SCENE ONE – INT. THE LUXE – LOLA AND MAYA’S APARTMENT – LOLA’S BEDROOM – MORNING
The camera closes in on Lola’s phone on the charger on her nightstand.
The alarm goes off.
LOLA reaches over from her bed and grabs it to turn it off.
The time on the phone reads 5:00 AM.
“Girl’s Gotta” by Danger Twins plays.
SCENE TWO – INT. THE LUXE – FITNESS CENTER
LOLA is alone in the fitness center, doing her workout. She begins by jogging on the treadmill before she moves to weights. At the end of the workout, she lies down on her yoga mat to take a breather.
SCENE THREE – EXT. SAPPHIRE ENTERTAINMENT – MAIN ENTRANCE
LOLA pulls her car into the valet and gets out of the car with her bag. She hands a VALET WORKER her keys.
SUKI walks up to her with her clipboard and a smoothie in hand.
SUKI: Good morning, Lola.
LOLA: Good morning, Suki.
SUKI: I have your post-workout smoothie ready for you.
LOLA gently takes the smoothie.
LOLA: Uh, thanks. But how did you know—
SUKI: That’s my job and I’m scarily good at it.
LOLA: That you are.
LOLA and SUKI begin to make their way into the building.
SCENE FOUR – INT. SAPPHIRE ENTERTAINMENT – LOBBY
LOLA and SUKI are walking towards Stage A.
SUKI: So how are you feeling this morning?
LOLA: As good as I can be. I really had to tap into some emotions I was feeling a few weeks ago and that wasn’t easy.
SUKI: I’d bet. It can’t be easy to work with your crush and his ex-girlfriend.
LOLA turns her head abruptly in Suki’s direction.
SUKI smirks and continues to look straight ahead.
LOLA: Who told you about that?
SUKI: No one had to. I figured that out on my own, but no worries. I have a keen eye that no one else here has, especially Sam, who’s just about as oblivious as it gets.
LOLA: Well, I’d appreciate it if we could keep this between us. I haven’t even talked to my friends about any of this.
SUKI: Your secret’s safe with me. Oh, speaking of which—
SUKI grabs a paper from her clipboard and hands it to LOLA.
LOLA: What is this?
SUKI: Your work schedule for both Rose and Sapphire. I know juggling two jobs can be a lot, so I figured this might help keep you organized.
LOLA grins as she scans the paper.
LOLA: It does. Suki, I don’t know what I’d do without you.
SUKI: It was nothing.
SUKI glances at the call sheet on the clipboard.
SUKI: So you have your meeting with Austin in 15 minutes.
LOLA: Great. Hey, have you heard from Liv this morning?
SUKI: Word on the street is that she and Jaxon are currently meeting with Sofia.
LOLA: Okay. Thanks.
SUKI: No problem.
SUKI continues walking as LOLA heads towards her dressing room.
SCENE FIVE – INT. L&O HEADQUARTERS – SAM’S OFFICE
SAM is sitting at his desk, going through his character notes for filming.
RAYA is sitting on his couch also reviewing her notes.
RAYA: Not surprising, but Sofia is putting all of this pressure on this week of shooting.
SAM responds in a sarcastic tone.
SAM: I wonder why that is.
RAYA quietly sighs.
SAM: I mean the whole love triangle angle was kind of stupid to begin with when two out of the three people involved are actually together.
RAYA: I know. I wasn’t really a fan of it myself, but I had no say since I joined the project so late.
SAM: So what exactly will Lola be doing to antagonize the rest of us?
RAYA: I really don’t know. Sofia advised that I let her improvise.
SAM: And you’re okay with that?
RAYA: Honestly, yes. Because this is Lola we’re talking about and there’s no way she’s going to take this in a negative direction.
SAM: Good point.
Despite Raya’s words of encouragement, SAM still appears uneasy.
RAYA: There’s something else bothering you.
SAM: There are many. But I must admit, it’s kind of hard to focus on my work here when I have work elsewhere.
RAYA’s look urges him to continue.
SAM: My boss. He’s coming home early today and he’s certainly not bringing us any souvenirs, not when we’ve left one of his top companies in ruins.
RAYA: And you’re certain that’s what’s brought him back so abruptly?
SAM: What else? But at the end of the day, I can’t blame him. I can only blame myself.
RAYA: You’re not running L&O alone.
SAM: Well it certainly feels that way sometimes, especially over the past few weeks. Everyone’s attention has been divided, including mine.
RAYA: So what are you going to do?
SAM: I guess I’ll see what he has to say and then we will go from there.
RAYA’s phone beeps. She starts to gather her things.
RAYA: Well I have got to get back to Sapphire for a meeting, but let me know how it goes.
SAM: Of course.
As RAYA exits his office, SAM sighs.
SCENE SIX – INT. SAPPHIRE ENTERTAINMENT – SOFIA’S OFFICE
SOFIA is sitting at her desk.
LIV and JAXON are sitting in chairs facing her.
SOFIA: I am happy that the two of you have found your way to each other, but I do wish you considered the repercussions of your actions before you publicly unveiled your relationship to the world last night.
JAXON: Oh believe me, we have. And there are no regrets.
SOFIA: Never say never, Jaxon. I’m assuming that you both haven’t been online recently?
LIV: Not today, no.
SOFIA: Well let me enlighten you.
SOFIA pulls out printed copies from a few popular blogs regarding the events of the gala.
LIV and JAXON take a glance at them.
SOFIA: Obviously, it didn’t take long for this story to reach cyber space, especially since Jaylin is involved.
LIV sighs.
SOFIA: Sapphire’s social media team will do whatever they can to protect you from all of this, but that will only go so far.
JAXON: We understand.
SOFIA: I’m not sure that you do. Because of all of this, Jaylin’s publicist and manager advised that he step off of the project, which is a big deal since we are in the middle of production.
LIV: Sofia, I’m so sorry.
SOFIA: I wouldn’t be yet. We are still waiting for Jaylin’s answer. I’ll be honest with you. If he decides to end his contract, Sapphire may very well pull the plug on the show.
LIV and JAXON share a somber look.
SCENE SEVEN – INT. SAPPHIRE ENTERTAINMENT – STAGE A
LIV and JAXON are holding hands as they are walking.
LIV: Well that went smoothly.
JAXON: Everything’s gonna be fine.
LIV: Well I’m glad you’re confident. I don’t even want to see what is being said about me online after what Sofia said. I know that Jaylin’s fans can be ruthless.
JAXON: Who cares what they think?
LIV: We should, especially since those people will likely be our top viewers when the show comes out.
JAXON: Whatever.
JAYLIN approaches them.
JAYLIN: Good morning.
JAXON: I don’t know if I’d say that.
JAYLIN: Why?
LIV: We just came from Sofia’s office.
JAYLIN: Oh. So you heard?
LIV: Yeah and we’re really sorry. But hey, at least you have your life back.
JAYLIN raises his eyebrows.
JAYLIN: What are you talking about?
JAXON: You’re leaving the show, right?
JAYLIN: Of course not.
LIV: But Sofia said that your team—
JAYLIN: Advised that I terminate my contract? Trust me, I don’t want to do that. I am committed to playing my part here. Quite frankly, I think that this was for the best. You two can finally give Austin the romantic plot that he’s been striving for.
LIV: Well that’s great.
LIV glances at her phone to check the time.
LIV: Look, I have to get going. I have a shoot today at Rose to oversee.
JAXON: Okay.
JAYLIN: See ya.
LIV kisses JAXON before she takes off.
JAYLIN turns and faces JAXON.
JAYLIN: You two make an interesting couple.
JAXON: Thank you.
JAYLIN: It wasn’t a compliment.
JAXON’s smile drops.
JAYLIN: It’s relationships like yours that won’t make it far past the honeymoon phase.
JAXON: You don’t know anything about me…or Liv.
JAYLIN: But I know people like her. She’s Olivia Keaton. She could have anybody.
JAXON: And she chose me.
JAYLIN: For now.
JAXON opens his mouth to speak, but JAYLIN beats him to it.
JAYLIN: I’m just trying to help you before you get hurt. Between all of you L&Os, there’s only some that can be breakout stars. The others won’t even stand a chance. Aria was the first. But Liv could easily be next and it could be very easy to leave you behind.
JAXON: Trust me, I don’t need any advice from you. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to get back to my office as well.
JAYLIN: Of course.
As JAXON heads off, JAYLIN gently smirks with satisfaction.
SCENE EIGHT – INT. L&O HEADQUARTERS – BREAK ROOM
BRIANNA is toasting a bagel for breakfast.
SKYLAR enters.
SKYLAR: Hey.
BRIANNA becomes tense and her response matches it.
BRIANNA: Hi.
SKYLAR: You were out the door so quickly this morning.
BRIANNA: Yeah, I wanted to get here a little early. Clear my head.
SKYLAR: Is everything okay?
BRIANNA: Yeah. Why do you ask?
SKYLAR: I don’t know. You just seem a little off. Did something happen last night at the gala?
BRIANNA turns to face her.
BRIANNA: Actually, yes. I talked to Dev.
SKYLAR: Oh.
BRIANNA: She said that you expressed interest in working with her on an article that features her decision to leave Wildwave to honor her musical integrity. Sound familiar?
SKYLAR: Okay, yes. I did reach out to her.
