WHAT IF? - SEASON 3 EPISODE 8 - IT´S HARD TO BE A SAINT IN THE CITY
Disclaimer: I don´t own Degrassi or the characters from it.
1. Int. Joey and Caitlyn´s Garage. Day.
Craig is teaching Angie how to play the guitar, that she got as a present last christmas, if you remember. He´s playing an adult sized one and they´re playing a very easy and simple to play song, but she looks like she´s enjoying herself.
Craig:
We go back to finish on the C, after we play the last G chord.
They do and nail the ending of it. Angie looks happy and the two of them high five.
Craig:
Not bad, Ange. You could play in a band before long.
Angie:
Shouldn´t I know more than five chords?
Craig:
You´ll learn the rest in no time. The way that incredible brain of yours works as an information sucking sponge, you´ll be teaching me in a few years.
His phone rings and she looks disappointed, when he picks it up.
Angie:
This is supposed to be our time.
Craig:
It´s my manager, so I´m afraid I have to take it. Keep practicing.
She does as he gets off the couch and puts the phone to his ear.
Craig:
Hey. How´s it going?
2. Int. Holly J´s House. Day.
Holly J is the one, who´s on the phone with him and she smiles at the sound of his voice.
Holly J:
Better, now that I´m talking to you! Guess what?
Craig (voice over):
I give up.
Holly J:
My parents just left and they won´t be home until late. Are you interested in coming over?
3. Int. Angie´s Room. Day.
We cut back to Craig, who looks torn between his hormones and wanting to be a good older brother to Angie.
Craig:
I don´t know. I´m teaching my little sister to play guitar.
Holly J (voice over):
How cute. Of course, I was thinking that today would be the day, where we´d go all the way. But if you´re not interested ...
Craig:
Give me 20 minutes.
Holly J:
I´ll be waiting!
He hangs up and Angie stops playing. She looks disappointed.
Angie:
I heard that.
Craig:
I´m so sorry, but it´s about my music career and I can´t get out of it. I´ll make it up to you as soon as I can, okay?
Angie:
I guess so.
Craig:
I promise, that I´ll make it worth your while. Who´s my favorite girl in the entire world?
Angie:
I am.
Craig:
Don´t you ever forget it!
He shoots her his charming smile and she looks a little less sad, making him okay with leaving her.
OPENING CREDITS
4. Int. Hallway. Morning.
Craig is telling Sean the news, while Sean tries to stop himself from laughing.
Sean:
Seriously, Craig! Is there something wrong with you, that doesn´t allow you to learn from past mistakes?
Craig:
I try, it´s not that! Sometimes there´s another part of my body rather than my brain, that takes power.
Sean:
I can easily guess which part.
Craig:
I didn´t even enjoy it, like I thought I would.
Sean:
Maybe it´s because you know that she´s too young and it´s bound to end in disaster?
Craig:
That and I felt guilty for bailing on Angie. It´s bad enough if one girl gets hurt, without my innocent little sister losing out because of it.
Sean:
Break it off with the Sophomore Love Goddess then, if you know that it´s wrong.
Craig:
Not the day after I´ve taken her virginity! She´ll hate me forever.
Sean pads him on the back.
Sean:
I´m sorry to tell you, pal. That´s how this was always going to end.
Craig:
Not if I can help it. I´ve been enough of a jerk to girls in the past, without needing to add another name to the list.
Sean:
Sounds like quite a problem. It´s too bad that right answers don´t hang on trees.
Craig:
What would you do?
Sean:
It´ll only get worse, the longer you let it go on.
Craig:
If only she wasn´t so damn hot!
Sean shakes his head, seeing as Craig is having trouble with the learning from his mistakes part still.
5. Int. Gymnasium. Day.
Holly J is getting some extra cheerleading lessons from Manny in the hopes that she can still make the team. She´s not too much of a disaster, but her and the word graceful don´t really go together. She looks to Manny for approval and Manny (as you would expect) tries to be as nice about it as possible and smiles nervously at her.
Holly J:
Am I ready to join the squad or what?
Manny:
Ehm ... I don´t really know. I´d have to talk to Mia first. She is the captain, after all.
