AMY´S CREEK - S01E07 - FREE FALLING

Disclaimer: I don´t own Dawson´s Creek or the characters from it.

DEDICATED TO TOM PETTY

1950-2017

R.I.P.

1. Int. Paige´s Room. Evening.

Paige is sitting by herself, playing an acoustic guitar. She´s pretty good for a beginner.

Paige (voice over):

Welcome to my episode. Don´t worry, Amy and Joey will be back soon enough, but now it´s my turn to shine! I bet you didn´t know, I had depth for instance. When people look at me, they think I like Bieber and all the other lame pop on the radio. Just because you try to look on the bright side of life, doesn´t mean you naturally have lame taste. My favorite is John Mayer, but I love a lot of old music too.

She looks up at her giant John Mayer poster on her wall.

Paige (voice over):

How can a guy be that hot?

She shakes it off.

Paige (voice over):

Anyway, it´s pretty much because of him, that I started playing guitar a year ago. Well, it was also to relieve boredom. See, before then I had two great friends. My sister Emma, who´s now in college and my old BFF Rosita. Unfortunately, Rosita´s family has money and mine don´t. So, when she left for a private school in Boston, I was left alone here. I still miss her, but it´s getting easier all the time.

She puts her guitar away and leaves her room.

2. Int. Kitchen. Evening.

Paige comes in to find her mother Eleanor, smoking a cigarette and looking depressed.

Paige (voice over):

My parents are going through a divorce, which totally sucks. I try my best, not to let it ruin every day, because I easily could, if I wanted to. My mom is having a lot of trouble dealing with it. She promised me, that she wouldn´t smoke inside anymore, but I have to walk on egg shells around her.

Eleanor:

Shouldn´t you be getting to bed soon?

Paige:

It´s only nine o´clock.

Eleanor:

Is it? Oh, well ...

Paige gets a soda from the fridge.

Paige (voice over):

She wasn´t always like this, but things have been going downhill for while. First she lost her job and a short while later, my dad did the same. As they say here in Capeside: "Once a job leaves, it never comes back". My dad had to move to Boston to find work and he fell in love with another woman. Now they live together and my mom is alone and miserable. It just isn´t fair.

Eleanor:

You should be drinking sugar this close to bedtime.

Paige:

It´s just one soda ...

Eleanor:

DON´T ARGUE WITH ME!

Paige:

Sorry.

Eleanor:

You won´t be able to burn the calories before you go to sleep and do you know what happens then?

Paige:

You´ve told me this a hundred times.

Eleanor:

What happens, Paige?

Paige:

They´ll make me fat.

Eleanor:

You´ll never make the squad next year, if you don´t lose those unwanted pounds. The last thing you should be doing, is packing on more of them. It was embarrassing enough for me, that you didn´t get in the first time. I´ll be damned, if I´m letting it happen again!

Paige is looking very uncomfortable.

Paige:

Can I go to my room?

Eleanor just nods and has a puff of her cigarette. Paige puts the soda back in the fridge and goes up to her room.

3. Int. Paige´s Room. Evening.

Paige shuts the door and lies down on her bed.

Paige (voice over):

So, that´s my life for you. Don´t worry, it isn´t all depressing.

She takes her phone out and calls Marco.

Paige:

Hey, Marco. Can we talk?

She smiles to herself.

Paige (voice over):

The reason it isn´t, is named Marco and I´m crazy in love with him!

OPENING CREDITS

4. Int. Hallway. Morning.

Paige comes walking up the hallway, looking for Marco.

Paige (voice over):

I know, you all think, I shouldn´t have stolen him from Amy. But to be fair, I liked him way before she did. Care to guess how long? Since Elementary School, when he stopped some older girls from bullying me. I was scared of them, but he told them off so bad, that they nearly peed their pants and made them promise, never to bother me again. He then told me, that if they did, I should find him and he would beat them up for me. They never did and one of them even apologized! That was all it took for my young heart to be sold on him. He was my first kiss, when we were 12, but I was too shy to talk to him for months after. Before I knew it, Amy had snatched him from under my nose. Our first kiss was even to my favorite song. Well, it wasn´t at the time, but it became it afterwards. It´s the song "Free Falling" by John Mayer. Tom Petty did the original, but I´m a "Mayer Girl", so I prefer his version and I´m almost sure it was that one, we were listening to.

