Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

1. "Amity." 
2. SFX: THUD.
3. "It's an archaic word that means beneficial relationship. Its roots are equal parts friendship and love."
4. SFX: THUD.
5. "That's what they called our town when the French settled it in the early seventeen-hundreds." 
6. SFX: THUD.
7. "It's hard to say we have ever lived up to that name." 
8. [Interior. It's eight pm on a Thursday. The second floor of the Baxter Residence. A reasonably sized renovated white and lemon townhouse located on top of a hill with a brick staircase porch. Each top along the black iron fence ended in a candle point. The picture of middle-class suburbia.]
9. [Wes eyes the fence from the window, weakly dribbling his basketball against the carpeted floor of Dash's bedroom. The steady thud provided Dash's narration some… appropriate ambient dread, so Wesley reasoned.]
10. [Two high school freshmen on a dreary night with only time to kill.]
11. [What could possibly go wrong?]
12. "I invite you to our town, Amity Park: A Nice Place to Live." 
13. SFX: THUD. 
14. Dash: God help me, if I have to do that intro again—
15. Wes: Calm down, Captain Cornball. I’m sure your audience of zero followers won’t give a rip if they can hear some background noise.
16. Wes: (snorting) They’ll probably think it's a— (falsetto) it's a ghost!
17. Wes: Woooooo!
18. Dash: (Insistently) lemme see it.
19. Wes: Wait, what?
20. [Dash snatches the ball from him, bouncing it once against his carpeted floor and then once against Wes’ forehead.]
21. Wes: Ow!
22. Dash: This information could help save your life someday.
23. Wes: (wryly) Yeah, sure, if someone is ever holding me at gunpoint and wants to debate the existence of ghosts—
24. [Dash scowled and thumped the ball against Wes’ skull one more time before turning the chair around and casually tossing it onto the bed behind them.]
25. Wes: (In pain) Dick!
26. Dash: (With a sigh) It's about time we explain what we're doing here.
27. Dash: I'm Hisdudefriday, and I live in one of the most haunted towns in North America.
28. Wes: A-And— you lovely, lovely folks out in cyberspace can call me Atlasdunked.
29. [Beat]
30. Wes: (clears throat) Right. Anyway, I just moved here. I'm really only doing this because Dash promised he'd buy takeout.
31. Dash: I apologize for him.
32. [Dash stacks and straightens his papers]
33. Wes: Y’know you’re real smug for a guy with like six followers.
34. Dash: (offended) Six more followers than you have— (attempting to compose himself) We’re getting off-topic.
35. Dash: With the help of the AV team, I’ve converted my room into… (quietly) Wh-what did Mikey call it?
36. Wes: Something… something microbrew?
37. Dash: Right! Right, it's uh… a micro… station? I think that's the term. Right, so Mikey helped me turn my room into (somewhat breathlessly) a micro station.
38. Wes: Basically, from what I understand… it’s—it's like we can broadcast with the wifi signal and we don't have to buy a license or whatever.
39. Dash: Exactly.
40. Dash: In any case, it occurred to me that our newest inductee doesn't know the first thing about surviving in Amity Park.
41. [Wes scoffs at this]
42. Dash: So, I thought, hey, why not get him familiar with the mythos? So when Wes eventually does come around, my ‘I told you so' will be immortalized.
43. Wes: (sarcastically) How noble.
44. Dash: You know it.
45. SFX: APPLAUSE
46. Wes: (chuckling) Wh-what the hell is that thing?
47. Dash: This?
48. SFX: APPLAUSE
49. Dash: This is a soundboard. It's what radio DJs use to like— well, I want to say it's professionally called something different but I think it's for being obnoxious.
