[ Man speaking indistinctly ]
You know, at that point, he was a senior,
and I was an impressionable freshman.
Welcome.
We got something I think you guys would love.
Right down the walkway.
MAN: And I felt like he had a good head on his shoulders,
and so I reached out to him.
You haven't stopped grinning this entire interview.
-So you have a referral from... -Oh.
[ Whispering indistinctly ]
He is so cute.
I know. Yes, he is.
You can get it.
[ Whispering indistinctly ]
MAN: I'd definitely like to be a part of the team.
Well, it was a pleasure.
Do we have anymore questions for Mr. Brett?
Ms. Jones?
-Huh? -Excuse me, ladies.
No, um, I mean, no.
We're all good here. We'll be in touch.
LIZ: Phone call on line 1.
Uh, yeah, Liz, go ahead and put it through.
WOMAN: Hello. Is this Samantha Jones?
Yes, this is she. Can I ask who's calling?
WOMAN: This is Denise LaPlante.
I'm A.J.'s science teacher at Cedar Brook High School.
I apologize for calling you work.
You have a minute?
[ Knock on door ]
-Hi. -Miss LaPlante?
Actually, Miss LaPlante, you're in the right place,
but she had an emergency to attend to.
Have a seat, Ms. Jones.
I'm Dr. Chisolm, school psychologist.
Psychologist?
Yes, and I have some concerns about A.J.'s behavior.
Okay, what are your concerns?
Well, the kids have been out of school for over six months now,
and it's tough.
And everyone is dealing with the difficulties differently.
So it's important that we follow up
and that we monitor each child closely.
Ms. Jones, have you noticed any odd behavior from A.J.
in recent weeks?
No.
I mean, not really. Nothing out of the ordinary.
And, of course, moving to a new city
and leaving behind friends and family is tough on anyone,
let alone a teenager.
Ma'am, A.J. has always been somewhat of a loner.
He is not a follower. He is not disruptive in class.
He's a listener, an observer.
He shouldn't be condemned for that.
No, he shouldn't.
Several of his teachers are concerned, as well.
Miss LaPlante, she said that he stormed out of her class
because his father was at the school
and he needed to go outside.
I understand that A.J. was a part of the DT-45 program.
I pulled his medical records from his previous school
prior to the stay at home order.
I wasn't able to see the full medical report,
obviously, without your authorization,
but I did see that he had intense therapy and counseling
following a stay at the sanitarium.
That has nothing to do with this.
That was something to help him deal with his father.
And that.
I noticed there was no mention of his father
in any of the school reports.
If there's something we need to know, Ms. Jones...
Absolutely not.
Are you going through custody issues?
[ Scoffs ]
Are you divorced?
It's very important that we get a full scope
of what's going on in A.J.'s life
in order to get to the bottom of the issues.
No, ma'am, I'm not divorced, and there are no custody issues.
Ms. Jones, please, don't -- Please don't be upset.
I'm not stereotyping. I am not.
It's just that in most cases, a child's ill behavior,
it's usually the manifestation of something that's going on.
Well, that's not possible! A.J. did not see his father.
How can you be so sure, Ms. Jones?
Because he's dead!
A.J.'s father is dead.
Ms. Jones? Ms. Jones.
Ms. Jones?
There is something wrong with A.J.
He is -- he's desensitized,
he lacks empathy for his fellow students.
Ma'am, there is nothing wrong with my son.
[ Inaudible dialogue ]
[ Sighs ] It's just the nerve of these people.
I swear.
You know, if you don't protect your kids
from these so-called experts, they'll just throw labels
at your kid, railroad them.
Why am I ranting? I'm sorry.
No, no, it's all good. I understand.
Like, no matter what I do, I can never catch a break.
I always something.
COREY: Sam, you are a great mother.
A.J. is a good kid.
He's just, you know, like most kids.
Hard headed and stubborn.
And, you know, probably a lot like his father.
I'm sorry. What did you just say?
I'm just saying.
Yeah, what exactly are you saying?
Sam, just chill.
