THICKER THAN WATER
No!
Zach!
You OK?
Graveyard again?
It felt so real,
It's just a bad dream, Try to go back to sleep,
We should think about getting you a prescription for some sleeping pills,
I don't know,
You can't keep going on like this,
But I don't want the nightmares to end,
It's the only time I get to see Zach,
Don't forget I got a game today, It's semi-finals, versus Centennial,
- Home or away? - Home game,
I will be there with my loudest cheering voice, ready to embarrass you,
Thank you, Dad,
What about you, Mom?
I'm gonna do my best,
- How's your knee? - It's good,
You want me to make you a snack for before the game?
No, it's OK, I gotta go, Don't forget, though, 4:30's the game,
OK, You guys are gonna kick butt!
You're gonna try and make it, right?
- Did you see the mail? - No, why?
Well, we got the bill for the new hot-water tank,
- Just what we didn't need, - Yeah,
Have you given any more thought to going back to work?
You know, Colin said that the firm just hasn't been the same without you,
Might be good,
You know? See your old colleagues, think about other things for a while,
I'm sorry, I know that money's tight, I'm just not ready,
I did have another thought,
Maybe we could clear out the junk in the spare room,
fix it up a bit and,,, rent it to a college student,
Are you kidding me?
I mean, we could probably get an extra 800 bucks a month,
I don't want a stranger living in our house,
It wouldn't be forever, Just until you're ready to go back to work,
That's what this is about, You're trying to pressure me?
I'm just looking for a solution,
And if you have another idea, I'm all ears,
But we can't keep living like this on one income,
Why don't you make up a flyer and post it on campus?
It's just college students and a few professors,
You can handle it,
OK,
Semester's already started, but we might get lucky,
Right, "Lucky,"
"Game's about to start, Hope you're on your way!"
What are you waiting for?
I'm gone, Mom,
Get out of this car and go watch Addie play,
Za,,,
You were on fire today!
- No one could catch you, - Thanks, Dad,
And that goal off that corner kick was amazing,
Yeah, I got lucky,
But Mom never made it, huh?
I'm sorry, Addie, I know she really wanted to,
Something must have come up,
Something always comes up,
Try not to be too hard on her, OK? She's trying, She really is,
You always defend her,
No, I'm,,, Hey, I'm not defending her,
I'm just asking you to cut her some slack,
What do you think I've been doing for the past year?
She's acting like she's the only one who's hurting,
You know, and I lost my brother too,
I know you did,
You know, we're all hurting,
And we're all doing our best to get through this,
It's just taking her a bit more time,
Thanks for coming and watching me,
You kidding?
I wouldn't miss it,
I'm really proud of you,
- Want some ice cream? - No, thanks, It's OK,
Was that actually a no?
- How'd it go? - They won! 4-2,
- Addie was the star of the game, - That's great, Congratulations!
I'm just gonna go in the shower,
Addie,,,
She really wanted both of us there,
- I know, - What happened?
I tried, I really did,
You can't keep not showing up in Addie's life, It's not OK,
Zach is gone, but Addie's still here, and she needs her parents, Both of us,
Hey, don't you think I know that? I am doing the best I can,
Are you? Do you really think so?
What exactly were you doing, instead of coming to watch her game?
I'm sorry, I can't just put Zach's death away
and move on like nothing happened,
I didn't just move on,
Someone had to step up and be the adult in this family,
Seriously,,,
what could be so hard about coming to watch your daughter play?
We've talked about this, I don't wanna see the other parents,
I don't want their pity or their condolences,
And I don't wanna make stupid small talk either,
People just don't know what to say,
It's uncomfortable for everyone,
Great, fine, So then, I'm doing them a favor by not showing up,
Everyone except your daughter,
I'm sorry,
That wasn't fair,
Look,,,
It's just that she misses you,
We both do,
But I am right here, I haven't gone anywhere,
Paige, come on!
Right, and now I'm supposed to feel guilty for grieving too?
That's not what I'm saying, and you know it,
No, I know that when I wake up in the morning,
I am breathing and my legs work, but my heart is broken,
And I don't know if I will ever feel whole again,
Can I help you?
I was just admiring your hibiscus, They can be real tricky to grow,
You must have a real green thumb,
I'm sorry, I'm Brandon, I'm here about the room for rent,
Look, I'm sorry, but we're only looking to rent to a female,
Yes, I saw that on your flyer,
but I was hoping you might be willing to make an exception,
You see, my roommate, he just bailed on me at the last minute,
and there are no other rentals available anywhere near campus,
I'm clean, I'm quiet, and I'll be at school most of the time,
Really, I just need a place to sleep,
I understand your predicament, but we have a teenage daughter,
so we really are only looking for a female,
I hope your luck changes,
Thank you,
What if it was just for a week or two, while I looked for another place?
