BEST YEAR EVER PILOT 2ND DRAFT Written by Adam Boyer

3500 25th Ave W #521 Seattle, WA 98199 (907)441-7118

TEASER FADE IN: EXT. CHUGIAK HIGH SCHOOL - MORNING Students pour out of busses and head inside CHUGIAK HIGH SCHOOL, an average school in suburban Alaska. We focus on TOM YOUNG(17). He has a kind face that seems in odds with his world-weary expression. He trudges inside. TOM (V.O.) I think movies and TV gave me a misleading idea of high school. INT. CAFETERIA - CONTINUOUS Tom walks through the lobby, scanning his surroundings. By The CWs standards even the popular kids look ten years too young to be in high school. TOM (V.O.) See, the shows make you think that there will be parties and fights. That youll hang out with the same friends everyday, do exciting things. Have memorable experiences... INT. SENIOR HALLWAY - CONTINUOUS Tom looks enviously at the jocks and jockettes laughing on the benches as he shoves a bag in his locker. TOM (V.O.) And while that might be true for some people, it sure wasnt true for me. He slams it shut. TOM (V.O.) Dont worry, I wasnt cutting myself or anything like that. Time slows down as he walks insignificant in the sea of students. TOM (V.O.) For a lot of kids high school is hell, for me it was more like purgatory. INT. CAFETERIA - DAY Tom eats with a handful of students well get to know later.

2. TOM (V.O.) My life was fine. I had a few friends... INT. CLASSROOM - DAY Toms doodles, paying little attention to his teacher. TOM (V.O.) Did OK, grade wise... INT. TOMS DINING ROOM - NIGHT He eats dinner with his Mom, and older brother. TOM (V.O.) Everything was fine at home. INT. BUS - AFTERNOON Tom sits alone in the back, staring out the window. TOM (V.O.) But nothing ever happened. My life was 98 percent conflict free. And thats what made me miserable. INT. TOMS LIVING ROOM - NIGHT Tom lays bored on his couch watching a Degrassi type show. TOM Every day Id get up, go school, go to work, and go to bed depressed because I knew that in a few hours Id have to wake up and do the same damn thing all over again. INT. TOMS BEDROOM - NIGHT Tom lies in his bed, unable to sleep. TOM (V.O.) But I think I just figured out a way to change everything. Tom closes his eyes. END OF TEASER

3. ACT ONE INT. TOMS BEDROOM - MORNING Heavy metal BLARES from the next door, waking up Tom. He pounds on the wall. TOM Joey, turn it down! Tom goes back to bed and muffles his ears with his pillow. The music gets louder. Tom GRUNTS and gets up. INT. JOEYS BEDROOM - CONTINUOUS Joey(24) plays Skyrim, leaning back in his chair. Tom bounds inside without knocking. TOM Joey, please turn it down? Ive got like 30 minutes left to sleep in before school. JOEY Eh, who needs sleep? TOM Most people. Have you been up all night doing nothing? JOEY Hey, Skyrims not nothing. (re: the game) Check it out, Im a werewolf now! Tom sighs and walks away. JOEY (CONTD) You need to sleep less, Tom. Get out there, seize the day, you dont want to waste your life doing something pointless. The camera holds on Joey as he goes back to his game. EXT. CAINS HOUSE - MORNING - ESTABLISHING SHOT INT. CAINS DINING ROOM - MORNING Cain(17) eats cereal at the table with one hand and texts with the other. Even sitting down, he exudes a level of confidence disproportionate with his average looks.

4. His text conversation with his girlfriend Lisa is narrated as it is typed. CAIN (V.O.) Cant wait to see you today. Smiley face. LISA (V.O.) Yeah, totally. CAIN (V.O.) Less than three. Cain grins at his phone like an idiot. His step-sister LENA(9) looks at him with disgust. What? CAIN

EXT. GWENS HOUSE - MORNING - ESTABLISHING SHOT INT. GWENS ROOM - CONTINUOUS GWEN(17), a cute, yet chubby brunette puts on a baggy, blue hoodie. She spots something out her window and DASHES out of the room like a ninja. INT. GWENS KITCHEN - CONTINUOUS Gwen TRIPS on a laundry basket while running down the hallway. Her mom JOYCE(40s) sees this and chuckles. You OK? JOYCE

GWEN (getting up) Im fine, Im fine. JOYCE I take it you saw it then? GWEN Yes! Its probably the most beautiful thing Ive ever seen. Its for me, right? JOYCE I thought about waiting until your birthday, but I figured this way you could take it to schoo-Gwen ATTACKS her mom with a hug.

