ACT 1
FADE IN
TREE HILL TOWN AT NIGHTIME
OUTSIDE A HOUSE NESTLED NEAR THE WOODS
A LOUD racket can be heard, screams of a child pleading with his father.
INSIDE
A BLOND BOY of around the age of ten, a baseball bat in his hand, runs into
THE SOFA AREA
where he dashes behind a desk, breathing heavily, the dim room managing to be his only sanctuary for now.
Suddenly a deep voice is heard in the distance, steady FOOTSTEPS approaching along with it.
MAN (off screen): Aaron, you get back here. You can't hide forever! You here me!
AARON takes in a deep breath, gripping his puny hands even harder around the bat.
THE DOOR SPEWS OPEN, the back pressure of its touch against the wall reverberating throughout the entire room..
Aaron sliding his back furher down as not to be seen.
The Man getting frustrated...
MAN: Where are you, you little twirp? I'm your father, damn it!
Father frowns. He can't take it any longer.
FATHER: I said, I'm your father!
He knocks over things with the belt he's grasping as if it were the most important object in this world.
Next on his list is a baseball trophy and its box of cards of the famous football player Peyton Manning along with the college talent of baseball player Reid Peyton he sends crashing to the floor...
this causing Aaron to flinch somewhat in fear, thus making a noise as he trys to steady his nerves.
But it only bring attention to his father.
FATHER: There you are.
Father turning over the things in his way as he marches to Aaron. He reaches for the boy,
Aaron swinging at his father with the bat, father stopping the kid before he can do any damage, throwing Aaron's weapon to the side.
Aaron is horrified.
AARON: No!
Father grabbing his son close.
FATHER: You're coming with me.
He drags Aaron along, the boy kicking and screaming
AARON: No, please, dad, don't beat me. Pleeeeeeeeeeeese! I'll be good! I'll be good!
FATHER: Only one way for you to be good, boy -- And it's through a fierce tanning of your hide.
AARON: No!
Aaron manages to break free, going into a corner.
His father only smirking.
FATHER: You've gotta be kidding me.
He picks up the fallen trophy from the ground and pats it in his hand.
There it is -- that look of hate that Aaron sees in his father's eyes, and before he even has time to process it, that trophy is soon hitting him, his father knocking at him like there's no tommorrow.
Aaron crying profusely as the blood seeps from his little brow.
AARON: God, why you gotta be so mean? Why you gotta be so mean?
Father drags his son through the door, Aaron saying one last thing before he does:
AARON: There's gotta be a better father out there than you somewhere. There's just gotta be!
The door SLAMS!
As we...
CUT TO:
JAY JOHNSON'S BUILDING -- DAY TIME
INSIDE
A 17-YEAR-OLD LUCAS SCOTT waiting, sitting in a chair as he reads the daily newspaper.
Other people conversing from here to there, some seated as well.
AN ASSISTANT WOMAN coming out to address Lucas.
ASSISTANT WOMAN: Dr. Johnson will see you now.
Lucas grabbing a big brown box from his side, heading for the double doors before him.
As when the double doors close after him, they read, "The best therapists in the biz"
INSIDE OF THE OFFICE
Lucas enters.
Dr. Johnson, his back to the boy, as he puts on his glasses, typical of most doctors practicing this profession.
He turns to Lucas.
DR. JOHNSON: Now -- Mr. Scott -- how can I help you?
Lucas walks over to the man, dropping down the box in front of him, it flinging open to reveal a ton of pictures and love letters of and from some 17-year-old blond girl, the box overflowing with the stuff.
Dr. Johnson adjusts the glasses on his face to better see the loving sentiments in the box as he seems to be flabbergasted by its enormity.
He simply looks back up at Lucas with both amusement and seriousness.
DR. JOHNSON: This is gonna take a while.
LATER
Lucas is sprawled out onto the couch...
Dr. Johnson leaning back against the desk, listening to the boy.
LUCAS: ... And then she left -- and that's the whole story.
It's quiet for a minute or so, Lucas looking to the doctor for answers...
Dr. Johnson just turning his back to the young one as he slowly returns the glasses to his face.
Then, quickly, there is a spin, and the doctor staring at Lucas as if he's lost his damn mind.
