WHAT IF - SEASON 6 EPISODE 2 - MY NAME IS
AS AN EXTRA BONUS, ALSO SINCE IT ENDED UP BEING A BIT OF A SHORT CHAPTER THIS TIME, I´VE ADDED THE PRE-WORK THAT I DID BEFORE I STARTED WRITING THE EPISODE, FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO MIGHT BE CURIOUS AS TO HOW THE PROCESS WORKS. IT FOLLOWS AFTER THE END OF THE EPISODE ITSELF.
1. Ext. Courtyard. Day.
Holly J is sitting by herself and is busy with her phone. We focus on the screen and see the on-line chat that she has going on.
Adam94:
So bored with school this morning! It helps when I think back to our chat yesterday tho
RealHollyJ:
I´ve never been that honest with a stranger before. Hope you don´t decide to use it against me LOL
Adam94:
Don´t you know me better than that? I really like you HJ and I would never do anything to hurt you.
RealHollyJ:
I know and I really like you too. Truth be told, I can´t stop thinking about you.
The final reply from "Adam" is a widely smiling emoji.
Sav and Anya come out there and walk over to her.
Anya:
So this is where you´re hiding!
Holly J:
If I was, don´t you think it would a terrible place to do it?
Sav:
Tetris got ya, huh? I know what that´s like!
Holly J:
No, I´m on this message board, that I´ve been using a lot lately. You know, since my friends became to busy with their new lovers to spend any time with me?
Anya and Sav both feel a little guilty for doing so and sit down next to her. She puts her phone down to talk to them.
Anya:
We´re sorry.
Sav:
From now on, we promise to find time for you.
Holly J:
Now you´re sounding like my parents! Anyway, it´s not like I blame either of you. I still vaguely remember what it feels like to be in love.
Anya:
It´ll happen when you least expect it, just like it did for us.
Holly J:
I´m not sure that it hasn´t already.
Sav:
You´ve been holding out on us!
Anya:
Who is he?
Holly J:
His name is Adam and I only know him from the message board right now, but hopefully that´ll change soon. We have so much in common, that you´d almost think he was a girl!
Sav:
No to rain on your parade, but what makes you sure, that it isn´t a girl?
Holly J:
Not this guy. He´s sincere, I can feel it!
She smiles to herself.
2. Int. Classroom. Day
We see the same screen that Holly J was looking at, only it´s a different phone it´s shown on. We see that it´s Gracie, who´s the one she´s been chatting with lately. She looks longingly at Holly J´s profile picture and imagines that they could be together.
OPENING CREDITS
3. Ext. Football Field. Day.
The Degrassi football team are playing a game against Western and are winning big. Riley throws a short pass to Drew, who takes it in for a touchdown from around ten yards out. It puts Degrassi up 45 to 6 with only a few minutes left in a game, that clearly didn´t have much excitement to it.
We cut to the stands, where Jenna and Gracie are sitting together. Jenna applauds the touchdown, while Gracie is more busy with paying attention to her phone.
Jenna:
Your brother just scored a touchdown.
Gracie:
Good for him! Let´s be honest, this game has been a long bore since the first quarter.
Jenna:
It has been pretty one-sided, hasn´t it?
She sneaks a peek at Gracie´s screen and looks confused.
Jenna:
Who´s Adam?
Gracie:
Don´t tell anyone, but it´s me.
Jenna:
Isn´t that the same as catfishing?
Gracie:
It´s not like anyone gets hurt. I just like that when I go on message boards or chat sites, they don´t have to know that I´m a girl and treat me like a boy. I get told the truth on there in ways, that they would never tell me if they knew that it was a girl on the other end.
Jenna looks somewhat understanding of it.
Jenna:
Are you really that tired of being a girl?
Gracie:
I don´t feel like one. That´s the big problem. It´s not that I haven´t tried, but I can´t deny who I am either.
Jenna:
In that case, I guess it´s okay that you get you "fix" of being a boy this way. As long as you make sure that no one gets hurt.
Gracie:
That´s what I said, wasn´t it?
Jenna looks like she believes her, which pleases Gracie.
Down on the football field, Degrassi scores another touchdown, when an interception is returned for a touchdown.
4. Int. Hallway. Day.
Holly J is getting things from her locker and clearly has "Lovefool" by The Cardigans on the brain, since she sings it quietly to herself.
Holly J (singing to herself):
Love me, Love me
Say that you love me
Fool me, Fool me
Go on and fool me
Love me, Love me
Pretend that you love me
Need me, Need me, just say that you need me
Anya comes over to her and can´t help singing along.
Holly J/Anya (singing in harmony):
I can´t care ´bout anything but you!
They smile at one another.
Anya:
You´re far from the first one to have had that one on the brain! I know for a fact that Sav had the chorus playing on repeat in his for close to a month, back in grade 7!
