DEGRASSI: AFTERMATH - S08E06 - BOYS AND GIRLS
Disclaimer: I don´t own Degrassi or the characters from it.
1. Int. Hallway. Morning.
Deco and Sally are signing autographs and taking selfies with their new found fans before school starts. Deco is a bit overwhelmed, where as Sally is more used to it. A pair of niner girls (Talia and Madison) come up to them.
Madison:
Can we have a selfie with you guys?
Sally:
Of course.
They pose with the girls, who get their pictures and look ecstatic.
Talia:
You guys are the best! We both love the show!
Madison:
I love Ella! She is so much like me!
Deco:
That´s great.
Madison:
Wow! Your accent is so different from the way it is on the show.
Deco:
I fake a Canadian accent for the cameras. I´m actually from Ireland.
Talia:
It´s kind of sexy!
She winks at him and he gets a little flustered.
Talia:
If you ever need a date or something ...
Deco:
I´m already with someone.
Talia:
Hit me up on FaceRange, if you become single, okay?
Deco:
Oh-kay!
We cut to Lisa and Jamie, who are watching them.
Lisa:
Aren´t you just a little bummed, that they´re not flocking to you anymore?
Jamie:
To be honest, I couldn´t be happier. I love skating, but I can do without the whole fame thing.
Lisa:
I´ve been having second thoughts too.
Jamie:
I thought you wanted to be a rock star more than anything.
Lisa:
It sounds like the greatest thing ever. To have people admire you and hurl their love at you. But I´ve seen enough episodes of "Behind the Music" to know, that it isn´t all roses.
Jamie:
Are you sure, you can trust those shows? I mean, it´s always the same. The band forms, they grow a fanbase, drugs get involved and they break up, before their triumphant return after the last commercial break.
Lisa:
That´s if they´re still talking and not involved in law suits against each other. I don´t know. Maybe being a normal person, who plays a gig in a club now and then is more for me.
Jamie:
What ever you choose, you´ll always have a fan in me.
Lisa:
Ditto.
They smile at each other. Jamie checks his phone.
Jamie:
We´d better get to class.
They get up and Talia (who was busy looking at the pictures on her phone) bumps into Jamie and drops her things. It isn´t Jamie´s fault, but she looks mad at him.
Talia:
Watch where you´re going!
Lisa:
You bumped into him.
Talia:
That´s irrelevant.
Jamie:
Let me help you with that.
He tries to help her, but she pushes him away.
Talia:
I don´t need your help!
Madison:
Do you think, she´s some feeble girl, who can´t do anything by herself?
Jamie:
I was just trying to be helpful.
Talia:
Save your man-splaining for someone, who cares!
She gets her things and they leave a flabbergasted Lisa and Jamie.
Jamie:
Since when is it against the rules to help?
Lisa:
I´m lost for words. On behalf of girls everywhere, I apologize for those two.
Sally and Deco come over to them.
Sally:
We saw what happened. Are you alright, Jamie?
Jamie:
I guess.
Deco:
I´ve tried the same thing a few times.
Lisa:
I´m fine with feminism, but that was over the line!
Sally:
Can you blame them? They probably grew up on YouTube videos, made by angry man hating women.
Deco:
I gave up on finding out where the line goes, years ago. If it´s a girl, I don´t know, I just leave her alone.
Lisa:
It shouldn´t be like that! Have we reached a point, where guys have be afraid to help a girl, because they might get told off for it?
Jamie:
It would appear so.
Sally:
That´s messed up!
They collectively shake their heads and head off to class.
OPENING CREDITS
2. Int. Simpson´s Office. Day.
Sally is with Snake.
Sally:
I´ve been thinking hard about the theme of my first dance as President. I think, it should be about breaking down gender barriers.
Snake seems to like it.
Snake:
That sounds great, Sally. What do you have in mind?
Sally:
That we focus it on what we all have in common, in stead of the things, that make us different. So many girls are becoming deathly afraid of boys, to the point where they´ll all die as virgins, if nothing is done about it!
Snake smiles to himself.
Snake:
You certainly have a way of putting it.
Sally:
I haven´t got it all figured out yet, but do I have your blessing?
Snake:
Absolutely.
Sally:
Were teenagers the same, when you were our age?
Snake:
No and that´s what annoys me. We saw each other as different, but at the same time as equals.
Sally:
I´d like to get back to that.
