WHAT IF - SEASON 2 EPISODE 3 - KISS
Disclaimer: I don´t own Degrassi or the characters from it.
1. Int. Movie Theater Lobby. Evening.
Alex has a new work partner. It´s Amy, who´s trying her best to keep up. It doesn´t help that Paige is at the front of the line with JT. Ashley puts a bowl of popcorn and a soda in front of her.
Amy:
There!
Paige:
Do you expect us to split a soda?
Amy:
Can´t you? You´re in love, aren´t you?
JT:
We still prefer separate drinks.
Amy lets out an annoyed grunt and starts pouring another soda.
Paige:
Remember, Hon. Service with a smile!
JT:
You´re almost enjoying this too much.
Paige:
I deserve it, after all the hours I spent on the other side of that counter last year.
Amy brings them back the last soda.
Amy:
That´ll be ...
JT:
We already paid, remember?
Amy:
Oh, that´s right. I´m sorry.
Paige:
Take a deep breath and relax. It´ll be over, before you know it.
They grab their things and leave the queue, that´s grown very long. Amy looks ready to give up.
2. Int. Mall. Evening.
Amy and Alex come out from the movie theater. Amy looks like she just went 12 rounds with Mike Tyson in his prime, in a mental sense. She stretches her back and groans.
Amy:
I feel like I could sleep for a day!
Alex:
Oh, but then you would miss career day!
Amy:
Don´t remind me! A whole day of "Look at me, I´m going to a fancy college! Yay!", while the rest of us get to pretend, that the parents we don´t have, can afford to send us.
Alex:
There´s your dad.
Amy:
Who I´m sure is getting rich by making license plates in jail. The only way I´m going to college, is if I pay for it.
Alex:
It´s the same for me. I´m sure my mom wishes, she could afford it, but that would require her getting her life together. We both know, there´s a bigger chance of us winning the grand prize in the lottery.
Amy:
And you don´t even have a boyfriend to cheer you up.
Alex:
I´m putting boyfriends on hold for a while. Maybe forever.
Amy looks amused.
Amy:
Was Jay so terrible, that he made you give up on his entire gender?
Alex:
All I have to do is look at my mom and I have the best reason, why I should cut men out of my life.
Amy:
Even as friends?
Alex:
Friends, sure. Jay is one of my best friends. I won´t let a compulsive need for validation and fear of ending up lonely mean, that I´ll let every member of the male gender step on me. Even if I don´t go to college, I refuse to end up like her!
Amy:
Amen, sister!
The girls high five.
OPENING CREDITS
3. Ext. Degrassi. Morning.
Ashley is walking to school with Toby. She´s looking uncomfortable.
Ashley:
I wish, I could skip this one.
Toby:
That´s become your mantra lately.
Ashley:
I should have gone to England. Why did I say no?
Toby:
You tell me.
Ashley:
I can´t begin to explain it. Maybe I was hoping for more.
Toby:
With Terri?
Ashley looks annoyed.
Ashley:
There´s yet another thing, I wish. That I hadn´t told you what happened on prom night.
Toby:
Have you talked to her?
Ashley:
I don´t know how to. Not that I could, since we apparently can´t communicate anymore.
Toby:
It could be because she´s feeling the same way.
Ashley:
Why couldn´t she be a guy? Then this wouldn´t have been nearly as awkward. How am I gonna concentrate on college interviews? I just know, that I´m gonna blow it.
Toby:
If there´s one thing that I learned from my fling with Liberty, it´s never to hook up with someone, you´re friends with. It´s destined to ruin things between you.
Ashley:
I couldn´t have said it better.
She sees Terri arriving with Paige and Marco, smiling and looking carefree. It only makes Ashley feel even worse.
4. Int. Girl´s Room. Morning.
Amy is giving herself a quick "Trucker Bath", when Ashley comes in. She smiles at the sight of it.
Ashley:
Don´t you have water, where you live?
Amy:
I slept at Spinner´s house.
Ashley:
They don´t have a shower, you could use?
Amy smiles teasingly at her.
Amy:
We had an important thing on the agenda before school, we had to "Squeeze In", if you catch my drift?
Ashley nods understandingly.
Ashley:
Loud and clear. I would have looked like a zombie, if I hadn´t had my shower this morning.
Amy:
The last time I had sleep problems was Grade 7, when I had a hopeless crush on a boy, who was dating my best friend.