DR JOHNSON: Are you a complete idiot!
Lucas sits up at this.
LUCAS: What? Shrinks aren't suppose to talk to their patients like that.
DR. JOHNSON: I prefer the term therapist. And, yes, the hell we are suppose to talk to them like that when it's called for. I mean, what did you expect? You called your memories with the girl a mistake.
LUCAS: I didn't call my memories with Peyton a mistake. I called my cheating with her on Brooke a mistake. There's a difference.
DR. JOHNSON: The difference being that if you wanted to be with Peyton, then you should have broken things off with Brooke first.
LUCAS: Right, but I didn't.
DR. JOHNSON: Instead you cheated.
LUCAS: Right, and that was the mistake. See, that's how I screwed things up so badly with Brooke.
DR. JOHNSON: Not that Peyton was the mistake.
LUCAS: Of course not -- Peyton never was. And maybe never even Brooke.
DR. JOHNSON: But your trying to get with Peyton while you were dating Brooke was?
LUCAS: Exactly.
DR. JOHNSON: Gotcha...however... when first told this, people might get it confused.
LUCAS: Did you?
DR. JOHNSON: Oh, no. I heard perfectly clear -- you kept all that Peyton memorabilia to remind you how badly you screwed things up with your girlfriend at the time, Brooke Davis. Yes, and its clarified that it meant your act of infidelity was the mistake and not the person...I only wanted to hear you say that as well.
Lucas sighs, looking down at the floor.
LUCAS: So now what am I gonna do?
DR. JOHNSON: Well...first...
Dr. Johnson goes over to his liquor cabinet, and pours himself a quick drink, then proceeds to walk back to Lucas.
DR. JOHNSON: You're gonna watch me take a drink of this whiskey. I've been parched all day.
Lucas looks up at the man, then back down at the floor.
DR. JOHNSON: Second...one of your women has already left. Flown the coup, I'd say. So tell me...where is this first one then?
Lucas looks back up at the man and smiles devilishly.
AS ON THE BEACH
17-YEAR-OLD PEYTON SAWYER strolls along, blond hair gleaming in the sun, her looking out into the deep blue as suddenly she hears his voice.
LUCAS: (off screen) Hey! Peyton, hey!
Peyton turns to see Lucas breathing heavily, barefoot and messied-up in his rolled-up jeans and wrinkled T-shirt running to her.
She just sighs.
PEYTON: Okay, we've gotta stop meeting up like this.
Lucas steps in front of her.
LUCAS: What? It's only been a day...Besides, what happened to..."It's just you and me this summer?"
Peyton continues walking along the beach.
PEYTON: You said that. Not me.
He grabs her by the arm, stopping her in her place.
LUCAS: Whoa. Peyton, what is this? Don't push me away now. Not when I have no one els--
Peyton smirks angrily.
PEYTON: Yeah, that's right -- wanna talk to dreary ol' Peyt again when it's convenient for you. No one around, so yeah, let's see what Peyton's doing.
Lucas laughs.
LUCAS: Peyton. It's not like that.
Peyton, however, is not laughing.
PEYTON: It's not funny.
LUCAS: Look...I know I haven't been a good friend to you lately, but that's why I made it clear the other day that I wanna work on that, alright?
Peyton tries to walk ahead, Lucas steadying his grip on her arm, making her face him.
LUCAS: I mean it. We were close once. Like so close that I swear when you looked at me, you could read my every thought, okay?
Lucas releases his grasp on her, instead placing one to her shoulder.
LUCAS: And I swear on everything that I wanna feel that close to you again. Always.
This time Lucas doesn't even have to offer as Peyton leans into him and he hugs her with every fiber in his being.
Peyton seemingly a little too emotional.
PEYTON: I don't know how we ever drifted apart, Lucas, but I never want that to happen again. It's like one day we just stopped talking.
LUCAS: If it's one thing I've learned these past few months -- it's that life's too short to just stop talking. At least to the ones that are most important to you.
But then -- Peyton gasps!
PEYTON: Oh, my God, Lucas, look!
Lucas swiftly pulls away, wanting to see what she's talking about.
LUCAS: What?