Position
IN ST JUDE'S - OFFICE
Ben is having a conversation with a Dartmouth Rep about being the Dartmouth Usher. The Dartmouth Rep, standing tall with a confident posture, asks Ben why he should be chosen for the position.
Ben, looking nervous and fidgeting with his hands, takes a deep breath and then begins to answer the question in a hesitant manner. He says, "Well, I've given this a lot of thought and I think that I can answer your question in three parts and I'd like to start with the third part. If that's cool, unless that would be confusing, in which case I can start at the beginning."
Ben's face, shows a mix of emotions - anxiety, fear, and determination. He continues, "The Dartmouth principles of community highlight integrity, responsibility and consideration. Well, from St. Jude's I've learnt integrity, from being an older brother I've learnt responsibility and from my parents who have sacrificed everything to send me to this school I've learnt consideration."
He then tries to lighten the mood by making a joke, saying, "It really comes down to one thing, Dartmouth is my dream and I've never asked Dartmouth but I think it's been dreaming of me. That was a joke or an attempted one. Next question." The scene then pans out to show the Dartmouth Rep nodding in agreement.
The scene then shifts to Noah, who is talking to the Dartmouth Rep. Noah, with a confident smile on his face, thanks the representative for considering him for the position. He says, "Thank you sir and it would be an honor to attend Dartmouth; I've grown up hearing all about it from my father. I'm just not sure that it's my first choice and if there's only one usher position available, I'm sure there's someone who wants it more than me."
Chuck's talking to a representative. Aiden, standing with a relaxed posture, asks the representative why he should be chosen as the usher. After considering the question for a moment, he breaks into a smile and says, "I'm Aiden Woodbury." His confident demeanor and charming smile leave a lasting impression on the representative.
--------------------------------------------------------------
IN ST.JUDE'S HALLWAY
As the teacher walks past the waiting students, she pins a list onto the noticeboard. The students gather around to see the list entitled "Usher Assignments For Ivy Week." The students take a glance at it, laugh, and walk away. Ben approaches the notice board, and as he reads the list, he realizes he didn't get the assignment he wanted. Noah joins him, and they exchange a greeting.
"Did you get the one you wanted?" Noah asks.
"No, no actually you did. Which makes total sense because I'm second in our class and you're somewhere, well I don't know, around last," Ben replies.
Feeling disappointed and frustrated, Ben walks away from the notice board and picks up his school bag. Noah turns to him.
"No hard feelings, huh?" Noah says.
"Why should there be? I mean how many libraries has your dad had to endow to get you this spot? You've earned it," Ben retorts.
Noah is taken aback by Ben's comment.
"Look man, you don't know anything about my family," Noah says.
"I'm sorry, you're right, you're right. I'm sure J.L Hall will be very impressed with your passion for the Dartmouth experience," Ben says sarcastically.
"Who the hell is J.L Hall?" Noah asks.
"He's the Ivy rep! You might want to pick up his book if you want anything to talk about. The book's called The Petting Zoo, that's the name of his book," Ben says before storming out of the hallway.
Outside, Ben is approached by Ruby, who is walking down the stairs.
"Whoa! Angry guy, huh?" Ruby says with a smile as she takes a step back, sensing Ben's frustration.
Ben, trying to calm down, takes a deep breath and shifts his weight from one foot to the other. He replies, "Short fuse, I'm trying to work on that."
"Well, let me know how that goes for you," Ruby says with a smirk as she crosses her arms in front of her.
"Yeah, I'll keep you posted," Ben says with a chuckle as he relaxes his shoulders.
Ruby nods sympathetically. "It's a tough week."
"Not for me apparently," Ben says bitterly as he kicks a pebble on the ground.
Ruby raises an eyebrow. "Oh! You got an usher position?"
"No, I didn't, and in an ironic but not unexpected twist, Nate got the one I wanted," Ben says with a sigh, running a hand through his hair.
"I'm sorry," Ruby says, reaching out to pat his arm.
