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Obsession · written by Curry Barker · 2026
Scene 39 of 61 · ≈ 6 min on screen · Act two
Bear wishes the woman he loves would love him back. The wish comes true — and her devotion becomes a violence neither of them can stop.
Bear in his comfort zone of quiet, unspoken longing for Nicky, grieving his cat and coached by Ian to stay silent rather than confess.
Bear needs Nicky to love him back, sharpened by trivia night's proximity to her and Ian, and the purchase of the willow as an almost-joke wish object.
Bear breaks the willow and makes the wish, crossing from wanting to actively, magically pursuing Nicky's love.
Bear adapts to Nicky's escalating strangeness, paying the cost of denial and rationalization as the relationship forms under increasingly disturbing terms.
Nicky confesses her love and the relationship becomes real — Bear gets exactly what he wished for, at the exact moment the cracks (the dad lie) start to show.
In the car, Ian pushes Bear to explain the relationship and warns him it looks like he's taking advantage of Nicky, ultimately inviting him to a boys'-only night without her.
Bear comes home to find Nicky standing in her own vomit and urine, having waited all day by the door; he extracts a promise from her not to do that again, then caves and lets her come to Ian's party after all.
At Ian's, Ian ribs Bear with the nickname "Co-dipshit" for bringing Nicky despite the boys'-night rule.
This scene
They join the party: Sarah, REGGIE, 27, tall and lanky; JOE, 22, the younger brother type; CHRIS, 24, happy-go-lucky.
IAN
Sarah did nothing wrong.
BEAR
(under his breath)
Well, neither did we.
IAN
(sternly to Bear)
No weird shit.
Ian sits beside Sarah, the room alive with DRUNK JENGA. Nicky, looking HOT, signals Bear. Hopeful, Bear joins her, craving a hint of normality.
Reggie pulls a block out from the Jenga tower and reads it aloud.
REGGIE
Choose someone to drink every time
you do for the next three rounds,
starting now.
(to Ian)
Your house, you're going down with
the ship!
IAN
Fine.
They drink. Everyone laughs. Joe pulls a block.
JOE
(reading)
Switch seats with someone.
(to the group)
JOE (CONT'D)
Hmm. Baron, I want to sit next to
Nicky.
Everyone laughs as if they're in on the joke.
NICKY
(pleading)
Noooo.
Bear laughs, stands, and Nicky catches his hand.
NICKY (CONT'D)
(childish)
No, don't leave me.
BEAR
It's fine.
He moves over to Sarah and Joe sits next to Nicky.
REGGIE
Jesus Bear, what kinda spell did
you put on her?
Everyone laughs.
BEAR
I can be hard to resist-
Nicky's laughter erupts, loud and forced, getting everyone's attention. Silence. She STANDS, laughing again — a forceful, exaggerated laugh.
She halts, stares directly at the ceiling in silence, then turns her gaze back to the crowd.
NICKY
Nicky sits, leaving the room in uncertain silence. Ian, shaking his head, pulls a block, attempting to reclaim the mood.
IAN
(blunt)
Take a shot.
Ian downs a shot. Setting the glass down, its clink echoes deafeningly in the room's sudden silence.
SARAH
(awkward)
Nicky, it's your turn.
NICKY
Yay!
Nicky pulls a brick, doesn't read it aloud, stands, grabs her phone, and starts reading.
NICKY (CONT'D)
The air was charged by the distant call of a nightbird. His face was obscured, but I knew he was looking at my chest, each side stretching, recently matured to different sizes.
Nicky, EERILY STILL, uses her voice to embody the characters.
NICKY (CONT'D)
"Hansel, come lie with me, like the Old Woman taught us when we were children," I said. He closed the door and leaned against it. "You're not my wife, Gretel," he said. "I am more than your wife. I'm your sister."
Some people chuckle, but Nicky is impassioned by the words.
NICKY (CONT'D)
Hansel flinched and reached for the door handle. I knew he would not leave this place. He would relent and choose to be inside me like he had many nights before. If not, I would have fileted his meaty forearm, rolled it like a stick of licorice, and inserted his flesh between my legs.
Laughter turns to unease. Nicky sets her phone down, reciting the remainder from memory.
NICKY (CONT'D)
Hansel is my soul, my cud. "Brother, you will be inside me tonight." I went to him at the wall and reached for his sharp shoulders. His eyes were on the door, but his hands grabbed my hips.
She sits.
NICKY (CONT'D)
New book I'm working on. I don't have to drink now.
The room remains SILENT. Finally, Chris speaks up.
CHRIS
(awkward)
It's your turn, Joe.
JOE
Well, that means it's Bear's turn because we switched spots.
BEAR
Oh shit. Okay.
Bear reads a brick, his face pales. He glances at Nicky, who leans forward with anticipation. Then, he looks at Ian.
BEAR (CONT'D)
Kiss the person to your left.
It's Sarah. "Oohs" and "wows" ripple through the crowd. as Nicky swiftly rises, capturing everyone's attention. Moving deliberately, she stops behind Sarah, who sits in a metal fold-up chair.
Discomfort thickens as Nicky grabs Sarah's chair, pausing tensely before dragging it back, the creak echoing through the room. Settling into Sarah's place, she puckers up childishly, eyes tightly shut.
Bear scans the shocked faces before leaning in to kiss Nicky. Tears stream down her closed eyes as she sobs heavily, the rhythm like a broken record. Her head sways until she composes herself enough to speak.
NICKY
No one on this earth will ever comprehend what it feels like to love someone as much as I love you.
Nicky rises, words catching in her throat.
NICKY (CONT'D)
(now to the crowd)
And everyone in this room will die...
(looking at Ian)
never feeling the strength of connection I have felt with my Bear.
Ian shoots Nicky an almost hurt look. She returns to her original seat in silence.
IAN
(somber, nearly a whisper)
Nicky, are you okay?
NICKY
I'm just kidding, guys.
Some relief in the room, but still quiet.
NICKY (CONT'D)
(defiant)
Okay, fine, I'm not kidding. Live with it.
Speechless and uncomfortable, no one stirs. The focus shifts to Bear, visibly shaken, his gaze fixed on Nicky.
IAN (O.S.)
Uhm, who wants Jell-O shots?
No one.
REGGIE (O.S.)
I'll take one.
IAN (O.S.)
Okay. Thank you, Reggie.
We hear Ian stand up. His voice sounds distant.
IAN (O.S.) (CONT'D)
Any other takers?
Nicky locks eyes with Bear, guilt washing over her. Suddenly, she JOLTS back into her body, the TRUE NICKY emerging.
She moves abruptly, franticly searching for ANYTHING that could hurt her. A vodka bottle. She SMASHES it on the table. Everyone jerks back in fear.
NICKY
(begging)
IT'S NOT ME! PLEASE!
After several attempts, the glass shatters. She grabs the broken end of the bottle and stabs it into her face.
The blunt glass FAILS to puncture, causing damage nonetheless. She manages one more stab before switching back to HAPPY NICKY.
She drops the glass. Everyone is up, some cower in the corners.
NICKY (CONT'D)
Oh my god. Ian, I'm so sorry.
Blood drips from various wounds on her face.
IAN (O.S.)
Okay Bear, take her out.
Bear, is horrified and worried.
NICKY (O.S.)
Okay, okay, I am so sorry guys. Oh my god. It's ok. It was a joke. I'm leaving. I'm sorry.
Nicky's voice is distant.
NICKY (O.S.) (CONT'D)
Come on, babe.
Everyone looks at Bear.