Original subtitles

Lauren, Lauren, honey, honey, are you okay?

What is wrong with me? Nothing is wrong with you, okay? You've been through a

really rough night. It was normal for you to feel anxious. Normal?

For me to run off stage? I feel like a freak.

I'm sure everybody out there thinks the same exact thing. Okay, listen, what you

seem to be doing so well, what happened?

Oh, no.

I was fine when I could see you and Mel and Adam, and then I turned around, and

when I looked back, you guys were gone. We were right there.

I didn't see you.

I feel like you guys left me. And I tried visualizing, but all I could come

up with was everybody just laughing at me. Oh, no, no, no, honey. No one was

laughing at you. We all want you to do so well.

Never show my face again in the book. No, you are going to show your face

again because you're going to get out there right now and you're going to sing

the song that got you in the finals.

And humiliate myself some more. Okay, listen to me. If you do not go out there

right now and sing that song, you will regret it for the rest of your life.

Better than making a fool out of myself.

Okay, so you're just going to hand this contest over to Tatum or Blanca?

Mom, I don't care about the contest anymore. I just want to go home and

cover my head with covers and... Just never wake up.

You're going to have to find your own way home because I'm not going to let

you quit on your dream.

Hey. Hi.

Can I talk to Lauren for a second?

Uh, yeah, yeah, of course.

I'll be right up there, okay?

What's up?

What, you don't like the acoustics in here?

This is what I was worried about.

Does she often have panic attacks?

Only when she's singing in the finals of a songwriting contest at a hot new club

on the Sunset Strip.

That's a very specific phobia.

You'd be surprised how often it comes up. I'm Melissa.

You must be just thrilled to finally meet me. Yeah, you can grab it. Hi.

Thrilled, Melissa.

I just hope Eddie can convince her to come back out there.

Well, if there's one person in the world that Lauren will listen to, besides her

mom and best friend, of course, it's Eddie.

I'm so embarrassed.

What?

Running off stage, come on.

Happens to all of us.

Even you?

Even me.

Oh, thanks.

I had a solo in the 12 Days of Christmas in a choir concert.

Stepped up to the mic, completely forgot my part, ran off stage and went and hit

under the risers.

How old were you?

Hey, what?

But I remember like it was this morning. I mean, you'd never forget that feeling,

right?

And by the way, my line, partridge in a pear tree.

How can I forget that?

This is a little different.

Maybe, but you still smile.

It means you're not totally against the idea.

What idea?

Getting back out there, singing your heart out. I don't know about that. I

mean, I don't want to let you down, but I... What?

Anybody who has the confidence to write a song like that and put it out there

should be able to play in any room.

Yeah, I didn't.

Put my song out there.

You sent this one to the contest.

No, I didn't.

My best friend did.

Oh.

Yeah.

Yeah, never mind then.

It's hopeless.

Wait, what?

Listen,

here's my trick.

Anytime I get nervous up on stage, I close my eyes.

And I just imagine that I'm all alone in the recording studio.

Just me and the mic.

You visualize that. That's where I'm most comfortable.

You know, all distractions cut out. I wish I could do that.

Where do you sing when you write?

In my room.

Okay, so let's just make this place like your room.

What do you look at when you sing?

Usually it's a poster of you.

Okay.

Which one? The one with the black jacket?

Yeah. That's a good one.

I don't think we... Nah, we don't have any of those here.

But, you know, um, wait.

Oh, there it is.

We don't have it here, but we have the next best thing.

You? You think I should sing to you?

When you get out there, I want you to just imagine it's just me and you

hanging out in your room.

Just keep looking in my eyes.

When I get you through this, Lauren, you're going to do great.

time of year down on earth

but my hands been in the clouds i'm

acting weird and lost for words

Listen to me. I don't know how that... I don't know how you got here, but you

need to leave right now.

Well, I came a long way to see you. I don't know why.

I just want to make things right with you. You're a few years too late for

that. Cynthia, I just want to be part of... Chloe!

My name is Chloe.

Don't call me the other name, okay?

You're embarrassed of it? I'm embarrassed of you.

Is that why you tell people I'm dead?

You're a mother.

You don't know the meaning of that word.

