ACT FOUR
FADE IN:
INT. JOSH AND LILY'S APARTMENT
The couple are sitting on the sofa. Lily is studying Josh
intently.
JOSH
I...I don't know what to say.
LILY
You're mad.
JOSH
I'm not— Lily, you didn't trust
me enough to tell me this!
LILY
I know, I'm sorry. I just
thought...it would be easier if
you didn't know.
JOSH
Well, it's not. Lying, and, and,
keeping secrets—it's not easier.
LILY
I know. Can you forgive me?
JOSH
Don't be silly. Of course I can
forgive you. I love you.
LILY
Aw, baby, I love you, too. I
promise, no more secrets.
As she snuggles up next to him, the phone rings. She groans,
and leans across the sofa to get to it.
LILY (CONT'D)
(into the phone)
Hello?... What?... Wait, hang
on, slow down, Ms. McPherson...
Sam did WHAT?
She stares wide-eyed at Josh, who gives her a quizzical look.
CUT TO:
INT. AUSTIN LIVING ROOM
George opens the front door, and sees Harrison standing there.
GEORGE
Okay, see, this takes nerve, you
showing up here like this.
Harrison reaches the obvious conclusion.
HARRISON
Sam's been here.
GEORGE
Yeah, Sam's been here.
HARRISON
(annoyed)
Well, I'm sure you enjoyed the
opportunity to let her cry on your
shoulder.
GEORGE
(pointing to his cast)
See this? This is the only thing
that's saving your ass right now.
MRS. AUSTIN (O.S.)
(calling)
George!
George looks over his shoulder.
GEORGE
Just a minute, Mom!
MRS. AUSTIN (O.S.)
It's Sam's mom on the phone! She
says Sam's run away!
GEORGE
What?
He turns back—but Harrison is already running down the drive.
CUT TO:
INT. BROOKE'S BEDROOM
Brooke hasn't moved; she is still sitting on the edge of the
bed, sobbing. Finally, she reaches up and wipes her tears
away.
BROOKE
(whispering)
She's right...
She stands up abruptly, and walks out.
CUT TO:
INT. MCQUEEN KITCHEN - MOMENTS LATER
Brooke comes down the back stairs, turns into the kitchen and
opens one of the drawers. After rummaging through the
contents, she pulls out a long, thin key. Then she walks out
through the patio door.
CUT TO:
EXT. THE BACKYARD - CONTINUOUS
Brooke makes a sharp turn from the patio door, and walks along
a narrow brick path to a shed which sits in the corner of the
yard.
CUT TO:
INT. THE SHED - CONTINUOUS
The shed is fairly small—eight by twelve feet—extremely
cluttered, and dark except for the light from a couple of tiny
windows—and that which pours in through the door when Brooke
opens it. She goes straight to the far corner and tosses
aside a few boxes to uncover a steamer trunk. She opens the
trunk, reaches in, and from underneath a pile of odds and ends
pulls out a small metal lockbox. She lets the lid of the
trunk slam shut, and walks out of the shed without replacing
any of the boxes, or closing the door.
CUT TO:
EXT. FERERRA HOUSE
Harrison is walking up to the front door when his cell phone
rings. Stopping, he yanks the phone out and pulls it open.
HARRISON
(into the phone)
Sam?
INTERCUT WITH:
INT. MCQUEEN LIVING ROOM
Brooke is standing in the middle of the room, phone in hand.
BROOKE
(into the phone)
Sorry, wrong sister.
HARRISON
Brooke... Sam, she—
BROOKE
(wiping her eyes)
I know. Look, can you come over
here? Right away?
HARRISON
I have to find Sam—
BROOKE
(raggedly)
Everyone's out looking for her.
Harrison, please...
HARRISON
Okay, all right... I'll be there
in a few minutes.
BROOKE
Please hurry.
Brooke hangs up the phone, sniffling, and walks slowly over to
Mackenzie's crib. Leaning over, she manages a bit of a smile
at the sight of the baby. She reaches down and tickles her,
tearing up again.
BROOKE (CONT'D)
(sobbing)
I'm sorry... I know...you won't
understand... I...I...
Mackenzie gurgles up at Brooke innocently. Brooke picks her
up and cradles her tightly, rocking her back and forth.
BROOKE (CONT'D)
Your mom was right... It
shouldn't have happened. None of
it should have happened.
Tearfully, she kisses Mackenzie's forehead, and sets her back
down in the crib.
BROOKE (CONT'D)
I'll always love you, Mac... I
hope you believe that.
She turns away.
CUT TO:
INT. THE BUS STATION - LATER
The clock on the wall reads 2:28.
