Rorie Gaines felt, ultimately, like she was going to be sick. This happened every time she started a new school, actually. A sinking feeling settled in the pit of her stomach, a mix between nausea and a dull ache. She absolutely hated this. She was always the new kid, and always the outcast. Even though every school was practically the same, she felt somehow even more out of place here. It was hard for her not to notice everyone else wasn't really lacking in the money department. She doubted most of these kids even knew what a job was. Rorie couldn't relate.
Growing up it was always only her and her mom, scraping by. Moving from town to town for one reason or another, usually because their last landlord was getting pushy after they'd failed to pay rent several months in a row.
She hadn't had a stable home in forever and she wasn't exactly expecting Woodsboro to be a start.
She took one long deep breath, and stared up at the daunting steps that lead to her new and frightening world. Rorie was only a few steps a way from the top when someone came crashing into her.
Whoever it was hit her in such a way that she went stumbling backwards, losing her footing on the steps and feeling nothing but air beneath her. Until she was falling into someone else. She expected the both of them to tumble down but instead someone with much more solid footing than herself caught her. Strong arms wrapped around her torso, keeping her safe from the ground below.
Rorie's knight in shining army started to lift her up, back onto her own two feet. After another moment of bracing herself and gaining back some sense of balance, she turned to try and get a glimpse at who she should thank.
Unexpectedly, she had to look up. He was nearly an entire foot taller than her, with soft brown hair and pale blue eyes. On second look, she realized they weren't exactly pale blue. A shade of blue with hazel and green spiraling in the middle. If she wasn't care she'd get lost in those eyes, which is why she immediately tried to turn her attention elsewhere.
Her cheeks had started to flush from the maintained eye contact, and she desperately wished he would say something to ease whatever had just happened between them. When she felt like her resemblance to a ripe tomato had died down, she looked up at him again.
Overall, his expression was full of concern. His eyes were darting all over the place, from her face to her body, as if he was trying to survey the damage. But on the way up, they were slow. Like once he figured she was mostly okay, it was alright for him to check her out. The blood rushed to her cheeks for the second time.
"I-" She started, but words very quickly escaped her. A deep breath, a hard swallow, "Thank you."
His face transforms slowly, from worry and concern to a wide and lazy grin. If Rorie were allowing herself the luxury of looking at cute boys, she'd take note of how good it made her feel to know she was the cause of that beautiful grin.
"S'No problem, I save damsels in distress all the time."
She giggles, giggles, and there's that award winning smile again.
Rorie opened her mouth to speak, but she was quickly cut off by someone loudly clearing their throat behind her. It was startling to say the least. Standing there with her back to the world it was easy to forget other people existed.
"Stu, we're gonna be late."
It didn't take long for her to find out that the voice belong to Tatum, her knight in shining armors princess. If she were being really honest with herself, she wasn't that surprised. Stu was handsome, and charming. Why wouldn't he have a girlfriend?
Even after their introductions, Tatum still didn't look too happy to see her. From her experience, the best thing to do was to act as harmless as possible. Which is why without a word she turned away from Stu, taking a large step around Tatum.
"Well, I should probably get my schedule. First day and all."
Stu and Tatum share a silent look, and after a very cute whine, Tatum huffs and crosses her arms across her chest. "Fine, go ahead." She mutters, and although Rorie doesn't think she's meant to hear but she does.
"Your first day!? If I- We," A glance in Tatum's direction, "Don't show you around, who will? C'mon, you need us." He was smiling widely, with his eyebrows raised. He looked so expressive it was kind of amazing.
When she still looked a little apprehensive he said, "Come on." In this exasperated voice, and she was almost certain if she refused for much longer he might get on his knees and beg. "You probably don't even know where the office is, at least let us take you there."
She chewed on the inside of her cheek, everything in her shouting no. The rule to survival in a school you knew you wouldn't be at for long, was to avoid friends. Avoid making connections. Letting someone take her to the office, show her around, it was breaking the cardinal rule. Besides, the look on Tatum's face wasn't exactly convincing either.
After a deep sigh, "Fine, fine. Just to the office, though."
And that was all it took, he very quickly closed the gap between them and draped an arm around her shoulder. Tatum followed behind for a few minutes, but lost interest in the whole charade pretty quickly. She pulled Rorie aside, telling her that "if he wants you that bad, you can have him." and then she went her separate ways. Rorie tried not to feel bad, because really she knew on some level that no matter what Stu would probably talk to her. He was persistent.
He led her down the hall (and made sure to point out his own locker) and to the administratives office. Stu ended up waiting outside while she picked up her schedule, not exactly too keen on getting caught cutting class by the principle. He also walked her to her locker, and to her first class. Just to be safe.
The entire time he was asking her basic things about her past, about her, and she was pretty good at evading all of them. She hated talking about herself. So almost every question he asked she tried to turn it back onto him.
"Nah, I don't have any brothers or sisters, just me and my parents." He broke out into a big grin, "They had the perfect child and then stopped."
She rolled her eyes and shoved him lightly, and he pretended it hurt.
"Alright, this is your class. Find me at lunch! You can meet Billy and the rest of us."
One foot in the door to her class, and eyebrows raised she made one last teasing remark, "Rest of us? What are you, a cult?" She was smirking the whole time she spoke, and before he had a chance to reply she'd already taken the full step in and closed the door.
