WHAT IF? - SEASON 6 EPISODE 11 - ME, MYSELF AND I (PART 1)
1. Int. Adam´s Room. Evening.
Adam is lying on his back on his bed and is holding a picture that he has of Jenna in a bikini with one hand, that he´s staring at, while the combination or us not being able to see what he´s doing with his other hand, the unmistakeable sounds coming from his crotch area and the rather ecstatic look on his face tells us eveything we need to know about what he´s currently doing at this time.
2. Int. Foyer. Evening.
Audra Torres, his mom, is standing down at the foot of the stairs and is trying to catch her children´s attention.
Audra:
Everyone! It´s chow time!
Drew is quick to come down and looks like he has a healthy appetite.
Drew:
What´s the grub tonight?
Audra:
Chicken casserolle. Where´s your sister?
Drew:
Up in her room, I guess!
Audra:
Can´t you go and get her?
Drew:
But, I just came down from there!
Audra looks annoyed with him and shakes her head.
Audra:
I have to do everything myself around here!
She heads up the stairs, while Drew smiles to himself at the thought of the food, he´ll be eating very soon.
3. Int. Adam´s Room. Evening.
Adam is still ... doing that thing he´s doing, while staring intently at his picture of Jenna. All the pleasure goes out of his face though, when he hears the door being opened and from there it´s a scramble to get his pants pulled up in time. He´s too late though and Audra manages to stick her head in, to see something that she probably wished she hadn´t.
Audra:
Dinner´s ready! I called you like ...
They make eye contact very momentarily and Audra sees the picture of Jenna in a bikini lying on his bed, before she quickly leaves again. Adam facepalms at having been caught like this.
Audra (off screen):
It´s okay, Honey! I didn´t see anything!
Adam´s worst nightmare (or one of them anyway) has clearly just come true!
OPENING CREDITS
4. Int. Car. Morning.
Adam is being driven to school by his mom, which is an awkward experience for him for sure. Audra is over it, though and is ready to deal with it with some humor.
Audra:
Call me crazy, but at least I´m glad that it wasn´t Drew I caught in the act!
Adam:
Can we please not talk about it?
Audra:
It´s only natural that a young woman like you wants to explore your budding sexuality! I did it too, when I was your age.
Adam:
There´s a fact, I didn´t need to know!
Audra:
If anything, I should be glad that you´re only practicing the safest form of sex!
Adam shakes his head at his mom´s attempts at dealing with this with humor.
Audra:
I saw that picture on your bed. Are you attracted to Jenna?
Adam:
I´d really rather not talk about with you! No offense!
Audra:
It´s not all that unusual for girls your age to feel an attraction to their friends, especially if they´re pretty, like she is. You look at how they´re developing and compare yourself to them and these things just tend to happen sometimes. It doesn´t have to mean, that you´re gay or anything like that.
Adam looks her in the eyes.
Adam:
Would you still love me, if I was?
Audra:
How can you even ask me that? Of course, I would love you the same, whether you preferred one or the other!
Adam:
Even though, it´s against what the bible says?
Audra:
When it comes to your children, the bible is up for interpretation. You´ll always be my one and only daughter and that´s far more important to me, than what anyone else might think of you.
Adam smiles at her, but clearly wishes that he could tell her the entire truth.
5. Int. Hallway. Day.
Adam and his new locker neighbor Jenna are getting things from their lockers, while Adam is telling Jenna about what happened the day before and she´s finding it quite funny.
Adam:
It´s not funny! We´re talking about the most embarrasing moment, any teenager can imagine!
Jenna:
No, the most embarrassing moment would have been, if my brother caught me doing it!
Adam:
I take it then, that´s it´s never happened?
Jenna:
No, but there have been a few close calls, where I had to come up with a quick lie.
Adam:
It did find out that she would be accepting of me dating a girl. I guess, that´s one thing, it helped me to get cleared up.
Jenna:
That´s kind of a big one, don´t you think?
Adam nods in agreement.
Adam:
The only other saving grace is that I heard the door opening, so I wasn´t actually in the middle of ... it, when she caught me. She only saw me with my pants down and a picture of a girl in a bikini on my bed.
Jenna:
Was it of anyone I know?
Adam:
If you don´t mind, I´d rather keep that to myself.