5. GWEN Oh my God, thank you Mom. Thank you, thank you, thank you! Gwen lets her go and runs out the front door. EXT. GWENS HOUSE - CONTINUOUS Gwen finally slows down in the driveway, Joyce not to far behind. We see shes looking at rusty, green, 1994 Subaru Impreza with a TINY BOW on the hood. JOYCE I never could find those giant bows. GWEN (almost in tears) Its... gorgeous. INT. SCHOOL BUS - MORNING Tom sits alone staring out the window. INT. SENIOR HALL - LATER Cain sits on a bench, his arms wrapped around LISA(16), a preppy blone. She grows distant as Cain starts kissing her. Across the hall Gwen watches, annoyed. Tom walks up to a locker behind her. GWEN Hey, Tom, did you hear the good news? TOM Jesus loves me no matter what? GWEN Better, I got a car! TOM Oh, cool. What kind? GWEN 94 Subaru Impreza. Forest green, stock rims, does 0-60 in about 15 seconds, and its all mine. TOM (imitating Darth Vader) Wow. Imprezzive...most Imprezzive The reference isnt lost on her, but she doesnt appreciate it either.

6. TOM (CONTD) (normal) You tell the wonder couple yet? Gwen looks over at Cain and Lisa. GWEN I dont even want to deal with that right now. TOM So does this mean youre taking us out for lunch today? GWEN I dont know, one more terrible Star Wars reference and I might just stop being friends with you all together. Cain walks over to them with Lisa in tow. CAIN Hey, whats going on? TOM Gwen got a car. GWEN Aww, I wanted to tell him. CAIN Youre taking us out for lunch then, right? GWEN (sighs) I suppose I could. LISA I gotta go to class, babe. Gwen and Tom avert eye contact as Lisa and Cains tongues say their good-byes. Lisa leaves. GWEN Do you have to always do that in front of us? CAIN Hey, as soon as you guys finally start dating somebody, youre welcome do whatever you want where-ever you want.

7. GWEN How do you know Im not dating somebody already? Are you? CAIN

GWEN See, people like- thats just whatTom, what do you think about this? TOM (pointing) Oh look, a place that isnt here. Tom walks away. The camera holds on him walking alone as Cain and Gwen talk in the distance. CAIN Why do you care so much what Lisa and I do? GWEN I dont care, I just dont want to have to see it first thing in the morning. Fine. CAIN

GWEN Now enough about your problems. What should I name my car? INT. CLASSROOM - MORNING Tom doodles while the rest of the class goofs off. MR. WILLIAMS, think Zach Galifinakis but in a tweed jacket, stumbles in. MR. WILLIAMS Morning class. As you may have noticed Im not Mrs. Scott, shes sick, or something, I dont know I didnt really check. Point is, shes not here, and I am, so... yeah. Deal with it. Attendance! Lets do that. Mr. Williams goes to the desk to grab the attendance sheet. With his back to the class, he pours whiskey out of a fake dry erase marker FLASK into his coffee. He takes a big sip and rubs his temples.

8. MR. WILLIAMS (CONTD) (re: the attendance) Ok, wow, thats a lot of names. How bout we do this. Anyone not here today? Sound good? And dont raise your hand and say Im not here, Mr. Williams. A DORKY KID puts his hand down in shame. Jesus, you wrong with youre not attention. life to do MR. WILLIAMS (CONTD) guys are quiet. Whats you? Youre teenagers, supposed to be paying You have the rest of your that.

Mr. Williams takes another big gulp, staring down the class. MR. WILLIAMS (CONTD) You. On the phone. What are you doing? Nothing. PHONE KID

MR. WILLIAMS Lemme see your phone. PHONE KID I was just texting. Ill stop. MR. WILLIAMS Youre not in trouble, I just want to see your phone. Dont worry, youll get it back after class. The kid reluctantly hands over his phone. Mr. Williams opens it and starts going through the messages. MR. WILLIAMS (CONTD) (reading) To Brendan: I know right, Martis a total bitch. (normal) Two things. 1: Dont call women bitches. And 2: What is it that compelled you to tell Brendan that Maris a bitch at the very moment in time. Was is really so pertinent you couldnt wait 40 minutes to tell him in person? The kid is terrified.

