(Phillip’s car. It’s raining outside. Beth leans her head back against the seat, and flashes back to Bradley threatening her and Lillian at the Reardons. She ends her memory and looks at Phillip.)
Beth:
What have we done, Phillip?
Phillip:
We did the right thing.
Beth (nodding):
It is. It is the right thing. We had no other choice.
Phillip:
Nope. We had no choice at all. It was either you come with me or you go to court with Bradley. And that would have put you back in the house with him, and we couldn’t have that.
Beth:
But what are we going to do now?
Phillip (turns to look at her):
I don’t know. But it’s okay. (He grabs her hand.) It doesn’t matter. We’re together and that’s the important thing.
(They look at each other and then Beth turns away to look out the window.)
Beth:
I love you, Phillip. (He smiles and pulls her hand close, kissing it.) I really do. I always have. I know I didn’t seem like it sometimes, but I did. (Voice breaking) It’s just that I was so afraid.
Phillip (Gently):
Afraid of what, Beth. (She shudders and closes her eyes.) Please tell me what happened.
Beth (still glancing out the window and becoming upset):
I can’t talk about it. (Shakes her head) Not now.
Phillip:
Hey, hey, it’s okay. It’s okay. It’s alright. (She tries to pull her hand away from his and he grabs it again.) We don’t have to talk about it now. We got lots of other stuff to worry about right now. We can talk about it later. It’s okay.
Beth (turns to look at him and smiles):
Thank you.
Phillip (happily, trying to lighten the mood):
We got all the time in the world, right?
Beth:
Do you really think so?
Phillip:
Sure. Wait, unless you got, uh, some plans you haven’t told me about.
Beth (shakes her head no and mouths "nope"):
Phillip, what if the police catch up with us? And Bradley?
Phillip:
I’m not going to let it happen.
Beth:
But what if they do? What will happen to you?
Phillip:
Listen, don’t you worry about me. Okay?
Beth:
I do worry about you, Phillip. You went against a court order to help me. I couldn’t stand it if they put you in prison because of me.
Phillip:
Listen, I have spent so much time in the Springfield jail that it’s like a second home to me.
Beth:
Don’t joke about this with me. I’m scared for you.
Phillip:
Look, don’t start thinking about bad things, okay? Once you start that, then they’re going to happen. Now, we got nothing but good stuff ahead of us here. We’re gonna think positive, right?
Beth:
Right.
Phillip:
Right.
Beth:
Where are we going?
Phillip:
Who knows.
Beth:
We’re just driving?
Phillip:
Yeah, right now. Well, they’re gonna have a hard time finding us if we don’t even know where we’re going.
(Beth laughs. Phillip smiles.)
Phillip:
See. Things aren’t so bad, are they?
Beth:
Not when I’m with you. (She grabs Phillip’s arm and cuddles with him.)
Phillip:
This is going to be great. I don’t know where we’re going. I don’t know what we’re going to do when we get there. But we are going to leave Springfield so far behind, we’re never going to look back.
Beth:
I wish it were that easy.
Phillip:
It can be. We just got to let it be, Beth. (He leans his head down toward her face.)
Beth:
I want to. I want to so much. But Phillip, you know Bradley’s going to have the state police or somebody out looking for us.
Phillip:
Yeah, well we’re going to fix him. We’re going to take the next turn off we come to and we’re going to hit the back roads. And if anybody comes looking for us, they’re going to get a little run for their money.
(Back in the hallway outside Honors English Class, Rick paces until Mindy comes around the corner.)
Rick:
Mindy, there you are. What, what’s wrong?
Mindy:
He didn’t even say goodbye to me.
Rick:
Mindy, that’s probably because he didn’t have the time to say goodbye.
Mindy:
No, one minute we’re sitting in here and everything was fine, and the next minute he’s out the window with Beth. I can’t believe it.
Rick (laughing):
Yeah, that was terrific! I loved it.
Mindy:
Terrific?
Rick:
You’ve got to admit, it was pretty exciting.
Mindy:
I didn’t find anything exciting about it at all.
Rick:
Oh, come on, it was like a movie or something, you know. Phillip didn’t stop to think about what he was doing, as usual. He picks up the chair and he throws it through the window. It was great. And he carries Beth away. Oh.
Mindy (teary):
No one has ever done anything like that for me.
Rick:
I’m sorry, Mindy. I...I tried to tell you about it. I mean, you knew they really cared about each other.
Mindy:
But I didn’t really think that they would get back together.
Rick:
Oh, man, I didn’t think they’d get back together the way they did.
Mindy (upset):
You sound like you’re proud of them.
Rick:
You bet I’m proud of them.
Mindy:
Rick, what’s the matter with you? Don’t you have any idea what kind of trouble Phillip’s in now?
Rick:
It’s Phillip’s life. We can’t live it for him anymore.
Mindy:
But Beth Raines sure can. She just leads him by the nose. She says, "Jump," Phillip says, "How high?"
Rick (grabbing Mindy’s shoulders):
Mindy, stop it, stop it, stop it! She loves him!
Mindy:
Why do you keep sticking up for her after everything she’s done to me...
Rick:
Beth hasn’t done anything to you!
Mindy:
And to Phillip? (Shaking her head) She’s using him. She’s using Phillip to get away from her stupid stepfather.
Rick:
Mindy, will you stop it? Will you stop thinking about yourself all the time?
Mindy:
I’m not thinking about myself. I’m worried about Phillip.
Rick:
Are you worried that you’re never going to see him again?
Mindy (crying):
Yes. What’s so awful about that?
Rick:
Come here. (He hugs her.) Nothing’s so awful about that. I’m sorry. It’s okay to be upset. It really is. Just don’t take it out on everybody else, okay?
Mindy:
How can I help but to take it out on Beth after what she’s done?
Rick (pulling away from her):
Look, Mindy, leave it alone. Okay?
Mindy:
No, I’ve got to stop them before it’s too late.
Rick:
Mindy, there’s nothing you can do anymore.
Mindy:
Yes there is. I, I can talk to Alan Spaulding. I mean, if anybody can stop Beth from wrecking Phillip’s life, it’s him. I’ve gotta go find him. (She leaves.)
Rick (calling after her):
Alan Spaulding can’t...Mindy!
(End of scene)
