DEGRASSI: AFTERMATH - S02E06 - TASTE THE PAIN

Disclaimer: I don´t own the rights to Degrassi or the characters from it.

1. Int. Rehearsal Room. Evening.

No Regrets (now consisting of Eddy and Kayla on guitars, Billy on the bass, Jon on keyboards and Vinnie on the drums) are rocking away. As much as we all love Spinner, Vinnie is clearly a big upgrade on the drums, compared to their first gig. They´re playing the Aerosmith classic "Same Old Song and Dance". Lisa and Jack are watching them and are very impressed by Eddy´s guitar playing in particular. When they finish, they applaud and cheer them.

Lisa/Jack:

Woo!

Kayla:

This gig will blow everyone away.

Vinnie:

I´ve never had a feeling this good about playing in a new band.

Kayla:

I know I´m not as good a singer as Maya.

Billy:

You´re pretty damn close.

Eddy:

Just imagine what we can do, when she gets out and we have both of you in the band.

Kayla:

So I can´t expect to get kicked out, when she comes back?

Jon:

No way. We can be like the E-Street band with you on piano and me on the keyboards, like they had with Roy Bittan and Danny Federici.

Billy:

Let´s get our female Bruce Springsteen out of jail first, before we start thinking that far ahead.

Eddy puts his guitar on it´s stand.

Eddy:

I need to use the boys room.

He starts to leave and the others jam, while Lisa and Jack enjoy it. No one notices that he grabs his jacket on the way out.

2. Int. Boys Restroom. Evening.

We can still hear the band jamming faintly in the background. Eddy comes out there and immediately takes off his shirt. He gets a tube and two pill bottles out of the inner pocket of his jacket. He squeezes the tube and a white/greyish cream comes out. He rubs it on his shoulder and his wrist. We can see that he´s wincing in pain as he rubs it in, but at the same time it´s helping relieve it. He tries to make circular motions with his bad arm and we can see that he doesn´t have much mobility in it. It obviously hurts him to do so, but he´s lived with this for a long time and knows what works. He puts the top back on the tube and puts it on the sink. He then takes two pills from each of the pill bottles and washes them down with water from the sink. He puts the pills and the tube back in his pocket and puts his shirt back on. He looks at himself in the mirror for a few seconds, before grabbing his jacket and leaving.

OPENING CREDITS

2. Ext. Park. Day.

Deb, Seb, Chrissy and Jamie are playing a game of two on two soccer against each other. They use their jackets as replacements for goal posts. Their ball is old and worn, but still usable. Deb and Seb aren´t bad. Jamie is obviously pretty good, but Chrissy isn´t anywhere near his level. She loses the ball to Seb and he runs down and scores. The two siblings fist bump.

Deb:

That´s 5-2, suckers!

Chrissy:

Yeah! Well, we´re luring you into a false sense of security and it´s working perfectly.

Jamie:

You probably shouldn´t have told them that.

Chrissy:

Could you ever forgive me?

Jamie:

It´s already done.

They kiss and the siblings make gag noises at them.

We cut to Emma and Manny, walking on a path not far from them.

Emma:

It´s a shame you won´t get to see Eddy play tonight.

Manny:

Yeah, but this is bigger. This is my first house call. There´s no way I could be more excited!

Emma:

And you´ve got the most understanding boyfriend in the world.

Manny:

That helps too. Wait, isn´t that Chrissy?

Emma:

I think it is. I don´t recognize the other kids she´s playing with. Maybe she´s making friends in remedial class, like we hoped she would.

Manny:

Good for her!

They watch as Jamie dribbles past both Seb and Deb and runs up and scores. Chrissy and him kiss again and both Emma and Manny smile, but look a little shocked as well.

Manny:

She´s making REALLY good friends in that class.

Emma:

Hey, she waited half a year longer than I did. I´m so happy for her right now.

Manny:

Should we go over there to meet him?

Emma:

No, she should be allowed to introduce him to us, when she thinks she´s ready. That first love is so special, I don´t want to do anything to ruin it for her.

Manny:

Is it just me or is it like we´re watching you and Sean from 26 years ago?

Emma:

Like mother, like daughter.

They continue their walk, but go in the opposite direction of the kids, so they won´t see them.

The kids have taken a break in the game and are resting on the grass.

Chrissy:

We have to continue this some other time. I have to get home, so I can get ready for tonight.

Deb:

What´s going on tonight?

Chrissy:

There´s a band playing at this place my dad owns called "Above The Dot".

Deb:

Your dad owns it? I thought you were poor like the rest of us.

Chrissy:

Just because he owns it, that doesn´t mean that we´re making lots of money on it. He´s hired this woman named Sherry to reopen and run it, but it´s a big chance to take. The last time he closed it, it had lost money the entire time it was open. At least your parents always know how much money is coming in. We´re not that lucky.

