Hemlock High Ep 2 - "It's Not Cheating"

Hemlock High Ep 2 – “It’s Not Cheating”

[Hemlock High theme]

Sable Finch (Madeleine)
Hi.

Camdyn Lithey (Janaya)
Hi.

Sable Finch (Madeleine)
Hi.

Camdyn Lithey (Janaya)
Hi.

Sable Finch (Madeleine)
Hello. Hi.

Camdyn Lithey (Janaya)
Hey.

Sable Finch (Madeleine)
Hi. Sorry, this is so weird. I mean, in a great way. In a really, really good way.

Camdyn Lithey (Janaya)
Yeah. It’s so… so nice to finally put a face to a name.

Sable Finch (Madeleine)
Yeah.

Camdyn Lithey (Janaya)
I should have assumed it was you. I was looking around the class and couldn’t take my eyes off of you. Is that weird? Is that weird to say? I’m so sorry. [Chuckles]

Sable Finch (Madeleine)
No, no… [Chuckles] Um… I’m so sorry. I… I want… Oh… I really thought this was gonna be very, very different. And I really don’t mean to be weird about this, but you just found out… You just made the connection with who I am, right? You didn’t figure this out earlier?

Camdyn Lithey (Janaya)
I feel like I had an inkling, only because… Just knowing me and who I, you know, am interested with online. I was just trying to narrow it down a little bit. And I don’t think a very tall football person would be in my purview. Let alone a person dressed up in full pleather leather. So I was just trying to play the process of elimination game, you know?

Sable Finch (Madeleine)
Okay. I’m gonna trust you on this one, because I… I do. I just… I just have to show you something.

Madeleine
And she grabs Camdyn’s hand and drags them over to her locker, where Sable kind of awkwardly holds her hand up and presents the lovely work done by… someone.

Sable Finch (Madeleine)
Um, yeah. This wasn’t here an hour ago, and I don’t really wanna walk home alone. So I know we’re kind of just meeting for the first time, but do you wanna walk home together?

Camdyn Lithey (Janaya)
Yeah. I think that would be smart.

Sable Finch (Madeleine)
Also, should I call the sheriff?

Kim
[Laughs]

Camdyn Lithey (Janaya)
[Sighs] Only if you want to. I don’t know if you got the lore drop earlier in class, but he’s kind of my step uncle?

Sable Finch (Madeleine)
Yeah. I guess that could make things weird?

Camdyn Lithey (Janaya)
Yeah.

Percy
Not the stuncle.

Janaya
[Laughs] He’s my stuncle.

Percy
I had to get “stuncle” in there. I’m sorry! I’m sorry!

Janaya
[Laughs]

Camdyn looks over at the locker, and is immediately horrified. Like, their eyes get super large, almost like bubbles. And looks back over to Sable, and just goes…

Camdyn Lithey (Janaya)
I hope you realize I didn’t do this.

Sable Finch (Madeleine)
No, no. Absolutely not. No, there’s no way. 

Camdyn Lithey (Janaya)
Okay, cool.

Sable Finch (Madeleine)
I trust you. I trust you.

Camdyn Lithey (Janaya)
Yeah.

Madeleine
Sable also absolutely has not let go of Camdyn’s hands. Still holding it, very excited to be holding a hand. This is huge!

Janaya
Yeah. Camdyn’s hand’s, like, a little sweaty.

Madeleine
Yeah. 

Janaya
[Laughs] And I just keep surveying the scene of, like…

Camdyn Lithey (Janaya)
Who could have possibly done this? Where would you get a knife that strong to cut through someone’s locker?

Sable Finch (Madeleine)
Yeah. I don’t know.

Madeleine
And Sable has gone very internal for a second. What exactly was written on the locker, again?

Kim
“Will you go to Homecoming with me?”

Madeleine
So Sable is going to, from the bottom corner of her locker that’s kind of partially open, reach inside and grab her camera repair kit. She's gonna open it up and get a screwdriver out. And she’s going to scratch in Nagi’s name underneath, as though it’s signed from her. And put the screwdriver away. Turn to Camdyn, and say…

Sable Finch (Madeleine)
So I know who did this. And I don’t want them to get in trouble. And I think this is the cleanest way to deal with this.

[Gentle lofi music]

Sable Finch (Madeleine)
I want to tell you more, but I… I don’t know. There’s so much happening right now. Do you trust me?

Camdyn Lithey (Janaya)
Absolutely. Yeah. No worries at all.

Janaya
And my grip starts to get a little tighter on their hand. And I just say…

Camdyn Lithey (Janaya)
Don’t worry about it at all. Clearly you know the lay of the land better than I do, and… First days, am I right? And I figure if I trust anybody here, I can and should trust you. Since, you know, all that we’ve talked about beforehand.

Sable Finch (Madeleine)
I… I’m so… This must be the shittiest first day anyone’s ever had! I’m so sorry!

Camdyn Lithey (Janaya)
You know? It’s not great. But I’m happy that I got to meet you, finally.

Sable Finch (Madeleine)
Yeah. It’s nice to know that you’re the same person online as you are in person.

