The Block Out

“**The Block Out**” is the eighth episode in Season 1 of *No Good Nick*.

## Plot

### Summary

When an old friend appears out of nowhere, Nick decides to skip school -- and Jeremy follows them. But the plot thickens when Liz and Ed find out.

### Full Plot

**Molly:** And when Becky brings up renewable energy, you say…

**Nick:** “There’s already $2.9 billion going into renewable energy every year.”

**Molly:** And then I say, “Factory farming is being protected by big agro.”

**Nick:** Boom! Double truth bomb.

**Molly:** Right? The Volunteer Squad will have to vote for our cause.

**Nick:** We got this, roomie.

*(imitating explosion)*
*(both laugh)*
**Riley:** Hi, so kind of a long story, but I have this friend, her name’s Nicole, and we’ve been best friends since first grade. And then one day, poof, she just vanished, like my pet iguana when my cousin Stevie visited. He denies the connection, but I know it happened.

**Nick:** Oh, I’m getting a call. It’s Dorothy. You go ahead.

**Molly:** Uh, okay. See you in third period.

**Riley:** And then yesterday, I’m watching an Insta Story about some orphan named Omar with the Duniway High Volunteer Squad, and I’m like “OMG! There she is! There’s Nick Fra—”

**Nick:** Riley! What are you doing here?

**Riley:** Hey! Oh, my gosh!

**Nick:** Wow, this is such a surprise. It’s so good to see you. But bummer, I have to go to class. So why don’t you go home now and I’ll call you later?

**Riley:** Oh, my school’s out today, so maybe I could sit in on your classes and then we could catch up at lunch.

**Nick:** Yeah, I don’t think they’d let you do that.

**Riley:** Oh, they totally do. Let’s go ask. I’m a really good talker.

**Nick:** Uh, you know what? *(exhales)* I totally forgot. I have a free period. Let’s just go hang out now.

**Riley:** Seriously? That would be amazing. I’ve missed you so much.

**Nick:** Me too, Ri. Come on!

*(school bell rings)*

*(theme music playing)*
**Ed:** So we were a little surprised to get your call.

**Liz:** Yeah. What’s with all the secrecy? Why couldn’t we tell Nick we were meeting today?

**Mr. Sharma:** Sorry for all the cloak and dagger. It’s just I didn’t want Nick to think she was in trouble.

**Ed:** Okay, but it sort of sounds like she is in trouble.

**Mr. Sharma:** No, it’s just that when we tested her, she scored off the charts, but on her assignments, she’s barely doing enough to get by. Now, I don’t want you to think you’re doing anything wrong.

**Ed:** Oh, my God, are we doing something wrong?

**Liz:** I know I’m not. I’m not sure about you.

**Mr. Sharma:** This is her essay on *A Tale of Two Cities*. She only correctly identified one.

**Ed:** Maybe she’s just a bad essay writer?

**Liz:** Or maybe you’re a bad teacher?

**Mr Sharma:** *(laughs)* Could be. It’s just sometimes kids like Nick have trouble focusing in school until they feel their home situation is more permanent. If I may ask, how is Nick doing at home?

**Ed:** She’s doing great. She’s upbeat. She gets along with everyone. She helps out around the house.

**Mr. Sharma:** Well, in my experience, kids in this situation sometimes hide their true selves. Consider the possibility that you might not be seeing the real Nick.

**Liz:** Well, instead of talking about her, maybe we could talk with her?

**Ed:** Yeah, I agree. Let’s just ask her what’s going on.

**Mr. Sharma:** Okay, then. I’ll call down to her class and have her join us.

**Liz:** *(exhales)* Nick’s doing fine, right? We’re not screwing her up, are we?

**Ed:** What? No. She is doing great. I mean, if he could just see her at home, he’d see that she’s totally part of the family now.

**Liz:** Yeah, I mean, I’m teaching her how to make pasta, and you’re making her that special paper sculpture.

**Ed:** We are hardcore into this family stuff, man.

**Liz:** Exactly! We kick butt at parenting.

**Mr. Sharma:** So it seems Nick didn’t show up for class today.

**Liz:** The what now?

*(giggles)*
**Riley:** *(gasps)* Oh, my gosh! I miss coming here with you and trying on weird outfits.

