School Spirits (2023) s01e02 Episode Script

Previously on "School Spirits "
The Split River Police
are considering this
a missing person investigation.
It's only a matter of time
till they realize you're dead.
Hi, Maddie.
Welcome to the Split River High
- Afterlife Support Group.
- How'd you die?
- I don't know exactly.
- Oh, you were murdered.
You degenerates are late.
- What do I know?
- You know something.
No, no, no. Tell me what
the fuck you think I know.
Why do you have Maddie's phone?
I've been hooking up
with this cheerleader.
Maddie didn't know.
I stole Maddie's phone so
I could delete that text.
I don't know how I'm going to
survive this place without her.
Thank you, Simon.
Maddie.
Simon?
What the fuck?
Simon, can you see me?
You can hear me, right?
What's going on? What's he doing?
Um, forgetting to breathe.
Who are you talking to?
This has never happened before.
- I
- Someone you can't see.
I'm not sure what I'm seeing right now.
It's me.
You're seeing me.
And I'm really happy you can.
Wait. Me too. I have
a million questions.
Me too.
I have a million questions.
I don't think I have answers.
Not yet.
What happened?
I don't know.
Were you hurt?
Are you in pain?
Maybe.
I'm not sure. I can't remember.
But he had your phone.
Xavier had your phone. I saw it.
I know. He told his
dad he was intercepting
a text he sent to Claire Zahler.
Why was he texting Claire?
'Cause they were secretly hooking up.
Hooking up when?
Simon?
Hey. The vigil's over.
People are, like, splitting
up to search the woods.
I traded in our candles for flashlights
because my phone is on 2%.
And I hate nature.
Mosquitoes think I'm,
like, a food truck.
Who were you talking to?
Myself.
OK.
Are you sure you're up for this?
Go with her.
There could be answers out there.
I I need to know what happened to me.
OK. OK.
OK, OK, OK!
- Let's go. You ready?
- Yeah.
Come on.
Why did he stop seeing me?
Why do you think I have
all the answers, huh?
I'm still trying to figure out
why "Dances with
Wolves" won seven Oscars.
Charley!
OK, this unofficial tour guide gig
doesn't come with,
like, a a handbook!
He could see me and hear me.
I I know, and it was
it was it was amazing.
It could have been, like, a
one-time thing, a hiccup or
- Where are you going?
- To join my search party.
Simon!
Simon!
Wait up.
Yeah, I could have saved you that trip.
Can't jump the fence, remember?
You try to leave campus,
you just bounce right
back to where you croaked.
Can Mr. Martin at least explain to me
why Simon can see me
and no one else can?
I wouldn't bring that up just yet.
Why?
I just worry that there
are others in the group
who might get confused, needy, greedy.
They might turn you
into a messenger service.
- But
- Stop, Maddie.
Just keep it to yourself, OK?
Until we figure this all out, let's
just you and me, OK?
What are you looking at?
- What are you reading?
- Nothing.
I suggest you probably unplug
that for a little while.
You should stay home
from school tomorrow, too.
Why?
I don't want to stay home.
You can't go back
until we find out more.
Dad, if I stay home,
I'm playing into this whole
Hannibal Lecter crap, OK?
They saw you take me
away in the police car.
They think I'm some kind of
sociopath that needs to be caged.
You need to be here
until we find out what
happened to your friend.
She was more than a friend.
Well, whatever she is, whenever she was,
that was her blood on the wall.
You don't know that, not for sure.
Yeah, we do.
The lab results came back.
That's definitely her blood.
You need to stay away from the school
until I tell you it's time to go back.
There's an old cider mill off Route 47,
and my parents would toss
us in the Dodge Coronet.
We'd each get a bag
of warm, greasy donuts.
That was my idea of nirvana.
What's that about?
Is there a problem?
He always leaves me with the worst one.
What do you mean? It's lemon glazed.
Nobody wants a lemon donut.
Guys, the subject is nirvana.
No, the subject is entitlement.
Oh, OK, I'm entitled because I
like anything filled with jelly.
- Yeah, that makes sense.
- You take the last jelly,
I will rip off your arm and
beat you with the wet end.