9. MR. WILLIAMS (CONTD) Relax, kid. Im not mad at you. Im mad at ALL OF YOU. The class is confused. Toms intrigued. MR. WILLIAMS (CONTD) This kid is just a microcosm of a larger systemic problem. None of you people do anything anymore. You just talk about doing things, or document the things you did. You dont go to a concert and actually listen to the band, you spend the whole time video taping it with your phone. You cant enjoy your food anymore unless you take a shitty picture of it first. Mr. Williams finishes his coffee and pounds the empty cup on the desk. MR. WILLIAMS (CONTD) Youre all so incapable of having a genuine human experience. I hate to be the back in my day guy, but back in my day we actually did shit. If we wanted to call someone a bitch we did it in person. If we had a problem with someone wed tell it to their face, and if they kicked the shit out of us, big deal. If we wanted to have sex we didnt use a condom, because the government hadnt created AIDS yet. Mr Williams starts taking the caps off of the dry erase markers in hopes one of them contains alcohol. MR. WILLIAMS (CONTD) Anyway, the point is: Do something with your life. Dont wait until youre an old man like me with two mortgages on your condo and an ex wife whos banging your step dad. Enjoy your youth, do something stupid. Drink, do drugs, have unprotected sex, steal a pig, I dont know. Tom writes on his note-pad: THINGS TO DO: STEAL A PIG MR. WILLIAMS (CONTD) You only get one shot at life, do you really want to waste it playing with a little blue screen all day just so you can tell Brendon Martis a Bitch?

10. Mr. Williams hands the kid his phone back. MR. WILLIAMS (CONTD) I was never going to keep it, I just wanted everyone to know how stupid I think you are. Now(beat) Who wants to watch October Sky? INT. GWENS IMPREZA - DAY Tom sits up front while Gwen drives. GWEN He just went off in front of the whole class? TOM It was crazy, it was like something out of Network or Studio 60. Gwen adjusts her mirror seeing Cain and Lisa canoodling in the back seat. GWEN Hey, not in my car guys. TOM He was actually making some good points. I mean, dont you ever feel like youre just wasting away your time here. Like youre not living life to the fullest? GWEN I dont know what youre talking about, Ive got a car. (to Cain) Seriously guys, do you even want to go to Taco Bell? (to Tom) Can you do something about them? TOM (loudly) So I was just saying, I think The Last Airbender movie is MUCH better than the show. Cain throws Lisa away like a vegan pastry and leans forward.

11. CAIN What are talking about? That movie is one of the worst adaptations since Masters of the Universe. M. Night can suck a poorly CGId dick. Gwen smiles at Tom. GWEN (mouthing) Thank you. EXT. CHUGIAK HIGH SCHOOL - DAY The group walks back inside, Taco Bell cups in hand. CAIN But the worst part is the dialogue. We need to believe in our beliefs as much as they believe in their beliefs? That really made it in the final draft? LISA Babe, you know theyre just messing with you, right? CAIN I know, I just have a lot of unresolved issues with that movie. INT. CHUGIAK HIGH SCHOOL - CONTINUOUS They stop at the sight of a HOMECOMING banner being raised. TOM Shit. I forgot about Homecoming. LISA How could you forget about Homecoming? TOM Because it blows? GWEN It cant be that bad. TOM Ive been through this every year. Trust me, these dances arent just an excuse for people to grind up on each other while some greasy DJ plays music I didnt even like three years ago.

