this chapter is pretty short, so i apologize for that! the next one is going to be super long. i hope you enjoy!
Chapter Three: We Can't Have Nice Things
The gang all looked at me as the footsteps drew nearer. With the person on the other end of the flashlight getting closer and no time to erase any evidence that we'd been there, we all simply made a bolt for the door.
"Who's there?" The voice called. It was Sheriff Stone. I cursed myself for not expecting that the morgue would have some kind of silent alarm.
We slammed the door shut behind us just as Sheriff Stone entered the room, and dove into the nearby bushes. We waited, silently, as the sheriff followed us out of the building. He shone his flashlight all around the area, grunting to himself as he made his way towards the parking lot- right where we'd left the van. He hadn't seen us, but we'd be in hot water if he noticed my van, where Scooby waited patiently for our return.
He rounded the corner of the building and we slowly began to emerge from the bushes, careful not to make too much noise. We peered into the parking lot, where Sheriff Stone was shining his flashlight into every car. He hadn't made his way to the van yet, but it was only a matter of time.
We must have gone too far around the edge of the building, because Scooby saw us and began to bark and howl- pleading for attention we weren't under the right circumstances to give. Shaggy darted back around the corner, knocking my head against the side of the building in an effort to remain out of view. I didn't have time to scold him, as Sheriff Stone was now making a direct beeline towards us. Fresh out of options, I did the only thing I could think to do to get us out of our mess: I grabbed Daphne's wrist and made a mad dash for the van.
We'd clearly confused Sheriff Stone, who took a moment to scratch his head before he began to chase us across the parking lot. His pause gave us enough time to make it to the van and throw open the rear doors. We leaped into the back just as Scooby-Doo ran out and into the parking lot, but we didn't wait for him. I hurled myself over the front seat and jammed my key in the ignition, ripping out of the parking lot just as Sheriff Stone had reached the side of the van.
The sheriff didn't bother trying to chase us. We'd sped out of the parking lot like a bat out of hell, and hadn't slowed down until we hit the traffic of Main Street.
The neon lights of all the different store fronts, paired with the taillights of all the other vehicles on the road, cast an array of colors into the front seat of the van. I pulled up to a red light and felt Daphne roll over the front seat and into the shotgun position- her widely recognized spot since I bought the van. I glanced in her direction, the red brake lights of the car in front of us making her blue eyes glow a bright violet hue. It was at that moment I noticed that we were alone.
"What happened to Velma and Shaggy?" I asked her. "I thought they were with us."
"They scattered when you yanked me out into the parking lot," she teased, "Scooby ran after them."
"I thought they would follow us."
Daphne turned to face me, resting her cheek against the back of the seat. He eyes were soft at first, but turned harsh as she reached out with two fingers and touched the side of my forehead. The contact stung my face, causing me to wince. Daphne's fingers came back red.
"Did you hit your head?" She asked skeptically, although she clearly already knew the answer.
"Just a scratch." I fibbed. I could feel a drop of blood begin to drip down the side of my face.
I pulled onto Daphne's street, which happened to be the most expensive one in Coolsville. The houses were all grand and luxurious- their occupants all millionaire lawyers or businessmen. Each home had a huge cast iron gate which separated it from the rest of the world. Daphne's was the only one I'd ever seen open.
She nudged me expectantly as I pulled up to her front door. "Come on, I'll patch you up."
I'd been in Daphne's house about a thousand times, but tonight felt different. The times before had been friendly after school visits, to help with homework or review her routine for cheerleading try-outs the following week (I told her it was good, which had apparently been bad advise because she didn't end up making the squad). Her mother would make us a snack- crackers and that cheese with the hard white stuff on the outside, or something equally fancy- and her father would not so subtly hint that he didn't like me and he really didn't like my dad.
Tonight we were alone, as far as I could tell. Her parents were either out for the night or fast asleep, as were her sisters. The only light came from outside her kitchen's vast picture window. There was something that felt wrong about being in her house like this. It was as though we were acting in secret.
Daphne patted a stool for me to sit on and went for the first aid kit. It was on the highest shelf in one of the many cupboards, so Daphne had to climb onto the counter to reach it, her denim shorts riding up as she did so. I didn't offer to help- Daphne hated that. Besides, the view wasn't awful.
She poured a splash of peroxide onto a cotton ball and gently dabbed at my forehead. It stung, but I pretended not to feel it. I tried to distract myself by turning my attention to Daphne. She appeared to be focused intensely, her tongue sticking out as it had been at The Burger Binge. Her face was so close to mine that I could feel her breath, which was warm against my nose. My eyes caught hers by accident, but she didn't look away. Her gaze lingered, and for a moment I really didn't know what would happen next.
She pulled away and started fishing in the first aid kit for a band-aid.
"I was thinking," she began pensively, only glancing at me for a second. "About that guy."
"What about him?" I probed. She found a band-aid and began to strip it of its packaging.
"He looked pretty fit. You know, young and healthy." She replied.
"And?" I asked.
"Well, all of his wounds were on his front. He must have seen whoever- whatever killed him coming." She wandered back over to me, fiddling with the band-aid between her fingers. She sighed, "I just feel like he should have been able to fight his attacker off, don't you?"
"Maybe he did," I offered. "Some of those wounds could have been self-defense."
She moved as though she were about to stick the band-aid on my head, but huffed suddenly and pulled away.
"But then why go after him in the first place?" She pouted, "why not pick out easier prey?"
"Maybe that's the point. Maybe his attacker wanted the challenge." I replied, my eyes fixated on the band-aid as Daphne placed it on my scrape. She held her fingers over it, pressing it down flat.
"Well," She smiled, "if there is someone out there going after hot young guys, you'd better watch your back, Fred Jones."
She stepped away, tossing the band-aid's packaging into the trash can before returning to the first aid kit on the counter. She gathered up its contents and shut the lid before carrying it over to the shelf from which she'd retrieved it.
"Hot?" I asked.
Daphne kept her back to me and hummed, as though she were very occupied with something on the other end of the kitchen. I wandered towards her, leaning against the marble counter she hovered over.
"That does raise an interesting question." I added, "what was it about that man that lead to him getting killed?"
Daphne shrugged. Turning to smile sweetly at me, she said, "something tells me you'll figure it out, Freddy."
I would like to go on the record saying that I had never considered myself attracted to Daphne Blake. Sure, we had always gotten along well, and I definitely thought of her as attractive, but we had always been friends- and nothing more.
We were opposites- Daphne was the sort who let her emotions control everything she did, whereas I prided myself on being logical. That night I hadn't felt too logical as I thanked Daphne for the band-aid and drove back to my house- away from soft laughter and floral scented perfume, and towards a leathery Hell, living in which was a Devil I had yet to foresee. Out of the frying pan and into the fire.
Anyway, I had never considered myself attracted to Daphne Blake- until that night.
i hope i satisfied some of your fraphne needs! don't worry, there's more to come. also, i would really appreciate it if you guys could leave some reviews, so i know i'm on the right track! see you next week!