She walks up to Amy and Vicki.

Paige:

Have you seen Marco?

Amy:

No, I haven´t. I thought, he rarely left your side.

Paige:

That is kind of true, just not now. Should I be worried?

Vicki:

He´s probably just running late.

Paige:

You´re probably right.

She heads off to class.

Paige (voice over):

A few weeks ago, none of them would have talked to me. That´s all thanks to Marco. I love him, but I need to have other friends too.

She heads into a classroom.

5. Int. Classroom. Morning.

Paige is looking very bored in class.

Teacher:

If we take the denominator and divide it with the multiplier, we´ll get 62!

Paige (voice over):

When would I ever need to know this in real life, unless if I wanted to become a mathematician or a teacher? For 99.9 percent of us, it´s a total waste of time!

Teacher:

Let´s move on to the next problem ...

Paige (voice over):

This is like purgatory, that never ends! Anyway, back to the song, because it fits us perfectly and I couldn´t love the way it ends more. The first verse might as well be about me:

She´s a good girl, loves her mother

She loves Jesus and America too

She´s a good girl, crazy about Elvis

Loves horses and her boyfriend too

I´m not that into horses anymore, but I was when I was little and if you change Elvis to John Mayer, it couldn´t have fit me any better. I´m the All-American good girl, that the country loves, or at least I try to be.

She tries to focus on the lesson taking place.

Teacher:

If we divide the result of that with the result from our other problem, we come up with our end result.

Paige (voice over):

And they expect us to remember that? What kind of sick institution is this?

She looks annoyed and looks at Marco´s empty seat next to her, as if she were hoping that he would magically appear.

6. Int. Hallway. Day,

Paige is by her locker, getting books out of it.

Paige (voice over):

Two classes and still no Marco. I couldn´t take it, if anything´s happened to him.

Amy comes over to her.

Amy:

I just got a call from one of my dads. Marco´s been in a car accident.

Paige:

Oh, my God. Is he okay?

Amy:

He´s bumped and bruised, but I don´t know any more. Dougie told me, that he´s been taken to the hospital.

Paige starts crying.

Paige:

No, no, no! This can´t be happening!

Amy:

I´m sure, he´ll be okay.

Paige:

I could really use a comforting hug right now!

Amy semi-reluctantly goes along with it.

Amy:

Okay, but just a quick one.

They hug and it looks like, Paige needed it.

Amy:

He´ll be okay. You´ll be holding him again in no time. Jack is driving me to the hospital. You can come with us.

Paige:

Thanks, Amy.

Paige (voice over):

I never thought, me and Amy would be hugging like this or being friends. But I guess it´s true, that tragedy brings people together.

They break the hug and she wipes her eyes.

7. Int. Car. Day.

Jack is driving Amy and Paige to the hospital. Paige is looking out the window.

Paige (voice over):

The second verse might as well be about both of us.

It's a long day living in Reseda

There's a freeway running through the yard

And I'm a bad boy, because I don't even miss her

I'm a bad boy for breaking her heart

Reseda, from what I know, is a part of Los Angeles, that has kind of suburban feel to it. That might as well be Capeside, because we´re like a suburb to the rest of America. If you follow this road, it can take you anywhere in the country, you want to go. Call me pathetic, if you want, but I´ve only left the city limits three times and I´ve never been far away from here. The third line, can be both be seen as tragic and cute. I like to see it the second way, in that he feels guilty, every time he isn´t thinking of her. The last line, I hope never comes true, even if the realist in me knows, that most couples our age don´t last.

Jack tries to lighten the mood.

Jack:

It´s nice to see, that you can still talk, despite everything that happened.

Amy:

You mean, despite her stealing my boyfriend?

Jack:

I´m sure, there´s two sides to that story.

Paige:

No, I liked him and I went for it. It was pretty straight forward.

