[pants]
-Hey. -Hey.
-What are you doing here? -Just out for a morning run.
Yeah? Nice athletic gear. What are those, Nike jeans?
-Moisture-wicking denim? -Well, you leave me no option.
I never get to see you. I just sit around.
Last night I watched Wheel of Fortune with my grandma.
So you came out here to slow me down?
This is slow?
I'd be a lot faster if I was wearing different... lungs.
[exhales forcefully]
-[Casey chuckles] -That's much better.
Okay. How about... [pants] more of this, except...
lying down, and me with less clothes on?
[chuckles] Um, yeah, about that... I was... I was wondering, like...
do you feel like we maybe, like, rushed into it the first time?
Like, I was wondering if we could just kind of, like, take it slow?
-What's happening with you? -What? Nothing. I'm...
-What are you talking about? -You can't even look at me.
You're awkward. [chuckles] You're so awkward.
No, that's just how I am. Shut up.
Look... I get it.
And we can wait as long as you want for...
your second...
first time.
-Okay? -Thanks.
Um... Do You want to watch a movie tomorrow night?
[whispering] Yes!
What?
Oh, damn it, I thought we were done.
[Sam] For most mammalian species,
survival depends on knowing and sticking with your pack.
-[locker opens] -[school bell rings]
[Sam] But the members of my pack keep migrating.
To other schools...
to other houses...
to other patients...
[students chattering]
[Sam] ...or just... away from me.
Everyone was worried about my first day of school without Casey.
[school bell rings]
[students chattering]
[Sam] But it turns out, because of my breakup with Paige...
[bangs against locker]
[Sam] ...it wasn't my first day everyone should've been worried about.
It was my ninth.
[animals tramping]
[zebras tramping]
-You make a great point. -[chuckles] California rolls.
Hi.
-Hi. -Sorry, I'm late.
I'm not actually late. I'm on time, but I'm usually really early,
-so for me, this is late. -Oh, no problem.
Was that a brag or an apology?
Oh, hey. No, sit.
We were chatting about nothing. What were we even chatting about?
-Oh, sushi. -Yes, raw fish. It's delicious, but risky.
[chuckles]
Um, so, Ms. Whitaker, thank you so much for meeting with us.
We just wanted to check in because Casey is no longer at Newton
and I...
We've...
just been going through some changes at home...
She had an affair and Dad kicked her out of the house and now she has a cat.
Ugh, cat! [scribbling]
Sam, that's private, bud.
[Ms. Whitaker clicks her tongue]
Well, let's refocus. We want to help Sam in any way that we can,
and speaking of, I noticed that he hasn't applied to any colleges.
We have that all planned out.
So after graduation, Sam's gonna continue to live at home,
and take one or two courses at a community college
and continue working at Techtropolis.
Is that what you want?
Because you don't have to do that. You can go away to college, Sam.
I'm fine with staying home.
Well, Sam, if you're still figuring it out,
I facilitate a district-wide peer group for students on the spectrum,
focused on handling transitions, specifically, around graduation.
-Really? -Oh.
That group sounds cool.
Oh, it's very cool. It's very cool,
and it prepares students for adulthood
and kind of supports the transition to independent living
to prepare for what I like to call...
[deep voice] The Abyss. [chuckles]
I know that sounded pretty scary, and I should stop saying it like that.
-I'm not sure if I want to do that. -Actually, I don't think we need a group.
I made an appointment for Sam with Dr. Brob.
Oh, I follow her on Instagram.
She is fun. [laughs]
The group sounds interesting. And we'll think about college.
Doug?
We agreed about the college plan, like, over a year ago.
Things change. Right, Elsa?
I mean, you of all people should know that.
[Sam scribbles]
[Elsa sighs]
[silence]
Well, that's the bell.
[school bell ringing]
There it was.
You know, I jumped the gun. [chuckles]
[students chattering]
That was nice, huh?
-It smelled like radiator in there. -[Doug] You know something, it did.
[Elsa chuckles nervously]
Alright. Well, I'll see you later. Have a good day. Okay?
Sam, honey, I know we haven't talked much
since you found out about what happened between me and your dad.
And I totally get it.
But if you ever want to ask me anything, I'm here.
Nope.
[Sam] I think everyone sometimes gets the urge to run...
-You're slowing down, Newton. -[Sam] ...to flee.
When you're autistic, it's called elopement.
Hey, this isn't a sprint. Knock it off, ladies!
[grunts]
[pants]
[Casey] Oh, my God, are you okay? [pants]
You pushed me.
No.
[pants]
I didn't.