**Nick:** And never buying anything.

*(laughs)*
**Riley:** But today might be the day.

*(both giggle)*
**Nick:** I’ve really missed you.

**Riley:** Yeah? So what happened then? You kind of ghosted me.

**Nick:** I’m so sorry. It’s just, when my dad got arrested, I guess I kind of wanted to disappear for a while.

**Riley:** I get that. What I don’t get is how this was ever a thing.

**Nick:** Was everything in the ‘70s based on a dare?

*(both giggle)*
**Riley:** Imitation polyester? Ugh.

*(Nick giggles)*
**Riley:** So fill me in. How you likin’ your new life?

**Nick:** It’s complicated. Hmm? I wanna hear about you. How’s the soccer team doing?

**Riley:** Oh! Without you, we’re losing, like a lot. Gina took over as striker.

**Nick:** Gina who pretends she’s playing Quidditch?

**Riley:** Yeah, it’s not a great fit.

*(Nick’s phone beeps)*
**Riley:** Everything okay?

**Nick:** Uh, yeah, it’s fine. Now, let’s go try on some crazy outfits.

**Riley:** And not buy any of them.

*(phone beeps)*
**Liz:** Ooh, what did she say?

**Ed:** Huh. “In class, can’t talk.”

**Liz:** *(gasps)* Liar!

**Mr. Sharma:** Um, I talked to the front office, and no one has seen Nick today. If you don’t know where she is, either our next step would be to call the authorities…

**Liz:** Oh! She’s at home… sick.

**Mr. Sharma:** But you just said—

**Liz:** We just got a text from her, and she is throwing up at home as we speak.

**Ed:** Yeah, so we better go now, uh, check up on her, give her crackers and whatnot.

**Mr. Sharma:** Wait, um, before you go, this is a list of resources. Maybe there’s something in there to help get Nick to open up to you.

**Liz:** Uh, I think you’ve misread the situation. I can assure you we have everything under control.

**Mr. Sharma:** Well, I’m glad to hear that. Tell Nick I hope she feels better.

**Liz:** We will tell her a lot of things.

**Nick:** Ready? One, two, three… reveal!

*(both laugh)*
**Nick:** Parachute pants cowboy.

*(giggling)*
**Riley:** Girl Scout grandma. Ah! Ow!

**Nick:** Okay. You win.

**Riley:** *(giggles)* Let’s go again.

**Nick:** Ooh, how is Miss Tanaka doing? Man, I loved her.

**Riley:** Not as much as she loved you after you won the short story competition. She was heartbroken when you disappeared.

**Nick:** *(Nick gasps)* You know what I could go for? Tolentino’s Gelato Gigantico.

*(both laugh)*
**Clerk:** What do you think you’re doing?

**Clerk:** Looks like we got a creeper.

**Jeremy:** Wait. I’m not a creeper. I was trying to see what the girls in the dressing rooms were doing. I hear it now. I’ll show myself out.

**Becky:** Are you telling me you don’t care about renewable energy?

**Molly:** Of course I do. But let’s just wait for Nick to get here. I know she’s really passionate about our free-range farms proposal.

**Becky:** If she cared, she would be here.

**Molly:** Of course she cares. And so do I. We believe that chickens weren’t meant to live in cramped cages. Xuan, you like chickens, right?

**Xuan:** Love ‘em, especially the wings.

**Molly:** Okay, I’m gonna count that as a vote for my cause. Tamika?

**Tamika:** Sorry, anything that crosses a road without looking both ways deserves what’s coming to it.

**Becky:** Well, unless one of us changes our vote, it’s a tie.

**Molly:** Nick’ll be here any second.

**Becky:** But she’s not here now, so, Xuan, let me tell you more about nature’s gasoline: wind.

**Molly:** Uh, hey. What are you two doing here?

**Liz:** Do you know where Nick is?

**Molly:** She’s supposed to be here. We had a whole thing. I don’t know what could be more important.

**Ed:** So you don’t know where she is?

**Molly:** No. I haven’t seen her since school started. Why? What’s going on?

**Liz:** Everything’s fine.

**Ed:** Yeah, we just have a missing child situation. You know, when I say it like that, it makes it sound like maybe it’s not actually fine.

