Flipped怦然心动电影台词英文整理版

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SCENE 1

BRYCE: All I ever wanted was for Juli Baker to leave me alone. It all began in the summer of 1957, before the start of second grade.

STEVEN: Here we are.

PATSY: Ha, ha. What do you guys think? LYNETTA: I like this place. BRYCE: It's cool.

LYNETTA: Uh, what color is my room? PATSY: Just you wait.

BRYCE: Let's see what's inside.

STEVEN: Hey, come on, buddy Bryce. Why don't, uh, you and I go help unload the van and the womenfolk here can get in the kitchen and start setting up. BRYCE: Okay, Dad.

BRYCE: For me, it was the beginning of what would be more than half a decade of strategic avoidance and social discomfort. JULI: Hi, I'm Juli Baker.

STEVEN: Hey, hey, what are you doing? JULI: Don't you want some help?

STEVEN: No. There's some valuable things in there.

JULI: - How about this one?

STEVEN: No, no, no. Run home. Your mother's probably wondering where you are.

JULI: Oh, no, my mom knows where I am. She said it's fine.

BRYCE: It didn't take long to realize this girl could not take a hint.

STEVEN: It's crowded in here with three

people.

better. But finally, in the sixth grade, I JULI: I don't mind. took action. I hatched the plan. BRYCE: Of any kind.

BRYCE: Sherry. Sherry, wait up. JULI: You wanna push this one together? SHERRY: Hi, Bryce. Heh.

STEVEN: Bryce, isn't it time for you to go BRYCE: I asked out Sherry Stalls.

help your mother?

BRYCE: I was wondering if you wanted BRYCE: Huh? Oh, yeah.

to go...

BRYCE: I mean, nothing would stop her. I BRYCE: To full appreciate the brilliance was about to tell her to get lost when the of this plan, you have to understand that weirdest thing happened. I couldn't believe Juli hated Sherry Stalls, though I never it. There I was holding hands with this understood why. Sherry was nice, friendly strange girl. How did I get into this mess? and she had a lot of hair.

PATSY: Well, hello. I see you've met my SHERRY: At first, my mother wouldn't let son.

me get my ears pierced, but I begged... JULI: Uh-huh.

BRYCE: The idea was that Sherry would BRYCE: Finally, I did the only manly eat with me... maybe we'd walk around thing available when you're 7 years old. together, and hopefully Juli would lose [BELL RINGING]

interest.

BRYCE: However, my troubles were far SHERRY: But I still can't get the hoops till from over. The minute I walked into Miss I'm 16.

Yelson's classroom...

BRYCE: Oh, that's a shame.

JULI: Bryce? You're here.

SHERRY: So Melanie wanted to get her BRYCE: ...it was clear: School would not ears pierced, but of course her mother said be a sanctuary.

no. So she threw a fit and smashed her [CHILDREN LAUGHING]

Johnny Mathis Greatest Hits album... KID 1: Hey, Bryce, where's your [LAUGHS]...and she got grounded, so girlfriend?

now she can't come to my pajama BRYCE: I was branded for life.

sleepover party.

KID 2: Hey, Bryce, why don't you ask her BRYCE: Things were unfolding quite to marry you?

nicely.

GIRLS [SINGING]: Bryce and Juli sitting GARRETT: What are you doing for your in a tree, K-l-S-S-l-N-G.

science project?

BRYCE: My first year in town was a BRYCE: That is, until my supposed best disaster. And the next three weren't much friend, Garrett Einbinder took an interest 1

in Sherry himself.

SHERRY: I was thinking of showing how split ends react with different hair conditioners.

GARRETT: That's fascinating.

BRYCE: Loyalty gave way to desire and Garrett, the turncoat... told Sherry what I was up to.

SHERRY: Jerk.

BRYCE: She didn't take it well. Word got back to Juli, and pretty soon she started up with the goo-goo eyes again. Only this time it was worse. She started sniffing me. That's right, sniffing me. What was that all about? My only consolation was that next year would be different. Junior high, bigger school. Maybe we'd be in different classes and it would finally, finally be over. SCENE 2

JULI: The first day I met Bryce Loski, I flipped. It was those eyes, something in those dazzling eyes.

JULI: You wanna push this one together? JULI: His family had just moved into the neighborhood... and I'd gone over to help them. I'd been in the van all of two minutes when his dad sent him off to help his mom. I could see he didn't wanna go. So I chased after him to see if we could play a little before he got trapped inside. The next thing I know, he's holding my hand... and looking right into my eyes. My heart stopped. Was this it? Would this be

my first kiss? - But then his mother came out.

PATSY: - Well, hello.

JULI: And he was so embarrassed, his cheeks turned completely red. I went to bed that night thinking of the kiss that might have been. I mean, it was clear he had feelings for me, but he was just too shy to show them. My mother said boys were like that. So I decided to help him out.

JULI: - Bryce? You're here. [CHILDREN GIGGLING]

JULI: I would give him plenty of opportunity to get over his shyness. By the sixth grade, I'd learned to control myself. Then Sherry Stalls entered the picture. Sherry Stalls was nothing but a whiny, gossipy, backstabbing flirt. All hair and no substance. And there she was... holding hands with Bryce. My Bryce. The one who was walking around with my first kiss. My solution was to ignore her. I knew a boy of Bryce's caliber... would eventually see through a shallow conniver like Sherry Stalls. It took all of a week. They broke up at recess. She didn't take it well. Now that Bryce was out of Sherry's evil clutches, he started being nicer to me. BRYCE: - Hi, Juli. JULI: - Hi, Bryce.

JULI: He was so shy and so cute... and his hair, it smelled like watermelon. I couldn't get enough of it. I spent the whole year

secretly sniffing watermelon... and BRYCE: I can't. My dad needs me to help wondering if I was ever going to get my him fix... a thing.

kiss.

BRYCE: That's all I needed. Climb up a SCENE 3

tree with Juli Baker. I'd be dragged right BRYCE: Seventh grade brought changes, back into the second grade. Bryce and Juli all right. But the biggest one didn't happen sitting in a tree. Why don't you just make at school. It happened at home. My me eat lima beans for the rest of my life. grandfather came to live with us. Mom JULI: It's three blocks away. Two blocks. said he stared like that because he missed One block away.

Grandma. That was not something BRYCE: Like that's valuable information. Grandpa would ever talk about with me. GARRETT: I hate it when she does that. As a matter of fact, he never talked about I like to think there's at least a chance the much of anything with me. That is, until bus won't show.

Juli appeared in the local newspaper.

JULI: I think the tree looks particularly CHET: Oh, Bryce. May I speak with you? beautiful in this light. Don't you?

BRYCE: What?

BRYCE: If by \you mean CHET: Have a seat, son. Tell me about %ugly,\then, yes, I would your friend Juli Baker.

agree.

BRYCE: Juli. She's not exactly my friend. JULI: You're just visually challenged. I CHET: Oh. Why's that?

feel sorry for you.

BRYCE: Why do you wanna know?

BRYCE: \BRYCE: Now, Juli Baker did not wind up challenged\in The Mayfield Times for being an in a house that was the joke of the eighth-grade Einstein. No, she got front- neighborhood? They had bushes growing page coverage because she refused to over windows and weeds all over the place. climb out of a sycamore tree. Juli Baker It bugged my dad bigtime.

and that stupid sycamore tree. She always STEVEN: Oh, there he is. The bricklayer thought it was God's gift to our little who thinks he's a painter. That truck's not corner of the universe.

ugly enough in real life? He's gotta make a JULI: Hey, Bryce. Wanna come climb the painting of it?

tree with me and my brothers? LYNETTA: No, he does landscapes. Sells BRYCE: No, thanks.

them at the county fair. People say they're JULI: Bryce. Come up here. It's fun. You beautiful.

can see everything. STEVEN: Landscapes? Let me tell you 2

something. The world would have more beauty in it if he'd do a little landscaping on that piece of crap he calls a yard.

PATSY: I feel bad for his wife. She married a dreamer. Because of that, one of the two of them will always be unhappy. STEVEN: Yeah, fine. But why do we have to be unhappy?

BRYCE: As annoying as the yard was to my dad... it was nothing compared to how annoying Juli Baker was in that tree. JULI: Three blocks away.

BRYCE: Every morning we had to listen to the sound ...of her blow-by-blow traffic report.

JULI: Two blocks.

WOMAN: There you go.

GARRETT: Why do they call it The Three Stooges? I mean, there's five of them. BRYCE: What?

GARRETT: Well, yeah, there's Moe, Larry, Curly, Shemp and Curly Joe.