[Sam] The worst elopement story I ever heard was the one that the hostess
at a Mongolian BBQ told my mom when I was little.
The lion story.
[Sam] It's about a boy with autism who went on a safari
-with his parents in Africa. -[elephant trumpeting]
[Sam] He was frightened by all the sounds and smells of the jungle.
He could feel the predators everywhere.
It became too much for him, so he ran off into the night.
Where legend has it...
he was eaten by a ferocious lion.
-Okay, everyone. -[students chattering]
Settle.
It's time for a group assignment.
You should all form groups of four.
[students making noise]
Quietly.
[students chatter loudly]
[chattering fades away]
[Sam] I know there aren't many lions in Connecticut.
There are only four, actually.
[teacher, muffled] Sam, you need to get into a group.
[Sam] So, the chances of being eaten by one are quite small.
[teacher] Sam, please, take off your headphones.
[Sam] But we do have bears and bullies and other scary things.
Sam.
[students making noise]
[drums playing]
Sam?
[tires screeching]
[driver gasps]
[whimpering] Oh, my gosh, I killed Sam!
Are you okay?
Sorry, Sam. Tell Casey I didn't mean to!
[Sam] Suddenly, I feel like the boy in that treacherous jungle.
[door slams]
Hey.
[blows cigarette smoke]
"You win." That's what he said.
Who proposes like that? It's, like, the least romantic thing ever.
Yeah. It's not great.
[man] This is BS.
Of course your friend's gonna take your side.
Look, and FYI, you did win. That ring cost me a lot of money.
Okay. This isn't about... winners and losers.
It's about how you move forward.
I'm still not entirely clear why I'm here, and I'm actually sort of uncomfortable.
So if we could just get through this quick.
Step one would be giving an answer to my proposal.
I did give you an answer. I said, "Give me more time."
Maybe you're in denial that I asked you, just like you're in denial about the baby.
What? No! I completely accept this...
[inhales]
...weird thing I don't want to talk about ever.
OMG, Julia.
Stop talking like that. You went to Harvard.
You are a surgeon.
He does have a point, Jules.
I mean, you're holding your pants together with a rubber band
because you won't buy maternity clothes.
Oh, she also hasn't told her parents she's pregnant.
[imitates mockingly]
My mom will freak out.
She has a weak heart. I don't want to kill her.
I won't have this on my team. I just won't, do you understand me?
You don't have to love each other, but you have to love each other.
Casey, you'll ice Izzie's wrist
and you'll both stay in here until you can get along.
Actually, I think we worked it out.
You know what? No, you didn't.
[door closes]
I can do it myself.
I need to make a phone call, but someone pushed me,
-so now I can't use my wrist. -I didn't push you.
-I was nowhere near you. -Whatever.
Can you just hand me my phone out of my backpack, please?
Fine, but I didn't push you.
I'm so sick of this stupid school and this stupid track team.
Hey, it's Izzie.
I need you to watch the baby for an extra couple of hours.
Okay. Great. Bye.
Baby?
-Do you have a kid? -Of course not, I'm not a moron.
-My mother is. -Hey, mine too.
Not that it's any of your business, but I take care of my three siblings.
-You do? -Yeah.
-So, you're not a bazillionaire? -Not yet.
My brother has autism, so I'm, like...
constantly looking out for him.
I didn't know that.
Dude, how would you know that? You, like, barely talk to me.
[laughs] I talk to you. I just say mean things.
[both laughing]
You know, you are not what I expected.
Well, I'm not like the other girls.
I don't get to mess up.
[laughs] Last year Penelope drove her car
into a tree and guess what happened to her?
Her parents bought her a new car.
And Quinn has vodka in her locker just in case she gets bored.
-Really? -Yep. [chuckles]
And, I think, a bikini, for some reason.
[both chuckle]
But for me...
this school, what I do here, it matters.
I feel like I have to be perfect, all the time, and it's exhausting.
Is that why you were such a dick to me?
Probably.
Or I might just be a dick.
[both chuckle]
-[mobile ringtone] -Hello?
Hey, the school just called. Sam's eloped.
I know, I'm here. He texted me.
Oh, he texted you? Good.
I'm picking him up now. I got to go, okay?
Okay, great. I’ll meet you at home.
No. There's no need.
Um, okay.
Um, well, just, you know, call me if you need me and...
don't forget we have Dr. Brob at 4:00.
-Okay. Bye. -[hangs up phone]
[sighs]
I love grilled cheese.
Hey, what do you like more, Sam, grilled cheese or pizza?