Seb:

And here I always thought that if you owned something, that meant you had money.

Chrissy:

If only that was the truth. Are you guys coming?

Deb:

No, we´ve got this family thing.

Chrissy:

Are you walking me home?

Jamie:

Lead the way.

They put on their jackets and leave, holding hands.

3. Int. Doctor´s office. Day.

The doctor Anthony Hamlin (a neat looking man in his early 30´s) is examining Eddy´s arm.

Anthony:

See how far you can lift it up, when holding you arm out straight in front of you, but without feeling any discomfort.

Eddy can just manage to lift it up, so that it´s horizontal with with his shoulder. Anthony makes a measurement of it.

Anthony:

Now try to strain it all you can.

Eddy manages to lift it a few more inches. Anthony measures it again.

Anthony:

Allright, you can put on your shirt now.

Anthony takes a seat behind his desk and types the numbers in. Eddy puts on his shirt and sits down.

Anthony:

I wish I could say that it´s looking good, Eddy.

Eddy:

I know. I´ve been having a lot more pain in it, than I usually have.

Anthony:

I know the temperatures have dropped a lot over last weeks. The cold probably has a lot to do with it, but I´m alarmed at these measurements.

Eddy:

It´s that bad?

Anthony:

You´ve been losing mobility constantly over the last two years and it´s been rapidly increasing in the last two measurements we´ve done. You´re resting it all you can?

Eddy:

As much as possible.

Anthony:

As far as pain killers, is it still the creme that works best?

Eddy:

That and the muscle relaxants.

Anthony:

Then I think it´s time we went to the hardest we can get. I´m going to prescribe you a pill called Carisoprodol along with the usual ones. With these, you have to follow the instructions to the letter. They´re highly addictive and you can´t drive for at least four hours after you´ve eaten one. I recommend only using them in case you´re in heavy, constant pain and nothing else works. If you overdose on these, it can lead to cardiac arrest. In the US they hand out presciptions to them all the time, but up here they´ve just been made legal again and we only prescribe them in very rare cases.

Eddy:

If you think it wil help, I say thank you very much!

Anthony:

You told me that you´ve started playing in a band again. Do you rehearse a lot?

Eddy:

Probably not as much as we should!

They both smile at his remark.

Anthony:

It´s good to see that you´re not depressed about your situation. But I want you to make sure, that you don´t over strain anything by playing too much. We have talked about your increased risk of arthritis.

Eddy:

I know and believe me, it´s always in the back of my head. Now that I have a girlfriend she´s after me as much as anyone to take it easy.

Anthony:

I´m glad to hear she´s on my side. Until next time, Eddy.

The two shake hands and Eddy leaves the office.

4. Int. Car. Evening

Bianca is driving as her and Manny are heading to their house call.

Bianca:

So did you do your homework and read their file?

Manny:

I read it right after I got home. It´s such a sad story. The mother´s a drunk who´s been to rehab several times and the father´s a jailbird, who´s been in and out of the system since he was 16. Caught in the middle are the kids.

Bianca:

He´s done several terms for violent offences, including sending his own wife to the hospital for over a week. I don´t think he´ll be a danger to us, but we have to be diplomatic with him. The good part is that were here as public officials. He wants trouble with us, about as much as we want it with him.

Manny:

Do you think he´s beating his kids?

Bianca:

The statistics speak for it, but I always hope it isn´t the case. Are you scared?

Manny:

There are some butterflies, yes.

Bianca:

There´s nothing wrong with that. I was nervous on my first house call.

Manny:

That´s a little bit comforting. Thanks.

Bianca:

I´ve been on hundreds of these. I´ve still only been attacked once and I didn´t get hurt at all. You could take a self defense class, like a lot of the counsellors have.

Manny:

I never thought of this as being dangerous.

She stares out the window, but isn´t as confident as she was before that conversation.

5. Int. Above The Dot. Evening.

The band is finishing their soundcheck. Spinner and a 42 year old black haired Femme Fatale type named Sherry Colby stand next to each other and enjoy the music. The band finish and they come up to the stage.

Spinner:

Sounds great, guys. It almost makes me wish I was playing with you, but I have to man the grill downstairs.

Eddy:

You´d also have to rehearse with us once in a while. Is Chrissy coming?

Spinner:

Yeah, I´ve given her the night off. This time my parents get to take care of the two rugrats.

Eddy:

How´s she doing in remedial?

Spinner:

She says she loves it. The teacher is really helping her. Now that they know she has a learning disability and where the biggest problems lie, they can help her even more. She´s even bringing a new friend she met there tonight.

Eddy:

That´s awesome.

Spinner:

Eddy, I´d like you to meet Sherry Colby, the new fifty percent owner and manager of this establishment.

Eddy:

Nice to meet you, mrs. Colby.

