Question number two.
Describe a challenge, hardship or a misfortune...
you have experienced in your life.
What have you learned from this, and how has it prepared you for the future?
Dear Dean of Admissions, my name is Sutter Keely...
and up until yesterday I had the best fucking girlfriend in the world.
I know I probably shouldn't say “fuck” right there, but I'm sorry. I have to.
Like, we had this connection. Seriously.
Everybody knew us. Everybody loved us.
We were a force to be reckoned with.
I'm not gonna say that we were the life of every party, but we were.
We were the life of every party.
Before Cassidy, I wasn't much of a relationship guy.
But once we started hooking up, that all changed.
I'm fucking horny.
I liked her.
A lot.
Everything was going great in my world. I don't know what happened.
I was just trying to get my best friend Ricky...
some much-needed sexual attention.
Colleen Marshall. She's nice.
She's way too tall. I'd look like her son.
Man, I'm tired of your excuses. Tonight's the night.
What night is this?
Tonight's the night I'm gonna get you some action, Ricky.
Yeah. Oh, yeah.
Get some sweet, sweet action.
I don't know about this, Sutter.
Why? They're just girls, man.
Relax. It's fine.
What is that?
It looks like potential.
Just the man we were looking for.
What's up, Tara, Bethany? Hey, girls.
- Know where we can score some beers? - Yeah.
- I think I can help you out with that. - Okay. Let's do it!
Let's do it!
Potential, man. It's potential.
- My hero! - That's what I do.
Bethany, you know my friend Ricky, don't you?
Shit, dude. I forgot my cell phone in the car.
You guys go ahead. We'll get the next one.
- Bye. - Bye.
- That was bullshit about the phone? - Totally.
I can't wait to get out of this place.
Can we put on something else, maybe?
You don't like this? I love this. It relaxes me.
Gotta listen to the lyrics too. Who's this?
It was harmless. I was just there helping out a friend.
- ls there something wrong with that? - Hey.
But next thing I know, I'm being accused of crossing a line or something.
- It was a complete misunderstanding. - Who is this chick?
I still can't make sense of it.
- This is for Ricky. I put him in a canoe- - You are a lost cause, Sutter!
- Cassidy, you can't be serious now. - We are done! We're done!
To be honest, though, I wasn't that worried.
We'd had our ups and downs, sure. But what great couple doesn't?
I'm sorry.
All I had to do was calm her down, explain the situation...
tell her how important she was to me, how good we were together...
and how much our relationship meant.
Sutter, what are you doing here?
Cassidy, that is a really pretty dress that you're wearing right now.
That's goddamn stunning, that dress.
- That dress-Wow. - Thank you.
- Is he drunk or something? - Probably.
Let's say if “drunk” equals “A” and something else equals
the answer is definitely not
- Sutter- - Look, man, I know this is awkward.
- Maybe we should- - No, it's really not awkward at all.
Marcus West talking to me. What an honor, man.
- Hey, man- - What an honor!
I completely understand the meaning of the phrase “kicked to the curb”...
so I will bid you both a pleasant evening.
- Sutter, what happened here- - Just let him go.
He drives better this way.
Thank you for that vote of confidence, beautiful.
You are a very understanding woman in everything but love.
Fuck you.
You want hardship, misfortune? There you go.
Will I wallow in my misery? No, I won't, Dean of Admissions. Not Sutter Keely.
In the meantime, why should she be the only one having fun?
It's a beautiful night outside, and I am just getting started.
- I need to see your ID. - What's up?
- Need to see your ID, bro. - Dude, I had it, and then I forgot it-
I think I left it in there, maybe in the bathroom.
- I'm sorry, brother. - Hey, I know the manager.
- No ID, you can't get in. - John?
The little one? The manager? Big John.
What's up, ladies?
So, I'm 18 and I just got dumped by my girlfriend and I need a drink.
So, would somebody- like, anybody...
please have a drink with me?
Red shit!
What do you mean-Wait.
I thought we were all hanging out after this.
Come on! Please! Please! I'm not gonna beg you.
I will beg you. God!
Bye.
Hey! You're beautiful!
You're holy! Down with the king!
Down with the motherfucking king!
Hello?
Hello? Hi.
Hi.
Hi. Oh, my God. You're alive.
I thought for a second that maybe you were dead.
I don't think I'm dead.
Where the hell am I?
You're in the middle of a yard.
- Do you know who lives here? - No.
Jesus, I must've fallen asleep.
Here. Let me help you up.
Where the hell's my car?
I don't know.
Do you live around here, Sutter?
- How do you know my name? - We go to the same school.
You wouldn't know who I am.
No, I know you. You're-
I'm Aimee. Aimee Finecky.
That's what I was gonna say. Nice to meet you, Aimee.
- Nice to meet you. - What time is it, Aimee?
It's, like, 6:00 a.m.
Are you just getting back from a party or something?
No, I'm just on my paper route.
It's not really mine. It's my mom's.
But she was out with my stepdad last night at a casino, so-
- They didn't get back till late. - Do you need help?
- With my route? - Yeah.
- No, I'm okay. Thank you though. - I can help you.
I'm good. Thank you.
Aimee, you're gonna drive around the neighborhood...
and I don't know where my car is.
So I think that we can help each other out.
What do you say?
- Try aiming ahead of the driveway. - Okay.
Didn't realize newspaper throwing was such a big business.
- Must make a lot of money. - Yeah. I mean, my mom does.
- You get nothing? - No, I get a little.
Most of it goes toward paying the bills though, so-
That doesn't sound fair. You do all the work, don't you?
- Some of it-Most of it. - She's your mom.
She should be paying all your bills.
I'm serious. That doesn't sound fair to me.
I think you're getting the raw end of this newspaper-throwing deal.
- It's fine. - I think I'm getting the hang of it.
Should have seen me back in the day.
When I was in Little League, I had a good arm.
- Yeah? - Yeah.
My dad said I could have went pro if I'd stuck with it.
