WHAT IF? - EPISODE 14 - YOU´VE GOT ANOTHER THING COMING PART 1
1. Int. The Dot. Evening.
Ellie is celebrating with a burger dinner at The Dot with Ashley and Marco.
Ellie:
I can pay for myself. It´s not like I won a Pulitzer or anything like that!
Marco:
No, but getting on the permanent writing staff at the Gazette is still a big first step. This luxurious feast is on us.
Ashley raises her glass for Ellie.
Ashley:
Here´s to your first step towards something bigger!
Marco:
As far as I´m concerned, they couldn´t have made a better choice!
Ellie:
Thanks, you guys!
They toast and drink.
Marco:
What´s your next article going to be about?
Ellie:
They want me to do a follow up to my first story. I guess they figured that it deserved a sequel.
Ashley:
I´d like to find out what happened to everyone involved. Is the girl okay and did the scumbag go to jail?
Marco:
And what about the two girls, who were getting into trouble? Did they learn anything ot slip right back into it?
Ellie:
The problem is that I guaranteed anonymity. I´m not sure they´ll be happy to see me showing up at their doorstep, asking more questions about something they´d probably rather forget happened.
Ashley:
Do you have a choice?
Ellie:
Not if I want to keep my job. I just have to keep telling myself, that if I want this to be my career, then I have to get used to asking the hard questions.
Marco:
Do you think, you can be that tough?
Ellie:
That´s the part, I´m not sure of yet.
She tries to look brave, but it´s clear to see, that she has her doubts.
OPENING CREDITS
2. Ext. Degrassi. Morning
The students are arriving for their school day. Ellie hurries to catch up with Sean, who´s walking very fast.
Ellie:
What´s your hurry?
They stop walking and he pays attention to her.
Sean:
A desire to get the day over with faster.
Ellie:
I need your help again. I promise, that this will be the last time.
Sean:
What now?
Ellie:
I have to do a follow up to my article, but I need your help.
Sean:
I can give you Jay´s phone number. I know that he can seem scary, but there´s no reason to be afraid of him. The worst that can happen is that he hits on you.
Ellie:
It´s not just that.
She had trouble getting it out and it makes him smile.
Sean:
Ellie, it´s me. You can still tell me anything.
Ellie:
As much as I hate to admit it, the reason why I was brave enough to go down to the Ravine and talk to people was you. If you hadn´t been there with me to make me feel safe through it all, I probably would have run away with my tail between my legs, before I reached the entrance.
She smiles shyly at him.
Sean:
Yeah, alright. When and where?
Ellie:
We can start out at lunch, if that´s okay with you?
He nods and leaves her. She looks excited.
3. Int. Hallway. Day.
Darcy is walking up the hallway and is getting quite a few looks from the boys. Two of them are Rick and Toby.
Rick:
That girl!
Toby:
She knows how to flaunt it!
Rick:
Unlike that one!
We see Liberty coming up the hallway with an armful of books, that she´s trying to keep steady. It doesn´t work though and she drops most of them. Students around her laugh at it and she looks ready to give up.
Toby:
She has her own charms. I wouldn´t understand you to get it!
Rick:
You´re crazy!
Toby:
Only about her. See you in class.
He hurries over to help Liberty, who looks glad to have his help.
Liberty:
Thanks. I just had to say no, when they asked if I needed help!
Toby:
Don´t worry about it. I´ll take half of them.
They smile at each other.
4. Int. Classroom. Day.
Manny and Emma are amused at the awkward flirting between Toby and Liberty, who are working on a science project.
Manny:
With the way she´s been shooting into the air this last year and Toby has somehow stopped growing altogether, they´ll look like your parents in a few months, if Spike was the tall one!
Emma:
That would tip the weird scale! They are pretty cute, though.
Manny:
They only have a few more weeks until the school year ends. As slow as they´re going, it´ll never happen for them.
Emma:
That would be a shame.
They get the same idea at the same time.
Manny:
Have you ever thought about trying your luck as a match maker?
Emma:
It´s funny, that you should mention it!
They smile at each other.
4. Int. Hallway. Day.
Liberty is by her locker, when Manny and Emma come over to her.
Liberty:
Hi, guys. What´s up?
Manny:
You tell us. We heard about your little "Adult Themed" incident with Toby, when you were supposed to be studying?
Liberty:
Oh, that! I´d rather not talk about it. It was embarrassing enough, when it happened.