Sherry:

Likewise, mr. Reid.

Eddy:

How do you know my last name?

Sherry:

I read an article in the Toronto Examiner about you and Maya Matlin. You haven´t seen it?

Eddy:

Yeah, I saw it. It didn´t say much about me, just a few lines.

Sherry:

You don´t seem too happy about it.

Eddy:

I´m glad Maya hasn´t seen it. Fame at a time when she´s in prison, is probably the last thing she needs right now.

Sherry:

Then I see that the article is true. You do care about her.

Eddy:

A lot, yes.

Sherry:

But I will admit my hope is, that the mention of your band name in the article will lead more people here tonight.

Spinner:

It´s all about putting butts in the seats, isn´t that what they say?

Eddy:

We just hope you´ll be satisfied with our performance.

Sherry:

I´m sure I will. Shall we, Gavin?

Spinner:

We´ve still got a ton of paperwork to get through until the sale is final.

Sherry:

And I´d like to get that done today.

Spinner:

Let´s go then.

She steadies herself on his arm as they head down the stairs. Kayla comes up behind Eddy.

Kayla:

Can you spell "Man Eater"?

They laugh and start packing things away.

6. Int. Likens Family Apartment Living Room. Evening.

The Likens Family is a dump in one of the worst parts of the city, but at least it´s a dump they´ve cleaned up for the occasion. Everyone is seated around a table. Manny is holding a notepad. Deb and Seb´s parents are Ed Likens, a 38 year old muscular man with rugged features to pretty much his entire body. He also has several visible scars and jail house tattoos. His wife is Gertrude Likens, a 36 year old, frail woman with short, brown hair, who looks a lot more like someone you would think is 46. Like her husband, she has a pack of cigarettes and a lighter in front of her. She is trying not to have shakes from alcohol withdrawal.

Bianca:

This is a standard follow up meeting. Next to me is Manuella Santos, she is one of our newest counsellors.

Manny:

It´s a pleasure to meet you all.

Ed:

You too, ms. Santos.

Bianca:

Ed, it´s been 4 months since you were released. I know you found a job, that didn´t work out and then you found another. What´s the story there?

Ed:

It was obvious from the start that they didn´t trust me. Some things went missing, like they sometimes do and they pointed the finger at me. I had nothing to do with it, so I wasn´t taking it. No one treats Ed Likens that way!

Manny and Biance eye each other sceptically.

Ed:

So I told them where they could shove their job and a few days later I got hired on a demolition crew. It pays lot better and they don´t treat me like I´m a criminal.

Bianca:

That´s good to hear. What about last Friday? You were in a car with a guy who was caught driving while he was high on Cocaine. Did you take anything?

Ed:

Do you think I´d be that stupid? I have to give a urine sample to my parole officer, every time I go to see him.

Bianca:

And you´ve never tampered with a drug test. Like say, handing in someone else´s urine as your own?

Ed:

Never!

Bianca:

Now Gertrude, let´s hear from you. Are you staying off the sauce?

Gertrude:

I try, but it´s hard.

Bianca:

How many benders have you been on, since the last time we spoke?

Ed:

Show some respect, please.

Gertrude:

A few.

Bianca:

Let´s be honest here for once. Have you been on one this past week?

Ed:

My cousin Walter had his birthday down at a local bar. We had some drinks, but she wasn´t passed out drunk like she used to be.

Bianca:

I think she can speak for herself. How drunk were you, Gertie? Did you throw up?

Gertrude nods. Ed isn´t happy.

Ed:

Look, she´s trying all that she can to beat this thing. Have a heart, wil you? This isn´t good for her.

Bianca:

We have to ask the tough questions, you know that.

Ed:

Yes and it´s great that you stop A-Holes from hurting their kids, but we´re not like that.

Bianca:

Let´s move on to Deborah and Sebastian.

Neither Deb or Seb look happy that they have to answer questions.

Bianca:

You´re were both doing better in school for a while, until right around the time of your father´s release. Since then the grades have dropped for both of you and you´ve missed several classes.

Ed:

Let me say first, that part of the reason they´ve missed classes is my fault. I needed their help.

Bianca:

Other parents don´t pull their children out of school whenever they need help.

Ed:

I suppose I´m not like other parents, then.

Bianca:

I think it´s best if we talk to the children seperately in their room, if that´s fine with you.

Ed:

I guess.

Manny and Bianca lead them into their room.

7. Int. Deb and Seb´s Room. Evening.

The two teenagers sit down on their respective beds.

Manny:

We want you to know that you call tell us anything. We´re here for you.

Bianca:

Opening up about problems can be extremely hard.

Deb:

We ...

Seb shakes his head at her and motions towards the door. Bianca takes out her card from one of her pockets.

