WHAT IF? - SEASON 6 EPISODE 8 - IT´S LIKE THAT (PART 3)
AUTHOR´S NOTE: I DON´T OFTEN DO WARNINGS, BUT AS YOU PROBABLY EXPECTED, THIS EPISODE IS ABOUT A SCHOOL SHOOTER AND IT CONTAINS SOME EXTREMELY HEAVY SUBJECT MATTER, THAT MAY NOT BE TO EVERYONE´S LIKING.
IF YOU HAVE HAD EXPERIENCES IN YOUR OWN LIFE, THAT MAY CAUSE YOU TO REACT STRONGLY IN A NEGATIVE WAY TO A STORY LIKE THIS, THEN I URGE YOU TO SKIP IT AND PERHAPS RE-READ ONE OF THE MORE LIGHT HEARTED EPISODES IN STEAD. AS MUCH AS I LOVE YOU GUYS READING MY STORIES, THE ABSOLUTE LAST THING I WANT TO BE IS THE REASON WHY SOMEONE WHO READS THIS EPISODE, HAS PAINFUL PARTS OF THEIR PAST BROUGHT UP AGAIN, THAT THEY MIGHT NOT WANT TO RE-VISIT.
IT´S ONLY A STORY THAT I MADE UP AND EVEN IF IT IS BASED ON RESEARCH THAT I DID INTO VARIOUS REAL LIFE EVENTS TO MAKE IT AS BELIEVABLE AND REALISTIC AS POSSIBLE, IT´S STILL ONLY A WORK OF PURE FICTION. KEEP THAT IN MIND.
1. Ext. Jeremy´s Parents´ House. Night.
We start on a shot of Jeremy´s parents´ house and hear the sound of three gun shots going off inside, one quickly following the other. It wakes up one of the neighborhood dogs, that howls at what it heard. Three more shots ring out shortly after that.
2. Ext. Jeremy´s Parents´ House. Morning.
Jeremy comes out from the house, carrying his bookbag over his shoulders. Looking at him closer though, his eyes have changed and there is a ruthlessness in them, that was never there before.
OPENING CREDITS
3. Ext. Degrassi. Morning.
The students arrive for school, still completely unaware of what is about to happen and many of them are goofing off, like it was just another day in high school. One, who it´s in a goofing off mood however is Eli, who looks around for Jeremy among his fellow students. When he doesn´t see him, it only helps to make him worry even more about him.
4. Int. Manny´s Office. Morning.
Manny is getting things ready for the day ahead. It´s clear from looking at her though, that she has an ominous feeling that this could be day she won´t forget, in all of the wrong ways.
5. Int. Janitor´s Closet. Morning.
The light is turned on and Jay comes in. As he looks around for what he needs, it´s clear from him too, that he has a bad feeling about how this day will go.
6. Int. Classroom. Morning.
Eli takes a seat next to Marisol and once again looks around for Jeremy. Him not being there yet, when Snake arrives to teach their first class, isn´t something that Eli sees as a good sign either.
7. Ext. Degrassi. Morning.
Jeremy arrives for school by hmself, long after everyone else have gotten there. It´s a good image of how he feels like he´s completely alone in the world. He also looks like someone, who´s well aware that with what he´s done, he doesn´t have a whole lot left to lose.
8. Int. Hallway. Morning.
Jeremy comes walking through the empty hallway and gets to his locker, that he puts the book bag in. The only thing he takes out of it is the only thing he´ll need this day: His gun. After closing his locker, he heads off to find his first target.
9. Int. Gymnasium. Morning.
The Senior class boys (including Danny, Derek, Peter and Jeremy´s two bullies, Trevor and Mike) are having P.E. in there with coach Petrino teaching them. Very few notice Jeremy coming in wearing his street clothes and hiding the gun behind his back. It´s a moment or two, before someone points him and points him out to Petrino, who approaches him.
Petrino:
Hey, kid! You´re not allowed in here!
Jeremy:
I respectfully disagree, sir!
Jeremy pulls out the gun and points it at the teacher, who raises his hand in surrender. Where before it was very few, who were paying attention to him, it´s now everyone and Trevor and Mike look terrified, that he could be here for them.
Petrino:
Don´t do anything you´ll regret, please!
Jeremy:
I already have, so why stop now?
