Chapter 3

A Slap Across the Face

At school, Randy was in his element, every bit the social butterfly as he walked with his group of friends and sister. They all dressed in their cheerleading uniforms, as was custom for the football game that night and the irony of the cliche was not lost on either of them. Often, their grandfather had told the twins just how much different they were than their mom who had been a drama student and had a small group of friends.

The twins were friends with everyone, or as Tatum liked to say, everyone wanted to be friends with Randy and accepted that Tatum came with the package. She could be awkward at times, a little quiet, but who needed to talk when your brother could carry three conversations at once? It had always been this way.

The duo walked the halls of Woodsboro High with their gang of friends, laughing obliviously to the history that was around them. Yes, they knew all the stories, but youth is as youth does and most times it's oblivious to the past and the weight it carried. The events that happened in these halls had echoed on for generations in ways that were undetectable. These walls had stories to tell if only they would stop to hear them.

Randy waved a hand to his sister, departing to enter Ms. Reed's class and finding his seat at the front. It was his favorite class after all, though he would never have admitted that. He was very aware of how much like his mother that he was but he didnt want to be. It was nothing to be ashamed of but Randy wanted to be his own person, he did not want to be an echo. Sitting here though, in his third year of Drama class, as Ms. Reed lectured them about film and the implications it may or may not have had on actual life.

There was a glimmer in the woman's blue eyes as she talked about film theory like she was a college professor, her blonde hair tidily cut short as her daughter said it had been when she had almost been murdered so many years ago in the final Woodsboro Massacre. Phoebe Reed sat on the left of Randy, watching her mom, Kirby Reed, talk on about slasher films as if everyone was just as enthusiastic as she was.

Most people thought Kirby to have died after being stabbed viciously by Charlie Walker, but, thankfully Charlie was a terrible killer and in his recklessness had left her for dead without making sure. The medics had found her, just as they had found Sydney, on the verge of death and hanging on by a thread, Phoebe had said. The media only focused on Sydney and how she had managed to survive again and many people to this day still thought Kirby had died, a fact Phoebe told Randy that her mom was very amused by.

Kirby had pulled a still, not just on the killer, but the world.

Phoebe Reed was an almost mirror image of her mother. Pixie like body, hair spilling down her back in a cascade of golden, her face ever as youthful and cherubic as her mothers, but her eyes were a gleaming green and while Kirby was a movie buff, Phoebe found it all to be incredibly tedious. She was only taking the class because Randy was one of her best friends and because her mother had insisted.

Upon surviving the horror of her best friend being a serial killer, Kirby had gone to college and briefly pursued a career in film before coming home to raise her daughter and teach in little old Woodsboro. Phoebe had a much younger brother, different fathers, but all along Kirby had refused to be tied down by any man, a fact that her daughter theorized came from being stabbed in the gut by the only man she let her guard down with.

"Randy, tell me, what's your favorite scary movie?" Kirby asked with a grin.

He instantly rolled his eyes. If he had a dime for every time someone asked him this line.

"Well it's definitely not those trash Stab films."

Several of the students in the back booed him, all in good fun and he laughed as a ball of paper was tossed in his direction. Kirby paid it no mind, her focus on Randy and her expression showing her keen interest.

"I assume you have a reason for why the films are 'trash'?" She said, air quoting.

Randy shrugged, "My mother told me the truth, years ago, the entire story, start to finish. The horror my family went through, the gravity of it, sensationalized by Hollywood to be consumed by millions of people who never understood the gravity of the tragedies that befell my mom and her friends."

The room suddenly was quiet, and even Kirby seemed to be hanging on his every word.

"You lived it, Ms. Reed. Even the media sensationalized what happened between my mom's cousin and her. They overlooked the miracle that you survived. The stories are all so skewed. Stab was a flawed rendition, of a flawed book. The scope was biased from the start and Hollywood only narrowed the focus of it all to be consumed like pop media trash."

Kirby smiled faintly, nodding as if she were impressed with his take away.

