ACT TWO

FADE IN:

EXT. THE BASKETBALL COURT - CONTINUOUS

MACKENZIE
Hey, Brooke.

BROOKE
(shaking her head)
I don't get it.

Mackenzie starts dribbling the basketball again, lazily from
hand to hand.

MACKENZIE
What's to get? You wanted to see
me—here I am.

Brooke looks over at Clarence, who is standing next to her
now.

BROOKE
I did?

He shrugs in response.

BROOKE (CONT'D)
(to Mackenzie)
How are you?

Mackenzie does a 360-degree spin between dribbles.

MACKENZIE
Don't I look okay?

BROOKE
(at a loss)
I didn't think you'd be so...tall.

MACKENZIE
(laughs)
I'm gonna be in the WNBA. D'ja
know that?

BROOKE
(slowly)
No...I didn't.

MACKENZIE
(nods)
Number one draft pick.

Brooke casts a sidelong glance at Clarence, who nods a
confirmation.

Mackenzie picks up the ball and holds it chest-high.

MACKENZIE (CONT'D)
Hey—wanna play?

Brooke throws up her hands defensively.

BROOKE
Oh, I... I mean...I'm a
cheerleader, not a jock. Uh,
jockette.

Mackenzie tsks and tosses the ball to Clarence.

MACKENZIE
You can play, right?

Clarence steps out onto the court, lazily dribbling the ball.

CLARENCE
I'm not sure about this... I
mean, I know these are special
circumstances and all, but you're
still a girl...

BROOKE
(indignant)
Hey!

An impish grin crosses Mackenzie's face, and she reaches out
and swipes the ball away from Clarence. In one smooth motion
she spins, drives to the basket, leaps, and slams the ball
though the hoop. Then she tracks down the ball and trots back
to where Clarence is looking dumfounded, and Brooke is jumping
up and down and clapping delightedly.

MACKENZIE
C'mon, sis. You never played with
me in real life.

A curious expression descends upon Brooke's face.

BROOKE
Why not?

Clarence looks back at her.

CLARENCE
Well, for one thing, back there,
you're seventeen years older than
she is.

Brooke's face sours as she tries to wrap her mind around the
idea of being in her late 30's.

MACKENZIE
(staring at Clarence)
Man, you must have had like NO
girlfriends when you were alive.

CLARENCE
(spreading his hands)
What?

Mackenzie bounces the ball to Brooke.

MACKENZIE
(beckoning)
Come on. Two on one.

BROOKE
Are you really that good?

MACKENZIE
(wagging her eyebrows)
Yeah, I am.

So Brooke dribbles the ball out onto the court...

CUT TO:

INT. SUPPLY ROOM

Josh and Lily are standing a few feet apart, arms crossed,
sneaking glances at each other and quickly turning away before
getting caught. Finally Josh walks away, and yanks on a gym
mat that is resting against the wall. After the mat plops to
the floor, he sits down on it glumly, chin in his hands.

JOSH
You know, maybe our parents were
right. Maybe we shouldn't have
gotten married.

THAT throws Lily completely. She spins and gapes at him.

LILY
WHAT?

JOSH
Lily, we don't even know how to
fight. All the books say we're
supposed to talk things out. But
all we do is...not talk. I mean,
I love you more than anything in
the world, but—I hate this.

LILY
Baby, I hate this too! I don't
wanna be mad all the time!

She sits down on the mat next to him.

LILY (CONT'D)
It just hurt so much, that you
were doing things behind my back.

JOSH
It wasn't behind your back. Not
really. I forgot all about it
until the letter came.

LILY
Wait—how did you even get involved
with these people?

JOSH
It was back in December...

EFFECT CUT TO:

FLASHBACK

INT. A CONFERENCE ROOM

A sign on the wall reads "EX-TEAM" and, underneath, "Burn Your
Jockstrap". Josh is sitting at the conference table, along
with a counselor.

COUNSELOR
Here at Extraordinary Teens
Escaping the Athletic Mentality,
we seek to enrich those who have
taken the bold step of swearing
off school sports in favor of a
more rewarding lifestyle.

JOSH
(nodding)
Yeah, that's what I want to
do—enrich myself.
It's just—I don't really know what
I want to do, now.

COUNSELOR
That's not surprising. Many ex-
student jocks are unaware of the
rich and diverse world of
opportunities which exists outside
the locker room. That's where we
can help. With just a few short
tests, we can pinpoint the non
athletic activities best suited
for you.

JOSH
Hey, I'm game—I mean, I'm ready.

COUNSELOR
(encouraging)
There you go!

The counselor pushes a piece of paper across the table.

COUNSELOR (CONT'D)
Just fill out this form, and we'll
send you across the hall to our
testing center. By the end of
this afternoon, you'll be well on
your way to a full and satisfying
life without school sports.

