DEGRASSI: AFTERMATH - S09E06 - UNDER PRESSURE
Disclaimer: I don´t own Degrassi or the characters from it.
1. Int. Skate Park. Evening.
Jamie and Simon are in hard training. The competition between them is closer, than it´s ever been and both of them are on point with both their tricks and landings.
2. Int. Skate Park (cafe area). Evening.
Jamie and Simon are chilling out with a bottle of water after their practice.
Jamie:
20 hours to go. Then it´ll come down to three times two minutes.
Simon:
We also find out, which college we got into tomorrow.
Jamie:
Don´t remind me. I´m dreading that, as much as I am the qualifiers!
Simon:
It´s not the end of the world, if you don´t qualify.
Jamie:
Isn´t it? This is my one plan! If I fail, what do I do then?
Simon:
Get a normal life, like almost everyone else?
Jamie:
That´s easy for you to say! You have your pick of colleges. I´ve been slacking since 8th grade, because I was sure, that I´d become a pro, once school ended. I hardly think, that my GPA is gonna wow anyone!
Simon:
Which ones did you apply for?
Jamie:
The three, it´s supposedly easiest to get into. One of them in the the Yukon! Do you have any brilliant suggestions, on how to pass my time in the Yukon?
Simon:
Find yourself some farmer´s daughter, who can make the time fly by. Who knows? You might get to like it.
Jamie:
The reality is, that it´s this or nothing. Either I qualify, or I lose my sponsors and I´m destined to end up a loser.
He looks nervous, when thinking about it.
OPENING CREDITS
3. Int. Hallway. Day.
Jamie is talking to Lisa and is trying to keep his mood up.
Lisa:
Still no word?
Jamie:
None. I´m so pathetic, that they won´t even send me a rejection letter!
They see Regina, Carla and Tina walk up the hallway. They´re all smiles.
Regina:
I´m so relieved! We need to celebrate!
Tina:
Who would have thought, that we´d all get into the same college?
Carla:
The next four years are gonna be a blast!
Their good mood isn´t cheering Jamie up, as he watches them walk up the hallway.
Jamie:
I HAVE to win tonight!
Lisa:
You will. Don´t you usually?
Jamie:
It´s different, when the pressure really is on. You can be the best skater in the world, but if you can´t handle the nerves, then you have no business at the X-Games.
Lisa:
It´s early. They could still call you with good news.
Suey comes running over to them. She´s all smiles and gives Lisa a spontaneous hug.
Suey:
Guess, who´s going to Banting?
Lisa:
Congratulations!
Jamie:
You deserve it, Suey.
Suey:
Thanks. I have to call my mom. She´ll be so proud!
Suey leaves them. Lisa gives Jamie a comforting pad on the back.
4. Int. The Dot. Day.
Paige is eating her favorite burger, with Spinner sitting across from her.
Spinner:
How can you never get tired of that burger?
Paige:
It has bacon and beef! Beef plus bacon equals good!
Spinner smiles to himself, as the glee is all over her face with every time, she chews.
Spinner:
Maybe you should enjoy it, while you can. I still can´t decide, if I should take their offer.
Paige:
It´s a sweet deal! You can open up another place like this for a fraction, of what they´re paying. With that money, we can almost pay college tuition for all of the kids.
Spinner:
This place has been a huge part of my life, since I started working here, when I was 15. You can´t understand, how hard it would be, to hand it over to someone else.
Paige:
I know, that you feel an attachment to this place and I get it, it´s not that. This place is yours and I´ll support you, no matter what you choose.
Spinner:
But, you think I would be a fool, if I don´t take it.
Paige:
I didn´t say that. I love you, Spin. It doesn´t matter, what you choose. We´ll still be here. The kids won´t love you any less either.
She takes his hand and gives him a re-assuring smile.
5. Int. Classroom. Day.
Jamie looks up at the clock, that says 5 minutes to four. He shakes his head and looks depressed.
