WHAT IF? - SEASON 1 EPISODE 7 - DANGER ZONE
Disclaimer: I don´t own Degrassi or the characters from it.
1. Int. Hallway. Morning.
Ashley is getting things out of her locker, when Ellie comes over to her, looking flustered.
Ellie:
I´m so dead!
Ashley:
What happened now?
Ellie:
Remember that article for the Degrassi Digest, I have to write?
Ashley:
What about it?
Ellie:
I found out yesterday, that my main argument is completely untrue. The deadline is tomorrow and I have to start all over! The worst part is, that I have no idea what to write about!
Ashley:
Can´t you ask for an extension?
Ellie:
This is my one big chance to get on their writing staff. If I ask for an extension, then they´ll go with someone else.
Ashley:
You don´t have any ideas?
Ellie:
Nothing, I can put together in a day!
Ellie looks frustrated, but gets distracted, when she sees two girls come walking up the hallway, both wearing several colored wristbands. Ashley closes her locker and is ready to leave.
Ellie:
What´s with all the girls wearing those colored wristbands? Is there some fashion thing going on, that I´m not aware of?
Ashley:
You really don´t know?
Ellie:
Am I supposed to?
Ashley:
They´re rewards that girls earn down at The Ravine. For doing sexual favors.
Ellie looks shocked.
Ellie:
Like what?
Ashley:
I´d rather not know. It´s icky enough to think about, as it is.
Ellie:
I think, I have the subject for my article.
Ashley:
I´d step lightly, if I were you. It isn´t everyone, who wants this exposed.
Ellie:
Relax, Ashley. I know, what I´m doing.
Ashley doesn´t look entirely convinced.
OPENING CREDITS
2. Int. Classroom. Day.
Sean is getting very couply with Emma, when Ellie comes into the classroom. Sean and Emma are surprised to see her and un-couple.
Sean:
Ellie, I ...
Ellie:
So, you´re back together. I suppose congratulations are in order.
Emma:
You´re fine with it?
Ellie:
I wouldn´t usually be, but I´m in dire need of a favor from Sean, so I´m swallowing my pride!
Emma:
How gracious of you!
Sean:
Anything!
Ellie:
I have to write an article, but I need the help of someone with inside knowledge of what goes on at the Ravine. Can you help me?
Sean:
Sure.
Ellie:
We´ll talk after next period.
She leaves the classroom and Sean and Emma couple up again.
Emma:
And you thought, that would be hard!
Sean:
Lady luck is my my side!
Emma:
It had to happen sometime!
He looks pleased.
3. Int. Classroom. Morning.
We see that Jay is looking like he´d rather be anywhere else. Hazel, Paige and Amy are talking before class starts.
Hazel:
You´ve never been to a school dance?
Amy:
I´ve never had the desire to. They always seemed so "Hoity-Toity" to me.
Paige:
You don´t know, what you´ve been missing! You and Spinner are coming with us this time!
Amy:
I don´t have anything to wear, for one thing!
Hazel:
We´re roughly the same size. You can borrow a dress from me.
Paige:
If it´s about the money, then the rest of us will pay for your ticket. You have no reason to say no.
Amy:
I don´t even know, if Spinner wants to go.
Hazel:
He will, if you ask him the right way.
Amy looks almost overwhelmed with how she´s being showered with friendship. We quickly see Jay sitting with his feet on the table in the back row, making gagging sounds. Amy turns to face him.
Amy:
Problems, Jay?
Jay:
Yeah! You´re acting like characters from a chick flick on the Disney Channel! Stop it!
Paige:
How would you know?
Hazel:
It sounds like someone has busted himself.
Jay:
Shut it!
Paige:
I hear, there´s a new Hannah Montana movie coming out.
Hazel:
Or are you more of a Lizzie McGuire kind of guy?
Jay:
Do me a favor and pretend I don´t exist!
The three girls find it funny.
Amy:
Jealousy has never looked good on you, Jay.
He sulks and she goes back to chatting with Hazel and Paige.
4. Int. Hallway. Day.
We see Rick Murray and Toby walking up the hallway together. Jay gets in their way and when Rick tries to get around him, he moves, so Rick can´t get past him.
Jay:
What´s the magic word?
