WHAT IF? - SEASON 6 EPISODE 4 - JUST A FRIEND
1. Int. Roman´s Trailer. Evening.
Jenna is doing some heavy studying in a trailer, that clearly isn´t the one, she lives in and looks more like one that a young man would live in by himself.
Jenna:
I think I´m getting it now!
A young and ruggedly attractive man of 19, Roman Manson sits down next to her with a soda for each of them. He hands one to her and she accepts it with a smile, as he smiles back at her.
Roman:
I told you it wasn´t that hard, once you get the basics of it. Cheers.
Jenna:
Cheers.
They open their sodas and take a sip.
Jenna:
Did I tell you, that I got another A? At this rate, I´ll end up making the honor roll this year.
Roman:
That´s no reason to start slacking off now. If we´re going to get you into a great college on a scholarship in a few years, you´ll have to keep it up.
Jenna:
I know. It still feels great though to get grades that my brother congratulates me for, rather than like it used to be, where they would make him frown.
Roman:
I´m not saying that you´re not allowed to be proud of yourself. You should be. I´m only helping, it´s you who´s doing the hard work.
Jenna:
Yeah, but it´s thanks to you, that I´m getting this stuff. It´s a shame, that you can´t become a teacher, because you would be fantastic at it.
Roman:
Perhaps I would be, but there isn´t a principal in their right mind, that would hire someone with my criminal record. Even if they did, the schoolboard would probably fire them for it!
Jenna:
It´s so unfair. You´re a different guy now and you´ve paid your debt to society, so that should be that and you should be allowed to move on with your life on an even footing with everyone else.
Roman:
That´s sadly not the world, we live in. We´ll get you more than prepared for your next test though, don´t worry. I see many more A´s in your future.
Jenna:
I hope so. Thanks for doing this, even if we can´t afford to pay you anything.
Roman:
It´s something to do, until my parole is up and I can start living again. Sad as it is, helping you is the highlight of my day. You´re one of the few along with your brother, who don´t judge me for my ill fated past.
Jenna:
I guess that´s just how we were raised.
They smile at each other.
OPENING CREDITS
2. Int. Hallway. Day.
KC is by his locker, when Jenna comes over to him to get things from her own. She´s one big smile, which makes him smile too.
Jenna:
Wanna see something really cool?
KC:
Sure.
She holds up her latest math test that she got back and we see that she got an A plus on it, making KC impressed.
KC:
That´s pretty cool, yeah! I thought that Math was one of your worst subjects?
Jenna:
Not anymore! Now it could be the class that pulls the rest of my grades up.
KC:
I guess that congratulations are in order.
Jenna:
Thank you. Although I owe some of it to my tutor.
KC:
How can you afford a tutor?
Jenna:
We can´t, but he´s kind enough to do it for free.
KC´s smile fades and he doesn´t look too pleased that she´s hanging out alone with some guy, he doesn´t know.
KC:
Who´s this he?
Jenna:
Are you jealous?
KC:
No! I´m just curious.
Jenna:
His name is Roman and he´s our neighbor from across the street. You can also rest easy knowing that he doesn´t think of me that way.
KC:
How can you be sure?
Jenna:
For one thing. he´s four years older than me and he´s close friends with my brother, who we both know would freak out if he caught us doing anything!
KC:
Are you saying that you want to do things with him?
Jenna gives him a re-assuring smile and a small kiss on the cheek.
Jenna:
You´re the only guy that I want to do any of that stuff with. You´ll just have to trust me on this.
He nods and tries to look like he´s okay with it.
3. Int. Computer Lab. Day.
KC is surfing the web for info on who Jenna´s neighbor is with Connor´s help.
Connor:
Are you sure that this is allowed?
KC:
We´re not breaking any rules just by surfing some websites. Any ideas?
Connor thinks about it for a second.
Connor:
Have you checked her Face Range friend list?
KC:
It´s worth a try.
They do and see that one of her friends is named Roman. KC clicks on his picture and his profile is pulled up. It´s the same guy we saw in the first scene.
Connor:
He looks like an ordinary guy.
KC:
He´s a little too good looking for my taste!
Connor:
There´s nothing interesting on here. Try Googling him.