Camdyn Lithey (Janaya)
[Chuckles] 

Madeleine
Sable, like, awkwardly is just still holding Camdyn’s hand. Not totally sure what to do next. 

Sable Finch (Madeleine)
I don’t… I don’t… I don’t know… I don’t know where you live. I wanna walk home together, but I don’t know if we’re gonna be going in the same direction. Uh… I’ll walk you home. I’ll walk – yeah. 

Camdyn Lithey (Janaya)
Oh, but –

Sable Finch (Madeleine)
Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah… 

Camdyn Lithey (Janaya)
Thank you. You know, um, it’s funny that you mention that. Just cause I told Jackson that I was going to see if I remembered how to get home from school. So we might be going on a journey! [Chuckles] Is that okay?

Madeleine
Sable has a moment where you see her remember that Camdyn lives with another classmate.

Sable Finch (Madeleine)
Uh… Do we wanna… Uh… Have you told anyone about me? It’s not because – I’m not embarrassed, it’s just that I don’t really share my personal life with other people? So I just don’t know… If we walk home together, will Jackson be weird?

Camdyn Lithey (Janaya)
Oh! No, no, no. Jackson very much keeps it – keeps his life to himself, and I keep my life to myself. And, you know, we’re not best friends. We only just met about a month ago, since I’ve lived there with his dad and my aunt. It was kind of a quick thing, so I think we just made a silent bond that we’d just keep our stuff to our chest, unless we really needed help. You know, since he’s not… He’s not my real brother. [Chuckles] You know?

Sable Finch (Madeleine)
Okay. Maybe I walk you to a block away from your house? 

Camdyn Lithey (Janaya)
Sure! That’s okay. Yeah. If that is, uh…

Janaya
And Camdyn starts to, like… Not loosen the grip, but just soften it a little bit.

Camdyn Lithey (Janaya)
Yeah, sure. That’s totally fine, you know, and… Internet anonymity, right? You don’t want to know too much about me, after just meeting me right now. So I completely respect that. 

Sable Finch (Madeleine)
Okay, thank you. You mean a lot to me. 

Camdyn Lithey (Janaya)
Yeah, same. And I, um… A lot’s already gone on today. I don’t want to ruin something else.

Madeleine
She grabs like two things out of her locker. Like fishing her hand up and through to grab them. And then starts leading Camdyn down the hallway, towards the exit. 

Kim
Camdyn and Sable, as the two of you walk home, we’re gonna go ahead and fast forward to the next day at school.

[A busy high school hallway]

Kim
Despite perhaps Sable’s wishes, news of this new couple around campus has already spread. There have been several blind items about it, waiting in your queue the next time you log into Walls of the Stalls.

Madeleine
Delete. Swipe. Delete. Swipe. 

Kim
[Laughs]

Madeleine
Read them, giggle to myself. Oh ho ho, that’s actually a really cute picture. Save the picture. Delete.

Kim
As well as news about Sable’s destroyed locker, which has also made the queue for Walls of the Stalls.

Madeleine
Post post post post post. 

Percy
Well, you definitely get one that says, “Did you say yes? Did you answer the question?”

Kim
And probably other references to Nagi’s previous promposal to you. 

And speaking of that… Yakubu, the minute that you step onto campus, Nagi is right by your side, like a little 4’11” homing missile.

Nagi (Kim)
You idiot! You weren’t supposed to write my name!

Yakubu Anozie (Percy)
I wouldn’t have written your name. And I didn’t write your name. 

Nagi (Kim)
Well my name is on the locker, so everyone thinks that I did it. Thanks.

Yakuu Anozie (Percy)
Yeah? Well I’m sorry that the chick you fell for is smarter than the both of us combined. Alright? I’m sorry. Because I know I didn’t write nothing. In fact, I don’t actually even know what we’re talking about. 

Percy
As he, like, is leading her aside, so this doesn’t blow out of proportion.

Nagi (Kim)
Yeah, well, it was your idea to write, “Will you go to Homecoming with me”! You didn’t think that was gonna blow back on me?

[Low, threatening ambience]

Percy
You see this visible irritation on Yakubu. Because obviously with the situation that had happened in the yearbook committee room, and then Nagi abandoning him… He’s a little ticked off at her, as well. And he kind of whips around on her and looks, and is like…

Yakubu Anozie (Percy)
Listen, you didn’t tell me how I had to do it. The agreement was, I made her look stupid. I made her look stupid. I’m sorry that she made you look stupid in return. 

Kim
Shut Someone Down.

Percy
Ooh! That is a 9.

Kim
Alright. Choose from the list below, but you get a Condition in return.

Percy
Oh my goodness! I’m gonna give her a Condition.

Kim
Alright. What is Nagi’s Condition?

Percy
I think this one is gonna be Rejected. Because she’s already been rejected once by Sable. And Yakubu pointing this out, very harshly, that she’s the one that keeps making the mistake of dealing with Sable? Like, this is all her fault. She is the reject, and continues to be so.

Kim
Alright. That means I get to give you a Condition in return.

Percy
I have a suggestion, if you don’t have one.

Kim
I am always down to hear suggestions.