BRYCE: Yeah, but they only have three at a time.

GARRETT: Yeah. You know, I hate Curly Joe. I mean, he shouldn't even be a Stooge. MAN: Listen, girl, I'm this close to calling the police. You are trespassing and obstructing progress on a contracted job. GARRETT: What's going on?

MAN: Either you come down... or we're gonna cut you down.

JULI: You guys, come up here with me.They won't cut it down if we're all up

here.

GARRETT: Bus, bus, bus.

BRYCE: Juli was frantic. They wanted to cut down her tree. I couldn't understand why that mutant tangle of gnarly branches meant so much to her. JULI: Bryce, please.

BRYCE: I felt bad for her. GARRETT: Leave her.

BRYCE: But I wasn't about to cut school over it.

GARRETT: Come on, bro.

CHET: Why isn't she your friend, Bryce? BRYCE: You'd have to know Juli. CHET: Well, I'd like to. BRYCE: Why?

CHET: That girl has an iron backbone. Why don't you invite her over sometime? BRYCE: An iron backbone? She's just stubborn... and she's pushy beyond belief. CHET: Is that so?

BRYCE: And she's been stalking me since the second grade.

CHET: Well, a girl like that doesn't live next door to everyone. BRYCE: Lucky them.

CHET: Read this. Without prejudice.

BRYCE: Like I needed to know anything more about Juli Baker.

BRYCE: Juli wasn't at the bus stop the next morning. Or the morning after that. She was at school, but you'd never know it.

GARRETT: Little Joe? He's got so much

makeup on...

JULI: What does that mean?

BRYCE: He doesn't age.

RICHARD: A painting is more than the BRYCE: I told myself I should be glad sum of its parts. A cow by itself is just a about it. I mean, isn't that what I'd always cow. A meadow by itself is just grass, wanted? But still, I felt bad for her. I was flowers.

gonna tell her I was sorry, but then I And the sun peeking through the trees is thought, hey, no... that's the last thing I just a beam of light. But you put them all needed: Juli Baker thinking I missed her. together...and it can be magic.

SCENE 4

JULI: I didn't really understand what he JULI: I see why you like to come out here. was saying until one afternoon...when I RICHARD: Would you mind explaining it was up in the sycamore tree. I was to your mother?

rescuing a kite. It was a long way up, JULI: I loved to watch my father paint. Or higher than I'd ever been. And the higher I really, I loved to hear him talk while he got, the more amazed I was by the view. I painted. I learned a lot about my dad that began to notice

way. He told me all sorts of things... like how wonderful the breeze smelled. Like how he got his first job delivering hay and sunshine and wild grass. I couldn't stop how he'd wished he'd finished college. breathing it in...filling my lungs with the Then one day he surprised me.

sweetest smell I'd ever known. RICHARD: What's going on with you and, BRYCE: Hey, you found my kite.

uh, Bryce Loski?

JULI: Bryce, you should come up here. JULI: What do you mean? Nothing. It's so beautiful.

RICHARD: Oh, okay. My mistake. BRYCE: I can't. I sprained my, um... I JULI: Why would you even think that? have a rash.

RICHARD: No reason. Just that you... talk JULI: From that moment on, that became about him all the time. my spot. I could sit there for hours, just JULI: I do?

looking out at the world. Some days the RICHARD: Mm-hm.

sunsets would be purple and pink. And JULI: I don't know. I guess it's something some days they were a blazing orange about his eyes. Or maybe his smile. setting fire to the clouds on the horizon. It RICHARD: But what about him? was during one of those sunsets that my JULI: What?

father's idea of the whole being greater RICHARD: You have to look at the whole than the sum of its parts moved from my landscape. head to my heart. Some days I would get 3

there extra early to watch the sunrise. One morning I was making mental notes of how the streaks of light were cutting through the clouds … so I could tell my dad when I heard a noise below.

JULI: Excuse me. Excuse me. I'm sorry, but you can't park there. That's a bus stop. MAN 1: Hey, what are you doing up there?

MAN 2: You can't be up there, we're gonna take this thing down. JULI: The tree?

MAN 2: Yeah. Now come on down.

JULI: But who told you, you could cut it down?

MAN 1: The owner. JULI: Why?

MAN 1: He's gonna build a house, and this tree's in the way. So come on, girl, we got work to do.

JULI: You can't cut it down. You just can't. MAN 1: Listen, girl. I'm this close to calling the police. You are trespassing and obstructing progress on a contracted job. Now either you come down, or we're gonna cut you down.

JULI: Go ahead. Cut me down. I'm not coming down. I'm never coming down. Bryce. You guys, come up here with me. They won't cut it down if we're all up here. Bryce, please don't let them do this. Come on, you guys. Bryce, please. You don't have to

come up this high. Just a little ways. Bryce,

please. Please.

JULI: What happened after that was a blur. It seemed like the whole town was there. But still I wouldn't move. Then my father showed up. He talked a fireman into letting him come up to where I was.

RICHARD: Sweetie, it's time to come down.

JULI: Daddy, please don't let them do this. RICHARD: Sweetie...

JULI: Daddy, look. You can see everything. You can see the whole world from here.

RICHARD: No view is worth my daughter's safety. Now, come on. JULI: I can't.

RICHARD: Julianna, it's time to come down now.

JULI: Please, Daddy. RICHARD: It's time.

JULI: And that was it. I must've cried for two weeks straight. Oh, sure, I went to school and did the best I could... but nothing seemed to matter. TEACHER: Juli? JULI: Huh?

TEACHER: Do you know the answer? JULI: Uh, the Peloponnesian War?

TEACHER: I'm sure that's the answer to something... but I was looking for the area of a rhomboid.

[CHILDREN LAUGH]

JULI: Somehow, rhomboids and isosceles right triangles... didn't seem so important.

I rode my bike so I wouldn't have to pass of all the time you'd save.

by the stump... that used to be the earth's BRYCE: I could've gone my whole life most magnificent sycamore tree. But no not knowing that snakes eat eggs raw... if matter what I did, I couldn't stop thinking it hadn't been for Lynetta. She had a about it.

major-league thing for Skyler Brown. [KNOCKING ON DOOR] LYNETTA: I think it's gross.

RICHARD: Are you okay? BRYCE: He and Juli's brothers, Matt and JULI: It was just a tree.

Mark, had formed a band. And Lynetta RICHARD: No, it wasn't just a tree. I would watch them practice.

never want you to forget how you felt MARK: That is so neat. How about that, when you were up there. huh, Bryce?

JULI: Thanks, Dad.

BRYCE: Yeah. Neat.

JULI: It was the first thing I saw every SKYLER: So, Brycie, how do you think morning... and the last thing I saw before I he's gonna digest that? went to sleep. And once I could look at it BRYCE: Stomach acid?

without crying... I saw more than the tree SKYLER: You'd like to think that. Wait, and what being up there meant to me. I everybody quiet. Here he goes. [SHELL saw the day that my view of things around CRACKING] Eggs over easy.

me started changing. And I wondered, did LYNETTA: Gross. Gross, gross, gross. I still feel the same things about Bryce? SKYLER: Wait, wait. You haven't seen the SCENE 5

best part.

BRYCE: I've never been a huge fan of LYNETTA: Ugh! Gross.

eggs. I mean, I could always just take BRYCE: I tried to be casual about it, but it them or leave them. That is, until one day didn't take. I started having bad dreams. in Skyler Brown's garage.. when my I'd be trapped inside a huge egg... and this feelings about eggs were solidified. monster would open his jaws and start to [BAND PLAYING ROCK MUSIC]

devour me. I'd wake up just in time. SKYLER: Hey, hey, hey. Guys. Edna's [KNOCKING ON DOOR] Then the real found her breakfast.

nightmare began.

BRYCE: I mean, if a slimy reptile found JULI: Hi, Bryce. I brought these over for them appetizing... there was certainly no you and your family. My chickens are place for them in my diet.

laying eggs. MATT: Oh, man, that's so cool. She BRYCE: What?

doesn't even have to chew. I mean, think JULI: You remember Abby and Bonnie 4

and Clyde and Dexter and Eunice and Florence? The ones I hatched for the science fair.

BRYCE: How could I forget?

BRYCE: It was classic Juli Baker. She totally dominated the fair. And get this, her project was all about watching boring eggs hatch. I mean, here I had a live-action erupting volcano... and all anyone cared about was Juli's boring chicks... breaking out of their boring shells.

JULI: Oh, I think the last one's hatching. WOMAN 1: It's hatching. WOMAN 2: Oh, it's hatching.

WOMAN 1: Kids, come over here.

