End of Part 26:
Pin-drop silence. The students sit paralyzed. Tyler stares at the Chubby Girl. Her arrogance gone. She's been reduced to the child she is. Tyler takes his place behind Caroline, who
stares up at him, awestruck. Tyler gestures for her to continue.
CAROLINE
(finishing her statement)
--I don't expect us all to be
friends, but we can at least
respect each other as human beings.
Thank you.
Part 27:
INT. HOLDING CELL -- LATER
TYLER locked up among CRACK HEADS and PETTY CROOKS on a dirty bench with his hands behind his head and a bemused smirk. A BAILIFF approaches the holding cell. Looks at Tyler.
BAILIFF
You posted.
INT. NYPD PRECINCT -- LATER
Charles waits in the waiting area. Tyler is led out by the bailiff rubbing his wrists. He sees his father. His father sees him. They walk together towards the exit in silence. Neither looking at the other.
CHARLES
Destruction of private property and
felony trespassing... you're moving
up in the world.
TYLER
I'm glad you're enjoying this.
CHARLES
I'm not. You jeopardized your
future. You sat in jail all day.
That's not funny. I am curious
though, which do you prefer jail
during the day or after dark?
TYLER
You're such an asshole.
CHARLES
Oh I'm the asshole... you throw a
desk through a door at a middle
school and I'm the asshole.
Tyler walks ahead.
CHARLES
Tyler? Wait. Will you just wait!
Tyler gives him the finger without looking back. Charles catches up to him, cuts him off. He's smiling.
TYLER
Why are you smiling?!
CHARLES
I'm proud of you.
Tyler couldn't have heard that right.
TYLER
You're proud? ...Of me? ...For
throwing a desk at a door?
CHARLES
What you did was ridiculous. It was
reckless, foolish, absurd, and
exactly what your little sister
needed. You stood up for her.
Probably a little higher then you
needed to but you stood up.
TYLER
You saw Caroline today?
Charles nods. Tyler scratching his head.
TYLER
They charged me with...
CHARLES
Don't worry about the charges. I
talked to my lawyer. We’ll work it
out. Tomorrow morning, my office,
eight thirty sharp. See you there.
Charles walks ahead. Tyler watches him go. He smiles.
EXT. CRAIG FAMILY HOME -- DOORSTEP -- EVENING
Tyler knocks on the door. He holds a BOUQUET OF FLOWERS. Sergeant Craig answers. The men share a long look.
SERGEANT CRAIG
(nods to the flowers)
...Those for me?
TYLER
Yeah I didn't know if you liked
lilies so I took a chance...
Craig smirks. Tyler smiles.
SERGEANT CRAIG
She's still getting ready. You
wanna wait inside?
Craig holds the door open for Tyler who walks into the house.
EXT. EAST RIVER WALK -- NIGHT
Tyler and Ally share an ice cream cone as they walk together along the East River. Tyler drapes an arm over her shoulder. Kisses her neck. Whispers something in her ear. Ally laughs
playfully smacks him.
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. TYLER'S BEDROOM -- THE NEXT MORNING
Ally lying asleep. Tyler lying beside her tracing the lines on her back. He kisses her neck then gets up. Tyler is up and dressed now, he grabs his journal off his desk, kneels beside Ally who is awake with her eyes closed.
TYLER
I'll be back in an hour.
ALLY
Do you want french toast or
pancakes for breakfast?
TYLER
Whichever tastes better a la mode.
Ally smiles.
ALLY
Say hi to your dad for me.
Tyler watches her lying there. Then whispers.
TYLER
If I said I love you... what would
you say?
ALLY
I love you.
TYLER
I love you too.
Tyler kisses her. Then heads out into the...
INT. LIVING ROOM -- MOMENTS LATER
Aidan passed out on the couch still wearing the clothes he went out in the night before. Tyler watches him sleep.
AIDAN
(without opening his eyes)
French toast.
Tyler smiles as he takes his journal and exits.
EXT. HOFFMAN FAMILY HOME -- PORCH -- MORNING
Charles waiting on the doorstep his BMW 7-Series parked on the curb. Diane answers the door expecting to find Caroline's driver, she's confused to find...
DIANE
Charles?
CHARLES
Morning Diane.
DIANE
What are you doing here?
CHARLES
I thought maybe I could take
Caroline to school this morning.
Diane is speechless. This is a first.
DIANE
Um...OK...sure...yeah...great.
She's not ready though, she's gonna
need at least twenty minutes.
CHARLES
I can wait.
DIANE
Won't you be late for work?
CHARLES
Probably. Yes.
Diane just stares at him, mouth agape.
