S1 E9: Just Shy of Love

Kenzie Tartaglione:

Hello everybody! It’s Kenzie here. Thank you all so much for listening to our show! We are very excited to announce a little update… our first pieces of merch! If you head over to our website, queerpg.com, you can check out all our new stuff! We have queerpg logo stickers and pins, AND something fun for season one. We have Wildmoore High Wyverns notebooks. They come in three different designs so head on over there to check it out! We are selling these through Society6 so if you go to our website, under the shop tab, you’ll see the notebook. Clicking on it will redirect you so that you can purchase! Again, thank you guys so much for your support and enjoy the episode!

Kenzie (MC):

Caleb, you find yourself stirring in bed, coming to consciousness, pulled out of an already fleeting dream. The hair prickles on the back of your neck. You hear Jasper meow somewhere in the room. You hear a curtain rustle from a breeze coming through the slightly open window in your bedroom. Still dark.

Mads McDonough:

I try and roll over, go back to sleep.

Kenzie (MC):

Jasper meows again.

Mads (Caleb Moore): ):

(groaning) What? Jas, Jas, what?

Kenzie (MC):

You hear a meow that’s a little more cryish and then you can hear the tap of claws against glass.

Mads (Caleb):

(mumbling) What the…?

Mads:

I start to pull the blankets off of me, bleary-eyed, sit up in bed, tyro to look around and see what’s going on.

Kenzie (MC):

Jasper has jumped up onto the windowsill and is currently standing up with his front paws like up the window, looking out and just meowing.

Mads (Caleb):

What? What are you doing? What? What?

Mads:

I’m going to crawl, like kick the blankets the rest of the way off my knees and crawl over to where he is plastered to the window.

Mads (Caleb):

Buddy, you gotta – it’s not time for that – it’s not – gotta go back to bed. You gotta –

Kenzie (MC):

He looks at you while you like move towards him and then he looks back out the window and just kind of takes his paw down from the window but still looking out and meows again. And when you look out the window, I think you kind of freeze and there is an old, fear flooding through your veins. Because it’s been a while, probably years but there was that summer where you could have sworn you were being watched. It was soon after you had been dragged by Ivy and Sawyer into the woods to show you this strange, weird, stick tent structure. And after that you had begun to see odd things in the dark. But that had dissipated a while ago. But now, looking out your window, through the panes in the glass, at the edges of the yard you see a figure in the dark. You can’t really make anything out about its appearance other than it might be wearing a hood of some sort, but it stands stock still. Facing the house, facing away, you can’t really tell that either. And you feel like maybe if you let your eyes just glaze over, it would almost disappear into the background. That’s how in the shadows it is.

Mads:

I freeze when I see it. I looked down at Jasper and I kind of pull him back and away from where the window is and try and like put him toward the side of my bed so he’s not directly up close to the window anymore and I’m going to very slowly pull myself back and reach over to my bedside table where my phone is charging. Trying not to break contact with this figure. I’m gonna pull my phone back and I’m going to try and take a picture of it. No flash. I don’t want to spook it, whatever it is.

Kenzie (MC):

You bring your phone over and you snap a picture of it. Are you keeping eye contact or are you going to look at the picture that you took?

Mads:

I’m going to keep eye contact with it for a little bit longer. And my windows open a little bit because I overheat so easily at night. I’m going to see if I can, I mean, the Duncans have a smell about them. That weird guy that they’re with had a smell about him to. Can I see if there’s a smell about this? Is it familiar? Is it old?

Kenzie (MC):

I think that this is actually a good way to use your Heightened Senses, to see if there’s any of those questions there that you want to ask too, depending on your roll. So, roll me two d6 and add your dark.

Mads:

It’s a six minus one. So, it’s a five.

Kenzie (MC):

The first thing that you notice is that the night is quiet. Kind of abnormally so. You haven’t really taken a good look at your phone to know exactly what time it is but it’s not really a time people would normally be moving around your house or anything and they aren’t but that doesn’t mean old houses don’t creek. And aside from your breathing and Jasper’s meows, it truly sounds like there is no other noise in the world. Also, there is a breeze coming through your window but its as if there is no smells at all. You don’t smell dew. You don’t smell the trees around your house. You don’t smell the freshly cut grass.

Mads:

I wipe at my nose a little bit. Try and like peer out.

Kenzie (MC):

It hasn’t moved. Its been completely still. Whatever it is.

Mads:

I have a moment when I’m looking at this thing. I’m like, “Oh I’m going to regret this. I’m going to regret this so much. This is such a stupid, stupid idea that’s so dumb and yet…” I’m going to lean out of my window, just a little bit, and go,

Mads (Caleb):

Hey. Hello?

Kenzie (MC):

Your voice carries in this still night air, drifting across the lawn. And you don’t hear a voice.

Mads:

I don’t like that.

Kenzie (MC):

But you hear this like (strange breathing noise) this like creepy, undertone of like breath, but also weirdly sounds kind of like musical, like there are tones to it.

Mads:

To the side, my phone, I’m flipping it to record video. It’s probably really shaky.

Mads (Caleb):

Who are you? What are you doing here?

Kenzie (MC):

Its just that same strange, whispery, growling tone with no words to it.

Mads (Caleb):

Do you want something with me? With my family? Does this have something to do with my brother? My aunt?

Kenzie (Shadow):

Come. Come. Come. Come. Come.

Mads (Caleb):

Nooooooooo. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. I’m not coming anywhere. I’m not – what do you want?

Kenzie (Shadow):

Come. Come. Come.

Mads (Caleb):

No. That was so stupid, this is so –

Mads:

I try to like brace my shoulders up. Try and make myself look a little bigger, lean out te window a little bit more and go,

Mads (Caleb):

I’m warning you. Tell me – tell me why you’re here.

Kenzie (Shadow):

Soon. Soon. Soon. Soon.

Mads (Caleb):

Soon you’ll tell me?

Kenzie (MC):

And the shadow literally just looks like it disappears into the shadow of the yard.

Mads (Caleb):

(deep intake) Jesus Christ, okay! (voice trembles)

Mads:

I close the window. I pull the blinds.

Kenzie (MC):

Jasper has jumped up, front paws on the window sill and just hisses.

Mads:

I hold him to my chest and I start to pet his head kind of frantically.

Mads (Caleb):

Oh, no, no, no, no, no, we’re not going out there. We’re not gonna do that. That’s a very bad idea. Jazzy Jazz. Jazzy, jazzy, that’s not a good – we’re not gonna do that. We’re gonna think – we’re gonna –

Mads:

I look down at my phone. I stop the recording. I go back – did the picture show up?

Kenzie (MC):

It’s really dark and you don’t thnk that if you hadn’t seen it – like if you showed this to anybody else, they would not be able to differentiate between the shadows. But, because you saw it, you can see, in this photo, that there is a difference where you remember seeing it outside.

Mads:

I look at the video next and I turn the volume up for it. Do I hear the weird noises over top of like my teeth chattering (laughs).

Kenzie (MC):

You do hear this like strange sound. When you get to the end though, you don’t hear the words that it spoke. It still just feels like its that strange tone through the whole thing. But it also, maybe just sounds like the wind.

Mads:

What time exactly is it?

Kenzie (MC):

It is four thirteen am.

Mads:

I think for a minute that Sawyer might be awake around this time and hten I remember that actually he’s trying to do – turning over a new leaf or something right now, maybe he’s actually asleep. But I text Sawyer. I say,

Mads (Caleb):

Hey, sorry. I know it’s the middle of the night. Something really creepy just showed up in my backyard and told me to come.

Mads:

And then I wait like a beat. And then I send like a keyboard smash of letters immediately afterward and then the next message is,

Mads (Caleb):

No, not like, wait, not, hang on, no, like, like wanting me to, no…

Mads:

That sends. There’s like a dot, dot, dot that sends after it to.

Brennan Hershock:

I mean I think his phone would be on full volume so like there’d be no – it’d be vibration and (makes a ding noise) like constantly. But I do think he’s a fairly deep sleeper with how much noise is going on from the tanks in his room.

Kenzie (MC):

How about we roll a d20 and anything below a ten, you don’t wake up. And anything above a ten, you do wake up.

Brennan:

That was a natural twenty.

Kenzie (MC):

Sawyer wakes up on the first ding.

Mads:

So you see, in real time, all of these frantic follow-ups coming through.

Brennan:

In between one of the follow-ups you get, “Cum?” C-U-M, question mark (laughs).

Mads:

And then like the dot, dot, dot flies up after that. And then its just.

Mads (Caleb):

Not like that. No.

Brennan (Sawyer Hook):

Follow?

Mads (Caleb):

YES.

Mads:

In all caps with a period (laughs).

Brennan (Sawyer):

I understand.

Mads (Caleb):

I’m sending you a video. Listen for the noise. It sounds like – I don’t know actually.

Mads:

That sends. And then another dot, dot, dot sends. And then,

Mads (Caleb):

Please just take this as literally as possible.

Brennan:

Sawyer opens the video and its just like (whoosing noises). It’s just like wind.

Mads:

Its just weird wind noises and me fucking freaking out.

Kenzie (MC):

Its alos like the shakiest video you’ve ever seen and like some parts of it – like sometimes it hits the window in the video and then you also just hear this like monologue happening throughout the video.

Mads:

I’m going to take the picture that I took and I’m going to use – like open up the fucking edit feature and draw a red circle around whatever this is and put like two exclamation points next to it and like a little arrow. And then I’ll send that as well and say,

Mads (Caleb):

It’s hard to make out, but there was someone in my back yard.

Brennan:

Do I see from this video – or form this photo there’s like no – it just looks like darkness? Its just a shadow?

Kenzie (MC):

I think you probably try to turn your phone screen up all the way to the point where you’re like squinting to see.

Brennan:

I think Sawyer has it up at all times.

Kenzie (MC):

Then it does that thing in a phone when its up all the way where the image like gets weird colored and grainy but like the shadows now look kinda of gray and there’s – its not like efined – but there’s a black shadow in all of this kind of like lighter gray.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Is it still there?

Mads:

I asked what it wanted and why it was there. It just – it said “Soon” and then literally evaporated.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Turn on every light in your room. Don’t let there be a single shadow.

Mads (Caleb):

Okay

Mads:

Question mark, question mark, question mark, question mark.

Brennan (Sawyer):

IDK.

Brennan:

All caps.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Maybe it’s the shadow teleporting thing.

Mads (Caleb):

That can happen?

Brennan (Sawyer):

You can turn into a wolf.

Mads (Caleb):

Oh my god.

Mads:

I’m jumping out of my bed, I’m fumbling over to the lights, I’m turning on the lights to my room.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Should I come over?

Mads (Caleb):

Yes, please.

Mads:

And then drop my phone on the floor because I just asked Sawyer to come over to my house at four am and I scramble on the ground and I pick it back up and I say,

Mads (Caleb):

I’m fine actually.

Brennan (Sawyer):

So, no?

Brennan:

Is it a school night?

Kenzie (MC):

Well, no it’s a school morning, but yes.

Mads (Caleb):

It’s almost morning anyways. I’m fine.

Mads:

And then I smack my forehead with my palm.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Let’s meet up after school today and try and figure this out.

Mads:

I type out “great” with an exclamation point and then I delete the exclamation point.

Brennan:

Heart and its like five minutes go by and then you get another text message that says,

Brennan (Sawyer):

Did you turn on all the lights?

Mads:

At this point I’m laying in my bed but I’m on top of the comforter just because everything feels very wrong Its now very stuffy in my room. I grab my phone.

Mads (Caleb):

Yes.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Okay. Good night.

Mads (Caleb):

It’s morning.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Good morning. Don’t cum on a shadow monster.

Brennan:

Sawyer is just like (mumbles) and then goes back to sleep (laughs).

Mads:

I try to go back to sleep.

Kenzie (MC):

The easiest way to describe the feeling of walking into school on Monday morning is whiplash. The entire weekend was mired in the drama of being a founding family and the lies and secrets that unwillingly came to light. And pushing open the double doors into the Commons at the front of the school, plummets you right back into teenagedom. Cheerleading practice had bene suspended but its now back in order. Every day, light clockwork, right after school. The upped police presence in the last couple of weeks has seemed to disappear from campus. But possibly the most vicious attack on your senses are the purple and gold sparkly posters that are hung, what seems to be every five feet. On the columns in the middle of the room. Plastered across the walls. You can see a massive version of it through the back doors into the main hallway. And it just says, “Homecoming is soon. Court applications are due by the end of the week. Tickets go on sale next Tuesday.” And that is what accosts each of you as you walk into school on Monday morning.

You weren’t really given an option. It seemed like a mundane thing to do after the events of the weekend. But the Hooks didn’t really present it to Sawyer as an option. The Moores hadn’t expected there to be an argument about it. And Ivy just kind of didn’t want to be in her house anymore.

Mads:

I meet up with Sam at their locker and I like cross my arms, lean into it, trying to look cool to some degree. It doesn’t look very cool though. I’m still awkward.

Mads (Caleb):

You think they could have made a better sign?

Kenzie (Sam Marshall):

Oh my god! Oh my god! Caleb, you can’t just sneak up on a person like that.

Mads (Caleb):

What? I just – I just got here. I just – I didn’t sneak.

Kenzie (Sam):

My head was in my locker practically. I couldn’t hear anything. I was in the zone.

Mads (Caleb):

The zone of what?

Kenzie (Sam):

Reorganization, Caleb. Every so often – sometimes – like – okay so you know how the notebook are color coded.

Mads (Caleb):

Yes.

Kenzie (Sam):

I just didn’t feel like the yellow notebooks should be on the first – the top shelf anymore. It felt like more of a bottom shelf notebook now.

Mads:

I lean into Sam’s locker and I move the locker open the whole way so that its flat against all of the lockers and I see that there is absolutely no organization in here. There is just a haphazard smattering of notebooks, a few of them are actually the same color which is terrifying. They have like stickers and like marker bits over them. There’s some wadded up pieces of paper that have gotten stuck and shoved in between. There’s a pencil case that’s open and leaking out pens and pencil and eraser nubs.

Kenzie (MC):

They point at one of the yellow notebooks and they say,

Kenzie (Sam):

See? Yellow notebook. Bottom shelf. Better.

Mads:

I just slowly turn my head to my best friend in the world and I say,

Mads (Caleb):

I really wonder what goes on inside your head, Sam.

Kenzie (Sam):

Well not a lot because I think that I was concussed for a bit but that’s gone. So, it’s like slowly picking back up.

Mads (Caleb):

It’s all coming back. It’s all -

Kenzie (Sam):

How does this look?

Kenzie (MC):

And they tap their nose.

Kenzie (Sam):

Oof, okay, still kinda sore.

Mads:

I’m gonna lean in closer be like,

Mads (Caleb):

You kinda have like a scar. Like a little. Like on – like right there.

Kenzie (Sam):

Yeah? That’s probably from the stitches.

Mads (Caleb):

Yeah, it looks badass.

Kenzie (Sam):

(laughs) Awesome. I have never had anything, owned anything, wore anything, had a cool haircut, that somebody called badass. But now I have this scar from being an idiot and I’m a badass!

Mads (Caleb):

But you could like – you could like make up how you got it, you know? I mean like maybe not here ‘cause like people now that you just kinda ate shit.

Kenzie (Sam):

Yeah, Caleb, well, the video is like on TikTok now of me smashing my face into the ground

Mads (Caleb):

It’s kinda… it’s kinda big. But like if we went somewhere else, like if we went into the city for anything, like you could say you got it in like a fight.

Kenzie (Sam):

(gasps) When we go get Crush and Egg. I will tell somebody that I got in a fight!

Mads (Caleb):

Yeah. Yeah! Gotta remember that. Would that be the right audience to tell someone you got into a fight? Maybe we save that for when we’re going to like a show or something.

