WHAT IF? - SEASON 2 EPISODE 25 - DON´T STOP ´TILL YOU GET ENOUGH
Disclaimer: I don´t own Degrassi or the characters from it.
1. Int. Gymnasium. Day.
The basketball team is practicing and Jimmy is showing everyone else up with his playing. He hits a big three pointer and the coach blows his whistle.
Coach:
That´s it for today! Huddle up!
The players come over to him.
Coach:
These next days, I don´t want you think about anything else than beating Western this Friday! This is the biggest game of the year and your best chance to show any scouts what you´ve got. I´m expecting the best out of all of you! Hit the showers!
The team heads off to take their shower, but Jimmy is lagging a bit behind and is stepping awkwardly on his right foot.
Coach:
Hey, Jimmy? Are you alright?
Jimmy gives him a re-assuring smile.
Jimmy:
I landed a little wrong on the last jump shot. I´ll be fine.
Coach:
Make sure to get it checked by the school nurse. I need you at your best against Western, if we´re gonna win!
Jimmy:
What you´re gonna see is a beat down of epic proportions! See you tomorrow, coach.
Coach:
Give that foot all the rest it can get, you hear?
Jimmy:
I will.
Jimmy walks off to the locker room, still limping a little. His coach looks worried.
2. Int. Locker Room. Day.
The locker room has almost emptied out, except for Jimmy and Danny.
Danny:
Derek is coming over to play some one on one. Are you coming?
Jimmy:
Didn´t you get enough of playing basketball from practice?
Danny:
I can never get enough of playing basketball! Liberty will be there!
Jimmy:
I´ll pass, but say hi to your sister for me.
Danny:
Suit yourself. Later.
Jimmy:
Later, buddy.
Danny grabs his gym bag and leaves him. Jimmy winces, when he gone and tries to stretch out his foot, but it´s clearly very painful for him. He gets a small pill jar out of his gym bag, takes two of them out and swallows them.
Jimmy:
God, I hope they start working soon!
He has to use his hands as much as his legs to stand up and starts limping out of the dressing room.
OPENING CREDITS
2. Int. Hallway. Morning.
Ellie and Marco are talking next to Ellie´s locker.
Ellie:
It sucks, but I can´t say that I didn´t see it coming.
Marco:
On the bright side, you´ll get two sets of birthday gifts! I´m sorry, I know that divorce isn´t anything to joke about.
Ellie:
It´s not like I´m freaking out over it. I get that it would be hard to be married to a man, who leaves her by herself for months at a time.
Marco:
What about your dad?
Ellie:
He already has a second wife. She´s called the army.
Marco:
I suppose it´s not gonna be much of a change anyway.
Ellie:
She´s selling the house, so it´s bound to be. She´d rather move into a small apartment.
Marco:
Have you thought about asking Jay, if you can move in with him? I´m sure, he´ll say yes, if you ask him nicely.
Ellie:
Do you think, we´re ready for it?
Marco:
You can answer that question, better than I can.
Ellie doesn´t look dismissive of the idea at all.
3. Int. Classroom. Morning.
Jimmy comes half way limping into the classroom and almost knocks a few chairs over on his way to his seat, when he loses him balance. Spinner rushes to help him. Paige and Hazel look a bit worried.
Spinner:
Jimmy, it´s okay to ask for help!
Jimmy:
Not that I need it, but thanks anyway.
Spinner helps him to his seat and puts the chairs back in order.
Paige:
What did the nurse say?
Jimmy:
It´s nothing.
Hazel:
It doesn´t look that way!
Jimmy:
I said, it´s nothing!
Spinner:
If he says it´s fine, then it´s fine! It´s his foot, after all!
Paige:
You can´t be thinking of playing on that thing!
Jimmy:
Watch me! Nothing and I mean nothing, is stopping me from playing in that game! Now drop it!
Hazel:
Pain is a warning sign. Listen to your body!
He ignores them and they decide to give it up.
4. Int. Hallway. Morning.
Jimmy is with Spinner after class.
Jimmy:
Girls don´t get it, man!
Spinner:
You´re telling me!
Jimmy:
Can you get me more of those pills? I can pay for them.
Spinner:
I want to help you, but this is bordering on drug dealing.
Jimmy:
I just need ten more, so I can get through the game, that´s all. After that I´m getting my foot properly checked and I´ll quit them cold turkey, I swear.
Spinner:
I hope so, because those things are addictive as hell. I don´t want to be responsible, for making my best friend a drug addict.
Jimmy:
I promise, that I´ll never ask you again. Please, man! You know how much this game means to me.
Spinner clearly doesn´t like it, but Jimmy´s begging eyes makes him give in.
Spinner:
I can get in touch with my contact tonight and have them for you first thing tomorrow.
