PATHWAYS. "Decisions, Decisions" Brian L. Lamkin

Transcription

1 PATHWAYS "Decisions, Decisions" by Brian L. Lamkin Bad Spaz Productions (c) 2005

2 TEASER INT. MALL - DAY, and are walking down the main thoroughfare in a bustling mall. PEOPLE everywhere, entering and exiting stores, carrying bags, laughing, talking. Breathe deep, my friends. (beat) Welcome to Heaven on Earth. It's a mall. Uh, yeah. Otherwise known as gay Mecca? We are religiously obligated to flock here at least once a month to see the new sales. Yes. Big emphasis on the "sales" aspect. And that means? Since when are you a bargain hunter? Since my parents cut up my credit card and told me they were going to put me on a "budget". Sam literally gasps and covers his mouth in horror. Oh my God. What's the big deal? Okay, let me explain it to you as simply as I know how. Our parents, however lovely they may be, are good for one thing, due to their well-paying jobs - money. Zero to jaded in sixty seconds, ladies and gentlemen.

3 2. It's not like that. My mom said it's time I learned the value of money. Life's been too cushy so far, so... Oh my God, don't tell me. What? They did it, didn't they? (impatient) Did what?? They told me to get a job. Catch me, I feel weak! They come to a stop in front of a storefront window for a top dollar clothing store sporting beautiful clothes for young adults. Come on, it's not that bad. No, I'm talking about that jacket! (pointing) Look at it. It's a thing of beauty. We see what Sam is pointing at - a dark midnight blue leather jacket, being worn by a faceless mannequin. It's... (sees sales tag) Holy crap. Is that the item number? There's a lot of zeros. Mark, that's the price.

4 3. Oh my God. (ignoring them) It's gorgeous. It's gorgeous! Mark, it would look so good on you! His interest piqued, Mark takes another look at the leather jacket. (to Mark) So, about that job... Mark stares at the jacket longingly, almost salivating. END OF TEASER

5 4. ACT ONE INT. THE BLAZE - NIGHT Later that night. Gabe is sitting at the counter facing away from the stage. No band is playing tonight, just music in the B.G. Sam and Mark seem to be nowhere in sight. DOMINIC (O.S.) Fancy meeting you here. Gabe turns on his stool and sees Dominic standing behind him. He smiles and immediately stands up, sending the stool slipping backwards. His balance off, Gabe almost falls, but Dominic catches him by the arms, almost embracing him. DOMINIC (CONT'D) Woah, there! Gabe looks up into Dominic s eyes, motionless for a few beats. Um... You okay? DOMINIC I think so. DOMINIC Can I let you go? Uh...sure. If you want. DOMINIC You gonna be okay? Probably. Gabe laughs and extricates himself from Dominic s arms. (CONT'D) Quite the reflexes you have, there. DOMINIC I guess running on track has helped with that.

6 5. Probably. (beat) So, besides saving me from a potential lawsuit, what are you up to tonight? DOMINIC Not much. I was supposed to meet some friends here tonight, but they haven t shown up. Oh. Well. I mean, if you wanted to...you could...i mean, if you didn t have other plans... What? DOMINIC I m normally not such a babbling idiot. DOMINIC Something about me makes you a babbling idiot? Well, not you, exactly, but... (beat) Hey, wait a second. Dominic laughs and puts his hand on Gabe s shoulder. Gabe looks at it intently, as if it might jump up and bite him. DOMINIC You re a funny guy, Gabe. (laughing weakly) Heh. That s me. Funny guy. Before they can say another word to each other, a group of STUDENTS from Brighton walk through the club, headed towards Dominic. He nods at them. DOMINIC Hey, there are my friends. I d better get going. It was nice seeing you, Gabe.