Chill?
I'm saying exactly what you said.
Boys will be boys, and he's stubborn and hard headed.
And -- and I'm sure as a mother,
you don't want the same thing to happen to him.
The same thing?
And what is the same thing, Corey?
Get murdered.
I never said anything about my husband being murdered.
-Yes, you did. -No, I didn't.
-Yes. -No, I didn't.
We were at dinner. You weren't feeling well.
I asked you about the ring.
You said he, uh, he was stubborn, he was hard headed.
You got into something. He went out and...
That's exactly what I said.
I said nothing about anyone getting killed.
You know, you probably had too much to drink that night.
-Wow. -What?
-You know what? I should go. -No, Sam, Sam.
Sam, listen to me.
I-I'm sorry.
I don't want you to leave upset.
I overstepped my boundaries.
Yeah.
You know what? That's all right.
But FYI, what little I did tell you that night,
I told you in confidence.
Not for you to throw back in my face.
I was just trying to throw it -- Sam, I wasn't --
Some petty shit, Corey.
Yeah, I'm fine.
My mom just walked in.
No, honestly, I been more worried about her.
She hasn't called all day.
Get your manipulative ass off the phone right now
and tell Nana I will call her back.
I got to go, Nana.
Yeah, I think she had a rough day.
Okay, I love you. Bye.
You got something to tell me.
No.
Seriously?
So, as you know, I was called into your school today.
Do you know how humiliated I was?
You left me out there to get ambushed.
What's wrong with you?
What's wrong with me?
What's wrong with you?
Excuse me?
Know what?
Never mind.
I just want to go home, man.
First of all, don't "man" me. I am your mother.
Show some respect.
Secondly, what you mean go home?
This is your home.
Back to Baltimore. Home! Back to Nana.
You don't get to make that decision.
The only reason you want to go back to Baltimore
is because you got Nana wrapped around a little finger.
She enables you.
Look at me.
Let me tell you something, honey.
Life ain't easy and change ain't easy.
I am trying to provide you with opportunities, A.J.
I thought we were on the same page.
I thought we were, too.
You know, I don't care what they told you.
Fuck them teachers! I'm not doing normal counseling.
Whoever said anything about counseling, A.J.?
Come on!
You know what? I don't even believe you.
I don't trust you.
That's what you told me last time.
You know what? You just like all them other chicks.
Wilin' out. You ain't loyal.
All them of other chicks? Loyal? A.J., loyal to who?
Why did you tell your teacher you saw your father?
Because I did. And I do all the time.
Just like that, you forgot about him.
A.J., your father is dead.
You can't go around telling people that you see him
and that you talk to him.
Do you know how dangerous that is?
Do you remember the repercussions back home?
You do, too!
I hear you at night, huh?
I hear you coming in late at night
with all these other guys,
smelling like liquor and cigarettes.
Like I said, you're not loyal.
[ Cellphone rings ]
Hey, boo.
-Hey, Jo, are you busy? -No.
You know I'm always on the grind.
I'm just finishing up this painting.
-Girl. -What's up?
Check this out.
Apparently, Corey has a clear view
straight into my living room, and he's never said anything.
Don't you think that's weird?
Maybe. I mean, it might just be a coincidence.
I mean, you did say you picked the unit, right?
True.
Girl, don't you think he should have said something?
I mean, especially since we're dating.
Well, yeah. No.
I mean, it's just a window, Sam.
Oh, you ain't got no curtains, do you?
Huh? Girl, will you buy some damn blinds?
You always on that, "I need some natural light" shit.
Okay. Anyways.
There's something else.
It's A.J.
What happened.
SAM: Where do I begin?
They called me into his school for an emergency meeting.
Girl, he's acting up again.
Apparently, he had an incident with one other student
where he allegedly brandished a knife.
And then he ran out of class and told his teacher
that his dad was outside and wanted to see him.
Hello?
I'm here.
Um, yeah, sorry.
Honestly, uh, I'm not surprised.
Excuse me?
I said I'm not surprised.
I mean, this is too much.