KC does and the first hit is an article from the Toronto Sun, dated April 12th 2005. It reads "Gang of Young Hoodlums All Receive Lengthy Prison Sentences". KC looks worried over what kind of guy this is, that his girlfriend has gotten himself involved with.
4. Int. Cafeteria. Day.
Jenna is eating lunch with Alli, Adam and Clare.
Alli:
You guys wanna do something after school?
Clare:
We could go to The Dot.
Alli:
Because we never do that!
Jenna:
I can´t afford to. We´ll have to scrimp and save for the next few weeks or we´ll be eating "Wish Sandwiches" when we reach the end of the month!
Adam:
What are "Wish Sandwiches?
Jenna:
A sandwich where you have two slices of bread and you wish, you had something to put between them!
Alli:
That is sad, yet still funny at the same time!
Jenna:
It´s life.
Adam:
At least you have that A plus to be cheery over!
Jenna looks deservedly proud over it and her friends look happy for her.
Clare:
That´s fantastic, Jenna!
Alli:
Are we gonna be seeing you in the gifted program soon?
Jenna:
I doubt it! Anyway, I don´t think that I couldn´t have done it without my tutor.
Alli:
Is KC tutoring you?
Adam:
Jenna is being tutored by a criminal.
Alli and Clare look shocked.
Clare:
An actual criminal?
Alli:
What are you thinking? This guy could rape you or kidnap you, then rape you!
Jenna:
He´s nothing like that! He´s just a friendly guy, who grew up in a tough place, where it was easy to fall into things like crime. He did a lot of stuff he´s sorry for doing and is trying to move on with his life, now that he´s out on parole. I really don´t think it´s fair of you to judge him, when you don´t know him like I do.
Alli:
You´re sure he´s not grooming you to become his willing sex slave?
Jenna:
If he was, then I would have known by now!
Neither Alli or Clare look all that convinced though.
5. Int. Roman´s Trailer. Evening.
Jenna and Roman are celebrating her A plus with a pizza, while he helps her with her studies. Both of them are enjoying it a lot.
Jenna:
Mmm! It´s been so long since I´ve had a pizza from an actual pizza place, that I´d almost forgotten what they taste like!
Roman:
Same here.
Jenna:
They wouldn´t let you order pizza in jail?
Roman smiles at the suggestion.
Roman:
I´m pretty sure that the guards would have eaten in themselves, if we had.
Jenna:
What was it like in there?
Roman:
Bad enough, that you don´t ever want to go back. Make sure that you stay smart and out of trouble, you hear? Don´t do the same dumb things, that ruined my life.
Jenna:
You sound like my older brother.
Roman:
We both saw our share of good girls go down the wrong path. None of us want to see it happen to you too.
Jenna looks glad to practically have two older brothers looking out for her.
Roman:
What´s the next question?
Jenna:
It looks like a hard one!
Roman:
Just because it´s hard, doesn´t mean that it´s impossible. The sky is the limit for you, but only if you believe in yourself.
Jenna nods in understanding.
6. Ext. Trailer Park. Evening.
Jenna and Roman say goodnight. It´s dark outside.
Roman:
Goodnight. Are you coming over tomorrow?
Jenna:
Is it okay, if I do? You really don´t mind?
He smiles at her.
Roman:
Why would I mind it?
Jenna:
We both know that it´s not like anything will happen between us and you´ve helped me so much already.
Roman:
Hold on! You know that I don´t think about you that way, right?
Jenna:
How do you think about me then?
Roman:
As a sweet girl, who needs to get her butt home to bed or she´ll be so tired in school tomorrow, that she won´t learn anything!
She smiles back at him.
Jenna:
Gotcha. Goodnight.
She turns around and begins walking home, which basically means crossing the street. In the dark though, she slips on something and falls down on her butt.
Jenna:
Auw!
Roman comes out from him trailer and Jenna´s brother comes out of theirs and both of the rush to her aid.
Kyle:
Are you okay?
Jenna:
Yeah, more or less. I´ll probably get a black mark for my clumsiness!
They help her to get up and she brushes her clothes off.
Roman:
What happened?
Jenna:
I slipped on something. I just hope it wasn´t dog poop again!
