WHAT IF? - SEASON 3 EPISODE 17 - RACING IN THE STREETS
1. Ext. Street. Evening.
Sean is working on the engine of Peter´s car, while Peter watches him anxiously. Their car is one of several, all of which look to be muscle cars or at least very fast ones.
Sean:
Just gimme one more minute.
Peter:
Hurry or I won´t be able to race tonight!
Sean:
Do you want your new tune kit to work or not?
Sean finishes his work and wipes his brow. Peter looks down at the engine.
Peter:
How much is it gonna give me?
Sean:
Another ten horsepower, at least. You´ll be leaving everyone in your wake.
Peter looks pleased, as a tough looking guy comes over to them.
Tough Guy:
Are you ready to race, kid?
Peter:
Ready to kick some butt is more like it!
The guy makes eye contact with Sean, who just shakes his head.
Tough Guy:
Get your car to the start line. Your race starts in two.
He leaves them and Peter´s face is full of excitement.
OPENING CREDITS
2. Int. Hallway. Morning.
Sean is heading to class and is looking tired. Emma hurries to catch up with him.
Emma:
Wait up!
He turns around to see her and waits for her.
Sean:
How are you this morning?
Emma:
Have you ever had that feeling, where it´s like your whole world is falling into place?
Sean:
It´s not one I´m familiar with.
Emma:
You should try it sometime!
He smiles at her.
Sean:
Did something happen?
Emma:
Oh, only that I got into my first choice college!
Sean:
Congratulations. Where does that leave you and Craig?
Emma:
The same place, we were before. I can´t put my entire future on hold because of him.
Sean:
Now you know why I don´t want to start anything up with someone right now.
Emma:
What do you mean?
Sean:
By the time you´re leaving, you´ll start to get second thoughts. Believe me.
Emma looks a little annoyed, that he´s raining on her parade, even if he is right.
3. Int. Classroom. Morning.
Peter sits down next to Mia and hands her a small present. She smiles at him.
Mia:
What´s that for?
Peter:
For being the most super awesome girlfriend, I could have asked for!
She opens it and it´s a very nice pair of ear rings.
Mia:
How did you afford those?
Peter:
Let´s just say that I´ve found a way of paying my mom back faster, than if I was waiting tables at the Dot and getting some spending money as well.
She looks suspicious.
Mia:
How?
Peter:
Can´t I spoil the love of my life without getting the second degree?
She can´t help looking happy at what he said.
Mia:
Just promise me, that it won´t get you into trouble again,
Peter:
There´s absolutely no chance of that happening!
Hatzilakos (over the P.A):
Peter, get your butt to my office, now!
Some of the students laugh at the unusual message, but Mia looks worried now.
Mia:
Are you sure?
Peter now clearly isn´t!
4. Int. Principal´s Office. Morning.
Peter comes in to find his mother there with a police officer. It makes him nervous.
Hatzilakos:
Sit down and shut up!
He takes a seat and it´s obvious that his mom is none too pleased with him.
Wexley:
Hello, Peter, I´m officer Wexley of the traffic police. Where were you last night?
Peter:
With my girlfriend.
Wexley:
If we call her down here, will she say the same thing?
Peter sees that they have him, but still wants to get out of it.
Peter:
Actually, I went out for a drive.
Wexley:
Where to?
Peter:
Just around.
Hatzilakos rolls her eyes.
Hatzilakos:
Stop lying, Peter! This is serious!
Wexley:
We´ve been scoping out the old industrial zone for a while now. Don´t think we don´t know, that it´s being used for illegal street racing.
Peter:
I wouldn´t know anything about that.
Hatzilakos:
They have you on surveilance cameras.
Peter:
I look the same as a lot of guys from afar!
Wexley:
Do those guys own a car of the same type and with the same license plates as you?
Peter finally gives up on his lie.
Peter:
I might have been there.
Wexley:
You know that street racing is highly illegal, don´t you?
Peter:
Yes.
Wexley:
Did you know that it carries a penalty of up to a year in prison?
Peter now starts to almost panic.
Peter:
I can´t go to jail. Mom, you have to do something!
Wexley:
Take it easy, Peter. There is a way out of this, that doesn´t involve you going to jail.
Peter:
Whatever it is, I´ll do it!
Hatzilakos:
That is the first clever thing I´ve heard you say all day.
He isn´t too happy about it, though.
5. Int. Cafeteria. Day.
Emma, JT and Manny are eating lunch together, but Emma is mostly just picking at her food.
JT:
You´re not liking the day´s cuisine?
Emma:
It´s the same as usual.
Manny:
What´s the matter?
JT:
Is Craig not living up to his duties as a boyfriend?
