WHAT IF? - SEASON 2 EPISODE 9 - DIAMONDS AND PEARLS PART 1
Disclaimer: I don´t own Degrassi or the characters from it.
1. Int. Hallway. Day.
Hazel is by her locker, trying not to overhear Paige is talking to her new "Little Sisters" aka the younger girls on the Spirit Squad, who look up to her.
Paige:
Hon, you wouldn´t believe what a little of this blush can do for your cheekbones!
Chantay:
And then the boys will start to like me?
Hazel:
No, they won´t because you´ll still be dumb as a door, Chantay!
They stop talking to pay attention to her.
Chantay:
You know, it wouldn´t hurt you to be nice once in a while.
Mia:
Maybe then, we wouldn´t have kicked you off the squad.
Paige:
Leve her alone. Anyway, don´t you girls have classes to get to?
The younger girls leave them and Paige comes over to Hazel.
Paige::
Are you campaigning for "Bitch of the Year"?
Hazel:
As the defending champion, are you worried?
Paige:
If you think this is the way to win your friends back, it won´t work.
Hazel:
I didn´t decide not to be friends with you! You stabbed me in the back and now you expect me to "Forgive and Forget"? Not in this lifetime, Paige!
Hazel storms off. Paige looks worried about her and clearly wishes that things were better between them.
OPENING CREDITS
2. Int. The Dot. Day.
We start on a close up of what appears to be a diamond ring. Going to a wider shot we see that Jay is showing it off to Sean and Emma, who´s out on the town for once.
Jay:
How do you like this baby?
Sean:
How did you afford it?
Jay:
It isn´t real, but how´s she to know that I got it for ten bucks?
Emma:
I´d fall for it. You´re not worried, that she´ll take it the wrong way?
Jay:
I´ll make it clear, that it´s a promise ring.
Emma:
Are you in love with her?
Jay:
Yeah. So?
Emma:
Then ask her to marry you. Let´s be real, Jay. Your chances of scoring with a better girl than Ellie, are around the same as my current chances of finishing an Iron Man!
Jay:
In due time.
He puts the ring away and smiles to himself.
3. Int. Jay´s Apartment. Evening.
Jay is handing a small box to Ellie, who looks excited.
Jay:
I spent most of this month´s pay check on this, so I hope you like it.
Ellie:
You didn´t have to.
Jay:
It´s because I want to.
She opens the box and looks surprised, but happy.
Jay:
Ellie, will you ...
Ellie:
Yes, Jay! Of course, I´ll marry you! Put the ring on my finger.
Jay:
You think, we should get married?
Ellie:
We´re in love. What other reason do we need?
He takes the ring out of the box and puts in on her ring finger. They hug and he tries to grasp, what just happened.
4. Int. Classroom. Morning.
Ellie is showing off her new engagement ring to Marco. She´s thrilled, but he´s not completely on board.
Ellie:
I did the calculations and half of a month´s paycheck for Jay is at least a thousand dollars.
Marco:
Ellie, Honey, I think you´re blinded by love.
Ellie:
You´re only saying that because you wish, you had a boyfriend like him.
Marco:
Don´t you think, you´re a little young to get married?
Ellie:
I have that taken care of. We just won´t get married until after I finish college.
Marco:
Then what? You´re gonna use your college education to be barefoot and pregnant for the next eighteen years, until the kids move out?
Ellie:
If you don´t stop this, then I won´t invite you to the wedding!
Marco gives it up, just as Hazel walks in. She sees Ellie´s ring.
Hazel:
Someone has a boyfriend, who´s willing to spend on them!
Ellie:
See, traitor? Hazel´s happy for me!
Marco:
Can you tell her, that she´s too young to be thinking about marriage?
Hazel:
Go for it! You can always get divorced, if it doesn´t work out.
Marco:
That´s terrible advice!
Hazel goes to take her seat, that´s as far away from her former friends, as it can be, She can´t help looking a little jealous, when Terri, Ashley and Paige come in laughing.
5. Int. Hazel´s House. Evening.
Hazel´s mom is feeding her little brother, who´s still a baby, when Hazel comes over to her.
Hazel:
I´m off to my prayer group.