Percy
I think Big Bully. Because he is usually this big, kind, big bear of a guy. But it’s like – when he does bear down over other people, and uses his size and his loudness to intimidate people, he looks like a Big Bully. And as of right now, if anyone sees him around little 4’11” Nagi? That’s a big bully, right there.

Kim
Indeed, yeah. Nagi is shrinking away from you. Like, backing down. I think she’s, like, back up into one of the lockers. She puts her hands up.

Nagi (Kim)
Okay. Sorry. I got a little heated. I’ll drop it. Are we good?

Yakubu Anozie (Percy)
That depends on you. Are you gonna keep bothering me? Or are you gonna get out of my face?

Nagi (Kim)
No, I’m not… I won’t… I won’t bother you.

Yakubu Anozie (Percy)
Listen. I’ll deal with Sable. I’ll figure this out for you. Alright?

Percy
And you kinda see just, like, a moment of shame when he sees her shrinking back, before he does stand back up.

[A high school hallway]

Yakubu Anozie (Percy)
Now get outta here. I’ll figure it out.

Kim
And Nagi scurries. Valley, what about you this morning? What are you up to?

Cassandra
Valley was uncharacteristically late to school today. She’s not wearing her cheerleading uniform today, despite the fact that it is Spirit Week.

Kim
Yeah, you have a practice later today.

Cassandra
Yeah. She’ll put it on later, when there’s less folks around. But for the moment, she is fully covered from head to toe. She’s got her white button down, her tie, her blazer, she’s got a full set of dark, black, non-translucent, you can’t see through them, tights on today. And she is walking through the halls, eyes forward, heading toward her locker. If you looked her straight in the face, you would see some very dark circles under her eyes as she heads to her locker and starts to root around for whatever books she needs for her next class. So she’s had a rough night, to say the least.

Kim
What were you up to?

Cassandra
Um… How much of this do I want to give away?

Kim
We’ve only got three episodes, baby.

Cassandra
Got it.

[Quiet synth music]

Cassandra
Her dad was home last night. Her dad is an upstanding individual in their church, but he does work nights. Which makes him pretty scarce in their family dynamic at home. When he’s home, he is cranky, easily irritated. The smallest little things can send him off on a tangent. 

So Valley last night did not clean up his dishes in the kitchen. And when she went up to do her homework, before he knew it, he was in the room asking why she hadn’t put his dishes away. And she said, “They weren’t my dishes.” Which led to quite the verbal and physical altercation in the house, that no one stepped in to help her.

Kim
I’ve got a weird question.

Cassandra
Sure.

Kim
Does your family know that you’re dead?

Cassandra
I would say yes, actually. And her father actually likes the fact that she’s dead, because now there are no consequences for his actions.

Kim
Oh, yikes…

Cassandra
Yeah. So I would say they know. But given his stature in the church and in the community, they haven’t shared it. And the fact that she’s a ghost and is still appearing physical is only a benefit to him, in the end. He has an unkillable punching bag, at this particular moment in time. So if he’s got something to get out of his system, he has what he considers a free pass.

Percy
God damn…

Kim
Jesus…

Cassandra
Hey, man. You said “go there,” so we’re going there. You said, “drive it like a stolen car,” so there you go. 

Kim
I did. I did say that.

[A high school hallway]

Kim
Sable, what about you?

Madeleine
Sable’s rolling in late. Camera bag in hand. She's wearing the same arrangement of uniform that she wore yesterday. It is unclear if Sable went home to sleep.

Kim
Interesting.

Madeleine
Because she did not. Because she was out in the woods, trying to locate some creatures that she’s been trying to photograph in the nighttimes. And given recent evidence, she’s been focusing more of her time on this.

Kim
Interesting. Very interesting.

Madeleine
No new news. No new news. 

Kim
I’d like to, if I may, introduce the notion that the two of you have lockers near each other, Valley and Sable.

Cassandra
I’m with that.

Madeleine
Absolutely.

Cassandra
Valley is already at her locker. It’s open. And she’s got a book in her hand, but she is uncharacteristically still, I think, as Sable comes up to the locker next to hers. 

Kim
Sable’s locker is also open. But…

Madeleine
For different reasons.

Cassandra
Yeah. For different reasons, obviously.

Madeleine
Sable’s gonna just get to the doors and just kind of remember what had happened and let out a huge…

Sable Finch (Madeleine)
[Big sigh] Okay… Mmhmm…

Madeleine
And start trying to get books out, swap some other textbooks. Looks over to Valley and says…

Sable Finch (Madeleine)
Good morning. Beautiful, beautiful morning.

Cassandra
Valley looks at the locker, and then gives Sable a dark, knowing look.

Valley McAllister (Cassandra)
Seems like old romances aren’t staying as dead as you might like.

Sable Finch (Madeleine)
Seems like the rumor mill may be circulating something incorrect, on this one. How well do you know Yakubu?

Valley McAllister (Cassandra)
He’s on the football team, so I see him at practices and at the games, but…We don’t hang out. I don't know. We had some, like, weird thing where he touched my hand the other day? And like… I don’t know if he’s, like, trying to start something? But, I don’t know, that doesn’t… My parents would kill me.

Sable Finch (Madeleine)
Yeah. He might too, if he’s capable of something like this. 

Valley McAllister (Cassandra)
What is that supposed to mean?

