DEGRASSI: AFTERMATH - THIS KISS

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

Author´s Note: I lieu of a summer season, you get this episode. I hope, you´ll enjoy it. The explanations will be next, followed by ALL of season 9, sometime in early 2021. You seem to miss episodes here and there, so this is the best way to avoid it. It also makes it easier for me as a writer to give you the best season possible, since it means that I can go back and make changes, as I need to. We´re down to the last two seasons, so I want to give you the best two seasons, that I´m capable of giving you, so that the series gets finished off in the right way.

1. Int. Eddy and Manny´s Apartment. Day.

Craig and Nick are helping Eddy and Manny move out.

Craig:

You don´t think, you´ll miss this place?

Eddy/Manny:

No!

Craig smiles to himself.

Craig:

At least, you agree!

Manny:

It´s time we grew up and tried owning, in stead of renting.

Nick:

You´re old! Haven´t you grown up yet?

Eddy:

When you grow up, you´ll see that it´s how you feel on the inside, more than how you look on the outside.

Craig:

He´s just bummed, that he´ll be "Lisa-less" for the next weeks.

Manny:

Is she on vacation?

Nick:

Summer camp. Her and Suey signed up, to be camp counsellors.

Manny:

Why didn´t you sign up?

Nick:

I don´t think, it´s for me. I´ve never been a much of an "outdoorsy" person.

Manny:

I used to love Summer Camp, when I was a kid! Making friends, learning skills, having fun, what was there not to like about it?

Nick:

I don´t know. I´ve never been big on roughing it in the wild. Why do that, when I can be comfortable at home and not have to go without things?

Eddy:

God bless the great indoors, huh?

Nick:

Amen!

He picks up a box, but the bottom collapses and it goes all over the floor. Manny rushes over to him.

Manny:

Are you hurt?

Nick:

Just a little stunned, I think.

He looks down and sees a very old picture of a 13 year old Manny at a Summer Camp, smiling while posing for a picture with a boy, her own age, next to her.

Nick:

Who´s that, you´re with?

Manny picks the picture up and looks at it.

Manny:

Tommy Cunningham. He was the first boy, I kissed.

Craig:

Here I thought, for all these years, that I was.

Manny:

You were my first, when it comes to most romantic things, but you weren´t my first kiss. That honor belongs to him.

Manny smiles, when thinking back on it.

OPENING CREDITS

2. Ext. Camp. Day.

12 year old Manny and 12 year old Emma are with a host of other kids, who are listening intently to Frank, a man in his 30´s, the head camp counsellor.

Frank:

Welcome to Camp Sparkling Lake. I see some familiar faces and some new ones, but you´ll all get to know each other before long. My assistants Aisha and Lenny are dying to tell you, who you´ll be spending the next weeks living with. I´ll let them get to it.

Manny makes eye contact with Tommy, a baby faced 13 year old, and they shyly smile at each other.

3. Int. Cabin. Day.

Emma and Manny are getting settled in with 4 other girls, their own age, Alice (a nerdy girl with glasses and short, brown hair), Lori (a doll faced, but very short blonde girl), Ginny (a pretty red haired girl) and Debbie (a slightly tough looking brunette).

Manny:

Can you take the top bunk? It´s easier for you to reach.

Emma:

Yeah, sure.

Lori:

It´s nice to see, that I´m not the only one in here, who´s vertically challenged!

Ginny:

What does that mean?

Alice:

It´s another way of saying short.

Lori:

Did you see the boys? There´s some cuties here this year!

Emma:

You mean, there ARE some cuties here this year.

Debbie:

Stuff it, Blondie. No one is here for a grammar lecture.

Manny:

I made eye contact with one of them!

Ginny:

Wow, eye contact! If you´re lucky, then he might take it as far as talking to you, before we have to go home!

Emma pulls Manny aside.

Emma:

Don´t mind them. Who is he?

Manny:

I´ll tell you, when we see him. He´s really cute!

Emma looks pleased for Manny, who smiles.

4. Int. Mess Hall. Evening

Manny and Emma are in line for food. Manny spots Tommy at one of the tables and points him out to Emma.

Manny:

That´s him, with the brown hair.

Emma:

He is cute!

Manny:

I saw him first, remember?

Emma:

I won´t get in your way, but are you sure you´re ready for it?

Manny:

I won´t know, until I try, will I? Anyway, I´ve waited long enough for my first kiss.

Tommy turns his head and they make eye contact again. Manny almost freezes, but smiles back, when Tommy gives her a slight wave. Emma marvels at the sight.

Emma:

I can almost feel the electricity!

Manny:

I have to find a way to talk to him.

Emma:

Go over there and say hi, perhaps?

Manny:

I can´t do it here, in front of everyone! I´ll find a way, you´ll see.