Yeah! Dude, you're a natural. Good job.
Shit. I think I hit a dog.
- What? - I'm serious.
- Sutter! - It's still walking.
Went way downtown!
You know, Aimee Finecky...
I was having a really rotten night last night until you came along.
I think that we should get lunch sometime.
- How about Monday? - Okay. Monday it is.
- You're up early. - Yup.
They have me on a double shift. Again.
Damn it, Sutter.
Didn't I ask you to hang this for me?
Look how wrinkled this is.
Would've taken you two seconds to hang this up for me. Is that too much to ask?
I forgot. I'm sorry.
It's not like you do much around here.
Hey. I do a lo! Around here.
I'm sorry. I hate to interrupt your Cheerio... eating.
I'm sorry, Mom.
Sometimes you remind me so much of your dad.
All right, there's leftovers in the fridge.
I won't be home for dinner. Or you can call your sister.
And, Sutter?
Next time I ask you to do something-
I love you so much it hurts.
- It hurts me how much I love you. - You know what's gonna really hurt?
Who knew dinner and a movie would cost 30 bucks?
Pretty much anybody who's ever been on a date.
The best part is, dude, she didn't care. She paid for popcorn and everything.
She's just-
What?
- Did you kiss her? - Check.
- Yeah? Did you get tongue action? - Double-check.
- Nice. - Thanks, man.
What do you want to eat for lunch? I'm starving.
Aren't you eating with what's-her-name?
Shit. Yeah. I forgot.
I gotta tell you, Sutter. Aimee Finecky?
It's just a strange choice for a rebound.
Dude, she's not a rebound.
She's not. Do I look like I have any interest in dating Aimee Finecky?
I think she's a nice girl...
whose mom makes her deliver newspapers...
5:00 in the morning, six days a week, pays half the bills.
Aimee doesn't say shit about it.
- That sucks. - It's bullshit is what it is.
So where do you come in?
I mean, I think I can help her out.
So, if two planes intersect, they intersect in exactly-
Give it to me-one plane. one point. One line.
That's lunch, you lucky sons of guns. Don't forget to do the homework.
Sutter. A word, please.
Mr. Keely, sit down. I have to have a word.
- I have somewhere to go. - Good-bye. Good-bye, Hannah.
Don't be late tomorrow, please. Thank you. You, button up.
- What's up? - What's up?
I noticed you didn't turn in your homework.
That's funny, man, 'cause, honestly, I did it last night.
I filled it out-
- Do me a favor. Stop talking. - All right.
- What's up? - You tell me.
I only want to see you succeed. You know that. Right?
- I know. - If you fail, that means I fail.
I like my job. I like you. I don't want to fail.
I don't want you to fail either. I'm not gonna let us fail.
I'm gonna get it together. I'm turning that corner.
Make me believe you. I want to believe you.
- I'm feeling smarter already. - Let me see you answer this.
If one acute angle is two times larger than the other...
what's the measure of the two angles?
- That's what I thought. - That wasn't on the homework!
That was the homework! Stay there!
We're gonna do homework together. I love it.
That's crazy. How fast were you going?
Like 20, 25 miles an hour or something.
- And you just jumped out of the car? - Yeah.
What?
It was snowing, so I didn't think it would hurt.
But it did.
That's amazing. That's awesome.
You're such a good listener.
All right. You go.
I remember- I think it was sophomore year.
You came to gym class wearing the mascot head.
You refused to take it off.
Yeah, that was funny.
It was really funny.
Yeah. I mean, what's a story about you?
- About me? - Yeah.
I don't really have any stories.
Everyone's got a story.
Not me, I guess.
All right. So, I don't know. What's your thing?
- My thing? - Yeah. You know.
Everybody's got a thing.
Larry Rourke? Stoner.
Greg Jacoby is the rich kid.
What's your thing?
I'd like to think that there's more to a person than just one thing.
You know?
- Yeah. - Hello, Aimee.
So, he finally got here, did he?
- This is Kristal. - Hey, Kristal. Sutter Keely.
- Nice to meet you. - Yeah, I know who you are.
Aimee, come on. French Club. They're waiting for us. Chop-chop.
I'm so sorry. Oh, my God, I totally forgot about French Club.
- I'm sorry. - No, it's all good.
Hey, did you have Mr. Aster for geometry class?
Yeah, freshman year.
Probably thought it was pretty easy.
Kind of. I don't know.
Yeah? I'll bet you did.
Would you mind tutoring me?
He's talking all the time. I have no idea what he's saying.
Yeah, sure. Totally.
Yeah. Just-
You can just call me and-Yeah.
Just call me.
Awesome.
It was nice meeting you too. It was a pleasure.
See you later.
All right. Bye.
- You have great taste in bow ties. - Thank you.
That was my favorite. I would have bought it if you didn't.
See you at home.
Bye-bye.
- What do you think of that? - You're getting better.
That's really good. That's the best I've seen yet.
- When are you gonna adopt me? - I'm sorry.
- Two's my limit on mouths to feed. - Okay. Offer's still there.
- What were we talking about? - Cassidy.
- Yeah. - I liked her.
Yeah. Me too.
Kinda thought she'd be the one to yank you out of neutral.
Neutral? What are you talking about? Dan, I'm in overdrive.
What?
- Aimee! - Shane, shut up!
- How are you? - I'm good.
Good. Come on in.
- This is my brother Shane. - Hey, Shane.
- He just learned that. - Charming.
- Yeah. We can study in my room. - Lead the way.
Wow.
This is-This is really nice.
Thank you.
I try to keep it clean. There's a lot of stuff everywhere.
- You read a lot? You like books? - I do, actually.
I love books. They're mostly just science fiction.
A few mysteries.
And other things.
- That one is really weird. - This is the weird one?
- You picked a really weird one. - Weird is good.
I say embrace the weird.
It's really weird.
- Is this backwards? - Yeah. It's the way that you read them.
See, you start... back here...
at the beginning.
- Yeah. - Cool.