Emma:
That´s the problem. He´s being the perfect boyfriend all the time!
JT and Manny look confused.
Manny:
That statement requires further information!
Emma:
It´s gonna make it hard, when I leave for college next year.
JT:
There is a simple solution to it.
Emma eyes him.
Emma:
What?
JT:
Do what I did and fail all your classes! If you get him to do the same, you´ll be set for another year!
Emma can´t help laughing a little.
Emma:
I´ll call that plan X, after all other plans have failed!
Manny:
I wouldn´t recommend it either!
Emma:
Long distance relationships can work, can´t they?
Manny:
Sure! If you love each other, there´s nothing that´s impossible.
Emma sighs and looks dejected.
JT:
It´s no secret that he´s never been my favorite person in the world, but you shouldn´t give up on him before talking to him about it.
Emma:
I guess it can´t hurt.
She goes back to picking at her food.
6. Int. Music Room. Day.
Craig is playing guitar, when Emma comes in to join him. He smiles at her and stops playing.
Craig:
Hi, gorgeous!
Emma:
Don´t stop playing on my account. It sounded good.
Craig:
You weren´t supposed to hear it, before it´s finished. I wrote it for and about you.
Emma smiles.
Emma:
You wrote me a song?
Craig:
I´ve only figured out the first verse and the chorus, so you can´t call it an actual song yet, but it will be.
Emma:
What´s it called?
Craig:
"The One". It´s only a working title.
Emma´s smile fades.
Emma:
Craig, we´ve only been dating for a few weeks.
Craig looks annoyed with himself and puts the guitar away.
Craig:
I´m rushing into this too fast, aren´t I?
Emma:
Kind of. It´s a nice thought, but can´t we have fun and see where this takes us, before we start making grand declarations like calling each other "The One"?
Craig:
Call me crazy, but I´m betting on us to last.
Emma:
As in "Till Death do Us Part"?
Craig:
Isn´t that what you want too?
Emma:
I don´t know! You´re springing a lot on me right now!
He sees that she needs to be calmed down and tries to give her a hug, but she backs off.
Craig:
It´s just a song title. I can change it, no problem.
Emma:
Maybe this was a bad idea!
She runs out of there, leaving him puzzled as to what just happened.
Craig:
Where did I go wrong this time?
He ponders it, while still looking confused.
7. Ext. Degrassi. Day.
Sean is leaving school with the others. He finds Peter waiting for him.
Peter:
I need you to do some more work on my car.
Sean:
If you have the money to pay for it ...
Peter:
I do, but I need it done tonight.
Sean:
It´s lucky for you, that I don´t have anything to do today. What did you have in mind?
Peter:
I need it to go even faster!
Sean:
There isn´t much more, we can get out of that engine. It´s pressed to the max, as it is.
Peter:
Don´t you know all the tricks?
Sean:
There´s one final thing we can do, but if the cops find out, I had nothing to do with it!
Peter:
That goes without saying. See you at the races?
Sean:
Yeah, sure.
Peter:
Awesome! If you´ll excuse me, I have to tend to someone, who´s much prettier than you!
Sean:
Got ya.
They leave each other and Peter heads back inside.
8. Int. Bathroom. Day.
Peter stands in front of the mirror and pulls his shirt up. We see that he was wearing a wire through their entire conversation. After pulling his shirt down, he looks himself in the mirror.
Peter (to his own reflection):
You can do this!
Going by his facial expression, he´s finding it hard to believe himself.
9. Int. Kitchen. Evening.
Emma is doing her homework at the kitchen table, while Snake is working his magic in the kitchen and is humming the Swedish Chef´s song from the Muppet Show to himself.
Snake:
Dew di dyppi dew, de dyppi dew, de dyppi dew. Dew di di dew di di dew, meep meep meep!
Emma smiles at his silliness.
Emma:
Let me know if the tomatoes are working against you today!
Snake:
I will. It´s nice to see you smiling again.
Emma:
I´ve had a lot on my mind, is all.
Snake:
Oh?
Emma:
Was it hard, when you and Michelle had to break up?
He stops his work and looks at her.
Snake:
Is this about you and Craig?
Emma:
I´m starting to think that it would be easier to break up with him now than in eight months, when I have to leave for college anyway.
Snake:
You like him a lot, don´t you?
Emma nods to herself.
Emma:
If this had happened two years ago or even last year, I would have been on cloud nine. Now it just fills my head with worries.
Snake:
I´m not gonna lie, it wasn´t easy in any way. We´d been a couple for well over a year at that point and were more or less joined at the hip.
Emma:
I´m not hearing any good reasons to stay with him.