BRYCE: But hey, she won. I lost. I've never been one to dwell. WOMAN 2: Here it comes.

BRYCE: But that didn't mean I had to eat her lousy eggs.

PATSY: I think it was very sweet of Juli to bring us those eggs.

BRYCE: I don't care. I'm still having cereal tomorrow.

STEVEN: Yeah, how do we know there's no chicks in one of those eggs?

CHET: I used to eat farm-fresh eggs when I was a kid. They were delicious.

STEVEN: Yeah, well, that's all well and good... but what if we crack one open and a dead chick falls out?

CHET: Do they have a rooster? If they don't have a rooster the eggs can't be fertile.

PATSY: And if they had a rooster, we'd know. The whole neighborhood would know.

LYNETTA: Maybe they got it de-yodeled. STEVEN: \LYNETTA: You know. De-cock-a-doodle-doo'd.

STEVEN: What the hell are you talking about?

LYNETTA: Like they de-bark dogs.

PATSY: Bryce, why don't you just ask Juli?

BRYCE: I don't think that...

LYNETTA: What? You afraid to talk to her?

BRYCE: I'm not afraid to talk to her. LYNETTA: [MIMICS CHICKEN]

BRYCE: I know you are, but what am I? STEVEN: Okay. Just talk to her and find out.

Bryce: How do you tell if one's a rooster? GARRETT: Well, a rooster's bigger. Longer feathers. BRYCE: Mm-hm.

GARRETT: They've got that red stuff growing out of their head. And around their neck too.

BRYCE: That shouldn't be too hard to spot.

GARRETT: Although, come to think of it, chickens have the rubbery red stuff too. Just not as much.

BRYCE: Garrett's expertise in roosters... was the cornerstone of our plan to avoid

contact with Juli Baker. The balance of chickens.

which involved spying over her back BRYCE: They're all chickens.

fence.

CHET: I'm proud of you, Bryce. You BRYCE: Come on, come on. Shh. Shh. overcame your fear. Over here.

BRYCE: Huh? BRYCE: I can't see the stupid chickens. CHET:

GARRETT: We gotta get them out of the CHET: You talked to her.

coop.

BRYCE: Oh, heh. Yeah. It's no big deal. [CLUCKING]

STEVEN: That's what she told you? BRYCE: Is that a rooster?

They're all chickens? GARRETT: No, it looks like a chicken. BRYCE: Yeah.

BRYCE: How can you tell? STEVEN: She's a genius. You're both GARRETT: It just does.

genius... Of course they're all chickens. A BRYCE: See what I mean? Expertise. rooster's a chicken. The question is: Is one BRYCE: Shh, shh! of them a rooster or are they all hens?

GARRETT: What? BRYCE: Hens? Who said anything about BRYCE: Juli.

hens? Then it hit me. Garrett didn't know JULI: Here, guys. Go on, there you go. jack shit about chickens. Here, guys. Go on.

BRYCE: Do roosters strut? GARRETT: Yeah, they're all chickens. CHET: Yes, they do.

BRYCE: There's no rooster? STEVEN: What does that have to do with GARRETT: What did I just say? anything?

BRYCE: How can you tell?

BRYCE: They're all hens.

GARRETT: Well, none of them are PATSY: Well, the main thing is the eggs strutting.

are okay. It's all settled.

JULI: Here, come on. BRYCE: Not for me. There was no way I BRYCE: Roosters strut? was ever gonna eat anything that had JULI: Come on, guys.

anything to do with Juli Baker. GARRETT: What did I just say? BRYCE: I'm not eating them. JULI: Here.

PATSY: Well, why not?

GARRETT: Plus, hardly any of them have BRYCE: Have you seen their yard? It's... any rubbery red stuff.

There's not even any grass. It's all mud JULI: What are you doing?

and chicken turds.

GARRETT: Yeah. They're definitely all LYNETTA: Ew. Gross. Salmonella. 5

PATSY: Do you suppose they could have salmonella?

CHET: It's not very likely. STEVEN: Why take the risk?

PATSY: What do we do with the eggs? STEVEN: Give them back.

BRYCE: Give them back? To Juli?

STEVEN: Sure. You talked to her before, right? It didn't kill you.

BRYCE: Well, what do I say?

STEVEN: Tell her we don't eat eggs.Uh, we're allergic to them or something. Come on, use your brains.

BRYCE: It didn't feel right to lie. Besides, even a seventh grader would know that entire families aren't allergic to eggs. But I didn't wanna hurt her feelings either. So that left me with only one option. And thus another near-death experience in my ongoing saga with Juli Baker had been successfully avoided. Until one week later. LULI: Hi, Bryce. Brought you some more eggs.

BRYCE: Wow. Thanks.

JULI: Did your family like the first batch? BRYCE: Do you even have to ask? JULI: Great. See you at school.

BRYCE: What I hoped would be a one-time event was just the beginning of a life consumed with lies, intrigue and deception. Every morning I'd be on the lookout for Juli so if she happened to come, I could whip the door open before she knocked.

BRYCE: Thanks.

BRYCE: Then I'd dump the eggs before anyone noticed. And why? Why couldn't I just face her? Why couldn't I just say:\thanks. Don't want them. Don't need them. Give them to the snake\Was I really afraid of hurting her feelings or was I just afraid of her? SCENE 6

RICHARD: Now, you wanna make sure you get it...

JULI: When Mrs. Brubeck first suggested hatching eggs as my science project I was less than excited. That is, until I saw my first sign of life. TRINA: Is that it?

RICHARD: That's the embryo. Heh. TRINA: Wow.

JULI: It looks like a bean. TRINA: It does.

JULI: Let's try the other ones.

JULl: Suddenly it felt real. All the eggs were alive. There were, like, little bean babies inside every one. On the day of the fair,

all six chicks hatched. What are the odds? TEACHER: This year's top prize goes to Juli Baker for her wonderful project: \Chicken is Born.\

JULI: I won first place. And that was cool, but all I really cared about were my chicks.

JULI: There you go. There you go, guys. JULI: My mom wasn't crazy about us

raising chickens. But I begged and pleaded. least I could do. Besides, if I happened to I told her I would take care of everything. run into Bryce, that wouldn't be the end of And I did.

the world.

JULI: Where's Clyde? Clyde? Hey, Clyde. JULI: Hi, Bryce.

What's the matter? Are you okay? Aren't JULI: By the third time I brought eggs you hungry? Come on. Come here. What's over to the Loskis I realized Bryce was wrong, baby? Come here. Hey, you're not waiting for me. Waiting to pull open the Clyde. You're Clydette. Mom!

door and say, \Juli. See you at JULl: As it turned out, my hens laid more school.\And in return, I got a few eggs than we could eat. At first we tried to moments alone with the world's most keep up, but after a month of boiling, dazzling eyes.

frying and deviling like that movie The BRYCE: Thanks, Juli. See you at school. Blob, we were being overtaken by eggs. JULI: It was a bargain. Until the day it Then opportunity in the form of our wasn't. It was two weeks after the neighbor, Mrs. Steuby, knocked.

sycamore tree was cut down and I was just STEUBY: Hello, dear. If you ever have starting to feel normal again.

any extra, I'd be happy to buy them from BRYCE: Hey, Juli. Right on schedule. you.

JULI: Yeah, well, neither rain nor sleet. JULI: Really?

BRYCE: Huh?

STEUBY: Certainly. And I happen to JULI: You know, the mailman thing?

know that Mrs. Helms would be interested BRYCE: Oh. Right. So, um, will you start as well. riding the bus again?

JULI: Great.

JULI: I don't know. I haven't been up there STEUBY: Nothing like fresh eggs. since...

JULI: Thanks, Mrs. Steuby. BRYCE: It doesn't look so bad anymore. STEUBY: You bet, dear. Bye.

It's all cleared away. Well, um, I better get JULI: Between Mrs. Steuby and Mrs. ready for school. Guess I'll see you there. Helms, my egg overflow problem was JULI: See you.

solved. Then I realized that Mrs. Loski JULI: Maybe Bryce was right. Maybe it deserved eggs too. But I didn't think it was time I started riding the bus again. would be right to charge her. She had been After all, didn't he just tell me he wanted such a good neighbor, lending us supplies me to? Could it be that Bryce Loski when we ran out, giving my mother a ride actually misses me? when our car wouldn't start, it was the [DOOR OPENS] 6

BRYCE: Juli? What are you still doing here?

JULI: I was just thinking.

BRYCE: It's pickup day. The cans are in front.

JULI: I know. You need some help? BRYCE: No. Maybe I'll do it later. JULI: Are those my eggs?