It makes sense, Sam, okay?
So this is about to be an "I told you so."
You know what? You can call it what you want to.
But you and I both know this was just too much for A.J.
And honestly, it's too much for you, too.
I mean, you should have never pulled him
out of therapy, period.
And if I'm being 100, you need a little therapy yourself.
-[ Chuckles ] -We all do.
Wow.
So you're attacking me for stepping out on faith
and trying to provide for me and mine?
Attacking? Girl, please.
Look, Sam, I'm gonna always ride for you.
You know that.
It's just, if I can't tell you the truth,
then I'm not being me, okay?
Look, Gerrod was A.J.'s super hero.
Shit, he was a super hero to all of us.
And you just can't think he's going to get over his death
by packing up and running away.
Sam, you're still angry. You're angry and you're bitter.
-That is not true. -Oh. [ Chuckles ]
Look, we all make choices, and we have to live
with the consequences.
Just because I don't keep track of the day that
Gerrod stepped out and got killed
does not make me angry and bitter.
You know, I love my family.
God knows I do.
But we are messed up.
We got all kind of built up trauma in us
that we don't deal with and that we don't talk about.
And this has got to stop.
Yeah, girl, I hear you. But look, my break is over.
I'm going to have to call you back.
That's real convenient, Samantha.
Shit.
Excuse me.
Is that blood?
Yep.
What happened?
Look, I don't want any trouble. I'm just --
I'm new to the neighborhood, and I'm concerned is all.
I don't know what happened.
Some sort of investigation,
and, uh, we were called in to clean it up.
An investigation?
Yeah.
The old lady that lived there, did something happen to her?
By the looks of it.
I got to get back to work.
Yeah, all right.
Thanks.
COREY: Hey, stranger.
Hey.
Wow, it's good to see you. I, um...
thought something happened to you.
I've been blowing up your voice mail.
No, I -- I'm good.
Just I've got a lot on my plate. My mind's --
You know what?
You don't even need to make an excuse or explain.
As long as you're all right.
An excuse?
Well, I just -- I've been trying to reach you.
Well, thanks for your understanding.
No problem. You know what?
I got a resident in the leasing office.
See you around.
Of course.
[ Cellphone vibrates ]
That was you from earlier, wasn't it?
Why are you following me?
It's not what you think.
No, what I think is that you're stalking women again.
That's what I think. I'm calling the police.
No!
Don't. Please don't.
Things...
Things not what they seem.
What is that?
Megan Phillips?
That's the young lady that lived in the 5B.
She died five days before you moved to Freeman Lakes.
How did she die?
They say suicide, but I know it's not true.
You think Corey did it, don't you?
He did do it.
He was dating her.
They dated for about four months during the quarantine.
They found her dead.
Gunshot to the head.
They didn't even do any investigation.
They found live cameras in her apartment,
and the cops started asking around Corey.
He blamed me.
Told them I put them in there.
That's how I got arrested.
Well, how'd you get out?
Insufficient evidence.
But I still lost my job.
I loved my job.
I was good at it.
Megan.
She told me herself that Corey, he's, uh, he's possessive.
She knew that he had hacked her social media.
That's why she discovered he put a tracker in her car
when she took it to get serviced.
It was him.
Here.
I found this on your front bumper.
He's tracking you, too.
Oh, my God.
Hm.
No, I swear.
My spirit, I have been having the weirdest
feeling lately, like something's off, like I'm being watched.
She was nice to me.
She was my friend.
She was a singer.
And sometimes, sometimes she would she would sing for me.
I-I was just trying to protect her.
When we first moved here, Corey told me the story about
this old lady named, uh, Miss Irma.
Said that she was a hoarder and that she was sent off
to a nursing home.
I...I...
[ Chuckles ] Wait.
Corey -- his mother lives in a nursing home.
But he told me that his mother was dead.
No. [ Chuckles ]
She's not.
Arnez, why are you telling me all of this?
Uh...
Stay away from him.
You and A.J.
He is dangerous.
