ACT FOUR
FADE IN:
INT. AN EMPTY APARTMENT - EARLY MONDAY MORNING
The front door opens, and a real estate agent leads Josh and
Lily inside. They look around, seeming to be slightly
overwhelmed.
JOSH
Wow—this is bigger than my mom's
place.
Lily snuggles up to him.
LILY
It's perfect.
AGENT
(perkily)
Of course it is. This is the
ideal unit for young newlyweds
just starting out. Now, I just
need your signatures...
JOSH
Look, are you sure there aren't
some forms or something we have to
fill out?
AGENT
(with a dismissive gesture)
If Jane McPherson says you're
okay, you're okay.
She hands them a clipboard.
AGENT (CONT'D)
(pointing)
If you would just sign there...
Still a bit dazed, Josh and Lily sign the papers and hand the
clipboard back.
AGENT (CONT'D)
Fine... Now, I'm going to need a
check for the first and last
month's rent, plus the deposit.
Josh and Lily look at each other, their grins vanishing.
JOSH
Oh—
LILY
(embarrassed)
Our checking account's brand
new—could we get you a money order
instead?
AGENT
Of course—drop it by the office
before five?
LILY
Great.
The agent hands over a key ring.
AGENT
Well, here are the keys... The
electricity and gas are already
on, and someone should be by to
hook up the phone before lunch.
With that, the agent heads for the door.
LILY
Thank you so much.
JOSH
Yeah—thanks.
AGENT
You two look like you're going to
be very happy here.
JOSH
Oh, we are.
After the agent leaves, Lily turns and jumps into Josh's arms.
LILY
Baby, we did it!
JOSH
(grinning)
Yeah, and no Miss Glass.
Lily disengages herself, looking around.
LILY
Wow...I don't even know what to do
first.
JOSH
Oh, that's simple. You go to
school, and I'll get our boxes out
of Sam's garage.
LILY
Oh, baby, I don't want you to do
that all by yourself!
JOSH
It's okay, really. I can handle
it. Besides, it's almost finals,
and you need to study.
LILY
Josh, you need to study, too.
JOSH
It's more important for you—and
I'm not being...uh...
LILY
Self-depreciating?
JOSH
Yeah, I'm not being that. Look,
Lily, I know how I'm gonna do on
the finals whether or not I miss a
day of school. You're the one who
has to do good on your
finals—you're the brains of this
family.
LILY
Josh...
JOSH
(playfully)
Gorgeous, sexy, brains...
LILY
(laughing)
Okay, okay...
She takes one of the keys off of the ring and hands it to him.
LILY (CONT'D)
One for you, one for me.
Josh holds up the key and examines it.
JOSH
My own key to my own place...
Hey, isn't your car over at
Sam's, too?
LILY
Oh, right... Hmm, maybe my
husband will give me a ride over
there.
JOSH
(wagging his eyebrows)
"Husband"...I like the sound of
that.
Arm in arm, they head for the door.
LILY
I'll come back at lunch.
JOSH
It's a date...
CURTAIN CUT TO:
INT. SCHOOL HALLWAY - LATER
Carmen is at her locker when Lily walks up to her.
LILY
Hey, Carm.
CARMEN
(closing her locker)
Hey, I heard you were getting a
new place?
LILY
(gushing)
We got the keys this morning.
It's just PERFECT...Josh is moving
everything in today.
(grimaces)
I still feel guilty about taking
Sam's money, though.
CARMEN
Well, next to you she's the most
stubborn person I know, so I don't
think you could've stopped her.
With a shrug, Lily concedes that point.
CARMEN (CONT'D)
Hey, did you hear—it was NICOLE
that ran down Brooke!
LILY
Yeah, I heard in the parking lot!
I just—I can't believe it. I
mean, I knew Nicole was rotten,
but...I never thought she'd try to
KILL someone.
CARMEN
Yeah, between her and Mary Cherry,
it's a miracle we're still alive.
LILY
(confused)
Wait—what about Mary Cherry?
CARMEN
You haven't heard? She went
totally psycho! Started
hallucinating and everything.
Word is, she's locked up in the
loony ward at the hospital.
LILY
(shaking her head)
Huh—that doesn't sound like Mary
Cherry. I mean, she's a little
off, but...
CARMEN
(nods knowingly)
We're lucky she didn't go off and
shoot up The Novak or something.
LILY
(thinking)
Carmen—are you visiting Brooke
today?
CARMEN
Yeah, in fact, I'm gonna cut
history and go right now.
LILY
Good. I need you to do me a
favor.
CUT TO:
INT. AN INTERVIEW ROOM
A smaller room, with no mirrors. Nicole is sitting in a
wooden chair, hugging her knees to her chest, while Devenport
paces around.
