Bedeviled

Honey, I left a chicken casserole in the oven.

Nikki?

Did you want me to call Alice and ask her to come over?

You've been in your room for days.

Okay. Well, if you need anything, call us.

Mom?

A few days ago...

What? What is it, Cody?

Last Thursday she just wasn't herself.

I could tell something was bothering her but she didn't want to talk about it.

Think she was mad about something? -No. Everything was fine between us.

You're her best friend, Alice. Did you talk to her?

We have gym together but she wasn't there last week.

And I texted her, but she didn't reply. -She didn't respond to my calls either.

It just doesn't make any sense.

Hey, bro, we're here for you.

Have you talked to her parents, Alice?

I haven't. It's just been too much for them.

You know I've never used these teacups before.

Thought I'd save them for a special occasion.

You know Nikki thought of you as her sister and I just hope...

that you'll keep coming here to visit me.

I will!

...all over the cheeks and the forehead.

Now with the lip colour, you really want to find a lip colour that matches your unibrow.

This one should work.

Come on, Alice. You're supposed to keep a straight face!

Nikki, I can't do this! Maybe I should paint your face?

Absolutely not! -Come on. This is how you do eyeshadow...

All right. Everyone put your phones down.

On the table. Now.

I hate this stupid rule. -You know the drill, Haley.

So is everyone sticking to their post-graduation plans?

College ain't for me.

Wait, dude, you're like the smartest kid in school!

College is a big scam.

If you don't have a rich daddy you're gonna borrow a shitload of money.

Then you're gonna get a job that can only pay for a glass of Jack and Coke...

on a sad Friday night just so you can forget about how shitty your life is.

I mean look at all the PhD grads whipping up Frappuccinos at Starbucks.

All right. So what are you gonna do then?

Look around.

See that? That's the world today.

Everyone's connected. Technology is making young millionaires by the second.

You put up a YouTube video or create a new app, it goes viral the next morning and bang!

You collect a fat jackpot.

Yeah but you know only an astronomically small amount of people make it that way.

Same with theatre! -I think I fall within that lucky margin.

I see it. You got a YouTube channel, a video game review or two like PewDie-fucking-Pie?

Look, no. But I do have a few ideas in the works.

See I'll be sipping on piña coladas on my private island in Dubai...

while the rest of you are brewing coffee to pay your student debts.

Now what about you, Miss Virginia Woolf?

I think I'm probably gonna pick up a part time job, help my mom pay some bills.

No dreams of grandeur at the moment.

We should all say something about Nikki.

I'll start.

If I never met Nikki, I wouldn't know Alice or any of you guys.

Well, if you hadn't met Nikki, you'd still be sitting up at the emo table...

sharing eyeliner and razor blades.

Nikki had a way of seeing the world... smart, insightful.

I mean, she could carry a conversation on just about anything.

Yeah. Nikki was a good friend.

She was definitely there when Alice and I were having our rough moments.

I think I've known Nikki longer than everyone else here.

We met in the second grade.

First week of school, this boy smashes my origami crane.

So I'm sitting there crying all over my dress.

And then Nikki walks over and she smashes his crane, and he starts crying.

And he calls over the teacher. The teacher comes over and sees the two smashed cranes...

and looks right at Nikki. So she smashes Nikki's crane.

And that's how me and Nikki became friends.

When my parents got divorced, she was always there for me.

I never felt like an only chlid because she was always like my sister.

And this morning I woke up and I thought she was still alive...

and I wonder how long I'm gonna be doing that for.

First one to touch a phone pays the bill! Goddammit!

You okay? -Yeah.

I'll see you tomorrow, okay?

Okay. -Goodnight.

Thanks, mom.

Cody? What's up, Alice?

Hey, do you have Nikki's phone? -No, why?

Because I just got an invite from her phone. -Yeah, me too. Her account is still active.

So it's probably sending automatic invites. -Did you download it?

What? -The app.

No. What is it? -Just some sort of AI like Siri.

I usually don't accept these types of invites.

Because they're out to sell our personal data and information.

And I prefer to stay off the grid.

All right. Goodnight Cody. -Goodnight, Alice.

Hi, I'm Mr Bedevil. -Mr Bedevil?

What's your name? -That a stupid question or a game?

Oh I'm not a game, Alice.

So how do you know my name?