BRIANNA: Are you serious?
SKYLAR sighs.
BRIANNA: Sky, the whole point of the article was to have Wildwave come together as a united front. By doing this, we’re just doing the exact opposite.
SKYLAR: And I see your point, but I truthfully believe that Dev has a completely different story to tell, apart from the girls. Speaking from personal experience, I know what it’s like to deal with the backlash from a tense situation and I really feel for her. I just want to give her a platform to use her voice.
BRIANNA: I guess I can see where you’re coming from.
SKYLAR: So we’re good.
BRIANNA: Yeah, I guess.
SKYLAR: Great.
As SKYLAR exits the room, BRIANNA’s smile fades.
BRIANNA: Yep. Just great.
SCENE NINE – INT. SAPPHIRE ENTERTAINMENT – AUSTIN’S OFFICE
LOLA, AUSTIN, and RAYA are sitting in the office.
LOLA: Thank you both for meeting with me today.
RAYA: Of course.
AUSTIN: Now what is this all about? I honestly cannot handle any more surprises regarding this series.
LOLA: Me neither which is why I wanted to run this by you both.
LOLA hands the two of them copies of the confirmation for their radio interview for them to look at.
AUSTIN: You got an interview on Keeley Morgan’s radio show?
LOLA: Yes I did.
RAYA: How did you swing that?
LOLA: She actually reached out to me. She wanted to be one of the first people to break the story of the rising stars of Rose. Look, I’ll admit that things have been a little rough with filming lately and I think this could put us back on track.
AUSTIN: Nice.
LOLA: And I told her about the improv thing so she’s pretty much letting our interview be open-ended.
AUSTIN: That could be very interesting.
RAYA: Or a disaster.
AUSTIN: Either way, it will make for some great content.
RAYA: Fine. Whatever.
LOLA grins.
SCENE TEN – INT. L&O HEADQUARTERS – PHOTO STUDIO
MODELS are getting their final hair and makeup touches.
The PHOTOGRAPHER is directing them on where to stand.
LIV is standing by the clothing rack.
JAXON enters the studio and approaches her.
JAXON: Looking good.
LIV looks over at the photoshoot setup.
LIV: Yeah, with your set design and my styling, it should be a great shoot.
JAXON: I wasn’t talking about the photoshoot.
JAXON looks LIV up and down in a flirty manner.
LIV immediately catches on and blushes.
JAXON: You know, I think we can both sneak away for a few minutes without being missed.
LIV: Okay. Easy there, J.
JAXON: Technically, this is your fault. You just had to wear red today. You know what it does to me.
LIV: I didn’t, but I do now. Tell you what, meet me after the shoot.
JAXON: Sounds good.
The PHOTOGRAPHER calls over to LIV.
The PHOTOGRAPHER: Liv can I see you for a minute?
LIV: Sure thing. I’ll see you later.
JAXON: Yeah.
As LIV walks off, JAXON has an admiring smile on his face.
SCENE ELEVEN – EXT. SAPPHIRE ENTERTAINMENT – LOBBY
LOLA is preparing to head out.
SUKI is jogging behind her.
SUKI: Lola!
LOLA slows down to look behind her. When she sees SUKI, she stops, allowing her to catch up.
LOLA: Hey Suki. What’s up?
SUKI: There’s an issue with the animation department. Apparently, there was a double booking for the studio. Both actors said they were scheduled by you.
LOLA quickly looks at her planner for reference.
LOLA: Oh shoot. I meant to ask Jenna if she could move her recording session to another day. It totally slipped my mind. But I have to be at Rose in like 15 minutes. Is there someone else that can handle it?
SUKI: Not really. And while our new talent members might be understanding, their managers are not.
LOLA: Fine. I’ll go talk to them.
SUKI: Great.
SUKI begins to head towards the elevators.
LOLA hesitates, but follows her.
SCENE TWELVE – INT. ROSE PUBLICATIONS – SEBASTIAN’S OFFICE
SEBASTIAN is looking through papers on his desk.
A knock can be heard on the door.
SEBASTIAN: Come in.
SAM opens the door.
SEBASTIAN continues to look through the papers as he acknowledges him.
SEBASTIAN: Have a seat, Samuel.
SAM enters the office and closes the door behind him before sitting in one of the chairs facing the desk. He awkwardly clears his throat to break the silence.
SAM: So, how was your trip?
SEBASTIAN: Oh, it was just fine until I learned what was happening to my company in my absence. You know, the last thing that I wanted to do was leave you guys with Sofia, my nephew, and all of Sapphire’s nonsense, but I only did it because I trusted you to handle it like the adults that you are.
SAM: And trust me, we are handling it the best that we can.
SEBASTIAN: Well I think that you and I both know that your best isn’t good enough right now. There has been a significant drop in L&O’s viewer engagement this month and I’m guessing that’s due to the fact that you all are a little too busy over on Stage A.
SAM: Look, it’s been tough trying to find a balance between it all, but I have to be honest sir. A huge part of the reason that we agreed to do the show in the first place is because you supported it.
SEBASTIAN: And I can respect that. But at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter. Whether you are working with Sapphire or not, you all have jobs here. So I suggest that you get it together or I’ll find people who will.
SAM: I understand.
SEBASTIAN: Well I’m glad that at least one of my editors-in-chief does. Where is Lola?
SAM: I don’t know, sir.
SEBASTIAN: Of course. Well if you would be so kind as to find her while I make some calls and try to get this train back on the tracks.
SAM: Yes sir.
SAM stands up and exits the office.
SCENE THIRTEEN – EXT. SEBASTIAN’S OFFICE
SAM steps into the hallway and pulls out his phone to call Lola.
SCENE FOURTEEN – INT. SAPPHIRE ENTERTAINMENT – ANIMATION STUDIOS HALLWAY
LOLA and SUKI exit one of the studios.
LOLA calls back to the studio.
LOLA: Thanks again!
SUKI: Okay, I don’t know how you managed to talk not one but two of the most notoriously tough managers I’ve ever met off of the ledge.
LOLA: What can I say? I’ve had a ton of practice.
LOLA checks her phone.
LOLA: Well the good thing is that it seems like everyone at L&O is too distracted on their first full day back in the office to notice my absence.
LOLA’s phone rings.
SUKI: Spoke too soon.
LOLA: It’s all good. I’ll see you tomorrow.
SUKI: See ya.
SCENE FIFTEEN – EXT. SAPPHIRE ENTERTAINMENT – MAIN ENTRANCE
LOLA walks outside to wait for her car. Her phone rings again and she takes the call.
LOLA: Hey Sam. What’s up?
SAM: Well I just had a delightful conversation with Sebastian.
LOLA: Wait, he’s back?
SAM: Yes he is, to express his discontent for how you and I have been leading this team.
LOLA: And how did that go?
SAM: About as well as it can go when he’s only speaking to half of the team. Where are you?
LOLA: I just got held up. I’ll be there soon.
SAM: Okay.
LOLA hangs up the phone and gets in her car.
SCENE SIXTEEN – INT. LOLA’S CAR
LOLA is getting ready to start the car when DOMINIC hastily knocks on the driver’s side window, startling her.
LOLA: Oh gosh!
LOLA takes a deep breath when she sees that it’s him and rolls down her window.
DOMINIC: Good, I’m glad I caught you.
LOLA: Look D, I don’t mean to be rude, but I have got to get to Rose. I’m very late.
DOMINIC: Of course, but would you be able to give me a ride there?
LOLA: To Rose?
DOMINIC: Actually, yes. I have to pick up a few samples that Liv wants me to look at. She’s styling me for my first music video.
LOLA: That’s great. Get in.
DOMINIC goes around to the passenger side and gets in.
LOLA smiles at him once he gets in and buckles his seat belt. She starts the car and switches gears.
SCENE SEVENTEEN – INT. L&O HEADQUARTERS – SKYLAR’S PODCAST STUDIO
SKYLAR is sitting at the table working on her outline for her podcast with Devyn.
BRIANNA knocks on the open door before she walks in holding some papers.
BRIANNA: Hey Sky.
SKYLAR looks up and smiles at her.
SKYLAR: Oh hey.
BRIANNA: Sorry to interrupt.
SKYLAR: Oh, you’re not. I was just finishing my draft of the outline for Devyn’s podcast episode.
BRIANNA: Well that’s great because I just finished the draft of my interview synopsis and questions for the rest of the Wildwave girls.
BRIANNA hands the papers to Skylar for her to look at.
SKYLAR scans them.
SKYLAR: Wow. This looks great. Gosh, it’s so nice to feel some sense of normalcy around here. I can’t lie. I’ve missed it.
BRIANNA: Same.
SKYLAR: If you want, I can look over your draft if you look over mine.
BRIANNA: That’d be great.
SKYLAR hands BRIANNA her draft.
BRIANNA: I’ll try to get this back to you by the end of the day.
SKYLAR: Perfect.
BRIANNA exits the office.
SCENE EIGHTEEN – INT. L&O HEADQUARTERS – MAIN RECEPTION AREA
SAM is pacing back and forth waiting for Lola’s arrival. When he hears the elevator ding, he turns to face that direction.
The elevator doors open and LOLA and DOMINIC both step off laughing.
SAM furrows his eyebrows and approaches them.