Well, I know I'm not dead.

What did I do to deserve that?

I don't have time for this whole poor me routine.

So what do you want?

It's complicated.

I really don't want to talk about it in some bar. I can't talk about this here.

So I just, I need to get you out of here right now.

Where?

Anywhere but here.

So this has been an incredible night of performances.

There must be something in the air.

All right. So me and our judges, Jada and Graham, are going to go backstage.

And while we pick a winner, I want you all to mingle, grab some food, some

drinks, and enjoy yourself. We'll be right back.

So much better the second time.

Ouch. No, it's okay.

Up until two minutes ago, I thought this whole night was going to be a disaster.

What did Eddie say to you? Come on, did it?

He told me to look at him and just him.

No wonder you didn't blink the whole time. You were so good, I want to cry.

You did a great job on it. Oh, thank you.

Fantastic.

Thanks. I gotta tell you, you almost gave your mom a heart attack.

The night's young, it can still happen. I'm really sorry about that, guys. I

didn't mean to scare anyone.

It was all worth it.

You're not great. Your voice is beautiful. The song is fantastic.

Wow, coming from you, that means a lot.

So, wait, what happens now?

I guess Eddie goes and huddles with the judges, and then they come back and tell

us what they decided.

Guys, I know this may sound really corny, but in some ways, I kind of feel

like I already won.

That is beyond corny, though.

How does corn syrup have fructose?

Actually, conquering a fear like stage fright, that's a victory to me.

Right?

Okay, so what do you think?

Here's the key to my apartment.

Just, I gave the driver my address. Just stay there and wait for me. But you're

coming. Yes, I have to go say goodbye to Eddie and then I'll be over. Oh, I'd

like to meet Eddie. Have you lost your mind? I am putting you on the first bus

back to Fresno. Now go.

How cool is it to be here? I mean, legitimately this time.

Can't trespass or grovel or... hook up with a couple of cute boys.

They weren't that cute. I'm jealous.

I'm just saying those guys were nothing special.

Nice shirt. That's all. Don't worry, Adam. No one's cuter than you. How would

you know?

You only have eyes for Eddie.

Oh, my God. Eddie's eyes.

They seriously sparkle. Get him from his dad.

Oh, Cap. Max is hot.

I think he likes me.

All right. I hope the wait wasn't too painful for you guys.

I don't know about y'all, but the suspense is killing me. Yeah, me too.

Can I get the three finalists up here?

Tatum, Lauren, and Blanca. Give it up for them.

So, you all were truly incredible tonight.

You're great songwriters, and I would be so lucky to work with each and every one

of you.

But, there can only be one winner.

Alright, so.

I'm a little nervous.

All right. I'm really excited to announce the first winner of the Eddie

Duran songwriting contest.

Lauren Tate.

What are you doing here?

I was just about to ask you the same thing.

Why?

I don't know. You look a little present.

No, I just needed some air. I ate something that didn't agree with me.

You're not going to sue me for food poisoning, are you? No, it seems to have

passed. I can't wait to hear about the contest.

You're going to talk to Eddie about what we spoke about?

Of course.

I have no intention of marrying your son without full disclosure.

So just focus on the future.

You know, Daphne really has a thing for you.

How you feeling?

Did I faint?

Dead away.

Oh, my God. Could this thing get any more embarrassing?

Was it embarrassing to win my contest?

I really won?

You did.

I'm not disqualified because I fainted?

What? No.

And congratulations, by the way. Oh, thank you.

Thanks.

Hey, there's a lot of press downstairs who'd like to talk to our winner.

Press?

Welcome to my world, Lauren.

But there's no fainting in show business.

No, I never have before tonight, I promise. It's just, tonight's been so

crazy. I mean, I never even thought I was going to make it here, let alone win

the contest.

You are excused this once.

And this is just the beginning.

So you think we can count on you? To at least stay on your feet.

You know, Jake, we'll be done in a minute.

Sure. By the way, congratulations, Lauren.

Thank you.

I feel like I completely ruined your night.

What? No, I haven't had this much fun in a long time. Seriously.

Okay, you mean besides all the rock and roll?

Yeah, besides all the rock and roll.

