WHAT IF? - SEASON 4 EPISODE 18 - UNDER PRESSURE (PART 2)
THE PEOPLE HAVE SPOKEN AND IT´S TIME FOR THE ENDING OF THIS LITTLE PREGNANCY STORY. WELL, IT´S MORE LIKE ONE PERSON HAS SPOKEN, SINCE THERE WAS ONLY ONE VOTE CAST. WHICH IS DISAPPOINTING, BUT WHAT CAN YOU DO? THANKS TO THE ONE READER, WHO DID VOTE, BUT SINCE THE IDEA CAN ONLY BE CALLED AN ENORMOUS FLOP, IT WON´T BE SOMETHING I´LL EVER DO AGAIN. OF COURSE, YOU COULD STILL MAKE IT UP TO ME BY LEAVING A REVIEW ON THIS CHAPTER (HINT, HINT!).
THERE WAS ALSO AN EPISODE 17B THAT I RELEASED LAST FRIDAY, IN CASE YOU HADN´T NOTICED. ANYWAY, LET´S GET ON WITH WHY YOU´VE SURFED YOUR WAY ON HERE!
1. Ext. Church. Day.
Holly J has just done something, she doesn´t usually do. Attending Sunday church with Darcy.
Holly J:
That was a whole lot of nothing!
Darcy:
It didn´t give you peace of mind?
Holly J:
It made me wish, I was home in bed, sorry.
Darcy:
You don´t need to apologize. As long as you´re making the right decision, that´s the main thing.
Clare comes over to them.
Clare:
I´ll go straight over to Alli´s house, if that´s okay? I can catch a ride with Jenna and her brother.
Darcy:
Who´s this Jenna? Have I met her before?
Clare:
Just a girl, we go to school with. Is it cool?
Darcy:
That my 13 year old little sister rides off with two strangers, who I´ve never met? How would you respond to that, if you were me and knew that mom and dad would kill me, if I´m the reason that anything happened to you?
Clare sulks a little.
Clare:
I guess, I can see your point.
Holly J:
Go with them. I´ll catch a taxi home.
Darcy:
Are you sure?
Holly J:
Yeah, there´s no reason why one of us shouldn´t have an awesome day!
She smiles at Clare, who smiles back at her.
Holly J:
Have fun and say hi to Alli from me.
Clare:
What about Sav?
Holly J:
I don´t think, he wants to hear anything from me right at this moment!
OPENING CREDITS
2. Int. Hallway. Morning.
Holly J is closing her locker, when she sees Sav coming towards her. He completely ignores her, to her disappointment.
3. Int. Classroom. Morning.
Holly J is sitting next to Anya, while Sav sits by himself. They can´t help looking over at him, but he doesn´t look back at them. It´s worrying to them, but he´s staying stubborn on this.
4. Int. Hallway. Day.
Anya hurries to catch up with Sav, who doesn´t look all that interested in talking to her.
Anya:
How long are you gonna continue to take your anger out on me?
He stops walking to talk to her, but isn´t looking like he´s up for talking.
Sav:
You´ve chosen your side.
Anya:
This isn´t about choosing sides for me, Sav. It´s about helping a friend, who needs my help.
Sav:
And I don´t?
Anya:
You´re not the one with a kid growing inside of you.
Her response only serves to make him more annoyed and he stares her in the eyes.
Sav:
Is that what it comes down to? All of the years we were friends before we met her, don´t mean anything to you?
Anya:
You´re not being fair!
Sav:
I don´t care if I am or not. I´m officially done with the both of you!
He leaves her trying her best not start crying in front of everyone.
5. Int. Classroom. Day.
Jane comes over to her desk and is surprised to see a cinnamon muffin sitting on top of a piece of paper. She sits down and takes a bite of the muffin, which makes her go "Mmm", before reading what the note says.
It reads:
CAN WE BE FRIENDS AGAIN?
Jane (with a mouthful of delicious muffin) looks over at Darcy, who looks back at her pleadingly. Jane chews a few times and swallows, before nodding. Darcy looks relieved.
6. Int. Hallway. Day.
Darcy and Jane are talking after class.
Darcy:
I know that we don´t agree on everything, but it doesn´t mean, we can´t still be friends, does it?
Jane:
The problem isn´t that we don´t agree on this! It´s that you guilt tripped her into making a decision, when it should have been her choice and only her choice!
Darcy:
If I did, then it was only for her own good. She would have made the wrong decision, if I hadn´t done anything.
Jane:
The wrong decision according to you! You´ve never even had sex, Darcy, so who are you to tell anyone what to do in this situation?
Darcy looks annoyed, that Jane brought it up.
Darcy:
That has nothing to do with it!