Snake:
At the same time, I wouldn´t change anything, even if I could. Yeah, it was tough breaking up and I missed her like crazy for my first months of college, but my senior year wouldn´t have been the same without her in my life.
Emma:
Do you still think about her?
Snake:
Sometimes. I´m mostly hoping that she´s doing good, where ever she may be. She was a real sweetheart, that little Michelle.
They smile sadly at each other.
Emma:
I wonder if that´s how I´m gonna remember Craig. As a sweet guy, who the timing just wasn´t right with.
Snake:
I can´t tell you what to do, but you never know what´s going to happen in the future. Cutting yourself off from someone, who´s special to you only to save yourself from later heartbreak might sound like a good idea right now, but it also means that you won´t find out where it could have taken you.
Emma:
Do you regret breaking up with her?
Snake:
I did many times over the next years afterwards, but it´s been a long time since I did. Which doesn´t mean that there isn´t always the lingering thought in my head of where I´d be and what I´d be doing right now, if we had managed to make it work long distance. You´re gonna have those same thoughts, no matter what you choose, I´m afraid.
Emma:
I´m damned if I do and damned, if don´t!
Snake:
All we as people can do in these situations is trust our instincts. What do yours tell you?
She thinks about it.
10. Int. The Dot. Evening.
Peter is finishing up his work for the day and is on his way out. Jane takes his spot behind the counter.
Jane:
Where are you off to?
Peter:
What´s it to you?
Jane:
Pardon me for showing interest in what my friends are doing!
Peter:
I didn´t mean to snap at you. I´m just stressed out.
Jane:
Over what?
Peter:
It´s a long story.
Jane:
You´re in trouble again, aren´t you?
Peter nods.
Peter:
You can´t tell Mia, but it´s bad. Really bad!
Jane:
When are you gonna learn, that it pays to stay on the straight and narrow?
Peter:
After this, I plan to.
Jane:
I´ll believe that, when I see it! Have a nice evening.
Peter:
It won´t be, but thanks anyway.
He leaves the cafe and she shakes her head at how he won´t grow up and become reponsible.
11. Ext. Street. Evening.
The same cars and faces are there, as were the day before. Sean is working on the suspension on Peter´s car, to lower it.
Sean:
After this, all you can do to make it go faster is pray to god, that he´ll do it for you.
Peter:
Thanks for your help.
Sean:
As long as you pay me, we´re good.
Peter:
It doesn´t bother you, that you´re breaking the law?
Sean:
People break laws all the time. I´ve done worse things than this.
His words only make Peter more worried of what the reprecussions might be. The same guy as from the day before comes over to them.
Tough Guy:
Back to win some more money?
Peter:
How long until my heat starts?
Tough Guy:
Right after the next pairing, so you´d better get ready.
Peter:
I am.
The guy goes about his business and Peter takes a deep breath for courage. Sean gives him a friendly pad on the back.
Sean:
Why are you worried? There isn´t a car here that can hold a candle to yours, with all the work I´ve done on it for you.
Peter:
It´s not winning, that I´m worried about. You should get out of here.
Sean gets serious and looks him in the eyes.
Sean:
What aren´t you telling me?
Peter:
Trust me on this one, okay?
Sean can see that he´s serious and looks worried.
Sean:
Be careful. These aren´t the kind of guys, you want to mess with.
Peter:
It´s not that I want to, believe me!
Sean takes his word for it and makes himself scarce fast. Peter gets in his car and puts on the seatbelt, while preparing himself for what´s to come.
12. Int. Car. Evening.
Peter is gassing up his car, like the guy he´s about to race against does too. A pretty girl stands in front of them, holding up a flag in each hand. She lets them drop and the race is on! They don´t get very far down the street though, before a host of police cars block the road in front of them. The guy in the other car tries to turn fast to run from them, but they´re too fast for him and block him in. Peter looks relieved, that it´s over for now.
13. Int. Craig´s Apartment. Evening.
Craig opens the door to let Emma in.
Craig:
This is a nice surprise.
Emma:
I figured that we needed to talk, with how we ended things today.
He closes the door after her and they sit down on his couch.
Craig:
I was left feeling kind of puzzled afterwards. Did I do something to make you doubt in me?
Emma:
It´s not you, it´s me.
Craig gets up and starts pacing the room.
Craig:
I should have known that it was too good to be true!
Emma:
Craig, I´m not breaking up with you, so chill!
Craig:
You´re not?
She stands up and gives him a small kiss.
Emma:
But you can´t go planning our entire future together, when things are still so much up in the air. Calling me the one was nice to hear, but it also puts a ton of pressure on me, that I don´t need in my life at this time.
