WHAT IF? - SEASON 1 EPISODE 5 - RESPECTABLE
Disclaimer: I don´t own Degrassi or the characters from it.
1. Int. Manny and Craig´s Room. Evening.
Manny and Emma are playing cards with Angie, who´s enjoying every moment of it.
Emma:
I´m looking for a 3?
Angie:
Go fish!
Manny:
Do you really not have it, or do you just like saying "Go Fish?".
Angie just giggles. Caitlin comes in.
Caitlin:
Let´s go, Angie. We have to get those hands washed before dinner.
Angie:
Does it have to be now? I´m having fun!
Caitlin:
Yes, it does. Get a move on, young lady!
Angie:
Okay!
Manny:
We´ll finish the game after dinner.
Angie:
Don´t look at my cards!
She leaves with Caitlin. Emma can´t help herself from sneaking a peek at her cards, after she´s left.
Emma:
What do you know? She wasn´t cheating!
Manny:
Which means, we got our butts handed to us by an eight year old.
Emma:
What do you say, we agree to keep that between us?
Manny:
That goes without saying! We might as well hold onto what little reputation, we have left! Are you still getting stares and whispers?
Emma:
Some here and there, but the good part about High School is that it´s never long, until someone screws up worse!
Manny:
How´s the "You and Sean Situation" at this moment?
Emma:
It´s at a very interesting stage, let me put it that way.
Emma can´t help smiling to herself, while Manny looks suspicious.
Manny:
What aren´t you telling me? I can always tell, Emma. You can´t hide it from me.
Emma:
We might have a date tomorrow evening in his apartment, where he´s promised to cook us something nice. I´m really looking forward to it.
Manny looks happy for her friend.
Manny:
Why wouldn´t you be? I would!
Emma:
I´m also a bit nervous. It´s in the air, that we´re gonna go further, than we did the first time around.
Manny:
What were you, like 12 or something? It´s only natural in this situation, Em.
Emma:
How did you know, that you were ready?
Manny:
The quick answer is that I didn´t. Once we got to it, it just felt natural.
Emma:
Did it hurt?
Manny:
A little at first. Are you thinking about going all the way?
Emma:
It´s pretty much everything, I can think about. I practically have estrogen coming out of my ears, with all the hormones raging through my body! Mother nature is telling me, that it´s time to advance the human species!
Manny laughs.
Manny:
Promise me, that you´ll be careful, okay?
Emma:
You´re not gonna preach about the joys of abstinence?
Manny:
Let´s face it, it´s a little late for that. I just want you to have the best first time, you can.
Emma:
Me too.
Emma forces a smile, but she´s clearly nervous over it.
OPENING CREDITS
2. Int. The Dot. Evening.
Sean and Amy are keeping Spinner company. There´s only a few other customers in there.
Spinner:
What are you up to this weekend?
Sean:
I have date tomorrow.
Amy:
Which one? The blonde or the redhead?
Sean:
The blonde.
Spinner:
You finally made the hard choice, huh? Good for you.
Sean:
She the one, there´s no doubt about it.
Amy:
I never knew, you could be this adorable, Sean!
Sean:
What can I say? It´s love.
They look pleased for him, but can see that something is worrying him.
Amy:
What are the sour grapes, you´re not telling us about?
Sean:
We decided that tomorrow is the first time we ... you know?
Spinner:
Do it?
Sean:
I guess, I´m worried that I won´t be "up to standard".
Amy:
That it´s gonna be three missed passes and a fumble?
Her and Spinner laugh, Sean isn´t finding it as funny.
Sean:
Was I good at it. when we were together?
Amy:
Are you sure, you want to know?
Sean:
Was it bad?
Amy:
You were by far the worst of the four guys, I´ve slept with.
Spinner:
BURN!
Sean:
Really? I was that bad?
Amy:
I don´t have a whole lot to compare it to, but you seemed kind of clueless. You were really sweet, so you get points on that account.
Sean:
What am I gonna do? She thinks she´s getting the Filet Mignon of sex and all I can give her is ... an undercooked rump roast!
He rubs his temples and tries to gather his thoughts. Amy gives him a friendly pad on the back.
3. Int. Hallway. Morning.
Marco comes to school in a great mood! He´s practically dancing up the hallway, to Ellie´s amusement.
Ellie:
You´ll end up getting detention for being too happy at school! With Raditch, you never know.
Marco:
He can give me all the detention, he wants! This is a day to celebrate, so I intend to do just that!
Ellie just shakes her head at his silliness, as they head to class.
4. Int. Classroom. Day.
Ellie and Marco are working on PC´s next to each other. Paige is on Marco´s other side. Marco can´t help himself from whistling a happy tune, while he works. Snake comes over to him.
Snake:
Marco, there´s no rules against being in a good mood, but can you save it for music class?
