Abby's POV

Calculus was a bore, like always. I stared out of the classroom window the whole time; I couldn't stop thinking. My mind was racing.

I was pulled out of my thoughts as my teacher told me it was my turn. I assumed he meant it was my turn for the interrogations, so I picked up my bag and went up to Principal Himbry's office.

I briefly locked eyes with Billy as I walked out of the beige classroom, and he gave me a look that said "Don't you dare slip up".

I pass a short brunette girl walking out of Mr. Himbry's office as I am walking in. Dewey and Sheriff Burke are positioned against a wall adjacent to a few seats in the middle of the office.

"So, Ms. Havrin, how are you today?" Dewey asks as I sit down.

"I'm fine Dewey. Thanks."

"It's Deputy Riley today, Abby." I briefly nod at Dewey in understanding before Sheriff Burke starts questioning me.

"Abby, where were you last night around 10 PM?"

"I was with my boyfriend. We decided to get pizza and watch a movie at his house."

"Your boyfriend is Stuart Macher, correct?" Dewey asks.

"Yes."

"Did you talk to Casey Becker or Steve Orth at all yesterday? I have heard that they were in your friend group." Sheriff Burke continues.

"No Sheriff. I stayed at home all day and then Stu invited me over to his place and I headed over there."

————

I walked down the steps in front of the school and went to go sit down at my group's usual lunch spot. Casey and Steve would normally join Billy, Stu, Sidney, Tatum, Randy, and I, but not today.

I saw Stu was already sitting at the fountain, so I tried to sneak around the back and scare him. I crept my way behind a big tree near the backside of the fountain, but when I looked back Stu was gone. I suddenly felt a leaf tickling the back of my neck and I quickly turned around to see that Stu was behind me.

"You ass! You scared me half to death!" I half-yelled at him.

"You really need to work on your creeping skills, especially since we're murderers." He whispered that last part and then started to bite my earlobe.

"Stuart! Stop it!" I giggled as he started to kiss my neck. I lightly push him off of me and give him a kiss on the cheek before making my way back to the fountain.

Stu came bounding behind me and sat on my right. "So how has your day been so far little darlin'?" He asked in the weirdest, most over-the-top Southern accent.

"It was pretty stinkin' good I guess." I replied in that same awful accent. He smiled at me.

Tatum, Sidney, Billy, and Randy were all making their way over to the fountain. "Hey guys!" Tatum shouted from the steps.

Eventually everyone sat down in their normal lunch spots, Billy and Sidney on the right, Stu and I in the middle, and Tatum and Randy on the left.

"What kind of questions did they ask you Sidney?"

"They asked if I knew Casey." Sidney replied to Tatum.

"They asked me that too." I said.

"Did they ask you if you like to hunt?" Stu asked Billy.

"Yeah they did."

"Why would they ask you if you liked to hunt?" I asked.

"'Cause their bodies were gutted." Randy butted in.

"They didn't ask me if I liked to hunt." Tatum said.

"Yeah, same here." I agreed with Tatum.

"That's cause there's no way a girl could have killed 'em." said Stu.

"That is so sexist! The killer could easily be female," I said.

"Basic instinct." Tatum finished.

"Well, Casey and Steve were completely hollowed out, and the fact is, it takes a man to do something like that." Stu explained to both Tatum and I.

"Or a man's mentality." I rolled my eyes at Stu. Does he not remember what I helped with last night?

"How do you gut someone?" I hear Sidney's solemn voice say. Everybody pauses for a moment as the tone of the conversation shifts.

"You take a knife, and you slit 'em from groin to sternum." Stu replies.

"Hey, it's called tact you fuck rag." Billy says.

"Hey Stu didn't you use to date Casey?" Sidney questions.

"Yeah for like two seconds."

"Before she dumped him for Steve," Randy says next to me.

"I thought you dumped her for me!" I said.

"I did. He's full of shit." Stu affirms.

"And are the police aware that you dated the victim?" Randy continues.

"What are you saying? That I killed her?" Stu says. I looked at him with a knowing look and I could see Billy become cautious.

"It would certainly improve your high school Q."

"Stu was with me last night, okay?" I say to Randy.

"Yeah I was," Stu smirks.

"Was that before or after he sliced and diced?"

I see Tatum roll her eyes at Randy, "Fuck you, nutcase. Where were you last night?."

"Working. Thank you."

"Oh at the video store?", Tatum continues, "I thought they fired your sorry ass."

"Twice." Randy says, popping a grape into his mouth and smiling.

"I didn't kill anybody." Stu says.

"Nobody says you did." Billy replies.

"Thanks buddy."

"Besides, it takes a man to do something like that." Randy says, clearly mocking Stu.

Stu laughs, "I'm gonna gut your ass in a second, kid."

"Tell me something, did you really put her liver in the mailbox? 'Cause I heard they found her liver in the mailbox next to her spleen and her pancreas."

I could see that Sidney was getting uncomfortable with this topic. "Randy shut the fuck up, we're all trying to eat here." I say trying to make him stop.

"Ooo she's getting mad. You better liver alone." Stu jokes. "Liver alone!" I laugh along with Stu, but Billy gives us a look. I stop laughing as I see Sidney get up and leave. Billy hits Stu in the arm, "Liv- ow! Liver, liver" Stu looks at me, "It was a joke."