Written by Daniel Sjöstrand

Transcription

1 Written by Daniel Sjöstrand BARCELONA 2018 DANIEL SJÖSTRAND MISFIT EPISODE 2 THE NEW HOME 1

2 Green Bay, Wisconsin; the place where Larry Carson, a middle aged man, lives with his wife Diane and their two children Charlie and Alyssa. Diane has been as a writer for a local newspaper since she got her masterdegree in journalism 16 years ago. Already then she had married Larry and gotten pregnant with Charlie, their first-born. Now he s almost 18 years old and about to graduate from High School. Alyssa, his younger sister, is a freshman. It is her first year of High School and she has just gotten into the new system. She s got new friends although several of her old ones are attending the same school as well. Both children are born and raised in Green Bay and all of their friends are there. Larry originally comes from Chicago and Diane from San Francisco. They met at Diane s first year in college and it was love at first sight. When Diane got pregnant with Charlie around the time of Larry s graduation they moved in together as well as got married. One day their perfect lives are changed forever as Larry gets home early from his job, something that, ever since he became the new co-partner at one of the local real estate firms a couple of years back, never has happened before. After Diane is offered the job as leading reporter at The San Francisco Examiner, the Carson family decides to move to San Francisco to fulfill Diane s dream. Larry is also offered to become a real-estate salesman in Marin County north of the city. Before they leave for California something terrible happens. Jimmy, Charlie s best friend, dies after hitting his head in a storm while they are out sailing. Jimmy s mother blames Charlie for her son s death making him change his mind about leaving Green Bay even though it s the only home he has ever known. Diane is about to face her father whom she hasn t seen since they had a huge fight at a Christmas party. Alyssa had to leave her best friend Stacey behind, but she s now looking forward to go to California and seek a new life even though her old one had just started. BARCELONA 2018 DANIEL SJÖSTRAND MISFIT EPISODE 2 THE NEW HOME 2

3 Recap Larry tells Charlie and Alyssa that Diane has gotten a new job as a lead reporter for The Examiner newspaper and that he s been promoted to a real estate salesman. Although Alyssa gets really thrilled, Charlie realizes something isn t right. He figures out that The Examiner isn t in Green Bay meaning that they would have to move. Diane then explains that they re moving to San Francisco and Larry fills in saying they re leaving in two days. Charlie meets up with his best friend Jimmy who has the crazy idea that Charlie needs to face his fear for boats and waters. They take Jimmy s dad s boat out when a storm hits. After the boat hit something Charlie calls for help as he finds Jimmy unconscious on the floor. He checks for his pulse and finds one although it s very weak. At the hospital the next day Charlie goes to see Jimmy who is in a coma. He asks for him when Dr. Bates tells him Jimmy passed away during the night. After Charlie got into a fight with Jimmy s mom he arrives back home where all things are packed to leave for California. Larry gives Charlie the car keys to the Volvo XC60 and tells him it s his now. The cars are on the freeway and Charlie has the sun in his face as they are heading out of Green Bay. He thinks to himself, They say that when a close relationship dies a new one is born, even though you might not be aware about it yet. I wonder what meaning that will have BARCELONA 2018 DANIEL SJÖSTRAND MISFIT EPISODE 2 THE NEW HOME 3

4 in my life; in our lives. All I know is that I ll never forget neither Jimmy nor Green Bay. This is my home and this is where I started from. BARCELONA 2018 DANIEL SJÖSTRAND MISFIT EPISODE 2 THE NEW HOME 4

5 1. Winter has changed to spring. At least so it feels when the Carson family arrives to their new house in Marin County, California. A beautiful mountain inspired land just across the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco. It s mostly famous for hiking and the billions of pictures people have taken of the bridge and the city as a background from Marin Headlands. The new house is big, a lot bigger than their old one in Green Bay. Larry takes out the keys from his pocket, turns around and welcomes them to their new home. Alyssa walks in second after her dad and is amazed with how big the entrance and hall room is. Diane walks in and drops her jaw. She asks Larry how he was able to get this house. Charlie walks in and looks around without saying a word. Larry explains he s a real-estate salesman and that it s his job to find the best houses in the area. Diane agrees he really must ve. Alyssa asks whether she could check out her room and Larry tells her to go for it and that there should be a note with her name on one of the doors. She runs upstairs to find it. Diane notices Charlie hasn t said a word so far, What do you think, Charlie? Isn t it great? He nods and says he guesses so. Diane asks whether something is wrong with some worry in her voice. He tells her no, but that it s strange all of it, the move etc. That s all. I know it s been really hard on you so far given everything that has happened, but I promise you it will get better once you get adjusted, Larry explains trying to comfort him to feel better. Yeah, adjusted, Charlie says avoiding to look at his parents, I m gonna bring my things up to the room. Excuse me, he says and goes out to the car again. Diane looks at him worried and Larry hugs her. She says she really hopes he will be alright soon. He assures her not to worry as he s got his family and that he s been through the toughest time of his life. I hope you re right, she says with a sigh. BARCELONA 2018 DANIEL SJÖSTRAND MISFIT EPISODE 2 THE NEW HOME 5