SAM: So, you got held up this morning, huh?
LOLA: Uh, good morning to you too.
SAM: I don’t know if I’d say that.
SAM turns towards DOMINIC.
SAM: And what brings you here, Dominic?
LOLA picks up on Sam’s attitude immediately.
DOMINIC: I’m just here to pick up some samples from—
LIV approaches them carrying the samples.
DOMINIC: Liv.
LIV: Hi Dom.
DOMINIC: So these are it?
LIV: Yes.
LIV hands the samples to DOMINIC.
LIV: If you could pick three pieces that you like for your video by tomorrow, that would be wonderful.
DOMINIC: Sweet. Thanks.
SAM: Don’t you have people at Sapphire to do this for you?
DOMINIC: Of course, but I like Liv’s styling better.
LIV smiles.
LIV: Aw, thank you.
DOMINIC: Absolutely.
SAM: Well as much as we would love to stand here and give each other compliments, some of us have work to do.
LOLA’s eyes narrow in SAM’s direction.
DOMINIC: Of course. I will let you get to it. Thanks again for the ride, Lo.
LOLA: Sure thing.
DOMINIC gently places his hand on Lola’s shoulder before he heads towards the elevator.
LIV notices LOLA giving SAM an intense stare.
LIV: Well, I should get back to the shoot.
LIV heads off, leaving SAM and LOLA there.
LOLA: Okay, that was a little rude.
SAM: I’m sorry, but not all of us have the day off to do whatever we want and clearly he needed that reminder since he was the reason you were late for work.
LOLA: Well I’m here now so you can relax and tell me about what happened with Sebastian this morning.
SCENE NINETEEN – INT. L&O HEADQUARTERS – SAM’S OFFICE
SAM and LOLA enter the office.
SAM: To sum it up for you, he’s very displeased that our engagement numbers are low.
LOLA: Okay. That’s just the nature of social media content. You have your slow days every once in a while.
SAM: Yeah, but it’s been a month.
LOLA: Well it’s not that surprising. We’ve been working on the show.
SAM: That doesn’t matter. His point was that just because we’re working with Sapphire, doesn’t mean that our jobs at Rose should take a back seat.
LOLA: And I see his point which is why I’ve been working on something that I think might just be able to help.
SAM: And what is that?
SCENE TWENTY – INT. L&O HEADQUARTERS – CONFERENCE ROOM
LIV, SKYLAR, BRIANNA, SAM, and JAXON are sitting at the table.
LOLA is standing at the front near the TV that’s displaying Keeley’s show’s logo.
LIV: You got a spot on Keeley Morgan’s new show?
LOLA: Of course. Working for Sapphire does have its perks.
SKYLAR: Impressive that you did that just as one of their docuseries stars.
LOLA quickly realizes that she slipped up and tries to cover it up.
LOLA: Right.
SAM: I agree that getting on Keeley’s show is a big deal for L&O, but it’s a gossip show. Are we really sure that that’s the best thing to do?
LOLA: It’ll be fine.
SAM: Whatever you say.
LOLA: The main goal of the interview is to drum up interest in our docuseries and hopefully get our reader engagement back up on the site. That being said, we’ll need some content up on the site immediately.
JAXON: Well, I should have the new shoot up by the end of the week.
LOLA: Great.
SKYLAR: Bri and I are getting ready to finalize the plans for Devyn’s podcast episode and the Wildwave interview, so we can start promoting that soon.
LOLA: Love it. Well I will let you all get back to it. Thanks everybody.
LOLA’s phone dings as LIV, SKYLAR, BRIANNA, SAM, and JAXON exit the room.
LOLA takes it out of her pocket to look at it and sees that it is a text from Maya.
MAYA’S TEXT: About to board!
LOLA texts back.
LOLA’S TEXT: Have a safe flight! Love you! 😘
SCENE TWENTY ONE – INT. SAPPHIRE ENTERTAINMENT – SOFIA’S OFFICE
SOFIA and AUSTIN are talking.
SOFIA: So word on the street is that your uncle is back in town.
AUSTIN: Yeah, he is. How did you know that?
SOFIA: That’s the kind of information a woman like me likes to know. Have you seen him?
AUSTIN: No and I’m honestly dreading it. I’ve been trying to avoid him.
SOFIA: Look, we all knew that you and his little protégés working here would cause problems for him. It’s not personal. It’s just business.
AUSTIN: I know, but at the end of the day, he’s still my family.
SOFIA: Let me give you some tough advice, Austin. If you want to make it big in this world, you’ve eventually going to have to separate yourself from your family, especially when it comes to the entertainment business.
AUSTIN sighs.
SOFIA: You know what, why don’t you let me take over the docuseries for a few days while you take some time to figure things out with your uncle?
AUSTIN: Really?
SOFIA: Absolutely.
AUSTIN: I would, but this week’s filming is a big deal with Lola going on Keeley Morgan’s show.
SOFIA: Trust me, I’ve got that covered. Don’t worry about it. You’ve been working very hard. You deserve the time off.
AUSTIN: Well thanks.
SOFIA: Of course.
AUSTIN exits Sofia’s office and completely misses Sofia’s mischievous smirk.
SOFIA presses a button on her desk phone.
SOFIA: Julian, can you have Suki come to my office as soon as she can?
SOFIA releases the button to hear his response.
JULIAN: Yes ma’am.
SOFIA presses the button to respond.
SOFIA: Thank you.
SOFIA takes her hand off of the button and opens up her notebook to reveal some notes that she has taken on the show and essentially how to use the L&Os for plot lines. She slowly flips through each page to review the notes.
Shortly after, SUKI enters the office, standing near the doorway.
SUKI: You wanted to see me?
SOFIA greets her with a bright smile.
SOFIA: Yes. Close the door behind you before you sit.
SOFIA makes her way to the couch and sits.
SUKI: Okay…
SUKI gently closes the door before joining SOFIA on the couch, appearing to be a little apprehensive.
SOFIA: I can’t help but notice that you seem a little antsy.
SUKI: Well, it seems like every time I come in here, it’s never because of good news, whether you have a smile on your face or not.
SOFIA: Well my dear, today is a new day because I am recruiting you to help me with a little assignment.
SUKI: Really?
SOFIA: Oh, don’t act so surprised. You have been working for Sapphire diligently for a few years now. You’ve earned it.
SUKI: True. So what’s the assignment?
SOFIA: I’m glad you asked. I think that you know just as well as I do that the L&O docuseries has taken an interesting turn in the past few weeks.
SUKI: I’ve noticed that, yes.
SOFIA: I’m glad because Austin is taking some much needed time to sort out some issues with his uncle, leaving us without a documentarian.
SUKI: And that doesn’t bother you?
SOFIA: Nope, because I’m running this show now.
SOFIA smirks mischievously.
SCENE TWENTY TWO – INT. L&O HEADQUARTERS – FASHION CLOSET
LIV and JAXON are in the closet making out.
JAXON breaks away from the kiss.
JAXON: What time do you have to be at your next meeting?
LIV: Not for another hour.
JAXON: Perfect.
The two continue to kiss.
JAYLIN can be heard off-camera. He clears his throat to get their attention.
LIV and JAXON quickly turn and face him, flustered.
JAYLIN: Sorry to interrupt.
JAXON scoffs and mumbles under his breath.
JAXON: I bet you are.
LIV: What are you doing here? I thought your fitting was scheduled for 4:00.
JAYLIN: It was, but I just got a script for an audition and I only have three days to prepare for it, so I was hoping that we could reschedule for another time this week.
LIV: I don’t know if I can. My schedule is pretty booked up. But if you’d like, you can practice your lines during the fitting. I won’t mind.
JAYLIN: That would be great. Thanks. Well I’ll let you two get back to work.
After JAYLIN exits, JAXON starts to wipe Liv’s lipstick off of his lips.
LIV: You know, we should really get back to work.
JAXON: Yeah we should.
JAXON kisses her one more time.
SCENE TWENTY THREE – INT. ROOFTOP RESTAURANT
SKYLAR and SOFIA are sitting at a table, surrounded by other customers at their tables.
SOFIA: Thank you for meeting me on such short notice, Skylar.
SKYLAR: Of course. I’m surprised you had time in your day to meet with me.
SOFIA: For one of my current top clients, of course. Now that I’m taking over the docuseries in Austin’s absence, I felt that it was wise to meet with all of you to check in and see how you were doing.
SKYLAR: Well if I’m being honest, we’re just trying to get back on track with our work at Rose. The doc has certainly been…something, but we were publication employees first.
SOFIA: I understand. Which is why I also wanted to check in to see how the writing assignment was going for the hosting job.
SKYLAR: Oh.
SKYLAR reaches down into her work bag and pulls out a stack of papers, leaving Brianna’s draft on top. She reaches down to continue looking for her notes.
SKYLAR: My notes are in here somewhere.
SOFIA glances at the draft.
SOFIA: Is this it?
SOFIA grabs the draft.
SKYLAR sits back up.
SOFIA is intrigued.
SOFIA: You’re doing an article featuring the girls of Wildwave and the reason behind their disbanding?
SKYLAR: Oh that’s not—
SOFIA continues to read it.
SOFIA: This is genius.
SKYLAR: Yes it is.
SOFIA: We’d be the first to break this story that everyone wants to know. It’s going to be very hard to top this one. Great work, Skylar.