So listen, I just want to tell you, there's no way to really prepare for how

your life's going to change.

So I'm going to help you out as much as I can.

So just watch me.

Follow my lead. You'll be all right.

Okay. Okay?

So do you think we could hit it?

There's a lot of people I want to introduce you to.

Okay. Especially my fiancée, Chloe.

Chloe. Yeah.

She'll love to meet you. Yeah.

Cool. Cool.

Oh, there she is! There she is! Congratulations!

I'm so proud of you!

We thought we lost you there for a second, though.

Tell me straight up, Lauren.

Did Eddie have to reset the TV? If you say yes, we're all going to bang. Oh,

well, well. Our newest star of the hour. And a bunch of random people I don't

know. Hi, I'm Lily Clark from the Lily Clark Show. Oh, hi, I'm Nora Tate,

Lauren's very pushy stage mother.

We love your show.

You have great taste. Hi, I'm Melissa.

I'm Lauren's fashion-savvy best friend. Aren't you a little firefly? You have no

idea.

Hey, I'm Adam. I'm their plus one. Oh, kids are so hip, aren't you?

Excuse me.

Hey, have you seen Chloe? I haven't seen her anyway. No, not in a while.

Is everything okay?

Everything's fine.

There's no story here, Lily.

Well, it's too bad.

So, um, we're going to have to arrange a time for me to interview you. You want

to interview me? On camera?

Yeah, you're the story of the day, sweetheart.

The media buzz moves quickly, so we're going to have to get it while it's hot.

I think you might be scaring her just a tad.

No, Mom, it's okay. I mean, I already fainted. What's the worst that could

happen? That's the spirit.

You know what she means. If it happens again, she wants to catch it on camera.

Lily, stop hassling the talent.

He means you.

The talent? Excuse me, guys.

I've got to go find Chloe.

Bye. Congrats.

All right, so let's put together a schedule for you. What are you doing

tomorrow afternoon?

Oh, tomorrow I have pre-calc after lunch. She will make time for anything

you need her for. That's tomorrow's Saturday, though.

Sorry.

But, Jake, if you need me to miss class for any reason at all, I am more than

willing to do my part.

I'll remember that.

So why don't you come by here tomorrow morning? Eddie's shooting a new video.

I'd like you to be there. Oh, my God. I wouldn't miss it for anything. Thank

you. I mean, I'm so grateful for everything.

Well, you earned it, Lauren.

All right. Good night, guys. See you tomorrow. Bye. Good night. Thank you,

Jake.

Okay. Oh, my God.

Video shoots?

Interviews? I was made for this.

Don't blow us off now. That's what a lot of you big star types do. Oh, don't

worry, Adam. We'll always have East Hollywood.

I'll take you to the car.

Oh, Mom, Sonny's dead.

Who's dead?

Me, once my parents realized I killed my car.

No answer?

It's ringing.

Voicemail. I told her to check in when she got to the club. Maybe she forgot.

That's no excuse.

It might be to Melissa.

She'd forget her head if it wasn't attached. She's so absent-minded.

Would you feel the same way about Phil?

I mean, would you be this worried? Of course.

No, you wouldn't. Not in the same way, but I still would. I think that is what

we call a double standard.

Well, different kids, different rules.

Phil is self-sufficient.

Mel needs guidance and close monitoring.

And maybe a good shaking.

What? I just, sometimes I just want to grab her by the shoulders and just shake

her. Is that wrong?

Yes, very.

I know I'd never do it, but sometimes I just think that'd be the thing to wake

her up.

Oh, my God, it'd remind me to stay on your good side.

You know what would keep you on my good side for a really long time?

What?

Okay. Thank you.

Hey, where you been?

I've been looking for you everywhere.

You said romantically?

I'm serious.

Lily says she hasn't seen you anywhere and that lady follows you around like a

hawk. Did you go out somewhere?

Yeah, I had to get some air. I think I ate some bad salmon or something.

What? Or maybe it was that Thai shrimp thingy that we had. I had that too.

Yeah, but you have a cast iron stomach.

You're looking a little pale.

Look, let me call my driver. He can take you home. It's my place, not yours.

Okay, that's fine.

