#ch: two.

[outvrbanks]

CHAPTER TWO :   prelude to the bonfire.

text transcript between don bailey, henri rousseau, roman keating, thalia pham. june twenty-eighth.

roman keating: so about almost dying four days ago

roman keating: i think we should scrap this whole national treasure mission

don bailey: you don't say

henri rousseau: not dying does sound kinda neat 😔

thalia pham: i'd also like to avoid more dangerous situations

roman keating: who's gonna tell our nic cage wannabe

henri rousseau: and potentially break his heart? i don't think i have it in me :/

don bailey: it can't be me, he already knows i'm pissed about this, it'll just make me sound petty

roman keating: what if he kicks me out? i'm not really down with homelessness

thalia pham: why do i always have to do everything

thalia pham: fine i'll do it

thalia pham: but u all owe me

henri rousseau: i swear i was totally 100% ready to type my 'because you're great!!' speech but yesssssss thalia 👏🏻

thalia pham: men aren't good for anything 😒

roman keating: i wonder how i still have an ego with thalia around

[outvrbanks]

CHAPTER TWO :   the aftermath.

scene transcript between adam griffin, alina winthrop, charlie yates, roman keating, thalia pham. featuring ace. july second.

roman keating: over the last few days, rome's found himself apologizing to adam for taking up space whenever they were in the same room. he can't recall a single moment in the last seventeen years of knowing each other where they've disagreed or fought — at least to the point of uneasiness between them. though not as bad as the keating household, the tension is suffocating, rendering him uncomfortable enough to spent the majority of his time on the orion. the boat rocks gently on top of the ocean as he rests comfortably with his legs stretched out, head leaning back and both arms hanging off the side. per adam's urgent request, he waits for the others to arrive. he's hoping they can remedy the situation without another argument.

alina winthrop: if she knew that agreeing to help adam at the archives would lead to this, she probably would have said no. there had been a slight adrenaline rush when they first discovered the connection between the warners and rome's boat, but it's been a few days since and now she's wondering if that was truly a lead worth following. but adam had sent her a text that morning telling her to meet them on roman's boat, and she figures, now that she's in this, she might as well be in it. when she arrives, rome is the only one there. she stops next to him, and pushes her sunglasses up. "so i take it you've all kissed and made up now?"

thalia pham: for a self-proclaimed pacifist, thalia is very aggressive when it comes to the kind of brawl that only ever spawns between her friends and those beefed-up trust fund brats. if she wasn't five foot three, she would have certainly jumped at the chance to smack brax across the face. she would just have to reach his face, first. it's a little different watching her friends dive into action, though, and it only floods her with even more concerns about the path adam's going down. so when asks all of them  to meet him there, a glimmer of hope flickers behind thalia's eyes. maybe they can finally move past all of this. with some of the letters between his father and claudio tucked safely in her back pocket, though, a little piece of her understands that this will never truly be over until adam accepts that his father is gone for good. she approaches the orion nervously, in anticipation of which adam he'll be today. normal, kind-hearted, goofy adam or obsessive, i'm-gonna-get-us-all-killed adam? when all she finds is roman and alina, though, her heart rate sinks to its normal rate. until she realizes that she's alone with rome and alina.  thalia pulls her sunglasses down from her head to her eyes. god. "where's adam?"

adam griffin: the adam griffin apology tour has been put on hold. after his talk with thalia on the beach, he had every intention of tracking down rome and don and making up after his display at the bonfire. sure, he wasn’t planning on stopping the search, but with a clearer head, he understood why it wasn’t fair to drag his friends along on the hunt. but then came his second trip to the archives and the picture of rome’s boat and personal safety be damned, adam was going to find out what happened to his dad and get rich in the process. always on his own time, adam approaches the orion a couple minutes after his requested meeting time to be greeted by his much more punctual friends. and alina. “perfect, you’re all already here. ali and i have treasure hunt news.” he puts his hands up, anticipating a protest. “and i won’t take it personally if you don’t want to stick around, but rome, we kinda need your boat.”

roman keating: all he can offer to everyone’s inquires on adam’s whereabouts is a shake of his head or shrug of his shoulders. “not a griffin to be found,” he replies, not bothering to move a single muscle. when adam finally approaches with treasure hunt news, rome crosses his arms over his chest with a deep sigh to prepare himself for the rest of the conversation. he was hoping for something more lighthearted to conspire; beers all around, a joke here and a joke there.  despite his demeanor, he can’t deny the comfort he finds in being around the rest of the group. he doesn’t necessarily have an issue with the hunt in and of itself, but the prospect of any of them dying isn’t on his bucket list for the summer. his curiosity strikes with the word need. “you need my boat? for what?” he questions, bringing his sunglasses lower on the bridge of his nose. “are we off to find captain hook?”

thalia pham: sometimes productive oceanside chats aren't enough to keep someone from going after what they want. lia gets that now. adam can't be stopped, not until he finds out what happened to his dad or gets shot in the process. his news of reigniting the treasure hunt isn't surprising—it's the fact that it's preceded by "ali and i" that bothers her most. alina winthrop, doing what she knows best. slithering in at the worst possible times. thalia swallows the sour taste on her tongue. is that jealousy? she pulls back from adam one time, for his own good, and immediately she's replaced? lia she pulls her sunglasses down like a librarian. she wants to leave, to try to punish adam in some kind of way, anything to make him stop, but she knows it won't work. the only thing it'll do is risk the strength of their friendship. "you've got to be kidding me." she says, the words tinted with a small dose of venom. "what is it this time?"

adam griffin: if the looks his friends give him are any indication, maybe adam should’ve completed his apology tour before he tried to rope his friends back into his shit. oh well, too late now. “okay, first,” he pushes rome and thalia’s sunglasses back up their noses, one hand for each pair. “stop looking at me like you’re my disapproving parents. feels like a bad omen, i don’t have a great track record of keeping them in my life, y’know.” part of him hopes that the morbid joke would make him feel any better about the truth to it. it doesn’t, but he moves on without allowing himself to give it a second thought. “now, we think the orion formerly belonged to someone that has something to do with a treasure. remember how a griffin married a warner? when we went back to the archives, we found a picture of a warner on the orion. it might be a longshot, for you to buy the boat with a clue on it,” adam shrugs. “or it might be fate. i think it’s worth a look to see if there’s anything left on it.”

alina winthrop: obviously the bonfire was a train wreck and adam asking her for help was a red flag in itself, but she’s still surprised by the mood on rome’s boat. serves her right for being punctual for once. when adam arrives, there’s not much for her to say so she’s playing observer from behind her sunglasses. rome is rome and thalia is annoyed, but none of it is really new. adam’s ease within the group seems out of place given what he’s asking of them, but none of them have said no yet. she supposes she’s a victim of that now too.

roman keating: roman swats adam's hand away as he pushes his sunglasses back up his face, tsking in annoyance. he glances between charlie, thalia and alina to gage their expressions before settling back on adam as he talks about the possible history of the orion. he barely recalls anything they've found or discussed while snooping around, but he nods his head anyway. "we're chucking a lot of shit up to fate these days, man," he counters, trying to come off as lighthearted as possible. as long as their all here, there's not a reason for them to not look. "don't see why we can't look. at least old lady mckee and her shotgun aren't around."

thalia pham: she squints through her sunglasses once adam places them back atop the bridge of her nose. who is she to say no to his request? it's roman's boat, and they're already there anyways. maybe it is fate. something like this doesn't really seem like a coincidence—the boat to which rome is essentially married, falling into place somewhere within adam's family's history? "that's funny, i seem to remember you looking forward to cozying up next to old lady mckee just a few days ago," thalia nudges rome with her elbow. "but you're right. we're already here.." she peers at adam, feeling guilty about the eager look of hope that's already bound itself to his face. "i guess we should look.”

joshua cooper: it’s a tall order, even coming from adam, and he’ll usually say yes to whatever stupid shit they wanna do, but he’s also unwilling to trust anything alina’s involved in. except that, thalia and rome are more than willing to go along with this, and josh feels like he must’ve missed the part where they decided that it was okay to risk their lives again. “that’s really it?” he surprises himself with his conviction, but someone has to be the voice of reason. “and if we do end up finding something on the boat, are we gonna follow that thread? i mean, where are we drawing the line here?”

roman keating: "i'm currently going through a dangerous woman phase. the more likely they are to cause bodily harm, the hotter they are. old ladies included." rome nudges thalia back with his foot then returns to his lax position. he doesn't expect they'll find anything of importance, but if they do, he doesn't want to focus on where it leads them. he prefers to go into things blindly; that way, the threat of danger stays low on his radar. besides, rome would rather they do this as a group instead of adam running around solo or with only alina in tow. "don't worry, joshy, we'll keep you safe," he teasingly coos, blowing him a kiss.

adam griffin: adam knows his friends would do anything for him, but given the resistance he was met with a few days ago, thalia and rome are remarkably quick to agree to look. though, poking around on rome’s boat is pretty low stakes compared to breaking and entering. “if we don’t find anything, yeah, that’s really it.” at least until he finds another path to rush down. “but i’m following any thread i find.” there’s an edge to his tone, making it clear how serious he is. when it comes to his father, he doesn’t intend to leave any stone unturned. but adam doesn’t want another fight, so he drops the attitude and shoots josh a grin. “i’ve never been very good at drawing,” he shrugs, “we’ll play it by ear.”