Jimmy:
Can you get twenty, while you´re at it?
Spinner:
What happened to ten?
Jimmy:
Just in case. It´s not like it´ll make any difference to you, if you have to see them anyway.
Spinner:
Twenty is sixty bucks. Do you have it on you?
Jimmy gives him eighty dollars.
Jimmy:
The last twenty is for doing this for me and being understanding. I appreciate it a lot.
Spinner:
Promise me that you´ll kick them after the game. Abusing these things can really screw up your vital organs.
Jimmy:
Alright, preacher! Can you help an old pal get to his next class?
Spinner:
Come here, slugger!
Jimmy puts an arm around Spinner shoulders and uses him as a crutch.
5. Int. Jay´s Apartment. Evening.
Ellie is looking over a sheet of paper, while Jay watches her anxiously.
Ellie:
"27 ground rules for living together".
Jay:
After you suggested it, I got to thinking and yes, on one hand I´d love to live with you! On the other hand, I like this place the way it is. It feels like it´s mine.
Ellie:
I´m not allowed to make any changes without getting your okay first?
Jay:
That´s sort of a big one.
Ellie:
I´m allowed to have friends over, as long as it isn´t for girl talk?
Jay:
Don´t take than one personal, but I can´t stand listening to girl talk! If I have to listen to it in my own home, then I´ll lose my mind!
Ellie:
What exactly qualifies as girl talk?
She stares him down and he clearly didn´t expect to be put on the spot like this.
Jay:
Certain subjects.
Ellie:
Like? I have to know, if I´m not allowed to bring them up in my own home!
Jay:
Like boys and stuff like that.
Ellie:
So you and Sean never talk about women, when he´s here?
Jay:
All the time, but that´s different.
Ellie:
Because that´s guy talk, as opposed to girl talk?
Jay:
It´s sounds crazy, when you put it that way!
Ellie:
What was crazy, was me thinking that this could work! You can take you list and shove it!
She gets up from the couch and storms out. He´s left looking frustrated.
6. Int. The Dot. Evening.
Jay is hanging his head in shame, as Jane laughs at his predicament.
Jane:
Spinner was right! You are a charity case!
Jay:
Where is he?
Jane:
He has tonight off. If you want a friendly ear, then you´ll have to settle for me. The good news is that I´m known to be a good listener.
Jay:
Where did I go wrong?
Jane:
You mean, that I really have to tell you? It sounded more like a slave contract, than anything else!
Jay:
It wasn´t meant that way! I only wanted to make sure, that she wouldn´t move in and change everything! Is it a crime all of a sudden, to like things the way they are?
Jane:
You made her feel, like she would be living under your rule, doofus! No girl with any kind of self respect, would go along with that!
Jay sees what she means and it starts to very slowly sink in.
Jane:
Are you okay?
Jay:
Yeah, it´s slowly sinking in. You a little on the mean side, but you´re not a half bad advice giver!
Jane smiles to herself, as he thinks about it.
7. Int. Jimmy´s Room. Evening.
Jimmy is spacing out on his bed and watching wrestling on the TV. His dad comes in with a piece of cake for him.
Dad:
Hey, kiddo. You want to finish off the rest of the cake, before your mom does?
Jimmy:
Bring it here!
His dad smiles and hands him the plate. Jimmy gets stuck into it.
Dad:
It´s okay to indulge yourself once in a while. What are you watching?
Jimmy:
WWE.
Dad:
I don´t know, if I like you watching that stuff. Haven´t you heard about the reports, that have come out about the dead wrestlers?
Jimmy:
The Benoit case was truly sad, no doubt and it should never have happened, but you can´t blame the company for it. Not the way I see it.
Dad:
I was talking more, about all the guys that died from abusing pain killers.
Jimmy:
I didn´t hear about that part.
Dad:
Brian Pillman, Louie Spiccoli, Eddie Guerrero, Curt Hennig, Rick Rude and the list goes on and on. It seems like half the guys I grew up cheering or booing in the 80´s, are already gone from this world.
Jimmy:
Those guys had to be seriously abusing them, for it to be fatal, right?
Dad:
You can´t put your body through what they do, without paying a heavy prize. I´m sure that it started with a pill here and there, until it escalated to where they couldn´t control it anymore. It´s not like any of them planned to die at a young age. Keep that in mind, when you watch these men and women do their death defying moves.
His dad leaves him to think about it and his words do seem to have hit something in Jimmy.
8. Int. Hallway. Morning.
Jimmy meets up with Spinner and looks to be walking a little better now.
Spinner:
You´re barely limping!
Jimmy:
I told you, that it would heal in time. Do you have the ...
Spinner:
Are you sure, you even need them now?
Jimmy:
It´s better to have them and not need them, than to need them and not have them, right?.
Spinner:
Makes sense to me.