SKYLAR: Oh actually, it’s not—
SOFIA: If you use this as your next big podcast episode, I can pretty much guarantee that hosting spot will be yours.
SKYLAR: Really?
SOFIA: Absolutely.
SKYLAR: Well I’m sure it would be if that story was mine, but it’s not. It’s Bri’s. I’m just proofreading her draft and she’s proofreading mine. Our stories are kind of connected since I’m interviewing Devyn Santini.
SOFIA: Oh. Well that is wonderful.
SOFIA’s phone rings on the table.
SOFIA: If you would excuse me, I have to take this.
SKYLAR: Of course.
SOFIA grabs her phone and stands up from the table, heading to the front of the restaurant to take the call.
SOFIA: Sofia Moorland.
SUKI: Hey Sofia, it’s Suki.
SOFIA: Oh hi. How is everything going with our love triangle trio?
SUKI: Okay, I guess. Everything’s set. I’ll let you know when I get the footage.
SOFIA: Excellent. Look, I’m glad you called. I think I may have finally cracked the code on our two L&O besties.
SCENE TWENTY FOUR – INT. ROSE PUBLICATIONS – L&O HEADQUARTERS – FASHION CLOSET
LIV is pacing back and forth going over the script.
JAYLIN enters holding his script.
JAYLIN: Hey.
LIV turns and faces him.
LIV: Hey.
JAYLIN: You ready to do this?
LIV: Yep.
JAYLIN sets the script down to take off his jacket.
LIV: I’ve never done a wardrobe fitting while running lines with someone before so this should be interesting. But no worries. I’m pretty much off-book now.
JAYLIN steps up on the pedestal.
JAYLIN: Impressive.
LIV grabs the first clothing item off of the clothing rack.
LIV: Yeah, let’s just say that I dreamed of being on stage before I realized my true talent was being backstage.
JAYLIN: Little Olivia Keaton was a drama star?
LIV: I used to think fantasy was better than reality, okay?
JAYLIN: Can’t fight you on that one.
SCENE TWENTY FIVE – INT. SAPPHIRE ENTERTAINMENT – OUTSIDE OF KEELEY’S LIVE ROOM
LOLA is going over her note cards.
KEELEY walks out of the room.
KEELEY: Lola.
LOLA: Keeley, hi.
LOLA and KEELEY hug.
LOLA: How are you?
KEELEY: Great. Excited to have you on my show.
LOLA: Excited to be here.
KEELEY: Come on in.
KEELEY enters the room.
LOLA follows her.
SCENE TWENTY SIX – INT. SAPPHIRE ENTERTAINMENT – KEELEY’S LIVE ROOM
KEELEY and LOLA sit at the table.
KEELEY: Do you have any questions before we get started?
LOLA: Just one. This isn’t live, right?
KEELEY: Of course not. I like to do all of my interviews pre-recorded to allow for any editing that’s needed.
LOLA: Perfect.
KEELEY: So let’s get started.
LOLA: Okay.
KEELEY and LOLA put on their headphones.
KEELEY’S STUDIO ENGINEER turns on all of the mics.
The “recording” sign lights up on the wall.
KEELEY: And we’re back. Today, I’m being joined in the studio by none other than Lola Montgomery, editor-in-chief of L&O Magazine.
LOLA: Thanks for having me.
KEELEY: Of course. We’ll just jump right into it. There’s been quite a lot happening at Rose for all of you guys at L&O lately.
LOLA: That’s very true.
KEELEY: I mean if we’re touching on romance alone, there’s some very interesting dynamics there. Between the rumored love triangle regarding Liv, Jaxon, and Jaylin and the possible rekindling romance between Sam and Raya, it’s amazing that you guys get anything done.
LOLA: You can say that again.
KEELEY: And then you’ve got Skylar and Brianna who are competing against each other for a new job?
LOLA: That is true and I’m here to clear up any rumors that may be circulating about all of those things. I just want to tell the truth.
KEELEY: Well I am glad that you said that because before we get into any of that, I want to talk about you.
LOLA: Me?
KEELEY: Yes. You’ve been known as the fearless leader of L&O, formerly L Magazine for years, which was why I was admittedly a little shocked when I spoke with one of your current employers, Sofia Moorland.
LOLA raises her eyebrows.
SCENE TWENTY SEVEN – INT. SAPPHIRE ENTERTAINMENT – SOFIA’S OFFICE
SOFIA is sitting at her desk stirring her tea.
BRIANNA knocks on the door.
SOFIA: Come in.
BRIANNA opens the door and enters.
BRIANNA: Hi.
SOFIA: Ah, Brianna. Please come in and have a seat.
BRIANNA closes the door behind her and sits in one of the chairs facing the desk.
SOFIA: I won’t take up too much of your time. I just wanted to check on your progress for your article.
BRIANNA: It’s actually coming along rather nicely. I just have to complete my interviews.
SOFIA: That’s great. I love that you and Sky are both working really hard on it. I mean doing a story on the Wildwave girls and their musical integrity? It’s truly inspiring. I don’t know how Skylar came up with it.
BRIANNA raises her eyebrows.
BRIANNA: Well you know inspiration can come from anywhere.
SOFIA: I do.
BRIANNA clears her throat.
BRIANNA: If you’ll excuse me, I need to get back to work.
SOFIA: Of course.
BRIANNA stands up and exits the office, no longer hiding her pissed expression once she’s no longer in eyesight of SOFIA.
SOFIA sips her tea.
SCENE TWENTY EIGHT – INT. SAPPHIRE ENTERTAINMENT – KEELEY’S LIVE ROOM
KEELEY and LOLA are sitting at the table continuing the interview.
LOLA: You spoke to Sofia Moorland about me?
KEELEY: I did. Is it true that you’ve been working for Sapphire Entertainment for the past few months behind your team’s back?
LOLA is caught off guard.
LOLA: Uh, I—
LOLA takes a deep breath.
LOLA: Yes. But I had my reasons and no disrespect, but I don’t really feel that I owe anyone an explanation.
KEELEY: Fair enough..
LOLA: But I will tell you that my time working there will soon be coming to an end completely. My heart is with Rose.
SCENE TWENTY NINE – INT. ROSE PUBLICATIONS – L&O HEADQUARTERS – FASHION CLOSET
JAYLIN is now fully dressed in a completely different outfit on the pedestal.
LIV is hemming his pants.
JAYLIN is in character.
JAYLIN: There comes a time where we have to be honest with ourselves and others. You can’t tell me that you don’t feel the way that I do.
LIV: I want to believe that, but I have spent my entire life doing whatever I had to do to protect my heart from whoever and whatever could hurt it. I’ve never had to give it to someone else.
JAYLIN: You can give it to me.
JAYLIN breaks character.
JAYLIN: I’m sorry. This isn’t working for me.
LIV looks up at him.
LIV: Well I don’t think that’s in the script.
JAYLIN: It’s not. I think that in order for me to show real emotions, I need to be looking at my scene partner, not the top of her head.
LIV: Good point. I guess we can take a little break.
JAYLIN: Great.
LIV stands up as JAYLIN steps off of the pedestal.
The two position themselves to be face to face for the scene.
The camera closes in on the spot where the camera is hidden in the closet.
SCENE THIRTY – INT. SAPPHIRE ENTERTAINMENT – WOMEN’S RESTROOM
LOLA enters the bathroom completely disheveled after her interview and goes into a stall. She leans and leans up against the wall, taking several deep breaths. She buries her face in her hands.
SCENE THIRTY ONE – INT. SAPPHIRE ENTERTAINMENT – RECORDING STUDIOS – HALLWAY
LOLA exits the bathroom and runs into KEELEY.
KEELEY:Lola, hey. I’m so glad I caught you. I wanted to apologize.
LOLA: For what?
KEELEY: For the little surprise in there. It really was not my place to expose your private business like that, but I’m in a really tough spot here. Sofia said that if I didn’t do it, she would cancel my show.
LOLA sighs.
KEELEY: And honestly, I’m willing to walk away from it if it means keeping some of my integrity, so if you want, I will have one of my guys edit the footage and remove it.
LOLA: You don’t need to do that.
KEELEY: But I want to. It’s not anyone’s business.
LOLA: Yes it is. It’s my team’s and I’ve been lying to them long enough. I made it my mission to come on your show and tell the world the truth, so that’s what I’m gonna do. And if it costs me my job, my friends, or both, it’s my burden to bear. You shouldn’t lose your show because of me.
KEELEY: Are you sure?
LOLA: Yes. But I do appreciate you coming to me. It’s nice to see that Sapphire hasn’t changed everybody.
KEELEY grins.
SCENE THIRTY TWO – INT. ROSE PUBLICATIONS – L&O HEADQUARTERS – FASHION CLOSET
LIV and JAYLIN are facing each other.
JAYLIN: There comes a time where we have to be honest with ourselves and others. You can’t tell me that you don’t feel the way that I do.
LIV: I want to believe that, but I have spent my entire life doing whatever I had to do to protect my heart from whoever and whatever could hurt it. I’ve never had to give it to someone else.
JAYLIN places his hand on Liv’s shoulder.
JAYLIN: You can give it to me.
LIV: I don’t know.
JAYLIN’s smile fades.
