ACT THREE
FADE IN:
INT. MCQUEEN KITCHEN - AFTERNOON
Mike walks in through the sliding glass door and sets his
briefcase and things down on the breakfast bar. A moment
later, Jane comes in.
JANE
Hey, you're home early.
MIKE
(glum)
I took the afternoon off.
Concerned, she goes over and snuggles next to him.
JANE
Did something happen?
He picks up a large manila envelope.
MIKE
My lawyer dropped this off this
morning.
JANE
(looking)
The adoption papers?
Mike lets the envelope fall to the counter, and sits down.
MIKE
It was just a few months ago...
I mean, okay, Brooke was in the
hospital, but she was getting
better, and everyone was getting
along, and... How did everything
fall apart so fast?
Jane lays her head on Mike's shoulder.
JANE
Maybe Sam will come around. Maybe
she just needs to see that life on
her own isn't any rose garden.
Meantime, we still have Brooke.
MIKE
You're right. I hope you're
right.
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. A CLASSROOM
Lily is sitting at a table, poking away at her laptop
computer, when Natalie comes in.
NATALIE
Am I bothering?
LILY
No, I'm just trying to psych
myself up to doing research. I
thought you were supposed to be
studying with Carmen?
NATALIE
She flaked. Well, I don't know...
she got a note from the nurse's
station to go home early.
LILY
(shaking her head)
Man, she never coulda pulled
something like that with Nurse
Glass.
NATALIE
(frowns)
Nurse...Glass? As in...MISS
Glass?
LILY
Oh, that's...way too long a story.
Don't worry about it.
NATALIE
(amiably)
Okay.
Natalie sits down next to Lily.
LILY
Oh, I talked to Sam. She didn't
seem any different. Except she
said she had a headache.
NATALIE
(earnestly)
Lily, she was crashing! I know
what I saw.
LILY
(sighs)
I can try to keep an eye on her,
but...
NATALIE
I know. I'm sorry, I guess I'm
being a real pain.
LILY
No, you're not. I've just
recently been trying to set limits
on trying to be everyone's
conscience.
Natalie leans over and looks at the computer screen.
NATALIE
How come you're having to psych
yourself up to study? I thought
you liked studying. Not that
you're a dork or anything.
LILY
(giggling)
I'm very dorkish, actually. Did
you see this?
She picks up a paper and hands it to Natalie.
LILY (CONT'D)
From Mr. Osbourne.
NATALIE
(reading)
"Describe an aspect of nineteenth
century society that is reflected
in 'Thus Spake Zarathustra.'"
(puts the paper down)
Hmph. Still pushing Nietzche.
LILY
It's really interesting watching
the two of you go at it in class.
Before, we only had Miss Glass for
entertainment. And that wasn't
always a lot of fun.
(looks at the paper again)
I dunno about these assignments,
though.
NATALIE
Hey, can you get chat rooms on
this thing?
LILY
Uh...yeah...but we really aren't
supposed to—
Natalie pulls the laptop towards her and starts typing.
NATALIE
Oh, it's okay. I know a U of M
professor who'd love to expound on
this little question of Mr.
Osbourne's. He has his own
classroom chat...
(looks up at the clock)
It ought to still be going.
While watching the screen, Lily suddenly throws out a hand.
LILY
Wait! Hang on!
NATALIE
What?
LILY
I know that screen name...
(pointing)
Can you follow that person?
NATALIE
(typing)
Sure.
For a few moments they both watch the screen.
NATALIE (CONT'D)
Lily, what are we—
(reading)
"Hot Romance Lounge"?
LILY
(reading)
"27-year-old man in Florida seeks
woman to..." Oh my God...
NATALIE
(reading)
"Ladies, have you ever..." Ewwww!
Lily stands up, snapping the laptop shut and tucking it under
her arm before running out.
NATALIE (CONT'D)
Lily, wait! Who was that?
LILY
(calling back)
I'll tell you later!
Left alone, Natalie looks around the room.
NATALIE
(to herself)
Is everyone just nuts around here?
CUT TO:
INT. SCHOOL HALLWAY - LATER
Sugar Daddy is walking down the hallway when suddenly (in his
head) everything goes into a distorted slow-motion. Even
worse, everyone around him is eating rich deserts. As he
starts to run, the people lining the hall thrust food at him.
Suddenly Lily appears in front of him, and he pulls up short.
She smiles up at him sweetly—then opens a huge pink box of
donuts.
LILY
Donut?
Sugar Daddy pushes himself away from her, running down another
corridor and barging into the locker room.