Rhonda, I'm the one
that boosted these from
the faculty lounge in the first place.
- Guys
- Just be grateful.
Guys, we're talking nirvana.
Technically, there is no wet end.
- We don't bleed out.
- You know what?
Can I be excused, please?
I would like to eat my donut in peace.
And he gets excused for
that. More entitlement.
No, it's not entitlement, Rhonda, OK?
It's about it's about digestion.
Has anybody ever been
seen by a living person?
That doesn't happen, hon.
Has anyone here ever
talked to a living person?
Oh, you know what? Is uh
is this a blueberry or a raisin?
Dude, how many things could
you possibly be allergic to?
You know you can't die twice, right?
- Too soon.
- OK. I think
I think perhaps you're asking
the wrong question, Maddie.
Let's rephrase it.
How do we say goodbye to the living?
That wasn't my question.
How do we close the proverbial book?
Well, I'll tell you how.
Before we wrap up today,
I'm giving you an assignment.
You mean like homework?
It sounds like you're struggling.
Write your obituary.
Uh, no.
Everybody here has written one.
It helps us focus on the
highlights of our lives,
the sweet victories.
I've gotten out of writing
papers before because of cramps.
I'm pretty sure death
counts as a good excuse.
This isn't busywork, Maddie.
Oh, my God.
So no one here has ever talked with
someone who's not dead?
You here late today
or early for tomorrow?
We just got back from
searching the woods.
Oh, right.
Find anything?
Of course not.
Why do they want to look
in the dark scary places
when most of the important
shit's stuck under a desk?
Did you find something?
Me?
Hell, no.
I'm just saying I
can't speak to no woods,
but there's plenty of crap around here
to give you chicken bumps,
There's scars everywhere.
May I interrupt?
- What's that?
- Some sample obituaries.
Just to inspire, get
your juices flowing.
I'm not writing that.
Sorry.
Maddie, I know it's a lot to ask,
but you're gonna have to trust me.
Yeah, I'm sitting here in hell right now
because I trusted the wrong person.
Well, hell doesn't have views like this.
Wanna bet?
This assignment
might bring you some
closure from that world.
You don't get it, do you?
I'm not looking for closure.
You know, I have to talk
to my best friend again,
and I have to figure
out what happened to me.
But that won't change
the fact that you're here.
You know, maybe I'm
not ready to be here.
You know, I wasn't done
with my life, Mr. Martin.
I have things I want to do.
And I have people who need me.
Do those people live
near the water tower?
Yeah.
As a matter of fact, she does.
And believe me, losing
my dad was hard enough.
This is gonna break my mother.
People can surprise you.
Not really.
It's kind of hard to
top her showing up to
my fifth grade concert tanked
and walking through a harp.
Not much surprises you after that.
Maddie, this is still very fresh.
It gets easier.
Does it?
Who's gonna take away her car keys, huh?
Who's gonna make sure
she turns the stove off?
Who's gonna make sure she falls
asleep in her bed at night?
Look, all I'm saying
is if you cling to what you left behind,
you'll prolong your pain.
And give a lot of
people here false hopes.
It's cruel to let anyone
believe that they can go back
when they have worked
so hard to move forward.
You don't want teasing
the dead on your resume.
Please tell me the coffee is ready.
It is.
Wake up, cherry pop.
It's the best time of the day.
What's going on?
This is where these underpaid
sad sacks let their guards down
and we figure out who's boning who.
Why do I want to know that?
These people are, like, 40.
Charley thinks I'm insane,
but there's no way these aren't plugs.
His forehead was three
inches higher last year.
You measured his forehead?
Please.
I've followed him to the lavatory.
I've measured more than that.
We're having black coffee.
I meant to pick some
up, but I didn't sleep.
Sleep's overrated.
I heard last night they matched the DNA,
and that is Maddie's blood on the wall.
- You know, I haven't had a nap since 1974.
- Shh!
I was really hoping you
weren't going to say that.
- Are you shushing me?
- I need to hear this.
These kids are gonna be a mess.
Well, Herman got one thing right.
His office hired a grief counselor.
Can this guy also grade
Maddie's last paper?