Jenna:
That´s okay. Do you ever think of me, when you ... pleasure yourself?
Adam gets shy at being asked this way, as she tries to read his body language.
Jenna:
Because it would be fine with me, if you did!
Adam looks a little surprised, but glad at the same time.
Jenna:
If anything, I would be a little flattered, that you think I´m pretty enough to fantasize about.
Adam:
It ... happens sometimes, that you´re in them, yes. I can´t believe, I just told you that!
Jenna only smiles at what she was told.
Jenna:
As I said, it´s totally fine with me! So, is it like you and me together or me with another girl or all three of us together?
Adam:
I´ve already said far more, than I should have!
They close their lockers at the same time and lock them.
Adam:
So, do you ever think about me, when you ...
Jenna:
Thers no way in the seven layers of hell, I´m telling you that!
Adam:
But, I told you!
Jenna:
And I wasn´t expecting you to, but you did it anyway! If you had still identified yourself as I girl, I might have, but if you want to be a boy, then the statute of limitation has lapsed on those kinds of conversations between us!
Adam:
Now you´re not playing fair!
Jenna:
What I think of when I´m "Visiting That Area Down South" is nobody´s business except for my own!
She smiles to herself, as they head off to class.
6. Int. Cafeteria. Day.
Jay is washing the floor of the cafeteria after lunch, while Manny keeps him company. The only other one in there is Eli, who´s working on a project of his.
Jay:
You don´t believe, I fixed that table on my own? I can be good with a hammer and nail, when I have to, I´ll have you know!
Manny:
You actually have the needed opposing digits required to use one? Color me surprised!
Jay:
That´s very funny coming from someone, whose attempt at making a bird house in grade five, I happen to have seen!
Manny:
That was in grade five! You can judge me based on something I made, before I started wearing a training bra!
Jay:
All I´m saying is that someone, who lives in a glass house as far as home improvement goes, shouldn´t be throwing rocks around!
Manny:
You actually got a saying right for once! I´m impressed!
She walks away from him, as he watches her leaving.
Jay:
That´s right! Walk away from me, when you know that I´m right!
Eli just shakes his head at them and Jay comes over to him.
Jay:
Can you believe the things, I put up with from that girl? Here I bend over hand and foot to be nice to her and play the gentleman and all I get is sass from her!
Eli:
I also remember seeing you get a big smooch from her!
Jay:
About that, can we keep it to ourselves?
Eli:
I will, if you answer me one question.
Jay:
Fire away.
Eli:
When are you and her going to stop acting, like you´re the slightly more grown-up version of Pacey and Joey from season three of Dawson´s Creek?
Jay:
I didn´t have you picked for someone, who would like that show!
Eli:
My girlfriend makes me watch re-runs of it with her. Plus, after experiencing what a real-life horror movie is like up close, I haven´t been feeling like watching anything the slightest bit violent on my TV lately!
Jay:
I know exactly what you mean. Gimme a Care Bears marathon and a pair of six packs and I´m set for the day! So, what exactly happens between Pacey and Joey in season three, that make them so similar to me and Manny?
Eli:
At the start of the season, Dawson asks Pacey to look out for her, because him and Joey are now exes and although he still loves her, it´s weird for them to be around one another. He also knows that his best bud won´t steal his self-proclaimed soul mate away from him. But, as the season goes on, Pacey and Joey´s platonic love for one another starts developing into more and they start having little in-jokes, like you and Ms. Santos have and kept doing nice little things for one another without thinking about it, until there´s was only one thing, it could lead to for them.
Jay:
That´s not a bad theory, but you´re forgetting one thing. We´re both in happy, committed relationships with other people.
Eli:
You have that exact same kind of chemistry with each other, that Joey and Pacey had in that series and just like them, you won´t be able to deny those feelings forever, no matter how hard you try. Trust me, Jay. It´s only a matter of time, until you the two of you will find it physically impossible to not want to kiss one another. Again, I might add!
Jay:
No, we won´t!
Eli just smiles to himself, knowing that he´s probably right in what he´s saying.
7. Int. Manny´s Office. Day.
Jay comes in to Manny´s office with a stack of papers for her, that he puts on her desk in front of her.
