𝐅𝐈𝐍𝐀𝐋 𝐆𝐈𝐑𝐋

𝕔𝕙𝕒𝕡𝕥𝕖𝕣 𝕥𝕖𝕟

You quietly hummed along with the obnoxious tune that was playing over the speakers in the supermarket, the shopping cart rumbling underneath you. Tatum casually pushed you through the junk food aisles and occasionally handed you party-sized bags of candy and chip dip. It was an unspoken rule that whenever you ran errands together, you got to ride in the cart. 

 It had only been three days since the school officially closed down and Dewey had driven you both to the store to get snacks for the party at Stu's house on Saturday. Only, your parents thought you were all at Sid's finalizing your costumes.

The clock on the wall told you that it was just around six o'clock. There was only an hour left until curfew. Dewey told you that you really didn't need to worry about stuff like that when he was around, but the idea of being out after dark still freaked you out. It wasn't that he didn't make you feel safe, but your fears outweighed your ability to be comforted.

While you were lost in thought, Tatum tossed a massive bag of tortilla chips into the cart and it landed perfectly in your lap. You looked down and adjusted it so you could pick at the plastic seam with your thumbnail. "I think we've got enough food to feed a small army," you teased as she continued to push you toward the freezer section.

She scoffed and playfully rolled her eyes. "Are you kidding me? It'll all be gone before we even walk through the door."

Tatum's words lingered in the air for a moment and you continued to bop your head to the old pop song that echoed through the empty aisles. It was still a miracle that you let anyone coax you out of the house today. Ever since school closed, you've been on edge. No more calls came in from the killer, nor did he show up at your house anymore. But the lack of activity made you feel like he was gearing up for something. Something big. This made you even more hesitant about going to the Halloween party.

The cart jolted to an abrupt stop in front of the ice cream and you had to reach out and grab the side balance yourself. Tatum put a hand on her hip, eyes trailing up and down the rows of colorful popsicle boxes and cartons of ice cream. You spotted a pint of your favorite flavor and licked your lips.

"What flavor do you think is best for a break up?" She hummed, deep in thought.

"A break up?" You repeated, shooing the tortilla chips away and wheeling around to face her. "Whose?"

She turned her head to the side and tapped her chin. At first you thought she was going to ignore your question but then she stepped forward and pulled the freezer door open. "Mine," she murmured, bending down to grab a small container of chocolate and throwing it back over to you.

You caught the ice cream in one hand and set it down beside you along with the chips. "What?" You squinted in disbelief. "But I thought you and Stu were like...crazy about each other?"

Tatum flipped her platinum blond hair over her shoulder, returning both her hands to the handle of the cart and giving it a solid push. "I'm too stellar to be held down to one guy right now. Besides, I think he likes you, anyway." She said it so nonchalantly that you thought she might be pulling your chain. But then she got that dark look in her eye that told you it was no joke.

You blinked, face going blank as you sat back down and turned forwards. "Me?"

Even though you couldn't see, you practically felt Tatum rolling her eyes at your naivety. "To be fair, he didn't really tell me why we were breaking up. I can just tell." She walked around the cart to fill her arms with CocaCola bottles that were resting neatly on the shelf. "First my brother, now my boyfriend. Take all the men in my life, why dontcha?"

Cracking a confused smile, you helped her unload the drinks into the cart. Stu couldn't really have a crush on you, could he? Sure, he was nice to you and gave you all kinds of pet names, but he and Billy did that to everyone. At least, you thought they did.

Saying nothing, you let Tatum push you further down the aisle. You weren't entirely sure how you were supposed to react. In fact, you planned on just staying silent until she clicked her tongue and loudly blew air out from her mouth. "What about you, (Y/N)? You got the hots for anyone?"

"Hmm," you pretended to think out loud, already knowing the answer. "Nah, I don't think so."

Tatum dramatically yanked back on the cart handle, sending you tumbling backward. With all the noise you were making, you were surprised that the bitter-looking cashier hadn't gone over the loud speakers to yell at you. "What, not even Randy? I thought you two would make the cutest little slasher couple."

You considered this for a moment. Randy was adorable and you had a lot of the same interests. He could get really shy sometimes and that was cute, but he lacked a certain assertiveness that you usually looked for in a guy.

Just as you were about to open your mouth and reply, you heard a loud crackling noise from behind you. Both you and Tatum turned around to see a single bag of chips lying in the middle of the aisle just a few yards away. It had most likely fallen off of the shelf.

It took a number of seconds before your heart rate slowed down again. All the stress from the Casey's murder and the attacks after that had you wound up tighter than a ball of twine. "I dunno," you mumbled, still looking over your shoulder at the lone bag of Lays. "I don't think dating is really for me."

There was a short pause. The song had changed into a slower ballad but one of the wheels under the cart had begun to squeak loudly and you could barely hear it. You bit your lip and reached up to scratch at the scar under your jaw. "Does Stu really like me?" You asked nervously.

"Jesus, you really don't see it?" Tatum laughed. "He practically follows you everywhere like a lost puppy. Nearly broke his heart to see you all torn up about Casey."

"That doesn't upset you?"

She sighed breathily and kicked her heels against the linoleum. "I was getting tired of him. We'll still be friends though, obviously."

You exhaled deeply, relief flooding your lungs. You didn't want to be known as the homewrecker of your friend-group. You already had your fair share of titles. It felt like a weight had been lifted from your shoulders when Tatum put her hand down on your head, ruffling your hair. "Now that that's out of the way, I want you to promise me that you'll try to have fun at this party."

Managing the biggest smile you could, you nodded and shook her hand away from your head so you could fix your hair. "Yeah, of course!"

"Good," she smiled back. "Now let's go throw all this shit in the back of Dewey's car."

The late-night errand was finally at it's close and you were more than ready to get back home and curl up on the couch in your favorite pair of sweatpants. 

 You didn't know why, but something compelled you to turn around and look down the aisle one final time. The chip bag was still there, face down against the white and blue checkered floor. For a split second, you felt a brief sense of closure. Then, just as Tatum began to push you around the corner, you caught the reflection of a long white mask staring back at you in the glass door of the ice cream freezer. 

 (A/N: I forgot when I last updated but I assume it was too long ago cause people started yelling at me lol. Anyway, might update again on Saturday (?) or Tuesday at the latest. This next chapter is really nice. This was basically filler but I like Tatum so she needed more 'screen-time' or whatever. If you haven't already, go check out the playlist for this fic. I work hard on it. Hope you enjoyed and let me know if you see any mistakes that need fixing).