Rick:
Please? I don´t want any trouble.
Toby:
Lay off him.
Jay gets up in Toby´s face.
Jay:
What did you say?
He shoves Toby, but they´re saved by Alex, who approaches them.
Alex:
Have you sunk this low, Jay?
Jay:
We were only talking!
Alex:
Run along, boys.
Rick and Toby happily do. Jay looks annoyed with her.
Jay:
The guy beat his girlfriend. I thought, you of all people would be on my side.
Alex:
I also happen to like it, when guys try their hardest to better themselves. It´s a shame, I can´t say the same for you.
She begins to walk away from him and he looks struck by her remark.
Jay:
You can´t say something like that and walk away!
Alex:
I just did!
He´s left to sulk on his own and is so depressed, that he can´t even bring himself to pickpocket a kid, whose wallet is right there for the taking.
5. Int. Hallway. Day.
Ellie and Sean are talking to Amy, who´s looking a little reluctant.
Ellie:
Don´t you think, this is a story, that needs to be told? These girls are basically prostituting themselves.
Sean:
I know, you don´t do that anymore, but you must know some girls, who do.
Amy:
I don´t know. Some of the guys down there, you don´t want to mess with.
Sean:
What they´re doing, taking advantage of these girls. It isn´t right.
Amy:
No one´s having a gun put to their head. Not that I know of.
Ellie:
What happens to the girls, who refuse?
Sean:
They´re stamped as prudes and no one wants to party with a prude. Isn´t that true, Amy?
Amy:
It´s not that I don´t want to help you, Ellie. That whole life is behind me and I´m not in any hurry to re-visit it.
Ellie and Sean see, that they have to pull out the big guns.
Sean:
Weren´t we the ones, who ran to your rescue, when you passed out from alcohol poisoning at our house?
Ellie:
All we did was save your life, from what the paramedics told us.
Amy sees that she owes them big.
Amy:
We´ll go down there tonight. I can introduce you to some people, but if there´s any trouble, then I´m out of there.
Ellie:
I promise, we´ll be right behind you! Thanks so much!
Amy:
I suppose, you´re welcome!
Ellie is all giddy and Amy mouths "You Owe Me" to Sean.
6. Ext. Parking Lot. Day.
Jay comes to his car and finds an X spray painted on his side window. He looks furious.
Jay:
WHOEVER DID THIS IS DEAD!
He gets into his car and angrily slams the door shut.
7. Int. Social Office. Day.
We see Jay waiting his turn at the social office with lots of other people. He checks his watch and shakes his head at how long it´s been.
Secretary:
Hogart!
Jay gets up and walks over to the counter.
Jay:
Is there no way for you to come up with a system, that doesn´t involve people waiting for hours?
Secretary:
We have a lot of people in our system and it takes time to get through all of them. Third office on the right, smart ass!
Jay:
It is always a delight to talk to you! Seriously, it´s the highlight of every month!
He saunters off to find the correct office.
8. Int. Office. Day.
Jay is with his social worker, a man in his 50´s, who can´t wait to get out of there.
Man:
We´ll have to make this quick, since I´m running late.
Jay:
Same as always! What do you have for me this time?
Man:
You´ve stayed out of trouble with the law, so that´s something!
Jay rolls his eyes at him.
Man:
Your grades haven´t gotten worse, not that they could.
He makes wide eyes at something on the paper.
Man:
You got an A in something?
Jay:
Yeah, auto shop. I don´t know, working on cars kind of comes naturally.
Man:
You could actually have a future!
Jay:
As an auto mechanic, busting my butt for ten bucks an hour, if I´m lucky?
Man:
When you start. You can make your way up to making pretty decent money, plus it´ll get you out of the system. I´m sure, you´ve had enough of it, after all these years.
Jay:
I´ve had to sit here and listen to you say a lot of dumb things over the years, but for once, you´re making perfect sense!
Man:
Oh, good! We can help you get started on the process, or you could go out and talk to the auto shops yourself. We both know that college won´t be for you. This could be a real career path.
Jay considers it with a small smile on his face.
9. Ext. The Ravine. Evening.
Sean, Amy and Ellie are interviewing the two girls, we saw at school earlier.
Ellie:
It´s one hundred percent anonymous. No one will ever know, who was interviewed.
