WHAT IF? - SEASON 6 EPISODE 1 - LET´S TALK ABOUT SEX
IT´S TIME FOR A NEW SEASON TO BEGIN AND THIS SEASON, THE EPISODES WILL BE NAMED AFTER OLD SCHOOL HIP-HOP SONGS FROM THE 80´S TO THE EARLY 2000´S, STARTING OFF WITH ONE OF THE ONLY SONGS THAT I CAN STILL CLOSE TO RAP ALL THE WORDS TO, BY THE QUEENS OF RAP THEMSELVES, SALT N´ PEPA (AND DJ SPINDERELLA OF COURSE, EVEN IF HER NAME WASN´T INCLUDED IN THE BAND NAME).
IF YOU HAVEN´T FIGURED IT OUT ALREADY, THIS IS AN EPISODE THAT IS VERY OPEN ABOUT SEX AND ESPECIALLY THE FEELINGS SURROUNDING IT, SO IT´S DEFINITELY BORDERLINE AS FAR AS THE T RATING GOES, JUST SO YOU´RE WARNED. TO CELEBRATE THE BEGINNING OF THE NEW SEASON, IT´S ALSO TWICE AS LONG AS A NORMAL EPISODE.
PART OF THE CREDIT FOR THIS EPISODE ALSO HAS TO GO TO MY WRITING PARTNER BORIS YELTSIN, WHO HELPED ME IN PUTTING IT TOGETHER. I HOPE YOU´LL ENJOY IT.
1. Int. Degrassi Hallway. Morning.
Manny and Jay have both just arrived for their first workday after the Christmas/New Year´s vacation.
Manny:
Ah, back to work again!
Jay:
I bet that you´ve actually been looking forward to it!
She smiles it off, making him even more interested.
Jay:
That can either mean one of two things. Either you had a sucky vacation or you genuinely love your job.
Manny:
It wasn´t option number one, I can tell you that much!
Jay:
Did you remember to say a silent thanks to old Jay here, that he did his part to make it a merry Christmas for the Santos family?
Manny:
I would have, if you had asked me to!
They see Marisol standing outside of Manny´s office, waiting for her to arrive.
Jay:
Your first customer is already here. What´s your guess, that she wants to talk to you about?
Manny:
I have no idea, but I guess that I´m about to find out!
Jay:
If it´s because she has incurable crush on your´s truly, let her down easy on my behalf.
Manny:
If that´s why she´s here, then I´ll buy you a steak dinner!
Jay:
You´re on!
They smile at one another and go their separate ways, as he heads off to do his job, while Manny walks over to Marisol.
2. Int. Manny´s Office. Morning.
Manny is sitting across from Marisol.
Manny:
I´m guessing that you have something, you need to talk about?
Marisol:
Good guess!
Manny:
That´s why they pay me the big bucks. Because I´m a really good guesser, when it come to guessing the obvious!
Marisol smiles at her joke.
Manny:
So, what´s on your mind ... ?
Marisol:
Marisol.
Manny:
Marisol, got it. What do you need to talk about?
Marisol:
When is the right time to start having sex?
Manny smiles warmly at her.
Manny:
Believe or not, Marisol, you´re not the first girl to ask me that, since I started working here. Do you have a boyfriend?
Marisol:
His name is Eli. We´ve been a couple for close to a year now.
Manny:
Is he pressuring you into it?
Marisol shakes her head.
Marisol:
Not at all! He´s been the perfect gentleman and he´s always respected my limits. I feel ready inside to have sex with him, but I´ve also heard that it leads some couples to break up, if the sex part doesn´t work between them.
Manny:
That is true, I´m afraid. For others though, it only leads them closer together. It´s one of those things you can´t say for sure, until you´ve tried it. The only thing you can do is trust your heart and if you´re in love with him and you feel like you´re ready, then it can´t hurt to try. Just make sure you use protection!
Marisol looks like she got the answer she wanted to hear.
3. Int. Manny and JT´s Room. Evening.
Manny and JT are in bed together. She´s snuggled up in his arms and basking in afterglow.
Manny:
Those kids are so lucky to have me! I wish I´d had a cool guidance counsellor, who was close to my own age, when I was in high school.
JT:
Would you have done anything differently?
Manny:
I probably would have with some things. We probably would have ended up together sooner, for one thing.
