Chapter Text
1. Int. Little Miss Steaks. Evening.
It´s Karaoke night at the restaurant and for once (and most likely as a very pleasant surprise for the staff there), they have a really good singer to perform for them! It´s Jenna, who´s kicking some butt with her rendition of Joan Jett´s classic hard rock (head)banger song "I Hate Myself for Loving You". Adam and Imogen are sitting at a table together and are watching her, while rocking out with her.
Jenna (singing):
(Verse)
Daylight, spent the night without you
But I've been dreamin' 'bout the lovin' you do
I'm over being angry 'bout the hell you put me through
Hey man, bet you can't treat me right
You just don't know what you was missin' last night
I wanna see you beggin', say, "Forget it" just for spite
(Bridge)
I think of you every night and day
You took my heart, and you took my pride away
(Chorus)
I hate myself for loving you
Can't break free from the things that you do
I wanna walk but I run back to you
That's why I hate myself for loving you!
We cut down to the table where her band mates Imogen and Adam are sitting at and look like they´re enjoying seeing their her cut loose like this.
Imogen:
She´s pretty hot up there, isn´t she?
Adam:
Yeah, she ... why would you say that?
Imogen:
Because you´re so obviously eating her up with your eyes!
Adam:
I´m not!
Imogen:
If they still had a pay phone here, then I would give you a nickel and tell you to call someone, who´ll believe you!
Adam:
That whole analogy went out the window, when cell phones came along, didn´t it?
Imogen nods in agreement.
Imogen:
So, who do you think she´s singing it to? You or KC?
Adam:
KC and she are over. She told me so herself!
Imogen:
For someone, who is technically still a girl yourself, you´re terrible at reading our hidden meanings! You don´t sing a song with that kind of passion, unless you still have unresolved feelings for the guy, you´re singing it about. Joan Jett must have had some of those too, when she wrote it, if you ask me.
Adam looks worried, that she could be right, as he turns his head to look up at Jenna, who´s giving a much better performance, than this restaurant is deserving of.
OPENING CREDITS
2. Int. Manny´s Office. Day.
Manny has Harriet Sinclair sitting across from her and looks a little confused, to say the least.
Manny:
Let me get this straight: You´re frustrated because your boyfriend doesn´t want to cheat on you with his ex-girlfriend?
Harriet:
I know that he does, he just doesn´t want to say it out loud to me.
Manny:
I can see how that would be a problem. Take me back to the start, so I can get a broader picture.
Harriet:
I guess that it all started, when Jenna wrote that "Mr. Perfect" song.
Manny:
I´ve heard it. It´s catchy. She´s his ex?
Harriet:
Exactamundo! So, anyway, it led to them breaking up. I was at the same time failing Biology and KC became my tutor. Which worked fine, mostly because he gave me kisses as my reward, when I got a question right. It was just harmless fun and all very uncomplicated. I didn´t want him to be my boyfriend and he needed someone to take his mind off Jenna.
Manny:
And you were fine with this? Most girls your age wouldn´t be!
Harriet:
I´ll be honest with you, it´s not like I´ve had a whole lot of action on the boy front. So, when a cute guy like him wanted to kiss me, it was sort of hard to say no to!
Manny:
I know lots of girls, who have been there, trust me.
Harriet:
Then he asked me if I wanted to continue it after we were done studying Biology and my first thought was "Great! I can get a free tutor and some resembling a boyfriend, all rolled into one"! As I´m coming to find out now however, having a "sort of boyfriend", who´s still in love with someone else blows big time!
Manny:
Why don´t you just break up with him, then?
Harriet:
I don´t want to hurt his feelings either, since he´s been so nice with helping me with school and all of that. If it hadn´t been for him, I would still be failing half of my classes, if not more of them.
Manny:
Okay, I think that I get it now. What would be your dream scenario, as a way to end all of this?
Harriet:
The easiest way by far would be if could hand him off to her, say "Here Jenna, there´s your boyfriend back" and we all leave it behind us, as friends moving forward.
Manny:
In that case, maybe that´s what you should try to aspire to. Plus, playing match maker can be kind of fun sometimes!
Harriet seems to like that idea.
3. Int. Hallway. Day.
Jenna and Imogen are having a little heart to heart on their way to class.
Imogen:
Jenna, we talked about this! The more you keep dragging out, the worse it´s going to get!
Jenna:
I know! Why can´t there be guide out there for how to tell your transgender boyfriend, that you have to close your eyes and think of your ex, when you´re making out with him?
Imogen:
Even if someone wrote it, I seriously doubt that it would be a huge seller!
