COLD OPEN – PENNBROOK CHEM LAB – MORNING
Beakers, goggles, nerves. Riley and Farkle stake out their usual station. A cute new guy—Theo Navarro (transfer, warm, a little sparkly)—sets down his notebook.
Theo (to Riley): Hey, I’m new. Is this the “not explosion” table?
Riley: We try. Hi, I’m Riley. This is my—
Professor claps. “Odd numbers, pivot one station to the left.” Farkle gets pinballed away; Theo lands beside Riley.
Farkle (calling): Temporary separation! Emotional goggles on!
Theo (smiling to Riley): I brought my own goggles and my grandma’s cookie recipe. Not relevant. Hi.
Riley laughs despite herself. Farkle does the math… and doesn’t like the answer.
Smash to sting.
ACT ONE
SCENE A – CHEM LAB
Paired up, Riley/Theo measure reagents; Farkle keeps peeking over from his new table and over-swirl-stirs his beaker into a foamy volcano.
Professor: Less… zeal, Mr. Minkus. This is not a latte.
Theo (to Riley): First week jitters. If I mess up, I’ll just… start a bakery.
Riley: That’s a strong backup plan.
Across the room, Farkle mutters to himself: “Not threatened. Merely observing.” His beaker burps again.
SCENE B – CITY PAWS RESCUE – AFTERNOON
Maya and Lucas meet Eric under a banner: VOLUNTEER OR GO HOME WITH A DOG.
Eric (in a volunteer vest over his sash): Former Senator / Current Dog Uncle. Good!
A scruffy, golden-freckled mutt zooms out: Butterscotch a.k.a. Scotch (50% tail, 50% joy).
Maya: I love him.
Lucas (already on the floor): He loves you back.
Eric: We are here to walk, not to adopt. My lease says “maybe a cactus.”
Maya: We’ll convince your landlord. And you. And the cactus.
They get leashes; Scotch prances like he won a game show.
SCENE C – ZAY & FARKLE’S DORM – LATER
Zay tapes a flyer to the wall: “CHEM TUTOR—A+ GUARANTEED—DM @MOLAR_KING.” Knock. Enter Trevor a.k.a. @MOLAR_KING (nice hair, baffled eyes, ring light in backpack).
Trevor: Sup. Chemistry’s just vibes. What’s a mole but a big number with dreams?
Zay: That seems… off.
Farkle (entering, still foamy): That is empirically off.
Trevor: Stoichiometry? Easy. You just… feel it.
Zay: I would like to feel a refund.
Trevor: Payment’s non-refundable but I also do Econ.
Zay/Farkle: No.
ACT TWO
SCENE D – STUDENT CENTER – AFTER CHEM
Riley and Theo debrief over cocoa. Farkle swings by, casual like a cat in rollerblades.
Farkle: So! Theo. Welcome. Quick background check: intentions, hobbies, whether you enjoy foamy disasters?
Theo: Intentions: pass chem, find the library, be a person. Hobbies: baking, making my mom proud, being new. Disasters: typically edible.
Riley: We’re being… weird because we’re dating and my boyfriend is a protective meerkat.
Theo (kind): Noted. I like my friends un-exploded and my boundaries labeled. You two are good.
Farkle nods… still twitchy.
SCENE E – CITY PAWS – LATE AFTERNOON
In the play yard, Maya throws a squeaky. Scotch returns with two squeakies and a pinecone.
Lucas: He’s gifted.
Eric: He is chaos. We are roommates who like groceries more than carpet.
Volunteer: Fostering’s an option. Two weeks. We cover food and vet. You cover cuddles.
Maya: Two weeks. You can do two weeks.
Eric: I commit to many things. Butterscotch feels like eighteen years.
Scotch drops the squeaky at Eric’s feet and sits like an angel. Eric melts a little.
Eric: His eyes are manipulative.
Maya/Lucas: Correct.