Mrs. Aden:
I can´t tell you how glad I am, that you´re finally taking your religion seriously.
Hazel:
It´s not like I never did before.
Mrs. Aden:
It´s not that I had anything against your old friends, but they didn´t always lead you down paths, I liked. If you ask me, this is a blessing in disguise. Now you can make proper friends.
Hazel:
I had proper friends!
Mrs. Aden:
Hazel! Not in front of your brother!
Hazel:
Of course, because Allah forbid, that we should be allowed to show men, that we have emotions! It doesn´t matter if they´re toddlers or a hundred, we still have to what they say!
Mrs. Aden:
You have to understand that ...
Hazel:
I understand perfectly! You know what? Maybe I don´t want to spend the rest of my life being some man´s slave, because that´s what some ancient book tells me to!
She storms out and her little brother starts to cry. Mrs. Aden comforts him and looks worried over Hazel´s behavior.
6. Ext. The Ravine. Evening.
Things at the Ravine are still pretty quiet compared to how it used to be, but teenagers and people in their early 20´s are starting to hang out down there again. Hazel comes walking through it, looking like a fish out of water in many ways. She approaches a pair of guys in their early 20´s and talks to them. She hands one of them some money and the other one slickly hands her a small bag of something. She then quickly gets out of there.
7. Int. Jay´s Apartment. Evening.
Jay is hanging out with Sean and watching "Two and a half Men", while they have a couple of beers.
Jay:
Who would be the Charlie, if we lived together?
Sean:
None of us! He´s a fictional character!
Jay:
Yeah, but don´t you think that´s basically what Charlie Sheen´s life is like?
Sean:
It´s all manipulation of men´s minds. You have a guy in Charlie, who´s how many guys secretly wish, they could be. He drinks as he pleases, has no sense of responsibility and gets with a new ultra hot girl in every episode. Allan, on the other hand, is what no men want to turn out like, but are secretly afraid, they will. He´s still whipped by his ex-wife, let´s people walk all over him, he´s terrible with women most of the time and even though he´s the responsible one, he never gains anything from it! Every situation in his life is lose-lose, where as for Charlie, it´s win-win.
Jay:
What does Jake represent?
Sean:
Our secret desires to be his age, so we could do as we please again and not have to worry about anything.
Jay:
You never used to be this insightful!
Sean:
I call it the Ellie factor. You´ll pick it up too, if you hang around her long enough.
Jay considers it and we fade to:
8. Int. Two and a Half Men House. Evening.
Sean, who looks quite a lot like Charlie Sheen from the series in his Hawaii shirt is drinking a beer on the couch with his feet on the table and watching a game. Jay, looking like Jon Cryer/Allan from the show comes in and looks annoyed with him.
Fantasy Jay:
Why can´t you use a coaster?
Fantasy Sean:
It´s my damn house!
Jay looks a little hurt.
Fantasy Jay:
I thought, we agreed to call it our house.
The canned laughter feels sory for him.
Fantasy Sean:
You agreed that with yourself, last Saturday when you said you were at home doing jigsaw puzzles! Don´t think I´m buying that for a second, by the way!
The canned laughter finds it hysterical. Alex, in a long red wig to make her look like a thin version of Bertha, comes in. The fake crowd woos.
Fantasy Alex:
I put your clothes in the drier and stole a bottle of scotch. I didn´t think, you´d mind.
Jay looks shocked.
Fantasy Jay:
You admit to stealing from us?
Fantasy Alex:
Since when do you pay for the booze? Is it okay, Sean?
Fantasy Sean:
Yeah. what the hell! Knock yourself out, Alex.
Fantasy Alex:
I will be, after I´ve finished this!
The fake crowd find the lame joke hysterical. Jay looks Alex over.
Fantasy Jay:
I could help you drink it.
The fake crowd goes "Woo".
Fantasy Alex:
Sorry, Jay. This is a drink for men! Later, boys!
Fantasy Sean:
Later!
Alex heads out, but as she opens the door, we see that Ellie was just about to knock on it. The fake crowd whistles and cheers at her arrival.
Fantasy Alex:
Did anyone order a Red Robin?