Ashley:
My case is different, but still as hopeless. I have no clue, how I´m gonna make it through my interviews. How many do you have lined up?
Amy:
Ehm, none! College is for people with money, not daughters of convicts. I´m forced to start making my own money, the moment school ends.
Ashley:
And here I´m feeling sorry for myself.
Amy:
I don´t want to sound bitter, but this day is my worst nightmare come true. A whole day of being reminded, that I don´t get the same opportunities, the rest of you do.
Ashley:
That isn´t fair.
Amy:
It´s life. Me and Alex plan on sneaking out and smoking a joint after 2nd period. That way we can at least be stoned enough, that we won´t care as much.
Ashley:
I probably would have done the same.
Amy:
You can join us, if you want. It´ll make those boring interviews a whole lot more entertaining.
Ashley smiles.
Ashley:
Thanks for the offer. I´ll take a rain check.
Amy:
It´s an open invitation. See you in class.
Amy leaves her.
Ashley (to herself):
Finally someone invites you to do something and it´s Amy asking you to get high with her!
She shakes her head, but it looks like she´s intrigued.
5. Int. Classroom. Morning.
Terri is playfully flirting with Spinner, who´s pretty oblivious to it. Terri has lost quite a bit of weight over the summer and is blossoming into quite the babe. It also looks like she has a new found self confidence.
Spinner:
Are you gonna go out with him again?
Terri:
Probably not. He´s cute and all, but he´s not my type.
Spinner:
Now you´re sorting them based on "Your Type"? A year ago, you would have jumped at the opportunity.
Terri:
A year ago, I didn´t have options.
Spinner:
What is your type?
Terri:
Down to earth, fun to be around, non-smoker, that´s a big one and he can´t be shorter than me. It also wouldn´t hurt, if he´s athletic.
Amy comes in and sees them flirting. It´s clearly something she´s seen more than enough of lately and it makes her annoyed. She walks over to them.
Amy:
Do you want to sit with me in the back row, Spinner?
Spinner:
Is it okay, if I sit here? We´re having a conversation.
Amy looks mad at him but gives him a passive/aggressive smile.
Amy:
Sure, Honey. While you´re at it, you can date her in stead of me. How does that sound?
Spinner sees that he´s in hot water and gets up from his seat right away. He smiles apologetically at Amy.
Spinner:
Come to think of it, I´d rather sit with you.
Amy:
Don´t bother. I´m not your charity case!
She goes to sit at the back row and sulks. Spinner sits down next to her.
Spinner:
Is that related to career day? It sounds a little that way.
Amy shakes his head and gives him the silent treatment. Ashley comes in.
Amy:
Hey Ashley, why don´t you sit with me?
Ashley looks pleased and walks down to her. Amy looks at Spinner in her passive/aggressive way.
Amy:
You don´t mind, do you, Spinner? That way you can sit with your best friend Terri.
Spinner:
If that´s what you want ...
Amy:
It is!
He grabs his things and walks over to Terri, who sits down next to, This only makes Amy more annoyed, as Ashley sits down.
Amy:
The moron actually goes over and sits down next to her! Can´t he take the world´s biggest hint?
Ashley:
It´s Spinner. Don´t expect too much.
Amy:
Why do I bother with him?
She shakes her head and looks annoyed.
6. Int. Foyer. Day.
Career Day is ready to get started. A stage has been set up and Raditch is on it. He has a microphone. He´s looking cheerful for once.
Raditch:
Welcome to one of my favorite parts of the school year, career day! I urge you to take advantage of all it has to offer and the best of luck to those of you, who have interviews with colleges. Make us proud!
We cut to Amy and Alex watching him and looking like they´d rather not be there.
Amy:
Are you thinking, what I´m thinking?
Alex:
You don´t have to say it!
They sneak out of main doors.
7. Int. Classroom. Day.
Ashley is having her interview with a college interviewer, a man in his 50´s.
Man:
So, Ashley. Tell me what you would bring to TU?
Ashley:
I´ve been a Toronto girl for my entire life and I only live a few miles from the college.
Man:
There has to be more than a geographical reason.
Ashley:
I always envisioned myself going there, plus I´d rather not leave my family behind. I´m very close with my mom and my brother.
Man:
Again, it sounds like you want me to let you in, just because it´s what would be easiest. This isn´t something, where you get to pick and choose, based on convenience.
Ashley gets more nervous and nods.
Ashley:
I understand that.
Man:
What would you bring to the school?