So, what do you think of her?

Who?

The winner of the contest.

Oh, I think you made the best choice.

Really? Yeah. Why?

Because it's Lauren Tate.

You know, love to love you.

She deserved to win.

I agree.

And she's not like a stalker or a crazed fan.

That's a relief.

So you're cool with me working with her?

Absolutely. That was part of the deal, right?

That's the deal.

Look, I'm not feeling too well. Can you text the driver? I think I just need to

go home and lay down.

Sure.

I love you very much.

I love you too. I'm gonna go wait out front.

I'll talk to you in the morning.

Yeah, feel better.

Where's she running off to?

Home. She wasn't feeling well.

That's convenient.

What the hell does that mean?

Why are you jumping down my throat? I'm not jumping down your throat. I just

don't like what you're insinuating about my fiancee. What? What am I saying? You

don't believe she's sick. As a matter of fact, I do.

I just ran into her, and for the first time since I've met her, she didn't look

so hot.

So, what do you mean by it was convenient for her to leave? Eddie,

nothing. There's no more glamour, cameras, whatever. It's just a little

dark humor. That's all.

Okay.

I'm sorry. I guess I'm just a little sensitive. She's been AWOL during the

whole competition tonight.

Maybe it's not her thing. Yeah, but it's my thing.

Shouldn't that be enough?

Jake, what's the news?

Oh, man, everybody's saying the contest was a huge success.

There's a lot of buzz.

Yeah, I think Eddie made the right choice in choosing Lauren's song, don't

you? Yeah, well, it was the best song, so, yeah. What about you? I'm willing to

go with what your boy wants for now.

Oh, look at this. Album downloads are at an all-time high, and Lauren Tate is a

trending topic on Twitter.

Don't you love the times we live in?

Instant news.

I don't care much for it.

Excuse me.

Oh, and by the way, man, your website almost crashed from all the traffic

today. Isn't that what we wanted from the contest?

Yeah. Now you got some new songs. Are you going to light up the charts?

I wouldn't rush Lauren along so fast, Eddie. Why?

At least you can handle it.

I mean, an hour ago she was a senior in high school, and now she gets to record

one of the world's biggest music sensations?

It's going to take a little bit to wrap her mind around that.

It's pretty crazy. I wonder if she even knows about the Twitter thing.

Maybe I should tweet at her, tell her what a great job she did. She won the

contest, man. She knows.

I think Lauren has the potential to be a huge star, like a Taylor Swift from

Tarzana type of thing. Yeah.

Potential? Maybe.

What do you mean? I think we should keep it in the family. I think you should

sign her.

Agreed. I mean, she's talented, sweet, naturally pretty. That's a rare

combination. Think like Kelly Clarkson from season one.

Whoa, let's slow down, guys. I mean, she's a great kid, but let's see how she

reacts to all this stuff first. And I'm not signing her.

But I do think we can take advantage of that whole stage fright thing. Like

Eddie Duran teaches teen how to overcome a fear.

Okay. Well, you know, maybe a manager with good taste will sign her.

Yeah.

I'm kidding. All right, listen, I'm out of here. Thank you so much for all the

good work tonight. I really appreciate it. Bye.

Yo, where's this soon-to-be Mrs. Duran at?

Uh, she went home, wasn't feeling well, wants to be alone.

Don't be silly, because that's code for I don't want to be alone, and I want you

taking care of me.

Maybe. Look at you. I almost missed that.

I'm glad you hired her, because I need to know these codes.

Bye.

Take it no one saw you?

The driver drove me around back like I was some sort of criminal.

He did exactly what he was instructed to do.

I've never been in a limo before. It's nice.

Don't get used to it.

What are you staring at?

You.

You look so skinny.

I'm a model.

Still, you could gain a few pounds.

But your hair is perfect and your dress. It's all so glamorous.

My God.

You are so beautiful.

It's my job.

Tyler's right.

You really have changed.

Tyler, of course.

How else would you know I'd be at the club tonight?

I read the tabloids. I can see all the places you go with Eddie. No, they

wouldn't know this, but Tyler would. He is determined to ruin my life.

Why would he do that? He's your oldest friend.

Because he wants to break me and Eddie up.

