ACT ONE

FADE IN:

INT. JOSH AND LILY'S APARTMENT

Josh is treading down the hallway, peeking around corners and
doorways.

JOSH
Lily? Lil? Come on, where are
you? Look, I'm sorry I blew up.

He stops for a moment and listens. Silence. He continues
down the hall.

CUT TO:

INT. THE BEDROOM - CONTINUOUS

Josh pokes his head around the corner of the doorway, then
steps inside cautiously.

JOSH
Lily?

He looks around the empty room; then, the barest of sounds
comes the closet. Carefully, he pads across to the closet
door—which is slightly ajar—and opens it.

Lily is huddled in the corner of the closet, quivering, arms
wrapped protectively over her head.

JOSH (CONT'D)
Hey...

He reaches down—but the moment he touches her shoulder she
recoils violently, and he jerks his hand back.

JOSH (CONT'D)
Whoa! Lily, it's me. It's Josh.
(gently cajoling)
Come on...I'm not going to hurt
you...

He tries to touch her again, but again she flinches away,
rocking herself in the corner of the closet. Josh leans in
closer.

LILY
(mumbling)
...please don't hit me anymore,
I'll be good...I promise...just
don't hit me...

Once more Josh reaches out, and this time when she shies away
he keeps hold of her. Scooping her up in his arms, he pulls
her out of the closet, carries her over to the bed and gently
lays her down. She curls up there, eyes open but unfocused.

CUT TO:

INT. BROOKE'S BEDROOM

Harrison is just putting on his shoes when Brooke appears in
the doorway.

BROOKE
Harrison—

HARRISON
I have to go. I have to find Sam.
I have to find her, and...

Brooke's voice rises to the edge of ragged hysteria.

BROOKE
And what? Explain? It wasn't
what it looked like? It didn't
mean anything to you?

HARRISON
Not now, Brooke, please. I have
to—

BROOKE
—go, right, you have to run and
make things up with Sam.

HARRISON
I-I can't handle this right now—

BROOKE
God, Harrison, you never COULD
handle us!

HARRISON
Brooke—

BROOKE
Fine! Go, then! See if I care!

For a moment it looks as if Harrison might not go; but then he
gets up and rushes out of the room. Brooke walks shakily to
her bed and collapses on it.

The phone rings.

For three, four, five rings she ignores it. Then, finally—
perhaps remembering that she wrecked her answering machine—
she reaches out, zombie-like, and picks it up.

BROOKE (CONT'D)
(into the phone)
Hello?

INTERCUT WITH:

JOSH - CLOSEUP

JOSH
Brooke! Is Sam there? I need to
talk to her.

Brooke's reaction is to laugh mirthlessly, and hold the
receiver away for a moment, shaking her head and looking to
the heavens fatalistically. Finally she brings the phone back
to her ear.

BROOKE
No...Josh...Sam's...not here.

JOSH
Well, do you know where she went,
then?

BROOKE
(snorts softly)
Not a chance in hell.

JOSH
C'mon, Brooke, I'm not playing
around! Lily's in trouble, and I
need Sam!

That brings Brooke at least partly out of her funk.

BROOKE
What...? Lily...what?

JOSH
Something...I don't know WHAT
happened...we were...and now
she's...I don't know the word,
it's one of those "E.R." words,
like, she's all frozen...cat
something. Like she's in shock.

BROOKE
(whispering)
Catatonic.

JOSH
Yeah, I guess.

Brooke sits up and pulls herself together.

BROOKE
I'm sorry, Josh...I really don't
know where Sam is.

JOSH
(shaking his head)
Brooke—I'm scared. I've never
seen her like this before. I've
never seen ANYONE like this
before.

BROOKE
Okay...Josh, just...don't panic.
I'll... Hey, what about Carmen?

JOSH
Naw, she went with Shug to some
concert today.

BROOKE
Try her anyway.

CUT TO:

INT. CARMEN'S BEDROOM

where Sugar Daddy has confronted Carmen with the computer
printouts he's discovered.

CARMEN
(defensively)
It's not what it looks like,
Sugar.

SUGAR
It's not what it looks like? How
can it not be what it looks like?
It looks like you're doin' the
nasty with some guy online.

CARMEN
Come on, we've never even met!

SUGAR
Oh, no?

He flips through a few of the papers.