Holly J:
Am I a total "Lovefool" like that girl in the song, Anya?
Anya:
If you look through those lyrics closely, you´ll see that she´s a lot more pathetic than you´ve ever been. She would probably make for a terrible girlfriend too, if it came down to that!
Holly J:
At least her guy was a real guy, that she´d actually hooked up with..
Anya:
Or as real as him existing in the lyrics to a song, but I get what you mean!
Holly J:
Adam is perfect for me and every day I keep falling for him more and more.
Anya:
Have you tried asking him if you can meet up?
Holly J:
That´s a dangerous threshold to cross in on-line land. Haven´t you heard the hundreds, if not thousands of horror stories of how these things have gone wrong?
Anya:
So, ask him to meet you in a public place, where there´s lots of people around. Like the mall, for example.
Holly J:
It would be nice to finally meet him and see what he looks like.
She takes her phone out and begins typing in a message.
Holly J:
"Don´t you think it´s time, we met up? I´ll be at the mall this afternoon, so perhaps we could meet up by the fountain, say five o-clock?".
Anya:
If a proposal that romantic doesn´t work, nothing will!
Holly J:
I don´t want to come off too desperate, even though I really like this guy!
Her phone buzzes, as she gets a message back from Adam. Holly J eagerly checks it.
Anya:
That was quick!
Holly J:
"Sorry, but I´m too busy after school today. Maybe we could do it tomorrow?".
She writes back to him.
Holly J:
Yes, please!
She looks like she´s looking forward to it.
5. Int. Classroom. Day.
We see that Gracie is in a classroom with the other freshmen and looks annoyed with herself, that she couldn´t help herself from saying yes.
6. Int. The Dot. Day.
Gracie is sitting at a table with Drew and Dallas, while she waits for Holly J to turn up. They´re eagerly discussing their big victory the day before, which doesn´t interest her much.
Drew:
Seriously, who´s gonna beat us?
Dallas:
They´re probably all so scared, that they´re busy coming up with excuses not to play against us!
Drew:
To a championship season!
Dallas and him toast on it. Holly J comes in and walks up to the counter, so Gracie quickly drinks the rest of her soda and stands up.
Gracie:
I´m getting another one.
She heads up to the counter to talk to Holly J, while Drew and Dallas go back to talking football.
We cut to the counter, where Holly J is talking to Jane, who´s working behind the counter.
Holly J:
Just the usual.
Jane:
Coming up.
Gracie comes up next to her and they smile nervously at one another.
Gracie:
Are you waiting too?
Holly J:
She´ll be back in a moment.
Gracie:
Cool! I ... ehm ... how do I exactly say this ...
Holly J looks a little confused at what´s going on.
Gracie:
I like to go on this chat site and I think I´ve seen your picture as an Avatar on there.
Holly J:
That isn´t unlikely! What´s your handle?
Gracie:
It´s ...
Gracie loses her nerve, now where she has the chance to come clean. Jane comes back with Holly J´s drinks order, which doesn´t help.
Jane:
2.50.
Holly J pays Jane and picks up her drink.
Holly J:
Sorry about that. You were saying?
Gracie:
Tomboy22. That´s my handle.
Holly J:
It certainly fits you! Have a great day, Tomboy22!
Gracie:
You too, RealHollyJ.
She goes to take a seat and Gracie looks annoyed with herself, that she couldn´t get it out.
Jane:
What would you like, Gracie?
Gracie:
The same as her.
Jane:
Alright!
Jane goes to get it for Gracie, who sadly watches Holly J from the counter.
7. Int. Drew´s Room. Evening.
Gracie is feeling guilty over the whole thing, while her brother is wrapped up in playing GTA 5 once again. He gets killed the exact same place he has many times before.
Drew:
I´m done! You want to give it a try?
Gracie:
Nah, I´ll just get killed in the same spot, you did!
Drew:
Wanna play something else?
Gracie:
Yeah, sure.
Drew:
You don´t sound too enthusiastic.
Gracie:
I just have a lot on my mind.
He puts the controller away and turns to face her.
Drew:
I have been known to dish out some good advice here and there, if you want to talk about it.
Gracie:
Drew, I don´t want to be a girl anymore!
Drew clearly wasn´t prepared to hear her say that, but takes it in stride.
Drew:
Okay!
Gracie:
That´s all you have to say?
Drew:
What am I supposed to say? That I can relate to you? Because that would be flat out lying!
Gracie:
Every day, it feels like the real me is inside of me and is screaming for me to let him come out. I´ve even given him a name, Adam.
Drew:
That´s pretty messed up, Gracie!
Gracie:
Don´t you think, I know that? There´s this girl I´ve been chatting with, as Adam and now I´m pretty sure she´s fallen for him or me, or however you want to put it. It´s just that when I´m him, that feels like who I´m supposed to be, you know? You don´t know, what am I saying!