Kyle:
In that case, I don´t want to tell you that they´ve been after Mrs. Glazer again, for not picking up her German Shepherd´s "little presents", that it leaves around the park!
Jenna:
Eew! That´s one part I´m not telling anyone!
Roman:
You´re sure that you´re fine though?
Jenna:
Except for needing to give the soles of my shoes a good rinse, yeah!
She more looks embarrassed than hurt by the whole thing.
7. Int. Classroom. Morning.
Jenna sits down very gently next to KC.
Jenna:
Ah, ah!
KC:
Everything okay there?
Jenna:
Yeah, it´s a little embarrassing. I fell on my tush last night.
KC looks concerned for her.
KC:
How did that happen?
Jenna:
It ... ehm ... just happened, okay? There´s really no story there to tell! So, how was your evening?
KC:
Pretty good. I´m more concerned about you.
Jenna:
You´re so sweet to worry, but I´m fine, really! It´s just a bruise that´ll heal up in a day or two.
He tries to look like he believes her.
KC:
We could hang out tonight, if you feel like it?
Jenna:
I´d love to, but I´ll have to take a rain check. Study time.
KC:
With your tutor?
Jenna:
I tell you, this whole getting great grades thing is like a drug! Only it´s the best kind of drug you can get, because the high you feel all comes from feeling proud of yourself! We´ll figure out something tomorrow, I promise.
KC:
I guess I´ll have to accept, that your grades have to come first sometimes.
Jenna:
Thanks for being understanding. I´d kiss you right now, if we wouldn´t get in trouble for it!
She smiles at him and he tries to smile it off, although it still clearly bother him.
8. Int. Hallway. Day.
Alli is getting things from her locker, when KC comes over to her.
KC:
We need to have a group meeting. You, me, Clare, Gracie and Connor.
Alli:
Because of Jenna?
KC:
You worry about her too, huh?
Alli:
Yeah! She doesn´t know what this guy is capable of!
KC:
Did you know that he took part in several physical assaults, before they sent him off to jail?
Alli:
No, but I don´t like the sound of it!
KC:
Room 34-B after last period. I´ll get Connor to come, if you tell the other two.
Alli:
See you then.
KC leaves her and Alli is clearly concerned too over what´s going on with Jenna.
9. Int. Classroom 34-B. Day.
Jenna´s friends are having their meeting about her.
KC:
This is what we know so far. Jenna´s tutor is a guy named Roman Manson.
Clare:
Not an ominous last name at all!
Adam shoots her a look.
Clare:
Just saying!
KC:
He was sent to juvie when he was 16 and served two years there, plus one year in adult prison for a long list or crimes, starting at age 12 and ending, when he got arrested and locked up, until he was released on parole two months ago. In other words: He has trouble written all over him!
Alli:
Poor Jenna!
Adam:
We don´t know if that´s what he´s like anymore! Jenna says that he´s a nice guy, that regrets what he did and wants a normal life now. If she says that, I believe her.
Connor:
Me too. Jenna seems like a good judge of character.
KC:
You know, who also thought, she was? My mom, before she fell in with a drug dealer, who got her addicted to his wares, so she´d be dependant on him.
Connor:
No offense, KC. Your mom and Jenna are two very different women.
KC:
Are they, really? Jenna said to me personally today, that getting those great grades are "Like a drug to her".
Clare:
Oh, my God! He´s clearly grooming her to be his willing sex slave!
Adam:
That´s absurd, Clare! We have seen absolutely no evidence of any of that taking place!
Connor:
I have to agree with Gracie. If anything was going on, there would have been clear signs in the way she behaves. All I´ve seen is her smiling more and looking proud of herself a lot more, than she used to.
Alli:
Did you see how she was sore, when she had to sit down this morning? Maybe he ... you know ... gave her a little hanky panky spanking?
KC tries to take it in and clearly believes all of what Clare and Alli´s minds are making up at this time, while Adam and Connor are the two voices for reason.
KC:
Jesus Christ! They´ve already moved on to BDSM!
Adam:
This is your minds racing out of control! Jenna is not in an underage BDSM relationship with her tutor! That´s enough for me, I can´t listen to any more of this!