Jane:
It does because you have no idea what kind of feelings go along with it or why you won´t want to be constantly reminded, that it happened, when you wish, it hadn´t. If she has that child, it won´t matter how much money her family has. Her life will forever be changed and all because some girl, who pretended to be her friend, had to get her way. If I´d been that other girl, I don´t know how I could live with myself.
Jane leaves her to think about it.
7. Int. The Dot. Day.
Holly J and Anya are having comfort burgers and fries, but neither of them are eating much. Anya especially looks depressed.
Holly J:
Maybe they have a replacement cook on today. It doesn´t taste the same as usual.
Anya:
It´s because there´s an ingredient missing. A guy with brown skin and a big heart, who used to be my best friend.
Holly J gives up on eating any more and looks Anya in the eyes.
Holly J:
Seriously, Anya, why don´t you hate me? If I hadn´t weaseled my way into yours and Sav´s lives, everything would still be great.
Anya:
You didn´t weasel your way in. We took you in out of sheer pity.
Holly J:
That makes it so much better!
Anya:
At first, I didn´t want to give you a second chance, after the horrible first impression you made on me. We both know that Sav is way too nice to not help someone, who needs it.
Holly J:
Even a stranger, who had done everything she could to scare him off.
Anya:
I´ve always thought that him and me would be friends for our entire lives, until we end up old and playing Petanque in the old folk´s home.
They smile sadly, when thinking about it.
Holly J:
Petanque can be a three person game, right?
Anya:
It could have been.
She looks depressed again. Holly J feels terrible, that it´s her fault that this is happening to Anya.
8. Int. Darcy´s Room. Evening.
Darcy is helping Clare cram for finals (in good time, but this is Clare we´re talking about!). Darcy is holding an I-Pad that has an on-line quiz on it.
Darcy:
Which state was the last to join the United States?
Clare:
Alaska in 1959. No wait ... Hawaii joined seven moths later!
Darcy:
You managed to save it, you little nerd! Let´s check out your final score ... an impressive 49 out of 50!
Clare:
I can´t believe that I confused Calcium for Kalium!
Darcy:
If it´s on the final test, now you know which is which. There´s more of them here, if you feel like it. What about this one on Ancient Egypt, huh? Maybe I´ve finally found a subject, you don´t know every fact about!
Clare smiles and looks flattered.
Clare:
You could find a million things, I don´t know the first thing about.
Darcy:
You, the girl who knows everything?
Clare:
I don´t know what I´d do, if I´d been in Holly J´s situation. It´s one thing to know the things books can prepare you for, but how do you prepare for that?
Darcy:
I guess, you can´t.
Clare:
What do think, you would have done?
Darcy:
The bible is against abortion, so it wouldn´t be a question for me.
Clare:
I don´t think, I could do it. I mean, I know that I´m only thirteen and it will be a few years at least until it becomes something, that could happen, but if it would mean that I couldn´t fulfill my dreams, because I had a baby to take care of ... in that case and as much as it hurts me to say it, I would get an abortion.
Darcy looks surprised.
Darcy:
I thought that you of anyone, would be on my side on this.
Clare:
It´s not about sides or what you or me thinks anyone should do, Darcy. It´s about doing what´s best for them here and now. That´s my opinion, anyway.
Darcy takes in what Clare said.
9. Int. Hallway. Day.
Sav comes walking up the hallway, but is intercepted by Holly J. He tries to ignore her, but this time she won´t be and gets in his way.
Holly J:
It´s time to grow up and stop behaving like kid, Sav!
Sav:
Why should I waste my breath on you, when you clearly don´t care what I want or think?
He tries to get past her, but she won´t let him, even if it means that he´s pushing her backwards.
Holly J:
You´re gonna talk to me, whether you like it or not!
Thanks to his pushing, she loses her balance and almost falls on her butt, but me manages to grab her arm and save her from it. It´s a fortunate accident, since it makes him a little concerned for her, as he helps her to stand up.
Holly J:
Thanks!
Sav:
You can thank my reflexes!
Holly J:
I hate everything that´s happened and I hate myself for how I´ve played with your emotions throughout all of this, but don´t take it out on Anya. She´s really torn up that you´re not talking and it´s only making me feel many times worse, than I already did.
He takes in her apology and the nice guy in his tells him to take it.
Sav:
At least you´re honest about it. Are you sure, it´s what you want?
Holly J:
What I want is for the three of us to be friends again, like we were before all of this went down.
Sav:
I do too, but you didn´t answer my question.
Seeing as honesty might be her last option, she looks him in the eyes.
Holly J:
I want to have an abortion, but I don´t know if I can deal with the guilt afterwards.
Sav:
Guilt aside, don´t you think it´s what we should do then?
She nods in agreement.
Holly J:
I have the number of a clinic on my speed dial. I´ll give them a call.
Sav looks relieved.
10. Ext. Degrassi. Day.
Holly J is leaving school for the day with Sav and Anya, but is met by Darcy, who´s got her friendly face on.
