DEGRASSI: AFTERMATH - S08E15 - DON´T FEAR THE REAPER PART 2
Disclaimer: I don´t own Degrassi or the characters from it.
IMPORTANT NOTE: I´M RELEASING BOTH EPISODES OF THIS DOUBLE AT THE SAME TIME, SO BE SURE TO READ PART 1 FIRST!
1. Ext. Degrassi. Morning.
A very uncomfortable looking Regina comes up to the school and is surprised to see a queue to get in. She gets in line behind Nick and Lisa.
Regina:
Do you know, what´s going on?
Nick:
The police are checking everyone for weapons.
Lisa:
Someone threatened to kill one of the girls here.
Nick:
Can you believe that? What´s the world coming to?
Regina tries to hide, that she feels guilty.
Regina:
It´s probably just a prank. You know, how they can be.
Lisa:
If it is, it´s a sick one!
Nick:
Anyone, who would do that, shouldn´t go here.
Lisa:
They should be in a rubber cell!
Regina tries not to look struck by their remarks.
OPENING CREDITS
2. Int. Entrance. Morning.
Bianca and Cooper, a clean shaven and neat looking man in his 30´s are overseeing it, while four policemen are busy scanning students, as they pass through.
Bianca:
Back when I went here, they had a permanent metal detector installed.
Cooper:
What´s the plan?
Bianca:
We interview a few students, before we bring Regina in. Just to let her think, that she´s off the hook.
Cooper:
You´re sure, it´s her? It could be the serial killer.
Bianca:
He´s out of nowhere going to switch from grown Arab men to white teenage girls? Not likely!
Cooper:
I hope for her sake, that you´re right!
Bianca:
This is a classic case of a victim trying to get back at their bully. These are teenagers, not criminal masterminds!
It´s Regina´s turn to be let in and she smiles shyly at the officer, as he scans her with a hand scanner.
3. Int. Hallway. Morning.
Regina tries to hurry to class, but runs into Carla.
Carla:
I´m so glad, I caught you! Josie and Dee´s parents are freaking at the whole death threat thing, so they´re both staying home today. Which means, that I´m all alone again.
Regina:
What about Charlie?
Carla:
He´s a Senior, silly!
Regina:
It´s nice to see, that your mood has improved.
Carla:
Don´t get me wrong, I´m still scared over the whole thing and I didn´t get much sleep. I must have been out to check that the door was locked and the windows were shut five times, before I could fall asleep.
Regina:
That sucks.
Regina tries to hide how guilty she feels, that it´s her fault.
Carla:
I would still be a bundle of nerves, if it hadn´t been for you and Charlie. Words can´t begin to express, how grateful I am, for what you did for me yesterday.
Regina:
It was nothing.
Carla:
No, it wasn´t and it makes me feel even worse, for how mean, I´ve been to you. That´s why, I´ve made a decision to try to be friends with you in stead. If they don´t like it, then I´m done with them!
Regina:
Thanks, I guess.
Carla:
You said, that you wanted me to show that I meant it! This was step one. Step two is to hang out with you, so you can see, that I´m not all bad.
Regina tries to look enthusiastic and forces a smile for her.
Regina:
I´m the one, who asked for it, right?
Carla:
If you give me a chance, you´ll see that without by bad influences around, I can be very nice, when I want be.
Regina:
What about, when they come back?
Carla:
If they say one mean word to you, I´m telling them off! You showed me yesterday, that Marvin Gaye was right all along, when he sang "Only Love Can Conquer Hate".
Regina:
You like Marvin too? I thought, I was the only one here, who loves that old soul music.
Carla:
Come on, it´s so much better than anything, they put out today! I´ll take Marvin, Otis, Wilson or Aretha over Bieber and Kanye any day!
Regina smiles and can´t hide, that Carla is starting to grow on her.
Regina:
We´d better get to class.
They head up the hallway.
4. Int. Bianca´s Office. Day.
Cooper sits down in Bianca´s chair and gets ready. Bianca is with him.
Cooper:
This is gonna be so much fun!
Bianca:
You have to stay in character throughout.
Cooper:
I´m not gonna blow my one and only chance to play Agent Cooper from Twin Peaks, the sexiest FBI agent in TV history! His last name is my first name, so it was meant to be!
Bianca:
Did you hear, that there´s a new season coming out?
Cooper looks overjoyed.
Cooper:
We have to watch it together!
Bianca:
Just remember that you´re not Agent Cooper of the FBI. You´re Detective Cooper of the Toronto PD.