Kenzie (Sam):

It could be like I was gaming with somebody, and we got into an altercation in the game and then somebody chucked their controller at my head.

Mads (Caleb):

No, but you’re going to be there with me and then they’ll think that I chucked a controller at your head.

Kenzie (Sam):

Why would they – okay, I won’t say anything.

Mads (Caleb):

I don’t want to do that. I don’t like that anymore.

Kenzie (Sam):

It was your idea!

Mads (Caleb):

Yeah I take back.

Kenzie (Sam):

Okay, fine.

Mads (Caleb):

Take backsies.

Kenzie (MC):

And they open their backpack and they just scoop a bunch of random shit into it. And they zip it up and they shut the locker door.

Mads:

I just slowly shake my head.

Brennan:

You guys hear,

Brennan (Sawyer):

Pssst. Hey.

Kenzie (Sam):

What? What the hell was that?

Mads (Caleb):

You can’t just sneak up on people like that.

Kenzie (Sam):

That’s what I said!

Brennan:

Sawyer is like tucked away like behind a column near by you guys. He’s like poking his head out.

Kenzie (Sam):

Why are you hiding?

Brennan (Sawyer):

Sssshhhh. Shush. Come here.

Mads:

I put my hand over my eyes.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Come here.

Brennan:

Head ducks away.

Kenzie (Sam):

Okay, what the hell? Okay.

Mads:

I close Sam’s locker for them and walk over.

Brennan:

Sawyer like grabs the both of them and huddles off to the side in this corner.

Brennan (Sawyer):

You haven’t seen Ivy or Natalie or Adam or –

Brennan:

Flashback to Sawyer coming into school like it’s fricken “Mission Impossible” (“Mission Impossible” theme) just hiding behind different locker that are open. They close. He goes in and puts his – he tries to mask in with a different group of like five people, spins off to the side behind some sort of counter and then ducks behind into another room.

Kenzie (MC):

I think you also flashback to when you got home, very late Saturday night, very early Sunday morning, after the Heart of Wildmoore debacle and whether you fell asleep immediately or saw them when you woke, or you answered them before you fell asleep, you have many notifications on your phone. And there are a lot from Natalie and they’re text message and they say.

Kenzie (Natalie Samuels):

Hey I’m here. Where are you are? Maybe you got caught up with the dinner. Um, just let me know. You can tell me about it.

Kenzie (MC):

Smiley face emoji.

Kenzie (Natalie):

Are you still coming? Are you okay? Did something happen? Okay, well, then I guess maybe another time.

Kenzie (MC):

And all of these messages came in over the span of an hour. You also had a few from Sam and it says,

Kenzie (Sam):

Were you serious about making a game? ‘Cause I think I have an idea. It’s probably stupid but I won’t know until I say it out loud. NO, no. It’s definitely stupid. Scratch that, don’t listen to me.

Kenzie (MC):

And then you have one text from Adam that you got later in the day on Sunday and it says,

Kenzie (Adam Mooore):

Hey… uh… Kush won’t answer my texts. Do you think you could help me out?

Brennan:

I probably would have been asleep during all of these. I think I typed something up to Natalie and then deleted it all and just left her on read. I said to Sam, just something along the lines of,

Brennan (Sawyer):

Hell no! We’re making a game. I’m so serious about this.

Brennan:

To Adam, I’ll say,

Brennan (Sawyer):

Kinda lost that contact.

Kenzie (MC):

And we come back to the moment in the hallway.

Brennan:

I grab the both of them.

Kenzie (Sam):

I haven’t seen any of them, but I’m sure if you need to see them we’re going to be in homeroom in five minutes.

Brennan (Sawyer):

I don’t think I’m going to go.

Mads (Caleb):

Go where?

Brennan (Sawyer):

To homeroom.

Mads (Caleb):

What?

Brennan (Sawyer):

Today.

Mads (Caleb):

Why not?

Brennan (Sawyer):

It’s so awkward and like, man, so many people hate me right now.

Kenzie (Sam):

You’re like in the school right now. We all can see you how are just not going to be in home room?

Brennan (Sawyer):

I’m just going to leave. I’m going to leave school. I’m going to ditch.

Mads (Caleb):

Why would you – you’re already here. You gotta save those absences for something else.

Kenzie (Sam):

Like if you jump off of a stage and smash your nose into the ground.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Yeah, you look pretty badass by the way.

Kenzie (Sam):

(laughs)

Brennan (Sawyer):

Looks cool.

Kenzie (MC):

They kind of blush a little bit.

Brennan (Sawyer):

I don’t know, I just, I, uh – homeroom’s going to be real awkward. Maybe I’ll just go to the nurse.

Kenzie (Sam):

You feelin’ sick?

Brennan (Sawyer):

Oh, super super sick. Like I’m going to throw up.

Kenzie (Sam):

Do you want me to walk you? Do you need a buddy?

Mads (Caleb):

Sam, go to homeroom. I’ll be there in a second.

Kenzie (Sam):

Ah I see, I see, I see how it is.

Mads (Caleb):

Just tell them that I’m taking Sawyer to the nurse ‘cause he looked like he was going to barf.

Kenzie (MC):

They narrow their eyes.

Kenzie (Sam):

Okay, but when we – Sawyer when we start coming up with ideas I don’t want you to be hidey, hidey that from me, okay?

Brennan (Sawyer):

Oh I won’t.

Kenzie (Sam):

I’ve got a good one to tell you.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Oh yeah, yeah, yeah. I want to hear it. Maybe just not –

Kenzie (Sam):

It’s not the one I texted you about because –

Brennan (Sawyer):

Yeah, you brainstormed.

Kenzie (Sam):

Yes.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Okay.

Kenzie (Sam):

I’m watching you.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Are they okay?

Mads (Caleb):

They’re fine. They’re just Sam.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Yeah, I’m not going to home room. Mm-mmm. Nope.

Mads (Caleb):

You’re so weird. You should go to the nurse though. You look like you’re going to pass out or like puke on your shoes or like both.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Yeah, I um, I also just feel like super in a daze right now. Like my pits are sweating and its cold. I feel like I’m not even really like – feel like I’m talking to you, but I’m not even really like talking to you and like…

Mads (Caleb):

Did you sleep at all? Like when I messaged you, like you answered really, really quickly. I thought you’d be out cold. You’re not –

Mads:

I like squint at Sawyer.

Mads (Caleb):

You’re not drinking, are you?

Brennan (Sawyer):

No, I just don’t do well when people don’t like me.

Mads (Caleb):

Ohhh.

Brennan (Sawyer):

It freaks me out.

April Consalo:

So, Ivy comes up the steps and its like she’s in slo-mo. Like the morning sun is streaming in and like backlights her hair. She has this freshly fed glow about her. Every hair is in place. Her little like plaid mini skirt is shorter than ever. She’s got the socks and eye liner as always. On her arm, is Natalie.

Kenzie (MC):

Ivy when you got back to your house, you finally got your phone back. You had some texts from Natalie. They said,

Kenzie (Natalie):

I know we haven’t really talked, but I know these dinner stress you out so… I guess I’m just thinking about you, hope everything goes okay.

Kenzie (MC):

And then not an emoji but a typed out smiley face. And then later that evening.

Kenzie (Natalie):

Also… I really miss you.

Kenzie (MC):

You got a text from Alina during the dinner as well.

Kenzie (Alina Kim):

Bitch if you need to decompress from family dinner, call me. Would love to not hang out with my parents anymore today. Love ya!

April:

So, first I respond to Alina and I say,

April (Ivy Duncan):

Not tonight. RIP. But let’s totally hang out on Monday?

April:

Heart, heart, heart.

April (Ivy Duncan):

I miss you so much, bitch.

April:

And then I text Natalie back and I say,

April (Ivy):

Hey, baby. I miss you so much too.

April:

Typed out frowny face.

April (Ivy Duncan):

Do you want to come over tonight? Tonight as in Sunday night lol. I know its super late. Thank you for thinking about me. Xoxo.

April:

And then Ivy does not sleep the whole night.

Kenzie (MC):

You don’t get a text back until about nine am the next morning. And it says,

Kenzie (Natalie):

Yeah, that’d be nice.

April:

I immediately see the text. Ivy never has her sound on but just like can kind of sense when it goes off from the little light up. But she doesn’t respond for about an hour and then she eventually says,

April (Ivy Duncan):

Come over at seven?

April:

With a little kissy emoji.

Kenzie (MC):

She hearts it and says,

Kenzie (Natalie):

Okay, I’ll see you soon.

April:

I heart that and then instead of going downstairs, I open my curtain and I look out into the yard. Do I see anyone?

Kenzie (MC):

You do not. The yard is lit by sunlight. The birds are chirping. And Kai is no where to be seen.

April:

I open my window anyway and pop the screen and climb out onto the highest point of the roof and just sit in the morning.

So Ivy’s walking in with Natalie on her arm, as she passes Sawyer and Caleb, you guys just get a waft of the combination of two girls’ perfume and I whisper in Natatlie’s ear and she giggles right as we pass you guys. But, as we are a few steps ahead of you, I do glance over my shoulder at both of you and make eye contact with each of you before looking back and heading toward homeroom.

Brennan:

Sawyer would have been looking at anywhere that’s not Ivy.

Mads:

Caleb, after everything happened was so out of it that he didn’t really realize why you ran away still, so whenever you walk by, like whenever he sees you, he says,

Mads (Caleb):

Ivy, Ivy are you?

Mads:

And then as you walk by us and you just give the little look and keep walking, I go,

Mads (Caleb):

Oh, Ivy?

Mads:

And I just kind of stare confused, mouth a little open. Caleb’s a nerd. He’s used to getting picked on and bullied and all of these other things but there’s something about how passive it was that he’s not as used to. So he just kinda watches you go. Little confused. Really hurt. I look over at Sawyer.

Mads (Caleb):

What? What was that?

Brennan (Sawyer):

That’s what I’m talking about. That’s why I’ve gone, you know, all John Wick today.

Mads:

I’m gonna lean in a little bit closer to Sawyer.

Mads (Caleb):

Did something happen with Ivy? With you? I mean I know what happened, I kind a like really know – it felt crazy by the way. That was weird. I wasn’t ready for that.

Brennan (Sawyer):

I am confused about what you know and what you think you know.

Mads (Caleb):

I am also confused about what I know and what I think I know. There was a thing in my backyard last night.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Oh yeah!

Mads (Caleb):

I’ve gotta a lot of question about a lot of things and like no answers to any of them. We should be walking you to the nurse.

Mads:

We’ll start walking to the nurses walking as we continue to talk.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Yeah, hmm, when you were getting bit.

Brennan:

And I’m just looking around while we’re walking.

Kenzie (MC):

There are people but they’re not necessarily paying attention to you.

Brennan (Sawyer):

(mumbling) I hit her in the face with a rock.

Mads (Caleb):

What?

Brennan (Sawyer):

I threw a sharp stone at her head.

Mads (Caleb):

What?

Brennan (Sawyer):

To get her off of you!

Mads (Caleb):

Why would you do that?

Brennan (Sawyer):

Because, because she was – she was doing what she was doing.

Mads (Caleb):

She was, she was, wait, hold on, hold on. You. You! And Adam. Both of you. She’s done that before.

Brennan (Sawyer):

I know but –

Mads (Caleb):

Did you throw a rock at her head then too?

Brennan (Sawyer):

I tried to throw a stick once!

Mads (Caleb):

Why would you do that?

Brennan (Sawyer):

This time was different.

Mads (Caleb):

Why?

Brennan (Sawyer):

With everything that was going on. With what was happening with you. With Ivy. I mean, Ivy was dry. She was completely dry. She had not sucked in a while.

Mads (Caleb):

Oh my god she’s totally sucked in a while are you kidding me? Have you seen her? Do you know how she acts? I mean like good for but I mean, like also –

Brennan (Sawyer):

It’s like the Grand Canyon.

Mads (Caleb):

Wait… are we talking about the same thing still?

Brennan (Sawyer):

Yeah, we’re talking about her –

Brennan:

And I point to my – the fangs.

Mads (Caleb):

Oh! That’s, that’s, okay that makes more sense, you know…

Brennan (Sawyer):

Yeah! What were you talking about?

Mads (Caleb):

So anyways, um –

Brennan (Sawyer):

But she was desperate and I didn’t know how much she as going to feed or what –

Mads (Caleb):

She was going to stop though. I told her to stop and she started to come out of it. She totally was coming out of it.

Brennan (Sawyer):

I saw something different.

Mads (Caleb):

Look I was kinda – I was a little in-between there for a minute, for a number of reasons but the main one being iron deficiency. But like I was fine. I had it under control.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Nobody was under control. And nobody is still.

Mads:

He looks like he’s about to cut in and say something and then pauses and like stares at his feet while both of them are walking and shoves his hands into the pockets of his hoodie.

Mads (Caleb):

Okay, maybe, maybe you’re a littel right.

Brennan (Sawyer):

I just did what I thought I had to do and I always do that and I don’t do it because I don’t like ivy. I fucking – I love Ivy. But I always do it and I think that I don’t do it the way that she needs and it goes wrong. Every time, she gets mad at me.

Mads (Caleb):

Have you ever like…

Mads:

Rolls his eyes up and closes them. Blinks a few times.

Mads (Caleb):

Please don’t take this to be like condescending. Have you ever talked to her about it?

Brennan (Sawyer):

Talked to her about what?

Mads (Caleb):

That you love her unconditionally. Have you ever told her that before?

Brennan (Sawyer):

No, why would I – she knows that. I don’t need to tell her that.

Mads (Caleb):

Dude.

Brennan (Sawyer):

It’s like – I just like –

Mads (Caleb):

You threw a rock at her head and she’s pissed. I don’t think she’s thinking about like the little subtle cues that you make. If you just tell her, I mean, maybe not right now. She seems kinda ehhhhh.

Brennan (Sawyer):

That’s the problem though. It’s every time I feel like I need to talk to her she’s like, uh… it’s like if I say one thing wrong then I ruin everything.

Mads (Caleb):

You don’t ruin everything, Sawyer. That’s like statistically impossible.

Brennan (Caleb):

That’s actually helpful to know.

Mads (Caleb):

Sam taught me that. It helps keep some of the not so good thoughts out of my head.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Sam’s a logical thinker, huh?

Mads (Caleb):

Super. I mean like, Sam’s kinda like all over the place, but solid noggin. It was more solid maybe like a month ago.

Kenzie (MC);

The bell rings to start the day.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Oh shit – what if like, uh, what if you helped me like rehearse. Like if I tried to say what I should say and then you just tell me like that’s bad, like don’t say it like that. Or like that works.

Mads (Caleb):

I mean, yeah, I can do that. If its anywhere outside of school though, I don’t think your parents want me near you.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Well, they don’t have to know. They won’t know.

Mads (Caleb):

So, we’re gonna like sneak out.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Oh yeah, do you think your parents would rat on me?

Mads (Caleb):

I mean it’s a hit or miss if they’re home sometimes, but, I don’t know.

Brennan (Sawyer):

We could go to Sam’s?

Mads (Caleb):

We could just go to the woods.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Let’s go to the woods.

Mads (Caleb):

Yeah.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Alright, nurse’s office.

Kenzie (MC):

You guys pull up into the main administrative offices where the nurses’ office is and the secretary goes,

Kenzie (Secretary):

You boys are going to be late to class.

Brennan (Sawyer):

I don’t feel so good.

Kenzie (Secretary):

Oh, oh, well –

Mads (Caleb):

He thinks he’s going to puke.

Kenzie (Secretary):

Okay well right in there. And there’s a trash can in the nurse’s office.

Brennan:

Sawyer will like semi rush forward, trying to sell it a little bit extra.

Kenzie (Secretary):

And you are?

Mads (Caleb):

Uh, the chaperone. Um…. I’m gonna…

Mads:

I look at like Sawyer’s retreating form.