6 I know I am, Larry says and hugs her even harder. Outside, Charlie opens the trunk to his new car and starts taking out his and Alyssa s things. For a second he looks up and sees this beautiful, blonde woman probably a few years older than him walking toward him from the house next door. Are you guys the new owners of this house?, she asks. Yeah, Charlie replies and nods as he keeps taking out things from the car. I haven t see you around before. Where are you from? Green Bay, he tries to keep his answers short. Green Bay? That s far. So how come you moved to Marin?, she walks closer with her hands in her jeans pockets. My mom got a new job out here. She s a reporter, he says opening up a little bit more. Oh cool. Well, I saw you guys arrive and just wanted to stop by and welcome you to the neighborhood. Say hi to the rest of the family from me. I will, he says and she starts walking away. Hold on! I didn t catch your name. Caroline Hudson you? Charlie Carson. Well, Charlie. You can call me Charlie, he says with a goofy stuttering voice. She smiles and says it was nice to meet him. Feel free to come over whenever you like, Charlie Carson. I mean, Charlie, she winks as she leaves and Charlie can t keep himself from smiling. BARCELONA 2018 DANIEL SJÖSTRAND MISFIT EPISODE 2 THE NEW HOME 6

7 2. Alyssa is sitting on her bed that arrived from Green Bay the day before. Most of the furniture have been placed as per Larry s description that he sent with the movers. As she is sitting with her phone he comes in to check on his daughter. Larry asks how she likes the room and Alyssa happily says it s amazing and thanks him for getting the house. She then says maybe they will be happy there after all. That was a quick change of heart, Alyssa. I m surprised, he says sitting down on the bed next to her. Yeah, well I can t dwell in the past so I gotta move on. I mean, I miss Stacey, but I can always see and talk to her. It s not like she s dead or anything! Charlie walks in through the door to her room at the same time as she says that. He gets really angry thinking about how insensitive that comment was given what happened to Jimmy. He shakes his head and runs down the stairs again. Charlie!, Alyssa calls out loud seeing the unlucky timing of her comment. Oh no don t worry, I ll handle it. Larry runs down after him. He passes Diane on the way, but just runs passed her. She continues up the stairs and enters Alyssa room. She asked her what that was all about and Alyssa explains what happened. Oh Alyssa, Diane says and sits down on her bed. Well. I didn t know he was gonna come in like that. It was just bad timing, she says to explain herself saying it wasn t intentional. I know, it s not your fault, Diane says and puts her hand on Alyssa s knee to comfort her, but we got to be careful when we talk about what happened in Green Bay. He s really sensitive about everything and he just needs time. I know, Alyssa says and sighs. BARCELONA 2018 DANIEL SJÖSTRAND MISFIT EPISODE 2 THE NEW HOME 7

8 In the front yard Larry catches up to Charlie who is walking in a fast pace away from the house. Larry calls out his name and asks him to stop. He refuses to listen. Then Larry raises his voice, Charlie, you stop when I m talking to you! Charlie screams back at him, Why the hell should I, dad? I can t believe Alyssa just said that. I m already sick of this place. him. How can you be sick of a place you haven t even explored yet?, Larry asks Because it s not Green Bay! But Charlie, nothing but Green Bay will ever be like that, okay? Don t you think it s time for you to think about your family a bit? I understand that you are hurting, but you need to know that this move hasn t been easy on any one of us. But you re the only one letting it get to your head, Larry says upset and perhaps harsher than intended. You re calling me selfish?, Charlie asks surprised. I m saying I wish you would think more about your family and not just of yourself. I can t believe you just said that. You re even worse than Alyssa, Charlie says and runs off. Charlie!, Larry calls after him and sighs knowing he probably should ve chosen his words differently. He walks back into the house and continues up to Alyssa s room. Diane asks him how it went and Larry just shakes his head saying not good. He looks troubled, something both Diane and Alyssa spot. Honey, what s going on?, Diane asks him. He looks up and out the window saying he thinks they re gonna have a lot of trouble with Charlie in the near future. I should ve kept my mouth shut, says Alyssa and falls back down on her bed facing the ceiling. BARCELONA 2018 DANIEL SJÖSTRAND MISFIT EPISODE 2 THE NEW HOME 8

9 What you said was inappropriate in that very moment just because Charlie happened to walk in, but it is not your fault that Charlie is the way he is. It s easier for us to handle everything because we didn t go through what he did, Larry explains comforting her. But what are we gonna about it? I mean, we can t just let him become worse, Diane asks trying to find a solution. Larry shakes his head not knowing what to answer. Alyssa apologizes being really down and her parents comfort her reassuring that everything will be alright. BARCELONA 2018 DANIEL SJÖSTRAND MISFIT EPISODE 2 THE NEW HOME 9

10 3. After walking around some 30 minutes not really knowing where he was going Charlie reaches a sign saying Welcome to downtown Marin Valley. It s not very big, but it gives him a warm and cozy feeling seeing the hills and large redwood trees surrounding a small park with a playground and a plaza with a fountain in the middle. There is a wooden structure working as a bus stop where the commuters to and from San Francisco travel although at the moment there s a group of teenagers sitting there. He thinks back on when he used to hang out with his friends back in Wisconsin. They would always go to someone s house and play board or video games and if there was a game on some of the parents joined as well and they had barbecues. From behind him he hears someone calling his name. Charlie turns around and the first thing he sees is a baby in a baby sack. To his surprise he sees that it s Caroline. So you found your way down here I see, she says and smiles trying to be indifferent waiting for his reaction. Who s the baby?, he asks thinking she was babysitting for someone. This is Melissa. She s my daughter, she explains and introduces them. Charlie is shocked, She s your daughter?! How old are you? I m 21. Don t look so shocked. It s not like I m 15 years old, she replies being used to this type of reaction from people. I m 17. How old is she?, he then asks. 16 months. I got pregnant at a party and the father split so I m raising her on my own. Sounds like a cliché, huh? Yeah, maybe a little bit. But you live on your own? BARCELONA 2018 DANIEL SJÖSTRAND MISFIT EPISODE 2 THE NEW HOME 10