Cooper:
Same dif! As long as I still get to look sexy, while I do it!
Bianca:
Think back to all those episodes of "Cold Case", we watched together and you´ll do fine.
Cooper:
I won´t get arrested out of the blue for impersonating a police detective?
Bianca:
I already told my friends at the force, what were doing and they´d rather let me handle it anyway.
Cooper:
You´re sure? I don´t want the entire troupe to be mad at me, because I got them locked up.
Bianca:
They leant us the scanners, didn´t they?
Cooper looks reassured.
5. Ext. Atrium. Day.
Regina and Carla are getting some fresh air, in between classes.
Carla:
What´s your favorite Motown song?
Regina:
It´s one, you´ve probably never heard of. It´s called "Destination Anywhere". It was by long forgotten girl group named The Marvelettes.
Carla (singing):
Said to the man at the railroad station
I want a ticket, just for one
Regina joins in.
Carla/Regina (singing):
He said well, if you insist
But where´d you want to go, Miss?
Destination anywhere
East or west, I don´t care
They smile at each other.
Carla:
Is that how you feel? Like you want to get out of here and it doesn´t matter where to?
Regina:
What is there for me here?
Carla:
It´s a big city. I´m sure, you can come up with something.
Regina:
It´s not the city itself, it´s what it represents in my mind.
Carla:
And what´s that?
Regina:
A place, where everyone hates me. If I can count you, that´s six people, who don´t. My dad, you, Charlie, Rodney, Pete and Tina.
Carla:
What about your family?
Regina:
My dad is alright, but he works all the time, to pay back the money, he owes the bank. My mom lives in Hong Kong with her new family, so I get two E-Greeting cards from her a year, one on my birthday and one at Christmas. I wish that she wouldn´t, so I can forget, that she exists. She´s shown pretty clearly, that I´m nothing to her, compared her new family. The last time we talked, it turned into one big shout fest, on my part.
Carla:
That´s tough. My mom died a few years ago and I only have my dad, but he does what he can for me.
Regina:
Yet another thing, we have in common.
Carla:
Why do you think, everyone hates you?
Regina:
Its´s all because I did some dumb things, when I was younger. They´ll never let me forget it. It doesn´t matter, what I do to show, that I´m not that girl anymore. According to them, I had one chance and since I blew it, I deserve to be scorned forever.
Carla looks at her with sympathy in her eyes.
Carla:
I´m sure, the last thing you needed, was us being mean to you. Now that I have a small idea, of what you´re going through, it makes me feel like the worst person in the world. Again, I am so, so, sorry! I don´t deserve to call myself a good Christian.
Regina:
I´d rather, if we can get past it and move on.
Carla:
You´re a much better person, than I am! You´re like Jesus himself, you´re that forgiving!
Regina:
I would get mad, if someone hammered nails through my hands and feet!
Carla:
It isn´t just my Christian duty to start being nice to you, it´s my duty as a human being and fellow girl. No one should have to be lonely.
Regina:
This really has changed you, hasn´t it?
Carla:
For the better! What was I thinking, acting that way? I was earning myself a one way ticket to hell!
Regina smiles to herself.
Regina:
Before I met Charlie, I always thought, the church was a load of old fashioned BS. Now I see, that what I like about it isn´t the bible or the idea, that we have a God, who protects us, because I´m still on the fringe, when it comes to that one. What I like about it is the goodness, it brings out in people and the hope, it can inspire, to those that only have hope left. The message even got through to me and trust me, I can be thick headed sometimes!
Carla leans in to whisper.
Carla (whispering):
I promise, I won´t tell anyone in the club, what you said about the church and God!
Regina:
Thanks.
Carla:
As scary, as this has been, I´m almost glad that it happened, or we wouldn´t be talking.
Bianca comes out to them.
Bianca:
There you are, Regina. It´s you turn with the police.
Regina:
Why me?
Bianca:
They´re talking to everyone, who has a locker in that hallway.
Regina:
I guess, I´m called for!
Carla:
I´ll come with you.
Regina:
You don´t have to.
Carla:
Who else am I gonna hang out with, than my new bestie?
Bianca:
It´s great to see, that you´re making friends, Regina.
Regina:
It´s nice to be making them.
Bianca leads them towards her office.
6. Int. Bianca´s Office. Day.
Regina is led in by Bianca. Detective Cooper greets her with a welcoming smile.
Cooper:
Regina, I take it?
Regina:
In the flesh.