50. Wes: (facetiously) Oh my god, that's like my favorite thing to be.
51. [Wes rolls his chair over and shoves Dash out of the way to push more buttons]
52. SFX: APPLAUSE
53. SFX: BELCHING
54. SFX: EXPLOSION
55. SFX: COW MOOING
56. SFX: LASERS
57. Wes: Oh-ohoho (laughing) this is too much power…
58. Dash: Mikey didn't really show me how to program different sounds in the—
59. [Ignoring Dash, Wes continues to play with the soundboard]
60. SFX: TARZAN YELL
61. Wes: No… (cracking up) N-No, this is so good.
62. [Wes continues to press the button over and over again, overlapping the Tarzan Yell; it stutters along. Playing with the sliders and faders -changing the frequency and pitch]
63. SFX: DISTORTED TARZAN YELL
64. Dash: This is like watching a baby play with car keys…
65. Wes: (Wheezing Laughter)
66. Dash: Dude, you’re gonna wear it out—
67. [Dash grabs the soundboard]
68. Wes: Aw, c’mon, don’t be a buzzkill.
69. Dash: Just try to take this a little seriously.
70. [Beat]
71. [Wes reaches across the desk and presses another button.]
72. SFX: CAT SCREECH
73. [Dash smacks Wes on the back of the head and then takes the soundboard away.]
74. Wes: (Pained) Hey!
75. Dash: (Without hesitation) Rumors are the lifeblood of a small town. Our claim to fame is tourism based on our alleged hauntings. This stems so far back that it was speculated that our first elected official was a witch.
76. Dash: He led a coven of people who could commune with the dead.
77. [Dash fans through his notes on the desk]
78. SFX: SHUFFLING PAPER
79. Dash: (strained, as if reading off cue cards) Pastor Cotton Black.
80. Wes: Wait, wait— ‘he’? Doesn't ‘witch’ imply female?
81. Dash: Not always.
82. Wes: I had such a good joke lined up—
83. Dash: (flatly) Oh, thank God, no one will ever hear it.
84. Dash: Anyway— rumors. Rumors are evidence wielded by the court of public opinion.
85. [Wes takes the papers from Dash's side of the desk]
86. SFX: CRINKLING PAPER
87. Wes: Wow… You, like, for real, wrote this down.
88. Dash: (Undeterred) And social death is possibly the first before the physical, which awaits most of us.
89. Wes: Oh my god (chuckling,) who even are you right now? I've never seen you so focused before.
90. Dash: I feel like Amity Park failed one resident in particular.
91. [Beat]
92. Dash: So, Wes— what do you know about Casper High alumni?
93. [Beat]
94. Wes: Can I talk now or is this a goofy ass question that I can't answer?
95. Dash: You can answer if you'd like.
96. Wes: (mumbling) Out of all the weird hazes—
97. [Beat]
98. [Even longer Beat]
99. Dash: (Ala Golf putting green voice) For those of you at home, Wes has put his hand on his chin and appears to be in deep thought. Let's see how this pays off for him.
100. [Beat]
101. Wes: Alright, you got me. I'm sure you didn't invite the new kid over, write a whole script, and buy equipment just to tell me about the guy who runs Crazy Carl's used car lot.
102. Dash & Wes: Crazy Carl is just like you— he's on meds too!
103. Dash & Wes: (something best described as “immature boyish giggling”)
104. [Beat]
105. [Not wanting to give off the impression that he's genuinely having fun with Dash, Wes attempts to slouch and withdraw.]
106. Wes: (clears throat) So, are you gonna tell me something real or what?
107. Dash: Keep your shirt on; I'm getting to it.
108. Wes: It's firmly on.
109. Dash: So, have you heard about something called “The quarterback curse?”
110. [Beat]
111. Wes: (snickering) The what?
112. Dash: The quarterback curse.
113. [Wes covers his face with his hands and continues to devolve into laughter]
114. Wes: (muffled) I'm so– so sorry– (normal) I'm trying to keep it together, but that has got to be the stupidest thing I've ever heard. It's the fakest thing to ever be faked.