- Gleaming Planet. - Planet.
Gleaming Planet.
Is that you ﬂying through space?
No. She's just a character from those books that I like.
- Really stupid. - No, if you like it, it's not stupid.
What makes her so special?
She's in charge of this thing called the Neexo Ark.
And it's up to her to escape the Dark Galaxy...
and save the Gleaming Planet star system.
Yeah. I don't know.
I know it's odd and stuff...
but she's actually... really awesome.
She's kinda my hero.
You will be my hero if you can help me out with this geometry business.
I have no idea what I'm doing.
- Is this the right book? - Yes.
How much of it have you studied?
“Studied.” That's a strong word.
Angle “C” and angle
are complementary-
Complementary. Got it. Got it.
Man, you're a wonderful teacher, Ms. Finecky.
- So you understand it? - Yeah.
What I don't understand is why I need to know this stuff.
Seriously, like, who, like, calc-
Coplanar lines and angles and stuff?
Who calculates slopes at a job?
- Aimee? - Who needs this shit?
Come on out here right now, will ya.
Thought you was gonna get us some milk.
- I will. - Do it now, for Christ's sake!
I am so sorry.
It's okay.
- I should probably... - Yeah.
Hey, there's a party on Saturday, and I think that you should go with me.
- Me? - Yeah.
- What? - Yeah, I'll come by and pick you up.
How's that sound?
Okay?
- Is that an answer or a question? - No. It's an answer.
- If you don't want to go- - No, I do.
I would like that. Thank you.
- Do you want me to carry that? - I got it.
- You good? - Yeah.
See the water? Do not go in there.
Too disgusting. I think people poop in there. Here.
- I'm good. I don't really drink. - Just hold it.
It gives off the illusion you're having fun.
You don't have to drink it.
What's up, guys? How you doing?
This is Aimee Finecky. I don't know if you guys know her.
Cody, you're a reader, aren't you?
Have you read those Gleaming Planet books?
- One or two. - One or two?
I forgot to tell you, I started reading one last night.
- You did? - Yeah. It was really cool.
- Which one? - The one where Shirei Migoto...
fights that cosmic superlord and starts fucking him up.
- I know! Right? She's awesome. - She is awesome.
I love those books. Have you read Solar Bolt?
Yeah. Solar Bolt is great.
There's so many awesome, rad parts between-
Sorry to interrupt. I don't think we've met.
I'm Sutter Keely.
- I'm Cassidy. - How's it going?
- That's a nice handshake. - Thank you.
Do you want to go get a beer with me?
- I'm having a conversation right now. - She'll be here.
You'll be here, right? We'll come back.
- We're just gonna grab a beer. Come on. - You're unbelievable.
- I will be back. - Please. Thank you.
Don't smile at me like that.
I can't help myself. You know that I can't help myself.
Please.
- Maybe just- - Cassidy?
- Hey! - Hey.
- Sutter. - Marcus.
I gotta get going-
- You riding with me? - Yeah.
- Let's go. - Yeah.
- It was good to see you. - Next time.
Just a ﬂick of the wrist. It's done in half the time.
Hey. What's up, man?
- What's up? - Everything cool?
- Yeah. - Yeah?
I was gonna go for a walk. You wanna come with me?
- Yeah. I would love to. - All right. Cool.
- All right. - Cheers.
- Nice to meet you. - It was good to meet you.
- I'm sorry if that guy was bugging you. - No, he's fine.
- Totally fine. - Yeah? Okay.
Are you done?
- Can I try that? - What, this?
- This is pretty serious stuff. - Just a taste.
Are you sure? All right. Here you go.
Go for it. It's pretty strong.
- Oh, my God. - Yeah.
Yeah, I know. I know! I told you.
- How do you drink that? - I don't know.
I've just been doing it for a while. I don't know.
- You know who gave me my first beer? - Who?
- My dad. - Really?
Yeah. I was probably six years old.
Used to take me to baseball games every Saturday and let me have sips.
- Did you get drunk? - No, I didn't get drunk.
But it tasted really nice. It felt warm.
Where is he now, your dad?
- He's an airline pilot. - Really?
- Yeah, he ﬂies all across the country. - That's awesome.
He is awesome. I don't know what he was doing with my mom for that long, but-
Are they divorced?
Yeah. She made him leave us a long time ago.
- You want some more? Try it? - Sure.
Yeah? Why my?
- Sounds like we have the same mom. - Yeah? How so?
Well, for example...
I got into college today, but there's no way that my mom will let me go.
You got into college today? That's awesome!
- Yeah. Thank you. In Philadelphia. - Congratulations.
Which is really cool, 'cause that's where my sister lives, but-
I don't know what to say. Dude, that's awesome.
- Congratulations. Very cool. - It's not that big of a deal.
And there's no way that I'll go, so-
- What are you talking about? - I have to help my mom with the route.
What does your mom have to do with this? The paper route?
- Yes. She's alone- - Your mom is a grown woman.
She can take care of the paper route herself.
You are definitely going to Philly.
A hundred percent, you're going to Philly.
- Yeah, no. - Yeah, you are.
There's no “buts” about it. Don't you understand?
You are this incredibly gifted genius person...
and you got all these people around you telling you that you can't do shit.
And that's gotta stop. You need to start standing up for yourself.
- How? - How? I'll teach you.
Take another swig of that stuff.
Get that down there. Down the hatch!
Now repeat after me.
Mom, get off my motherfuckin' back.
- What? - Yes.
- No! - Yeah.
- I can't- - Say it.
Mom, get off of my back.
No. You gotta do the “motherfucking.”
- I can't. - Yes, you can.
- Do it. Say it. - Mom, get off of my fucking back.
- Motherfucking. - Fuck! Motherfuck!
- Go! Motherfuck-Yes! - Motherfucking!
Get off my motherfucking back, Mom!
- Yes! - God!
- Yeah!
- Motherfuckin'! That's good! - That feels awesome!
Who else? Who else? I like this.