Jenna:
Adam is the perfect boyfriend in almost every way, it´s just ...
Imogen:
That he doesn´t have penis?
Jenna:
Believe me, I´ve tried all that I can, to see him as fully being a guy in every way. I just can´t get myself to in that one way.
Imogen:
It´s only because you´re straight. That´s nothing to be ashamed of, is it?
Jenna:
I guess not.
Imogen:
Where does KC then fit into all of this?
Jenna:
Why are you mentioning him?
Imogen:
Because you so obviously still wish that you could be with him! I heard how you sang that Joan Jett song at Karaoke night!
Jenna looks annoyed with herself.
Jenna:
I kind of busted myself, huh?
Imogen:
Yeah, you did! But we also found out that if we want to switch to playing hard rock, we won´t have to look for a new singer to do it!
Jenna:
Do you think Adam picked up on it?
Imogen:
With the way you drove the point home with that wild vibrato of yours, I can´t see how he couldn´t have!
Jenna:
That´s just great! Now I´m also hurting the one guy, who has done nothing to deserve it!
Imogen:
You know that you can´t keep going on like this. It´s time to make what´s the right and the smart choice, both for you and for Adam, so he can find someone that can better deal with his "differences" from other guys.
Jenna wonders what to do about it but has to admit that Imogen is right in what she´s saying.
4. Int. Girl´s Room. Day.
Adam comes out from one of the stalls and finds Harriet waiting there for him.
Harriet:
You´re friends with Jenna.
Adam looks a little puzzled at what she said.
Adam:
Are you making a statement or asking me, if I am?
Harriet:
I already know that you are! I also need your help.
Adam:
Why should I help you, when we hadn´t spoken two words to one another before now?
Adam goes to the sink to wash his hands, but Harriet isn´t one to give up that easily.
Harriet:
You want what´s best for her, don´t you?
Adam:
Sure, I do. I´m just finding it hard to believe, that you do.
Harriet:
Okay, you got me! This isn´t as much for her, as it´s for KC.
He finishes washing his hands and grabs some paper towels to dry them with.
Adam:
I had no idea that you and he know each other.
Harriet:
We ... ehm ... have sort of been hooking up lately.
Adam smiles to himself and throws the used towels in the bin.
Adam:
Good for you! Now, if you´ll excuse me ...
Harriet:
He´s still in love with Jenna. Can you find out for me, if she still has feelings for him? Please!
She gives him her best begging face and he figures that he can kill two birds with one stone this way.
Adam:
Alright, I´ll try to ask her. Meet me in the music room during lunch.
Harriet:
If you need any help ...
Adam:
That´s okay. I have a pretty good idea on how to find out.
Harriet:
Thanks. You´re really nice to do this, despite us not knowing each other.
Adam gives her a small nod and leaves. Harriet looks like she´s feeling good about herself!
5. Int. Hallway. Day/Montage
Alli is checking her make-up in a small mirror, that she has taped inside her locker, when Adam comes over to her.
Adam:
You don´t need all of that make-up to look pretty, Alli. Not if you ask my brother, anyway.
She smiles at what he said.
Adam:
Did you catch what homework they gave us in English? I was kind of zoning out and thinking about the break, when Simpson told us.
Alli:
We have to read chapter four and five.
Adam:
Cool. Thanks.
Alli:
What are friends for?
Adam:
Speaking of friends of ours. Have you heard that KC apparently has a new girlfriend?
Alli´s gossip loving mind immediately gets her very interested.
We cut to Alli later telling Clare about it.
Alli:
Can you believe him? Moving on so quickly from Jenna, before she´s had the time to get over him yet!
Clare:
Do we know who it is?
We cut to Jenna asking Connor about it.
Jenna:
You´re his best friend! If anyone should know, it´s you!
Connor:
KC would get mad at me, if I told you.
Jenna:
So, there is someone else?
Connor:
I won´t lie to you and tell you that there isn´t.
Jenna looks very hurt by the news and for Adam, who´s watching them from afar. this tells him all that he needs to know, to his great disappointment.
6. Int. Music Room. Day.
Harriet is already there, when Adam comes in and shuts the door after himself.
Harriet:
What did you find out?
Adam:
She´s still crushing on him, like there´s no tomorrow.
Harriet:
Thankfully!
She shakes her head in relief and Adam can´t help smiling a little at it.
Adam:
And they call me a weirdo!
Harriet:
You´re still weirder than me! At least, I dress normal, unlike you!
Adam:
That´s up for debate!