"As a former fan of the series," she said, getting up from her desk and walking the length of the front of the class, "I have to say, Mr. Prescott-Kincaid, that your take on the Stab franchises is quite accurate, from a biased survivors point of view. Seeing it from the outside is different from living it."

He smiled, letting out a breath as he thought that she was about to rip him a new one. Phoebe whistled, cheering for her friend as she knew that her mother was notoriously hard to please when it came to horror movie film talk. It was a subject the blonde never broached with her mother if she could help it. That, and that horrible night that had befallen her mother and her friends.

"But—" their teacher said, holding up a finger, "You didnt answer the question."

Again Randy rolled his eyes, but he laughed and held up his hands in defeat.

"Fine, fine," he said, "Gun to my head, if I have to pick? A Nightmare on Elm Street. Easily a superior series that could be built on with the core mythos. Freddy didnt randomly kill. He targeted his victims specifically and for reasons, which is more than can be said for the other slasher's of that generation. He's one of the only villains that almost has the audience rooting for what horror he will commit next, his humor having them overlooking the fact that this man literally killed children, tiny children, in real life and that's how he became the dream demon."

Kirby snapped her fingers and pointed at him.

"This is what I want to hear from you all. Our Woodsboro Massacre Anniversary assignment will be to tell me what is your favorite horror film and why. Give me examples of why this villain is your favorite, examples of the struggles. Is there a mythology? Does the killer have a motive? What does each of the 'final girls' embody." She paused, returning to the front of her desk and setting on it as she held her hands up in warning, "But the Stab series is off limits. We will have no more profit in my classroom from the loss of our town. Wow me, people."

The bell rang, resounding and as the students gathered there things and headed for the auditorium for the pep rally, Randy was called back. He looked to Phoebe, motioning for her to wait for him, stepping away from the rest and focusing on his teacher.

"I just wanted to commend you on what you said. The capacity for empathy for the true events behind the Stab movies is not something that I see often." She said when they were alone, "I know you have a unique window via your mom, but there are those that also have that window that do not show the same respect."

He smiled, ducking his head slightly to avoid eye contact.

"Dont worry about the assignment, Randy. A assessment. Enjoy your weekend." She gently swatted his arm with the papers she was holding and waved to her daughter.

"Thanks, Ms. Reed." He said, nodding and then heading to join his friend.

Randy had made it two steps out of the classroom and into the stream of students when he was running almost face first into a girl who looked more than a little pissed with him. Her face, a scowl of rage, stood blocking his path and it was all that Randy could do not to plow into her as he came to an abrupt halt. She was glaring daggers at him, making it know that she was barring his path on purpose.

Recognizing her at once, his stomach was in a knot all of a sudden as he threw Kirby a look. Kristen Lloyd, hair as black as night, dark eyes fixated on him, stood cross armed and looking like she was ready for a fight. He could have pretended like he didnt know what this was about but that would have been an out and out lie.

"You really just cant keep your damn hands to yourself." She said, shoving his shoulder.

He stumbled back a step, his expression becoming tense at once but letting no other emotion show as he spoke to her, "Do not touch me, again, Kristen. What the hell are you even talking about?"

A bark of cruel laughter left the girl, "Do you think I am really that stupid? That any of the girls in this school dont know what you've been doing?"

Randy's brows knit, peering at her with a dangerous intensity, "I think any response I have to that question is going to make me look like a sexist so why dont you get to the fucking point, huh?"

He wouldn't normally speak to a girl like this but he felt corned and did not appreciate anyone putting their hands on him. Ever. No matter if the person was male or female he did not like being touched without consent and seeing as he barely knew this girl it was safe to say that she didnt have any form of consent.

Kirsten stepped forward again, shoving his other shoulder and advancing as if she were going to shove him again. Phoebe bolted in front of him and with full force shoved Kirsten three steps back.

"Back up, bitch. He may not be able to touch you but I think you will find I have no problem." Phoebe snapped quickly, barring Kristen from coming any closer to Randy.