Lori, who´s standing in line behind them, looks annoyed.

Lori:

Can you keep the line going, please?

Emma:

Manny?

Manny, who´s off in her own little boy crazy world, is snapped back into reality.

Manny:

Oh, sorry.

She smiles at Tommy one last time and is delighted, that he´s smiling back at her, before forcing herself to look away from him.

5. Ext. Lake. Evening.

Manny is waiting with Lori by the lake. She´s looking nervous.

Manny:

I have a bad feeling about this!

Lori:

We´re not gonna get caught and even if we did, what are they gonna do? They can´t deny me the right to say goodnight to my brother! We do that every night.

Manny eases up a little.

Manny:

I suppose, you´re right. You two are really close, aren´t you?

Lori:

We´re sort of two of the same and we´re best friends. If you like how I am, then you´re sure to like him. Anyway, you want to find out, who your mystery boy is, don´t you?

Manny:

I have to know. Sadly, this is the most romantic thing, I´ve tried so far.

Lori:

I haven´t had my first kiss either. I want it to be with the right boy.

Manny:

Me too. But since it could take my entire life to find him, I´ll settle for a cute one!

Lori:

I think, that´s him.

Tommy steps out of the darkness. He´s just as surprised to see Manny, as she is to see him.

Lori:

Hi, Tommy. This is my new friend, Manny.

Tommy:

So, that´s your name. It´s pretty.

Manny:

It´s short for Manuella.

Tommy:

That´s even prettier!

Manny:

Thanks.

Lori:

Lori is a pretty name too, you know!

Tommy:

It is, Sis. You´re just not as pretty as Manuella is.

They smile at each other and Manny is practically radiating with excitement. Lori looks jealous of her.

6. Int. Cabin. Evening.

Lori and Manny sneak in and quietly get into their bunks. Emma gets out of hers and leans in close to Manny, so they can whisper.

Emma:

Did you find out who he is?

Manny:

He´s Lori´s twin brother.

Emma:

Wow! What are the chances of that happening?

Manny:

It must mean, that it was meant to be!

Emma:

What else happened?

Manny looks excited.

Manny:

We held hands!

Emma looks happy for her.

Emma:

Is he your boyfriend now?

Manny:

I don´t know. It was so exciting, Emma! We stood there talking and he slowly moved his hand closer to mine. All of a sudden, I could feel his pinky gently touching mine and I just grabbed it! I don´t know, where I found the courage to! It felt so nice!

Emma:

That´s great, Manny. I´m happy for you.

Emma gets back in her own bunk.

7. Ext. Woods. Day.

Lori is keeping a lookout for Manny and Tommy, who are holding hands and talking. Manny looks like she´s in 7th heaven, while Lori is annoyed, that she´s stealing Tommy away from her. Aisha, an African American camp counsellor in her late teens, comes over to her.

Aisha:

Are you just hanging out here and doing nothing?

Lori:

It´s a long story.

Aisha:

Can you tell the other girls, that we have a strict 10 o´clock curfew? There´s been a bear mother with her cub spotted close by.

Lori:

Should I be scared?

Aisha:

They´re more interested in going through our garbage, than they are in eating us, but we´re not taking chances. The mother could become violent, if she feels like the cub is threatened.

Lori:

I´ll spread it around to the girls.

Aisha:

Thanks. They´re about to go canoeing, if you want to do something more exciting, than stand there all day.

Lori:

I might.

Aisha:

See you later.

Aisha runs off. Lori walks over to Manny and Tommy.

Lori:

Your little date is over. I´m not wasting my entire day keeping watch for you.

Manny:

Just a little longer, please?

Lori:

This is fun for you, but it isn´t for me!

Tommy:

It´s okay. Thanks for keeping watch.

Manny looks sad.

Lori:

Don´t mope, Manny! You can have another date tonight, after they´ve all gone to sleep.

Manny looks hopeful.

Tommy:

Is 11 o´clock by the lake okay?

Manny:

Yes!

Lori:

I´m going canoeing. Do you want to come?

Tommy:

I´m supposed to meet the guys.

Lori:

Again? When are we gonna hang out?

Tommy:

It´s only day two. There´s plenty of time.

Manny:

I saw you talking to the counsellor. What did she want?

Lori:

She was just wondering, why I was standing around doing nothing.

Manny:

If he can´t, then I´ll share a canoe with you.

Lori tries to fake enthusiasm.

Lori:

Sure! That´ll be fun.

Manny finally lets go of Tommy´s hand.

Manny:

See you later, Alligator.

She blows him a kiss and they smile at each other, before she leaves with Lori.

8. Ext. Lake. Day.

Manny and Lori are canoeing on the lake. Manny is in the back and they´re just slowly paddling along. A pair of boys their age, in their own canoe, sail up next to them.

