Chapter 42: Benzodiazepine
[Chess club, Atenamal Regional High, 3:34 PM]
ALESSANDRA: "So that came out of nowhere, didn't it?"
SAL: "You just used an indefinite pronoun. Are you sure you aren't one of them?"
(Alessandra gives him a dagger-ful look)
SAL: "Look, Oscar, we're sorry about everything that happened. Elsie, Abdul, and Emma way back a few months ago. And we're sorry that they're back on Fender's trail. But I just don't know if there's anything we can do about them. Especially at this point - they're finished. They used up all the indefinite pronouns they can use to name-tag themselves. According to your logic."
OSCAR: (subdued) "At this point all I want to know is the truth. I want to know who they are and why they seem to follow us everywhere. I want to know what they have against Fender."
SAL: "I can understand the desire - "
OSCAR: "Can't you do some hacking thing and figure it out? Can't you trace their IP, or something?"
ALESSANDRA: "They're hackers, too. They aren't stupid enough not to cover their tracks."
OSCAR: "But they're teenagers. We're all stupid. Sal?"
SAL: "I'm not as good as Devan and Tomas. Not nearly as good. And they've stopped handing out their services to people."
OSCAR: "Why?"
SAL: (shrugs) "NammiGram was a big project they took on. Now that it's up and running they're taking a break, until they need to start making updates for the site. By the way, the article and the pictures are spreading through that site like wildfire."
OSCAR: (hopeless) "I know."
ALESSANDRA: "It's not the only thing that's been circulating the internet. Look." (she shows her phone to Oscar; it's a picture of Basil in the riot in her wheelchair, giving a deathly stare to a man holding a confederate flag) "This was taken by someone who works for Vox. It went viral."
OSCAR: "Viral? How come I've never seen it?"
SAL: "Maybe because you're literally an old man and never use electronics."
OSCAR: "That is not true."
ALESSANDRA: "Well, go to Twitter. There's a post about it that's trending."
OSCAR: "I left my phone at home."
(Sal and Alessandra exchange a look)
OSCAR: "Whatever. That's fantastic and crazy and that picture looks awesome and I'm gonna get it tattooed underneath my right nipple but - "
SAL: "The Indefinite Pronouns. Yes. We know. I've had some time to think about it in the last few seconds. Going by your logic, we should look for places that can be associated with the words anywhere, somewhere, nowhere and everywhere."
ALESSANDRA: "And that is why you should never become a detective."
SAL: "It's the only thing we got."
OSCAR: "Goering said the Pronouns print out their own newspaper issues and distribute the copies themselves, and that they intercept the real ones."
SAL: "The newspaper gets printed on Tuesday mornings at around eight thirty."
ALESSANDRA: "We have to wait till next Tuesday and hide out around the copying room to see who goes in - "
OSCAR: "But they're done with the whole attacking thing. They're retired. We have to find them some other way."
(they all think; it's silent for a few moments)
SAL: "You know, Devan and Tomas might be our best bet for this situation. I'm going to try and talk them out of retirement."
OSCAR: "In the meantime, I'll hope the Pronouns stay in retirement."
...
[Attic room, His House, 5:31 PM]
(Oscar is on his laptop reading every article with Basil's viral picture on it word for word - even Californian websites are showing the picture)
(there's a knock on the door; his dad steps into his room)
OSCAR: "What."
OSCAR'S DAD: "Come help me get gas."
OSCAR: "Dad, you know I'm terrible at making your signature burritos."
OSCAR'S DAD: "Gas for the car, silly goose. We're running on an empty tank."
OSCAR: "Can't you do that in the morning? You aren't even going anywhere tonight."
OSCAR'S DAD: "Yes I am going somewhere. To the gas station. With you. I need to get a pack of beer as well."
OSCAR: "And you need my manly muscles to lift the keg for you?"
OSCAR'S DAD: "Keg? I'm not in college anymore, bud. I need you to lift the twelve pack for me. I threw my back out playing baseball with the boys yesterday. Need you to lift the gas nozzle as well."
(Oscar groans)
[Car, Somewhere Around Town, 5:48 PM]
OSCAR'S DAD: (driving) "So. It won't be too long till you're driving this, now, huh? And Fender, he's, uh, he's already driving?"
OSCAR: (elbow on the window sill, head in hand) "He's taking the test soon. And Basil... - "
OSCAR'S DAD: "We know about Basil. And we, uh, know about Fender, too."
(Oscar's hand slides down to cover his eyes)
OSCAR'S DAD: "His dad actually contacted us and him and your mom had a bit of a screaming fit on the phone. He's not pleased with what's going on between you two."
