Original subtitles

That went well. Dude, five young songwriters are going to be celebrating

somewhere tonight.

I like the feeling of being able to make someone's dream come true.

So what happens now?

Well, what happens now is we sit back and wait for that, and this, and that.

Steven!

Winner on two, Rolling Stone wants time with Eddie about the contest.

And of course that.

It makes you wonder, doesn't it?

About what?

You know, about what kind of other great ideas I have rattling around in my head

that have yet to surface.

Oh, yeah, those.

I mean, seriously, it's like every time I utter the phrase, Eddie, I have an

idea, we are overwhelmed with success.

Hold on.

Wait a minute.

Wasn't this contest my idea? No, but go ahead and take credit if you want. I

have no ego.

Somebody answer a phone!

Yes.

Hey.

Something wrong?

What made you think something's wrong?

Eddie.

Look, I like the five songs and all.

I just feel like something's missing.

The five songs are great.

I know, but it's like an award show.

I always watch the people who don't win, and I feel bad.

They're just as good as the guy that gets to go up there and make that

speech, but it didn't work out.

You are such a softie.

You better watch out, because someday someone might try to take advantage of

that.

Maybe.

I just feel like there's a bunch of talented songwriters out there that I

just let down in a major way.

I made us some chamomile.

Thanks.

How you doing?

I'm okay.

Really?

Yeah.

I'm Lauren Tate from West Valley Charter.

What do I know about writing songs? Oh, honey, it was a great song.

I mean, you should be really proud.

I am.

Top 25.

Out of probably tens of thousands.

That's good, right?

It's more than good.

Thanks, Mom.

I'm going to go study.

Oh, whoa, whoa. Are you going to go study? Do you want to talk about it?

I just did.

Honey, I know you're disappointed.

But I hope this doesn't discourage you from following your passion.

Maybe this is telling me to find a new one.

No. No, no. All the best musicians in the world have been turned down at one

time or another.

Thanks, Mom.

But sometimes I just have to face reality.

Eddie didn't pick my songs.

Stuff happens.

Yes, we will be there. Thank you for the call.

I am terribly sorry, too.

Okay. Honey, what's wrong?

Phil!

Phil, get your butt down here right now!

What's going on?

That was Principal Nolan.

What did she want? Phil's just been expelled.

Dad, don't listen to Nolan, all right? That woman is a complete incompetent.

That's right. I mean, they can't expel Phil for no reason. Oh, no, they have

reasons. He hacked into the school's computer system, stole a math test, and

then sold that test all over campus.

Is that true, Phil? No way!

Someone's trying to frame me. Why would anybody do that to you? Phil, the

principal has proof.

Okay, there's hacking software on your computer and the math test. Plus,

students are coming forward saying they purchased the test from Phil. Look, I'm

innocent. Somebody planted that computer to make me look bad. Come on, Phil.

Who's going to do that? I don't know. You know, but I saw Melissa and her

weirdo friend Adam messing around in my room on my computer. Melissa?

Adam found a laptop hidden in his room that had all the evidence on it. And

Adam, who is not a weirdo, took pictures of what he found. Then Phil smashed his

phone. So how did Principal Nolan get the evidence if I smashed his phone?

Because Adam is smarter than you are, and he emailed the pictures to Lauren.

What does Lauren have to do with this?

Phil's dopey girlfriend got caught, and she told the principal that she bought

the test from Lauren, which is beyond the worst lie ever.

So we did what we had to do to discover the truth.

We had to go stealth.

So you snuck into your brother's room and snooped through his private things?

He's guilty.

What part of that aren't you getting?

Look, honey, if you suspected that this was going on, why didn't you come to us

first? Why'd you go to the principal?

Because Lauren was gonna maybe lose her scholarship.

And she'd already been unfairly suspended while Phil and Adriana were

going around all smug and...

Smugger. I am sick that you would do this to your own brother. Honey, let's

not go blaming the wrong party, okay? God forbid your precious Phil should do

anything wrong, Mom.

That is not fair, Melissa.

Why? He committed a crime, and yet you're treating me like the bad guy for

exposing it?

Haven't you guys always taught me to do that?

Or would you rather I just be a lying sneak like Phil?