115. Dash: Dude, you're literally tearing up…
116. Wes: Y-yeah (wheeze) just I wasn't expecting the reason why our football team sucks ass is because we're cursed– I just thought our offense wasn't aggressive enough–(laughing)
117. Dash: (quietly) Well, I mean, it could be better…
118. Wes: (outright guffawing)
119. [Wes can still be heard in the background as Dash speaks. He takes his headphones off and walks around the room to compose himself.]
120. Dash: S-So the quarterback curse is what a lot of people in Amity Park blame for Casper High's five-decade-long losing streak.
121. Dash: I personally want to interrogate the suspected reason as to why it exists.
122. [Beat]
123. Dash: Have you heard about a guy named Richie Hardy?
124. [Wes completely loses it; his coughs and wheezes are distantly picked up on the microphone]
125. Wes: (shouting, muffled) DICK HARD? THAT'S THE GUY’S NAME?
126. [Dash leans back into his chair]
127. Dash: This is gonna take all night if you're gonna be like this, and the Duck Factory closes in like… (checks watch) forty-five?
128. [Wes can still be heard in the background, cackling]
129. Dash: (sarcastically) Alright, helpful—
130. Wes: (distantly) Did his parents hate him?! Because that has to be proof of child abuse!
131. Dash: One second.
132. [Dash proceeds to take off his headset as well, rising from his chair. The floor creaks as he stalks over to Wes, still laughing.]
133. [Beat]
134. [Wes stops abruptly as Dash proceeds to yank Wes back to their chairs. On the way, Dash kicks the basketball back towards the desk.]
135. Wes: (flatly, distantly) Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow. Ear. Dash. Ow. Ow. (growing closer) Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow.
136. [Wes lands back in his chair. Dash picks up the basketball and harshly tosses it into Wes’ chest.]
137. [Both of them are still quite muffled as they don't have their headsets on.
138. Dash: Can I get back to it then or—?
139. [Dash sits down with a thud in his chair.]
140. Wes: (strained) No, no by all means, please continue, Dashell—
141. Dash: Great.
142. [Both parties put their headsets back on. The sound quality returning to normal.]
143. Dash: So, have you heard of Richie Hardy?
144. [Beat]
145. Wes: (deep inhale, followed by long exhale) No. No, I have not.
146. Dash: And have you heard about Sidney Poindexter? 
147. Wes: Vaguely…? He's like… one of those local legends, right? One of those tragic souls that haunts the school grounds forever, ‘cuz he got like… bullied out of existence, right?
148. [Beat]
149. [Wes adjusts how he's sitting, leaning in closer to Dash and, by extension, the microphone]
150. Wes: (quietly, concerned) Wait, wait, wait, wait… Are you- Does that- Do you mean he's- real? Sidney?
151. Dash: Yeah. 
152. SFX: Paper Shuffling
153. SFX: Mouse and Keyboard Clicks
154. Dash: For the most part.
155. Wes: … cryptic.
156. Dash: I mean, it's not exactly difficult to reference the school yearbooks from the nineteen-sixties with the town register. 
157. [Beat]
158. Dash: Anybody with a library card can do it.
159. Wes: I'm just wondering where you found the free time, aren't you in like— twelve bajillion activities?
160. Dash: (scratching his face) I was already there for student society, so I figured I could see what the legend looked like back in his heyday.
161. Dash: Really I find myself drawn to this story… ‘cuz… Well, I like underdogs. And there's something really compelling about a guy who's had his reputation completely against him from the start. 
162. Dash: It's fascinating to me that there's this guy who's been gone for probably longer than he's been alive— and he still has graffiti in the bathrooms dedicated to making fun of him. 
163. [PREGNANT PAUSE]
164. Wes: So… is it true he died on school grounds, too?
165. SFX: Rapid Mouse Clicks
166. Dash: S-See, that's where it starts to get blurry—
167. Dash: Despite my best efforts, I couldn't find Sidney Poindexter's death certificate. (Hurriedly) Couldn't find a coroner's report, couldn't find a newspaper, a suicide note, a gravesite, funeral details, anything at all. 