JT:
No Craig to get in the way?
Manny:
If had adviced my own 14 year old self at that point, I would have helped her to make smarter choices. Like waiting with sex, until you´re older than I was.
JT:
When do you think someone is old enough?
Manny:
Not at 14, I can tell you that from personal experience! I would say that 15 is the minimum age.
JT:
That young?
Manny:
Wasn´t that the age you were, when you and Paige did it for the first time?
JT:
Yeah, but I´m a guy. We´re generally ready earlier, than you girls are.
Manny:
Not all the time. Take the girl, who came to see me today, an adorable African American girl named Marisol, who I would guess is fifteen or sixteen. When she asked me if she should try it with her boyfriend, I told her that if she´s in love and feels ready for it, then she is.
JT:
You´re not the tiniest bit worried, that you just cost her a boyfriend?
Manny:
Why would you think that?
JT:
If they´re both virgins, then the chances of it being great for both of them isn´t that big. You have to admit that.
Manny:
Okay, I do.
JT:
What if it ends up being a huge disappointment for both of them? I was lucky that the ones I had to live up to were Spinner and Craig, so that both you and Paige knew to have realistic expectations. Your first time is an event that you´ve built up in your mind for years, before it finally happens. Plus we know how fragile teenage relationships are in the first place. If it goes wrong for them, she´ll most likely blame you for it.
Manny now starts to worry a little.
OPENING CREDITS
4. Int. Manny´s Office. Day.
Manny has an upset Marisol sitting across from her.
Marisol:
That advice you gave me was the worst!
Manny:
If you don´t mind me asking, what went wrong? Because if it´s because it ended earlier than you expected it to, that´s something you´ll likely have to get used to in the beginning!
Marisol:
When never even got that far! I started going further with him than we usually do and he ... couldn´t. It was completely limp in my hands, like I was holding an uncooked sausage! I´ve never felt so unwanted in my life!
Manny:
You´re not the first one to experience that.
Marisol:
Has it ever happened to you?
Manny gets a little uncomfortable at the question.
Manny:
That´s a little personal ...
Marisol:
Well, has it?
Manny:
No, but ...
Marisol has heard enough and stands up.
Marisol:
Here I thought that you would be like the cool older sister, I´ve never had. Turns out that you´re just like all the other adults at this school. You don´t understand anymore, what it´s like to be a teenager!
Marisol storms out of there and slams the door behind herself.
Manny:
Not like she does apparently!
Manny shakes her head at her own mistake.
5. Int. Hallway. Day.
Eli is talking to Mo, when Marisol (who´s still a bit worked up) storms past them without even looking at them.
Mo:
Am I the only one of us, who felt a chill, as she passed by?
Eli:
She´s mad at me.
Mo:
Must mean that it´s Monday again!
Eli:
It doesn´t happen that often! This time she kind of has a right to.
Mo:
What did you do?
Eli:
It´s more what I didn´t do, that´s the issue.
Mo tries to grasp what Eli meant, but can´t.
Mo:
Huh?
Eli:
Yesterday, she wanted to and I ... couldn´t perform.
Mo tries his best not to laugh, but has to let out a chuckle at least.
Mo:
Any idea why your soldier refused to stand at attention?
Eli:
It´s not funny, when it´s you it´s happening to, Mo!
Mo:
Sorry, I´ll try not to make anymore jokes or little remarks. So why did little Eli not want to visit little Marisol?
Eli gives him an annoyed look.
Mo:
That was the last one, I promise!
Eli:
Remember my ex-girlfriend Julia, the one that killed herself?
Mo:
You´ve mentioned her a time or twenty.
Eli:
A few weeks before she ended her own life, we made a pact. That we would be one another´s first.
Mo:
Wouldn´t you agree that pact is annulled, thanks to her ... not being available anymore, unless you´re ready to dig about six feet and go well above and beyond what´s expected of a teenage boyfriend?
Eli:
I wouldn´t expect you to understand!
Mo:
I´m trying to, really!
Eli:
When we started getting more physical, it popped into my head and I couldn´t stop thinking about it. It made me disgusted with myself, that I here I was with this amazing girl, who´s everything I could ever want as my first, but I wasn´t there with her in spirit. She deserves better than that.
Mo nods in understanding.
Mo:
You really are a sweet guy, Eli. Not that I swing that way, but if I did then I would want to date you.