CHARLES
Do I smell coffee?
Diane snapping out of it.
DIANE
Oh. Yeah. Yeah. Sure. Come on in.
INT. CAB -- MORNING
Tyler riding in back heading downtown. His cellphone rings. He checks it. Knows what it's regarding before he answers.
TYLER
Are you canceling all together or
are you just running late?
INT. HOFFMAN FAMILY HOME -- KITCHEN -- MORNING
Charles on his phone at the breakfast table sipping coffee across from Caroline eating cereal.
CHARLES
Are you already on your way?
Intercut: Tyler's cab rolls to a stop. Tyler pays. Gets out.
TYLER
I'm already here.
CAROLINE O/S
Hi Tyler!
TYLER
Is Caroline with you?
CHARLES
I'm taking her to school.
TYLER
Since when?
CHARLES
Since now. I'm sorry. Look I
probably won't be in until around
nine... we should reschedule.
Tyler considers. Looks up at his building. Shakes his head.
TYLER
It's fine. Take your time. I'll
just wait in your office.
CHARLES
You sure?
TYLER
Yeah. If I get bored I can always
play with the copy machines.
CHARLES
(smiles)
See you then.
Tyler hangs up and joins the herds of suits heading into Charles' office building.
INT. ELEVATOR -- LATER
Tyler riding in a handsome marble and oak elevator with a half-dozen EXECUTIVE types.
INT. 78TH FLOOR SKY LOBBY -- LATER
Tyler steps out of the elevator and into a sky lobby. He walks across the room to another bank of elevators. He presses the up arrow. An elevator opens.
Tyler steps on and presses the number 92. The doors close.
INT. EXECUTIVE FLOOR -- RECEPTION -- LATER
Tyler walks approaches the Receptionist from the ashtray incident. He smiles pleasantly. She doesn't.
TYLER
Janine in?
THE RECEPTIONIST
(cold)
She went for coffee.
TYLER
(tongue in cheek)
When she gets back could you please
tell her I want to see her in my
office... and hold my calls... and
smile... it's a beautiful day.
Tyler heads down the hall. The Receptionist rolls her eyes.
INT. CHARLES ROTH'S OFFICE -- LATER
Tyler steps into his father's empty office. It's dark, quiet. He opens the blinds. Sunlight fills the room. Tyler walks around the office. Picking things up, putting them back.
Tyler sits at his father's desk in his executive chair. He leans back. Puts his feet up and his hands behind his head. Tyler notices the COMPUTER. He turns on the monitor and puts
his hand on the mouse - but doesn't move it. His hand just stops and stays perfectly still. Tyler stares at the monitor where his dad's SCREEN SAVER is scrolling through PHOTOS...
These photos are all of his FAMILY... "Michael's first Christmas, Tyler's eighth birthday, Diane in the hospital with Caroline in a pink blanket, Charles and his kids build a sand castle at the shore"... they just keep going.
Tyler finds himself watching a slide show of his life.
EXT. THE SPENCE SCHOOL -- LATER
That line of luxury cars dropping their daughters off. Charles' BMW rolls to a stop. Caroline gives him a kiss and gets out. Charles watches her all the way into the school.
INT. CORNER GALLERY -- LATER
Diane wraps up a painting for one of her happy CUSTOMERS.
INT. TYLER'S APARTMENT -- KITCHEN -- LATER
Ally and Aidan have made a mess making french toast. INT. BMW 7 SERIES -- FINANCIAL DISTRICT -- LATER Charles in traffic. All around him DRIVERS curse, honk, hate each other. Charles rides with a smile, his windows down.
INT. THE SPENCE SCHOOL -- CLASSROOM -- LATER
Caroline drawing at her desk as her Teacher comes in and gets ready to start the day.
INT. CHARLES ROTH'S OFFICE -- LATER
Tyler is still watching the screen saver when Janine enters.
JANINE
Good Morning, Mister Roth.
TYLER
Did you know about this?
Janine walks around the desk in time to see a photo of Tyler and Michael naked in the tub pop up. She smiles.
JANINE
Who do you think scanned all the
pictures?
Tyler smiles. Janine smiles, Then a photo of Michael comes up. Those smiles fade. Silence.
JANINE
How old would he be?
TYLER
Thirty-two last May.
Tyler stands and looks out one of the floor to-ceiling windows separated by columns. He stares out at mid town and a perfect blue sky. Janine looks befuddled.
JANINE
It's really been that long? I
could've sworn it was...
TYLER
February 26, 1993.
A silent moment passes. Janine reflecting.
JANINE
I should be able to remember that.
Tyler looks at her.
TYLER
Why? No one else does.