Holly J:
Who obviously looks up to you! If you ask her to let me join, you know that she´ll say yes.
Manny:
Have you considered joining something like the track and field team? You´re clearly in great shape!
Holly J:
Is this you letting me down easy?
She looks Manny in the eyes and Manny has to give in.
Manny:
I hate disappointing people, especially someone with the enthusiasm, you have. You´re not mad at me, are you?
She´s a little relieved, when Holly J smiles at her.
Holly J:
For giving me, someone who´s new here, is two years younger than you and you don´t even know, your time and asking for nothing in return? The word you´re searching for is grateful.
Manny looks relieved.
6. Int. Hallway. Day.
Manny waves goodbye to Holly J, as they go their separate ways. She runs into Mia and Jane right away.
Manny:
Why, hello there, miss Captain!
Mia:
Hello, miss Vice Captain!
Jane:
Can I get a title too?
Mia:
You can be our water boy.
Jane:
I´ll pass!
She seems to take it well though.
Mia:
Do we have a new squad member?
Manny:
Only if you want to turn the squad into a comedy troupe! She took the rejection well though, so that´s something.
Mia:
If only it were that easy every time!
Jane:
Her having a huge crush probably helps.
The other two eye her.
Jane:
She´s kind of lonely, so she comes down to the Dot for a chat with me and cup of coffee sometimes. Seeing as she´s mentioned that she´s a huge fan of Craig´s and he also happens to go here now, I didn´t need many guesses as to who it was.
Manny and Mia both find it a little funny.
Manny:
She doesn´t mind shooting high!
Mia:
You should try telling Craig, just to see how he reacts.
Jane:
No, don´t!
Manny:
Why not? Knowing Craig, he´ll most likely let her down easy and have her walking away smiling. He can be charming, when he wants to.
Mia:
If anyone would know, it´s you!
Manny:
Hey!
Jane and Mia laugh, as Manny tries not to be insulted.
Mia:
Later, vice captain!
Jane:
If you tell him, can you at least leave my name out of it?
Manny:
I can promise to try.
Jane:
I feel for her, with her being the new kid, having no friends here yet and feeling like she doesn´t fit in. If this crush helps her get through the days, what´s wrong with that?
They leave Manny to think about it.
7. Int. Computer Lab. Day.
Craig is surfing on one of the PC´s and is looking over pictures of guitars, as Manny comes in. He sees a really nice one and then the prize of it, before sighing to himself that he won´t be able to afford it. She comes over to him and sits down at the PC next to him.
Craig:
Here to check out TMZ?
Manny:
It´s not the only thing I do online!
Craig:
It is what you were planning to do, isn´t it?
Manny:
I don´t have to tell you!
He smiles to himself, as she starts moving the mouse around.
Craig:
You´re an enigma, Manny. On one hand, you´re so down to earth and on the other, you like something as dumb as gossip about people you don´t know.
She turns her head and smiles cheekily at him.
Manny:
Not as much as I like gossip about people I know.
Craig is now very interested and gets into it as well.
Craig:
Sean and Emma are back together, aren´t they? He won´t say it, but I can tell that he´s hiding something.
Manny:
You´d need a 24 hour constant update text message service, to keep up with where those two are at! I stopped trying to keep up months ago.
Craig:
Who is it then?
Manny:
You. In a way.
He looks a little confused.
Craig:
What did I do?
Manny:
There´s this girl, a huge fan of yours and a sophomore here named Holly J, Heather Sinclair´s cousin if you would believe it, who has a major crush on you.
He can´t help smiling to himself.
Craig:
Aww, that´s cute!
Manny:
She´s not like Heather was, at least not most of the time. Are you gonna let her down easy?
Craig:
Do you think, I should?
Manny:
I would, if it were me. She would never stand a chance with you, right?
Craig:
Never is a long time ...
Manny:
Okay, so in ten years maybe! Not now though. I wouldn´t get hung up on the age difference, but it would be highly immoral of you to take advantage of her looking up to you in a fan-girl way. You´re better than that.
Craig:
Am I? Sometimes I wonder.