I don't know-Stay out of my motherfucking business, Kristal!
- Fuck you, Kristal. - Yeah, fuck you-
What about ex-boyfriends?
- We need an ex-boyfriend in there. - No. I don't have any.
Who's an ex-boyfriend that really pissed you off that you should-
that you hated and they're just-
I don't have an ex-boyfriend.
- What? - Yeah.
You're 17 years old. You don't have an ex-boyfriend?
- No. Guys don't look at me like that. - That's shocking.
Absolutely, guys look at you like that. I just saw two guys look at you like that.
Erik Wolff and Cody Dennis were 100% hitting on you.
- We were just talking. - A hundred percent.
- There was absolutely no way- - Yes, they were.
Why don't you think they were hitting on you?
- Because I'm just... They weren't. - Because you're what?
- You're absolutely beautiful. - Oh, my God. No!
Of course you're going to the prom.
I'll take you.
Please go to the prom with me, Aimee!
Yes.
You're taking her to prom?
Yeah. It's no big deal.
It's you making plans, Sutter. It's kind of a big deal.
Relax. I'm just trying to help this girl out.
- Right. I forgot. Sutter to the rescue. - Exactly!
And if she falls for you, what happens then?
Shut up!
Are you kidding me?
Hey, Sutter. It's Aimee.
I didn't know if we were gonna study today or not...
but I hadn't heard from you, so-
Yeah, yesterday-
I had a really great time with you.
Thank you.
I'll talk to you later. Bye.
Or the lightning storm.
On the roof.
That was amazing.
I've never felt like that with anyone.
It's not very often.
Except with you.
Actually, I think I'm feeling it right now.
I'm feeling a moment right now.
- Stop it. - What? Cass, look. Seriously.
When we're together, it's like we're invincible or something.
All this shit-the responsibilities, all the problems, that stuff-
that just disappears when I'm with you.
But you can't just have fun all the time. You have to be serious.
Hey, I'm 100% serious.
- About what? - About not being serious.
Did you even apply to college yet?
I don't need college. Who needs that shit?
Look, it's not- I got everything I need right here.
I've got a job, I've got a car...
I've got a beautiful girl sitting next to me.
You think beauty's in some classroom or some textbook, and it's not.
That's not what it's about. This right here.
This is beautiful. All of this.
That's all you need.
You're drunk.
I'm drunk? Whatever! You're drunk!
It doesn't matter.
Okay, whatever. I'm right-You're right.
I'm just saying, you gotta live in the moment.
The moment?
I want- I want more than a moment.
- I want- - What?
I want a future.
And you can't do that.
Wow.
Please just go, Sutter.
- Don't. - Please just go.
All right.
What's up with you and Cassidy?
- I don't want any trouble. - Tell me the truth.
Nothing's up, man.
She's moved on. I've moved on.
- You've moved on? - We hang out, and we have-
Okay! Come on.
We have fun, but there's nothing going on.
I promise you.
- Can I ask you something? - Yeah.
Why can't it be me that she has fun with?
- What? - Why can't it be me that she has fun with?
I'm not like you. I don't know how to make her laugh.
Dude, you are Marcus West, man.
You're the star athlete.
You're the class president. You are awesome!
What's the name of that charity that you started?
The Hope Squadron.
The fucking Hope Squadron, man! That is awesome!
You do not need my help. You're the man.
No, it's not the same. The way she talks about you, man.
I want her to like me like that, and she doesn't.
Trust me. You don't want to be like me.
I make jokes, yeah. But, I mean, you get shit done.
You're gonna change the world.
You and Cass are perfect together. Trust me.
You're just too tense, man. A little tense.
- You gotta loosen up. You know? - Yeah. Maybe.
- Not everything has to be so serious. - Yeah.
I'm just saying you can relax. You know?
You're awesome. Enjoy being who you are.
Live in the now. Embrace that shit.
Yeah.
Hey, thanks for-
Thanks for talking to me like this. I appreciate it.
- Absolutely, man. It's a pleasure. - I appreciate it. I really do.
- Anytime. - Sorry about the-
it's cool. Good.
- They're wrong about you. - What's that?
You're not the joke everyone thinks, man.
Who do you think you are?
The king of Mexico?
You're not gonna jerk your way out of this.
Aimee told me about your little party by the lake.
- And? - And now you're avoiding her.
- I'm not avoiding her. - Really?
Have you seen her since the party? Have you even called?
Why don't you get off my back a little bit, give me some space.
I knew she got that from you. She said the exact same thing.
- Good. Good for her. - No, it's not good for her.
Aimee isn't like you. She's a sweet girl.
She doesn't need you causing problems in her life.
What Aimee doesn't need...
is you bossing her around like she's your personal assistant.
You shouldn't treat her this way.
Thank you. Good talk.
- Hi. - Hey.
- What's up? - Nothing.
What are you doing? I didn't know you were coming over today.
I wasn't planning on coming over, but I was driving around and I thought...
I don't care how busy I am, I should see what Aimee is doing.
So, how are you doing, Aimee?
I'm good. I'm really good. How are you, Sutter?
- I'm good. - Good.
Yeah. Hey, listen.
My sister, she's having this fancy dinner party for her friends...
and she's making me go.
- I didn't know you had a sister. - Yeah. We're not really that close.
But would you want to go with me?
- To dinner? - Yeah.
- Yeah. Yeah, absolutely. - Okay. Cool.
Yeah. What time?
- Ten minutes. - Ten minutes from now?
- Yeah. - Okay.
So then I go back up to the table and I say...
“Can I get you boys anything else?”
And then he says-
I'm gonna let you say it. What did you say?
I leaned back in my chair, puffed my chest out and said...
“You can give me your number, gorgeous.”
That's right. And I didn't even know that he was a big, fancy lawyer.
I just gave it to him anyway.
And I am so glad that I did.
And she hasn't worked a day in her life since.
He's right. That's true.
Wow. You guys sure are a breath of fresh air.
