Everything, Everything

This is my favorite room.

Most days I love it,

because I can imagine the glass falling away and I'm outside.

I don't leave my house.

I haven't left my house in 17 years.

If I went outside, I'd die.

Sorry to sound morose.

Irradiators sterilize my clothes.

I own 100 white T-shirts.

It's my standard uniform.

The airlock is a sealed room surrounding the front door.

It's airtight.

Nothing can leak into the house when the door's open.

It's not that I don't want to go outside.

I can't.

Simple viruses can kill me. It's like I'm allergic to everything.

What I eat, what I touch, they all have consequences.

I have severe combined immunodeficiency.

My immune system sucks.

Here's a drawing to explain.

In every drop of blood there are special cells called lymphocytes.

LYMPHOCYTE 11 Hello.

Some of these lymphocytes are really good at fighting bad guys,

-like viruses and bacteria. -(LYMPHOCYTE 1 LAUGHING)

But I have SCID,

which means I have way fewer lymphocytes than normal.

- LYMPHOCYTE 11 Uh-Oh. -(LYMPHOCYTE 2 EXCLAIMS)

And the ones that I do have,

well, they're not so good at fighting.

My mom made me join a support group.

Some of them are really sick.

Others have a hard time with social interactions.

At least I have the Internet.

I exercise.

I read a lot of books.

When I'm done, I write short reviews.

I take an architecture class online.

Whenever I make a new model, I put an astronaut inside.

I can relate to him.

I feel like an astronaut, stranded in space.

Every day feels exactly the same.

Maybe today's different.

Get off the truck, Olly.

Hi.

If you're going to have an illness

that requires someone to constantly watch if you're still breathing,

it's convenient for your mother to be a doctor.

I was diagnosed with SCID pretty early.

My mom figured out what was wrong with me after eight ear infections

and two cases of pneumonia.

I couldn't gain any weight as a baby.

Most kids don't make it past two years old.

Doctor Whittier.

Today's my birthday.

I'm 18.

Which means nothing inside here.

This is the face her patients normally see,

slightly distant, concerned.

I wonder if they find it comforting.

I do.

You didn't have to take the day off.

I always take the day off.

What do you want to do today?

Same thing we always do.

Spatlit...

What does that say?

-(CHUCKLES) Spotlight. -(LAUGHING) No, it doesn't.

You're not good at phonetic Scrabble.

Because it doesn't make any sense.

You're the one who always wants to play.

It was your dad's favorite game.

Did he beat you, too?

Yeah.

But he let me win sometimes.

- I can't do that. - Why not?

I'm in love with you.

Snap out of it!

-(DOORBELL RINGS) - I can't.

I'll get it.

- Stay here. -(CHUCKLES)

(ON TV) And you won't come to the wedding.

MAN". I'll come to the wedding.

WOMAN". I am telling you, you can't come.

-(DOOR LOCK BEEPS) -(DOOR OPENS)

Hi.

Um, my mom sent a Bundt. It's not very good.

It's kind of a thing our mom does every time we move in somewhere.

She'll make us bring one to the neighbor, so...

It's actually more of, uh, an apology than an introduction. (CHUCKLES)

What's she apologizing for?

For moving in.

Oh, that's nice.

Actually, I can't accept that.

Why not?

It's complicated.

But please thank your mother for me,

and welcome to the neighborhood.

Is your daughter around?

So, that's why you came.

That's not why I came. Yeah, it is. Yep.

No, she isn't.

You take the Bundt next time.

Oh, right. Wear it as a hat.

Watch it.

Madeline, do you want to finish the movie?

I'd rather know what a Bundt cake tastes like.

It's dry.

You're not missing out on anything.

No, just everything.

There's a short list of people that know I'm alive.

My mom, my nurse, Carla, and her daughter, Rosa.

I can't remember Carla not being with us.

She's been working here for 15 years.

Sometimes, I think she's trapped inside here with me.

- Morning, Carla. - Mmm-hmm.

- Feliz cumpleaños. -(BOTH CHUCKLE)

- Thank you! -(SPEAKS SPANISH)

Thank you so much.

- Ooh, una nota. -(CHUCKLES)

That's terrible.

Hi, Olly.

Hi, Maddy.

I tell myself I won't text back immediately when Olly texts me.

And then I text back. Immediately.

Are you on house arrest?

Why do you think I'm on house arrest?

'Cause I haven't seen you outside once since we got here.

Um... (CHUCKLES)

I'm not on house arrest, but I can't leave the house.

Very mysterious.

Are you a ghost?

'Cause, it would just my luck that the girl next door is not actually alive.

I'm, like, 98% sure that I'm alive.

Hmm.

So, what is it? Is it a guy? Are you knocked up?

Oh, my God. Well, what if I was?

I'd be conflicted.

About What?

Do you have a boyfriend?

No. I don't have a boyfriend, and I'm not pregnant.

Have you spent all day thinking that I was pregnant?

Yeah, kind of.

I mean, it would have been awkward flirting with a pregnant girl, so...

Right. (LAUGHS)

Don't you wanna know if I have a girlfriend?

No.

I'm hurt.

- I mean, that stings. -(MADDY CHUCKLES)

So, where'd you move here from?

Boston, but I'm from New York.

I wanna move back.

I always imagined myself working in a bakery in New York.

You know, like Nicolas Cage in that movie, Moonstruck?

No.

"Snap out of it!"

It's from the movie.

Yeah, I figured.

All right, here's a game. Fast Five Favorites.

- Okay? Okay.

So, book, word, color, vice, person.

Um... (SIGHS) Okay. All right. Um...

So, I guess...

Come on. Type faster. Don't think about it.

Okay. All right. The Little Prince.

- Uxorious. - Ooh.

- Aquamarine. - Hmm.

I don't have any vices.

And my mom.

Oh, come on. Everyone has vices.

How many vices do you have?

Enough to choose a favorite.

-(CHUCKLES) Your turn. - All right.

- Lord of the Flies. - Uh-huh.

- Macabre. - Okay.

- Black. -(CHUCKLES)

Uh, petty theft.

And my sister.

Lord of the Flies?

So, you're bleak.

I've been told that I have a poor outlook on life.

Right.

Are your parents still together?

Um, my dad's dead,

so, no.

Oh.

Whoa, that was really awkward. I don't know why I made that so...

- I shouldn't have asked. - No, it's, um...

He died in a car accident with my brother.

I'm sorry.

You don't go to SF Valley High?