Mads (Caleb):

Go to homeroom.

Kenzie (Secretary):

Yes you are!

Mads (Caleb):

Thank you! Bye Sawyer.

Brennan (Sawyer):

See ya! (fake groans)

Mads:

I quickly like hustle back to class because I still am a good student.

Kenzie (MC):

You make it back to class in the midst of the morning announcements happening and when they come to an end Mr. Mashburn says,

Kenzie (Mr. Mashburn):

Katrina, I believe you have an announcement before we begin.

Kenzie (MC):

And Katrina Griffiths stands up, brushes at her skirt, fidgets with a stack of cards in her hands and a small, polite smile comes onto her face and she says,

Kenzie (Katrina Griffiths):

Hi, everyone. So, I was thinking while we have grieved and mourned in our own way it is vital to community healing to join together after a tragedy.

Kenzie (MC):

And she begins passing these cards down the rows.

Kenzie (Katrina):

So, I thought we should hold a vigil in honor or Ryan. I got permission from the Athletic Association to use the football field on Wednesday night. Everyone in the school is invited. His parents are going to come and they might speak and it would be so wonderful for them if they could the support that we, as a student body, can offer their family during this sad time.

Kenzie (MC):

She waits for everyone to take a card and look at them. Its just an invitation detailing the time and place of the event and then she takes her seat. Ivy I think in your inspection of this card, you turn it over and in quite small lettering at the bottom, but still legible its says, “Vote Katrina Griffiths Homecoming Court.”

April:

A first, when Katrina brings this up, she kinda falls – her face falls a little bit. As she receives the card and flips it over and sees that text, she can’t help but tilt her chin up at Katrina at the front of the room.

April (Ivy):

Oh, um, Katrina?

Kenzie (Katrina):

Yes?

April (Ivy):

I just wanted to let you know, I think you, um, I think you misprinted. I think you printed two things on the same pieces of paper. Um, your Homecoming Court advertisement, announcement, I don’t think anyone here even knew that you were running but its on the same thing.

Kenzie (MC):

Her face starts to heat up and get red.

April (Ivy):

And I know that you would not ever use a tragedy of this magnitude as an advertisement for Homecoming Court so I just wanted to let you know so that we can all, you know, hold onto these so you don’t spread more around the school.

Kenzie (Katrina):

Actually, Ivy, for your information, instead of printing my Homecoming cards, I thought this was more important. Sorry that I was recycling.

April:

Ivy flips her hair and tucks one of her shoes up on the back of Natalie’s chair.

April (Ivy):

Oh, yeah, sure! I just wanted to make sure you were aware.

Kenzie (MC):

I think I want you to roll to Shut Someone Down.

April:

I got a nine.

Kenzie (MC):

They lose a string on you, if they have no strings on you, you get one on them. They get a condition or you take one Forward to your next roll. But, because of your roll, there will be a reaction to you and they also give you a condition.

April:

Ivy, after she says that to Katrina, she says,

April (Ivy):

I know, babe, I know you were recycling. There’s no way you would be so tacky as to advertise yourself on the back of Ryan’s memorial invite.

Kenzie (MC):

She loses her composure a little bit at that.

Kenzie (Katrina):

Well, Ivy thanks for proving what we all knew, that you’re a spiteful bitch.

Kenzie (MC):

And Mr. Mashburn says,

Kenzie (Mr. Mashburn):

Ladies! Ladies! Both of you settle down. Take your seat, Katrina, that’s going to get you a detention.

April:

Ivy just laughs, quietly. Not enough to get her in more trouble with Mashburn but enough that Katrina can see it and it really does not bother her. That is not the first or last time that Ivy has been called a spiteful bitch. As she sits down, Ivy just takes her ballpoint pen and twists it in the back of Natalie’s hair a little bit.

Kenzie (MC):

At the end of class as everybody’s leaving the room, you hear Katrina leaning over Mr. Mashburn’s death, imploring him to not give her a detention because it will marr her record.

Kenzie (MC):

Sawyer –

Brennan:

Yeah, I’m just trying to stall until homeroom is over.

Kenzie (MC):

She gives you some Tums and is like,

Kenzie (Nurse):

Maybe, maybe don’t eat so immediately after you wake up. Because that does it to me sometimes.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Oh, yeah, you know I had a bunch of yogurt and then –

Brennan:

Do I hear the bell?

Kenzie (MC):

Yeah, the bell goes off.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Anyways! I think I’m feeling a lot better. I’ll take these Tums – cherry flavored – and then, um, I’ll come back if I need more.

Kenzie (MC):

You guys make it through your morning classes and the lunch bell rings.

Mads:

We’re kicking it in the art room. I’m fiddling around on my phone, trying to zoom in the weird, creepy picture and trying to see if I can focus it and messing around with the camera functions and stuff like that. Trying to see if I can enhance, enhance (laughs). It’s not working. It’s just blowing the image out more.

Kenzie (MC):

Damian was just popping grapes in his mouth and eventually after a few minutes of you doing that goes,

Kenzie (Damian Evans):

Caleb, you’re being rather anti-social today.

Mads (Caleb):

What? (mumbling)

Kenzie (Damian):

What are you doing?

Mads (Caleb):

None of your business – actually wait, do you know how to enhance images? On phones? Like really grainy quality images? Do you know how to make ‘em –

Kenzie (MC):

He looks at Farrow, the kid next to him, and is like,

Kenzie (Damian):

Do I know how to (scoffs) Caleb, you’re talking to the conspiracy theory export. Of course I know how to enhance an image.

Mads:

I think for all of like point three seconds and I’m shoving my phone at Damian.

Kenzie (Damian):

Oh, yeah, okay, can I send this to myself so I can get it on my laptop?

Mads (Caleb):

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Kenzie (Damian):

Alright.

Kenzie (MC):

Sends the photo to himself. Gives you your phone back. Opens up his laptop. Just typing keys, tying keys.

Kenzie (Damian):

You should like, before you take a picture like this in the future though, like make sure you change the settings on your phone to get the picture. ‘Cause that’ll just make this a lot easier afterwards.

Mads (Caleb):

Okay, well, it was late. I woke up in the middle of the night. My cat was freaknig out looking out my window. I looked out side and there was a thing out there that shouldn’t have been there and I kinda – I had the forethought to turn the flash off because I didn’t want it to like know that I saw it but I think it knew.

Kenzie (MC):

His attention is pulled away from the computer as you start describing this.

Kenzie (Damian):

Caleb, are you talking to me about aliens?

Mads (Caleb):

No. No.

Kenzie (Damian):

Because I think – have you seen my video about it?

Mads:

I think about it for a minute and I remember him sending me a video and then like replying to it being like, wow, exclamation point. I didn’t watch it.

Kenzie (Damian):

So, if you – you should watch it again though because like, in this video, I, man, there’s some freaky shit in this town man. I know that there has been many a sighting of something that could indicate aliens so if you’re coming her and telling me that you saw something late at night, in the dark, in your yard that didn’t belong there. First thought: aliens.

Mads (Caleb):

I mean it could’ve also been a bear but not this one! Because like the shape wasn’t and if it was a bear I would know it was a bear and –

Kenzie (Damian):

Weird shape that’s not an animal? Alien.

Mads (Caleb):

It’s not an alien.

Kenzie (Damian):

How do you know? Caleb, how do you know? Did you go talk to it?

Mads (Caleb):

Well, how do you know it’s not something else? There’s other stuff that isn’t aliens.

Kenzie (Damian):

Well, I know, but I’m sure it wasn’t Bigfoot in your front yard.

Mads (Caleb):

Well, how can you be so sure it wasn’t Bigfoot?

Kenzie (Damian):

Because you just said it didn’t look like a bear and like Bigfoot kinda looks like a bear.

Mads (Caleb):

He’s more human shape than bear. I’m gonna prove to you that this is an alien. I’m gonna prove it.

Kenzie (MC):

And he gets back to hitting the keys real hard.

Mads:

I’m kinda like looking over his shoulder to see what exactly he’s doing to make it look more picture and less blob.

Kenzie (MC):

It looks like a lot of trial and error. Like flipping through settings and scrolling things to see what it does to the photo. And eventually he goes,

Kenzie (Damian):

Okay, like, usually it’s not this difficult. Did you just take a picture of a shadow?

Mads (Caleb):

No. I thought you were the expert at this.

Kenzie (Damian):

Well, it looks like it’s a shadow!

Mads (Caleb):

Well, it kinda looked like a shadow but like it was like person sized and person shaped but also a shadow. Also, it like kinda like evaporated.

Kenzie (Damian):

Is this the only time you’ve ever seen this?

Mads (Caleb):

Yeah.

Kenzie (Damian):

You sure?

Mads:

I think really hard.

Mads (Caleb):

There was this one time a couple years ago that I thought something was like watching me like whenever I was sleeping. But I thought that it was just me making stuff up.

Kenzie (Damian):

Sandman. Okay.

Mads (Caleb):

Sandman? Wait, how do you go from aliens to Sandman?

Kenzie (Damian):

Watching you in your sleep.

Mads (Caleb):

Are you gonna tell me it was the Tooth Fairy outside next? The Easter Bunny?

Kenzie (Damian):

It’s not like the Sandman like in the song, Caleb. It’s like a creepy folklore.

Mads (Caleb):

What does it do?

Kenzie (Damian):

Watching you in your sleep and then gives you nightmares. This doesn’t really sound like the Sandman after all now that I say it out loud.

Mads (Caleb):

Wait… it gives you nightmares?

Kenzie (Damian):

Yeah.

Mads (Caleb):

I mean I don’t really remember what I was dreaming but I was freaked out whenever I woke up but that was more just ‘cause there was a thing in my yard but –

Kenzie (Damian):

Yeah, no like usually you wouldn’t know it was the Sandman because you’re asleep so, that’s how the Sandman gets away with it all the time.

Mads (Caleb):

Right.

Kenzie (Damian):

Yeah, sorry I couldn’t help anymore. This was just a really bad photo that you presented.

Mads (Caleb):

I’ll get better at it then if this thing comes to find me again and doesn’t kill me next time. Thanks for trying.

Kenzie (Damian):

You’re welcome.

Kenzie (MC):

The door to the art room is like busted open and there’s this harried looking individual, backpack slung over one shoulder, breathing heavy as if they had just ran up the stairs which they probably did and you just hear,

Kenzie (Amon Bushari):

Caleb?

Kenzie (MC):

And their fingers are just pointing around vaguely until they land on you.

Kenzie (Amon):

Yes, Caleb, there you are.

Kenzie (MC):

And you know this kid. Amon Bushari. He’s the layout editor of the Wyvern Weekly as well as doing the same job for the yearbook staff. And he says,

Kenzie (Amon):

Hey, uh, you haven’t gotten an assignment yet, right?

Mads (Caleb):

No, I just kinda like just signed up so I don’t really have the - did I do something wrong?

Kenzie (Amon):

No, no, no. I’ve got like a massive calc test on Thursday. Can you cover for me at the vigil because I was supposed to take photos and they want to do like a commemoration page for Ryan at the end of the year so they need some shots from that.

Mads (Caleb):

Oh, well, I don’t have a camera so I don’t know if I –

Kenzie (Amon):

You can just use this one. This is one of the Yearbook ones. Here, just use this one.

Mads (Caleb):

Oh right! Cool, thank you.

Kenzie (Amon):

It’s not until Wednesday. You’ve got a couple days.

Mads (Caleb):

Yeah, sure. I got it. I totally – thank, thank you.

Kenzie (Amon):

Awesome. Cool. You good?

Mads (Caleb):

Totally.

Kenzie (Amon):

Appreciate it. Big help. I will – you get full credit, man. Full credit.

Mads (Caleb):

Oh – okay. Okay. Th – thank you.

Kenzie (MC):

And he runs out of the room.

Mads:

I just hold this camera awkwardly in my hands like I’m going to break it.

Kenzie (MC):

It’s nothing like super duper fancy. It’s probably little bit bigger than what you’re used to and has a case with it that has an extra lens in it.

Mads:

I look over at Sam.

Kenzie (Sam):

That’s pretty cool.

Mads (Caleb):

Ahhhh.

Mads:

And I hold up an awkward thumbs up. Sam knows how excited I am about this but I don’t know how to show it without geeking out too much and even though the art room group that we have for lunch kind of knows that we’re huge geeks, there’s still a semblance of some level of chill that I want to keep. I’m not doing well at it.

Kenzie (Sam):

I don’t think I’ve seen any of your photos in a really long time.

Mads (Caleb):

No, I mean, I haven’t really done anything lately. I’ve been a little busy.

Kenzie (Sam):

It’ll be cool to see photos. I don’t know if it’ll be cool to see photos of a vigil for a dead kid.

Kenzie (MC):

The kid Farrow goes,

Kenzie (Farrow):

I mean I’ve seen photos of dead people. Not that big of a deal.

Mads (Caleb):

Like willingly?

Kenzie (MC):

They look a little bit taken aback that they said this out loud and they go,

Kenzie (Farrow):

Well, I didn’t go like looking for photos of dead people but like I’ve seen ‘em.

Mads (Caleb):

Like in a history book.

Kenzie (Farrow):

Yep!

Mads (Caleb):

So as much as the rest of us.

Kenzie (Farrow):

Sound about right!

Mads (Caleb):

Okay.

Mads:

This is like probably the sixth full sentence conversation I’ve had with Farrow since I’ve met them. And every conversation we’ve had has sort of gone like this. I just give them a really awkward like thumbs up and look down at my camera.

Kenzie (MC):

Sam is bug eyed and they’re like,

Kenzie (Sam):

Wait a second, are we gonna see Ryan Bishop’s dead body at this vigil?

Mads (Caleb):

Sam.

Kenzie (Sam):

Well, they just said!

Mads (Caleb):

Sam, have you never been to a funeral before?

Kenzie (Sam):

Yeah.

Mads (Caleb):

Then you’ve seen a dead person before

Kenzie (Sam):

Yeah, but I believe that Ryan Bishop was already buried so I think it would be pretty striking for anybody to see his dead body at this vigil.

Mads (Caleb):

Well, I don’t know if – he kinda got like really, really screwed up. Like he –

Kenzie (Sam):

But they had the funeral. So he’s in the ground and if I were to see his dead body at the vigil, I think I would be pretty afraid of it.

Mads (Caleb):

Right, they’d have to unearth it.

Kenzie (Sam):

Or he’s a zombie.

Mads (Caleb):

That’s not real.

Kenzie (Sam):

No, but like, do you ever just think about it?

Mads (Caleb):

About zombies?

Kenzie (Sam):

Yeah.

Mads (Caleb):

I mean, yes, have you seen my comic book collection?

Kenzie (Sam):

Yes.

Mads (Caleb):

Exactly.

Kenzie (Sam):

Okay. I was just checking.

Mads (Caleb):

But not like real life, like that’s just like a comic book.

Kenzie (Sam):

But like it doesn’t just scare you a little bit like what if?

Mads (Caleb):

No. There are scarier things in the world.

Kenzie (Sam):

My uncle used to play this game with me a lot. He would often be like, “Hey, Sam, come here!” and I would trot on over and he would be like, “Sam, what if, you got locked in your closest and your parents thought you were at school, but you were stuck in there for seven days?” (laughs) And I was like, “I would die because I would starve.” And then he would be like, “Hey, Sam, come here!” And I would come on over and he would be like, “What if you decided to drive your car on the highway?” I was eight years old. And I said, “Well, I would probably die because I don’t know how to drive.” And then he said, “Hey, Sam, come here!” And I came over and he said, “What if you thought that the cleaning solution under the sink was the blue fizzy drink from the movie theater?” And I said, “Why would I think that?” And he said, “It’s a what if! It doesn’t matter! There’s no logic.” And I was like, “Okay! I would die because that’s poisonous.” So you never think of like a what if? What if there’s a zombie that comes out – I would die because it would eat my brains.

