Chapter 7
Betrayal
Gosalyn and Drake are in the mall, Gosalyn is looking at a poster.
"Thanks for the company, Dad ." Gosalyn said.
"Hey, no problem. But why didn't you ask Honker or Ali?"
"You and I never go for rides anymore. We need to go for more rides."
"Mm... why'd you need to see the that movie again?"
"I told you, it's a surprise. You'll find out when everybody does. (pause) What do you mean, "mm..."?" Gosalyn asked.
"I didn't say "mm..."" Drake said.
"Yes, you did." Gosalyn said.
"No, I didn't." Drake said
(pause)
"Mm..." Gosalyn trailed on.
At The Mallard Home
( Ali rings the doorbell; the door is answered by Drake )
"Hey, Ali."
"Hey, Mr. Mallard."
"Gosalyn's upstairs with Honker."
"Thanks."
(Ali heads upstairs to Gosalyn's room, where she hears music playing)
" Hello!" Ali exclaimed.
(she knocks on the door, then pushes it open to reveal Gosalyn and Honker in heavy lip-lock)
"Oh!" Ali exclaimed.
"Oops." Honker said. Breaking away.
"Oy." Gosalyn said.
(turns off music)
"Sorry about that." Ali said.
"No biggie. You had to learn about kissing sometime." Gosalyn said.
"I saw Gosalyn's latest work and I just got carried away by the talent." Honker said.
Gosalyn shows a poster for her new movie. Which shows a girl with red hair with blonde lighting streaks in her hair.
"Tada!" Gosalyn exclaimed.
"What is it?" Ali asked.
"It's the new do that I want. I'm playing a girl that gets hit by lighting." Gosalyn said.
"Oh." Ali said.
"That's where you come in Ali."
"What?"
"You're going to dye my hair."
"I never did it before."
"It will be fun. You, me and a box of hair dye. Come on." Gosalyn said.
Gosalyn grabbed Ali's hand and the two headed off.
(at the drug store)
(Gosalyn and Ali are looking at shelf upon shelf of hair coloring products)
"Golden Heather Blonde," "Dewy Cornfield Blonde," "April Wheat Blonde"... I just want to bleach my hair, not start a freaking farm.
I'm looking for "Blonde as a Bat," but so far no luck." Gosalyn said.
"I bet for 20 bucks and a bag of donuts, that girl behind the counter would come over to your house and help you with this." Ali said.
"You know, Ali , not everyone in the world conducts themselves by the same ruthlessly mercenary principles as you and your family."
"That's why I threw in the donuts. Give the deal a personal touch."
"And if you tell me one more time that you don't want to do this, I'll hit you over the head with this bottle of "Peaceful Sunrise Blonde." Gosalyn said.
"You know I have no aptitude for this sort of thing. Dyeing hair..." Ali said.
"Look, this is the kind of activity that teen girls do together to cement their friendships. Don't you want to cement our friendship?" Gosalyn asked.
"I'd probably do better with actual cement." Ali said.
"Me thinks thou doth protesteth too much." Gosalyn said.
"Huh?" Ali asked.
Gosalyn sighs and looks at Ali.
"Come on, Ali why don't you want to help me, really?" Gosalyn asked.
"I just told you, I'm afraid I'll screw it up." Ali said.
"Okay... you're worried about making me look bad?" Gosalyn asked.
"What's the matter with you?" Ali asked.
"Nothing's the matter with me. Just grateful for your concern, that's all." Gosalyn said.
Ali rolled her eyes and sighed.
"Look, I'll help you do your damn hair, okay? Just pick a blonde and let's go with it, all right?" Ali asked.
Gosalyn looked at her wired but shrugged it off.
"Now you're talking. (looks at box) "Autumn Barley Blonde?" I'm going to have to get me a tractor." Gosalyn said.
The two girls walked out.
(at Gosalyn's house)
(the girls are at the kitchen table, preparing to dye Gosalyn's hair)
"This stuff stinks. Why can't they just mix it before they put it in the bottle?" Ali asked
"Because the vapors would build up and it would explode." Gosalyn said.
"Oh. Well, that sounds like something I'd want seeping into my scalp." Ali said.
"Come on, Ali get going. We have nothing to fear but fear itself."