Cooper:
Have a seat. This won´t take long.
They both sit. while Bianca moves over next to Cooper.
Cooper:
You have locker number 412, is that right?
Regina:
Exactly.
Cooper:
When the note was slipped in the locker, you would have just finished French class and be heading to Math, is that also true?
Regina:
Yes. You´ve really done your homework!
Cooper smiles.
Cooper:
You have too, I assume?
Regina:
Oh, yes! If you show up for miss Espinoza´s class unprepared, she´ll make you pay for it in embarrassment!
Cooper:
It´s nice to hear, that you have good teachers. Did you stop by your locker to get books in between the classes?
Regina:
I did.
Cooper:
But you didn´t see anything suspicious?
Regina:
Not that I remember. I would have been focused on getting to class on time.
Cooper looks her in the eyes.
Cooper:
I asked some of the other students, who have lockers near Carla´s, who of the others with lockers nearby, are sometimes seen in black hoodies. Your name came up.
Regina:
It´s Canada in February! You see dozens, if not hundreds of kids wearing hoodies, so they can keep their ears warm! Many of them wear black ones, like the one I own.
Cooper:
None of them have been bullied by Carla and her friends. What were their names again?
Bianca:
Josie and Dee. Carla gave me a tearful confession, when I talked to her yesterday. I´m the one, who suggested, that she tried to make it right with you.
Regina sees, that this isn´t going her way and looks very nervous.
Regina:
I suppose, I should thank you.
Cooper:
I assume, that those names ring a bell.
Regina:
They´ve been mean to me.
Cooper:
How?
Regina:
Mostly name calling, but there´s been shoving too.
Bianca:
I wish, you would have told me. We have practices in place, when kids are being bullied.
Regina:
I didn´t think, it was that serious.
Cooper:
It is, when you see, where it´s led you to!
Regina:
I didn´t ...
Cooper:
Regina, I catch real, adult crooks for a living. You´re the only one with the opportunity, the attire and a good reason.
Regina starts crying.
Regina:
I´m getting kicked out school, aren´t I?
Bianca:
And get a record! This will follow you for the rest of your life.
Cooper:
After you´ve done your time in Juvenile detention.
Regina:
How long will I get?
Cooper:
For a death threat? I´d say, at least a year.
Regina tries to grasp it.
Regina:
A year!
Bianca:
Unless the psych evaluation deems you crazy. Then it´ll be a lot longer, until you see freedom again!
Regina is about to have a complete meltdown.
Regina:
There has to be something I can do!
Bianca:
I mentioned an "Option B" to Detective Cooper and we both agreed, that it would be a better way to handle this. Are you interested?
Regina:
I´ll do it, whatever it is!
Cooper:
We bring Carla in here and you confess to her, that you wrote the note. If she forgives you, we´ll let you off the hook.
Bianca:
You´d better make that apology count!
Regina:
I will.
Bianca pushes the intercom button.
Bianca:
Emma, will you please send Carla in?
Emma (voice over):
Sure thing. Carla? They want you in there.
Carla (voice over):
Me? Why?
Emma (voice over):
Beats me.
We can hear the faint sound of Carla walking to the door. The sound of Emma eating an apple can be heard through the intercom, to Cooper´s amusement.
Bianca:
Emma, you forgot to press the button again.
Emma (voice over):
Oh, sorry!
The call is finally ended.
Bianca:
She isn´t always the brightest, but she has a great personality!
Cooper:
That counts for just as much!
Carla comes in.
Cooper:
Carla, it´s good to see you. Regina has something, she wants to tell you.
Regina stands up and looks Carla in the eyes.
Regina:
Yesterday, at this time, I still hated your guts. I wished, that you and the two others would go off somewhere and die. I´ve even taped a picture of your face over my dart board a few times and threw arrows at it.
Bianca and Cooper try hard to stay serious.
Carla:
I don´t blame you. That´s all in the past.
Regina:
These last 24 hours have completely changed my image of you and I´d like to think, that we´ve become friends.
Carla:
Aww! Me too!
Regina:
You might not feel that way, when you hear, that I wrote the death threat.
Carla looks shocked.
Carla:
How could you do that?
Regina:
I only wanted to scare you and make you feel like I felt, when you chased after me, shoved me and called me names. That was scary too, you know? It doesn´t excuse what I did, but it´s why I did it. I can only say, that I´m super sorry.
Carla:
I guess, you can´t be more sorry than super sorry!
Bianca:
We decided to leave it up to you, if she should be punished or not. You are the victim here, after all.