6. Ext. Street. Day.
Jamie is skating up the street, when he passes a pair of boys of around 13.
Boy #1:
Good luck, Jamie!
Boy #2:
Are you gonna pull out that sick 900 again?
Jamie:
Maybe.
He gives them a thumbs up and forces a smile for them, as he continues up the street.
Boy #1:
That guy is the king!
Boy #2:
Can you imagine being that good? He must make tons of money!
Jamie shakes his head at their lack of knowledge. His phone rings and he stops up. He takes his phone from his pocket and puts it to his ear.
Jamie:
Hey, dad. Any news?
His face can´t hide the disappointment, as he gets the news.
Jamie:
Yeah, I understand. Thanks for telling me.
He hangs up and tries to keep calm, but it´s clear that the pressure is getting to him.
7. Int. The Dot. Evening.
Spinner is getting off work, when Darcy comes in. They smile, when they see each other.
Spinner:
Hi, Darcy. What brings you up to these parts?
Darcy:
I´m in the middle of a major reconciliation with my parents. The problem is that I´m close to broke. As per usual. Do you need a waitress?
Spinner:
Are you staying?
Darcy:
That´s the plan. The last time I felt like, my life was going right, was when I lived up here. I´m hoping, a return to my roots will help to turn things around.
Spinner:
You´re living with your parents?
Darcy:
Being 37 and having to move into your old room, doesn´t make you feel like a winner, believe it or not. I can´t wait, until I get my own place again.
Spinner:
I can´t guarantee a full time schedule.
Darcy smiles.
Darcy:
I´ll take anything! Ten hours, twenty hours, whatever gets me started on the right path.
Spinner:
And gets you out of the house?
Darcy:
That too. Between us, I´ve watched enough episodes of Family Feud, to last me a lifetime!
Spinner grins.
Spinner:
Are you doing anything tonight?
Darcy:
Please tell me, that it´s something, that isn´t just sitting at home.
Spinner:
How does a world class Skateboarding competition, with my son in law as one of the favorites, sound?
Darcy:
I can safely say, that I´ve never been to one of those! Count me in.
She looks pleased.
8. Ext. Skate Park. Evening.
People are flocking into the Skate Park. A large banner has been hung up that reads "2031 Canadian X-Games Qualifiers",
We cut to Paige, Spinner and their kids (including Sally), as they meet up with Manny and Darcy.
Manny:
Guess, who I ran into!
Darcy:
It had only been what, 20 years, since the last time, we saw each other?
Spinner:
Kids, this is Darcy, a friend of ours from the old days.
Darcy:
Hi, you guys!
Manny:
Darcy and me were the pride of Degrassi´s cheerleading squad back in the day.
Paige:
A job, she took over from me.
Darcy:
Hi, Paige. It´s been a while.
Paige:
Never too long, Hun. Shall we go inside?
Darcy takes her insult in stride. Sally and Chrissy mouth "Wow" to each other, as they head inside.
9. Int. Competition Area. Evening.
Jamie and Simon are warming up with the other skaters, but Jamie keeps bailing on his tricks. It´s making him more frustrated with every time. Simon skates over to him.
Simon:
Are you alright?
Jamie:
I´ll be fine, when we start for real.
Simon:
If your mind isn´t in it, then you´ll be putting yourself in danger. This isn´t ballet.
Jamie:
Stop bugging me. I said, that I´m fine.
Simon:
It´s not worth your health. We both know, that you could get seriously hurt.
Simon skates away from him and Jamie skates off to the side, so he can calm down.
10. Int. Skate Park. Evening.
Darcy is in the stands, sitting between James and Manny.
Darcy:
I´m hoping, that you can explain the rules to me.
James:
They do two runs and the top ten go on to the 3rd run.
Darcy:
Okay. I´ll probably have a lot more questions, as we go on.
Manny:
Get ready to say "Ooh" over and over again. What these guys do is death defying!