7 6. Uh, yeah. Sure. No problem. (calling after him) Any time! (to himself) Well that went smoothly. As Dominic heads away, Sam appears from the other side of the club, making his way over to Gabe. What was that all about? I go to the bathroom for ten minutes and you create a melodrama. It was nothing. Just me being my usual spaz self. (changing the subject) Where s Mark? I thought he said he would see us here. I haven t seen him yet. Gabe and Sam look around the bar. Gabe s gaze lingers on Dominic as he exits the Blaze with his group of friends. (CONT'D)...and I told him that it was ridiculous that his parents are making him get a job. (beat) I mean, who works these days? Plus, his dad is loaded. I will never understand some people. Sam stops talking and realizes that Gabe is officially an astronaut, floating in Dominic-space. (CONT'D) Hello? Gabe? Are you with me? (distracted) Sorry...what? That s it. We ve gotta do something about this. About what?

8 7. About the fact that you are so obviously in love with that boy. I am not in love. (raising an eyebrow) Then what is it? I m...not sure. His eyes fall upon something across the club. His mouth drops wide open. He actually manages to chuckle. (CONT'D) Sam. Look. Right now. Sam turns around, and there before them stands Mark, dressed in black slacks and a black polo shirt with a huge design of red-and-orange FLAMES covering the front and sleeves. A name tag reading TRAINEE is pinned to his chest. Oh. My. God. (beat) What have they done with you? EXT. JONES HOUSE - NIGHT CUT TO: and are making their way up the front walk. She is wearing a very nice dress and a shawl wrapped around her shoulders, her hair hanging in loose curls around her shoulders - in essense, she looks flawless. James is wearing slacks and a nice shirt, looking ruggedly handsome as ever. Well. Here we are. Home sweet home. I love your house. It s beautiful. Thanks. Would you like to see the inside?

9 8. Definitely. CUT TO: INT. JONES HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - NIGHT Anna and James fall onto the couch, furiously kissing each other. The shawl goes flying, as do James shoes. (between kisses) I had a really nice time tonight. Me too. But this is better. Agreed. They continue to kiss, even more passionately, if that is at all possible, and Anna suddenly bolts upright, shoving James unceremoniously onto the floor. (CONT'D) Oh my God! What?? Gabe! What if Gabe is here? Anna leaps off the couch and runs towards the stairs, hollering up them. (CONT'D) Gabe, honey? Gabe! Are you home? Hello? James picks himself up off the ground and warily moves closer to Anna at the foot of the stairs, massaging his head. This might be a wild guess, but I think we re all alone here. Anna smiles weakly and touches James lightly on the arm. I m sorry. Look, I like you. (beat) Really. It s just...

10 9. What? I was married once. And...well, it didn t really work out. It fell apart, actually. And as much as he won t admit it, it tore Gabe to pieces. We re not getting married, here. (chuckling) I know, crazy. I m just saying...i want to be careful. I m at that age in my life where I can t just rush into these things anymore. I m just getting my office off the ground and... James grabs Anna by the shoulders, gently, and looks into her eyes. You really haven t been dating, have you? Anna laughs weakly, and puts a hand over her face. I ve made a fool of myself. It s okay. I like fools. She looks up at him, and he has a dashing smile on his face. Come on. Let s make some coffee. That would be nice. INT. THE BLAZE - NIGHT Sam and Gabe are staring at Mark, dressed in his work uniform, a big tub held at his side filled with empty glasses. CUT TO:

11 10. Here? You got a job here? (shrugging) They were the only place that would hire me. The owner recognized me, so he gave me a job. Well I guess coming here almost every night finally paid off. Oh, Mark, what have they done with you? (re: shirt) Look at this...monstrosity. I mean, you ve finally become a real flamer. Gabe can t help it, he snorts out a laugh, and Mark simply rolls his eyes. Just because I m taking responsibility for myself for once, and actually going out there in the world, earning my own keep... Oh yeah, you re a real trailblazer. He begins to snicker again, and Mark gets even more annoyed. Gabe softens and touches Mark gently on the arm. Don t listen to him. I m proud of you for getting a job! Thank you, Gabe. (pointedly) I m glad someone can appreciate a solid display of maturity. Oh, Mark, I was gonna ask, since you work here now, does that mean we get free drinks? Mark gets a bright idea, and sits down his tub full of used glasses.