Amy:
You don´t have to. We´re not trying to force you into talking.
Girl #1:
What do you want to know?
Ellie gets her tape recorder out and turns it on.
Ellie:
The most obvious question is, why you do it?
Girl #2:
It´s a status thing, you could say. To show the other girls, that you´re more hardcore, than they are.
Girl #1:
If you don´t, then sooner or later, you won´t be welcome down here. Most of the guys buy you beer and weed, sometimes even Coke, if you do what they want you to. If you don´t, then most of the time, they won´t even let you buy it from them.
Ellie:
Do you feel like, you´re forced to do it?
Girl #2:
You can definitely say, that there´s peer pressure to. No one wants to be seen as the prude, who spoils the party for everyone.
Girl #1:
It can even be a problem, if you´re guilty by association. Everyone´s worried about getting busted, so they could chase you away, if you don´t show, that you´re part of the crew.
Girl #2:
It´s the only place, we can freely drink and smoke weed, so you could say that we´re forced to.
Ellie:
They´ll actually ban you from coming here, unless you put out?
Amy:
There´s always exceptions.
Sean:
Like if you came down here with drugs or booze, you´re willing to share. Then you´re everybody´s friend!
The two girls laugh at his joke, but Ellie mostly finds it tragic.
10. Ext. The Ravine (entrance). Evening.
Jay comes down to meet one of his old buddies, the drug dealer, JT sold Oxy to in the real season 5.
Drug Dealer:
Jay! Perfect timing.
He offers Jay a line on a small mirror. Jay sits down next to him and waves him off.
Jay:
No thanks. I´m driving and you know how antsy the traffic cops have been lately. I´ll stick to a few brews.
Drug Dealer:
That doesn´t stop me.
He does the line himself and puts his mirror away.
Drug Dealer:
It´s a fresh shipment. Plus, we´ve got a fresh supply of niners down here! They´re so cute, but always broke and ready to party!
Jay:
I´d rather have Alex back.
Drug Dealer:
Was she that good at it?
Jay:
You know, what I mean. Do you know, what she said to me today?
Drug Dealer:
Did she tell you to get lost for the hundreth time?
Jay:
She said, that I don´t try to better myself! It´s no wonder, that she dumped me, if that´s what she thinks of me.
Drug Dealer:
It could also be all those girls, you cheated on her with!
Jay:
It could have played a factor!
Caroline, a nervous looking 14 year old blonde girl comes over to them.
Caroline:
I hear that you´re holding.
Jay:
You heard wrong, Shortie!
Drug Dealer:
Not so fast!
He gets a small bag of Coke from his sports bag and waves it in front of her.
Drug Dealer:
It can be yours, if you´re willing to work for it.
Jay leans in to whisper to him.
Jay:
Don´t you think, she´s a little young?
Drug Dealer:
She´s old enough.
Jay:
You can´t be serious!
Drug Dealer:
Is she thinks that she´s old enough to do drugs, then she´s old enough.
He makes eye contact with her.
Caroline:
I´d rather just pay you, if that´s okay. I have fifty bucks.
Drug Dealer:
No deal. I don´t sell to kids.
He starts to put it away and Caroline looks frustrated.
Caroline:
My friends are counting on me to score. What do I have to do?
Drug Dealer:
See that trailer over there? Meet me there in two.
Caroline clearly isn´t too into the idea and looks even more nervous, than she did before.
Caroline:
Seriously. What do I have to do?
Drug Dealer:
You´ll find out.
She doesn´t like it, but walks away from them. Jay stands up and confronts the dealer.
Jay:
You know that I´m so saint, but that was scary. I´ve never forced anyone to go in there with me, least of all a kid. This is too messed up, even for you!
Drug Dealer:
I didn´t force her. She could have said no, if she wanted to.
Jay:
You know, that´s crap!
The dealer stands up and looks Jay in the eyes.
Drug Dealer:
In this world you´re either a user or you get used. I fall into the first category and sadly for her and her little friends, they fall into the other.
He leaves Jay, who clearly hates the situation.
11. Ext. The Ravine. Evening.
Ellie, Amy and Sean come walking through the Ravine.
Sean:
Did you get everything you needed?