Thank you, Sutter.
It's rare to see such a happy couple nowadays.
I feel like everyone's getting divorced.
Well, that's not true.
Isn't it? Our parents.
Aimee's parents. Most of my friends' parents.
- Kid's got a point. - Thank you, Joe.
Mine didn't.
- I thought your parents were divorced. - No.
There you go, Sutter. See? Not everything is doomed.
My dad died.
What?
I am so sorry.
No. It's okay. It's not your fault.
What happened?
He was a really great guy.
He just kind of had a slight problem with painkillers mostly.
Yeah.
Kinda crazy. He tried to stop a bunch of times.
But my sister came home one day...
and he was lying on the kitchen ﬂoor...
and she had to close his eyes and everything.
It was pretty... intense.
Sorry. That was... really dark.
Anyway, that's just- I know that my marriage will work.
Oh, yeah?
I've thought it all out.
My husband and I will both live on a horse ranch...
and I will work for NASA.
And he'll do something completely different.
So that we offset each other. You know?
We'll have some things in common...
but then we'll also bring all these different dimensions to the table...
so that, you know, life doesn't get boring.
I know it's gonna work.
Sounds like a dream.
I think it's good to have dreams. Don't you?
Yeah.
- To dreams. - To dreams.
- I wanna ask you something. - Okay.
Did you mean what you said at the party?
What?
- What? - You know!
- No, I don't. - Yes.
Like, the thing about the prom or whatever.
Yeah, of course I remember that. Are you kidding me?
How could I forget something like that?
No, I just mean, like...
if you'd changed your mind or you didn't want to go, I'd totally get it.
- What are you talking about? - No, I just-
I wouldn't have asked you to go if I didn't want to go with you.
- I know. - I wouldn't-
I wouldn't have.
I'm just saying that I know people change their minds.
- It's not that big of a deal. - Not me.
And I'm totally okay with it if you want to not' go.
I would not have asked you to go to the prom...
if I didn't want to go to the prom with you.
- Really? - Really.
Come here.
- Bye. - Bye.
What? Look, man. It's under control.
What's under control?
Did it ever cross your mind that maybe I'm attracted to that girl?
No. No, not at all.
Yeah, that's because you haven't really looked at her.
I'm telling you, once you actually talk to her...
you see who she is.
I don't know, man. She's really beautiful.
“Beautiful”? This isn't you, Sutter.
- What, dude? - You're gonna break her heart.
Well, worst-case scenario, I'm just giving her the boyfriend experience.
That's worst-case scenario? No way. No.
Okay, well-I don't know.
You and I both know a month, tops, she'll be done with me.
- Then she'll move on. - Then if she doesn't, what happens?
If she doesn't, that'll be a first.
I like you so much.
I like you.
Should we take our shirts off?
Yeah.
You go first.
All right.
- Voilà. - You're amazing.
So amazing.
Your turn.
- I have to take mine off? - Yeah.
Don't laugh. Okay?
Okay. I promise I won't laugh.
- Wow. - Stop. No. You promised.
- What? - Don't say anything.
Are you kidding me? That's awesome.
I like you, Sutter...
so much.
Do you wanna do this?
- Yeah. - Okay.
Do you? Yeah? Okay.
Hold on.
- Here. - Wow.
- Where did you even get this from? - I don't know.
It's better. Good to be safe, huh?
Got all your bases covered.
You got it?
- Yeah. - Do you need any help?
- No. - Are you sure?
You okay?
- Yeah. - Okay.
- Oh, my gosh. - What?
Nothing.
- You wanna do it? - Yeah.
- Hey. - Yeah?
I'm so glad that I met you.
I'm so glad that I met you too.
Go slow. Go really slow.
Okay?
- Sorry. - Sorry.
It's okay.
- You okay? - Yeah.
Tell you a secret?
What?
- My dad's not a pilot. - What?
Yeah, I actually don't know what my dad does or where he is.
- What? Sutter. - Yeah.
I just made that up because he's been gone for half my life and...
I guess I just miss him.
Oh, my God.
No one knows where he is?
My mom knows where he is, but she won't tell me.
- What? - Yeah.
She can't keep him from you. He's your dad.
I know. She does. She has.
Sutter, that's not, like-
What?
Yeah.
I'll make you a deal.
I will stand up to my mom if you'll stand up to yours.
What do you think?
I think...
that you're wonderful.
Can I look?
- Sorry I didn't get you a limo. - That's okay.
But this...
is my way of making it up to you.
- You did not have to get me anything. - I know. I wanted to.
I wrapped it.
- Should I open it? - Yeah.
- You wrapped this? - In newspaper.
- It's beautiful. - Thank you. Took me forever.
- Okay. Thank you. - You're welcome.
I don't know what it is, but thank you.
- What? - Yeah! I know. Do you like it?
- I love it! - Do you? All right. Good.
- It has my name on it? - Uh-huh.
- Thank you. - Glad you like it. You're welcome.
- You did not need to do this. - I know, but the best part is, it's full.
- It is full. - Yeah. Mostly.
- Did you take a sip? - I took a sip, made sure it worked.
- For good luck? - Yup.
- Ready? - Yeah.
- Cheers. - Cheers.
- To you, Aimee Finecky. - To you, Sutter Keely.
Ricky! Looking good, brother. Looking good.
- For you. - Thank you.
My lady.
So nice.
- Want some? - Yeah.
- Okay? - Yeah. Thank you.
- She's a good dancer. - Who?
- Cassidy. - I didn't notice.
- Cheers. - Cheers.
Why aren't you guys dancing?
- We're gonna get out there next song. - Come on. It's prom.
- Aimee, dance with me. - No. I'm good.
- I don't really dance. - Lucky for you, I'm a phenomenal dancer.
- I can teach you some stuff. - No, I'm fine.
You guys should go.
- Are you sure? - Yeah. Absolutely.
All right. Good.
Have fun.
She looks very nice. Have you turned her into a lush yet?
Do you want to lecture me about it, or you wanna dance?