Mads (Caleb):

Okay, okay, Sam. Sam. Sam?

Kenzie (Sam):

Yeah? What?

Mads (Caleb):

Few things there.

Kenzie (Sam):

Mm-hmm.

Mads (Caleb):

Few things. I’m just gonna one by one. I’m just gonna go through ‘em. I know I’ve said this like a lot, your uncle’s weird. Like really weird. Like weirder than most weird people are.

Kenzie (Sam):

Yeah, to be perfectly honest I’m not sure exactly how he’s my uncle because I don’t think he’s my mom’s brother and I don’t think he’s my dad’s brother bur he’s related to me somehow because my grandmother treats him like a kid. Her kid.

Mads (Caleb):

Circling back around. You think about death more than the average person. And that’s a little concerning.

Kenzie (Sam):

I don’t know if that’s true. I don’t usually think about death.

Mads (Caleb):

Well, like most hypothetical like situations like that for little kids and stuff like that – I think especially like the car one, what if you drove on the highway? They’d be like, oh I’m gonna go to Burger King. I’m gonna, like, I’m gonna got to the park. I’m gonna do all these other things.

Kenzie (Sam):

I wouldn’t even make it because I’d probably back into or I’d probably like –

Mads (Caleb):

Because you’re thinking about death.

Kenzie (Sam):

No, no, no, it’s just if I got in a car as an eight year old, not knowing how to drive – I still don’t know how to drive by the way – but if I got in a car as an eight year old, having no idea how to drive, I wouldn’t know how to fix the seat so I could see out of the windshield. I probably couldn’t really reach the pedals so I’m going to be slouched trying to hit one. I know I’m going to hit it with all of my might because I don’t really have control, like that much control over my muscle movements, and so I’m just going to smash it and it’s probably going to be the wrong one, or if I hit the break, I’m going to be like, that’s not it. And I’m going to hit the gas and then I probably don’t know how to change the gear really so it’s just going to go straight through the wall. So I probably wouldn’t even make it to the highway.

Kenzie (MC):

Naia looks up from where she has been drawing in a notebook and says,

Kenzie (Naia Luna):

He’s got a point.

Mads (Caleb):

Yeah.

Kenzie (Naia):

And it’s also not a bad thing to think about death.

Mads (Caleb):

It’s not bad – its just like a bit of a focus on it maybe.

Kenzie (Sam):

Okay, fine then. Somebody else give me a hypothetical situation and it won’t be about death.

Mads (Caleb):

Purely hypothetical situation –

Kenzie (Sam):

It’s gotta be a what if. You gotta do what if.

Mads (Caleb):

What if, okay, what if we, what if I signed you up for Homecoming Court? What if that? What would you do?

Kenzie (Sam):

Well, I think if you signed me up for Homecoming Court, nobody would vote for me, possibly could make fun of me, I would become socially ostracized and then I would leave the school. Resulting in a deep depression that might lead to something worse. But I’m not gonna say it ‘cause you said I wasn’t allowed to.

Mads (Caleb):

There it is. Okay.

Kenzie (Sam):

I do see how I cycle. I do see now – ‘cause I could’ve stayed with just the social ostracization. I could’ve stopped there. But I didn’t. I kept going.

Mads (Caleb):

Still a what if. We could like rebrand you. Like I mean…

Mads:

And I look down at the camera that I’m holding.

Mads (Caleb):

I know like my first big thing, the scoop, is supposed to be this vigil thing but I can do other stories too. We could talk about how you recovered from a concussion after getting super beat up.

Kenzie (Sam):

And this would involve a photoshoot?

Mads (Caleb):

Yeah, we could do a photoshoot.

Kenzie (Sam):

I’ve never done a photoshoot. That would be so much fun.

Mads (Caleb):

I’ve never done a photoshoot like that before.

Kenzie (Sam):

Hey do you think if we did a photoshoot I could – I don’t , I don’t think I have her number – do you think if we did a photoshoot, you could text Ivy, and then she could like do my makeup?

Mads (Caleb):

Uhhhhh, well –

Kenzie (Sam):

I guess we haven’t really talked since the party but we had a good time. But I guess we’re not really friends so that might be a weird question to ask her.

Mads (Caleb):

No. No. Ivy is – I think she’s kinda going through something right now.

April:

At that moment, she comes into the art room and she goes,

April (Ivy):

Naia! Hey! I have been looking everywhere for you.

Kenzie (Naia):

H – Hi.

April:

She like walks right up to Naia’s table and like leans fully onto the table.

Kenzie (MC):

Naia moves her – puts her hands on her notebook and moves it back. And she kinda leans back a little bit.

April:

Ivy tilts her head to one side.

April (Ivy):

I have been meaning to apologize actually for –

Kenzie (Naia):

Oh?

April (Ivy):

For the way that, you know…

Kenzie (Naia):

You left two weeks ago and then kinda have ignored my existence.

April (Ivy):

Yeah, it was really not cool of me. Um, but you know –

Kenzie (Naia):

But that’s kinda like the MO.

April (Ivy):

Who told you that?

Kenzie (Naia):

It just feels like that’s what we do.

April (Ivy):

Well, can we stop doing that? And hang out tonight?

Kenzie (Naia):

Uhhh, yeah, I don’t think I have anything going on tonight.

April (Ivy):

Cool. Um, great. I will text you.

Kenzie (Naia):

Okay.

April (Ivy):

Great, um, yeah. See you later.

Kenzie (Naia):

Yeah, okay, I’ll wait on your text.

April (Ivy):

Please do. Hi, Sam.

Kenzie (Sam):

Ivy I was literally just talking about you?

April (Ivy):

Really?

Kenzie (Sam):

Yeah, because Caleb’s going to do a photoshoot for me and I thought you could do my makeup.

April:

Ivy glances over at Caleb and her smile falters for just a second. But when she turns back to Sam, it is bright again. She says,

April (Ivy):

Yeah, um I don’t see why not. I’m a little busy this week but Sam, you – you give me a call, okay?

Kenzie (Sam):

Um, I don’t –

Kenzie (MC):

They fumble in their pocket.

Kenzie (Sam):

I don’t have your number!

Kenzie (MC):

And they hold their phone out to you.

April (Ivy):

(laughs) Sure.

April:

And Ivy quickly inputs her number. Ivy with like a green heart next to it.

April (Ivy):

Uh, cool. Alright. I’m gonna go.

Kenzie (MC):

You leave the room and you hear Sam go,

Kenzie (Sam):

Doesn’t she somehow look like she’s always glowing.

Mads:

As you go to leave the room, Caleb kinda like straightens up like he’s about ot say something and then looks back at Sam,

Mads (Caleb):

Yeah, she does have that way about her. Um, can you, um, just watch this.

Mads:

I’m going to put the camera down on the table and then awkwardly fumble out of my seat and see if I can follow Ivy into the hallway.

Mads (Caleb):

Hey, hey, Ivy!

April:

You just hear like two girls giggling around the corner.

Mads:

I take a step forward and then there’s like that gnawing, terrible feeling that I’m still not used to be cause I’m used to people being aggressive toward me and not passive aggressive toward me and it clenches up something in my stomach that roots it way up into my chest and I just feel cold and hot at the same time and I falter a little bit and I go,

Mads (Caleb):

Nevermind.

Brennan:

Just before Caleb gets back into the art room. Like you’re reaching for the door. You hear,

Brennan (Sawyer):

Psssssst. Hey.

Mads:

I’m like in my own fucking head right now. Like so deep and so down and all these other things. And I’m reacing for the door handle and I just go,

Mads (Caleb):

(sighs)

Mads:

I look up at the ceiling. I know it has to be Sawyer. It has to be Sawyer. How ridiculous he is. The absurdity of everything that he is. Getting my heart kind of crushed seconds ago. I turn around.

Brennan:

He like behind the skinny lockers at the end where you can kind of see his feet sticking out from under but his head is just leaning up against the wall and peaking out.

Mads:

Caleb’s face scrunches up a little bit and he bites his bottom lip and looks up at the ceiling again. And there’s just this overwhelming fondness. He shakes his head out, walks over. Just blatantly. Doesn’t try to be sneaky.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Hey. Uh. Is she gone?

Mads (Caleb):

Hey. Oh, uh, she’s –

Mads:

I look over my shoulder, back to Sawyer.

Mads (Caleb):

She doesn’t matter. You’re okay? You went to the nurse an everything.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Oh yeah, she gave me some Tums. They tasted good.

Mads (Caleb):

Ewww.

Brennan (Sawyer):

You don’t like it.

Mads (Caleb):

No. It’s like chalky and gritty on your teeth.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Yeah, I kinda like the chalky, the chalky candies. Like you know when you go to one of those old school – what are we talking about!? I was following around ‘cause I was thinking like, man, I should probably keep eyes on her because I feel like I’d freak out if I lost eyes on her. But now, I think – I was thinking about something.

Mads (Caleb):

What were you thinking about?

Brennan (Sawyer):

What am I doing? Why am I worried about Ivy – why am I – we have to find Sarah!

Mads (Caleb):

Yeah.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Why are we even in school?

Mads (Caleb):

We’re sophomores…

Brennan (Sawyer):

I feel like we gotta on the hunt. We gotta be like – get our magnifying glasses and do what it takes, you know! Go to the depths that people haven’t seen, you know?

Mads (Caleb):

Sawyer, I –

Brennan (Sawyer):

I like cross my arms over my chest and reach up one of my hands to pinch between my brow.

Mads (Caleb):

Supposedly, my parents have known that she’s been missing for months and they haven’t been able to rack her down. And I don’t want to say that maybe we have our shit together more than my parents do, but how are we supposed to find her?

Brennan (Sawyer):

Well, I was thinking a couple things. I was thinking, um, I know its probably been searched a does times over and things have changed since that night, but maybe we should go to where Ryan was killed and just look for something that only we would know about, you know? And then after that, we can – I think there are a few people we need to talk to but –

Mads (Caleb):

Who?

Brennan (Sawyer):

We might need to talk to Adam. We might need to talk to Ivy. Might need to talk to Big D and Little D.

Mads (Caleb):

I think Adam screwed up. He’s really screwed up. And I am less pissed off with him a little bit than before I knew why he was screwed up. But he’s still not in his right mind when he’s able to be him and I don’t know how much information he can give us. Ivy – Ivy is doing something that I guess she’s always done and I just never noticed because it was never directed at me and the Duncans? You think they want to look at me right now?

Brennan (Sawyer):

I don’t know what else to do if its just us.

Mads (Caleb):

Well, we can go to the scene of the crime, see what we can dig up.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Does you aunt have like, I don’t know, like a safe or something, something where she keeps like I don’t know, my parents have a safe and they keep all their money and tax records and stuff. But like would she have something where she keeps her secrets?

Mads (Caleb):

How much do you know about my Autn Sarah?

Brennan (Sawyer):

Really, not that much.

Mads:

I like look around and I’m going to grab onto like the side of your arm and kind of shuffle you so that we’re going into a more secluded hallway.

Kenzie (MC):

I think that you can probably find a doorway to a classroom that’s not being used where its like a little bit of an alcove between the hallway and the door.

Mads:

I’m going to cross my arms and lean against the doorway but kind of cant my head forward a little bit, trying to keep my voice low.

Mads (Caleb):

My Aunt Sarah. She’s – she’s great. Like the fun aunt. She would take me and Adam to movies and concerts, plays. She’s really artsy. She really liked that kind of stuff. And whenever I started to like that kind of stuff too, she was really supportive of it and it was cool because my parents were really into Adam and his sports and his life and his whatever. It was nice, okay? She struggled though. I remember she had this partner when I was really young and I think something bad happened between them, my parents never talked about it again. It was just – we just didn’t talk about it much. She would always come to my dad and ask for money and other things. My family has land, property, stuff. But they’re not like your family or Ivy’s family with that. It could get a little tough sometimes. I could hear my parents when they thought I was asleep. They would talk about Sarah like she, like she was a kid sometimes. Even though she was – I mean, her and my dad were twins. They were like the same age. It’s not like she was a child. But he worried about her a lot. When we got older, she got a little more distant. I figured she was just doing her own thing. I mean, we were doing our own things. I was gone most of the time, school. She’d still write letters though. She’d wish me happy birthday. I haven’t gotten noe in a while. I don’t know where she’d keep anything secret if she had it. Does that answer your question?

Brennan (Sawyer):

I sure hope she’s okay.

Mads (Caleb):

Yeah. I feel kind bad that I didn’t look into this sooner.

Brennan (Sawyer):

I don’t think that there’s any way you really could’ve known.

Mads (Caleb):

Still. She’s my Aunt Sarah. I love her. I don’t like to think that she’s the reason that this is going on.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Well…

Mads (Caleb):

And I’ll put my hand on the outside of your shoulder.

Brennan (Sawyer):

We just have to find her then. I think maybe we stop thinking about it like we’re trying to find her and try to find maybe what she was following or investigating.

Mads (Caleb):

Yeah, I mean that stuff that we saw, the stuff with Adam and how its connected sort of, that couldn’t have just come up overnight. Even the matter of like a few months. That has to have been around. Maybe she was looking into it. I mean, she is the bearer. She does have some responsibility, I just don’t think my parents think she does.

Brennan (Sawyer):

What if she was like Sherlock and we’re both like Watson? And Ivy can be Watson too once she wants to be.

Mads (Caleb):

We’re picking up a little too many Watsons.

Brennan (Sawyer):

It’s like a one person – I know its like one person.

Mads (Caleb):

Like a solo situation.

Brennan (Sawyer):

I don’t really know any other detectives.

Mads (Caleb):

But they have Moriarty but he’s like –

Brennan (Sawyer):

He’s the bad one, yeah. Like the Great Mouse Detective. The cartoon.

Mads (Caleb):

I’m gonna lend you some books, I think.

Kenzie (MC):

There is an echoing of dings that go off. Coming out of classrooms. Coimng up from the courtyard. Just bouncing off the linoleum walls and floors. Ivy you get a text from Naia.

April:

Ivy hears her phone go off and without fully lifting her mouth from Natalie’s neck, she takes her phone out of her purse and reads it over Natalie’s shoulder.

Kenzie (Naia):

Are you sure I’m the one you want to come over tonight?

April:

She like breaks away from Natalie’s skin just long enough to be like,

April (Ivy):

Fuck.

Kenzie (MC):

Underneath the text is a link to a TikTok.

April:

She pulls away from Natalie.

April (Ivy):

Hey, um, sorry. I have to pee.

Kenzie (Natalie):

Oh, um…

Kenzie (MC):

Natalie’s face is flushed and she like almost can’t meet your eyes and she says,

Kenzie (Natalie):

Uh, yeah, um, I’ll just wait here.

April (Ivy):

Great, be right back.

April:

And she kinda like twirls her skirt as she leaves and then as soon as she’s out of Natalie’s sight, she kinda drops more into herself. Like the smile immediately disappears and even her gait changes a little bit as she rushes to the bathroom. She immediately locks herself in a stall and opens the Tiktok.

Kenzie (MC):

Sam peaks their head out of the art room door and just goes,

Kenzie (Sam):

Caleb, Caleb where are you!?

Mads:

I hear their voice echoing down the hallway, after, I’m assuming we probably stepped out of this classroom a little bit, from all of the ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, like everything going off at once being like,

Mads (Caleb):

What is going on? What?

Kenzie (Sam):

Caleb! Caleb!

Kenzie (MC):

And they have their phone shunted out of their hand too pointed toward you.

Mads (Caleb):

Sawyer, we can talk about this later –

Brennan (Sawyer):

Okay.

Mads (Caleb):

I gotta go.

Brennan (Sawyer):

I’ll see you after school.

Mads (Caleb):

Yeah, sure right.