Amy:

And yet, I don´t dislike her for it.

Paige smiles shyly.

Paige:

I´m so glad to hear that.

Amy:

I did at first, but now that it´s worked out for the best, I can´t really hate you anymore. God help me, but you´re actually starting to grow on me.

Jack:

That´s sarcastic teenage for "I want to be friends".

Paige:

I´d like that too. Marco is kind of the only one I hang out with, if you haven´t noticed.

Amy:

Can´t we quit it with the girly wishy washyness? He´s a sucker for it, but there´s a limit to how much, I can stand!

Paige:

Okay. Friend.

Paige (voice over):

I´ll probably blow it with her at some point, because we are very different. I hope, we can be friends and she isn´t saying it, just to sweet talk me in my moment of need. What am I thinking? It´s her moment of need too! Right now, the only thing that matters, is Marco and whether he´s okay or not.

She goes back to looking out the window.

8. Int. Hospital. Day.

Jack is talking to a doctor, while the girls are waiting.

Amy:

It´s hard to tell, if it´s good or bad.

Paige:

What´s your guess?

Amy:

Jack hasn´t broken down in tears, so I don´t think, he´s dead.

Paige:

Don´t even say that! He can´t be!

Amy:

I didn´t mean ... why do you have to be so girly all the time?

Paige:

I can´t help it.

Amy:

I didn´t mean it as an insult. Look, I´m sure, he´s perfectly fine and we´ll be laughing it off in five minutes.

Jack comes back to them.

Jack:

He was with his brother, who was driving.

Paige:

How is he?

Jack:

He´s taken a beating, but it´s nothing serious. His brother, on the other hand, is another story.

The girls look relieved.

9. Int. Hospital Room. Day.

Paige comes running in and gives Marco, who´s on a hospital bed, a big hug.

Paige:

I´ve never been so relieved in my life! Don´t ever do that to me again.

Marco:

It wasn´t really my choice, but I´ll try not to. Honey, you´re hurting me.

She breaks the hug and in stead gives him a big kiss.

Paige:

I´m gonna spoil you back to health!

Marco:

Then I guess, something good has come of it.

Amy:

What´s the damage?

Marco:

Lots of black marks and they think, I could have a concussion. Considering that we rolled around twice, I´d call that pretty lucky.

Amy:

Thank God for air bags and seat belts, huh?

Marco:

Amen!

Vicki:

But they´re still keeping you?

Marco:

It´s just for observation. They say, it´s standard protocol.

Amy:

Man! Is the car totaled?

Marco:

Pretty much. Look, I can´t get word on how my brother is doing.

There´s an awkward moment of silence.

Marco:

It isn´t bad with him, is it?

Amy:

That depends on how you look at it. He´s not hurt, but he´s been arrested.

Paige:

Maybe, we shouldn´t be the ones to tell him.

Marco:

Tell me what? You can´t leave me hanging!

Amy:

Dougie told me, that he tested positive for drugs. He´s being held for driving under the influence.

Marco looks shocked.

10. Int. Car. Day.

Jack is driving Amy and Paige home.

Paige (voice over):

Telling him put a dampener on his mood, as you can imagine. I still think, he´s mostly just happy, that no one got seriously hurt. I can´t help being mad at his brother, though. How could he do that? Marco could have been killed! He deserves whatever punishment, they give him.

Jack:

Where to, Paige?

Paige:

Can I hang out with you, Amy? I don´t want to come off as needy, but I don´t think, I should be alone right now.

Amy:

What about your mom?

Paige:

She ... it´s a long story.

Paige (voice over):

They don´t need to know, that she goes to a bar every afternoon, for happy hour.

Jack gives her Amy a look, that says that he would be very disappointed in her, if she said no. Amy sees, that she should do the right thing.

Amy:

Okay, we can hang out.

Paige looks relieved.

Paige:

Thanks, Amy. I´ll try not to cramp your style.

Jack:

You´re lucky. It´s my cooking night.

Amy:

Plus, American Idol is on!

