ACT TWO
FADE IN:
INT. SOCIAL STUDIES CLASS - LATER
Mary Cherry and Lily are having a "discussion," while Mr.
Osbourne moderates from his usual perch on his desk.
MARY CHERRY
Lil Lily, ya know I think you are
one of the most darlin' lil ladies
on God's green Earth...but ya are
also totally bonkers!
LILY
(indignant)
Excuse me? I think everyone
knows who's bonkers around here!
MARY CHERRY
I'm tellin' ya, y'all go to Texas
with that attitude, and they's
liable to take yer fool head clean
off!
LILY
Well, maybe people in Texas need
to be more enlightened!
OSBOURNE
Ladies, let's not get personal.
NATALIE
(tiredly)
Haven't we had this argument
before?
OSBOURNE
The whole world is interconnected,
Miss James. You can't cover new
ground without occasionally
trampling across the old.
Mr. Osbourne casts a brief glance at Sam, who is sitting in
the far corner looking supremely disinterested; then he checks
the clock on the wall.
OSBOURNE (CONT'D)
However, I see that our time is
almost up. So—
He reaches back, picks up a stack of papers and begins to hand
them out.
OSBOURNE (CONT'D)
As this is a three-day week, your
written assignment shall be
shortened accordingly, and shall
also be due tomorrow.
CARMEN
(reading, dubiously)
"What Thanksgiving means to me?"
OSBOURNE
Indeed, Miss Ferrera. I want to
see not only WHAT you believe, but
WHY. I shall expect a reasonable
effort to identify and analyze the
persons or other societal elements
which most influenced the
formation of your beliefs.
NATALIE
All that in one night?
OSBOURNE
(pained)
It needn't be exhaustive, Miss
James. A rough sketch will do.
The bell rings, and everyone gets up.
DISSOLVE TO:
EST. CAFETERIA - NOON
A typical view of the crowded lunchroom.
CUT TO:
INT. GIRLS' RESTROOM
Lily and Carmen are sitting on the tuffet, looking stunned,
while Brooke stands nervously before them.
CARMEN
I—I don't believe it. I mean,
even after Natalie said...it just
seems so unreal.
LILY
I know...
(looking up at Brooke)
Are you sure?
BROOKE
(adamantly)
I saw her buying them.
LILY
Oh my God...what are we gonna do?
BROOKE
(frustrated)
I don't KNOW! I talked to
someone—
CARMEN
What?
BROOKE
—don't worry, it's okay, he won't
tell anyone. But from what he
said, I think we have to talk to
Sam.
LILY
"We?" Brooke, last week you
didn't want anything to do with
it.
Brooke sits down on the other side of the tuffet.
BROOKE
(miserably)
But it's all my fault.
LILY
What?
BROOKE
It is, isn't it? I'm the one who
took Harrison away from Sam. I'm
the one who went sleeping around
with him behind her back, like
some soap-opera slut. I created
this whole mess.
LILY
No, you didn't. Right, Carm?
At the ensuing silence, Lily nudges Carmen.
LILY (CONT'D)
Right, Carm?
Carmen hesitates, then takes the plunge.
CARMEN
(standing up suddenly)
All right. I wasn't comfortable
with you and Harrison sneaking
around behind Sam's back.
LILY
Carmen!
CARMEN
I'm sorry, okay? It's how I feel.
Brooke buries her face in her hands. Carmen walks around the
tuffet and kneels down beside her.
CARMEN (CONT'D)
(sighs)
Okay. No, it's not your fault.
Whatever you did, it's not an
excuse to do drugs. The only
person responsible for Sam's
addictions is Sam.
(tittering)
God knows I've tried palming off
my problems on other people. It
doesn't work.
Brooke looks up and manages to smile a little, wiping away her
tears.
BROOKE
Thanks.
CARMEN
(turning to Lily)
Hey, what about Harrison? He's
known Sam longer than any of us.
Maybe he could...
Brooke goes wide-eyed.
BROOKE
No!
LILY
(shaking her head)
Bad idea, Carm.
BROOKE
I don't want him to know anything
about this!
CARMEN
Hey, no problem. My lips are
sealed. See, this is me sealing
my lips.
She makes a zipper motion across her mouth.
CARMEN (CONT'D)
Mmmm-mmm-mmmm-mmm.
That actually makes Brooke laugh, a little.
The door opens, and Jane walks in.
BROOKE
Jane! Is—is something wrong?
Jane seems as shocked to see Brooke as Brooke is to see Jane.
JANE
No, not at all. I...actually, I
came to...talk to Lily.
BROOKE
Oh.
Carmen gathers Brooke up.
CARMEN
We'll just leave you two alone.
JANE
Thanks, Carmen.
After Brooke and Carmen leave, Lily stands up to face Jane.
LILY
Mrs. McPherson—Mrs. McQueen. I
heard.
JANE
Yeah...about that...
Jane sits down, and Lily joins her.