BRYCE: Yeah. Yeah, I dropped them.

JULI: They're not broken. Why are you throwing them away? Don't you want them?

BRYCE: It wasn't me. My dad didn't think it was worth the risk. JULI: Risk? What risk? BRYCE: Salmonella.

JULI: What are you talking about? He's afraid of being poisoned?

BRYCE: Well, Juli, I mean, look at your back yard. It's a complete mess. It's like covered in turds.

JULI: That's not true. I clean up after my girls every day.

BRYCE: We just didn't wanna hurt your feelings.

JULI: Have you always thrown them away? You know, Mrs. Steuby and Mrs. Helms pay me for my eggs. BRYCE: They do?

JULI: They pay me 60 cents a dozen. BRYCE: I didn't know. JULI: How could you? BRYCE: I'm sorry. JULI: No, you're not.

SCENE 7

BRYCE: It didn't take me long to realize that I'd traded in my old problems with Juli Baker for a whole set of new ones. It was actually worse having her mad at me than having her annoy me. The way she ignored me was a constant reminder that I'd been a jerk. Then one day I was coming home from playing basketball with Garrett...and things got weird.

CHET: Don't be so timid. Come on, you won't hurt them. JULl: Like this?

CHET: Yeah, that's it.

BRYCE: My grandfather. All I ever saw him wear was slippers. Now, where did he get those work boots? I couldn't stop looking over there. And the more I looked, the madder I got. My grandfather had already said more to Juli in one hour than he'd said to me in the whole time he'd been living with us. I was pretty sure I'd never seen him laugh. And what was his deal with Juli Baker?

[KNOCKING ON DOOR] BRYCE: Hi, Grandpa.

CHET: Juli told me about the eggs. You know, Bryce, one's character is set at an early age. I'd hate to see you swim out so far you can't swim back. BRYCE: Sir?

CHET: It's about honesty, son. Sometimes a little discomfort in the beginning can save a whole lot of pain down the road.

BRYCE: When it came to holding a JULI: I guess so.

grudge, Juli Baker was truly impressive. [BONANZA THEME PLAYING]

All week I tried to approach her at school. BRYCE: While Juli's acceptance of my She'd always find some way to duck me. apology was not all that I'd hoped for, at And whenever she was in her yard, least the eggs thing was finally behind me. Grandpa was always there with her. The first time in months I could truly Finally, one Saturday I saw my opening. enjoy Bonanza.

My grandfather had gone into town to buy CHET: Where you going and why you some Bengay. I guess the yard work was dressed like that?

starting to get to him.

LYNETTA: Skyler's. Matt and Mark are BRYCE: It's looking real good. bringing over recording stuff and they're JULI: Thanks. Chet did most of it. gonna make a demo.

BRYCE: I'm sorry for what I did.

STEVEN: Demo? Like they know how to JULI: I just don't get it, Bryce. Why didn't make a demo.

you just tell me?

LYNETTA: You don't even know them. BRYCE: I don't know. It was dumb. And I STEVEN: I don't have to. I know the type. shouldn't have said anything about your LYNETTA: You don't know anything. yard, either. It wasn't right.

STEVEN: Don't talk to me like that. JULI: Maybe it's all for the best. I mean, LYNETTA: I'm late.

look, I learned so much from Chet, it's LYNETTA: Be back by 11.

amazing. You're lucky. I don't even have BRYCE: Yep. Everything was back to grandparents anymore. normal.

BRYCE: Oh.

STEVEN: Is that girl working you too JULI: I feel sorry for him. He misses your hard?

grandma. Can you believe it? He says I CHET: That girl's name is Juli. And, no, remind him of her. she isn't working me too hard.

BRYCE: What?

STEVEN: You've developed quite a soft JULI: I know. That's what I said. But he spot for her, huh? meant it in a nice way. Something about PATSY: Steven.

her spirit.

STEVEN: No, Patsy. Just wanna find out BRYCE: Yeah. Well... Good luck with the why your father has the energy to befriend grass. I'm sure it'll come up great. a complete stranger when he won't throw a JULI: Thanks.

baseball around with his own grandson. BRYCE: I guess I'll see you around. BRYCE: It's okay, Dad. 7

STEVEN: No, it's not okay.

BRYCE: Juli reminds him of Grandma. STEVEN: Of Renee? Heh. That's ridiculous.

CHET: You know why the Bakers haven't fixed their yard?

STEVEN: Yeah, because he's too busy with his paint-by-numbers kit.

CHET: If you had a brother with a severe handicap, what would you do?

STEVEN: What the hell does that have to do with anything?

CHET: Juli's father has a retarded brother. STEVEN: So what? He's not the gardener, is he? Heh. PATSY: Steven.

STEVEN: Ha-ha-ha. It was a joke. You know, other people have family troubles and they manage to mow their own lawns. I don't know where their pride in ownership is.

CHET: They don't own that house. The landlord's supposed to maintain it. Mr. Baker puts every extra penny he has into caring for his brother.

PATSY: Don't they have government facilities for that sort of thing?

CHET: Maybe they thought that a private facility would be better for him.

STEVEN: Either way, it's not our fault that their family has some chromosomal abnormality.

CHET: It has nothing to do with chromosomes. When Juli's uncle was born,

he had the umbilical cord wrapped around his neck. If he'd had enough oxygen, he would've been a perfect little baby, just like your son.

STEVEN: Goddamn it, Chet. STEVEN: Patsy? Patsy? PATSY: Leave me alone! [DOOR SLAMS]

CHET: Sorry about that.

BRYCE: Why is Mom so upset?

CHET: Because...but for the grace of God...your mother could be standing in Mr. Baker's shoes.

BRYCE: Did her brother have the cord wrapped around his neck too?

CHET: You did. Luckily, the doctor who delivered you was on the ball and got it untangled, but it easily could've gone the other way. Wanna go for a walk? BRYCE: Huh?

CHET: I find it helps clear the mind.

BRYCE: What would they have done with me?

CHET: You can't dwell on something that might've been, Bryce.

BRYCE: The way my dad was talking, sounds like he would've thrown me in a nuthouse.

CHET: No, no. Now, that's not fair. You can't condemn him for something he hasn't done. [CHUCKLES] This is where that tree was, wasn't it? BRYCE: Yeah.

CHET: Must've been a spectacular view.

She's quite a girl. Some of us get dipped in TRINA: Oh, you're sounding really good. flat... some in satin... some in gloss. But MATT: Yeah. We'll record it in Skyler's every once in a while...you find someone garage.

who's iridescent. And when you do, TRINA: That's a wonderful project.

nothing will ever compare.

JULI: Speaking of projects, I was thinking BRYCE: Flat, glossy, iridescent? What the it might be cool to fix up the yard. hell did that mean? Juli Baker had always RICHARD: What?

just seemed plain to me. Until now. And JULI: I mean, how much can grass seed the way she talked about what it felt like cost? I could plant a lawn, maybe some to be up in that tree...”to be held above the flowers. I could even put up a fence.

earth, brushed by the wind.” Who in junior RICHARD: Honey, that's a major high talks like that? This weird feeling undertaking.

started taking over in the pit of my JULI: I could pay for it with my egg stomach, and I didn't like it. I was slipping, money.

man. And it was time to get a grip. RICHARD: No. That's your money. The SCENE 8

landlord should be the one taking care of JULI: I'd never been embarrassed by all this.

where we lived before. I also never really JULI: But he doesn't. And we live here. thought about money. I knew we weren't And it looks so bad.

rich, but I didn't feel like we were missing RICHARD: Jules. What's going on? anything. That is, until Bryce Loski called JULI: Nothing, Dad.

our home a complete mess.

TRINA: It's okay, sweetheart. You can tell MARK [SINGING]: What's your name? us.

MATT: [SINGING] What's your name? JULI: The Loskis have been throwing [IN UNISON] Is it Mary or Sue? What's away my eggs because they're afraid of your name? Do I stand a chance with you? salmonella. Because our yard is such a It's so hard to find a personality With mess.

charms like yours for me. Ooh-ee, ooh-ee, TRINA: Did Patsy say that? ooh-ee.

JULI: No. Bryce did.

JULI: I had to do something and I knew TRINA: But it must have been a family what it was.

discussion. A boy doesn't come up with [SINGING] What's your name? that on his own.

[BOTH SCATTING] MATT: Who cares what they think? [ALL LAUGHING] MARK: Yeah, who cares? 8

TRINA: I care.