Because honestly, I'm I've tried,
but I I can't.
Poor kid.
Lap it up while you can.
By next Thursday, you'll be a footnote.
Two weeks after I was strangled,
my grieving teachers were
planning a Mardi Gras potluck.
When the police questioned
them about Mr. Manfredo
Who?
The guidance counselor
who killed me. Keep up.
The police asked the faculty
if they'd seen any warning signs
of their colleague being psycho.
And not one would say a
bad thing about the bastard.
My body wasn't even cold,
and they'd already
moved on to jambalaya.
- They're not going to move on.
- Really?
You see anyone springing
up from that table?
No one's turning me into a footnote, OK?
Simon wouldn't let them.
Who's Simon?
Patrick, this is an emergency!
I lost my nametag this morning.
- Patrick?
- Yeah?
You were supposed to say hi to me!
Thanks.
Question.
What do you do when Maddie
suddenly pops up out of nowhere?
Is that freaky or what?
Hey, hear me out.
We're not gonna talk about
blood or DNA or whatever
the stupid-ass police think
because A, I'm so positive
our girl is still alive
and B, I'll prove it
to you when she shows up
to Horror-Con this Friday night.
I'm gonna get us tickets.
Why would you do that?
Because the director of "The Babadook"
was just added to a panel.
You know Maddie's so not missing that.
Also, more importantly,
who's the soggy tea bag staring at me?
New teacher?
Grief counselor.
Gross.
Simon?
Simon! Oh.
Come here. Come here.
Are you OK?
What?
OK, OK.
Simon, I need your help.
Why did you disappear?
I didn't disappear. You disappeared.
I stepped into the
hall and you were gone.
Where do you go when you're not with me?
A little early for the edibles, bro.
- Take out your phone.
- Why?
So it looks like you're
talking to someone.
- I am talking to someone.
- Who's alive.
- Happy?
- Yeah, I'm thrilled.
My DNA is on a boiler room wall,
and my piece of shit boyfriend
might have had something
to do with that.
Does it get much happier?
Oh, so now you come around?
How many times did I tell
you that dude was sketchy?
This isn't about him keeping hand lotion
in his glove compartment, Simon.
Someone who I trusted
might have gotten rid of me,
and we need to prove it.
So what do you remember from that day?
I left homeroom to look for
my mom after she showed up,
but after that, I don't
really remember anything.
- Maddie
- Maybe she knows something.
Your mom came to school.
She talked to the police.
She said she never found you.
You must have already been
Why can't I remember
anything after that hallway?
Well, what about when you became this?
How did you get out of that boiler room?
Xavier?
Ms. Fields, did you by any chance
So basically, what you're saying is
this happened between the time you
left study hall and eighth period?
I guess.
Well, if you were up in the hallway
after the last bell, you
saw Xavier and Claire leave.
Wait.
You think they both did this to me?
Maybe or maybe just him.
- His way of proving his love.
- What?
To her, not you.
Xavier skipped Bio that day.
He wasn't in eighth period.
We need to find evidence.
Hey.
My dad let you in?
Uh, your grandma.
I told her I was bringing you homework.
You shouldn't have come here.
Yeah, well if you'd answer a text,
I'd be in European History right now.
Why don't you pick up your damn phone?
I can't look at it.
I can't.
Last night, it was blowing up.
And look, it doesn't look good
- if anyone saw you come here.
- I don't give a shit.
I do.
I'm scared.
Of what some douchebag says on TikTok?
Of them finding her body.
Hey.
Hey, we're gonna be fine.
I should get back to school, so.
If you need to talk,
Xavier, talk to me.
No one else.
And don't give in to the demons.
Too late.
Elroy, what are we doing here?
What? Oh, I thought
You thought what? You
forgot your locker combo.
Get in your gym gear, and get
your butt out on the field.
Let's go.
Uh, Maddie?
You'd give me a signal
if you were here, right?
Thought I asked you to stay inside.
I needed some air.
Open a window.
Why am I being treated like a prisoner?
I told you why I had Maddie's phone.
Is it Maddie's phone?
We're not so sure anymore.
What does that mean?
Well, there was nothing on that phone
when we found it in
your backpack, Xavier.