Jay:
The principal wanted me to bring you these! So much for the paperless society, huh?
Manny:
That´s nice of you, but I could have gotten them myself.
Jay:
She knows that I don´t mind helping you out, when I can.
They smile at one another.
Manny:
Oh, before I forget! I have a little present for you.
Jay:
You didn´t have to do that!
Manny:
This is one, that benefits both of us.
She hands him one of those scent disks, that you can hang from your rearviewmirror.
Manny:
It´s just that it had been a while since yours stopped giving off any scent and with you giving me rides to and from work every day for free, I figured that it was the least, I could do.
Jay:
Thanks. That´s very considerate of you.
Manny:
Don´t mention it!
Jay:
Sorry, I´m just not used to my friends giving me presents out of nowhere.
Manny:
Considering all of those nice little things you do for me every day, like bringing me my papers, so I won´t have to go and get them myself or just lending an ear to listen to me, when I need one, it´s not a whole lot, but it´s something, right?
Jay:
Yeah, it is. We should probably both get back to work.
Manny goes back to her work.
Manny:
See you after school!
Jay:
See ya.
He leaves her and Manny shakes her head at the size of the enormous stack of papers, she has to get through.
8. Int. Hallway. Day.
Jay comes out from Manny´s office and something dawns on him.
Jay (to himself):
They kept doing nice little things for one another without thinking about it ...
He tries to shake it from his head, so he can get back to work.
9. Int. Hallway. Day.
Adam is trying to have a conversation with his brother, but it´s made harder by Drew having to try his best not to giggle all the time.
Adam:
The way that she talks to me sometimes ... I gotta admit, now I´m starting to get confused whether she could like me that way or not!
Drew can´t contain himself anymore and has to laugh out loud. Adam looks annoyed with him.
Adam:
You promised me, that we were over that! I´m trying to have a serious conversation with you!
Drew:
I´m sorry. That was the last time, I promise! It´s just that when I picture the look on mom´s face, when she saw you ...
Adam:
That´s enough! I don´t want to talk about it anymore!
Drew:
Okay, I´ll try to be serious! Why do you think that Jenna likes you, likes you now?
Adam:
It´s like the way she looks at me has changed and she says these little flirty things to me, when we´re alone together that she never said, before she broke up with KC.
Drew:
Like what?
Adam whispers into Drew´s ear what him and Jenna talked about earlier and it makes Drew make wide eyes at what he´s hearing.
Drew:
She actually said that to you, word for word?
Adam:
More or less!
Drew:
I think, you could be right! Maybe she does like you, like you now.
Adam looks like he hopes that´s the case.
10. Int. Car. Day.
Jay is driving Manny home after work, but he´s acting a little nervous around her for once. She´s not, though.
Manny:
That reminds me: I need to order my new passport before my old one runs out. It´s going to in less than a month.
Jay:
Huh?
Manny:
My passport!
Jay:
What about it?
Manny:
Were you listening to a word, I said? God, it´s like we were an old married couple already, aren´t we?
He bats an eye at what she said and turns his head to look at her.
Jay:
Why would you say something like that?
Manny:
Are you okay? You don´t seem like you´re yourself right now.
Jay:
Who else would I be?
Manny:
Good point!
Jay:
Say, you wouldn´t happen to know if there´s a video store or something like that, that rents out full seasons of TV series?
Manny:
I don´t think so, sorry. Which one were you looking for?
Jay:
Season three of Dawson´s Creek.
Manny:
I can see why, it´s by far the best season of the whole series!
Jay:
You´re a fan too? Not that I am, it´s Ellie, who wants to watch it! I mean, you know me, I would never watch anything that girly! I´m really just trying to do something nece for her!
Manny:
Are you kidding? I grew up dreaming that I could be like Joey Potter and that one day some handsome guy, who would naturally know all of my inner-most feelings, would tell me everything I wanted to hear, before he swept me off my feet with the kiss of a lifetime, like it always seemed to happen for her! Her and Pacey in season three ... ah! Now that´s what I call a well-written love story! You´re also in luck, since Joey´s daughter has the whole series on DVD and will probably lend it to you, if I ask her nicely enough.
Jay:
That would be great, thanks. I´m sure that Ellie will appreciate it too.