Ellie:
Enough for a trilogy of Lifetime movies, that would freak parents across the world out! I always thought of Toronto as safe and pleasant place to live and grow up. Now it feels like I don´t know my own city anymore.
Amy:
Do you see, why I want to put this behind me? This place represents a dark time in my life, when I was one of those girls. The rules were the same for me, as they were for them.
Sean:
I can´t picture Alex doing it.
Amy:
That´s because if you suggested it to her, then she would punch your lights out. That works too, if you don´t mind making enemies and fighting all the time.
Ellie:
Speaking of Jay. Isn´t that him?
They see Jay sitting where the Drug Dealer left him and contemplating things.
Sean:
You´ve talked to the used. How would you like to interview one of the users?
Ellie:
He´s not gonna talk!
Amy:
Jay is a piece of work, but he does have a conscience.
Sean:
He´s just very good at hiding it.
Ellie:
I guess, it won´t hurt to ask.
They walk over towards Jay.
12. Ext. The Ravine (entrance). Evening.
The three of them approach Jay, who´s jumpy and stand up.
Jay:
What are you doing here?
Sean:
Exposing guys like you, who take advantage of girls down here.
Jay:
They all came with me voluntarily! I´m not like ...
He stops himself, but Sean sees that it could be serious.
Sean:
Not like who?
Jay:
The drug dealer, who usually sits here. He went off with a girl to one of the trailers. She can´t have been more than 14.
Amy:
14! Jay, you have to do something!
Jay:
I can´t! You know how it is down here!
Ellie:
Are you gonna let a 14 year old girl get raped, knowing that you could have stopped it?
Her words seem to get through to Jay, who all of a sudden man´s up.
Sean:
Tell me, which one it is.
Jay:
No. This is my problem.
Sean:
No offense, Jay, but I´ve seen you fight! I´m coming with you.
They run down towards the trailer.
13. Int. Trailer. Evening.
The Drug Dealer is all over Caroline, who´s half way undressed and on the verge of panicking.
Caroline:
Stop! I didn´t agree to this!
Drug Dealer:
Shut up! You´re ruining it!
The door is opened and Sean and Jay come in.
Jay:
Party´s over!
Drug Dealer:
Get out of here!
Caroline:
Please! Save me!
Sean:
Gladly!
He takes the drug dealer down with one punch and knocks him out. Jay comes to Caroline´s rescue and picks her up, before very gently carrying her out of the trailer.
14. Ext. Street. day.
The drug dealer is being arrested by two officers, while a 3rd policeman goes through his sports bag, as he watches.
Policeman:
Boys, it´s a snowy night! Add that to the sexual assault of a minor and you´re looking at ten years minimum. Do you have anything to say?
Drug Dealer:
Shut up and take me to the station.
Policeman:
You´ll get a first class ride in one of our finest patrol cars!
He´s put into the police car and we cut to Ellie, Amy, Jay and Sean, who are watching it. Caroline comes over to them, wrapped in a blanket.
Caroline:
I can´t thank you guys enough, for saving me from that creep.
Jay:
I should have stopped it, before it got that far.
Caroline:
It was my own choice to go with him. I had no idea ...
She can´t bring herself to finish the sentence.
Sean:
It´s okay. You don´t have to say anymore.
Ellie:
Is it okay, if I use this in a story, I´m writing?
Caroline:
Will it have my name in it?
Ellie:
No, it won´t. You could save other girls from having the same thing happen to them.
Caroline:
Then I guess, It´s okay. I have to go to the station for questioning. It´s gonna be real fun telling my parents, that I was trying to buy drugs.
Jay:
Next time, stick to hugs. They´re much better for you.
He gets a small smile from her, before she leaves them.
Amy:
You´re a bona fide hero, Jay. At least to her.
Jay:
It feels odd.
Sean:
It´s called doing something good for a change. It´ll take some time to get used to.
Jay:
I didn´t say, it was a bad feeling.
Ellie:
I could still really use an interview with you, to make the story complete. I know, it´s a lot to ask for, since you´ll probably lose all of your friends down here ...
Jay:
Ah, screw ém! I´ll give you your interview. The few I like, I can meet in other places besides here.
Sean:
I hate to say it, buddy. It could be, that you´ve outgrown this scene.