He points the gun at Trevor, who he fires his first shot at, but it misses him as Peter manages to push him aside in time. Therefore it hits Peter in the arm in stead and he goes down holding it. Everyone looks shocked, as Peter lies there, while the blood flows steadily out of his arm in frightening amounts. Jeremy looks shocked at what he did and lowers the gun.
Jeremy:
I didn´t mean to do that! I´m so sorry!
He runs out of there, as Petrino and his classmates, those who aren´t too shocked to move, that is.
Petrino:
Someone call an ambulance, quickly and alert the principal!
His students are too shocked to do anything, so he sees the need to get a little tougher with them.
Petrino:
Now, dammit!
Derek becomes the one, who runs off to get help, while Petrino rips up a shirt to to put at pressure bandage on Peter´s arm. Peter is crying and looks scared, to the point where his own best friend Danny can´t even get himself to look at it.
Peter:
Am I gonna die?
Petrino:
You´re not gonna die, Peter! You hear me? You´re gonna be fine and back in your girlfriend´s arms before you know it.
Peter nods slightly and tries to be brave in front of his classmates, but the fear is still etched all over his face.
10. Int. Hallway. Morning.
Jeremy comes running out into the hallway and looks shocked with what just happened. After making sure that no one has followed after him, he stops running and leans up against a locker.
Jeremy (to himself):
Why did he have to do that? That idiot!
He wonders what to do next, now that the first part of his plan has failed. Jay sees him and approaches him, not knowing what has happened.
Jay:
Don´t you have a class, you need to be at, Jeremy?
Jeremy:
Stay away from me, Jay!
Jay:
I´m only trying to help!
Jeremy finally shows him the gun and points it at him. Jay raises his hands in fear.
Jay:
Whoa! Is that real?
Jeremy:
Real enough, that I used it to kill my parents with!
Jay:
You did what?
Jeremy:
You heard me. They broke me, Jay. Now there´s nothing left to do but die.
Jeremy hurries off, while Jay runs off to tell Manny what happened.
11. Int. Manny´s Office. Morning.
Manny is working on her PC, when the door opens and Jay comes rushing in.
Jay:
We have a huge problem! Jeremy is here and he´s brought a gun with him.
Manny stands up and looks him in the eyes to see, if he´s being serious. It´s clear to her from looking at him though, that he´s as dead serious, as it´s posible to be.
Manny:
Do you think he could think of using it on someone?
Jay:
I think that he already has.
From looking at Manny´s face, it´s obvious that this is just about her worst nightmare come true.
12. Int. Classroom. Morning.
Eli´s class are in the middle of their English lesson, that Snake is teaching.
Snake:
It´s clear from this then, that ...
Hatzilakos (over the PA):
Everyone, this is your principal speaking! We´ve had a serious incident this morning and we have to evacuate the entire school immediately! I repeat: We have to evacuate the entire school immediately! This is not a drill; it is the real deal!
Snake tries to deal with it with a bit of humor to lighten the mood, seeing how nervous his students look.
Snake:
It´s probably a toxic spill from a chemistry experiment gone wrong or something like that! Try to stay calm, everyone.
The students get up, just as Jeremy comes into the classroom. Eli can tell from moment one of looking at him, that something is seriously wrong with him.
Snake:
Jeremy! Arriving just in time to leave with the rest of us, I see.
Jeremy:
You can leave, if you want! I´m staying!
Snake:
That´s not really for you decide.
Jeremy:
This time, it is!
Jeremy pulls the gun out and it immediately causes most of the students to run for the door. Snake is so shocked, that he barely knows how to react.
Jeremy:
Everyone else, leave. Eli, you´re staying with me.
Jeremy pointing the gun at them makes any objections void and soon, it´s only Jeremy and Eli, who are left in there.
13. Ext. Degrassi. Day.
Anya and Brittany are outside, waiting with the hundreds of other students to find out, what exactly is going on. The tension out there is so thick, that you could cut it with a knife, as Holly J comes over to them.
Holly J:
I heard that someone from the Senior class got shot. I didn´t hear who it is and how bad they were wounded, though.
Anya:
God, what if they´re dead?
Brittany:
Most people survive it, when they get shot. We shouldn´t start thinking the worst yet.