Snake:
I wish you all the luck in the world. It´s hard to undo, the way a lot of kids have been brain washed by sections of the media.
Sally:
It can´t hurt to try, right?
She looks optimistic.
3. Int. Apartment Building. Day.
Zoe is waiting for the elevator. She has little Maya lying her stroller and looking like a tiny little angel. Zoe makes faces at her to make her smile and is overjoyed, when she does so. Jason (a guy around the same age as Zoe), their neighbor comes out from his apartment.
Jason:
Hey, Zoe. How´s the little wonder doing?
Zoe:
As angelic as always. There´s no way this little girl could be loved more.
He walks over to them and lets Maya hold his finger. She seems to like him.
Jason:
Hi, Maya. She is just a little bundle of cuteness, isn´t she?
Zoe:
If only the damn elevator would come, so we could go out on our walk.
Jason:
They´re repairing it today. Didn´t you see the note?
Zoe:
That´s today? Shucks!
Jason:
It doesn´t mean, she should be cheated out of her walk. I can help you with the stroller.
Zoe:
I don´t know.
Jason looks puzzled.
Jason:
Why not?
Zoe:
It´s nothing against you, but I don´t like being helped by men. It makes me feel, like it makes me worth less as a woman, if I can´t do it myself.
Jason:
You´re being weird!
Zoe:
I´m far from the only one.
Jason:
Alright. But being a parent also means, that you can´t be afraid to ask for help. No one, especially first time parents, can do it all by themselves. Trust me, I speak from experience.
Zoe:
I guess, I can go along with it for Maya´s sake. Just this once.
She swallows her pride and lets him help her with the stroller.
4. Int. Cafeteria. Day.
Sally, Chrissy, Simon and Deco are eating lunch together, while Sally is taking notes.
Sally:
What things do we all have in common?
Chrissy:
There´s gaming. That used to be a boy´s world, but there more girl gamers now than ever.
Sally:
It a good example, but it doesn´t work as a theme for a dance.
Simon:
You could make it a "Gamer Dance", where we game in stead of dance.
Deco:
That´s a plan that should remain a plan. What about music? Music unites us.
Chrissy:
Like an Ariana Grande for instance. The boys think she´s hot and cool and all the girls want to be her, because they can identify with her. Just from where I´m sitting, I can see five girls rocking the "Ariana Style".
Deco:
You could say the same about Lana Del Rey.
Sally:
This is great!
She eagerly writes it down.
Sally:
What else?
Simon:
There´s a lot of girls, who skate. I talk to a lot of girls down there.
Chrissy:
You don´t think, it´s because they know, you´re gay?
Deco:
Why would that matter?
Sally:
Gay guys aren´t as ... what´s the word, I´m looking for ...
Chrissy:
Threatening?
Sally:
Not exactly, but they´re not as, let´s say "intimidating" to girls, as straight guys are. It´s like we immediately have something in common with them.
Deco:
Come on! I have more in common with my parent´s dog, than I do with girly girls!
Chrissy:
It´s just a fact of life, I guess.
Simon:
Most of them don´t know, that I´m gay. It´s like us having skating in common, makes us more open to talking to each other.
Sally:
That´s what it all comes down to. Communication.
She gets an idea.
Sally:
What if we paste letters on the walls?
Chrissy:
Like, to spell out "Degrassi" or something?
Sally:
No, I was thinking that we´d ask the students to write essays for us.
Simon:
I don´t see giving them homework being something, that´ll get the idea over.
Sally:
Only on a voluntary basis, of course. Hear me out. We start a topic on the Degrassi message board, asking the students to E-mail us their essays on a simple subject. For the boys, it´s girls and for the girls vice versa. We print them out and make some cool collages, we put them on. It´ll all be anonymous and it might just make them see, that we´re not so different after all.
Simon:
It´s a brilliant idea!
Deco:
Madam President, you´ve done it again!
Sally:
Actually, this is the first thing, I´ve done.
Deco:
Then, congratulations on doing it for the first time! Wait! That didn´t come out right!
Chrissy starts giggling and soon Sally follows suit.
5. Ext. Park. Day.
Zoe is sitting on a bench, rocking the stroller and thinking to herself. Maya sees her and walks over to her.
Maya:
Hi, Zoe.
Zoe snaps out of it and smiles at Maya.