The fake crowd laughs it off, as she pushes past Ellie, who comes inside and stares Jay down.
Fantasy Ellie:
What did she mean by that?
Fantasy Sean:
Nothing much. Just that you bear a striking resemblance to one!
He takes a sip of his beer, as Jay tries to apologize.
Fantasy Ellie:
I´ll have you know, that I have perfectly normal breasts for someone with my body frame!
Fantasy Sean:
If you say so!
Fantasy Ellie:
Are you gonna let him talk to me that way, Jay?
Fantasy Jay:
He didn´t mean anything by it. What do we owe the pleasure?
Fantasy Ellie:
It´s your son. He´s in trouble again.
Fantasy Jay:
Oh, god! What did he do now?
Fantasy Ellie:
I´ll let him explain. Spinner!
Spinner, dressed like a slacker twelve year old comes in and looks rather un-intelligent.
Fantasy Ellie:
Can you explain to your father, what you did in school today?
Fantasy Spinner:
I´d rather not.
Fantasy Ellie:
Well, I´m making you! Sean, would you like to have sex, while they take care of this?
Sean drinks the rest of his beer and gets off the couch. Jay looks shocked.
Fantasy Sean:
Don´t mind, if I do!
Fantasy Jay:
I thought, you´d sworn off sex! That´s what you told me!
Fantasy Ellie:
I only swore off sex with you. Move it, Sean. I don´t have all day!
Fantasy Sean:
I love it, when they´re bossy!
The fake crowd woos and laughs, as they run upstairs. "Spinner" finds it hilarious.
Fantasy Spinner:
They´re gonna do it, aren´t they? Do you think, they´ll make me a brother or sister?
Fantasy Jay:
What did you do?
Fantasy Spinner:
Remember that speech you gave me about how important it is to have insurance?
Fantasy Jay:
Yeah?
Fantasy Spinner:
I didn´t get it, but I do now!
Jay shakes his head, as we can hear moaning from upstairs over the fake crowd laugh. We fade back to:
9. Int. Jay´s Apartment. Evening.
Having thought about it, Jay now looks worried.
Jay:
The game is starting.
Sean:
Not for five minutes.
Jay:
I´d like to see the starting line-up´s.
Jay changes the channel and Sean is none the wiser.
10. Ext. Mall. Evening.
Amy comes out from the mall, having finished her shift at the movie theatre. Hazel is with her.
Hazel:
Guess what I have?
Amy:
I thought, you were broke.
Hazel:
There´s ways around that.
Amy looks disappointed in her.
Amy:
You didn´t? I told you, what it does to the girls, who do that for drugs.
Hazel:
It´s nothing like that. I pawned something, I never used anyway.
Amy:
I still don´t like the sound of it. It´s one thing to do it once in while in good company, when you´re at a party or something. When you start pawning your stuff, so you can get high on a Tuesday, that´s when it´s time to worry.
Hazel:
It´s just an old necklace, I never wore anyway. Anyway, you´re hardly one to give speeches, are you?
Amy:
I guess not, but still ...
Hazel:
I already have one mom and I don´t need another! Do you want to get high or not?
Amy:
I probably shouldn´t. I have homework and ...
Hazel:
Come on! You know, you want to!
Amy:
Okay, but I´m heading home right afterwards.
Hazel looks pleased, but Amy looks worried about her.
11. Int. Hazel´s House. Morning.
Hazel comes into the kitchen, where her mom is making breakfast.
Hazel:
Morning, mom. Has dad left already?
Mrs. Aden:
Yes, he´ll be working extra hours all week. I didn´t hear you come in last night.
Hazel:
I hung out with the others after Prayer Group. I hope that´s okay.
Mrs. Aden:
We have rules for a reason, Hazel.
Hazel:
I´ll try to keep better track of time next time. I´m sorry, I snapped at you yesterday. That wasn´t fair of me. I know, you try your best in your own way.
Mrs. Aden:
Apology accepted. I only want what´s best for you. I´m well aware, that we probably disagree on a lot of things, but it´s my job to keep the peace around here.
Hazel smiles sadly at her.
Hazel:
Is this really the life, you wanted for yourself?