Darcy:
It´s nice to see, that you´ve all become friends again! Can I talk to you for a sec, Holly J?
Holly J:
Yeah, sure. You guys go ahead, I´ll meet you down there.
Anya and Sav leave them.
Darcy:
Going to the Dot?
Holly J:
To celebrate us being on the same page again.
Darcy:
That´s ...
Holly J:
Look, before you say any more, hear me out. This isn´t the time for me or Sav to become parents, for a variety of reasons, that I don´t feel like I have to explain to you.
Darcy gets the message and her smile fades.
Darcy:
Are you saying, what I think you´re saying?
Holly J:
I´ve already booked an appointment at a clinic close to here for tomorrow. If you don´t like it, that´s too bad, but it´s my decision to make, not yours.
Darcy:
You´re gonna regret it! Mark my words!
Holly J:
Even if I do, it won´t be any of your business.
Holly J hurries away from her, not wanting to discuss it any further.
11. Ext. Street. Day.
Darcy passes by The Dot and looks inside through the windows. She sees Holly J having a good time with Anya and Sav and wonders to herself, if that being the case is such a bad thing.
12. Int. Church. Evening.
Darcy is spending her evening in church, trying to find some sort of guidance. There aren´t many other people in there, only a few of them scattered around. What looks like a priest comes over and sits down next to her.
Priest:
Miss Edwards, what brings you here tonight, if I may ask?
Darcy:
I have a dilemma, Father.
Priest:
Those can be tricky. What is God telling you?
Darcy:
Not really anything.
The priest smiles at her response.
Priest:
He doesn´t always speak back to me either. It´s not only you.
Darcy smiles back at him.
Darcy:
Father, I know that the bible tells us to cast aside sinners, but it also tells us to help those in need. If a sinner is in need, shouldn´t we still help them then?
Priest:
The bible is an amazing book with many answers for life´s great questions. What people often fail to do however, is read between the lines to get it´s true message. That love and compassion for our fellow man goes above everything else. What goes hand in hand with those things is forgiveness, like Jesus forgiving his killers and those who had tuned their backs on him.
Darcy:
Jesus lived in a completely different time from us.
Priest:
There´s no denying that, but if the good book allowed him to forgive them for that, I can´t see any reason why it shouldn´t let you forgive someone, who needs your help. If anything, I believe that God would frown far more upon it, if you did nothing to help them.
Darcy:
Even though I feel in my heart, that they´re about to make a huge mistake?
Priest:
"Let he, who is without sin, cast the first stone". Can you say, that is you?
Darcy shakes her head.
Priest:
In that case, I think you´ll find that understanding is the way forward, miss Edwards.
Darcy nods in understanding.
13. Int. Classroom. Day.
The Juniors are having sex ed with Miss Kwan as their teacher.
Miss Kwan:
While I´m well aware, that many of are sexually active and think that you know most of these things already, there´s still sure to be things you don´t know about. Today however, we start with the number one side effect of having sex. That old devil: Pregnancy. It seems that either people can´t get pregnant or get pregnant too easily. What are the most common ways of preventing it?
Many hands go up and Jane is pointed out.
Jane:
Using contraceptives, like condoms for instance.
Miss Kwan:
They´re a popular choice.
She points out Peter, who´s sitting next to Danny.
Peter:
If you´re a guy, you can get a Vasectomy. My dad decided to have one, after him and my mom had me, because he knew that he didn´t want to have more kids.
Danny:
Honestly, who can´t blame him?
Danny gets a good laugh from the class and a hard punch on the shoulder from Peter in return.
Miss Kwan:
Do I need to send you two to the principal´s office again?
Peter/Danny:
No, miss Kwan.
Miss Kwan:
Any other options?
Only Darcy raises her hand and is pointed out.
Darcy:
Abstinence. It surprises me, that no one else has mentioned it.
Miss Kwan:
It´s an alternative.
Several hands go up and she points Danny out.
Danny:
In the world, the rest of us live in, if you´re not satisfying your girl, she´ll find someone who will.
Peter:
If anyone should know, it´s him!
This time Peter gets the laugh for his comeback and it almost ends in a brawl between the two friends. Darcy looks disappointed though, that the others dismissed her suggestion so quickly and their laughter feels like it´s mocking her personally. Jane looks over at her and feels sorry for her.
14. Int. Hallway. Day.
Darcy comes out first, but Jane is right behind her.
Jane:
Can we talk, Darce?
Darcy turns to face her.
Darcy:
What´s there to talk about? Clearly, I´m some sort of remnant from the past, who´s the only that still sees waiting until I´m married as an option!
Jane:
Being a little old fashioned now and again isn´t a bad thing. Anyway, you need to do what´s best for you, so who cares what everyone else thinks?
Jane´s words seem to help a little, as they wait for rest of their classmates to quickly pass them by, so they can speak in peace.