Grilled cheese. It's firmer, so it's easier to eat with one hand.
That's true. That is very true.
So, are you okay?
That must've been scary, getting hit by a car.
It was fine.
Beth was barely driving. She's not a real driver yet.
And you ran out of class?
It was too loud.
Want to talk about how you're feeling, Sam?
No, I don't.
Yeah, I understand.
I don't like to talk about my feelings either.
-[spatula clatters] -It's hard.
So, I looked up the peer group that the guidance counselor was talking about.
They're meeting later if you want to try that.
Why would I want to talk about my problems with a bunch of random people
that just want to talk about their stupid problems?
Well, they're not random people.
[Sam scribbling]
Sam, they're kids like you with autism that are graduating soon.
You burnt my grilled cheese.
Yeah, I know.
I read about this guy in Vermont. I think it was Vermont.
And he runs a hundred miles at a time.
Like, he will literally walk
out of his house and go on a hundred-mile run.
[Izzie] Dude, get a job. [chuckles]
Actually, when I read it, I thought it was great. That kind of freedom?
But now... I don't know.
-What do you mean? -I mean...
Like, I think it was dumb to think that I could ever leave here.
Sam and my dad, they...
they need me.
I used to want to get as far away from this place as possible, but now...
I'm not really sure that I ever will.
Screw that. I'll be right back.
[door closes] I'm tired of trying to be perfect all the time.
How about, for once, we stop caring about everyone else?
I raided Quinn's locker.
[both laughing]
You got this.
[mobile ringtone]
I'm sure they're gonna be here in a minute.
You have very pretty hair.
It's very nice and shiny.
So, Lily, you said you had something you wanted to talk about.
Yeah, I always go to the same dentist, Dr. Ruth Swan.
But last time my mom said I couldn't go to her anymore.
Why not?
Because she retired.
Well, so what are you going to do?
-I'll let all my teeth fall out. -[chuckles]
-That's pretty dumb. -Sam, we try not to judge in this group.
Yeah, Sam. We don't judge in here.
Okay, Amber.
Try not to judge Sam judging.
I know it's dumb, but I can't see a different person.
I just-- I just can't.
Well, if you wait long enough, I can do it.
-I want to be a dentist. -Oh!
Change can be very difficult. For everyone.
Does anyone in here find it difficult to deal with change?
She hasn't always been terrible.
I mean, when I was younger she was really together and fun.
Then my dad left and she had an injury at work and started taking painkillers...
and just spiraled from there.
Sucks.
It's like my life's goal to be nothing like her.
Oh, my God, dude, me too.
-Cheers. -Yeah. [chuckles]
-[Casey grunts] -Mm-hmm.
To be honest, I think half the reason why I spend so much time with Nate
is because... I don't want to go home.
Not because he's your boyfriend and you love him very much?
No, Nate's awesome. But...
sometimes it just feels not quite right with him.
Like he's from a different planet
and won't ever know what it's like on my planet.
[laughs]
-You ever feel that way with Evan? -No. No, not really. [chuckles]
Lucky ho. Jeez.
[both laughing]
Your first time?
Yeah.
My daughter and I have been coming here for about six months.
Ms. Whitaker is wonderful.
Yeah, she's great. She's scared of sushi, though.
Didn't know that.
Maybe it's 'cause I know her a little bit better than you do.
Teacher's pet. [chuckles]
Hey, you hungry?
I find unnecessary eating makes the wait go faster.
-I have cheddar chips. -I love these.
Thank you.
So... what do you do?
I'm an EMT.
-Really? -Yeah. I save people's lives.
-[laughs] -No big deal.
Well, my daughter is obsessed with ambulances.
In fact, you should probably try and leave before she gets out here,
or you'll be stuck answering, like, 10,000 questions.
No, I'm used to it.
She should come for a ride-along sometime.
Oh, my God, that would be great.
-You would be my daughter's hero. -Anytime.
Well, let me give you my phone number.
Okay.
-I'm ready. -Okay. It's Megan.
And I'm Doug.
-Nice to meet you. -Nice to meet you.
Okay, anyone else want to share about changes they're dealing with?
I do.
The changes that I'm dealing with are that my mom left home,
and my sister doesn't go to my school anymore.
And my therapist won't see me, and my ex-girlfriend wanted to have
a casual relationship, and then no relationship.
And, well...
the reason prey animals hang around in a pack is for safety.
So they don't get eaten.
And I was feeling like a prey animal with no pack.
And on top of all of that, I'm graduating into The Abyss.
And that's... scary.
