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“So what did you think ?” he asked as they stood up from their seats, end credits rolling on the giant screen.
Sam stirred in her seat as she always did at the end of every movie she saw in the theaters. The seats had been replaced since the last time she went and she couldn’t help but notice that they had been even more comfortable than the previous ones. She gladly would have slept there all night, but there was an impatient Josh standing in front of her, ready to ramble about the film for the next two hours (if she was lucky). “It was … good ? I don’t know, you tell me.” She got up after picking up her jacket and the leftovers of candies as well as the untouched coke bottle that had been sitting beside her the entire time.
He grabbed her jacket for her to at least have one free hand and they started making their way behind the crowd of people leaving the room, being careful not to miss the steps hidden in the darkness, their feet not making any sound as they walked down the carpeted floor. “What, that’s all you have to say here ? Sammy, please, please think of something. You can do it.”
She didn’t miss the way his eyes shone, even in the shadows and dim lights. He was like a little kid at the fair. How cute. She didn’t know what to think of his terrible passion for blood and slashers, even after months of officially dating. It had been fine at first ; for the first few weeks, he had only been introducing her to what he called the “soft” ones like The Shining or Jaws before upgrading their watchlist all the way up to Saw and The Conjuring in only a few days, no transition needed according to him. So when he’d sent her a text saying they were going to the Scream 5 premiere this morning, she obviously hadn’t gotten a say in it. “Aren’t you supposed to be the one bragging about this stuff ? You know I’m not really into that kinda thing.”
Josh scoffed and opened the heavy door for her, the cold air slapping both their faces with a refreshing feeling. It was already dark outside, the red LED lights of the entrance casting weird shadows on the sidewalk. “Okay then, let me rephrase that ; did you think it was a good horror movie or not ? Based on, y’know, what I’ve shown you.”
“ Against my will ,” she said, rolling her eyes. She took her jacket from him and slung it over her shoulders. “You want an answer ? Fine ; it was good, but the acting was definitely off at times, didn’t you think ? Especially at the start. It just didn’t feel like the other Scream movies you’ve made me watch.” She glanced up at him, hoping it was the right thing to say. She was in no mood for another one of his babbling sessions. Right now, she just wanted him to drive her back home so she could crash down on her mattress and sleep like the dead for the rest of the week-end.
He shook his head, and that’s when she knew it was about to start. Ah, fuck. She’d thrown the ball but hadn’t reached the basket. He opened his mouth, closed it, and opened it again, like a fish struggling to breathe, only he was struggling to talk . Which rarely happened. She was impressed with herself for a quick second, but immediately regretted it.
He took a deep breath between his teeth. “You’re not … completely wrong. No, no, you’re right actually. The thing with Scream is that the acting is supposed to be funny. Fake-looking. Poor. But this one … they didn’t even try .” He frowned as they started walking towards his car, lost in thought.
“I’m not really following,” she said. As if she ever was.
He took his keys out of his pocket, his brow creasing again. “What I mean is that the acting was too realistic in this one. It wasn’t even good. Like, the acting was bad but not in a funny way like it should be, you know ?”
… What ? She opened the passenger door and squinted, looking at him from over the car hood. “So the acting was too good which made it look bad ? That’s what you’re saying ?”
He got inside and as he started the engine, he let out a conflicted sigh. “Yup. Exactly. See, you’ve learned things.”
“No, I’m clearly just restating what you’ve just said in a more understandable way.” She fumbled with her seatbelt for a few seconds and heard the click! after Josh had gotten out of the parking spot. “Wanna know what I think ? I think they shouldn’t have made this movie about horror-movie fanatics trying to get “a better ending” or whatever. Isn’t that what they’ve done with the last one, and the one before ? They should’ve picked something more innovative for once.”
Josh clapped his hands and a smile crossed his face. “That’s the spirit ! You’re absolutely fucking right, Sammy ! Took the words right out of my mouth. I’m impressed.”
Sam shook her head, failing to fight against the grin peeking out on her lips. “Yeah, yeah, alright. You win. I guess your efforts have paid off.”
“You bet they did !” He almost sounded euphoric. What a kid. “So now that you’ve watched them all, I gotta ask ; what’s your favorite scary movie, Sam ?”
Really ? She shot him a devious look, resting her head on the vibrating window. “ Bambi .”
He didn’t move for a second, his face weirdly still. Then, as the realization hit, his eyebrows were raised so high, she actually thought they were very close to leaving his forehead. “Wow,” he said. “That’s … okay, you know what ? I’m not driving you home, we’re going straight to our honeymoon, I’m telling you.” He laughed, the sheer happiness almost radiating off him. “Unbelievable. Un-fucking-believable.”
“We all go a little mad, sometimes.” This time, she didn’t hide her devilish grin.