"I'm sure F.D.R. had teen girl hairstyles in mind when he made that speech. All right, you bitch. What do I do?" Ali asked.
"Let's see. This is very complicated. Identify and isolate a target tress, immobilize, then initiate application." Gosalyn said reading from the box.
"Huh?" Ali asked.
"Grab a hunk of hair and start painting." Gosalyn said.
( Ali grabs a hunk of hair and starts painting)
"What do you think? It's not so hard." Gosalyn said.
"Don't move. Don't even talk. The slightest tremor of your head could be disastrous." Ali said.
"Oh, come on, Ali its just hair."
"That's what Samson said. (pause) What did you mean before?" Ali asked.
"What do you mean, what did I mean?" Gosalyn asked.
"All that hinting around about the dire reasons I didn't want to help you with this." Ali said.
"Dire." 'Cause you're dyeing my hair. I get it." Gosalyn laughed.
"Still waiting." Ali said.
"Oh, hell, Ali I didn't mean anything. I just thought it was odd that you were so resistant to making me look even cooler than I already do. I thought, you know, maybe you were a little jealous of me and Honker and you felt like you had to..." Gosalyn trailed on.
"What!" Ali said.
Ali couldn't believe that she figured it out.
"Just a teensy little bit, and it's okay. Believe me, I'm sure if I were in your position..." Gosalyn said.
"What position? What are you talking about? How can you accuse me of being jealous of you and Honker?" Ali asked.
Ali knew that it was true, but still it didn't like to hear it from Gosalyn.
" Hey, Ali are we doing the hair here or not? I just mean the way you're always "accidentally" barging in on us and just "happening" to find yourself alone with him. I know you don't mean anything by it, so don't worry about it." Gosalyn said.
"Don't worry about it! You accuse me of having some kind of designs on your boyfriend and you tell me don't worry about it?" Ali asked.
"Hair! (Ali yanks on her hair) Ow!" Gosalyn exclaimed.
"Sorry." Ali said.
"Maybe we'd better talk about this later." Gosalyn said.
"There's nothing to talk about. You're delusional." Ali said.
"Oh, well, in that case I can just talk to myself about it." Gosalyn said.
Ali just glared at her.
(later, in the living room, Gosalyn and Ali are watching television; Gosalyn head is covered with a shower cap)
"So that wasn't so difficult, was it?" Gosalyn asked.
"Which part -- the hair coloring or the accusation of betrayal?" Ali asked.
"Oh, Ali look, forget it. I imagined the whole thing."
"That's right." Ali said.
"Okay! Now, on to more important stuff." Gosalyn said.
Gosalyn removes the shower cap, revealing jagged orange blotches instead of smooth blonde stripes)
"Am I striped yet?" Gosalyn asked.
(wide-eyed) – "Um, no, not quite yet." Ali said.
"Is anything happening up there?" Gosalyn asked.
"Uh... you know, I think I should probably get home." Ali said.
"Aw, come on! Don't you want to stick around for the fun?" Gosalyn asked.
( Gosalyn gets up and heads over to a mirror)
"Definitely not." Ali said.
"Come on, Ali, you must want to see..."
She looked in the mirror and her eyes widen.
"Aah! What did you do to me Ali?" Gosalyn asked.
"I told you I was no good at this!" Ali exclaimed.
"Can't you paint a lousy stripe?" Gosalyn asked.
"I don't... I..." Ali trailed on.
"You did this on purpose! To take Honker away from me! I KNEW IT!" Gosalyn exclaimed.
"What!" Ali exclaimed.
"Get out of here, Ali!" Gosalyn exclaimed.
"Let me fix it!" Ali said.
"How?" Gosalyn asked.
"I don't know!" Ali said.
"Just... get... out!" Gosalyn exclaimed.
(crushed, Ali slowly turns and walks out of the house)
Ali is standing by the door looking hurt.
Gosalyn narrowed her eyes at Ali.
"DAD! COME HERE!" She exclaimed.
Drake and Morgana came in and gasped at Gosalyn's hair.
"Gosalyn! What happened!" Drake asked.
"Ali's what happened. I need you to take me to the drug store." Gosalyn said.
"Um okay. We'll be back Morg," Drake said.
The two head out.