Emma:
Liberty, you´re talking to the queens of embarrassment at Degrassi Community School!
Manny:
That all fades, when people find new things to talk about. Has he asked you to the Prom?
Liberty:
Why would he? It was just ... a slip up, that happened in the heat of the moment! Nothing else!
Emma:
So, if he was to ask you, would you say yes?
Liberty:
Why? Did he say that he was gonna ask me?
She looks very interested in the answer. Emma and Manny smile knowingly.
Emma:
He hasn´t yet, but we could find out for you.
Manny:
Only, if you want us to, of course.
Liberty:
Well, if it´s no trouble for you ...
Emma:
None at all!
Liberty smiles and looks pleased.
4. Int. Hallway. Day.
Ellie and Sean are waiting for someone.
Sean:
What now?
Ellie:
We can start with the girls, we met down at the Ravine. They pass by here every day at this time.
Sean:
You have a dark side, don´t you?
Ellie:
Only the ones, you already know about! This is simply paying attention. Here they come.
We see the two girls approaching them. One of them is holding hands with her boyfriend. Ellie and Sean come over to them. The boyfriend gets defensive. The girls clearly aren´t happy to see her.
Boyfriend:
Look, we don´t want any trouble!
Sean looks insulted.
Sean:
What makes you think ... I´ve practically been a saint for the past year!
Ellie:
Not now, Sean! Can I ask you two some questions?
Girl #1:
Honestly, I´d rather not.
Girl #2:
Me neither.
Boyfriend:
What´s this about?
Ellie:
It´s a survey, we´re doing on selected girls here. It´s not for boy´s ears. It´ll take ten minutes at the most.
Sean:
While they´re talking, you can explain to me, why you thought I was threatening you.
Boyfriend:
Do we have to?
Sean:
If you don´t want to get beat up, we do!
Boyfriend:
Okay, I guess.
Sean leads the boyfriend away from them.
Ellie:
Sorry about that charade. I´m writing a follow up article to my original story, the one you were in.
Girl #1:
Lot so loud! People will hear.
Girl #2:
We don´t go down there anymore. Even if we wanted to, the cops have shut that whole scene down.
Girl #1:
That article you wrote really made us think. Now we´d just like to move on.
Ellie:
I get that, but can I just ask you a few question?
Girl #2:
Sorry, but the answer is no. It´s gonna be hard enough explaining this to my boyfriend, as it is.
Girl #1:
Thanks for writing the story, but neither of us want to re-visit those memories. It´s hard enough to move on, as it is.
Girl #2:
If you want to put anything about us in the article, just say that we´ve learned from our mistakes.
Ellie:
Not to be pushy, but I need more than that!
Girl #1:
Sorry, that´s all you´re getting.
The girls leave her and the boyfriend is happy, that he gets to leave with them. Sean comes over to Ellie.
Sean:
Did you get what you needed?
Ellie:
Nowhere close! I´ll have to find something else to fill those thousand words with! What did you say to that kid?
Sean smiles to himself.
5. Flashback.
Sean is having a flashback to talking to the boyfriend.
Sean:
I´ll have you know, that I am a very nice guy! I often offer to help elderly people! Do you do that?
Boyfriend:
I can´t say that I do. I know, I should, but ...
Sean:
Why don´t you?
Boyfriend:
I don´t know, it´s not something I do!
Sean:
The next time you see an elderly person struggling with something or simply needing a hand to make their lives a bit easier, you will in a kind and respectful tone offer them your help! Got that?
Boyfriend:
Absolutely!
Sean:
Don´t take any money for it either! It has to come from the goodness of your heart! Do you treat your girlfriend with kindness and respect? Because if you don´t ...
Boyfriend:
I do!
Sean:
Do you talk about her to your friends behind her back and put her down? Don´t lie to me!
Boyfriend:
Maybe I have a few times, but doesn´t everyone do that?
Sean:
You will never do it again, understood?
Boyfriend:
Understood.
Sean:
And so help me, if you try to pressure her into having sex!
Boyfriend:
I would never ...
Sean:
I hope not, because if you do, I will come after you with the wrath of a thousand angry gods! She isn´t a toy for you to play with! She´s a gem to be treasured and you will respect her limits!
Boyfriend:
I always have!
Sean:
Real men treat their girlfriends the way a woman should be treated! That means showering her with love and partaking in her interests, even when they don´t interest you. You will then do what all the rest of us do too and do your best job pretending, like they´re the most interesting thing in the world to you! Have I made myself clear?