Boy #1:

Are you up for a race?

Lori:

Where to?

Manny:

Lori, I don´t know ...

Boy #2:

You´re just chicken, because you know, you´ll lose!

Manny:

You´re calling me a chicken?

Lori:

Manny, we have to shut these boys up.

Boy #1:

First over to that tree wins.

He points it out to them. It´s around a hundred yards away.

Lori:

You got it.

Manny leans forward to whisper to Lori.

Manny:

We can beat them.

Lori:

I should probably tell you, that I´ve never had to paddle fast before.

Manny:

Do the same, you usually do, only faster.

Lori:

I´ll try.

Boy #1:

Are you ready?

Lori:

To show you, that girls are superior to boys? Any time!

Boy #2:

On 3. 1, 2, 3!

They boys race off, but it´s pretty much a disaster for Manny and Lori. Lori can´t coordinate her arm movements at a fast speed, giving Manny an impossible job in trying to mimic her movements. They do more spinning around, than move forward and Manny in the back gets splashed with lots of water from the front.

Manny:

Stop!

They both stop rowing and can just see the boys laughing at them, as they win the race.

Lori:

I should have left that part about showing them, that girls are superior to boys out, shouldn´t I?

Manny:

On second thought, it would have been better!

Lori:

I´m sorry. I didn´t think, I would be that bad.

Manny:

We´ll get them next time. Let´s row to shore, so I can change into something dry.

They start rowing for the shore. Lori can´t help smiling to herself, that Manny got wet.

9. Int. Cabin. Evening.

Manny is ready to sneak out.

Manny:

Wish me luck.

Emma:

Good luck.

Manny:

Keep your fingers crossed!

Emma shows her, her crossed fingers and Manny sneaks out quietly.

10. Ext. Lake. Evening.

Manny is talking with Tommy. They´re delighted to see each other again and are holding hands.

Manny:

It´s weird to think, that I start at Degrassi in a month. All my life, I´ve seen the kids that go there, as being the older kids. I guess, I´ll belong to that group soon.

Tommy:

Do you know any of your new classmates?

Manny:

I know Emma, for one. There´s also a boy named JT, that I´ve known since I was little. As for who everyone else will be, I´ll have to wait and see.

Tommy:

You´ll make more friends in no time.

Manny:

Why do you think that?

Tommy:

You´re easy to talk to and you have this calming way about you.

Manny:

Calming? How?

Tommy:

You feel comfortable, when you have a conversation with you.

Manny:

I could say the same about you. I´m not usually this good, when it comes to talking to boys. Something about you makes it easy. I can´t put into words, what it is.

Tommy:

I think, it´s called liking each other.

They smile at each other. Manny is startled though, when she hears a noise from nearby.

Manny:

What was that?

Tommy:

It´s probably a bird.

They see the bear cub coming towards them. It´s very young and quite adorable. They´re both taken with it.

Tommy:

Have you been this close to one?

Manny:

Nowhere near it! It´s like a living teddy bear!

Tommy:

We should get out of here.

Manny:

This adorable little thing won´t hurt us! It might lick us and ask to be cuddled with.

Tommy:

No, but you can bet your life, that it´s mother is close by.

Manny looks scared.

Manny:

It´s mother?

Tommy´s face freezes in shock.

Tommy:

I see her. Run!

They run away. The bear cub thinks that it´s a game and follows after them.

11. Int. Cabin. Evening.

Aisha comes into the cabin and turns the lights on. The girls wake up.

Aisha:

The bear has been spotted within the grounds. Stay put and keep the light on. It won´t try to come in, if it sees it.

Emma:

What bear?

Aisha looks at Lori, who looks apologetic.

Lori:

I might have forgotten to tell them.

Aisha:

Where´s Manny?

Lori:

She´s on a date with my brother.

Aisha looks disappointed with Lori.

Lori:

I only wanted them to get in trouble, so they would be kept apart. I didn´t think that the bear would actually show up.

Aisha:

Get dressed, Lori. You´re coming with me.

Emma:

I´m coming too. She´s my best friend.

Aisha:

Alright, but no one else.

The girls get ready to leave.

12. Int. Kitchen. Evening.

Manny and Tommy are still running from the bear, but manage to barricade themselves in the kitchen and hide from it.

Manny:

I´ve never been this scared in my life! What if it eats us?

Tommy:

Bears are shy of humans and want as little to do with us, as we do with them. They taught us that in scouts.

Manny:

You can´t be sure of that! What if this is a special kind of bear, that loves the taste of us and can´t get enough of it?

Tommy:

That´s very unlikely.

Manny:

Here, I´ve been looking forward to becoming a teenager. Now I don´t even get to reach my teens, before I end up a late night snack! I´ll never get married, never get my first kiss ...