Okay. I wanna dance.
Pump the arms. Pump the arms.
Yep. That's what we're doing.
- Cheers. - Cheers.
God, this is awesome.
Seriously, like, everybody's just singin'...
and dancing...
and falling in love.
I'm so happy.
I mean, this, like-this is our night.
This is the youngest that we're ever gonna be.
I love these people.
I do. I love these people. I love you all!
Come on. Dance with me. Come on.
Sorry I don't know how to dance like Cassidy.
You dance like Aimee. That's perfect.
- Oh, my gosh. - What?
Guess what!
My sister called me today...
and she said that she could probably, almost 100% likely...
get me a job at the bookstore.
- In Philadelphia? - Yes!
- That's awesome. You love books. - I know! It's perfect.
- That's the perfect job for you. - It really is.
It'll help pay for college, and- Yeah.
- You talk to your mom yet? - No.
But I will... eventually.
It's pretty.
Sorry.
Come here. Sorry.
So abusive.
Sorry.
Back to what I was saying.
I have been thinking...
a lot recently-
a lot more than normal-
and I think that you should come with me.
- To... - Philly.
- Yes. Yes!
I've been looking all into it.
And you can go to the junior college...
and we could both get jobs downtown.
It could be really awesome.
Have you ever been to Philly? Have you seen the Liberty Bell?
- No. - I haven't either, but-
but the pictures of it are really beautiful.
It's awesome.
You've been thinking about this for a while, haven't you?
I have. I have. Yeah.
And the coolest thing ever, also, when I was talking to my sister-
- Besides the Liberty Bell? - Yes. There's so many cool things!
She said that there's, like, tons of vacancies avail-
- Listen to me. I'm talking. - I'm listening.
She said there's tons of vacancies available in her building...
because of the economy and stuff, so-
We could totally just move there...
at the end of June, together.
And it would be really inexpensive and awesome and-
What do you think?
I think that's great.
- Really? - Yeah.
I did it.
- What? - Talked to my mom.
I walked in and said...
“It's my life, and I'm not gonna let you stand in the way of it.”
- How'd that go? - It was ugly at first.
Said all these things and tried to guilt me into staying...
but I just said, “Look, if I can afford it, then I'm leaving...
and there's really not anything you can do about it.”
That's awesome. I'm proud of you.
Thank you. I'm proud of me.
It wasn't that bad. You'll see.
- What? - When you do it.
- What are you talking about? - Sutter! We had a deal.
Yeah. I don't know.
What? You can totally do it. Trust me.
- Different. - No.
Okay, look. Repeat after me.
Say, “I want to call my dad, Mom. I want to motherfucking call him.”
That's not fair.
- What's wrong? - Nothing.
- Just wanted to ask you something. - Okay. What is it?
It's about Dad.
- Oh, Sutter. - I wanna talk to him.
- I don't think that's a good idea. - Why not?
- He's my dad. - And I'm your mom...
and you live under my roof.
I just wanna call him.
This is my job. We can have this conversation later. Okay?
No wonder he left you.
How do you like the landscaping we did back here?
Joe and I planted day lilies. I don't know if you saw them.
- Yeah, it looks really good. - Really pretty.
Hey, Holl, I was talking on the phone.
I wanted to ask you about Dad.
- You wanna dredge that up, huh? - “Dredge”?
Dad's not somebody that you dredge. He's awesome.
He used to tell us stories in the tent in the backyard.
- You remember that? - I think that was mostly you.
Do you remember when we made that trip down to Mexico...
and he had us going up to people asking where the Belt Buckle Museum was?
And why is there no artichoke ice cream?
That was hilarious! Don't look at-
- It was funny. - It was embarrassing.
No, it wasn't. It was funny. People loved us.
They loved you because you were little and cute.
The guys liked you. They loved you.
Thought you were a hot little muchacha.
- You liked it. - Well...
- Yeah. Uh-huh. - He knew how to make friends at least.
Damn right, he did.
So, do you know what happened between him and Mom?
He cheated on her.
Yeah, well, that's her version of it.
And you think it's a lie?
I don't think she's lying, but I think there's two sides to every story.
- Think about it. - Sutter...
She won't let us see him. She won't even let us know where he is.
Let's talk about something else. How is your friend Aimee?
You gotta admit it's a little suspicious.
She won't even give me his phone number. I can't talk to the guy.
Every time that I ask her for his number, she refuses to give it to me.
Can you please ask her for his number for me?
Please.
I don't have to ask her.
- I know where he is. - What?
Thank you. Thanks.
Thanks.
Hey, Sutter?
Come by for lunch sometime, okay?
Okay. I will. Promise.
Hello.
Dad?
You got the wrong number.
No, it's me, Sutter.
Sutter?
Sutter, how you doin'?
Yeah, I'm all right.
You sound like a man from here now.
Well, yeah, you- Hey, you still playing ball?
What?
I mean, your arm.
You were small for your age, but you were a hell of a pitcher.
You still playing ball?
Wow. Yeah, I'm surprised that you remember that, Dad.
What are you talking about? Of course I remember that.
You still throwing?
No, not really. Haven't thrown much lately.
It's a shame. You were a hell of a pitcher. You had a great arm.
So, how...
So how's your- How's your mom and Holly doin'?
They're good. Yeah, real good.
Good. That's tremendous, Son. That's good. That's good.
Listen, Dad-
Can I come see you sometime?
Come see me? Of course you can come see me.
What do you mean, can you come see me?
You can come see me any damn time you want to see me.
- Really? - of course you can come see me.
You come over like Friday around 3:00, maybe we go see a game or something.
Yeah. Wow. Really?
Dad, that would be so great.
I would really like that.
How much further is it?
It's about three hours.
Hey, Aim, thank you.
- For what? - I wouldn't have done this without you.
All right. Here we are.
I need that shot of whiskey now.
- Knock again? - Yeah.
Yeah?
Dad, it's Sutter.
Oh, shit. Of course.