DEVENPORT
All right, one more time. The
last thing you remember is...?
NICOLE
(listlessly)
I remember...getting in the car.
DEVENPORT
And you don't remember stopping at
Brooke McQueen's house, or
speaking with Mike McQueen?
NICOLE
(cocking her head)
Wait—
FLASHBACK
Two or three momentary fragments of Nicole in the McQueen
kitchen.
NICOLE (CONT'D)
(squeezing her eyes shut)
I think—I remember talking to
Brooke's dad...maybe...I don't
know.
DEVENPORT
But you definitely don't remember
driving to the Moonlight Cafe?
Nicole shakes her head mutely.
DEVENPORT (CONT'D)
The next thing you DO remember
is...?
NICOLE
It was morning, and this cop was
banging on the window.
He stops to jot some notes down on a legal pad on the table.
DEVENPORT
All right. The arraignment is
simple.
You appear before a judge, you
plead "not guilty" and we get a
trial date. Now, it's a little
early to be talking about
defensive strategy, but I think I
can get this reduced to vehicular
assault—and I think I have a good
shot of convincing a jury to
acquit you even of that.
NICOLE
(numbly)
Fine. Whatever.
DEVENPORT
Look, Nicole, I know how you must
feel, but—
NICOLE
(looking up)
Excuse me? You know how I feel?
She stands up, sending the chair flying back.
NICOLE (CONT'D)
How could you possibly KNOW HOW I
FEEL?
DEVENPORT
Ah, Nicole—
NICOLE
(pacing)
Brooke...she sided with that—that
sniveling, little brown-haired
BITCH over me...her best
friend... Trying to make some
kind of 90's-sitcom FAMILY with
her... And then she poisoned my
prom date...convinced him to dump
me... I was ROYALLY PISSED OFF
at her!
DEVENPORT
I think we would be much better
off not bringing this up in court.
Nicole holds out her hands, pleading.
NICOLE
(plaintively)
It didn't MEAN anything! Do you
know how many times B. and I have
been pissed as hell at each other?
Finally coming to rest against the corner of the room, she
slides down the wall until she is sitting on the floor,
crossing her arms on her knees and burying her head in them.
NICOLE (CONT'D)
(crying)
I wanted to hurt her. I didn't
want to kill her.
CUT TO:
INT. JOSH AND LILY'S APARTMENT - NOON
The apartment looks homier but distinctly under-furnished,
populated mostly by boxes. On one table is the phone; Josh is
in the middle of a conversation.
JOSH
(on the phone)
...no... Yes, I got it... No,
not yet... Look, I just need
more time, okay?
The front door opens.
JOSH (CONT'D)
(into the phone)
I gotta go.
Josh hurriedly hangs up the phone as Lily walks in.
JOSH (CONT'D)
Hey, baby!
LILY
Hey...!
(looking past him)
We have a phone?
JOSH
(following her gaze)
Yeah, it works and everything.
Oh—I have a surprise. Wait here.
Josh disappears through into the kitchen. Lily wanders over
to the table, where a pile of old mail is scattered. Idly she
leafs through the envelopes, then looks curiously at one,
flipping it open and pulling out the contents.
ANGLE: THE KITCHEN ENTRYWAY - MOMENTS LATER
JOSH (O.S.) (CONT'D)
Look, I don't want you to, you
know, get your hopes up or
anything, but...
Josh appears in the entryway, holding a makeshift tray with
plates of sandwiches on it.
JOSH (CONT'D)
I actually fixed lunch!
He stops short when he sees Lily standing there, glaring at
him and holding up the envelope and letter.
LILY
(accusingly)
What is this?
JOSH
(grim-faced)
Lily...
LILY
(injured)
How could you keep something like
this from me?
CUT TO:
INT. HOSPITAL CORRIDOR
A corridor in the psych ward, where Carmen is tiptoeing from
doorway to doorway—much like Wile E. Coyote.
CARMEN
(muttering under her breath)
Man, I can't believe I'm doing
this...
Suddenly, she sees two doctors coming down the hall, and
quickly ducks into a side room.
DOCTOR #1
Anything come back on Mary Cherry
yet?
DOCTOR #2
Inconclusive. They'll probably do
a frontal lobotomy on her.
DOCTOR #1
Ouch. Isn't that extreme?
DOCTOR #2
It'll put her in an institution
for the rest of her life. But,
hey, her mother's loaded.
(wagging his eyebrows)
Can you say "unlimited funding"?
Both doctors laugh, and move off down the corridor. Behind
them, Carmen emerges, mouth agape.
FADE TO BLACK.
END OF ACT FOUR
THE END