12 11. Sure, Sam. Have one on me. He then picks up a half-empty glass full of soda and spills it right on Sam s lap. As Sam looks down in shock, Gabe covers his mouth, trying to hide his laughter, and Mark promptly leaves them alone. INT. JONES HOUSE - KITCHEN - NIGHT CUT TO: Anna and James are seated at the kitchen table, a steaming cup of coffee in front of each of them. Good coffee. Yeah. Really good. (beat) So tell me why you really freaked out. Huh? Go ahead. We re two adults. What s the bigger picture here? Wow, you just keep coming out swinging, don t you? She laughs lightly and sips her coffee. James stares at her, almost entranced. I m just trying to understand you. You re gonna need a full laboratory for that, mister. Anna is silent for a few moments, and James waits for her to speak. She finally straightens her shoulders and nods. Both our kids go to the same school. That s bound to start some rumors. What if something were to happen?

13 12. I ll just explain to Parker. Anna quirks her head at the mention of Parker. What? (CONT'D) Uh, nothing. The name sounds familiar, that s all. Gabe must have mentioned him before. I wonder if they know each other? CUT TO: INT. THE BLAZE - NIGHT Gabe is helping Sam clean up the spill on his pants. I can t believe this. These pants cost me over a hundred dollars! Gabe stops sopping up soda and looks up at Sam out of the corner of his eye. (CONT'D) Okay, they didn t cost me over a hundred dollars. But ruined pants are ruined pants nonetheless. You were being kind of a jerk. It was a bit over the top, but who knows, I might have thrown a drink at you too. You think? Little bit. I should apologize. He starts to get off his chair, but Gabe stops him.

14 13. Give him some time. At least wait until tomorrow. Right. You re right. I m gonna head home. You coming with? I think I m gonna stick around. You sure? I ll call you tomorrow. Sam squeezes Gabe s shoulder affectionately and exits frame, heading out of the club. Gabe turns his attention back to the table they were seated at, staring down at his half-empty drink. He swirls the straw around absentmindedly. He looks up, staring around the club. S POV as he stares around, panning back and forth. We spot Dominic across the way. Gabe sits up straight, his face brightening. On Dominic, who isn t really Dominic, but some RANDOM GUY, talking to someone else. On Gabe, who s shoulders drop, disappointed. He looks back down at his drink, sighing. VOICE (O.S.) Hey, watch it! OTHER VOICE (O.S.) You watch it, freak! Gabe looks up and starts searching for the source of the yelling, and he sees Mark across the Blaze, still clutching his tub of glasses at his side. Parker and some of his brutish jock friends are harassing him. Great. Just great. END OF ACT ONE

15 14. ACT TWO INT. THE BLAZE - NIGHT Mark is standing in front of a table occupied by Parker and some of his friends, DEAN, BAILEY, and HANK. They are laughing and teasing Mark. Okay, guys. Do you want refills or not? PARKER Look guys, little Mark has finally pried himself away from his butt buddy, Sam! DEAN I can't believe they hire fags at this place. I thought this was a respectable joint. BAILEY Kinda fitting, don't you think? The Blaze...flames...I'm just sayin'. Look, I will call the manager over here! PARKER Did you hear that guys? Rainbow boy's gonna call the manager! HANK Are you getting it on with him, too? The boys all jeer and clap each other on the shoulders. Mark is fuming, face turning scarlet. (OS) I don't know, Hank, I thought you were already filling that position. Everyone looks up to see Gabe is now standing beside Mark. Mark looks over at him, horrified. He begins to shake his head "no", but Gabe ignores him. PARKER If it isn't Crestview's newest fag representative.

