You want some chips?
About some cookies.
No,
I'm good.
Or how about a pizza?
You know,
I was actually thinking about going down the street to get
a pizza from this really nice place for the 3rd time.
I don't want to eat anything.
I didn't mean to be so rude
with all my hospitality.
I didn't mean to offend you.
I mean,
how could I be so stupid?
Jesus,
James,
you don't have to be so sensitive about every little thing.
No,
no,
I,
I won't make sound.
Hey there.
Hey,
It's weird.
My spare key,
I,
I don't know what it's doing in here.
Here it is,
exactly
2 g,
but I am more than happy to pull out the measure to show you the precise weight.
No,
it's OK.
Are you sure?
I just don't want you to think that I'm trying to shortchange you.
It's no problem.
Um,
so how long have you and Nick known each other?
Oh,
we go way back.
Well,
we used to hang out a lot.
Recently,
not so much.
Kind of feels like he's deliberately slowed to answer my calls and texts.
I mean,
it's one thing if you're just busy and you don't see the call or text,
but it's a whole another thing to just flat out ignore somebody.
I just think it's really disrespectful.
No,
Nick's a good guy.
I,
he's having a party this weekend.
Um,
that's actually tonight.
Oh,
that's awesome.
Yeah,
and I'm gonna meet up with some friends before the party,
so I'm gonna head out.
Thanks so much for this.
Yeah,
absolutely.
Anytime.
And hey,
um,
maybe I'll see you next later.
Shoot me a text.
Let me know how it is.
OK,
and we'll do.
Nick,
Nick is clearly ignoring me,
you know,
but that's just how my friends are paying me.
They stab me in the back,
they ignore me,
they lie to me.
James,
the entire world is not out to get you.
Do you remember the night we went to McDonald's in high school?
We went to McDonald's in high school like 100 times.
After Kelsea Brown's party.
I just got my food and I'm sitting down and
there you are.
Laughing in the corner.
I don't recall this at all.
Why is that a big deal?
The big deal
isn't that you were laughing,
but why you were laughing.
And why was I laughing,
James?
You know,
you came to my house that night.
You drank my booze.
You trashed my house.
You lied to my face,
and then you ditched me to go to this goddamn party,
and I'm still nice enough to come pick you guys up afterwards to get some food.
You know.
All I ask in return is that I get the slightest amount of respect.
Enough with passive aggressive bullshit.
What did I actually do,
James?
You know,
the others,
they ditched me because they felt they had to.
They wanted to get into this party.
They wanted to have a good time,
you know,
bad and all as that is,
at least they felt some goddamn remorse for what they did.
You just seemed to enjoy stabbing me in the back.
What are you talking about?
Do you have some sort of special sense where you can read my mind?
I was probably laughing about something at the party.
I saw what you said to Simmons,
man.
Yo,
look at James.
Look how upset he is.
Wait,
James,
I need to use the bathroom.
So you're gonna text me a week after the party's over,
OK,
that makes sense.
Mhm.
Hey Jessica.
So
Just take one of these every 20-30 minutes or so.
Let it dissolve in your tongue,
and you'll get the full effect.
I put an extra pill in there as well.
Take that afterwards and you want a bad hangover in the morning.
Awesome,
thanks.
Do you want me to pay you extra for this one?
No,
no,
that won't be necessary.
I just expect the same generosity in the future.
Well,
thank you.
So
how was Nick last weekend?
Oh man,
it was so much fun.
Just gets funny,
I,
uh,
I remember you told me you're gonna text me,
but then I never heard from you.
I'm sorry.
I
probably forgot.
I mean,
I don't see how you could have forgotten.
It was just a couple of hours after we talked.
I mean,
when I tell somebody I wanna do something,
I always follow through,
but that's just the problem with people,
they're unreliable,
untrustworthy.
They
I'm sorry,
I
I'm sure you just forgot.
I mean it gets so worked up.
OK.
I have to go now.
Jessica,
wait.
Look.
I understand that in many areas of life,
women are at a disadvantage when it comes to men,
but not when it comes to finding a compatible mate,
and especially not beautiful ones like yourself.
Now just because I misinterpreted the science,
I'm gonna be made out to seem like the villain,
but that's not fair because my intentions were noble and really I am a good guy.
Look,
James,
I'm sorry.
Jessica.
I know you're sorry.
You apologized to me like 12 times already,
but you can't just constantly deal out empty apologies.
An empty apology.
An empty apology occurs when you apologize so
profusely that it just loses its meaning.
I'm just trying to be polite.
Yeah,
I know that,
Jessica,
but sometimes you just need to tell the truth.
I don't even know what to say to you.
It's not that hard.
Just tell me what's going on in your head right now.
You're making me really uncomfortable.
Well,
Yeah.
That's,
that's my,
my buddy Rob.
I,
I forgot to mention he was here,
um.
I better go check on them.
Don't go anywhere.
Um,
everything's fine with Rob,
he's.
He's OK.
Just I just wanna make sure everything is OK between us.
I,
I know
I made things a little uncomfortable back there,
but.
Do you forgive me?
It's
OK,
James.
I'm not mad at you.
You have no idea how relieved I am to hear you say that.
You made it though,
right?
You wouldn't just say that,
would you?
Goodbye James.
Look,
man,
I know how it can be.
You don't know what you're talking about.
Jessica's a kind,
intelligent,
beautiful woman.
You've known her all of what,
35 minutes?
And even if you're right about Jessica,
she's never gonna see you again after that creepy psycho bullshit you just pulled.
Man,
I'm just kidding.
You know,
I thought we could try out some new headphones.
So I went to speak to Fred at Best Buy.
Fred is a sound expert,
and he was telling me that the
unit that measures the level of sound is called a decibel,
90 decibels,
a hairdryer,
110 decibels,
it's a rock concert.
Oh,
of course,
fireworks.
140 decibels.
Yeah,
I know what a decibel is.
So experts say going over 85 decibels consistently throughout
your day can be very damaging to your eardrums.
Of course,
I know what that feels like because I had a firework blow off right in my ear.
James,
you're just mad about Jessica,
all right?
You're not thinking clearly.
No,
Ralph,
I'm mad at you for what you did to me,
for what you did to my hearing,
for what you did to my future.
All I'm doing now is just leveling the playing field.
What do you want me to do,
huh?
Should I beg for mercy?
I'm the one who agreed to be here.
I'm always trying to fix this.
I promise not to do any more damage to you than what you did to me.
No,
no,
stop,
stop.
No!
Take it off,
take it off,
stop,
stop.
Uh
So,
James,
please no.
No,
no,
take them off,
off,
take them off,
take them off.
What could that other guy have done to deserve this?
No,
it's it's none of your business.
Just just leave it alone.
Don't get involved.
No,
you have to do something.
Should I call the cops?
What if I find you.
If you can't afford to go on probation and lose your job,
how can I fix this without getting in trouble?
And I have to save him.
They have to save him.
I have to save him.
Not going anywhere.
What after everything James has done to you?
If you knew what I've done to James.
You let me rot here.
I like hurting other people.
James is one of the many I've harmed.
I can't stand James.
He's an insecure
paranoid.
Psychopath.
But I deserve him.
I'm a piece of shit.
Rob,
everything you've ever done was to ruin me.
You
alienated me.
You trashed my home.
You destroyed my hearing.
It still hasn't healed properly
Everything I have today is because of you.
I hate you,
Rob.
I hate you.
I'm sorry.