Boyfriend:
Totally! Can I go now? You´re really scaring me!
6. Int. Hallway. Day.
We´re back with Sean and Ellie.
Sean:
I scared him straight.
Ellie just nods. It´s no surprise to her.
7. Ext. Degrassi. Day.
Toby is hanging out with Rick in the sun, while they´re checking out the girls in their summer clothes.
Rick:
This is one thing I wouldn´t have seriously missed at an all boys boarding school. What do you give the red-head over there?
Toby:
Her again? It´s not that she´s bad looking, she´s just not my type. I can´t give her more than a 7.
Rick:
Her? That girl is a goddess!
We see that it´s Darcy, he´s become fixed on.
Toby:
That kind of talk got you in trouble the last time. I´d watch it with the over the top compliments, if I were you.
Rick:
Say what you want. That girl is a pure 10!
Manny and Emma come over to them.
Manny:
Hey Rick, can we borrow Toby for a moment?
Rick:
You can borrow him for two, if you need it! Just answer me one thing. Do you know, who that girl is?
He points over at Darcy, who´s chatting to Chantal.
Manny:
Her name is Darcy. She works down at "Little Miss Steaks" with my boyfriend. She´s a nice girl.
Rick:
Does she have a boyfriend?
Manny:
Not hat I know of.
Rick:
Thank you. He´s all yours!
Rick smiles and leaves them. Manny sees, that she could have made a mistake.
Manny:
Did I just ...
Emma:
Tell a known stalker that the pretty girl is single and where he can find her outside of school? Yeah!
Toby:
Rick isn´t like that anymore. What did you need to talk about?
Manny:
In one word "Liberty"!
Emma:
And we´re not talking about a statue!
Toby:
You heard what happened, didn´t you?
Manny:
Like there´s a snowball´s chance in hell, that JT could keep that to himself! Do you like her?
Toby:
Of course, I do. It´s Liberty. What´s not to like?
Emma:
Why haven´t you asked her to the Prom yet?
Toby:
Do you think, she´d want me to ask her?
Manny:
I would bet my very meager life savings on it!
Toby:
What if she says no?
Emma:
There´s zero percent chance, that will happen!
They look sure of it. Toby looks pleased.
8. Int. Hallway. Day.
Manny and Emma are looking in the window of the classroom at Toby asking Liberty to the prom. They look confident.
Emma:
We should do this more often, with how good we are at it!
Manny:
There´s Ellie. She could use a boyfriend.
Emma:
There´s Ashley too.
They see, that it might not be the best idea. Toby´s asking Liberty out isn´t going well either, by the looks of it.
Manny:
What´s happening?
Emma:
It looks like she´s turning him down.
Toby leaves Liberty and comes out of the classroom looking disappointed. He turns to look at Manny and Emma.
Toby:
Thanks a lot! Like I needed an excuse to feel lower, than I already do!
He storms away from them.
Manny:
How could he have messed it up?
Emma:
We´ll find out soon.
Liberty comes out of the classroom.
Liberty:
I couldn´t do it. I wanted to, I just couldn´t.
Emma:
Why?
Liberty:
Don´t take this the wrong way, but he´s kind of a nerd.
Manny and Emma look shocked.
Manny:
That´s coming from you?
Liberty:
Something in me tells me, that I can do better. Plus, we´ll look weird as a couple and they´ll all stare at us.
Emma:
Toby is a sweet guy, who any girl would be lucky to call their boyfriend.
Liberty:
If that´s the case, why have you never dated him?
Emma:
Because we wouldn´t make a good couple. You and him would.
Manny:
You´re gonna regret this some day, Liberty.
The girls leave Liberty to deal with her thoughts.
9. Int. Garage. Day.
Ellie and Sean are visiting Jay at the garage. Ellie gets a few whistles from Jay´s co-workers.
Jay:
I apologize. A few hours in here and it´s like, they´ve never seen a girl in real life before!
Ellie:
That´s perfectly fine. I´m the one intruding on your turf.
Sean:
This place is nice. Do you think it would be cool, if I had a look around?
Jay:
CHESTER!
Chester, Jay´s boss, comes over to them.
Chester:
What´s up?
Jay:
Sean here would like a tour of the place. He´s the best mechanic, I´ve ever seen.
Chester:
Is he now?
Sean:
If that´s true, then he hasn´t seen many of them!
Chester:
Come with me, Sean. Let´s talk.