12. GWEN Gettin kinda worked up about this, arent ya? TOM Its just, why would I pay 12 dollars to do something I wouldnt want to do for free? LISA Well were going. Right, babe? CAIN Of course. What about you, Gwen? GWEN Eh, I dont know. Im not really excited about the concept of dressing up and listening to Soulja Boi, but then again I do love streamers... Lisa notices something across the cafeteria. LISA Im gonna go to class. Thanks for the ride, Gwen. No problem. GWEN

CAIN Ill walk with you. LISA Thats fine, I was gonna go by myself. CAIN Oh. Okay. Ill see you after class. Cain waves goodbye. Lisa forces a smile. INT. CLASSROOM - DAY Tom and Cain talk while finding their seats. CAIN Its not that I think hes a bad writer or anything, its just that hes surrounded himself with so many Yes Men that nobody will challenge his ideas. Movies need collaboration, dissenting thought-

13. TOM Eh, I dont know about that. CAIN Well what do you know?! The door opens. Tom looks up. SHE walks in slow motion. Innocent good looks, with a small frame and optimistic smile. TOM Who is that? Who? CAIN

TOM The girl who just walked in. CAIN Thats Sofia. TOM Why havent I seen her before? CAIN Shes an exchange student. From Russia I think. Got a thing for her? Tom mutters nervously, flipping through his notebook. CAIN (CONTD) Why dont you go talk to her? Tom lands on the page with his makeshift to-do list. I will. TOM

He adds Talk to Sofia on the list. Eventually. TOM (CONTD)

INT. CARRS GROCERY - NIGHT Tom bags groceries for a MIDDLE AGED WOMAN. She struggles to write a check while her 6 year old son keeps adding candy to the conveyer belt. MIDDLE AGED WOMAN Put it back David, we have ice cream at home.

14. The kid adds another candy bar. MIDDLE AGED WOMAN (CONTD) David. Put. It back. No. David. KID MIDDLE AGED WOMAN

The kid SCREAMS. The mother, devoid of any joy or hope, just sighs and finishes writing her check. Behind her a group of run through the store LAUGHING. MIDDLE AGED WOMAN (CONTD) David, were going. Stop crying. Stop it. Tom stares at the kids with longing. MIDDLE AGED WOMAN(CONTD) This is why your father left, David. INT. TOMS LIVING ROOM - NIGHT Joey eats a french fries and watches TV. Tom walks upstairs. TOM Wheres Mom? JOEY Out. Something about knitting, or a book club, maybe a club about knitting books? I dont know. Tom sits down, unbuttoning his uniform. TOM Do you think life gets worse after high school? JOEY I dont know about that. Different? Absolutely. How so? TOM

JOEY Well for one you have to start paying for things.

15. TOM But Mom pays for all your food and rent. JOEY I know, why do you think I moved back? (beat) Its a lot more work being out of school. People expect stuff from you. Expect you to be responsible adults, expect you to shave and not wear sweatpants in public... TOM You ever miss it? Of course. JOEY

TOM What if you could go back, knowing what you know now? JOEY You got a TARDIS in the garage? TOM Just a hypothetical. What would you do differently? JOEY Have more fun, I guess. Party more, spend more time with my friends. Not be so afraid of getting in trouble or what other people thought. Do dumb shit and get away with it... TOM What, like steal a pig? Huh? Nevermind. JOEY TOM

JOEY Whats this all about? TOM There was this substitute today talking about- I dont know, I guess Ive just been feeling lately that Im not doing enough with my life.

16. JOEY So do something about it. Tom lets the words soak in while he grabs his stuff and heads back downstairs. TOM (V.O.) Suddenly it all made sense. I had always wished for an interesting life, but its like my Dad always said: Son, wishes are for faggots. INT. TOMS BEDROOM - LATER Tom sits at his desk staring at a blank piece of paper. He starts writing. TOM (V.O.) There wasnt going to be any call to action. No one was going to tell me that Im the slayer. My parents werent going to adopt a rebel from the other side of the tracks. And I sure as hell wasnt going to get super powers from a genetically engineered super-spider. If I wanted a memorable high school experience, I was going to have to make it happen myself. On the paper Tom writes: Things to Do Before Graduation. END OF ACT 1

17. ACT 2 INT. GWENS IMPREZA - NIGHT Gwens driving Tom to Homecoming. Theyre both half-heartedly dressed up. TOM Thanks for driving me. Im a little too old to get dropped off by my Mom now. GWEN Hey, any chance to take Esmerelda out on town is fine with me. TOM Is that what you named your car? GWEN Im not 100 percent on it, but thats what Ive been calling her. TOM Esmarelda from Hunchback of Notre Dame? Mhm. GWEN

TOM Wasnt she a prostitute? GWEN Yeah, I need a better name. EXT. CHUGIAK HIGH SCHOOL - NIGHT Gwen and Tom out of her car and walk towards the school. We get a better look at their outfits. Gwens wearing a sundress clearly bought at a thrift store, and Tom has simply put a sports coat over his usual attire. GWEN So what changed your mind? TOM What do you mean? GWEN Before you didnt seem very pro-dance.