16 15. Well the position for Town Asshole was already taken, so... HANK You gonna let him talk to you like that, Parker? DEAN Careful, he might sic Dominic on you. Gabe seems stung at the use of Dominic's name. Mark has settled with becoming stone-still silent. Jealous? PARKER (scoffing) Jealous? Of you? Why should I be? I don't know, maybe because I've only known Dominic for about a month and he already likes me more than you. Parker stands up quickly, his chair falling backwards behind him, glaring menacingly at Gabe, who stands completely still, unafraid. PARKER Let me fill you in on a little detail, Gabe. (beat) Dominic? He's a nice guy, but he's not too bright. Once he realizes that you're nothing but a little fairy, he won't want anything to do with you. Is that a challenge? PARKER Consider it a warning. Without another word, Parker storms past Gabe and Mark, Dean, Bailey and Hank following quickly after, shooting dirty looks at Gabe the whole way. Gabe turns to Mark, finally breathing.

17 16. Are you all right? Mark is silent for a few moments, and then tears begin to well up in his eyes. Why did you do that? I...thought I was helping you. Parker and his goons were about to swallow you whole. Everybody thinks I'm some helpless little nerd! "Oh, Mark, let me help you, you could never do anything on your own!" My parents, Sam...and now you! Mark, it's not like that at all. I was just... Gabe. Just stop. Forget about it, okay? (unsure) I'm...sorry... (distracted) Look, I have a lot of work to do, so... Gabe is quiet for a few moments, unsure what to do. Mark goes about cleaning up Parker's table, and Gabe awkwardly stands behind him. All right. Well. I'll just...let you work.. Mark is silent, continuing to wipe the table down, completely ignoring Gabe. Gabe looks down at his feet, then at the back of Mark s head, and off his look of concern we: CUT TO:

18 17. INT. JONES HOUSE - FRONT ENTRY - NIGHT Anna and James are standing by the front door, and it looks as if the evening is about to come to a close. I had a good time tonight, James. I really, really did. You know, I did too. Well that s a good thing, seeing as an hour ago we were practically...well, you know. Yes, I know. I plan to go home and dream about that time. Hey now, don t get dirty on me. We need to do this again. And very soon. I very much agree. They share a kiss, and Anna pulls away, smiling. (CONT'D) It s been a long time since I felt like this. I m... Happy? Yeah. I m happy. (beat) You d better go before Gabe gets home. Call you tomorrow? (grinning) Can t wait.

19 18. James exits and Anna closes the door behind him, leaning against it, and she sighs happily. INT. JONES HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - NIGHT Gabe enters the living room, looking around. CUT TO: Mom? No answer. Shrugging, Gabe heads to the staircase. INT. S BEDROOM - NIGHT CUT TO: Gabe is lying on his bed, phone pressed to his ear, dressed in his pajamas. It was bad. Like, bad bad. Renee Zelwegger in Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation bad. INT. S BEDROOM - E TIME JUMP CUT TO: Sam is doing yoga in the middle of his nicely decorated room, listening to Gabe on SPEAKER-PHONE. INT. S BEDROOM (V.O.) (filtered) I mean, I have never seen Mark act mad before. But he was really mad tonight. At me. I m supposed to be the one he has a crush on! Had a crush on. Don t get in over your head, Marilyn. Gabe changes position on the bed, sitting up. Okay, had. I just can t believe it. Mark was really upset. JUMP CUT TO:

20 19. (V.O.) (filtered) It ll be fine. He ll be over it by the time we get to school tomorrow. You think? JUMP CUT TO: INT. S BEDROOM Sam continues to stretch, breathing out slowly. Trust me. I ve known Mark since we were little kids. We ve gotten into little tiffs like this before, and we always get over it. (V.O.) (filtered) I hope you re right. Gabe, my sweet. One thing you need to learn, and learn quickly: I am always right. CUT TO: EXT. BRIGHTON - COURTYARD - MORNING Gabe and Sam enter the courtyard and find talking to a couple of other students, who she dismisses at the sights of her real friends. Morning boys. How was your night? Interesting. Checked out the Blaze for awhile. Very unhappening scene. Total snooze-fest. Sounds exciting.