Drew lets it sink in for a moment, then gives her a small smile, that she wasn´t expecting from him.
Gracie:
You´re not gonna tell me that I´m a lousy person for catfishing some poor straight girl, who was only looking for a nice and not to mention normal boyfriend, with the boy parts to match it?
Drew:
I think that you need to be honest with her, so she doesn´t get more hurt, than she already will be, but in a weird way, I get why you did it. Would you rather, that we started treating you like a boy?
Gracie:
You already do!
They smile at each other.
Drew:
I think it´s more that I didn´t know how to treat a sister.
Gracie:
I´m glad, you didn´t. It doesn´t bother you, that you have a freak for a sister?
Drew:
So what if you are? You´re our freak and we´ll never stop loving you no matter what.
They fist bump on it and she looks glad that he´s being this accepting.
Drew:
You´ll still have to come clean to this girl though. How would you have felt if anyone deceived you like that?
Gracie:
Probably pretty lousy.
Drew:
Does she go to Degrassi?
Gracie:
Yeah, she does.
Drew:
I´d tell her in person, if I were you. That´s what a real man would do.
Gracie looks like she agrees with him.
8. Int. Hallway. Day.
Gracie comes up to Holly J, who still has "Lovefool" on the brain and is whistling it to herself. She smiles at her in a friendly way.
Holly J:
Hi there, Tomboy22!
Gracie:
Hi, Holly J. Can we talk for five minutes somewhere private?
Holly:
Look, it´s not to be rude, but ...
Gracie:
My online handle isn´t Tomboy22. It´s Adam94. I´m the one, you´ve been chatting with, when you thought it was him.
Holly J is so shocked, that she barely knows how to react.
Holly J:
Say that again?
Gracie:
I´m so sorry and I´d really like it if I could have the chance to explain it to you.
Holly J:
I wouldn´t mind getting an explanation myself at this point!
Gracie looks a little relieved, that at least she isn´t mad at her.
9. Ext. Degrassi. Day.
Gracie and Holly J are talking outside of the school, in a spot where no one can hear them.
Gracie:
I never meant for it to go this far, I swear. But the more I got to know you, the more I started falling for you.
Holly J:
So that was the real you, I was chatting with?
Gracie:
Adam is me and I´m him, as much as I´m Gracie. It´s hard to explain.
Holly J:
You feel like you were born into the wrong body, don´t you?
Gracie:
That´s one way to explain it!
Holly J:
It must be a hard thing to have to live with.
Gracie:
The nice thing is that on-line, I can be him. It still doesn´t excuse that I catfished you and again, I´m really sorry if I´ve caused you any heartbreak.
Holly J:
It could have ended much worse for you. You know that, don´t you?
Gracie:
You have my promise, that my catfishing days are over!
Holly J:
I´m glad to hear that. Look, I know that it´s none of my business, but the way I see it, if you want to be Adam, then be Adam. Don´t waste your life pretending to be someone you´re not, when you don´t have to.
Gracie:
You don´t think I´ll be hated and bullied?
Holly J:
Even if you do, then you´ll always have me in your corner, Adam.
Gracie looks glad that Holly J called her Adam.
10. Int. Courtyard. Day.
Jenna is sitting by herself and is practicing playing spoons with a pair of small metal spoons. It´s harder than you would think though and she can´t keep it going for more than a few seconds, before she messes up. Gracie comes over to her.
Gracie:
Are we ready to play a cover of "Spoonman" yet?
Jenna:
Only if they´ll settle for a two second version!
Gracie sits down next to her.
Gracie:
I would also have to transform into a good bass player all of a sudden, so don´t sweat it!
Jenna:
Where were you at lunch, by the way? I didn´t see you anywhere?
Gracie:
I had to come clean to a girl, that had fallen for Adam on that message board, I use sometimes.
Jenna looks disappointed in her.
Jenna:
Was she torn up over it?
Gracie:
Not really. She was more understanding than anything else.
Jenna:
I´m not sure that I would have been, if it had been me!
Gracie looks her in the eyes and Jenna gives in.
Jenna:
Okay, I would, but I would have been mad at you for at least a few hours!
Gracie:
I´ve made a big decision.
Jenna:
Oh?
Gracie:
It´s time to say goodbye to Gracie, whoever she was and let Adam take her place.
Jenna looks glad on Gracie´s behalf.
Jenna:
That´s almost the best news, you could have given me right now.
Gracie:
I´m still not sure that I´m ready for everyone to know. Least of all my mom, who I have no idea how will react to all of sudden having a second son in stead of a daughter!
Jenna:
She´ll love you unconditionally, I´m sure of it.
Gracie:
Maybe to start off with, it could only be you and Drew who call me the name, when we´re alone together? As a way to test out how it feels to really be him.