Marco:
Sorry, Mr. Simpson.
Snake leaves them and goes to help other students.
Paige:
Would this improvement in your mood, have anything to do with your big date with Dylan?
Ellie:
The one, you´ve been raving on and on about all week, since it´s your first official date as a couple?
Marco:
It´s definitely connected to it! No more "are we together or not" and playing games, to see how the other one reacts. This is a big leap.
Paige:
Even though, you´ve been calling him your boyfriend for months?
Marco:
It´s different, now that it´s official. I can finally stop hiding who I am, except to my dad and his friends and other family friends, who might tell him.
Ellie:
It´s okay, Marco. Rome wasn´t build in a day.
Marco:
I still wish, I could be honest with him. It´s created this rift between us, that keeps growing. You´ve met him. He´s as nice as they come and he´s always been a caring dad. The kind I could talk to, when things bothered me.
Paige:
Have you tried being open about it?
Marco:
He´s very old school. I don´t think, he´ll take it well.
Paige:
You won´t know, until you´ve tried. Dylan was terrified about coming out to our parents. They accepted it, when they realized it wasn´t gonna change.
Ellie:
If you want him to understand and be accepting, then give him the chance to. Right now, you´re not giving him that chance.
Marco sees that they´re right and contemplates it.
5. Int. Supermarket. Day.
Sean is shopping with Amy helping him.
Sean:
Thanks for doing this. If I get one part of the evening right, then she might forgive me, if I mess up the most important part.
Amy:
Where was this Sean, when we were dating? This adorable "I want to do everything I can to please her" kind of guy?
Sean:
We were both in a messed up place, when we were together. You could say, that I was going through a selfish phase.
Amy:
I can easily relate. I had a constant one of those going on, for a few years!
Sean:
What´s changed?
Amy:
Spinner. I never thought in a thousand years, that I would have a boyfriend like him. It´s almost like he´s given me a fresh start at life. Suddenly, the cloud of all of those issues, I´ve been carrying around for so long, are fading away and the sun is shining through. When I´m with him, it´s like I´m the good Amy, I´ve always wanted to be. I´m no longer that messed up girl, who almost died in your bathroom from alcohol poisoning last year.
Sean:
That´s pretty much how I feel about Em. We were an odd couple, when we first got together. Me, the bad boy and her, the idealist, who was my mirror opposite in many ways.
Amy:
I can imagine.
Sean:
Something just felt right, from the first moment I talked to her. It´s not that I didn´t love Ellie, but we´ve never shared that connection, I have with Emma.
Amy:
Love works in mysterious ways. We can control a lot of things, except for who we fall for.
Sean:
I want tonight to be perfect. She´s like no one else, I´ve ever met. There´s this magic aura surrounding her, that nothing else can compare to.
Amy:
You really are in love!
Sean:
Like you´re not?
Amy:
Guilty as charged.
Sean:
Can you at least tell me, what I did wrong?
Amy:
You were too much in a hurry, for one thing.
Sean:
I can fix that. This is good! What else?
Amy:
It also didn´t last very long. One trick, that I know one of my exes used, was to close his eyes and think un-sexy thoughts. Like the most un-sexy ones, he could possibly come up with.
Sean:
I can think of a few. Did it work?
Amy:
I always walked away satisfied.
Sean:
Hmm. Any other pointers?
Amy:
She´ll be just as nervous, as you are, if not more. Take your time and most importantly, don´t rush anything. Make sure that she´s feeling comfortable through the whole thing and doesn´t feel pressured into doing things, she isn´t ready for. She´s looking for intimacy, more than feeling like the star of a porn movie.
Sean:
You´re pretty good at this.
Amy:
I am a regular Dr. Sally listener.
Sean:
Now for the really hard part.
They come up to the meat counter.
Sean:
How am I gonna cook something that´s sexy, but can´t have my favorite ingredient in it?
Amy:
Beats me! Why do think I found myself a guy, who knows how to cook?
They smile at each other.
6. Int. Basement. Day.
Emma is going over various dresses, she has laid out on her bed. Spike comes down to the basement.
Spike:
Are you eating at home tonight?
Emma:
No, I have a date with Sean. He´s cooking for me.
Spike smiles to herself and comes down to Emma.
Spike:
In that case, I´d have a snack, before I left. The first time a guy cooked for me, wasn´t much of a success!
Emma:
It´s not like I´m expecting something worth five stars, but it´s sweet of him to try.
Spike:
You guys are back together again?
Emma:
It appears so! It´s day one of "Emma and Sean, Part 3".
Spike:
It´s that new, huh?
Emma:
As new, as it can be.
Spike:
You´re not worried, that you´re his rebound girl? Wasn´t he with that Ellie girl for a long time?