168. [Wes leans forward to look at the clippings gathered on Dash's monitor.]
169. Wes: Okay… that is a little weird- so, if he was seventeen when he “died” in nineteen-sixty-two… then he would have been born in forty-five and that means he'd only be… (mumbled) fifty-five present day?
170. Wes: So… it's not far-fetched to say he could be alive, but… that doesn't make any sense.
171. Wes: Why wouldn't he come out and tell people he's alive…? Assuming he didn't move—
172. Dash: That's the part I don't get either— as far as I know, his old house stayed in the same family, but I-I really doubt they'd want to talk to a bunch of meddling kids.
173. Wes: Wait—wait, go back. I thought I saw something. 
174. Dash: Oh… that?
175. Wes: Uh, yeah— didn’t you notice? Dude, do you need, like, glasses or something? 
176. Dash: I just didn't know if it was relevant or not to bring up—
177. Wes: I'll be the judge of that.
178. [Wes rolls his chair closer to the computer.]
179. Dash: Okay, so— I-I did find Shirley Poindexter— Sidney's mom— I found her death certificate. 
180. Wes: (quietly, near mute) nineteen-sixty… 
181. Dash: I couldn't find any information about his father— by all accounts, that guy doesn't exist— I'd imagine I'd have to ask someone for— 
182. Wes: (normal volume) This… This isn't an error, right? ‘Cuz if Shirley died in nineteen-sixty, Sidney would have been… Jesus, he'd have been fifteen…?
183. Wes: His mom died, and people still tormented him? 
184. [PREGNANT PAUSE]
185. Wes: (blows raspberry, sighs) Heavy…
186. [PREGNANT PAUSE]
187. [Wes leans back in his chair and rolls away, putting his hands on his head.]
188. Wes: So, if this is all true—
189. Dash: (in disbelief) W-Why do you assume I'd lie to you? 
190. Wes: (emphasizing) If this is all true— 
191. Wes: What does any of that have to do with why our football team sucks— and that—that, uh, Quarterback curse? 
192. Dash: Right, so— 
193. SFX: PAPER SHUFFLING
194. Dash: Richie Hardy— 
195. Wes: Can-Can we call him something else— is that, for real, his legal name?
196. Dash: What do you suggest?
197. Wes: I dunno what's—what's a non-offensive like— (snaps fingers) Florence or something—
198. [BEAT]
199. [Dash is staring at his co-host.]
200. Wes: Look— don't— I-I'll think of something. 
201. Dash: (exasperated) Wes, the point is, “Rich”-- Richie Hardy was Casper High's shining star— he probably never had a difficult day in his life.
202. Dash: (irritated, but resigned) Meanwhile, Sidney… Well, you just heard about his mom. 
203. Dash: Rich was the high school quarterback at Casper High for three years. He was also the sheriff's son and, assuming he knew how to go on a pretty good power trip, practically got away with everything. The complete opposite of… well- of Sidney Pointdexter. Poor guy never stood a chance.
204. Dash: So, really, I think the story starts with Rich.
205. SFX: PAPER CRUMPLING
206. Dash: Everyone wants to picture the fifties like some kind of post-war utopia— but that lasted like maybe 10 minutes tops before trouble on the homefront came back into view.
207. Dash: If you wanted to ruin someone's reputation back then, all you had to do was (stilted) “insinuate that they were in bed with the communist scourge gripping the nation—” 
208. Wes: not to harsh your script, but if you want to sound smart, maybe rehearse it a couple times first… maybe write it a little bigger. 
209. [Wes can be heard tapping the desk and the paper.]
210. Dash: (Sigh) Gist is— it's the height of the Red Scare, and Rich gets the bright idea that to give a tip-off to his Dad, that Sidney and his family are failing their (sarcastically) “Patriotic Duties”. 
