Episode 39, "Case of the Ex"
Previously on Friends and Foes,
ALEX AND TAYLOR'S DORM
Taylor sighs, exasperated. His thoughts are in full gear as Alex watches him, a concerned look painted on his face. He takes a drink from his coffee, his hair still messy as he has just gotten out of bed. Just looking at Taylor gives Alex an uneasy feeling of pity. Alex speaks up, unable to watch his best friend wallow in such agony.
"Taylor, what are you thinking?"
Taylor seems to snap out of a distant daze, and meets Alex’s look of concern. "I’m sorry, I-"
He hesitates, shakes his head, "I don’t know. I’m happy, but I’m upset. I lost Amber a long time ago, and she was my first love. I made the biggest mistake of my life when I let her go, when I knew she was pregnant. For a long time I kicked myself, you know?"
Alex can only nod as Taylor goes on. "It took a long time for me to get over it. And it was hard, but I did it. I found happiness with Lyndsay.. But I guess all I did was fill that void in my heart where Amber used to be... guess I never really stopped loving Amber."
Alex frowns, confused. "So if you love Amber, why are you upset over Lyndsay?"
"I’m upset because I told her I love her...but the thing is, I DON’T love her. They were just words, they meant nothing. And that scares me, Alex. It scares me that I’ve had so much pain in the last two years that I don’t know what love is anymore."
Alex smiles, "Don’t you see, Taylor? Of course you know what love is. You were strong enough to leave Lyndsay for the woman you LOVE. You and Amber are getting married...There’s no way you could have had the will power to do that if you didn’t know deep down in your heart that you love her."
There’s an uneasy pause among the two friends. A moment of silence.
"Look Taylor," Alex continues, "This past year has been one weird time...Weirder than the year before it. I mean, look...I still can’t believe that Candice and Josie were step-sisters. I can’t believe that Amber is here. I can’t believe that there was yet another attempt on our lives by a repressed schizophrenic. All I know is that as long as I’m stuck with you, I’ll be ok. Because we’re best friends, brothers, and nothing will ever change that. Just remember it. As long as you’re by my side, you’ll be fine!"
They both exchange smiles.
"Thanks." Taylor complies, "I know now what I have to do. Marry Amber, and be happy."
ROLL OPENING CREDITS, "Case of the Ex" Mya
Starring:
Nicholas Brendon as Alex Harrison
Jonathon Taylor Thomas as Taylor Brookdale
Jennifer Love Hewitt as Lyndsay Schofield
Britney Spears as Candice Rogers
Gillian Anderson as Kortni Hope
Christina Aguilera as Amanda Friedman
Guest Starring:
Leonardo DiCaprio as Devin Barbieri
Sarah Michelle Gellar as Brandi Vandal
Larisa Oleynik as Amber Newell
PINE VALLEY, COLORADO - PARKING LOT
CLANK! Kortni’s eyes shoot open. The bright light of the rising morning sun blinds her for an instant, and she squints, clasping her eyes. She rubs them, but the sound from the headphones instantly catches her attention.
She sits up. She must have fallen asleep earlier that morning while waiting for Sullivan to come into his office. She glances down at her watch. 9:30.
Kortni turns her attention to the rear view mirror at Devin and Brandi, who are both asleep in the backseat of the car. She returns his ears to the head-phones, and hears a distant voice.
Kortni searches frantically for the control panel of the bugging device. She finds it, and then cranks up the volume. Sullivan’s voice is heard clearly now.
"He just got in the office." Kortni mumbles to herself, as she listens to what seems like Sullivan getting settled in his office for the morning.
Kortni hears another voice, "Excuse me sir, would you like anything to drink?"
"No thanks Mary. Could you please hold my phone calls until noon, please?"
"No problem sir."
The sound of a door shutting.
Sullivan’s voice makes Kortni cringe. "Now I’ve just got to wait...and be patient. You can do this, Kortni, you can do this."
FRIENDS OF STRANGERS CAFÉ
Amanda is deep inside the morning newspaper as she sits at a small round table, a muffin and a cup of orange juice sitting, waiting before her. She flips the page. Seeing something interesting, she pulls out a black marker and circles a column on the paper. She’s browsing classified ads.
Amanda hears this and looks up at Candice, who nonchalantly strolls over to her table. Amanda rolls her eyes, unwilling to get into another verbal round with Candice. Amanda knew that Alex’s chat wouldn’t stop Candice from harassing her.
"Hello, Amanda." Candice says as she places her coffee down, and glares at Amanda, her hand placed on her hip.
"Good morning, Candice." Amanda smiles radiantly, a hint of sarcasm dwelling in her voice, "What a surprise."
"Likewise," Candice smiles sarcastically as she takes a seat. "So, did you buy that orange juice all buy yourself, or did you bum it off someone else like everything else you own?"
"Why? You want some?"
Amanda angrily whips her juice off the table and pours it onto Candice. She gasps, followed by a scream of anger and frustration.
Amanda smiles and stomps out of the restaurant, leaving a roomful of people watching on.
"Oh Amanda, you shouldn’t have done that! I’ve got your little secret and now I’m going to have to use it!"
BRIDAL STORE Candice and Amber giggle as they browse through some wedding dresses. Amber pulls out a flowing lacey dress that she think she might like, then shakes her head in disapproval and puts the dress back onto its slot.
"So thank you so much for helping me out, Candice. You’ve been so hospitable to me its unbelievable." Amber smiles, happier than she was the day before.
"Oh it’s no problem, a girlfriend of Taylor’s is a friend of Alex’s and, if you haven’t heard, Alex is my boyfriend. But it’s really my pleasure."
"You seem like such a beautiful, nice person. Why are you and Amanda so bitter towards each other. I mean I noticed the whole orange juice thing."
"It’s a long story, Amber," Candice sighs, "If you really want to here it. Its sort of bizarre."
Amber laughs, "I’d rather not have anymore weirdness."
"You seem a lot happier today than yesterday, Amber, I’m happy. But why? I mean yesterday you were furious and today you’re kind of chipper."
"Duh," Amber smiles, "I came here thinking,in fact KNOWING, that Taylor would reject me. The fact that he still loves me. It’s overwhelming. I just feel bad that I came off as such a tramp yesterday. I’m really a nice person. I shouldn’t have done that."
"Trust me, I completely understand."
"You know, you’re alright!" Amber says, putting her arm around Candice, "Alex has good taste!"
"Well you do, too! That church you chose for the wedding is unbelievable."
Amber sighs jokingly, "I know!I’m perfect!"
The girls laugh.
HOSPITAL ROOM Lyndsay sits on the hospital bed, waiting anxiously for her doctor to return. Amongst all the emotional anguish going on in her personal life at the moment, she couldn’t imagine why her doctor was so urgent in seeing her.
Her first suspicion is, of course that she’s pregnant. "That’s just great. That’s all I need right now. Taylor’s baby."
The angst starts to wear away at her brain. What is she WAS pregnant? Or what if she’d caught an STD? She only did it with Taylor once, but what were the chances. And Candice warned her time and time again to get herself checked out but she had never listened. And now that Amber was trying to take Taylor from her, she would be all alone! On that note, what is she going to do about Taylor. She still loves him, she can’t let him go so easily. Why is he doing this?
Lyndsay’s train of thought is broken by her doctor, who walks into the room with a clipboard in his hand and a serious expression on his face.
"Oh thank god, Dr. Palmer. What is it you needed to talk to me about?"
"Lyndsay, you may want to brace yourself. What I am about to tell you is not going to be easy for you."
"What? What is it? Am I pregnant?"
"No, Lyndsay. You...you have cancer." ROLL CLOSING CREDITS