RICHARD: Trina. Let's not get into this. TRINA: No, I'm tired of living like this, Richard. I'm tired of having to take temp jobs just to make ends meet. I'm tired of having to push a chair up against the washing machine just to keep the door shut. I'm tired of having to borrow Mrs. Steuby's vacuum cleaner every time ours breaks down.

RICHARD: Do you think this is the life I pictured for us? Sometimes you have to sacrifice to do the right thing. We always end up agreeing that Devonhurst is the right thing for Daniel.

TRINA: Well, maybe we should start thinking about what's right for us. Our daughter is suffering because we won't fix up our own yard.

RICHARD: It's not our yard.

TRINA: How can you say that, Richard? How? We've lived here for 12 years, and for 12 years we've been saying it's temporary, but it's not. This is our home. Is it wrong to wanna live somewhere you can be proud of? To have enough to send your kids to college? Maybe it's time we considered government care.

RICHARD: We are not moving my brother.

TRINA: He's more important than your own children? JULI: Dad!

RICHARD: How dare you!

JULI: Stop it, Dad! Please, just stop.

RICHARD: I'm sorry. Julianna, this is not your fault. We'll work this out, I promise. JULI: That was the first time I ever heard my parents really yell at each other. RICHARD: I'm sorry about tonight.

JULI: That night they each came into my room. My father talked about his brother and how much he loved him ...and how he promised his parents he'd always take care of him. My mother talked about how much she loved my father...for his strength and kind heart. When she kissed me good night...she whispered that of all her many blessings, I was her best. I felt sorry for my father. I felt sorry for my mother. But most of all, I felt lucky for me that they were mine. I wanted to think the reason I started working on my yard had nothing to do with Bryce. It was about making our house better. After what he did with the eggs, why should I care what he thought? But I did.

CHET: Are you pruning that or trying to hack it to death? Hi. I'm Chet Duncan, Bryce's grandfather. Sorry it's taken me so long

to come over and introduce myself. JULI: Nice to meet you.

CHET: So are you trimming all these to the same height?

JULI: Well, yeah, that's what I was thinking, but I don't know. Do you think it would look better to take them out?

CHET: Oh, these are Hicksii shrubs. JULI: Thanks. Chet did most of it. These will prune up nicely. BRYCE: I'm sorry for what I did.

JULI: Listen, Mr. Duncan. JULI: I just don't get it, Bryce. Why didn't CHET: Call me Chet.

you just tell me?

JULI: Chet. If you're here because of what JULI: Was he really sorry? Or was he just Bryce said..I don't need your help.

saying these things to make himself feel CHET: Read about you in the paper. better? Then I thought maybe I just Renee would've sat up in that tree with wanted him to be more than the sum of his you. She would've sat up there all night. parts. But as I looked into his eyes... those JULI: Renee?

dazzling eyes... for the first time...I was CHET: My wife. You remind me a lot of pretty sure that Bryce Loski was less. her.

SCENE 9

JULI: We worked on the yard for weeks. PATSY: We're going to invite the Bakers And the whole time we worked, we talked. over for dinner. CHET: Right there? STEVEN: What?

JULI: Perfect, yeah.

BRYCE: I don't know, Mom.

JULI: He wanted to know more about the CHET: I think that's a marvelous idea. sycamore tree. He knew exactly what it STEVEN: Patsy, what purpose does this meant about the whole being greater than serve?

the sum of its parts. He said it was the PATSY: Trina Baker is a very nice person. same with people but sometimes with LYNETTA: And Matt and Mark are really people, the whole could be less. I thought cool.

that was pretty interesting. I started STEVEN: I hate cool.

looking at people I'd known since PATSY: Something we should've done elementary school trying to figure out if years ago.

they were more or less than the sum of STEVEN: Yeah, but we didn't. And now their parts. Chet was right. A lot of them we can't. The statute of limitations has run were less. Of all my classmates, the one out.

person I couldn't seem to place was Bryce. PATSY: We're having the Bakers over for Until recently, I would've said with dinner.

absolute certainty that he was greater, far STEVEN: If this is about what I said last greater, than the sum of his parts. But now night, I'm sorry, okay? But, you know, I wasn't so sure.

having them over for dinner is not gonna BRYCE: It's looking good, Juli. Nice job. fix his brother. 9

PATSY: It's going to be a sit-down dinner. And I expect everyone to dress accordingly.

STEVEN: Oh, God. Can't we just have a barbecue?

PATSY: It's going to be a sit-down dinner. STEVEN: Just shoot me now. CHET: Careful what you wish for.

BRYCE: So that was it. A dress-up, sit-down dinner with Juli Baker was in my immediate future. And that made seeing Juli at school more uncomfortable. I found myself staring at her in class. And the way her hair fell back over her shoulders... she looked just like the picture in the newspaper. Dana Tressler caught me watching. If I didn't do something fast, this could spread like wildfire.

BRYCE: There was a bee in her hair. See, there it goes.

DANA: There's no bee.

BRYCE: It flew out the window.

BRYCE: I convinced myself I'd dodged a bullet. I had to put Juli out of my mind. Keep the focus on the important stuff like schoolwork. My weakness was unnerving. LYNETTA: I need your sharpener. BRYCE: You ever heard of knocking? LYNETTA: Hey, what you got there? Dad's Playboy?

BRYCE: None of your business.

LYNETTA: Give my best to Miss October. BRYCE: Get out.

LYNETTA: Or should I say your best? Ha,

ha.

BRYCE: You're disgusting.

BRYCE: Another disaster avoided. My life had become a minefield. GARRETT: Hey, man. BRYCE: Hey.

GARRETT: What's this? Whoa.

BRYCE: It's not what you think. Okay, it is what you think, but I can explain. Okay, I can't explain. Can we just talk about it later?

GARRETT: Whatever you say.

BRYCE: I had to talk to someone. Why not Garrett? Maybe he could help me get back on track. Garrett was surprisingly sensitive in matters of the heart.

GARRETT: Are you freaking mental? Juli Baker. You hate her.

BRYCE: That's what's weird. I don't think I do. I can't stop thinking about her. GARRETT: You got it bad, man. BRYCE: Well, what do I do?

GARRETT: Well, you gotta nip this in the bud. These aren't real emotions. BRYCE: They're not?

GARRETT: You feel guilty because of the egg thing.

BRYCE: Yeah, and I insulted her yard. GARRETT: Exactly. Of course, the place is a dump anyways.

BRYCE: It’s not her fault. Her dad's got a retarded brother and all their money goes to helping him.

GARRETT: A retard? Well, shoot, that

ought to tell you something. JULI: I wanna come with you.

BRYCE: About what? RICHARD: Oh, honey, just enjoy the GARRETT: About Juli.

morning, stay with your mom. BRYCE: What are you saying?

JULI: No, Dad. I wanna come.

GARRETT: The apple doesn't fall far RICHARD: Sweetheart, listen. Sometimes, from the tree.

with Daniel...

BRYCE: I couldn't believe it. I wanted to JULI: I'm coming, Dad.

yell at him. Tell him that he didn't know RICHARD: Okay. We'd better leave a note Juli like I did. But all that came out was: for your mother.

BRYCE: Heh, oh. Right. JULI: In all the years, I'd never visited my GARRETT: Yeah.

Uncle Daniel. I don't know why. It was BRYCE: Right. Um, I'll talk to you later. always something my dad did alone. We BRYCE: I was supposed to go to Garrett's didn't say much to each other on the drive after school but I couldn't be around him. to Devonhurst, but I didn't care. I just He'd crossed the line. And standing right liked being with my dad. Somehow the next to him across that line was my father. silence seemed to connect us in a way that I didn't care what they thought. I liked Juli words never could.

Baker. RICHARD: The residents tend to the SCENE 10

grounds as part of their therapy. It takes JULI: Sunday mornings are peaceful in some getting used to. They're good people, our house. My dad lets himself sleep in. though. Daniel? Daniel.

My mother lets herself not fix breakfast. If DANIEL: Richard! You're here! Richard my brothers have been out late playing for my birthday. Who? Richard, who? with their band, you won't even know Who? Who? Who? Richard, who? Who? they're around till noon. But this Sunday, I RICHARD: Daniel, Daniel, it's Julianna. woke up feeling weird. I had to do It's my daughter. Your niece. something to shake off the confused DANIEL: Julianna. Ha, Julianna. feelings about Bryce ...that were starting JULI: Happy birthday, Uncle Daniel.

to creep back in.

DANIEL: Ha-ha-ha. Richard. It's my RICHARD: You really did it, didn't you? birthday. I have your pictures, Julianna. I Heh. Proud of you.

have your pictures.