21 20. Oh, it was practically empty. No one was there. Well, Mark was there. Nothing new, there. Holding a tray of drinks. Explain? Mark went out and got a job. A job? A job. A real job? A real job. Apparently his parents think he needs to learn the value of money. Hence the recent employment. Wow. I know. So Mark got a job. A job for Mark. Mark is working. Working Mark. I m trying to imagine it... Hard, huh? Very.

22 21. He seemed to be doing fine. Until... What happened? It was nothing. A speck, a tiny blight within the universe. Sam and Mark got into a bit of a fight. No! Yes. No! (to Sam) We never fight. Do you think it s serious? I mean, will he ever speak to me again? I figured he would get over it. But he isn t here. He s always here. Reading a book, studying, taking extra notes. But he isn t here. He should be here. Why isn t he here? Sam, calm down! What happened to you always being right? I was in my zen mode last night! I was listening to my Yoga tape. I was totally out of this world. It must have been the endorphins kicking in. Now all I feel is mindnumbing fear. (beat) Oh my God, what if he hates me now? I m sure he doesn t hate you.

23 22. Sam, don t worry so much. It s going to be fine. It s at this moment that Mark walks by the trio, and they all slowly turn their heads as he continues walking past them. Mark? He completely ignores them, but then notices Julie. Oh, hi Julie. How are you today? I m...fine, Mark. You? Oh, I m okay, I guess. Heard about your new job. Did you? Yuh-huh. From who? Mark, we re standing right here. Sam and I. Both of us. In plain sight. You looked right at us with both eyes, without blinking. Did you hear something, Julie? Julie looks back and forth between Mark and Sam and Gabe, completely confused. Um...I am very uncomfortable right now. I guess it doesn t matter who you heard it from. But yes, I do have a new job. (MORE)

24 23. (CONT'D) I m working at the Blaze now. I m just a bus boy, but hey, it s something, right? (strained) Right. I just figure I should start somewhere. Definitely. I m a big fan of the union. Workers unite! You re so funny, Julez! Uh...yeah. I try. Well I d better get going. Class is going to start soon and I wanna get a jump on the reading we re doing today. Um. Okay. See you later, Mark. Mark heads off, and Julie turns to face Sam and Gabe, who are both staring straight ahead, shocked looks on their faces, mouths hanging open, eyes wide. (CONT'D) Guys? Hello in there? Oh my God. Can you believe that? No...I really can t. On their looks of confusion, we: FADE TO BLACK. END OF ACT TWO

25 24. ACT THREE EXT. CRESTVIEW CITY STREET - DAY Later, Gabe and Sam are walking down a street side-by-side, looking glum. I can t believe this. You can t believe this? I can t believe this. I mean I really can t believe this. Preachin to the choir, baby. I didn t know Mark could be like that. Did you know Mark could be like that? I mean that was... Cold. Icebergs were formed. I ve never seen snow before, but I think I did today, that s how cold it was. And the way he called her Julez. What was that all about? That would be the dangers of knowing someone for most of your life. They know you too well. They know how to get under your skin faster than anyone else. They stop walking, and Gabe turns to Sam. I m really sorry, Sam. I know this has got to be hard for you. I can t even imagine what it must be like. I...

26 25. Gabe, Gabe. It s fine. You don t need to feel like you need to help me fix this. I just want things to be right again. I want everyone to be happy. Mark seemed happy, didn t he? There s no way that was real. He s got to be hurting just as much as you. Who knows. For all we know he s off gallavanting with Julez, having a fabulous shopping day with his new paycheck from the Blaze. He isn t gallavanting. He could be. Sam... They continue walking again, and Sam throws his hands up in the air, exasperated. He pulls his cell phone out of his pocket and looks at it, pained. I just wish he would talk to me! I have officially called him seventeen times since school let out. He ll come around. I hope so... They keep moving forward, filling up at the frame, as we: CUT TO:

27 26. INT. JONES HOUSE - FRONT ENTRY Gabe shuts the front door behind him, laying his bookbag down near the door. He quickly heads for the stairs and begins ascending them. INT. JONES HOUSE - S BEDROOM JUMP CUT TO: Gabe walks by the open doorway to Anna s bedroom, and when he notices her inside, he stops and peeks into the room. Anna is fastening some earrings in, looking very smart in a skirt and blouse. Wow, what s the occasion? What do you mean? You look nice. I don t normally look nice? I didn t mean that. I just mean, are you going back to work? Cause if not, I feel a little underdressed. I m not really dressed up. Who are you trying to impress? What? You heard me. There s someone, isn t there? I knew it! You have been dating someone and you didn t tell me. You ve got some guy on the side and you were gonna try and sneak out of here before I got home so I wouldn t know about it. (beat, realizing) Oh my God, is it that guy from Parent/Teacher night?

28 27. Okay, woah woah woah. Slow down, Gabe. Somebody enter you into the Speech Olympics because you are the Lance Armstrong of ranting. I m just trying to understand. I m...going out. Going out. Yes. I am the adult, and your mother, which means I get to be mysterious and dodge questions. I happen to know a certain someone who doesn t tell another certain someone every little detail about their lives either. I tell you stuff! And I am telling you stuff right now. I m going out. End of the story, okay? Now please don t push this. Okay. Not pushing. Thank you. Now I better get going, I m gonna be late. All right. Anna rushes past him, and Gabe looks after her, a strange look on his face. INT. THE BEANHOUSE - DAY CUT TO: It s late afternoon and Anna and James are sitting at an outdoor table at the cafe.

29 28. Wow, this place is really nice. One of our town s hidden gems. You really know how to charm a girl. What s next, a chocolate bath and a warm foot massage? That could be arranged. Sly dog. A waiter appears with their drinks, and Anna gladly accepts hers, sipping it eagerly. James watches her with a bemused look on his face. (CONT'D) Aah. Now that is good coffee. (beat) Why aren t you drinking yours? I m too busy looking at you. Oh, stop. You ll make me blush, and red splotches so don t go with this outfit. You look beautiful no matter what. James... (beat) You re sweet. I really like spending time with you. Why do I get the sense that I know where this conversation is headed? Please, just...let me finish. This is really hard to say.

30 29. Okay. Go ahead and finish breaking up with me. That s not fair. You know that s not fair. What happened? I thought things were going really great. We seem to have things in common, we get along really well, we re attracted to one another. What s the problem? Gabe is. Well, he s not a problem. Actually he s been one of the least problematic parts of my life so far. He s pretty self-sufficient. Started changing his own diaper when he was almost two, which kind of defeated the purpose of potty training... Anna? Yes. I don t understand. Anna takes a deep breath and looks down at her coffee for a few moments, completely unsure of how to continue. She can t believe she is doing this. She looks back up at James. When Gabe saw me getting ready to go out, he basically figured it out. He knew I was going out on a date. And I think he knows who with, too. And he totally freaked out. Mount St. Helen s backed up and said, Hey, don t set this guy off. Just seeing his reaction to me dating...i bolted. This happened before coming here?

31 30. Right before. It was bad, James. I...I just can t go on with this. Not if it s going to upset Gabe this much. I can t do that to him, not until he s ready. Until he s ready? We have to wait until a sixteen year old boy is ready for his mother to be dating someone new? Don t you see how ridiculous that is? No. I don t. I love my son more than anything in this world, and anything that makes him upset, or he doesn t like, I am going to do the exact opposite. So what does this mean, you re ending things? I mean, we just got started. I know...which is why I feel so terrible. Because I honestly feel a connection with you, James, I really do. But...Gabe is my number one priority. I have to do this. You re making a mistake. Even if I am...it s what I have to do. I m really sorry, James. On James as he looks straight ahead, a hard look on his face. INT. THE BLAZE - NIGHT CUT TO: The door to the Blaze swings open and Sam enters, immediately looking around the club frantically. Across the large room, he spots Mark unloading a bucket full of empty drinks onto a counter near the back. He makes a beeline for him.