thalia pham: she could veto this whole thing, try to reason with adam again. but she's tired of being the person responsible for crushing her best friend's dreams. thalia snorts at adam's reply to josh and shakes her head, but she can't hide the smile on her face. she leans against josh. "one day at a time," she mumbles. the letters between morales and thomas are burning a hole in her back pocket, and she still can't decide whether or not to show them to the rest of the group. hopefully the boat will just become another loose end, and they can put this whole thing behind them. thalia stands straight and turns toward alina. "you gonna help us, princess?"

alina winthrop: as per usual, joshua is the only one with even half a brain cell. but at the end of the day, he's still only josh and this is about adam's father. if she could imagine another life for herself, she thinks she might want one where the people who were supposed to raise her mattered that much. play it by ear. alina wants to scoff. she won't pretend to know adam, but she knows this won't be how it ends. for the first time in the conversation, she's addressed by none other than thalia. "turned over a new leaf then, pham?" she flashes her a smile. "well, only because you asked so nicely."

roman keating: while some tension is still lingering, he's thankful that their inability to say no to adam is keeping things civil. despite spirits seeming higher, he's not naive enough to believe another blowout is off the table — especially if or when they find themselves in another life of death situation. roman forces himself to a standing position. he assumes that if there's going to be anything on his boat, it's somewhere below deck. moving to open the hatch, he looks back at the group. "if i'd known this is what we were doing today, i would've at least tried to tidy up."

alina winthrop: “yeah, when’s the last time you cleaned up around here, rome? christmas?” she navigates her way around gingerly, pinching a girl’s blouse and tossing it elsewhere. the rest of them are spread out in the small space, shuffling through drawers and boxes. alina’s helping, sort of — working at half the pace they are when she finds a box in the corner. when she tries to open it, it doesn’t budge. alina turns it over as she looks for any marks, but, for all intents and purposes, what she’s holding is just some box.

thalia pham: lia looks around for a few seconds, but ends up starting to clean instead of searching for clues. she can't help it. alina's right. they aren't really sure what they're looking for, but once thalia notices alina's found a box she gravitates toward her. "here, let me try." she slides the box out of alina's hands and into her own. "it looks like it needs a key." it looks old. like, old enough to actually be relevant to all of these treasure hunt shenanigans.

adam griffin: there’s a part of adam that knows how ridiculous it is for his heart to skip a beat when he turns around at the sound of thalia’s voice and takes note of the box in her hands, but most of him knows that hope is all he has left of his father. “here.” he holds out a hand, and tries the lid himself. it doesn’t budge. for good measure, he gives it a shake. it sounds like there could be something in there, but he isn’t sure if it’s his imagination playing tricks on him. regardless, the box is useless as long as it's locked. adam hesitates before he sets the box down, attempting to keep his face stoic. his gaze lifts, finding alina's —  only person on the boat that won’t be able to pick out the disappointment on his features . “at least now we have something to look for. gotta be a key for this somewhere.

roman keating: he hasn't been helping. instead, roman has taken a seat on the small bed, choosing to observe the others when alina discovers a box he's never seen before. with all the work he'd done on the orion when it was first given to him, he's surprised that they've actually found something. then again, he's fairly unconcerned with matters that don't align with his daily tasks. as adam and thalia mess around with the box, a sense of relief washes over him when it doesn’t open. though he could easily bring up the crowbar he’d brought along to their excursion a week prior, he keeps that information to himself. “i know we almost died, but i’m kinda hoping it’s at old lady mckee’s amongst her china cows. she and i have unfinished business.”

alina winthrop: when thalia takes the lead with the box, ali figures she's reached her kindness quota for the day, so she makes herself comfortable next to rome. honestly, it seems like a dead end. the key could be anywhere. she laughs sharply at rome's comment, mostly out of disbelief. "seriously?" though she does admire how he's able to make a joke so soon. something else occurs to her. "for the record, if you all go back to mckee's house, i'll pass."

charlie yates: as a small circle begins to form in the cramped space, charlie chooses to linger on the outskirts, his body tucked in on itself and made small against the clutter. going into this, he hadn’t expected much. it just didn't seem likely that after everything they’d been through — the risks, the long nights, the many dead ends — the next piece of this elaborate puzzle was sitting right under their noses the entire time. and yet ... here they are. adam had called it fate, but charlie thinks it too good to be true. sure enough, it’s only a moment later he hears the words that turn the sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach into a vacuous hole : a key. of course they need a key. and judging by the size and shape of the box, charlie gathers there’s a very good chance it needs a key exactly like the one sitting in the bottom of a moving box waiting for him back at his parents' place. skinny fingers dig into the ridges of his elbows, clutching as though for dear life as he trains his face to keep from showing that his heart and stomach have just dropped out of his ass, through the floorboards, and directly into the sea. he opens his mouth a few times, considers fessing up. whatever reaction he might get from the others is surely better than braving mckee's shotgun or god knows what else in what he knows would be a pointless venture should he not say something right now. but he thinks back to adam's words from before : this really is it. another dead end and they're done. no more mystery, no more risks, just a normal summer with his best friends and their whole ( healthy ! ) lives ahead of them. charlie bites down on his lower lip. he doesn't say a word.

ace: the harbor is a favorite of ace's. so many expensive boats left unattended, pretty things left lying about. he's tossing his set of keys around in his hands as he walks across the strip of land, busying himself — idle hands are the devil's workshop, after all. he's got a toothpick tucked between his lips and the slight breeze coming off of the coast tousles his hair just the slightest. finally, he comes to a stop before the piece of shit boat somehow tucked inside of all the luxury. he knew he'd find them here, he watched adam make his way over earlier. like little goldfish, waiting for a greater predator. ace clears his throat. "howdy, kids," he says before leaning against the side of the docked boat. "i heard you've been on the hunt. let me guess — nothing but loose ends?"

adam griffin: there's a split second where adam's almost checks on charlie. something in his posture makes adam pause, but before he gets a chance, he's distracted by the sound of a throat clearing behind him, and whatever fleeting concern adam felt for his friend is forgotten. ace painted himself in the background of the outer banks so effortlessly that it doesn't even register as strange to see him standing at the edge of the dock. at least not to adam, who's worked enough shifts alongside him that a foundation of trust has been built between the two. "hey, ace," adam nods in greeting. no, it's not until he mentions 'the hunt' that adam even considers something might be off. even then, he's willing to write his concerns off as paranoia. he takes a step closer to the edge of the boat, putting himself in between ace and the others. "what're you talking about?"

thalia pham: "we are not going back there," thalia says, waiving her index finger in the air like she's on her soap box. a lot is going through her mind, especially the correspondences between claudio and thomas she's failed to bring up. she's not sure she should. just as lia begins to notice that charlie seems a little anxious, adam's coworker invites himself into their conversation. already, she doesn't like it — the way he looks at them, it isn't simple. it's like he knows something they don't. thalia places her hand on charlie's shoulder just in case he really is feeling off, but turns her full attention to ace.

ace: he scratches the bottom of his jaw as he laughs. he can't tell if adam's playing dumb or if 'the hunt' wasn't clear enough. "relax," ace says, waving his hand at him. "you're searching for the treasure, right?" he doesn't have to ask — these kids haven't exactly been subtle about it — but he does it to be polite. "well i am, too. and i think things would go a lot quicker," he leans forward, "if we all just worked together."

alina winthrop: she’s never been to the wreck, so she doesn’t recognize the man who approaches. of course, ali’s defenses have always been easily disarmed with a pretty face, and, if adam knows him, surely he can’t be that bad. she can tell thalia is immediately distrustful of the guy though, as per usual. she purses her lips, gaze returning to adam. it’ll be mostly up to him, she thinks, which means they’ll probably say yes. ace is right anyhow, and they might stand to gain more from him than the other way around.

roman keating: despite the fact he knows of ace, roman's never particularly taken a liking to the guy. he may be right and it couldn't hurt to have another person on their side, but rome has a natural distrust of people who aren't in his inner circle. finally moving to stand next to adam, his arms cross over his chest as he glances over at his friend for a brief moment to try and read him before returning his eyes on ace. "you can back up. we heard you from where you were." his words come off territorial and if no one else was going to say anything, he had no qualms about speaking up.

adam griffin: the second adam feels roman's presence beside him, he knows rome doesn't trust ace. the two have never seen eye to eye when it comes to outsiders, and this is no different; adam wants ace's help, in whatever capacity he can offer. but adam also trusts rome, and respects his judgement, so when he meets roman's gaze, just for a second, he decides not to immediately show his hand. "sure, you might be right, things could go quicker," his tone is light and the grin on his face is easy, a stark contrast to roman's sharp edges. "but that's only if you have something that can get us somewhere. what do you know about the treasure?"

charlie yates: ace's arrival, while unexpected and a bit off - putting, couldn't have come at a better moment. it saves charlie from adam's attention, something he doesn't know if he'd be able to hold his conviction against if questions started being asked. he's happy to take a step back now, let adam and roman do the talking, and try to recompose himself in the time it takes to get to the bottom of whatever ace wants from them. he sets a hand over thalia's, giving it a light squeeze to thank her and try to settle some of the nerves he can feel radiating off her as well.

ace: ace can't help but respect that they're not letting him just walk all over them. adam, bargaining for information? it almost makes him a little proud. he faces roman, whom he doesn't know very well but it's not like that matters. "easy, tough guy. i'm just trying to have a conversation here," he says as he steps aboard, noticing thomas's watch  sitting on a stack of crates well within reach. ace stares past the two boys and smiles at the pretty winthrop girl. "i know lots of things. like how abraham griffin wanted to be buried with the gold." ace walks toward the crates smoothly, like he's pacing. "and i also know there's a painting being auctioned off at the charity event on the fourth, that we would both find very interesting." he rests his hand on the top crate, just inches away from the watch. "only i can't get in to see it. but these two lovely ladies can," he says, nodding to thalia and alina.

