INT. KENNEDY HIGH - THE NOVAK - DAY
POV from the inside of a toilet bowl. All of a sudden, NICOLE'S FACE appears as she flips up the seat and starts to hurl. CUT TO
MARY CHERRY standing outside of the closed stall.
MARY CHERRY
Well, Nic -- it really isn't that bad when
ya think about it --
She has to pause as Nicole heaves loudly.
MARY CHERRY (cont'd)
It could be worse --
Nicole heaves again.
MARY CHERRY (cont'd)
(irritated)
Well it's not like you two were purposely
breedin'!
Nicole heaves again....then, quiet.
MARY CHERRY (cont'd)
Nic? Do I hafta call a doctor?
NICOLE
Just leave me alone, Cherry!
Mary Cherry hesitantly turns and starts to exit.
BROOKE McQUEEN enters the Novak and nearly crashes into Mary Cherry.
MARY CHERRY
Hey Brookie!
BROOKE
Hey Mary Cherry --
Suddenly, Nicole starts to hurl again, startling her.
BROOKE
OhmiGod...did I walk in on someone's
morning purge?
MARY CHERRY
It's just Nic...she's a little under the weather
due to the merciless teasing she's been
receiving for her lurid sexual relations with
her own brother.
(pauses)
Keep an eye on 'er for me, will
ya?
She exits as Brooke goes to the stall door.
BROOKE
Nicole? Are you o.k. in there?
The door opens. Nicole looks horribly pale.
NICOLE
I'm fine.
(goes to the mirror)
I just had some bad Sashimi at Matsuhisa,
that's all.
BROOKE
For breakfast?
Nicole leans into the sink and splashes water around her mouth.
NICOLE
Yeah, hi, what can I say -- it's a delayed reaction
from last night.
Brooke watches her as she cleans up.
NICOLE (cont'd)
Isn't there a step-Spam you should be
consoling right now?
BROOKE
Look, I'm sorry...about all this. I kinda
feel like it's my fault -- for agreeing to
let Harrison edit the tape.
NICOLE
His visciously successful revenge against me
is no fault of yours, Brookie. Your conscience
is clear.
BROOKE
No, it's not --
NICOLE
Well, it should be.
BROOKE
I just feel that -- had I not listened to you and
told him that you were his sister, none of this
would've ever had happened.
NICOLE
You can't be sure of that. I made my own
mistakes.
BROOKE
But that doesn't matter, I --
NICOLE
Yeah, well...what's done is done --
She starts to leave.
NICOLE (cont'd)
-- and so am I.
Brooke watches the door close behind her and leans against the sink.
INT. KENNEDY HIGH - CHEMISTRY CLASS - DAY
The students settle in their seats as BOBBI GLASS prepares. The students face an uncomfortable murmur.
CARMEN FERRARA looks at Harrison's empty seat and leans to LILY.
CARMEN
(quiet)
Where's Harrison?
LILY
I dunno -- I just know I'm more concerned
about him now than I was before.
CARMEN
I don't know what concerns me more --
knowing that he slept with his sister...or
knowing that his sister is Nicole.
BOBBI GLASS
Jones, Viera -- save the celebrity gossip
'til after class.
Just then, Harrison makes it into class.
BOBBI GLASS (cont'd)
Speaking of celebrities, here comes Harrison
Long John Holmes right now.
(pauses as Harrison settles in his seat)
There a reason why you're late, Mr. John?
HARRISON
(meekly)
N...no, Miss Glass.
BOBBI GLASS
Good, I'd like to get started because your
presence next to our other resident porn star
has inspired today's hot topic: inbreeding
and genetics.
Nicole looks uncomfortable as some of the class giggles. Harrison dips his head in embarrassment, unwilling to even glance at Nicole. Both SAM McPHERSON and BROOKE look extremely uncomfortable.
BOBBI GLASS (cont'd)
Can anyone tell me why -- aside from
the obvious moral and social aberration --
two related mammals should not mate?
LILY
This is soooo inappropriate! I don't
feel like you're being sensitive to --
Before Miss Glass can answer...
NICOLE
You know what? It's o.k. -- I'll answer.
What better way to get Miss Glass's answers than
to get them from the mammal in question, right?