SCENE F – DORM STUDY LOUNGE – EARLY EVENING
Trevor attempts to “teach” with a whiteboard that says “CHEM = ENERGY??” Zay side-texts Farkle: “SOS.”
Farkle enters with a rubber duck and a clean notebook.
Farkle: Hi, Trevor. Thank you for your services; we are ending them. Kindly take this cookie for your time.
Trevor (relieved): I hate chemistry. I’m great at brand deals.
Zay: Go forth and influence… far from acids.
Trevor leaves.
Farkle (to Zay): We office-hours with Dr. Chen tomorrow. Tonight: duck method. Teach me the problem like I’m this duck. If the duck looks confused, we fix you.
Zay: Ducks are honest.
They start. It’s actually… working.
ACT THREE
SCENE G – CHEM LAB – NEXT DAY
Professor: Today: simple reaction kinetics. Partners, measure together. Minkus/Navarro, since you’re both fast, check each other.
Farkle/Theo team up. Riley watches, equal parts proud and spiky.
Theo (to Farkle, easy): You run numbers; I’ll pipette. We trade after two runs. Scientist’s honor.
They work smoothly. Farkle relaxes. Theo doesn’t flirt; he focuses.
Riley exhales. Chemistry is… chemistry. Not a triangle.
SCENE H – CITY PAWS → ERIC’S APARTMENT – EVENING
Maya/Lucas show Eric a foster packet and a text from the landlord: “Pet-friendly, if registered. Extra deposit.”
Eric: He texted back? That’s a sign. From the universe. Or from Maya with very persuasive punctuation.
Maya: Both.
Eric: Two weeks. Trial. If the walls survive and the fridge treaty holds, we revisit. Good?
Lucas: Good.
Scotch bounds into Eric’s apartment like he pays the mortgage, then curls up on Eric’s feet like he invented warmth.
Eric (soft): Sir, you may break me.
SCENE I – DR. CHEN’S OFFICE HOURS – LATE AFTERNOON
Zay sits with Dr. Chen, Farkle beside him like a tutor’s coach.
Zay: Moles are a number that lets grams talk to reactions. Ratios are the recipe. If I have 2 moles of H₂ and 1 mole of O₂, I make 2 moles of water. No vibes, just math.
Dr. Chen: That’s chemistry. You did the thing. What changed?
Zay: I fired my influencer and hired a duck.
Dr. Chen: Keep the duck. Here’s a practice set. Bring your friend; he can quietly hover.
Farkle (salutes): Hovering is my brand.
SCENE J – ERIC’S APARTMENT – NIGHT
Post-lab hang: Riley, Farkle, Maya, Zay, Lucas, Eric, and Scotch (snoring). Takeout, lab jokes, zero jealousy.
Riley (to Farkle): I didn’t need you to out-science Theo; I needed you to trust me.
Farkle: I trust you. I doubted the universe. I’m working on that.
Riley: The universe is a lot. We are… us.
They squeeze hands.
Maya (showing a picture): Eric with a dog in a sweater. I win.
Eric: It was chilly! Also, he’s handsomer than me in turtlenecks.
Zay: I learned chemistry is recipes, not vibes.
Farkle: And jealousy is a reaction you can quench with data and talking.
Lucas: And fridges need treaties.
Eric: And leases accept joy if you ask nicely.
Riley: Title of my thesis.
They clink chopsticks. Scotch snores louder. Everyone smiles.
TAG – CHEM LAB / SHELTER – WEEK LATER (MONTAGE)
-
Chem Lab: Theo swaps cookies with Riley & Farkle; the trio high-five after a clean run.
-
Office Hours: Zay explains a stoichiometry step to another student, holds up the duck like a diploma.
-
Eric’s Apartment: Scotch now has a tiny “Former Senator / Current Dog” tag. Eric signs a foster-to-adopt line, misty.
-
Shelter Board: A photo: “Adopted! Butterscotch (Scotch) — going home with Eric.” In the corner, a sticky note: “We learn. We lift. We show up. —Window Collective.”
END.
No comments:
Post a Comment