Ben shrugs her off. "Well, I guess that's life when you're not a legacy," he says, feeling frustrated as he starts to walk away.
Ruby makes a frustrated face as Ben walks away, her arms dropping to her sides. "Yeah, well, just 'cos you're not an usher doesn't mean you're not going to get into an Ivy League," she says under her breath.
"Yeah? Well, where did your parents go to school?" Ben asks.
"Harvard and Brown," Ruby replies.
"That's all I'm saying," Ben says before turning to walk away. Ruby makes a frustrated face as Ben walks away.
--------------------------------------------------------------
IN EVANS HOME
Lucy is lying on a comfortable chaise lounge while Kati and Isabel sit beside her and press cold compresses onto her leg. Kati expresses her disbelief, "I can't believe Ruby did this." Isabel agrees, "Yeah, such a cheap slut." Lucy's phone starts ringing, and she looks at it while Kati and Isabel turn to face her. Lucy answers the phone with a tone that's a mix of relief and annoyance, "Finally."
Meanwhile, Aiden is sitting at the back of his limo, staring out the window while on the phone with Lucy. "Hello to you too. I heard about the field hockey throwdown. All those mouthguards and short skirts, I hope somebody filmed it," he says with a smirk. In Evans home, Lucy looks disgusted and scoffs at Aiden's remark, "You're heinous." Aiden is unfazed, "That's probably why you called." Lucy smiles at his reply, replying, "You know me well."
Aiden continues, "Women like to pretend they're complicated, but I know better." In Evans home, Lucy sets the phone on her shoulder and asks her friends, "My leg's numb now, how about a heating pad?" Kati and Isabel agree to get one for her. As they walk away, Lucy presses the phone back onto her ear and swings her body around, standing up from the chaise lounge. "Ruby came home for a reason," she tells Aiden. In Aiden's limo, he replies, "One can only guess."
Lucy is now walking to the edge of the room while still on the phone with Aiden, "Well, I'm done guessing. I want answers, and no one likes to be on the ground floor of a scandal like Aiden Woodbury." In Aiden's limo, he admits, "I am a bitch when I want to be." Lucy leans against the wall in her room and smiles at Aiden's comment, "Opportunity to cause some trouble, uncover a secret." Aiden replies, "I say yes for an answer." Lucy smiles and hangs up the phone.
In Aiden's limo, he hangs up the phone and opens the partition between him and his driver. "Let's turn back to school. I left something important inside," he says with urgency. The limo drives down a street in New York City.
--------------------------------------------------------------
IN THE MADDENS HOUSE
Huck is standing by the kitchen island and enjoying his meal while Jenny is sitting on a couch with her laptop open. Ben enters the house and Huck greets him, "Oh Benny boy, how was your day?" Jenny adds, "He's about to hype dinner." Huck replies, "'Cos no matter how good it was, it's about to get better."
Ben walks past Jenny and Rufus and enters his bedroom. Huck tells him, "I've outdone myself with the bolognaise." But Ben slams his bedroom door behind him. Both Huck and Jenny look at each other, surprised by Ben's sudden behavior. Huck then walks into Ben's bedroom and approaches his bed where Ben is lying flat down. Ben apologizes for his dramatic entrance, and Huck asks him, "You didn't get it?" Ben responds with a negative, "No, I didn't get it." Huck looks confused and says, "And that I do not get."
Ben turns his head into his pillow and screams, "They gave it to Noah Whitlock!" He continues, "Last year I believe he had an original thought, it died of loneliness." Ben then apologizes to Huck, "I'm sorry." Huck replies, "You're sorry?" Ben explains, "Yeah, I know how much you and mom have sacrificed. The whole reason you send us to a school like this is so that we can go to a college of our choice. What if it's all for nothing?"
Huck empathizes with Ben and tells him, "It's not okay, it's not. So you don't get to be the usher of some whatever party-" But Ben interrupts him, "Dad, can I just stew alone for a while?" Huck agrees and leaves Ben's bedroom. He closes the door behind him and walks into the other room with a serious look on his face. Jenny notices his expression and asks, "We're Maddens's dad, not exactly royalty uptown." Huck responds, "You're okay with that?" Jenny shakes her head and says, "No, but I'm used to it."