Ashley:
Ehm ... I don´t know, if I understand the question.
Man:
What special skills does Ashley Kerwin bring, that no one else can give us?
Ashley:
A winning smile, perhaps?
She does a very forced smile for him, but it´s clear that it´s not going well. The interviewer isn´t impressed.
Man:
Is that really what you want me to write down?
Ashley:
My grades are ... well, they´re not great, but they´re mostly okay. I play keyboard and piano. That´s a special skill, isn´t it?
Man:
In a band or an orchestra or something like that?
Ashley:
I used to have a band with my old friends, but we broke up. I still write songs, I just don´t have anyone to play them with. This past summer has been kind of lonely.
Man:
That could be a segway into the next question. What kind of obstacles in life ...
Ashley:
I made out with my best friend on prom night and I thought great, this it is! We´ve been like soul mates since we we´re kids and both of us discovering that we´re gay at the exact same time had to be a sign, right?
The interviewer looks a bit uncomfortable.
Man:
We really should stick to the form ...
Ashley:
But no, she found out that there´s plenty of guys on dating sites, that want her and now I´m nothing to her! She acts like I don´t exist! Like our lips hadn´t met in the most magical, life changing moment of my life! Can you imagine how frustrating that is?
Man:
Have you tried talking to her?
Ashley hangs her head, realizing that the interview was one big disaster.
8. Ext. Parking Lot. Day.
Alex is rolling a joint, with Amy sitting next to her. Amy gets a call and takes it.
Amy:
Yeah? Oh, it´s you, Ashley. We´re behind a yellow Van, it´s the only one in the parking lot. See ya.
She puts her phone away.
Amy:
We´ll have to split it three ways.
Alex:
Fine by me. It´s your dope.
She finishes rolling it, just as Ashley finds them.
Amy:
Have a seat. Ashley, Alex, you know each other, don´t you?
Ashley sits down next to Amy.
Ashley:
Not really, but that can change. How´s it going, Alex?
Alex:
It´ll be better in a moment. Shouldn´t you be in there with the rest of the golden generation?
Ashley:
I don´t belong with them. To be honest, I don´t know who I belong with anymore.
Alex:
Welcome to the club!
Amy:
I´ve felt like that, since I was 12.
Alex and Amy smile at her, cheering her up a little.
Alex:
Should we give our guest the honor of lighting it?
Ashley:
I´ve never tried it before. The only drug I´ve done is Ecstasy.
Amy:
Ecstasy? I had no idea, you were so hardcore!
Alex:
I always had you pegged as a goody two shoes.
Alex lights the joint and takes a few deep tokes, before handing it off to Amy.
Ashley:
I´ve only done it once. It was still pretty crazy, though.
Amy:
I´ve never done anything wilder than weed.
Alex:
Me neither. The idea of putting something in my body, that could be rat poison for all I know, doesn´t sound appealing.
Amy:
This is the best dope, I´ve smoked in my life and I hear the same from experienced smokers. Apparently it´s some guy from a Trailer Park in Nova Scotia, who´s supplying it.
She takes a few deep tokes and holds it in. Alex smiles at her.
Alex:
Are we playing that game?
Ashley:
Which game would that be?
Alex:
You hold in the smoke, until the joint reaches you again. It gets you high, like you wouldn´t believe!
Ashley:
I´ll play.
She takes a deep toke, but starts coughing like crazy. Amy has to exhale, so she can laugh along with Alex.
Ashley:
Oh, God!
Amy:
Learn to run, before you can walk. Or is that the other way around?
Ashley:
I don´t know. Let me try it again.
Alex:
This time, don´t try to smoke half of it in one toke. Unless you like coughing your lungs up.
Ashley:
Thanks for the advice.
She takes a much smaller toke and avoids coughing this time.
9. Ext. Parking Lot. Day.
Amy, Alex and Ashley are heading back to school.
Ashley:
We should form a band and call ourselves "Triple A".
Alex:
I play a mean cowbell!
Amy:
Can I be the trashy lead singer, who´s so screwed up, that she can´t remember the lyrics and is constantly off key?
Ashley:
Every band needs one of those!
Ashley starts laughing out of nowhere.
Alex:
Share the joke, Ashley.
Ashley:
I have one more interview! Oh, my God, it´s going to be such a disaster!
The three of them laugh together.
Ashley:
I like your way of life better.
Amy:
If you fail, then there´s room for one more.