Manny:
You´re not the same dumb kid, who got me pregnant any more than I´m the dumb kid, who allowed you to get me pregnant. We´ve both grown up too much since then. I´ll leave it up to you, whether you want to talk to her. I just thought that you should know.
Her words look like they´re starting to get through to him, as she surfs her way onto TMZ´s website.
8. Int. Angie´s Room. Evening.
Angie is getting her rain check on her guitar lesson and is as enthusiastic as ever, where as Craig´s mind is really in it. She shows him a new chord she´s learned and strums the guitar.
Angie:
I´ve been playing around with using some 7th chords, like you showed me.
Craig:
Great work, Ange.
Angie:
Is something wrong?
Craig:
What would that be?
Angie:
Your answers are very short today.
He puts his guitar away and looks her in the eyes.
Craig:
Can I ask you something hypothetical?
Angie:
Hypo-what?
Craig:
Something that hasn´t happened, so you pretend that it has.
Angie:
Sure.
Craig:
Say that you liked a boy.
She starts to blush a little, just at the mention of it.
Craig:
It´s not that he doesn´t like you back, but he isn´t sure that you´re right for each other in the same way that you are. Would you rather that he played the nice boy and pretended that everything was okay, or would you rather that he told you?
Angie:
Do you have a new girlfriend? I should know, if she´s gonna become part of our family.
He can´t help smiling to himself.
Craig:
When I do, you´ll be the first to know. Let´s go back to the question.
Angie:
I´d want to know. It´s great that he wants to be nice, but it would be like he was lying to me all the time, by letting me think that everything was okay.
He nods and looks to have made his decision.
Craig:
Do me a favor. Wait until you´re at least 20, until you start dating.
Angie:
I don´t even think of boys that way.
Craig:
You will soon. Much sooner than I´ll be ready for it!
She looks a little confused as to what he meant.
9. Int. The Dot. Evening.
Manny comes into the cafe and walks up to the counter. Peter is working behind the counter on this evening. Holly J is sitting at a table by herself, nursing a cup of coffee.
Manny:
Isn´t your family loaded or did Mia lie about that?
Peter:
My mom wants me to learn financial responsibility! Go figure!
Manny:
What did you do?
Peter:
I´d rather not tell you. Your takeout order is ready.
Manny:
Cool. Jane has the night off, I take it?
He gets a bag for her from behind the counter and hands it to her, before punching some numbers into the till. She hands him some money and he puts it into it, before giving her her change back.
Peter:
She´s out on a date. That girl over there came to see her. She asked for her specifically.
Manny looks over at Holly J´s table and smiles to herself.
Manny:
Later, Peter. Try not to get into more trouble.
Peter:
I will when you stop sounding like my mom!
She walks over to Holly J´s table. Holly J looks up at her and forces a small smile for her.
Holly J:
Hi, Manny.
Manny:
Can I sit?
Holly J:
Sure thing. It´s not like anyone else wants to sit with me.
Manny takes a seat across from her.
Manny:
Before you there was another girl, who used to spend a lot of her time here. So much, that it was a running joke that the Dot would go out of business, when she went away to college.
Holly J smiles. Manny is glad, that she got her to.
Holly J:
I guess, that I can relate to her. It´s either this is or an empty house.
Manny:
Your parents are busy all the time, huh?
Holly J:
More or less. Manny, would it be weird, if I asked you a personal question? You´re older and probably much wiser than I am on love and that stuff.
Manny looks at her with sympathy.
Manny:
Of course, you can.
Holly J:
Since you have a daughter, I can assume that you´ve had sex.
Manny:
It does kind of bust me, doesn´t it? Just between us, I have done it more than once.
Holly J:
Did you regret your first time afterwards?
Manny:
Not at first, but I did the day after. Seeing him get back together with his girlfriend, right in front of my face didn´t help.
Holly J:
I guess I´m not the only member of that club.
Manny´s face turns serious.
10. Int. Angie´s Room. Evening.
Angie and Craig are jamming together, when there´s a knock on the door and Manny comes in.
Manny:
Sorry to interrupt, but it´s dinner time.
Angie:
Great! I´m starving.