Jay:
That can´t be it!
Amy:
I´m afraid so, Jay! Sean grew out of it, then me and Spinner did and now it´s your turn!
Jay:
I don´t want to be a grown up yet!
Sean puts a friendly hand on his shoulder and it cheers him up a little.
15. Int. Hallway. Morning.
Rick is getting books out of his locker, when Jay comes over to him. Rick immediately gets defensive.
Rick:
I´ll tell Raditch, if you keep it up!
Jay:
Relax! I came to apologize.
Rick looks surprised.
Jay:
Look, the only reason why I chose you, is because you were an easy victim. For what it´s worth, I think that it´s tough, what you´re doing. I know, that I wouldn´t be able to face people, if it had been me. I hope, there´s no hard feelings.
Rick shakes his head and is still too surprised to speak, as Jay leaves him. He´s met by Sean and Amy.
Sean:
Didn´t that feel good?
Jay:
I´m still not sure that his whole nice guy routine is me.
Amy:
It is. You can´t run away from it.
Alex comes over to them, smiling at Jay.
Alex:
I have to hear it from the horse´s mouth. Did you really save a girl from being raped?
Jay:
Well, I did have some help from Sean ...
Sean:
He´s being modest! You should have seen how he knocked the guy out with one punch.
Alex:
One punch? Jay, you can´t punch a hole through a paper bag!
Jay:
I can, when I want to!
Amy:
Believe it or not, Alex. He´s turning over a new leaf.
Sean and Amy leave them and head off to class.
Alex:
I still don´t know, if I´m buying it. You, a hero?
Jay:
Well, a real hero never thinks of himself that way!
Alex:
It´s all in a day´s work, is that it?
He smiles at her and she can´t help smiling back at him.
Alex:
One thing hasn´t changed. You´re still full of it, Jay!
Jay:
Did you hear, that I´m dropping out to become an auto mechanic? I´m supposed to stay for the rest of the day, but there´s a bigger chance of a snowstorm in hell, than that happening!
She looks at him, almost in disbelief.
Alex:
Now you have career goals? What did you do with the real Jay?
Jay:
He decided, that he wasn´t happy with the guy, he´d turned into.
Alex:
It´s a shame, you´re leaving. This is Jay, I could get to like.
Jay:
Are you saying, that you want to start dating again?
She shakes her head vividly.
Alex:
On a boyfriend scale of one to ten, I´d give you minus a hundred thousand and that´s being generous! We´re not getting back together!
Jay;
It was worth a try. Are we friends?
Alex:
We are. Take care of yourself, Jay.
Jay:
You too, Alex. I´ll see you around.
She gives him a hug, before heading off to class. He watches her leave and lets it sink in, that it´s over once and for all between them.
16. Int. Classroom. Morning.
For once, Ellie is the center of attention, as everyone wants to hear how it went down. It´s a little weird to her, but she gladly answers their questions.
Paige:
Were you in danger?
Ellie:
No, me and Amy kept a safe distance. I´m not much of a fighter.
Jimmy:
I still can´t believe, that Jay is a hero.
Ellie:
He came through for that girl, when it mattered. She thanked him and Sean afterwards. Needless to say, that she was very grateful.
Hazel:
No wonder! That poor girl could have been traumatized for life!
Craig:
Did you get what you needed for your story?
Ellie:
They told me, that they´re using it as this month´s cover story. I hope, that some of the girls, who could be in the danger zone, will read it and think twice, before going down there.
Ashley:
For all we know, it could end up saving lives.
Terri:
Way to go, Ellie!
Jimmy:
How does it feel to know, that you´ve changed your tiny part of the world for the better?
Ellie:
It´s a feeling, I could get used to.
She radiates with pride. Amy comes into the classroom.
Hazel:
Have you seen Jay this morning?
Amy:
I never thought, I´d hear you asking that!
Jimmy:
Where is he?
Amy:
He´s dropped out to become an auto mechanic.
Paige:
He finally did something, people will like him for! Why wouldn´t he want to bask in his success, when he has it for once?
Ellie:
That´s how you can tell, if it´s a true hero. They don´t take credit for their work.
She looks out the window at Jay literally dancing with joy, that High School is over for him and smiles at the sight of it.
CLOSING CREDITS