Ashley:
Here I used to be afraid of you and you´re a pair of sweet gals, when it comes down to it. Not like my old friends, who are on the Terri train.
Alex:
What happened with you guys?
Ashley:
That is a long tale of love, betrayal and heartbreak!
Amy:
Those are the best ones!
Ashley:
I´d prefer to move on. If only I could get some sort of closure ...
She considers it and starts forming a plan.
10. Ext. Hallway. Day.
Ashley is waiting outside of a classroom with Alex and Amy. Paige comes out and is one big smile.
Alex:
Look at you, miss Sunshine!
Paige:
Guess who´s practically a Banting girl?
Amy:
Tipper Gore?
Paige:
Very funny, Amy. Good luck, Ash.
Ashley:
I´ll need it!
Paige leaves them and the interviewer, a woman in her 40´s comes out from the classroom.
Woman:
Miss Kerwin?
Ashley:
That´s my name! Don´t wear it out!
Alex and Amy laugh, as Ashley follows the woman inside.
11. Int. Classroom. Day.
Ashley is having her interview.
Woman:
Tell me about yourself. What would you bring to Banting?
Ashley:
That is a great question! The last guy asked me the same thing.
Woman:
The forms we use are very similar. It´s my job to make it sound, like it isn´t a generic question.
Ashley:
The last thing I am is generic. You look at me and I bet you´re thinking "that´s an average girl". Nothing special about her, but I´m special in my own way. I´m not the most academically gifted girl, but I think of myself as smart. Ask me anything about for example, girl rock groups from the 90´s. Go ahead.
Woman:
That´s not my field of expertise ... are you alright?
Ashley:
Yeah, why wouldn´t I be? It´s not like my love life has been one huge, miserable wasteland of heartache and despair and I spent half the summer playing board games with my nerdy little brother. The sad part is that he´s probably my best friend right now. You´re probably gonna ask me the obstacle question too, aren´t you?
Woman:
It´s on the form.
Ashley:
How is this for obstacles? First I find out that my dad is gay. I have to admit, that I should have reacted better than I did and now that I´m gay myself, I can understand how hard it must have been for him.
Woman:
You´re a homosexual?
Ashley:
That won´t count against me, will it?
Woman:
We pride ourselves on being a school that´s accepting. How long have you known?
Ashley smiles with surprise, that the interview isn´t going too badly.
12. Int. Hallway. Day.
Ashley comes out with the interviewer. Amy and Alex are waiting for her.
Woman:
It was very nice to meet you, Ashley. Can you tell me how to get to the Teacher´s Lounge?
Ashley:
Down the hall, take a left and then it´s on your right.
Woman:
Thanks. Have a nice day, girls.
The interviewer heads up the hallway. Ashley is still a little in shock.
Alex:
Well?
Ashley:
She loved me. It started weird, but the conversation started flowing, after I mentioned that I´m gay,
Amy:
I didn´t know.
Ashley giggles to herself.
Ashley:
Oops. I just came out, didn´t I?
Alex:
Kind of. It´s cool with us.
Amy:
Yeah, absolutely. What about the interview?
Ashley:
It turns out that her little sister is gay. She´s seen first hand the kind of discrimination her sister suffered, so she´s big on us not being discriminated against. After that, we talked, like I would to my mom. I still can´t grasp how great that went!
Alex:
The power of dope! Is there anything else in your life, you need to fix, before the buzz wears off?
Ashley:
How long will that be?
Amy:
You still have a couple of hours.
Ashley:
That´s more than I need. It´s time I got my closure!
Alex:
You do know that you still have to face people, after you´ve become sober?
Ashley:
I need to get this out of my system, or I´ll never be able to move on.
Amy:
Just tell us what you need us to do.
Ashley looks pleased.
Ashley:
No one has said that to me before. My old friends always expected me to help them, but when I needed their help, they were too busy. Except for Terri. She was the only one, I could count on.
Alex:
It sounds like she was your only real friend.
Ashley:
Which is why this is eating me up inside.
Ashley looks determined.
13. Int. Foyer. Day.
Raditch is coordinating things and the three girls are watching him.
Ashley:
Raditch will shut it down in an instant. It´s the perfect opportunity, though. Everyone´s here.
Alex:
I can handle Raditch. The guy is so dumb, that he makes my step-dad look clever!
Alex leaves them.
Amy:
Ashley, you get to the stage. I´ll make sure that the microphone is on. If you´re still sure.