Like many apps I have access to your Facebook account.

Well that's not good.

Here's something to lighten your mood. You seem a little blue.

So do you give GPS directions...

voice tags, recommend hangout spots?

I provide companionship for my users. That is my main function.

Like one of those virtual pet apps? -Say "lights off".

Lights off.

How did you do that?

I can also turn on your TV, preheat your oven, open your garage door...

start your smart car, call your boyfriend, read your horoscope, just to name a few.

That's amazing. I'm surprised you haven't gone viral yet.

All right. Lights on.

Lights on!

Oh my god!

I'm Sorry. -I'm fine.

What are you doing?

I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you.

I need to get that front door fixed. Did you try any of my spaghetti?

I went out earlier but thanks, mom. -Sure.

How are you holding up?

Trying.

Before you came along, grandma was all I had.

When she passed away...

I felt like I had lost my best friend.

Remember how she'd sit in front of her TV and stare at static for hours...

and she'd scream at you if you tried to turn it off?

Well she was really sick, honey.

Dementia makes you do weird things.

But she loved playing with you.

# Hide and seek. Please don't peek.

# Find your spot. Don't get caught.

Mom, can you not... Please don't sing that.

Mom!

You need to get some rest. We both do.

Goodnight, sweety. Sleep tight.

How many dudes did Bridget the Midget bang in Cocktail Party 7?

Bridget was served seven cocks.

Dude, this app is fucking amazing!

Quit fucking around, man. I'm trying to figure out this problem.

-What is x squared equals 81? -9. It's 9, Gavin.

That is correct. 9 squared is 81. -How about that?

You guys got it too?

I actually got the invite from Nikki's phone.

Yeah. How is that even possible?

Invites come automatically from the apps installed on your phone.

It's nothing unusual.

Oh Cody. How do you get rid of spyware from your phone?

Man, I don't get spyware on my phone. -It's because he watches midget porn.

Oh yeah. Like that one where your mom was in where she gets boned by the seven dwarves.

All right, guys, look. If you want I can install a firmware on your phone.

Got an extra custom layer of security.

Keeps all that shit out.

Fear is the human emotion designed to signal your body to respond to danger...

with a flight or fight response.

As soon as we sense fear, our body releases a flood of hormones that actually...

shut down functions not essential to survival...

and sharpen functions such as our eyesight.

Yes, Miss Davis? -Can someone die from fear?

Well chronic fear can weaken your immune system and actually cause...

cardiovascular damage...

but dying of fright would be a whole nother story.

Miss Davis, I want you to imagine that you're so terrified...

so engulfed in fear, that your nervous system releases a toxic level of adrenaline...

to stimulate your fight or flight response.

Now I'm not talking about the orgasmic rush that you get from sex.

This surge of adrenaline is so powerful...

it is so immense...

that it can rip apart your visceral organs...

overwhelm the muscles and the tissue surrounding your heart...

and drop you dead in seconds flat.

The same goes with excitement. Hence the term "drop dead gorgeous".

Hi, Alice. How are you today?

Miss Gorman. -Sorry.

All right. Pull out last night's assignments for me.

Alice? Are you okay?

I saw something.

What do you mean? -I don't know.

I don't know.

It's gonna be okay. It's been a really hard week for everyone.

You could talk to your counsellor if you want.

Or maybe stay home for a couple of days.

So what am I supposed to be watching here? Because it's making me dizzy.

Dude, just keep on watching it.

Okay.

Fuck!

Fuck you guys!

You guys know I'm afraid of clowns. Did you video that? It'd better not go on YouTube!

Gavin, that shit was too easy man! -Don't even! Don't even!

You got that right? -All of it. Check it out. Check it out.

Hey, what's up babe? -Well I was just calling to say goodnight.

All right then. I will see you tomorrow.

Sleep tight. Don't let the vampires bite.

You guys are dicks. Let me see it.

How's it going, Alice? -I could use a little sunshine.

Many people have it worse than you. -Thanks for making me feel better!

Let's change the mood. If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?

I don't know. I could use a vacation in Bora Bora.

If you could be anyone in the world, who would you be?

Oh there's so many to choose from.

Do you believe in ghosts?

No.

Look around the room.

This is stupid. -Oh, I meant the other way.

What the fuck?! -Oh don't be mad. It was just a game.