--------------------------------------------------------------
EXT OSTROFF CENTRE
We see Ruby walking down a street towards the Ostroff Centre. She looks confident yet focused, determined to accomplish her task. Aiden's limo follows her closely. Ruby walks into the Ostroff Centre, the limo stops outside it and Aiden rolls down his window. He seems pleased with himself as he takes out his phone and starts dialing.
Inside the Evans Home, Noah is lying on the sofa reading The Petting Zoo. He looks engrossed in the book, lost in thought. Lucy is sitting next to him reading In Style, her phone rings and she sets down the magazine and answers her phone. Her voice sounds eager and curious as she speaks to her mother, "Mom, how's Paris?"
Meanwhile, Aiden is looking out the window of Aiden's limo and is on the phone. He sounds excited as he tells the person on the other end, "You won't believe where I found our little princess."
Her tone is surprised as she hears what Aiden has to say, "Really?"
--------------------------------------------------------------
IN EVANS'S HOME
Lucy's room was filled with a computer screen displaying pictures of Ruby at the Ostroff Centre. Aiden and Lucy stood in front of the screen, engrossed in the photographs.
Lucy shot Aiden a dirty look as he remarked, "Admit it; even for me, this is good," with a subtle grin on his face. Despite her annoyance, she couldn't help but notice how fine he looked in his crisp suit, and the way he spoke in a formal yet deep voice only added to his charm.
Rolling her eyes, Lucy retorted, "If you weren't such a perv, I'm sure the CIA would hire you in a second." Aiden's playful teasing only fueled her irritation, but she couldn't deny the flirtatious twinkle in his eyes.
Grinning, Aiden responded, "Defending my country, there's a future I never imagined." Lucy couldn't help but sigh at his charm, asking, "With good reason, what is she doing there?"
Aiden simply shrugged, "Well, what's anyone doing there? It's a facility for the disturbed and addicted." Lucy watched as Aiden walked away, swiveling in her chair to face him, and teasingly suggested, "You must have your own wing."
Pointing at her with a playful expression, Aiden responded, "You don't get nearly enough credit for your wit." Lucy's smile grew wider at his compliment, and Aiden couldn't resist flirting back with, "So the question is, what do you do now?"
Lucy stood up from her chair, walking closer to Aiden with a mischievous glint in her eye, and replied, "Oh, I was thinking total social destruction." Aiden's grin grew even wider as he responded, "And here I thought you were getting soft."
Lucy's face twisted with annoyance as Aiden picked up a corner of her blanket and asked if it was her bed. "So this is your bed, huh?" he teased playfully. Her expression turned sour as she snatched the blanket away from him, giving him a dirty look. "Leave now," she spoke firmly, her tone laced with irritation.
Aiden smirked, enjoying the reaction he was getting from Lucy. "You can repay me another time," he said with a chuckle, his voice carrying a hint of mischief. He looked at Lucy, his eyes glinting with amusement, before walking out of her bedroom with a confident and sexy stride..
Lucy smiled to herself, feeling a sense of satisfaction. She walked towards the computer, sat down on the chair, and stared at the screen, lost in thought.
--------------------------------------------------------------
IN THE OSTROFF CENTRE
Elijah, Ruby, and Lilith are sitting in chairs opposite Elijah's counselor. Ruby expresses her frustration by saying, "I've been in these sessions every day for the last week but nothing is going to change unless she stops hiding him here and lets him have his life back." Lilith tries to calm her down by saying, "This is not called hiding Ruby, it's called recovery." But Ruby is not convinced and points out, "Telling everyone he's staying with Aunt Carol in Miami?" Lilith explains, "He's not ready." But Ruby asks, "He's not or you're not?"