Brennan (Sawyer):

I’ll text you. Bye, Sam.

Kenzie (Sam):

Bye, Sawyer.

Brennan:

Puts up a binder over his face and just walks forward down the hall.

Kenzie (MC):

As you come closer Sam goes,

Kenzie (Sam):

Caleb did you know about this?

Kenzie (MC):

And on the screen is a paused TikTok video.

Mads:

I restart it.

Kenzie (MC):

Sawyer, your phone goes off. It’s a text message from Natalie that says,

Kenzie (Natalie):

Hey… um, just saw this. Thought you should know.

Kenzie (MC):

And it’s a linked TikTok video.

Brennan:

I’m gonna throw up. I’m gonna click on it.

Kenzie (MC):

So there have been a number of TikToks added to this account. At least once per day since the party has happened. There’s been a few that have gotten big enough to reach your periphery, there was one that was taken in a hallway. Adam shoving White Widow into the lockers. The voices in that video are too far away to be heard clearly but you can hear the bang of the locker as she hits it and the caption to that one read, “Oh how the mighty have fallen so low. Addiction isn’t a joke. But Adam Moore sure is.”

There was another one that was taken from around the corner of a row of lockers in a locker room and Joe Batista is sitting on a bench, folded into himself, sniffling, crying. And the caption of that one read, “Poor Joe. Ryan’s dead now so everyone had to move on from your dead dad.”

And then this one that you all press and listen to. The exterior of Blackthorn Manor, the sun starting to set, cars parked on both sides of the street. Two individuals outside. Clear as day, Ivy Duncan and Adam Moore. Clear as day that they are kissing. And more than clear that Ivy initiated it. And the caption under this video reads, “Well, this’ll make for a very interesting love triangle, or is it a square, or a pentagram? So sorry, pentagon. That’s the word. There’s more than a few names that come to mind that might not be very happy this reunion.”

The day before, coming down from hooking up with Kai. All of the bullshit that happened with your families and you text Natalie, that morning, to come over and she agrees. So, the doorbell rings, the chime sounding throughout Blackthorn Manor.

April:

Ivy is in disarray but this is purposeful. She doesn’t allow anyone to see her without eyeliner, without a fit, unless she really wants them too. So, she’s in her version of disarray which is still like a matching pajama set and her hair is still brushed, she still looks good. But she opens the door and she just goes,

April (Ivy):

Hey…

Kenzie (MC):

Natalie is standing at the door, hands clasped in front of her. Not really dressed up in anyway. She just has on like short and a unfitted T-shirt and she kind of reflects your energy and she says,

Kenzie (Natalie):

Hey.

April (Ivy):

God, last night was really rough. Um, I don’t know if you and Sawyer maybe talked about it.

Kenzie (Natalie):

No, he’s not like the best texter.

April (Ivy):

No, he’s not. Um, well, do you want to come in and we can talk?

Kenzie (MC):

She kind of just looks behind her. There’s not anything there. It just feels like a nervous tick of sorts and follows you through the front door.

Kenzie (Natalie):

It feels like its been a long time since I’ve been here.

April (Ivy):

Yeah, that’s, that’s my fault.

April:

Ivy like reaches back and kind of takes Natalie’s hand as they go up the steps.

April (Ivy):

I’m really sorry I freaked out last time.

Kenzie (Natalie):

Yeah, it was a little abrupt. I felt like, um, something happened that we probably should have talked about and then, you just kicked me out.

April:

Ivy leads Natalie into her room and kind of sits on the edge of her bed and pats the spot next to her.

Kenzie (MC):

She sits down and swings her feet a little bit.

April (Ivy):

You’re right. We should have talked about it. It’s just that, you know, hooking up with your best friend, it always gets really complicated and –

Kenzie (Natalie):

That’s, um, that’s not necessarily the bit I thought we should talk about.

April:

Ivy kinda sharply whips her head towards Natalie.

April (Ivy):

Wait, what are you talking about?

Kenzie (Natalie):

Um, well I did send you that text at the party and I thought maybe that made it clear. But, um…

Kenzie (MC):

She makes this weird half-smile and just taps her incisor.

April:

Ivy like, her yes just go wide.

April (Ivy):

Um, sorry, you might have to be more specific. What exactly are you talking about?

Kenzie (Natalie):

Well, uh, that day that we were hooking up and you – whooo – I’ve only said it out loud one time before. It’s very weird to talk about because it seems absolutely insane to say and truly, just truly something that nobody will believe. Um… but you bit me and drank my blood because – I’m not gonna say the word.

Kenzie (MC):

Her lips are trembling a little bit or her chin is trembling a little bit.

Kenzie (Natalie):

Because that would again, be kind of crazy. But then, you kicked me out so I thought that maybe that wasn’t supposed to happen. But you also at the party bit Sawyer. Its all just been very confusing and you wouldn’t talk about it and I thought maybe it was like a secret that we had and then I found out that it wasn’t a secret. And I don’t even really know what it is.

April:

The whole time that Natalie is talking about this, Ivy is just like, completely still. Like inhumanly still. She kind of like reaches at the edges of her hearing to see if her dads are in the house. Are they?

Kenzie (MC):

I think that you would be able to hear, not talking or anything but like movement from their bedroom and from downstairs in the from seating area.

April:

But they’re still just like moving normally?

Kenzie (MC):

Yeah, it doesn’t feel like they’ve heard this and are rushing to intervene in anyway.

April:

So, Ivy does that check for her dads and then she says,

April (Ivy):

Hey, um, will you get under the blankets with me? Not like – uh, like when you’re kids. We’ll make a little fort kind of thing. I know it sounds weird, but I just I want – I think it’ll help us to talk about this.

Kenzie (Natalie):

Okay.

Kenzie (MC):

She kicks her shoes off onto to the floor and like slides up the bed.

April:

Ivy lifts it up – lifts the blanket up so they can crawl under and its dark and quiet and Ivy gets like really close to Natalie so that their noses are almost touching.

Kenzie (MC):

Natalie is the stillest that you’ve ever seen a human being be. She is so stiff and her hands are curled up by her face and she’s just scratching incessantly as her skin with a nail.

April:

Ivy really gently puts her hands over Natalie’s to still them.

April (Ivy):

I’m really sorry that – I didn’t know that you –

Kenzie (Natalie):

It’s not really like her to stutter this much around Natalie, but again, Ivy let’s people see things in her if she needs to.

April (Ivy):

I just – it was just something I was dealing with and I wanted to keep you safe and not involved.

Kenzie (Natalie):

I was pretty involved.

April (Ivy):

I was hoping you wouldn’t remember.

Kenzie (MC):

Her eyes blink up from when she was looking at her hands to look you in the eye and she says,

Kenzie (Natalie):

That wasn’t like the only time that happened was it?

April (Ivy):

No.

Kenzie (Natalie):

Kinda had a weird feeling about that in the back of my head.

April (Ivy):

I’m gonna ask you something, okay? And I want you to be really honest.

Kenzie (Natalie):

Okay.

April (Ivy):

Do you want it to happen again? Do you want us to happen again?

Kenzie (Natalie):

Ivy, I think that I have kind of been in love with you for like two years so, yeah, I would – at least point, I don’t think it matters. And do I want that to happen again? It doesn’t matter if I want it, if you did. And do I want the other thing to happen again? Yeah. Yeah, a lot actually.

April:

Ivy moves her hands from Natalie’s and puts one under her chin and she says,

April (Ivy):

Okay, but it does matter. I – I’m asking you now so that’s a yes?

Kenzie (Natalie):

Would you not want to kiss me if I said that I didn’t want you to bite me anymore?

April:

Ivy kind of smiles.

April (Ivy):

No, I’d still want to kiss you. Kinda can’t believe you still want to kiss me after I bit you (laughs).

Kenzie (Natalie):

(laughs) They say something about how love doesn’t make sense or whatever. That’s where I’m at right now, I think.

April (Ivy):

Okay, well, can I kiss you now?

Kenzie (Natalie):

Can I answer you about the other thing later?

April (Ivy):

Yeah, you can.

Kenzie (MC):

I don’t think you’ve ever seen Natalie take any kind of initiative in her entire life but she kisses you and it is with a sloppy fervor (laughs) that you’ve never felt from her kissing you since you’ve always been the one in charge of it and dictating how it went. And its kind of off-putting but I would say like endearing.

April:

Ivy like almost laughs because of that. Not in a making fun way but like mostly in relief that this thing with Natalie went so much better than she could have imagined. And she knows that she can’t let Natalie remember this before she leaves the house but right now, she really wants to. She knows her dads would freak out if they knew a human was just walking around with this knowledge. But as she starts to kind of like lay Natalie down to kiss her more deeply, she wonders if she can actually make this work. If she can have someone to feed on that’s willing, that knows about it. It would make her feel a lot less bad if Natalie could know and like say yes every time. But even as she starts to unbutton her pajamas, she knows that she can’t.

Kenzie (MC):

Natalie pulls away a little bit and says,

Kenzie (Natalie):

I don’t know if I’ve said this before, I might have, but I like knowing what it feels like to kiss you.

April:

Ivy decides she’s going to let her remember that.

Kenzie (MC):

You are outside the door to the classroom that Natalie is in having just seen this TikTok of you kissing Adam outside of your house. You can see through the window in the door, Natalie sitting on the desk where you left her, staring at her phone.

April:

Ivy watching Natalie looked at her phone.

Kenzie (MC):

You can hear the song just playing on loop.

April:

Ivy watches Natalie’s face and knows that she is watching that TikTok. The sound matches. She slowly opens the door to the classroom and just walks up to her without really saying anything, just stands really close to her.

Kenzie (MC):

The video plays through like two or three more times as you stand there before she turns her phone off and she swallows and she’s just staring at the blank screen.

April (Ivy):

It was a big mistake. And I know you don’t really want to hear me say that but I’m gonna tell you that it was and I shouldn’t have done it for a million reasons but also it was before you texted me. It was before… I don’t know what else I can say.

Kenzie (Natalie):

I’m not under any delusions that you’re in love with me, Ivy. I just was hoping you weren’t still in love with him.

April:

Ivy flinches at that. That fucking cuts. And she can’t even really look at Natalie when she says,

April (Ivy):

Yeah, I was kind hoping that too.

Kenzie (MC):

Natalie looks up at you and she says,

Kenzie (Natalie):

I feel like I just get whiplash every time – I just feel like our entire relationship has always bene whiplash and I’m not, I wouldn’t – I know you like Naia, and you’ve hooked up with Naia. I know that too. And that doesn’t really bother me. But I would’ve been fine if you had said that – I mean we’re not even really a thing, thing, you know? We didn’t really talk about that. It’s been like twenty-four hours Ivy.

April (Ivy):

Natalie, can I ask you something?

Kenzie (Natalie):

Yeah.

April (Ivy):

Do you want to be in love with me or would you prefer not to be?

Kenzie (MC):

Her eyebrows furrow as she looks at you.

Kenzie (Natalie):

I don’t think that’s a choice unless you’re implying what I think you’re implying and I don’t want that.

April (Ivy):

I’ll leave you alone if you want.

Kenzie (Natalie):

That’s not what I was asking for. I’m not even mad that you kissed him because we hadn’t even talked yet. I just don’t think I can do this if he’s going to be in the picture too.

April:

Ivy considers Natalie and thinks back to when they met in like middle school and how she could barely get Natalie to say anything. How Ivy always spoke for her. How many times she’s done this loop of feeding and forgetting with Natalie and to see her kind of take a stand against Ivy like this, in a way she’s kind of proud of her. If it wasn’t fucking up Ivy’s life so deeply. Can I try hypnotic? So, I got a ten.

Kenzie (MC):

Alright, well you can describe what it is you’re wishing she does and she’s going to be none the wiser about it.

April:

Ivy looks at Natalie, at her freckles, her braids, her face. Natalie is so good to Ivy and Ivy does not feel like she deserves it at all. But she knows someone who does. And so she looks deep into Natalie’s eyes and says,

April (Ivy):

The way you feel about me? I want you to feel that way about Sawyer.

April:

And she almost cries a little but holds steady with her gaze.

Kenzie (MC):

There’s a moment where, in the process of that, she has reached out and has taken your hand and squeezes it and you also feel her drop that and the physical connection lost.

Kenzie (Natalie):

I’m sorry that this TikTok got out. That can’t feel good.

April (Ivy):

Yeah, it sucks. Sorry, I’m just – it’s upsetting.

Kenzie (Natalie):

Yeah, no, I can imagine.

April (Ivy):

I’m actually um, sorry, I’m gonna go. Uh…

Kenzie (Natalie):

Okay.

April (Ivy):

Yeah. But I’ll see you at practice.

Kenzie (Natalie):

I’ll see ya.

April (Ivy):

Great.

Kenzie (Natalie):

Okay. Bye.

April (Ivy):

Bye.

April:

And Ivy runs out of that room.

Kenzie (MC):

The school day ends though the drama does not and you can hear the titters through the hall and the rumors and the gossip spreading about Adam and Ivy maybe getting back together. And you meet each other outside near the parking lot. It’s a weird moment to see each other in that space and reconnect because you haven’t gone to the same school in forever and the idea of hanging out with one another hadn’t really been an option for a really long time and so you have chosen to spend the afternoon with each other even though it might be to talk about something not great, it's kinda like a, “Oh! We used to do this all the time.” And with that memory, I think it pulls you in the direction of the woods and the old creek that you haven’t been to in a while.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Well, luckily I brought my bike today if you to stand on the pegs.

Mads (Caleb):

Um, I don’t know if –

Mads:

He kinda like looks at the bike and then looks at Sawyer and again its this weird moment that like, Caleb is taller than you now. He kinda like scrunches up his face a little bit and goes,

Mads (Caleb):

I mean this in the nicest way possible.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Uh-huh.

Mads (Caleb):

It’s not gonna work. You can’t do it.

Brennan (Sawyer):

What do you mean? No, I tricked out the whole bike. The shocks are crazy. The suspension’s really good. Like the pegs, they stick out pretty far. You can fit your whole – your whole shoe on it.

Mads (Caleb):

Sawyer its, um, it’s not – it’s a great bike. It’s really um…

Brennan:

I look down at the bike and I nod a couple times because like the bike that I own and the bikes that my family own are like the ones where you have to pedal backwards to stop.

Brennan (Sawyer):

This one you can shift gears. There’s like a break for the front wheel and the back wheel.

Mads:

Yeah, this is a lot for me to take in so I just nod like I own a bike like this because of course everyone owns a bike like this and I go,

Mads (Caleb):

It’s really uh, it’s really, it’s really cool. It’s really awesome. No, it’s not that. It’s um, I’m kinda… I think I’ll make it too top heavy or back heavy, bottom heavy? I’ll fall off.

Brennan:

Sawyer like looks at the bike, looks at you, looks at the bike, looks at you, looks at the bike, looks up and goes,

Brennan (Sawyer):

Oohhhhh.

Brennan:

And then hard cut to you riding the bike and me on the pegs holding onto you.

Mads:

As we’re riding too, it just every once in a while,

Mads (Caleb):

Sawyer, if I, if I, do I change the gear now?

Brennan (Sawyer):

Just hold the no, no, break the –

Mads (Caleb):

Ahhhhh.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Yeah, change the gear.

Mads (Caleb):

Don’t move. Don’t move!

Brennan (Sawyer):

You’re fucking it up. You’re fucking it up!

Mads:

It’s just a whole compilation of us trying to make our way wobbly towards the woods.

Brennan (Sawyer):

That’s the front wheel break, fuck!

Kenzie (MC):

It takes you guys, well, in this setup, maybe more like twenty minutes (laughs) to pedal out into the woods.

Mads:

It might have been faster if we had walked.

Kenzie (MC):

Yeah, up the hill through the mulch and the broken twigs until you hear the trickle of the creek at the beginning where it’s pretty small. You can hear the water and its quiet and its just you guys.

