Rooster

So, uh, what did you do with your last night in Florida?

It was awesome sauce.

My boys gave me a little bit of a sendoff

'cause I'm not gonna be back till Christmas.

- Your "boys"? - Yeah.

- Who are your boys? - You know.

My boys.

Sam. Cliff.

Norm.

So, the cast of Cheers.

I did not know you knew that show.

Mm-hmm, was Coach there?

Unfortunately, Coach passed. Season three.

I'm sorry.

Look at this house they're giving me.

Wow.

Oh! A gift basket.

They asked me what your favorite booze was.

Oh! Thank you, honey.

Didn't buy it, just replied to a text.

Well, you remembered.

Oh!

This place is way too big for one person.

I'm not moving in with you, Dad.

- I wasn't thinking that. - Yes, you were.

Yes, I was.

We'd have so much fun!

Oh, I like this.

- Mm! - What do you think?

- Yeah. - Could I wear this under a blazer?

- Never do that. - No?

Um, Dad, we have to talk about something.

Oh!

Dill pickle-flavored Corn Nuts? Is that regional?

- I don't know, um... -

It's taken me a while to get out of Mom's shadow.

And you're here now.

- Mm-hmm. - Which I've decided is great.

Ooh! That took a nice turn.

I've been trying to get you out of your rut

since you and Mom split up,

and this is definitely that.

- Mm-hmm. - But with my marriage collapsing

- and my suspension... -

um, I can barely take care of myself.

- So if I feel like I need to take care of you, I...

- - We need to give each other

- some space, you know? - Mm-hmm.

Jesus Christ, just eat them.

Sorry. They taste like crunchy pickles.

Mm-hmm.

Mm!

- Okay. Sorry. - Okay.

Um, I have my own life...

Hold on. One more.

- As you were saying. - Okay.

- Um, I have my own life here. - Mm-hmm.

I can't have you holding my hand.

Got it. You can fight your own battles.

And if you can't fight them by yourself,

we will fight them together, hand in hand.

- It was a joke. - Yeah. I'm leaving now.

- Okay. - And I'm taking the Toblerone.

And, honey, thank you for this.

Also, I wasn't serious about living together.

Oh, really? I... I was just thinking

how the dead hockey coach's house is kinda lonely,

and it might be fun to crash here

- for a couple weeks... - Do it!

- Order pizza, I will get a... -

Oh, that was not nice.

- That was not a nice thing to do. - Love you.

I love you, too.

Oh, hey! Hey, new neighbor!

It's so weird. Remember?

Your friend was supposed to live in this house.

I remember.

Calm down. I'm not mad at you.

Thanks. God.

Can I walk with you?

I got the first-day jitters and I don't know

- where anything is. - Come on.

Thank you.

What's up with the shoes? You going to prom?

Oh, I knew they were too shiny.

- Whoa. - You okay?

- Yep, I'm good. - Okay.

Hey, you got a minute to help me with something?

Yeah, of course. You name it.

- Okay. - Ooh! That is cool.

You should get one.

I need to lock in my summer internship.

I don't think you know how much I'm freaking out.

I mean, you don't exactly sound so freaked out.

Why don't you give me something with a little gusto?

- How are you feeling? - I'm not sleeping.

- At all? You're stressed! - I'm stressed!

- I'm stressed! - Guys, guys, guys, guys, guys, please.

I'm trying to work on my book here.

Oh, my God, I am so sorry for talking in my own apartment.

I hate him.

- We will keep it down. - Thank you.

I need an advisor with pull.

I should just ask President Mann.

- He's at the gym all the time. - Right!

Oh, you and Walt.

That's really not... That's not ideal for me.

Ideal for you?

Yeah.

Permission to be frank?

Break up. Let's wrap this up. Go home!

It's just that I... I have been in the spotlight

quite a lot lately, and I think

maybe in lieu of drawing more attention to us...

She just rolled her eyes at me saying "in lieu."

Educated people say "in lieu," Mo.

My editor is calling me every single day

asking to see new pages on this.

This book is not just for me,

it's for our child's future, alright?

So, I think it would behoove us to create conditions

under which I can succeed.

Walt, he is, like, the biggest gossip on campus, alright?

And the last thing that we need is that man

rooting around in our lives.

'Kay, fine. I won't ask him.

Thank you.

So, you think it's okay to just hire him,

even though you already promised

the Writer-In-Residence gig to my friend Ruby?

If this is what you meant by helping, I don't love it.

Hiring Greg was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Your friend can do it next semester.

Maybe that'll give her time

to write something someone's heard of.

Ruby won the Baillie Gifford Prize in nonfiction.

- We all have our resumes. - Look.

Walt said that I had to take the job

or Katie was gonna lose hers.

And I would appreciate it if we'd just keep that between us,

- because Katie would kill me. - Of course.

Better watch your back, Greg, 'cause he might stab you in it.

You understand this isn't even about her friend.

This is about the Review.

I don't know what the Review is.

- That is a shitty thing to say. - Then I take it back, I do.

We're supposed to be friends, Walt,

and you just tossed it aside.

You need to handle your job

with a little more grace and sensitivity.

Do you know why I am so deeply drawn to Greg?

You don't... That's not necessary.

Because he is the only one around here

who doesn't actually want something from me.

It's a teeny tiny violin.

I was gonna ask what that was.

- It is really small. - If you would excuse us,

I have to help Greg find his new office.

Come. This way.

Bye-bye.

And here we are.

Think I could have found this on my own.

Do I need to apologize to Dylan?

Oh, we did nothing wrong. She should be apologizing to us.

Let me show you my favorite part of this whole setup.

Do you love it as much as I do?

So, your office is connected to my...

You can come by and say hi anytime.

- That'll be fun. - We got a hockey game tomorrow night.

Hired a new coach. You care to come?

I'm not really a hockey guy.

I wish that you had told me

that I was taking Dylan's friend's job.

I bet Dylan's friend wished we told her, as well.

- Cristle! - Emailed her and sent a box of pears.

- Gym bag. - Thank you.

Oh, shower shoes.

Door open or closed?

Uh, open's fine, thanks.

Good choice.

- - Wouldn't you know it?

Those rascals were in my bag the whole time.

- I'll be back in a jiff. - Okay.

See you soon.

Why are you making me do this?

This is like a labor camp. This is hell.

- You're fine. - I'm not, believe me.

Be right back. Uh, Dean Riggs?

I'm Sunny Salewski, I'm in your Evolutionary Bio class,

and I would like for you to be my advisor.

Whoa, buy me a drink first.

I'm looking for an internship

in bio tech with a focus on health and wellness.

Look, you seem like a beautiful young scientist, but I can't.

I'd explain further, but I've been told not to by my attorney.

Good luck.

- Smoke break. - You earned it.