Ashley:
Why not? It will be a gay pride moment for the ages!
Amy:
Sometimes things that seem smart, when you´re stoned, aren´t afterwards. Not when you have to deal with the consequences.
Ashley:
All I know is that it´s now or never and I feel ready to get it over with.
Amy:
Okay!
They head for the stage.
We cut to Alex, who comes over to Raditch.
Alex:
Mr. Raditch? It looks like someone has broken into the science lab.
Raditch:
Show me.
Alex leads him away.
We cut to the stage, where Ashley is on stage.
Ashley:
Testing, testing.
People stop talking and pay attention to her. Among them are most of her friends.
Ashley:
Most of you don´t know me, but I´m Ashley Kerwin and I´m a Senior. I have something I need to say to the people, I used to call my friends, before I found out what they´re really like.
Some students take their phones out, so they can film it.
Ashley:
First there´s the cheating bastard, who calls himself Craig Manning. You were such a jerk to both me and Manny and you should praise yourself lucky, that she forgave you, because you don´t deserve to be with a nice girl like her! I swear, that if I find out, you´re cheating on her, then I will find you and crush your balls to dust with my bare hands!
She gets a laugh from a large part of the audience.
Guy (off screen):
Stay away from mine!
Ashley:
Then there´s Jimmy and I don´t really have anything too bad to say about him. I shouldn´t have made out with Sean and you were right to break up with me. Paige, you used to be a real bitch and you´re still a snob some of the time, but you deserve credit for trying to improve. You´re on the right track.
Paige (off screen):
Thanks, Hon!
Ashley;
Ellie, you´re kidding yourself, if you think that you have a future with Jay, but you´re alright too. Marco, you´re not nearly as good a dancer, as you think you are, but we´ve never had beef. I´m puzzled as to what girls see in Spinner, but I hear that he´s great in bed, so that´s probably it.
Girl (off screen):
Thanks for the info!
Ashley:
I meant to say a bunch of mean things. but you´re not bad. You´re bad friends sometimes, but you´re not bad people. Not even you, Terri. When we kissed ...
A hush goes over the crowd. We see Terri looking embarrassed.
Ashley:
It was like a new world opened up to me in that instant. I found out that I´m a lesbian and I see no reason to hide it. If you think that you can go on a bunch of dates with guys and it will somehow erase what happened, then go ahead. I know that you felt what I felt. It was real. If you can´t give me that, then I´ll find someone, who will.
She lowers the microphone and gets an applause from the crowd. She makes eye contact with Terri, just before Terri runs away. She still looks proud of herself.
14. Int. The Dot. Day.
Ashley, Alex and Amy are at the counter with Spinner. Ashley hands a small note over to an attractive black haired Hispanic girl, who´s around her own age.
Maria:
Are you free on Friday?
Ashley:
Yeah, sure.
Maria:
I´ll give you a call tomorrow. We can figure out the details.
Ashley:
Definitely. It was nice meeting you, Maria.
Maria:
You too, Ashley.
Maria smiles shyly at them and goes back to her friends.
Alex:
Congratulations on your first girl date!
Spinner:
She´s a pretty little thing.
Amy:
Do I need to be jealous?
Spinner:
No more than you should be jealous of me and Terri.
The two of them kiss. Terri comes in and walks up to Ashley.
Ashley:
Terri, I should explain ...
Terri:
You don´t have to. I´m sort of glad that one of us brought it up, even if I´d rather that you did it in private. I owe you an explanation.
Ashley:
We can go outside, if you want.
Terri:
This is a rumor, I wouldn´t mind being spread, after you outed me. I´m not gay, Ashley. What felt right to you, felt all kinds of wrong to me. I thought it was what I wanted, but I felt like gagging, when we kissed.
Alex:
This is how you treat your friends?
Amy:
I´d hate to see how you treat your enemies!
Terri:
I have to say it like it is.
Ashley:
It´s okay. It´s nice to know, that there´s an explanation. Can we go back to being friends?
Terri:
I didn´t know, that we stopped and before you ask, of course, I´m okay with you being a lesbian. I wish you the best of luck.
Ashley:
I have a date with a cute Hispanic girl.
Terri:
Good for you!
Terri looks happy on Ashley´s behalf.
Alex:
Everyone gets their happy ending, except for us, huh, Amy?
Amy:
Speak for yourself. I have my happy ending right here!
Spinner gives her a kiss on the cheek and she smiles.
CLOSING CREDITS