Performance

Jenny and Ben were both sitting on the sofa in the lounge, engrossed in their individual activities. Ben was reading his book, 'The Petting Zoo', while Jenny was sewing a garment of clothing. Suddenly, they heard a noise from the door, and Huck walked through it, carrying some leaflets. He smiled broadly and closed the door behind him.

"You're in," Huck announced with a grin, as he walked over to a desk in front of where Ben and Jenny were sitting. Ben turned to look at Huck, confused. "What?" he asked.

Huck examined the leaflets before him with a satisfied expression. "The Ivy Week party tonight, your name will be on the program and everything."

Ben threw his book on the table, and Jenny dropped the garment in shock. They both stood up and walked towards Huck. "You got me the Dartmouth spot!" exclaimed Ben.

"I knew you could do it, Dad," Jenny chimed in proudly.

Huck leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. "No, you didn't, and no, I didn't," he admitted, before adding, "How do you feel about the refreshment committee?"

"Well, there is no refreshment committee," replied Ben, confused.

"Not until now," Huck declared with a wry smile.

Jenny groaned. "Oh God."

Huck chuckled. "What? Everybody gets thirsty; it's really a position of power."

Ben was still trying to wrap his head around the situation. "How did you secure me this prominent and simultaneously embarrassing position?"

Huck sat down at a chair by the desk and leafed through the leaflets. "By offering my own services."

"You're serving snacks?" Ben asked incredulously.

Huck shook his head. "I'm the head of the entertainment committee."

Ben laughed and walked back to the sofa. He picked up his book and sat down. "Another committee that didn't exist until you left the house today."

Jenny joined him on the sofa, with the garment and sewing needle back in her hand. "Way to go, dad! Wait, so who's the entertainment?" she asked curiously.

"Since it was such short notice, the only person I could get was myself," Huck admitted sheepishly.

Ben raised his eyebrows. "Kind of a stayed affair for early nineties post-punk mass rock, don't ya think?"

Huck grinned. "I'm bringing a couple of the guys. It'll be Huck unplugged."

Jenny offered to be his roadie, and Huck thanked her. "Should I call Mom and we could make this a fully-fledged Madden affair?" suggested Ben sarcastically.

Huck sighed. "Look, I did the best I could. At least you get to officially be a part of this thing. You can talk to that author you love. Ask him anything you want."

Ben smirked. "Like his preference for soft drinks?"

--------------------------------------------------------------

Elijah, Ruby, and Lilith step out of the car, looking stylish in their designer outfits. A chauffeur holds the door of the car open for them as they make their way to the school gates. 

As Lilith walks ahead, Elijah turns to her, looking a bit anxious. Lilith notices his expression and reassures him, "If you get at all anxious sweetie, if you feel light-headed or panicky-" her voice trailing off. 

Elijah cuts her off, trying to sound confident, "I'll be fine Mom. All I have to do is be normal." he can feel the butterflies in his stomach.

As Lilith walks ahead, Elijah and Ruby share a smile. Elijah looks around at the school, taking in the grand architecture and the lush greenery. 

He mutters to Ruby, "Or at least act normal." 

Ruby notices his unease and nudges him playfully. She chuckles, "Works for mom." 

The two of them walk through the gates together, their heads held high. The entrance to ST. JUDE'S is grand and imposing, with marble pillars and a sweeping staircase leading up to the main building. The manicured lawns and gardens surrounding the school are immaculate, and the air is filled with the sounds of students laughing and chatting.

Elijah takes a deep breath and follows Ruby inside, determined to make the most of this new opportunity.

--------------------------------------------------------------

EXT CONSTANCE BILLAR/ST. JUDE'S

The scene is set at an outdoor party, where the gentle acoustic music is playing, and people are mingling. Huck and other band members are playing various different instruments, and Ben is happily serving a drink to someone. Lucy is seen talking to a Yale representative whilst nearby Noah and Aiden are laughing and talking to each other. Ruby, Lilith, and Elijah walk into the party together, and Ruby quickly spots the Yale rep, turning to Lilith and saying, "Do you see the Yale rep?". Lilith responds, "I thought you wanted to go to Brown and Lucy wanted to go to Yale?". They both start walking into the party again, with Ruby replying, "Yeah, I know".