So was it swapped out?
What do you know about that?
Nothing.
I couldn't even figure out her passcode
so I could delete the text.
I think there's a little more
to this story, isn't there?
Like what?
You think I caused
the blood on the wall?
You think that I'm even capable of
I don't know what to think anymore.
All I know is that
I'm working overtime
to try and protect you.
If you're lying to me,
there's only so much I can do for you.
You just better hope
nothing else turns up
and makes you look even worse.
You shouldn't watch this.
I want to.
Have you had any further
contact with your friend?
I thought you didn't
want me to talk about it.
Not with the group, but I'm safe.
Really?
Nothing feels safe here.
One minute, Simon and I are
talking like nothing ever happened.
And then the next minute,
we step into the hall,
and I'm gone, done,
a memory he can't see or hear.
Maybe it just comes in waves.
You know how when you
really miss someone,
their laugh, their touch, it
maybe if that person
truly can't let you go,
there's moments when they
can still see and hear you.
Any idea how long it lasts?
I did just see two cops walk into
Principal Hartman's office.
I'm betting the subject is you.
How do we think that felt,
to leave everything
behind for the unknown?
Can anybody tell me what caused
the mass exodus from the Dust Bowl?
Can anyone tell me why it
was called the Dust Bowl?
Nicole.
Yes?
Why was it called the Dust Bowl?
I don't really follow football.
I don't know.
We're not talking about
football right now, Nicole.
We're talking about
the Great Depression.
- Oh.
- We're talking about severe conditions that led to
a mass migration from
the middle of the country,
crop destruction, relentless
heat, abject poverty,
the contents of the chapter
you were all supposed
to read last night.
The cops are in Hartman's office.
OK, everybody open your
books to chapter nine, people.
Let's take the next 15 minutes
to read what you missed.
They said there's nothing on my phone.
That's that's not
even my phone, Simon.
I don't get it.
OK, but you will if you read it.
Take out your phone.
Why?
So that we can have a dialogue,
and this won't be a lecture.
Come on.
There's another place we need to search.
What's left, toilets?
Simon, do you need to use the restroom?
Are you ordering plumbing supplies?
No. I
sweetheart, you can't
call me while I'm at work.
OK.
Give me the phone, please.
Give it to her.
Then meet me in the old auto shop.
Simon, your phone now, please.
You can have it back after class.
Yes.
Please take it.
It's probably not hygienic anyway,
taking it to the restroom,
which is where I'm going now.
Can I, please?
Yes.
Yes, please go.
Nicole, that book's
not gonna read itself.
- Right.
- Thank you.
This is where he used to hang.
Who?
Xavier.
He'd hole up in here and
play Candy Crush on his phone.
Talk about a perfect
place to dump a body.
He ever bring you here?
Oh, jeez.
This is where you guys hooked up.
I'm not answering that.
Classy guy.
What, was the dumpster behind
the Jack in the Box already taken?
Oh, grow up. You tried to
make a move on Celeste Molina
at the bowling shoe return counter.
That was eighth grade.
It was ninth.
You just looked like an eighth grader.
- Can I ask you something?
- No, I wasn't looking.
I just was trying to return my shoes.
What'd you like about him?
Honest.
How'd you not tell
that this guy is, like,
a black hole of everything that's wrong?
No, he's not.
Wasn't, then.
Maddie, people don't
turn evil overnight.
He wasn't evil. He was messed up.
And honestly, it was kind of hot.
- Don't ask me to explain that.
- Well, that's a relief.
He just didn't give a shit
what anybody else thought,
and I liked that.
That's weird.
Why?
That's how I describe you.
This belong to him?
You OK?
Yeah. I thought I heard something.
No one ever comes in here.
How much time do we have?
How much time do we need?
What are you doing?
Do you not want to do this?
I thought you said you were into it.
No, I am, but not now.
I came prepared.
No, not here.
I don't want the first
time to be at school.
- It's bleak.
- OK.
It's not like it's
gonna be at your house.
You won't even let me
past the front porch.
Why is that, by the way?
Well, why do I have to?
You're not the cable guy.
OK, you had to hear that.