Pin-drop silence. The students sit paralyzed. Tyler stares at the Chubby Girl. Her arrogance gone. She's been reduced to the child she is. Tyler takes his place behind Caroline, who
stares up at him, awestruck. Tyler gestures for her to continue.
CAROLINE
(finishing her statement)
--I don't expect us all to be
friends, but we can at least
respect each other as human beings.
Thank you.
Part 27:
INT. HOLDING CELL -- LATER
TYLER locked up among CRACK HEADS and PETTY CROOKS on a dirty bench with his hands behind his head and a bemused smirk. A BAILIFF approaches the holding cell. Looks at Tyler.
BAILIFF
You posted.
INT. NYPD PRECINCT -- LATER
Charles waits in the waiting area. Tyler is led out by the bailiff rubbing his wrists. He sees his father. His father sees him. They walk together towards the exit in silence. Neither looking at the other.
CHARLES
Destruction of private property and
felony trespassing... you're moving
up in the world.
TYLER
I'm glad you're enjoying this.
CHARLES
I'm not. You jeopardized your
future. You sat in jail all day.
That's not funny. I am curious
though, which do you prefer jail
during the day or after dark?
TYLER
You're such an asshole.
CHARLES
Oh I'm the asshole... you throw a
desk through a door at a middle
school and I'm the asshole.
Tyler walks ahead.
CHARLES
Tyler? Wait. Will you just wait!
Tyler gives him the finger without looking back. Charles catches up to him, cuts him off. He's smiling.
TYLER
Why are you smiling?!
CHARLES
I'm proud of you.
Tyler couldn't have heard that right.
TYLER
You're proud? ...Of me? ...For
throwing a desk at a door?
CHARLES
What you did was ridiculous. It was
reckless, foolish, absurd, and
exactly what your little sister
needed. You stood up for her.
Probably a little higher then you
needed to but you stood up.
TYLER
You saw Caroline today?
Charles nods. Tyler scratching his head.
TYLER
They charged me with...
CHARLES
Don't worry about the charges. I
talked to my lawyer. We’ll work it
out. Tomorrow morning, my office,
eight thirty sharp. See you there.
Charles walks ahead. Tyler watches him go. He smiles.
EXT. CRAIG FAMILY HOME -- DOORSTEP -- EVENING
Tyler knocks on the door. He holds a BOUQUET OF FLOWERS. Sergeant Craig answers. The men share a long look.
SERGEANT CRAIG
(nods to the flowers)
...Those for me?
TYLER
Yeah I didn't know if you liked
lilies so I took a chance...
Craig smirks. Tyler smiles.
SERGEANT CRAIG
She's still getting ready. You
wanna wait inside?
Craig holds the door open for Tyler who walks into the house.
EXT. EAST RIVER WALK -- NIGHT
Tyler and Ally share an ice cream cone as they walk together along the East River. Tyler drapes an arm over her shoulder. Kisses her neck. Whispers something in her ear. Ally laughs
playfully smacks him.
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. TYLER'S BEDROOM -- THE NEXT MORNING
Ally lying asleep. Tyler lying beside her tracing the lines on her back. He kisses her neck then gets up. Tyler is up and dressed now, he grabs his journal off his desk, kneels beside Ally who is awake with her eyes closed.
TYLER
I'll be back in an hour.
ALLY
Do you want french toast or
pancakes for breakfast?
TYLER
Whichever tastes better a la mode.
Ally smiles.
ALLY
Say hi to your dad for me.
Tyler watches her lying there. Then whispers.
TYLER
If I said I love you... what would
you say?
ALLY
I love you.
TYLER
I love you too.
Tyler kisses her. Then heads out into the...
INT. LIVING ROOM -- MOMENTS LATER
Aidan passed out on the couch still wearing the clothes he went out in the night before. Tyler watches him sleep.
AIDAN
(without opening his eyes)
French toast.
Tyler smiles as he takes his journal and exits.
EXT. HOFFMAN FAMILY HOME -- PORCH -- MORNING
Charles waiting on the doorstep his BMW 7-Series parked on the curb. Diane answers the door expecting to find Caroline's driver, she's confused to find...
DIANE
Charles?
CHARLES
Morning Diane.
DIANE
What are you doing here?
CHARLES
I thought maybe I could take
Caroline to school this morning.
Diane is speechless. This is a first.
DIANE
Um...OK...sure...yeah...great.
She's not ready though, she's gonna
need at least twenty minutes.
CHARLES
I can wait.
DIANE
Won't you be late for work?
CHARLES
Probably. Yes.
Diane just stares at him, mouth agape.