18. TOM I figured its our last homecoming. Even if its not my cup of tea its something I should experience. Ive decided Im not going to just complain about things anymore. Im going to take initiative, seize the day, all that jazz. Tom opens the door for her, then follows inside. GWEN You didnt join a cult by any chance? TOM We prefer the term fellowship. INT. CHUGIAK HIGH SCHOOL - CONTINUOUS The crowd: hormonal. The decor: sparse. The music: shit. Tom struggles to remain optimistic. TOM See, its not that bad. GWEN You can just admit it if you dont want to be here. TOM Why wouldnt I want to be here? This is my jam! Tom tries to dance. Its sad. GWEN Im gonna get something to drink. You go... not do that. Tom uncomfotably sways through the crowd. He sees SOFIA: his Russian dream girl across the mob. Tom pulls out the LIST out of his pocket for comfort. TOM (to himself) OK. This is what its all about. Tom 2.0. You can do this. Tom weaves through the gyrating masses towards Sofia. Hes about 5 feet away when the lock eyes. Tom panics. He gives her the whats up head nod then scampers away.

19. Meanwhile, Cain dances around an uncomfortable Lisa. She tries to dance away from him, but Cain follows. LISA Can you give me some space, Cain? For a while? CAIN Yeah, totally. He shimmies away, trying to retain composure. He runs into Gwen, now with her drink. CAIN (CONTD) Hey, what are you doing here? GWEN Oh, you know... (presenting her soda) Doing the dew. Wheres Lisa? CAIN She wanted some space. GWEN Oh, Im sorry. Why? CAIN

GWEN You broke up, right? CAIN No, she just wanted some space. GWEN Oh. Im sorry. CAIN Think of a name for you car yet? Esmarelda? GWEN

CAIN The prostitute from that Disney movie? GWEN You got a better name? Tom come? CAIN

20. GWEN Yeah, strangely enough. I think he might even be dancing. So I see. CAIN

Cain directs Gwen to TOM across the floor trying his darnedest to mimic the people dancing around him. GWEN Aww... Its like a baby bird trying to learn how fly. They walk over to him. CAIN Hey, buddy. Havin fun? TOM (keeping up the charade) You bet. This T.I. fellow sure knows how to drop a beat. GWEN You hate this dont you? Tom stops dancing and sighs. TOM So much. I dont understand how people are supposed to dance to this noise. Most people seem to just be rubbing pelvises up against each other. What if you get a boner? Are you supposed to get a boner? Is it rude if you dont? What if youre wearing corduroy pants? I dont even... Lisa comes up to Cain LISA Can we talk? Yeah. CAIN

They leave. Tom and Gwen head outside, Tom still flustered. TOM I just dont understand what happened to fun music. Music you dance to, like funk, or ska-

21. GWEN (chortles) Haha...ska. TOM Whats wrong with ska? GWEN Nothing, mon. INT. HALLWAY - NIGHT Cain and Lisa sit alone. The music from the dance plays faintly in the distance. CAIN Whats going on? LISA I think we should break up. Whaat? CAIN

LISA Im really sorry. CAIN I dont understand. Why? LISA You dont have toCAIN I want to know. You can tell me. LISA Its just. Youve been really weird lately. CAIN I know Ive been coming on too strong lately. My bodys going through changes, I get urgesLISA Its not just that... What else? CAIN

LISA Well Ive been spending a lot of time with Collin lately...