Do you got a problem
with a mouse watching?
You saw a mouse?
Well, no, but I wouldn't
be shocked if I did.
I left, like, half a granola bar wrapper
in here the other day. I
feed those suckers well.
What's the difference
between a mouse and a rat?
Is this your idea of foreplay?
How do you know which is which?
Uh, a rat can open a
granola wrapper by himself.
A mouse needs assistance.
It's a big difference.
Holy shit! Did you see that?
Did you see the size of its tail?
- It went under the tarp.
- Why are you so freaked?
Because it's a rat.
Do the words "bubonic
plague" mean anything to you?
Actually, that was spread by fleas.
- Yeah, which is carry
-on luggage for rats.
OK, fine. Got it.
Uh, sit tight.
What are you doing?
Slaying your dragon, princess.
No, Xavier.
Wait.
Xavier, no. Don't.
Don't do that.
Xavier, don't
What is this?
Were you not, like, the first person
to buy this frosted green
color when it came out?
You think that's my phone?
I think that's what's left of it.
OK, let's do this later,
when people are gone.
Right.
Well, now that the blood is confirmed
We can prove the phone isn't mine
because of the serial number, right?
And if you just go to the
phone store or maybe just call.
Yeah, you should just call.
But talk to my mom because the phone
has to be registered, right?
Can I just get some caffeine first?
I slept, like, 20 minutes last night.
Hey.
How's it going?
Guessing it's a pretty
tough day for you, huh?
Yeah, me too.
Simon
I'm not giving up hope
that Maddie's out there
and coming back to us.
And neither should you.
And if you need an extra few days for
the next "Frankenstein"
assignment, you you take it.
Thanks.
By the way, and not that this
is any consolation, but
Maddie's last essay,
I just read it and, uh
It blew my mind.
No surprise there, huh?
We both know she's an old soul,
but her thoughts on dangerous
knowledge would have
they would have impressed
even Mary Shelley.
I think those two
would've been fast friends.
You should give him what we found.
No.
Simon, we could use him on our side.
I mean, Anderson's one of
the few people we can trust.
OK, so we turn it into
the principal's office,
and they send it to the sheriff's
office as evidence, and then what?
Xavier's dad will probably
just bury it to protect him.
Are you deep in it?
Yes.
No.
What are we talking about?
"Frankenstein."
What chapter?
Oh, yeah.
Uh, 11. Maybe 10.
That's not bad.
See you later.
Simon.
Mr. A!
Can I show you something?
I think this is a
piece of Maddie's phone.
And I'm pretty sure the
rest of it's been destroyed.
Where'd you find this?
Easy with the Coppertone, hun.
Yeah, that bottle's gotta
last her another 60 years.
Don't be a cube.
Ah, I love this smell.
Coconut, verbena.
I mean, you close your
eyes, you could be anywhere.
- Miami, Aruba.
- Yeah, and then you open them
and there's a Band-Aid
floating in the surf.
I miss a good sunburn.
I Miss Debbie Gibson.
What? I thought we were talking
about stuff that we miss.
Hey, you.
Where you been?
Maddie?
Friend of yours?
- Hardly.
- Ah, yes, the side piece.
Almost didn't recognize
her without her pom poms.
OK, so you think that she
helped your ex take you out?
I'm guessing she came up
with the whole plan herself.
Lady Macbeth used your
plus one as a tool.
Hey.
Dial it down.
Just because you smell like
an Almond Joy doesn't mean
he knows you're here.
That's Mr. Figueroa. Emilio.
He was Charley's crush when
they were still students here.
- He sponsors the LG T
- B.
BTQ Club and Charley
never misses a meeting.
I only go for the refreshments.
And you know what?
- You're one to talk.
- Here it goes.
I mean, no, you hit the
gym, what, three times a day
to impress some boneheads
who only know you as
a name on a scoreboard.
His parents donated a new one
after he checked out
on the 50-yard line.
Five. It was the five -yard line,
and I did not check
out, OK? I was crushed.
Maddie, be careful who you
get your intel from, all right?
Jeez.
Simon, you want to focus on the film?
I am. I just
I heard dogs.
Dogs?
Sheriff's got 'em sniffing
the football field.