32 31. Mark. Hey. I tried calling you like a million times today. Nineteen by the end of it, I think. But a million s close, I guess. You re talking to me. Well, you re talking to me. It s generally considered the polite thing to do to respond. Well it s just you were ignoring us this morning, and... Sam, as you can tell, I m pretty busy right now. No. Don t do that. Don t just push this away. Why not? You do. What? Come on, Sam. You do whatever you want, because hey, you re Sam Davidson, nobody tells you what to do. You re like the president of your own private country. I m not like that. Mark throws him a look as he unloads more glasses. (CONT'D) Okay, I m a little like that. But only to other people. Not with you. You are my best friend in the entire world. No one else means as much to me as you do. You know that.

33 32. Sometimes I don t. Sometimes it feels like I m just your little doll you like to play with. My little...what?? You know what I mean. You control everything. I m always in the background. Well, you ve always been a little shy. How could I not be with someone like you hogging the spotlight all of the time? I do not hog. When we were nine you purposely scratched my name off the talent show list because you didn t think I would be able to get over my stage fright. When we were eleven, you told me the ski trip was cancelled because you thought I was going to hurt myself on the slopes. When I was fourteen, you didn t tell me you were going to the Spring Fling because you thought no one would want to talk to me. Sam is silent as Mark s rant slowly begins to sink in. Oh my God, Mark. I...had no idea. I didn t realize. Well maybe you should have. Maybe you should have taken your head out of your butt and thought about someone else for a change. I...

34 33. I am trying to do something more with my life right now. Learn some responsibility, because I am not going to be able to depend on my parents forever. Mark... You have been so selfish. You hurt my feelings more than you know. You patronized me and you belittled me. I didn t mean... No, Sam. I m talking right now! Sam becomes deathly silent, an odd look on his face. The Mark that is standing in front of him is not at all like the one he grew up with. (CONT'D) I m tired of you always interrupting me. It s about time I got the chance to say whatever I wanna say without you jumping in and correcting me, or adding in your two cents, or even so much as making a joke about what I just said. (beat) Get it? It s my turn. You don t get to talk, because I am. He stops talking abruptly. (CONT'D) And now...i think I m done. So...yeah. Mark quickly moves away from Sam, leaving him standing all alone in the back of the club, looking more lost than ever. FADE TO BLACK. END OF ACT THREE

35 34. ACT FOUR INT. JONES HOUSE - S BEDROOM - NIGHT Gabe is sitting at his desk, studying. A knock at the door startles him, and he turns around to see Anna standing in his doorway, still dressed the same as earlier. Oh, hey. Hey. What are you working on? She moves further into the room and sits down on his bed, which is situated right behind the desk. Just some math homework. Ah, math. The devil s language. One in the same. Need some help? No, I m good. Good, cause math? Never really my strong point. I know. So. So. I ended it tonight. Gabe finally turns around at this point in the conversation, leaving his math homework behind. Anna stares at him with wide eyes. What do you mean?

36 35. You were right. I did go out on a date tonight. I knew it. But I told him I couldn t see him anymore. Why? Because of you. Because of me? I know that Dad is still fresh on your mind. I should have realized that it really wasn t all that long ago, and you might not be completely over it yet. Even if I am. You re over it? Over Dad? I m definitely getting there. I know it s been kind of a long time. I mean, four years. That is a long time. I mean, what can you do in four years? Graduate high school. You could get a degree in college. I mean, lots and lots of things. And...you haven t been on a single date in all that time. Well it took me quite awhile to get past the entire situation too. Dating wasn t exactly in the front of my mind. But it is now.