JULI: Thanks, Dad. Where you going? RICHARD: We have a present for you. RICHARD: To see Daniel. It's his DANIEL: A puzzle? A puzzle, Richard? birthday. RICHARD: Not just a puzzle. A puzzle 10

and a... pinwheel.

DANIEL: A pinwheel! Thank you, Richard.

RICHARD: Yes.

DANIEL: Orange. Outside? Outside, Richard?

RICHARD: You wanna go outside? All right, we'll go to, uh, McEIliot's. We'll walk out there for an ice cream. DANIEL: Ice cream!

RICHARD: Oh, no. No, no, we can't. Daniel doesn't like ice cream. JULI: Aw.

DANIEL: I do like ice cream, Richard. RICHARD: I'm only kidding. I know you like ice cream. DANIEL: Ahh!

RICHARD: You love ice cream. All right, come on.

RICHARD: Here you go. Got it? DANIEL: Ah!

RICHARD: Here you go.

DANIEL: It's my birthday. [LAUGHING] Lollipop. It's my birthday.

RICHARD: You like it? Oh! All right, Daniel. Okay, wait, wait.

DANIEL: Ice cream. Ice cream. My ice cream. My ice cream. Ugh!

RICHARD: It's okay. Daniel. Daniel! Daniel! Leave it, I'll get y...

DANIEL: Ice cream on the floor. Ice cream on the floor.

JULI: Would you go get him another cone?

JULI: Yeah.

DANIEL: I need ice cream, Richard! It's my birthday, Richard. It's my birthday! Ice cream, Richard! Ice cream, Richard! RICHARD: Stop! Stop it! DANIEL: I need it!

RICHARD: Stop it! Stop it! [YELLING]

JULI: Here we go.

DANIEL: Ice cream! Aah! Richard!

RICHARD: Okay, okay. I've got some ice cream.

DANIEL: Birthday ice cream. That's good, Richard.

RICHARD: I'm so sorry. He hasn't done anything like that...

JULI: I'd often heard my father talk about how difficult life was for Daniel. But I never really understood it until now. JULI: Yeah, there you go. DANIEL: Heh. Orange.

JULI: On the walk back, Daniel acted like nothing had happened.

JULI: Other way. Other way.

JULI: On the ride home, my dad told me that Uncle Daniel used to live with him and Mom before we were born. But after a while, it became too difficult. When we got home, everything looked the same. But it wasn't. Before today, Daniel had always been just a name to me. Now he was part of the family. [DOOR CLOSES] [RICHARD SIGHS]

TRINA: Hey. JULI: What?

RICHARD: Hey. DANA: He's got a big crush on you.

TRINA: How'd it go? JULI: What are you talking about? Bryce JULI: I'm glad I went.

Loski does not have a crush on me.

TRINA: I'm glad you went too.

DANA: Oh, yeah? In science, I caught RICHARD: Trina, it's Sunday. What are him staring at you. He said it was because you doing mopping the floor?

there was a bee in your hair. Is that the TRINA: Patty Loski invited us over for lamest cover-up or what? dinner Friday night.

JULI: Maybe there was a bee.

RICHARD: Shouldn't she be mopping her DANA: The only bee you're attracting is floor? Or did she ask to borrow ours? B-R-Y-C-E. I'm telling you, that boy is TRINA: [CHUCKLES] Nervous energy. lost in love land. Come on. JULI: Did she invite all of us? JULI: Where?

TRINA: Yes, she did.

DANA: I saw him sneaking off with RICHARD: Even our friend Sal Monella? Garrett. Come on.

TRINA: Richard.

GARRETT: Are you freaking mental? Juli RICHARD: Why, after all these years? Baker. You hate her.

TRINA: Well, she said she felt really bad BRYCE: That's what's so weird. I don't that they hadn't invited us before... and think I do. I can't stop thinking about her. apparently they want to get to know us GARRETT: You got it bad, man. better.

BRYCE: What do I do?

RICHARD: And you wanna go?

GARRETT: You gotta nip this in the bud. TRINA: Well, she insisted. And I think it These aren't real emotions. would be really nice.

BRYCE: They're not?

RICHARD: All right. We'll go.

GARRETT: You feel guilty because of the JULI: I wasn't too thrilled about dinner egg thing.

with the Loskis... but I could see it meant BRYCE: Yeah, and I insulted her yard. a lot to my mother. [BELL RINGS] At GARRETT: Exactly. The place is a dump school the next day, I couldn't seem to anyways.

concentrate. My thoughts kept running BRYCE: It’s not her fault. Her dad's got a back to Daniel. I wondered what my retarded brother and all their money goes grandparents had gone through having a to helping him.

son like him... when reality interrupted. GARRETT: A retard? Well, that ought to DANA: - Bryce Loski likes you. tell you something. 11

BRYCE: About what? GARRETT: About Juli.

BRYCE: What are you saying?

GARRETT: The apple doesn't fall far from the tree, my friend.

BRYCE: Oh, heh. Yeah. Right. GARRETT: Yeah.

BRYCE: I'll talk to you later. GARRETT: Okay.

DANA: I'm sorry. I thought... JULI: It's okay. It's fine.

JULI: And it was. Because now my confusion was gone. I was sure I no longer liked Bryce Loski. SCENE 11

BRYCE: Mom, are you trying to make the Bakers feel totally worthless?

PATSY: I want it to be nice. And why aren't you dressed? BRYCE: I'm going.

BRYCE: I wanted to look good for Juli. But I didn't want her to think that I wanted to look good for her. It was a fine line. A very fine line.

[DOOR BELL RINGS]

PATSY: Bryce, they're here. Come on down.

BRYCE: Coming!

CHET: Hey, come on in.

PATSY: Come in, come in. There goes the waistline. I'm glad you could make it. Lynetta, Steven, company's here. LYNETTA: Coming!

PATSY: What is this? Homemade pie?

TRINA: Yes, it's pecan and blueberry cheesecake.

PATSY: Let's take them to the kitchen. LYNETTA: Hi, guys.

MATT: Hey, looking good. MARK: This is my dad. LYNETTA: Hi, I'm Lynetta.

RICHARD: Hi, nice to finally meet you. LYNETTA: Nice to meet you too.

RICHARD: My boys are telling me that... STEVEN: Hey, big guy.

RICHARD: Hey, Steven. How are you? STEVEN: We should've done this a long time ago. Come on in.

MATT: This is a cool place.

LYNETTA: Yeah, it's all right. Come on, I'll show you my room.

MATT: You gotta hear this new song we wrote.

MARK: It's so good.

BRYCE: Hi. You look nice.

JULI: I heard you and Garrett making fun of my uncle in the library. And I don't wanna speak to you. Not now, not ever. CHET: And I say you can.

RICHARD: But what you're proposing would require a perpetual-motion machine, so it's not possible.

JULI: If you had two opposite charged poles with a neutral conductor...

BRYCE: Perpetual motion? Here I was, dying inside, and they were talking about perpetual motion. And how did Juli know about all that stuff?

PATSY: Come on, everybody, dinner's STEVEN: You know, the one where they ready. Lynetta! Dinner!

cut down that big ugly tree.

BRYCE: Juli, can I talk to you? It was BRYCE: I wanted to say that a lot of wrong, what Garrett said. I know it.

people liked that tree, but I didn't. I didn't JULI: Did you know it was wrong when want to go against my dad.

he said it?

RICHARD: Some people thought that tree BRYCE: Yeah. I wanted to punch him. was the jewel of the neighborhood.

But we were in the library.

STEVEN: Yeah, well, there's no JULI: So instead you just agreed with him accounting for taste. So, Matt, Mark, Mark, and laughed. Matt... You guys are, uh, gonna be BRYCE: Yeah.

graduating soon, huh? JULI: Then that makes you a coward.

MATT: Yeah, thank God.

BRYCE: I had to sit across from Juli for STEVEN: You don't like high school? an entire dinner. My dad was right. We MATT: You kidding?

should have barbecued.

STEVEN: No. High school was the best PATSY: I just want to say how wonderful time of my life.

it is to have you share a meal with us. May MARK: Not for us, no.

it be the first of many.

MATT: Yeah, we've had enough of that STEVEN: [COUGHING] Wrong pipe. scene.

TRINA: Well, we couldn't be happier. We STEVEN: Ah. So college is probably out are just all so thrilled to be here.

of the question, huh?

STEVEN: Juli, you did a really nice job MARK: No, it's a possibility.

on your yard.

RICHARD: They've actually been JULI: Thanks. Chet was a big help.

accepted at several places already. STEVEN: Yeah, I know. You gotta tell me TRINA: Yes, they have.

your secret. I can't get him to do a thing STEVEN: Really? Well, that's good.

around here. MATT: But, um, we're gonna give music a PATSY: Steven. shot first.