22. CAIN As in my best friend sophomore year? That Collin? LISA Nothings happened, its just, we... its hard to explain. I get it. Really? CAIN LISA

CAIN No. Not at all. Hes weird. Cain gets up, she does the same. LISA Im sorry, Cain. Youre a good guy. She tries to kiss him, he pulls away. Dont. CAIN

Cain turns and walks away, his facade crumbling. EXT. CAFETERIA ATRIUM - NIGHT Tom and Gwen sit disappointed outside by the other loners. TOM I dont know why I keep thinking theyll be different. I havent enjoyed myself at a dance once since middle school. Its like dances are an abusive husband. Every time I trick myself into thinking that this one will be good, that this time itll be fun, and it never is. GWEN Youre going to prom, though? TOM Of course, its prom. You have to go. Whyd you come? You seem to be having as much fun as I am. GWEN I dont know. Chance to dress up, I guess. (MORE)

23. GWEN (CONT'D) Its stupid, but I was hoping someone wouldCain finds them. CAIN Hey, you guys want to get out of here? TOM Dear God, yes! EXT. VILLAGE INN - NIGHT - ESTABLISHING SHOT INT. VILLAGE INN - NIGHT The gang sit at a booth, eating pie. TOM Im sorry, man. Getting dumped must suck. Cain swallows a mouthful of key lime. It does. CAIN

GWEN If it makes you feel any better, we all thought Lisa was a total bitch. CAIN (touched) Thanks guys, that means a lot. They sit in sadness for a while before: TOM Im sorry. I cant allow this. Allow what? GWEN

TOM This. Sitting here, defeated. This night was supposed to be the start of a new era. CAIN What new era? TOM Oh. I guess I didnt tell you about that.

24. Tom pulls out his list and unfolds it. TOM (CONTD) I made this the other night. Its a list of everything I want to do before graduation. Tom scratches his head, not sure how to explain this. TOM (CONTD) I havent been happy for a while. Not really that is, so I decided I was going to start doing everything I always wanted to do but was too tired or afraid to do. Tonight was supposed to be the start of that. CAIN You still went to homecoming. So what if it sucked. Im pretty sure it sucked more for me then it did for you. TOM Yeah, but its the idea behind it. It was supposed to be this big exciting night; an adventure. And what happened? The dance sucked, you got dumped, I couldnt get the stones to talk to the girl I like, and now were here. Eating pie. GWEN Whats on the list? Gwen reaches for the list, Tom pulls it away. TOM Its kinda personal. GWEN Cmon, youre gonna berate us about it, the least you can do is tell us whats on it. Tom slides it over. GWEN (CONTD) (reading) Talk to Sofia, get drunk, smoke weed, get unconventional haircut... Steal a pig?

25. TOM Its a long story. GWEN (reading) Go skinny dipping, go drifting, throw a party--Have conversation in abandoned classroom? TOM In movies and stuff, you always see people have conversations in abandoned classrooms when they want to talk privately. Ive never even seen it happen in real life. It always looked fun. GWEN You have weird dreams, Tom. Gwen hands the list to Cain, who continues reading. CAIN Lose virginity. Huh, surprised thats not the first thing on the list. This one just says Shoplift with a question mark next to it. So this is kinda like My Name is Earl? No. TOM

CAIN Not even a little bit? You both have a list. TOM Its not like My Name is Earl. GWEN No, its more like American Pie because of the virginity thing. TOM Its not like any of those! This is an original idea. Anyway, you get the idea. The point is, I think we should cross something off. Tonight. GWEN I dont know, Tom. Im kinda beat.

26. CAIN Yeah, Im not sure if I want to follow getting dumped with (reading) Going skiing. (normal) Youve never gone skiing? You live in Alaska. TOM Ive lived a sheltered life, thats the whole point of this. (beat) Look, this is our senior year. These are supposed to be the times when we be crazy, get in trouble, do stupid shit, and were at a diner, ready to go home at 11pm on homecoming night. Weve got 9 months before we have to start getting ready to be adults. This is the last chance we have to have real, uninhibited fun. We need a win tonight. When you guys are in your 40s, sad and fat and alone, do you want to look back and remember the time you had a quiet night alone? Or do you want to remember having an adventure? Beat. CAIN Ok. What do you want to do? TOM Oh, I didnt really think that would work. I dont know. Gwen, are you down? Most of these require a car. GWEN I dont know... TOM Guenevere. Do you really want to waste that beautiful machine out there on driving to school and taking us to taco bell? With a great Subaru, comes great responsibility... She rolls her eyes. GWEN Fine. Im down.