DISSOLVE TO:

THE SUPPLY ROOM

JOSH
Anyway, I never heard anything
from them, and I just forgot about
it.

LILY
Until last week.

JOSH
Yeah.
(pause)
There just wasn't any point in
telling you, Lily. I'm not gonna
take it anyway.

LILY
Why not?

JOSH
(surprised)
Why not? Lily!

LILY
They've set you up with a paid
summer internship at the Pacific
National Institute for
Oceanographic Studies.

JOSH
Yeah—in Monterey! Lily, we got
married so I WOULDN'T have to move
away.

LILY
But that was for a whole year.
This is just two months.

JOSH
You're saying you think I should
take it?

LILY
I'm saying, you shouldn't turn it
down, because of me. I don't want
you to do that.

JOSH
Baby, I don't wanna be away from
you.

LILY
I don't wanna be away from you
either... But, realistically, we
have to look at our financial
prospects right now.

JOSH
Well... It IS kinda a lot of
money. I called them, just to,
you know, check, and they said it
would pay five thousand dollars
for the summer.

LILY
(goggling)
My God, Josh!

JOSH
And—I was thinking... Being
around fish might be cool.

LILY
Yes! You—you would be working
with nature, helping to preserve
our endangered marine wildlife...
Hey, maybe you could get some time
off at the end of July, and then I
could come up there, and we could
still go to Cure the Bay together.

JOSH
Yeah, I bet they'd be down with
that, seeing as it's an
environmental thing and all.
(cautiously)
So...does this mean I'm taking the
job?

LILY
Do you want to?

JOSH
(nodding slowly)
Yeah. I think so.

LILY
Then...I want you to, too.

JOSH
And... We're not fighting
anymore, right?

LILY
(laughing)
No, we're not fighting anymore.

JOSH
Good.

Lily lays her head on Josh's shoulder.

LILY
Baby, I was wrong. The silent
treatment—it doesn't solve
anything. It just...hurts both
people.

JOSH
So next time, we'll just yell and
scream at each other, like other
married people.

LILY
(grinning)
Yeah.

Josh wraps his arms around Lily and kisses her.

LILY (CONT'D)
(conspiratorially)
You know, Josh...

JOSH
What?

Lily pats the mat meaningfully; Josh's eyes go wide when he
realizes what she's suggesting.

JOSH (CONT'D)
Lily! We couldn't!
(pause)
Could we?

LILY
The door's locked...

They grin at each other goofily.

SLIDE CUT TO:

EST. HOSPITAL CORRIDOR - DAY

ANGLE: A CLOSED DOOR

The sign on the door reads: "Dr. Kilcare - Psychiatry"

CUT TO:

INT. DR. KILCARE'S OFFICE

The good doctor is sitting behind his desk, across from Cherry
Cherry.

KILCARE
Mrs. Cherry—unfortunately we
haven't been able to pinpoint the
cause of your daughter's
hallucinations.

CHERRY CHERRY
I knew it—you're all a bunch of
quacks!

KILCARE
(holding up a hand)
However, we believe that the most
effective form of treatment at
this point...would be a lobotomy.

CHERRY CHERRY
(brow furling)
Ya wanna take part of her brain
out?

KILCARE
Well...essentially, yes.

CHERRY CHERRY
Well, I don't know what good it's
gonna do, cuttin' out somethin'
that ain't there to begin with.
(throws up her hands)
But—you're the docs.

She fishes into her bag and pulls out a couple of thick
bundles of cash, which she sets on the desk.

CHERRY CHERRY (CONT'D)
I hope this'll cover it.

The doctor's eyes light up as he snaps up the money.

KILCARE
We'll schedule the procedure for
tomorrow evening.
(pause)
You, ah, realize that she might
need...um...longer-term care
after.

CHERRY CHERRY
I'll pay whatever it takes.

KILCARE
(grinning)
That's what we like to hear.

CUT TO:

INT. SCHOOL HALLWAY - LATER

Sam walks up to the door of the Supply Room and unlocks it.

SAM
(opening the door)
Okay, I hope you two aren't still—

Sam takes one step in before gasping and bolting from the room,
flattening herself against the wall with her hands over her
eyes.

JOSH/LILY
(from inside)
Sorry!

Sam takes a moment to try to start breathing again.

SAM
Uh...ah...key?

She takes the key and holds it blindly through the open door.

JOSH
(from inside)
Thanks!

Sam pulls her hand back and shakes her arms, trying to get the
heebie-jeebies out of her system.

SAM
Okay...uh...you guys just...come
out...uh...whenever, okay...?

LILY
(from inside)
Thanks, Sam!

The door closes and locks from the inside. Sam grabs her
knees for a second, taking a couple of deep breaths, before
moving off, none too steadily.

FADE OUT.

END OF ACT TWO