CUT TO:
INT. LOCKER ROOM - CONTINUOUS
When Sugar Daddy comes crashing through the doors, he finds
Josh sitting on one of the benches.
JOSH
(looking up)
Oh, hey, Shug.
Sugar Daddy rushes over to him.
SUGAR
Josh! You gotta help me, man!
Josh stands up and grabs Sugar by the shoulders, concerned.
JOSH
Whoa, whoa, chill out. What's
going on?
SUGAR
I don't know, man. I've been so
freaked out with Ellie being here
and all, and...
He looks around conspiratorially.
SUGAR (CONT'D)
I think...I think I'm seein'
things, man. Things that aren't
there. I really think I'm losing
my mind, Josh, you gotta help me.
JOSH
Seeing things? Like what kind of
things?
SUGAR
Like, everyone's eating, man! And
I mean, everyone! I ran into Lily
and she offered me a donut!
JOSH
(frowns)
A donut? That's not right—Lily's
not into pastries.
SUGAR
That's what I'm sayin', man! I'm
hallucinating!
JOSH
(reassuring)
Okay, okay. Look, I got your
back, right? Hey, I bet I know
what's wrong with you. Low blood
sugar.
SUGAR
Huh?
JOSH
Yeah! You know, like when you
don't pack away enough carbs
before a big game, and then when
the fourth quarter hits—wham!
You know what you need?
Josh steps aside, and Sugar Daddy sees that the whole bench is
covered with a lavish buffet.
JOSH (CONT'D)
How about a giant roast beef
turkey-pastrami sub?
Sugar Daddy screams and runs away.
SLIDE CUT TO:
EXT. BEHIND THE GYM - LATER
Sugar Daddy runs up to a student, Phil, lounging on a folding
chair under a tree. Next to him is a suitcase on a folding
stand.
SUGAR
(huffing)
Man, I need something, quick!
PHIL
Haven't seen you around here
before. Hey—you're Sugar Daddy
Bernadino! I caught your game
against Roosevelt. You know, I
hate to discourage business, but
your performance sure doesn't need
enhancing. Unlike some of the
other guys on that line, I might
add.
SUGAR
No, no, it's nothing like that!
I'm lookin' at a serious weight
problem. I just need some diet
pills, like right now.
PHIL
(shaking his head)
Uh-uh. "Diet pills"? That's just
code for speed. What you need, my
friend, is an "appetite
suppressant".
Phil opens the suitcase. Inside is a massive array of pill
bottles of various sizes and colors. Unerringly, he picks one
out.
PHIL (CONT'D)
Now, what kind of time frame are
you looking for?
SUGAR
I have to get through at least the
next three days.
PHIL
All right-ee...
He taps out a number of green odd-shaped pills into his hand.
PHIL (CONT'D)
This is exactly what the doctor
ordered. Take one of these three
times a day, and you'll be eating
like a canary. An underweight
canary. Guaranteed.
SUGAR
Yeah, a canary, that sounds good.
How much?
PHIL
(looking skyward)
Let's see...overhead, insurance,
markup...
(shrugs)
Forget it. You're a V.I.P.—for
you, twenty-five.
Sugar Daddy digs out his wallet, pulls out a couple of bills
and hands them to Phil, who gives him the pills in return.
SUGAR
I'm not gonna get hooked on these,
right?
PHIL
No sir indeed-ee, those little
babies are one-hundred-percent non
addictive. You got my personal
word.
SUGAR
Man, you're a lifesaver.
PHIL
(piously)
Anything I can do to support our
valiant student athletes.
CUT TO:
INT. MCQUEEN LIVING ROOM - LATER
Mike is sitting on the sofa, shoes off, feet on the coffee
table. Jane comes in, holding a coffee mug.
JANE
Mike?
She gets barely a grunt in response.
JANE (CONT'D)
Mike!
MIKE
(looking up)
Huh?
JANE
You're brooding.
MIKE
Am not. Besides, so are you.
With a sigh, she sets her mug down on the coffee table and
sits down next to him. There is silence for a long moment.
JANE
I think we should tell them.
MIKE
(looking over)
You don't think they're mad enough
as it is? You want to tell them
that we've been lying to them for
months now...
JANE
Mike, we've been waiting for the
right to tell them, but apparently
there isn't one. So—why not just
get it all out? Really, how much
worse can it get?
MIKE
Do me a favor—don't ask questions
like that.
CUT TO:
INT. SCHOOL HALLWAY - LATER
Sugar Daddy is walking down an empty corridor, casting furtive
glances around. He is so busy looking to make sure he's not
being watched that as he rounds a corner, he runs right into
Brooke. She clutches at him to keep from falling down, and a
couple of the pills slip out of his hand.
