***

"No."

"Come on!"

Mandy shook her head in defiance. "No, we're not watching Friday the 13th."

"Part Three." Her boyfriend, Ben, corrected her.

"No, I'm not watching it." The two wandered into the flashy Sunnyvale movie theater. 

There was one in Shadyside with cheaper ticket prices, but it was practically falling apart. Mould was growing in the walls, and the projectors were barely functional. Then again, hardly anything in Shadyside was functional.

Inside the theater, loud neon lights illuminated the room. Privileged Sunnyvale folk ran amuck, caring only for themselves and the stacks of cash in their pockets. Envy was one of Shadyside's worst shades of green.

Mandy observed as several Sunnyvale teenagers spent their money on popcorn and slushies, whilst the odd couple only had enough for two tickets. "I feel so out of place here."

"You're telling me," Ben admitted, glimpsing at all the cheerfulness in the room. "But it's better than nothing."

She sighed. "I can't believe that we have to go to Sunnyvale to watch a movie."

"Hey, it's not my fault that they have a decent theater." He remarked.

"Everything's decent in Sunnyvale." Mandy paused, rephrasing her answer. "No, actually, it's more than decent. Everything's perfect here."

Ben disagreed. "Not everything."

Confused by his response, Mandy turned to him. "What do you mean by that?"

"There aren't any girls in Sunnyvale who can compare to you." His finger slipped into her right hand, clutching it tightly.

Mandy smirked. "You will take any chance to flirt with me, won't you?"

"Well, you are my girlfriend, so I'm allowed." He mentioned.

The lovestruck couple strolled towards the main desk, where people were buying their movie tickets. Mandy leaned towards her boyfriend. "I see some of our fellow Shadysiders have got jobs here."

"How can you tell?" he wondered.

"Because they're the ones sucking the life out of the room." She regarded the cashiers who looked bored senseless. They stared at the happy Sunnyvalers with a soulless expression.

He shrugged. "Makes sense, I guess." There was a faint pause for a few moments until he spoke again. "So, I wanted to ask you something."

"Ask me what?" she asked, noticing that he was growing anxious. "Is something wrong?"

"No, nothing's wrong." He insisted. Ben scratched the back of his head. "It's just that my mom and I have been invited to this... family gathering of sorts."

Mandy was relieved that it wasn't something serious, though she was still interested in where this conversation was leading. "Family gathering? And with which side would that be?"

"The Goode side," he stated. "And yes, that pun was intended."

"Isn't one of your cousins in the running for Sheriff?" queried Mandy.

Ben told her. "He's training, but the Goodes always win something in the end."

She smirked. "Don't you get something? I mean, you are technically half-Goode."

He turned to her again. "I've got you, haven't I?" His comment made her smile even more. He could never resist making her blush. "Anyways, my mom can't make it, but she's forcing me to go."

"And what has that got to do with me?" she wondered.

"Well, I don't really want to go on my own, so I was wondering if you wouldn't mind coming with me?" Ben invited her along.

Her grin slowly faded. "I'm not sure."

He frowned, confused. "Why not?"

"It's just that..." Mandy hesitated for a second, letting go of his hand. "I mean, I'm a Shadysider, and so are you technically. I'll be instantly judged."

"No, you won't. You're exaggerating." He thought. 

However, though he did not want to admit it, she was right. Shadysiders were like vermin to the glorious town of Sunnyvale; they could not stand each other for some reason. Perhaps it was due to the number of serial killers that tended to pop up in the area. 

"Listen, what's the worst that could happen?"

"I'm just saying that there's a reason that Shadysiders don't go into Sunnyvale; even being here now gives me a weird feeling." She confessed.

"I know what you mean, but it will be fine. I promise." Ben wrapped his arm around her waist. "One day, when I've saved enough money, we're going to leave Shadyside behind and head for the city."

"I want to go to LA." Mandy declared excitedly.

Ben narrowed his eyes. "LA?"

"Los Angeles." She answered.

"Yeah, I know what it means. Why do you want to go there?" he inquired.

She stupidly grinned. "I want to dance on the Hollywood Walk of Fame."