As Huck and his band start playing again, Lucy is seen talking to the Yale rep, introducing herself and mentioning her father's connection to CRU. "My father would never forgive me if I didn't introduce myself. He said that you two used to be CRU together." Before the Yale rep can respond, Ruby interrupts them, coming up beside them and asking, "CRU?". Ruby extends her hand to the Yale rep, introducing herself as Ruby Hart, "Oh hi, I'm Ruby Hart." and the Yale rep shakes her hand. Ruby then turns to Lucy and says, "Lucy, I didn't know that you were interested in joining CRU". Lucy, with an angry look on her face, responds, "I'm not! I was just saying that there's a family connection because of my father-", but Ruby cuts her off, saying, "-Because I didn't think you were interested in athletics at all. Well, especially ones where you might get your hair wet". Ruby grabs Lucy and starts stroking her arm, smiling towards the Yale rep and saying, "She's really more of an indoors type of girl". Ruby then signals towards the Yale rep's glass and says, "Oh my goodness your glass is nearly empty. Let's get you a drink". Ruby reaches for the Yale rep's arm and moves to lead him away from Lucy, but Lucy tries to block her, saying, "Uh, no I'll take him". Ruby pats Lucy's arm and says, "Oh, don't worry about it". Ruby then grabs the Yale rep's arm and leads him away, saying, "So, tell me about Yale". Lucy is left behind, visibly upset and scowling in Ruby's direction.

Aiden is seen gazing into the distance, and Lucy walks over to him, asking, "Can you please explain why Ruby is commandeering the Yale rep whilst you're supposed to be his usher?". Aiden turns to her and then returns his gaze to where he was previously staring, saying, "I switched". Aiden was staring at an older woman, who was a representative for Princeton, and she was sending flirtatious glances to Aiden. Aiden says, "I'm trying to get into Princeton". Lucy stares at him in an annoyed way, and Aiden grabs her arm and steers her into a different direction, saying, "Look who's arrived". They both start walking, and Dr. Ostroff enters. Aiden turns to address him, saying, "Dr. Ostroff! Lucy, Doctor Donald Ostroff".

Interesting choice of guests L.

Lucy realizes what's happening and smiles, shaking hands with Dr. Ostroff and saying, "It's such a pleasure; I've heard such wonderful things-". Lucy smiles at Dr. Ostroff and grabs his arm, leading him away. Chuck is seen smiling at Lucy.

Coincidence? I think not.

Noah is seen talking to J.L Hall, and Noah says to him, "I like your book". J.L Hall responds, "Oh thanks, what did you think of the epilogue?". Noah struggles to think of something to say and stays silent for a moment. J.L Hall says, "Some people really love it but the New York Times called it a cheap cop-out. Warner Brothers is making the movie; I think they're going to change the end". Noah responds, "I can see how the ending wouldn't seem all that... commercial". J.L Hall nods his head and doesn't know what to say to Noah's vague comment. Noah looks uncomfortable and says, "Umm... Would you like something to drink?".

Lilith and Elijah are standing together, and Henry is behind Elijah, approaching them. Henry leans towards Lilith, and they both kiss each other on both cheeks. Henry then leans away and turns towards Elijah, saying, "Hey Elijah! How was Miami?". Elijah looks uncomfortable and looks to Lilith for reassurance. He turns back to Henry and smiles fakely, saying, "It was good thanks. Y'know, go Marlins!". Elijah raises his fist to the air, and Henry and Lilith both laugh politely. Elijah then walks away from them both and into the main building.

As Elijah enters the building, he sees Kati and Isabel leaving it and talking to a male representative. They are both dressed smartly in matching outfits and wearing glasses. Kati says to the rep, "So the Neurons project I'm working on involves a cellular pathway of Neural Oxide. It's initiated when-". Elijah, standing alone, sees Jenny walking towards him from behind. She is wearing the blue dress that Lucy gave her, and Elijah turns around to face her. They both spot each other, and Jenny smiles and gives him a small smile.