He slips Jimmy a small pill glass, that Jimmy stuffs in his gym bag, before anyone can see it.
Spinner:
You can come down to the Dot and keep me company after school, if you want?
Jimmy:
I´d like to, but we have practice.
Spinner:
If you tell the coach ...
Jimmy:
Then he´ll send me straight to the nurse and she won´t let me play. All of this will have been for nothing.
Spinner:
Promise me, that you´ll be careful?
Jimmy:
I always am!
Jimmy looks confident.
9. Int. Classroom. Morning.
Ellie is explaining the situation to Ashley and Marco.
Ellie:
I can´t believe, that he thinks the worst of me!
Marco:
I´m sure, that´s not how he meant it.
Ellie:
I would never do anything, he didn´t want me to! How can he think, that I would?
Ashley:
Let´s try something. Close your eyes and picture Jay´s apartment.
Ellie does so.
Ellie:
Alright, I am picturing his apartment. Now what?
Ashley:
What do you think of the furniture?
Ellie:
Honestly, It´s fugly! All of it!
Marco:
What does Jay think?
Ellie:
He loves it, but that´s only because the man was born without taste!
Ashley:
So, if you lived there, you would want to replace it with nicer furniture?
Ellie sees what she´s doing and opens her eyes.
Ellie:
It wouldn´t hurt, to add a woman´s touch to the place.
Marco:
Honestly?
Ellie:
I´d like to take all of it and watch someone cut it up with a chainsaw!
They look surprised at her reaction.
Ashley:
A .. a chainsaw?
Ellie:
Just put it in one big pile and saw it all to dust, so he can´t bring it back!
Ashley:
And you´re saying, that he didn´t have anything to worry about?
Ellie:
I wasn´t gonna do it all at once. For one thing, that would be way to expensive for us right now.
Marco:
But you would in time.
Ellie:
All furniture needs replacing at one time or another, doesn´t it? Okay, you´re right! But it would be for his own good!
Ashley:
Can you try to sit down with him again, so you can reach some sort of compromise?
Marco:
This time without you storming out like a twelve year old, who´s seen her boyfriend dancing with her worst rival at the prom?
Ellie:
I suppose, I can try!
Ellie sulks, but can see that her friends are right.
10. Int. Locker Room. Day.
Jimmy is last to finish again (on purpose) and when the last of his team mates leave, he grabs the pill jar from his bag and swallows two pills. He´s almost caught, when his coach comes in and quickly puts the pills away and zips up his bag.
Coach:
Do you think you´re royalty, because you can make a three pointer?
Jimmy:
No, coach.
Coach:
What did the nurse say?
Jimmy:
It was a minor muscle injury. I´m not even feeling it anymore.
Coach:
Great! I need my star player at his best.
Jimmy:
I want to give you my best, coach.
The coach opens the door for him and they smile at each other, as Jimmy walks past him.
11. Int. Gymnasium. Day.
Jimmy is warming up with the others and is clearly trying to spare his bad foot as much as possible.
Coach:
That´s enough warming up. We´re doing tip drills next, so line up. Jimmy, you try to score.
The team line up as they usually would for their tip drills. Jimmy dribbles past a few players and it almost past another one, when he´s pushed by one of his team mates, while he´s already high in the air. He´s about to land on his bad foot, but as a reflex to spare it, puts his other foot down and the result is catastrophic. He falls to the ground with a scream and lies there in pain, as his team mates rush to check on him.
Team Mate:
Jimmy, I´m sorry. Are you okay?
Jimmy:
I felt something snap! Damn, it hurts!
Coach:
Give me some room.
He leans down to tend to Jimmy, who´s in agonizing pain.
Coach:
It´s gonna be okay. We´ll get you to the hospital, as fast as we can.
Jimmy:
I have to play on Friday!
Coach:
Not with an injury like this, you´re not! There´ll be other games, Jimmy.
Jimmy:
Not like this one!
The anguish of missing the game looks like it´s hurting him as much as the injury is.
12. Int. The Dot. Day.
Jay is waiting at a table, when Ellie comes in. She goes to sit with him and is trying her best to look firm.
Jay:
Thanks for coming. I´m so sorry about yesterday ...
Ellie:
Before you say any more, can I say something?
Jay:
Of course! I´m all ears!
Ellie:
While I found some of the points on the list both sexist and unacceptable, I do get your reason for making it and it was valid. Us girls do have a tendency to take these things over, the moment we move in.
Jay:
Thank you! That all I was trying to say.
Ellie:
But limiting what I can talk about is out of the question.
Jay:
We can scratch that one!
Ellie:
I will in return promise to be respectful, when I discuss certain topics, just like I expect you to be. Which means that when you talk to your friends in front of me, we´re to be called women or girls and not chicks! We´re not poultry!