thalia pham: this display of testosterone is too exhausting to watch. lia wants to check out, to roll her eyes toward the water lapping against the side of the boat and never look back. but what ace is saying is actually working on adam. at least it's a relief to feel the weight of charlie's hand on her own. "a painting? what does that even mean?" she scoffs to herself. ace obviously only needs them because her and alina's family have already secured invitations to this event, and calling her a lovely lady is not working in his favor. thalia walks over to adam and lowers her voice, although she's well aware that everyone can still hear her.  she stands on her tippy toes to meet his face. "i don't think you should trust this guy, he's being unreasonably vague. and he's like, the slowest talking person i've ever met."

adam griffin: truthfully, ace trying to fuck them over doesn't even cross adam's mind. he's always been evasive; avoiding questions about his past and sidestepping any conversation about himself, so adam wrote him off as private long ago. all ace has to do is mention abraham by name and give them a new direction for adam to be ready to go down this path. thalia, however, doesn't seem quite so enthusiastic. adam leans down to listen to her, meeting her gaze, but he's unable to match the uncertainty he sees in her features. the reasons she gives not to trust ace aren't too convincing, and besides, ace said it himself that can't even get into the event. even if they find anything, they could always lie to him — how would he know any differently. he shoots talia a grin, "yeah, but if you already had an invite to the party." their decade old fourth of july tradition of setting off their own fireworks on the beach forgotten in favor of their newest lead. he shrugs. "we might as well go see what's up. don't you lovely ladies need some hot dates?" immediately, adam takes a step backwards, anticipating a swat for the comment.

[outvrbanks]

CHAPTER TWO :   the bonfire.

scene transcript between adam griffin, alina winthrop, don bailey, henri rousseau, roman keating, thalia pham. featuring braxton reynolds, emilio ramirez, nora yates, tad worthington. june twenty-eighth.

thalia pham: a party is much needed with everything going on. it's easier to pretend like everything is fine, like it's just a normal kegger by the beach. but nothing about this feels normal. a grandma had almost single-handedly taken all of them out. thalia wants to help adam, she really does. but she cares more about their safety, so she strolls on to the beach knowing that at some point tonight, she'll be the one to initiate the conversation. she knows it probably won't go over well. lia takes a deep breath, then slips into the crowd of people, a false smile on her face. it fades when she sees the kooks, of course. she pours herself a beer and sits down in the sand near the fire, her legs stretched in front of her. where are her boys?

adam griffin: even after getting the cold shoulder from don, adam's looking forward to the bonfire. it has been awhile since he's had something to distract him from everything that was going on, and he's sure that a party on the beach will do the trick. his face lights up as he picks thalia out of the crowd and he immediately heads in her direction. "hey," he says in greeting as he flops down in the sand next to her. "what are you doing over here alone when there are so many kooks to argue with about politics?"

don bailey: don doesn't want to partake in the bonfire now, when things are still so... delicate. he still feels a bit angry, even if knowing that the others are on board with ending this hunt brings him some peace of mind. the key he has hidden in one of his drawers always seems to burn a hole in his brain, but maybe he was right anyway. he didn't even need to force the way of things, they reached a dead end before the key even came into play. either way, mad or not, he knows he'll regret it if he doesn't enjoy the bonfire night. so he goes; he parks his bike somewhere far, walks past the kooks hiding a scowl, and looks for familiar faces. he almost backtracks when he sees only thalia and adam there -- is she telling him now? should he give them privacy? what if he's interrupting something? --, but his moment of hesitation is enough for them to catch sight of him, so he moves to join them. "hey," his greeting is a bit stiff. "what are we talking about?"

henri rousseau: the atmosphere of the summer has changed now. and in the span of a few days, henri has gone from 110% on board for treasure hunt escapism to... well.... actually analysing its consequences. the bonfire, however, offers a chance of normalcy. and upon arrival, he tries to be normal too. hoping years of high school theatre would somehow come in clutch as he grabs a beer and makes his way over to the group. only picking up the pace as he sees his cousin's rigidity. "hello fellow youths," he chirps, arm already reaching out to pat don's back in reassurance.

thalia pham: "i'm just getting warmed up. and i'd rather hang out with you than talk to a bunch of scumbags." lia would do anything for adam. but there's a fine line between being ride or dies and actually dying. she doesn't want to watch him lead himself down his own guided path of self-destruction. it's easier to yank him off that path now, even if he's bitter about it for a while. as don, and then henri join them, lia feels a little nervous. it's calming having her other half there, but this seems like an actual intervention, and she's sure adam is not going to like it. "we're just chillin'. talking smack about the kooks. the usual."

don bailey: he's actually glad henri arrives soon after him. he loves lia and adam, but there's no escape from feeling like a third wheel literally every time he finds himself in a group of three, no matter who are the others. he can't ever shake that feeling. "ah, smack talking. of course. let's hope that's the worst we get to do," don says, glancing over at the kooks and already catching one staring. what's new, right? he appreciates henri's pat on his back and chooses not to give him any warnings about the underage drinking, against his best instincts. "we should take it easy tonight. right? just... enjoy the bonfire," he exchanges a (hopefully comforting) look with lia. she's not in an easy place, but he's ready to be the first to support her once she speaks up.

roman keating: his mind constantly replaying the events of the other night left him restless. something wasn't sitting right in his stomach. roman had taken into account that he would do anything for adam; he'd lie, cheat, steal and before, he would be the first to agree on a wild goose chase. except now, running for his life was crossed off the long list of things he'd prefer to do again. he shakes away his thoughts by chugging the beer left in his cup and going for a refill and busies himself by flirting with the tourist girls in his general vicinity. he's trying to give thalia the space to break the news to adam and enjoy his night, but when he spots all four of them around the fire pit, he thinks that everything might be okay after all. meandering over, he greets them with a grin. "sorry i'm late. i just stepped off mommy and daddy's yacht."

adam griffin: "you would?" adam plays up how touched he feels by pressing a hand to his chest. "that might be the nicest thing you've ever said about me." within moments, the group had expanded to all of their friends. it's a common theme for them; finding each other no matter how large the crowd. "dressed like that?" he teases, giving rome a once over, before an exaggerated look of recognition passes his features. "oh, did you rename orion again? mommy and daddy's yacht is cute, but eggs-ta-sea still wins it for me."

thalia pham: lia rolls her eyes—instinctively—at adam's comment. she finds herself slipping into somewhat of an inner monologue as don speaks, completely spaced out. she just wants to reach across the sand and grab his hand right now for comfort. luckily, rome breaks some of the tension brewing inside with one of his dumb jokes, and suddenly him and adam are riffing off of each other. lia doesn't want to be the one to break any of this up. but she has to. "i love orion's name as is, and i love that she's not a yacht with a huge fucking carbon footprint." she smiles, but it fades as her gaze drops to the ground. "uh, before we party hard—and by we i mean roman—i have something to say." lia doesn't know how else to phrase it. "adam, i think we should lay off the whole treasure hunt thing for now." she traces a finger along her palm. "i just don't want any of us to get hurt, and after what happened the other day.. i think it's best if we just leave it be."

adam griffin: the smile drops off adam's face as thalia speaks. is she really telling him this at a party? he's supposed to go back to drinking beer and mingling with tourists after she tells him that she thinks he should leave his dad's missing person case be? "what?" it takes a great deal of effort, but he keeps his expression stoic as he turns to thalia. "are you serious?"

don bailey: the way thalia brings it up makes it feel like a bomb has just been dropped on them. and even though they've discussed this in the group chat earlier, it still feels weirdly new hearing it out loud -- and seeing the surprised disappointment on adam's face. are you serious, he asks, and that feels like an invitation to escalate things, so don chimes in. "hey, man, she's right," he offers, stretching over to bump his knee against thalia's, hoping to offer some comfort. "it's... going a bit too far, i'm sorry."

roman keating: the tension he seemed to ease harshly asserts its way back into the group quicker than he thought. he didn't think they were going to do this now -- so soon. his lips press into a thin line. rome feels mostly betrayal on his end, yet is struck with bewilderment that maybe adam hasn't also been thinking about pulling the plug. "dude, grandma dearest almost took us out." he plays with the condensation on his cup. "i thought we were all gonna, you know, blow up or some shit."

adam griffin: his gaze snaps to don and roman, respectively, as they chime in. realization dawns on him and all hope of keeping his emotions off his face is lost. "you guys have already talked about this." it's an accusation, not a question. the fact that they saw him as so fragile that he couldn't be included in the real time discussion of how they were feeling after the break-in is a harsh blow. "so what? you guys got together and decided you had to have an intervention instead of just including me in the conversation? the fuck did you think i was gonna do?"

thalia pham: this is not how thalia wanted this to go. but it isn't fair to just float through the night like everything's perfectly fine only to spring it on him last second. lia had to remind herself that she was doing the right thing. it just felt so wrong, watching adam's demeanor quickly change. she wanted to give him a hug, but by the looks of it, he was nowhere near ready for that. "you know it's not like that. i'm just worried about you." she chooses to speak for herself instead of the rest of them in hopes of making it seem less like a true intervention. "we can't figure out what happened to your dad if we're dead."