-That's all. -Yeah, forget what I said about The Abyss.
-I was just being dramatic. -I liked it. It's an accurate description.
Well, okay.
Anyways, all of your feelings, Sam, they make a lot of sense.
[huffs] I didn't think it made sense at all.
More sense than letting all your teeth fall out.
-[all chuckle] -True.
Okay, so change is inevitable, right? But how do we deal with it?
One way is we can ask for help when we need something.
For example, colleges are required to make accommodations for students with autism,
but you have to self-identify.
In fact, okay, let's make this our assignment for the week.
Ask for something you need. One thing, even if it's tiny. Okay?
Great.
-Paige. -Oh, hey, Sam.
Oh, my gosh. I just got out of a yearbook meeting.
No one could decide on a font.
And I'm sorry, but Helvetica... gross, we are way better than that.
I need to ask you for help with something.
Okay, shoot.
Well, I know we're not boyfriend and girlfriend,
or even in a casual relationship anymore.
But I was wondering if sometimes we could walk down the hall together still,
specifically between 3rd and 4th period, when traffic flow is particularly high?
I would be honored.
-Good. -Okay. So I have history 2nd period,
so we'll meet outside Mr. Bowers' class, unless I text you
because sometimes I stay a little bit late to talk about wars with other Warheads.
That's exactly what happens when you drop into Tilted Towers.
I told you to go-- I told everybody to land at Dusty Depot.
Well, what are you-- Casey, hey! What are-- You're here.
Beth let me in. She was... She was baking a cake 'cause she hit...
[sniffs] ...Sam with the car, so I grabbed a little handful of it and...
here we are. [chuckles and sniffs]
She seems upset, though. She didn't even want to dance with me.
Are you drunk?
[sniffs] No.
No. Are you drunk?
-No, I'm not. -You're drunk.
I've never seen you drink before, this isn't like you.
So what, man?
Maybe it's fine if you just don't want to be perfect for one second.
You already got detention, you could get kicked out of school.
-Hey, guess what? -What?
-I'm ready to have sex again. -No.
Why are you being so weird? Come on! Don't you want to do it?
I'm trying to be the good guy here.
Come on.
This is going to be really...
[whispers] special.
I'm looking you right in the eyes. I'm telling you...
[laughs] No, you're not looking at me.
You’re looking in the mirror.
You're pretty.
Well, yes.
-She is pretty. -[chuckles]
Alright.
Okay. I'm gonna go get you some water.
[Casey sighs]
Hi, girl. [laughs]
[knocking at door]
Hey.
I know I didn't give you two hours, but...
What's up?
[Elsa sighs]
I think we need to talk.
I waited at Dr. Brob's office for almost an hour for you and Sam.
And I get it, you're mad at me. I understand it's completely my fault,
but we still need to be able to schedule things for the kids.
And I need you to follow through if you say you're going to do something.
I agree.
You do?
Yeah.
Sam and I thought it would be better to go to group.
So we did that, but...
[plate clatters]
...I should have told you.
Thank you.
Good, you're both here.
-Hi, honey. -Hi.
I was thinking about that group.
And, at first, it was dumb and then it was kind of nice to be a part of it.
And a lot of those kids are just as strange as me, and if they can do it...
I decided I want to go away to college.
-Really? -Wow.
And I know there might be stuff that's hard or scary, but...
everything is changing here anyway, so I can handle it.
And if I need help I'll ask for it.
Because change is inevitable
and I'm not going to let all my teeth fall out.
-Your teeth? -Yes.
And I'm going to graduate whether we like it or not,
so I might as well get ready for The Abyss. Sorry, Mom.
Oh, Sam.
It sounds like you really have thought a lot about this, and...
if this is something you want to do,
then I support you.
Good.
-Where's that cat? -It's gone.
Good. I don't want to step on it.
I'm gonna go.
[Sam] Lions don't have bad intentions.
They don't eat prey out of spite.
They're just doing what nature tells them to do.
Like how parents try to protect you, or...
girlfriends change their mind, or people leave.
Sometimes I feel like I'm stuck in that lion's belly.
Like I can't move.
Like no one can see or hear me.
But there's always a way out.
Oh no. Casey!
Oh, shit.
Hey. Hey, get up.
We gotta get you home. Your parents are gonna kill you.
-Casey. -No.
Shit.
[takes deep breath]
[rap music playing]
Hey, it's Evan.
Casey's here.
[Christopher groans]
Huh! What?
Great! Now there's two of you.
Mom?
[grunts]
Oh, good. [sighs] You're up.
We have a lot to talk about, young lady.