**Molly:** So Nick’s not at school?

**Ed:** Apparently not.

**Molly:** And no one knows where she is?

**Liz:** Maybe Jeremy knows something?

*(phone playing tune)*
**Jeremy:** Hey, Mom. What a nice surprise.

**Liz:** *Listen, Nick’s missing. Do you have any idea where she is?*

**Jeremy:** Actually… I know exactly where she is.

*(laughs)*
**Liz:** Apparently, Jeremy skipped school to follow Nick. And Nick skipped school to hang out with some girl.

**Molly:** What girl?

**Liz:** I don’t know, but on the plus side, we know where she is.

**Ed:** Great. Let’s go get her.

**Molly:** I’m coming with you. I’m worried about her.

**Liz:** You’re supposed to be in school.

**Molly:** So were Nick and Jeremy.

**Ed:** Can’t argue with that. Thompson Family Ditch Day! Get in the car.

**Molly:** We’ll do the vote tomorrow, okay?

**Becky:** Yeah. About that…

**Xuan:** I’m gonna go ahead and vote with Becky and Tamika.

**Molly:** What? Why?

**Xuan:** They made some good points, and renewable energy can be used over and over again. Chickens you can only eat once.

**Riley:** Oh, what about that horror movie marathon?

**Nick:** But my dad was worried we’d be scared, so he watched them all with us.

**Riley:** He didn’t sleep for a week.

*(both laugh)*
**Nick:** What a wuss.

**Riley:** Man, I miss those pizza roll-ups he used to make at his restaurant. Do you get to talk to him much?

**Nick:** We have scheduled times for calls, but it’s not enough.

**Riley:** So how do you like the family you’re living with?

**Nick:** I think maybe I like them a little more than I wanted to.

**Riley:** Why would you not want to like them?

**Nick:** I-I just need to focus on my dad right now. On getting him out of… I mean, on him getting out of jail.

**Riley:** Are you okay, Nick? Do you want to talk about it?

**Nick:** Yes, I do, actually. I really do. I just want him to get out so everything can go back to the way it was. I’ll come back to school, I’ll play soccer, and I won’t have to… I can just be me again.

**Riley:** Well, I can’t wait. You know, I’m always here for you, right?

**Nick:** Thanks, Ri. I really needed that. Maybe we can make this a regular thing.

*(Riley gasps)*
*(both laugh)*
**Nick:** Da-na-na… Cheers.

**Jeremy:** Look at her in there, right in the middle of a school day, eating ice cream with a stranger, like it’s no big deal.

**Ed:** Sorta like how you cut school and were spying on her, like it was no big deal.

**Jeremy:** How about we just focus on Nick?

**Liz:** Ed, look. What do you see?

**Ed:** Gelato Gigantico. Nick with a friend, being silly, laughing, having fun.

**Molly:** I guess she did have something more important to do with someone else.

**Liz:** Have we ever seen her like that before?

**Ed:** Huh. Guess not. She looks like she’s really…

**Molly:** …Happy.

**Ed:** Yeah. I mean, is it possible that Mr. Sharma was right? I mean, does she have her guard up with us?

**Liz:** I don’t know. Are we doing something wrong?

**Jeremy:** The only thing we are doing wrong is hesitating. Let’s go bust her.

*(both giggle)*
**Nick:** That was your fault.