11 Yeah, my mom is paying for it so she helps out a lot financially and my little brother comes around and helps out a lot. He s actually your age. I m about to meet up with him for a coffee. Do you wanna come? Charlie doesn t feel like he has anything better to do so he agrees. They walk up to a little café located next to the plaza. It has a small terrace with a fence dressed in different types of plants surrounding it. They walk inside and Caroline spots her brother. Hey Eric!, she salutes him as they approach the table. this? Hey sis, he says and then looks at Charlie whom he doesn t recognize, Who s This is Charlie. He s my new neighbor, she introduces them and they shake hands, He s just moved here from Green Bay. You guys are the same age. Wow, Green Bay, huh? That s quite the move. Are you Packers fan?, Eric asks as they all sit down by the table. Yeah, I love football!, Charlie says noticing they might have something in common. Do you know which school you are attending yet?, Eric asks. I don t know to be honest. I think it s called Marin Valley High. Is that correct? Charlie asks a bit unsure. Yes, Valley High. That s my school. It s about a twenty-minute walk from here, he explains. So what can you do around here? Marin Valley doesn t look very big, Charlie says and looks out the window. Well, if you do sports there s a lot of activities like soccer, football, basketball, baseball and so on, but mostly people just hang around at a pizza place or throw a party at someone s house. You see the ones over there sitting by the bus stop?, Eric points at the group of teenagers that Charlie saw before, That s the popular gang. They always hang out there during the evenings. I ll tell you more about it, but let s order coffees first. Charlie agrees and they go up to the counter to place their order. BARCELONA 2018 DANIEL SJÖSTRAND MISFIT EPISODE 2 THE NEW HOME 11

12 4. In the kitchen of the new house Diane is unpacking boxes with kitchen supplies with the sun shining through the kitchen window facing the driveway. She sees Larry parking the car. He then walks in through the front door and continues into the kitchen. He puts the car keys on the kitchen table and then walks up to give Diane a kiss. Larry asks her how she feels to be back in Marin after all these years. She explains that it feels really strange and that she d almost forgotten how beautiful this place is. She tells him that a couple of friends and she used to ride their bikes up to Marin Headlands just to watch the sunset. She remembers how amazing and colorful it was. Then Larry tells her he never really saw that when he was growing up. Too many skyscrapers and apartment buildings in the way. Diane laughs. It s great to hear you laugh again. It really makes me feel secure about all of this; that we made the right choice. It s pretty hard to believe, huh? Larry comments. Yeah, it does, but honestly what feels really strange is that my parents aren t here to welcome us. I guess it s better off that way. We d probably just end up fighting anyway. Just like last time, Diane sighs and then takes a deep breath feeling disappointed about the whole situation. Come one, do you really think it s that bad still? It s been a while since that Christmas. Then you don t know my father, Larry, she says and fills up a glass of water. Unfortunately I do No offence Absolutely none taken, Diane says and drinks her water. Larry asks her whether she s excited about her first day on Monday. Diane being thrilled says it s like a dream come true, that she can t believe it s actually happening. He assures her that if anyone in the world deserves it it s her. BARCELONA 2018 DANIEL SJÖSTRAND MISFIT EPISODE 2 THE NEW HOME 12

13 I know how hard you ve worked for this. I love you, Larry says and kisses her. I love you too, honey. Diane says and kisses him back. Upstairs Alyssa is in her room talking to Stacey telling her it s so weird that they ve moved out there, that it feels so unreal, but yet great in a way. Then she says she s missing her a lot. I miss you too. Tell me about the house. How s your room? Is it really big?, Stacey says from the other side of the call. Oh my god, you should see it. It s huge. The entire house is huge. My dad really got a great deal on this or so he says at least. Stacey says she s jealous and that she wishes she could live in California too. Alyssa wishes the same. She really wants her best friend around. That s the only bad thing about the move. I don t have any friends here. Hopefully I ll make some at school. I haven t even seen it yet, but it s supposed to be good. It s the same one my mom used to go to, Alyssa explains with a bit of anxiety. That s cool though. Maybe she knows the principal or something. Alyssa laughs, Oh god, I don t wanna imagine that, but hey it might be good if I ever get into trouble. Little good girl, Alyssa you never get into trouble. Not that my parents know of, Alyssa says trying to sound like a tough kid. Not that I know of either, Stays says and laughs. Yeah, yeah, whatever, Alyssa replies ignoring her comment and then she laughs, Look, I gotta go. We re gonna eat in like 20 minutes and I gotta finish unpacking. School starts in two days so I better get ready. Okay, I ll talk to you later. Say hi to your parents from me and Charlie too, Stacey says and giggles. Ew, stop thinking about my brother. Talk soon, Alyssa says and hangs up. BARCELONA 2018 DANIEL SJÖSTRAND MISFIT EPISODE 2 THE NEW HOME 13