Emma:
Over a year, but I´m sure that´s not how he sees me.
Spike:
I´m not saying, that´s how he sees you, Sweetheart. It´s a natural human thing to want intimacy and longing to feel wanted again, after a break up. I went through the same thing a few times. Given your history of getting together and breaking up ...
Emma gets annoyed with her.
Emma:
Are you trying to ruin this for me?
Spike:
No, but I don´t want you to get your hopes up.
Emma:
You don´t know anything about me and Sean! We´re in love and we´re meant to be together!
Spike:
I hope so, for your sake. Just do me a favor and don´t rush head first into anything, until you´re sure.
Emma:
I am sure! I could not in any way, be more sure, than I am right now!
Spike;
You´re a teenager and your hormones are running wild. It´s only natural, Honey.
Emma:
Mom! I´m not in the mood for another heart to heart about my hormones!
Spike:
Point taken. I know, that I can trust you to do the right thing. You´re a smart girl.
She gives Em a small hug and heads upstairs.
Emma (to herself):
What does she know? Except for all of her experience from becoming pregnant, when she was my age, of course! Time to make a decision. What´s it gonna be?
She removes some of the dresses from the equation and is left with a white and a black one. After some consideration, she takes the black one.
7. Int. Marco´s House. Evening.
Marco comes down to the living room, where his dad is watching TV.
Marco:
I´m going out, dad. Have a nice evening.
Marco´s Dad:
Come in for a second, Marco.
Marco does so and smiles at his dad.
Marco´s Dad:
You´re not off to a bar, are you?
Marco:
No, I assure you that it´s nothing like that.
Marco´s Dad:
I remember how it is. I snuck into a few bars, before I was old enough, back in my day. If there were girls and fun in the air, that´s where I would go.
Marco:
You were a wild child?
Marco´s Dad:
Not wilder than any of my friends were, but boys will be boys, you know? When you´re young is the time to enjoy yourself and create memories, you´ll look back on and smile at later in life. When I think back to the friends I had back in school and how we used to laugh all the time, it makes me smile.
Marco looks pleased for his dad, that he had such good times. He can´t hide, that he loves his old man, despite their differences.
Marco:
I hope, you´re not telling me that the fun stops, when you turn 30.
Marco´s Dad:
It doesn´t stop, but you start thinking more about the consequences to your actions. What was fun to me, when I was your age, just isn´t as fun to me, as it once was. That´s how it´s supposed to be. Then you start a family and that´s an adventure on it´s own. The two happiest days of my life, was my wedding day and the day, you were born. We were all so proud and your uncle Pedro ...
Marco:
Was so thrilled, that he drove through the neighborhood honking his horn and yelled "I have a new nephew" out of the window, until the police stopped him for disturbing the peace. You´ve told me that story a hundred times.
Marco´s Dad:
Some day, you´ll be a dad and when you hold that child, that´s your own flesh and blood in your arms for the first time, that´s when you really start living. Your late grandfather always said, that you weren´t really grown up, until you have your first child and he was right.
Marco gets quiet and we can see that his dad´s words are getting to him.
Marco´s Dad:
Sorry, Marco. I didn´t mean to get you down.
Marco:
You didn´t. It´s just weird thinking about the future sometimes.
Marco´s Dad:
Come here.
He gets his wallet and gets a twenty dollar bill out of it, that he hands to Marco.
Marco´s Dad:
We´ll call it an advance on your inheritance!
Marco:
Thanks, dad. See you later.
They smile at each other and Marco leaves him.
8. Ext. Marco´s House. Evening.
Marco comes out from his house and Dylan is waiting for him in his convertable, that has the top down.
Dylan:
Hi, Gorgeous!
Marco:
Hi.
He gets in the car and puts his seatbelt on. Dylan starts to run his finger through his hair but he pulls away.
Marco:
Can we wait with that, until we´re not right outside my parent´s house, where the neighbors can see?
Dylan:
Yeah, sure. Did something happen, I should know about?
Marco:
It´s nothing, I had a talk with my dad, that has me freaked out.
Dylan:
We can postpone, if you have a family emergency. Family has to be allowed to come first and I expect you to accept that, if I have one someday.
Marco takes a moment to consider it.
Marco:
Actually, that would be great. I don´t want to get too much into it ...
Dylan:
You don´t have to. Family stuff is private stuff. I´d rather go out with you, when you´re a hundred percent up for it.
Marco:
I´m still sorry, that I ruined your evening.
Dylan:
There´s plenty of other things, I can do tonight. You just worry about your own situation.
Marco:
Thanks for being understanding.
Dylan:
Don´t mention it. This isn´t my relationship, it´s ours.
Marco gives Dylan an ultra quick hug and gets out of the car. Dylan drives off and he goes back inside.