OSCAR: "You guys aren't pleased, either. Why was she even yelling? Her and Xander would get along really well."
(Oscar's dad is searching for words; he looks at Oscar then looks back at the road)
OSCAR'S DAD: "I can't speak for your mom. But personally, for me, I, uh, I don't entirely get it. I can... I can be friends with gay people, because they're people, and if they make me laugh and if they know how to have fun, that's all that matters. But I, uh, I'm sorry if I come across as... ignorant."
OSCAR: (quiet; a little bit salty) "It's okay."
OSCAR'S DAD: "Look, I'm terrible at this stuff. If we had a girl and we found out she had a boyfriend I wouldn't know how to handle it. Now we have a boy, and he has... and you... there's a boy in your life and I don't know how to handle it. I'm just stupid at this stuff. Gay or not I'm stupid at it. So whatever you do, that's your own thing. I'll support you and I'll do my best to be at your side. Your life, your decisions. And I want you to know, Oscar, that... I'm trying my best, here."
OSCAR: "You know I'm not going to marry a woman, right? You know that's not an option for me? So you can stop fantasizing that maybe I'm just going through a phase."
(Oscar's dad pauses for a long time to think carefully about his next words)
OSCAR'S DAD: "Hey, I've had the most firsts of my life, having you. The first time having a kid. First time changing a diaper. First time bringing you to school. First time bringing you to high school. And in thirty years, it'll be my first time attending a gay wedding."
OSCAR: (looks out the window, fighting back a smile) "Ten. And we tend to just call them weddings."
OSCAR'S DAD: "Twenty. It'll be my first time attending my son's wedding." (he pulls into the liquor store parking lot) "And, uh, you should, uh, bring that Fender over for dinner, sometime. Or to watch the game, or something. I don't know. Maybe he can bake with your mom? I don't know what he likes doing."
OSCAR: "If he started baking with mom she'd find a way to drown him in pastry dough."
OSCAR'S DAD: (...) "I should probably tell you... she was yelling at Fender's dad on the phone because he was saying nasty things about you and your... you and your boyfriend. She was defending you, kid. She was sticking up for you."
(when Oscar's dad gets out of the car to head into the liquor store, Oscar lets himself release a few tears he'd been holding in)
...
[His House, 8:34 PM]
(Holding his longboard, Oscar sticks his head into his mom's office)
OSCAR: "Mom, can I go to Fender's house?" (...) "His dad isn't home."
OSCAR'S MOM: (it's a tough pill to swallow, isn't it?) "Who is home? There has to be someone there to chaperone you."
OSCAR: "His nanny person. Her name's Leticia. She's really nice and responsible. And I'll be back before eleven."
(...)
OSCAR'S MOM: "Stay very safe. And take a jacket."
OSCAR: (backing away) "Mom, it's the middle of May and I'm gonna be longboarding for like, five miles. I don't need a jacket."
OSCAR'S MOM: "It's cold out! You don't want to get sick!"
(Oscar quickly opens and closes the front door)
...
[A dark suburban street, Somewhere Around Town, 8:45 PM]
(Oscar is longboarding in the dark; suddenly someone on a bike comes out from a hidden driveway and Oscar crashes into him; they both get flung to the pavement, causing Oscar to get road-burn on his arm)
SAL: "Oscar?"
OSCAR: (wincing in pain, sitting up on the sidewalk) "Sal Petecrack?"
SAL: "Shit - are you okay?" (Sal helps Oscar to his feet) "Were you longboarding?"
OSCAR: "Yeah. Were you biking?"
SAL: "I was just going to Devan and Tomas's house. To negotiate with them, you know. Why are you here?"
OSCAR: "This is your house? I didn't know that." (observes the squat home; remembers the question) "I'm just on my way to Fender's house."
SAL: (nodding; he thinks he knows what's up) "I see how it is. A little slumber party never hurt anyone, right?" (gives him a friendly smack on the arm)
OSCAR: "I'm actually going to ask him to eat dinner with me and my parents tomorrow - he won't answer my calls so I have to do it in person. We try to keep the slumber parties to a minimum, ever since..."
SAL: "Right. Of course. Well. We should probably... go our separate ways. It was nice running into you, literally."
(Oscar gets ready to kick up his longboard, suddenly realizes it had gotten broken down the middle somehow)
SAL: (noticing) "Oh... shit."
OSCAR: (squatting and running his hair back with his fingers) "Noooo, no no no - "
SAL: "It must have been half off the sidewalk and I must have landed hard on it, or something - "
OSCAR: "Whyyyy..."
(...)
SAL: "I have a penny board, somewhere in the garage."
OSCAR: "A penny board won't get me there fast enough."