SUGAR (CONT'D)
(reading)
"I thrill to the touch of your
strong hands, as you brush your
lips across my—" Man, I can't
even read this stuff!

CARMEN
It's just—chat.

SUGAR
This is NOT just chat. This is...
it's like, internet porn.

CARMEN
It is NOT! It's...romantic.

SUGAR
(shakes his head)
I don't know a lot about romance,
but I know THIS isn't it.

CARMEN
It's just make-believe, Sugar.
It's just pretend.

SUGAR
Man, what happened? When we were
chatting online, I didn't know it
was you—but it was the real you.

CARMEN
Yeah, well, that was a long time
ago.
(indignantly)
And what gives you the right to
judge me, anyway? What, you
think we go on a couple of dates,
and you can march in here and
dictate my personal life?

SUGAR
I'm not judging you.

CARMEN
You sure as hell sound like it.
Look, why don't you just go to
your concert? I'm not in the mood
for ska anymore.

SUGAR
(throwing up his hands)
Fine by me.

He tosses the papers aside and stalks out of the room. Carmen
flops down on the bed, then shakes herself and reaches for the
phone.

SPLIT SCREEN WITH:

JOSH. - CLOSEUP

also dialing the phone. It takes a moment for them to get
identical busy signals. They both hang up.

CUT TO:

INT. AUSTIN LIVING ROOM - LATER

The doorbell rings.

GEORGE (O.S.)
I'll get it!

MRS. AUSTIN (O.S.)
Are you sure?

George, on crutches, walks into the picture.

GEORGE
I can still walk, Mom!
(to himself)
Sort of.

He steps to the front door and opens it to find Sam standing
there, eyes red-rimmed, shaken.

GEORGE (CONT'D)
Sam? What—?

Still on the edge of tears, she opens her mouth to say
something—but then turns and walks away.

GEORGE (CONT'D)
Sam!

He hobbles out after her.

CUT TO:

EXT. AUSTIN DRIVEWAY - CONTINUOUS

With his mobility impaired, it takes George a few seconds to
get around and in front of Sam, blocking her path.

GEORGE
Sam, what is it? What's wrong?

Again she starts to try to say something, but then just shakes
her head and buries her face into his shoulder, sobbing, while
he wraps his arms around her as best he can.

CUT TO:

INT. JOSH AND LILY'S LIVING ROOM

Josh opens the front door, and Brooke steps inside.

BROOKE
How is she?

JOSH
I think she's sleeping. Her eyes
are closed, anyway. I-I...I just
don't know what's wrong?

BROOKE
Did you find Sam?

He shakes his head.

JOSH
I tried everywhere. Carmen's line
was busy...George wasn't there,
but I talked to his mom, and she
hadn't seen her... I've got to
go find her. She knows Lily
better than anyone. She'll know
what to do. Look, Brooke—

BROOKE
I'll stay here. You go.

JOSH
(hugging her)
Thanks.

As Josh gathers his things and leaves...

DISSOLVE TO:

EXT. AUSTIN DRIVEWAY - LATER

George and Sam are sitting side-by-side on a low stone wall.

SAM
...I just...I couldn't...I can't
believe he...they...

GEORGE
I'm sorry, Sam.

SAM
I didn't know where else to go...
I didn't...know if I should come
here... I thought...maybe you'd
think...

GEORGE
What?

SAM
(looking over)
...I got what I deserved? I mean,
now I know how you felt, after
spring break.

GEORGE
Is that what you think of me, Sam?

SAM
(hanging her head)
No. I'm sorry.

GEORGE
I'm sorry this happened. Okay,
maybe I'm supposed to think,
turnabout is fair play...but I
don't. I never wanted to see you
hurt, Sam.

He puts his arm around her, and she snuggles next to him. For
a couple of moments they stay like that; then she leans in
closer, to kiss him.

GEORGE (CONT'D)
(stiffening)
Sam...don't.

SAM
(hurt and confused)
But—

GEORGE
I don't know what you expect from
me, but...

SAM
But...Brooke said...

GEORGE
Look...I do care about you, but...
not that way. I can't go there—
especially not now.

SAM
(pleading)
George—

GEORGE
I want to be there for you, Sam.
But not like this.

He hops up and gets his crutches under him.

GEORGE (CONT'D)
I'm sorry.

She hugs herself tightly and watches despairingly as he
hobbles away.

FADE OUT.

END OF ACT ONE