henri rousseau: he winces as the confrontation unfurls before his eyes. never good with conflict even when it's absolutely necessary, and yet he holds back just in case he cracks an inappropriate joke right into the middle of it. "you know i'm with you always, adam," often without question, "you name it and i'm down. but the others are right, almost getting killed is too much. like... c'mon, we love you, man. the idea of a world without adam griffin?" thinks of the summers of mischief he's had with them all growing up. "fuckin' bleak."

adam griffin: adam scoffs at thalia's comment. he doesn't need her pity; he's fine. if there's anyone she should be worried about, it's his dad. "we can't figure out what happened to him if we stop looking either," he snaps. "do you have any leads other than the treasure? you guys have probably already discussed this as well, so feel free to fill me in." as henri speaks, adam's anger falters. he knows they have a point; that the danger they faced at mckee's house was real. he can't blame them for not wanting to venture further down that path. adam, however, is already in too deep. he doesn't care what happens to him, he couldn't live with himself if he stopped trying to find answers. "fine." his ego keeps him from softening his tone. "if you guys are out i'll do it my-fucking-self."

don bailey: see, in moments like these, he's reminded why he took the damn key in the first place. better to have a frustrated friend, than have a friend who gets himself killed going after an impossible treasure hunt to reach an unattainable goal. he can't help it, but the thought is there -- adam's dad is dead. "you're not. you're not doing anything yourself, just listen to everyone, for once," he sighs, his brows furrowing. "we haven't discussed anything, okay? it's not like that. we just want what's best for you, i swear, man. trust us on this. we can keep looking somehow, but not like this. i can't let something happen to any of you. i won't. we almost fucking died, adam."

roman keating: rome clenches his jaw. what henri says strikes him a little too much. there's been enough loss in his own life and he was too stubborn to let himself imagine anything happening to his best friend. he's torn between wanting to defend adam and hammer sense into his brain. the tone that accompanies adam's words causes rome to snap his attention back to the group. "come on, adam." his arm instinctively reaches out, his fingers wrapping around his friend’s forearm. he doesn't want them to continue the hunt, much less does he want adam to continue it alone. "don't make me keep you hostage in your own fucking house." he tries to toss it out as a joke, but it suddenly feels too real. "you can't keep doing this to yourself."

thalia pham: she can't help but be a little frustrated with adam. he's spiraling, and he's taking all of them with him. thalia winces a little at rome's last comment, but she understands where it's coming from. adam is stubborn, and it's clear that none of this is helping. "adam, we love you. i love you. and i just want you to be safe, and..." she sighs. "alive."

adam griffin: maybe if adam had more distance from the topic, he'd be more receptive to their comments. but to his ears, everything they're saying just sounds patronizing. he doesn't need to be coddled or looked after or kept safe, he needs answers. "i am doing what's best for me." he's not stupid, nor is he blind to any potential danger; he's made his decision, and apparently they've made theirs as well. as mad as he is, he doesn't want to fight with them, so he chooses to remove himself from the conversation. shrugging off roman's touch as he stands up, he walks away without another word. the kook that couldn't be bothered to move out of his path is a convenient outlet for his rage. they bump into adam's shoulder, and he immediately shoves them back, the look on tad's face making it clear he wasn't expecting that reaction from him. "watch where you're fucking going."

tad worthington: tad's exhausted. after hitting the gym in the early morning and spending the rest of the day out on the golf course, he could use a little unwinding. it's a no-brainer (haha funny bc he has no brain) that him and the boys decided to go to the bonfire. as he walks through the sand in his birkenstocks, he feels like he's on top of the world. he's got the boys around him, there are plenty of pretty girls in sight, and a beer with his name on it. tonight's gonna be good. that is, if the pogues don't ruin it like they always do. he jogs to and from the keg to get drinks for the boys, and by the time he's made it back to them, he already has his eye on someone. of course, this distraction allows adam to shove him—if he saw it coming, he would have shoved first, he swears—splashing beer all over his newest polo shirt. tad scowls. "what the fuck is your problem, man?" he grabs the back of adam's shirt, keeping him from storming off. "you got something to say?"

emilio ramirez: emilio looks forward to the summer bonfire every year; reliving his glory days, when it was him and brax and tad, kings of the cut. he's casually kicking a ball around with a couple of guys when none other than adam griffin shoves tad. he approaches them amiably but his intentions are anything but. "hey hey," emilio laughs good-naturedly, clapping adam on the shoulder. he can already tell the night is heading towards a different path. "what happened to your manners, griffin?"

braxton reynolds: brax removes the sunglasses shielding his eyes, folding them at the collar of his shirt. he's got an arm resting comfortably around a girl's shoulders, feigning interest in whatever she has to say. he's more interested in what comes next. taking a sip of his beer and surveying the crowd, his eyes fall on tad and emilio with adam griffin. the apparent beginning of an altercation is enough to uproot him from his spot. he approaches the boys with a sinister smirk. "you know, i thought trash wasn't allowed on the beach."

adam griffin: despite his outburst, adam isn’t looking for a fight. which is why he was lucky it’s tad that he runs into; even if adam pisses him off, he doubts he’d throw a punch. “i just said it, watch where you’re going,” he challenges. it’s less fortunate that tad is still friends with emilio, who appears out of nowhere to come to his friend’s defense. he instinctively shrugs off emilio’s touch, even though he’s fully aware that pushing the wrong buttons on emilio will quickly escalate things. his blind rage does a great job convincing him that he could handle himself two-on-one; tad hardly counted as one. it’s only when braxton arrives that adam stops liking his odds so much. not that he shows it. “with clever digs like that it’s a mystery why your dad had to buy your future.”

thalia pham: it's a punch on the gut when adam storms off like that. the last time she had seen that same look of betrayal was when she left for california four years ago. maybe this whole thing could have gone better if she had been the only one to talk to him, but it's past that now. she can't let adam just walk off into some blind act of self-destruction. so thalia rises from her seat on the log and starts after him, tossing a knowing look to the others first. "adam, wait—" she calls, only to be cut short by the realization that the kooks are beginning to close around him. this couldn't possibly get any worse. "this is a private conversation, so could you guys just," she begins, squinting at brax, "back off."

don bailey: the night's officially a mess, then. don tries to keep adam from storming off, but his pleas fall on deaf ears, as expected. so he keeps his mouth shut, and nods at the look lia gives them before she follows. if any one of them can talk sense into adam, maybe it's her. "well... that went great," he comments to the others, glancing back at them only briefly before he searches for thalia again, because he always keeps an eye on her. then he notices the kooks. he can't hear the interaction from here, but the kooks are never good news. he shoots up in a flash, but hesitates before he moves any further, unsure if he really should be alarmed or if he would be making things worse by joining them. "uh, guys?"

alina winthrop: the last few days have left alina in a haze. the night of the break-in is a memory she's trying to distance herself from, and what better distraction than the bonfire? she's standing with nora, surveying the crowd before them when she notices adam shove tad. the scene escalates but alina won't step in however because, ultimately, she doesn't care. still, there is something concerning about the way tad, brax, and emilio surround adam, who stands alone. she can't help but wonder where the hell everyone else is. alina takes a sip of her orange soda, nodding her head at the scene. "jesus, didn't those idiots learn to let go of all their high school baggage already?"

braxton reynolds: braxton remains composed even with adam's comments, despite the urge to react with his fist. that route was almost too easy. "nice one, griffin," he commends. it's a sore subject -- not that he gives adam the satisfaction of knowing that. he'd heard about thomas griffin's disappearance the minute he arrived home for the summer and responded to it with a shrug. one less pogue residing in the outer banks, the better. a wry chuckle escapes him. "what about your dad, man? heard the bastard's fish food." it's then his attention is drawn to thalia's presence. "i'll back off," he nods, his eyes falling on her and taking on her appearance, "on one condition. you, me, the front seat of my ferrari."

adam griffin: adam jaw clenches at braxton's comment about his father, but he knows better than to give him the satisfaction of a reaction. it's nothing he hasn't heard before, just in harsher terms. as his gaze falls on thalia, however, the emotions that have been building within him spill over. the second the words leave braxton's lips, adam wrenches out of the grasp tad had on his shirt and swings, his fist making clean contact with braxton's jaw.

tad worthington: tad laughs as braxton continues to poke at adam. he much prefers this kind of drama to the soap operas his mom always has on at night. when brax makes a pass at thalia, he lights up. "can i come, too?" he says, with a stupid grin on his face. it's a dumb joke but he knows someone will laugh at it. when adam throws the first punch, though, tad is unfathomably excited. "ooh, i bet that felt good, griffin." tad is horrible at patronizing people, but he tries. "FIGHT!" he yells, turning to the rest of the people at the party. he isn't the best at staying alert in fights, so he decides he won't join in unless the other pogues do.

braxton reynolds: smugness and pride wash over him momentarily, his elbow bumping tad's. when adam lunges towards him, brax stumbles back slightly at the force, a dull ache settling in his jaw. "you fucking piece of shit," he seethes, the fingers of his right hand reaching out to grab a hold of adam's collar. his left hand balls into a fist, coming in contact with adam's nose.

roman keating: watching adam retreats causes roman's stomach to churn. "yeah. just peachy, donnie," he comments, his mind far away. for all the years they've known each other, he's ever seen this side of his best friend. he isn't sure he likes it either. he finishes off the beer in his cup, ready to venture back to a keg when don speaks again. rome's eyebrows raise and follows his line of sight, his gaze settling on adam and braxton throwing punches. he immediately moves towards the crowd. when he reaches them, he breezes past tad, shoving him out of the way. his hand comes up to wrap itself tightly around braxton's wrist. "got a death wish, asshole?"