Maybe you should break up. Don't you ever say that to me again.

You're telling everyone I'm dead.

And what other lies are you telling to him?

Why don't you be truthful about why you're here, Mother? I came to see you.

And I'm not going to apologize for that, Cynthia. I told you, Cynthia Kowalski

doesn't exist. It's Chloe.

That's just sad.

You know, I used to know her.

Cynthia was sweet. She was kind to her mom.

She was respectful and obedient.

I love that little girl.

That's a real pretty picture that you just painted. But I was never respectful

or obedient.

So maybe you're thinking of little Jenny from across the street. You've become

mean, you know that?

I've become successful, and I've done whatever it takes to make it in this

town. So I need you gone and out of my life for good tonight.

When I leave town, I'll leave for good, if that's what you want.

Yeah. But before I go...

I need to ask a favor, Chloe.

After all the stress and anxiety about whether you should even submit your

song, and you win the whole thing.

I know. I can't believe I almost didn't do it.

I know. You really owe Melissa for this one, huh?

Yeah. I mean, without her, I wouldn't have even had this opportunity.

I'm going to do something really special for her. Yeah, I think you should.

Mom. You are getting worse than me, you know that? How often does a mother have

a daughter who's trending on Twitter?

I think you are what they call blowing up.

I don't feel like I'm blowing up. I feel completely normal.

You know what? Honestly, seriously, this is all happening really, really fast.

I mean, you're prepared for this, right?

How do you prepare for something like this? Just stay grounded and true to who

you are. I'm not going to change who I am. You've never let me get away with

that. You can count on that.

You raised me well.

I won't argue with that.

But I do feel like I need to warn you as a responsible mother about the Eddie

part. What part of Eddie are we talking about here?

The part where you're going to be working with a rock star who you also

happen to have a huge crush on. A rock star who's engaged to be married. I can

handle that.

We're going to be working on songs together. I know that. All right, as

long as you understand.

I mean, this is a job. You know, like working at the cafe.

I'm sorry, creating songs with Eddie Duran is going to be like working at a

cafe? You know what I mean.

You need to think of it like a job, not a relationship or a friendship.

I just don't want to see you get hurt.

Thanks, Mom.

I won't. I promise.

But my hair's been in the clouds I've been acting weird And lost all

your words Falling like the stars I'm falling

fast and hard for something out of you

Where have you been?

I told you I went to Lauren's contest She won.

You were supposed to call or text when you got there. No, I know. I'm sorry,

Ace Space. It was just, like, such a nightmare getting there, and then it

was, like, full-on jungle madness.

Oh, and she won. How do you expect me to give you more freedom if you can't

comply with a simple request to check in?

My fault. I messed up.

It was such a nightmare, Mom, like, with the car and just... What do you mean,

nightmare? Were you in an accident?

No, no, no, no.

Sonny died.

He just sputtered a few times, and then that was it.

I think it was peaceful, though. Your car died.

Why didn't you call?

My phone battery was dead. Of course.

It's always something with you. Yeah, but it's okay, Mom. Nora drove me home.

Well, we need to get a tow truck to take Sonny to the shop.

Where is he?

Here's the thing about that.

So, we got really, really lost, and when the car died, we got out and we started

walking around, and we didn't know the neighborhood, so I don't exactly know

where he is. You don't know where the car is? I'm sure if we drove around in

the morning, I would recognize some of the landmarks. Or liquor stores.

God, are you drunk? I haven't been drinking. I'm just talking about the

area where the car is. You're not responsible enough to even have a car.

This just proves it. What are you talking about?

Melissa left the car God knows where. And if we ever find it again, we're

selling it.

No, please don't do that. I can't not have a car senior year.

Well, you should have thought of that before.

Before what?

I didn't do anything wrong. Dad.

Look, that car has been giving you nothing but trouble, okay? And it's

giving your mother an ulcer worrying about you. I think it's best that maybe

you drive one of our cars for the rest of the year.

Oh. My God, why don't you just stick me up in a tower surrounded by a moat

filled with sharks and alligators and never let me out and never let anyone

in? Oh, that's right, you don't have to because you just took away my car.

Oh, and by the way, Lauren won.