LIV: It would be so much easier if I walked away and you just forgot about me.
LIV walks around him and stops when she reaches the door.
JAYLIN turns and faces her.
JAYLIN: I could never forget about you.
LIV looks back at him.
LIV: Goodbye, Elliott.
LIV turns and faces the door again. Believing that the scene is over, she begins to turn to face him.
JAYLIN: Wait.
LIV is no longer in character.
LIV: What are you do—
JAYLIN approaches her quickly and kisses her.
LIV jumps back.
LIV: Whoa. What was that?
JAYLIN looks confused.
JAYLIN: What do you mean? It was—
LIV: Your mistake. What part of “We’re just friends and nothing more” did you not get?
JAYLIN: I did. I was just—
LIV: Doing it to spite Jaxon. I know. But whether you like it or not, he is my boyfriend. So get over it. You need to leave now. And if you so much as get a speck of dirt on those clothes, you will regret it.
JAYLIN is speechless.
LIV: Get out! Now!
JAYLIN quickly grabs his shoes and his other set of clothes and exits the closet.
LIV crosses her arms and scoffs in disgust.
SCENE THIRTY THREE – LATE EVENING – INT. SKYLAR AND BRIANNA’S APARTMENT – SKYLAR’S BEDROOM
SKYLAR is sitting at her desk editing her newest podcast with her headphones on.
BRIANNA enters the room and taps her on the shoulder.
SKYLAR jumps and turns around.
SKYLAR: Oh, hey. You scared me. What’s up?
BRIANNA: We need to talk.
SKYLAR: Can it wait? I’m sort of in the middle of editing my newest podcast.
BRIANNA: And now you’re sort of taking a break.
SKYLAR gives her a weird look.
SKYLAR: Okay…What’s going on?
BRIANNA: I had a little meeting with Sofia today and she told me all about your new article.
SKYLAR: So what’s the problem?
BRIANNA: The problem is that once again, I’ve gotten screwed over because of this damn article. Did you seriously think you could take the credit and I wouldn’t care?
SKYLAR: Bri, I did not take credit for your story and I’m a little offended that you think I did.
BRIANNA: It’s not that far of a stretch. You had no problem doing it with Devyn.
SKYLAR: That was different.
BRIANNA: How?
SKYLAR fails to come up with a response.
BRIANNA: I knew that you wanted that hosting job just as badly as I did, but I didn’t think you’d resort to this.
SKYLAR: Bri, listen to me. Sofia did this. She’s trying to come between us and I guess it worked since you were able to turn on me so quickly. Shows how little you think of me.
BRIANNA takes a deep breath.
BRIANNA: This is just too much for me.
SKYLAR: What’s that supposed to mean?
BRIANNA: That ever since we started working on this show, I don’t know what is true and what’s a lie anymore.
SKYLAR: What do you want me to do? Call Sofia and yell at her for messing with your head?
BRIANNA: No. I don’t need you to fight my battles for me. If Sofia wants the whole world to believe that it’s your story, let her. At the end of the day, I am a journalist and I always will be. I have a hundred different stories that I could tell. So if you want this one so badly, take it. I’ll come up with another one.
SKYLAR: There’s no way you’re going to be able to come up with another one that fast. The deadline is in three days.
BRIANNA: Don’t worry about me, Sky. I’ll figure it out on my own.
SKYLAR: This is insane. We’re a team and I want to help you, so why won’t you just let me?
BRIANNA: Because I think I need to be on my own team for a while. Believe me, I can be completely successful without you. And I’ll prove it when Sofia offers me that hosting job and not you.
SKYLAR: We’ll see about that.
BRIANNA: Good luck with your story, Skylar.
BRIANNA exits the room, leaving SKYLAR dismayed.
SCENE THIRTY THREE – MORNING – INT. SAM AND JAXON’S APARTMENT
JAXON is putting on his shoes when he hears a knock on the door. He finishes putting on his shoe before he goes to answer it. He looks in the peephole and opens the door.
RAYA is standing there with her iPad.
JAXON: Raya. What are you doing here? I’m not due on set today.
RAYA: I know. I just need to talk to you.
JAXON: Okay. Come in.
RAYA walks in.
JAXON closes the door.
JAXON: What is this about?
RAYA: Well I had debated on whether or not I should discuss this with you, but it didn’t feel right not to.
JAXON: What?
RAYA: Well since Austin’s been out, I’ve been tasked with overseeing any new footage that’s being shot and I came across some from the fashion closet.
JAXON: Look, if this is about the make out sessions, I apologize. That was my idea.
RAYA: No. It’s not that.
RAYA pulls up the footage of Liv and Jaylin’s rehearsal from the day before on her iPad and hands it to him.
JAXON: What is this? Liv and Jaylin’s fitting? I knew about this. She just was helping him run lines.
RAYA: Keep watching.
JAXON focuses back on the screen. He has a physical reaction to the kiss.
RAYA: Jax, I—
JAXON’s nostrils flare.
JAXON: Can you send this to me please?
RAYA: Sure.
JAXON grabs his backpack and walks out the door, slamming it behind him.
SCENE THIRTY FOUR – INT. PEYTON’S
LIV and SKYLAR are getting coffee together. They are waiting for their drinks.
LIV: Thanks for meeting me, Sky. I know your schedule is pretty busy lately.
SKYLAR: Oh please. It’s not a problem. I could use the break. Besides, I’m not going into the office until later anyways when Bri leaves.
LIV: I can’t believe that you and Bri are letting that dumb article get to you.
SKYLAR: Believe me, this was the last thing I wanted too, but it’s just better this way. I think if I push her too hard, I’m gonna lose her completely.
JAYLIN enters the shop and walks up to them.
JAYLIN: Hey Liv.
LIV and SKYLAR turn to face him.
SKYLAR crosses her arms.
LIV: Jaylin.
JAYLIN: Can I talk to you please? Alone.
SKYLAR: Not if I can help it. Liv doesn’t need to be involved in any more pop culture news stories because of you.
JAYLIN: Just for a minute. Please.
SKYLAR turns to Liv.
LIV: It’s okay.
SKYLAR gives JAYLIN a serious glare before she walks away to give them some privacy.
LIV: What do you want?
JAYLIN: I need to explain.
LIV: Look, I don’t need to hear any more details regarding your messed up plan to break me and Jax up. I’m not into you like that and I thought that was clear.
JAYLIN: I know, but honestly, I was just following the—
JAXON enters.
JAXON: Okay, now you have officially gone too far, Thompson.
JAYLIN: How did you even know I was here?
JAXON: One of the perks of your insane fan base.
JAYLIN: What is going on?
JAXON: Don’t play dumb with me. Did you seriously think I wouldn’t find out?
JAYLIN: About what?
JAXON: This!
JAXON’s raised voice catches SKYLAR’s attention.
JAXON shows JAYLIN his phone. LIV sees as well.
JAXON: You’re really sick.
JAYLIN: That is not what you think it is.
JAXON: Really? Cause it looks a lot like a kiss to me.
JAYLIN: Jaxon, it was scripted. I promise. I wouldn’t do something like that in real life.
JAXON: Save it. You’re not that good of an actor.
LIV: Jax, I promise you that it meant nothing.
JAXON: Of course it didn’t. To you. As for Pretty Boy, I don’t think I can say the same. Did he neglect to tell you that he’s been trying to sabotage our relationship this entire time? Why do you think he decided to stay on the project with all smiles after everything that happened?
LIV looks at JAYLIN.
LIV: Is that true?
JAYLIN: Okay, yes it was a little true. But I was just playing around. I swear that I didn’t plan or record that kiss.
SKYLAR slowly approaches them.
JAXON: Save your lies for someone who has time to hear them. You’ve done enough damage to both of our lives. If you knew what was good for you, you would back off.
JAXON turns back to face LIV, but JAYLIN continues.
JAYLIN: But I didn’t do it—
When JAYLIN gets a little too close to JAXON, it causes him to retaliate.
JAXON: I said to back off!
JAXON pushes JAYLIN back with a force that sends him directly into the table behind them.
The crowd around them reacts. A few of them have their phones out recording the incident.
JAXON, somewhat embarrassed by what he did, turns red.
SCENE THIRTY FIVE – INT. ROSE PUBLICATIONS – SEBASTIAN’S OFFICE
LIV, JAXON, and JAYLIN are sitting.
JAYLIN is holding an ice pack to his arm.
SEBASTIAN is pacing back and forth.
SEBASTIAN: You know, you three are really reminding me of why I wanted to implement a no-dating policy at Rose in the first place. What is the problem here?
JAXON gestures to JAYLIN.
JAXON: He is!
JAYLIN: Are you kidding me? I’m not the one who just pushed someone into a table!
JAXON: No, but you’ve done enough.
LIV: Jax is right. This wouldn’t be the first time you had an idea that involved me and a hidden camera.
JAYLIN: I told you. I did not have anything to do with this. But I guess that doesn’t matter much because none of you will believe me.
SEBASTIAN: Okay, I think I’ve heard enough. There is really only one blatantly obvious question here. If you didn’t do this, Jaylin, then who did?
JAYLIN: I don’t know. A crazed fan?
JAXON: That wouldn’t be surprising. Maybe you should get your fans in check.
JAYLIN: Maybe you should worry about yourself.