thalia pham: lia hates this. she hates the fact that adam is spiraling. she hates the kooks. she hates the way they're circling around him like sharks. when brax addresses her she makes an expression of pure disgust. "you're such a fucking cliche—" she replies, but her comeback is interrupted by adam's punch. shit. well, he deserved it. it isn't until brax punches back that she starts to rush forward instinctively. but rome steps up instead, and the anxiety in her stomach only grows, recalling all of the times he would show up to class in high school with a mysterious black eye. lia turns to search for don in a moment of panic.

emilio ramirez: “well look who came to join the party.” emilio grins as roman keating approaches. tad is egging the fight on, of course. this is likely the first interesting thing that has happened all year so a crowd gathers around them quickly. he chuckles, nudging a few guys standing next to him. “come to save your boyfriend, keating?”

don bailey: don follows closely after roman, knowing they're gonna need all available hands on deck for this. the kooks latch onto fistfights like hungry dogs to a bone, he knows there's no easy way to back out once the punches have started being thrown. he reaches lia and catches her hand to tug her back just as roman lunges forward. "don't. just stay back," he pleads, and he hesitates for just a second before -- and he knows he'll hate himself for it in the morning -- shoving himself between adam and brax, too. "hey, hey, back off, everyone!"

henri rousseau: unease grows in his gut as the crowd assembles around the group. even more so when it erupts into violence. as don begins to speak, henri moves forward out of concern. "look... we're all reasonable people here, right?" he says with a very forced smile. were the boys gathered in front of them actually people? it's certainly debatable from the stories he hears during the year. "and i know in my heart of hearts that we all just wanna have a good time tonight. have a few beers... maybe ya know, sing a little campfire song... relax." he eyes braxton momentarily, brow furrowing. "again, that last one's a big maybe. just a suggestion! i don't know what you're into! but we could all, uh... just let this go and do that? wave the big ol' metaphorical white flag...?"

tad worthington: of all the pogues, tad actually kind of likes henri. he isn't nearly as annoying as adam and rome. don, though, kind of pisses him off—don just makes him feel dumb. so as the other boy approaches and the odds of a three-on-three fight increase, tad steps forward to where emilio is standing. "who's ready to rumble?" the stupid grin is still smeared across his face as he dramatically cracks his knuckles. "watch where you're going, bailey. you're walking right into trouble."

emilio ramirez: the crowd riles them up, knocking and bumping into each other as people outside of the circle try and force their way in. don pushes his way between adam and brax. there is barely a friendship between brax, tad, and himself but still, not much has changed between the three of them. “c’mon, donny,” he sneers, taunting him. “you know you can’t play with the big boys.” the crowd shoves emilio forward. without thinking, emilio swings and his fist lands squarely on don’s jaw.

adam griffin: even after the fight he had with his friends and hit he takes from braxton, don and henri's words are enough to calm him down. of course, tad and emilio manage to immediately undo that. with rome occupying braxton's attention, adam knocks his hand away and inserts himself between emilio and don. he shoves emilio away from don, and follows up with a swift punch just below his ribs.

braxton reynolds: with pure rage coursing through him, the crowd cheering is more akin to muffled background noise. braxton's attention snaps from adam, meeting roman eye to eye, a scowl tugging his lips. despite the hold on his wrist, his body twists in order for his free hand to uppercut roman's jaw. with quick reflexes, he strikes a second blow to his cheek, brax's knuckles cracking from the impact.

roman keating: emilio's prodding only heightens his anger. he's been in this position far too many times with the kooks, though not this intense since high school. as roman stumbles from impact, he lets go of his hold on brax's wrist. a dry chuckle escapes him as he moves his jaw from side to side, the all familiar taste of rust on his tongue. rome lunges forward, gripping the material of braxton's shirt at the shoulders and shoving him down onto the sand.

thalia pham: lia flinches as the fight continues. she's never liked to watch this kind of thing go down—partly because she'd rather be in on it, and partly because she can't stand to watch her friends get hurt. she doesn't like seeing adam and rome like this, either. it's scary. she knows don won't go too far, but she isn't sure about the two of them. lia looks to henri, to make sure he's still there and hasn't been swallowed by the crowd. as she turns, she notices alina and nora watching from afar. "hey!" she yells. "can you please check your psycho friends?"

tad worthington: tad flies into action, less gracefully than he was hoping. he drives his fist into roman's face, and almost misses. hopefully it will give brax time to get off the ground. it wasn't much of a punch, though, so he starts to back up.

emilio ramirez: emilio stumbles back as the wind is knocked right out of him. someone tries to help him up but he shakes them off. if he wasn't angry before, he sure is now. he straightens, glowering at adam before surging forward and tackling him to the sand.

alina winthrop: the fight escalates quickly and the crowd closes in on the boys. alina and her friends have never involved themselves in this feud, even when nora was still dating brax, so she doesn't feel the need to involve herself now. thalia has the nerve to address them however, and alina narrows her gaze. "why don't you check yours? they started the fight." she's not really in the business of defending tad, emilio, or brax but she'd rather be caught dead in a pair of sweatpants than listen to anything thalia says.

henri rousseau: he should have known the kooks wouldn't listen to his plea to call it off. still, he feels a little defeated as the fight escalates and with the upper body strength of a twig, thoughts of dragging his friends out of the situation seem limited. henri nudges his way through the quickly assembling crowd to make it to thalia's side. "uhhh, how do we break this up?"

nora yates: nora’s bored with the fight as soon as it starts. her expression is blank, unmoved even as the violence escalates. it’s nothing that she hasn’t seen before, and she can’t say she gives a shit what happens to anyone involved. she doesn’t even acknowledge that thalia is speaking to her, but when alina replies, she turns to her friend with a single eyebrow raised. she doesn’t comment, but she doesn’t need to to challenge the way alina defends boys neither of them have spoken to in years. the fight goes on and nora grows impatient; she’s unwilling to wait for the boys to tire themselves out to get back to enjoying her evening. no one else is going to get through to braxton, so she lets out a belabored sigh and wanders over to him, cutting roman off. “brax. we’ve seen enough.”

braxton reynolds: the shove catches braxton off guard, embarrassment flooding through him as he hits the ground. he hates feeling weak or defeated, even more so when it comes to the pogues. trying to catch his breath, he scrambles to his feet as nora approaches, rubbing his hands together to rid of the sand. he's slightly thankful for nora's presence, using it as an excuse to walk away from something that wasn't going in his favor. he points an accusatory finger at roman. “tell griffin he better keep his dirty hands off me or i’ll fucking kill you both next time,” he spits, turning on his heels and storming off.

emilio ramirez: high school is four years behind them, but nora manages to be the only person who can still rein them in. emilio stops, surprised that brax heeds nora’s instruction. he gives one last shove to adam, leaving him on the ground before standing up, dusting himself off. “aw, ellie, why’d you have to ruin our fun?” he shoots her a contemptuous smile. but he doesn’t care all that much. he signals to tad, nodding his head away from the crowd.

tad worthington: tad is grateful the fight stopped before he could get his ass whooped. he stands up straight like things were actually going in his favor, and peels off with the other guy with dignity. "bye, ladies!" he taunts at the boys behind them.

adam griffin: adam manages to get one final hit in just before nora breaks the fight up, he swipes at the blood leaking from his nose with the back of his hand as he gets up. there’s a part of him that wants to thank his friends for coming to his defense, but as soon as he looks at them he remembers why he was upset, and he no longer feels so grateful. without another word, he turns and heads off, no longer in the mood for a party.

roman keating: shoving braxton’s hand out of his face, he scoffs as the kooks retreat. the threats leave him unfazed; he would’ve been dead already if there was any validity in them. he spits the blood pooling in his mouth out onto the ground, his fingers grazing the tender flesh of his cheek. rome goes to speak just as adam turns away and he chooses to stay rooted to his spot. he’s unsure, for the first time in his life, if he should follow behind. "well, that was fun. round two anytime soon?" he manages, raising his eyebrows at the others.

thalia pham: thalia won't admit it, but she's greatful for nora calling off the fight. it's interesting how alina acts like she wants to be a part of their little treasure hunt, but doesn't give a shit when the people she's been hanging out with all week are getting hurt. lia runs over to the boys after shooting the kooks an angry glare. she tries to get over to adam in time to help him off the ground, but he's storming off—again—before she gets the chance. "adam!" she calls after him, but she knows it's useless. he's already gone. just like that, she can feel their friendship washing down the drain again, just like it did after high school. rome looks like shit, and instinctively she wants to reach out and help properly wipe the blood off of his face, but she pulls back, because it's not her job anymore. she turns to don, and wraps him in a hug because she knows how much he hates this kind of stuff. "maybe we should just go," she mumbles, turning back around to face the rest of them.

