Oscar Glyde Won't Heal Your Pride

43: The Trolls of Atenamal High

(Oscar tugs on the handle of the passenger door but it's locked)

OSCAR: "Goering - " (tugs again)

(Goering drives away)

(Oscar sinks to the pavement and puts his forehead in his arms)

...

[Chess club, Atenamal Regional High, 3:42 PM]

OSCAR: (standing above Vlad's desk) "Where are Sal and Alessandra?"

VLAD: (reading a book called 'SO YOU WANT TO HUNT A VAMPIRE? Two-Hundred Tips, Tricks, and Grips on How To Convince Your Friends You're Not Crazy - And Slay A Vampire While Doing It (special Blood Moon edition)') "Look around you, Wanderer. Nobody plays chess here, anyways. They're probably making nerd babies in the catacombs."

OSCAR: "What about Devan and Tomas?"

VLAD: "Compared to you those two are Gods. We don't question where they go when they aren't here - we know that whatever leads them astray is for the betterment of humankind."

(Oscar turns away and shrugs his backpack onto an empty desk by the wall)

GABI: (whisper-shouting from halfway across the room) "You don't have to stay here, you know. Even official members of the chess club have better things to do." 

(Oscar ignores her)

(Candace Yen walks over to Oscar's desk and sits down across from him; she empties a chess set out on the table)

CANDACE: "I'll play with you. White or black? - that's probably an insensitive question to ask at this time."

OSCAR: "Black."

CANDACE: "Rookie mistake. White gets first move."

OSCAR: "What a surprise."

CANDACE: (starts setting up the board) "You okay, Oscar? You seem a bit off. Flushed - in the cheeks. You look like you've been crying, as well. You know, I can make this concoction that changes the hormon - "

OSCAR: "I'm fine."

CANDACE: "You sure you don't want it? All I need are over-the-counter anti-depressants, Tylenol, yeast, Elmer's glue, extra-pulpy persimmon juice - "

OSCAR: "Candace, I'm fine."

CANDACE: "Oh, I don't have to add pulp. That part turns a lot of people away. I actually just got this really good strainer from Target..."

(Oscar zones out; Candace makes the first move; he moves a random piece; they play for a little bit)

CANDACE: "And check..." (she lifts up her rook) "mate." (she uses her rook to zealously knock down Oscar's king; the king topples off the desk and bounces across the floor; it stops rolling near Gabi's backpack) "Shit." (Candace walks over to retrieve it)

(Oscar watches Candace bend to pick up the king without really thinking; suddenly something catches his eye; a digital camera is peaking out of Gabi's open backpack)

GABI: (zipping up her bag and standing up) "Fuck this. Have fun wasting time, nerds." (she strides out of the room)

CANDACE: (back at the desk) "Ready for round two?"

(without saying a word, Oscar grabs his bag and makes a B-line for the door)

(Oscar follows Gabi from a distance; he follows her down into the abandoned art wing where they'd once had their student council meetings - the catacombs; she enters a through a door; Oscar waits a moment to read the make-shift sign)