He gets a small smile out of Eli.
Mo:
So you try again and perhaps this time, you won´t think about your dead ex! What´s stopping you?
Eli:
Her not wanting to talk to me right now for one!
Eli looks frustrated at his predicament.
6. Int. Katie´s Room. Evening.
Katie has Marisol over for a visit.
Katie:
Before I met Riley, I thought that guys could always get it up, when they wanted to. I don´t know why, I´ve just always assumed that was how it was!
Marisol:
In the beginning with me and Eli, sometimes all it took was me touching him and voila, the little fella was ready to go!
Katie:
Riley´s doesn´t, when we kiss.
Marisol:
Not at all? Like not even the tiniest bit?
Katie:
According to him, to some it happens easily, where as other guys like him have to work for it. How big it is plays a big part, because the the bigger it is, the more blood they need to get flowing out into it, before it gets hard.
Marisol:
I guess we can call the myth that all guys wish they had a huge one to rest then!
Katie:
He told me that a lot of guys with really big ones wish they had a smaller one, because it´s close to impossible for them to get hard enough to have sex without using Viagra and even then they can´t be sure, that it´ll work.
Marisol:
I had no idea! It makes sense though.
Katie:
Riley never minds talking about dongs! I´ve learned a lot from him already and we haven´t even gotten to the fun stuff ourselves yet. With how slow we´re going, I´ll be an expert on his junk before I´ve seen it for the first time.
Marisol looks like she believes her.
Marisol:
The penis is a very complicated organ, when you think about it!
Katie:
Yeah, that´s what we think and we don´t even have one!
Marisol:
What do you think it´s like to have one of those things hanging between your legs, like a little snitch that gives you away when you get horny enough?
Katie:
I can´t even imagine it!
Marisol:
I´d like to try what it´s like, just for a day.
Katie:
So you can try what it´s like for a guy to jerk off?
Marisol:
I´m not saying that I wouldn´t try it, now that I had the once in a lifetime chance to!
Katie:
Yeah, I probably would too along with scratching my balls!
They smile at one another.
Marisol:
This has turned into a very weird conversation!
Katie:
Do you think our moms talked to their girlfriends, when they were our age, like we just did?
Marisol:
Probably. Sex has been an obsession for mankind, ever since the first caveman and cavewoman looked at one another and thought to themselves "I wonder what will happen if we try to put that stick like thing he has between his legs into the hole, she has between her legs". Or it could have been Adam and Eve, who were seduced into doing it by a snake, depending on which story you believe.
Katie:
You don´t think they knew how to do it instinctively, like animals do?
Marisol:
I can´t say. All I know is that Eli either isn´t finding me attractive anymore or he could be secretly gay, which I´ve always suspected a little with his whole love of the theater in mind, I gotta admit. Then again, it hasn´t been a problem before, so ...
Katie:
There´s probably another good reason, that you don´t know about.
Marisol:
There could be. That he wants to save his first time for someone, he´s sure that he´s in love with.
Katie:
Eli loves you, I´m sure of it!
Marisol:
Maybe he does, but just not enough to want to share one of the biggest experiences of his life with me. I don´t know which is worst.
Katie:
Have you tried talking to him about it?
Marisol:
It was so embarrassing for both of us, that I hurried out of there. If he doesn´t think that I´m good enough for him, then I´ll have find someone, who will.
Katie looks sad on Marisol´s behalf, none the wiser that her own situation is worse.
7. Int. Janitor´s Closet. Day.
Jay is looking for something among the supplies, the school has stored in there. Manny pops up in the doorway.
Manny:
Are you working or reliving old memories?
He turns around to look at her with confusion on his face.
Jay:
How did you know about that?
Manny:
I didn´t. but it was an easy guess!
She giggles a little.
Jay:
Working, sadly. It´s been a long time since I had a girl with me in here.
She takes a step into the Janitor´s Closet, so that she is technically inside it now.
Manny:
Not anymore.
Jay:
If you´ve come here to make out with me, not that I can blame you, I think that Ellie would have an objection or two to it!
Manny:
You don´t think JT would? Anyway, that´s not why I´m here. I need a guy´s perspective on something and you happened to be the first one, that came to mind. You´re also the only guy working here right now, who doesn´t still vividly remember the 80´s!
Jay still looks a little proud, that she would come to him for advice.