BOBBI GLASS
Go ahead, Ms. Julian. Let's see if you can
show us your ability to articulate more than
your orgasmic bliss under Mr. John's
prepubescent physique.
NICOLE
In biology, inbreeding between familiars can
be detrimental to a species, as it creates a lack
of genetic diversity and increases the likelihood of
undesirable recessive genes to be passed on.
BOBBI GLASS
Prescisely, Ms. Julian --
NICOLE
BUT -- Robert Bakewell, noted British originator of
modern champion racehorse breed development, believed
in the philosophy of "breed the best to the best to get
the best".
BOBBI GLASS
As did Hitler. And your point is?
NICOLE
My real point is that we aren't in biology -- and if we
were, your sly attempt at twisting your educational
lecture into a sanctimonious dissection of my private
life still wouldn't fly and is, as Lily said, inappropriate.
The class murmurs as Lily smiles.
BOBBI GLASS
Touché, Ms. Julian. Now -- care to apply
your
logic to chemistry, then?
NICOLE
Why certainly. Two elements of the same family can
indeed mix very well to produce positive results:
Hydrogen, a non-metal, and oxygen, also a non-metal,
when combined produces, as you all know very well
by now, water. Carbon, again in the same family
of
non-metals, paired with oxygen, produces carbon
dioxide, an essential by-product of our respiration
needed by plants for photosynthesis.
The class lights up to Nicole's self-defense. Sam nods her head in reluctant agreement.
BOBBI GLASS
Yes, and that last pairing can produce the deadly
carbon monoxide, a by-product of combustion
that will halt your hyperventilative
heat-of-the-moment respiration altogether.
Nicole's expression falls. Miss Glass fold her hands in front of her.
BOBBI GLASS (cont'd)
You see kids -- my point here today wasn't
soley to add to Mr. John or Ms. Julian-John's
pay-per-view shame.
(pauses)
Ms. Julian brought up an extremely valuable
point -- that close relations don't necessarily
bring forth disastrous results. However, when
dealing with such sensitive issues as genetics
and chemistry, one must evaluate the most
miniscule details before gambling with the
results. In the case of CO2 versus
CO, the difference between the 1983 hit "Every
Breath You Take" and Papa Roach's "Last Resort"
is but one lowly molecule.
(pauses)
Sometimes chemistry, like life, is a crap shoot...you
never
know when you'll hit your lucky sevens...or roll snake
eyes.
INT. KENNEDY HIGH - HALLWAY - DAY
SAM walks briskly down the hall after class -- BROOKE attempts to catch up with her.
BROOKE
Sam...Sam!
SAM
Brooke, I've got an article to work on --
BROOKE
No, you don't.
She grabs her arm.
BROOKE (cont'd)
We need to talk.
SAM
There's nothing to talk about --
BROOKE
Yes, there is.
(pauses)
I am so over the silent treatment with you.
SAM
Maybe I'm not. God, Brooke -- see, before
I could take you lying to me...but now, we're
not supposed to be lying to eachother.
BROOKE
I know...and I'm sorry.
SAM
Sorry doesn't cut it in this case! Why didn't
you just tell me that you knew Harrison was
gettin' his freak on with Nicole?
BROOKE
I've tried to tell you that I didn't know that he
was doing it with Nicole. I just knew that
Nicole was his sister, that's all, and I promised
that I wouldn't tell anyone --
SAM
Isn't that bad enough?
BROOKE
Look, this whole thing with her and her
mother has really thrown everything she
knows or thought she knew into a tailspin.
The truth hurts pretty bad sometimes.
SAM
Hm. Well, finally we have something in
common.
She starts to leave.
BROOKE
Sam, where are you going?
SAM
I'm going to go find George...and apologize.
INT. KENNEDY HIGH - HALLWAY - DAY
NICOLE opens her locker to find a piece of paper slide down from the
slats -- the paper reads
"NICOLE JULIAN -- INCEST SLUT" scrawled over it. She crumples
it up and shoves it into the depths of her locker.
LILY approaches cautiously -- Nicole ignores her.
LILY
Hey.
Nicole continues to ignore her.
LILY (cont'd)
You know...I really admire your
strength sometimes. I don't know
what I would've done had the same
thing happened to me.