Madeleine
Sable pulls the last book out of her locker. Puts it into her backpack, slings it over her shoulder.

Sable Finch (Madeleine)
Did you want to try retaking your cheerleader portraits again? YOu know, because you keep coming out weird in them?

Cassandra
Valley’s eyes get huge for a second, but it’s fine. Sable knows what went down, and how it all happened. And they have an understanding that this is something that they’re trying to keep under wraps about Valley. 

Valley McAllister (Cassandra)
Wh… What did the photos do this time?

Sable Finch (Madeleine)
Ah – maybe not in the hallway?

Valley McAllister (Cassandra)
Sure.

Cassandra
Valley slams her locker a little too hard, and then gets unreasonably close to Sable. Before, like, catching herself and stepping back and orienting herself in an alive person-type way. 

Percy
[Laughs]

Madeleine
[Laughs] You know. 

Kim
Gotta remember to breathe.

Cassandra
Yeah, I gotta remember to breathe…

Percy
You gotta remember to breathe, to blink. You’re like, “Oh, I have not blinked in three hours…”

Madeleine
You start blinking too much.

Cassandra
Yeah. [Laughs]

I feel like in this moment, since Sable is pointing out the fact that I’m dead. Like, I feel like thi i triggering Unresolved Trauma for me.

Kim
Oh, could you read that move?

Cassandra
Whenever something brings to mind your death, you choke up and gain the Condition: Traumatized, if you don’t have it already. When someone helps you resolve this Condition, you both mark experience. 

Kim
I like that. So go ahead and take the Condition: Traumatized.

[The high school sounds become quiet and muffled]

Madeleine
Sable wants to pull you really quickly into the ark room, which is right around the corner from her locker.

Cassandra
Great.

Madeleine
Immediately kind of drops her weird exterior hardness, edginess.

Sable Finch (Madeleine)
Hey. So I keep trying to develop these portraits. They keep turning out really weird. I think maybe we just get sneaky and use the one that we used two years ago, too?

Valley McAllister (Cassandra)
Can’t you just Photoshop it? You’re good at that.

Sable Finch (Madeleine)
Yeah. It’s hard because the uniforms changed, so…

Valley McAllister (Cassandra)
[Sighs] Gosh…

Sable Finch (Madeleine)
I’ll make it work. I always do. You know.

Valley McAllister (Cassandra)
I trust you. I don’t… I don’t know how to keep this under wraps. I feel like I’m, like, about to lose it. You’re the only person I trust with this, so like just do whatever you can. Because I can’t… I cannot have people find out about this. Like, at all. Cause I don’t know how to fix it. Like, there’s just nothing. I don’t know why I’m stuck here.

Madeleine
Sable takes a moment, looks at Valley. Goes to put a hand on her shoulder, and then rethinks doing that. Wanting to keep the personal distance between them.

Sable Finch (Madeleine)
I don’t know why, either. But you’re doing a really good job keeping it under wraps. And I think something that might help you keep it further under wraps might be to put yourself in the spotlight. I know it sounds counterintuitive, but the higher up on the pedestal you are, the harder you are to reach.

Cassandra
Valley thinks about this for a second, and then also thinks about Faith.

Valley McAllister (Cassandra)
Faith would, no pun intended, kill me? She’s already pissed about whatever that post that was on Walls of the Stalls, trying to write me in? Like… Look, I know you know. Can you see who would have posted it?

Sable Finch (Madeleine)
You know I don’t tell anyone. And I trust you, but I don’t…

Valley McAllister (Cassandra)
I know.

Sable Finch (Madeleine)
It’s the one…

Valley McAllister (Cassandra)
I know.

Sable Finch (Madeleine)
It’s the one thing I have to keep scared. But we could try to make things easier for you to win?

Valley McAllister (Cassandra)
I hate cheating, but…

Sable Finch (Madeleine)
It's not cheating if you’re not the one doing it… Wait, hold on. It’s not cheating if I’m doing it for you? Wait, no. It's... It’s not cheating. It’s not cheating.

Valley McAllister (Cassandra)
I mean, if you say so. She’s just gonna… She will get back at me. That’s just who she is. I know she projects this good girl persona, but she’s not. And I know she’s not.

Sable Finch (Madeleine)
We all know she’s not.

[Ghostly, menacing ambience]

Cassandra
And with that, I think Valley pulls her backpack off of her shoulder for a second. And reaches in, and pulls out a crinkled picture that she’s printed out. And it is a photo of Faith and Jackson behind the bleachers, getting familiar. And just hands it to Sable.

Valley McAllister (Cassandra)
I suppose a perk of not being seen is that I can see this.

Madeleine
Sable takes the photo, glances at it. Nods, very unsurprised.

Sable Finch (Madeleine)
Yeah. I can make this work.

Valley McAllister (Cassandra)
Great. I will say I am getting just a little bit tired of her being the example that we’re all supposed to live up to, when she’s trashier than anybody else.

Sable Finch (Madeleine)
Trashier. That’s a good inspiration.

Valley McAllister (Cassandra)
I like how your head works.

Madeleine
Sable smiles. Puts the photo into her backpack, puts it over her shoulder.