Jay:
After flattery like that, how can I say no? What´s it about?
Manny:
Sex.
Jay:
JT isn´t getting it done and needs some pointers, huh?
Manny:
No! I´m perfectly happy in that department.
Jay:
I´m glad, because that talk would have been all kinds of weird for both of us!
Manny:
Is there any particular reason, you can think of, why a guy wouldn´t be able to get an erection?
He bats an eye at her question and she looks a little embarrassed to have had to ask him.
Jay:
You´re still sure, this isn´t you that we´re "secretly" talking about?
Manny:
It´s about the girl, who came to see me this morning. Her and her boyfriend tried to and he ... couldn´t get it up.
Jay:
How old is this kid?
Manny:
15, I think.
Jay:
I never had that problem, when I was his age!
Manny:
Did you know anyone, who did? She´s really mad at me, because they don´t know how to deal with what happened and I still want to help her, the best I can.
Jay takes a moment to consider it.
Jay:
Stress could be a factor or maybe it´s plain old performance anxiety. I know from myself, how desperate I was to impress the first girl I was with and how deeply scared I was, that she would end up telling her girlfriends, that it had been awful for her.
Manny:
Here I thought, girls were the only ones, who were afraid of that.
Jay:
Are you kidding? It´s every teenage boy´s worst nightmare, that you pull a "Jim", especially with the first girl, you´re about to have sex with.
Manny:
As in the guy from "American Pie"?
Jay:
Bingo! It´s probably all of the stress and anxiety over that could go wrong, that´s why his Ding-A-Ling pulled a "Scared Turtle" on him!
Manny:
I could have him come in to talk to me, but my guess is that having to talk to his guidance counsellor about why his Anaconda didn´t want none is probably his second worst fear right now, after having to discuss it with his mom!
Jay:
I can try to have a talk with the kid, if it´s that big of a problem for you.
She looks pleased.
Manny:
You would put yourself through something that embarrassing for my sake?
Jay:
Friends help one another out, don´t they?
Manny:
Yeah, I guess they do! His name is Eli. You can look him up in last year´s yearbook, if you need to find out what he looks like first.
Jay:
I´ll get to it later today. Now if I could only find that damn cleaning solvent, that I know has to be in here somewhere!
Manny:
Like the kind on the shelf right behind you?
He turns around and smiles to himself.
Jay:
I guess it is true that sometimes you can´t see the forest for all of the trees, that are in the way!
He picks up a bottle of it from the shelf. Manny is clearly starting to like Jay more and more with each passing day, from the way she´s looking at him and not only in a friend way.
8. Int. Auditorium. Day.
Eli is in there by himself and is in deep thought, as he looks up at the stage from the floor right in front of it. Jay comes in with his mop and bucket and Eli turns his head to look at him.
Eli:
I´ll get out of here in a moment.
Jay:
You´re not talking to the cops, so take it easy! I won´t kick you out of here, until I have to lock up for the day.
Eli:
Thanks.
Jay comes over to him and sticks his hand out. Eli shakes it.
Jay:
I´m Jay.
Eli:
Eli.
Jay:
You´re the theater Wunderkind, I´ve heard about?
Eli:
That´s what some call me, although I can´t say it feels that way right now.
Jay:
Why not?
Eli:
The best plays come from the passion, that the writer has within him or herself. My passion has gone and walked out on me.
Jay smiles knowingly.
Jay:
What´s her name?
Eli:
Am I that easy to read?
Jay:
You are right now.
Eli smiles to himself.
Eli:
Marisol.
Jay:
It´s pretty. Does she have the looks to match that pretty name?
Eli:
Like you wouldn´t believe! I can´t think of a single girl in the entire world, who´s more beautiful to me than her.
Jay:
It sounds to me, like you´re in love.
Eli:
Up to both ears and above.
Jay:
Why aren´t you with her right now, in stead of standing here staring at an empty stage?
Eli:
I´ve been trying to visualize our next play. I can´t say that I´ve had much luck, no matter how many times I try.
Jay:
So that´s why they wanted me to give the stage a scrub down. Eli, do you what the peak of idiocy is?
Eli smiles and shakes his head.
Jay:
To try the exact same thing over and over again, thinking that you´ll get a different result.
Eli:
There´s a big hint of truth to that statement, that can´t be denied.