STEVEN: I kid. STEVEN: Really?

[TRINA LAUGHS]

TRINA: Oh, they are very talented.

STEVEN: I'm telling you, the LYNETTA: Oh, their band is really boss. neighborhood is really coming to life. I They did a bunch of demos and they're mean, that new house is taking shape. really cool.

PATSY: Which one? MARK: Thanks, Lyn. 12

PATSY: When Steven and I first met, he was playing in a band.

LYNETTA: You played in a band?

PATSY: He was a wonderful saxophone player.

MATT: Cool. You still play? STEVEN: Well, I...

MARK: Well, if you want, you can come jam out with us sometime.

STEVEN: Uh, you...No, I mean... Heh. That's not me anymore.

PATSY: Have you boys ever performed in front of an audience? MATT: A lot of times.

BRYCE: The more Matt and Mark talked about their musical exploits... the quieter my dad got. He tried to plaster on a smile now and then... but underneath he seemed really sad.

TRINA: But my parents didn't like him at first.

CHET: Republicans fought like crazy against the New Deal.

BRYCE: The rest of the evening was painless enough. But through it all, Juli didn't say a word to me. Never even looked at me.

Until she was about to leave.

JULI: I'm sorry I was so angry when we first came in. I think everyone had a good time. Your mom was really nice to invite us. See you.

BRYCE: Her apology made things worse. JULI: Hey, wait for me.

BRYCE: I knew I wasn't forgiven. It was like I wasn't even important enough to hold a grudge against.

PATSY: Well, I think they're a delightful family. Those boys were nothing like I expected.

CHET: I thought they were very nice young men.

STEVEN: Hoodlums. CHET: What?

STEVEN: How you think they can afford all that recording gear?

PATSY: Steven, please. You can't just make an accusation like that.

STEVEN: Don't be so naive, Patsy. Do you know how expensive it is to record a demo? They're probably stealing hubcaps, for chrissake.

LYNETTA: You are such an asshole. PATSY: What is the matter with you? LYNETTA: Go to hell.

STEVEN: Don't you talk to me like that. PATSY: Steven, stop!

STEVEN: Nobody talks to me like that in my own house! PATSY: Stop!

BRYCE: I'd seen my father angry before, but this was different. As I lay in bed that night...I thought about how my dad always looked down on the Bakers. And how he'd called them trash and made fun of Mr. Baker's paintings. And now I realized he was just mad at himself. But why? Juli called me a coward. Was it possible my

dad was a coward too? I didn't know. Not now, not ever.

What difference did it make? Juli Baker JULI: It felt good to take charge. I felt was out of my life. Or, more accurately...I strong, in control. I told Bryce what I was out of hers. thought... and I was determined not to talk SCENE 12

to him for the rest of the evening. At JULI: As I was getting dressed for the dinner it struck me that we were sharing a Loskis' dinner party I found myself staring meal with a group of strangers. We'd lived at the painting my father had given me and across the street from the Loskis for became furious all over again. Bryce had years... but except for Chet, I didn't know never been a friend to me, ever. He hadn't these people at all. Mr. Loski was clean taken my side about the tree...he'd thrown and smooth on the outside... but it seemed away my eggs... and he made fun of me at like there was something rotten buried just my uncle's expense. When my mother beneath the surface. By the end of the called that it was time to go... evening, all I felt was detached, neutral. TRINA: Juli, let's go, we're late!

No fireworks, no leftover anger... no JULI: I went out with every intention of flutters, nothing. telling her that I wasn't going to the JULI: See you.

Loskis.

JULI: I went to bed that night feeling TRINA: Please hold these. I need to check peaceful.

my hair really quickly one more time. TRINA: You okay? RICHARD: Your hair is perfect. JULI: Yeah.

TRINA: Really?

JULI: I was grateful that I had the family I JULI: But she looked so happy and she'd had. And it felt good to no longer care gone to so much trouble over the pies that about Bryce Loski. I couldn't.

SCENE 13

TRINA: Ooh! Oh, my gosh. Oh, God, BRYCE: The dinner with the Bakers had what a disaster. Okay. Here, hold one, and taken its toll on me. Then the annual you hold this.

school fundraiser arrived... and I found RICHARD: I don't wanna hold it.

myself with a whole new set of problems. TRINA: I won't have you hold it. Let's go, I was a Basketboy. To fully appreciate the boys.

humiliation of being a Basketboy... you JULI: But that didn't mean I had to be nice need to know that the chosen few are to Bryce.

auctioned off in front of the student JULI: And I don't wanna speak to you. body...to the highest-bidding females. Yes, 13

technically, each of us comes with a lunch in a basket...but let's not kid ourselves. This was a beefcake parade.

GARRETT: There he is, my idol.

BRYCE: One word, you're a dead man. GARRETT: No, man, I'm serious. Listen, you won't believe this. BRYCE: What?

GARRETT: Two of the hottest chicks are fighting over you.

BRYCE: What are you talking about?

GARRETT: Sherry is breaking up with Mitch. She and Melanie are having a bidding war over you. BRYCE: I don't care.

GARRETT: Are you nuts? Sherry dumped Mitch because of you. You're my idol. BRYCE: As comforting as it was to be Garrett's idol it didn't diminish the horror of being Basketboy number nine. And my only hope was that a giant tornado would destroy the school before the event. It was a long shot.

McCLURE: Welcome, everyone to this year's Mayfield Boosters Club Auction. Once again we are pleased to present 20 of Mayfield's finest young men. GARRETT: Bryce, Bryce, Bryce. BRYCE: What are you doing here? GARRETT: Juli's in the third row. BRYCE: So?

GARRETT: So she's got a wad of cash. BRYCE: Bullshit.

GARRETT: Bull-true. I saw her counting

it by her locker.

McCLURE: And now please give a big Mayfield School welcome to your 1963 Basketboys.

BRYCE: Juli with cash? What did this mean? Was it possible she was gonna bid on me?

McCLURE: First up, we have Raymond Hughes. Raymond's on the chess team and his hobbies include stamp collecting and the yo-yo. Remember, when you bid you'll not only be getting the handsome Mr. Hughes you'll also be enjoying a lovely chicken-salad sandwich and what looks to be a tasty bean dip, and… Oh. Excuse me, onion dip, And a big slice of cherry pie. Okay, who will start the bidding at $5? BRYCE: Thus began the bidding. McCLURE: Anybody?

BRYCE: Or in Raymond Hughes' case, the lack of bidding.

McCLURE: Very good, here we go. GIRL 1: Five. McCLURE: Sold. GIRL 2: Ten dollars. McCLURE: Sold. DANA: Fifteen.

McCLURE: Sold. Come on. Do I hear 10? GIRL 3: Ten. GIRL 4: Ten. GIRL 5: Ten. McCLURE: Peanut-butter-and-banana sandwich.

GIRL 6: Fifteen.

McCLURE: Sold for $15.

SHERRY: Five dollars.

McCLURE: Number eight is Eddie McCLURE: Oh, well, wait until I... Trulock. Eddie is a member of the debate MELANIE: Ten.

team.

McCLURE: Oh. Well, it appears the BRYCE: Now only Eddie Trulock stood bidding is underway. between me and the auction block. I SHERRY: Fifteen. wasn't interested in his hobbies MELANIE: Twenty. or what was in his basket.

SHERRY: Twenty-five. McCLURE: Let's start the bidding at $5. MELANIE: Thirty. BRYCE: All I could think of was Juli. SHERRY: Thirty-five. McCLURE: Anybody?

MELANIE: Forty. BRYCE: What if she did bid on me? What SHERRY: Fifty.

if she got in a bidding war with Sherry and McCLURE: Oh, my. Fifty dollars. Melanie and lost out? Wh...Fifty going once. Fifty going twice. McCLURE: No bidders?

Sold to Miss Sherry Stalls for $50. An BRYCE: I was contemplating the horrors all-time record. Oh, the boosters will be of this when...

very grateful for such a generous donation. JULl: Eight dollars.

BRYCE: It's strange. Here I was, having McCLURE: There you go. Eight dollars, lunch with the hottest girl in school and I that's more like it. Do I hear 10?

was miserable.

BRYCE: Juli Baker was bidding on Eddie SHERRY: We're going up to the lake. My Trulock?

dad has a cabin there and you get the most McCLURE: Okay, 8 going once.

outrageous tan.