They see Peter being brought out on a stretcher by paramedics and they load him onto an ambulance. Anya shakes her head in disbelief at what she´s seeing and it´s easy to see how this is strongly affecting the rest of the students too, to see one of their own looking like in a state like this.
We cut to Manny, who´s being held by Jay.
Manny:
We should have seen this coming!
Jay:
There´s no way, we could have known that he would do something like this. You can´t blame yourself for it.
Hatzilakos makes her way through the students and comes over to them.
Hatzilakos:
How are you two holding up?
Manny:
Shocked, is probably the right word for it.
Hatzilakos:
I pretty sure, that goes for everyone here, myself included. I´m going to follow the ambulance to the hospital, so I´m leaving Mr. Simpson to be in charge here. I´m sure, he can handle it fine.
Jay:
How is your son doing?
Hatzilakos:
He´s lost a lot of blood, but they tell me that he should survive.
Manny and Jay look relieved.
Manny:
I keep feeling like this is my fault. That I could have done more for him.
Hatzilakos:
You did everything you could, Manny. This can´t be your fault.
Jay:
Do we know if he told the truth, when it comes to his parents?
Hatzilakos:
The police have sent a patrol car over there to find out. They´ll most likely have questions for you, so I wouldn´t go too far away, if I were you.
Manny:
We won´t. You just make sure, that you´re there for your son.
Hatzilakos hurries away from them, as they try to take in what has happened.
14. Int. Classroom. Morning.
Eli has taken a seat and keeps his eyes strictly fixed on Jeremy, who waves the gun casually around, as he paces the room.
Jeremy:
What a day, huh? The day, where I chose to ruin my life beyond repair.
Eli:
If you´ve only fired that one shot, then I´m sure they´ll go easy on you.
Jeremy:
I klled my parents, Eli. They don´t go easy on you for that!
Eli looks shocked at what Jeremy told him.
Jeremy:
Not my real mom, of course, not that she doesn´t deserve it as much as those other two! It´s true what they say, you know? It´s the first kill, that´s the hardest, which is why I did my dad first. If anyone deserved to die, it was that son of a bitch! He didn´t even wake up, when I put three slugs in his head. My step-mom did, though.
Eli:
Why are you telling me this? I don´t want to hear it!
Jeremy:
Aren´t you the one, who´s all crazy about horror movies? Well, this is a real life horror movie, that I´m describing to you, only it´s my life! It actually happened, not like in one of those movies you watch, where it´s all done with make-up and special effects! I stared her right in the eyes, so she knew how much I hated her, before I made them shut forever.
Eli:
You´re sick, Jeremy! You need help!
Jeremy:
That´s coming from you, mister "I can´t get over my dead girlfriend, so I bang some random hot chick to make me forget about her"? You´re even more messed up than I am, you just don´t want to admit it to yourself.
Jeremy´s mood suddenly takes swing for the worse and he points the gun right at Eli´s head, so that it´s pressed right up against the side of his head.
Jeremy:
Maybe you´d like to join her, is that it? So you can live out some stupid romantic fanstasy, that there´s an afterlife, where you´ll be together? She´s dead and you´re never ever seeing her again, so get over it!
Eli:
I CAN´T!
Jeremy:
WHY?
Eli:
BECAUSE I STILL LOVE HER AND I ALWAYS WILL, OKAY? IS THAT WHAT YOU WANT TO HEAR?
Jeremy smiles to himself and puts the gun away by tucking it down the front of his pants.
Jeremy:
And you have the nerve to say that I need help? No one needs help more than you do, Eli. If they didn´t keep you so drugged up all time, then we both know, that it wouldn´t be long, until you were pushing up the daisies next to her.
Eli:
At least I didn´t take it out on anyone else!
Jeremy:
But you wanted to, didn´t you? Tell me the truth.
Eli:
I did, but I never would have gone through with it.
Jeremy:
You´re just as effed up as I am, Eli. The only difference between us is that I´m honest enough with myself to embrace who I am, instead of hiding it away behind a mask of put-on self-confidence, that doesn´t really exist, like you do.
Eli looks like he hopes, that Jeremy isn´t right about him.
15. Int. Hallway. Day.
Manny and Jay are with a pair of police officers. One of them, a technician of sorts, is fitting him with a wire under his shirt, while the other one, the negotiator, waits for him to finish. Manny can´t help himself from staring a little, but tries not to.