LIV: Maybe both of you can put your differences aside for like two seconds so we can figure this out.
SEBASTIAN: Exactly. I think the best thing we can do is see who planted that camera. I will go talk to security and see if I can have a look at the footage.
JAXON: Thank you.
SEBASTIAN exits the room.
JAXON: Even if we find out who’s behind the hidden camera, how does that explain the kiss?
JAYLIN: It was in the script.
LIV: Not mine.
JAYLIN: Well that explains it.
LIV: So you mean to tell me someone altered the scripts to get a genuine reaction out of me?
JAYLIN: Sounds like it.
JAXON: But who would do that?
JAYLIN: My money’s on Suki. She is the one who delivered them.
LIV: There’s no way she would do that.
JAXON: Are you sure? She’s been at Sapphire for a long time. Maybe she saw this opportunity as her ticket to the top.
LIV: You think she did this to impress Sofia?
JAXON: She could’ve. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if Sofia put her up to it.
JAYLIN: Then we go talk to her and find out the truth.
JAXON: You mean get her to admit it?
LIV: Yeah, she wouldn’t do that.
JAYLIN: She might.
JAXON: Okay, I’m confused. Weren’t you the one who was all for Austin and Sofia’s plan to do whatever it took to get views in the first place?
JAYLIN: Yes and now I’m starting to regret it. This entire project is completely out of control and quite frankly, if Sofia did this to us, there’s no telling what she’ll do to everyone else. I think it’s time for her reign of terror to come to an end.
SCENE THIRTY SIX – INT. SAPPHIRE ENTERTAINMENT- STAGE A
SAM is walking.
SOFIA bumps into him.
SOFIA: Hello Sam.
SAM: Sofia.
SOFIA: I wasn’t expecting you to be here today.
SAM: Yeah. I forgot my laptop charger in my dressing room, so I went to get it.
SOFIA: Oh okay. Well I’m glad I ran into you. The next time you see Lola, can you give this to her? She left this here this morning.
SOFIA hands SAM Lola’s planner.
SAM: This morning? We weren’t supposed to be here this morning.
SOFIA: Well she was.
SAM is baffled.
SOFIA: Oh that’s right you don’t know. Well I’m not really a fan of keeping secrets, so you might as well know. Lola works here.
SAM: I know that. We all do at the moment.
SOFIA: No, Sam. She’s a Sapphire employee, currently overseeing some transitions in various departments here at Sapphire, most recently our music one.
SAM: What? You’re lying.
SOFIA: I’m really not.
SOFIA pulls up the pre-recorded radio footage of Keeley and Lola’s interview on her phone.
KEELEY: [Recorded] …Is it true that you’ve been working for Sapphire Entertainment for the past few months behind your team’s back?
LOLA: [Recorded] Uh, I—Yes. But I had my reasons and no disrespect, but I don’t really feel that I owe anyone an explanation.
KEELEY: [Recorded] Fair enough.
SOFIA turns off the recording.
SAM: I have so many questions that I don’t even know where to start. Why would Lola willingly work for you? And why would she do it behind our backs? But what I really want to know is why you chose to share this now.
SOFIA: Because you deserve to know the truth. And there’s no guarantee that this would actually make it into the interview since Lola will probably request to have it edited out. I mean she’s been keeping the secret from you for this long. She wouldn’t willingly come clean now just to damage your relationship more than it already has been.
SAM: And I have you to thank you for that. Bringing Raya onto the project just to stir up trouble for her in the first place.
SOFIA: If she were truly the professional that she claims that she is, she wouldn’t let that deter her from doing her job.
SAM: Okay, I’m not gonna stand here and argue with you on that topic because I am professional, but don’t you dare say that Lola isn’t. She’s one of the most professional people I’ve ever met.
SOFIA: Whatever you have to tell yourself to sleep at night.
SAM’s eyebrows are knit together.
SOFIA: Look, I hate to cut this little conversation short, but I have some business to take care of. If you’d like to have a word with Lola, I believe she’s still here, probably with Dominic in one of the rehearsal studios.
SAM walks away from her without another word.
SCENE THIRTY SEVEN – INT. ROSE PUBLICATIONS – THE CAFÈ
AUSTIN and SEBASTIAN are sitting at the table.
AUSTIN: I cannot believe Sofia did all of that. Actually I can believe it. This is exactly what she wanted and for a while, I did too.
SEBASTIAN: I knew something like this was going to happen. A leopard can’t change its spots.
AUSTIN: I should’ve listened to you. This was a huge mistake.
SEBASTIAN: Clearly. Look, I am doing everything that I can to get this production shut down, but ultimately, Sofia’s the only one who can pull the plug with all of the money she’s put into it.
AUSTIN: I feel like I’m the one who should fix this. I got them into this mess in the first place and I essentially fueled Sofia’s fire with my ideas.
SEBASTIAN: Whatever you have to do.
SCENE THIRTY EIGHT – INT. SAPPHIRE ENTERTAINMENT – REHEARSAL STUDIO 1
DOMINIC is practicing his dance moves.
LOLA is sitting on the floor watching.
DOMINIC: I think you did the right thing.
LOLA: Then why doesn’t it feel like it?
DOMINIC: Because you feel guilty.
LOLA: I am guilty.
DOMINIC: But you’re coming clean now. That’s better than never.
LOLA: I guess.
DOMINIC: Now what I will not let you do is go back to being the Grumpy Cat. I worked way too hard for you to throw all of that away.
LOLA: Did you now?
DOMINIC: Yes.
DOMINIC turns to face her.
DOMINIC: So, be brutally honest. What do you think?
LOLA: You’ve definitely improved.
DOMINIC: Really?
LOLA: Yeah and it’s a good thing that you did because one of my biggest goals before I’m done here is to turn you into a triple threat.
DOMINIC: And what’s the third thing? I don’t act.
LOLA: I don’t know. Do you have any special talents?
DOMINIC: I can juggle.
LOLA: You cannot.
DOMINIC: Oh yeah? Watch me.
DOMINIC takes Lola’s phone, his empty water bottle, and his apple.
LOLA: Wait a second. You can’t—
DOMINIC’s face turns smug and begins to juggle the three items flawlessly.
LOLA: Wow. You can actually do it. That’s good.
SCENE THIRTY NINE – INT. SAPPHIRE ENTERTAINMENT – REHEARSAL STUDIOS – HALLWAY
SAM is walking down the hall.
LOLA and DOMINIC’s voices can be heard since they’re the only ones using a studio.
LOLA: Okay, you’ve had your fun now give it back.
DOMINIC: I can go faster.
LOLA: Please don’t.
SAM stands in the doorway.
SCENE FORTY – INT. SAPPHIRE ENTERTAINMENT – REHEARSAL STUDIO 1
LOLA is trying to grab her phone while DOMINIC is juggling.
LOLA: Dom, I’m serious. Give it back!
LOLA’s attempts to grab her phone, causing DOMINIC to screw up and drop the water bottle and the apple.
LOLA and DOMINIC laugh.
DOMINIC: Okay, I think that’s enough of that.
LOLA: Yeah.
LOLA notices SAM.
LOLA: Oh, Sam. Hi.
DOMINIC turns to face him.
SAM: Sorry, I don’t mean to interrupt.
LOLA: It’s cool. What’s up?
SAM: Can I talk to you for a minute please?
LOLA: Sure.
LOLA steps out into the hallway with SAM.
SCENE FORTY ONE – INT. SAPPHIRE ENTERTAINMENT – REHEARSAL STUDIOS – HALLWAY
LOLA: Is everything okay?
SAM: Well that depends. I just heard a snippet of your interview with Keeley Morgan.
LOLA mumbles under her breath.
LOLA: Oh God.
SAM: Please tell me that Sofia was just screwing with me and you haven’t been working here in secret this whole time.
LOLA avoids eye contact with him.
SAM takes her silence as his answer.
SAM: So it’s true.
LOLA: I was going to tell you. I just didn’t know how.
SAM: It seemed pretty easy to me. I guess that explains why you’ve been distracted at work lately.
LOLA sighs.
SAM: Look, I get taking another job if you felt that you needed to, but what I don’t get is why you felt like you had to do it secretly.
LOLA: Because if I told you, I would have to tell you why and trust me, it had nothing to do with making extra money.
SAM: And you still can’t tell me now, can you?
LOLA: No.
SAM turns and walks away.
LOLA: Sam.
SAM stops and turns.
SAM: Look, I really don’t have time for secrets and lies right now, okay? I need to get back to work.
SAM continues walking down the hall.
SCENE FORTY TWO – INT. SAPPHIRE ENTERTAINMENT – SOFIA’S OFFICE
SOFIA is sitting at her desk.
LOLA is standing across from her with her arms crossed.
LOLA: So do you get a thrill out of messing with people’s lives or just mine?
SOFIA: That’s just how it goes sometimes. You of all people should know that.
SOFIA stands and is slow to approach LOLA.
SOFIA: When I first met you Lola, I saw a lot of myself in you.
LOLA: I am nothing like you. In fact, you were the one who encouraged me to enjoy my youth and not rush to grow up when I started working for you in the first place.
SOFIA: Because you were still a kid. But you’re not a kid anymore.
LOLA: Exactly. Which is all the more reason why you need to stop messing with me and my friends’ lives. What I do with my personal life is none of your business.