(in the car)
( Drake is driving, and Gosalyn is in the passenger seat; she's wearing a baseball cap to cover her hair)
"Look, you're going to have to go into the drugstore and get the dye. Just get anything red. And nothing named after a crop, okay?" Gosalyn asked.
"Sure. Don't worry, it'll be cool."
"I could kill Ali!" Gosalyn exclaimed.
"Whoa. Why?" Drake asked.
"I'm telling you, she wanted to screw up my hair. Anyone with the least bit of painting experience couldn't possibly do that bad a job by accident." Gosalyn said.
"I didn't know she paints." Drake said.
"Huh? Oh. She doesn't." Gosalyn said.
"Then why did she think she could do your hair?" Drake asked.
"Well... she didn't. Actually, I kind of made her." Gosalyn said.
"Why did you do that?" Drake asked.
( Gosalyn doesn't have an answer for that)
(cut to a montage of scenes: Ali's ringing the doorbell at Gosalyn's house, and at practice trying to call her at home; both are met with no success)
(Ali walks down the hall, and is approached by Jodie)
"Hey ,Ali . Where's Gosalyn" Jodie asked.
"Mm, I don't know. Maybe sick or something." Ali said.
"Really? That's too bad. She had some big surprise she was going to unveil today."
"Um, don't know." Ali said.
"When you talk to Gosalyn, tell her I hope she feels better."
"You mean if I talk to her."
( Ali walks away, leaving a concerned Jodie behind)
(Ali's at the home)
( again tries to call , with no luck; she hangs up and dials another number)
"Hello?" Honker asked.
"Honker, it's me." Ali said.
"Ali ? What do you want this time?" Honker asked.
(split-screen between the two of them )
"Have you heard from Gosalyn?"
"Sort of. Why?"
Shows him sitting next to a back to normal Gosalyn looking very ticked off.
"It's about that striping job..."
"Uh-oh."
"Yeah. I really, um, kind of botched it big-time, and she didn't come to practice and she's not answering the phone, so I just wanted to make sure she's all right."
"Look, Ali. I wouldn't worry about it too much. Just let Gos cool off." Honker said.
"I think I'm going to go over there and see how she's doing." Ali said.
"Oh. Oh, yeah. Good idea."
"Yeah. Got to go. Bye." (hangs up)
"Bye."
Honker hangs up the phone and looks at Gosalyn. "You might want to go home. Ali is going to stop by."
Gosalyn rolled her eyes. "Great."
She got up from the couch and the two kiss and she heads back to her house.
(at Gosalyn's house)
(Ali rings the doorbell, Gosalyn answers)
"I figured you'd turn up sooner or later." Gosalyn said.
"Hey, your hair looks okay." Ali
"Yeah, I dyed it back. I'll pass for normal." Gosalyn
"I'm really sorry. I warned you. That doesn't make it any better. I'm sorry. I feel kind of awkward."
"Really? I hadn't noticed." Gosalyn said.
"Can I come in?" Ali asked.
Gosalyn shrugged and let Ali back in.
Gosalyn and Ali sit on the living room couch.
"So if you look okay, then why didn't you come to practice? Why didn't you answer the phone?" Ali asked.
"To be honest, I've been feeling kind of overwhelmed lately, and after the hair thing and all, I figured I'd give myself a mental health day." Gosalyn said.
"Overwhelmed? Why?"
"Why do you think?"
"I don't know. I didn't screw your hair up on purpose. I would never do that."
"Yeah, I know. What about that other thing I said?"
"What thing? Um, you were just upset."
"What about it, Ali?"
"What?"
( Gosalyn gives Ali "you know damn well what I'm talking about" look)
"Me try to take away Honker from you? Are you crazy?" Ali asked.
"Okay, maybe not trying to steal him or anything. But what's going on with you?" Gosalyn asked.
"What do you mean? Nothing! I mean, okay, I don't hate him so much anymore, but that's not exactly an affair to remember."
"So you don't want to go out with him?"
"Of course not."
"And you've never... made out or anything?"
"Come on!"
"I know! I'm sorry!"
"Can you picture me making out Honker?"
(pauses to think) "Okay. Well, then, hair apology accepted. Life goes on."
"Do you want to get some more "busy barnyard blonde" and try again?"
Gosalyn's eyes widen when Ali said that.