27. TOM Yes! Ok! What should we do? GWEN As long as we dont help you lose your virginity Im fine. CAIN Heres one we could do. Cain scribbles something and slides the list over to Tom. Circled in sharpie reads DINE AND DASH. TOM I dont think so. CAIN You wrote the thing. TOM I didnt mean here. What if we get caught? I like this place. CAIN What happened to your whole speech? Its not an adventure without some risk. TOM Ok, fine. Fine. Tom looks around. The coast seems clear. TOM (CONTD) You guys ready? One... Hold on. CAIN

Cain stuffs a few more bites in. Two... TOM

GWEN Wait, what are we doing? Three! TOM

The get up and power walk past the waiters. Tom has a terrible poker face and forgets to bend his arms while walking. Still they manage to get to the entry way when.

28. VILLAGE INN GUY (O.S.) So are you folks paying up here, then? They stop cold. A CASHIER stands at the front counter, clearly aware of what theyre doing. Um... TOM

Tom looks to Cain for support. Nothing. Actually... TOM (CONTD)

He looks to Gwen. Still nothing. TOM (CONTD) (beat) Yeah, up heres fine. Tom pulls out his wallet and walks ashamed to the counter. INT. GWENS IMPREZA - NIGHT Its 11:20pm. Tom slouches in the back seat, too embarrassed to say anything. They drive pass a sign. Tom sits to attention. TOM Gwen, take this exit. GWEN Tom, its fine you dont have to give us a big win or whatever. TOM Just trust me. It wont take long. EXT. MIRROR LAKE - NIGHT Gwen pulls up in front of the LAKE BED. Tom gets out, Cain and Gwen slowly follow. Tom takes off his SHIRT. CAIN What are you doing? TOM Im going in. GWEN You cant be serious, its September.

29. TOM GWEN

I know. In Alaska.

TOM I know. Thats why itll be fun. CAIN I dont know about this. TOM Like you said, its not an adventure without some risk. The restaurant thing didnt work out, this will. Now quit being a whimp and take off your pants. Cain remains clothed. Toms down to just his BOXERS now. GWEN I think you might be on your own on this one. Ok... TOM

Tom RUNS into the lake. Gwen and Tom are shocked. TOM (CONTD) (shivering) Its not that bad. Come on in. Just dunk your head underwater, Im not asking you to do the 500 fly. Gwen sighs and takes off her shoes. Cain does the same, innocently sneaking a look at Gwen in her UNDERWEAR. GWEN (to Cain) Ready? Not really. They run IN. GWEN You son of a bitch, Tom! TOM I lied. Its really goddamn cold. CAIN

30. GWEN Im getting out. Me too. CAIN

TOM You have to dunk at least dunk your head underwater. What?! GWEN

CAIN To hell with that. TOM Just for a second. Otherwise it doesnt count. They look at him like hes a madman. Please? Fine. One... Two... Three! TOM (CONTD) GWEN TOM GWEN CAIN

They all take a breath then go UNDER. They RESURFACE, swear, then get the hell out of there. They stand, shivering on the beach before erupting into LAUGHTER. Car? Car. TOM GWEN CAIN

Car.

They to grab their clothes then hurry inside. INT. GWENS IMPREZA - NIGHT The three of them ride home, the HEATERS cranked to the MAX.

31. CAIN Hey, thanks for making us do that. I dont know if it was adrenaline from the water, or hypothermia, or just the excitement of seeing Gwen in her underwear, but I had fun. Me too. GWEN

Tom smiles but stays quiet, not wanting to spoil the moment. EXT. TOMS HOUSE - NIGHT Tom waves goodbye to them and sneaks inside. TOM (V.O.) It wasnt much, it didnt have to be. INT. TOMS BEDROOM - NIGHT Tom pins the list to his wall, now with go skinny dipping crossed off. TOM (V.O.) I didnt need a fight or a car chase to feel like I was starting something big. That I was finally making a change. Tom shuts of the lights and lies down. TOM (V.O.) It wasnt much but for the first time in years I could fall asleep not with dread, but with hope and anticipation. Its may seem silly, but because of this list, and my friends, I was confident that this would be the best. Year. Ever. Tom closes his eyes. CUT TO BLACK