14 5. At the café downtown Charlie, Eric and Caroline are still enjoying their coffee and some brownies. The sun has gone down behind the tall trees, but the sky remains clear. Charlie is surprised of how segregated the school is. Eric puts them all into categories such as geeks, the chess club, the jocks, cheerleaders and the popular rich kids. You know the drill, Eric finishes off. Not really. In my old school there wasn t much of that. Most people come from working class families and everyone just kind of did their own thing. This seems more like what you would see on TV. But tell me, under what category do you fall?, Charlie explains thinking back and then asking him a question to quickly not to be reminded of it. I don t know really. I guess I m an average person, Eric says and Caroline laughs. By that he means he s a geek in denial, she says. Eric grins at her saying that he hates her as a joke. Then she laughs and says it wasn t her fault she was elected prom queen and all of those things. Brag all you want, but I m not the one who s 21 stuck with a kid now, eh, Eric says as a joke. Caroline hits him and he cries out loud it was a joke and then looks at Charlie looking for confirmation that the joke was funny. Charlie just looks at them without replying. Then Eric says he loves little Melissa and that she s the cutest little thing in the world showing his emotional side. See what I mean Charlie. Such a geek, Caroline smirks at her brother. Charlies laughs again as Eric says, I m not a geek. I m just in touch with my feelings. That s all. Caroline shakes her head and gets up from her chair. She takes Melissa out of the baby chair she borrowed from the café and says she needs to get back home for BARCELONA 2018 DANIEL SJÖSTRAND MISFIT EPISODE 2 THE NEW HOME 14

15 Melissa to get some sleep. She says she also needs to clean some of the house. Eric gives her a hug. She also hugs Charlie. Then she gets a brilliant idea. Eric right away says he s not interested in helping her clean the house the following day. She pleads saying it will be fun. Don t be lazy, guys. Come one! I ll get pizza. Charlie? Charlie has a hard time resisting her smile and big eyes. I don t know. I m not really the cleaning type, no matter how bad that sounds. I ll introduce you to my college girlfriends Charlie has a sudden change of heart, I ll be there! Eric looks at him and calls him a traitor. Hey, it might be fun cleaning up a big house, he starts to hesitate, Is it still too late to change my mind? Hot college girls, Charlie, she says and smiles even more now. On the other hand, I m there. It will give me an excuse to stay away from my own house, he says and agrees. Caroline thanks them and says she ll see them tomorrow before she leaves. Charlie and Eric remains at the table as Charlie asks Eric to tell him more about school and if there are any hot girls there. If you only knew, Eric replies day dreaming a bit. It would kind of help if you told me, Charlie demands excitingly. Okay, so the ones you should know about are Rachel, Hannah and Lisa. Rachel is a cheerleader, Hannah is student body president and Lisa is captain of the cheerleading squad and so freaking hot! Just as he finishes his sentence three girls walk passed them to order coffee. Eric looks up, nods at Charlie and says, Speak of the devil. That s them. Rachel is the brunette, Hannah is the blonde with the ponytail and Lisa is the blonde with the hair let down. I ve had a crush on Lisa for as long as I can remember. BARCELONA 2018 DANIEL SJÖSTRAND MISFIT EPISODE 2 THE NEW HOME 15

16 Man, you weren t kidding. They really are hot. But hey, you gotta remember that you can t let girls play with you like that, Charlie comments and drinks the last of his coffee. If it were Lisa I d let her play with me any way she wanted to. Charlie laughs at Eric s words and says he s nuts. Once the girls have gotten their coffee they walk up to Charlie and Eric s table. Lisa looks at Charlie and says, I haven t see you around here before. That s because I just moved here, Charlie replies in his typical short manner. Where are you from?, she then asks trying to get some more information about this new mysterious stranger. Green Bay, he says keeping it short again. Are you attending Valley High? Charlie nods and says he thinks so. Lisa smiles and sends him a wink after saying that maybe she ll see him around. Charlie doesn t respond and the girls leave. Eric can t believe what just happened. Oh my god, Lisa was so flirting with you. Charlie shrugs it off as if he doesn t care. Dude, it s Lisa. For god s sake, Eric says all surprised by Charlie s reaction. Charlie says he s not into her and that even if he were he wouldn t do that to a friend. Eric reacts asking whether he really sees him as a friend. Charlie says he does, although he doesn t know anyone else, he tells Eric he seems like a cool guy. Or like his sister said, A geek in denial. Eric laughs and says he s gotta get home as he s having dinner with his mom. I ll see you tomorrow at my sister s then, right? Eric asks to confirm. Yeah I ll be there. I live next door. Eric nods and takes off. Charlie is about to do the same when a group of guys approaches him. I saw you talking to Lisa before, says the front person named Chris. BARCELONA 2018 DANIEL SJÖSTRAND MISFIT EPISODE 2 THE NEW HOME 16

17 Yeah and?, Charlie says not really understanding what the guy wants. I don t know who you are and frankly I don t care. But you better stay away from her, okay?, Chris says with a hostile voice. Excuse me?, Charlie says surprised. You heard me. Stay away from her or you ll regret it, got it? boy? Charlie now laughs in his face and asks, What are you gonna do about it, rich Chris takes it as a hostile act and threatens Charlie to make sure he ll never set foot in Marin again. Charlie looks at him saying that will hard since he lives there. Look, I m warning you. Stay the hell away from Lisa! No, I m warning you. Stay the hell away from me, Charlie tells him off. You think you re tough, huh? Well, let s see what you got, asshole, Chris says and pushes Charlie in the chest a few feet back. I m not gonna fight you here, Charlie says refusing to give into Chris s stupidity. Well, that s too bad, because I am Chris hits Charlie in the stomach. Charlie then hits Chris back in the stomach and again soccer punches him in the face him so that he falls over an empty table. Another guy comes up behind Charlie and holds him in a firm grip. One guy starts hitting him in the stomach and Charlie manages to kick him away. Then Chris comes back and hits Charlie in the face. A waitress screams at them to stop as another waiter comes out from the kitchen breaking the brawl up. Chris calls out to his friends to leave and they run out of there. The waiter helps Charlie up and asks if he s okay. Charlie says he s fine and runs out of there as well. BARCELONA 2018 DANIEL SJÖSTRAND MISFIT EPISODE 2 THE NEW HOME 17