Jane:
It´s not like I was fast out of the block either and I wouldn´t have done it, if it hadn´t felt right. I was just lucky enough to find a guy, it does with. You will too before you know it.
Darcy:
You really think that any guy will want some prude, who won´t put out? We´re not in grade eight anymore, Jane!
Jane smiles kindly at her.
Jane:
Sex is just one part of a relationship. I wouldn´t worry too much, if I were you.
Darcy:
The more I´ve been thinking about it, the more I´m starting to see that you were right, when it comes to Holly J. I need to butt out and mind my own business.
Jane:
Have you thought of being a friend to her?
Darcy:
Do you think, she wants my friendship? When you think about it, this all started with me breaking up with Sav back at that Diwali party.
Jane:
Is there any better way for it to come full circle then, than for you to be there for her, when the final exclamation point on her and Sav´s relationship is written?
Darcy thinks about it and shakes her head.
15. Ext. Abortion Clinic. Day.
Holly J is standing in front of the abortion clinic, staring at the entrance while trying to work up the courage to go in.
Holly J (to herself):
You can do this!
Someone comes walking up to her. She´s annoyed to see that it´s Darcy.
Holly J:
If you´re here to lay another guilt trip on me ...
Darcy:
Would it change anything, if I did?
Holly J:
It´s not likely to.
Darcy:
I figured that Sav and Anya would be here.
Holly J:
I told them that it was fine, if they dropped me off and picked me up when it was over. A decision, I´m regretting more with every moment, that goes by.
Darcy:
Why aren´t you in there?
Holly J:
I´ve been standing here for the past half hour asking myself that same question.
Darcy:
Holly J, I was raised in a place, where things seemed very black and white. Everyone was more or less the same and had more or less the same values driven into them, from the time they were born. My parents have always told me and my sister that good people lived according to the bible and the norms of that small society. I don´t like to talk bad about them, but they were wrong. The world isn´t black and white, when you´re the one, who´s facing those grand dilemmas.
She manages to get a small smile out of Holly J.
Darcy:
Truth be told, I don´t know if I wouldn´t make the same decision, had it been myself. I can guarantee you one thing though: Sex before marriage is officially out of the question!
Holly J:
I´ll be taking an extended break from it after this. So far, all it´s brought me is one problem after another. First with Craig and now this.
Darcy offers Holly J her hand and after staring surprised at it for a few moments, she takes it.
Darcy:
You won´t get that baby out of your belly by standing out here.
Holly J:
What if this something I´ll forever regret?
Darcy:
Then you suck it up and go on living. No matter what you would have chosen, it´s always been the only option, you had.
Holly J:
You won´t hate me for it?
Darcy smiles warmly at her and shakes her head. The girls head inside.
16. Int. Sav´s Room. Evening.
Holly J is enjoying a movie night with not only Anya and Sav, but also Jane, Darcy, Alli and Clare.
Jane:
Your parents don´t mind you having this many girls in your room, Sav?
Sav:
They would worry more, if it had been one!
Anya:
Unless it´s me.
Sav:
Yeah, they stopped caring years ago, whenever Anya comes over.
Alli:
Just imagine of all the things, you could get away with!
Sav:
The thought that you´ll be starting high school in four months is scary!
Holly J:
Take it from me, girls. You don´t want to rush into something on your first day there!
Darcy:
You won´t go looking for a boyfriend, first chance you get, will you, Clare?
Clare:
Ah, ah! Boys are just a distraction.
Jane:
It´ll be interesting to see, if you still feel that way a year from now!
We hear music coming from the TV, signalling that the movie is over. Darcy is the first to stand up.
Darcy:
It´s time, we headed home, Clare. Say goodnight to your BFF.
Clare:
Nightie night, Alli.
Alli:
You too, Clare. Get home safely.
Jane:
Can I catch a ride with you guys?
Darcy:
Yeah, sure.
Jane:
Bye, guys! Thanks for a nice evening.
Holly J:
Bye!
The others leave them and Alli stands up too.
Alli:
It´s my bedtime too. Are you sure, you´re okay, Holly J?
Holly J:
You´re kind to ask, but really, I´m fine. Go and catch some Z´s.
Sav:
Or do I need to chase you out?
Alli:
You guys aren´t gonna have a threesome, the moment I leave, are you?
Sav:
Get out of here!
Alli runs off giggling.
Anya:
Why do I have a feeling that "Alli Bhindari in High School" will be a story for the ages?
Sav:
She´ll end up putting all of us to shame!
Anya:
But seriously Holly J, if something is wrong, I want you to tell us.
Holly J:
I´m fine, I guess. What I want most is to put it behind me and move on.
Sav:
As friends?
They smile at each other and fist bump.
Holly J:
As friends.
She looks happy with how it all turned out.
CLOSNG CREDITS