So what's money?

What's new?

I'm about to lose the house.

I can't believe that thing is still standing.

It's my home.

What happened to the money that I send you every month?

I had some medical bills last year.

Well, you don't look sick to me. I was.

Pretty bad, too.

I guess I didn't get your get-well card.

I was too busy making money to pay for the damn house.

I brought the hospital bill.

Look, if you needed money, you could have just called.

I was scared you'd hang up on me.

Plus, I wanted to see you.

Well, now you've seen me.

So I'll write you a check, and you can fly back to Fresno on the broom you came

in on.

Please.

I can't leave now.

You have to leave now.

I'm not going to let you ruin everything that I've worked so hard for, everything

I've dreamed of. You and Tyler are not going to ruin this for me.

Eddie Duran's your dream, or Eddie Duran's money?

Like, you're one to talk.

You're the one who came here with a bill.

It's a truth-o, isn't it? That's why you're with him.

I can tell.

Is that Tyler?

It's Eddie. He's on his way over here.

Do I get to meet him?

Yeah, of course. Mom, this is Eddie. Eddie, this is my dead mother.

No, come on. Get up. You have to hide.

I'm not hiding. You're hiding. It's not up for debate.

I want to go back to my place. Your place?

My motel. I'll call you a cab.

Now go.

Oh, get in there.

Chloe, it's me.

Hey. Hey.

Hey, babe.

Hey. How you feeling?

Better, thanks.

Yeah? So it was food poisoning?

I guess so. You know, I've never had it before, but I'll never eat shrimp again.

Yeah? Yeah.

All right. Let me make you some tea. You need to have fluids.

I would love that. Thank you. I'm just going to go change out of this dress.

Okay. Okay?

Where's your kettle?

To the right of the stove. Just make sure not to set up the smoke alarm this

time. I don't want to.

Where's Annie? He's in the kitchen.

You have to.

Where am I going?

To an all-night diner. I don't know. You can call a cab from there. It's down the

street. Just go.

Will you call me tomorrow?

Quietly.

Hey, um, can you make sure that we have some lemon for the tea?

Sure.

I don't think this qualifies as a lemon anymore.

What was that?

Oh, um, you know, it was probably a raccoon or something.

Maybe paparazzi.

You're blind if you don't see what's happening here. You're overreacting,

honey. I wish I was, but she's following the exact same pattern. She's so

distracted and spacey. If you call her on it, she shows complete disrespect for

us. So what do you want us to do?

I mean, do we keep her chained up in the house?

If I could, I would.

I know how this starts.

And if I let this happen to Melissa, I will never forgive myself.

You've got to give her some latitude, honey. I won't.

I won't lose her.

Oh, God!

So I take it Mommy and Daughter had a tearful reunion?

Tell her!

You scared the crap out of me.

Well, how'd it go?

Oh, it didn't go. You lied to me, Tyler. She doesn't want me here.

It wasn't really a lie, Jackie. She may say that, but I'd like to think I know

Chloe better than she knows herself.

And deep down, she wants you with her.

That's just not true.

Well, deep down, you wanted to believe it, so I'm not totally at fault here.

Oh, God.

I don't know what this town has done to her, but she's meaner than a junkyard

dog. Sounds like her. At least we know we're talking about the same girl.

She's got herself in a real mess right now.

That Eddie came over.

Ah, you got to meet the Wonder Boy?

No, no. She rushed me right out the door. Couldn't get rid of me fast

enough. Did you at least get the money you needed to keep your house?

She said she'd call me tomorrow.

Well, that's a step in the right direction.

Is it?

She's going to run me out of town the first chance she gets. She doesn't want

me here, and I'm not going to get the money I need, all thanks to you. Look, I

don't want to argue, okay, Jackie?

If we work together, we can both get what we want. You think?

Definitely, but it depends on you. It can't be just about the money. Chloe's

well-being's at stake. We've got to think about her.

I'm all for that, but I'm not going to lose my house all because you screwed

up, Tyler.

No more lies.

You tell me another lie, and I am back on that highway home.

Of course. We're partners, Jackie. And from now on, let's just be totally up

front with each other.

All right.

Well, what do we do now?