18 6. Charlie eventually returns home and as he walks through the door Larry is the first one to see him. He runs up to Charlie asking what happened seeing he s bleeding from his eyebrow. Larry tries to take care of him, but Charlie just pushes him away saying he s fine. Charlie, hold up. What happened to you? You re bleeding, Larry refuses to let him go. Nothing, okay?, Charlie calls back trying to get upstairs. Come on, Charlie. I m sorry about before. Just tell me what happened, please?, his dad pleads to get him to talk. Well, it doesn t justify it, he replies with an upset voice and sighs, If you must know, somebody down at a café opened a champagne bottle and I accidently got hit by the cork. But why didn t you wipe off the blood with some paper?, Larry asks trying to understand feeling that something doesn t add up. Look dad, just leave me alone, okay? I don t wanna hear anymore, Charlie says and pushes his dad away and runs upstairs to his room. Diane comes in from the kitchen seeing Charlie running upstairs. She looks at Larry and wonders what s going on. She asks if he s still upset about what happened earlier. Larry doesn t wanna upset nor worry her so he says he s fine, but just tired from the trip. Diane knows he s not telling the whole truth, but she drops it trusting that Larry will be able to handle it. The next morning Diane and Larry are in the kitchen. He s making pancakes while Diane is reading the newspaper. Charlie and Alyssa come into the kitchen with very sleepy faces. Hey guys, I thought you d never get up, Diane says and smiles while continuing to reed. BARCELONA 2018 DANIEL SJÖSTRAND MISFIT EPISODE 2 THE NEW HOME 18

19 Mom, it s 9:30 in the morning. It s the last day of the winter holidays. You ve got to give us a break, Alyssa yawns sitting down next to her. Why? You just had one, she replies with a smile. Charlie asks what s for breakfast as he also sits down by the kitchen table. Diane says his dad is making pancakes and that since that s the only thing they have someone s gonna have to go with her to do some grocery shopping. Charlie denies her immediately saying he already has plans. Already? What kind of plans?, Diane asks curious and surprised. I m helping out a neighbor She needed help cleaning her house, Charlie explains. Diane looks at her son very surprised, You offered to clean? She s a hot girl, isn t she?, Alyssa asks. She s a mother, Charlie replies giving her a look as if she were stupid. Yuck! Even worse!, Alyssa says feeling disgusted thinking he s talking about someone their mom s age. Eve. She s a young hot mother, Charlie says and smiles like a boy on Christmas Excuse me, I m still in the room, Diane comments. We know! both Alyssa and Charlie calls out loud. Diane shakes her head and then asks Larry what has become of their children. She doesn t get a response. She tries him one more time before Alyssa calls out loud: DAD?! He turns around and apologizes. He explains that he just received an about a special offer to buy a summer house by the beach through his new employment. Diane asks how they re supposed to afford that. Larry answers it seems like his new jobs has its perks. He then explains that they could either get one along the coast or one up by Lake Tahoe, a grand lake on the border between California and Nevada. Alyssa states right away that she votes for the beach. Charlie agrees. Diane as well. She says it BARCELONA 2018 DANIEL SJÖSTRAND MISFIT EPISODE 2 THE NEW HOME 19

20 would be nice to have a getaway place to go to where no one knows them. Larry laughs and says people here don t even know them yet. But they will, Alyssa says. Charlie and I start school tomorrow. You guys start new jobs and hey, Charlie has already found a new friend apparently. How old is this young hot mom anyway?, Diane asked a little concerned. 21, he replies. 21?! And she s a mother?, she realizes her own age when Charlie was born. I m just gonna shut my mouth now. It s better off if he gets some new friends. He wouldn t wanna be here around his family all day long, right?, Larry comments not expecting Charlie to get upset about it. He does and gets up from the table and walks outside without saying a word. Diane looks at Larry and he just says it s between the two of them and for her not to worry. Charlie and you have been acting really weird since we got here, dad, Alyssa says not understanding what their problem is. We re just adjusting, Alyssa, he replies. Whatever you say, dad, she says and starts eating. BARCELONA 2018 DANIEL SJÖSTRAND MISFIT EPISODE 2 THE NEW HOME 20

21 7. Charlie is outside the house in the driveway trying to calm down and not think about all the negative things lately. He sees Eric walking up the street and walks up to him a bit surprised that he s there so early. They shake hands and Eric says he had been wondering if anyone was ever gonna move into the house next door to his sister s. He explains that it s been empty for about six months. Charlie is confused wondering how that is possible as it s such a nice place. Eric tells him there used to be a cranky old lady living there all alone. She passed away six months ago. Apparently it took almost two months for the real-estate firm to get the house into descent shape again. Charlie can t believe it. He says the house looks great now. Then he asks what Eric is doing there so early. He replies that he just wanted to see where he lived, although he did kind of have an idea before. Charlie remembers that the house back in Green Bay wasn t nearly as big as this one. By the way, something strange happened to me last night after you left the café, Charlie says as they sit down on the sidewalk. Right after you left some guys came up and started threatening me to stay away from that Lisa girl. Do you have any idea what that was about? That sounds like Chris and his gang. He used to date Lisa last year. Then he got drunk and cheated on her at a party a little over a month ago. She dumped him and now he s threatening every guy that gets close to her. That s why I try to stay away. You don t wanna get in his way, Eric explains being a bit concerned. Are you seriously afraid that loser is gonna do something to you?, Charlie then asks not understanding the deal with this guy. Well yes. He is a lot bigger and stronger than I am, Eric states firmly. You gotta stand up for yourself, man. If he messes with you just let me know, okay? BARCELONA 2018 DANIEL SJÖSTRAND MISFIT EPISODE 2 THE NEW HOME 21