I know none of this is your problem,
but I had to sleep in my car last night,
You see, I don't know anyone here well enough to crash with yet,
and I can't afford to keep paying for hotels,
What are you studying?
I'm majoring in biology-phytology, actually, which is the study of plants,
Plants, Yeah, I know,
Or at least, that's what I came here to study,
if I don't have to move back to Ohio because I can't find a place to live,
I'm sorry to have bothered you, I guess I'll keep looking,
And don't let your soil get too dry,
It thrives best if it's in a fertile, moist environment,
Wait,
If it's only for a week or two, maybe we can make an exception,
Just leave me your number, I need to talk to my husband first,
But I'll call you later tonight,
I told him he could only stay for a week or two, max,
Well, two weeks rent is better than nothing,
And hopefully someone else still calls for next month,
Fingers crossed,
I know you don't love this idea,
but I really think it's the best temporary solution for us,
We'll see,
So, what's he like?
Did you get a good feeling about him?
Yeah,
He's OK,
Kind of nerdy, I guess,
Nerdy's good, We like nerdy,
He's studying phytology,
Just like Zach,
Yeah, that's,,, weird,
I know,
Where's he from?
Paige?
Sorry, what did you say?
Where's he from?
I don't know, I think he said, Ohio or Oregon,
Now, this is the bathroom,
and there's a linen closet in there, in case you need fresh towels,
Our room is around the corner, and this will be your room,
What about that room?
That's private,
There's hangers in the closet,
Laundry is in the basement,
It's perfect,
At least it should be a little more comfortable than sleeping in your car,
I will let you unpack and get settled in,
And let me know if I can get you anything,
Thanks, Paige, I really appreciate it,
OK,
You know, he hasn't said two words to me,
I just think he's a little shy,
I'm not complaining,
- How'd you do on your French test? - Comme ci, comme ça!
Hi, Brandon!
How was your day?
Good, thanks, I'll get out of your hair,
Wait, Where you going?
I was just going to eat in my room, if that's OK,
No, come on, Pull up a seat,
There's some more pasta on the stove, if you'd like me to fix you a plate,
I'm good with my sandwich, thanks, But I'll sit and join you,
- So, you settling in OK at school? - Yeah,
It's a super challenging program, but I'm really enjoying myself so far,
Said no one, ever!
You know, not everyone hates studying,
- What do you do for a living? - I'm a copywriter,
I work at an ad agency,
Mostly TV spots, some web content,
- That sounds like fun, - Don't get him started,
What about you, Paige?
I'm a lawyer,
Was a lawyer,
Well, I still am a lawyer, Just taking a little time off,
One of the things that I like to do on my downtime is to cook,
So maybe I could make dinner for everyone some time
as a thank you for letting me stay here,
Well, yes please!
You didn't have to say that quite so enthusiastically,
- They don't like my cooking, - That's not true, Mom,
We love the way you open a jar of spaghetti sauce
and heat it up on the stove,
Seems like a good kid,
Yeah, and smart, too,
That program he's in only accepts 50 students a year,
- Really? - Yeah, Zach and I looked it up, once,
It was gonna be his back-up school,
That is impressive,
Thank you,
I will say this:
It's nice to meet someone under 25
who doesn't always have his face buried in his phone,
Honey, I'm sorry, I'm just really, really tired tonight,
- Did you check the alarm? - Paige,,,
Good night, honey!
Good night,
Hey, Brandon, is it?
Hi! I'm Kristie,
I was impressed how you answered the question about electrophoresis,
Thanks,
It almost seemed like you should be the one up there teaching,
Anyway,,, a couple of us meet after class every week
as part of a study group, Would you be interested in joining?
I don't think so,
Really? We help each other out,
fill in the gaps where maybe one of us might have missed something,
We even have a few laughs,
That doesn't sound like something that would benefit me,
- Besides, I have family obligations, - You live at home?
Doesn't that kind of cramp your style?
No, Not at all,
I'm actually really close with my parents,
And I,,, I have a sister too,,,
that drives me crazy sometimes, but that's what little sisters do, right?
I wouldn't know, I'm an only child,
That's too bad, I have to get home for dinner now, It's my night to cook,
Let me give you my number, in case you change your mind about the group,
That's OK, I won't,
Or maybe we could just grab coffee some time?
I don't think so,
- Sorry, I hope I didn't scare you, - No, that's OK,
- Quite a beauty! - Yeah, Needs a lot of work, but,,,
Right now, I'm just hoping it's not a lost cause,
Well, that's the thing with lost causes,
Just when you're ready to give up on them, sometimes,
well, they can surprise you,
- Can I give you a hand? - Yeah, sure!
