Heyday

"*Oscar Miles formulates a plan to convince his mother to purchase plane tickets to Clovis, New Mexico: Francis Kent and Tracey Hill go on a date at La Noche Soleil and Genesis Maddox tags along as a third wheel: Gabby Tompkins is being put in the spotlight when last-minute changes places her as a lead role in Fortuna Academy's winter drama play, King Lear: Nicholas Lintz and Vincent Ross butt heads.*"
—Synopsis

***Heyday*** is the eighth episode of *Psycho High School*. This marks the holiday special episode and marks the end of the two month hiatus after the release of the episode *Killing Under One's Breath*. It was released on December 9, 2016.

## Plot

Six months from the present day, Aidan Moore, a New Jersey police officer ruthlessly slaughters his family where they stood in his home with a hunting knife. While driving off to underneath a bridge, where he had began smoking a cigarette, the Lomax Murderer appeared and walked behind his car. He silently strangles Moore and covers a two-pound sandbag around his mouth to silence his dying screams for help. The Lomax Murderer disposes of the body by allowing it to drift away and decompose in the river nearby.

Back to present day, it is December of 2015 and it is the end of December examinations at Fortuna Academy. Ever since Giancarlo Madrigal's death a week prior, the Lomax Murderer has not been seen and it is assumed that he is gone for the time being. The Gang gets into an extensive argument over his death, and the group disbands. Prior to December examinations, Oscar Miles saves Elijah Purger from a large falling ceiling light and considers him an ally for saving him. Miles also befriends a Grade 10 student, Samuel “Sam” Acosta, who has been secretly eyeing Genesis Maddox and hiding an affection for her. Francis Kent has a plan to ask Tracey Hill to be her boyfriend by going out for dinner with her at *La Noche Soleil*, a high-end french restaurant located on the first floor of a three story hotel. Gabby Tompkins is among those in King Lear, the 2015 Winter Drama play that follows December examinations as an experiment for a Shakespeare Festival which could become an annual event at the school in the following years.

Miles, who is still on a quest to search for Ghost in order to avenge Madrigal browses through Madrigal’s sent e-mails from his laptop that Miles stole, and learns that Ghost resides in Clovis, New Mexico. Tompkins’ friend, Danielle - who plays Goneril calls in sick in the final week leading up to King Lear. In the confusion, the drama teacher has Tompkins - who plays a minor character in the play - switch roles with her. This leaves Tompkins astounded, as she has to now memorise a whole new set of lines in under a week. With Kent’s growing relationship with Hill, Maddox also becomes friends with Hill and is invited as a third wheel out of pity.

Vincent Ross, now kicked from Purger’s Hellwolves after the November riot plans to overthrow his operations. Ross is still under the belief that Nicholas Lintz is the Lomax Murderer, so he takes matters into his own hands. At the King Lear rehearsal, Lintz befriends Sam’s brother Jeremy Acosta, who is a Grade 8 student who is playing Edmund opposite Tompkins in King Lear. Acosta explains that he, Sam and his relatives are staying at the hotel below *La Noche Soleil*, so they arrange a hangout for that night. Meanwhile, Miles is thinking up an excuse for his mother to buy plane tickets for Clovis, New Mexico. He then takes influence from one of his past field trip permission forms and customizes a document on Google Documents.

On the morning of the fifteenth of December, Ross confronts and attacks Lintz when they meet in a lot with box trucks. Lintz knocks down Ross, but accidentally spills open crate of lobster falls in a bigger crate with lobsters contaminated with ammonia in the process. Lintz places the crate back full of lobster - unaware that it was contaminated - into a box truck before it drives off. Lintz then escapes, leaving Ross behind. Meanwhile, Tompkins is struggling with memorising her lines and has a breakdown. Jeremy comforts her and helps her by giving her memorising techniques, saying that nothing is impossible. Meanwhile, Miles goes forward with his plan to feign the trip to Clovis, New Mexico. His mother initially disbelieves him, since his telling of the supposed "families are supposed to pay for the trip and take independent airplanes" slowly makes little to no sense. Eventually, she gives him the benefit of the doubt and later pays for the airplane tickets for March of 2016.

The food truck, which happens to be a *La Noche Soleil* truck is delivered to the restaurant. Melville, the arrogant head chef of the *La Noche Soleil* staff has the lobsters prepared, unknowing that it was contaminated. On the night of the dinner, Kent, Hill and Maddox arrive at the *La Noche Soleil*. However, out of the three, only Maddox orders lobster. Sam Acosta arrives into the *La Noche Soleil* lobby from his relative’s hotel room and eavesdrops on their conversation. Mid-way, Maddox says something that causes Acosta to sadden and he leaves the lobby. Both Acostas leave the building - Sam, who is depressed and Jeremy, who has to perform in the King Lear play. When Lintz leaves Jeremy’s hotel room however, he finds Ross on the other side of the door wanting revenge alongside Clement Valentine.

Before Kent can ask Hill if the two can be boyfriend and girlfriend, he senses the ammonia in the lobster served to Maddox. Kent fearfully flings Maddox’s fork away to prevent her from eating it, saving her, but leaving her in a state of confusion. At the same time, Ross and Valentine corner Lintz at the rooftop of the building. Lintz is thrown by Ross onto the thick skylight, prompting Ross and Valentine to follow but in the process cracking the skylight. When Lintz and Ross noticed that the skylight was cracking due to the weight they were placing on it, Ross fled the scene. Lintz crawled away and watched as Valentine could only stay where he stood and fell through the skylight into the lobby of *La Noche Soleil*. Lintz had escaped down a ladder on the building. Hill tries the lobster with nobody looking and slowly becomes sick after, collapsing out of her chair. Melville calls for 9-11 to send both Valentine and Hill to a hospital. Cedric, one of the *La Noche Soleil* Staff notices Lintz and chases him with members of a small security firm. However, they lose him in the middle of traffic and Lintz escapes.

Meanwhile, the King Lear performance occurs. As the play goes on, Tompkins loses inspiration and confidence as the scenes progress. In her final scene, she accidentally mumbles up her lines but her reaction is close to nearly acing what her character was supposed to do the play. Tompkins then embraces a swarm of applause, surprising Jeremy. Miles, who is enjoying himself for having his plan succeed receives a call from Kent, who seems frantic when Hill - who had, along with Valentine survived their close-to-fatal brushes with death - were transported to the hospital. Miles assures him that it will be fine, before hanging up. When Lintz begins walking home, he encounters Maddox and the two walk home together. She whispers something into his ear, causing him to grin happily.

On a cliffhanger note, Sam visits Ross, whose family is paying for the destroyed skylight and is offered to replace Valentine as an enforcer in his team. When Acosta agrees, he is placed inside Ross’ arsenal of Hellwolves. Ross also mentions that his faction has a “secret weapon” that can tip Purger’s faction to shambles, placing his feuds with Miles, Kent and Lintz aside.

## Characters

### Main

* Oscar Miles
* Francis Kent
* Gabby Tompkins
* Vincent Ross
* Nicholas Lintz

### Recurring

* Lomax Murderer
* Oscar Miles' Mother
* Genesis Maddox
* Elijah Purger
* Tracey Hill
* Sam Acosta
* Clement Valentine

### Minor

* Melville
* Cedric
* *La Noche Soleil* Staff
* Danielle
* Jeremy Acosta
* Aidan Moore

## Trivia

* *Heyday* was intended to be a holiday special and would be Episode 7.5. However, as editing went along, *Heyday* had replaced *Locker 22* as the eighth episode nd would halt the two-month hiatus.