Sable Finch (Madeleine)
See you later, Valley.

Madeleine
And walks out of the room.

Kim
The girls. The girls have gone wild.

[Everyone laughs]

Percy
Oh, this is what you asked for! You asked everyone to be on their worst behavior!

Kim
I did. I asked for this. 

Cassandra
I think Valley’s doing it from a very, like, righteous point of view, though. Of just, like, this is a person who… Like, Christians who say they’re Christians, but they’re doing the worst shit behind–

Kim
No, this is hypocrisy.

Percy
Yeah.

Cassandra
Yeah. She does not like that. Especially with what she’s endured? She is not about it. And aside from putting herself in a place of safety? Seeing the queen bee fall has some added advantages.

Kim
Absolutely. So Sable, please mark one Sympathetic Token for Faith.

Madeleine
Mwa ha ha ha…

Cassandra
See, there you go bestie. I’ve got you. Gave you something you needed.

Kim
Incredible.

Percy
The Witch now has power over the most popular girl in school. And she doesn’t even know!

Kim
Sable has Sympathetic Tokens for all the rest of the player characters. I’m just pointing that out.

Cassandra
Yeah.

Kim
Camdyn, our mysterious new student. Now, I don’t know how connected you are to the gossip of Walls of the Stalls, but I’m sure you’ve heard, at least through Jackson, your pseudo step brother/step cousin, that rumors of you and Sable are already flying around the halls. How are you feeling about that?

Janaya
[Coughing laughter] I think it’s mixed feelings. I like the idea of being recognized in a place of status, but at the same time, it’s my second, third, fourth day of school.

Kim
Yeah.

Janaya
So I’m trying to just fly under the radar for as long as I can.

Kim
Yeah. I’d like to, if I may, throw you and Yakubu together. 

Janaya
Oh, yeah.

Percy
I think this is an interaction you were not expecting. Because I think Yakubu’s stalking through the halls in a bad mood. And he sees you, though, and he gets this tiny little smirk. He’s like… Oh, I know the easiest way to get some information on Sable. And I think he does casually just like bump into you.

Yakubu Anozie (Percy)
Oh my god, is that the mysterious new hottie? I can’t believe it!

Camdyn Lithey (Janaya)
Oh, uh…

Janaya
And I’m holding books. All my books fall to the ground. And slowly I’m starting to take the books and put them back in my hands.

Camdyn Lithey (Janaya)
I’m sorry about that, uh… Yakubu, is it?

Yakubu Anozie (Percy)
Yeah. Easy name to remember.

Percy
And I think you missed one book, and he does kind of do just like the very, like, overly nice, pick it up and hands it to you, to make sure you have it.

Yakubu Anozie (Percy)
You are getting way popular, way fast. You doing alright? You settling in alright to Hemlock High?

Camdyn Lithey (Janaya)
Yeah…

Janaya
Meanwhile, Camdyn is just staring once again. Just, I think the staring comes from genuinely your stature and your energy. They are not used to something like that. So they are just sitting there, like…

Camdyn Lithey (Janaya)
Uh…

Janaya
Like, checking out the marvel of humanity that’s happening with this person. But also just so confused as to why you're even talking to me. Like I would just normally assume that you are pushing past and moving on with your day. But you’ve taken a second to talk to me, and I barely know you. So the words are becoming a little hard, the hands are a little clammy. And it’s just, like…

Camdyn Lithey (Janaya)
Uh… Well… Yeah. It’s been a doozy. I didn’t know you could rise to fame this quickly. [Nervous laughter]

Yakubu Anozie (Percy)
Well I mean, that’s what happens when you’ve got your own little celebrity girlfriend crush. I heard that you and Sable have been getting pretty cozy.

Percy
And he gives you some gentle elbow nudges. And unfortunately, his gentle is not a normal person’s gentle.

Janaya
Yeah. Yeah, and as the elbow nudge happens, my books fall to the ground once again.

Kim
[Laughing] Oh, no! Not a second time!

Janaya
I head back down, to… [Laughing]

Percy
Enemy of books everywhere. 

Janaya
[Laughs] And so I head back down to pick them up. And I respond genuinely. Because Sable’s name is brought up, I look up and I say…

Camdyn Lithey (Janaya)
Yeah. I didn’t know how popular they were. But it seems like everybody knows Sable, and everybody has their feelings about them.

Percy
And as you’re getting down to get your books, Yakubu is now sitting in a full squat next to you. And he is like lumbering over you a little bit more. And you kind of see him turn his head to the side as he, like a predator with prey, is looking you over.

Yakubu Anozie (Percy)
I just wanna make sure that you do see the full picture, here, being the new kid. Protect yourself around Sable. She makes a mess of things when she shouldn’t. I mean, if her locker is any indication as to that. What a mess, am I right?

Camdyn Lithey (Janaya)
Yeah. Actually, I noticed their locker when we met for the first time. But we have previous history. I wouldn't know anything about this school without them. So there's almost an alliance that I have to keep true to. But what do you mean specifically by their locker? Did you get a chance to see it this morning? Or…

Yakubu Anozie (Percy)
Oh, it’s been talked about by everybody. You probably already know about Sable and her love life failing beforehand, with her little situation with Nagi. Look, I don’t seem like the guy that’s always paying attention, but I just wanna make sure that nothing bad like that happens to you too. After all, you wanna make good alliances?