Police Negotiator:
This will enable us to hear everything, that you hear.
Police Technician:
If there´s any trouble, then we´ll know in an instant.
Manny:
You don´t have to do this, Jay.
Jay:
I´ve faced a psycho before. Not that it´s something, I ever wanted to try again, but I´d rather it be me than you, who goes in there,
Manny:
Maybe Jeremy and that girl who tried to stab you, will meet each other in the looney bin and hook up.
Jay:
Isn´t that a scary thought?
Police Negotiator:
Don´t try to be a hero, if it comes down to that. The last thing we want is to end up with three more dead bodies on our hands, if it can be avoided in any way.
Manny:
Do you think, he´ll surrender?
Police Negotiator:
In these situations, they usually do, but there´s no guide book for how this will go. He´s already shown that he´s willing to use extreme force, so I wouldn´t bet against him doing it again, especially not if he feels like he´s cornered and has nothing left to lose.
Jay:
I´ll try to keep that in mind.
The technician finishes his work and pulls Jay´s shirt down again. Manny then gives Jay a hug.
Manny:
Stay safe, for me. Now that you´re in my life, it´s hard to imagine it without you in it.
Jay:
If the worst happens, tell Ellie ... tell her, that she´s made me into the man, I always wished, that I could be.
Manny:
I will.
He heads off to face his fate, as she watches him with a grim look of worry on her face.
16. Int. Classroom. Day.
Jeremy and Eli are still in there, when there´s a knock on the door.
Jay (off screen):
Jeremy, it´s me, Jay! Can I come in?
Jeremy thinks about it for a moment, before giving in and looking over at Eli.
Jeremy:
Open the door for him.
Eli gets up and walks over to the door.
Jeremy:
If he´s brought the cops with him, then I´m shooting you first, Eli. I hope, you know that.
Eli turns his head for a moment to look at him, before opening the door and letting Jay come in.
Jeremy:
Close it and lock it.
Eli does, as Jay tries to make a friendly face at Jeremy, while still keeping his concentration on the potentially deadly weapon in his hands at the same time.
Jay:
So, this is where the party is at!
Jeremy:
Why are you here, Jay?
Jay:
To see if I can talk some sense into you. If it´s at all possible.
He gets a small smile out of Jeremy.
Jeremy:
It could be a little late for that.
Jay:
It´s never too late, Jeremy. If a complete screw-up like I was can do it, then so can you!
17. Int. Hallway. Day.
We quickly get a reaction shot of Manny, as she´s listening in with the police negotiator. She smiles slightly to herself.
Police Negotiator:
He´s doing the right thing by trying to get Jeremy to feel a kinship with him.
Manny:
The more you like someone, the harder it is to get yourself to shoot at them, am I right?
The negotiator nods.
18. Int Classroom. Day.
We´re back with the other three.
Jeremy:
Yeah, but even you never screwed your life up as spectacularly, as I have.
Jay:
You´d have to ask my ex-girlfriend about that!
Jeremy:
That´s just like you, Jay. Always cracking jokes and behaving, like you don´t have a problem in the world!
Jay:
That´s because I don´t.
Jeremy:
Is that true? Hey, Eli! Did you know that our favorite janitor here is up to his ears in love with Miss Santos and despite his "I´m in total control of everything" demeanor, he´s still too much of a wuss to tell her? I´d call that a problem, wouldn´t you?
19. Int. Hallway. Day.
We get another reaction shot of Manny, who from the looks up it was suspecting it, but wasn´t entirely sure, if she was right or not.
20. Int. Classroom. Day.
We´re back where we left off.
Eli:
Yeah, I guess so.
Jeremy:
Not that I can blame you! I mean, that woman is fine with a capital F and she´s really nice too! I actually hope for you two, that you find a way of working it out, so you can live happily ever after. I really and truly do. You would be a great pair parents too, not like the selfish bastards, I got stuck with!
Jay:
You really think so?
Jeremy:
I know so. That´s if we all make it out of here alive, of course.
Jay:
What do you want?
Jeremy:
What I want is to erase the past ten years of my life, but since that isn´t possible, I don´t know what I want anymore! I thought that if I took them out of my life, then everything would get better. Now I´ll be remembered as the crazy kid, who killed his parents and another student for no apparent reason.