**Liz:** Hey, Nick.

**Nick:** Uh… Hey, guys. What are you doing here?

**Jeremy:** I told them where you were.

**Nick:** You followed me?

**Jeremy:** We were all very concerned.

**Molly:** I thought something happened to you.

**Liz:** You wanna tell us what’s going on?

**Riley:** You must be the Thompsons. Nick has told me so much about you. And, man, I have some stories to tell about Nick. This one time—

**Nick:** Riley! I mean, this is Riley, she’s an old friend.

**Ed:** Hey, Riley. Nice to meet ya.

**Nick:** Sorry, Ri, it’s been fun, but I have to go.

**Liz:** Well, hang on. Honey.

**Ed:** Uh, would you like to come to our house? We could all play games or somethin’.

**Riley:** Yes! **Nick:** No!

**Ed:** Why not?

**Nick:** I probably have a lot of school work to make up from today.

**Molly:** Yeah, we really missed you in school, especially at the Volunteer Squad meeting.

**Liz:** Uh, don’t worry about that, Nick. Riley, why don’t you come over?

**Jeremy:** I’m with Mom and Dad. Now, I think we’d all like to hear some of those stories you have about Nick.

**Nick:** Maybe some other time.

**Ed:** Nick, come on, it’s alright, we want you to feel like you can have friends over.

**Liz:** Yeah.

**Ed:** Game night awaits.

**Nick:** *(sarcastic)* Sweet.

**Riley:** Hi, I’m Riley, I’m Nick’s best friend.

**Molly:** Apparently.

**Ed:** All right, Jeremy, Liz, you are on snacks. Molly, you’re with me, we’ll grab the games. And Nick, why don’t you show Riley around?

**Nick:** Will do. So this is the living room. Lots of room for living. Okay, look, I know it’s weird, but I told them my last name’s Patterson and my parents died in a car crash.

**Riley:** What? That’s insane.

**Nick:** Just go with it. If they find out the truth, I’m gonna be in a lot of trouble.

**Ed:** Okay, so apparently, we haven’t updated our games in a while. We have Candy Land, half a deck of Uno cards, and Hungry Hungry Hippo singular. So…

**Liz:** Oh, we can just talk then. You know, we can get to know more about Riley, and uh, maybe learn a little more about Nick.

**Jeremy:** Yes, let’s do that.

**Riley:** Um…

**Nick:** Candy Land sounds fun. Anyone? Candy Land? There’s some real strategy to that game.

**Molly:** So, Riley, how long have you known each other?

**Riley:** That’s a really funny story, and oddly, it has to do with jambalaya.

**Nick:** Long story short… since we were six.

**Molly:** Strange, you’ve known each other for so long. Nick has literally never mentioned you.

**Jeremy:** Yeah, in fact, Nick hasn’t mentioned a lot about her past life.

**Ed:** So did you two go to school together?

**Riley:** Did we go to school together? We did… not.

**Nick:** Riley was homeschooled. Hey, isn’t this game night? Let’s play Charades. Riley, you’re up first. No talking, remember?

**Ed:** Charades! Now we’re gettin’ somewhere! Movie… one word… two syllables.

**Molly:** I have no idea what—

**Nick:** *Frozen*!

**Riley:** Nailed it! Okay, Nick, you’re up!

**Nick:** We? Us? *This Is Us*?!

**Liz:** *Togetherness*?

**Ed:** *Ken Burns: The West*?

**Jeremy:** *Scandal*? *Collusion*? *Big Fat Liar*?

*(timer beeps)*
**Riley:** Time.

**Molly:** It… was… *Friends*.

**Riley:** *(laughs)* Oh, well, then you should’ve done this.

*(giggles)*
**Nick:** Wow. Look at the time. I’m exhausted. Let’s call it a night.

**Ed:** It’s 7:30.

**Liz:** Yeah, and you still haven’t told us where you guys met.

**Riley:** Okay, remember that jambalaya I mentioned? *(laughs)*

**Nick:** We met at the park. Yup, lots of park playdates with this one.

**Ed:** That’s nice. Did you play any sports?

**Nick:** Nope. She’s kind of a homebody.

**Molly:** Are you interested in social justice issues, like me and Nick? There’s a lot of work you can do from home. I can DM you some info. What’s your Insta handle?