[outvrbanks]

CHAPTER TWO :   the end of lois lane.

scene transcript between adam griffin, alina winthrop, don bailey, henri rousseau, roman keating, thalia pham. june twenty-fourth.

adam griffin: adam pulls off the road before reaching the end of lois lane. though they expect ms. mckee to be asleep, he doesn't want to take any chances and end their investigation before it begins. after he cuts the engine, he turns in his seat to face the four in the back. "so, how are we gonna split up to look? alina's on lookout," he nods at her cast, "obviously."

alina winthrop: she's not quite sure what she's doing there — to see things at the finish, even though she doesn't really believe that there's treasure to be found. it all seems a little too good to be true. but if they have to break into the mckee house to do it, there's nothing easy about that. "you guys are splitting up? in the mckee house?" she holds back a laugh. "alright." she leans back into her seat, scrolling again on her phone.

don bailey: the second the engine cuts off, don feels his stomach drop. well, here they are -- breaking into an old lady's house in the middle of the night. the mention of a split has him groaning, and the clear mocking undertone from alina doesn't help his nerves. "let it show on record that i'm still not okay with splitting up," he chimes in, before rubbing a hand across his eyes tiredly. "first of all, how will alina warn us if she sees someone coming?"

adam griffin: "duly noted." he reaches into the back seat and gives don a pat on the leg. "but don't worry, donny, thalia will protect you." maybe he should be more nervous than he is, but adam is feeling good about their chances of finding the treasure that night. and after the lighthouse keeper turned out to be harmless, he's questioning the rumors about the mckees. "good question." he turns to alina, mischief shines in his eyes as he speaks to her, "can you do bird calls?"

thalia pham: lia reaches for don's arm for a reassuring squeeze. "he's right, i'll protect you. with my bobby pins." she glares at adam for a moment before easing back into a more relaxed position. "you know, bird calls are kind of antiquated. there are these things we use called phones." lia wiggles her own phone out of her pocket to make a point.

roman keating: peering out the window of the van as they approached the house, roman let out a snicker. whether they found the treasure or proved the mckee folklore to be true, something was bound to happen. he heavily preferred the former. “well, if grandma does come at us,” he reaches at down towards his feet before shifting his body to face everyone in the backseat, brandishing the crowbar he’s brought along. a grin etches itself onto his face. “we have this.”

henri rousseau: if there’s one thing henri has always enjoyed about the outer banks, it’s the rumours. and as the van finally pulls into the drive, he can’t help but peer out the window at the sight of the place. a haunted house full of elderly tension, sure, he could well believe it. yet his eyes still manage to widen with surprise as he turns to catch sight at the crowbar. “... don’t old people have, like, super soft bones?” he blinks. “i mean i’m cool with the crimes! but... uh... we are avoiding the bodily harm unless she really comes at us... right?”

thalia pham: "we're not gonna hurt her, henri. i promise." lia says as she turns to rome's seat and pulling the crowbar back down to his lap. "besides, the stories are all bullshit, anyways. this isn't a horror movie." she waves the thought away like it's a bug. they'll be fine. she hopes.

don bailey: as much as he finds reassurance in thalia and adam's touches, the presence of roman's crowbar makes him pretty uneasy as is, so it balances it out. in conclusion, he's still stressed. "okay, so," he calls, doing his best to ignore the idea of hitting an old lady tonight. "how are we... splitting up?"

adam griffin: "rome, you pick the lock. i'll go look to see if there's any other entrance. maybe a back door, an open window, a basement." he glances around the rest of the group and shrugs. "you guys can pick who you're more comfortable going with."

thalia pham: "i'm not letting roman go inside alone. he might actually assault the old lady," she quips, narrowing her eyes at the group. breaking up and breaking in.

roman keating: rome brings his hand up to his forehead, saluting adam. “aye aye, captain. stay safe, wife of mine.” with an an eyeroll, he begins a stealthy walk to the front of the house. "let's go then, pham."

don bailey: don isn't too happy to go either way, but he'll probably be more comfortable if he stays away from that crowbar and whatever rome plans to do with it. "i'm with adam, then," he nods at his friend and pulls up the hoodie of his jacket, in hopes to be more stealth with it.

alina winthrop: she watches as they go off in groups, the way that rome walks across, how don adjusts his jacket. “you all look stupid.”

thalia pham: “actually coordinating before splitting up isn’t stupid, alina.” thalia whispers as she walks after rome. “remember what happened last time, when we didn’t?” she gestures at the girl’s cast before turning back around.

henri rousseau: for a moment he lingers back, watching as the rest of the group gets into stealth mode. still a little disconcerted by the crowbar, but he figures both thalia and he would provide a good enough mediating presence. "ugh, wait up!" he calls in a whisper, jogging lightly over to thalia and rome. "i'm coming with."

adam griffin: the group approaches the mckee house, and out of nowhere, a light comes on, illuminating the entire yard. instinctively, adam grabs on to the first two people he can get a hand on and pulls them into the trees. he doesn't know if light alone is enough to wake up ms. mckee, but he's not willing to take any chances. once everyone reconvenes in the dark, he speaks, "anyone know how to disable motion sensor lights?"

don bailey: don stumbles back the second the light flashes onto them, a blinding promise to end their plans. he can feel his heart pounding away between his ribs, and he clutches his chest as he gathers his throughts. "well, these things are usually turned on from inside the house," he speaks quietly into the dark, and looks towards his friends for any input. "i think? she must've turned them on before she went to sleep. there has to be a switch somewhere inside."

thalia pham: lia almost yelps as adam pulls her back and out of the abrupt ray of light. she instinctively grabs on to don's arm to make sure he's alright. "okay, we can handle the lights." she gestures to rome and henri. it's not like she has a ton of experience breaking into homes, but she sure knows how to sneak into one. before turning to slowly make her way toward the porch, she glances back at alina to make sure she's okay, too. not that it matters to her, though.

roman keating: rome grimaces as the porch creeks underneath the weight of him as he heads up the stairs of the porch. finding himself in front of the door, the fun factor that was present just a mere five minutes ago is quickly dwindling. fishing into his pocket, he pulls out a lock pick. biting down on his tongue out of concentration, he attempts to turn the lock with the small piece of metal. a satisfying click. "look at that. time to get rich,” he whispers, turning back to face thalia and henri. he ponders for a moment. “or die. or become murderers.”

henri rousseau: as they clamour together on the porch he can practically hear his heartbeat in his ears as rome gets to work on the lock. trying his best to bring his mind back to adam's dad's treasure even as every instinct tells him to run far away. "let's hope it's the former, yeah?" he asks with a raised brow as they begin to move through the door. "murderering a... probably sweet old lady isn't really in my five year plan."

don bailey: as he watches the three of them walk forward, he suddenly feels uneasy about staying behind. "be careful," he whispers before they split up, sending thalia a pleading glance to stay safe before he nods his head at adam. "let's circle around, get closer to the basement entrance while we wait for them."

thalia pham: she rolls her eyes at rome's comment. lia doesn't believe in all of the rumors surrounding the mckee family, but she knows that breaking into someone's house doesn't come without consequences. "we're not murdering anyone." it comes out of her mouth halfway between a whisper and a yell. "let's go." she twists the doorknob and pushes gently until there's enough space for them all to slip inside of the house.

roman keating: he narrows his eyes, suppressing the urge to comment on lia’s eye rolling. following suit, roman clenches onto the crowbar tighter as he adjusts to the darkness of the house. it seemed almost unnatural to actually be inside after years of imagining what lurked behind. “any guesses where the switch box is?”

henri rousseau: as they walk into the house, henri can't help but feel a little more scared. as if they've crossed the point of no return. "uh," he blinks. in other words, a definite no. "well... if i were an old person i'd keep it somewhere easy to reach."

thalia pham: thalia acts tough like it’s her job. but the bone-chilling feeling creeping down her spine does its best to thwart this. the house is eerily silent. “right. it’s probably on this floor somewhere.” she does her best to seem unbothered by the creepiness. lia nods for them to start tiptoeing to the room on the right.

roman keating: every movement they made seemed louder in the deafening silence and he could hear his own heartbeat. pulling out his phone, he turns on the flashlight. his eyes scan the walls surrounding them, searching for anything that looked remotely responsible for turning on and off the lights outside. "if i were an old person i'd make sure it was by my bed. i've walked enough in my lifetime.”

henri rousseau: "ya know, by saying that... it probably guarantees that it's by her bed," he replies quietly, footsteps sounding louder than usual even as he does his best to remain quiet tiptoeing around the room in search of the switch box. "'cause all it looks like she has in here is china cows."

thalia pham: she peers around the room as they pass through quietly. henri’s right. it’s not here. “okay, little einsteins, where’s her bedroom?” lia squints at the two of them in a failed attempt to make out their faces in the dark.

henri rousseau: he shrugs as thalia speaks, although really it's pointless in the dark. "upstairs maybe... or... toward the back of the house?" henri suggests, purely based off other houses he's been in.

roman keating: “my vote goes to upstairs.” he heads back into the foyer. his free hand grips the staircase’s wooden railing, one foot on the first step. “i’m still down to distract old lady mckee with my good looks while you guys find some more china cows down here.”

thalia pham: lia scoffs as rome moves on his own to the stairs. she glances at henri, worrying that he actually thinks rome is going to seduce and destroy an old lady. “fine.” she follows behind him, gritting her teeth as the stairs creak below them.

henri rousseau: he follows behind them both, stepping gently as they ascend the stairs. "i mean... you did kinda imply you wanted to be in the vicinity of her bed in the group chat, rome." he whispers, trying his best to keep his voice to a low murmur the closer they get to the top. "that would kinda be like fulfilling your own prophecy."

roman keating: rome rolls his eyes and forces himself to not look back as she scoffs. “do you have a better idea, oh wise one?” he inquires, his tone curt, annoyance beginning to bubble at the surface. once he reaches the top, henri’s comments put him slightly more at ease. “and you can’t mess with prophecies, right? it’s what the god’s would want.” he smirks despite neither of them being able to see.

thalia pham: lia’s heart pounds in her chest as they near the top of the stairs. she’s doing her best to block out the dumb conversation going on in front of her, but the house is so quiet that she has nothing else to focus on. “disgusting.” she whispers as they stumble into the hallway. lia tiptoes over to one of the doors—it’s cracked open, just a little bit. she peers inside. “she’s in there. so is the switch box.” this is so not going to end well. “maybe i should go in alone. i’m the smallest, and you guys make a lot of noise.”