37 36. I m human, like anyone else. It would be nice to...have someone. Yeah. I agree. So does this mean you are okay with me dating, now? It s something I m going to have to get used to. And I don t want any details. At least not for awhile. But I want you to be happy. I want me to be happy too, kid. So how are you going to un-breakup with your guy? I have no idea. The two share a short, simple chuckle. CUT TO: EXT. ROBERTS RESIDENCE - FRONT PORCH Sam walks up to the front door of an extremely nice looking house and rings the doorbell. Footsteps are heard on the other side, and it swings open, revealing Mark. Oh, Sam. I just got home from my shift at work... Mark, I am so sorry. He immediately bursts into tears and hugs Mark tightly, and Mark is very confused and a bit irritated at first, but after a moment, it passes, and he begins to pat Sam on the back, returning the embrace. (CONT'D) I never meant to make you feel like that. I swear, I never did.

38 37. They pull away from each other and Mark closes the front door, giving them some privacy on the front porch. The sad thing? I know you didn t. You couldn t help it. And that s part of the problem. I know that now. I want to fix it. It s going to take time. I ve got tons of time. It s going to take effort. I m an endless supply of effort. It probably won t be easy for you. Who ever likes to do anything the easy way? You are some piece of work, Sam Davidson. You betcha. (beat) Now can we please go inside, it is freezing out here! Mark nods, and he opens the door again, and they go inside together. EXT. THE BEANHOUSE - NIGHT CUT TO: Anna walks by the cafe, and sees that James is still sitting there, in the same place she left him earlier. You re still here.

39 38. I m still here. It s been two hours. Couldn t seem to get up. Can I join you? Seat s empty. Anna sits down in the same seat she occupied earlier that night. James...I am so sorry. I believe you mentioned that once or twice before earlier. I really meant it. Just like you meant everything else? I did. So what s this? You came back to give me a repeat viewing? Cause if so, I d like the chance to say no thank you. I talked with Gabe. Oh yeah? What else did he say you weren t allowed to do, besides date anybody?

40 39. Look. I don t know what kind of relationship you have with your son, but Gabe and I...we re very close. We always have been. We consult each other on everything. Every decision, every change. We do it together. We re like a team. If one of us doesn t agree, then it doesn t happen. Whatever it is. And when Gabe seemed to completely hate the idea of me going out and dating someone, I had to stop. And? We talked. He told me how he feels. I told him how I feel. And I think we reached an understanding. An understanding about what? Well he knows that I want to date people. It s been four years since I got divorced, and...it s time. He knows it, and I know it. It s time to move on. What are you saying? I m saying that I don t want this to be the end for us. Let me get this straight. Two hours ago you dumped me, and now you re back and you re telling me that you still want to date me. That...seems to be the case. Anyone ever tell you that you are one extremely crazy person?

41 40. It s been mentioned before. How do you know I m going to agree, just like that? I don t know that. I mean, you did dump me. That I did. However a lot of people don t get the chance at a do-over in the same day. No. A lot of people don t. So I should probably take this offer while it s on the table and I ve got the chance. That would be up to you. Your decision. Right. My decision. I would completely understand if you said you didn t want to have anything to do with me. I can be a real handful. I mean, look at the trouble I caused today, and that was nothing compared to - James holds a hand up to silence her, and Anna stops talking. He stands up and walks over to her, holding out a hand. Anna accepts it, and stands up too, and they are now standing very close to one another. You don t have to say anything else.

42 41. Really? Cause I had tons more stuff thought out. I mean, I could have gone on for hours. I really don t doubt that. So... Yeah. James leans in to kiss her, and Anna pulls back, confused. What are you doing? I m making a decision. Anna smiles, and lets him follow through with the kiss, and they stand before the cafe in an embrace. EXT. O NEIL RESIDENCE - NIGHT CUT TO: Gabe is walking up the front walk at Dominic s house later that night. He looks determined. He reaches the front door, and knocks a few times. The door opens, and there is DOMINIC, and he looks very surprised to see Gabe. DOMINIC Gabe. Hi. Sorry to just barge over without calling or anything. I just wanted...someone to talk to, I guess. DOMINIC Sure. Come on in. Gabe smiles and enters Dominic s house, and the door closes behind them. FADE TO BLACK. END OF EPISODE

43 42.