I prefer you just keep your stupid trap shut. Stop it!

Both of you, stop it right now. I cannot take the way you two go after each

other. Melissa, I wish you would have come to us. We could have avoided all of

this trouble.

Do you know how many times you have to screw up to get expelled from public

school? It's the 17 strike rule. And Phil's number 17 was going to strike

with or without my help. Yes, but your actions could have jeopardized his

entire future.

I don't know how he'll even get into college now. I'll call Harvard and

explain. I don't even care about college. I already told you I'm taking a

year off. You don't have a choice now.

Thanks to your sister.

I wish I could have recorded this because no one would believe it.

He committed a crime.

Crimes. And I'm being blamed for ruining his future.

Kids, you know.

Am I right?

Go away.

Sorry, I can't do that. I don't want to talk right now, Dad. But I do.

Look, close your computer, okay? Turn off the music for a minute, please.

Now.

Tempers are running high.

Okay, we're all trying to wrap our heads around what happened. I think it's

pretty straightforward.

Phil's luck ran out, and it's about time, too. It is not that simple, okay?

Wait, it isn't? No.

Are you on his side, too?

Honey, this is a family, okay? We shouldn't be taking sides.

Dad, listen, I know you're always trying to be the great mediator, and between me

and Mom, that must be the hardest job in the world. It is difficult, yes. Yeah, I

bet. But you're just, you're always trying to keep things in balance. What

you don't realize with Mom is that things are not just off balance, they're

off the rails. Look, your mother has trouble when she cannot control things,

okay? Hey, welcome to life!

I've got to go, I'm meeting somebody. Talk to your mom first.

You want me to apologize?

No, I want you two to talk to each other without it turning into World War III.

There's got to be a way that the two of you can find some common ground, honey.

Dad, it's too late. I don't want to look at her, let alone talk to her. No,

listen. I realize that I'm the kid and she's the adult, but maybe you should be

having this talk with her.

No matter what I do or say, she finds fault.

I can't take it anymore, Dad.

You better have good news for me, Brian.

I wish I did, Don.

But I've been back twice at your request. I even upped the settlement.

They want more. Bottom line, they've refused every offer you put forth. She's

ready to file the sexual harassment suit.

I've been able to keep this under wraps so far with my partners. Once she files,

I'll be out there hanging in the wind.

Nothing we can do about it.

Not without a huge cash settlement. You might be safe for taking your chances in

court if we can mount a legitimate defense. What do you mean if? Of course

we can.

Well, what was the reason you gave her for the firing?

I just formed a new partnership with this clinic. There's no room for her

here anymore.

Which she then interpreted as a personal vendetta.

I don't create a hostile work environment.

Ask anybody here. If this case proceeds, I'll get that chance.

I would win in court, Brian. That's not my concern.

It's this clinic.

Scandal makes patients go elsewhere.

I'll be out.

Ellie. I'm sorry, Dr. Masters, you have a phone call. Yes, I've asked not to be

disturbed. I understand, but it is the principal from Adriana's school, and she

says it's an emergency.

Yo, look how this is blowing up, man.

Yo, the fans really want to hear the top five finalists selected. Let's upload

the videos to your site. No, I don't want to do that.

Not until we pick a winner. We should make sure that person gets all the

attention, and we don't know who that is yet.

Hey, babe, don't you think it's time we get going?

I mean, I know that we don't leave until tomorrow, but I have a lot of stuff to

do. Well, where are you guys going?

Eddie's taking me on a romantic getaway to Laguna. Well, Tracy loves Laguna.

Uh, maybe next time, Jake. This time, it's just for me and the love of my

life. Well, look, my advice, change rooms a couple of times before you

settle in.

What do you mean, because of Tyler?

Well, yeah, if he's stalking her the way you say he is, then... No, I would say

stalking is an overstatement.

Well, what would you call it?

I would call it a desperate attempt from someone whose bark is a lot worse than

his bite.

The police should still know. Eddie's right. I mean, why even take the risk,

Chloe? Because we don't want to give him what he wants.

I mean, he wants publicity and attention.

I mean, just think how much you would be harmed if the media got a hold of this.

I mean, Eddie has a special relationship with his fans.