You... Oh, man. I...
Look at you. Of course. You-
- You're taller than I am. - Yeah, I grew a lot last summer.
Yeah. You-I was- No, I was just-
- I was- - How are you? Come here.
- Hey. - Hi.
- Hey. And who- - Sorry. This is Aimee.
- Hi. - This is my girlfriend.
- That's my dad. - How do you do?
- Nice to meet you. - It's very nice to meet you.
It's very nice to see that Sutter's got immaculate taste in the ladies.
He gets that from his old man, you know.
He gets that from his old man. Look at you.
You caught me at a bad time. Just headin' out.
I was gonna catch up with some friends.
But since you're here, if you wanna come along, that'd be great.
- Yeah. - Would you like to do that?
- Yeah. I would love to, right? - Yeah. Absolutely.
Is that all right? If you take your car, you can follow me up there.
It's just up the street. We'll go get a drink. Sound good?
Yeah, cool. Let's do it.
Hey, guys.
This is my son, Sutter. Sutter, this is the guys.
And this is the most beautiful woman in the entire state.
This is Roberta. How you doin'?
Last week you said “the country.”
I meant the entire country.
And this, again, is the amazing Sutter Keely.
Roberta. And this is his amazing lady friend-
- Aimee. - Aimee.
Get your good looks from your mother, did ya?
She can be touchy sometimes.
Listen, go sit down over there. I'll get us some drinks. All right?
- The booth? - Yeah.
Hey, Sal.
Give me two pitchers.
You've never been to Key West?
It's the place to be.
Key West has got sunsets that are like butterscotch sundaes...
with strawberry swirl mixed in.
And it just melts right into the ocean.
And everybody has got a drink in their hand...
and a smile on their face.
That's Key West.
- Wow. - That sounds perfect.
- Yeah. - It was perfect...
and I wish you could have been there with me.
So how come you left?
What do you mean, how come I left?
How come you left Key West?
I ran out of money. That's why I left Key West.
If I could have stayed down there, I would have, believe me.
Hey, I'm gonna play a song on that jukebox.
Good. Do that. You do that, I'll get us a refill.
All right.
Good.
Yes. That's it. That's the song.
I wanna live fast, love hard, die young
And leave a beautiful memory
I wanna live fast, love hard, die young
Fresh pitcher.
All right. Here we go.
- Here you go, buddy. - Thanks, Dad.
- Miss Aimee. - Thank you.
It's pretty good, huh?
- Thank you. What's that? - The song.
You like the song?
This?
Yeah, it's all right.
This was always your mother's kind of thing.
Mom? What do you-
This is fun. I can't imagine Mom listening to fun music like this.
What the hell are you talking about?
When I married your mother, your mother was more fun than anyone I knew.
Your mother was the definition of fun.
There was nobody more fun than-
Don't say anything bad about your mother here, huh?
So, what happened?
What do you mean, what happened?
Between you and Mom, what happened?
Things didn't work out. That's what happened.
Yeah, well, she blames you for everything.
I always defend you.
I appreciate that, because you know what? It wasn't all my fault.
Yeah, exactly. There's two sides to every story.
- That's right. - Yeah.
And no matter what happened between you guys...
she shouldn't have kicked you out of the house like that.
Your mother didn't kick me out of the house.
What do you mean?
Your mother didn't kick me out of the house. I left.
Let me tell you something.
I had to leave. I wanted to be there for you. I really did.
More than anything in the world, I wanted to.
You guys meant more to me than anything.
But things between your mother and I, they were very uncool.
You could say I wasn't cut out to be a family man...
not in the traditional sense.
I did things that I'm not proud of.
But I don't live in the past.
I live in the now because that's what it's all about.
Do you understand that?
Yeah. Yeah.
I think that might be a great idea.
- Hey. - Yeah?
Do me a favor. Pick up this tab. I'll be right back.
Dad.
I didn't even know you had a son.
Thanks for that info.
- You okay? - Yeah. Yeah.
- It's okay. - Gotta pay the tab.
He doesn't have any money.
- Do you have money? - Yeah.
This isn't enough.
- That's all you got? - Listen-
Roberta's had too much to drink...
so I'm gonna give her a ride home, if you know what I mean.
- You want us to follow you? - No. There's no need for that.
I won't be more than an hour.
Dad, we're not doing anything. We can totally come.
No, that's not necessary. You know what'd be best?
Just meet me back at my place, all right?
Yeah, Dad, we came all this way to see you.
I know you did, and I'm glad you did.
But I'll meet you back at my place in about an hour. Is that good?
- Yeah. - Yeah, that's fine.
- We can do that. Yeah. - All right.
- I'll see you then. - Yep.
We should head back.
Let's keep waiting. It's only been-Sutter!
I'm sure that he wanted to come back.
If it wasn't for her, I'm sure he would have come back.
Yeah, and if he didn't cheat on my mom...
we'd still be a family, and I'd be president of my Sunday school class.
What?
I love you.
- Did you hear me? - Yeah.
- Sutter, I love you. - No, you don't.
- Yes, I do. - No, you don't. You're wrong.
Sutter, I'm not wrong.
- You don't love me. - Yes, I do!
You're wrong. You don't love me.
You're drunk and grateful that somebody showed interest in you.
Okay, stop. Stop. Do not try and mess this up.
Mess what up? What do you think that this is?
What are you talk-Sutter!
Oh, my God. Oh, my God. Are you okay?
- What? - Are you all right?
- No. - Are you hurt? Is there anything-
Aimee, stop! No, I'm not. I'm far from okay.
- Jesus. - Are you hurt?
What is the matter with you?
I almost killed you, and you want to know if I'm okay!
- Yeah, I wanna make sure that you're okay. - What the fuck is wrong with you?
Do you not see that I am bad for you? You need to get away from me!
You need to get the fuck away from me!
Aimee, get-Get out of my car.
No, I'm not gonna get out of your car!
Get out of my car. Get the fuck out of my car!