JANE (CONT'D)
We thought that telling the girls
that we were an official family
might help bring them a little
closer together.
LILY
(sympathetically)
Didn't work out that way, huh?
JANE
(shakes her head)
Sam just saw it as one more lie,
one more secret...one more thing
to drive her away.
(ruefully)
You know, it's hard enough arguing
with Sam when she's wrong.
(pause)
And Brooke...she says she's not
upset, but she hasn't been the
same since Mike told her.
LILY
(cautiously)
It could be something else is
bothering Brooke.
JANE
Maybe, but she still obviously
isn't comfortable talking to us
anymore.
LILY
I'm sorry, I wish there was
something I could do.
Jane turns and takes Lily's hands in hers.
JANE
That's why I wanted to talk to
you. I didn't want to say
anything in front of Brooke, but—
it's going to be Thanksgiving in a
couple of days. I was hoping—I
know it's a longshot, and I'm not
expecting any miracles, but—if
you could talk to Sam, maybe try
to convince her to give it another
chance...
LILY
(hesitating)
I...
JANE
I know this is asking a lot,
but...we're desperate. We just
don't know what to do.
Lily finds herself nodding.
LILY
Okay, Mrs. Mc—Queen. I'll try.
Jane hugs her.
JANE
Thank you, Lily.
CUT TO:
INT. SCHOOL STAIRWELL - LATER
Josh is sitting on the stairs when Mike finds him.
JOSH
Mr. McQueen!
He stands up hastily and sticks out his hand. Mike shakes it,
and waves him back down.
MIKE
Mind if we sit?
JOSH
Uh, no, sure.
They sit down, side by side, on the stairs.
JOSH (CONT'D)
So...how are things?
MIKE
To tell you the truth, not all
that good. You know things are
bad between Brooke and Sam.
JOSH
Yeah, I heard. Lily's real broke
up about it.
MIKE
Well, I was hoping you might be
able to help.
JOSH
(puzzled)
Me? How?
MIKE
Look, you and Brooke go back a
long way. If you could...talk to
her, try to get her to patch
things up with Sam...
JOSH
I don't know...
MIKE
I'm not looking for any promises.
I'm just asking you to try. I
know it probably won't work, but
I'm using all of my options now,
you know?
JOSH
Yeah, I know. Okay.
Mike claps Josh on the shoulder.
CUT TO:
INT. SCHOOL HALLWAY - LATER
Mary Cherry is sneaking through the hallways. She darts
around a corner and runs smack into Lily, who yelps in
surprise.
LILY
Mary Cherry, what are you doing?
MARY CHERRY
Shhh!
(peering around)
I'm looking out for Baxter.
LILY
What's a baxter?
MARY CHERRY
Oh, he's Mama's butler.
LILY
(laughing)
Really, Mary Cherry, I think if
there were a butler at this
school, we'd notice.
With that, they turn around—and come face-to-face with
Baxter.
BAXTER
Excuse me, Miss Cherry. Your
mother has dispatched me to remind
you that you are due at the
mansion immediately following
school hours.
MARY CHERRY
(trying for bravado)
Fine, fine, I'm reminded. Now go
on, shoo.
BAXTER
I shall collect you upon the final
bell.
(bows)
Miss Cherry.
Baxter backs away. Lily casts a puzzled look at Mary Cherry.
LILY
What was that all about?
MARY CHERRY
Oh, it's just the biggest
boondoggle in history, that's all!
LILY
Huh?
MARY CHERRY
Every year, the whole cotton
pickin' Cherry family comes
together for this humongous
Thanksgiving dinner. And this
year, Mama is hostin' it.
LILY
(shrugs)
Sounds fun.
MARY CHERRY
Fun? Fun? Mama's runnin' around
like a chicken with its head cut
off—and the dinner! The dinner
is always the most gawd-awful
affair ya ever did see. I'm
thinkin' of runnin' away to
Canada.
They walk off down the hall.
LILY
It's cold in Canada.
MARY CHERRY
Darn. How 'bout Mexico then...?
DISSOLVE TO:
EXT. KENNEDY HIGH PARKING LOT - AFTERNOON
Lily and Carmen are walking along the sidewalk when the
Cherrys' cherry-pink limousine rolls past. As the limo
cruises off, they see Mary Cherry framed in the back, pounding
on the rear window and looking like a victim in a horror
movie.
LILY
Aren't there times you just feel
sorry for Mary Cherry?
CARMEN
(considers)
Not really, no.
As they walk on...
PAN TO:
EXT. KENNEDY HIGH PARKING LOT - CONTINUOUS
Not far away, Harrison comes up behind Brooke.
HARRISON
Hey, Brooke. Didn't see you at
lunch.
She shies away from him when he leans over to kiss her.
HARRISON (CONT'D)
All right, what's going on?
BROOKE
(distracted)
What?
HARRISON
You've been acting strange all
week. Come on, what's wrong?
He tries to put his arms around her, but she shoves him away
roughly.