He smiles at her while trying to hide, that it´s actually himself, it´s for.
11. Int. Dining Room. Evening.
Adam is having Jenna over for dinner with his mom and brother. It clearly helps a little having her here, so that Drew won´t tell too many inappropriate jokes at the dinner table.
Audra:
So, Jenna. I hear that you and Gracie´s band are planning on making a demo of that song you wrote.
Jenna:
Yeah, people seem to like it.
Drew:
Did Gracie tell you, that it´s kind of a boy-bashing song, mom?
Audra:
I think, that´s great! Those boys could use a good dose of reality from time to time!
Jenna:
I wrote it about my now ex-boyfriend.
Drew:
With lyrics like those, I would be worried that people thought I had given up on boys altogether, if I were you, but what do I know?
Adam shoots him a hard look, but it´s not going to stop him.
Adam:
Nothing, is what you know!
Audra:
You two, play nice! It´s isn´t every day that we have company over.
Drew:
Sorry, mom.
Adam:
Me too.
Jenna:
It´s okay, really! I live alone with my brother and we have our littlle spats from time to time too. It would probably be un-natural, if we didn´t.
Audra:
What about your parents?
Jenna:
My mom is currently working as a barmaid in Las Vegas and my dad, the last I heard, was working on some farm out West. As you can hear, they´re not really a part of my life anymore.
Audra:
That´s so sad! Does your brother at least have a nice place, where you can both live?
Adam:
Jenna lives in a trailer park. I´ve told you that once before, mom.
Jenna:
I know that it sounds terrible and those places don´t have the best reputation, but it´s really not that bad of a place to live in.
Drew:
Not having had any parental figures around must be tough, though. From what I hear, girls like that often end up seeking the comfort of someone, who they feel like they can relate to and is like they are. But again, what do I know?
Adam shoots him another annoyed look, but Jenna takes it in stride.
12. Int. Foyer. Evening.
Adam has pulled Drew aside for a brotherly talk.
Adam:
Is there any special occasion that´s why you´re acting like total dick-wad tonight?
Drew:
I´m trying to lead up to you finally, after all of these months of wanting to be with her, telling her, how you feel about her!
Adam:
Not so loud, or she´ll hear!
Drew:
I know that it can be extremely hard to get these things out there, but you have to do it this time, for your own good, so you can get over the hurdle of trying it for the first time.
Adam:
I still don´t know, if I´m ready! Maybe I´m completely mis-reading the signals, she´s sending me.
Drew:
Think of it this way. If you can´t come out with your crush to that super-sweet girl in there, who we both know would never dream of laughing at you or throwing it back in your face, who can you do it to?
Adam:
I´m just scared that she´ll say "Sorry, but it´s never going to happen, because you don´t have the Y chromosome, that has to be there for us to date".
Drew:
It´s just a hurdle, you have to get over.
Adam:
Why does it have to be now?
Drew:
Because you never know, if you´re getting a chance like this again with someone like her.
Adam nods in understanding and tries to man up to tell her.
13. Jay´s and Ellie´s Apartment. Evening.
Jay is watching Dawson´s Creek season three and is way more into it, than a guy like him should be. He´s got the tissues out and has clearly had to use them frequently.
Joey Potter (on the TV):
In my whole life, there have been two guys, who have actually known me, Pacey! Dawson and ...
Pacey Witter (on the TV):
This AJ guy didn´t know you! I don´t care how you felt about him, Joey, because if he did, then he never would have walked away!
Joey Potter (on the TV):
I was going to say you, Pacey!
Jay:
Wake up, Joey! You´re obviously in love with him, so just kiss him!
He doesn´t hear Ellie quietly come in and she smiles to herself, when she sees what he´s watching and sneaks up on him.
Pacey Witter (on the TV):
What did you mean, when you said I know you?
Joey Potter (on the TV):
I meant what I said! You know me in a way that no one besides perhaps Dawson and ...
Ellie:
Am I catching you in something, that has to be even more embarrassing for a guy to get caught by his girlfriend doing, than masturbating?
He jumps up in the couch and has to take a moment to catch his bearings again.
Jay:
Wow, you scared me!
He puts the DVD on pause, so they can talk, and she sits down next to him.
Ellie:
You´re almost at the point of their first kiss.