Sam is fidgeting impatiently. Suddenly she gets up, and picks
up her duffel bag. Walking over to the women's restroom, she
disappears through the door—and a moment later Jane comes
rushing into the waiting area, looking around frantically.
Her cell phone rings, and she digs it out of her bag.
JANE
(into the phone)
Hello?
MIKE (O.S.)
Jane?
JANE
I'm at the bus station. She's not
here.
MIKE (O.S.)
Art called—he struck out at the
train station. I'm almost to the
airport now.
Jane turns around and heads for the doors.
JANE
I just don't know what to do. I—
where do we even start looking, if
she's just...out there somewhere?
MIKE (O.S.)
Honey, we WILL find her. I
promise. No matter what it takes.
She steps out onto the sidewalk.
JANE
Maybe I should talk to George
again. She might have said...I
don't know, something...to him.
MIKE (O.S.)
Oh, hey, while you're there, you
should see if they some kind of
schedule.
JANE
(bleakly)
You think she's already gone?
MIKE (O.S.)
I don't know... We have to be
prepared, though.
JANE
(sighs)
All right.
She puts the phone away, turns on her heel and walks back into
the station—and practically runs into Sam, coming out of the
restroom.
SAM
(eyes widening)
Mom?
JANE
Sam!
Jane hugs her tightly for a moment, then holds her at arms
length.
JANE (CONT'D)
(annoyed)
You didn't even leave a note this
time.
Something approaching panic appears in Sam's eyes, and she
takes a step backward, looking like she might actually turn
and run. Jane quickly abandons her irritation, and puts out a
placating hand.
JANE (CONT'D)
Sam—please... I just want us to
talk.
Carefully, she slides her arm around Sam's shoulder and guides
her in the direction of the seats.
CUT TO:
EXT. MCQUEEN HOUSE
Harrison walks up to the front door, intending to ring the
bell, but there is a note taped to the door, so he pulls it
off and unfolds it.
HARRISON
(reading)
"Harrison, please look after Mac
until Dad or Jane come home.
Brooke."
(pause)
"P.S.: I'm sorry for everything.
Please forgive me."
Taped to the bottom of the note is a house key; shaking his
head in confusion, he pulls it off and uses it to open the
front door.
CUT TO:
INT. MCQUEEN LIVING ROOM - CONTINUOUS
The first thing Harrison does is go over to the crib and check
on Mackenzie. After making sure that she's all right, he
stands in the middle of the room, hands on hips, at a loss as
to what to do next.
CUT TO:
INT. THE BUS STATION
Sam and Jane are sitting together. Sam is hunched over, and
as she speaks, she never looks up from the floor.
SAM
...I felt so...empty...like they'd
just...reached in, and torn out my
heart...
JANE
(holding her)
Oh, baby, I'm so sorry.
SAM
And then...I ran to George.
(laughs bitterly)
Another disaster. After that...I
couldn't face anyone...I just...I
had to get away...from...from
everything...
Gently, Jane lifts Sam's head up.
JANE
I can't imagine how awful this
must be for you, but...I want you
to come home with me now.
SAM
You're not just ordering me?
JANE
(chuckles ruefully)
Believe me, if I thought that
locking you in your room until you
were eighteen would do any
good...
The moment of relative levity passes.
JANE (CONT'D)
Sam...I can't stop you from
running away. I know that. But
it's not the answer. It really
isn't. Now, I don't know how
we're going to be able to work
this out. But I really hope
you'll try, because...if you left,
a lot of people would miss you.
Your mother included.
SAM
(wavering)
I don't want to go away...but...
JANE
Just...come home with me. All
right? Just for today. We'll
just make it through today.
That's all I'm asking. And we
won't worry about tomorrow until
tomorrow.
For a long time Sam makes no response at all. Then, finally,
she shrugs, ever so slightly. Jane decides to take that as a
yes, and hugs her tightly.
JANE (CONT'D)
Oh! I have to call Mike and tell
him that I found you. And Art.
SAM
(groans)
Oh, no. He didn't...?
JANE
He came over as soon as he got
your e-mail. He was very
concerned.
Sam covers her eyes.
SAM
Oh, God...
JANE
I'm sure he'll be understanding.
SAM
I'M sure he'll fire me.
JANE
I'm sure he won't. And if he
tries, I'll just have to talk to
him.
SAM
(mortified)
God, please don't.
Jane stands up and pulls Sam to her feet.
JANE
Let's go home.
CUT TO:
INT. JOSH AND LILY'S APARTMENT - LATER
Josh is sitting on the sofa, watching Lily pace back and forth
in front of him.
JOSH
Lily, just face it—if you had any
idea where to start looking, you'd
be out there looking.
LILY
(frustrated)
I know, I know. I just can't
stand feeling helpless like
this...
Josh reaches out and pulls her down onto the sofa.
