Author´s Note: Hi, guys! Sorry that I´m a little late with this one. I ran out of pre-written episodes and all of this massive amount of Degrassi writing I´ve done over the last many months meant that I started to feel burnt out and needed a small break from it, so that I could continue to give you something that´s at least close to my best.
As an extra bonus for you having to wait this long and since the episode ended up being a little shorter than usual, I´m going to add an extra little tidbit from when I was 16, that served as part of the inspiration for this episode, that´s a different one, than the one I originally had planned to write. If you´re interested, it´ll be at the bottom following the end of the episode.
WHAT IF? - SEASON 6 EPISODE 5 - BECAUSE I GOT HIGH
1. Ext. Street. Day.
Jane, Mia, Darcy and Chantay are coming up the street. Chantay stops walking, making the rest of them stop too.
Chantay:
We´re far enough away from the school now. I wanna see them!
Jane:
They look like normal brownies, Chantay.
Chantay:
That´s a little disappointing!
Mia:
It doesn´t matter what they look like, only what they taste like and that they work.
Chantay:
Do they at least taste like weed?
Jane:
Peter assured me, that they will.
Darcy:
Guys, I´m still not entirely sure, that I want to get high again. Remember what happened the first time, I tried it?
Jane:
You made out with Peter. Big deal!
Darcy:
Which led to me nearly destroying Rick´s life.
Chantay:
Rick has gone off to college and Peter won´t be there. There´s absolutely zero chance of the same thing happening again!
Darcy:
Yeah, but ...
Mia:
Darcy, this Carly Rae Jepsen concert could be the one chance, we get to do this together.
Jane:
You don´t want to be the only one of us, who isn´t high, do you?
Her friends look at her in a moment of silent peer pressure and she begins to give in.
Darcy:
Okay, but if I start acting boy crazy because I´m high again, I´m counting on you guys to stop me! I´ve had enough bad romances since I came to Degrassi to know, that I don´t need another one!
Mia:
We´ll all look out for each other.
Jane:
From what Peter tells me, it´s a great feeling.
Chantay:
Girls, this is going to be an experience, none of us will ever forget!
Her friends look excited, but Darcy can´t hide that she´s a little worried over what can happen.
OPENING CREDITS
2. Int. The Dot´s Walk-In Cooler. Evening.
Paige is on the phone with a repairman. Jane is with her.
Paige:
Tomorrow? Listen, I´m standing here in the middle of a walk-in cooler, that´s warmer than Hawaii in June ... okay, so maybe I exaggerated a little, but it´s clearly not working as it should! Can´t you send someone over tonight?
She looks disappointed at the answer, she gets.
Paige:
Okay, I´ll be here at six o´clock tomorrow morning to let them in. Thanks for your help.
She hangs up and puts her phone away.
Paige:
That´s the end of your work day, Jane. We can´t serve any of what we have in here, without risking some poor customer getting seriously sick.
Jane:
You don´t have to apologize to me, Paige. All it does is give me another hour to get ready for the concert, I´m going to.
Paige:
Let me guess, it´s some kind of punk concert, where the the body piercings outnumber the audience members five to one?
Jane:
Carly Rae Jepsen.
Paige has to laugh a little.
Paige:
The girl who almost won Canadian Idol?
Jane:
Sometimes you have to make small sacrifices, if you want to have fun with your friends! Anyway, I´m sure that a few hours of pretty pop won´t kill me!
Paige:
I had to do the same thing, way back when I dated Spinner. He once took me to a punk club to see a band called "Spittle"! Talk about an hour of my life, I won´t ever forget!
Jane:
I´ve seen them. More than once actually.
Paige:
Somehow, that doesn´t surprise me!
Jane:
Did you two ever try ... eating weed brownies before a concert, you went to?
Paige smiles to herself.
Paige:
Once or twice, yes.
Jane:
What´s it like?
Paige:
Kinda crazy, especially the first time. Are you considering trying it for yourself?
Jane:
I know that I have the option to tonight, if I want to.
Paige:
Jane, I could easily stand here and try to scare you off from it with stories of drug taking gone wrong, but if you want to try it and you´re okay with the potential consequences, then go ahead and try it, for all I care. Just keep in mind, that whatever you do and believe me, you do some dumb stuff sometimes, when you´re high out of your mind, will be remembered by those who see you. It´s not going to magically go away, because you think it´s an excuse that you were high, when it happened.
Jane:
Paige, it´s me you´re talking to! Even if I´m high, I´ll still be completely in control!
Paige looks at her in a "You´ll become smarter soon, kid" kind of way.