And it would be terrible if they felt like they couldn't get close to you. I

don't want that either.

Okay, but...

Baby, my concern is your safety.

I don't know what I would do if anything happened to you.

How many expellings do you think there are every year?

At our school?

Not many.

Did you say expellings?

I sort of feel bad.

I mean, I just thought you'd get suspended again.

Because I think it's expulsions. Okay, well, I wasn't being graded.

What are you listening to?

Zombie jukebox?

They're these guys in my world lit class.

Pretty good, actually.

Too good for you.

Are you all right?

Fair and partly cloudy.

These sweet potato fries are helping.

Have you talked to Lauren?

No, not yet.

Why not? I thought you'd call right away.

Because it's one of those, you know, good-bad convo things, you know?

Like, the good news is you're cleared of cheating. Yay!

The bad news is you didn't make the top five in Eddie's contest.

I really thought she had a shot.

You liked your son, didn't you?

I'm the one who shared it with the whole school, so yeah.

I just know her heart's breaking right now, and I wish there was something I

could do to fix it.

She's lucky to have a friend like you.

I was the one who pushed her to enter the contest, you know.

Not only that, you were the one who sent in the video.

You think she blames me for not being a finalist?

No. Who would do that?

My mom.

She's blaming me for Phil being a criminal like I'm the one who gave birth

to him.

Lauren's nothing like your mom, though.

That makes me feel better.

So do these sweet potato fries.

So do you.

Thanks. All right, guys, get a room. Even the plants are saying go get a

room. Well, we have a room in Laguna. Can we go now, please?

Absolutely. But first, I need Eduardo.

For what?

Half a dozen interviews, that's all.

Are you crazy? How long is that going to take? Not long.

You're lying.

Listen, you don't have to stay and wait for me. I'll send my driver to pick you

up and take you over to your place so you can start packing.

But I already have all my things packed for the weekend.

I'm not just talking about for the weekend.

I want you to stay with me for the time being.

Do you want me to move in with you? I'm not taking any chances with that lunatic

out there. And besides, I like it when you're closer to me.

Well, I am not going to argue with that.

Thanks for the refined sugar study break, Mom.

I didn't even know we had all this in the house. Well, I break it out in

emergencies or when I hear crying in the other room.

It wasn't crying, just shredding.

You have always hidden your emotions.

You know, when your dad left, you didn't flinch.

You'd even come into my room when I was sobbing, and you would just cuddle with

me.

I was trying to be strong for you.

You were four.

And I'm sure there's many nights that you cried yourself to sleep.

Mom, please don't compare losing a stupid contest to that. No, I know, but

my point is, is that you don't have to hide your feelings from me.

I mean, my job is to protect you, not the other way around.

Mom, I'm gonna be fine, okay? I got it all out of my system.

I'm going to go to college. I have my scholarship.

I'm going to focus on that.

It's okay to admit that you feel bad.

Working with Eddie would have been really cool.

It just wasn't meant to be.

Oh, come on, guys.

Don't get an ice cream binge. That's so sex in the city.

Okay, that door was locked.

Yeah, it's a good thing. You never be too safe.

Glad I had a key made.

Okay, I should be much more troubled about this than I am. Come on, who loves

me? Yeah.

Okay, so what is the plan?

How are we going to get your song in the top five?

They already made their choices.

But surely they didn't really listen to your song.

Or there's a conspiracy of some kind. Or they picked five random songs. Or a

computer glitch.

Or the other five songs were just really good. Listen to me. This is not over

till I say it's over.

There has to be a way to get your song in the top five.

And I think I might know how to do it.

It's simple.

We try again. We get your song to Eddie. He'll hear it and he'll know it's one of

the five best songs.

Mel, we tried that already. It didn't work.

Yeah, but Eddie was preoccupied that night, so we just find a time when he's

not preoccupied. And how are we going to know when he's not preoccupied? Is he

going to text us?

We're pretty resourceful. We've already gotten close to him twice, both times by

our wits. You know what? She's got a point. You got into the concert and to

Eddie's father's opening.

Max's club.

Brainstorm. Good job, Nora.

Okay, so, Eddie's super close with his dad, right? So it makes sense that he'd

be hanging out there all the time. You don't mind us using our fake IDs again,

right? Again?