Connor:
Me neither. I usually like all of you guys, but all of you except for Gracie are too out of control right now.
KC:
Then go, if you don´t care about her like we do!
Adam:
I do. That´s why I refuse to take part in any more of this insanity and you three should all do the same!
Adam and Connor leave the classroom.
Clare:
I prefer to be safe, rather than sorry.
KC:
Same here, which is why we need to act now.
Alli:
Why would she go along with something like that? She´s a smart girl!
KC:
Guys like him have his ways. My mom came straight out of high school, when she fell into that creep´s trap. It only took a few weeks after that, before she moved in with him and he had her selling Cocaine on the streets for him.
Clare:
I´m so sorry to hear that, KC.
Alli:
Yeah, me too.
KC:
I don´t know for sure, if this guy is as bad, as I think he is. But if this was to end up being Jenna´s first step towards the same happening to her and I knew I could have stopped it, how could I live with myself after that?
Clare:
What´s our plan?
KC:
We take a trip over to Jenna´s trailer park tonight.
The girls look in on his idea, although also a little scared of the idea of going there.
10. Ext. Trailer Park. Evening.
It´s still dusk and KC, Alli and Clare are looking for Jenna´s trailer.
Alli:
You´re sure, we haven´t passed it already?
KC:
If we had, then I would have recognized it.
Clare:
Are you absolutely sure? They all look kind of the same!
KC:
That´s a surprise to you? Haven´t you ever been to a trailer park before?
Clare:
No and my parents would totally freak out, if they knew where I am!
Alli:
That sounded so elitist, Clare! The people who live here are still normal people, like you and I.
KC:
I guess that means you´ve been to a ton of them then, Alli?
Alli:
No, but I´ve seen pictures from them on TV!
KC shakes his head at the two girls and their lack of worldliness.
11. Ext. Trailer Park. Evening.
The trio come up to Jenna and her brother´s trailer, which KC recognizes.
KC:
This is it, I´m sure.
Clare:
Now we just need to find out where her tutor lives.
Alli:
She told me, that he lives across the street. I´m sure she told both of you too, you just weren´t paying attention to her.
KC:
From now on, I´m gonna pay extra special attention to everything she says.
They head over to the other side of the street, where the curtains are covering up what´s going on inside. There is a light on though and you can faintly hear Jenna and Roman´s voices coming from inside. Alli puts her ear all the way up the wall of the trailer.
Alli (whispering):
It´s definitely them!
KC (whispering):
If just we could see what´s going on inside!
Clare (whispering):
Maybe there´s another window around the back.
They head around to the back of the trailer.
12. Ext. Back of the Trailer. Evening.
Here there is a window, where there´s a small gap between the curtains, where someone could peek in to see what´s going on, only it´s too far up for any of the three to reach.
Alli (whispering):
You guys will have to give me a lift-up.
Clare (whispering):
Why you? I´m the smallest one here!
Alli (whispering):
Because Clare, I can handle seeing it, if they´re doing something dirty! Can you?
Clare (whispering):
I guess not!
KC (whispering):
Enough talking. Who of you is it gonna be?
Alli (whispering):
Me. So try not to drop me.
KC and Clare lift her up, so that she can just peek into the gap between the curtains.
13. Int. Roman´s Trailer. Evening.
We see Alli´s face just come into sight between the gap in the curtains. She can only just see Jenna´s face, that´s one big smile and it looks like she´s sitting on top of Roman, rocking gently back and forth a little. Alli makes wide eyes at it.
14. Ext. Back of the Trailer. Evening.
We´re back with the trio.
Alli (whispering):
You can put me down now!
The other two gently lower her to the ground.
Alli (whispering):
I can´t say for sure, but I think they´re having sex!
Clare (whispering):
What did you see?
KC:
I don´t need to know. I´m putting a stop to this right here and now!
He storms off towards the front of the trailer.
15. Int. Roman´s Trailer. Evening.
KC comes barging in with Alli and Clare following right after him.
KC:
Stop it right now, Jenna! He´s ...
They see a confused and fully clothed Jenna, who´s in the middle of giving a likewise fully clothed Roman a very innocent looking shoulder massage, looking back at them. Roman is surprisingly cool about it.