3. Ext. Back Alley. Evening.
The girls are all dressed up for the concert and have started eating their weed brownies. Everyone except for Darcy, that is, who´s still only looking at her´s, that she´s holding.
Mia:
Am I the only one, who thinks it´s so sweet, that I could use a cup of coffee to go with it?
Chantay:
I like the taste of it. Then again, I can never get it sweet enough.
Jane:
I guess, I´ve tasted worse. Darcy, you won´t be able to actually eat it with your eyes, no matter how hard you try!
Darcy:
I´m still not a hundred percent sure, that this is a good idea.
Mia:
Maybe not, but I´m trying it anyway!
Jane:
What our parents don´t know won´t kill them, right?
The other three laugh and Darcy decides to get with the program and starts eating her´s too.
4. Int. Concert Venue. Evening.
The girls are in the middle of the crowd, as the venue is starting to fill up. The house lights are still on though, so it´s clearly not time for the concert to start yet. Mia checks her watch.
Mia:
It´s almost time!
Chantay:
Are you guys starting to feel it yet?
Jane:
A little maybe.
Darcy:
I don´t feel anything yet.
Mia:
I do! This is ... ehm .. I don´t remember, what I was going to say!
Jane:
I think that we can confirm from that statement, that they work.
Chantay:
I think I´m starting to feel it too. My head is feeling weird, like there´s this cloud of stoned-ness, that´s spreading through my brain, if that makes any sense.
Jane:
Yeah! I know what you mean!
Darcy:
I´m still completely sober!
Jane:
Well, you are the "Hardened One" out of us!
Darcy:
Man, there´s a lot of hot guys here tonight! More than I think, I´ve ever seen in one place at the same time before!
She looks around to scope out her scoring opportunities. The other three look at one another knowingly, as the house light begin to dim.
5. Ext. Park. Day.
Jane is sitting on a park bench and is trying to clear her head after the day before. Mia comes walking over to her and they smile wryly at one another.
Jane:
How´s your head feeling today?
Mia:
Like it´s running on twenty five percent of it´s usual power.
Jane:
Yeah, that about sums it up!
Mia takes a seat next to Jane.
Mia:
Did your mom suspect anything, when you got home?
Jane:
Nah, she had already gone to bed! Yours?
Mia:
I know that I said something to her, but I have no idea what it was, which worries me a little!
Jane giggles.
Mia:
She didn´t mention anything about it this morning though, so I guess, that´s a good sign!
Jane:
I´m still trying to piece together what happened last night, from the bits and pieces I remember of it.
We fade to:
6. Int. Concert Hall. Evening. (Jane´s Flashback)
Jane is dancing like there´s no tomorrow with Chantay, who looks like she´s having a fun time too.
Jane (voice over):
I remember dancing with Chantay a lot and her getting very affectionate with me.
Chantay stops dancing to give Jane a big hug.
Chantay:
I love you so much, Jane! We have to stay friends, even after we go away to college!
Jane:
Of course, we´ll always be friends, Chantay! I love you too.
Chantay:
You do, really?
Jane:
We´ll always be friends, for as long as we´ll both live. I promise.
We then cut to Darcy, who´s busy playing tonsil hockey with an African American boy.
Jane (voice over):
I remember Darcy scoring with some African American guy, that she couldn´t keep her hands off ...
We cut back to Jane, Chantay and Mia, whose mind is racing.
Mia:
What if my mom finds out, that I´m this high! She´ll ground me forever, Jane!
Jane:
She won´t ever find out, because no one will ever tell her. It´ll be between us, like a secret that forever unites us!
Chantay:
I love you girls!
She gives Mia a hug too, whether she wants it or not and we fade to:
7. Ext. Park. Day.
We´re back in the "present" with Mia and Jane.
Mia:
No, you got most of that wrong!
Jane:
Are you sure? I mean, I could be remembering it wrong ...
Mia:
You´re right about Chantay getting affectionate and wanting to hug everyone. It wasn´t just us either!
We fade to:
8. Int. Concert Venue. Evening. (Mia´s Flashback)
Chantay is hugging some girl she´s just met, that doesn´t know how to react to it.
Chantay:
I have a feeling, that we´re gonna become best friends! Do you wanna be my new best friend, girl I´ve just met and can´t remember the name of?
We cut to Darcy, who´s making out with an Asian boy.
Mia (voice over):
The guy Darcy scored with wasn´t African American either. I´m pretty sure that he was Asian.
We cut to Jane and Mia, only here it´s Jane who´s freaking out and Mia, who´s staying calm.