BRYCE: How could she bid on Eddie? BRYCE: Because less than 20 feet away McCLURE: Eight going twice.

from me was Juli. My Juli with Eddie BRYCE: How could she bid on anyone? Trulock. She's laughing. What was she McCLURE: Sold to Juli Baker. laughing about? How could she sit there [APPLAUSE] Next is Basketboy number and laugh and look so beautiful? nine, Bryce Loski.

SHERRY: Bryce, are you all right? BRYCE: I knew I was supposed to step BRYCE: What?

forward, but I couldn't move.

SHERRY: What are you staring at? McCLURE: Step up, Bryce, don't be shy. BRYCE: Nothing.

Better late than never. Ha, ha. Bryce likes SHERRY: Lunch is really delicious, Bryce. to play baseball. Bryce, did you hear me? This is a really 14

delicious lunch.

BRYCE: Can we not talk about tans or food?

SHERRY: Well, what do you wanna talk about?

BRYCE: I don't know, perpetual motion? Do you know anything about that? SHERRY: Perpetual what?

BRYCE: I don't know what came over me. It was like I was possessed or something. BRYCE: Juli, I gotta talk to you.

JULI: What? What's going on, Bryce? What are you doing? Bryce, stop it.

BOY: Bryce, you didn't even make it to first base.

GIRL: I'll kiss you. Ha, ha.

BRYCE: Juli! Juli! Juli, wait. Can we talk? Juli!

GARRETT: What's the matter with you? BRYCE: Leave me alone, Garrett.

GARRETT: You get a date with the finest girl on campus and you blow it for Juli. BRYCE: You wouldn't understand!

GARRETT: I completely don't understand! We're talking about Juli Baker here. Nightmare neighbor, know-it-all nuisance. The coop-poop babe. BRYCE: Shut up!

GARRETT: Hey, have you flipped? What's the matter with you? You know what, if you're gonna be like this, I don't need the association.

BRYCE: Well, good, because neither do I. GARRETT: Yeah, neither do I!

BRYCE: As I walked home with the dirty dishes clanking inside my picnic basket all I could think of was Juli. And I realized Garrett was right about one thing: I had flipped. Completely.

[KNOCKING ON DOOR]

TRINA [OVER PHONE]: Hello?

BRYCE: Oh, heh. Hi, Mrs. Baker. Is Juli there?

TRINA: Oh. I'm sorry, Bryce. Juli doesn't wanna talk.

[DOOR BELL RINGS]

BRYCE: Please, Mrs. Baker. I gotta see her.

TRINA: I'm sorry, Bryce. But I'm afraid she's locked herself in her room.

BRYCE: I tried to go to bed early that night but I couldn't sleep. I watched her house from my window for hours. I had to find a way to show her how I felt. SCENE 14

JULI: Monday morning, as I made my way into school I was deciding which of the Everly Brothers I'd rather marry when Dana Tressler forced Bryce back into my brain.

DANA: Juli. The list is out. There he is, number nine, your main dish.

JULI: Bryce Loski's not my main dish. DANA: Oh, you're sticking to your diet. JULI: It's not a diet, Dana. I'm over him, okay?

DANA: I'm glad to hear it. Because rumor has it Sherry's already staking her claim

on him.

STEUBY: No, no. You'll look great.

JULI: Sherry? Sherry Stalls?

JULI: [SIGHS] It's okay. It's okay. No big DANA: Oh, Liz. Macy. The list is up. deal. Just pretend like I don't have it.

[GIRLS CHATTERING]

SHERRY: I hear you're planning to bid on JULI: That afternoon, I found myself Bryce.

obsessing about the Basketboy auction. I JULI: What? Who told you that? No, I'm could feel myself backsliding about Bryce. not.

But why should I care if Sherry liked him? SHERRY: Someone saw you with a wad I shouldn't even be thinking about him. I of cash this morning. How much do you had to rise above this. Bryce Loski was no have?

longer in my life. [CLUCKING] On the JULI: It's none of your business. And I'm morning of the auction, I was on edge. I not bidding, okay? I don't even like him found myself, without even knowing how anymore.

it happened, staring at my egg money. I SHERRY: Oh, that'll be the day.

needed a strategy. It was simple. If I left JULI: It's true. Go ahead, waste your my money at home, I'd leave temptation money on him. I don't care.

with it. My strategy suffered a setback McCLURE: And now, will you all give a when I ran into Mrs. Steuby.

big Mayfield School welcome to your STEUBY: Julianna. Julianna. Hello, dear. 1963 Basketboys.

I'm so sorry it's taken me so long to get JULI: I could say I didn't care all I this to you but I keep missing you in the wanted… but seeing Bryce walk out in his morning.

jacket and tie... holding that picnic basket... JULI: Mrs. Steuby, I don't want that. You set my head spinning again. don't have to...

McCLURE: Fifteen going once. STEUBY: Don't be ridiculous. I'm gonna JULI: The auction seemed to fly by.

pay you. I'm going to pay you.

McCLURE: Fifteen going twice. Sold to JULI: I don't want that. I don't want it. Macy Taylor for $15.

STEUBY: Yeah, I want you to go out and JULI: Before I knew it, Eddie Trulock was buy yourself something festive. Pedal called.

pushers. Ha, ha. McCLURE: Number eight is Eddie JULI: Mrs. Steuby. Trulock.

STEUBY: Bye, dear.

JULI: Which meant Bryce was next.

JULI: Mrs. Steuby, I don't want pedal McCLURE: Eddie is a member of the pushers. debate team. And his hobbies include 15

fishing and model-airplane building. Who will give me $5?

JULI: Why isn't anyone bidding? He's so nice.

DANA: Exactly.

McCLURE: Nobody? JULI: Eight dollars.

McCLURE: Sold to Juli Baker for $8. JULI: How did this happen? Was it because I felt bad for Eddie? Or was it because I couldn't trust myself with Bryce? As I made my way to the multi-purpose room, I contemplated the startling turn of events. Here I was, about to have lunch with Eddie Trulock while the boy I mooned over for half my life was going to share a meal with my mortal enemy.

EDDIE: I wanna thank you for bidding on me. It was touch-and-go there for a while. JULI: No, I wanted to. This will be fun. I hear you like building model airplanes. EDDIE: Yeah. My father and I just finished a Russian MiG-19. It was made in 1955. MiG's first supersonic fighter. Tricky because the cockpit was recessed... JULI: I tried to give Eddie my full attention. But it was difficult, because Bryce was right behind him. Eddie was saying something about intake valves... when out of nowhere, Bryce stood up and marched straight towards me.

BRYCE: Hey, Juli, I gotta talk to you. JULI: What are you doing?

JULI: He was going to kiss me. To kiss me.

All my life I've been waiting for that kiss. But not like this. Not this way. I pedaled home so hard, I thought my lungs would burst.

TRINA: Julianna? Julianna. [KNOCKING ON DOOR] Honey? What's wrong? JULI: I can't.

TRINA: Sweetheart... you can tell me. JULI: Bryce tried to kiss me. TRINA: He did?

JULI: In school. In front of everybody. [DOOR BELL RINGS] Mom, please don't get it. It's probably him.

TRINA: Sweetheart, maybe you should talk to him.

JULI: I can't. I can't. [RINGING]

JULI: Bryce wouldn't leave me alone. He kept calling on the phone. And knocking on the door. He even snuck around the house and tapped on my window.

BRYCE: Juli! Please, I gotta see you! Come on out, just for a minute!

JULI: Why didn't he understand that I just wanted to be left alone? BRYCE: Please!

JULI: After two days, Bryce stopped. And I thought it was finally over. Then, one afternoon, I was coming into the front room to read...when I heard a noise in the yard.

[SCRAPING]

JULI: Hey, what's he doing?

RICHARD: Juli, calm down. I gave him

permission.

JULI: Permission? Permission for what? He's digging a hole.

RICHARD: I told him he could. JULI: But why?

RICHARD: I told him he could.

JULI: It was torture seeing him dig up my grass. How could my father let him do this? Bryce knew I was there too.

JULI: He's gone. A tree? He's planting a tree? Is it a?

JULI: I didn't really need to ask. I could tell from the shape of the leaves...and the texture of the trunk. It was a sycamore tree.

BRYCE: When she walked out of the door, I thought back to the first time I saw her. How could anybody, ever, have wanted to run away from Juli Baker?

JULI: He looked at me with those eyes. Those once again dazzling eyes. And I knew that Bryce Loski was still walking around with my first kiss. But he wouldn't be for long. As we stood there, I realized that all these years we never really talked. JULI: Do you need some help? BRYCE: Yeah.

JULI: But that day, we started.

BRYCE: And I knew we'd be talking for a long time.