**Nick:** Actually Riley’s mom made her close all her social media accounts. Too much cyber-bullying.

**Ed:** So what did you like to do for fun?

**Jeremy:** And how about we let Riley answer this one?

**Riley:** We used to do a lot of movie marathons before Nick’s dad went to… Heaven.

**Molly:** Wow. Insensitive. You know, Nick and I are actually very sensitive to the suffering of others.

**Riley:** That makes sense. Nick was always standing up for kids at school.

**Jeremy:** I thought you were homeschooled.

**Nick:** She was. I told her about it at the park.

**Jeremy:** What was that whole thing I heard about Nick, uh, disappearing?

**Nick:** Let’s talk about something else.

**Liz:** Nick, it’s okay. You know, we know you’ve been through a lot, but we’re just trying to get to know you better.

**Nick:** No, i-it’s cool. It’s just… Let’s play another game. How about Go Fish?

**Ed:** Nick, you don’t always have to pretend like everything’s okay.

**Molly:** Yeah, you know you can be yourself around me, your *real* self.

**Jeremy:** Yeah, we just wanna know more about you, some little things like… Hmm. Uh, what was the name of your school?

**Nick:** I told you—

**Molly:** Actually, you didn’t.

**Jeremy:** Where exactly did you live before here?

**Nick:** I don’t remember the exact—

**Jeremy:** What was the street name, or the neighborhood? What was the name of the park?

**Molly:** Why won’t you just open up to me?

**Nick:** Stop! Just stop! Stop asking questions! I don’t wanna talk about it.

**Riley:** Are you okay?

**Nick:** I tried to make this work, but… this can’t happen.

**Riley:** What are you talking about?

**Nick:** I thought I could have you back in my life, and things could be the way they were, but I was wrong. Because nothing’s the same anymore.

**Riley:** I’m still the same.

**Nick:** But I’m not! And things can’t ever go back to the way they were.

**Riley:** So what are you saying?

**Nick:** I can’t be friends with you.

**Riley:** I’m sorry I messed up, but I can fix this. Just let me talk to them, I’m a good talker.

**Nick:** You can’t fix this. Just leave.

**Riley:** But, Nick…

**Nick:** Goodbye, Riley.

*(sobbing)*
**Liz:** Nick, sweetie, is everything okay? Where’s Riley?

**Nick:** She had to go. *(cries)*

**Liz:** Hey, I’m sorry about everything tonight.

**Nick:** It’s fine! I’m going to bed. *(crying)*

**Molly:** Are you okay?

**Nick:** Yeah, totally.

**Molly:** I’m sorry that I…

*(Nick sobs)*
**Molly:** I’m here for you. Whenever you’re ready to talk.

*(sobs)*
**Ed:** Well, that didn’t go great.

**Liz:** You think? Maybe Mr. Sharma’s right. Maybe we really don’t know her at all.

**Ed:** Maybe she doesn’t feel like this is permanent. I mean, you feel like Nick is here to stay, right?

**Liz:** *(sighs)* I guess if I really think about it, I was getting used to the idea of having Nick around, but after today, I’m starting to think maybe we’re not the right family for her.

**Ed:** We’re her only family. We have to make this work.

**Liz:** *(sighs)* Do you… do you still have that pamphlet that Nick’s teacher gave us?

**Ed:** Yeah.

**Liz:** There’s a number in here for a family therapist. Should we call?

**Ed:** We could call her caseworker. What was her name? Dorothy?

**Liz:** Yeah, but this woman is an expert in family therapy.

**Ed:** Great, let’s call the expert.

**Liz:** *(sighs)* Yeah. We should see if we can get to know the real Nick, right?

**Ed:** Yeah.

*(sighs)*
## Cast

### Main Cast

* Siena Agudong as Nick Franzelli
* Lauren Lindsey Donzis as Molly Thompson
* Kalama Epstein as Jeremy Thompson
* Sean Astin as Ed Thompson
* Melissa Joan Hart as Liz Thompson

### Recurring Cast

* Kyla-Drew as Becky
* Tiana Le as Xuan
* Sanai Victoria as Tamika
* Lori Mae Hernandez as Riley

### Guest Cast

* Sunkrish Bala as Mr. Sharma
* Shawana Carter as Clerk

## Other Information

### Trivia

* The episode is called “The Block Out”, because later in the episode, Nick decides to block Riley out of her life.