Sean and Chester leave them, so Sean can have a tour of the garage.
Jay:
Let´s take this outside. There´s too many eyes and ears in here.
He leads her out the door.
10. Ext. Garage. Day.
Ellie and Jay come out and Jay shuts the door behind them.
Ellie:
Thanks for taking the time to talk to me.
Jay:
I probably owe you a few from back in the day. Shoot.
Ellie:
I was gonna ask how you´ve moved on, but it looks like you´re going good.
Jay:
Yeah, it´s not a bad job. The boss is alright and it pays a hell of a lot better than going to school did!
Ellie:
I´m glad for you, Jay. It´s kind of weird to think, that I used to be scared of you.
Jay:
Why were you scared of me? I never did anything to hurt you.
Ellie:
I guess, it´s just the way you were.
Jay:
But you´re not scared anymore?
Ellie:
No. As a matter of fact, you´ve become kind of likable.
They smile at each other.
Jay:
Any more questions? I´ve asked more of them, than you have.
Ellie:
Have you had any contact with the girl, who was attacked?
Jay:
A little, but it quickly got out of hand. You know, girls and their text messages! Like I´m gonna reply to fifty a day!
Ellie:
She´s been sending you fifty messages a day?
Jay:
Sometimes more.
Ellie:
That´s not normal behavior!
Jay:
You´re telling me! It´s a pain in the you know what, is what it is!
Ellie:
Can I have her phone number? For the article.
Jay:
I´ll do you one better.
He gets his phone out and calls someone.
Jay:
Caroline? There´s someone, I think you should talk to.
Ellie smiles, happy that Jay is helping her.
11. Int. Little Miss Steaks. Evening.
Rick are sitting at a table and it´s karaoke night at the restaurant. A very depressed looking guy is singing the world´s most boring rendition of "All By Myself".
Toby:
This isn´t helping! If anything, it´s making me want to stick a spoon in my ear, so I don´t have to listen to this!
Rick:
Chill out! The food here is good and you can´t complain about the view.
Darcy comes over to them. Rick smiles at her.
Darcy:
Have you made up your minds?
Rick:
I´m going with the 8 ounce sirloin with fries.
Toby:
Make it two.
Darcy writes it down.
Darcy:
Anything else?
Toby:
A large Coke.
Rick:
Two large cokes and I´d also like to know, if you have a date for the Prom yet?
Toby rolls his eyes. Darcy looks surprised, by flattered.
Toby:
Oh, brother!
Darcy:
Actually, I don´t. I´m guessing that you don´t either?
Toby looks shocked that it´s working for Rick.
Rick:
We could easily change that. I´m Rick.
Darcy:
Darcy.
Rick:
Is that a yes?
Darcy:
Yeah, why not?
Rick looks as excited, as Toby looks shocked.
Darcy:
I´ll be right back with your sodas.
She leaves them and Toby tries to comprehend, what just happened.
Toby:
Was that real?
Rick:
I´m pretty sure it was!
The guy finally stops singing, to Toby´s relief.
12. Int. The Dot. Evening.
Ellie is meeting with Caroline, who looks a little jumpy.
Ellie:
Thanks for coming.
Caroline:
It´s only because Jay wants me to.
Ellie:
How are you?
Caroline:
Okay, I guess. I´m back in school and things are getting back to normal. Did you talk to Jay? How is he?
Ellie:
He´s okay, from what I could see.
Caroline:
Good, because I´ve been worried about him. He hasn´t been answering my text messages. I was so glad, when he called me.
Ellie:
Are you feeling any after effects or ...
Caroline:
Sorry, did he say anything about me? I have to know.
Ellie is beginning to see, that something isn´t right here.
Ellie:
No, but he did say that it had been a bit much with the text messages.
Caroline looks distraught at the news.
Caroline:
Oh, no! I didn´t mean to. It´s just that he´s been so sweet and everything, that I´ve wanted to thank him.
Ellie:
There´s a right and a wrong way to do that and ...
Caroline:
Ellie, is it? Me and Jay were brought together by some higher power, so we could be together until our dying day. He´ll realize it soon, just like I have.
Ellie tries to keep a straight face, since she can see that Caroline is dead serious.
Ellie:
Can we get back to my questions?
Caroline:
Sure. I´ll do anything for Jay, that he wants me to. I practically owe him my life.
She giggles to herself, when thinking about him. Ellie can easily see, that there´s something not right with this girl.
CLOSING CREDITS