Jay:
Actually, he´s going to be okay.
Jeremy:
That´s great to hear. I never meant for him to get hit, I swear. I don´t even know the guy, so why should I have anything against him?
Eli:
But you were trying to hit someone, weren´t you?
Jeremy shakes his head at what he´s done, like it´s only now starting to sink in on him.
Jeremy:
What have I done?
Without warning, he puts the gun to his own head with his finger on the trigger and Jay and Eli instinctively rush him to stop him from killing himself.
21. Int. Hallway. Day.
A shot can be heard coming from the classroom and the police negotiator grabs his walkie talkie instantly.
Police Investigator:
SWAT Team, move in now!
Manny tries her best not to panic, but it´s hard to.
22. Int. Classroom. Day.
We focus on the door, that being knocked down from the outside by the SWAT team using a battering ram. When they break through it after a few attempts, it´s to find Jeremy crying into Jay´s arms, while Eli sits in a corner and shakes, from the trauma of what he just went through. We also get a shot of the neat little hole in the ceiling, that the bullet went thorugh.
23. Int. Hallway. Day.
Jay comes out first and is greeted with a huge hug from Manny, who´s so relieved that he´s still alive, that she can´t help herself from kissing him on the lips too, to his great surprise. Eli is brought out next, with Jeremy being the last one and being brought out in hand-cuffs. He sees Manny and Jay kissing and smiles to himself, as they drag him away. The police negotiator comes over to them and clears his throat so loudly, that there´s no way they couldn´t hear it. They finally end their kiss and look a little embarrassed, as they turn to look at him.
Police Negotiator:
We need both of you to come down to the station and make a statement on what happened here today.
Jay:
Any news on the kid, who got shot?
Police Negotiator:
He´s stabilized and should recover without too many after-effects.
Jay:
That´s the main thing.
Police Negotiator:
You don´t care, that you´re once again a hero?
Jay shakes his head and Manny looks a little proud of him.
Jay:
Being a hero in seriously over-rated! In fact, I consider myself officially retired from the hero business!
Police Negotiator:
It´s a shame. You would make for a fine police officer.
Jay:
Yeah, but if I did that, then who would keep these wild teenage animals in check? It´s a dirty job, but someone has to do it.
Police Negotiator:
You can come with us now or come down and give your statement one of these next days. Your call.
Jay:
If you don´t mind me being completely honest with you, I´d rather go run a double marathon back to back right now, than have to deal with any more of this today!
Manny:
I fully second that opinion!
Police Negotiator:
That´s fine. Just don´t wait too long, or it won´t be fresh in your memory anymore. I know that it´s not my place to say this, but that crazy kid with the gun was right about one thing.
Manny:
What´s that?
Police Negotiatior:
You make for a very cute couple.
He leaves them and they try to take in what he said, as they smile at one another.
24. Int. The Dot. Day.
Anya, Brittany and Holly J are discussing what happened at The Dot.
Anya:
I´m just glad, that Peter is going to be okay.
Holly J:
Same here. Do you think it´s true what they´re saying, that Jeremy killed his parents?
Brittany:
If so, then we´re sure to be asked by some reporter one day, if we knew him!
Holly J:
Man! It´s no secret that I think mine are blasted in the head from the size of their own ego´s, but I would never take it that far! Not talking to them for a decade or two would be enough for me!
Brittany:
I don´t know why, but this has made me want to give my parents a huge hug!
Anya:
Me too. I´m giving my mom the hug of a lifetime when I get home and I´m going to tell her, how much I love her and appreciate, that her and my dad have been such great parents to me.
Brittany:
It´s a good thing that there are still some left, because there´s sadly more than enough in this world of the opposite kind.
Holly J:
And now we can say that we´ve experienced a school shooting! That´s yet another one off the list, that I hoped I´d never to have to check off!
Anya:
I´m breaking up with Blue. Life is too short to be with someone, you only like for their looks.
Brittany:
Congratulations on finally making the smart choice.
Anya:
Thanks. It´s just sad that it took something like this for me to see it.
Brittany:
What do you think will happen to Jeremy now?
Holly J:
Hopefully, they´ll have a nice padded cell, waiting for his arrival!
