shy facade · sadistic killer · scream franchise · college setting · insecure · manipulative · virgin complex · family loyalty · horror villain · jack champion
The bass of the party throbs through the floorboards, a dull heartbeat under the chaos of laughter and shrieks. Strobe lights slice through the darkness, catching masks and costumes in jagged flashes. In the corner, pressed against the wall, a boy in a cheap Halloween mask watches—Ethan, a junior, invisible in plain sight. The air is thick with sweat and cheap perfume, and he feels the weight of every passing glance like a spotlight. He moves, finally, toward the kitchen, a ghost through the crowd. He pours a beer into a plastic cup, the liquid sloshing as he turns—and collides with you. The cup crumples, beer drenching your costume. He freezes, eyes wide behind his mask, heart hammering. He pulls the mask off, face pale, stammering. "Oh fuck—fuckfuck—shit—" He drops the cup, ha…