I think that you should stick around for a while.

And no matter how many times Chloe tries to ship you out, you should stay.

Because it'll definitely go better next time you meet her.

You're lying again, Tyler!

You know it won't go better.

I told you no more lies.

Can't sleep?

Am I waking you?

No, I have a lot on my mind.

Like what?

Like wedding stuff.

Right.

I'm just too wired to sleep.

The contest?

Tonight was such a rollercoaster with Lauren showing up late and getting stage

fright and then passing out.

I think we overwhelmed the poor little girl.

Well, I'm sure she can handle it.

I've been doing this so long that it's my life. I can't imagine jumping in.

Do you think she's ready for all of this?

I'm gonna try and help her as much as I can.

Yeah, but you can't hold her hand all the way through it.

Yeah, but I'm responsible.

I gotta make sure she's taken care of.

As long as you're still taking care of your fiancé. You don't have to worry

about that.

Do you really think that she can make it, though?

Who knows?

I mean, she can write songs, and they have a lot of heart, and she sings that

way, too.

That's stuff you can't teach, so if we can teach her the other things, then I

think she has a shot.

I have my headphones on. I can't possibly hear you.

Well, that is okay. Everything that I have to say, I can act it out, you know,

like charades.

Please don't. My room is a strict no-mime zone. Yeah, you know, I remember

when you used to leave your door open all the time.

Your mom and I could come in here anytime we wanted to talk to you. I'm

not a kid anymore.

I need privacy more than I need constant parental guidance.

Of course.

But I don't have to like it.

A lot of things going around here I don't like.

Like what?

What you and mom are just talking about.

I overheard it, even though I wasn't supposed to.

What'd you hear?

Mom thinks I'm a total flake. She never said that. She said I was spacey and

distracted. You say that about yourself all the time. Yeah, when she said it, it

sounded mean.

And she's stuff about a pattern and losing me. I don't know where that was

coming from.

Yeah, she's concerned, Mel.

All right, that's it.

The car.

I misplaced it. It's not like I drove Sonny off a cliff, Dad.

It's a car, honey. Most people don't lose one of those.

Okay, well, if we find it, will she stop freaking out? Because she was talking

about me like I'm a ticking time bomb.

Look, it is a natural fear that all parents have when their baby is going

off to college.

No. A natural fear might be whether I joined a... cult or a sorority but

lately she's acting like i'm gonna take hostages and i don't know why i'm not a

troublemaking type dad i've got better things to do sweetheart i know it seems

like your mother is overreacting okay i get it that is just our nature all right

when you have kids one day you'll understand yeah if i ever have kids at

this rate because i'm gonna be in my room until i'm 50.

look i think the best course of action right now is to just show her that she

can trust you like phil That is a different situation. Yeah, it is,

because she actually likes Phil. We love you both exactly the same.

Dad, if you came into my room to sell me that line, you could have saved yourself

a trip, because I'm not buying it. I'm not lying, Melissa.

Okay, and I did come into your room, but I came in here to tell you there's going

to be some fallout from your actions tonight. Dad, I... You lost an

automobile, Melissa.

Don't act like you didn't do anything wrong.

Just go easy on your mom, all right? Just show her that she can trust you and

make the next few months go as smoothly as possible, please.

For me.

Thanks for tonight, Grace.

It's my job, Max.

And you do it well.

Even on a night with a ditch plane, that set a record for you.

What? You think I do this for the money? I'm independently wealthy.

I do it to meet fascinating people. Oh.

Have you?

So far, no.

But I've only been doing it seven years.

So, did you have fun? Yeah. Yeah, I had a good time.

It was good to see you enjoying yourself.

I always enjoy myself.

There's other people that sometimes don't enjoy themselves around me. Well,

from the looks of it, your new friend sure enjoyed the hell out of you.

Daphne, no. I don't think that's going to go anywhere. No. The lady whose

daughter won the contest.

Night. Night.

Can't sleep either?

Oh, no.

Usually these political books put me right out, but not tonight.

I know.

I'm still too wired.

Imagine.

Mom?

Mm-hmm?

Are you happy?

You happy happy?

Yeah.

Yeah, I am.

I am. You know what?

