I would say probably Cinnabon is the strongest, is the strongest scent.

Okay.

As the automatic doors hiss open and the air conditioning, like, comes out and the smell of Cinnabon just, like, hits them, Briley turns to Mikey and Scooter and says, "I gotta find the skaters, so, uh, I'm gonna just do that, but-"

And our big freak Space Jam fan.

Join us again in two weeks for the next chapter in Rude Tales of Magic: Blue Kindness High.

[outro music] That was a Headgum podcast.

[tape recorder clicking]

[laughs]

Um, Eve is, has ducked behind a fancy armchair because there is sherry all over her dress.

And she says, "Oh, um, don't mind me, just picking up some things off the floor."

The Seven Mistakes of Baron von Creep, and Lucienne.

And you also run past, or almost do, perhaps you don't, I don't know, but you run towards Eve and Thurston sitting on kinda busted folding chairs by a small under the radar window restaurant eating ramen burgers and drinking wine out of paper cups.

I know, brother, it's the one time I beat you.

How dare you.

Just 'cause I didn't know trivia about d- how to cook eggs.

Yeah.

Okay, listen.

It's gonna be Sounders, and go.

Dad, what happened to the Sounders cardigan that I got you for Christmas? It was very expensive, limited edition.

It was signed on the wall by a person.

And I don't, I didn't write a book, so that's it for my intro.

[laughs] Briley Brin Bailey showed up even later with her signature blunt blonde bob.

She has no hat now.

She has checkered Vans and other cool clothes, too.

Her eyes were darting around independently, and even though she can see everything, she didn't see the open seat right next to Scooter.

So she walked down the aisle, tried to sit with Katarina.

Katarina said, "Seat's taken," and she came back up to the third row, passenger side, and sat next to a fake-sleeping Eclipse Mitchell.

Mm-hmm.

What have you seen in your soul?

I, I mean, it's not in my soul anymore, so there's nothing that's going on.

It was just like a, it was a passing thing, but there was somebody in here with me, kinda talking to me, who was trying to take over the world, I think.

But he's not in here anymore.

And our big freak Space Jam fan.

Join us again in two weeks for the next chapter in Rude Tales of Magic: Blue Kindness High.

[gentle music]

But now it's your turn

This feels like a strategically unhelpful position, so she, uh, shimmies within this cloud of reptiles up the wall into the corner, turns back, and now she's not just using a snake as a whip, she's throwing the snake

Ali, what's Briley thinking?

Zines.

Her eyes open For the first time she is, and all she sees is scales just in front of her eyes, like moving, churning, writhing.

At the wor- at the word scene, she is gonna try and throw them off.

Crime horn.

Guys, we can't be celebrating too hard.

We gotta actually do the job here, right? I mean, we don't ever wanna make it feel like we're rejoicing in bad things happening, but that we are taking responsibility and stepping up when, and always to heed the call.

Whoo

Um, so he, like, he- his, like, shoulders drop and he looks straight in your face.

But Master, I thought presidential means that I have to earn their leadership, that I have to use political means, that I have to use promises.

I have to u- I have to appeal to them, that my power only comes from them choosing me-

I'm the director, and I'm interested in your performance.

[laughs] Um, Briley invites the camera on her shoulder like a bird, and she walks over to Katarina and, um, sort of, like, puts a, puts one hand on a hip and, like, leans a little bit and then kind of looks at Katarina and then gives a, a little bit of like a, "Oh, um, I didn't realize you were here.

Oh, hey."

And our big freak Space Jam fan.

Join us again in two weeks for the next chapter in Rude Tales of Magic: Blue Kindness High.

[gentle music]

terrariums.Now you've all been here before, but never like this, never with such a bond and such a need to be alone.

Yeah, Briley's been here a lot.

She's actually been down here and accessed this room specifically to watch TV that her parents won't let her watch.

So there is a spot that she considers her spot, but it's like the first time she's seen it in daylight, and it's, um, it's like a little not what she's used to, and she's a little freaked out by it.

Tell me something that I might assume is true.

Um, I don't know, and she's like...

Yeah, Briley's taken off her backpack, and she's holding her skateboard, and s- she's sort of fiddling with it nervously trying to think of something to say that's not something that she doesn't want to say, and she's-Fiddling it and flipping it upside down and getting freaked out, and then she fades [whooshing sound] and disappears.

Yes?

I wanna say here that the most common experience on seeing Briley Bryn Bailey is, "Wait, Briley still goes here?" When she actually sits next to you in homeroom.

You see, Briley inspires a kind of open sincerity that you allow yourself with someone you think never interacts with your other friends.

Briley gets you.But you just forget that when you're not looking right at her.

The camera turns to Briley.

Briley seems to be concentrating very hard.

She did realize that their greatest risk in the moment was Mikey feeling like he needed to inform Scooter and Briley when he realized what was going on.

Um, but now that he's left, she is focused entirely on not disappearing because this new, like, urge has come over her with what appears to be a threat-

[laughs] But yes, i- if you wanna get closer to him, you are gonna have to sort of risk or maneuver through these speedsters.

Yeah.

Listen, I do run fast, but I can go so much faster than running if I just get on my skateboard.

So if you guys would just get over your, uh, inability to include any items in your sport, maybe you could move a little faster too.

They can't get us up there.

You zoom into Briley's pupil.

She's frozen.

She's terrified.