[ Line ringing]
[ Cellphone ringing ]
Hey, Corey.
Hey.
How was your day?
It was cool.
Listen, uh...
I really miss you.
I know that you're upset with me, but...
I really need to see you.
Well, do you want some company?
Um...[ Chuckles ]
Yeah, that would be nice.
Keep your phone nearby. I can come over.
I just have to wait until A.J. falls asleep.
That shouldn't be too late.
Okay, um, you want to, um...
you want to sleep over?
I can do that.
I just -- I have to be back
before A.J. wakes in the morning.
No problem. That'll be good. I'll see you soon.
SAM: Alright, bye.
[ Exhales deeply ]
[ Keys tapping ]
[ Indistinct talking on television ]
COREY: You know I missed you, right?
Yeah, I feel the same.
I missed you, too.
Guess you've been real busy.
I have. I've just been busy lately.
What?
Yeah, and school's been insane.
We're working on this partner project right now,
and it's just -- it's -- the due date is coming.
I'm a little overwhelmed.
Partner?
Yeah.
Is that that, uh...
that light skinned dude I saw you with
when you were moving?
What?
I mean -- I mean I'm not trying to be nosy or anything,
but I just noticed when I was driving by, so I, you know,
figured you don't know anybody in town, so...
Yeah, no, it's, um, kind of my first friend.
He's helped me a lot.
So you prefer light skinned dudes?
I'm just...
[ Laughs ]
I don't know what you're into. I'm trying to learn.
-It's all good. -He's a friend, Corey.
It's all good. It's all good.
So are you sitting so far away if you miss me?
I don't know, Corey. It's been a while.
Well, come here.
[ Clears throat ]
I ain't gonna bite.
I don't know about that.
Unless that's what you like.
You know what I like?
What?
Hm. One of my favorite things is if you rub my head.
-Yeah? -Mm-hmm.
You like your head rubbed?
-I mean, it helps me.. -Yeah, it does.
...fall asleep.
Does that feel good?
Mm, that feels so good.
MAN ON TV: Looks like this is it.
Okay. Real good.
Yeah.
They told me there'd only be one.
Yeah, well, things have changed a little.
Is that gonna be a problem?
No problem.
This is Troy.
You guys expecting a fight?
This here is security.
You get the power up, train running.
Make sure everything's --
Oh, fuck, that was loud.
What the hell?
[ Indistinct shouting on television ]
Oh, my God.
Corey, you scared the shit out of me.
[ Laughs ]
MAN ON TV: Power up, the train running.
You all right?
Yeah, I'm fine. I was just using the bathroom.
You know I have another bathroom out here, right?
Honestly, I forgot you had a bathroom.
Excuse me.
MAN ON TV: We good to go?
Yeah.
COREY: So why don't we get ready to go to bed?
SAM: Um, yeah, uh, about that, you know, I'm...
I know this is my idea, but I think I should go.
COREY: Word?
Yeah, I'm just really tired, so I'm going to get going.
COREY: Well, that's unfortunate because I was hoping
that you'd, you know...
-I know. -...stay the night.
I know. I'm sorry. That's my fault.
I didn't properly think this through.
And I just -- I keep thinking of A.J.
And if he wakes up and I'm not there...
COREY: Come on, A.J. -- A.J. is practically a grown man.
Corey, I think it's best that we just slow down,
just take our time with things.
I have a lot on my plate,
and I just think it's wise that we pace ourselves.
COREY: All right. So which one is it?
Is it is it A.J., or is it that you need more time?
I don't want you to get upset that you're not going to see me
-as much because she needs me. -I'm not upset. I'm not upset.
He needs to know that he's a priority.
COREY: [ Sighs ] All right. All right, fine.
[ Sighs ] If that's what you want to do,
you want more time, you want A.J.,
I...I can do that.
Hey.
Thank you.
Thank me for what?
For understanding.
Um, I'll call you later.
So I don't even get a hug or a kiss or anything like that?
I'm serious about slowing down.
-[ Sighs ] -Good night, Corey.
Remember me, little nigga?