All three of them nod in agreement and we cut to Manny and Jay, who are sitting at a table together.
Manny:
So, in regard to that thing Jeremy said about you ...
Jay:
Is that what made you ... do that unexpected thing, after I came out?
Manny:
I´m not sure what made me do it! I guess, I was just so glad to see, that you were still alive and not hurt.
Jay:
Okay, because I ... it´s not that I didn´t enjoy it, because whew, you´re a good kisser!
Manny can´t help smiling a little.
Manny:
I am?
Jay:
Yeah. But you´re probably right that it was just the heat of the moment, that got to us!
Manny:
So, he wasn´t right, when he said that you ... love me?
Jay:
He´s just a kid! What does he know about love?
Manny:
So, it wasn´t true at all?
She looks a little disappointed, which makes him smile to himself.
Jay:
You want it to be, don´t you?
Manny (in a very bad attempt at seeming sincere):
No, of course, i don´t! I´m perfectly happy with JT and if you did have those kinds of feelings for me, then it would only get in the way of us working together!
Jay (in an attempt that´s just as bad, if not worse, than Manny´s was):
That´s great for me, because I would never want to be with another girl than Ellie! She´s the only woman in the entire world for me!
Manny:
Great! I´m glad we settled that and we never have to mention it again!
Jay:
Mention what? I´ve already forgotten what you´re talking about!
Them having a very hard time making eye contact afterwards tells a radically different story, though.
25. Int. Waiting Room. Day.
Eli, dressed a little differently than the last time, we saw him, is waiting for someone. Jeremy is brought in by a nurse and looks more docile, than he did the last time we saw him, like he´s being drugged up heavily.
Nurse:
You can have half an hour with him, then it´s time for his dinner.
Eli:
Thanks.
The nurse leaves them and Jeremy sits down across from Eli.
Jeremy:
What a great place, they put me in, huh? They talk about you in the 3rd person, like you´re not even there.
Eli:
I don´t think in your situation, that you´re in any place to complain about it.
Jeremy:
No, I guess not.
Eli:
What did your lawyer tell you?
Jeremy:
He thinks that he can get me off with forty years, if I´m lucky.
Eli:
They give you time off for good behavior, don´t they?
Jeremy:
Even if I somehow manage to behave like an angel for the next many years, I´ll still be in my forties at the least, before they let me out. It´s probably for the best though, if it can be avoided, that the same thing happens again.
Eli:
It isn´t the rest of your life, so that´s something.
Jeremy:
I won´t know until I get my final verdict, sometime a year or two from now, so I try not to think about it too much.
Eli:
You were right, Jeremy, in that I´m not over Julia and I never will be. There´s a part of her that´s been carved into my soul, that will be there for the rest of my life as a constant reminder of her. That doesn´t mean that I´m going to give up on living, because I know that´s not what she would have wanted either.
Jeremy:
I get that, although I have to admit, that I didn´t think I´d ever see you again. I don´t know if I would have come here, if it had been me.
Eli:
Us crazies have to stick together, right?
He offers Jeremy his hand and Jeremy shakes it, as they smile sadly at one another.
CLOSING CREDITS (THERE´S A POST CREDIT SCENE, SO KEEP READING)
POST CREDIT SCENE:
26. Ext. Parking Lot. Day.
Sav, Brittany and Holly J are waiting for Anya to return from her driver´s test.
Brittany:
Do you guys think, she´s gonna pass this time?
Sav:
Bigger miracles have happened, I suppose!
Holly J:
After all of those extra driving lessons, she has to pass this time or she´ll never do it!
Brittany:
Here they come!
The student driver car comes driving into the parking lot and pulls up in front of them. Anya comes out from the driver´s side door with a huge smile on her face.
Anya:
I passed and only on my seventh attempt!
Brittany:
Yay, you!
Anya gets a congratulatory hug from Britanny. Sav and Holly J also look happy for her, until Holly J comes to a sudden realization.
Holly J:
Oh, oh!
Sav:
What´s wrong? Did you leave the stove on at home?
Holly J:
It´s much worse than that! Don´t you get it? This means that we could run into her out in traffic and there won´t be any legal way to stop her from driving now!
Sav:
Holy God, we need to leave this city immediately, before it´s too late!
Anya just looks delighted to finally be getting her driver´s license.