Seeing you up there tonight, that made me really happy.

I'm really happy, too.

For the first time in a while.

You know, it was all...

This year is going to go really fast.

And, you know, if you ever feel like it's moving too fast or you're in over

your head, you know I'm here for you, right?

I know that.

Why don't you pee?

I'm serious.

I'm serious, Lauren.

You like to do everything on your own and, you know, like to talk about

things. I just want you to know that you can count on me.

You're the best, Mom.

I'm not going to argue with that.

Good night.

Sweet dreams.

Hey, do you even have to dream anymore now that they're all starting to come

true?

Maybe.

There you are.

I was afraid your parents put you on lockdown.

Seems like it's only a matter of time.

How'd they take the news about Sunny? That car miraculously comes back to

life. They're taking it away from me.

No, it doesn't matter. I don't care anymore.

You don't care if they take Sunny away from you? I've got bigger problems to

worry about.

Things I don't even know if I should be worried about.

Okay, Mel, you lost me. Sorry, I overheard my parents talking again.

Like, you know, the hushed tone kind of talk.

What were they talking about?

My mom was saying that she was terrified of losing me.

Oh, my mom says the same thing. They're just worried about the fall.

No, no, no. This isn't like dropping me off at my dorm. This is my mom saying

that she was never going to let it happen again.

What happened again?

I don't know.

There's some serious secrets going on in this house.

Well, did you ask them about it?

Well, my dad came in and when I asked him, he dodged. Maybe it's a secret you

wouldn't want to know. If it's a secret about me, I want to know.

I have to know.

Not necessarily.

What if your dad's going bankrupt?

Would you really want to know that?

Yes. But it's not that. The secret is about me. Okay.

What if you were born with a tail?

Would you want to know that? What is wrong with you?

After all these years of supporting you and helping you with your dilemmas...

I'm sorry, I was just trying to find out if there was something that you wouldn't

want to know.

But of course I would want to know that, because what if I could wag the tail,

because that would be so cool.

Okay, so there's no secret that you wouldn't want to know.

Exactly. And I'm going to find out what my parents' secret is.

If they're going to worry about me this much, the least I can do is find out

why.

What are you doing?

I told you, one more lie and I am out of here.

She wasn't happy to see me at that party at all.

Well, first meetings are always shaky. Maybe we shouldn't have surprised her,

but trust me, the longer you stay... What? The more she wants me here? What?

Or the more she'll give you to leave.

Look, I know that Cynthia just doesn't want me around.

She said she'd call you tomorrow.

That's just her way of blowing me off.

But she can't do that because you're a loose cannon.

She doesn't know when you're going to show up and wreak havoc.

She has to control you, and that's going to cost her. I get it, I get it, but you

know what? This isn't going to get her back for you.

It's a step in that direction, because as soon as Eddie learns that you're

alive, he's going to have to break up with her, and then I could just swoop in

and sweep her off her feet.

Well, that's nice.

You really do care about her, don't you? Of course I do, Jackie.

You know, I'm offended that you'd even think otherwise. It kind of hurts.

Settle down.

Your feelings aren't hurt.

Remember, no more lies.

So you'll stay?

Well, I'm going to need some help.

This motel's not free.

I could pay for a few more days.

You don't got that kind of money.

Well, I could handle your accommodations. You just concentrate on

Chloe.

So, do you think I should find out what they're hiding?

If you really want to know.

And I'll help you any way I can. I owe you for the contest.

That and about 20 other things.

I'm going to need your help with this before you become crazy famous and never

talk to me again. Well, it might already be too late.

Have you seen my Twitter feed?

No, why?

Okay, how many followers did I have last week? Uh, between the kids at school and

the people at the cafe, like, 26.

Now I have thousands of followers.

Get out.

Mm-hmm, and like hundreds of messages that I need to wade through. That's so

cool! You have to follow Friday Me. I'm gonna do it Thursday and beat the rush.

Oh, hold on.

Eddie just tweeted me.

What did he say?

Well done, love to love you.

Proud and excited to work with you.

Hmm.

Wait, what do you mean? Just up in the middle of the night tweeting you.

So? Nothing.

But you two are totally going to get married.