How many times have you used them before?

Only once. Twice.

Wait. Guys, guys, guys. Stop. Look, Mel, I appreciate your never-say-die

attitude, but I've accepted that this is over. Why can't you guys?

Because we know where your heart truly is, Flo.

It's where it's always been. It's just a little battered and bruised today,

that's all.

Can you believe this?

Oh, Melissa.

You know, I wish I had a friend like you when I was your age.

I would really have been able to use someone who believed in me the way you

believe in Lauren. Well, I know that you believe in her, too. I do, of course.

Yeah. And, I mean, I always think you should take a shot, even if it's a long

one. But, you know, it's her call, so... Yeah, totally. It's over.

Up to her.

Yeah. Just go to boring lawyer school or something, whatever she wants to do.

As I mentioned on the phone, Adrienne and I have already met on the subject.

Yeah, and I told you.

Lauren Tate tried to offer me the test. She told me it was $45, and I said no

way, so she threw it at me.

Making it $45 instead of an even $50 is a nice touch, kid.

But nobody in this room believes Lauren Tate had anything to do with that stolen

test. Yeah, neither did I. You didn't steal it off the school's computer.

We know that because we know who did.

It could be no other than Phil Sanders.

No, that's not even true. Phil would never do that. Save it!

We have proof it was your boyfriend.

He's no longer her boyfriend.

Be that as it may, he's clearly the culprit who hacked into the computer

system. And since we first spoke, Adriana, other students have wisely

confessed to buying it from him, which I believe would be in your best interest

as well.

I worked very hard for my 98.

Adriana, what's the cosine of a 90-degree angle?

Wait, what now?

It's a rudimentary question from your class.

What's the cosine of a 90-degree angle?

Hypotenuse? The answer is zero.

Okay, well, that was a trick question, okay? I didn't have my calculator.

Adriana! Enough!

What happens now, Mrs. Nolan?

A one-week suspension.

That's fair.

Fair? Are you kidding me? Stick up for me.

We're very sorry about this. Thank you for your time. Oh, now you're thanking

her? Hey, this is so unfair, Dad. Let's go!

Before she makes it two weeks.

Chloe, is it true you cheated on Eddie? Come on, Chloe, don't hide. It only

makes you look guilty.

Sorry about that, Miss Carter. It comes with the territory.

Hey, would you mind waiting for me in the car, and I'll just text you when I'm

ready? You sure?

Yeah, I have a deadbolt.

All right, guys, clear out.

You can come out now.

Don't worry. No one saw me.

Climbed the wall into the yard next door and then into your bedroom window.

I could so do Mission Impossible 5.

That's brilliant, Tyler.

To be seen in the one place where you shouldn't be.

If someone sees you here... If someone sees me here, then this is finally over.

And we can get on with our lives.

No. If someone sees you here, then your life won't be worth getting on with.

So what happened after I left Jake's?

Did he break down and cry when you told him that you really loved me?

I told him no such thing.

He was pretty pissed when I left.

He doesn't like being lied to.

I didn't lie.

I told him the photograph wasn't a fake.

Oh, that took some guts.

But I'm glad you finally realized that stinking around is way too much work

when we could just... I told him you were stalking me.

I'm stalking you now? Mm-hmm.

Where do you come up with this stuff?

He wanted to call the police.

Imagine what it would look like, you breaking into my house. I don't need the

5-0 involved, Chloe.

And neither do you. In fact...

I think that's the last thing that you need.

No, threats aren't necessary.

I got him to back off, but you have to back off, too.

You can't be seen around me anymore, because if someone sees a... What the

hell are you doing?

I'm not so sure I like your explanation, Chloe.

Why not give exposure to young songwriters?

You know, and that's really our goal.

Find young talent and give them their first break.

All right, do you have everything?

Okay, Tim, thank you so much for helping me get the word out there. I really

appreciate it.

All right, man. I'll talk to you soon.

Okay.

That's it.

I am done promoting for the day. I've got to go meet up with Chloe and take

her back to my place.

Wait, wait. She's moving in? Did you propose?

Whoa. No.

And not yet.

I just want her close with this whole Tyler thing going down. Dude, you should

call the cops. I mean, if he's really stalking her, the police should know.