BROOKE
Oh! Sorry!
SUGAR
(embarrassed)
No, it's my bad.
BROOKE
Here, let me—
Brooke bends down and scoops up the pills. She is about to
hand them back to him when she notices their odd color and
shape, and instead holds one up to examine.
BROOKE (CONT'D)
Sugar, what are these?
SUGAR
Uh, nothin'. I mean, just
aspirin.
BROOKE
These don't look like aspirin...
SUGAR
I swear, they aren't anything.
Brooke's mouth drops as she puts two and two together.
BROOKE
Did you get these from Phil the
Pharmacist?
Sugar does a double-take.
SUGAR
You know about Phil?
BROOKE
(eyes narrowing)
I was a Glamazon, of course I know
about Phil.
SUGAR
Look, I just need something to get
me through 'til Ellie leaves.
Otherwise I'm gonna weigh half a
ton!
BROOKE
Drugs are not the way to deal,
Sugar! I thought you knew better
than that. After we went through
that program together—I just
don't know what to say.
Sugar Daddy's shoulders slump, and he looks like he's going to
start blubbering.
SUGAR
You don't know how Ellie makes me
feel. She's always Little Miss
Perfect this, and Little Miss
Perfect that. How am I supposed
to compete with perfect?
BROOKE
(uncomfortable)
I'm...sure she doesn't mean to
make you feel bad. And, you don't
have to compete with her! Just be
yourself.
SUGAR
Easy for you to say.
BROOKE
(grimacing)
Yeah, well, if you need help, I'm
there, but there's no way I'm
letting you get hooked on pills.
SUGAR
Oh, no, man, Phil said I couldn't
get hooked.
BROOKE
(rolls her eyes)
And you're gonna believe Phil?
(extending her hand)
Give me the rest of them.
Sugar Daddy hesitates.
BROOKE (CONT'D)
(impatiently)
Come on, hand 'em over.
Finally he drops the pills into her hand. She grabs his arm
and turns him around.
BROOKE (CONT'D)
Let's go.
SUGAR
Wait—go where?
BROOKE
We're taking these back to Phil.
SUGAR
No way! You can't just take stuff
back!
BROOKE
Oh, he'll take them back. He owes
me. Now come on.
She drags him back down the hallway.
CUT TO:
EXT. BEHIND THE GYM - MOMENTS LATER
Phil is still lounging under the tree when Sam approaches.
She looks as though the effects of her pills are wearing off
again.
SAM
Are you, um...Phil?
PHIL
(peering up)
Who wants to know?
SAM
Uh—Jaycee sent me? She said...
PHIL
Jaycee? I haven't seen her in...
Well, what can I do for you?
(holding up a hand)
No, wait, let me see... I'm good
at this...
He cants his head this way and that, looking at Sam from
several different angles.
PHIL (CONT'D)
I'd say...you went out raving last
night, and this morning your head
decided it wanted the day off.
Right?
SAM
Well...kind of.
PHIL
Uh-huh. So what did Jaycee give
you?
SAM
(at a loss)
I, um...I'm not sure. They were
little, round, white...
PHIL
Okay, no problem. I know what
that is.
He opens his suitcase and pulls out a bottle. Then he fishes
a pill out and holds it up for her to see.
PHIL (CONT'D)
This look like it?
SAM
Um, yeah...I guess so.
PHIL
(nodding)
That's what I thought. Nice
little pick-me-up, this one is.
Strictly short-term.
He counts out six pills.
PHIL (CONT'D)
This'll get you through tonight.
Tomorrow you'll be fresh as a
daisy. Guaranteed.
Sam rubs her temples tiredly.
SAM
Um...is this going to be real
expensive?
PHIL
(looking up at her)
Hey, tell you what...I hate to see
a girl in distress. Especially a
pretty girl like you.
He takes the pills and presses them into her hand.
PHIL (CONT'D)
It's on the house.
SAM
Oh, I couldn't—
PHIL
(shakes his head)
I insist. Go on. You'll feel a
million times better tomorrow
morning.
SAM
Well...all right.
PHIL
(smiling)
That's my girl. You'll be fine.
Promise.
CUT TO:
EXT. BEHIND THE GYM - CONTINUOUS
About fifty feet away, out of earshot and partially behind a
tree, Brooke and Sugar Daddy are watching Sam and Phil, bug
eyed and open-mouthed.
BLACK OUT.
END OF ACT THREE