Jenna:
We´ll do this at whatever pace, you feel comfortable with. This is still a huge step you´ve taken today. You are a boy, Adam and that´s how I´ll try to see you from now on.
Jenna looks proud of her and Gracie looks glad with the decision too.
(A quick author´s note: From here on in the series, the character formerly referred to as "Gracie" will in the future be referred to as "Adam" and as a "he" in stead of a "she")
11. Int. Cafeteria. Day.
Holly J has a muffin in front of her, given to her by Sav and Anya, who are sitting with her.
Holly J:
You didn´t have to do anything for me.
Anya:
We know, but we´re sorry that we led you into the hands of a catfisher.
Sav:
We´ll make sure to not be too wrapped up in our relationships from now on.
Holly J:
Although that´s a hollow promise, that I know you won´t be able to keep, I accept.
Sav:
I´m impressed that you ´ve dealt with it such an adult way.
Holly J:
I felt so sorry for her, that I couldn´t bring myself to make her feel worse, than she already has to.
Anya:
I hope that she finds someone, who´ll love her for who she is, whether that´s as a boy or a girl.
Sav:
Or perhaps something in between, that gets the best of both worlds.
Anya:
You will find someone soon too, Holly J. A real guy this time!
Sav:
There´s over 3 billion of us, so it can´t be impossible for you!
Holly J:
I guess those odds aren´t the worst!
She looks hopeful for the future.
CLOSING CREDITS
HERE´S THE EXTRA BONUS MATERIAL, THAT I PROMISED YOU. AS YOU´LL SEE, MOST OF THE PLANNING FOR THE EPISODE IS ALREADY DONE BEFORE THE FIRST WORD OF THE EPISODE IS WRITTEN. AS YOU´LL ALSO SEE, IT´S NOT EVERY DETAIL THAT MAKES IT INTO AN EPISODE.
Main Characters: Holly J, Anya, Sav, Gracie, Jenna, Drew.
POV´s: Holly J and Gracie.
Subject: Catfishing.
A-storyline - The story from Holly J´s perspective
B-storyline - The story from Gracie´s perspective
1st turning point - Finding out that Gracie/Adam is catfishing Holly J.
2nd turning point - Holly J asks Gracie/Adam to meet and Gracie/Adam accepts.
Point of No Return - Gracie realizes that she has to come clean.
Treatment - Holly J has been kind of lonely lately, since both of her best friends are in relationships and don´t have time to hang out anymore. In her loneliness, she´s turned to on-line chatting and has found a guy, who she really connects with. Of course the big question is who he is and all she knows is that it´s someone who uses the fake handle of Adam.
We find out that the real "Adam" is in fact Gracie, who pretends that she´s a boy, when she goes on message boards. She explains to Jenna that she does so, because she feels like a boy inside and this way, she has a way to be who she wants to be without anyone having to know that she´s really a girl. When guys talk to her on-line, they talk to her like she´s a guy and she really likes that. Jenna is okay with it, as long as no one gets hurt. Gracie reassures her that it won´t happen.
Holly J on the other hand is falling hard for Adam, although she´s never met him yet. Anya suggests that she asks him to meet her somewhere public, so that if it is some creep, then she can easily get out of it. Holly J sends him a DM asking him out for that evening and at first gets a no, but then a yes for the day after right afterwards. She gets excited over the prospects of it.
The next scenes follow Gracie, who instantly regrets saying yes to it, but it was just so tempting because of how pretty Holly J is and how she feels like she connects with her. She tries to come clean to Holly J at The Dot, but loses her nerve and chickens out. At home she confesses what she´s done to Drew, who also asks her if she really and truly feels like she´s a boy inside. She confesses to him that she does and that if she could, then she would have a sex change operation. Drew then suggests that she could see this as her first step towards manhood and she´s glad that he´s so accepting of her being different.
The day after, she comes clean in school to Holly J, who more feels sorry for her than anything else, that she feels trapped in the wrong body and felt like she had to do this to feel like she could be herself. As a warning though, she also tells Gracie that if she ever did it again, then it could end up badly for her.
In the epilogue, Gracie also comes clean to Jenna and asks her to start calling her Adam from now on, when they´re alone together as a way to test out how it feels. Jenna tells her that she gladly will and that if Gracie wants to be a boy, then that´s how she´ll try to see her from now on.
Anya and Sav try to cheer Holly J up at lunch, but she tells them that it really isn´t needed, since she more feels sorry for Gracie than anything else. As for her love life, that´s back to where she started, so it´s not like she´s any worse off than she was before. Her friends reassure her that it´ll happen for her, like it did for both of them and she hopes that they´re right.
THAT´S ALL, FOLKS! THANKS FOR READING AND I´LL SEE YA NEXT TIME!