Yeah, but she's worried about getting the police involved. And I understand

where she's coming from.

But I'm only going to wait for a few days, see if stuff settles down. If

not... Then I will call the cops. Eddie, this is the last thing that you need to

be dealing with, man. You have a million other things more important to worry

about than wasting energy on that sleazebag.

I know, but I gotta deal with it.

My explanation is keeping you from having a warrant out for your arrest.

Okay, so you convinced him I'm harmless.

You know, this way it's easier for us to sneak around and hook up. Nice try,

trying to spin it in your favor.

But look, we can't be seen together anymore.

We can't. It's too dangerous. We can't hook up.

Nothing. I don't get why you'd want to walk away from this.

You know, there's heat between us.

I know you feel it.

Every time I'm close to you, I see it in your eyes.

That's your cologne. It stings.

Yeah, there might be something between us, but I have goals, and I can't hop

into bed with you every time you raise your eyebrow.

Eddie's not going to help you. He's only going to end up hurting you.

So you keep saying, I can't wait to prove you wrong.

See?

Even proving me wrong gives you pleasure.

It does.

Mm-mm.

See?

Nothing.

You're a liar.

You ever wonder why he hasn't proposed to you yet?

He was just waiting for the right moment, which was gonna be at his dad's

club until you sent that photo out. Yeah, but once you set him straight, it

shouldn't have mattered.

And yet, there's still no ring.

Why is that?

You know your desperation's starting to show through the cracks, club.

What you see is determination.

What I see is a little lost Chloe.

And if you don't see what we have, then I'm tired of trying to convince you.

You're done?

Guess what?

I'm done.

Don't come calling me when St.

Eddie decides to dump you for the next model of the month.

These are copies of the stolen test?

Allegedly stolen.

No, that's Phil's disciplinary record.

Since freshman year.

Look, we understand that Phil has been in some trouble. We did not realize that

it was this much trouble.

But we are really hoping to find a punishment other than expulsion.

It is a last resort.

We don't like to expel any student.

If you kick him out of the school, I mean, you realize you're dooming him.

He has no future without his high school diploma.

I'm sure we can think of another solution, another punishment, can't we?

Mrs. Sanders, this is such a clear case of malfeasance. My hands are tied.

He hacked the computer.

He stole the test. He sold it.

Okay.

I may have had access to a school computer, but who gave me that access?

Maybe a certain teacher benefited from the sale of those tests.

Maybe when I was accused of stealing all those power tools, a certain shop

teacher was in on it.

When that basketball game was fixed last year, maybe a certain coach... Oh, wait.

What basketball coach? Doesn't matter. All I'm saying is I know a lot of dirt

about a lot of people in this school, and...

If I were to be expelled, I would have... Is there anything else that we

can do, Principal Nolan? We want Phil to be punished severely for what he did,

but he's so close to graduating. Is there any other option?

We do have a lot of needs in our district.

There's been massive cuts from the state, especially in our after-school

program.

And if Phil would agree to do community service, maybe... Community what?

Service. Phil, it's called helping other people.

And make a deal that if he gets caught doing anything else the rest of the

school year, we bring in the police.

Gus. Makes sense.

Now, we can't handle him.

The school can't handle him.

Bring in the authorities.

Wait a second.

So,

I would have to do free work.

It's an excellent compromise.

Two weeks suspension, 60 hours of community service, and never doing

anything like this.

Ever again.

It's extremely generous, Principal Nolan.

And I can assure you that Phil will do exactly what he's supposed to do.

Congratulations, Phil.

You're back in school.

Okay, wait, wait.

What was wrong with the expulsion?

Let's go.

What happened here?

You know that video where the baby keeps laughing and laughing while the dad rips

apart the paper?

That's what I was going for. Did it work?

I think it's kind of like trying to tickle yourself.

Highly ineffective.

You couldn't find anything to rip up except your lyric sheets?

Come on, Lo.

It's okay to admit that you're disappointed your song didn't make the

top five.

It was just a dream.

It's okay, I don't need to hear it again. Okay, let's go.

What? We're going out. I can't see you like this. Where are we going? I don't

know, but we're going.

Sorry, I had to rush out. I forgot I have to file these claims for tomorrow.