Percy
And he holds out one of your books to you. 

Yakubu Anozie (Percy)
I think we'd make a great one.

Camdyn Lithey (Janaya)
I will keep that in mind. Thank you.

Janaya
And I go to grab the book back, and there's like a gentle graze, because this is like a tiny book, I’m thinking.

Percy
Mmhmm.

Janaya
And I look up and say…

Camdyn Lithey (Janaya)
Thank you, again. I should probably go check up on Sable. 

Kim
Yakubu, I think I want you to roll Turn Someone On.

Percy
Hell yeah!

Kim
I almost didn’t, but then you mentioned  gentle hand graze, Camdyn, and then I feel like we need to honor that. So I’m gonna go ahead and read it. 

When you Turn Someone On, roll with Hot. On a 10+, gain a String on them, and they choose a reaction from below. On a 7 to 9 they can either give you a String or choose from one of the reactions. The reactions are: I give myself to you, I promise something I think you want, or I get embarrassed and act awkward.

Percy
And I have some bad news, because Yakubu is very good at turning people on. Because that is a 9 +1, that is a 10. 

Kim
So Yakubu, go ahead and gain a String on Camdyn. And Camdyn, you choose from the list below.

Janaya
I think from the list, I promise something I think you want. Which is my trust.

Kim
Excellent.

Percy
I surely won’t use these two powers over you for evil.

Kim
…I hope you do. We only have a few episodes.

[Everyone laughs]

Percy
Kim’s like, “Be evil! Be fucking evil!”

Kim
I’m trying to push everyone into being their messiest selves. We’re speedrunning high school.

Madeleine
We’re all looking to get suspended by Homecoming!

Cassandra
Just make sure we call this Hemlock High: Junior Year, so that when we come back, we can do Hemlock High: Senior…

Madeleine
Junior Year: Week One. [Laughs]

Cassandra
Yeah. Week One!

Kim
Sable. After Valley leaves, giving you this sympathetic token concerning Faith, what are you doing?

Madeleine
Yeah. So I head to the computer lab, but I set up camp in the very back corner so nobody ele can see what I’m working on.

Kim
Sure.

[Weird, glitchy ambience]

Madeleine
I take a quick picture of the photo that I was given. I get another photo of Faith. I do a fun double exposure kind of cross-layover effect of the two photos, so it’s really hard to tell what's happening in either one. I put in a layer of fun hexcode underneath – oh ho! Word play! Oh ho ho! – and I upload the photo to my own gossip page with the caption, “Someone’s doing something they shouldn't be? With someone they shouldn't be with?” With the intention tht Faith, who I know keeps very close eyes on this page, will see. I press Upload. And about forty seconds later, I can feel that she has read it. And upon reading it, Faith has been exposed to Wither.

Kim
[Gasps] Can you go ahead and read that for us?

Madeleine
I will. The way Wither works: the hexed loses all of their hair, or their teeth start falling out, or their period arrives – unexpected and heavy. Or their skin gets all sickly yellow and spotty. Whatever the specifics, it's bad.

So I do have to roll. But, you know, the effects will happen on some level.

Kim
I’m so gooped right now. Yeah, go for it.

Madeleine
Okay. I get to roll with Dark. I get a +1 to Dark… That’s a 9. 

Kim
Alright. So let’s go ahead and read Hexcasting. You can cast Hexes. Choose two that you know. To cast them, either expend a Sympathetic Token during a secret ritual, or meet the target’s gaze and chant at them in tongues. Then roll with Dark. On a 10+ the hex works and can be easily reversed. On a 7 to 9, it works but choose one: the casting does you 1 Harm, the hex has weird side effects, or, trigger your Darkest Self. 

Madeleine
… Weird side effects. I can’t go yet!

Kim
[Laughs]

Madeleine
Not over Faith. Not over Faith. Yeah. We’re definitely gonna have the hex having some weird side effects. So the initial side effect that Sable was going for with Faith was all vanity based. I want that beautiful cheerleader hair gone. And itchy. And itchy so it looks like Faith is just pulling her own hair out, just because she’s so stressed. And dirty. She’s a dirty little trash girl. 

Kim
[Laughs] 

Percy
These are all part of the chanting, too. 

Madeleine
Yeah. This is all what she’s writing in the coding. So who picks the side effect? Do I get to? How does that roll out?

Kim
I think I do, but I’m willing to hear from the class. Literally. 

Madeleine
I’d be nervous it affects Jackson too, since he was also in the photo.

Kim
Baby, that’s exactly where my head was going, is… I think it’s also not just Jackon. I think it is everyone that Faith has gotten with is subject to…

Madeleine
Yes!

Kim
…this curse. So not only Jackson. But also Tomas.

Percy
You just magically shot out an STD at all these people?

Madeleine
Yeah. Magic STD. [Laughs]

Percy
Holy shit! 

Madeleine
Yeah!

Cassandra
Oh that’s wild, and I love it.

Percy
This is some It Follows shit! Oh my god!