Jack:

What do you say, Paige? Does an evening with good food and Simon Cowell ragging on poor contestants, who have done nothing to deserve it, tickle your fancy?

Paige:

It sounds more or less perfect.

Amy:

We´ll put a smile back on your face, before you know it.

Paige looks pleased.

11. Int. Living Room. Evening.

Paige is helping Amy set the table for dinner. She puts both the knife and fork one side of the plate.

Amy:

You´re supposed to put one on each side.

Paige:

Oh, okay.

She changes it.

Amy:

Have you never done this before?

Paige:

When I was a little kid, we had people to do it for us. After we went broke, fancy dinners became a thing of the past. Most days, I eat in my room by myself.

Amy:

I don´t want to pry, but I got the feeling from Marco, that things aren´t good in your house.

Paige:

Things are how they are. There´s nothing I can do about it.

Amy:

If you feel the need for some family time, you´ll always be welcome here. We eat dinner as a family every night. My aunt Joey also eats here a lot of the time. You´ll like her too. She´s kind of like a mom to me.

Paige:

That sounds nice. I probably will.

Amy:

It is. It´s how your life should be too.

Paige:

We can´t all live in a lesbian fairytale.

She tries to smile it off, but Amy can see, that it´s nothing to joke about.

Paige (voice over):

It isn´t that I don´t want to let her in, but I want her to hang out with me, because she wants to. Not because she feels like, I´m a charity case, she has to, for Marco and her dad´s sake.

12. Int. Living Room. Evening.

We cut to them eating dinner. Paige is enjoying herself.

Paige:

This is so good!

Jack:

The praise is appreciated. Not that I get it from anyone else.

Dougie and Amy get the hint.

Dougie:

It´s the best thing, you´ve ever cooked!

Amy:

My taste buds are practically jumping with delight!

Dougie:

You´ve truly outdone yourself!

Paige and Jack smile at each other.

Paige (voice over):

Her dads are so nice, Jack in particular, but that could just be because I don´t really know Doug yet. No one could have anything against two guys raising a kid, if they saw how good she has it. Life in our house has never been this good. Even in the supposed good days, my parents still fought all the time. This is a house filled with love and joy! I really hope, she appreciates how good she has it, because I would trade with her in a moment! Plus, she´s got Joey, who´s like a mom to her! I get a dad, I haven´t seen in over a year and couldn´t take two minutes to call me on my birthday. Then there´s my mom, who I think half the time, only cares about herself. Life just isn´t fair sometimes.

13. Int. Car. Evening.

Dougie pulls the car over to drop Paige off.

Dougie:

There you go, young lady. Just to be nice, we´ll say it was a free ride the first time.

Paige:

So, the next time you´ll make me pay? Isn´t that drug dealer tactics, to give away the first for free, before you have to pay?

Dougie:

Would you like a job on the force? It seems like, you have a knack for it.

She smiles to herself.

Paige:

Maybe someday, who knows? It´s not like school is agreeing with me, so I should probably look into non-college options.

Dougie:

Jack told me, what happened in the car. Is everything alright at home?

Paige:

It isn´t, what you would call easy, but I manage. My mom has gone through a lot these past years, so I can´t blame her for getting depressed.

Dougie:

Me and my old man have always had a cold relationship. It´s hard to explain, because we´re always cordial with each other, but we´ve never connected as a father and son should have. Did you know, that he didn´t speak to me for half a year, after I came out?

Paige:

That´s tough!

Dougie:

He retired early from the force, just so he wouldn´t have to see me. I want you to know, that I´m close to an expert on parental issues, so don´t be afraid to come to me, if something´s wrong. I´ve seen too many times on the job, what can happen if problems are allowed to escalate. I´d hate to see that happen to a bright, young girl like you.

Paige:

Me and my mom don´t connect either. Since my dad left us, she´s become a different person.

Dougie:

Does she hit you?

Paige:

No, but she can be really mean, when she wants to.

Dougie:

I have friends at child services. If it gets too bad, don´t hesitate to come to me, okay? I´ll always make time for you, no matter what.

Paige:

Thanks, Doug.