Mrs. Aden:
Of course, it is! Why would you say something like that?
Hazel:
Didn´t you ever want more, like a career or your independence? Your entire life has been about doing, what was expected of you. Didn´t you at some point ask yourself, if it was what you wanted?
Mrs. Aden:
You don´t think being a mother is a career?
Hazel:
I´m not sure it´s the career, I want.
Mrs. Aden:
You´ll see it differently, when you get older. To change the subject, I´m washing your white dress today, so you can wear it for Nana´s birthday on Saturday.
Hazel:
Thanks. I guess.
Mrs. Aden:
You could wear your great grandmother´s pearl necklace with it.
Hazel tries not to panic at the mention of it.
Hazel:
That old thing? Don´t you think, it´s a little old fashioned? I can´t even remember the last time, I wore it.
Mrs. Aden:
Which is why I think, it´s time you did again. It´s a family heirloom. You should be proud, that she left it to you.
Hazel tries to smile it off.
12. Int. Bus. Morning.
Amy is riding on the bus with the other passengers, when an uncomfortable looking Hazel comes in and pays the bus driver, who hands her a ticket. She sits down next to Amy, who finds it amusing, how out of place Hazel looks.
Amy:
They´re not here to hurt you!
Hazel:
It´s not that. I´m so screwed!
Amy:
Wow! That´s the closest, I´ve heard you come to swearing!
Hazel:
If there ever was a time for it, it´s now! How could I be such an idiot?
Amy:
What did you do?
Hazel:
Remember that necklace, I pawned?
Amy:
What about it?
Hazel:
I need it back, or my parents will tear me a new one! I totally forgot, that it´s a family heirloom!
Amy:
Oops?
Hazel:
Big oops!
Amy:
Did you spend it all?
Hazel:
More or less. You wouldn´t happen to have a couple hundred, I can borrow?
Amy:
A couple, maybe. A couple hundred is pushing it!
Hazel:
In lieu of money, would you happen to have a good lie, I could use?
Amy:
You can always say that it got stolen, but it´s risky. Your best option is probably to come clean.
Hazel considers her options, but neither choice is particularly pleasant.
13. Int. Classroom. Day.
Miss Oh is trying to teach her Social Studies class, but Ellie is busier looking at wedding dresses in a magazine, she has hidden behind her book.
Miss Oh:
In many countries, children are basically seen as a commodity, to be married away in whatever deal fits the family best. The question is, are we right to critique them for it? After all, this is how their societies have functioned for hundreds, if not thousands of years. I´d like to hear your opinions.
Many students raise their hands.
Miss Oh:
Ashley.
Ashley:
It need to be outlawed immediately! I mean, come on! It´s a sick tradition, that needs to end!
Miss Oh:
I´m sure there´s many here, who would agree with you. Marco?
Hazel:
Not that I disagree with Ashley, but you can´t just go in and outlaw a tradition, that goes back this far! Not without a viable alternative to replace it:
Ashley:
If you think it´s okay, then there´s something wrong with your brain!
Hazel:
Change doesn´t happen from day to day and if you try to outlaw it, then you´re bound to get a counter reaction, plus they´ll still happen in secret. Will that help anyone?
Ashley:
That still doesn´t mean. we should quietly accept it!
Miss Oh:
Ellie, I´d like to hear your opinion.
Ellie at first doesn´t react, so Marco gives her a nudge. She snaps back into reality and doesn´t know what to say.
Ellie:
Ehm, I guess I´m ... pro?
Ashley:
Ellie, you´re pro child marriage? I never would have thought that about you!
Ellie:
I mean, if they´re in love ...
Miss Oh:
Show me the magazine. You don´t think, you´re the first one to try that on me, do you?
Ellie gives it up and shows them the bridal magazine. Many students laugh.
Miss Oh:
Are congratulations in order?
Ellie proudly shows them all the ring. Many look surprised.
Ellie:
Kind of.
Miss Oh:
Let me ask you then, even if it might be a moot question. Are you sure, you´re informed enough, to make this decision on your own?
Marco:
Thank you, miss Oh! That´s what I´ve been trying to tell her!