Everything okay with Lauren?

I just wish I could get that song to Eddie Duran or his dad, Max, you know?

Her friend, Melissa.

Max Duran.

Yeah, yeah.

Lauren was in his son's songwriting contest. Top 25, I remember. She didn't

make the cut? Sadly, no. But the eternal optimist in me wants to believe there's

still a chance.

Ellie, feel free to take off early today.

Thank you, Dr. Masters.

Good night, Nora. Good night. Thanks, Ellie.

Maybe I could help you. I know Max Jordan.

You do? ACL surgery. I got it a year ago. Oh, of course.

Orthopedic surgeon to the stars.

Hey.

We stayed friends.

He invited me to his new club.

Wow. Oh, wow.

Oh, that's amazing, Don.

Because I would just love to get him a copy of the song. I mean, it's a crazy

idea, I know.

But I just feel like if someone involved could hear it. It's not crazy.

You know, Lauren, she's trying to pretend like she's ready to give up on

her music aspirations, but I know how badly she wants it.

And normally I do not get involved in her life like this, but I just... This

is a special case. Yes, exactly.

I thought you had her concentrating on college.

Those scholarships are a big deal. No, I know. I know.

Can I tell you something?

No judgment.

Of course.

Okay, this isn't parent of the year type stuff here, but I just, I really feel

like the songwriting thing is more important for Lauren right now than

college. Really? I mean, don't get me wrong. She's going to go to college. She

wants to go to college, but I just feel like it'll always be there.

They don't always like to wait. For kids like Lauren, they do.

And I know my daughter. You know, she has a dream.

And this is an amazing opportunity for her. And she just needs a little

pushing. But I don't want her to abandon her dream because life got in the way.

Did you ever dream you had to let go?

I just really want everything for my daughter, you know?

Everything that I didn't have.

How about we go to Max's club? I'll introduce you. Would that help?

Would you do that? Of course.

How about tonight?

So, this is where Phil will do his community service?

Elementary and middle school students come here after school to use the

computers. We always need tutors. I think this will be so good for you,

Phil. To work with young kids?

Yeah, I guess.

This is really nice equipment. I thought the district was cutting back.

A gift from an anonymous but very generous donor.

What do you think, bud?

Can you make this work?

Better than being expelled, right?

Don't you have a home to go to?

There aren't sweet potato fries at my home.

Should we order more?

Of course.

Lauren needs cheering up, and we aren't going to do it with sparkling

conversation alone.

Guys, I don't need cheering up, okay?

We've actually had kind of a fun week.

Congratulations on the top five.

Oh, wait, that's right.

You didn't make it.

Nice try, loser.

What place did you come in, Adriana? One Kajillion?

Oh, wait, that's right. You have no talent at all other than actually making

my brother look smart.

You can't talk to me like that. How dare you? After what you did to your brother,

you ruined his future. Oh, yes, poor innocent Phil who framed my best friend

and destroyed my other friend's phone to cover up his own crime.

He's still your brother. Only biologically.

So sorry that I ruined his chance at getting the Nobel Prize in breaking and

entering.

You don't do that to family.

How would you know?

Did your mom tell you that before she left?

Don't work here, okay?

It's not worth it.

I packed for a week.

I hate to see what you bring when you actually move in.

How soon will that be?

Will you actually take it up to the bedroom?

Thank you so much, Patrick.

I couldn't get out of there fast enough. Those vultures were swarming my place.

Yeah, they're outside of here, too. At least security keeps them away from the

front door.

That's why I want you here.

So I tell you what, now that you're officially my house guest...

Let's do something special tonight.

I've got a surprise for you.

Oh, I don't know if I can handle any more surprises. Just tell me.

Can't. Am I going to like it?

You're going to love it. Oh, I can't wait.

You're right. She's hardly worth losing your job over.

You've already lost enough today.

Thanks, Mel.

I'm sorry.

No, it's okay. You know what? This really isn't making me feel better. I'm

just gonna go. No, Lauren, I'm standing up for you. No, I know you are, but if I

leave, you won't have to.

Coffee, please.

Phil, can you do something about your sister?

Oh, yeah. Call your knight in shining stolen armor.