22 Eric nods and then asks Charlie to tell him what happened last night. Charlie narrows the story saying that they started threatening him and things eventually got a little out of hand, I didn t wanna fight, but he wouldn t let it go so I fought back. That would explain the mark on your eyebrow, Eric comments. I hate guys like that, Charlie starts off, They think they own the place. Well, he does own the place, sort of. His dad has a lot of influence in this town; in the entire county for that matter. Well, he ain t gonna have influence on me, that s for sure, Charlie says decisive not wanting to let anyone try to tell him how to be and what to do. Eric then asks whether he fought a lot back in Green Bay. Charlie shakes his head saying that people were different. Perhaps it has something to do with him being from there. He makes a joke saying he knows like half the city. Eric isn t sure if he s serious or not. You re kidding right?, Eric asks to be sure. Of course I m kidding. But no, I did not fight a lot back home. So how does it feel to be in California now? I mean, that s quite the change of scenery. Honestly it sucks. Imagine if you were being taken away from the only home you ve ever know with just two days notice. But I don t wanna talk about it. It brings back a lot of bad memories, Charlie explains being honest. Eric apologizes and Charlie tells him not to worry about it. He then suggests they should see if Caroline is awake already to wanna eat breakfast together. Eric agrees, but says she s probably already up with Melissa anyway. Charlie agrees that he s got a point. BARCELONA 2018 DANIEL SJÖSTRAND MISFIT EPISODE 2 THE NEW HOME 22

23 8. Alyssa goes downstairs and enters the kitchen to get something to drink. She spots her parents still sitting there. As she enters she tells them to get a life. Larry quickly snaps back by saying that they used to have one before she and Charlie were born. She grins at him and asks why they wanna sit inside on such a beautiful day. I m so proud of you, Alyssa. Go out and play then, Diane says. Weren t you supposed to go to the grocery store, mom? Yeah, but I m kind of lazy today. I don t really feel like it. Okay fine, I ll go with you then, Alyssa says and sighs being annoyed. Larry, you owe me ten bucks. I told you it would work, Diane says and Larry swears to himself as he rolls his eyes. What s going on?, Alyssa asks confused. Get dressed, honey. We re going to the supermarket, Diane smiles at her and gets up from the chair. Wait, you guys set me up?, Alyssa calls out loud and can t believe she got fooled. Yeah, and it cost me ten bucks, Larry answers taking out a ten-dollar bill from his wallet. I ll take that, Alyssa says and continues, That was mean! BARCELONA 2018 DANIEL SJÖSTRAND MISFIT EPISODE 2 THE NEW HOME 23

24 9. Charlie and Eric are sitting in Caroline s living room watching TV waiting for her friends to show up. In the meantime, Caroline is putting back books into the bookshelf. Charlie thanks her for breakfast and says it beats eating with his family. She appreciates his comment, but then asks what is going on with them. She thinks it seems like they don t get along very well. He says he doesn t wanna talk about it. Caroline nods and Eric changes the subject by asking about football. He tells Charlie that if he wants to play he could try out for the Valley High football team. The chicks love jocks, he continues. I love football, but I wouldn t play just to get girls. Either way I m not really looking for anyone right now, Charlie replies and seems to be a bit down. Why is that?, Caroline asks a bit surprised thinking she hasn t really heard a High School guy saying that before, You re not just after sex, are you?, she asks just to be sure. No, of course not. But I just moved here and I m trying to adjust to my new life and it s not very easy. But at least thanks to you guys it s a lot better than I thought, Charlie explains. We sure are one of a kind, Eric says. You can sure say that again, Caroline agrees. sister. Eric then repeats the same sentence, We sure are one of a kind, teasing his I am starting to see what you mean, Charlie says and smiles. Eric then asks him if he s thought anymore about colleges and where to apply. Charlie replies saying that s a great question he does not have a good answer to. He explains that he would like to become a football coach and that maybe he ll see if he can get into a good management program. BARCELONA 2018 DANIEL SJÖSTRAND MISFIT EPISODE 2 THE NEW HOME 24

25 When I was younger I used to make my own playbook. It has been a dream, but in all honestly not something I ever thought was possible. Eric then tells him that he s in California and that there anything is possible if you just work hard enough for it. He also finds it cool as it means Charlie is very creative. Oh god, sports, Caroline complains. How can so many people be hung up on sports? Because it brings people together, Eric replies, Like the Olympic Games. Caroline sees his point and accepts it. It also gives guys something to do when their ladies bail on them, Charlie adds to Eric s comment. You think sports rock more than girls?. Eric asks him. Totally! Wow, that s amazing. Are you sure you re not gay?, Eric looks at Charlie weirdly. I was just about to ask the same thing, Caroline says and both of them awaiting his response. You have a lot to learn, my friend, Charlie says to Eric and laughs. The doorbell rings and both the guys get excited thinking Caroline s college friends finally have arrived. She walks over to open the door and spoils the surprise on her way. It s just my mom. She s picking up Melissa to watch her this afternoon while we re cleaning up. You re gonna love her. She s pretty cool for being an adult, Eric assures Charlie as the two of them enter the living room. Mom, this is Charlie, Caroline introduces them. Nice to meet you, Mrs. Hudson, he says with the politest voice he can find. BARCELONA 2018 DANIEL SJÖSTRAND MISFIT EPISODE 2 THE NEW HOME 25

