Cut to the warehouse. Joey opens the door, stepping inside. She looks around, noticing the sets with tarps draped over them.. The place looks practically abandoned.
All except for Dawson, who’s sitting at a table, alone.
DAWSON: Hey.
JOEY: Where is everyone?
DAWSON: Lunch break. We’re supposed to meet at the theatre.
She nods, understanding.
JOEY: Can we talk?
He sighs.
DAWSON: I haven’t been scoring very high in the pleasant conversation category lately. You’re sure you can handle it?
JOEY: After what just happened, I’m pretty sure I can handle anything, Dawson. I figured it out. Why I am the way that I am. It’s dad. All my insecurities are because of him.
DAWSON: What do you mean?
She chuckles.
JOEY: Come on, isn’t it obvious, Dawson. My own father betrayed his entire family. And when we gave him a second chance, he just did it again. Is it any wonder I don’t trust anyone but myself?
DAWSON: I don’t think it’s that simple.
JOEY: Of course it’s that simple.
Dawson gets up, and walks over to her.
DAWSON: He’s not a bad person, Joey. Just…
JOEY: Just what?
Dawson pauses.
DAWSON: Just weak. He’s a weak man who’s made a lot of mistakes in his life.
JOEY: I can’t believe you’re defending him! You of all people? Dawson, if it wasn’t for him…
DAWSON: You can’t possibly…
Joey cuts him off.
JOEY: If it wasn’t for him, we’d still be together!
Dawson freezes upon hearing these words.
JOEY: If it wasn’t for him, we would never have drifted apart! There would have been no Pacey, none of the fighting, none of the misery…the last couple of years would have been so different.
Dawson bites his lip.
DAWSON: Don’t you think I haven’t considered that once or twice? Joey, I have spent so much time trying to trace back the course my life has taken. How I could have changed things. But I don’t blame him. I can’t, anymore than I can blame Pacey or my parents, or even you.
JOEY: (whispering) I hate him.
DAWSON: Maybe he did start the ball rolling, but you’re the one who got angry with me. I could have tried to fight it, but instead I ran away. I kept running, until there was no going back, and the only one I can really blame is myself. What you do with your life is your choice, but if you spend the rest of your life blaming him for it, you’re going to regret it. One day, you’ll wake up, and realize you wasted all this time being angry when you should have been trying to forgive him. So maybe, instead of assigning blame, you should get down on your knees and thank god you have a father!
Surprised, Joey doesn’t respond. Dawson storms out.
*****
Cut to outside. Dawson climbs in the driver’s seat of his car. Much to his surprise, however, Ephram is sitting beside him.
EPHRAM: Took you long enough. I was about three seconds from trying to hotwire this thing.
Dawson starts the engine, and they drive off. Both of them remain silent for a moment.
DAWSON: I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have threatened you. You just caught me at a very, very bad time.
Ephram shrugs.
EPHRAM: The way I shoot my mouth off, it was bound to happen eventually. I just didn’t think you’d take it so personally. So…who’s your dad, anyway? Where is he?
DAWSON: Capeside cemetery.
Ephram’s face falls, as guilt begins to seep in.
EPHRAM: I…I didn’t know. No wonder you…
Dawson nods.
EPHRAM: How’d he die?
DAWSON: Car crash. About two years ago.
Ephram sighs.
EPHRAM: I deserved that. Talk about putting your foot in your mouth.
Dawson looks at him, no longer quite as angry.
DAWSON: That’s how your mother died, isn’t it? I remember reading about it.
EPHRAM: Yeah. We have something in common…never would have believed it.
Ephram offers his hand.
EPHRAM: Ephram Brown.
Dawson smirks, shaking his hand.
DAWSON: Dawson Leery.
*****
Cut back to Worthington. Students are exiting the auditorium. Among them is Pacey, who is searching back and forth for Andie.
PACEY: Andie?
His finally sees her, talking with Doctor Brown.
PACEY: (muttering) Oh, this is not happening!
He walks towards them. While en route, Delia arrives with Oliver.
ANDY: Hey, sweetheart. Where’s Ephram?
DELIA: He wanted to stay for awhile and watch them finish.
ANDY: Finish what?
Before she can answer, Pacey speaks up.
PACEY: Hey, Andie?
Andy and Andie spin around.
ANDY & ANDIE: Yes?
Pacey groans, then chuckles.