Manny:
Angie, can I have a moment alone with Craig? There´s some adult stuff, we need to discuss.
Angie nods and leaves them. Manny shuts the door after her and stares Craig down to the point, where it makes him uncomfortable.
Craig:
What is it?
Manny:
Tell me the truth. Did you or did you not, do it with your latest superfan yesterday?
He puts his guitar away and gets defensive.
Craig:
No! What would make you think that?
Manny:
I talked to her down at the Dot! You know that I can tell when you´re lying, Craig.
She stares him right in the eyes and he looks away from it.
Craig:
I might have.
Manny:
You´re not sure, is what you´re saying? That makes no sense.
Craig:
Okay, so I did.
She face palms and he isn´t looking too proud of himself.
Craig:
It just kinda happened.
Manny:
These things don´t "Kinda Happen"! How can you be this dumb?
Craig:
It´s okay, I´ve got it figured out.
Manny:
This I have to hear!
Craig:
I´m gonna break up with her, but I´ll do it in a nice way, where she knows that it isn´t about her. After that, I´ll be home free.
Manny:
That´s your quick fix, is it? Here I thought that you´d actually have grown up a little these past years, but I guess I was wrong.
She starts to leave and opens the door.
Craig:
What do you want me to do?
Manny:
The decent thing. If you´re gonna dump her, you can at least be man enough to tell her the truth.
She leaves him to think about it. He´s clearly wishing that he would have kept it in his pants.
11. Int. Hallway. Morning.
Holly J is at her locker, when Craig walks over to her. He smiles nervously at her.
Craig:
Hi. Sorry that I didn´t reply to your texts yesterday.
Holly J:
You don´t really like me, do you?
She closes her locker and looks him in the eyes. Put on the spot, he tries hard to fight a losing battle against not wanting her to feel hurt.
Craig:
I do, it´s not that. You´re a great girl, one who any guy would be lucky to call his girlfriend.
A few tears start to flow from her eyes and she wipes them away. It makes his heart go out to her.
Holly J:
Sorry. I didn´t expect to get dumped by the guy right after my first time. It´wasn´t exactly how I planned it.
Craig:
It´s not your fault, it´s mine.
Holly J:
Are you the big loser, who jumped into bed with a guy, who she knew couldn´t have really liked her?
The tears now start flowing more freely and people stare at them as they walk by. It makes Craig just want to get out of this situation ASAP.
Craig:
Where did you get those ideas from?
She lights up in a smile. It makes him feel a little better about it all.
Holly J:
Do you mean it?
Craig:
I would never have done anything like that with you, if I ddn´t have feelings for you too.
Holly J:
Am I your girlfriend now?
Craig:
Maybe not quite a girlfriend, but far more than being a friend and almost a girlfriend. Is that okay?
She gives him a small kiss on the cheek and looks like it´s the best day of her life now.
Holly J:
Does that answer your question?
Craig:
Loud and clear. We can head back to my place after school together, if you want to? Make some dinner together and make a romantic evening out of it.
Holly J:
I´m pretty sure, that I can squeeze you in. Get it?
She closes her locker and walks away from him, as he looks annoyed with himself once again.
Craig (to himself):
Of all the options you could have picked, you had to choose that one! At least you´ll get laid today!
He shakes his head at his predicament.
12. Int. Classroom. Morning.
Craig is waiting for class to start, when Manny sits down next to him. She´s still not looking too happy with him.
Manny:
Did you do that thing, we talked about yesterday?
Craig:
Ehm ... sort of.
She shakes her head at him.
Manny:
Is that your way of saying, that you haven´t?
Craig:
I tried to, but then she started crying and you know how I hate it, when I see girls crying because they´re sad. My heart went out to her.
Manny:
Maybe since you know that it´s because of you?
Craig:
It´s too soon after we did, what we did. I can do it in a few weeks, when she´s feeling less vulnerable.
Manny:
You have the spine of an earth worm!
She gets up from her seat angrily and walks away from him. He hangs his head in shame, knowing fully well how bad this is.
13. Ext. Joey´s House. Day.
Joey is showing Craig a car, that looks like it´s seen better days, but is still serviceable.
Craig:
Really? I can have it?