26 Caroline, this isn t another one of your guys, is it?, looking skeptical at her daughter. Mom! No, this is Charlie. He just moved in next door. I see. You re a very handsome young man, Mrs. Hudson says and pauses, How rich are you? MOM!, both Eric and Caroline now calls out loud. Charlie isn t sure what to believe whether she s joking or not. He decides to play along though. I m as poor as a mouse looking for food in the sewers. Mrs. Hudson holds off on responding for a few second. Both Eric and Caroline are waiting for the outcome of this. Then Mrs. Hudson laughs and says she likes him and that he s got a good sense of humor. Charlie exhales and feels relieved. She says she s just joking and Caroline jumps in saying her dear mother has a way of overdoing that from time to time. Mrs. Hudson shrugs it off and says she s a fun mother. Caroline shakes her head and asks her to please take Melissa and leave before her friends show up. Are you embarrassed of me, her mom then asks walking to pick up her granddaughter. More than you ll ever know, Caroline says, Now let s go. That s the thanks I get for raising two kids and now offer to take care of my daughter s daughter. Oh, where did I go wrong?, Mrs. Hudson says with a melodramatic voice. It was very nice to meet you, Charlie. Likewise, he greets back. Caroline and her mom go to get Melissa ready. I told you, man. Our family is one of a kind. Charlie looks at him, I can see that. She did scare me a bit at first when asking about my wealth. BARCELONA 2018 DANIEL SJÖSTRAND MISFIT EPISODE 2 THE NEW HOME 26

27 She always does that to new people. Just imagine what my dad is like then, Eric explains to help make Charlie understand. Do I dare to? Let s just say he makes a joke in every other sentence. Sometimes even in every sentence, Eric says. Charlie just nods. BARCELONA 2018 DANIEL SJÖSTRAND MISFIT EPISODE 2 THE NEW HOME 27

28 10. Diane and Alyssa have gone to the supermarket to shop for groceries. When they ve been in there for a while they reach the vegetable stands. Alyssa looks up and her eyes catch the ones of another boy. They look at each other for a couple of seconds and then he disappears behind a shelf. So Alyssa, what vegetables do you want?, Diane asks her looking over the different selections. Anything is fine with me. Charlie is the picky one, remember?, Alyssa replies still looking toward where the boy was. Diane then asks her to go get some orange juice and milk. Alyssa walks off to look for it. When she walks around the corner of one of the shelfs she bumps into the boy she saw earlier. She apologizes. No, don t be sorry. It was my fault for not looking, the boy says back to her. They remain silent thinking the other one is cute. I m Nathan Bear, he introduces himself. Alyssa Carson, they shake hands. How come I haven t seen you here before?, Nathan then asks being a bit shy. I ve never actually shopped here before, Alyssa answers and he laughs. I mean, how come I ve never see you around Marin Valley before? Do you live in the city or something? She feels a bit stupid for not understanding his question. Alyssa explains that she does live there, but that she just moved from Green Bay. He then asks her whether she s into football. She shakes her head saying no, but then tells him it s her brother who s the sports fanatic in the family. Nathan asks how old he is and she says 17. Then she asks him why he s wondering about Charlie s age. He answers that he s just wondering. How about you?, he then asks trying to figure out her age. BARCELONA 2018 DANIEL SJÖSTRAND MISFIT EPISODE 2 THE NEW HOME 28

29 What about me? He smiles, How old are you? Oh, I m 14, Alyssa replies feeling stupid again. So am I, Nathan says and they end up being quiet like awkward teenagers. Hey, so I have a question. I know it s kind of short notice and that we just met, but would you maybe like to do something with me later? Like what?, Alyssa asks a bit skeptical to his intentions. It s something she s learned from Charlie. I don t know. Catch a movie at the cinema, maybe? Like a date?, Alyssa asks surprised in a good way showing her young personality. Ah, yeah, sure. I guess I can do that, she says and smiles. Great! Meet me at this place at seven tonight, okay?, Nathan asks for her phone and types in the address in Google Maps for her to find the right directions. Alyssa nods and Nathan smiles and says he ll see her tonight. He then leaves and half a minute later Diane finds her and asks if she has gotten then milk and juice yet. Alyssa walks over to the cooling refrigerators and picks out the brands she likes. Diane says thank you and looks at her weird. She asks what s going on, but Alyssa denies anything by saying nothing is going on. BARCELONA 2018 DANIEL SJÖSTRAND MISFIT EPISODE 2 THE NEW HOME 29

30 11. Larry is standing outside the house in the driveway cleaning the car after the long trip from Wisconsin. He s enjoying the warmth compared to what they are used to and listens to the birds singing between the trees. He has a small radio on the ground playing music and sings along to some old classic rock songs. A red Porsche then parks along the street just in front of him. An older man with a white shirt and a nice beer belly steps out of it asking if he s Larry Carson. Larry nods saying he s him. The man introduces himself as Fred Baton, Larry s new boss. He just came by to say hello and see how the move is going. They had spoken on the phone earlier. Larry greets him and they shake hands. So how does it feel to be out here in California? Nice and warm compared to Wisconsin I imagine, no? Fred asks him and takes a look at Larry s car. I must say it feels really good actually. I didn t think we were gonna have it this good. The house is amazing and so well equipped. We re very happy with it, Larry replies and turns off the radio on the ground. I m glad you like it. I only want the best for my employees. I own the business and to me it s important that everyone I work with is happy and focused on wanting the same for their clients. Are you excited about the new job?, Fred explains his business ethics. I am. I ve heard a lot great things about Marin. My wife actually grew up here before moving away for college. You don t say? Fred says satisfied and continues, Listen Larry, there s something I wanted to talk to you about. I own the business, but a lot of the dirty work was done by my son, our now former Vice President. He and his family are out traveling the world. He said he was tired of being in the real-estate business and that he wanted to try something new. He s my son and he has made more than well enough to not have to work another day in his life. I know I called you out here to work with sales, but I actually want to offer you the Vice President position given your experience and that you remind me a bit of my son. I honestly think you would be a great fit. BARCELONA 2018 DANIEL SJÖSTRAND MISFIT EPISODE 2 THE NEW HOME 30