PACEY: (muttering) I so walked into that one.
ANDIE: What’s wrong, Pacey?
PACEY: We gotta get back to work. Fun’s over. Say goodbye to the nice brain surgeon, cause Dawson’s doing all the work himself.
ANDY: Who’s this?
ANDIE: Oh, this is just Pacey. Pacey, meet Andy.
Pacey laughs.
PACEY: Oh, ‘Andy’. Andy and Andie…ain’t that just the cutest thing?
Andy’s eyes go wide.
ANDY: Um…I don’t know what you’re implying, young man…but I…
Pacey cuts him off.
PACEY: You know, everyone here’s made such a big deal about you. Like you’re some kinda of rock star…
Andie laughs nervously.
ANDIE: Pacey, what are you doing?
PACEY: (mockingly) Ouuu…it’s Dr. Brown. He’s soooo great. You know he walks on water?
Meanwhile, Delia is trying to stop herself from giggling. Andie’s in the middle of a full-scale panic.
ANDIE: Maybe you should sit down for awhile?
PACEY: And another thing…what is up with that jacket? You look like Gene Wilder as Willy Wonka!
ANDIE: PACEY!
ANDY: What’s wrong with my jacket?
ANDIE: Nothing! It looks great.
PACEY: On a couch, maybe?
ANDY: No, really. It doesn’t look that bad, does it?
DELIA: Dad…it does look that bad!
Andie grabs Pacey by the arm.
ANDIE: (whispering) Excuse us a moment.
She drags him away, back into the now-empty auditorium.
Once she’s gone…
OLIVER: Could someone explain to me how a girl her size can be that strong?
Andy and Delia look at him questionably.
*****
Cut to the Mad Cat Playhouse. Dawson and Ephram enter, as they encounter several people arguing.
EPHRAM: Ok, first the brownstone, then the warehouse, now a movie theatre. Are you independently wealthy or something?
DAWSON: I’m fortunate enough to have a lot of friends. Speaking of which…
They walk up on the stage, where Chris and Audrey are waiting.
DAWSON: Hey guys. Meet Ephram Brown. Our first-ever Dawson Leery ride-along.
Chris smirks.
AUDREY: Hey, cutie.
Eprham waves at her.
DAWSON: So, what’s the hold up? Shouldn’t everything be set?
Audrey rolls her eyes.
AUDREY: Our music guy’s sick. In other words, we have to practice for a musical without any actual music.
CHRIS: Which we could manage, but ‘Raoul’ over there…
Chris points over to a red-haired guy, who is currently in the middle of arguing with the drama teacher.
Dawson sighs.
DAWSON: We’re on a schedule. We need to be back at the school in five hours.
Ephram wanders around the stage. He looks down in the pit, and notices a piano there.
GIRL: Sorry. We can’t leave until we finish rehearsal. We can finish, until someone convinced the drama queen over there to stop being so…
EPHRAM: What play are you rehearsing?
Audrey gives Ephram a look.
AUDREY: Phantom of the Opera.
Chris twirls his cape around as proof.
EPHRAM: Andrew Lloyd Webber version?
AUDREY: Yeah. Why?
Ephram climbs down into the pit.
EPHRAM: Learned it in seventh grade.
DAWSON: Wait! You play the piano?
Ephram scoffs.
EPHRAM: Do you make movies? Come on…get down here and off the stage. Didn’t you say you were on a schedule?
Dawson climbs down. Audrey grins.
AUDREY: Ok, we got a fill-in piano guy. Places, everyone. Gotta let the screeners get their chance, too.
Ephram starts to play ‘Think Of Me’, as they take their places.
EPHRAM: Whoever the regular guy is, someone’s gotta tell him to tune this thing.
Dawson stares at the keyboard, mesmerized.
DAWSON: This is you when it’s out of tune?
Ephram nods, and continues to play.
*****
Cut to the abandoned auditorium at Worthington. Andie pulls Pacey inside, scolding him.
ANDIE: Just what is your problem, Pacey?
PACEY: Hey, you should be thanking me.
Andie’s eyes go wide.
ANDIE: Thanking you? For embarrassing me and insulting one of the nicest, most gifted men on the planet?
PACEY: Come on, Andie. He’s old enough to be your father, and you’re all over him like a cheap suit. It’s disgusting.
ANDIE: It’s hero worship, Pacey. I’m not trying to…oh god! You thought I was trying to…?