The rest of her day was, uneventful to say the least. In comparison to Stu everything seemed uneventful. It went, basically how every other school went. She didn't offer any conversation past what was absolutely necessary, and none of the students cared enough to try and engage. So it was quiet.
Maybe someone asked a question or two, but usually after she was quick to shut them down they stopped trying.
Rorie had almost forgotten about Stu's lunch invitation entirely, until right as the bell rang he was there, waiting for her. She wasn't even sure how he'd memorized her schedule, or maybe he'd printed off his own copy, but here he was.
"I'm your escort to lunch," He held out his elbow, beckoning for her to loop her own arm in his. Reluctantly, she does. Even though the entire time she half expects Tatum to jump out from somewhere and yell that she caught them.
She expected a lunch table, but was instead lead outside into the courtyard where a group of kids were sitting at a fountain. Rorie noticed Tatum right off the bat, but the others were unfamiliar faces. They all had some variation of a bagged lunch sprawled out. It was very obvious that Tatum wasn't exactly too happy about the entire situation. Stu would be the death of her.
"This is Billy," He pointed to the pseudo mysterious looking boy with dark hair parted in the middle large brown eyes. "And this is Sidney." Leaned against him was another girl, long brown hair pulled back into a ponytail with bangs. "You already know Tatum, and this is Randy, but don't feel like you have to actually talk to him." Who she now knew as Randy made a noise in protestHe pointed last to an almost nerdy looking boy, sitting on his own without a girl in his lap. He was kind of cute, in a boyish way.
Rorie nodded with each introduction, taking it all in, and trying her best to smile.
"And guys, this is Rorie. She's new in town, thought she could sit with us." It sounded like a question but the way he presented it made it obvious that it wasn't. Her sitting with them wasn't really up for discussion. And sure, they could probably all protest and do away with her against Stu's will, but it was obvious no one really cared that much. Except for Tatum.
She immediately went for the vacant spot next to Randy, assuming that Stu would want to sit with his girlfriend and although he gave her a look she couldn't quite decipher he let her go.
"Hey Rorie, right? Where'd you move from?" The one that looked like he had a major chip on his shoulder, Billy, spoke.
An uncomfortable lump settled in her throat and she did her best to swallow, "We, uh, moved from Alabama. Small town." God, she really hated talking about this. About her past, about herself in general.
Apparently, they didn't catch on.
"Alabama?" Stu did a ridiculous southern accent, and it almost got Rorie to laugh. The amusement was short lived because it was followed up with another question, this time from Sidney.
She was rolling her eyes at Stu's fake accent, "You don't sound like you're from Alabama, though?"
"Uh, Yeah. That's not where I grew up." At this point her discomfort was plain on her face. She wanted to run away, to tuck her tail between her legs and hide. But Stu hadn't given her that option, he'd made her apart of something and now for at least today she had to stick with it.
"Then where did yo-" Tatum was cut off by the loud throat clearing of Stu, who was giving her some very disapproving eyebrows. "Cut it out, Tate. Drop it."
An awkward silence followed, and Rorie had resorted to staring down at her lap. Until Randy finally said something. "So, Rorie, you like horror movies?" As soon as the question left his mouth the entire group groaned in protest.
"What, we talkin' like slashers? Or supernatural?" She kind of surprised herself, but while she was in this situation she might as well make the most of it. She happened to actually love horror movies.
Randy now looked chipper, like his interest had finally been piqued, "Slasher, of course."
"I love Slasher's. I've seen Halloween more times than I can count, and Nightmare on Elm Street? Wes Craven is a horror movie genius." Even though she didn't like it, once she did start talking it was hard for her to stop. Which is why she mostly just shut up. "There hasn't been a good Slasher movie since the 80's, but I still love it regardless."
"Wow, It's like you two freaks were made for each other." Tatum speaks up then, and on instinct, like her horror movie tangent dislodged the old feisty Rorie that wasn't so hellbent on protecting herself she replied, "Bite me."
Almost at the same time Randy added, "At least we have taste."
She glanced in Stu's direction, and he'd stopped draping himself all over Tate. Instead he was sitting up straight, eyebrows furrowed into another unreadable expression. For some reason, she wanted to know what he was thinking that had him so pensive.
The rest of lunch dissolved into lighthearted banter, usually between Stu and Randy with one of the girls offering up a quip. Rorie mainly just sat back and observed. Occasionally she'd hear something that compelled her enough to comment, but mostly she was quiet. After that Stu insisted on walking her to her next class, and to everyone's surprise Randy tagged along. Although she really couldn't figure out why, she didn't even know why Stu still felt the need to babysit her much less Randy. But she didn't mind all that much, really, it was kind of nice.
Actually being visible was unnerving. She was so used to blending into the background and putting up every defense possible that having people see her, and talk to her, put her on edge.
Rorie started her walk home as soon as possible, pretty sure if she hung around Stu would try and walk with her. That was the last thing she wanted. The thought of him seeing their shitty one bedroom apartment was enough to make her feel sick to her stomach. This friend thing, if she could even call them that yet, was kind of alright. She'd been alone for so long she forgot what really talking to people felt like.
Maybe this year would be a bit different, maybe they'd stay here for awhile.
A/N: OKAY SO this is my first fic, ever, and i don't know if people even have enough interest in the original scream movies to really want to read this BUT with halloween literally tomorrow, i figured i might as well post the first chapter.