211. Wes: Seriously— over some high school beef?
212. Wes: (mumbling) I can't imagine hating someone that much— the amount of free time is astounding—
213. Dash: It's small-town politics, dude. This fear and suspicion could ruin people's lives, and it's bred from the pettiest stuff— like if your grass was an inch too tall. 
214. Dash: and Sidney was already on the fringes…
215. Wes: So, what's the source? Like, do we have any uh… what's the word— what's the word (tapping) Testimonials?
216. Dash: I couldn't find any solid evidence that wasn't in a locker somewhere, but I did get this photo from an exhibit at the town's museum. 
217. SFX: MOUSE CLICKS
218. Dash: They had the witch stuff there, of course, but the tour guide did this thing comparing the trials we had in the original Amityvale, to the modern Mccarthyism in the 20th century. 
219. Dash: Amity Park Dispatch remodeled recently, and in doing so, they donated Sheriff Hardy's desk.
220. Dash: Since the accusations were largely baseless and no longer relevant, I guess they overlooked a handwritten list accompanied by a photo of his kid.
221. Dash: and it's a bit smudged and aged— but you can see… you can see the impression of ‘P-o-i-n-d-e-x-t-e-and-r’.
222. SFX: RAPID MOUSE CLICKS
223. Wes: There's no way they let you that close to the desk. I can see your shadow in this picture, you're standing right over it—
224. [Beat]
225. Dash: Yeah… well- gotta break a couple of rules for the greater good, y’know? 
226. Wes: (chuckles) Okay Mister Morally Grey Superhero
227. Dash: (Dismissive and Embarrassed) Whatever— I think this has helped me in roughing in a timeline here. I've proved that there was a Sidney Poindexter that went to our school, I've proved that he was harassed—
228. Wes: (interjecting) Crucially, I think you're forgetting the fact that he could still be alive somewhere.
229. Wes: No body, no crime.
230. Wes: Hell, if this bullying went as deep as you say the guy probably changed his name and skipped town as soon as he could. 
231. Dash: The only things I could find to prove the existence of a Sidney Poindexter were a birth certificate, a copy of a student ID, and his yearbook picture from his first three years of Casper High. Not to mention his mother's records—
232. Wes: So, no diploma or death certificate?
233. Dash: Nope.
234. [Beat] 
235. Wes: Considering I don't think you're smart enough to fake these kinds of documents… I guess I'm inclined to believe that Sidney did exist at one point.
236. Dash: … Thanks, I think?
237. Wes: (muttering) Don't thank me, ya dingus— 
238. Wes: Since we don't know what happened to Sidney, it's hard to prove if he's a ghost or not— 
239. Dash: But we do know what happened to Rich.
240. Wes: I mean, I-I don't.
241. Dash: (Claps hands together) I am so glad I get to explain this.
242. SFX: PAGE TURNING
243. Wes: (dryly, into the microphone) Oh god, here we go. 
244. [Dash frantically goes through his notes, excitedly humming.]
245. Wes: You've got to invest in a printer or, at the very least, make a donation to the library for ink costs, man, this is just excessive… 
246. [Wes is organizing the papers Dash is handing to him, and fanning them out on his side of the desk.]
247. Dash: Honestly, I'm surprised I didn't find a printer at the Fentons’ garage sale.
248. Wes: Please tell me you didn't actually buy anything from them.
249. [Dash excitedly shakes and pats Wes’ shoulder.]
250. Dash: C'mon, how cool would it have been if I found like— I dunno like— like uh— 
251. [Wes swats his hand away.]
252. Wes: (flatly) A brain. Like a functioning one. Y’know, so you don't fall for this kind of stuff. 
253. Wes: If the Fentons aren't complete nut bars, then they're definitely scammers— trying to convince everyone that ‘ghosts are totally real and the only salvation is this device I conveniently made Maguyver style in my basement.’