Dougie:

I became a cop to protect society´s weakest and that includes you. The rest will get by, but I do it year after year for the ones, that need it.

She nods in understanding.

Paige:

Thanks for a nice evening.

She gets out and Dougie can´t help still looking worried about her, before driving off.

14. Ext. Street. Evening.

Paige looks at the house, working up her nerve to go in.

Paige:

The 3rd verse is about the dangers in the world:

All the vampires walking through the valley

Move west down Ventura Boulevard

And all the bad boys are standing in the shadows

All the good girls are home with broken hearts

The vampires are all of those who want to take advantage of you and don´t care, if they ruin your life. The bad boys are there too, waiting to break the hearts of girls like me, the good ones, who don´t deserve it. The sad fact of life, is that we usually get stepped on by the ruthless ones, who make it to the top. We make due, with what life gives us. On top of that, we fall for the wrong boys, who break our hearts.

She takes a deep breath and heads inside.

15. Int. Kitchen. Evening.

Paige comes in looking apprehensive. Eleanor was waiting for her and is looking drunk.

Paige:

Hi, mom.

Eleanor:

You finally thought, it was time to come home, huh?

She gets up and stares Paige down.

Eleanor:

What in the hell do you think, you´re doing with your life?

Paige:

I ...

Eleanor:

Don´t play smart with me! You left school early and you blew off your gymnastics class!

Paige:

Marco was in a car crash. He went to the hospital.

Eleanor:

Don´t tell me, you´re still on about that boy! He´ll just end up ruining your life!

Paige:

Marco isn´t like that!

Eleanor:

THEY ALL ARE! DON´T YOU GET THAT? THEY USE YOU, UNTIL THEY´RE DONE WITH YOU AND KICK YOU TO THE CURB, LIKE YOUR DAD DID TO ME! NOW LOOK AT ME!

Paige is looking very uncomfortable and starts crying.

Eleanor:

I COULD HAVE HAD A FUTURE, BUT HE TOOK THAT AWAY FROM ME!

Paige:

Mom. please! You know, I hate it, when you yell at me.

Eleanor:

I´m just trying to get through that thick skull of yours. You grades are bad, you can´t make the cheerleading squad or any other squad for that matter and you never bring friends home. You have nothing going for you! Emma had tons of friends, her grades were always great and she was captain of the squad. Why can´t you be more like her?

Paige:

I´m not her and I never will be! And you can´t tell me, that Marco isn´t good for me, because I love him and he loves me.

Eleanor:

You´ll end up the same sad, pathetic loser, living in a dead end town and hating her life, that I am. I don´t want that for you.

Paige:

I think, you´ve had too much to drink, mom!

Eleanor suddenly slaps her and she looks shocked.

Eleanor:

In this house, I decide what goes on! You don´t get to tell me, when I´ve had too much to drink, understood?

A shocked Paige just nods.

Eleanor:

The sooner you realize, that I´m the only one, who gives a crap about you, the better you´ll be off. Now go to your room. I can´t stand to look at you right now!

Paige heads up to her room, still crying.

16. Int. Paige´s Room. Evening.

Paige is playing guitar by herself.

Paige (voice over):

Here I am, right back where I was this time yesterday, when we started. I think that´s what you call coming full circle, but I could have misunderstood it. I still can´t believe, that she hit me. Running away or telling Doug would be so easy, but then what would happen to her? She´s still my mom. This leads me nicely into the final verse, which is about escaping reality:

She plays and sings it.

Paige (singing):

I wanna glide down over Mulholland

I wanna write her name in the sky

I wanna free fall out into nothing

I wanna leave this world for a while

And I´m free, free falling ...

Yeah, I´m free, free falling ...

She smiles to herself, as she keeps playing. Maybe she can´t control anything else in her life, but the guitar is one thing, she can control.

Paige (voice over):

Wouldn´t that be nice? To free fall out into nothing and leave the world for a while? I hope, that´s what I dream of tonight.

CLOSING CREDITS

Author´s Note: I know, this was kind of a heavy one with the subject matter at hand. I´d love to know, what you thought about it.