Craig:
I´ll keep that in mind. What you have to accept though, is that I will plan our future together, because I think that we´ll last.
Emma:
Can you keep those thoughts to yourself, at least for the foreseeable future?
Craig:
That I can do for you. I´m being such a girl about this, aren´t I?
She giggles.
Emma:
You are, but it´s cute.
Craig:
Emma, the last thing I want to do is chase you away. If it means putting a dampener on my expectations, that´s what I´ll do.
Emma:
That´s exactly what I wanted to hear!
They kiss and make up.
14. Int. Hallway. Day.
Emma and Manny are looking at the new vending machine, trying to find out what to buy.
Manny:
So many choices!
Emma:
Welcome to my life!
She puts a few coins in the slot and picks an apple.
Manny:
Good old predictable Emma!
Emma:
Aren´t you getting your usual gummy bears?
Manny:
You know me too well!
She puts a few coins in and gets her small bag of gummy bears and offers Emma one, but she shakes her head.
Emma:
I have enough issues without stuffing my body with that poison.
Manny:
But it´s delicious poison, Emma!
Emma:
I´ll still pass.
Manny:
Suit yourself.
She puts a few of them in her mouth and munches on them.
Manny:
What did you and Craig figure out?
Emma:
That he needs to let me breathe, before he starts planning everything for us and makes any more grand proclamations over how amazing I am.
Manny:
Most girls wouldn´t mind that.
Emma:
I guess that I´m not like most girls then!
They smile at each other and head off to class.
15. Int. Principal´s Office. Morning.
Sean is in the hot seat with Hatzilakos.
Hatzilakos:
I´m sure that I don´t have to tell you how incredibly irresponsible it was to fit Peter´s car with illegal parts.
Sean:
I needed the money to pay bills.
Hatzilakos:
Seeing as you live on your own, I can understand that. What you have to understand, is that I have to punish you for what you did.
Sean:
It´s fine. Am I suspended?
He braces himself for the worst.
Hatzilakos:
I would have suspended you, if I thought it would do you any good. Detention every day after school and every Saturday for the next month.
Sean looks relieved.
Sean:
Thanks. That´s very nice of you.
Hatzilakos:
You´re lucky that nothing bad happened to either of you. Have you learned your lesson?
Sean:
I think that´s safe to say.
Hatzilakos:
Then you´re excused.
He gets up from his seat and is about to leave.
Hatzilakos:
If you do anything like this again, I will suspend and possibly have to expell you. Consider the rest of your time here a probationary period.
He nods at her and leaves her to get back to her work.
16. Ext. Hallway. Day.
Sean comes out from Hatzilakos´ office, where Peter is waiting for him.
Peter:
I´m sorry, Sean.
Sean:
You got me fired from my job. Not to mention the enormous fine, that I´m sure to get for boosting up your car illegally.
He tries to walk away, but Peter follows him.
Peter:
You can find another one, can´t you?
Sean:
Doing what? Working on cars is the only thing, I´m any good at.
Peter:
You still need the extra money for food and stuff, don´t you?
Sean:
Leave me alone. You´ve done enough damage to my life, as it is.
Peter:
What if I could get you a job?
Sean stops walking and stares at him.
Sean:
What kind of job?
Peter smiles at him.
17. Int. The Dot. Evening.
Sean is in a "The Dot" T-shirt and is learning how to use the cash register from Jane.
Jane:
You press there, there and there and finish with pressing "Total". Easy as pie.
Sean:
Maybe to you, who´s done it a million times!
We cut to Peter and Mia, who are watching them from one of the tables.
Mia:
It was nice of you to convince them to give Sean your job.
Peter:
He needs it more than I do. It is a little worrying though, how little persuation it took!
Mia:
What did the police tell you?
Peter:
That I´d better keep a low profile and sell the car, in case someone recognizes it. Sean wasn´t kidding, when he said that those guys aren´t to be messed with.
Mia:
Are you sad, that you have to give it up?
Peter:
It means that I can replace the money I lost on that stock scam, so at least I won´t have to work anymore.
Mia:
You´re still a little sad over it, aren´t you?
Peter:
Yeah, I am. Those were a sweet set of wheels!
Mia:
Well, you still have me, even if you have to bum rides from you mom from now on.
Peter:
At the end of the day, that´s all I need.
He looks pleased that he got out of it alright, after all.
CLOSING CREDITS
THAT WAS THE LAST EPISODE YOU´LL GET THIS SIDE OF THE NEW YEAR. TO ALL OF YOU A HAPPY AND SAFE NEW YEAR´S FROM YOUR HUMBLE AUTHOR!