Dusty knows about the use, but he isn't using.
Money on the Father. Makes the most sense and while predictable, would be fairly impactful on the MC at this point.
I really hope gratuitous deaths don't happen. The whole thing seems to be an early 2000s frat comedy mixed with a bunch of romantic drama, throwing something that heavy in the middle just kind of messes up everything. Like imagine animal house or revenge of the nerds, and everything is playing out like normal but 3/4 of the way through, the evil Dean ODs on heroin and the last quarter is a somber look at the dangers of drug abuse and how those who survive are the real victims. Everything else before becomes quite irrelevant, it would kill any mood and ruin the overall tone and story until them.
I mean, with acting lessons, I don’t like the railroad death but seeing it didn’t exactly surprise me. The tone it was always a bit off, there always a shadow hanging over, and it seem like it was trying to build up like a “Walk to remember” style thing. Where the main female lead would die Young tragically but the beauty of the relationship overshadowed how it ended, you know, (and I'm sorry, DPC but really), but it was a predictable bullshit Nicholas sparks thing. I didn’t see it coming, but looking back at it, yeah I can see what he was building for.
If he tried the same thing in DIK, it wouldn’t flow at all. The partying, everything, would just be a prelude to tragedy and you'd have to get reflective which has been a fun coming of age story into romance and partying and friendships.
About the dad, Imagine if Jim the Piefucker died close to the end in American Pie. Sure, you could fit it specially if Eugene Levy didn't get such a proeminent role, but the plot, relationships would take a hard break, things would have to stop and focus on that sudden shift despite it literally no one but MC knowing him. There isn’t a reason except to give protagonist a downer arc and an excuse to party, followed by a girl or all the girls comforting him. But I can see the scene playing out:
>Protag gets a call from a police officer
>Gets the news
>Gets very depressed
>Beat the fuck out of someone
>Gets in trouble
>Decides to kill his problem with liquor
>Goes wild in the dick house
>Whoever the main girl is finally corners him
>Tell him it’s OK to be sad
>He breaks down
>End of scene
Nothing builds up deeper and more involving relationships than facing adversity together. Sure, usually the story uses that to get an 'easy' way to make the other characters to fall deeply for the Protagonist, BUT, nothing gets fans more involved into a relationship when the Love Interest becomes a safeport and helps the MC in tough time. People love that. Knowing someone cares and won't put stops. Beauty and The Beast, with Belle's role as the safeport to Beast, really sells it.
However, such scene would force the protagonist to 'grow up', and cut the College Lifestyle. He will have to provide for himself entirely, deal with a will and the little goods they have, probably find a job and really become an adult quickly. Which uh, would kinda negate the point of the story.