"Have you gone completely, utterly mad?"
(Ali is walking home, and as she approaches her house, she sees Honker parked in front)
"Hey." Honker said.
"What are you doing here?"
"I wanted to talk to you. Your dad said you weren't home so I figured I'd wait out here."
"Do you want to come in?"
"No! There are ladies in their rubbing stuff on each other's cheeks and making animal noises. I got kind of scared." Honker said.
"That's just the opening rites of the Blushathon. At least you got out before the rhythmic chanting." Ali said.
"Oh, yeah, I think I saw that on the Discovery Channel. Why don't you get in the car?"
( Ali hesitates, then climbs into the passenger seat)
"What do you want to talk about?" Ali asked.
"I didn't want to say this in front of Gosalyn. But Ali, we have a situation here." Honker said.
Ali narrowed her eyes at him.
"I don't know what you mean. We have no situation. Leave me alone, I got to go." Ali said.
"Wait. Why is everyone so mad at me?" Honker said.
"Why? Why? Everything was going well with us. Until you had to go and blab you're true feelings for Gosalyn. Why couldn't you just kept you're feelings to yourself.. " Ali asked.
"All I did was ask my best friend out and I fell in love with her."
"Oh yeah? Then why are you here and instead with her?"
"She just left my house Ali! She was with me when you called."
"Good. Because I'm not interested in you, and I'd be stabbing my friend in the back if I even considered it."
"Exactly. And what kind of a jerk would that make me?"
"Exactly."
"All right then."
"Okay."
( suddenly Ali leans over and kisses Honker) Honker pushed her away right away.
"ALI!" Honker exclaimed.
"Dammit! Dammit, dammit, dammit! This wasn't part of the plan" Ali exclaimed.
"What do you mean not part of the plan?" Honker asked.
"Nothing." Ali said.
(she leaned over towards Honker tried to kiss him but Honker pushed her away.)
"That was definitely not funny."
"I got to go!" Ali exclaimed.
(Ali scrambles out of the car and runs into the house, leaving Honker looking confused.)
The next day at practice.
( Ali is walking in the hall when Gosalyn catches up to her)
"Hey!" Gosalyn called out.
"Oh. Hi." Ali said.
"What's up? What's going on? How you doing?" Gosalyn asked.
"Great." Ali said.
"No walkee to practice today? What happened?"
(no response from Ali )
"Hey, what's up? Talk to me." Gosalyn said.
"I kissed your boyfriend." Ali said.
(that's not a response Gosalyn expected; she freezes on the spot, wide-eyed and disbelieving)
"What?" Gosalyn asked.
"I kissed your boyfriend. I kissed Honker . I didn't mean to." Ali said.
(with a frown, Gosalyn runs off at top speed, leaving Ali alone in a knot of students)
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Ali exclaimed.
(at the Honker's house)
( Gosalyn rings the doorbell, and Honker answers the door)
"Oh. Hi!" Honker said.
"Oh, hi my ass! Go to hell!"
(she starts hitting him with both fists)
"Hey... uh... stop... ow!" Honker said.
"How could you! How could you!"
"I pushed her away!"
"How could she!"
"It didn't mean anything! I told her that!" Honker said.
"Oh, don't give me that! I wasn't born yesterday"
"It's the truth!"
(pause)
"Now what?" Gosalyn asked.
"I don't know."
(cut to the Gosalyn and Honker are sitting on in a tree )
"I'm a real idiot. There's no question about that."
"Who's arguing?" Gosalyn asked.
Pause between the two of them.
"Maybe we should take it easy for awhile." Gosalyn said.
Honkers eyes widen when he heard that.
"What do you mean break up? You're ending it! I didn't break up with you with this thing about David." Honker said.
Gosalyn looked at him.
"He was into you Gosalyn! Something could of happened. And I told you I pushed her away." Honker said.
"But it didn't! Did it Honk? And do you really think that I would allow it? Even if you did pushed her away, that doesn't make it any better." Gosalyn said.
"So that's it then, huh? We're just going to throw it away over something like this? I told you I pushed her away when she kissed me. " Honker asked.
(grudgingly) "So now what? You going to go out with her? I guess I got to get a new best friend." Gosalyn said.
"What are you talking about?" Honker asked.