Are you into this stuff too?
Yeah, well, I've always loved classic cars,
They may require a little extra attention, but,,,
but they can reward you for it,
Yeah, that's what they say, I'm still waiting for the reward,
So, what do you think's wrong with it?
Well, aside from needing a transmission,
it just,,, doesn't wanna start right now,
I,,, cleaned the carbs,,, new spark plugs, battery, fresh fuel,
- You changed the spark plugs? - Yeah,
Can I hear what it sounds like when you try and start it?
Sure,
- See, it almost wants to go, - Yeah, just wait one second,
OK, try it now,
Hey! Nice work!
How'd you get into old cars?
Well, when I was little,,,
all my dad ever did on the weekends was tinker around with cars
or watch football, so,,, if I didn't take an interest in one of them,
I don't think he ever would've said two words to me,
So I take it you're not a football fan,
I never really got into sports,
How about yourself?
Zach and I used to watch every Sunday,
But,,, these days, I'm really the only person who likes football,
so I don't follow that closely anymore,
Well, maybe we could watch a game together, sometime,
Sure,
This is the sport with the pointy ball and the big yellow forks
on either side of the field, right?
Yeah, That's the one,
Hey, Addie!
So, guess what!
Brandon's an automotive genius, and,,, we got the T-Bird running,
It was just the spark plug order, It's really a common mistake,
That's fascinating,
I better get started on dinner,
Thanks again for the help,
So, you wanna go for a spin?
- Can I drive? - Yeah!
- As soon as you get your license! - No! Stop!
- Can I help you with anything? - No, I got it,
What are you making?
It's a surprise,
Do you have a food processor?
Yeah, I think it's up in the cupboard,
What are you working on?
A colleague wanted my opinion on a case,
How come?
I settled one like this a few years ago, so he's just picking my brain,
You thinking of going back to work?
No, No, Just helping a friend out,
If this is too personal, just tell me to mind my own business,
But,,,
Can I ask why you're taking some time off?
We lost our son last year,
I'm,,, I'm so sorry,
Thank you,
It's been a tough time for all of us,
Yes, Of course,
Zach was the light and joy in our family,
and his death has left a huge hole in all of our lives,
I know what it's like to lose someone who's close to you,
Both my parents were killed in a car accident when I was 8,
I am so sorry,
Who raised you?
Foster homes, mostly,
That's where I taught myself how to cook,
And I always tried to impress my foster families
by doing jobs around the house to get them to like me
so that they wouldn't get rid of me, but it never really worked that way,
I still moved around a lot,
But I,,, learned a lot of useful life skills,
Considering everything you've been through,
you have an incredible outlook,
Thank you,
But it took me years to put the pieces of my life back together,
And thank God for academic scholarships,
or I don't know where I'd be right now,
Well, I am still putting the pieces back together,
Everyone else thinks that I should have by now,
But if I think about going back to work or seeing friends,,,
I don't know,
It just seems so overwhelming,
Sorry, I don't know why I'm oversharing,
No, you don't have to apologize,
After what you've been through,
I think that you're entitled to take as much time as you need,
Besides, if you ask me,
the company of others is overrated,
Tom yum soup, red curry chicken and pad thai,
I hope everyone likes Thai food,
Brandon, this looks and smells amazing,
Wait! I should've asked first,
I hope no one's allergic to peanuts or shellfish,
No, No allergies here, Unless you cooked with bees,
I'm pretty sure you're safe,
And candles, nonetheless,
Well, everything looks better by candlelight,
This is delicious!
- Really good! - Thank you,
So, anything interesting happen at school today?
Not really, But,,,
I got stuck with Ralph Gilbert as my science lab partner, of course,
Really? I wonder how much he had to bribe your teacher
to make that happen,
Poor Ralph, He's had a crush on Addie since the third grade,
but she's never given him the time of day,
- Can I go out after dinner? - No way! It's a school night,
I finished all my homework,
I was thinking that maybe we could play a board game after dinner,
Like we used to,
That sounds like fun, I'm in!
A big block of ice? Steam? Smokestack!
Birds!
Fly-Magic 8-Ball?
- Tug boat! - Time!
- What the hell is that? - It's an aircraft carrier!
- It looks like a stick of butter! - I was drawing waves!
- Waves? I thought those were birds! - OK! Our turn!
- Brandon! You're drawing, - All right!
Whatever!
We got this, partner! You ready?
Ready!
I'll just finish this chapter and turn out the light,
Why don't you turn the light out now?