Madeleine
Use protection, babes.

Cassandra
I love also that Michel isn't affected, because she hasn't slept with him. Because of the purity ring!

Kim
He’s staying true.

Cassandra
He’s about to be pissed.

Madeleine
The whole football team’s about to shave their heads in solidarity. 

Percy
There’s gonna be like eight people out of school! God damn!

Cassandra
Yeah. A ritual head shaving.

Madeleine
I mean, you can still be Homecoming Queen with no hair. It’s just… high schoolers are tough.

Kim
Wigs have really come a long way, nowadays.

Madeleine
She’ll start wearing a pink one, and be like… “It’s cool. Haven’t you seen Closer?”

Cassandra
Can you imagine if that’s what she referenced?

Kim
Thank you for dropping the deep lore of Closer, a film that I think very few people saw.

Percy
Yeah, that's the one redeeming part of Faith, is she just loves… She’s in on every Sundance movie.

[Everyone laughs]

Percy
And she knows them front to back, too. She knows the directors. She’s like… “They’re really coming up in the world. Actually, they had like a stage play that I’m actually gonna go see…” It’s like, what the fuck? She’s a connoisseur of the arts? She’s just an asshole?

Madeleine
That’s the one thing Sable and her bond over. Because they have a photographer in it, baby!

Kim
[Laughs] Oh, god…

[Outside the high school. A football field]

Kim
So I think the next place I wanna go is obviously to after school practice for the football and cheerleading teams. Let’s start with cheerleading. We see several young women. I say young women. This is like a CW tv show, so like in my head, you’re all being played by 28 year old actors, but… [Laughs]

Cassandra
That’s fair.

Kim
But several young women in the cheerleading outfits for Hemlock High, including Faith – who’s wearing like a little white beret along with her cheerleading outfit. It looks kinda cute. But she looks at you, Valley. Are you in your cheerleading uniform, or are you still in what you wore to school today? 

Cassandra
Valley has changed into her cheerleading uniform. And since it’s fall, it’s not uncommon for the cheerleaders to underdress and have warmer layers on underneath – especially since it’s just practice and not a game. So she does have like an Under Armor long-sleeved black undershirt that’s very skin tight, so she can still move in it. But it’s keeping her arms, her neck, her torso under the cheerleading outfit covered. And then she is wearing long black leggings, as well. But she looks absolutely pristine, ready to practice, and has been doing all of the tricks and stuff.

I envision this team being very, like, Bring It On. Like they go and they compete. It’s very tumbling-focused, like that kind of beat.

Kim
Oh, yeah.

Cassandra
And Valley is one of those, that does all of the tumbling and the tricks. Because her parents won’t let her do gymnastics anymore, so this is as close as she gets.

Kim
Very Eliza Dushku in Bring It On. 

Cassandra
Yep.

Faith (Kim)
Hi, Valley. How are you doing?

Valley McAllister (Cassandra)
I’m good, Faith. Are you okay?

Faith (Kim)
I’m fine. Are you cold?

Valley McAllister (Cassandra)
Uh, a little bit. It’s a little windy today. Um… So I just, uh… Just wanted to make sure I’m a little bit warmer on the field, so I don’t hurt myself. 

Faith (Kim)
Well we have already armed up. And typically, that is when we lose our extra layers? It just helps me see the line of the body a lot better.

Valley McAllister (Cassandra)
I… I wore all of the regulation stuff. It’s all very form-fitting. I think you can see me just fine.

Faith (Kim)
Take it off.

Valley McAllister (Cassandra)
Faith, come on. Can I… Can I just leave it on? I’m just a little extra chilly today, you know?

Faith (Kim)
Valley, if I make an exception for you, I’m going to be expected to make an exception for all the girls.

Cassandra
Valley pleads with her with her eye for just a moment, and I don’t think Faith cracks. And Valley, I think, starts to walk towards the bench to take off her pants and her underlayers. And she sits down and takes off her shoes and slides her leggings down. And as the leggings come off, we see welts, red and purple, all over her thighs and running down her legs. And then as she removes this top layer, you see a giant bruise coming up from her hip. There’s marks on her neck that look like someone tried to choke her. And then her arms also have this, just, symphony of bruises. 

And then she just stands up. And at this point, any pleading or sadness or embarrassment or anything is completely gone from her. She is just standing, completely straight. Her eyes look dead. There’s no expression on her face. And she just walks back onto the field and takes her position.

Faith (Kim)
Valley, oh my gosh.

Valley McAllister (Cassandra)
I told you I didn't want to take it off.

Faith (Kim)
Yeah, but I didn't know that was the reason why. 

Valley McAllister (Cassandra)
I shouldn't have to tell you every single thing. You should just trust me. You’re my friend.

Faith (Kim)
Well, I don’t feel like you’ve been a friend to me recently, Valley.

Cassandra
Valley has been looking straight ahead while Faith has been talking to her, not making eye contact. But I think in this moment, her head just very – like inhuman slow – turns to look Faith straight in the face.

Kim
Faith, in a pseudo-innocent act, is twirling a long lock of blonde hair in her hand. And then looks as some of it comes away in her hand, and then just wipes it off on her skirt. 