Zoe:
Sorry. I was lost in thought. What are you doing here?
Maya:
I use it as a shortcut to get to school sometimes.
Zoe:
How very teeny of you.
Maya:
What were you thinking about?
Zoe:
When it stopped being okay with me, to let guys help me. It wasn´t always like that and I don´t mind working with men. We´re professional and they help me and I help them. It´s like second nature. But when I get off work, it´s like I do a 180.
Maya:
It´s not something, I have a problem with. I guess, I don´t see men and women as being all that different. Sure, when I was little, most of my friends were girls, but since my teens, it´s been more of less fifty-fifty.
Zoe:
Great! I´m crazy!
Maya:
It has to be something, you can get over somehow. You´re not crazy.
Zoe:
I guess, I got so used to being independent, that it´s hard to shake.
Maya:
Do you mind having Lola help you?
Zoe:
No. It shows that she cares.
Maya:
Try to think of all guys as Lola, then.
Zoe laughs.
Zoe:
I´m not sure, that would work.
Maya:
Say hi to Lola from me. I gotta get to class.
Maya leaves her and Zoe stands up. Baby Maya starts crying, so she takes out of the stroller and holds her. It calms her.
Zoe:
Mommy may be a whack job, but at least she knows how to calm you down, Sweetheart.
She gives baby Maya a kiss on the forehead.
6. Int. Basement. Evening.
The basement has been turned into a makeshift room for Sally. She has a bed down there and has tried to make it homely. She´s reading on her laptop, when Paige comes down there.
Paige:
Can you tear yourself away from the homework long enough, to come up and watch a movie?
Sally:
I´d better. This is depressing!
Paige:
Homework is depressing? I didn´t like it either, but it was never that bad!
Sally:
I´m getting the first batch of E-Mails with essays from kids at school. I don´t know, if Chrissy has told you about it.
Paige:
She filled me in.
Sally:
Look at these!
Paige sits down next to her and looks at the screen.
Paige:
Wow!
Sally:
Some of these girls think, every boy is out to sexually assault them! It´s like, they think the worst of all boys, because of what a few creeps did.
Paige:
That what you get for believing everything, you read and hear on the internet. Playing on fears makes for good click bait.
Sally:
They spread fear to get rich? That´s sick!
Paige puts a comforting arm around her.
Paige:
Honey, people have been doing that since the dawn of mankind. The digital age has just made it easier to reach a wider audience. There are some, who are legit and mean well, but fear is still an industry, like it´s always been. Some people will do anything for money.
Sally:
Maybe this was a bad idea. I can´t combat the media, one girl.
Paige:
I´d say, your idea for the dance, came at the perfect time. The best way to combat fear, is to spread positivity and that´s what you´re doing.
Sally:
Is this how it is everywhere?
Paige:
Some places in the world, women are right to fear some of the men. But the boys up here are just normal boys. You´re doing something good and both me and Spinner are proud of you.
Sally cheers up a little bit.
Sally:
What movie are we watching?
Paige:
Shrek 2. Adam has only seen it five times and it´s his movie night.
Sally:
That sounds like something, that´s up my alley, right about now!
She closes the laptop and they head upstairs.
7. Int. Miles´ House. Evening.
Zoe is visiting Miles.
Miles:
What brings you around?
Zoe:
You were the reason, I started hating men.
Miles looks surprised.
Miles:
What did I do?
Zoe:
Dumped me for Maya, remember?
Miles:
Oh. I didn´t know, it had such an influence on you.
Zoe:
It´s where it started. Drew and the two guys, who assaulted me are more to blame, but it started with you.
Miles:
Why are you telling me this now?
Zoe:
I realized today, that I have a problem. There´s a lot of things, I´ve kept inside and I think, need to get them out, to move on.
Miles:
Alright. Lay it on me!
Zoe:
Do you mean it?
Miles:
As long as you promise, that we´re still friends afterwards. I don´t want the past to come between us.
Zoe:
Me neither. For what it´s worth, I don´t blame you for dumping me. I was a mess and it was probably better for you to be with Maya, than with me.
She closes her eyes and channels her former self. She opens her eyes and looks angry.
Zoe:
HOW COULD YOU DUMP ME FOR HER, MILES? AM I NOT PRETTY ENOUGH FOR YOU? IS THAT IT!
Miles looks takes aback.
Miles:
How am I supposed to reply?