That was a lot of fun last night, huh?
Yeah,
Yeah, we should do that more often,
- I was thinking that we could maybe,,, - Good morning!
Morning, Brandon!
- How'd you sleep? - Good, thanks!
Can I make you some breakfast?
Sure, that would,,, be great,
- Eggs or waffles? - Eggs, please,
Scrambled, if it's not too much trouble,
No trouble at all,
So, what were you gonna say, Mom?
I don't remember, honey,
How about I make a roast chicken for dinner tonight?
Does everybody like lemon and garlic?
- That sounds delicious! - Yeah!
- You're eating with us again? - Addie!
What? I didn't mean it like that,
Normally, a college student would want to spend more time on campus,
Well, not everyone wants to live on pizza and beer,
Well, actually, pizza and beer sounds like a lot of fun,
It's just that I'm still new at school,
and I haven't really made any new friends yet,
Well, you are more than welcome to eat with us any time you like,
- Especially if you're cooking, - Hey!
- Are you off? - Yeah, Have a great day, guys!
- Thank you! - See you tonight,
You have a stain on your sleeve,
What is that?
Just drop it in the laundry, I'll take care of it later tonight,
You sure?
Thank you,
Hey, you want a ride?
You want a ride?
No, it's OK, I only have a couple more blocks to go,
So what? Get in!
Seat belt!
What are you listening to?
What?
If you want, you can plug your phone into my car stereo,
OK, Sure,
This song is so sick!
What kind of stuff do you like to do after school?
Just hang out with friends, I guess,
Maybe you and I could hang out, sometime,
I could try to sneak you into a college bar,,,
As long as you didn't tell your mom or dad,
So, what's your favorite subject in school?
Probably anything but calculus,
Really?
Well, calculus has always come really easily to me,
so let me know if you ever want some help,
OK,
What are friends for? Huh?
Or are we more like roommates?
This is good, right here,
Thank you! Thanks, for the ride,
Any time, roomie!
Who was that?
His name's Brandon, He's a college student renting out our spare room,
You have a guy living with you?
- Just for a couple weeks, - Is he cute?
Nope! He's actually pretty weird,
Maybe he knows some hot college guys,
- Doubtful! - You don't seem too happy about this,
I don't know, There's just something about him that just creeps me out,
Plus, having a random guy in your house is weird,
Look on the bright side: Maybe he can buy us some booze for homecoming,
- Is he 21? - Yeah, But he acts like he's like 40!
Have you figured out what you're gonna wear yet?
No, I haven't, I still have to go shopping,
Let's go next weekend! We can find you something hot!
Shoot! Come on! If I'm late for homeroom one more time,
Mrs, Saunders is gonna kill me,
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, PARTNER!
Yo, Chris! Hey, Chris!
Yo, Chris, man! Wait up!
Didn't you hear me calling you?
It's me, Andrew Brown from Lincoln Junior High, How's it going, man?
My name's not Chris, I never went to Lincoln Junior High,
What are you talking about?
You sat right in front of me in World History class,
You used to let me copy off you in exchange for cash,
Too bad we don't have any classes together now,
I'm sorry, You seem very convinced,
but I can assure you you have me confused with someone else,
Chris, man! Come on! It's me,
What the hell did you do? Enter Witness Protection or something?
I told you that's not my name, Now leave me alone,
Sure thing, Chris! Whatever you say!
See you around campus!
Mom?
Mom, I'm home!
I'm here!
- What are you doing in here? - Playing golf!
- What's it look like? - Very funny!
- What you making? - I am not sure yet,
I just,,, I felt like getting my hands dirty,
Mission accomplished,
How was school?
I don't know, It's just school, I guess,
- Did you need me for something? - No,
Just wanted to say hi,
You wanna try?
Sure!
There you go!
OK, grab the sponge,
Put your foot on the pedal,
Not so fast! Jeez!
We driving a car or making a pot?
A little faster,
A little slower,
Yeah!
OK, so this hand goes here very gently,
The sponge is gonna go down here, A little bit of pressure,
And as you pull it up, gentle,
- Like that? - Yeah, A little more pressure,
Up, Gentle,
You got this!
That's great! That's it!
No!
- Can I have a hug? - Hey!
Come on, Mom!
- Man! Talk to you later! - Catch you guys later,
You really think you should be driving in this condition?
Chris, what the hell, dude! You almost gave me a heart attack!
My name's not Chris,
Hi, Mom!
Hey, Mom! Hey, Mom! Hey, Mom!
- Hey! - Hi!
How was your run?