 Elijah's face lights up, and he starts walking towards her. "Hi! You're Elijah, right?" she asks. Elijah nods, feeling relieved that he has finally found someone he can trust and talk to. "You're Jenny, Ben's sister," he replies. Jenny's eyes widen with recognition, "Yeah! We met at-". Elijah cuts her off, finishing her sentence, "Bendels. Yeah, I remember." Both of them share a smile, lost in the moment.

Suddenly, Anthony Whitlock walks up towards Elijah, and the moment is interrupted. Jenny and Elijah don't notice his arrival, and continue to smile at each other. "Cool!" says Jenny. Anthony reaches out and shakes hands with Elijah, "Elijah! Good to see you. You enjoy Miami?" he asks. Elijah replies, "Ah... yeah! Save the manatees!" Anthony smiles and points towards Elijah, then turns and walks away, leaving Jenny and Elijah alone again.

Jenny is curious about Elijah's comment and asks, "Manatees?" Elijah hesitates, unsure if he should disclose his past. He looks into Jenny's eyes, and feels a sense of comfort and trust. "It's a long story," he says. Jenny encourages him, "I've got time." Elijah takes a deep breath, "It's a little dark." Jenny nods, "I can handle it." Elijah feels like he has finally found a friend he can trust, and opens up to her.

At Constance Billard/St. Jude's, Ben and Ruby are standing in a transparent glass room. Ben is standing by a table next to the punch bowl, and Ruby is standing opposite him. 

Ben asks Ruby, "You wanna go to Yale then?" 

Ruby responds, "No, Brown. It's just this thing with Blair." 

Ben replies, "I get it, since you don't actually have to worry about getting into college, why not make the entire evening about screwing over Ruby." Ruby looks hurt by his words, and Noah enters the room, walking towards them. Ben offers Ruby some punch, but Ruby declines.

Noah reaches the table and picks up a cup. Ruby turns towards him and greets him, but Noah avoids her gaze and sighs. Ruby looks hurt by Nate's reaction to her and asks, "Hey, you're seriously not going to talk to me? Like literally not speak?" 

Noah sighs again and turns towards Ruby, saying, "Hey." However, he then turns back towards the table, leaving Ruby annoyed by his behavior. 

Ruby looks between both Ben and Noah and says, "Oh! Much better. Thanks, guys," before turning and walking away. Both Ben and Noah give her little reaction. 

Ben asks Noah, "So what's he like?" 

Noah responds, "Like a Dartmouth English lit professor that I have nothing in common with." 

Ben nods and looks upset. Noah then suggests, "I guess I could tell him how I'm a Whitlock." 

Ben and Noah both smile at Noah's remark. 

Ben suggests, "You should mention Dr. Seuss. Theo Giselle was his real name; he went to Dartmouth. Hall says he got the idea for The Petting Zoo from the Lorex." 

Noah looks really confused, asking, "The what?" 

Ben responds, "Umm... you know what never mind. Just mention how his style is influenced by early Faulkner and you'll be alright. Ah, or not." 

Noah says, "I was actually going to get some fresh air, how about you take these over to him?" and passes two glasses over to Ben. Ben looks shocked by Noah's gesture and responds, "Alright, yeah I guess he can read my post essay for Petting Zoo." 

Ben walks away from Noah, leaving him standing by the refreshment stand. Ben nods towards Noah to thank him for the kind gesture. Ben leaves the room and approaches J.L Hall's table. Ben introduces himself and offers him the drink. J.L Hall stands and shakes hands with Ben. 

Noah is at the refreshment stand, looking upset. He turns and walks away past his father, Anthony, who stands and looks from Noah to Ben entertaining J.L Hall outside. Anthony runs after Noah and stops him by grabbing his arm roughly, asking, "Where do you think you're going?" 

Noah responds, "Home." 

Anthony tells him, "I don't think so, now you get back out there and finish what you started." 

Noah retorts, "You mean you started. I don't want to go to Dartmouth, there I said it. Now back off!" and angrily walks away, leaving Anthony behind.

Inside St. Judes, Elijah and Jenny are sitting on the floor opposite each other in mirroring positions. Elijah looks upset, and Jenny is looking at him sympathetically. 

Elijah says, "So, we moved into a hotel, and it was just the two of us, and I was really lonely." 