Mads:

I almost crash the bike whenever we make it.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Ugh.

Brennan:

I hop off.

Mads (Caleb):

How ‘bout next time we just – we bring two bikes. Two bikes?

Brennan (Sawyer):

Two bikes.

Mads (Caleb):

Two bikes.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Yep, we’re going to plan this ahead of time, next time.

Mads (Caleb):

I don’t know, unless you want to get a basket for this or something, you can sit in the front.

Brennan (Sawyer):

I’ll sit in a basket?

Mads (Caleb):

Yeah, the little basket.

Brennan (Sawyer):

That’s why I got the pegs.

Mads (Caleb):

But its not – its really awkward. Never mind.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Yeah, two bikes next time.

Mads (Caleb):

Two bikes, okay.

Brennan:

Out of curiosity, do you drop the bike, or do you…?

Mads:

I don’t realize that there is a kickstand still this whole time, so I’m just holding the bike and you can see that I’m looking around frantically between the trees like I’m going ot lean the handle against a tree but I’m afraid I’m going to break the bike if I do that. So, I’m just like holding it.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Ah, Caleb. Caleb.

Brennan:

And I’ll just inch forward and grab the handle bars.

Brennan (Sawyer):

There’s a kickstand.

Mads (Caleb):

There’s a what? Oh.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Yeah.

Mads (Caleb):

Mmm. That makes sense.

Brennan:

And I’ll lean it.

Brennan (Sawyer):

(clears throat) So, let’s go to the river over here, but I was gonna text Ivy, um, not to like come here right now but I don’t know to just like see if she was okay. But I thought maybe not. ‘Cause I need to have this first and then I’ll text Ivy because if I just text, I don’t know, just like, “You okay?” Then maybe that’s gonna spiral into something totally unexpected.

Mads (Caleb):

I mean we knew so its not like this is shocking to us and I’m sure that she’s dealing with potential fallout. I mean, she kinda – she’s Ivy. She’s got people and I think people know that she’s got people so its not like – it’s not like she’s cheating on anyone but like, my brother’s a dick. The two of them… she’s probably going through something right now. Maybe give it some time. Just let it cool off.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Okay. How – how do I go about all of this? What do I say?

Mads (Caleb):

Let’s walk and talk. It’ll make this less awkward and not as confrontational.

Brennan:

I’ll pick up a stick and just start swinging it against tall grass.

Mads:

I start walking us just like along, following the creek. It is like a weird nostalgic sort of familiar because like when we were kids we used to come here all the time and even though there was that one memory that was really impactful, there were so many other times that were just here. And in passing as we start walking, Caleb says,

Mads (Caleb):

I don’t think I’ve been back here since that one time. You know the one.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Oh, yeah, I know exactly the one. You haven’t been back since that?

Mads (Caleb):

No.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Yeeesh. Maybe we shouldn’t – is it okay to be here?

Mads (Caleb):

It’s fine. I’m fine. I’m not –

Brennan (Sawyer):

I mean, it was so long ago.

Mads (Caleb):

I’m not a kid. I’m fine.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Right.

Mads (Caleb):

This is totally fine. It’s just a creek.

Mads:

I kind of like punctuate it by kicking a little stone, bloop, into the water.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Yeah, um, well, I came back a couple of times after… Also kinda come back here alone a lot.

Mads (Caleb):

You do? Why?

Brennan (Sawyer):

Yeah. There’s uh…

Brennan:

Sawyer kinda like scratches his face.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Yeah, like a lot of frogs and different animals and stuff.

Mads (Caleb):

Did you ever find one of those, what was it? Like a newt or something.

Brennan (Sawyer):

There’s a lot of newts.

Mads (Caleb):

What was the thing that you wanted to find? That one time.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Oh! An axolotl?

Mads (Caleb):

Yeah.

Brennan (Sawyer):

(laughs) I… no, I didn’t find it.

Mads (Caleb):

Oh, sorry.

Brennan (Sawyer):

No, um, that’s actually kind of funny. Ivy found it.

Mads (Caleb):

She did? When?

Brennan (Sawyer):

It was pretty shortly after. She came knocking. But, you know, that’s – maybe then that’s good. That’s like a good transition. That’s like a – that’s like a segue. Segue into Ivy being awesome. And that’s like… now, we just have to help, uh, Ivy and me? We have to help me so that I can help Ivy.

Mads (Caleb):

Yeah, so, the part with Ivy being awesome. That’s a great start and like talking about the things she’s done for you, over the years. Like the axa – ax –

Brennan (Sawyer):

-lotl.

Mads (Caleb):

lotl. Axolotl. That thing.

Brennan:

Sawyer’s like trailing off. Like his eyesight’s going down by the riverbank because you just hear (ribbits). His heads just kind like dilly dallying back and forth looking at the bank.

Mads:

I keep talking for a minute, like trying to get through this.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Do you want to walk closer to the water?

Mads (Caleb):

What?

Brennan (Sawyer):

Do you want to walk closer to the water?

Mads (Caleb):

Sure.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Like we could walk in the wade.

Mads (Caleb):

Yeah, yeah, we can – wait just let me take my shoes off. Hang on, just let me…

Brennan (Sawyer):

Anyways, yeah, sorry, what?

Mads (Caleb):

With Ivy? You talk about how she’s giving and thoughtful and all those other nice things. You gotta kind of turn it into like a sandwich though. Just bear with me, okay? You gotta say those nice things and how you know she’s caring and stuff and then you gotta segue into how its been weird lately and she’s been distant.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Oh gosh. See, that’s where I think its going to go really wrong.

Mads (Caleb):

But, then you round it out at the end and you tell her that you love her and you know you can get through this. See, it’s like a sandwich.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Even thinking about that, I feel like that’s going to be weird to say between Ivy and I, like the whole I love you thing. I feel like its going to be uncomfortable. We don’t really - we don’t say that.

Mads (Caleb):

Have you -?

Mads:

Kinda like looks up at the sky and like down to where their feet are have submerged in this mucky, silty creek water.

Mads (Caleb):

Have you ever told anyone that you love them?

Brennan (Sawyer):

Um…

Mads (Caleb):

Your parents don’t count. Your sister doesn’t count.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Does the axolotl count?

Mads (Caleb):

No.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Maybe like, “Love you!” type of thing, you know, but never with an ‘I’ in front of it.

Mads (Caleb):

Not even like an, “I love you, dude.” Like you can follow it up with something else. It doesn’t have to be like this big, romcom -

Brennan (Sawyer):

I love you, bud. No. It’s kinda just like, “Love ya!” And then I’m on my way.

Mads (Caleb):

Okay, okay, okay. Back up. Just wait.

Mads:

I am going to walk off to the side. There is a big overturned log from a tree that had fallen down. The roots of the tree are like all gnarled up on the side of it. It’s almost like started to grow back into the Earth. And I am going to hop up on the side of it, sit there, and let my feet kick out. I say,

Mads (Caleb):

Okay. Do it. Hit me.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Hit you?

Mads (Caleb):

With words of affection, Sawyer. You gotta start somewhere. Practice. That’s what I’m here for, right?

Brennan (Sawyer):

Like love ya but with an “I” in front. I love ya, pal.

Mads (Caleb):

Okay, Mickey Mouse. Try it again.

Brennan (Sawyer):

I love you!

Mads (Caleb):

Just cut out the heartburn. Again.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Hey, I love you. That one was getting closer.

Mads (Caleb):

Practice takes a long time.

Brennan (Sawyer):

I don’t know. It just feels weird. It feels weird. Like I feel like tense and I feel like bleh, I don’t know. I don’t know ow to describe it, I’m just like -

Mads (Caleb):

What’s something that makes you feel safe and like at peace with yourself?

Brennan (Sawyer):

Um… hmmm.

Brennan:

Sawyer like gulps.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Um, when I’m alone and I don’t have to really worry about anyone else being there. But, I usually find that when that happens, I’m kinda just reminiscing, you know? I’m thinking back to all those awesome times. All the times at the creek, just on our bikes and stuff. A lot of times with like us. And that’s - that makes me feel pretty calm. But just saying it, it makes me feel weird.

Mads (Caleb):

How bout this? Turn around.

Brennan:

Sawyer will turn around.

Mads (Caleb):

Okay, um, go ahead and -

Mads:

Caleb’s going to kind of like strain his neck from where he’s sitting on this log.

Mads (Caleb):

Just like kneel down. Start looking for a toad or something.

Brennan (Sawyer):

I have literally had my eye on one the whole time but I think I just lost it turning around.

Mads (Caleb):

Of course you have, okay.

Brennan:

So, I’ll kneel down an start motioning my hands through the water.

Mads (Caleb):

I’m not here. It’s just you and a toad, maybe. I don’t know, just don’t think. Say it when it comes up.

Brennan:

Sawyer kneels in that water and there’s like a minute in a half of just silence of the creek. Still with the stick in his hand though, just kind of every now and again, prodding into the mud. And then, he throws the stick down the river.

Brennan (Sawyer):

I’m so mad at Ivy. All the time. She’s - she’s got the cool parents. She’s got all these friends. She’s super confident. She’s even a hundred times stronger and faster than me. She’s always won and I’m the loser. So sometimes I really fucking hate her. But then that’s like only when she’s not around. And then when I’m like with her, none of that’s like the same. I don’t feel any of that. It’s feel like I’m kinda cool when I’m with her. Like when - when we’re hanging out, I’m somebody special or like something that really matters and even if she yells at me or ignores me, its like I know that were - that’s just high school. But in between all of that its like we love each other. As much as we probably hate each other. But I don’t think its like really hate though and I think lately (sighs). It’s hard because I don’t (sighs) - what’s the point of talking about it if that’s just the way it is. But lately its kinda different ‘cause she feels, um, like not her as much. And I feel like not me as much. And I don’t want to go back to feeling like a loser. I don’t know if you know, Caleb, but when you were gone, I mean, Ivy wasn’t really there. Neither was Adam. I was second always. I think it always comes out wrong because its selfish, what I want.

Mads:

This whole time, Caleb had just been sitting on the log. And every time Sawyer would pause, he would tense a little bit like he was about to interject, say something but then bit his tongue knowing that Sawyer just needed to let this out somewhere in a way that it felt like he could do so and be heard. But at the end he can’t back anymore. He slowly gets up off the log. There’s the rustling of like twigs and sticks, little tiny pebbles. Leaves that have fallen on the forest floor. And his feet hit the water. There’s that little splash and then he’s kneeling down next to Sawyer, kind of like looking int the muck next to him, close enough that he can lean into Sawyer and knock their shoulders together.

Mads (Caleb):

There is one thing about being second place all the time. They’ll never see us coming.

Brennan:

Sawyer smiles and looks at you and lifts a toad out from under the water.

Mads (Caleb):

Ahh! How long have you been holding that?

Brennan (Sawyer):

I caught it as soon as I sat down.

Mads (Caleb):

It can breathe under water, right? You weren’t like suffocating it or something.

Brennan (Sawyer):

I was kind of bopping it up and down.

Mads (Caleb):

Ooohhh, that makes sense.

Brennan:

I let the toad go.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Can I tell ya something?

Mads:

He kinda like cocks his head to the side.

Mads (Caleb):

Yeah.

Brennan (Sawyer):

You know - ever since you finally replied to one of my texts - I feel a lot less anxious when I’m around you too. It’s not just being alone.

Mads:

Caleb opens his mouth and then closes it again because there is the very solid thought that he wants to say so badly. Everything that you felt with Ivy and with Adam is how I felt with you and that’s why I didn’t reply. But he feels like he’ll make it about himself then and this is Sawyer’s moment. So, he just nods.

Mads (Caleb):

I don’t feel anxious around you either.

Brennan:

Sawyer kinda like half smiles like that sounded so anxious. (Laughs)

Mads:

As he’s doing this too he’s like rubbing his hand on the back of his neck anxiously.

Brennan (Sawyer):

So, is that what I say to Ivy?

Mads (Caleb):

Yup, yup, that’ll do it. That’s good.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Okay.

Mads (Caleb):

Yeah, look at you. You did it. Yeah.

Brennan (Sawyer):

I’m gonna say it exactly like that. And then go, “I love ya, bud!”

Mads (Caleb):

Right, that too that you’ll say to Ivy. Yeah.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Do you want to like (gasps) - There’s like some super cool trails where you can like jump - I’ll jump my bike. Have you ever done that?

Mads (Caleb):

Yeah I’ve tried before but like I don’t have the same kind of setup that you do. I don’t want to ride your bike anymore please.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Oh, okay. Mmm. Should we? Should we do more like serious stuff?

Mads:

Caleb’s eyes get wide when he says serious stuff.

Kenzie (MC):

Sawyer’s phone dings.

Brennan:

I unzip the pocket in my pants from my waterproof shorts. And I stand up and take my phone out.

Kenzie (MC):

There is a text from Natalie.

Brennan:

(Groans) Okay. I’ll open that.

Kenzie (MC):

It says,

Kenzie (Natalie):

Hey, um, don’t know if you got my texts over the weekend. Ivy said things were pretty rough but we never really got into it. Checking in. Wanted to see if you were maybe going to the vigil on Wednesday?

Brennan (Sawyer):

Okay I’m instantly stressed again Caleb.

Mads (Caleb):

Wait, what happened? Is it Ivy?

Brennan (Sawyer):

Nah. We hadn’t talked about this. We were going to but then a bunch of shit happened. Like end of our like existence type of stuff happening. Well, take a little - lets go back. Remember how I talked to you about Natalie.

Mads (Caleb):

Yes.

Brennan (Sawyer):

I still don’t know what to do about that but she just texted me this text.

Mads:

I look at it.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Am I supposed to like… get in with Natalie so that we can figure out what to do or should I just like, ahhh, out of sight out of mind like just ignore and then it’ll go away.

Mads (Caleb):

Well, she knows stuff about -

Brennan (Sawyer):

Yeah, I know.

Mads (Caleb):

-about our stuff. I think you gotta kinda see what’s going on there. How much she knows exactly and if she can keep a secret or not. Because I’m really not great at this still but at least I know important it is to keep this a secret.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Does this need to be like an abduction situation?

Mads (Caleb):

No. No please that would make the so much worse I think actually.

Kenzie (MC):

Caleb, as you’re looking at that one text, you can see that she has sent other texts and the last one says,

Kenzie (Natalie):

Okay, well then, I guess maybe another time. Are you okay? Did something happen? Are you still coming?

Kenzie (MC):

And then you would have to scroll to see anymore.

Brennan (Sawyer):

I don’t know what to say.

Mads:

I tighten my jaw a little bit and go,

Mads (Caleb):

Have the two of you like, I don’t know, this might be invasive. This might be like -

Brennan (Sawyer):

What?

Mads (Caleb):

Have the two of your been seeing each other?

Brennan (Sawyer):

No, like hooking up?

Mads (Caleb):

Yeah, or like on that road.

Brennan (Sawyer):

No, no, she just like - she approached me one day and I told you that whole story. And then, we’ve been kinda sorta texting but then everything happened at the dinner and I’ve just been not responding. I feel like a big fracking jerk.

Mads (Caleb):

You look like an ass, yeah.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Yeah, I know! But I type up a message and then it’s like - it’s like a novel. It’s like so long and then I just delete the whole thing. And then I’m like, god that’s just so bad. It’s more embarrassing if I send this novel and then I’m like, ah, I’ll see her in person at some point but then I see her in person and I run away.

Mads (Caleb):

You’re like really bad at this.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Yeah.

Mads:

And then I’m going to like put my hand on his shoulder and look him in the eyes and go,

Mads (Caleb):

She’s like really into you. Do you get that?

Brennan (Sawyer):

Yeeeahhhh….

Mads (Caleb):

So, if you wrote her novel I think she’d be into that too.

