here besides for the apology?" Josie asked as she stood in front of Stu and Billy who sat in their stools.

"We also wanted to jailbreak you out of here." Billy told her.

"We were thinking we'd say something came up with your dad and your sister wasn't around so you had to go." Stu informed her with an amused smile.

"Well, that plan won't exactly work because my boss knows my dad is out of town, idiot." Josie said.

"Your dad is out of town?" Billy wondered.

"Yeah. On his usual business trip. Give him a week or two to be back. And Sid is supposed to be going to Tatum's after she gets out of cheer practice." Josie told them.

"Ooo. A slumber party! Maybe I'll crash it?" Stu wiggled his brows causing Josie to laugh and shake her head.

"You want me to come over tonight?" Billy asked her. The girl shrugged in response. She wasn't really feeling like having any guests that night. She wanted a night to herself to unwind or at least fall asleep a little early.

"Speaking of Tatum, she was talking about how Sidney was going on one night to her about how she thinks you and Billy are seeing each other. Tatum did say something to me about hearing Casey talk though." Stu had made aware of this new finding. Josie and Billy shared a look.

"You don't think Sid could know about the summer, right?" Josie's voice softly spoke, her eyebrows furrowing slightly with worry. She was nervous. If Sidney knew, somehow her dad could find out and then Josie could only imagine how it would go down once he got back. The girl would probably be tossed out in the streets. But she was also worried that the word would get around town, and then she would be her worst nightmare. Her mother.

"I don't think she would say something even if she knew." Billy said.

"You don't know that. Billy! What if everyone else finds out?" Josie worried. His hands grabbed hold of her face. His eyes slightly softened looking at the girl before they darkened in determination.

"I will handle it." He reassured her.

"No." Josie hit his hands off her face as she sought the look on his face.

"What?"

"You won't handle it. You aren't touching her." Josie snapped.

"Jo, if she knows, you're right. It's only a matter of time. And maybe this is the best way. Get rid of her and then there's no more problem." Billy tried to point out.

"There's no more problem until you find another problem. No, Billy. I don't want you near her, especially right now. As a matter of fact, I don't want you near me right now. I need some space to clear my head." Josie said.

"Oh. Trouble in paradise." Stu mumbled. Josie who grabbed her pen stabbed right in between Stu's fingers. He gulped nervously before carefully pulling his hand away.

"Out. Both of you." Josie told them.

"You don't mean that." Billy shook his head. Josie stood there with a cold stare.

"Oh trust me. I mean it. Stay away from her. She's mine." She snapped before walking away, not sparing another glance in their direction.

"That was rough. But the way she said that was hot." Stu commented which caused Billy to give him a murderous look before looking back at Josie to just see her back facing them.

"She'll learn. She doesn't tell me what to do."

+

Josie was grabbing her bag and keys while she was closing up the diner when the phone went off. Her eyebrows furrowed before she walked around the counter to answer the phone.

"Hello, sorry, the diner just closed 30 minutes ago." She said into the phone.

"Josie, it's Deputy Riley. You might want to come into the station. Sid was attacked." Dewey informed the girl. Her grip on the phone got tighter.

"I'll be there soon."

Once Josie had made it to the station, she came walking in with a purpose. Dewey had seen her and guided her over to Sidney who was sitting at his desk. Sidney had gotten up from her spot to hug Josie. Josie felt a little weird as Sidney had clung onto her.

"What the hell happened?" Josie asked.

"Josie, I'm sorry. But someone called me randomly and I thought it was Randy. And then all of the sudden I was getting chased by someone in a mask with a knife." Sidney rushed out. Josie sighed, telling the girl to slow down and breathe.

"Josie, it was Billy. I swear it was him. He came in through my window right after the person in the mask disappeared down the stairs." Sidney let out. Josie's jaw tightened slightly as she thought about the Loomis boy. Knowing he did exactly what she told him not to do only because she had decided to put him in time out for the night. Josie's eyes looked across the room to see the boy already glaring at her sister in Sheriff Burke's office with his dad beside him. His eyes had soon fallen onto the girl, a void stare had soon replaced his glare. But Josie had picked up the glare herself, knowing that the boy had already succeeded in getting her riled up for the night.

"Are you sure it was him?" Josie had questioned her sister before pulling her eyes from Billy back to her sister.

"It has to be him." Sidney told her.

"It could've also been a mix up and he scared the guy off. Billy was probably coming over to see me because we got in a fight earlier tonight. But I'll stand by you right now until they get evidence." Josie assured the girl.

"I'm still going over to Tatum's tonight, I would feel a bit more safe. Maybe you should come too?" Sidney suggested.

"It's okay, Sid. Sheriff Burke will probably just have someone stationed outside our house anyway so I'll be safe. And besides, if it really was Billy, he'll be in here till the morning. But I think I can also be pretty scarier than whoever this killer might be." Josie tried to get Sidney to realize she would be fine on her own. Josie was a big girl, and she also knew since Billy would be locked up for the night, Stu wouldn't do anything without Billy. And Josie could take Stu easily, instantly thinking of lunch at school with him. A fire light deep beneath her at the thought. A girl could easily kill a man. And Josie stood by that, whether it'd be with kindness or a knife. It would get the job done regardless.

Josie's eyes fell back upon Billy who was talking with the sheriff before he stood up and a Deputy went into the room to move him down to the holding cell. His eyes fell back onto the two sisters.

"Sidney. Come on. It wasn't me." Billy tried his best to beg the girl but Sidney turned around in her chair so she wasn't facing him anymore. He then locked eyes with Josie.

"Jo. Tell them that you invited me over. That's why I was there. Come on." Billy said but Josie just stared at him with a slightly raised eyebrow. She saw the anger flooding his facial expression as he disappeared down the hall.

Josie held a blank expression, beginning to think about it. He was challenging her now. He tried to take what she already claimed. Now she was mad. And she only felt slightly victorious right in that moment knowing he wouldn't be a problem to her till morning so it gave her enough time to start planning. She didn't know if she wanted to get down and dirty or bloody. But time would tell, if one happened, eventually the other would follow.

𝖙𝖜𝖊𝖑𝖛𝖊.
ꜱᴡᴇᴇᴛ ʙᴜᴛ ᴘꜱʏᴄʜᴏ