Nicole finally turns to her.
NICOLE
Somehow I don't think the same thing
would ever happen to you, Lily White.
LILY
Nicole, come on...I understand your
pain and humiliation --
NICOLE
I don't think so.
LILY
Maybe not literally, but I do understand
that you didn't know that Harrison was
your brother, nor did you know that
Emory was taping you during such a
private moment...and I know how horrible
I'd feel if my privacy was violated like
that.
(pauses)
Are you o.k.? You look a little pale.
NICOLE
I'm fine -- I'm just a little stressed.
LILY
Maybe you should get some help -- you
know, like counselling --
NICOLE
Thanks, but no thanks, Dr. Laura. My
conscience is as clear as my complexion.
She turns back to her locker.
LILY
I'm only trying to help --
NICOLE
If you really wanna help me, throw a
nickle with my name on it into your
environmental defense fund. I don't need
your help or your sympathy.
Just then, Harrison cautiously approaches.
LILY
Well...o.k. But if you need anything --
NICOLE
I know just where to find you. Yeah.
Lily eyes Harrison as Nicole continues to raze her locker. She walks away quietly.
NICOLE
What do YOU want, Pugsley?
HARRISON
I...just wanted to see how you were doing.
NICOLE
Well, I'm fine, thank you.
HARRISON
You don't look fine.
NICOLE
How I look doesn't matter anymore --
HARRISON
Maybe, but how you feel --
NICOLE
How I feel is of even less concern.
HARRISON
No, it's not -- I...I need to apologize. I
tried calling, but I didn't get an answer.
NICOLE
Caller ID is a Godsend, isn't it.
HARRISON
Hey, it's not like I'm having a great time
dealing with this, either. People're razzin'
me, too.
(pauses)
Nicole -- as hard as this is gonna be, we
need to work this out so that we can
feel comfortable in our own skins around
eachother.
NICOLE
Do you really think I can feel comfortable
right now? Hm? Do you really think that I
can trust you enough to tell you exactly how
I feel about the big brother who apparently
didn't trust me enough not to out his sorry
little ass at a public function about a stupid,
horrible email and who, in turn, raised more
than just consciences at the banquet by
publicly displaying what little sacred connection
we shared privately?
HARRISON
You have every right to feel --
NICOLE
(finally turns to him)
I'll tell you how I feel. I feel just a little betrayed.
I feel disgusted. I feel --
She pauses as she puts her hand to her mouth, her stomach turning.
HARRISON
Are you feeling o.k., Nic --
Nicole all of a sudden heaves on his shoes.
INT. KENNEDY HIGH - HALLWAY - A LITTLE LATER
Harrison looks grossed out as he comes out of the boy's room. He uses a paper towel to wipe the front of his shirt when he bumps into SAM coming around the corner.
SAM
Oh, sorry --
HARRISON
Sam, wait.
SAM
I can't talk right now --
HARRISON
Please.
Sam has a hard time looking at him as she leans against the wall.
HARRISON (cont'd)
I'm sorry.
SAM
Hey, you know...you got what you
wanted, didn't you? The ultimate
revenge on Nicole, right?
HARRISON
It wasn't supposed to happen this way.
SAM
What exactly did you expect? You
used us!
HARRISON
I know, and I will be eternally damned in
the pits of hell for it --
SAM
Do you think this is a joke?
HARRISON
No, not at all -- not at all. I was...angry.
I didn't know why she all of a sudden dumped
me and...and...and I didn't know what to do!
SAM
You could've come to me about it.
HARRISON
Really? Because it seems to me that I
was pretty much left out to dry after
you picked George over me.
SAM
(huffs)
Was it that black and white for you?
Harrison turns away.
SAM
Because maybe if you'd just opened your
eyes and looked past the glare of Nicole's
iridescent smile, you'd seen how hard it was
for me to live with what I did.
(pauses)
Now it looks like you have to live with
what you did.
She leaves him in the hallway, turns the corner and sees
GEORGE AUSTIN standing at the end of the hall, talking rather closely
and
intimately with LADY T -- he has his hand near her face. They laugh
at something and Sam turns back, leaning against the wall in shock.
END OF ACT 1