After a tense few seconds, Carla gives Regina a hug. Regina looks relieved.
Carla:
You´re lucky, that Jesus is my idol!
Bianca and Cooper look pleased.
7. Int. Office. Day.
Cooper and Bianca come out with Carla and Regina. Snake and Emma are reading from Emma´s PC.
Bianca:
Issue resolved.
Snake:
That´s great. They´ve arrested the killer.
The other hurry over to look at the screen.
Emma:
It was a hitman, hired by a rich Arab businessman to take out some guys, who defrauded him.
Snake:
He must have thought, using Christian iconography would make them look at anyone except him.
Carla:
That guy is going to HELL!
Regina can´t help smiling.
Cooper:
I guess, that wraps this whole thing up.
Bianca:
Maybe not entirely. Me and a friend of mine have been passing an idea around and this might just be the time for it.
They look at her with interest.
8. Ext. Park. Evening.
People of all races are flocking to the park, where a huge stage has been set up. Among them are Carla and Regina, who have gotten dressed up for the occasion. They run into Josie and Dee.
Dee:
Hi, Carla! We didn´t know, if you were coming.
Carla:
You would have, if you´d called me this past week.
Dee:
I meant to, I just never got around to it.
Josie:
We can still hang out tonight, right?
Dee:
Nothing personal, Regina, but I´d rather die than be seen in your company!
Carla:
That´s too bad, because I would. In fact, I´d much rather hang out with her, than a couple of stuck up hags, like you two!
Dee and Josie look shocked, while Regina looks proud of Carla.
Dee:
You don´t mean that!
Carla:
We´ve been hanging out every day this past week and guess what? I like her a hell of a lot more, than I´ve ever liked you two!
Josie:
You can´t seriously pick that loser over us!
Carla:
That "Loser" doesn´t try to peer pressure me into doing things, I don´t want to! She listens, when I talk and we don´t just sit around and bitch about girls, we don´t like, when it´s meant to be a fun night!
Regina:
It´s called actual fun. You should try it sometime!
Carla:
I couldn´t have said it better!
She takes Regina´s arm and they head for the stage. Dee and Josie are left dumbfounded.
9. Ext. Stage. Evening.
Becky and Gracie are standing at the side of the stage, ready to go on. An elderly Iman is led up next to her by Bianca.
Becky:
Welcome and thanks for coming! I won´t try to shake your hand, since I know, it´s against your culture.
Imam:
Islam at it´s core is meant to unite people, not divide them. If I can contribute to more unity, I gladly will. Is this your daughter?
Gracie sticks her hand out, not knowing any better.
Gracie:
Hi, I´m Gracie. What´s your name?
The Iman very gently shakes her tiny hand.
Imam:
I am Imam Mostapha Al-Haddir. But you can call me Mo, like my grandchildren do.
Gracie:
It´s nice to meet you, Mo.
Imam:
You too, Gracie.
Gracie innocently smiles at him. Bianca looks at her watch.
Bianca:
It´s showtime.
Bianca walks out on stage and steps up to the microphone.
Bianca:
Before we start tonight´s festivities, I want you to welcome Becky Baker and Imam Mostapha Al-Haddir.
Becky leads the elderly man out. Gracie looks a little awestruck at all the people, who are looking at her.
Becky:
Thanks for coming. This little one is my daughter Gracie. She´s the one, who inspired me to say what I said. Can you say hi to them, Gracie?
She holds Gracie up to the microphone.
Gracie:
Hi, everyone!
Crowd:
Hi, Gracie!
Gracie smiles at the response from the crowd, as Becky puts her down.
Becky:
She´ll never forget that moment! I just want to tell you all to stay safe out there, have fun and try to interact with those, who aren´t from the same culture as you. We´re all just people and the sooner we find a way to live together in harmony, the better off we´ll all be.
She let´s the Iman have the microphone.
Imam:
And don´t forget these two things: First to treat each other with respect and kindness. Second to celebrate life.
Becky:
Without further adue, here to rock your world is Toronto´s own Kayla Sweeney!
Kayla (who isn´t looking any less hot, than the last time we saw her several seasons ago) comes out on stage with her band, who take their positions.
Kayla:
We want to start off with a song, that Bianca asked us to play for two girls named Regina and Carla.
The band start playing "Destination Anywhere" by The Marvelettes.
We cut to Carla and Regina, who sing along and even start dancing with two Arab boys around their own age.
CLOSING CREDITS