Jenny asks, "So, that's when you?" 

Elijah nods to signal yes and says, "So I ended up at the Ostroff center, and my mom says that they're the best counselors, but what they really get paid for is to keep their mouths shut." 

Jenny looks really upset and says, "Look, I won't say anything. I promise." 

Elijah nods, and they both smile sadly at each other. 

Jenny suggests, "So... do you wanna go back in?" 

Elijah responds, "Yeah and answer more questions about Florida?" 

Jenny tells him, "I have a grandma who lives in Fort Myers. I can help think of some material." 

Elijah smiles in thanks, stands up, and offers Jenny a hand to help her get up. Jenny stands, and then they both turn to exit the room. 

Outside St. Judes, there is a swarm of people gathered. Lucy stands up on stage, saying, "Can I please have everyone's attention?" 

We cut to see Kati, Isabel, and Aiden standing together. They turn to look at Lucy, looking curious to see what she's going to say. Ben and J.L Hall stand and look at Lucy. Ruby stops talking and turns to pay attention to Lucy with a look of disgust on her face. 

Lucy says, "Welcome again to the Constance Billard/St. Jude's Ivy mixer. I'm Lucy Evans, chair of the community outreach committee." 

We see everyone clapping, including Aiden, Ben, Lilith, Elijah, and Jenny. Ruby is the only person who refuses to clap. Lucy smiles at her applause and says, "Every year our schools choose to support one local institution that we feel benefits our community. This year our schools have chosen to honor the Ostroff Center." 

Ruby stops talking to a teenage boy and starts to pay attention to Lucy's speech. She starts to realize what Lucy is doing, and Elijah and Jenny both look upset at the mention of the Ostroff Center. Lilith looks shocked, and Ruby walks over to Elijah and comforts him. 

Lucy says, "This year's choice is a very personal one because the center has helped one of our own." 

Elijah and Ruby are now next to Lilith. Lilith has a look of panic on her face and turns to them. 

Lilith asks, "What's going on?" Elijah and Ruby shake their heads to signal that they are unsure. They all return their attention to Lucy on the stage. 

Lucy confidently takes the stage and addresses the crowd, "It's because of their excellent program which aids so many young addicts and alcoholics, that a student here with us today is clean and sober... at least for now. Can I please have Ruby Hart join me on stage?" Ruby is in a state of shock as everyone in the crowd is very surprised and concerned by what is going on. Aiden, the only one who is happy with Lucy's announcement, smiles widely at her, while Ben turns to look at Ruby. 

Ruby stands with Lilith and Elijah, who looks very angry and is about to walk towards the stage in order to stop Lucy. But Ruby and Lilith hold him back. Ruby is on the verge of tears as Lucy gives her a dirty look. Lilith turns to Ruby and asks, "Tell me this isn't happening." Ruby shakes her head at Lily and walks towards the stage to meet Lucy. The people in the room watch her action including Ben and Jenny. 

Lucy whispers to Ruby, "Don't try to deny it, Aiden saw you." Ruby stands next to Lucy on stage and waves to the crowd. Ben looks confused and turns towards Jenny, asking, "She's in rehab?" Jenny responds, "No, it's her brother who's there." Ben turns back to Ruby on stage, puzzled. 

Ruby starts her speech, "Hi, I'm Ruby Hart. I just wanna thank my friend- Lucy Evans for recognizing the Ostroff Centre and all of the good things that they do." Aiden smirks and is incredibly pleased by Ruby's humiliation. Ruby then mildly turns her head in Lucy's direction and says, "In order to move forward for our future, we must forgive those who have wronged us in the past." She looks directly at Lucy and adds, "And we ourselves must ask for forgiveness from those whom we've wronged." 

Lucy can no longer listen to the speech, so she walks over to Ruby and grabs her arm to stop her talking on the mic. She says, "Thank you, Serena! Thank you! Thank you!" Lucy claps on stage with a large smile on her face, moving Ruby out of the way of the audience's focus.

Honesty may the best policy in some zip codes but not in this one and not this week cos I Was a Teenage Drug Addict is not exactly a winning college essay.

Many people in the crowd, including Ben, look at Ruby with remorseful faces. 