Zoe:
I guess, I hadn´t considered that. How about "Zoe, we´re just not compatible".
Miles:
Zoe, we´re just not compatible.
Zoe:
NOT COMPATIBLE! HOW CAN YOU SAY THAT? YOU SAID, THAT WE BELONG TOGETHER, BECAUSE WERE BOTH SCREWED UP BECAUSE OF OUR PARENTS! I BELIEVED YOU!
She starts crying and Miles gives her a comforting hug.
Miles:
You´ve been holding that in for a while, haven´t you?
Zoe:
I still have to tell off Drew and then there´s the big one. My mom.
Miles:
How long has it been, since you talked?
Zoe:
Fifteen years, give or take. Almost half my life.
Miles:
I might be able to set it up. My mom is still in contact with her.
Zoe:
Does she still live here?
Miles:
From what I know.
Zoe:
I have to confront her. My entire need to show that I can be independent, comes from needing to show her, that she was wrong about me.
Miles eyes her.
Zoe:
I´ve been watching Dr. Phil re-runs. Thanks for doing this for me.
Miles:
It´s the least, I can do. I´m sorry, I broke your heart all those years ago.
Zoe:
That´s okay. It´s what you do now, that matters.
They smile at each other,
8. Int. Living Room. Evening.
The Mason family has finished watching the movie. Sally is on the floor with Adam.
Sally:
Was it as good, as you remembered it?
Adam nods.
Spinner:
Can you get him ready for bed?
Sally:
Of course, I can.
She gets up and takes Adam´s hand.
Sally:
Let´s get those teeth brushed, so I can read you a bedtime story.
Adam:
Yay!
She leads him out to the bathroom. Spinner and Paige look at each other.
Paige:
Those two!
Spinner:
How many kids do you think, we´ll end up with?
Chrissy:
At the rate you´re going, there won´t be room for all of us! I hear my bed calling out to me.
She leaves them and they give each other a small kiss.
9. Int. Adam´s Room. Evening.
Sally sits on the bed with Adam. She has three different books.
Adam:
The cat in the hat.
Sally:
That´s your favorite, huh?
He nods.
Sally:
Cat in the hat, it is. Can I ask you something?
Adam:
Sure.
Sally:
What do think of girls? Like in general.
Adam:
I dunno. I guess, they´re nice enough. I like you and Chrissy a lot. Lisa and Julie are nice too.
She smiles to herself.
Sally:
What about girls your own age? Do you play with them at school?
Adam:
I play with my girlfriend every day.
Sally:
You have a girlfriend, huh? Tell me about her.
Adam:
Her name is Mia and she´s two weeks older than me, but I´m taller than her.
Sally:
An older girl, huh? Look at you, the little stud muffin!
He smiles at her silliness.
Sally:
Do the other boys tease you, when you play with her?
Adam:
There´s a few, who do. But, I don´t care, what they think. She´s fun to play with.
Sally (to herself):
If only you knew, what awaits the two of you.
Adam looks confused.
Adam:
Huh?
Sally:
Never mind. I´m not gonna poison that sweet, innocent mind of yours.
She puts the other two books away and he snuggles under her arms, as she starts reading to him.
Sally:
"The Cat in the Hat" by Dr. Seuss.
They´re both clearly enjoying it.
10. Int. Lola and Zoe´s Apartment. Evening.
Zoe comes home to find Lola half asleep on the couch, while watching TV.
Zoe:
What are you watching?
Lola sits up and yawns.
Lola:
I was watching a documentary, but then it went to commercial and I changed it to this. Which looks like some kind of game show. I might have fallen asleep.
Zoe sits down next to her. Lola turns the TV off.
Zoe:
How was your evening?
Lola:
Drowsy. Yours?
Zoe:
You won´t believe, what happened! I´m meeting my mom tomorrow!
Lola looks surprised.
Lola:
How did that come about?
Zoe:
Through Miles and his mom.
Lola:
Are you nervous?
Zoe:
Very. But, I need to see her again. If nothing else, to get it out of my system.
Lola:
Do you want me to come with you?
Zoe:
I´d rather, if it´s just her and me the first time. We have a lot of ground to cover.
Lola:
I hope, you can rebuild your relationship. I don´t know, what I´d do, without my parents.
Zoe:
I don´t know, if I´ll be able to sleep tonight.
Lola strokes her arm gently.