SOFIA: Are you kidding me? You need to wake up and realize that you and your friends are no longer just publication employees. You are the stars of one of Sapphire’s biggest upcoming shows; a show that is now several days behind in production thanks to you and your team.
LOLA: Well that’s because you had to take evasive measures to mess with me and my friends so that you could use us for your benefit.
SOFIA: I didn’t have a choice. I’ve got company executives who are threatening to defund this project if we don’t get it together. The last thing you need is a personal life!
LOLA: I swear to God, I’d quit if I could.
SOFIA: Well, trust me, the urge to fire you is just as tempting, but I can’t do that. So here’s where we go from here. You and your friends will film this final episode as planned and let the show play out the way it’s supposed to or I’m gonna make sure that you all never work again. Are we clear?
LOLA fights the urge to respond differently.
LOLA: Crystal.
SCENE FORTY THREE – INT. L&O HEADQUARTERS – CONFERENCE ROOM
JAXON is sitting at the table on his phone. He can see that the video footage of his fight with Jaylin is already making rounds on social media. He starts to look at all the comments when LIV comes in. He attempts to shut his phone off so she doesn’t see, but fails.
LIV: So you saw?
JAXON: Kind of hard to miss when you’re tagged in it. And now the whole world thinks that I’m the bad guy here. I just wanted him to admit what he did.
LIV sits at the table with him.
LIV: I get that and I’m not mad at you for it. I know it’s tough, but we can’t engage in that stuff.
JAXON: I know. Sky already warned me not to and I promised I wouldn’t, so I won’t. She also advised that you and I both stay away from Jaylin for a while.
LIV: Believe me, I have no problem doing that.
BRIANNA enters.
BRIANNA: Hey guys.
LIV and JAXON: Hey.
SKYLAR enters behind her and the two exchange an awkward look before they both take a seat at the table.
JAXON: Nice to see the two of you in the same place at the same time.
BRIANNA: Not my choice. Does anyone know why Sam called this meeting?
LIV: I don’t know. But it sounded important.
SAM enters with his phone in his hand.
SAM: It is.
LIV, JAXON, SKYLAR, and BRIANNA all briefly glance at each other.
SAM: I’m sure you’ve all noticed that our editor-in-chief has been a little distracted lately, especially since we started working for Sapphire.
JAXON: We have.
SAM: And I finally figured out why.
SAM plays the recording.
When it concludes, Sam turns his phone off.
LIV: Okay, I just don’t get it. This entire time Lola has been working for Sofia secretly? This can’t be real.
SAM: Trust me, Liv, I had a hard time believing it myself. But it’s the truth. And it would explain her sudden absences lately.
BRIANNA: But what if we’re looking at it wrong? What if she took the job to keep an eye on Sofia to stop her from doing anything that could hurt us?
SAM: And that’s what I thought too until I dug a little deeper. She started working for Sapphire a few weeks after we got back from Montecito before we were even offered the docuseries. And according to Sofia, she had plans of eventually leaving L&O altogether.
JAXON shakes his head in disbelief.
SKYLAR: And you believe her?
SAM: To a certain extent, yes.
LIV: So what do we do now?
LOLA is standing out in the hallway behind the wall, but she is not shown on camera.
SAM: Well I think that it’s very clear that we need Lola at her best and that can’t happen if she’s working there, so I think that we should talk to Sebastian and have him—
LOLA steps into the doorway.
LOLA: Fire me?
SAM, LIV, SKYLAR, BRIANNA, and JAXON all look in her direction.
LOLA: That’s what you were gonna say, right?
LOLA steps into the room.
LOLA: Well I was coming here to tell you what happened, but it looks like your new leader has already filled you in.
LIV: Not enough. You went back to work for Sapphire? Are you serious?
LOLA: Quite.
LIV: Why?
LOLA: Because I was looking for a way out.
SKYLAR: Oh my God. Sofia was right. You were really gonna leave us.
LOLA: I was because I wanted you all to have the leader that you deserve and when we returned from Montecito, I felt like that wasn’t me. And I remembered what it felt like to work at Sapphire, so I fell back into old habits and I got a job there again. I think a part of me knew that it was messed up, so I chose to hide it. But I can’t hide anymore. You all deserve so much better than that and I apologize. I’m also sorry to interrupt your little meeting, so I’ll let you all get back to it.
LOLA begins to approach the door, stops, and turns to face SAM, LIV, SKYLAR, BRIANNA, and JAXON.
LOLA: And a little tip, the next time you all want to talk about me, you might want to close the door.
LOLA exits the conference room.
SAM: Lola.
LOLA ignores him and continues down the hall.
SAM sighs.
SCENE FORTY FOUR – INT. L&O HEADQUARTERS – LOLA’S OFFICE
LOLA is sitting at her desk, taking an aspirin with some water.
SAM stands in her doorway and knocks on the door.
SAM: Hey. We need to talk.
LOLA: I think we’ve done enough of that today, don’t you? You and I both know that these conversations between the two of us never really end well, so why don’t you just save us both the trouble and leave?
SAM: I can’t because I’m trying to understand.
SAM approaches her slowly.
SAM: You told me that you were working through things when we got back from Montecito and that’s why everything changed. And I’ve tried to be patient and wait for you to tell me on your own time, but I need to know what is going on with you. What could be so bad that you had to throw our friendship away?
LOLA: Sam, I told you. I can’t tell you.
SAM: Unbelievable. You know that you can trust me.
LOLA: I know. But honestly, I just need you to let this go. It’s not a big deal. It’s fine.
SAM: Another lie. Can you really sit here and tell me that everything’s fine?
LOLA gently closes her eyes from stress and opens them again.
SAM: Lola, our company has been falling apart every day and I’ve been doing everything that I can to keep it together. I’m trying to help you.
LOLA: I don’t need anyone’s help.
SAM: Yes you do. You’re just too stubborn to admit it.
LOLA: Well if you’re so unhappy working here, you’re more than welcome to quit.
SAM slowly shakes his head.
SAM: No. That’s not gonna work on me. I don’t scare that easily.
LOLA: Fine. But I think it’s time that we both admit that this little partnership that you and I have is no longer working.
SAM: What are you saying?
LOLA: That you and everyone else around here clearly think that I can’t handle running L&O on my own, so I’ll make it easy for you. Take the reins, Sam. It’s all yours.
LOLA exits the office before SAM can protest.
SCENE FORTY FIVE – INT. L&O HEADQUARTERS – MAIN RECEPTION AREA
BRIANNA heads towards the elevator with her work bag on her shoulder to head home. She pushes the button and waits.
The elevator door opens.
SKYLAR is getting ready to step off.
SKYLAR: Oh. Hey. Are you leaving?
BRIANNA: Yep. I’m technically not supposed to be here at this hour anymore anyways.
SKYLAR steps off.
The elevator closes.
SKYLAR: You know, I can respect you needing some space right now, but completely rearranging your work schedule so that you don’t have to be around me seems like a lot.
BRIANNA: It is. But I’ll manage. Look, I need to get going. I want to stop by the rec center before I go home.
SKYLAR: Okay.
BRIANNA pushes the button on the elevator.
The elevator opens and she steps on it.
SKYLAR starts to walk away, but looks back at her with a somber look before she makes her way to her office.
SCENE FORTY SIX – EXT. LIV’S APARTMENT – PARKING LOT
LIV gets out of her car with her work bag and locks it. She begins to make her way to the building.
8 PAPARAZZI get out of their cars that are parked nearby.
PAPARAZZI 1: Olivia, care to comment on the recent drama between you and Jaylin Thompson?
PAPARAZZI 2: What did you think about his and Jaxon’s fight at the coffee shop?
LIV tries to push her way through them.
LIV: I—
They continue to bombard her with questions that she hardly gets a word in.
SAM pulls up and sees what’s happening. He quickly gets out of his car and rushes over to them, pushing through them to reach Liv.
SAM stands in front of her.
SAM: Back off!
PAPARAZZI 3: Do you have a comment about your friend’s violent outburst?
SAM gives him a death glare.
SAM: The only thing that I have to say is this. You all need to leave now before I call the cops on you for trespassing.
THE PAPARAZZI remain where they are.
SAM: Go!
THE PAPARAZZI all head back to their cars and drive away.
SAM turns to LIV who looks pretty shaken up.
SAM: Let’s get inside.
SAM and LIV head towards the building.
SCENE FORTY SEVEN – INT. PEYTON’S
SUKI is eating her dinner while watching TV on her laptop.
JAYLIN walks in and slams it shut.
SUKI: Hey. I was watching that.
JAYLIN: And now you’re talking to me.
SUKI: What do you want Jaylin? I’m off the clock.
JAYLIN: I want to know why you made up that audition and manipulated my script just to feed the narrative that Sofia wants to tell. That’s a new low, especially for you.
SUKI: Look, I’m sorry, okay?
JAYLIN: It’s a little late for that. You and Sofia may have won this round, but this little game that you both are playing is coming to an end.
SUKI: You don’t understand. I’m playing to beat her.
JAYLIN: What are you talking about?
SUKI: You think I did all of this as part of some grand scheme to move my way up the ladder at Sapphire?
JAYLIN: Well yeah.
SUKI: I’m not. I had to show everyone what Sofia was capable of. And if the past few weeks have taught us anything, it’s that she’s no longer fit to lead Sapphire.