254. Dash: (Sheepish) I-I did end up buying a new software disk-thingy— 
255. Wes: Y’know, you really don't have to be such an easy mark, dude. You barely know how to open Task Manager…
256. Dash: On the bright side, Fenton did say it was guaranteed not to be haunted.
257. Wes: (Sarcastically) And you can take that to the bank.
258. Dash: You don't even believe in ghosts—
259. Wes: Regardless, you have no idea what's on that disk or what it could do! Ghosts are not real, but a Trojan absolutely is. 
260. [Dash covers his microphone with his hand.]
261. Dash: (muffled) Wh-What's a ‘trojan’?
262. [BEAT]
263. Wes: Just… (frustrated sigh) just tell me how the guy died, Dash— before you give me an aneurysm.
264. [Dash removes his hand from the mic.]
265. Dash: Okay, so imagine this: It's the biggest game in the county, a chance for a small town to feel like the majors for one night.
266. Dash: Everyone in town is gathered at the stadium to bask in a moment of triumph, and adulation.
267. Dash: The star of that fateful night being the captain of the football team, Richie Hardy. 
268. Dash: But the spotlight wasn't shining so brightly anymore.
269. Dash: Going from the kid that had it all, to this—this gaunt husk of a human being—the change, according to Rich's closest friend,s was overnight. Unprecedented. 
270. Dash: His teammates, who were usually inspired by his swaggering confidence, reported that he would be distracted during practice weeks prior.
271. Dash: Trembling hands trying to make a pass, leading to failing the most basic of plays. Taking tackle after tackle and then getting back up to do it all over again.
272. Dash: The roar of the crowd. Families gathered around. The marching band is in full swing— and there's Rich… standing there like a deer in headlights. He's frozen in place. Like he's staring at something no one else can see. 
273. Dash: He takes another hit. Coach calls a timeout. It's halftime. The band takes the field. And in that time, Hardy’s called back to the bench. The team tries to console him, but he keeps moving. He keeps going. He brushes off his team, his friends. And he walks off the field. 
274. [PREGNANT PAUSE] 
275. Dash: The game goes on. No one notices. No one goes after him.
276. Dash: Casper High lost. Not that it's important. 
277. Dash: As people were driving home, getting back to their parked cars, that's when they found him. 
278. Dash: Richard Hardy Junior was found dead on a cold, windy night in April, in the courtyard of Casper High. His body having landed in the fountain that has since been removed. He had fallen from the open window of the bell tower that overlooked the entrance that hundreds of students would continue to walk in and out of for years to come. The impact broke his neck. He would have been seventeen the following month.
279. Dash: The cause of death was ruled as an accident, officially death via misadventure, but future coroners have ruled it a suicide by modern definition.
280. [PREGNANT PAUSE]
281. Wes: Damn— I was thinking the curse was just that his pants were on too tight.
282. Dash: Funny, Wes. Real Funny. 
283. Wes: (cutely) Thank you. 
284. Dash: But think about it. Richie Hardy, the guy who made Sidney's life a living hell, ends up killing himself in a really public and tragic way. Isn't that a little… karmic?
285. [BEAT]
286. Wes: I can either believe in karma or ghosts— I can't do both. 
287. Dash: (Ignoring Wes) If it was just Rich, then we could write it off as a fluke. But this has been happening for, like, ever. Point is: Any student who picks up the quarterback title— somethin’ bad always happens to them.
288. Wes: (facetiously) like getting chicks and full-ride scholarships—
289. Dash: More like near-death experiences, bizarre, unexplained accidents, career-ending injuries, or concussions so bad they end up with early-onset neurological problems.
290. [BEAT]
291. Wes: I bet you're a real blast to have at parties, Baxter. 
292. SFX: PAPER SHUFFLING
293. Dash: I used the microfilm machine at the library to go through at least fifty years of newspapers—
294. Wes: What is your obsession, man? Like— this is so much just to prove a point…
295. Dash: I'm not obsessed. I'm just— I'm fascinated. It makes me feel… different. Like I'm making discoveries. I mean, this stuff is our local history, stuff that happened at our school— doesn't that make you feel like… a little bit excited? Interested? Invested?