Jay:
Finally!
Ellie:
Yeah, but you´ll still have to wait several more episodes for the next kiss after this one. Believe me, those two do far more than their fair share of talking about it first, before any more kissing starts going on! Where did you get the DVD from?
Jay:
Manny´s sort of half-sister loaned it to me. It was this kid Eli, who recommended it.
Ellie:
So, are you a fan?
Jay:
I like Pacey and his brother´s relationship and that Jen girl reminds me a lot of a girl; I knew back in my Ravine days.
Ellie:
I´m sure Michelle Williams gets to hear stuff like that a lot!
Jay:
That Dawson guy is annoying as hell, though! I don´t get why a great, sensible girl like Joey would even want to be with a neurotic freak like that, who always has to have things his way and is still trying to control her life, even though they´re not together anymore! Especially not when Pacey is right there, clearly has shown to her several times that he would be by far a better boyfriend to her, than Dawson could ever be and they´ve obviously been meant to be together, practically since they were born!
Ellie:
Wow! You´ve really been doing some deep analyzing of this show, haven´t you?
Jay:
It´s just so obvious, that it should be to them too! They do finally get together, don´t they?
Ellie:
In a super romantic scene, where he counts down from ten and tells her to stop him, if she doesn´t want him to kiss her. Of course, she doesn´t and then it´s lip-lock time!
Jay:
What then?
Ellie:
You don´t mind me spoiling it for you?
Jay:
I´m too curious to find out to care.
Ellie:
Let´s see, if I can remember this right! They´re together for a short while. She then dumps him because it´s getting in the way of her and Dawson´s friendship, that she can´t make up her mind on who to choose out of them. The season then ends with them sailing away on his boat that they spent all season fixing up together and bonding over. It´s another fiercely romantic scene of course, where she comes running down the dock to tell him that she loves him, just as he´s about to set sail for the summer! As much as I hate to admit it, my little thirteen-year-old romantic heart was lapping that stuff up like a hungry dog, when she watched those episodes!
Ellie giggles, but Jay is worried that the same thing is repeating itself with him and Manny.
14. Int. Adam´s Room. Evening.
Adam and Jenna are in his room together and are lying next to each other on his bed.
Jenna:
I never get to eat that kind of food at home!
Adam:
You don´t?
Jenna:
No, it isn´t like you can make gourmet meal for two on the small stove, we have and that´s even if we could afford the ingredients for it. Most of the time, it´s just simple stuff like TV dinners and things like that we eat.
Adam:
If you even tried offering a TV dinner to my mom, I guarantee you that she would take it as a personal insult!
They laugh a little and look each other in the eyes.
Jenna:
We really are from different worlds, aren´t we?
Adam:
We´re not that different, when it comes down to it.
Jenna:
I guess not. I mean, we both play music and we both like and dislike most of the same things.
Adam:
I´m sorry about my brother! He can be a pain sometimes.
Jenna:
Don´t think that I didn´t get, what he was hinting at!
Adam:
He was just goofing around to get a reaction out of me.
Jenna:
Do you like me, Adam?
He gets a little nervous at being asked like this but decides that now is the time.
Adam:
Like you how?
Jenna:
You know how I meant it.
Adam:
In that case ... yeah, I do like you, Jenna. I´ve liked you since the first time, we spoke to each other, and I saw you smile for the first time.
She smiles sweetly at him, to his joy.
Jenna:
It will take some time for me to get used to. I hope you can understand that. Because as much as I want to see you as a guy and I accept your choice to live like one, there are some physical things, that we can´t run away from! Things that i will have to try to forget about at first, until I get more used to the idea of kissing someone, who is a guy, but also isn´t entirely one in every way, if you know what I mean.
Adam:
I fully respect that! But you´re saying that there´s a chance for us?
Jenna:
I´m saying that I think you´re such a great person, that I would hate myself for it, if I didn´t at least try to make it work with you.
Adam:
Do you maybe ... want to kiss on it?
She gets on top of him and it´s clearly very arousing for him to finally be experiencing this with her.
Jenna:
I know that you´ve never done this before, so just close your eyes and follow my lead.
Adam closes his eyes, and she kisses him very gently and romantically.
CLOSING CREDITS