It was just what I needed, It always does wonders for clearing my head,
Sounds great,
Maybe I should join you sometime,
Just say the word,
You know, I used to try to get Addie to join, but,,,
if she's not chasing after a ball, she's not interested in running,
I,,, wanted to thank you again, for including me in your family game night,
- That was a lot of fun, - It was, wasn't it?
Although, next time, I think you're gonna have to be Nathan's partner,
'cause he thinks you're a ringer,
Fair enough!
Actually, my,,, real secret talent is,,, jigsaw puzzles,
I couldn't help but notice that one's been sitting there, untouched,
since I got here,
- If you're stuck on it, I could,,, - No,
Sorry,
It's just, Zach and I used to do puzzles on Saturday morning,
and that was the one that we were doing when,,,
I'm so sorry I brought it up, Forget I even asked,
No, it's OK,
I don't seem to be able to get myself to finish it or pack it away,
so it just sits there, in limbo,
There's no harm in that,
I guess not,
Sometimes, it's the things we hang onto the tightest
that can hold us back the most,
OK, no, I'm not saying that,,, I don't wanna go to college,
I'm just saying that I don't really know if I wanna go right away,
Yeah, but it's really not a good idea,
because you'll make a little bit of money at some dead-end job,
you'll fall out of the habit of studying,
and then you won't wanna go back to school, Trust me,
I just don't wanna be like Zach,
What?
All he ever did was study, and then,,,
Well, I wanna travel, I wanna,,, see stuff,
And you will, You'll have your entire life to do all the things you wanna do,
No, I know, Dad, But that's not,,,
- What I'm,,, - It's not up for debate, actually,
- Are you nervous about the big game? - No,
How are things with you and Mom?
They're OK, I guess,
She seems to be doing better, Don't you think?
Yeah, Yeah, it's bizarre,
What do you mean?
She's been under this dark cloud for so long,
Nothing we did ever helped, and suddenly,
Weird Guy comes along, and she's all chatty and smiley again,
Yeah, That's true, But it's OK, you know,
What matters most is that your mom's finally coming back to us,
Don't you think Brandon is, like, so creepy, though?
He's a,,, He's a bit on the awkward side, I'd say,
But again, you know, if having him around makes your mom happy,,,
- It's a good thing, right? - Yeah, I guess,
He won't be with us much longer,
- Promise? - Yeah, I promise,
I'm starving! I'll race you to the car!
OK!
I think,,,
I got it,
Nice! Just a few left!
You finish it,
We're home!
We're in here!
You,,,
You finished Zach's puzzle without me?
Sorry, Addie, I didn't know you wanted to help,
I wasn't talking to you, Mom?
I've been asking you for months to work on this with me,
- Honey, I'm sorry, - Paige,,,
- Why would you do this? - Guys, it's just a puzzle,
Are you kidding me right now?
You've assigned ridiculous sentimental value to everything in this house,
and the last puzzle that Zach was working on when he died,
that just means nothing to you?
I could take it apart again,
Or we could do a new one tonight, together, as a family,
"As a family," You're not part of this family,
Addie!
She has every right to be upset,
The puzzle was my idea,
I feel terrible for upsetting anyone,
especially after you've all been so kind to me,
I know we agreed that you would have kitchen and laundry privileges,
but I think beyond that,,,
- Wait, what are you talking about? - I'm sorry if I overstepped,
- I'm gonna sleep at Kara's tonight, - Addie,,,
I'm sorry that I finished Zach's puzzle without you,
I guess I'll see you at Kara's barbecue tomorrow?
You're going?
What's this barbecue all about?
Addie!
Hey,,,
Listen, you don't have to say anything if you don't want, I get it,
You know, every time I talk to her, it's like she doesn't even hear me,
She's not even listening to what I'm saying, and,,,
Homecoming's coming up in a couple weeks,
and she hasn't even offered to take me dress shopping,
Normally, I'd be fighting her off from dragging me
to every boutique store and every shoe store in town,
Hey, I can take you,
That's just it, Dad, You shouldn't have to be covering for her,
We just need to be patient,
I just want my mom back,
I know,
I was thinking,,,
When school's done I could get a job at a coffee shop or something,
Why?
Help with the bills,
That way we don't have to have a tenant anymore,
You just focus on your schoolwork and soccer, OK?
Let me worry about the bills,
OK, Thanks, Dad, Bye!
Have fun at Kara's, Text me later,
Yeah, I will,
He's always hanging out with my parents, which is weird enough,
He never gets a text or a call, I swear he has no friends,
Well, he's new here, Maybe he hasn't made any friends yet,
Hello! Have you ever heard of a phone?
You can still keep in contact with friends if you had them,
Let's check out his page,
- What's his last name? - Wilson,
That's him, Second one,
He's cute!