Brennan (Sawyer):

No, that’s like weird. People don’t want - Ivy’s told me people don’t want that much text. Like I have sent Ivy so much of those before and she’s like I don’t want to read like chapter after chapter. Just send it in individual texts.

Mads:

I put my other hand on his other shoulder.

Mads (Caleb):

Sawyer, is Ivy into you?

Brennan (Sawyer):

No.

Mads (Caleb):

Nooooo. Of course she wouldn’t like that novel. Okay? Natalie is -

Brennan (Sawyer):

But I don’t think I’m into Natalie so then if I send a novel then like, is that giving - is that worse than just ghosting?

Mads (Caleb):

No.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Listen, there’s a fine line between communication and no communication and what that means romantically.

Mads:

Caleb’s going to cross his arms.

Mads (Caleb):

Do you not think that I - okay, you need to be clear with them. If you’re not interested, then you’re not interested. Just say that. Its not a big deal, it doesn’t need to be a big deal.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Oh gosh.

Mads (Caleb):

If you write a novel to do it, then you write a novel to do it. But at least you’re fucking telling them. Don’t just leave it in the air so they find out one day on their own. ‘Cause I’ll tell you what - what’s worse than a novel, what’s worse than ghosting, is happening upon it, okay? Don’t let that happen.

Brennan (Sawyer):

I feel like I should hang out with her and then like, let that just come into the conversation. ‘Cause then - I don’t want to text it and be like, “I don’t like you.” And then its like well that was out of nowhere you know? I’ll go to the vigil and we’ll hang out and then I’ll be like, friend zone, friend zone, friend zone. And the like we’ll have like maybe a talk about that.

Mads:

He shakes his head a little bit, like looks off to the side. It’s almost like that this openness that they had moments ago is getting clouded now by Caleb’s own stuff. He kinda rolls his eyes.

Mads (Caleb):

Yeah, who knows. You hang out with her, you might like her.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Maybe.

Mads (Caleb):

That just would make this all easier wouldn’t it?

Brennan (Sawyer):

Ehhhhh, I guess.

Mads (Caleb):

Yeah.

Brennan (Sawyer):

So, I guess I’ll just say yes.

Mads (Caleb):

Yeah, do it.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Sawyer’s like looking at Caleb, like head down, eyes up, eyebrows raised just like completely - understanding there’s some sort of tone that is - that he’s used to with Ivy.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Yes.

Brennan:

Send.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Well, that’s over! Should we, I don’t know, go do something?

Mads (Caleb):

Like, like what?

Brennan (Sawyer):

I don’t know. I don’t have whole lot of homework for today so we could like - you don’t want to do acting with the bike so we could like, um, no I don’t smoke weed anymore. Ummm, hmmm, I don’t know what do you like to do that’s outside your house? Go to the gas station?

Mads (Caleb):

We could walk to the gas station and get some snacks.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Yeah, let’s go to the gas station.

Mads (Caleb):

Wait actually there’s - you’ve been back here a lot. Did you ever find - I find something when I was here last. You wouldn’t happened to have seen it, would you?

Brennan (Sawyer):

What was it?

Mads (Caleb):

It was like a -

Mads:

Kinda motions with his hand trying to describe it.

Mads (Caleb):

It’s like a coin thing.

Mads:

Uncrosses his arms and kind of scrubs at his face a little bit.

Mads (Caleb):

I’m sorry I’m not thinking right now. I’m not - there’s too much, there’s too much -

Mads:

And he like taps his finger against the center of his head, like right above where the bridge of his nose is.

Mads (Caleb):

There’s just too much happening. It was like - it was old and I could’ve sworn something really gross and gnarly that reminded me of the stuff that we saw with Adam the other day. That was the first time that I saw something like it and I was just - I don’t know. If we can find it again, maybe it means something.

Kenzie (MC):

You both hear a large crack as a twig breaks somewhere in the woods.

Mads (Caleb):

Do other people usually come out here?

Brennan:

Sawyer just shakes his head very slowly.

Mads:

I would like to take in a very deep breath and see if I can smell either something like Ivy or something of that - now that I’m starting to dip into that more, that supernatural kind of energy - or if its just a dumb kid that god lost. So I’ll use Heightened Senses to see if I can gleam what that is. That’s a six, minus one dark (laughs).

Brennan (Sawyer):

Should I drop my location for Bast?

Brennan:

And Sawyer’s like smiling.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Sorry.

Mads (Caleb):

Why do you think Bast would want to help me?

Brennan (Sawyer):

It’s just a little - (sighs) Alright, let’s go figure this out.

Kenzie (MC):

You hear a voice and you hear,

Kenzie (Unknown):

Ah, Beauregard!

Kenzie (MC):

And there’s the crunching of leaves and you see a figure kind of running through the trees, half bent over, chasing something.

Mads (Caleb):

What is - what is that? Is that - are they chasing an animal?

Brennan (Sawyer):

I don’t know. This is weird right?

Mads (Caleb):

This weird.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Okay. Should we hide? But then like follow?

Mads (Caleb):

Maybe us watching is like also equally weird.

Brennan (Sawyer):

No, but that’s like - what? Isn’t it like our job now to like look at the weird stuff?

Mads (Caleb):

I mean, we are the weird stuff. Get a mirror.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Well then let’s go look at the other weird stuff.

Mads (Caleb):

Fine. Fine.

Brennan:

Sawyer’s moving across the creek.

Kenzie (MC):

The individual doesn’t go that far and they scoop down and pick something up off the ground and they’re holding something in their hands and seemingly talking to it. And then they look over through the trees (laughs) and they kind of see you both and they reach a hand up as if they’re going to wave, but they’re waving a rat in the air and they go,

Kenzie (Farrow):

Ah, hey!

Kenzie (MC):

And you see Farrow from your lunch, standing in the middle of the woods, waving their rat.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Hey!

Mads (Caleb):

Is it safe to shake the rat like that?

Kenzie (Farrow):

Oh!

Kenzie (MC):

Puts the rat in their pocket.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Is that your rat?

Kenzie (Farrow):

Yeah.

Mads (Caleb):

Yeah, yeah, it’s their rat.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Cool!

Kenzie (Farrow):

Just taking him for a walk.

Mads (Caleb):

You take your rat for a walk?

Kenzie (Farrow):

Yeah…?

Brennan (Sawyer):

Yeah that was weird to ask. Like they need exercise too.

Mads (Caleb):

I thought they had balls and little wheels and stuff.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Oh, that is true. They have balls!?

Mads (Caleb):

No, no, no, don’t answer that. No, like a exercise ball. Like you put it in the ball and it rolls around on the floor.

Brennan (Sawyer):

I think Farrow knew what we were talking about.

Kenzie (Farrow):

Yeah, so I’m gonna go!

Brennan (Sawyer):

Wait!

Kenzie (Farrow):

What?

Brennan (Sawyer):

I am actually curious now. Does your rat have like running materials at home.

Kenzie (Farrow):

Ah, I mean… yeah. But Beauregard doesn’t use them because we go on walks and he chills in my pocket.

Mads (Caleb):

You should get a harness.

Brennan (Sawyer):

You should get a harness.

Kenzie (Farrow):

I have one. And it has batwings.

Mads (Caleb):

You should put it on Beauregard.

Brennan (Sawyer):

That’s so cool. Should we invite them to the gas station.

Mads (Caleb):

Uh, hey, uh, Farrow, do you want to get a soda with us?

Kenzie (MC):

They look away from the direction of where they seem to have been chasing the rat. They look back to you.

Kenzie (Farrow):

I don’t drink soda. Sorry, I don’t drink soda.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Well, they also just got Nerds Clusters. Those are new.

Kenzie (Farrow):

Candy is also a no-go.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Do you just like want to come hang?

Kenzie (Farrow):

Ummmmm.

Brennan (Sawyer):

What does Beauregard like? Would they want something?

Mads (Caleb):

Rats don’t eat candy.

Kenzie (Farrow):

Crackers yeah.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Yeah, there’s Ritz. Or like Saltines.

Kenzie (Farrow):

Sure, I will go do that, with you.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Okay then come on. Come over here.

Mads (Caleb):

Yeah don’t be weird about it.

Kenzie (Farrow):

I’m not - I’m not - I’m not - I’m not. Okay.

Kenzie (MC):

And they walk toward you. They have this like jacket on so that Beauregard can sit in the pocket.

Brennan (Sawyer):

So, did you just find Beauregard?

Kenzie (Farrow):

No, he’s my pet.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Yeah, but you bought it from a pet store or did you find it and be like, “That’s mine now.”

Kenzie (Farrow):

If I had found a rat in the city and decided it was my pet, I would be dead.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Why?

Kenzie (Farrow):

Disease.

Mads (Caleb):

They have like so many diseases, Sawyer.

Brennan (Sawyer):

But can’t you take it to the vet?

Mads (Caleb):

You could go to a pet store.

Brennan (Sawyer):

I guess. I guess then you kinda like saved the rat, right? Because don’t most people buy the rats so that they can feed them to snakes?

Mads (Caleb):

Not most.

Kenzie (Farrow):

I didn’t buy a dead rat.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Oh, they buy dead ones.

Mads (Caleb):

Its a little more humane. You’re not dealing with live prey then.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Good thing I don’t have a snake. So whatcha doing? Just hanging out. Going on a walk.

Kenzie (Farrow):

Yeah. Uh, like I said. Walking Beauregard.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Like do you guys just explore all around or do you usually take a walk around this way?

Kenzie (Farrow):

No, I just didn’t really want to go back to the house yet so.

Mads (Caleb):

Oh, cool, is like everything okay?

Kenzie (Farrow):

Yeah, yeah, its fine. It’s just like I saw enough of Mr. Mashburn all day. I don’t really need to see him at home, so.

Mads (Caleb):

Wait, you live with Mr. Mashburn?

Kenzie (Farrow):

Have you been living under a rock?

Mads (Caleb):

No my house is like - oh… well… I’ve been busy, um, kinda, lately.

Kenzie (Farrow):

New kid (sighs). Moved to Wildmoore a little bit before school started. My uncle is Mr. Mashburn.

Mads (Caleb):

Oooooh. You know, that makes a lot of sense actually. That makes a lot more sense now.

Brennan (Sawyer):

So does that like really suck at school or are you kinda enjoying school?

Kenzie (Farrow):

Um, no to the second question. Uhhhh, but like, I mean, everyone here doesn’t really bother me so. Like you I guess, uh, probably most people don’t even realize that he’s my uncle so.

Mads (Caleb):

I’m sorry if that was rude.

Kenzie (Farrow):

I guess I was just surprised that you of all people would not know what was going on.

Mads (Caleb):

Me of all people? ‘Cause we eat lunch together?

Kenzie (Farrow):

No like last name and all. I don’t know. Seems important.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Cool so, yeah, gas station adventures’ going to be fun. We’ll show ya - this is like your first gas station adventure!

Kenzie (Farrow):

You guys really don’t have anything to do here.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Riding bikes.

Mads (Caleb):

No there’s nothing to do.

Brennan (Sawyer):

There’s trails. You can jump.

Mads (Caleb):

It’s not very fun.

Brennan (Sawyer):

What else, what else do we do? Do you smoke weed?

Kenzie (Farrow):

Do you smoke weed?

Brennan (Sawyer):

I used to. I gave it up for now. But yeah, like a lot of people out here smoking weed. That’s what a lot of people do here. Just kinda - you kinda just pick a location and you go there and you smoke weed. That’s about - that’s about the Wildmoore experience.

Kenzie (Farrow):

Just like you pick a location and you go there and you get a snack?

Brennan (Sawyer):

Yeah! Or like you pick a location and you walk your rat. You know.

Kenzie (Farrow):

Touche.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Come on! I’ll buy you a snack if you want something. So you don’t like candy? What do you like?

Kenzie (Farrow):

Well I thought we were getting Beauregard -

Brennan (Sawyer):

Oh we can yeah, but if you want something I can - it’s on me.

Kenzie (Farrow):

I’ll think about it.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Okay.

Kenzie (Farrow):

You said gas station adventure?

Brennan (Sawyer):

Yeah.

Kenzie (Farrow):

They have meat sticks?

Brennan (Sawyer):

I think they got a bunch.

Mads (Caleb):

Wait, what’s a meat -

Brennan (Sawyer):

What’s a meat stick?

Kenzie (Farrow):

It’s a stick of meat.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Yeah its like a stick. A long stick and its meat.

Mads (Caleb):

Like jerky?

Brennan (Sawyer):

Yeah, kinda!

Mads (Caleb):

Those things are gross.

Brennan (Sawyer):

It’s like a distant relative.

Kenzie (Farrow):

I would agree with that. Okay, anyways, fine, um, yeah sure, we’ll go on a gas station adventure.

Kenzie (MC):

They air quotes.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Hell yeah.

Brennan:

And I’ll raise my hand for a high five as I grab my bike.

Kenzie (MC):

They look at it for a significantly awkward amount of time and they seem very reticent to give you a high five. And then as if the social situation requires it, they tap your hand and quickly pull back.

Brennan (Sawyer):

Sweet.

Brennan:

Just give myself a high five.

Kenzie (MC):

You walk back towards Wildmoore.

After cheerleading practice which isn’t the most fun affair now seeing that every single one is still reminder that Ryan is no longer there, you find a way to pretty much completely avoid Natalie at practice and in the locker and then rush out of there. And when you get home it doesn’t - you can’t hear anybody, it doesn’t look like anybody is currently there.

April:

The first thing I do when I get home I text Natalie and I say,

April (Ivy):

Hey, um, can we push our hang til tomorrow.

Kenzie (MC):

You get a text back almost immediately that says,

Kenzie (Natalie):

Yeah, sure, thought it was a little weird that you ditched after practice.

April (Ivy):

Yeah, sorry, just have a lot on my mind. I think Sawyer might be free though.

April:

The like typed out smiley face. After she send that she kinda takes a deep breath.

Kenzie (MC):

In reply to the first one you get,

Kenzie (Natalie):

You know I’m here if you want to talk.

Kenzie (MC):

And then,

Kenzie (Natalie):

Well, like I said, he’s a pretty bad tester.

April (Ivy):

I’ll tell you all about it soon! Just give it another shot!!!!!!

April:

With lots of exclamation points and a little pink heart.

Kenzie (MC):

She likes the first message.

April:

I’m still in my cheerleading uniform. Kinda like look at myself in the mirror and just say,

April (Ivy):

Don’t cry. Don’t cry. Okay.

April:

And then she goes to text Alina and says,

April (Ivy):

I just have to shower real quick and then you can come over.

April:

Heart with the little stars.

Kenzie (Alina):

Sounds good. I have to just, um, stop by the pharmacy real quick and I’ll be right over.

April:

I’ll heart that. And then hop in and take a shower.

Kenzie (MC):

By the time you finish getting out of the shower you get a text from Alina that just says,

Kenzie (Alina):

Here.

April:

Ivy is just combing through her wet hair and when its wet it looks so dark its like almost black and she realizes that she looks a little scary, which is good. She puts on a more casual outfit and gets Alina and brings her back up to her room.

Kenzie (Alina):

God, it feels like its been forever since we’ve just hung out.

April (Ivy):

I know! I know it really - it shouldn’t have been this long. I really - it’s - it’s my fault. I’ve been really caught up.

Kenzie (Alina):

No, I mean like party happened and (scoffs) kinda saw it happen and -

April (Ivy):

Yeah, the party was -

Kenzie (Alina):

It’s just been a lot. It’s been a lot.

April (Ivy):

Been really intense. I mean, you follow like that TikTok account?

Kenzie (Alina):

Yeah.

April (Ivy):

Yeah that’s fucking crazy. I can’t imagine if something that horrible. Obviously I haven’t been immune. That video of me and Adam. That really fucked me up.