Phil, she's vicious and crazy like a Transylvanian devil.

Tasmanian devil.

What if she tried to stab me with the fork? Can you please do something?

I am doing something.

I'm getting a coffee.

Hey, we in a safe place?

Violence doesn't solve anything.

I know, but I'd like to not solve anything upside her head.

What's wrong?

No, nothing. I just got a lot on my mind.

Yeah, I know.

I'm sorry about your getting expelled.

No, it didn't happen. I got stuck teaching a bunch of brats how to turn on

a computer instead.

You didn't get thrown out of school. You should be happy.

Ecstatic.

Then what's going on?

I'm just trying to think. I've got to take care of something.

Can I come with you?

No, but I'll talk to you tomorrow, okay?

Yeah, I'll be around.

I'm suspended.

Thanks to your sister and her reject friends, my dad won't let me go to

Hawaii.

That's too bad.

Yeah, I mean, now we can't be together like we planned. We have to do

something, Phil.

We will, all right? Just not today.

You kind of crossed the line talking about a mom. I know, right?

I can't believe I said that.

Here's the thing. This gets on a rat-a-tat roll, and then this can't keep

up.

I feel so bad for Lauren. She really needed cheering up, and I ruined it by

getting all gangster.

She seemed really down.

She's giving up on her dream.

And it makes me so sad because she's so talented.

How many times do we have to tell her that before she believes us?

She's not going to listen to us because we're her friends.

We need someone with actual street cred to tell her how good she really is.

I have an idea.

Now, Lauren, I do not want you fighting. Especially not with Don's daughter.

How awkward would that be?

Oh, I know.

Melissa can't let things go.

I got out of there, but I'm sure things cool down.

Ooh, what about these?

Oh, oh, yes, yes, yes. Those are the ones.

Yes, they say I am carefree, but sensible enough to take a cab home if it

doesn't work out. It's gonna work out.

I'm excited for your real date.

So, where are you guys going? You didn't tell me. Oh!

You know, it's out somewhere, dinner, over the hill, I think.

Your first real date in such a long time.

You know?

No chance of this guy standing you up, is there? Fortunately, no.

You still don't know where he's taking you?

You know, we just wanted to keep it low-key.

Yeah, and where we go isn't really important.

Um, that's not exactly a low-key dress.

Something's off here.

So what kind of merchandise are you talking about? A dozen brand new

desktops. High-end stuff, fully loaded. 250 gig hard drives, i5 processors.

Brand new.

In the box.

Practically new. They just set them up. I doubt they've clocked more than a few

hours running time.

They're worth more in the box.

Is it something that you're interested in or not?

I can always get you a box if it'll make you happy.

You know what? I can't tell.

Whether you're a smart kid... pretending to be dumb, or if you're really an idiot

who's trying to act smart.

Which one gets you to buy the computers off me?

What is it? I'm nervous.

Okay, open your eyes.

Garlic noodles from crustacean.

Oh, wow.

That's my favorite.

Okay, what did you think it was going to be?

Not this.

Uh-huh.

I just wanted to do something to make you feel at home.

It's very nice.

Did you go there and get the recipe or something?

I wish, but I think that's a little out of my league.

I had them delivered before you got here. But I did heat it up. I did pretty

well, right?

Yes, you are a professional heater-upper.

Is it just the noodles?

No, I... You smell something?

Oh, something's burning.

Oh, the dumplings!

Do you want me to call 911?

No, no, no. I got it.

New roll.

Hey,

Doc. Max.

Good to see you. I'm glad you could make it. Thanks. Congratulations on the new

place. Thank you. How's the knee?

It's good. I mean, it still hurts a little when I do.

But don't do that, Max.

Problem solved, right?

How are you? Hi, I'm Nora.

I'm such a huge fan.

My favorite kind.

Please, have a seat. Thank you, thank you. I saw you in Katy a dozen times. I

saw you at the Roxy, the Wiltern, the Palladium.

Oh, yeah, definitely our favorite spots here in LA.

Oh, and the Greek. Oh, yeah, I saw you there, too. Love it.

Sort of.

My friends and I, we couldn't afford a ticket, so we parked up at the

observatory, and we hiked down with a blanket and a picnic, and we could see

the stage sort of halfway through the trees. We could hear the whole thing.