Lola:
There´s one thing, that always works on you.
Zoe:
A three letter word, that ends on X?
Lola:
A-Ha.
She starts kissing her neck and they lie down next to one another.
11. Montage - Music: "Mama, I´m Coming Home" by Ozzy Osborne
We see Zoe lying in bed and not being able to sleep. She has to get up anyway, when the baby monitor goes off and goes to tend to the baby.
We see her giving baby Maya her bottle and looking full of love for her. After she´s done eating, she very gently tucks her back in bed. She sits there, until Maya dozes off, just thinking and watching her.
We see her watching old pictures of her with her mom on her phone. Some make her smile, others make her want to cry.
We see Lola waking her up in the morning, after she fell asleep sitting on the couch. She gives her a morning kiss and they smile at each other.
12. Ext. Degrassi. Morning.
Deco and Simon meet up with Chrissy and Sally before school.
Simon:
We came up with some more ideas for the dance.
Sally:
Cool. We have to make this work!
They see Talia arriving.
Deco:
I feel like doing a little test.
Chrissy:
What kind of test?
Deco deliberately gets in Talia´s way and she gets knocked over.
Deco:
Sorry.
He helps Talia get back up and she dusts herself off. She smiles at Deco, who smiles back at her.
Talia:
That´s okay.
Deco:
Watch where you´re going next time.
Talia:
Yeah, I´m sorry. I guess, I wasn´t looking.
Deco laughs to himself.
Talia:
What´s funny?
Deco:
You´re such a hypocrite! If I´d been the guy you bumped into yesterday, you would have been nasty towards me.
Talia:
He´s not a celebrity.
Deco:
And that makes it okay to go off on him, when he´s only trying to be helpful?
Talia:
I guess not. Guys just make me so angry sometimes!
Deco:
We feel the same way about girls. But that doesn´t mean, we can´t all try to get along.
Sally comes over to them.
Sally:
There´s someone, you need to apologize to.
Talia:
You must think, I´m the biggest loser ever.
Deco:
Not if you apologize to Jamie.
Talia:
Okay. I´ll apologize to him.
She nods in understanding.
13. Ext. House. Day.
Zoe comes up to her childhood home. She looks around as she´s overcome with emotion.
Zoe (to herself):
Did you ever think, you´d be back here, Zoe Rivas?
The door opens and her mother Consuela Rivas comes out. Zoe walks up to her and they both look nervous.
Zoe:
Hi, mom. Are you glad to see me?
Consuela:
More than you can imagine.
Consuela invites her in for a hug and she happily obliges. It´s a tender moment for both of them.
Consuela:
Are you happy, Honey?
Zoe:
I am.
Consuela cries with joy. They look each other in the eyes.
Zoe:
Have you missed me?
Consuela isn´t able to speak and just nods. She leads a relieved looking Zoe inside.
14. Ext. Atrium. Day.
Jamie is hanging out with Suey and Lisa, when Talia approaches them.
Jamie:
If you´re here to bite my head off again, you can save it for someone else.
Talia:
I owe you a big apology, for how I went off on you.
Jamie:
Apology accepted.
Lisa:
Not all guys are the worst, you know?
Talia:
I know. I´ll try not to do it again.
Suey:
I don´t date boys, but I´m still friends with some of them. You´re closing yourself off from one of the most interesting parts of this time of our lives, if you just dismiss them, before you have a chance, to get to know them.
Lisa:
They have their good sides too. Trust me.
Talia:
Like what?
Lisa:
I´m not gonna tell you! It wouldn´t be as exciting, if you didn´t have to find out on your own.
Jamie:
There´s a spot open in the party planning commission. That´s a way for you to start.
Talia smiles.
Talia:
Really? Even though, I´m a niner?
Jamie:
You´re too hung up on these things. Boy or girl, niner of senior. At the end of the day, we´re all just students here.
Talia:
is it okay, if I tell my friends?
Suey:
Of course. Now run along, little niner. You must learn about life!
Talia scampers off and the three look proud of themselves.
Lisa:
Did you see how happy she was?
Jamie:
We just made her life a tiny bit better. It feels good.
Lisa:
You didn´t give her your spot, just so you could get out of it, did you?
Jamie:
I refuse to answer that on the grounds, that it would incriminate me.
He smiles to himself at the sight of Talia giddily telling her friends.
CLOSING CREDITS