The counselor intervenes, "Okay let's take a deep breath. It's good to see honest conversation." Ruby points to Lilith and challenges her by saying, "What does she know about honesty?" Lilith tries to diffuse the situation by saying, "Ruby-" The counselor suggests that Elijah should have a say in this decision too, "But I really think a decision like this includes Elijah as well."
Elijah is surprised, "You mean I have a say in this? Wow, thanks." Lilith reassures him, "Elijah, look of course we're here for you." Ruby grabs Elijah's arm and promises him, "Look if you're ready to leave, you tell us, okay? No matter what mom says."
Elijah turns to the counselor and admits, "I would really like to get out of here." Lilith sighs and puts her hand in front of her face. Elijah turns and looks at her, "But maybe I'm not ready yet." Lilith drops her hand from her face and immediately relaxes.
Ruby senses Elijah's hesitation and tries to cheer him up, "Hey, what about for a few hours? You can be my date for the Ivy Week party tonight." Lilith reminds Ruby, "That party is an important event for you." But Ruby insists, "Well, he'll be around people he knows; it'll be fun, and comfortable."
Elijah feels excited, "Actually, that sounds great." The counselor approves of this compromise, "Well, there we go, compromise. That wasn't so hard, was it?" Ruby and Elijah both smile at each other, feeling happy about their plan.
"I have to go help them set up for tonight at the school. It's my job as both the parent committee chair and a responsible mother," Lilith says, with a serious look on her face, as she leaves the room. Ruby's actions show how much she cares about her brother, Elijah, and stands up to her mom, Lilith, to make sure that he gets the best treatment. "It'll be great, okay?"
--------------------------------------------------------------
IN ST. JUDE'S
People are bustling down a dimly lit corridor, carrying chairs to prepare for the Ivy mixer. Huck, a man with a determined look, walks down the corridor scanning his surroundings. As he approaches the stairs, he spots a female assistant and flashes a smile.
"Hi! How are you?" Huck chirps, his voice resonating like a cheerful bird.
He runs up the stairs to meet the assistant, his feet echoing like drums on the steps.
"Good," the assistant responds, her voice as crisp and efficient as the papers she carries.
Huck introduces himself, and they walk down the stairs together, their movements almost synchronized. He shares his concern about his son, Ben, not being selected as Dartmouth's usher. "My kid Ben goes to St. Jude's and he really should've been selected as Dartmouth's usher." Huck couldn't resist bringing up his son's missed opportunity.
"Maybe there was a mix-up? Some kind of glitch in the system? I'd like to believe that because I like to believe the best in people," Huck pleads, his voice as hopeful as a child's.
The assistant stops in her tracks and turns away from Huck. "I'm sorry Mr Madden but the usher positions have all been filled, there's nothing we can do." He follows her, standing in front of her with a determined expression.
"Is there anything else? Any other positions?" Huck inquires, his voice as firm as a rock.
"Ahh, you'll have to discuss this with our committee chairwoman," the assistant replies, her voice as cold as ice.
Huck agrees and asks where to find her. "Sure, perfect I'd love to, where can I find her?" The assistant informs him that the chairwoman is running late. "Not sure, she must be running late."
"Oh, there she is now," the assistant points to the doorway where Lilith is approaching, talking animatedly with someone.
Huck turns around to look, "Why am I not surprised?" sees Lilith, and smiles.
"Lucky for you, she seems to be in a good mood," the assistant chimes in, her voice as chirpy as a bird. "Until she sees me," Huck retorts, his voice as defeated as a wilted flower.
As Lilith walks through the doorway, her smile drops when she sees Huck. "Huck," Lilith says in a disappointed tone, her voice dripping with disdain.
"Told ya," Huck quips, his voice laced with a hint of sarcasm.
The assistant excused herself and walked away, leaving Lilith and Huck to their own devices. Huck wasn't ready to let the opportunity pass him by, "You got a minute Lil?" he asked hopefully.
"Not for you." Lilith starts to walk up the staircase, her footsteps as light as a feather, and Huck turns to follow after her, his movements as determined as a lion on the hunt.