It's the best movie.

That's awesome.

And you owe me $20 for that show.

Well, how about I buy you a drink? Let's call it even.

Good, good.

Sounds like a plan to actually have a hookup here.

So, Max, I was playing Big Shot with Nora, getting her an audience with you.

She's got a very important favor to ask.

Really, I hope not too important.

Why not?

Because I think I would have a really hard time turning you down.

I guess it's a good thing that Principal Nolan is not going to expel him, but I

don't know.

You know, I think that he is in some real trouble here.

Part of the problem is he's so bored with school.

That doesn't excuse stealing.

Of course not. We just need to get him to graduation.

He's over 18 now.

You know, that has got to be his responsibility.

I am just devastated that Melissa felt like she had to turn him in.

I mean, she should have come to us. Phil stole the test, honey.

It's not Melissa's fault.

I still don't understand why he did it. For her.

That's why she's trouble.

Adriana? Yeah. She's lovely.

Her father is a surgeon. Yeah, well, you know, Cleopatra's dad was the pharaoh.

It didn't stop her.

If anything, she's a good influence on him.

He is under her influence, all right.

All right, so I'll let you know when they're ready for delivery. Early next

week, maybe.

Good.

You know what? This might work out.

But what's a guy like you doing, boosting computers?

If they didn't want them stolen, they should have locked them up better.

No, no, no.

I mean, you come from a good family.

You're not a complete moron.

No drug problem.

I mean, why are you stealing?

I like the action, the excitement.

It's a rush.

That's a bogus answer.

I mean, you don't need the money.

It's your family and all. I mean, what's in it for you?

Everybody needs their own money, man.

My dad doesn't give me squat.

Says I gotta start from the bottom, work my way up.

So I might as well be broke. This is just my way of following his advice.

Maybe. But still, you've never been hungry.

You never had to steal.

You guys live in that nice house up on Ashcroft Lane?

Dad's Gus, right?

He's got a pretty sweet electronics business going.

Four stores now?

Your mom, Lisa?

She's a nice lady.

volunteers a lot.

That sister of yours, unless, what does she prefer, milk?

Probably a handful, I guess.

You understand what I'm saying to you?

Phil! What the... What are you doing here, Adriana? Who was that guy? What

were you talking about?

Were you spying on me?

Yeah. What else would I be doing here? I followed you from the cafe.

You gotta get out of here right now.

I will as soon as you tell me who that was and what you were doing.

Phil, is that how you make your money? What do you do for that guy? It is not

safe for you to be here right now.

Wait, not safe? What goes on in there?

I mean, just the neighborhood, okay? It's a dangerous one.

Okay, so then why are you here?

I'm doing my community service for this guy. I'm fixing cars for low-income

people. You don't know anything about cars. I know. That's what I said.

You know, it's this or get expelled.

Okay, that makes sense, but... Okay, I'm gonna go home.

Watch me walk to my car.

You're not doing your community service for that guy.

You're up to something else.

So what can I help you with?

Nora has a daughter.

She moved heaven and earth for us. She's a great kid.

Oh, I can totally understand that. I'd do anything for my son, Eddie.

Well, actually, my favor has to do with Eddie.

Oh, okay. That should be simple. A photograph or an autograph?

That would be really sweet. Thank you.

No, see, my daughter, Lauren, she's a songwriter.

Okay. I should have seen that one coming.

Does it matter what I believe?

Cause I know you're gonna leave me.

Gonna leave?

You already left.

I've got to change my locks. You're going to love this. We found the perfect

way for you to display your talent and build your confidence at the same time.

Guys, look, I appreciate... We found you a band! A band?

Uh-huh.

You know, that thing.

Drums, keyboard.

Zombie jukebox.

They need a singer-songwriter. You'll love them. It's so perfect.

You're exactly what they're looking for, Lauren. Are you in?

Okay, so we could...

We could scrape around the black parts or, you know, we could just eat the

filling. I think last minute reservation's a rumor.

I'm sorry about this.

Oh, I love that you tried.

Suddenly this feels like the perfect moment.

Perfect moment for what?

Chloe, I can't wait any longer.

Will you marry me?