henri rousseau: "disgusting? i, personally, think old lady mckee can fu-" he starts, before thalia gives the all clear that they've found both the switch box and the woman who all the rumours are about. then, suddenly, it's as if he's lost all ability to speak. a miracle. he gives a contemplative look between the door and thalia, accompanied only by a small gulp. "alone? what if she attacks you or something?"

roman keating: his eyes widen. he's been hoping he was wrong about the switch box being in such close proximity to old lady mckee. roman inhales sharply, his eyes darting between the other two. “look, i’m going in," he decides, moving from his spot next to henri and standing closer to the bedroom door. "i’m the one who has the weapon and neither of you have the guts to use it.”

thalia pham: “no, you’re not, and we don’t need the freaking crowbar.” she hisses, stepping in front of rome. “i’ve got this. just stay here. she’s out like a light.” before anyone can protest, lia pushes the door open slowly and slips inside. she glances back at the boys before maneuvering her way into the left side of the room, feeling like a spy dodging laser beams. lia attempts to flip open the panel, and there it is — the switch. she moves like a snail, curling her fingers around it until it finally clicks down and into place. the house goes quiet without the buzzing noise of electricity. she backs away from the panel and the old lady’s bed, making a beeline for the door. “someone text adam,” she whispers as she finally exits the room.

henri rousseau: with the door partially open, henri remains with his breath caught in his throat until lia flicks the switch. instinct telling him that now would be the perfect time for a high five as she exits the room until he remembers just where they're standing. he nods instead, deciding to save the group high fives until they're out of the house, treasure in hand. "on it," he whispers in return, sliding his phone out of his pocket to text adam. 'okay so MAJOR UPDATE. the sensor switch has been turned OFF! it was in mckee's bedroom......? lol. anyway u can come in safely now 🤗 '.

adam griffin: adam feels his phone buzz in his pocket. he reads henri's text, silences his phone, and hits don's knee. "light's off, we're up, bud." he leads the way into the house, feeling confident about what ms. mckee is going to sleep through if the others had already been in her bedroom. immediately, he starts looking for stairs to a basement. he pulls open a door, flinching as it creaks, but letting out a sigh of relief as it reveals a set of stairs. he nods his head in the direction the stairs lead, gesturing for don to follow him down.

don bailey: it's a good thing henri is smart enough to text adam instead of him, because don would be having a minor heart attack if he'd read that by now. he follows adam easily, hands shoved into his pockets and balled into fists with tension. "are they coming out? should we wait for them?" he whispers, even though he's already following his friend downstairs carefully.

adam griffin: "dunno," he shrugs. "henri didn't say." as they reach the bottom of the steps, and adam's eyes finally adjust to the darkness, he feels his heart beat pick up for the first time. the basement is packed with shit; the treasure could be anywhere, especially considering they don't know how much they're looking for. "you start over there," he whispers, pointing to the right. "i'll go this way."

don bailey: descending creepy stairs in the complete dark into an unknown old lady's basement is not how he planned to spend his night, but here he is. don puts a hand to adam's shoulder as he reaches the bottom of the stairs, just for the reassurance that his friend is still there, while he turns on his phone's flashlight. "fuck, this looks like an episode of hoarders," he whispers, stepping over a dusty cardboard box on his way to the right side. "i don't even know where to start."

adam griffin: "i know." he's slightly overwhelmed by the amount of stuff in the basement, he dives in anyway, moving quickly and quietly, leaving no stone unturned. some time passes, and although adam doesn't know exactly what they're looking for, he's starting to realize that they aren't going to find it there. "you haven't found anything, right? maybe we should go find the others, see if anything's upstairs, or outside. wherever they are." a little too eager to get moving, adam looks away from where he's stepping for a moment. it's just his luck that he would kick a stack of china, sending the dishes crashing to the ground. he freezes as the plates shatter, looking at don with wide eyes. he can't tell how loud it actually was, hoping that it just seemed bad given how close they were to it.

don bailey: "no, i haven't found any--," he doesn't get to finish it, because a deafening crash fills up the basement and he nearly flinches out of his skin. "dude!" as if being mad now will help anything. his eyes are as wide as adam's, and his heart pounds in his ears. he can't hear anything happening upstairs, but something this loud easily could've woken the lady up. "we need to go," he hisses, using his phone to send a quick text to the group chat, asking where the others are. "text alina, tell her to warn us if she sees any lights turning on through the windows."

alina winthrop: her broken ankle makes her the perfect candidate for lookout and though she enjoyed the first fifteen minutes of it, alina isn't thoroughly entertained alone in adam's van. every small noise makes her jump and when one surprises her enough to make her squeal, she decides enough is enough. she walks towards the front door, half crouching, though it still feels stupid. being inside the house makes her skin crawl even more than it already was. she holds her flashlight up but being able to see doesn't make climbing the stairs quietly any easier. she manages one step, then another when she gets a notification for a text message. "fuck," she swears quietly, fumbling to silence her phone.

thalia pham: lia, who has been keeping an eye on mrs. mckee to ensure that she doesn't suddenly awake and see them, jumps at the sound of something breaking. shit. mrs. mckee stops snoring for a second, but she lies completely still. thalia breathes in a sigh of relief—she's still asleep. but as soon as lia turns to say something to the boys, mrs. mckee grumbles for a second before bolting upright, her eyes wide open. lia panics—this was such a stupid idea. "hide!" she whispers, frantically shutting the door and scrambling to find something to cover them.

roman keating: rome's laughing at the photographs on the wall like he was invited into the home and not at all like they broke in. "henri, this kid looks like a ru—" the shattering sound followed by mrs. mckee's grumbling and thalia's panic made all thoughts fly right out the window. he stands frozen, the anxiety that dissipated earlier was hitting full force again. his frantic eyes try to seek out temporary shelter. opening the first rickety door in the hall he can reach, he nods for them to pile into an already cramped closet.

henri rousseau: for once, as the sound of the shattering echoes through the top floor, henri is without a joke. echoing the look on rome's face as he stops mid-sentence when his face falls and his heart lurches into his chest. "seriously?!" he whispers, as they're led to the closet in the flurry but it's all he can muster upon the sound of mrs. mckee's agitated footsteps from the bedroom nearing in. "sure, why not," he voices quietly before practically hopping inside.

thalia pham: they're dead. they're so dead. thalia almost trips over henri as they all pile into the closet without so much as glancing back at the hallway. if she were alone, she could definitely fit in this closet. but with two much taller boys taking up the space next to her, lia has no choice but to essentially bury her face in rome's chest. she'd probably be thinking about how weird it feels if she weren't already thinking about how they're totally going to die. a few seconds pass and they can hear mrs. mckee drag herself down the hallway, muttering something about a shotgun. fuck. a door slams. lia attempts to disentangle herself. "should we run?"

alina winthrop: with all the rustling going on up the stairs, alina stays frozen on the second step, completely at a loss for where to go from there. when the door slams, she creeps back down the stairs and around a corner. if they were her friends, she might wish that they were already out of the house and safe; instead, she prays that she isn't alone. alina turns her phone over in her hand, eyes flitting from the stairs and down to her phone frantically, afraid of being caught. i think she woke up. she texts back to adam.

don bailey: in the quietness of the basement, it's almost impossible to tell if anything's happening upstairs at all. he has a hunch mrs. mckee is awake, some ugly feeling that curls around his stomach, but he can't hear anything past the thumping of his own heart. the safest way out is through the door they came in, but what if the other three are still inside, dealing with a crazy lady? he looks at adam and nods towards the other flight of stairs, this one connecting the basement to the inside of the house. "we need to see if they're still in there," he calls quietly, already moving that way. "we get them here, we leave through the back, everyone's safe."

adam griffin: adam nods, "yeah." as he takes a minute to listen for floorboards creaking above them, his phone lights up. he ignores the way his heart drops into his stomach and springs into action. "alina thinks mckee's awake." adam pushes past don on the stairs, making sure he would be the first seen, giving don a chance to slip out the door if necessary. "if you get a chance, get back to the van. i'll get the others." the pair ascend the stairs, and adam pauses at the top, taking a second to look for ms. mckee.

henri rousseau: “okay i take it all back, mrs. mckee is kinda scary.” he whispers when he’s sure she’s passed the closet, albeit en route to get her gun. i’m with thalia, we gotta book it.” all the while with trembling hand rooting around under a layer of flannel to dig out his camera. fiddling momentarily with the flash button. “and if she gets too close i’ll just... flash her right in the eyes! that’s sure to, like, stun her or something, right?”

roman keating: it's an incredibly uncomfortable position to be thrown into. not only is the possibility of mrs. mckee coming at them with a shotgun high, he's touching rib cages with his ex-girlfriend. he curses himself for not turning around when he had the chance. rome crouches slightly in order to not hit his head on the ceiling of the closet. "whoever woke her up is gonna die, and it's not gonna be because of mckee," he whispers harshly, bitterness sneaking into his tone. just as he's about to agree that they should run, there's a clicking sound that reverberates throughout the house. a screechy voice telling no one in particular to show themselves follows suit. his thoughts bounce between praying they make it out alive and that he wouldn't inopportunely react to the position he was in with lia. his lips press into a thin line as he averts his eyes to anywhere but her head in his chest. once the sound of footsteps sound faint and fair away from them, he exhales the breath he'd been holding in. "kinda? the woman is psycho! she's gonna shoot us! i can't even use my crowbar at this point." he frowns. his fingers wrap around and twist the doorknob, hoping it didn't be make too much noise. "let's get the fuck out of here."