Her mouth hangs open.
PACEY: Not like he was protesting much. Just standing there with his corny jacket, and his nice bushy beard. Probably spends hours on end grooming it.
ANDIE: Oh, give me a break, Pacey! Are you jealous of his beard?
Pacey scoffs.
PACEY: No! Ok, maybe a little. How come he can get away with it, but everybody hated mine.
ANDIE: I never saw you with it, I couldn’t tell!
Pacey looks at her.
PACEY: Well, do you think you would have liked it?
She shakes her head.
ANDIE: Nah. It’s not you. Pacey, you don’t have to protect me or anything. Especially not from Doctor Brown. Even if I was interested in him like that, which I’m not, he’s too good of a guy to try anything. You understand?
Pacey nods reluctantly.
PACEY: (softly) I just don’t want to see you get hurt is all. When I’m worried about people I care about, I overreact.
She laughs.
ANDIE: That’s an understatement.
PACEY: Ok, so I have self-control issues. He probably had in coming.
She rolls her eyes.
ANDIE: And now you’re gonna go out there and apologize.
Pacey laughs.
PACEY: You’re joking, right?
Andie grabs his arm and drags him back out.
ANDIE: Nope.
PACEY: Aw, come on, McPhee! Hey, have you been working out or something? Ow…not so tough.
They exit, as Pacey gets ready for the apology of his life.
*****
Cut to much later, back at the Mad Cat Playhouse. A couple is sitting on the edge of the stage, talking.
GUY: You know, this was so much easier back in high school. I would just pull some romantic stunt, and suddenly…
GIRL: Everything would work out for the best? She’s overcome with emotion, and falls all over you?
The guy chuckles.
GUY: Yeah, something like that.
GIRL: Why don’t you try being yourself?
GUY: Because myself is boring. College is where you’re supposed to reinvent yourself, isn’t it? The old me never got any respect. Never got the coolest friends, or the hottest dates, or…
The girl touches his hand.
GIRL: You know…I kinda preferred the old you.
He smiles.
GUY: What’s happening?
GIRL: As if you didn’t know.
They kiss.
DAWSON: And cut! Beautiful! Oliver’s gonna love that scene. Ok, take five and meet back here. We’ll wrap it up!
The two actors take off. Dawson sits down at a table, where Ephram is sitting.
EPHRAM: I don’t get you.
DAWSON: Hmm?
EPHRAM: On ordinary things you’re socially inept. You grumble, you moan…but just now you have everything under control. I don’t get it.
Dawson smirks.
DAWSON: Wanna know a secret? I treat my life as a grand movie of sorts. When things don’t go according to how I’ve scripted it out in my head, I freak out. Which, unfortunately, happens way too often.
Ephram laughs.
DAWSON: You know, when I was six, my mom made me take piano lessons? It was this with this old woman who I would swear was the wicked witch of the west. I was really horrible at it. My fingers were clumsy, and I had to keep looking at the wrong spot., and most of what I tried ended up sounding like someone was torturing a cat. I did manage to get the Jaws theme out, but that’s about it. The instructor hated sharks!
Ephram continues listening.
DAWSON: After about a month, I just told mom I wanted to quit. She got really mad, sine she spent so much money on it. I went crying to my room, but then dad came up. Then he said something I’ll never forget. He told me that no one is good at everything. That even though I sucked at instrumental music, it wasn’t the end of the world. But…he told me that each person in this world has something they can do better than anyone else. Something that makes them unique. That makes them special. Dad loved football, but I could never stand sports. Even so, he never pushed me. He always let me do what I wanted to do.
Ephram smiles.
EPHRAM: He sounds like he was a great guy.
DAWSON: The best. You know, everyone keeps telling me what a ‘gifted filmmaker’ I am. But being in LA, I felt I was surrounded with people with more talent than myself. I never understood it. But hearing you play like that…is that the way people see me? Those people…they had to struggle to find their voice down there. To me, for some reason, it just comes natural. I love movies. Not because of the money or the fame, but because I want to reach people the best way I know how.
EPHRAM: Hey, if it ever falls through, go into writing. Your speeches are impressive.
A light shines in Dawson’s eyes. Slowly, a smile appears on his face.
EPHRAM: What? What’d I do now?
Dawson hands him a piece of paper.
DAWSON: I want you to read this.
Ephram takes it reluctantly.