But I'll tell you what is kind of strange,
He only created this page two years ago,
No past work or education,
No places listed where he used to live,
- He's not in a relationship, - Shocker!
And he has almost no likes from anyone,
Yeah, look! All of his pictures are selfies!
There's not a single other person in any of those photos,
It's like he didn't even exist until a couple years ago,
What?
I accidentally clicked "like" on one of his pictures,
- No, you didn't! - I'm sorry,
Oh my God! Now he's gonna know we were looking at his page!
- Maybe he'll be flattered, - I hope not!
Kara Crawford liked your post,
You ready?
Sure,
We don't have to do this,
We can just go home and tell them that I wasn't feeling well, or,,,
or got called into the office,
I'm ready, Let's go,
All right,
,,,thought the judge was gonna have a stroke
when I asked for another continuance, but it worked,
Second biggest settlement we ever had,
Could've been the biggest if we had you there with us,
I'm sure you and Peter are doing just fine,
We are, but,,,
the office hasn't been the same without you,
Thank you,
We'd love to take you to lunch and chat a little more about that?
Let me think about that,
I'll take that as a yes,
It's good to see you again, Paige,
- You too, - It's been too long,
I couldn't agree more,
Look at that, You see that? You see what I mean?
He's so weird,
- Maybe he doesn't like parties, - Then why come?
He'll be gone soon enough, Just steer clear of him till then,
Come on! I need a turn!
I got it!
What's he doing now?
Is he playing fetch with that little kid?
Yeah,
Oh my God!
Caroline!
She fell! She fell! Help!
- She's out, - It's OK,
Mommy has you, I have you,
- It's OK, It's fine, - What happened?
I don't know, I heard a splash,
Thank God you did,
I don't want to imagine what would've happened if you hadn't,
Yeah, Good work, Brandon, I,,,
should go check on them,
Do you wanna go home and get dried up?
OK,
Brandon! What the hell was that? That kid could've died!
What do you mean? I saved her life,
You threw that ball into the pool on purpose, We saw you,
Well, you saw wrong, It was an accident,
You must be Kara, You're the one that liked my photo,
I didn't mean to, It was a slip of the finger,
We were just trying to get a better understanding of,,,
of who you really are,
Well, I hope you found whatever it was you were looking for,
Could you please say goodbye to everyone for me?
I need to get changed,
and then there's an experiment back at the lab that I really need to finish,
You were right, There's something seriously off about that guy,
Brandon's gonna be at the lab, right?
And my parents are gonna be here for at least another hour,
Which means?
I think it's about time that you and I
find out a little bit more about our new local hero,
Anything?
No, Just that he's kind of an OCD neat freak,
Oh God! It's like he went shopping and just said to the salesperson:
"I'll just get what the mannequin's wearing in every color you have,"
He sure made himself at home
for someone who's only supposed to be here for a couple of weeks,
Yeah,
Yep!
OK,,,
This doesn't make any sense, It says it's for his eighth birthday,
but the card was printed in 2012,
- That's really weird, - That's really weird,
They're here, Let's go!
- I'm so glad you were free for lunch, - Well, thank you for the invite,
It feels good to be out,
Everybody wanted me to pass along their hellos
and tell you that they miss you,
That's nice to hear,
And we sure could use your litigation skills right now,
We got an overload of cases, and everybody's already slammed,
We can make it easy on you,
Slow transition back, limited case load, pay raise,
- Name your terms, - Oh my gosh!
- I don't know what to say, - Say you'll think about it,
Paige! It is so good to see you! It's been so long!
I've been meaning to call you to see how you're doing,
Joel and I are just so, so sorry about Zach,
He was such a good kid, How you holding up?
I'm fine, We're just in a business meeting,
Seth still talks about Zach all the time,
He really misses him, All the kids do,
An overdose, of all things?
Never in a million years would I have guessed
that Zach would be the kind of kid to do drugs,
- Stop talking, - Did you find out what happened?
There's been so many rumors, Not like in a gossipy way, but,,,
- Stop talking, - What was that?
I said shut up and leave me alone,
Colin, I'm sorry,
I thought I was ready for this, but I'm not,
I'm just not ready,
Brandon!
- Addie! I didn't know you were home, - What the hell are you doing in here?
My calculator died on me, I figured Zach might have had one,
I didn't think anybody would mind if I borrowed it,
You thought wrong,
Why are you just staring at me like that?
It's so freakin' weird!
Stay out of this room,
- Can I just talk to you for a second? - No, not now, Addie,
OK, no I know, but it's kind of really important,
I caught Brandon snooping around in Zach's room,
Mom! Do you hear me?
Could I get minute of peace, please!