CHARLES
Do I smell coffee?
Diane snapping out of it.
DIANE
Oh. Yeah. Yeah. Sure. Come on in.
INT. CAB -- MORNING
Tyler riding in back heading downtown. His cellphone rings. He checks it. Knows what it's regarding before he answers.
TYLER
Are you canceling all together or
are you just running late?
INT. HOFFMAN FAMILY HOME -- KITCHEN -- MORNING
Charles on his phone at the breakfast table sipping coffee across from Caroline eating cereal.
CHARLES
Are you already on your way?
Intercut: Tyler's cab rolls to a stop. Tyler pays. Gets out.
TYLER
I'm already here.
CAROLINE O/S
Hi Tyler!
TYLER
Is Caroline with you?
CHARLES
I'm taking her to school.
TYLER
Since when?
CHARLES
Since now. I'm sorry. Look I
probably won't be in until around
nine... we should reschedule.
Tyler considers. Looks up at his building. Shakes his head.
TYLER
It's fine. Take your time. I'll
just wait in your office.
CHARLES
You sure?
TYLER
Yeah. If I get bored I can always
play with the copy machines.
CHARLES
(smiles)
See you then.
Tyler hangs up and joins the herds of suits heading into Charles' office building.
INT. ELEVATOR -- LATER
Tyler riding in a handsome marble and oak elevator with a half-dozen EXECUTIVE types.
INT. 78TH FLOOR SKY LOBBY -- LATER
Tyler steps out of the elevator and into a sky lobby. He walks across the room to another bank of elevators. He presses the up arrow. An elevator opens.
Tyler steps on and presses the number 92. The doors close.
INT. EXECUTIVE FLOOR -- RECEPTION -- LATER
Tyler walks approaches the Receptionist from the ashtray incident. He smiles pleasantly. She doesn't.
TYLER
Janine in?
THE RECEPTIONIST
(cold)
She went for coffee.
TYLER
(tongue in cheek)
When she gets back could you please
tell her I want to see her in my
office... and hold my calls... and
smile... it's a beautiful day.
Tyler heads down the hall. The Receptionist rolls her eyes.
INT. CHARLES ROTH'S OFFICE -- LATER
Tyler steps into his father's empty office. It's dark, quiet. He opens the blinds. Sunlight fills the room. Tyler walks around the office. Picking things up, putting them back.
Tyler sits at his father's desk in his executive chair. He leans back. Puts his feet up and his hands behind his head. Tyler notices the COMPUTER. He turns on the monitor and puts
his hand on the mouse - but doesn't move it. His hand just stops and stays perfectly still. Tyler stares at the monitor where his dad's SCREEN SAVER is scrolling through PHOTOS...
These photos are all of his FAMILY... "Michael's first Christmas, Tyler's eighth birthday, Diane in the hospital with Caroline in a pink blanket, Charles and his kids build a sand castle at the shore"... they just keep going.
Tyler finds himself watching a slide show of his life.
EXT. THE SPENCE SCHOOL -- LATER
That line of luxury cars dropping their daughters off. Charles' BMW rolls to a stop. Caroline gives him a kiss and gets out. Charles watches her all the way into the school.
INT. CORNER GALLERY -- LATER
Diane wraps up a painting for one of her happy CUSTOMERS.
INT. TYLER'S APARTMENT -- KITCHEN -- LATER
Ally and Aidan have made a mess making french toast. INT. BMW 7 SERIES -- FINANCIAL DISTRICT -- LATER Charles in traffic. All around him DRIVERS curse, honk, hate each other. Charles rides with a smile, his windows down.
INT. THE SPENCE SCHOOL -- CLASSROOM -- LATER
Caroline drawing at her desk as her Teacher comes in and gets ready to start the day.
INT. CHARLES ROTH'S OFFICE -- LATER
Tyler is still watching the screen saver when Janine enters.
JANINE
Good Morning, Mister Roth.
TYLER
Did you know about this?
Janine walks around the desk in time to see a photo of Tyler and Michael naked in the tub pop up. She smiles.
JANINE
Who do you think scanned all the
pictures?
Tyler smiles. Janine smiles, Then a photo of Michael comes up. Those smiles fade. Silence.
JANINE
How old would he be?
TYLER
Thirty-two last May.
Tyler stands and looks out one of the floor to-ceiling windows separated by columns. He stares out at mid town and a perfect blue sky. Janine looks befuddled.
JANINE
It's really been that long? I
could've sworn it was...
TYLER
February 26, 1993.
A silent moment passes. Janine reflecting.
JANINE
I should be able to remember that.
Tyler looks at her.
TYLER
Why? No one else does.