296. Wes: Not really.
297. Dash: I'm just sayin’— with Clay being on the team, you'd hate for something bad to happen to him, right? This curse doesn't seem to pick favorites…
298. Wes: Honestly, my brother would probably tell you the same shit I'm telling you— and he'd probably be even more of a dick about it. 
299. Dash: Considering how he is in school, I'd say that tracks.
300. SFX: PAPER SHUFFLING
301. Dash: Let’s see… after Richard's death in sixty-two, we had Jacob Lemley in sixty-six on top of having some of the worst stats in the history of the game; he ended up drowning in the lake outside of town during the off-season. 
302. Wes: And this is because… Sidney, who may or may not be dead, is angry. 
303. Dash: Shelby McCoy had somehow been run over by his family's tractor in seventy-one. 
304. Wes: (distantly) How is that even remotely related?
305. Dash: Anthony Greene didn't even get past his first game, having broken his leg so badly that he had to be permanently benched. That was in seventy-seven.
306. Wes: C’mon, that's just an occupational hazard of the sport! (Slaps the Desk)
307. Dash: Get this, Jackson Earl, quarterback in eighty-five for two seasons, gets diagnosed with a rare spinal disorder and becomes wheelchair bound after junior year. 
308. Dash: Ah! Most recently, the Quarterback of ninety-five, Irving Burns— he arguably got off the best… he ended up dropping out, and he's currently the manager of the Nasty Burger. And this is just the stuff that I can find! 
309. Wes: Oh my god!
310. Dash: What? Did you see something I missed—
311. Wes: Sorry, you mentioned food, and I just remembered we've been sitting here for so long that my ass went numb. 
312. Dash: (mumbling) Jesus Christ. 
313. Wes: So, can we wrap this up?
314. Wes: (cutely, intentionally irritating) Pleaaaaaaaaaase?
315. Dash: Alright, Alright. Closing statements—
316. Dash: These threads, all these lives have one connecting point. It starts with Richie failing to uphold the town's values, failing to uphold the town's ambition, and failing Sidney Poindexter.
317. Dash: This town… it has this shiny veneer of being a nice place. 
318. Dash: (chuckles) "Amity Park: A Nice Place to Live," remember? 
319. [TENTATIVE BEAT]
320. Dash: But underneath, there's this history of something really dark happening to Sidney. He was bullied, tortured, and then he just… vanishes. 
321. Dash: Maybe the curse isn't just about revenge. Maybe it's about remembering Sidney. About acknowledging how the town and the school failed him. They let him be tormented, and then they seemingly tried to forget he ever existed. This curse… maybe it's the town's past coming back to haunt it. 
322. Dash: It could be karma, it could be a ghost— 
323. Wes: Could be all in your imagination…
324. Dash: (chuckles) Yeah, I guess so.
325. Dash: Even if it is— it's a pretty good story, huh? 
326. Wes: … is this one of those questions I'm supposed to answer… or…
327. Dash: (laughs) 
328. [Dash laughs because he knows he hasn't convinced Wes of anything. Wes, meanwhile, laughs because to him it's contagious.]
329. Wes: (laughs)
330. Dash: Now, folks, thank you for your time. I have to feed my friend before he starts chewing my leg—
331. Wes: (Fake Growling sounds)
332. Dash: And while we're eating, we can try to sort more of these notes. 
333. [Wes lightly places his hand on Dash's shoulder.]
334. Wes: If you buy me an extra-large order of crab rangoon, I'll let you tell me about how the Kennedy Assassination was a hit carried out by aliens if that's what gets you there, pal.
335. [The pair can be heard quietly bickering amongst each other, and eventually Dash’s hand lands on the stop button on the recording program.]
336. [Two high schoolers with nothing but time to kill. A skeptic and a believer, both witnesses to the Amity Park fault line between the living and the dead. Who knows what they will unearth next…]