JAXON: Clearly. So how’s that little plan working out for ya?
SUKI: Well it definitely got all of the right people’s attention, so we’ll see where it goes.
SCENE FORTY EIGHT – INT. LIV’S APARTMENT
LIV unlocks the door and walks in with SAM behind her. She sets her stuff down.
SAM gives her a moment to collect herself before he breaks the silence.
SAM: Are we not gonna talk about what just happened?
LIV: What? The next part of this never-ending nightmare that this show has created for me? Honestly, I’m not surprised. I should’ve seen this coming.
SAM: There’s no way you could’ve known about this.
LIV sits on her couch and SAM joins her.
LIV: Well I’ll tell you what I do know. No matter where I go now, I don’t feel safe. I’m either being watched, recorded, or stalked. And a part of me hoped that it would end when this series did and now it hasn’t.
SAM: Well one thing’s for sure, you can’t stay here.
LIV: Believe me, the obvious choice is for me to move somewhere else, but I can’t afford to do that right now.
SAM: Fine. Then you’ll come live with me and Jax.
LIV: Sam, that’s very sweet, but I can’t take you up on that.
SAM: Yes you can and Jax would agree with me.
A tear rolls down Liv’s cheek.
SAM gently places his hand on Liv’s knee to comfort her.
SAM: You are not alone.
SCENE FORTY NINE – INT. PEYTON’S
DOMINIC is closing up for the night.
The bell on the door rings.
DOMINIC: I’m sorry. We’re closed.
DOMINIC turns around and sees LOLA standing there.
LOLA: Hey.
DOMINIC: I was gonna call on my way home. How did it go with your friends?
LOLA gives a sarcastic response.
LOLA: Super.
LOLA walks in and sits on the edge of the stage.
LOLA: I don’t even know what I was thinking going back to work at Sapphire. It just felt like the right thing to do at the time. But now, I just don’t know anymore.
DOMINIC sits next to her.
DOMINIC: I get it.
LOLA: Well I wish I did. For so long, I’ve loved doing what I do at Rose. But I don’t think that I can do it anymore.
DOMINIC: What do you mean?
LOLA: That maybe it’s time for me to move on to other things.
DOMINIC: You want to leave Rose?
LOLA: I mean that’s what Aria did and look how well it turned out for her.
LOLA continues before he responds.
LOLA: Look, I haven’t decided anything yet. But before I do, I think I just need to get away for a while to think about what’s next for me.
There’s a brief moment of silence before DOM continues.
DOMINIC: I have to ask. Is this about Sam?
LOLA: In some ways, yes. Other ways, no. Despite everything that is going on with the two of us, I honestly believe that he’s the one who can take L&O to where it needs to be.
DOMINIC: And do you plan on telling him or anyone else about this little getaway?
LOLA: I would, but I know that they would try to talk me out of it. I’m only telling you so that at least someone knows that I’m not in grave danger.
DOMINIC: And I appreciate that.
LOLA: I really think that this will be good for me. And at the end of the day, I hope that I have a clear understanding of what I want to do moving forward.
DOMINIC: And what am I supposed to do if your friends come to me and start asking questions about your sudden disappearance? No one’s gonna believe me when I tell them that I don’t know where you are.
LOLA: That may be true, but at least it’s the truth. You can’t lie about something that you don’t know about.
DOMINIC looks down.
LOLA: I know it’s a lot to ask, but I need to do this.
DOMINIC takes a moment to answer.
DOMINIC: Okay.
LOLA: Okay?
DOMINIC: I’ll do whatever you need me to do.
LOLA embraces DOMINIC in a hug.
LOLA: Thank you.
As the two pull away from the hug, DOMINIC kisses LOLA on the cheek.
LOLA quickly pulls away.
LOLA: Whoa.
DOMINIC: Oh. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have—
LOLA: No. It’s fine. I just— I should go.
LOLA stands.
DOMINIC: Yeah. It’s getting late.
LOLA walks out of the shop.
DOMINIC remains where he is, processing what just happened.
SCENE FIFTY – INT. THE LUXE – LOLA AND MAYA’S APARTMENT
LOLA walks in and hangs her jacket up on the coat rack.
SAM: Hey.
LOLA whips around and sees SAM sitting on the couch. She holds her hand to her heart for a moment.
LOLA: I gotta say, showing up unannounced to an apartment where someone is currently staying alone is probably not the best move.
SAM: Sorry. I figured it was even more creepy to pace outside your door until you got home. Your neighbor let me in with the spare key you gave her.
LOLA: Okay, so what are you doing here?
SAM: I need to talk to you.
LOLA: If this is about what I said, earlier—
SAM: It’s not. It’s about Liv.
LOLA’s face is full of concern.
LOLA: What about her?
SAM: She actually had a run-in with some paparazzi outside when she got home.
LOLA sits next to SAM.
LOLA: Oh my God. That’s awful. I can’t believe it.
SAM: I know.
LOLA: I mean, is she okay?
SAM: She is now. Thankfully, I was stopping by her place to bring her something for work. Jax is with her now. I talked to Sebastian about it and he thinks that it would be safer for her to lay low until things cool down, so she’s going to be working from home for a while.
LOLA: Yeah, that’s probably for the best. Thanks for telling me.
SAM: That’s not the only reason why I’m here.
LOLA: Oh.
SAM: I didn’t like how we ended things today.
LOLA: Neither did I. But you were right. I was distracted and you had every right to step in to keep our company afloat. I really can’t thank you enough for that. I think that a part of me knew that going back to work at Sapphire was wrong. That’s why I kept it a secret. I let Sofia get in my head when I was in a bad state and that was a huge mistake, so I apologize.
SAM: And I appreciate that.
LOLA: I also quit my job at Sapphire.
SAM: You did?
LOLA: Yeah. That was the only thing I could control.
SAM: Well I’m proud of you.
LOLA: Thanks.
SAM: Look, I should get going. It’s been a long day.
LOLA: Yeah.
SAM notices LOLA’s somber facial expression.
SAM: There’s something else that’s bothering you.
LOLA: No. I’m good. Like you said, it’s just been a long day.
SAM: Right.
SAM and LOLA stand and walk towards the door.
SAM: Goodnight Lola.
LOLA: Goodnight Sam.
SAM walks out and LOLA gently closes the door behind him.
SCENE FIFTY ONE – INT. LOLA AND MAYA’S APARTMENT – HALLWAY
SAM has a look of uncertainty written on his face.
SCENE FIFTY TWO – MORNING – INT. LIV AND LOLA’S APARTMENT – FOYER
LOLA is on the other side of the door looking at her flight confirmation.
A night to morning transition is featured.
SCENE FIFTY THREE – EXT. JOHN F. KENNEDY AIRPORT
DOMINIC is helping unload Lola’s bags out of the car. He shuts the trunk after he takes the last one out.
LOLA stands with her bags.
DOMINIC: Well that’s everything.
LOLA: Thanks.
DOMINIC: I hope that you find whatever you’re looking for.
LOLA: Same.
LOLA and DOMINIC hug.
DOMINIC: Have a safe flight.
LOLA: Thanks.
DOMINIC: You’ll text me when you land?
LOLA: Of course. And thanks again for everything that you’ve done for me for the past few weeks.
DOMINIC: Absolutely. And your friends?
LOLA: Will wake up to a text from me explaining my decision. And they may not like it, but will hopefully someday understand it.
DOMINIC: Got it.
LOLA remains in place.
DOMINIC: You’re stalling.
LOLA: I’m just gonna miss you.
DOMINIC: Don’t go getting all sappy on me, Grumpy Cat. You are coming back, right?
LOLA: Of course. I just don’t know when that will be.
DOMINIC: Well then.
DOMINIC takes off his necklace and puts it on LOLA.
DOMINIC: Something to remember me by until you do.
LOLA holds the pendant on the necklace.
LOLA: Dom, I can’t take this.
DOMINIC: I want you to.
LOLA: Okay.
LOLA grabs her bags.
LOLA: Bye Dom.
DOMINIC: Bye Lola.
LOLA turns and walks towards the airport entrance.
“Somewhere Only We Know” by Keane begins and continues for the remainder of the scenes.
SCENE FIFTY FOUR – INT. SAM AND JAXON’S LOFT – JAXON’S BEDROOM
LIV and JAXON are still sleeping in the bed.
LIV’s phone buzzes on his nightstand from Lola’s text.
SCENE FIFTY FIVE – INT. SKYLAR AND BRIANNA’S APARTMENT – SKYLAR’S BEDROOM
SKYLAR exits her bathroom looking at the text on her phone.
SCENE FIFTY SIX – INT. L&O HEADQUARTERS – MAIN RECEPTION AREA
BRIANNA steps off of the elevator as she reads the text.
SCENE FIFTY SEVEN – INT. SAM AND JAXON’S LOFT – SAM’S BEDROOM
SAM is sitting on the edge of his bed looking at the text.
SCENE FIFTY EIGHT – INT. PLANE
LOLA is sitting in a window seat, staring out the window as the plane is flying.
SCENE FIFTY NINE – BOSTON – EXT. MARSHALL HOUSE
LOLA knocks on the door.
STELLA opens it.
LOLA offers her a friendly grin.
END OF SCRIPT
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