Normal People

It's like fucking school again. We got so wrecked.

Should have come. It was a good night.

Proper laugh.

Uh, so look, I, um...

I am not gonna be here for the summer.

Yeah. Like, I can't pay the rent.

Yeah.

And Niall's gonna sublet the room, so... I'll have to move out.

When?

- Uh, pretty soon. Next week, maybe. - So you'll be going back to Sligo, then.

I mean, um...

I guess... I guess you want to see other people, or, uh...

I guess so. Yeah.

- Connell Waldron. - Ah, Ms. Neary.

Oh, my God. Would ya not call me that?

Haven't seen you since school.

Ah, it's weird seeing ya.

- Good weird. - Mm.

Ooh. You're so fucking hard.

What?

- Do you wanna come back to my place? - Oh... I'm gonna be sick.

- What? - Uh... mm. Hey, um...

I should go.

So I guess we should see other people.

I guess so.

You didn't tell me you were in town.

Yeah.

I got your text... when you were home. Feels a bit weird running into you

- with no warning or anything. - Warning?

You know what I mean.

I'm just back for the weekend.

It's my father's anniversary mass.

I'm sorry.

Can I come?

Obviously, if don't want me to I won't, but I'd like to.

- Sorry. - No? Okay.

You're with Jamie now, I hear.

He always liked ya.

What about you?

You seeing anyone? - No. Not at the minute.

- Embracing the single lifestyle? - Yeah.

- Yeah, you know me. - I did once.

Look, if you don't want to be friends, that's fine.

I'd just rather know, so we can...

Course I want to be friends.

Okay.

Do you want to come in?

For, like, a tea, or...

I can't. I've got shopping in the back.

Thanks for the lift.

Length of days is not what makes age honorable,

nor number of years the true measure of life. Understanding.

This is man's gray hairs. Untarnished life.

This is ripe old age.

He has sought to please God,

so God has loved him.

As he was living among sinners,

he has been taken up.

He has been carried off so that evil may not warp his understanding,

or treachery seduce his soul. For the fascination of evil

throws good things into the shade.

- You didn't need to run. - Ah, my bus got caught in traffic.

Some protest.

- Got you a coffee. - Ah, thanks.

How are you feeling about Schols?

How are you feeling about them, Connell?

Hmm. How am I feeling about

my entire future being potentially secure, or...

mind-numbingly difficult? Yeah, it's, ah...

casual.

How's Jamie?

Be nice if you guys could actually be civil.

- Ah. I'm civil. - Oh. You could just, like, uh,

try not to intimidate him quite so much.

Are you telling him not to intimidate me?

As if, Connell.

- He's barely my height. - Ah. I'm not sure intimidation is

- strictly limited to height, though. - No?

From where he's standing,

you're the tall guy who used to fuck his girlfriend.

Right.

Is that how you describe me to all your friends?

The tall guy who fucked you?

Pretty sure we fucked each other.

We had mutual, equally involved kind of sex.

It's different.

With Jamie.

What do you mean?

Do you want to hear about this?

He's into pain.

Like, inflicting it.

Turns out he's a bit of a sadist.

Are you serious?

Just during sex, that is. Not arguments.

Your face.

- And you're, you're into that, are ya? - Yeah.

You're so shocked.

We really don't have to talk about this.

What does he do to ya, specifically?

Slaps me. Uses a belt. Things like that.

Right.

- Sounds fucking horrible. - It's not.

It's just different.

You never said any of this to me when we were...

Well, it was different with you.

Things were different.

Right.

Didn't have to play any games with you.

It was just real.

With Jamie, I don't know.

It's a bit like I'm acting a part.

I just pretend to feel a certain way. Like I'm in his power.

But with you, I actually had those feelings.

I'd have done anything you wanted me to.

Anyway...

How are you?

The English scholars are...

Marion Pickard...

David Sexton...

Ashley Tobin...

- Connell Waldron... - Fucking yes, mate.

Fucking right, you absolute fucking nerd.

Fucking five years free tuition, free accommodation.

Five years, you jammy fucker! Unreal, man.

And Mairead Button...