Mia (voice over):
It also wasn´t me, who was paranoid about my mom finding out, it was you.
Jane:
If she finds out, I´m in so much trouble!
Mia:
Calm down and enjoy the buzz, like I´m doing, Jane!
Jane:
How can you be this calm? My entire life could end, when I come home tonight!
Mia:
Only if you panic. Just keep repeating to yourself "I´m not gonna panic".
Jane:
I´m not gonna panic, I´m not gonna panic ...
We fade to:
9. Ext. Park. Day.
We´re back in the present again. Jane looks at Mia, like she doesn´t believe her.
Jane:
I think that I would have remembered it, if I had acted like that and I´m a hundred percent positive, that it wasn´t an Asian guy, I saw Darcy making out with!
Mia:
He wasn´t African American either. I can tell you that much.
Jane:
Maybe Chantay remembers it better, than any of us do.
Mia:
Wanna go and visit her to see, what she remembers?
Jane nods.
10. Ext. Chantay´s Parent´s House. Day.
Jane and Mia are talking to Chantay outside of her parent´s house.
Chantay:
I put five new numbers in my phone book yesterday from girls, I have no idea who are!
Mia:
You´re not remembering it any better than we are, then?
Chantay:
Only small parts.
We fade to:
11. Int. Concert Venue. Evening. (Chantay´s Flashback)
Chantay appears to be making friends with everyone and everyone there loves her!
Chantay (voice over):
I was having a great time and was making lots of new friends! Carly even dedicated a song to me.
Jane (voice over):
No, she didn´t! I would have remembered!
Mia (voice over):
I´m not buying it either!
Chantay (voice over):
Okay, so maybe I dreamt that part!
We cut to Darcy, who´s now making out with a white guy, whose face we can´t properly get a look at.
Chantay (voice over):
You´re completely wrong about Darcy´s guy though, the both of you. To me, he looked as white as freshly fallen snow.
We cut to Jane and Mia, who are both paranoid over their parents finding out.
Chantay (voice over):
I kind of recall both of you getting all paranoid, which was why I decided to leave you alone.
Jane:
Mia, if my mom finds out, she is so gonna freak out!
Mia:
We need to try our hardest to not be stoned, right now!
Jane:
Maybe if we concentrate real hard on it.
They both try to.
Mia:
Dammit, it´s not working!
Jane:
We´re so screwed!
We fade to:
12. Ext. Chantay´s Parent´s House. Day.
We´re back with the girls.
Chantay:
That´s how I remember it happening.
Jane:
It looks like if we´re gonna find out the truth, we´ll have to talk to Darcy.
Mia:
I´ll call her.
She pulls out her phone and calls up Darcy.
Mia:
Hi, Darcy. Where are you at? Cool, we´ll be there in ten.
She hangs up on Darcy.
Mia:
She´s at The Dot.
Jane:
Maybe now, we can finally get an accurate account of what actually happened!
Jane looks hopeful, that she will.
13. Int. The Dot. Day.
Darcy is sitting at a table with her friends and isn´t looking too happy with herself.
Jane:
Please tell me, that you remember the evening somewhat accurately?
Darcy:
More of it, than I´d like to.
Her friends look at her and think the worst.
Mia:
You didn´t have sex with anyone, did you?
Darcy:
No! I at least had that much control over my hormones!
Chantay:
None of us can agree what race the guy, you hooked up with was, so we can start there.
Jane:
I remember him as being African American, Mia remembers him as being Asian and Chantay remembers him as being white, so which is it?
Darcy:
You´re all right.
We fade to:
14. Int. Concert Venue. Evening. (Darcy´s Flashback)
Darcy is making out with an African American guy, until his girlfriend comes over to them and busts him.
Girlfriend:
Who´s this?
African American Guy:
No one, I swear! I just met her, she means nothing to me!
Darcy looks annoyed with him.
Darcy:
Yeah? Well, you´re a lousy kisser!
She walks away from them, as they begin an argument.
Darcy (to herself):
What a jerk!
She sees some girls being very annoyed with Chantay, that she´s being so pushy and Mia and Jane riling one another up, making one another even more paranoid, than they already were. She then bumps into a rather attractive looking Asian guy and they smile at one another.
15. Int. The Dot. Day.
We´re back with the girls.
Darcy:
I told you, I become completely boy crazy and lose all inhibitions!
Jane:
What happened with that guy then?
Darcy:
I don´t remember exactly. I think he just got lost from me in the crowd and when I couldn´t find him, I moved on to the next guy, who´d have me.