"Oh that's rich. You're gonna defend him? He's sneaking around hooking up with girl's boyfriends and I know you know it. You even dated Danny. Dont act like you didn't notice how those two are always sneaking off together." The words were bellowed from Kirsten as she made to advance forward again.

The hallway was quiet and everyone was looking at Randy and Randy only. His throat seized up, her stopping in his chest as he felt pure and utter dread. Yes, it was true that Danny had cheated on a girl or two with Randy but that was not what had stopped his heart with fear. No one, not a soul, had ever questioned Danny's sexuality. Not even a whisper. Even if they managed to squash this as nothing but a rumor the doubt was going to be there from now on and the whole school was in the hallway to hear it. His fear was for Danny's sake.

"You're gonna tell me that Danny didnt cheat on you or any other girl with this faggot?!" Kirsten yelled again.

"Listen—" Phoebe began to speak but Randy cut across her, moving from behind her.

"So, you are so insecure that you have to come and get in my face? You couldn't keep your man happy so suddenly he has to be gay? Let's just ignore for now that only homophobic cunts still call people 'faggot', and focus fully that you are one fucked up individual with a small, sad view of the world. Should we talk about, maybe, the fact that your entire family are basically neo-nazi's or the fact that you cheated on Danny last Friday when you gave Remy Darling a blow job at the drive in? Hmm? Dont test me. I know a lot more than that if you want to start spilling tea."

Randy was livid with rage. Was it right that Danny had cheated on her at all? No. But was it right for her to out him in this way when the world was still very much a dangerous place for the gay community. Hate crimes happened and Danny could have been beaten bloody by the rest of his football team if they took this rumor to heart. Kristen was no angel and everything Randy had said about her was true.

Slap.

Straight across his face, Kristen had slapped him with the full might of her little body. He staggered a step, hand coming to to cover the sting in his cheek but in a flash even quicker than the slap came his sister. Tatum, like a ball of tiny fury, came flying past her brother throwing a full fisted punch aimed right at Kristen's nose. Randy was barely able to gather himself in time to grab her by her waist and yank her away.

Curses came flying from Tatum's mouth, every name under the sun as she screamed her rage that she had the audacity to touch her brother. Randy was bewildered, humiliated, and baffled that this was even happening. When he focused her realized that Phoebe's mom was restraining Kristen, pulling her to the principle's office.

"Your disgusting," the girl yelled as Kirby continued to pull her away, "both of you, whores just like your whore mother and your whore grandmother! All you do is destroy people's lives!"

Kirby grasped Kristen firmly as the girl spat at Randy and his sister, the spit hitting the ground at his feet and leaving him flinching away from not just the spit but the words. There was an anger boiling under it all, the need to defend his mother's honor but realizing in this scenario he was a guy and had no power.

The students around them were a picture of stunned horror, some with their phones out, recording the incident and slowly Randy had realized his sister had went still in his arms. He looked down at her, seeing the silent tears streaming down her face as the entire school looked on at them and Danny came pushing through the crowd and looking on in disbelief.

The words that had been uttered about his mother. The words about the grandmother that he had never gotten to know. They all echoed in his ears and suddenly he was blaming Danny for it all. If Danny could just stay away from him, or make up his mind and grows some balls to come out of the closet, if he could stop tempting his affections then his sister wouldn't be standing here crying. Seeing his sister hurting had shifted his gears so quickly that when Danny advanced towards his life long friends, Randy was pulling his sister away from him.

"This is your fault." He whispered, face screwed up in rage.

"Randy—" Danny said, looking to him helplessly and then looking to Tatum, "I—"

Tatum gently shrugged out of her brother's hold, stepping into Danny's space and looking up into his eyes as here's still teamed with tears but her voice held nothing but contempt, "Just stay the hell away from us."

Taking his sister's hand into his own the twins turned their backs on Danny and walked away leaving Phoebe and the rest of the school standing all around the jock. Watching. Waiting. As the pair retreated all Danny could do was look on in horror, not seeing the audience, just seeing the pieces of his life falling all around him.