Harriet:
I´m just so relieved, that I won´t have to have some heartfelt break up with KC! Now, I can give him to her, they´ll both love me for it and my karma will be the best, it can be.
Adam:
Isn´t your last name Sinclair? From what I´ve heard about your family, you´re supposed to be the opposite of this!
Harriet:
Someone has to break the mold, don´t they?
Adam:
Doing nice things for others is your way of being rebellious?
Harriet:
It´s the first time, I´m trying it, but I gotta say, I kind of like it!
Adam:
Have you met Imogen? I think that you two would get on splendidly!
Harriet:
Can´t say that I have. The question is, what do we do now?
Adam:
You work your magic on KC and I´ll work on mine Jenna. Get him to the Dot by eight and I´ll have her there, waiting for him.
Harriet:
Great! I keep having these visions of him begging me in the middle of one of the school hallways to take him back, while everyone is staring at us!
Adam:
After tonight, him and Jenna will be back together, like they should be. Then, you can stop having visions of your worst nightmare come true.
Harriet:
My worst nightmare is still to come to school without any clothes on, but it´s a close second!
They smile at one another.
7. Int. Hallway. Day.
Jenna is talking to Imogen about what´s going on and looks upset.
Jenna:
Even after we broke up, I still thought that we would somehow find our way back to each other.
Imogen:
You don´t know if he has feelings for this girl or if she´s just someone he´s with, to forget about you.
Jenna:
That does sound like a very guy thing to do!
Imogen:
Don´t think that girls don´t do it too! Like the one, I´m talking to right now, for example?
Imogen looks Jenna in the eyes and Jenna has to admit, that she´s right.
Jenna:
I´m doing the exact same thing with Adam, aren´t I?
Imogen:
From what you´ve told me, it sure sounds that way and just like that girl KC is hooking up with, Adam deserves better than that, don´t you think?
Jenna nods in agreement and doesn´t look all that proud of herself, for what she´s been doing. Adam comes up to them and when Jenna sees him, she tries to force a smile for him.
Adam:
Hi, guys! What´s up with the glum faces?
Jenna:
I´m not glum! See?
She tries her best to smile as naturally as she can for him, but it´s easy for him to read, that there´s a sadness hidden underneath it.
Adam:
I need to talk to you after school.
Jenna:
Sure. We could go to The Dot.
Adam:
This is something, we need to talk about in private. Can you come over to my house, say around seven?
Jenna:
I guess so.
Adam looks like he´s ready to do, what clearly needs to be done for both of them to be able to move on.
8. Int. Adam´s Room. Evening.
Adam is looking nervous, when there´s a small knock on the door and Drew sticks his head in.
Drew:
There´s someone here to see you.
He lets Jenna in and closes the door, so they can have some privacy. She looks a little nervous, as does he.
Jenna:
Well, I´m here, like you wanted!
Adam:
Have a seat. There are some things, we need to get out in the open, so we can talk about them.
Jenna:
Okay, if that´s what you want.
They sit down on his bed, and he takes her hand, before looking her in the eyes.
Adam:
Jenna, when I found out that there could be a chance for us, you have no idea how happy and scared in the good way, at the same time, that it made me. When we had our first kiss, right here, where we´re sitting right now, it was like a dream come true. After you´d left that evening, I laid here for hours afterwards before I went to sleep, thinking about how incredible it was that I had gotten my first kiss from such a sweet and great girl, who I´d had a crush on for such a long time and had pretty much given up all hope long before we kissed, that anything could happen with.
She smiles at what he said.
Adam:
That moment is a memory, I´ll treasure for the rest of life and I hope, you will too. But another thought that crept into my head at the same time, was how I also knew that there was a great chance that me being what I am, would end up getting in the way of us becoming a real couple.
Jenna:
We are a real couple, Adam!
Adam:
Let me finish, please! Jenna, there is nothing that I want more, than to believe that this, you and me, could work. You can try to fool yourself into thinking that this is something, you can get past, but I know you better than that.
She sheds a tear and takes it in.
Jenna:
Are you breaking up with me?
Adam:
It´s not because I want to, it´s because I have to, for both of us. As much as I love pretending like, we could ever be the perfect couple, it´s time for us to get real and move on.
Jenna:
It´s not that I didn´t try all I could, you have to believe me.
Adam:
I know, you did and you´ll still always be my first girlfriend! You´re going to be the one that I compare all of the others to, when that time comes one day.
She wipes her eyes and smiles sadly at him.
Jenna:
I really hoped, it could have worked for us, Adam. With all of my heart, I did.