"What am I going to do, tag along on your dates? Forget it. That's too weird for me." Gosalyn said.
"Yeah. I don't know why we expected her to do it."
(sarcastically) "You're and Ali are going to have a super time."
"I didn't say I was going to date her. That is the last thing on my mind."
"Hey, she's all right. Give her a chance." Gosalyn said.
"What are you talking about? You want me to go out with her?" Honker asked.
"Of course not. I mean, I don't know. Just... look. All that time... were you going out with me just to get to her?" Gosalyn asked.
"Are you crazy?" Honker asked.
"I don't know. Am I? You were my best friend Honk. The only one besides my dad that I could trust. I don't know what to think anymore." Gosalyn asked.
"And I still am. I still love you, Gosalyn. You're, like, from a cooler world." Honker said.
"I am, aren't I?" Gosalyn asked.
"You really are. That's why I love you Gosalyn. Nothing will ever chance that. The break wouldn't last long will it?" Honker asked.
Gosalyn sighed. "I don't know Honk. I really don't know. Right now, this whole thing is making me sick to think of. It will do us good." Gosalyn said.
She jumped down from the tree and headed out.
Honker watched as she walked away.
cut to a very dejected Gosalyn walking down the street; Drake pulls alongside in his car)
"Hey." Drake said.
"Hey."
"What you doing?" Drake asked.
"Walking."
"Hair looks fine."
"Thanks."
"Lift?"
"Nah."
"Come on. We need to go for more rides."
(Gosalyn pauses, then accepts the inevitable)
"Okay."
(in the car)
"Hey, you know, everything will be okay."
"Yeah, some part of me knows that. Some part of me is actually saying that breaking up is right."
"Maybe it is. For right now."
"So how come every five minutes I feel like I'm going to throw up?" Gosalyn asked.
"I don't know. You haven't been eating Launch Pad's cooking, have you?"
(that has the intended effect, as Gosalyn spirits are momentarily lifted)
(teasing) "Idiot."
"Where are we going, anyway?"
"Ali's." Gosalyn said.
Drake pulls into Ali's drive way, Gosalyn walks to the door.
(the doorbell rings; Ali answers the door)
"Hello." Gosalyn said.
"Hi."
"Pizza?" Gosalyn asked.
"I'm not really hungry."
"Neither am I."
"Want to come in?" Ali asked.
Gosalyn paused and looked at her dad.
"Just for a minute. This wouldn't take long." Gosalyn said.
The two girls walked in and Gosalyn closed the door behind her.
(the two sit down in the living room)
"I didn't want to tell you, but I had to. It's not going to happen again. Ever." Ali said.
"Honker and I broke up."
"What? Not because of me!"
"God, not everything is about you Alison. So I don't care if you go out with him. It's fine with me."
"Come on, nobody's that well-adjusted."
"I'm sure as hell not, but Honker and you makes more sense than Honker and me. So you go ahead and date him, and I'll get used to going out for pizza by myself."
"I don't want you to do that."
"Why not? It's what you've been doing all summer long."
"So you don't hate me?"
"Of course I hate you! I hate you with everything that I am! I KNEW what you were up to Ali. But I didn't want to believe it. I thought that you were my best friend. The thing that doesn't make sense to me is. You say you'll stay away from him and five minutes later you're making out in a car! Why did you even get in?"
"I thought we were going to talk about you! I think that's what I thought."
(pause)
"The lady or the tiger. You've turned out to be a little of both, eh?"
"I swear, I didn't..."
"I know. I don't know why I made you color my hair in the first place. Maybe I was trying to bring something to a head."
"Hair. Head. I get it."
(an uncomfortable silence hangs in the air for several moments)
"So... what happens now?"
"I was hoping you knew."
"Are we still friends? (pause) Are we?"
Gosalyn sighs.
"Yeah. We're the kind of friends who can't stand the sight of each other."
"Temporarily, right?"
"I hope so, Ali. I'll see you."
(gets up and leaves)
Gosalyn gets back in her dad's car and they drive off.
"You want to go get something to eat?" Drake asked.
Gosalyn shook her head. "No, I just want to go home and be alone." Gosalyn said.
Gosalyn is in her room cyring about what had just happened when she spots the papers for a very high marked film school that she heard about.
To Be Continued