We cut over to Spinner and Paige, who´s obviously jealous of Darcy.
Paige:
Has time not aged her at all? There has to be some botox involved!
Spinner:
Would you stop it?
Paige:
She always took over everything from me. Now you´ve hired her! What were you thinking?
Spinner:
She needed a job and I could use another waitress, with all the business we´re doing in the evening these days.
Paige:
It´s just business?
Spinner:
And she´s an old friend. When you were away at college and I was sick with cancer, she was one of the few, I had. It feels good, that I can pay her back.
Paige:
You should definitely sell!
She´s clearly not too thrilled to have Darcy back in her life.
11. Montage - Music "You´re the Best Around" by Joe Esposito.
We see Simon rolling out as the first in the Park competition. Jamie sweats profusely, as he watches him do a close to perfect run. Simon looks extremely pleased with his score and skates out to the applause of the crowd.
We see Jamie getting ready to skate out and follow him in a POV shot as he skates out. His vision is blurry and it´s clear, that he´s not doing well. He does a rather safe run, but still almost bails. Chrissy looks worried about him. He gets his score and looks disappointed in himself.
We see him lying down between the runs, to try to focus his vision, Simon looks worried and tries to talk him out of competing, but Jamie stubbornly refuses to quit.
We see Simon hitting a few big airs and grinds in his second run and he´s clearly on top of his game. His mark is clearly huge and the crowd is loving him.
Jamie shakes his head to try to clear the cobwebs from his mind, before rolling out on his second run. It doesn´t last long however, as he loses his balance on a rail grind and lands down on his ankle, that gets twisted in the fall. He lies there holding it, as the tournament doctor runs out to check on him.
12. Int. Backstage Area. Evening.
Jamie is lying on a gurney, clearly in a lot of pain, as the doctor checks his ankle. Simon is with him.
Doctor:
I need to cut your sock off. Are you sure, you don´t want a painkiller? This could be very painful.
Jamie:
I can´t, or I won´t be able to compete in the vert.
Simon:
Jamie ...
Jamie:
JUST DO IT!
The doctor takes his shoe off and Jamie has to bite his hand to stop himself from screaming in pain. The doctor then gets a pair of scissors and cuts his sock off. His foot and ankle are more blue than skin colored. It´s so bad, that Simon has to look away from it.
Doctor:
You´re not competing anymore tonight. I can tell you that much.
Jamie:
I have to.
Doctor:
You won´t be able to stand on this foot for weeks, probably months. We need to get you to a hospital, so we can have X-Rays taken.
Jamie:
You don´t understand! I have to win tonight or my life is ruined!
Doctor:
I´m sorry, but there´s no way, I would clear you to compete with these injuries. Try to lie still and I´ll get you some painkillers. We´ll have you on your way there in no time.
The doctor leaves them. Jamie looks disappointed.
Simon:
I´m sorry, man. It sucks to fall and get hurt, but we´ve all been there.
Jamie:
Why did it have to be tonight? I´ll lose everything over this.
Simon:
Maybe not everything.
Chrissy comes running over to them.
Simon:
If you´ll excuse me, I have a competition to win.
Jamie:
Good luck. If I can´t win it, then you should.
Simon rides off. Chrissy takes Jamie´s hand and kisses him.
Chrissy:
Does it hurt?
Jamie:
Not as much, as my pride is.
Chrissy:
What happened?
Jamie:
It´s a long story. I´ll fill you in.
The doctor comes back.
Chrissy:
Can I ride to the hospital with him?
Jamie:
Please, Doc. I need her there. You can at least do that much for me.
Doctor:
Okay. You might want to look away, if you´re squiemish.
He gets out an IV and prepares to stick in into Jamie´s arm. Jamie bites his teeth, as he does it, but soon starts to relax, as the painkiller begins to kick in.
13. Int. Skate Hall. Evening.
Darcy and Sally are waiting in a long line for the women´s room.
Sally:
Waiting until the intermission probably wasn´t he best idea.