Do you have a second, Paige?
Sure,
I just wanted to let you know
that Addie found me in Zach's room earlier, and she was really mad,
It was just for a second, I had to borrow a calculator,
I'm sorry, I know I should've asked first,
You should've asked,
But that's not why Addie's really angry,
She just misses her brother,
We all do,
What's going on?
It's Brandon,
OK, What about him?
I caught him snooping around in Zach's room,
And Mom didn't even care,
Well, that's not OK, What was he doing in there?
I don't know, He said he was looking for some stupid calcula,,,
It wasn't what he said, it was the way that he said it, It just,,,
I just don't understand why Mom thinks he's so great,
He's always staring at us with that creepy blank stare,
And what about the barbecue? What the hell was that?
Was he just gonna let that little kid fall in and drown?
- Wait, what are you talking about? - Kara and I watched from the window,
He pushed the ball into the pool,
knowing that that little kid was gonna chase after it and fall in,
- That's a serious accusation, - I know what I saw,
You can ask Kara if you don't believe me,
Well, I think it's time for Brandon to move on,
Yes, Thank you,
- Hi! - Hi!
You're home early,
I have some good news,,,
And some more good news,
Which would you like to hear first?
Let's start with the good news!
Excellent choice! We got the Energy account,
What? That's amazing!
That's great news, Nathan! Congratulations!
Thank you,
- What's the other good news? - You remember Robert?
The account exec at the agency who owns those two apartments in the Heights?
Yeah,
One of his apartments has become vacant,
And the official showing is tomorrow,
but I talked him into letting Brandon take a sneak peek tonight,
Why would he wanna go and look at an apartment so far away from campus?
- I'd love to see it, - Brandon, you don't have to say that,
No, really! I think it's a great idea,
Really,
Nathan, thank you so much for thinking of me,
Of course,
You know what? Just let me grab my keys,
and I'll be right back to get the address from you, OK?
OK, sure!
Paige,,,
He was only supposed to be here a week or two,
The Heights, Nathan? It's gonna take him 45 minutes to get to class,
But he'll have his own place,
He can have friends over, host dinner parties, I don't know,
- How much is the rent? - $1,250,
He can't afford that!
He might be able to extend his budget if it means having a place of his own,
having some privacy, I don't know,
It's not like he's a member of our family!
He's not even a friend, He's our tenant!
Just keep your voice down! He might hear you!
I think that you need to stop worrying so much about Brandon's feelings,
and think about Addie's and mine,
That's not fair,
I don't want to fight about this, OK?
This is our home,
It's just time for Brandon to move on,
so that we can get back to being a family together, just the three of us,
The whole place is completely wired with fiber-optic internet and cable,
a fob entry system with security cameras,
It's a gas fireplace, in-suite laundry, and I guess that's about it,
So, do you have any questions?
It's perfect! How soon can I move in?
I'll get you to fill out an application first,
Then, if everything checks out, you could move in at the end of next week,
First and last month's rent are due on the day you move in,
and as for references, we can,,,
Shoot!
I accidentally put my driver's license number in the social-security part,
Do you happen to have another application?
No problem, I have extra copies in my car, I'll be right back,
,,,first in 10, in the closing minutes of the 4th quarter,
Note the offense shifts to the right side for this play,
The ball is snapped,
Hello?
Hi, Robert, How'd it go?
What? How did,,, How did they all just go off?
Two months? I'm sorry to hear that,
No, look, I understand,
Let me know if there's anything I can do,
Yeah, OK, I'll see you then,
Bye!
Hi, Brandon!
Nathan!
I'm surprised you're still up!
I wanted to have a word with you in private,
I'll just get right to the point,
I want you to know how much we've all enjoyed having you here,
But,,, it's time for you to move on,
Well, I was really looking forward to moving into Robert's apartment,
It's such a shame about the water damage,
Yeah, It is a shame,
But there are plenty of other apartments out there,
Sorry, Brandon, It's been a tough year for us,
and I think we have a lot more healing to do,
But to do that, we're gonna need some time and some privacy,
Well, I could start spending more time on campus,
I could stay in my room more, if,,,
That's not what I'm saying,
I'm happy to write you a letter of recommendation,
but,,, you have until the end of the week to find another place,
And then you have to move out,
How does Paige feel about this?
I'm telling you it's time for you to go,
I see,
I should've talked to you first,
I already said I'm sorry,
It'll be two weeks on Monday, which is what we agreed to, isn't it?
Addie has soccer practice after school, You'll pick her up, right?
Yeah,
Morning!
You're up early! Can I make you something to eat?