SAL: "Well, it's better than walking. And I'll pay for your board. I'm so sorry, Oscar."
(Sal runs into the garage and comes out with a plastic blue penny board)
SAL: "Here, you can keep it, I never used it anyways."
OSCAR: (heartbroken) "Thanks."
SAL: "I'll pay for your board. Don't worry."
OSCAR: (shakes his head) "It was two-hundred dollars."
SAL: (pauses) (shrugs) "I'll pay for it. I'm the one who broke it. Now go, before you become really late."
OSCAR: "It's too late to not become really late." (starts riding the penny board) "Thanks, though, Sal, for this. I'll see you later."
(Sal rides off in the other direction, sending Oscar a good-natured wave and an apologetic half-smile)
[The Road Fender Lives On, Regormal Hills, 10:01 PM]
(Oscar is sweating profusely; he finally recognizes the houses on the street as being Fender's neighbours; but suddenly he looks ahead and sees ambulance and police lights flashing bright red and blue against the darkness right on the edge of Fender's lawn; Oscar kicks the board faster)
(outside Fender's house, Oscar looks around, but the flashing lights are disorienting him; the front door to Fender's house is wide open to the warm yellow light inside; suddenly an ambulance that was parked on the sidewalk starts its sirens and pulls into the street; Oscar is convinced Fender is in it)
(realizing the penny board in useless, Oscar sprints up the driveway and into Fender's house; he sees Fender's dad sitting slack on a dining chair, a woman and a police officer with him; Oscar sprints up the stairs and into Fender's room; he grabs Fender's longboard and sprints back down; ignoring the sudden questions from the police officer he sprints back to the street and starts longboarding as fast as he can after the ambulance)
(it seems to him like it's taking decades to reach the hospital)
[Emergency room, Don Witty Hospital, 10:42 PM]
(Oscar runs into the emergency room; he runs to the desk)
OSCAR: (completely out of breath; there's pain in his chest and he's not sure if it's a lack of oxygen or his heart) "Is Fender here? Fender Brail."
CLERK: (types rapidly at his computer) "Are you family?"
OSCAR: "Yes."
CLERK: "Cousin, brother...?"
OSCAR: (still out of breath) "Fiancee?"
(the clerk looks at him suspiciously)
CLERK: "Y'all are under age."
OSCAR: "We were emancipated by court order. We're getting married when we're eighteen, though."
CLERK: (gives him a slip of paper) "Wait right over there. We'll have a nurse come see you as soon as possible."
(Oscar walks unsteadily to the waiting room)
...
[Waiting room, Don Witty Hospital, 11:08 PM]
OLD LADY WITH A WALKER: "Excuse me, can you pass me a tissue?"
(Oscar looks over and sees a tissue box; he hands the lady a tissue; she starts crying into it and hobbles away)
...
[Waiting room, Don Witty Hospital, 11:23 PM]
(a man and what appears to be his teenage son are crying on each other's shoulders; Oscar tears his eyes away and stares at his lap)
...
[Waiting room, Don Witty Hospital, 11:47 PM]
[Enter BASIL'S PARENTS]
BASIL'S DAD: "Oscar? Who are you - Basil's fast asleep. And we're all just going home to get some sleep as well."
BASIL'S MOM: "Did they make you wait down here to see her?"
OSCAR: (trying hard to focus - he's feeling exhausted) "Yeah, no. I was... I was up there earlier, but... I'm just here in case."
BASIL'S DAD: (rubs Oscar's shoulder lovingly) "Go home. Get some sleep. She'll be fine."
BASIL'S MOM: "We know you're her guardian angel, sweetheart, but there's nothing you can do for her looking like you do right now. Get your beauty sleep and enjoy the weekend."
...
[Waiting room, Don Witty Hospital, 12:02 AM]
(Oscar is drifting off, but a hand taps him awake; suddenly he's wide awake and fully alert)
NURSE: "Are you waiting for Fender Brail?"
OSCAR: "Yeah."
NURSE: (giving him a smile) "Why don't you come with me."
(the nurse leads him through some hallways into a quieter part of the hospital; they make it to another, much smaller waiting room that's empty; she invites him to sit down next to her)
NURSE: "You're Fender's fiancee?" (Oscar nods) "Fender... didn't make it, tonight. He suffered a serious overdose from benzodiazepines and unfortunately the doctors couldn't get to him in time. He passed away at approximately 10:16 tonight. We've moved him to our autopsy unit, so I'm afraid you're going to have to wait two or three days until you will be allowed to view the body. I'm assuming you're no............. n't need to sign any paperw.............. is he's in safe h.............. tried all they coul................... Mr Glyde? Mr Glyde?"