KC:
Using you.
Jenna:
What are you doing here, guys?
Roman:
You know them?
Jenna:
Yeah, this is my boyfriend KC and two of my best friends, Alli and Clare.
KC, Alli and Clare all look embarrassed at what they did.
Alli:
I´m Alli. Sorry that we barged in like this!
KC:
I guess that I don´t need to tell you who out of the three, I am!
Clare:
You have a lovely home! Much nicer than I thought it would look like inside!
Jenna:
You´ll have to excuse them, Roman. With the exception of of KC, it´s their first time visiting a trailer park.
Roman:
I figured as much. You are aware that it´s still considered polite to knock before you come in, whether you´re in a trailer park or not, aren´t you?
Alli:
We thought you were having sex.
Jenna has to let out a laugh.
Jenna:
How did you come up with that crazy idea?
Clare:
She peeked through your curtains, that are very nice curtains, by the way!
Alli:
Now I´m starting to see, that I probably jumped to conclusions based on very little!
KC:
It´s all my fault. I´m sorry, Roman, but when she told me about you, I immediately started fearing the worst and I shouldn´t have. It´s only thanks to me being so crazy about Jenna, that I got these two involved. Can you both forgive me?
Jenna and Roman look one another in the eyes.
Jenna:
He did do it with the best intentions.
Roman:
As long as you promise to knock from now on, we´re okay, KC.
KC nods and looks fine with that arrangement.
Clare:
What about us?
Jenna:
I think that you two could seriously use an education, in what living in a trailer park is really like! Don´t you agree, Roman?
Roman:
I don´t think it would hurt them!
Clare and Alli nod in agreement.
16. Ext. Degrassi. Morning.
Alli and Clare arrive for school together.
Alli:
I feel more worldly, that I did this time yesterday. Is that the same for you?
Clare:
Kinda. I always thought it was only the poorest, who had no other places to go, that lived in trailer parks, but it really isn´t. Some people love that simpler lifestyle.
Alli:
The way Jenna and Roman talked about it made it sound like a place, that´s nice to live.
Clare:
You don´t think she painted a slightly more rosy picture to impress us?
Alli:
Perhaps, but she clearly likes living there, so who are we to judge?
Clare:
I still prefer living in a house, where I have my own room and we have actual rooms, plural!
Alli:
Oh, yeah, me too! I wouldn´t be caught dead living in one of those places!
Clare:
But you just said ...
Alli:
I said that it´s fine for Jenna, if she likes living there! I need all of my modern luxuries!
Clare smiles to herself at Alli´s "Duality".
17. Int. Hallway. Morning.
Jenna comes up to her locker, where there´s a folded up note attached to it with a piece of tape. She picks it off her locker and unfolds it. It only says, in large letters:
I AM SO SORRY, THAT I DOUBTED YOU!
She smiles at it, as KC comes walking up to her from his hiding spot.
KC:
Good morning, Jenna. I figured that it needed to be said in large letters, so it couldn´t be misunderstood.
She smiles at him and folds the note back up.
Jenna:
Apology accepted, but I am putting you on notice. Any more barging into homes of my friends, to come looking for me for the next three months and I´m breaking up with you!
They give one another a hug.
KC:
I accept my fair sentence, your honor. Jenna, you have to understand though that my life has been very different from yours and I´ve seen a lot more of the worst of what people can do, than you have. Sometimes, it makes me act in ways that aren´t rational, like with this tutoring thing, where I should have believed you from the start, end of story.
Jenna:
Does that mean, you´re fine with me continuing to see him for tutoring and the occasional friendly talk?
KC:
So you admit that you´re also friends?
Jenna:
He´s kind of like a second older brother to me in some ways, only I can talk to him about things, I would never tell my real brother or my other friends about. Then he gives me these wise answers, like he was a guru or something. I think that he feels like he has a lot to teach the next generation about what to do and not to do and he sees me as his pet project in that way. What I don´t need is a third older brother though, when I could have a boyfriend in stead! Are we agreed on this?
KC:
We´re agreed.
Jenna still looks a little worried that it won´t be the last time something like this will happen, though.
CLOSING CREDITS