Jay:
Do you know what number two is?
Eli:
No idea!
Jay:
To let a girlfriend go, that you´re sure that you´re in love with, without fighting for her first.
Eli nods in understanding.
Eli:
For a janitor, you´re pretty clever, Jay. Maybe you should be the one, who´s teaching us.
Jay:
The only subjects I could teach are advanced pick pocketing and selling dope 101! I´m always ready to dish out of whatever limited wisdom I have, when it comes to girls however, to those who seem like they´re deserving of it. Not to brag, but I have tried a thing or two.
Eli:
I probably won´t come to you with any of that stuff. No offense, Jay, you´re a nice guy, but we hardly know each other.
Jay:
Sometimes it´s easier to talk to an outsider about these things. Isn´t that the main reason why people pay a fortune to go to shrinks?
Eli considers it for a moment and has to agree with him.
Eli:
I should get home. It´s been fun talking to you, you´re not like most adults are.
Jay:
I´m still a kid at heart! Good luck with your girlfriend, Eli.
Eli:
Thanks. I´m pretty sure, that I´m gonna need it!
Jay:
If you need to talk, I´m not hard to find. I promise you that the only ones I´ll tell are people, who haven´t got a clue, who you are. Basically people, to whom it´s useless information.
They smile at each other and Eli heads out, while Jay prepares to get to work. Once Eli has left, Jay sighs to himself.
Jay (to himself):
How did you become this crazy about Manny, that you´re willing to do anything to make her smile? Life sure works in crazy ways sometimes!
He ponders it, as he gets to work.
9. Ext. Eli´s House. Evening.
Marisol has come over to talk and they have an awkward moment, when their eyes meet as Eli comes out to join her. None of them say anything for the first seconds afterwards.
Eli:
I´m guessing that you´re here to talk about "that".
Marisol:
What happened, Eli?
Eli:
It had nothing to do with you, it was all me.
Marisol doesn´t look too happy with his answer.
Marisol:
Is that another way of saying, that you don´t like me as much, as you used to?
Eli:
You have that all wrong!
Marisol:
What am I supposed to think? Here I practically offer myself to you, only to find out that you don´t really want me.
Eli:
I do! It´s just ... I wish, I could explain it to you!
Marisol:
Or is it that you don´t think I´m worthy of being your first?
Eli:
It´s nothing like that! I love you, Marisol!
Marisol:
Just not enough to want to share one of the biggest experiences of your life with me. I get it, you don´t need to say any more.
She starts to walk away from him and he looks frustrated at not being able to tell her the truth.
10. Int. Joey and Caitlin´s House. Evening.
Julia has a little friend over and they´re chasing one another around with faces filled with childish glee, while Manny and Caitlin are trying to watch TV.
Manny:
Don´t run too fast, Honey! I don´t want you to get hurt!
Julia:
Okay, mom!
Julia and her little friend run out of the living room.
Manny:
I´m such a mother bear, aren´t I?
Caitlin:
A little, yeah.
Manny:
What am I gonna do, when she becomes a teenager and I start worrying over everything, she does?
Caitlin:
You´ll be more used to it by then. Thankfully, they don´t grow up from day to day.
Manny:
Can you guess what the number one word that scares me is, when it comes to Julia?
Caitlin:
Sex?
Manny:
She´ll be ready to start doing it, long before I´ll be ready to hear about her doing it! I want everything to be perfect for her and that includes a much better first time, than I had. The thought alone, that in ten years she´ll be the one lying on a dirty old couch with a guy who´s cheating on his girlfriend like I did, is enough to make me feel a little sick.
Caitlin:
You might as well face it, Manny. You´ve become the type of mom that Hallmark and Lifetime movies are made for! The positive news is that you´re far from alone in it.
Manny:
There´s this one girl, fifteen years old, who came to me for counselling. Reminded me so much of myself at that age. She asked me if she was ready to have sex with her boyfriend and I told her, what I knew she wanted to hear. Now it´s blown up in both mine and her face and I feel like I´m the one, who´s to blame for it.
Caitlin:
Sex will always be an issue, whether you´re having it or not. It´s one of those universal truths, that you can´t deny no matter where in the world you live. It´s only the views on it that change from place to place.
Manny:
I guess that if anyone would know, it´s you. You can´t tell me that there isn´t a little part of you that still wishes, you would have Joey´s first.