Kenzie (Alina):

Yeah that was uh, that was a surprise I think for everybody.

April (Ivy):

Yeah I mean I’m surprised that it got out but I’m not - I don’t think anyone was really that surprised that it happened.

Kenzie (Alina):

I mean that conversation that we had on the first day of school when you were like, “I’m definitely not getting back with him.” So I was a little surprised I think!

April (Ivy):

(Laughs) I mean you’re totally right.

April:

Ivy’s eyes are just so fucking sharp right now on Alina.

April (Ivy):

You’re so right. I was just trying to convince myself that I wasn’t into him anymore and that he wasn’t, you know, so into me. But every time we’re around each other its just like insane, you know? It’s so intense and like deep and there’s all this history, you know?

Kenzie (MC):

She pivots on the bed, pulling her feet up underneath her.

Kenzie (Alina):

I mean (scoffs) I don’t think I know.

April (Ivy):

Well, I mean, you know that we’ve been best friends since we were children. Our whole lives basically. And I mean we dated for a while. I just think we’re kinda soulmates in a way.

Kenzie (Alina):

I mean, Ivy, you know like the one guys I kissed like how many years ago so.

April (Ivy):

Yeah. We have to find someone else for you. I mean, come on, you haven’t kissed anyone in the meantime.

Kenzie (Alina):

No! I mean like my parents would just be not into it right now. And they’re already mad that I’m not like whiz kid and I don’t care about that. I would kinda like to have a boyfriend but I don’t actually -

April (Ivy):

Really like who?

Kenzie (Alina):

Like in general I would like to have a boyfriend.

April (Ivy):

No! You have to be - you have to be talking about someone specifically. Who would you want to kiss?

Kenzie (Alina):

I mean, I guess I’d kiss Callum again because he was - we were kids and maybe he’s a good kisser now. I don’t even know what that was then.

April (Ivy):

He’s like ugly now, you can do better than that.

Kenzie (Alina):

Okay.

April (Ivy):

(Laughs)

Kenzie (Alina):

I don’t know!

April (Ivy):

Aim high. If it could be anyone.

Kenzie (Alina):

If it could be anyone, who would I kiss? Ivy what - I would - maybe I don’t know. Maybe like one of the hockey guys.

April (Ivy):

Oh, yeah, I mean, I should know.

Kenzie (Alina):

Yeah.

April (Ivy):

The hockey guys are fun.

Kenzie (Alina):

I just like - whenever we’re out and like hanging out like at parties and whatever, I’m hanging out with you. I don’t really - it’s like you and when you were dating Adam, it was you and Adam and then when Natalie was around it was Natalie too. But like I didn’t’ really like - you know, it was like the four, the three or the four of us all the time so I didn’t really like -

April (Ivy):

That’s true. You and Adam always did get along really well.

Kenzie (Alina):

I mean, so did you. And then when you broke up of course you didn’t get along so we were not going to get along. But, you know, now if you’re - if this is like a thing happening again maybe, maybe we’ll like get along. I don’t know.

April (Ivy):

You and Adam?

Kenzie (Alina):

Well, if you guys get back together I assume you’d be hanging out. Are you guys getting back together?

April (Ivy):

I’m not sure. It’s still really, uh, up in the air.

Kenzie (Alina):

Yeah (laughs).

April (Ivy):

Yeah, I didn’t - we didn’t really hang out at the last party though. And Natalie wasn’t there for a lot of it, I know, so who were you hanging out with.

Kenzie (Alina):

I was just kind of around, you know dancing, drinking.

April (Ivy):

Wait, no, you were totally with boy. Weren’t you?

Kenzie (Alina):

No, I wasn’t!

April (Ivy):

Why are you keeping this from me?

Kenzie (Alina):

I’m not. I’m not. Why are you looking at me like that? I’m not.

April (Ivy):

Alina I don’t believe you.

April:

Ivy’s face gets super serious.

April (Ivy):

I just don’t believe you.

Kenzie (Alina):

(scoffs) I don’t know what you want me to say.

April (Ivy):

So, you haven’t kissed a boy since middle school.

Kenzie (Alina):

No.

April (Ivy):

So, you really just let the boys bend you over and fuck you without even kissing them back?

Kenzie (Alina):

I’m sorry, what?

April (Ivy):

When Adam fucked you against a tree in the woods, you didn’t even kiss him?

Kenzie (MC):

Her face loses all color. Absolutely gone as pale as she possible can. Mouth drops open slightly. Eyes widen. Takes a very hard swallow. Mouth just cottony immediately. She stops breathing.

April:

Ivy can hear her heart beat speed up. Can hear her swallow or try to swallow. And she leans in, watches Alina shrink back.

April (Ivy):

Honestly that’s pretty fucked up of you.

Kenzie (Alina):

He - he told you.

April (Ivy):

Yeah he did. I’m sure he promised you he wouldn’t tell me and you believe him.

Kenzie (Alina):

Vice versa.

April (Ivy):

Mmm. Interesting. So, why don’t you tell me about it.

Kenzie (Alina):

Ivy I don’t think we have to do this.

April (Ivy):

Was it good? Did you have a good time? You think you guys are gonna like what? Be in love now. Date. You think you can even begin to understand him. Do you know what’s it like to have to be there for Adam?

Kenzie (Alina):

No, because he always ran to you.

April (Ivy):

Yeah, there’s a reason for that. Alina I’ve known you for a really long time. Somehow this did surprise me. I just really didn’t think you’d have the ball to cross me like this.

Kenzie (Alina):

I didn’t start this. He came to me.

April (Ivy):

I’m sure he did. Here’s the thing, Alina. Your real choice was always about me. That’s why you said, yes, right? So you could win for once?

Kenzie (Alina):

Wow, Ivy, thought you were a little -

Kenzie (MC):

She knocked on her head.

Kenzie (Alina): Empty-headed when it came to that. Yeah. Yeah, you got it. Nail on the head. Because finally, finally someone did pick me over you because if you didn’t have that fucking last name, I would be one top. And I think you know that.

April:

Ivy genuinely laugh, like hard.

April (Ivy):

Alina, no one gives fuck about you.

Kenzie (Alina):

Hey, Ivy, no one gives a fuck about you either.

April (Ivy):

Here’s the thing though, I don’t need them to be where I am.

Kenzie (MC):

Alina gets off the bed and is standing niche middle of your room looking like she’s going to get out as soon as she can but hasn’t moved toward the door yet and says,

Kenzie (Alina):

Awww. You can keep telling yourself that, Ivy. But all you’ve ever wanted was for everyone to love you. And when you found out that people didn’t, you started to break down. And guess what? I can see it in your face right now, you’re sad because I was your best friend. How could I ever do this to you? How could the love of your life do this to you? Well, guess what? We did. And I don’t really need Adam. I don’t care if he wants me or you at this point. It’s just funny, the blinders that you have one. You definitely need people. You just like to think you don’t.

April:

Ivy kinda leans back causally on the bed and she says,

April (Ivy):

Alina, you were never my best friend. I have bet t friends. You were never, ever that. But Alina, you should leave him alone. Not for me. It’s not even a threat really. This is more of a warning. You don’t have what it takes to be with him right now.

April:

And I’m going to Manipulate an NPC. Eleven.

Kenzie (Alina):

God, you’re just so selfish. Like if he actually wanted me, you still would think you were the center of his world. Fine. Fine. I don’t need to deal with the boy that calls me on the phone crying at three am. I don’t. If that’s what you want, have him. I’m done with both of you and honestly I feel good about it.

Kenzie (MC):

And she turns and walks out of the room.

April:

I let her go. I go downstairs after I hear her leave and I go into my dads golden cabinet and I unlock it and open a bottle of blood and pour some into a glass and then I top it off with some fancy whisky that’s also in the cabinet. Swirl it together. Knock it back. Take a huge breath and text Maia and just say,

April (Ivy):

Hey, come over whenever.

April:

Purple heart. Black heart. I think that Ivy’s always seen this in Alina. She’s known that the depth of their relationship is not the same as her an Natalie. Like the love. But she did trust her to an extent and much as she played it off to Alan that she was angry at her and she is, she’s really way more hurt by Adam. And she’s feeling very alone ‘cause she meant what she said to Alina about having real best friends. She just doesn’t think they should be her best friends. She’s gonna keep everyone safe

Kenzie (MC):

Your phone dings.

Kenzie (Naia):

I realize I’ve only been to your house for a party and the doors always open. So, I’m outside so do I just come in?

April:

Ivy smiles and simply goes to the door and opens it wide.

April (Ivy):

Hey, welcome! Yeah, come on in.

Kenzie (MC):

She walks in and she looks around and she says,

Kenzie (Naia):

This place is a lot - feels a lot bigger without all the people.

April (Ivy):

Yeah it’s not exactly m style but might be yours a little bit. It’s got that like, you know…

Kenzie (Naia):

This is like a little bit medieval fancy

April (Ivy):

Sorry I’m not all read up on the various facets of goth culture.

Kenzie (Naia):

Oh, yeah, it’s like - architecture’s the number one priority when you -

April (Ivy):

Right.

Kenzie (Naia):

Yeah. Absolutely.

April (Ivy):

I mean you’ve probably got like coffins in your room like Corinthian columns…

Kenzie (MC):

Her head is like bent a little bit and she’s kind of studying you as you just look around and talk about this and she goes,

Kenzie (Naia):

And you are skirting the conversation that I think we’re going to have.

April:

Ivy kinda like looks over her shoulder with a little twirl of her own skirt.

April (Ivy):

And I am. Yeah.

Kenzie (Naia):

Yeah, quite obviously. You’re not very good at it.

April (Ivy):

Well, let’s hear it. You start.

Kenzie (Naia):

I was not in that TikTok.

April (Ivy):

Yeah. Well I wish I wasn’t.

Kenzie (Naia):

Yeah, I bet, um…

Kenzie (MC):

She goes over to the stairs and sits down.

April (Ivy):

Are you mad at me or something?

Kenzie (MC):

Her brow kind of furrows.

Kenzie (Naia):

Why would I be mad at you?

April (Ivy):

I don’t know. A lot of people are mad at me right now.

Kenzie (Naia):

I mean I don’t see any reason that I would be mad at you. Just… it’s a lot.

April:

Ivy kinda like raises an eyebrow.

April (Ivy):

Are you - you’re just checking up on me? Like you just want to know if I’m okay.

Kenzie (Naia):

Yeah?

April:

This makes Ivy very emotional.

Kenzie (Naia):

Hey. Hey.

April (Ivy):

Whooo. Yeah, sorry. Wow this is so intense and not hot at all and, um, uh, god, I just - like I said, everyone is mad at me and its just really cool that you’re not.

Kenzie (Naia):

Again, I don’t see a reason that I would be and I’m sorry that you feel everybody else is.

April:

Ivy like goes and sits next to her, but like not touching. Just close.

April (Ivy):

I thought maybe you would be mad because of the party. I know we talked about it already a little bit in the art room but I - I do feel bad. It’s just that night.. really everything since that night has been different in kind of a not good way for me. I just had fun with you and I could really use some fun in my life at the moment.

Kenzie (Naia):

I gave you shit about that night just as like a joke, I wasn’t mad about it. I mean I kinda got the vibe that randomly making out with you is kinda what we did.

April (Ivy):

Yeah and the thing is I randomly make out with people all the time -

Kenzie (Naia):

Yeah.

Kenzie (MC):

She has a smile on her face.

April (Ivy):

Yeah, exactly! And for some reason it keeps getting me in -

Kenzie (Naia):

Well, who’s mad, Ivy?

April (Ivy):

Do you want the list like alphabetically? It’s complicated and I get that. I know that -

Kenzie (Naia):

No, who’s mad about - who have you kissed that is mad about you kissing somebody else? That’s my question.

April (Ivy):

Well, I feel like you’re going to think a lot less of me after this.

Kenzie (MC):

She takes a deep breath.

Kenzie (Naia):

Lay it on me.

April (Ivy):

Well, Natalie was really upset about it. Uh, but we talked about it and I don’t think - I don’t think she’s going to stay upset about it.

Kenzie (Naia):

And you’re upset that she’s upset?

April (Ivy):

Well, yeah, I mean I didn’t -

Kenzie (Naia):

Why? If this is something you do all the time, why? Why are you upset?

April (Ivy):

‘Cause usually like kissing someone, it doesn’t mean anything to me. Or its just - its not that it means nothing. It’s important. It’s fun. It’s a connection. It’s something - it’s a million things. But kissing Adam was never like that. Kissing Adam was always something else. And I don’t know… Alina’s mad at me and I think Sawyer’s mad at me and Caleb -

Kenzie (Naia):

I’m trying to circle back to how any of these other people have to do with why somebody is mad at you because you kissed Adam.

April (Ivy):

I think maybe I’m mad at me ‘cause I kissed Adam.

Kenzie (Naia):

So you have one person who’s mad at you for kissing Adam. And then you’re mad at yourself for kissing Adam. And you think everybody else is mad at you but not for that.

April (Ivy):

Yes. And I kinda assumed you were mad at me for kissing Adam but I realize now that you’re not so…

Kenzie (Naia):

Ivy, I don’t want to add on, okay? But… I am not in love with you. Natalie is visibly in love with you. We all know (laughs). Has been.

April (Ivy):

God!

Kenzie (Naia):

Written on her face. The girl is not good at hiding.

April:

Ivy puts her head in her hands and just like

April (Ivy):

I really didn’t - I mean I kinda - I thought it wasn’t that serious. But I know now that it was. I’m really glad you’re not in love with me.

Kenzie (Naia):

That would be quite a leap from making out with somebody a couple times.

April (Ivy):

Exactly! I know this is all very obvious to you. If you knew about my entire life… So, so, you just came over here to make out?

Kenzie (Naia):

No I came over her ‘cause you asked me too.

April (Ivy):

Right. Right. Yeah. Uh-huh.

Kenzie (Naia):

I don’t make it a point of just showing up randomly on people’s doorsteps and asking them to make out.

April (Ivy):

But if I was asking you to make out, would that be received well?

Kenzie (Naia):

I would have to - yes. Number one, yes. But in good conscience I might have to say no in the sense that, um, I’m not mad at you, but you might be mad at me.

April:

Ivy was kind of grinning through the whole latter part of that conversation, feeling like lighter. When Naia says that she kind of pulls a little away. She was almost touching, their knees were light an inch apart. Their elbows - you could feel the warmth. But Ivy pulls away from that.

April (Ivy):

Why exactly?

Kenzie (Naia):

Just please hear me out.

April (Ivy):

Mm-hmm.

Kenzie (Naia):

Before, it didn’t matter because you guys were broken up and I didn’t think that you needed to hear this. Okay?

April (Ivy):

Mm-hmm.

Kenzie (Naia):

But after seeing that TikTok and hearing you talk about him, I think that maybe it’s not fully over and that, um, I need to tell you this, uh, because I care for your well-being. You should not get back together with Adam. At least right now.

April:

Ivy won’t even look at Nana anymore.

Kenzie (Naia):

He came to me for help and I didn’t lie to him that I didn’t know how to help and he was an idiot and got himself into something too deep. But I turned him away and it just got worse and worse. And he’s not safe to be around right now, Ivy.

April:

Ivy was so sure that Naia was just going to have another Alina revelation. She was so prepared for that. She was not prepared for this and she grabs Nana’s hand and says,

April (Ivy):

You need to tell me everything.

Kenzie (MC):

We hoped you enjoyed the episode! If you want to support our show, you can become a patron at patreon.com/queerpg. Becoming a patron allows you access to our exclusive after show, where the cast talks about character insights and their own reactions to the episode, as well as a plethora of other perks. If you like the show, remember to rate and review. And to keep up with queeRPG, make sure you’re following us on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok @queerpgpod and on Tumblr at tumbr.com/queerpg. Until next time!