JOSH
She'll be all right. I mean,
she's Sam. She's always all
right.
Lily curls up next to him.
JOSH (CONT'D)
About the football thing...
LILY
Oh, I was just being completely
paranoid. If it's what you want—
I DON'T want you to start giving
things up for me.
JOSH
Naw, I don't really want to. I
mean, I'll help get Stankowski
ready to play, but I'm not suiting
up myself.
LILY
You sure?
JOSH
Yeah... It felt good being part
of the team again and all, but...
it's just not me anymore.
A moment of silence passes between them.
LILY
Josh?
JOSH
Yeah?
LILY
Did you ever call Coach Krupps and
tell him you couldn't make it to
practice today?
Josh's mouth drops open and he leaps up, leaving Lily to fall,
flailing, into the empty space she is now leaning on.
JOSH
I totally forgot! Man, Coach is
gonna KILL me!
He rushes to the phone and picks it up.
LILY
Sorry...I guess it's my fault.
JOSH
(dialing)
No, Lil, it's not— Dammit! It's
busy!
He slams the phone down, making Lily jump; immediately he
throws his hands up, contrite.
JOSH (CONT'D)
Whoa, I'm sorry. I'm sorry.
LILY
(annoyed)
See, this is why I didn't want to
tell you. I don't want you to be
afraid to get mad around me!
JOSH
Well, what am I supposed to do,
Lily? I don't what happened
before to happen again.
She gazes at him soberly.
LILY
Josh...we need help. I need help.
CUT TO:
INT. MCQUEEN LIVING ROOM
The front door opens; Jane and Sam walk in—and pull up short
upon seeing Harrison there. Sam's expression turns bitter and
she looks away.
JANE
Harrison, what are you doing here?
He puts up his hands defensively.
HARRISON
Hey, this wasn't my idea, okay?
Brooke called, she asked me to
come over; when I got here, she
was gone, there was just a note
asking me to take care of Mac
until you got home.
JANE
What?
Harrison hands over Brooke's note, which Jane reads, puzzled.
CUT TO:
EXT. MCQUEEN HOUSE - CONTINUOUS
Mike pulls his car into the drive; and a moment later,
Fleischer parks on the street behind him. Mike gets out and
walks down to the sidewalk, as Fleischer also climbs out of
his car.
MIKE
Art, I really want to thank you
for helping out today. I know you
must be a very busy man.
FLEISCHER
(waving a hand modestly)
I'm a columnist; I set my own
hours. Besides, I think that Sam
is an extraordinary young woman,
with a great deal of talent.
MIKE
Look, if you wouldn't mind—do you
think you could stay and talk to
her? I know she really looks up
to you—and I'm not sure if she's
listening to any of the rest of
us.
FLEISCHER
(nods)
Of course. I don't mind at all.
Mike leads Fleischer around the side of the house.
CUT TO:
EXT. THE PATIO - CONTINUOUS
The two men are continuing the conversation.
MIKE
...she actually ran away once
before. Well, for a day, anyway.
But it still doesn't seem like
her.
FLEISCHER
I know—it's because she's
normally so self-possessed. Then
something like this happens, and
we have to remind ourselves that
she's only seventeen.
They are about to go inside when Mike spots something odd:
the door of the shed hanging open.
MIKE
(putting up a hand)
Hang on a minute...
Leaving Fleischer at the patio door, Mike walks over to the
shed and peers inside.
MIKE (CONT'D)
Brooke?
It's obvious at a glance that the shed is empty; but Mike
spots the misplaced and overturned boxes. Rushing to the far
side of the shed, he throws open the lid of the steamer trunk
and frantically goes through the junk inside.
MIKE (CONT'D)
(ashen)
Oh, my— Brooke? BROOKE!
CUT TO:
INT. MCQUEEN LIVING ROOM - MOMENTS LATER
The silent tension between Harrison and Sam and Jane is
shattered by Mike running into the room from behind them, with
Fleischer on his heels.
MIKE
Where's Brooke?
JANE
(irritated)
She's not here.
(holding up the note)
She took off. AND she left Mac
alone, even if it was for only a
few—
MIKE
(cutting her off)
We have to find her. We have to
find her NOW!
Harrison, Sam and Jane all look at each other.
JANE
Why?
CUT TO:
EXT. KENNEDY HIGH ATHLETIC FIELD
On a grassy knoll overlooking the deserted track and football
field, Brooke is sitting cross-legged, with the lockbox on the
ground in front of her. Slowly, methodically, she digs the
key out of her pocket, unlocks the latch, opens the lid of the
box.
And lifts out the revolver lying inside.
SUPER: TO BE CONTINUED
BLACK OUT.
END OF ACT FOUR
THE END