Faith (Kim)
[Nervously clears throat]

Cassandra
Valley just cocks her head at it, and watches it fall to the ground. And then look back at Faith. And in this moment, we see a wicked, malicious smile creep onto Valley's face.

Faith (Kim)
You can come out and say it. I know that you’re the one who wrote the post about you running for Homecoming Court. And I’m not mad. I just feel a little sad for you.

Valley McAllister (Cassandra)
That’s what you care about right now, is Homecoming? Your friend – your best friend, if memory serves – is standing in front of you, in front of everyone on the field, in front of the entire squad, covered in bruises. And this is what you are mad about? This is what you choose to focus on? 

Cassandra
And I think obviously her voice has risen, and I think it’s one of those moments where the cheerleading squad starts to back away slowly, but all of the football players are coming over closer to be like, "What's going on? What’s happening here?”

Faith (Kim)
Listen, Valley, I don’t know what you have going on at home. But we shouldn't be bringing our personal problems into practice. I do need you to leave it at the door. We have a reputation to uphold. I’ve been hearing rumors about you and the new kid? There’s a standard, and I’m afraid you’re not meeting it. This isn’t the first time that you’ve been bringing down the energy and the morale at practice. All of the other girls on the squad can’t be performing to the best of their ability, if we’re all worried about you or feeling sorry for you. 

Cassandra
Valley takes a very small step back, at that. Valley is the type of person that lifts up her teammates, helps them when they can’t get tricks. She is a person known around the school as a genuinely good person. And Faith belittling her like this, about not being good enough, about bringing everyone else down, feels so reminiscent of what she hears in almost every other area of her life. And it makes her blood boil.

She stands there, unnaturally still, just looking at Faith, watching her start to squirm. Because Valley is not saying anything back to her. And without telegraphing anything, her fist flies into the center of Faith’s face, breaking her nose, and sending her screaming to the ground, with blood rushing all down her face, all down her uniform. And Valley just stands there with that wicked smile on her face, drawing on some of the pain that she experiences at home.

Kim
This feels like a Lash Out Physically. Let's go ahead and read it.

When you Lash Out Physically, roll with Volatile. On a 10+, you deal them Harm, and they choke up momentarily before they can react. On a 7 to 9 you harm them, but choose one: they learn something bout your true nature and gain a String on you, the MC decides how bad the harm turns out, or you become your Darkest Self.

Cassandra
That is a 10.

Percy
It’s beautiful, you punching her in the face as hard as you humanly can. Even though you re not  human anymore.

Madeleine
Yeah. Un-humanly can.

Percy
I think it definitely sends her beret flying.

Cassandra
Oh, yeah.

Madeleine
Full of hair!

Percy
Yes! The beret and hair flies off. It has to.

Cassandra
Yeah. I just snatched Faith’s wig, essentially, but it is her real hair. 

Kim
But it’s sadly her real hair!

Cassandra
She’s flown back, but then the beret and all – so it’s just scabs as she sits up, and then a pile of her hair and this little white beret. And I think Valley looks at that for a moment, and goes…

Valley McAllister (Cassandra)
If I have to take my legging off, you should have to remove the beret. That's definitely not part of the regulation uniform. 

Kim
It’s very much that scene from The Craft. [Laughs]

Cassandra
[Laughs] Absolutely. We love reference, in this house.

Kim
Faith is knocked to the floor, blood streaming out of her once adorable, now broken nose. As she sits up, the beret slides off of her head, along with the rest of her hair. You see the bleeding, scabbed mess that is her scalp. Gasps ring out across the football field, amongst the cheerleaders and the football players. We also hear probably several snaps of cameras, as people are surreptitiously pulling out their phones. 

Cassandra
I like to think that there is a group of the hacky sack guy that are sitting in the bleachers, getting stoned, and watching, and one of them is –

Madeleine
Ace!

Percy
Yeah! Oh, it’s definitely Ace!

Cassandra
Ace is just slow clapping. [Laughs]

Percy
Yeah, he’s in his mascot suit, but he’s up in the bleachers, smoking.

Kim
Yeah. 

Cassandra
Yeah. And there’s just like a slow clap.

Kim
[Laughs] Faith stands up, gathers her beret and a pile of her hair…

Cassandra
Oh, no… 

Kim
Angry tears are streaming down her face. She looks at you, Valley.

Faith (Kim)
We are done. I will destroy you. You are off the squad.

Valley McAllister (Cassandra)
Okay.

Cassandra
And Valley turns, walks back over to the bleachers, and gathers her stuff.

Faith (Kim)
Get out!

Cassandra
Valley doesn’t turn around. She’s done. She doesn’t need this.

[Hemlock High theme]

Kim
Hemlock High is a Kitten Marlowe production, edited and produced by Kim Dalton. This episode featured a theme song written and performed by Jason Myers, with additional lyrics by Kim Dalton. You can find out more about us by visiting KittenMarlowe.com, signing up for our newsletter, or following us on socials. For Discord access, exclusive cast talkbacks, ttrpg materials, and more, visit Patreon.com/KittenMarlowe and join the coolest kids in school, our Kitten Marlowe patrons, in supporting artist-driven storytelling. Thanks for listening.