Ellie:
We´re in love and I want to be with him for the rest of our lives. That´s everything I need to know.
Miss Oh:
I´m happy for you, that you´re in love. But love also leads us to make erratic decisions, that don´t make sense, if you´re planning for the best future. Is it really that bad then, to have the parents, who after all have more life experience, be involved in the decision making process?
Ellie:
It´s not a mistake, if that´s what you think!
Miss Oh:
What do the rest of you say?
Ellie sulks, as the class continues. Marco looks pleased, that miss Oh got through to her a little bit.
Hatzilakos (voice over):
Hazel Aden, would you please come to the principal´s office?
Hazel looks surprised, but stands up anyway.
14. Ext. Principal´s Office. Day.
Hazel comes up to the principal´s office and is surprised to see Hatzilakos talking to her mom. She approaches them with caution.
Mrs. Aden:
We could only have dreamed of going to a school like this back in Mogadishu. Hazel is very lucky, that she gets to go to school here.
Hatzilakos:
Hazel, it´s nice to see you.
Hazel:
Hi, mom. What´s this about?
Hatzilakos:
It appears that you´ve had a break and enter. It was nice to meet you, mrs. Aden.
Mrs. Aden:
You too, miss Hatzi ... I´m sorry. Greek names aren´t easy for a Somalian!
Hatzilakos smiles back at her.
Hatzilakos:
That´s perfectly fine. Half the students here can´t pronounce it correctly! Good luck and I hope they find out, who did it.
Hatzilakos goes into her office.
Hazel:
When did this happen?
Mrs. Aden:
We can´t be sure yet, but I´m afraid I have very bad news. Your grandmother´s necklace was stolen.
Hazel tries her best to appear shocked.
Hazel:
Why would anyone steal that?
Mrs. Aden:
It´s very valuable, not to mention old. Those two alone could fetch a thief a very good prize for it, if the police don´t find out who it is, before they sell it.
Hazel:
What else was taken?
Mrs. Aden:
We´re still trying to find out. I´ll know more, by the time you come home.
Hazel:
We, as in you and dad? I thought, he was busy at work this week.
Mrs. Aden:
We, as in us and the police. This is a criminal matter now, I´m afraid.
Hazel looks very worried and her mom looks sympathetic with her.
Mrs. Aden:
I know how much you loved that necklace, but we have to face that it could have been sold or pawned already. I´m sorry, Hazel.
Hazel:
It´s just an object. The important thing is that we´re all safe and healthy, right?
Mrs. Aden:
I couldn´t have said it better. Still, we have let the police do their work. Whoever robbed us, has probably robbed other places too. They told me, that they´d ask the rest of the street to check, if it was only our house. Listen, I´ll let you get back to class, I just thought you needed to be told in person right away, everything considered.
Hazel:
Yeah, thanks for telling me. I´m still a bit shaken up, is all.
Mrs. Aden:
I phoned your father and we decided to have to front door lock changed, just in case.
Hazel:
Isn´t that a bit extreme?
Mrs. Aden:
Not when it comes to our children. Try to enjoy the rest of your school day and we´ll talk more, when you come home, okay?
Hazel:
Okay, mom. See you.
Hazel´s mom leaves her and Hazel looks like she´d rather be anyone else right now.
15. Int. Hallway. Day.
Hazel is banging her head lightly against her locker in frustration. Many students laugh, when they see it and Amy comes over to her.
Amy:
It´s gonna take a while to make a dent in it that way!
Hazel stops and stares at her.
Hazel:
Have you ever heard about the three categories of being screwed? There´s screwed, more screwed and then there´s the kind of screwed, I am!
Amy:
Sounds screwy! Fill me in!
Hazel:
My mom must have gone through my stuff and she saw that the necklace was missing. She got the frigging cops involved! What am I gonna do?
Amy:
Admit that you´ve been living a double life, so they can get it back from the pawn shop, before someone buys it? It is the only logical solution.
Hazel:
If they find out, then I´ll be grounded until graduation and probably the entire summer afterwards. There has to some other solution, that doesn´t involve them finding out.
Hazel tries to hatch a plan.
CLOSING CREDITS