Tommy kisses her on the cheek. Her panic turns into a smile.

Tommy:

That´s your first kiss out of the way.

Manny:

For it to count, it has to be on the mouth.

Tommy:

You´re the expert.

Manny gets her first kiss and it´s as magical, as she imagined it would be. Their brief bliss is interrupted by banging on the door.

Manny:

It´s the bear!

Lori (Off Screen):

Are you in there, Tommy?

Tommy:

We are! Just a sec.

He´s about to get up, but Manny stops him.

Manny:

One for the road.

They kiss again, then get up and unlock the door.

13. Ext. Camp. Day.

Manny is saying goodbye to Lori.

Manny:

Beating those boys will have to wait for next year!

Lori:

I don´t think, they´ll allow me to come back. Almost getting someone mauled by a bear, isn´t something, they take lightly.

Manny:

I hope, they will. I had fun with you, until it all went wrong.

Lori:

Same here. Look, I know that it´s selfish of me, but I know, that I won´t get much longer, where I´m the number one girl in his life. Soon he´ll start having girlfriends and then they will take my place. I just want to enjoy the last year or two I get, of how things are now.

Manny:

He is a special boy ... and a good kisser!

Lori:

I don´t want the details! I will say though, that he couldn´t have picked a better girl, to be his first.

Tommy comes over to them.

Tommy:

It´s time.

Manny:

I wish, you didn´t have to leave too.

Tommy:

I can´t leave her at home and grounded, all by herself.

Manny:

You got grounded, huh?

Lori:

For the rest of the summer. I can´t say, that I don´t deserve it! Bye, Manny.

They hug goodbye.

Manny:

Bye, Lori.

Lori leaves them. They smile shyly ay each other.

Tommy:

It´s not, that I don´t want to kiss you, but my mom would have a million questions.

Manny:

It´s fine. My dad would throw a fit, if he knew!

Tommy:

It was nice to meet you, Manuella. I hope, that we´ll meet again someday.

Manny:

You never know? Crazier things have happened!

They hug goodbye. Lori comes back with a polaroid camera.

Lori:

You should at least get a memento, to remember him by. Say cheese!

Manny and Tommy smile for the camera. The picture comes out Lori hands it to Manny.

Lori:

Be sure to look us up, if you come to Hamilton.

Manny:

I will.

They leave her and get in the car with their mother. Manny waves goodbye to them, as they drive off. She then looks at the picture, smiles and holds it close to her heart.

14. Int. House. Evening.

Manny and Eddy are done moving and are chilling in their new house.

Manny:

It´s a weird feeling. Like leaving that apartment means, that a phase of my life has ended. I´m 42 and I can finally call myself an adult!

Eddy:

You took your time, but you got there eventually. That´s what counts.

Manny:

Seeing that picture today, made me think back to when it happened. God, I was so young and inexperienced back then!

Eddy:

Did you ever see him again?

Manny:

No, but he´s doing fine. He´s a college professor, with two kids and a lovely wife named Pamela. They live up in Hamilton.

Eddy:

How do you know?

Manny:

I work with his sister, Lori. Of all the people at work, she´s the one I talk the most with. The two of them are as tight as any brother and sister, you´ll meet anywhere.

Eddy:

At least, you have a first kiss worth looking back on.

Manny:

Who was your first kiss with?

Eddy:

I´m not telling you.

She gets interested and starts tickling him.

Eddy:

Stop it!

Manny:

Not until you tell me, who she was.

Eddy:

The reason, it´s embarrassing, is because ...

He doesn´t want to say it.

Eddy:

Because it was my cousin Martha.

Manny laughs.

Manny:

How? Why?

Eddy:

It was dark and I thought, she was someone else! When we saw each other in the light, it was all kinds of awkward!

Manny:

If you can erase her, who was your first kiss then?

Eddy:

Let me hold you and I shall tell you a story.

She snuggles up in his arms.

Eddy:

Believe it or not, I was a dancer at a fancy country club for a few summers in my youth.

Manny:

You were not! I would have known about it!

Eddy:

It´s true. I´d been flirting with this Latino girl, but then one day, I saw her. She was the daughter of the Houseman family, a pretty young thing named Francis Houseman. Let me tell you, that girl could do some dirty dancing, like you´ve never seen it before!

Manny gets it and smiles.

Manny:

Let me guess. Everyone called her "Baby"?

Eddy:

How did you know?

Manny:

Just a wild guess!

Eddy:

We had the time of our life!

Manny:

You dropped the ball on that one!

Eddy:

How´s that?

Manny:

She was also Ferris Bueller´s sister! You could have had the coolest brother in law ever!

Eddy:

I don´t need any of that. Not as long, as I have you.

Manny:

Ditto.

They kiss.

CLOSING CREDITS