Mia:
And he then lasted you for the rest of the evening?
Darcy:
I even asked him, if he wanted to be my boyfriend! How dumb can you be?
Chantay:
I take it then, that it´s not someone you would have ever hooked up with, if you had been sober?
Darcy:
Never! That´s why I´m here, in case you guys were wondering. He´s meeting me here, so I can break up with him. That´s sure to be fun!
Jane:
Sorry, Darcy. I´m the one, who peer pressured you into it, when you didn´t want to.
Mia:
You weren´t alone it in, Jane. I did it too, Darcy, so you have my apologies as well.
Chantay:
Yeah, me too.
Darcy:
Thanks you guys, but it was my own choice to do it, so it´ll always be more my fault, than it was yours. I can tell you one thing though, I´m done with drugs, once and for all!
Jane:
Yeah, me too. I mean, if all I´m gonna get out of it is getting paranoid and not remembering what happened the day after, I can do without it!
Mia:
I´m still kinda glad, that I tried it this one time, so that I won´t go on wondering what it is like. Now I know, that it isn´t for me.
Chantay:
I made some new friends though, so that´s a positive!
Jane:
Yeah, but do you remember anything of what you talked to them about?
Chantay:
Not really. I had fun though, I remember that much, even if I don´t remember much of it.
Jane:
But would you do it again, that´s the question?
Chantay:
Maybe, maybe not. I can´t say for sure yet.
Jane:
So, tell us about this guy, you´re meeting here, Darcy.
Darcy:
You already know him.
We cut to the door, where Derek comes in and looks glad to see Darcy again.
Derek:
Hey, babe!
We cut back to the girls, where Darcy clearly doesn´t look forward to what she has to do.
Darcy:
Hi, Derek!
Her friends stare at her with their mouths wide open in shock.
CLOSING CREDITS
Your Bonus: Okay, so a few days ago, I had to look through all of my old papers and in doing so, I came across what to me was a pretty great blast from the past: A collection of articles that my 10th Grade media class made, that we named "Young in ´94", featuring all kinds of topics from how bad the bullying problem was at our school (where it shocked me to read that it was almost half of those in our grade, who had been bullied, even though I myself also was for a time), to a portrait of the extremely talented skateboarder in our class, who had just won the Danish Junior Championship in the Vert at the time and ended up turning pro, like he talked about dreaming of doing someday in the interview they did with him, how the views on racism were, what elderly people thought of us and so on.
Needless to say, but it was a blast to read through those pages and relive how my generation viewed the world at that (much simpler) time of our lives. My small part of it was written by me and my old pal Jacob, who was by far the shortest boy in our grade (bordering on him being a dwarf height wise) and much shorter than most of the girls, yet somehow managed to find love with the one girl in our class, who was short enough herself to only be about an inch taller than he was, in his wonderful (and tiny) girlfriend Tina.
Our article probably wouldn´t fly over here today in a 10th grade class, but I seem to remember us getting praise for it from our teacher at the time. I´m gonna write a translation of it for you here, because it does in some way show a little about what our (in retrospect kinda crazy) lives were like back then. I´d like to say that it was intentional, but the truth is that we had no clue what to write about, so we looked through a newspaper and found an article with a survey in it, that gave us the idea for what to write about in our own. The topic that 16 year old me and him chose to do our article about all of those many years ago was "Stimulants".
STIMULANTS
The use of beer, hard spirits and other stimulants among young people starts at a rather early age, both for boys and girls. This was shown in a recent survey made among students in grades 9 and 10, which showed that 78 percent of the girls and 89 percent of the boys have tried either drinking alcohol, doing drugs or both. Among those in our age group it is seen as a common thing, that you go out drinking every weekend. Most of us also sneak into bars and night clubs, where we can easily get served alcohol in spite of the laws against it and large door men to scare us away.
The most common thing is to drink beer, but a phenomenon from the 60´s has begun to make a big comeback in recent years, smoking either Pot or Hashish, which is Pot that´s been crushed and then pressed into a solid form. It´s obvious that more and more young people are trying these drugs, yet in spite of so many doing them, they are still remarkably enough considered illegal, this even despite recent studies showing that they can have a positive medical effect on the users. You also don´t become physically addicted from them, like you can become from alcohol, although you can still develop a mental addiction.
So in our opinion, it should be up to each person individually, which of the two they prefer. This is also the political opinion in Holland, where they´ve chosen to legalize Pot and Hashish.
THAT´S IT, FOLKS. SEE YA NEXT TIME!