Scream 2½
By Erica Turner and Sarah Woodward
THIS IS SET BETWEEN SCREAM AND SCREAM 2. THAT'S PRETTY MUCH ALL U NEED TO KNOW.
In a dark street in California a street light flickered. The street was empty. Suddenly a high pitched scream pierced the air.
At number 162 Dewey Riley and Gale Weathers were having a party to celebrate the release of her new book "The Windsor College Murders: The Horror Continues". Quite a lot of the guests were outside by the pool. A guy pushed a girl into the water and she screamed.
Sidney Prescott was at the party, even though she hated the idea of Gale publishing another book about her miserable life. She looked at the enlarged poster of the book that was tacked up on the wall. It showed pictures of the Mr Ghostface mask that Sidney knew so well, Derek on the crucifix and Tatum hanging from the garage door. Gale walked up behind her.
"Sorry about the pictures Sid, my publisher picked them, not me," Gale said, making Sidney jump.
"God Gale! Why'd you always have to sneak up on people like that?" Sidney demanded. Gale shrugged.
"Reporters instincts I guess," she said.
Cotton Weery came up to join them. He and Sidney were still not completely at ease with one another yet, but Cotton was determined that they would be friends eventually.
"Hey Gale, hey Sid," he greeted them with a smile. Gale and Sidney smiled back at him. "Great party Gale," he added.
"Thanks. But Dewey did most of the planning for it while he was laid up," Gale admitted.
"Speaking of Dewey, how is he?" Cotton asked.
"He got out of hospital a couple of weeks ago, right?" Sidney said, making an effort to be nice to Cotton.
"Yeah, but he's still on a hell of a lot of medication," Gale said.
Just then, one of Gale's photographer friends approached the three of them and started taking pictures. Sidney tensed, waiting to see whether or not Gale would do anything. Gale did do something.
"Jeff, get outta here!" she commanded. The photographer ignored her and continued snapping away.
"Beat it pal!" Dewey shouted in the photographer's ear.
"Fine! I got my shots anyway," the photographer said, packing up his camera and starting to leave.
When he had gone, Sidney turned to Dewey and smiled gratefully. "How's your Mom coping?" she inquired.
"She's not," Dewey answered.
"I'm sorry," Sidney offered.
"Nah, don't be. It's not your fault Sid," Dewey said. They were interrupted by another reporter coming up and taking pictures of the four of them.
"Are all my so called friends just here to take photos of Sidney?" Gale asked the room in general, trying to push the reporter away as she spoke.
"I guess so," the reporter said and shrugged. Gale rolled her eyes. Sidney and Dewey risked grins, but quickly straightened their faces when Gale glared at them.
"Sorry babe," Dewey said, still grinning.
Later, when the party was over, Dewey, Gale, Sidney, and Cotton were cleaning up. Cotton kept glancing at Sidney, but she didn't pay him any attention. Dewey and Gale kept flirting with each other, to which Sidney just smiled to herself. She couldn't believe that two people who had hated each other just a few months ago were now dating.
"Sid, you okay? You look kinda tired," Dewey observed.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Its just a little weird being friends with two of my former worst enemies," she said, gesturing to Cotton and Gale.
"Yeah," Dewey laughed. He kissed Gale lightly. "I know what you mean." Sidney rolled her eyes and Cotton laughed.
* * *
The next day, Dewey and Gale were supposed to go to lunch with Dewey's parents. Dewey was looking forward to it; he hardly saw his parents these days. But Gale wasn't. Dewey's parents didn't like her. They thought she was a heartless bitch (Dewey's Mom's exact words the last time they had met) for writing a book about what happened to Tatum and the others.
The four of them (Dewey, Gale, his Mom Catherine, and his Dad Jack) were sitting around a glass topped table in a little resteraunt in Los Angeles. Dewey was sat between Gale and Catherine in an attempt to prevent them arguing. He had also given both women a stern lecture on why they shouldn't row. Jack disliked Gale, but he wasn't as apt to pick fights with her as Catherine was.
"This is a nice place Dwight," Jack commented.
"Yeah, it is. Actually, Gale chose it," Dewey said.
"Yeah, I love it here," Gale said.
"So how's Sidney?" Catherine asked.
"Fine. She was asking after you just last night. She asked how you were coping," Dewey told her, hoping his Mom would reassure him that she was fine.
"I'm fine sweetheart, I just wish people would let it rest," she said, directing an angry look at Gale. Dewey looked at Gale with puppy dog eyes, begging her not to start a row. Gale bit her lip and narrowed her eyes, but kept quiet.
The rest of the lunch went, well, it wasn't a disaster, so Dewey rated it a success. His Mom and girlfriend hadn't torn each other to shreds, although they had come close a couple of times. Talk had mostly been about the weather, Sidney, and small town gossip that Gale obviously took no interest in whatsoever and had no intention of pretending to. But overall, it hadn't been too bad. They had all survived at least.
Sidney was at home with two of her girlfriends, Tammy and Julie. They were having a girly slumber party type evening, watching slushy, romantic moveis, gossipping, giggling and pigging out on cookie dough, popcorn, pizza, crisps and chocolate. They were halfway through 'While You Were Sleeping' when the phone rang. Sidney answered it.
"Hello?"
"Hello Sidney," a voice said on the other end.
"Who is this?" she demanded.
"Guess," the voice teased her.
"I don't want any bullshit, just tell me who you are."
"I'm Billy, I'm Stu, I'm Billy's Mom, I'm Mickey. In other words Sidney, I'm you're worst nightmare," the voice said. Sidney almost dropped the phone in shock and terror.
"Who the fuck is this?" she demanded, hoping her voice wasn't shaking.
"I just told you. And you know what Sid, I'm gonna tell you something else too…"
Sidney slammed down the phone. She stared at it in horror, tears running down her face. She prayed it was a practical joke, that it wasn't happening all over again.
"Sid, what's up?" Tammy asked, switching off the video.
Before she could answer, the phone rang again. Julie went to answer it, but Sidney stopped her. She wanted to do this herself.
She answered the phone.
"Me again," the voice greeted her. Sidney slammed the phone down again.
"Why is this happening?" she asked desperately.
Why's what happening?" Julie asked
"Why can't people just leave me alone?" Sidney sobbed. Tammy and Julie tried to comfort her, but they still weren't sure what had upset her so much.
* * *
TO BE CONTINUED………..