After Ruby exits the stage, she walks out of the room in tears, followed by Lilith. Lilith asks, "Why is Lucy outing you for a drug problem that you don't have?" Ruby is now enraged and responds, "Mom!" Lilith tries to calm her down, "Look, what's happened to Elijah has put a huge strain on our family but we are still a family." Ruby explains, "Why do you think I did what I just did?" Lilith nods sadly at Serena. Ruby then decides to go end things with Lucy and says, "Will you excuse me? I'm gonna go end this with Lucy... now."

Ruby approaches Lucy who is standing and talking with the Yale representative. She asks, "Lucy, what the hell was that?" Lucy turns to the Yale Representative and politely asks him to excuse them. Ruby pleads, "Look, I'm asking you please, I'll stop if you will." But Lucy is not willing to forgive her and says, "You're just saying that because you lost and you're gonna keep losing. Now if you'll excuse me, unlike you I have a future to get back to." Ruby looks on the verge of tears as Lucy walks away, leaving her behind. Ben watches her walk away and chooses to follow her.

Ruby angrily storms out of the school grounds and is followed by Ben who tries to call out her name, "Ruby!" But she ignores him. Ben takes a deep breath and tries again, "Ruby!" She turns around angrily to face him, "What? What do you want to congratulate me on destroying my future?" Ben assures her that he only wants to ask if she's okay after what she did for her brother, "It was really cool." Ruby is surprised, "Wait, how did you know that it was my brother?" Ben promises to keep it to himself "

It's okay; really no one will ever hear it from me." and offers to be there for her, "But if you ever need somebody to talk to or not talk to. I'd be happy to go out with you." Ruby smiles faintly, "I'll keep that in mind." Ben apologizes for his behavior earlier "And I know I said some things about you and your world and I'm sorry. Obviously, I don't know anything about your life." Ruby smiles at him, "Thank you, but I really need to get out of here." Ben nods and agrees, "Yeah. Sure. Sure." Ruby then surprises him by suggesting "But maybe I can take you up on that getting together and not talking thing sometimes." She adds "Will you call me?" Ben nods and smiles. "Yeah," Ruby smiles back and says goodbye to Dan before walking away.

Inside ST. JUDES, Elijah is standing in the transparent glass room. Lilith walks up to him and puts her hand on his arm, urging him to go."

Okay let's go, let's get out of here." Elijah insists "No, there's someone I need to talk to first." Lilith looks concerned, he adds "Please Mom, I can do this." but ultimately agrees, "Okay." Elijah walks away from her and approaches Lucy. He asks her if he can talk to her for a minute and she agrees, "Sure!" They walk away and enter a different room. Elijah turns around to face Lucy and tells her, "Ruby's not a patient at the Ostroff Centre-" Lucy looks at him skeptically, "Elijah, you've always been a sweet kid and I understand you are trying to protect your sister." 

He says, "I am." He crosses his arms, visibly upset at her assumption. "I've never even seen you take a drink." She chuckles.

Elijah shows her a large scar on his wrist, "I'm not an alcoholic. I did this!" Lucy's face falls as she realizes her mistake. Elijah tells her that today Ruby protected him. Lucy is lost for words and looks like she's about to cry. "Eli...I...I didn't-"

Elijah's face turned red with anger and he took a step closer to Lucy, looking down at her with frustration. "-See that coming," he said through clenched teeth. Lucy took a step back, feeling intimidated by Elijah's sudden outburst. "Well, that must be a shock for someone who thinks she knows everything," he added with a sarcastic tone. Lucy could feel her heart racing with anxiety, but instead of backing down, she stood her ground and looked Elijah straight in the eye. Elijah walks past her, and as he exits the room, Aiden enters and approaches Lucy from behind, "What was that all about?"

Another bomb lands in Blair's lap. Will she use it as ammunition or will she finally surrender and put down her arms?

Lucy's hands are shaking as she tries to compose herself. Aiden notices her distress and looks at her with a mixture of both curiosity and concern. Lucy takes a deep breath and swallows a lump in her throat. She looks away, avoiding Aiden's gaze, and shakes her head. "Nothing," she says in a barely audible voice.