Surprisingly, he chuckled as they continued to embrace. "Maybe in a few years. I might have to get a second job."

"You can come work at the café if you want," Mandy suggested. "It's not the best pay, but it's still money."

Her boyfriend disagreed. "Nah, I wouldn't be good at it."

"The job is literally making coffee."

"It's not for me."

She scoffed, glancing back at the theater employees. "You could always work here."

"Yeah, I don't think they pay well." He responded.

Mandy guessed. "I bet they get a discount on movies."

"Maybe." The couple peered at the movie posters hanging on the wall. "You still have to decide what to watch."

There were two vastly different movies being shown at the same time. One was an over-the-top slasher, and the other was a casual high-school comedy; the latter seemed more appealing to her. 

"I like the look of that movie."

"Fast Times at Ridgemont High?" he jeered. "Come on, it looks stupid."

"So does Friday the 13th."

"Part Three."

"I don't give a fuck which part it is. I'm still not watching it." She retorted.

Unexpectedly, Ben felt a harsh smack on his back. He flinched a little before the couple turned their attention to a familiar pair. "Hey, dudes!" Brendan Davis exclaimed, his arm hanging over the shoulder of Eloise Schmidt. 

Ben cheerfully grinned. "Hey, Brendan, what are you doing here?"

"Just taking me and my girl to see the third Friday movie." He told them.

"It wasn't my choice," Eloise admitted, sulking beside him. "Then again, it was either that or babysitting my stupid baby niece."

"I see you two are having a date night here too." Brendan regarded how close the pair were.

He chuckled. "Just one of many."

Mandy and Ben had been together for several months now. By this time, they both knew that they were in love with each other. It was plain to see. Although he wanted to leave Shadyside so badly, he stayed for her. 

Amanda Sonnenfeld was perfect. Some people wondered how Ben managed to score the most beautiful girl in town so easily, but he always said that he didn't have to. In fact, it was Mandy who asked him out first. Ben might have shown some interest in her; however, he didn't dare to invite her on a date to prevent humiliation. When she uttered the words "will you go out with me?", he was admittedly shocked. Since then, the pair were inseparable. 

"We'll see you inside, then?" Brendan checked, understanding that they were still undecided.

Ben nodded. "We'll see."

The four made their way up to the ticket booth where a ginger-haired girl scowled from behind the counter. As Brendan and Eloise were buying their tickets, Mandy frowned at her boyfriend. "Please, can we not watch that film?"

"What's so bad about it?" he questioned."

She scoffed. "Um, it's set at a camp."

He furrowed his brows, almost glossing over the fact. "Yeah, what about it?"

Brendan grabbed the tickets and grabbed Eloise's hand, pulling her away. The cashier huffed. "Next!"

The two stepped towards her as Mandy explained to him. "Do you remember what happened at Camp Nightwing?"

The cashier's eyes widened, though it was unnoticed by the couple. "Oh, yeah. I forgot that happened."

"My sister was murdered there." She mentioned, the girl silently listening in.

Ben squinted in confusion. "I thought your sister was still alive."

"She's a twin," Mandy stated before swiftly correcting herself. "WAS a twin. Look, I just don't want to be reminded of it. These types of movies just make fun of people getting murdered, and they do it in the goriest ways possible. That's why I don't want to watch it."

It was an understandable reason. It had only been four years since the Camp Nightwing Killer murdered thirteen Shadyside kids and teens; it was one of the many massacres the town had to face. 

Seeing how much it was affecting her, Ben instantly changed his mind. "Fine." He turned to the cashier, who immediately pretended that she wasn't listening. "Can we get two tickets to Fast Times at Ridgemont High?"

"Pussies!" Brendan shouted as he was buying popcorn.

"Shut up!" he yelled.

The girl complied, handing them two tickets for the film. "Good choice."

Mandy narrowed her eyes, sensing some familiarity in the girl. Her name tag read "Christine B.". As Ben ushered her away from the counter, she could have sworn that the cashier was watching them. But every time she looked back, the girl kept turning away.

***

Not the best first chapter, but it's something I guess. Just wanted to introduce some of the characters and get to know them a little bit.

I hope you liked this chapter.

- Alice ❤