9. Int. Living Room. Evening.
Marco comes back in. His dad is surprised to see him.
Marco´s Dad:
You´re not going out?
Marco:
It turns out, that my plans have been cancelled at the last minute. Tough luck.
Marco´s Dad:
That´s what happens.
Marco:
I just wanted to give you your money back.
Marco´s Dad:
Keep it! There´s a new day tomorrow!
Marco forces a smile for him.
Marco:
What are you watching?
Marco´s Dad:
This year´s "World´s Strongest Man". It´s just started.
Marco takes a look at the TV and likes, what he sees.
Marco:
Man! Those guys have huge muscles and they are not afraid of showing them off!
Marco´s Dad:
You won´t believe the kind of things, these guys are capable of! Have a seat. Wrestling is on afterwards.
Marco takes a seat next to his dad and they watch it with excitement, for very different reasons.
10. Int. Sean´s Apartment. Evening.
Sean and Emma are getting comfy on his couch after eating dinner, while relaxing Jazz music plays from his stereo.
Emma:
You outdid my expectations!
Sean:
Was it that good? I´ve never made it before.
Emma:
To perfection!
Sean:
Thanks. I asked Spinner and Amy for advice. After that it was about following the recipe, I found on-line.
Emma:
Spinner and your ex, Amy?
Sean:
We´ve become friends again. She´s actually pleasant to be around, when she isn´t a drunk disaster zone.
Emma:
Sean, you didn´t invite me here to talk about your exes, did you?
Sean sees his mistake and shakes his head.
Sean:
No. Tonight is all about you. I want this night to feel special for the both of us.
Emma:
It already does. Do you want to do it now or ...
Sean:
We can do it more than once, you know? It´s not like one shot knocks me out for the entire evening.
Now it´s Emma, who sees her mistake and laughs.
Sean:
What´s funny?
Emma:
I actually thought, it did! I´m such a goof, when it comes to this! I might as well warn you. I won´t have much of a clue, what I´m doing between the sheets. You´re dealing with a total beginner here.
Sean:
That´s okay. I have limited experience, but I´ll be learning on the job too. Will you let me know, if I do anything wrong?
Emma nods and they kiss. He gets up from the couch and takes her hand, before leading her into the bedroom.
11. Ext. Degrassi. Morning.
Paige and Marco are arriving for school and chatting.
Marco:
It freaked me out for a second. I never considered all the things, being gay means that I miss out on.
Paige:
There´s always adoption.
Marco:
On the rare occasion, that they let gays adopt children. I don´t even know if I want to have them yet, it´s the way he talked about it, like it´s the end all, be all of life.
Paige:
They´re called natural instincts, Marco. Try as we might, we can´t ignore them. What did you do in stead?
Marco:
Watched "The World´s Strongest Man" and two hours of wrestling with my dad.
Paige laughs.
Paige:
Talk about a wild Friday!
Marco:
You should have seen the guy, who won it! He was build like a Greek God! Ah, the things I would do to him!
Paige:
Are you making it an annual tradition to watch it?
Marco:
You bet, I am! He could lift me over his head with one hand!
Paige:
That´s a turn on for you?
Marco:
Obviously muscles don´t mean anything to you, considering who you´re currently shacking up with ...
Paige:
I like a good body as much as the next girl, but JT has other qualities, that make up for his lack of physical prowess! I´m just saying, that knowing that a guy can lift me over his head with one hand, isn´t on my list of requirements!
Marco:
It is one everyone else´s!
Paige:
No, it´s not! Weirdo!
Marco:
Says you!
They continue to playfully bicker, as they head inside.
12. Int. Classroom. Morning.
Manny comes into the classroom and walks directly over to Liberty, Toby and JT, who are playing a game with Emma. Toby is holding a stop watch.
Manny:
What are you guys doing?
Liberty:
Emma can´t stop smiling, so JT bet her a dollar, that she could go a minute without smiling.
Toby:
We´re halfway.
JT:
Emma, you know that you want to smile right now. Think about all of the wonderful things in this world. The newborn babies, the cute little lion cubs, who are happily running around and playing on the Savannah ...
Toby:
Fifteen seconds.
JT:
Think of love. How good it makes you feel inside and ...
Emma, even though she was trying her best not to, can´t help smiling a tiny bit.
Toby:
The ref has called it. That was a smile!
Emma:
Okay, you win! I´ll pay you at lunch!
JT:
It´s already a profitable day!
Him, Liberty and Toby take their seats and Manny sits down next to Emma. She leans in to whisper to Emma.
Manny:
Did something special happen last night?
Emma:
A lady doesn´t kiss and tell.
She sees Sean come in and they smile at each other.
Emma:
However, in this case, it definitely did!
Manny looks happy for her, as Emma smiles to herself.
CLOSING CREDITS