Bianca:

Take this. You can call me directly at that number, day or night, or you can come to see me at that address. It´s best it you book an appointment first, but we always have time in case of a crisis.

Deb:

Thanks, ms. DeSousa. Ms. Santos.

Bianca:

We can only help you, if you help yourselves first, okay?

They both nod and seem to have got the message.

Bianca and Manny both leave the room. The siblings eye each other, not exactly sure of what their best move is.

8. Int. Above the Dot Backroom. Evening.

We focus on Eddy´s face. At first he´s almost in ecstacy, then it switches to a face of pain in an instant.

Eddy:

Oh, God!

We see that Kayla has been rubbing creme on his shoulder. The other guys are chilling out.

Kayla:

Did I hurt you?

Eddy:

Not at all. In fact you hit a very sore muscle. Put a little extra on it and really rub it in there.

Kayla:

No wonder it´s sore, it´s hard as a rock.

Billy begins singing the guitar line from AC/DC´s song "Hard as a Rock" to himself. Michaela, a bubbly and cute 18 year old waitress pops her head in the dressing room.

Michaela:

1 minute to showtime!

Eddy puts his shirt back on and they head out on stage.

9. Int. Car. Evening.

Bianca and Manny are driving back from the house call.

Manny:

They were all afraid of him, no doubt about that.

Bianca:

He is a house tyrant, but I didn´t see anyone having black marks. That´s at least something.

Manny:

That girl. Do you think her voice sounded like the girl, who hung up on us? The one who said that her dad could kill his family?

Bianca:

You have to let that go, or it´ll drive you crazy. I think you wanted it to be her.

Manny:

You´re right. I can still make most of my boyfriend´s gig.

Bianca:

Where´s it at?

Manny:

A place called "Above the Dot".

Bianca:

Right above "The Dot", the restaurant?

Manny:

You want to join me?

Bianca:

Why not. I rarely take off from work early, but I haven´t been to that place in years.

She steps on the gas.

10. Int. The Dot. Evening.

Spinner is closing the place up, when Chrissy and Jamie come in.

Chrissy:

Hi, dad.

Spinner:

Hi, sweetheart. Guess what?

Chrissy:

You´ve finished the sale?

Spinner:

Yep.

She runs over and gives him a big hug. Jamie is happy that she´s happy.

Spinner:

We´ll be getting the money in a few weeks, when the sale is finalized.

Chrissy:

So we can keep the house?

Spinner:

We can keep the house.

Chrissy couldn´t be happier, Spinner notices Jamie.

Spinner:

And who might the fine young man be? Step forward, son.

Jamie:

Jamie Burnquist, sir. I´m ...

Chrissy:

He´s my boyfriend, dad.

Spinner sternly eyes the both of them.

Spinner:

Boyfriend, huh? Then I better get to know young mr. Burnquist here a little better, hadn´t I?

Jamie:

Yes, sir.

Spinner:

You called me sir, that shows respect. I value respect in a man, mr. Burnquist. Don´t you too?

Jamie:

Yes, absolutely sir.

Spinner winks at Chrissy, who tries not to laugh.

Spinner:

What are your plans for the future?

Jamie:

Like, when I grow up?

Spinner:

If you´re going to date my daughter, then you better start growing up soon, young man. I expect her men to support her both emotionally and financially. Do you have a job?

Jamie:

No sir, but I get five dollars a week in allowance. I could give that to her. Please, mr. Mason. I like Chrissy a lot and I think she´s the most special girl I´ve ever met. Please don´t make her break up with me!

Spinner´s facial expression changes to a smile. Jamie seems confused.

Spinner:

I think we´ll survive without his five dollars a week, don´t you, Chrissy?

Chrissy:

Are you planning on doing this with every boy I bring home?

Spinner:

I had to see if he liked you enough, that he didn´t just turn around and run. You seem like a good kid, Jamie. Respect her boundaries, don´t get her into trouble and always be nice to her, those are my three rules.

Jamie:

Thank you, mr. Mason.

Spinner:

You can call me Spinner. Are you guys ready for some live music?

Chrissy:

Absolutely.

Spinner:

Then help he finish up here, so we can all go upstairs together.

They help him finish up.

11. Int. Above the Dot. Evening.

The band has just finished a song and people are applauding. Manny and Bianca go over to say hi to Spinner, Jamie and Chrissy.

Kayla:

Man, this place is cooking tonight! Allright. This next one is dedicated to my ex-boyfriend, Sean.

Montage - music: "You Oughta Know" by Alanis Morissette (sung by Kayla)

The band play the song and people enjoy it. On that famous line "Now you´re thinking of me, when you F*** her", Manny quickly covers Chrissy´s ears, when she remembers the line is coming up. It´s obvious that Spinner hasn´t had this good a time in a long time and especially Chrissy is happy to see her dad with a smile on his face.

CLOSING CREDITS