Adam:
I know. I did too. There is someone else, though, who I happen to know for a fact, is desperate to patch things up and give it another try, if you´re ready to.
She looks surprised.
Jenna:
KC? How can you possibly know that?
Adam:
I´ll tell you on the way to The Dot. He´s meeting you there in an hour.
Jenna:
An hour? I don´t have any time to get ready!
Adam:
That´s precisely the point! This way, you´ll go into it without having overthought anything and knowing, what you can expect. The rest is up to you.
He looks pleased with his own good deed.
9. Ext. Street. Evening.
Harriet and KC are coming up to The Dot.
KC:
Isn´t this breaking the rules about not being seen together?
Harriet:
Rules are meant to be broken, aren´t they?
KC:
It´s just that if we do this, aren´t we sort of moving into relationship territory?
Harriet:
Relax, KC. That isn´t why we´re here.
They head inside.
10. Int. The Dot. Evening.
Harriet and KC come in and he immediately sees Jenna sitting at a table with Adam and waiting for him.
KC:
Let´s go somewhere else.
Harriet:
Not tonight, KC! She´s here to talk to you.
KC looks annoyed with Harriet.
KC:
What´s going on between her and me is none of your business, Harriet!
Harriet:
Sorry, KC, but it became my business, when you started using me as your substitute for her.
KC:
I didn´t ...
Harriet:
Yes, you did, so don´t try lying to me about it! Not that I´m claiming to have been ethically on the right side all the way through this, but I´m done being your rebound girl. Now, go to her! It´s you, she´s here for!
KC has to smile a little.
KC:
You mean it?
Harriet:
You´re clearly still in love with her, KC. I need to find someone, who´ll be in love with me, when we make out.
Her and KC smile at one another and he goes over to talk to Jenna. Adam gets up out of his seat to give them their chance to talk things out, while Harriet watches it with a newfound feeling of self-pride written on her face.
11. Int. Adam´s Room. Evening.
Adam comes home and takes a load off in a chair. Drew soon comes in to join him.
Drew:
How did it go?
Adam:
They were holding hands by the time, I left.
Drew:
I´m sorry, it had to come to this, bro.
Adam:
I´ll live. What doesn´t kill you makes you stronger, right?
Drew:
That´s what they say. Are you alright?
Adam:
Except for the paralyzing fear that the same thing will happen with every other girl, I try to start something romantic with.
Drew:
You´ll find someone someday.
Adam:
Everyone keeps telling me that, but they don´t get that it´s not that easy! I could probably find some lesbian girl my own age, but she wouldn´t be looking for a boyfriend, if you know what I mean?
Drew:
She has to be someone, who also accepts that you´re a guy. I get it.
Adam:
You have every girl your age at your disposal, when it comes to potential girlfriends. For me, I´m not sure that there are any girls here, who can say that they´re ready to accept me for what I am and mean it.
Drew:
At least you have a brother and a really good friend, who does. That has to count for something, right?
Drew gives his little brother a comforting, brotherly hug.
12. Int. Little Miss Steaks. Evening.
We´re back in almost the same scenario, that we started with (Karaoke night at the restaurant), only now it´s a week later and we´re getting to hear and see Imogen´s rendition of "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun", that she´s doing as a duet with Jenna. KC is down by the stage to show support for Jenna, while Adam and Harriet are watching them with smiles on their faces.
Harriet:
Aren´t you going to sing us a song too?
Adam:
I´m not the singing type. Trust me, I´m doing everyone here a favor!
Harriet:
That makes two of us!
They smile at one another.
Adam:
That was a self-less act you did, letting Jenna have KC back.
Harriet:
What me and KC had was fun while it lasted, but when one half of a couple would much rather be with someone else, it´s better to get out of it, as soon as you can.
Adam:
Isn´t that the truth?
Harriet looks a little surprised.
Harriet:
You´ve tried it too?
Adam:
Kind of and kind of not. It´s a long story, that I don´t want to bore you with.
Harriet:
Do you think, I did the right thing?
Adam:
Only time will tell. She sure looks happy, doesn´t she?
Harriet:
What about you? Is there some weirdo guy out there, that you´re hooking up with, without everyone knowing about it?
Adam:
The idea alone of making out with a guy is enough to make me gag.
Harriet:
So, you´re gay?
Adam:
I guess that I´m not entirely sure, what I exactly am yet. Before I find that out, it´s still too early to jump into a relationship with someone. No matter how perfect, she seems to be on the surface.
He looks alright with how it ended for him.
CLOSING CREDITS