Caitlin:
Nah. I only would have done it for his sake. That I got the chance in stead to wait a few years, until I actually did feel ready for it, has to be one of the best lucky accidents, I´ve had. Sure, it wasn´t with my first love, but that didn´t make it any less special, because it was still with a guy, I was in love with at the time.
Manny:
That´s the big question, isn´t it? When are you ready to have sex?
Caitlin:
I can´t give you a definitive answer. What I can tell you for sure, is that you have to try to help this girl get her boyfriend back. Otherwise we both know, that it´ll be on your mind for a long time to come.
Manny has to nod in agreement.
11. Ext. Degrassi. Morning.
Jay is doing some work outside, while the students are arriving. It´s clear that many of the older high school girls like the way he looks and he gets his share of dirty looks from some of them, that he smiles off. Manny comes over to him.
Manny:
Morning, Jay. Did you talk to Eli?
Jay:
I did. If everything goes according to my plan and why wouldn´t it, he´ll be begging her to take him back before the end of the day.
Manny:
You´re forgetting that it takes two to Tango! If she still isn´t over it, then it could be a wasted effort on your part. I still appreciate it though, don´t get me wrong!
Jay:
He´s a good kid. It´s my pleasure.
Manny:
I mean it, Jay. Almost everyone I knew thought the worst about you back in school and I´m deeply ashamed now to say that I was one of them, when I didn´t know you at all.
Jay:
Don´t sweat it. I only knew you as "That girl, Sean´s on/off hangs out with".
They smile at one another and don´t notice Marisol catching a glimpse of it and smiling to herself, as she heads towards the school.
Manny:
I was completely wrong about you, okay? That´s basically what I was trying to say.
Jay:
You´re not too bad yourself, Santos. If I could go back, then I definitely would have taken the time to get to know you.
Manny:
Same here. If you had played your cards right, we might even have ended up dating.
Jay:
Of course, you would have broken up with me after a month at the most, when you found out that I´d cheated on you with some of your girlfriends, several female family members of yours, all of the girls who work at the places, you like to shop, the lady who sorts your mail at the mail sorting place, your congresswoman ...
Manny laugh a little.
Manny:
We´ll talk later. I want to hear what happened with Eli.
Jay:
Later, Dimples.
She heads towards the school and he has to fight hard not to check her out, as she walks away from him. It´s a losing battle for him though.
12. Int. Hallway. Morning.
Manny comes down the hallway towards her office and is glad to see Marisol waiting for her to arrive. They smile at one another.
Marisol:
That hot janitor guy wants you, I can tell!
Manny:
I´ll be sure to tell him, that he has an admirer.
Marisol:
No, don´t. He´s way too old for me. You two would make for a cute couple though, so why aren´t you going for it?
Manny:
Marisol, there´s a lot about me, you don´t know and anyway, you didn´t come here to talk about me, did you?
Marisol:
I need some advice. Again.
Manny:
That´s why I´m here.
Manny uses a key to unlock the door to her office and lets Marisol go in first.
13. Int. Manny´s Office. Morning.
Manny tries to be more professional this time around, so as actually to help Marisol this time and not just tell her what she wants to hear.
Marisol:
He tried to explain it to me, but I never allowed him to finish saying what he wanted to say, because I was so upset to begin with. I didn´t take long for me to get so mad, that I had to storm off home.
Manny:
Love is full of up´s and down´s, but that´s what makes it so exciting, that you can´t predict what is going to happen next. If he likes you, the way you´ve said he does, then I´m sure that he´ll be willing to put a big, fat line over the whole thing.
Marisol:
I still feel like I need to know why it happened.
Manny:
Which is a perfectly natural reaction to everything, you´ve experienced these past days. They don´t call these years of your adolescence the hormone crazed years for nothing.
Marisol:
Does it get easier, when you get older and you´ve tried it more times?
Manny thinks about it for a moment.
Manny:
It doesn´t mean as much to you, for one thing. It can still be special for sure, but your first time is such a monumental moment, that it can´t ever be replicated. You asked me the first time you were here, if you were old enough, when another question you probably should have asked yourself, is whether Eli is ready too.
Marisol:
I never thought to ask him. I just assumed that he would want to do it with me, for no other reason than him being a guy, really.