31 Larry is speechless, I don t know what to say. Just say yes. And don t worry about money. You ll make enough to support three families in this town. That sounds amazing. I don t really care that much about the money though, Larry states to make sure Fred knows he s in it for the business. I like you, Larry. Spoken like a true salesman. You re gonna make it big in this business. I hope so! Oh I m Sorry, can I get you anything to drink, coffee? No thanks, V.P.! I gotta run some more errands, but I ll see you Monday then, Fred says and shakes Larry s hand. Sounds great, Mr. Baton!, Larry says with a big smile on his face. Don t sweat it, Larry. And please, call me Fred. Mr. Baton sounds so old, he replies before getting into his Porsche and drives off. Larry looks up to the sky with a smile. He can t believe what had just happened. BARCELONA 2018 DANIEL SJÖSTRAND MISFIT EPISODE 2 THE NEW HOME 31

32 12. After a few hours Caroline, Charlie and Eric are almost done cleaning the house. The only rooms missing are the kitchen and the living room. Caroline s friends still haven t shown up and she s very annoyed about it as they promised they would help. Are you sure you weren t just kidding to get me here?, Charlie asks as a joke. No I wasn t, Caroline says with a serious tone, Besides, if I wanted you here I would ve easily gotten you here without their help. Calm down, sis. You know how they are. Always late, Eric says as the doorbell rings. Finally! I ll get it, Caroline says as she walks to open. Charlie asks if she s always like that. Eric asks if he means stressed out. Charlie nods and Eric says yes. He explains that it can t be easy being a single mom and so young at the same time. Caroline comes back into the living room with four other girls. She introduces them to Charlie. Charlie, this is Heather, Liz and Dawn. And that s Heather s little sister Rachel. Nice to meet you, ladies, he says and nods to them. He s cute, Heather says and asks, Where did you pick this one up? Seven Eleven? Oh shut it. He just moved in next door, Caroline replies. Heather then asks how old Charlie is. He answers 17 and she s a bit surprised believing he was older. She looks at Caroline saying she didn t know she was going after younger guys now. Caroline just shakes her head knowing Heather means no harm. BARCELONA 2018 DANIEL SJÖSTRAND MISFIT EPISODE 2 THE NEW HOME 32

33 This is my sister Rachel. You guys are the same age, Heather tells Charlie who replies that they ve met. Caroline divides them into groups leaving Eric, Rachel and Charlie to clean up the living room. The others leave and Eric then asks Rachel how she s doing. She explains that she s okay, but annoyed that she was forced to come along. Eric tells her she s free to leave at any time. Rachel just shakes her head that it s fine and that her sister would spill it to their mom and then she d get in trouble. So did you hear what happened last night?, Eric asks Rachel as he starts picking up some of Melissa s toys from under the table. Rachel shakes her head, Chris approached Charlie at the café. Oh what happened?, Rachel asks Charlie. We got into a fight. I didn t want to, but he was being an ass. They were three against one, Charlie explains. I know what you mean. He s been like that for a while and when things ended between him and Lisa he got worse. You should watch out for him. He can be dangerous if he s in the wrong mood, Rachel tries to warn Charlie. Well, who says I can t be dangerous too? Rachel gives him a weird and a bit disgusted look, That s just scary. I m not like any other guy. I don t need a woman to make my day and I don t ever let anyone put me down. Rachel thinks he s like any other tough guy thinking he s something special resulting he s just like everyone else. She asks him if he s the big and strong type. Charlie doesn t reply. Eric says he s thankful that Charlie is around so that he can learn a thing a two from him. You shouldn t put yourself down like that, Eric. You re a good guy, Rachel encourages him. Why not? It s not like I can defend myself against people like Chris. I m not stupid. I m just realistic. BARCELONA 2018 DANIEL SJÖSTRAND MISFIT EPISODE 2 THE NEW HOME 33

34 Don t worry about that, man. We ll fix that somehow, Charlie says to back him up. Rachel says Charlie is right and if there s anything she can do she ll help if she can find the time. Yeah, cheerleading must up a lot of time, huh?, Eric says teasing her. Charlie reassures him that if anyone messes with him he should just let him know. Eric nods and Rachel is surprised of how loyal Charlie is to Eric, someone who is normally being seen as a geek. You seem to be a good guy, Charlie. Not that many guys around here who are like that, Rachel says to give him a compliment. I m just being myself, he says confidently. That s the best quality a guy can have. Guys here seem to only want one thing and it s really annoying when a person only wants you for sex. This one guy came up to me and asked me out and I thought, wow, this guys has courage, but right after he said that if we went out maybe we could have sex afterwards. I mean, can you believe that? I can t answer that because I don t do that stuff. I mean, I don t go out with girls unless I feel something special for them, Charlie says showing his more emotional side. Eric laughs and says, See, now you re starting to sound like me. We already have an effect on each other. Woho, Charlie says sarcastically. Rachel then points out that she s probably the last person to say this, but they should probably continue cleaning if they ever wanna get out of there. Eric laughs and corrects her saying Lisa would probably be the last one to say that. Rachel laughs says he s got a point. BARCELONA 2018 DANIEL SJÖSTRAND MISFIT EPISODE 2 THE NEW HOME 34