thalia pham: she scrunches her nose as they debate their next move. if they open the door and book it, they could get shot. but if they stay there, they’re sitting ducks. “of course we bring a flashlight and a crowbar to a gunfight.” she says under her breath. when rome opens the door, lia slips out of the closet quickly and quietly. everything smells like him now, and it’s distracting. she already feels disoriented enough. she glances down the hallway. “she’s in another room, let’s go!” she whispers frantically, making a break for the stairs. lia nearly slips and falls down the steps, but she catches the railing before she loses her footing. by the time she reaches the bottom of the stairs, she can already hear mrs. mckee stumbling after them. “fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck—where’s the basement?” it has to be one of these doors.

alina winthrop: listening to mrs. mckee move around on the second floor isn’t helping matters, she was already jumpy enough. she knows don and adam are in the basement. despite this, when she hears footsteps behind her, alina nearly screams. “you almost gave me a heart attack,” she hisses to adam.

adam griffin: "what the fuck are you doing in here?" adam snaps at alina, careful to keep his voice down; a difficult tasking considering she had been on lookout specifically so they wouldn't have to maneuver around her ankle. however, as he hears mckee's footsteps and the telltale sound of a shotgun cock, his annoyance is dulled by fear. "grab her crutches," he whispers to don before he lifts alina off the ground. he ducks into a room off of the main hall, praying that mrs. mckee will check somewhere else and they can slip out the front door when she passes. but he hears three pairs of footsteps come down the stairs instead of just one. he turns to don, eyes wide as thalia, rome, and henri seem to head further into the house instead of out the door. adam's about to call out to thalia, tell her to get out, that they're not in the basement, but he's cut off by a shot ringing out.

thalia pham: before lia can attempt to open any of the doors in the hallway, mrs. mckee fires into the open. her ears ring as she tries to gather her bearings, reassuring herself that no one's been hit. she hopes. when she spins around to check on rome and henri, she sees adam, alina and don on the other side of the house. fuck. they need to get out of there. she crouches behind a nearby chair for cover and wiggles one her shoes off of her foot. with a deep breath, lia pops up from behind the furniture and chucks the shoe up to the second floor and over the railing, wincing at the loud clang it makes when it hits the floor. mrs. mckee fires again, but she's confident that it's at the shoe. "come on!" she whisper-yells, darting toward the others. "she's a fucking psycho!" lia is out of breath by the time she reaches the others. the second amendment is such bullshit. but then again, they did break into the woman's house.

don bailey: there was no way in hell don would take the easy way out and leave his friends behind, please. he follows adam inside, and is just as surprised and upset to see alina. "oh my god, can anyone follow basic instructions around here?" he mumbles to himself, grabbing the crutches. at least it makes him feel braver to be holding those, like maybe he could knock an old lady out if he needed to. the bravery disappears when the gunshot sound explodes around the house. he finds himself ducking down instinctively, and his eyes grow wide when he sees the other three coming over. "stay down!" he hisses, hoping mrs. mckee would be aiming at her natural height with a shotgun, and they could probably be safer by keeping their bodies low to the ground. his hands reach over to henri and lia for comfort as soon as they are within reach, crutches still tucked under an arm. mrs. mckee still paces around. another cock of the gun. "window. see if any windows are open, we can jump out."

alina winthrop: her heart nearly jumps out of her chest when the shot rings through the house. suddenly the possibility of getting more seriously injured seems very real. she cranes her neck, still holding tightly to adam, out of fear more than anything else. “there,” she whispers, pointing across the room.

henri rousseau: earlier ideas of potentially using his camera to ward off mrs. mckee have since dissipated in the sound of her gunfire. instead, as don reaches out, henri clutches his hand tightly in his own. a little too reminiscent of when he'd reach out himself at when they were kids and he still felt homesick whenever he would visit the obx. but he lets go after a moment, letting out a deep breath just so he can tiptoe over to the window. his wrists practically trembling by the time he lifts the latch carefully to the soundtrack of mrs. mckee's footsteps. she's distracted by wherever thalia's shoe has landed, but surely it's only time before she rounds back. it's as he lifts the window up that the horrific screech rings out and he winces on instinct before whisper yelling to the others, gesturing wildly between the window and them:  "fuck fuck fuck, go, go, go!!"

adam griffin: the second henri reaches for the window, adam tosses rome his keys. being closer to their point of exit, adam knows rome will get to the van first, and if he can drive, their escape will be easier. the way the window screeches roots adam to his spot across the room. he knows there's only a matter of time before the sound brings mrs. mckee to them, and while the others likely have enough time to get out, adam doesn't know how he'd swing it while toting alina. his instincts prove to be right, and it's only moments before another shot rings out, and the window shatters. he can feel his heart pounding against his chest as he stays still, waiting for mrs. mckee to take another step into the room, before he slips out behind her, through the door she came through, racing for the still open front door.

thalia pham: lia nearly dives out the window but somehow manages to land on her feet, just barely. when the sound of glass shattering fills the space behind her, she covers her face and crouches. but she's not going to leave until she knows they're all out of there safely. she can hear adam's footsteps nearing the front of the house, but she waits as the others climb out to make sure everyone gets through. "old people ruin everything," she says, quick to get back on her feet as soon as the last person jumps through.

[outvrbanks]

CHAPTER TWO :   prelude to the end of lois lane.

text transcript between adam griffin, don bailey, henri rousseau, roman keating, thalia pham. june twenty-fourth.

adam griffin: hey so about that house on that map

adam griffin: how are we gonna get in

roman keating: break in? duh

don bailey: maybe we knock for once

thalia pham: we're not

thalia pham: she's gonna kill us first

henri rousseau: breaking in sounds like a ✨ crime ✨but i'm really not above that tbh

roman keating: i guess henri and i are the only ones with a sense of adventure

adam griffin: if you're against crime please leave the gc so the grownups can talk

don bailey: i mean it rly depends on the crime

don bailey: we're really talking about breaking into a creepy old lady's house huh

thalia pham: i'm not against a little crime but if we get busted i will kill all of u

roman keating: either way we're dying so why not

adam griffin: we're not gonna get busted

don bailey: okay how do we plan to not be seen going in, first of all

adam griffin: old people go to bed early

adam griffin: wait til tonight and we'll just be quiet

don bailey: who's gonna watch youtube tutorials on how to quietly break into a house

don bailey: i cant have that type of search in my history

henri rousseau: bold of you to assume i haven't done that before when i've been bored

thalia pham: pls share with the class henri

don bailey: maybe lets leave the knowledge to only henri so we can deny it later in court

thalia pham: i mean where do we think it is inside the house?

roman keating: hopefully under her bed

don bailey: ????? what does this even mean

henri rousseau: uhhh

thalia pham: i'm surprised he didn't say in her bed

don bailey: do u WANT to have to distract an old lady while we steal the treasure under her bed, i'm ????

roman keating: you guys are no fun

roman keating: sadly she's a little too old for me to want to be in her bed

adam griffin: we did it guys

adam griffin: we found someone rome won't fuck

thalia pham: it's a miracle 🤯

roman keating: now that you've said that....

don bailey: we got our distraction then

thalia pham: ok what's the actual plan

thalia pham: cue adam with the 'let's split up gang'

don bailey: the fred jones of our generation

adam griffin: ok but is splitting up a bad idea

don bailey: yes

roman keating: no

thalia pham: only dangerous if u pair me off with alina

henri rousseau: a lifetime's worth of horror movies that have scarred me also say yes 😔

adam griffin: alina's not allowed in the house her cast will be too loud

thalia pham: good

don bailey: good news at last 😌

adam griffin: that's 3 to 2 sorry cousins we'll be splitting up

thalia pham: okay what time are we meeting up

don bailey: when do old people go to sleep

adam griffin: idk you act like one

adam griffin: when do you go to sleep?

don bailey: omg incredible joke, u ever thought about stand up comedy?

adam griffin: no but now that i know i have your support i'll consider it ❤️

thalia pham: how about 10

thalia pham: since no one is being helpful 😡

adam griffin: i'll pick everyone up

don bailey: yo google says they go to sleep at 11 so

adam griffin: 11 it is

thalia pham: do w need to bring anything

thalia pham: like a crowbar or shovel or something

don bailey: a CROWBAR

don bailey: who you planning on assaulting

thalia pham: shhhh don it's for breaking in

thalia pham: but i wouldn't be surprised if we needed to defend ourselvse

roman keating: i have one i can bring but we can only use it for assault

henri rousseau: ... can we please try our best to avoid assaulting an old lady? i know this one sounds scary but :/ old ladies like me and i don't wanna jeopardise that image they have :/

thalia pham: henri has a point

adam griffin: ok but it won't hurt to have it just in case

adam griffin: and what about those hair pins people use to pick locks??? thalia you got any of those?

roman keating: or we could just use a regular lock pick

adam griffin: do you have one?

roman keating: who are you talking to adam 🙄

don bailey: why am i friends w a bunch of aspiring criminals

roman keating: aspiring? i'm hurt don

adam griffin: idk you’re a masochist?

adam griffin: but perfect bring that adam

thalia pham: did u just ask me if i have any hair pins bc im a girl

thalia pham: is this tokenism

adam griffin: yes i did

adam griffin: thank you for filling our diversity quota, girl

thalia pham: i'm gonna bury u alive adam