Manny:
It´s just as special for most guys too. If you try talking it out with him and let him finish a sentence here and there, I´m sure that it´ll all work out for you guys. If he isn´t ready yet, then you have to ask yourself if you feel like he´s worth waiting for.
Marisol:
He is. Honestly I can´t imagine my first time being with anyone else.
Manny:
Then I think you know what you have to do, without me needing to spell it out for you.
Manny looks glad to have given some better advice to Marisol this time around.
14. Int. Hallway. Day.
Jay is emptying the trash bins and makes the mistake of looking down one of them. It makes him wince.
Jay:
These kids can´t be normal!
He quickly ties a knot on the end of it, so it at least won´t smell as bad, while he has to carry it. Eli comes over to him.
Eli:
Hi, Jay. What´s that nasty smell?
Jay:
You don´t wanna know! What´s on your mind, buddy?
Eli:
I don´t get my girlfriend.
Jay:
You and 90 percent of all boys your age, who are in relationships, but go on!
Eli:
Yesterday she acted like she wanted to break up with me and now she wants to talk.
Jay:
That´s great, isn´t it? I´m not seeing the problem here.
Eli:
If I say yes, it means that I´ll have to tell her the truth. That I couldn´t do it with her, because I had my ex on the mind the entire time. Bonus info: My ex killed herself, while we were still a couple.
Jay:
Damn!
He has to take a moment to take this in.
Jay:
Does your current girlfriend know?
Eli:
She´s known since before we became a couple. In truth, she´s the reason why I´ve finally managed to start to put it behind me, here a little over a year later. Or at least I thought I was before, well ...
Jay:
You don´t need to say anymore. Look, considering what you´ve experienced, it would shock me to my core, if she isn´t understanding. Girls are great that way. Most of them anyway!
Eli:
You don´t think she´ll be upset, that I thought of another girl the entire time we were making out?
Jay:
Eli, nearly all guys do that at some point! Most girls and women do it too, I bet! Hell, I do it and my girlfriend is not lacking in the looks department! That the one you thought about is deceased and was someone so close to you, only acts as an excuse in my book.
Eli smiles to himself at his answer.
Eli:
You´re saying that I´m not bad guy, I think, I am?
Jay:
It´s not only attractive ones either, you close your eyes and think about. Sometimes, if things get a little too hot with my GF and I can feel like it´s about to end too soon, there´s only one face to go to for me. Saddam Hussein. Ten seconds of closing my eyes and picturing his ugly mug and I can go on for another five minutes, easy.
Eli:
Seriously?
Jay:
It works every time for me and I´ve sure as hell never told my girlfriend about it! I´m not saying that ole Saddam can do the same for you, but there´s sure to be other things that will.
Eli:
Thanks for the tip!
Jay:
You don´t need to worry as much though, that you´ll be some sexual master from the beginning, especially a virgin. Being kind and you putting her needs before your own is usually enough for them that first time around. It´s once they get accustomed to it being good, that you need to start worrying over the quality of your performance.
Eli:
That´s a small relief! Any other helpful tips, you can give me?
Jay:
The first time isn´t about wild experimentation. Do what feels natural, make sure that she´s comfortable at all times and you´ll have nothing to worry over! The only question I would ask myself, is if I´m ready yet. I started at your age and looking back, I definitely wish that I´d waited for the right girl to come along, before I jumped into it.
Eli:
Wasn´t your first time good?
Jay:
Just between us, I had to fake it the first few times. I can´t explain to you why I couldn´t finish, but there´s a lot of guys who try that, so don´t worry too much, if that´s the case for you. I got past that hurdle, but I can´t help wondering that if that first time had been with someone I loved, that it wouldn´t have been a much better experience, than it turned out to be.
Eli takes in what Jay told him.
15. Int. Cafeteria. Day.
Marisol is in line for lunch next to Katie, when Eli comes over to her and takes her hand, to her joyous surprise.
Eli:
We need to talk about sex, right now!
Some of the students surrounding her laugh, but she doesn´t care.
Marisol:
Okay!
Katie:
Should I save your place in line?
Marisol is so glad, that she doesn´t hear what Katei says and follows with Eli. Imogen, standing in line behind Katie, smiles at her.
Imogen:
I wouldn´t bother, if I were you. It´s a big topic, they have to discuss!
Katie nods in agreement.