Jay:
Is it okay, if I call you a babe?
Ellie´s hard demeanor melts ands she smiles at him.
Ellie:
That would be okay.
Jay:
What if we forget about the list and make the rules up, as we go along?
Ellie:
I like that idea much better!
Jay:
In that case, Ellie Nash, my beautiful and stunning princess ...
Ellie:
Jay, people will hear!
Jay;
Who I couldn´t imagine my life being without.
She almost blushes at his nice words.
Jay:
Will you do me the honor of moving in with me?
Ellie:
I thought, you´d never ask!
They smile at each other and kiss.
13. Int. Hospital Room. Evening.
Jimmy is lying in a hospital bed and has his parents and his doctor there with him.
Doctor:
This is a serious injury, you suffered, Jimmy. The muscle was torn straight off the bone. We´ll do the surgery first thing in the morning.
Dad:
What´s his recovery time?
Doctor:
For an injury like this, we´re talking upwards of a year.
Jimmy looks shocked, as do his parents.
Mom:
A year? That sounds extreme!
Doctor:
In the old days, an injury like this would have disabled you for life. Compared to that ...
Jimmy:
You don´t understand! I´m starting college on a basketball scholarship in the fall!
Doctor:
You´re lucky, if you get through this without any permanent damage. Other athletes have had to retire, because of injuries like yours.
Dad:
We´ll find a specialist, Jimmy.
Doctor:
They´ll tell you the same thing, I am. We also took a scan of your foot, that you said, you had pain in. I can definitely see why!
Jimmy´s parents look at him.
Mom:
What´s this about a foot injury?
Dad:
Why didn´t you tell us?
Jimmy:
I didn´t want to worry you. What was it?
Doctor:
Two broken bones. You must have had an extraordinary amount will power, to play to play through that kind of pain! We´ll have to put that foot in a cast, so that it can´t move at all, until it´s healed. Try to get a good night´s sleep, Jimmy. This is the beginning of a long road back for you. If you´ll excuse me, I have other patients to attend to.
The doctor leaves them and Jimmy looks distraught.
Mom:
I can´t believe, you lied to us!
Jimmy:
I didn´t tell you, because I knew you´d worry. I´m sorry.
Dad:
We can push that issue aside for now. We´ll be here for you every step of the way, Jimmy. Together, we´ll make sure that you get your chance to play again, come hell or high water. I give you my word as your father.
Jimmy tries to smile, but it´s very hard at this moment.
14. Int. Classroom. Day.
Ellie is talking to Ashley and Marco.
Ellie:
Now that it´s official, I can´t wait to move in!
Ashley:
No wonder! It has to be exciting.
Marco:
Does it feel different, from when you moved in with Sean?
Ellie:
It´s doing like a one eighty! Back then I was a semi-homeless girl, who met a nice guy, who let me live with him. It was either that or try to get along with my mom, which I knew never would have worked at that time. This time it´s my choice, even if it is inspired by my mom´s desire to move.
Ashley:
This is another big step to becoming a grown up.
Ellie:
It´s only a step! I´m still nowhere close, to feeling like one!
Spinner comes over to them with a basketball.
Spinner:
Do you want to sign Jimmy´s ball? I thought, it would be more original than giving him card.
Marco:
Absolutely. Give it here.
Spinner hands him the ball and a magic marker. Marco signs it, before handing it off to Ashley.
Ashley:
Have you talked to him?
Spinner:
No, but his parents called me, after they came back from the hospital.
Marco:
How bad is it?
Spinner:
Almost as bad, as it gets. Worst case scenario, his playing career could be over.
Ellie:
Poor Jimmy. Let me sign that too.
Ashley hands her the ball and she writes something on it.
Ashley:
Tell him that we´re thinking of him.
Spinner:
I will, when I see him after school. He´s probably in surgery right now.
Ellie hands the ball and the magic marker back to Spinner, who leaves them.
15. Int. Hospital Room. Day.
Jimmy is looking over the ball, but he looks pretty tired and out of it after his surgery.
Jimmy:
This is nice. What does that say? I´m so tired, that I´m seeing double.
Spinner looks at what he´s pointing at.
Spinner:
"Hope you get well soon, Ashley".
Jimmy:
Even my exes are feeling sorry for me! Isn´t that something?
Spinner:
Everyone is. I´m so sorry, man. If I hadn´t given you those pills ...
Jimmy:
I would have found someone, who would. You can´t blame yourself for this.
Spinner:
You´re strong. You´ll fight your way back to the court in no time.
Jimmy:
You´re damn right, I will! And when I do, they´re gonna see me stronger, faster and better, than they´ve ever seen me before!
Spinner is pleased to see, that at least Jimmy looks to have his determination in order.
CLOSING CREDITS