- Get the fuck out of my car! - Oh, my God, Sutter.
Jesus Christ!
I'm sorry, Sutter.
Holy fuck! Aimee!
Give you a choice, kid. The cops or your parents.
He's lucky. So is his girlfriend.
Not everyone gets a second chance.
Now.
It's not an
- I thought you were gettin' help. - I am.
I am.
You need a “C” on the final, or you fail my class.
I'll try harder.
No, you won't.
I don't get you, Sutter. You're a smart kid, thoughtful.
Do you even want to graduate?
I don't know.
- Excuse me? - I'm just being honest with you.
I don't know. Everyone's telling me I gotta move on.
I don't see what's so great about being an adult.
Are you “EDDY?
Hi.
Hey. How you feeling?
I'm good. How are you?
It's good to see you.
Shall we talk about it?
I agree.
- I'm so sorry, Aimee. - Sutter, stop.
- Okay. - It's okay.
I know. It's okay.
We can just pretend that it never happened.
We don't ever have to talk about it again.
I don't want anything to get in the way of Philly.
You're all that matters to me.
- Hey, babe. - Hey.
- Look. Hi. - Hi.
Hold this.
Oops.
- Want some? - No. I'm okay.
- Really? - Yeah. I'm good.
- Is your family here? - Nah, I told them it was next week.
Yup. Yeah.
I should probably go say hi to her.
We are so proud of you.
Can you hold this?
We made it.
Yeah, I guess we did.
- I'm really glad. - Yeah.
I'm really proud of you, Sutter. Congratulations.
When are you going to Texas?
I thought that you heard. I'm not going to Texas.
I'm going with Marcus.
California.
- That's right. - What?
Come on, man. Are you serious?
I mean, don't you think that's a little-
- What? - I don't know.
It seems a little-
- You're really going? - Yes, I'm really going.
Well, maybe I'll, you know, come visit you guys or something.
Never been to California. It'd be cool.
I don't think that's a good idea.
Yeah. Yeah.
Yeah, it's probably not cool.
Sorry. It's just-
- I'm... - Hey, I get it. It's cool.
I'm trying to do things right now that aren't bad for me.
I get it.
It's cool. It's cool.
I'm not mad at you.
I know.
You'll always be my favorite ex-boyfriend.
- Sutter. - Yeah.
Pop upstairs, would ya?
You've probably noticed we haven't been too busy these days.
And because of that, I can only keep one clerk.
Now, I like you, Sutter...
but more importantly, the customers like you...
so I think you should be the one I keep.
That's excellent.
One second.
I've given this some hard thought, and the only way I can let you stay...
is if you promise me 100%...
that you will never come in here loaded again.
And I'm serious. Not even a light buzz.
Because if you do, then I have to let you go.
You understand.
I do.
Can you promise?
You got me there, Dan.
You know I can't promise you that.
Well, I appreciate your honesty.
I've always been up front with you.
Thanks for the opportunity.
- Yeah. - Thank you.
I suppose if I was your father...
this is where I might give you a lecture or something...
about what you're doing to yourself.
If you were my dad, you wouldn't have to.
Bus 710 now boarding for Washington, DC...
Baltimore and Philadelphia.
Miss, I need to keep going.
Just two more minutes, please. I promise.
I'm sorry. I'm gonna have to go.
Okay. Thanks.
So, do you think I did the right thing?
For you, or for her?
You had to let her go. You had to save that girl.
That's what I'm- I saved her. I saved her.
You're not wrong.
You're a hero. You're a king.
I'm a king.
Look at you, Sutter.
What are you, 22, 23?
Yeah.
Beautiful.
You got your whole life ahead of you.
Hey, so do you, man.
- You think so? - Absolutely.
Look at you. You're a young man.
You're a kid.
- I'm a kid? - You got-
You got plenty of life left in you.
Hey. How 'bout we get a round of shots?
For us kids.
Oh, shit.
What the hell-Sutter?
Jesus Christ. We just went through this.
- What the hell is wrong with you? - What do you care?
- Excuse me? - You've never cared about me.
Is it 'cause I remind you of him? Is that why you hate me?
You can't even stand to look at me, can you?
What are you talking about? You're my son!
I'm his son too. I'm exactly like him.
You are nothing like him.
I'll give you your dad's number, and you can go to him and see.
- See how different you are. - I thought you didn't want me to see him.
I was trying to protect you from-
I was wrong, okay? So I want you to go now.
I already went.
Holly gave me his number. I drove up there last week and I saw him.
You were right, Mom.
You were right the whole time.
You are not' your father.
Sutter, listen to me.
Listen to me. That man has never loved anyone but himself.
His heart is this big.
But you love everybody.
You have the biggest heart of anyone I know.
When you were in third grade, and Ricky was on crutches-
Do you remember that? You carried his books.
Carried that backpack every day.
And when you were nine and Rosemary Clark lost her mother?
You invited her to come live with us.
You told her that I would be her new mom.
You've always been so special, Sutter.
That's why everyone loves you so much.
Nobody loves me.
Sutter, you are so wrong.
Do you hear me? You are so wrong.
My name is Sutter Keely, and I'm 18 years old.
Compared to other kids, I haven't had that many hardships.
Not really. You know, shit's happened.
Stuff has happened, sure.
But stuff always happens, right?
But the real challenge in my life, the real hardship...
is me.
It's always been me.
As long as I can remember, I've never not been afraid.
Afraid of failure...
of letting people down...
hurting people...
getting hurt.
Before, if! Kept my guard up and focused on other things, other people...
if! Couldn't even feel it, then no harm would come to me.
I screwed up.
Not only did I shut out the pain, I shut out everything-
the good and the bad-
until there was nothing.
It's fine to just live in the now...
but the best part about now is there's another one tomorrow.
And I'm gonna start making them count.
Sincerely, Sutter Keely.
P. S. I don 'z' know if this was due a long time ago.
Probably was. That's fine.
May be too late for this essay.
It's not too late for me.