Darcy:
I like, that there´s so many girls down here. Not right now, of course, but it´s cool to see, that it´d not just a boy´s game. Do you skate?
Sally:
No! I would be terrified out of mind, if I was that high up in the air!
Darcy:
You and me both. I hope, that Chrissy´s boyfriend is okay. That looked like a nasty fall.
Sally:
These boys have all suffered their share of broken bones, believe me! No, I prefer it down here on the ground, where it´s nice and safe.
Darcy:
I´d stick to that plan, if I were you.
Sally:
What´s the deal with you and Paige?
Darcy looks annoyed.
Darcy:
It goes way back. First I broke her leg, then she slept with my boyfriend ...
Sally looks shocked.
Sally:
You broke her leg?
Darcy:
She was being a bitch, like she always was to us. We didn´t mean for her to get that hurt. We just thought it would be funny to drop her, while we had her up in the pyramid.
Sally:
No offense, but from what I´ve heard, I´m glad, that I didn´t go to Degrassi back in your day!
Darcy:
Honestly, it wasn´t that bad. I had Spinner for a boyfriend and a great best friend in Manny. I had my sister and my parents, who were always there for me, when I need them. I´d give anything to return to that time and do some things over, with what I know now.
Sally:
Like what?
Darcy:
Stay away from the boyfriend, I had after Spinner, for a start. The moment me and Spin broke up, was when it all started to go wrong. Take a word of warning from me. Those bad boys aren´t worth your trouble.
Sally:
You seem like a together and confident woman. You don´t look nearly as old, as most women your age do. If I didn´t know, that you went to school with Spinner, I would guess you to be 25, at the most.
Darcy smiles.
Darcy:
Thanks. You´re a terrible liar, but I needed that.
Sally:
I mean it. If I look half as good as you, when I´m pushing forty, then I´ll be thrilled!
Darcy looks pleased, that she came along.
14. Int. Ambulance. Evening.
Chrissy is riding with Jamie in the ambulance. An EMT is with them in the back.
EMT:
On a scale of one to ten, how much pain are you in?
Jamie:
One, I guess. I don´t really feel anything.
Chrissy kisses his forehead and looks him in the eyes.
Chrissy:
Did you feel that?
Jamie:
I did.
EMT:
Concentrate on her and we´ll be there in no time.
Jamie:
I´m sorry. I really thought, I would win and make you proud.
Chrissy:
I don´t care, if you win or lose. I just like seeing how happy you are, when you win.
Jamie:
It´ll be a while, until I can get on a board again.
Chrissy:
That just means, that I get to nurse you back to health. It´s only one competition.
Jamie:
This wasn´t just another competition. My contract with my sponsor is coming up. After this, there´s no doubt, that they´re gonna drop me. I´ll forever be remember as that kid, who won a fluke medal at the X-Games and failed to live up to the hype.
Chrissy:
I´m sorry. I know, how badly you wanted it. I guess, you´ll have to go to college in stead.
Jamie:
I´ve been wait listed at all three places, I applied to. Tonight was the one thing, that could have saved me and I blew it. Now I don´t have anything, as far as career prospects go.
Chrissy:
You have me.
Jamie almost drifts off from the anaestesia and she strokes his hair.
15. Int. Car. Evening.
Paige is driving Darcy home, but the air is cold between them.
Darcy:
I won´t try to move in on Spinner, if that´s what you´re worried about.
Paige:
I´ll trust you as far, as I can throw you, Hun. It´s nothing personal.
Darcy:
What did I do to you, that was so bad?
Paige:
You ruined my chance for a movie career, for a start! If I hadn´t broken my leg, do you really think Kevin Smith would have cut me out of his movie? Or how about moving in on Spinner, the first chance you got?
Darcy:
He came on to me amd anyway, I helped him to change for the better! Do you even remember, what he was like, before he met me? What he had done?
Paige:
That wasn´t how he was all the time.