BROOKE
(annoyed)
Nothing! Just leave me alone!
With that, she runs ahead to catch up with Lily and Carmen,
leaving him to throw up his hands in frustration. As he
watches the three girls engage in an animated discussion, he
feels a tap on his shoulder; when he turns, he finds Natalie
standing there.
NATALIE
Okay, before you say anything, I
know I'm being a total pest, but
apparently what Thanksgiving means
to Miss Alvarez is a good time to
torment students with irregular
verb forms. I don't even get
REGULAR verb forms!
HARRISON
Ah...
She clasps her hands together in a supplicating gesture.
NATALIE
Please, please, pleeeease help me?
I swear, I'll do anything you
want. I'll be your slave for life
if you just help me not flunk
Spanish.
HARRISON
I—I don't think you have to that
far. Um...sure. Whatever I can
do.
NATALIE
Great! My place, seven?
HARRISON
(just keeping up)
Ah...okay...
She pulls out a card and scribbles on it, then presses it into
his hand.
NATALIE
Thank you, thank you, thank you.
You're really saving my life. See
you then!
And she's off, with a still-slightly befuddled Harrison in her
wake.
CUT TO:
EST. JAMES HOUSE - EVENING
The Jameses live in an upscale, two-story French-style home.
CUT TO:
INT. NATALIE'S BEDROOM
Natalie's room is itself rather upscale and luxurious.
Natalie and Harrison are sitting on the bed, papers and books
spread out around them.
HARRISON
(holding up a card)
How about this one?
Natalie looks both dazed and confused.
NATALIE
Ella...est?
HARRISON
Estoy.
She puts her hands to her head and falls back on the bed.
NATALIE
I'm never going to get this!
HARRISON
Sure you will.
NATALIE
I hate Spanish. I hate Spanish.
(lifting her head)
Can you teach me to say "I hate
Spanish" in Spanish?
HARRISON
(laughs)
Come on.
Natalie hauls herself back up, but sends some of the papers
between them falling to the floor in the process.
HARRISON (CONT'D)
Whoops.
They both bend down to pick the papers up at the same time,
and for a second their faces come THIS close...
After a moment, Natalie hastily stands up.
NATALIE
I'm...going to get us something to
drink.
With Harrison looking after her quizzically, she makes tracks
for the door.
CUT TO:
INT. JAMES HOUSE - UPSTAIRS HALLWAY - CONTINUOUS
Just outside her room, Natalie casts a half-glance back in the
direction of the doorway, a very strange expression on her
face, before continuing on.
CUT TO:
EST. CHERRY MANSION - EVENING
The standard huge mansion.
CUT TO:
INT. CHERRY DINING ROOM
Mother and daughter are just passing through.
CHERRY CHERRY
Lor' sakes, Mary Cherry, I don't
know why you're makin' such a
fuss!
MARY CHERRY
(whining)
Mamaaa!
Cherry Cherry spins around, hands on hips.
CHERRY CHERRY
Oh, just bring one of your little
friends, if ya hafta!
MARY CHERRY
Really? I can bring someone?
Anyone I want?
CHERRY CHERRY
That's what I said! If you'll
quit yer yappin'!
Mary Cherry claps her hands in glee.
CUT TO:
INT. NATALIE'S BEDROOM - LATER
Studying has ended, and the atmosphere is much more sedate.
Natalie is lounging on the bed, while Harrison is sitting on
the floor with his back against the end of the bed.
NATALIE
(idly)
So, what's up with you and Brooke?
He cranes his neck in her general direction.
HARRISON
What do you mean?
NATALIE
I dunno...you seemed like you were
fighting before.
HARRISON
Oh...I don't know. She's got
problems at home.
NATALIE
Yeah, Lily finally told me the
whole story. About Brooke's dad
and Sam's mom, I mean. Man,
that's weird. No wonder they hate
each other.
HARRISON
But they didn't, though. I mean,
yeah, for a long time they didn't
like each other...even before
their parents got together. Just
because Brooke was always the
cheerleader, popular, and Sam
was...not. But there was a time,
a few months ago, where they were
really getting along.
Natalie rolls over and props herself up on her elbows.
NATALIE
Really? What happened?
HARRISON
I happened.
NATALIE
(blankly)
Ohh...
Suddenly Harrison gets up.
HARRISON
I really ought to get home.
Natalie manages to roll off the bed and get to her feet.
NATALIE
Well...all right...
After an awkward moment, she sticks out her hand for him to
shake.
NATALIE (CONT'D)
Thanks for, you know, trying to
help. Maybe I can look forward to
a D in Spanish now.
HARRISON
You'll get it. Just keep
practicing.
NATALIE
Well...thanks...
HARRISON
Yeah, it's no problem.
He puts up a hand in farewell in the doorway before
disappearing. Natalie smacks her forehead.
NATALIE
(muttering)
Stupid, stupid, stupid...
FADE OUT.
END OF ACT TWO