Joey:
It´s unsellable. If you don´t take the car, I´ll have to drive it to the scrap yard.
Craig:
What´s wrong with it?
Joey:
The undercarriage is rusted. It would cost far more than the car is worth to have it fixed. The engine isn´t doing too bad though, so it should be drivable for a year or two.
Craig:
It´ll save me a ton of time compared to taking the train.
Joey hands him the keys and they smile at each other.
Joey:
Congratulations, kid. You can call yourself a first time car owner. How does that feel?
Craig:
The same, except now I have a car!
The two of them laugh, as they start to walk up to the house.
Joey:
All you need is a new girl on your arm and you´re set.
Craig:
What makes you sure, that there isn´t one?
Joey:
Is there?
Craig:
Sort of, but I´m in doubt about her. A lot.
Joey:
I´m no doctor Sally, but I have been known to dish out some good advice from time to time. What´s the matter?
Craig:
Joey, back when you had that affair with Tessa Campanelli. Did it feel wrong, because she was younger than you were?
Joey takes a moment to consider it.
Joey:
Not really. Because when it came to things like personality and maturity, we were the exact same. It never felt wrong, while I was with her. The complete opposite, in fact. It was afterwards when my guilty conscience hit me, that it felt wrong.
Craig:
It didn´t have anything to do with Tessa?
Joey:
Not at all! She was a sweetheart. I want to slap my younger self for putting her in a situation, she never should have been put in, but I will say this for 18 year old me: He did care about her with all his heart and he´s never blamed her for anything, not then or since.
Craig:
Do you regret not giving her a proper chance?
Joey:
How old is this girl, you´re dating?
Craig:
15. But she´s kind of like me, maturity wise. If you saw us together, you wouldn´t guess that there´s much of an age difference.
Joey smiles to himself.
Joey:
It looks like we have a case of history repeating itself.
Craig:
I like her tons, I just don´t want her to end up hurt, like Tessa did.
Joey:
Did you know that I only went on one date during my entire senior year?
Craig looks surprised.
Craig:
Because of Caitlyn and Tessa?
Joey:
I knew that me and Caitlyn were finished after she found out, at least for the foreseeable future. I was still crazy about Tessa though, for over a year after it ended. Her sweet and adorable smile was permanently imprinted in my brain. When I thought about it, it would only make me sadder at how much I´d messed things up.
Craig smiles sadly to himself.
Joey:
It wasn´t until I started dating your mom, that I got over her. I spent untold hours that year brooding over what I should have done and imagining that I would get the chance to apologize. Then she would kiss me and we would go on, as if none of the bad parts had happened.
Craig:
Regrets really suck, don´t they?
Joey:
It´s not like I regret it now. If I´d stayed with her, then I never would have had Angie or this extended family, that I have now. Look, you´re the only one, who knows what´s right for you. The only advice I can give, is that if it feels right to be with her, it´s probably because it is. Not to mention, that there´s one big difference to our stories. You don´t have a girlfriend and you´re free to do what you want to. I´d give it a try and see where it takes me.
Craig nods, glad that someone is showing him the other side of the coin, so to speak.
14. Ext. Street. Evening.
Craig has pulled up to the curb and Holly J comes out to meet him. They smile at each other.
Holly J:
My parents have the number to a tow truck service somewhere inside.
Craig:
Where´s your car? I don´t see it anywhere.
Holly J:
I´m kidding. Congratulations on becoming a car owner.
Craig:
Thanks. It´ll shave half the time off my morning commute.
Holly J:
That´s nice.
Craig:
It´s also a great place for us to "take a break" during those long and sometimes kind of boring school days.
They put their arms around one another and hold each other tightly.
Holly J:
I´m not satisfied with being some girl, you can fool around with whenever you feel like it.
Craig:
The way my life looks, I can´t promise you more. Lies only end up ruining these things, so I´d rather try being honest.
Holly J:
Honesty? Isn´t that a novel idea?
Craig:
I´ve already asked you once, but you never gave me a straight answer. Do you want to be my sort of girlfriend, but not quite?
She gives him a wet kiss as her reply.
CLOSING CREDITS