Darcy:
I helped him to grow up! We would have had a chance, if you hadn´t slept with him, just because you could! I could have had your family and your life, but you took my chance to have that away from me. Pull over!
Paige sees, that she was being unfair and pulls over to the side.
Paige:
I´m sorry, okay? But, you started it.
Darcy:
I started it? Who was a bitch towards me, from the moment I set foot at that school? With you, there was never any "Hi, Darcy. How are you doing?". It was always "You can´t do anything right, Darcy". You got off on ruining not just my self esteem, but the self esteem of every girl on that squad. None of us could stand you and if anyone should hate the other, it should be me hating you!
She gets out of the car. Paige rolls her eyes and gets out too.
16. Ext. Street. Evening.
Darcy is walking up the street. Paige follows after her.
Paige:
Are you gonna walk the eight miles, you have home?
Darcy:
If I have to.
Paige:
I own those exact same shoes. Your feet will be ripe for the mortuary, if you try it, Hun.
Darcy turns around to face her.
Darcy:
I´d rather have that, than listen to you. Because of you, I fell in with Peter, which led to me getting drug raped and trying to kill myself. But you weren´t around to see that, because you were off in happy college land, far away! So don´t you dare judge me, because you have no idea, what I´ve had to go through!
Paige:
I´m sorry. What else can I say? I was raped too, if it makes you feel better. I´d say, that you´re pretty sick in the head, if it does, though.
Darcy calms down.
Darcy:
I never knew. I always had to picked for some spoiled rich girl, who got what she wanted all the time and got off on talking down to everyone.
Paige:
I had my problems too, I just never allowed anyone to see them. I went to court against the guy who did it and the judge aquitted him. It made it seem like it was all my own fault.
Darcy:
How did you manage to move on?
Paige:
He´s still in my head. I remember his voice and what he looked like, much better than I´d like to, here almost thirty years later. But you keep on living your life and hope, that someday he won´t be.
Darcy:
I never saw the one, who did it. He could be long dead by now, for all I know.
Paige:
Like you, I never knew. I guess, it´s not something, you tell just anyone about.
Darcy:
I´m willing to leave the past behind us, if you are. I came here for a fresh start, not to renew old rivalries.
Paige:
I´m sorry, that I was mean to you. Again. I´m really not that mean girl anymore, that you remember. She grew up and realized, that being mean to people, doesn´t get you anywhere in life. It can make you rich, if you´re very lucky, but you´ll still end up lonely.
Darcy:
Playing the nice girl doesn´t get you there either. Trust me, I´ve tried.
Paige:
Do you want to get back in the car, so we can talk about it?
Darcy nods. Paige looks relieved.
17. Int. Waiting Room. Evening.
Chrissy is with Jamie, who´s waiting to hear the results of him X-Rays. A doctor comes over to them.
Doctor:
I´m afraid, I can´t give you good news at this time. Your ankle is broken in two places. We´ll have to operate tomorrow, after you´ve fasted. When was the last time you ate?
Jamie:
Lunchtime. I was so nervous, that I forgot to eat dinner.
Doctor:
We´ll have to insert screws into it and put you in a cast for a while.
Chrissy:
Will he be able to walk normally, after he´s healed?
Doctor:
We expect him to fully recover, but he won´t be running for while. I´ll tell the porters to wheel you to your room, so you can get some sleep.
Jamie:
Thanks.
The doctor leaves them.
Chrissy:
That´s my code for time to go home. I´ll come back tomorrow after school, okay?
Jamie nods.
Jamie:
Chrissy, I´m sorry, that I´m such a screw up. I promise, that I´ll try harder not to be one.
Chrissy:
I love you just the way you are. Whether you become a garbageman or the world´s greatest skater, won´t change how I look at you. As long as you keep loving me, then I´ll keep loving you.
Jamie:
There´s no danger of that changing.
She leans down and kisses him goodnight.
CLOSING CREDITS