No, thank you, I grabbed a power bar before my run,
Besides, I have a couple of apartments I want to check out before class,
Brandon, I want you to know that it wasn't my decision for you to move out,
I know that,
You've been so kind and generous with me,
But I'll be fine, I promise,
Just in case you miss your lunch,
What happened?
- What? - On your neck,
It's nothing, I must've been bitten by a mosquito on my run,
You have one on your hand too, Looks like a bee sting,
It's really no big deal,
Thank you so much for the lunch,
Of course,
The forecast calls for occasional spring showers this morning,
followed by partial clearing this afternoon, Today's high near 57°,
Tonight more cloud with an overnight low of 39°,
More rain tomorrow, with the chance of thunderstorms and a high of only 49°,
With the winds out of the northwest at 7 mph,,,
Just pick it up, She keeps calling,
She only feels guilty because she left me again at soccer practice,
Blue team to ICU please, Blue team, ICU,
She has completely forgotten about me since Brandon moved in,
Have you found out anything more about him?
No, No, Literally nothing, He's completely off the grid,
Do you still have that family picture of his in your phone?
Yeah, Why?
You could try a reverse-image search,
OK, It's worth a shot! I'll have to AirDrop it,
Reverse image search Drop image here
Here we go, Here's something,
It's from a small town in Northern California,
"The fire took the lives of Dr, Toth,
his wife Naomi, and their 6-year-old daughter,
The only survivor was the couple's 8-year-old son, Christopher,"
"Christopher"?
Why would he change his name?
And why would he lie about how his parents died?
I don't know, Everything about him is so messed up,
I'm gonna show this to my mom before Brandon gets home,
- I'll see you later, - Bye!
Dr, Howley, please report to radiology, Dr, Peter Howley,,,
- Mrs, Petrovic! - Yes!
Is he OK?
I'm afraid your husband sustained a serious head injury,
and he's still in surgery,
We also found multiple bee stings all over his body,
- Bee stings! - I've never seen anything like it,
I don't know how somebody gets stung that many times while driving,
And with his severe allergy, that alone could've killed him,
He's extremely lucky to be alive,
Thank you, Doctor,
I will keep you updated, OK?
Come on, Addie! Pick up!
Mom!
Mom? Are you home?
God! You scared the hell out of me!
What are you doing, sitting here in the dark?
Waiting for you,
Addie?
- That's close enough! - Be careful! He's crazy!
Shut up!
I'm so glad that you could join us,
It's too bad that Nathan couldn't make it,
- Did something happen to Dad? - He was in an accident,
- No! - It's OK, Addie, He's gonna be OK,
He burned his whole family alive! Mom, he's a sick freak!
His name's not even Brandon! It's Christopher!
What difference does my name make? It means nothing,
Why are you doing this to us?
Doing this to you?
Why are you doing this to me?
I've been nothing but the perfect son to you,
I've been willing to do anything to be a part of this family,
and yet you still rejected me,
- No, Nobody rejected you, - She did!
From the moment that she laid eyes on me,
And then she got Nathan to turn on me too,
My parents were monsters! That's why I had to get rid of them,
But I saw the way that you were with Zach,
- You were gonna be different, - You knew Zach?
Did you really think that this was all just some,,, fluke?
I've wanted what Zach had
since the first time I saw you drop him off at college,
when we were in freshman year,
And you wouldn't stop hugging and kissing him goodbye,
no matter how much it embarrassed him,
And nobody's ever loved me like that, Not even close,
But, see, Zach had everything, and I had nothing,
And it was not gonna change, so I just had to take matters into my own hands,
He never appreciated what he had,
Not like I would have! And you,,,
Mom!
,,,ruined everything! You've,,,
This is your fault! This is why this is happening!
- It's your fault! - Please!
I would've been a good brother, if you would've just let me!
Please put the lighter away!
Brandon, I wanna help you,
- No! You're just saying that, - No!
No! I care about you!
We can get through this,,,
together,
Put the lighter away,
- Why should I believe you? - Because,,, I understand you,
You were abused, And that caused you to lash out,
But you were just defending yourself,
Exactly,
So, that part of your life is behind you now,
and we can start fresh,
Why would you help me after everything I've done?
We're family,
It's OK, Come here,
Addie, run!
Mom!
Brandon! Brandon, please! Brandon, please!
You don't have to do this, You don't have to do this!
Leave my daughter alone!
Mom! Mom!
Brandon! No! Brandon!
No!
I loved you,
- Mom! - I loved you!
No!
THREE MONTHS LATER
Let's go, Addie! I have to be in court by 9:00,
OK, OK!
Have a great one,
See you later tonight,
- Knock 'em dead, beautiful, - Thank you!
Mom, let's go!
THICKER THAN WATER