Like that's where his
psycho son buried her.
It's all a big show.
Maybe you want to grab another seat.
Hmm?
So you're not tempted
to watch the wrong show.
Uh, Mr. Anderson?
There's someone at the door.
Yes, no, I knew that.
- Hi, can I help ya?
- Hi. Sorry to disturb.
I know you're in the
middle of something.
- Uh, what's going on?
- We've been asked to do
a full sweep of the second floor.
Right. You know, we're just
in the middle of a film.
Can you come back a little later?
No problem, sir. Will do.
Oh, he smells something.
Oh, you know what?
Uh, this is Maddie's paper,
just on top of the stack.
Could that be what he's smelling?
- Likely.
- OK.
We'll come back. Come on. Let's go.
Eyes.
Ava!
What's going on?
Is she OK?
Ava?
Breathe.
Come on, come on. Come on.
Come on.
You got this.
Come on.
Oh, my God, please!
Out of way, out of the way.
It's OK, Ava. It's OK. It's OK.
- Just move back, OK?
- Ava, can you hear me?
She's breathing. She's breathing.
She's gonna fine but I
need you guys to move back.
Give her some air.
Should we call somebody?
What do you want?
Look, I I I know
we never really met
- but
- Yeah, I know who you are.
You want to come in?
You, uh, you want a drink? Or
I'm good. Thank you.
Sorry about the mess.
Maddie usually helps me out or at least,
I don't know, tells
me what to get rid of.
Yeah, I'm pretty bad at it, too.
Pretty bad at what?
Knowing what to get rid of.
What happened to my daughter?
I don't know.
But I spent all of last
period in the bathroom
trying to unlock her phone,
which I only took
because I I thought
Did you hurt her?
Yes.
But not in the way that you're thinking
and not in the way that
other people are thinking.
I lied to her, which was
wrong and stupid and
Do you know where her phone is?
The police have her phone.
The police have a phone.
It may not be Maddie's.
Did you hurt my daughter?
If she had known what I
had done before she left
Yeah.
Yeah, I hurt her.
Me too.
Many times.
But I never thought
she wouldn't come back.
He's twisted, Maddie.
Like father, like son.
There's a reason he won't
let him come back to school.
There's not gonna be
any real investigation.
Those dogs were outside
for, like, ten minutes.
And they couldn't wait to
wipe down that boiler room.
Baxter is gonna cover
up for his messed-up kid
and the cheerleader.
I don't think Claire had
anything to do with it.
- What?
- I don't think she did it.
I don't think she was part of it.
I mean, if Xavier did
it, he did it alone.
Why are we suddenly deleting her?
Well, because I saw
her save somebody today.
At the pool.
I saw her pull someone
out of the pool and
someone who hit her head,
and I I don't think
she could kill me.
There are serial killers
who dress as clowns.
They make balloon animals
at lunchtime kiddie parties,
and then they eat a
human heart for dinner.
We've seen that movie twice.
That's not Claire.
I don't think she attacked me.
Then will you at least
let me prove to you
your so-called boyfriend did?
Why does she sound so convinced?
Uh, what do you mean?
Well, she made it sound as if
she'd spoken to a friend
in the living world.
Recently.
Uh, yeah.
Do you know anything about this?
No, no. I I have no idea.
Probably just wishful thinking.
And what about her death?
Does she remember any more details?
I I don't think so.
You know,
Charley, you've become a
valuable asset to our group.
You've come a long way.
I'm proud of you.
I miss you.
Hey.
Hey.
- Find anything else?
- No.
Hey, did you check near
those hydraulic poles?
He may have used that
to crush the phone.
Why do you think he wanted me gone?
Who?
Xavier?
What what, do we need
to make another list?
- I'm just asking 'cause
- 'Cause why?
You now think he's a better person
because he decided to dump you
for your new superhero, Claire.
Stop giving people the
benefit of the doubt.
You need to see people
for who they really are.
You see that?
What is that?
Is that more of your phone?
What are you doing here so late, Simon?
- I came back to look for the
- Look for what?
Maybe you should let the
people in charge do their job.
They'll figure out
what happened to Maddie.