16. Int. Classroom. Day.
Eli drags Marisol into an empty classroom and closes the door behind them.
Eli:
Before you give up on me entirely, I have to tell you the truth about what happened that evening.
Marisol:
It´s okay, if you don´t feel ready, Eli. I was the one, who should have considered it before springing on you out of nowhere, that we were gonna have sex.
Eli:
I´m not sure that I am yet, but it´s not just that. I couldn´t stop thinking about Julia and feeling like I was committing some kind of final, cruel act of betrayal against her. We made a pact to be one another´s first and I know that it´s crazy of me, that I can´t just forget about it and move on, but ...
Marisol:
Eli, please shut up for a moment, so I can kiss you!
She gives him a big kiss and they hold each other tightly.
Marisol:
Why didn´t you tell me that to begin with?
Eli:
I was afraid that it would make you feel unwanted.
Marisol:
What happened to you with her is the kind of life changing event, that I would never dream of pressuring you into hurrying anything with! Your mental health for the rest of your life is at stake here and that´s much more important to me, than me being a little disappointed for a minute or two.
He smiles at her.
Eli:
Is that really all the time that it would take you to get over it?
Marisol:
Maybe not, but I would still much rather have been given the chance understand what happened, than spending days worrying over whether you still like me or not.
Eli:
How can you even think that? You´re my angel, Mare. My savior from myself. I love you as much as I love life itself.
She smiles back at him.
Marisol:
We´ll get to that, when you´re ready for it and not a minute sooner. Perhaps by then, I´ll be completely sure that I´m ready too.
Eli:
You weren´t sure? In that case, maybe I should make you the star of the next play, because that was some acting performance!
She shakes her head and smiles back at him.
Marisol:
We could try the baby-steps approach though, if you´re up for that?
Eli:
What does that entail?
Marisol:
Taking it one small step at a time, this time with you being honest with me about everything and not holding any more important things back from me.
Eli:
I agree to it, if you agree to do the same.
Marisol:
It sounds like we have a solid plan!
They kiss again and look happy together.
17. Int. Bar. Evening.
Jay is drinking a beer and thinking about his life sitting on barstool at the counter. Amy is working there on this rather slow night and comes over to him.
Amy:
A penny for your thoughts.
Jay:
I keep thinking about this kid, I helped today.
Amy:
Tell me about it.
Jay:
It was Manny, who got me involved, of course, I could almost say. This kid and his beloved girlfriend were having problems and we helped them in working it out.
Amy smiles at him.
Amy:
It´s a nice feeling to help a stranger that way, am I right?
Jay:
Yeah. It feels like I did something important for once today, you know?
Amy:
Just imagine if those two kids end up staying together and living happily ever after. They´ll have you to thank for it.
Jay smiles and looks a little proud of himself.
Jay:
I guess so. It was all Manny´s idea though, she´s the one who deserves most of the credit. She´s truly incredible that girl, with the way she cares for all of those kids, like they were close friends or family members of hers. I tell you, Mother Theresa probably doesn´t know it, but she has a tough contender to take over for her working at a school in Toronto.
Amy:
Why, Jay. It kind of sounds like you´re crushing on her!
Jay:
You know that it isn´t like I don´t love Ellie, but we´ve always been kind of the odd couple. I can´t help wondering sometimes, if had gotten to know Manny first, if her and me wouldn´t have made a go at it and still would have been together.
Amy:
Could be. Maybe you would even have a kid of your own by now, a little Jay Junior perhaps?
Jay:
I´ll tell you what. Of all the girls I´ve known, along with Ellie she´s the one I would least have minded it happening with. Heck, once I got used to the thought of it, it could have ended up being the best thing, that could have ever happened to me.
Amy:
Jay, I´m saying this as your friend. If it feels to you like Manny is the girl you´re meant to be with, like it sounds to me right now, then it´s probably because she is.
Jay:
What about Ellie and Manny´s boyfriend JT?
Amy:
If she finds out that she feels the same way about you, that you do about her, it´ll all work itself out one way or another.
He takes in what she said and wonders to himself what Manny is doing at this time.
18. Int. Manny and JT´s Room. Evening.
Manny is sitting up in bed, covered by covers from the waist down and looking rather unsatisfied. She looks over at JT, who´s fast asleep next to her and in stead thinks to herself about what Jay could be doing right now.
CLOSING CREDITS