TV FoxFamily, Fri, March 17, 2000, "Close Encounters."
Written by Deborah Schwartz, Directed by Alan Simmonds.

It's disgusting. She just wants some kind of conquest. Or it's true love. Two hearts beating as one.


Shelby doesn't have a heart.

Love the blissful look, kids. Scott, Peter's looking for ya.

Come in. You, uh, wanted to see me? You're not in trouble. So I'm not being called to the principal's office? Hun-uh. It's coming up on your two-month progress report. It is? Yep. Goes by fast, doesn't it? Do I get a prize or something? Yeah, you get a visit. Your dad's coming up Friday of this week. Great. Do I get to go off-campus? Sure. It can be arranged.

Scott, your old world at home is soon going to cross your new world here, and that's never easy. I can handle it. I can handle it. Your stepmother's coming too. Why is she coming? Look, I know you haven't gotten along in the past. No, no, forget about it, all right? I don't need to see them. Scott, people can change a lot in two months. And I don't mean just you, I mean them also. We got to get to the root of your problems with all those involved. So if you can just give it a chance.

What? She's coming. When? Friday. You got to help me find a way out of here.

You won't get far on the road and then you'll just be on restriction. There isn't another way down the mountain? Well, you could paddle across the lake and then... But, Scott, I don't think...

We're all wanted in the deep, dark woods. The road to true love is paved with broken glass.

How you doin', Dais? Scared? No. Course not. Keep climbing. Fear is nothing to be embarrassed about. Every time I climb a mountain, I'm scared. You better believe I'm scared. But you have to learn to admit that to yourself. And, Daisy, if you're scared, I want to hear it. I'm scared. All right. Now I want you to own that fear. I'm scared? I want to hear you. How do you feel, Daisy? I'm scared! All right! That's what I want to hear. See, that's the thing about fear. It teaches you when you need to be brave. You face your fears, you can beat them. That's what this is all about.

( Scott ) Where does the river cross on the highway? ( Shelby ) I think it's like 10 miles.

Hey, guys? Pay attention. You're up next. Come, on.

All right, Daisy. You can come down now.

Look over there in the grass.

That is the ugliest thing I've ever seen in my entire life. Well, he's all torn up like he was attacked or something. And what do you know about horses? Maybe I've been riding since I was seven. Hey, Jules, don't get too close. Wake me up if he eats Juliette. ( Juliette ) He's not wild. Look, he's got shoes on. He belongs to someone. Hey, beautiful. He doesn't trust you. Maybe you should work on that.

Shelby? He's in love. Get away from me. Shelby, now stay still. Stay on the side. Let me see that rope. Good boy. All right now, nice horsey. Nice horsey. Nice...Horsey. ( Neighing ) Well, that's love for ya.

All right. Let's get back to work. Shelby, you're climbing next. We can't just let him go. He's hurt. Jules. You left that rope around his neck. He could get it caught on something and he could choke. Can't we just look for him? All right, we'll look around. Everybody, be careful, please?

Where you going to go anyway? Stay with my cousin in San Francisco. She's cool. Well, what about your real mom? Nah, when she and my dad split up, she got clipped real bad. Last thing she needs is me showing up on her doorstep. Hey. Come with me. We can go together. Come on, I know you hate it here. Hey, a lot of that's an act, you know. Kind of like counterpoint to all of Juliette's smiley sunshine. We can do this together. I think you should stay. You're going to have to face your evil stepmother sometime. I think you should tell your dad.

Slowly, slowly, holy guacamole -- what? Baking bread is good for your inner balance. Peter, I've heard about your cake-baking disaster. The kids tell the story around the campfire. Now you're telling me you know how to make bread dough? No way. Bought it frozen at the store. All you do is defrost it, knead it, and toss it in the oven. Oh, that must give you a great sense of accomplishment. No, it gives me a great sense of touching something warm and soft. There is nothing quite as pathetic as a man desperate for a hobby. Okay, move over. Here.

Scott's parents are coming up. Kid's so stressed he won't say a word. Looks like he's not the only one. Got to find a way to get through to him. There's an old adage -- "when the student is ready, he will let the teacher teach." Meanwhile, what if the student runs? How many times am I supposed to drag that kid back here? Well, maybe you shouldn't. It's my job, Soph. No, your job is to teach. And until he realizes this is where he belongs, none of us can teach him anything. You've said it yourself, Peter, there aren't any walls here. Scott's got to stay because he wants to stay.

Scott. You look great. It's good to see you. Hello, Scott. You look like you've been getting some exercise. I think Scott wanted to give you the grand tour. that would be great. No, no, um... Maybe later? All right, then. How about we take you to town for dinner? That's all right, isn't it? It's all right with me if it's all right with Scott. Sure, yeah. Great. Great!

Is your dinner all right? I was hoping we could go someplace a bit more elegant, but Agnes isn't replete with choices. Anything i don't have to cook myself is perfect. They make you cook? Ah, for what that school costs, they could hire a kitchen staff. We all help out. Whatever they're doing, they should keep it up. You look like your old self again, Scott.

( Phone ringing ) I told them, no calls. Hello. Yes. Hold on. This will take two minutes.

You know, Scotty, your dad isn't the only one who misses you. Get away from me. Scotty, be quiet. You remember our rules, don't you? [flashback] Scotty? [end of flashback]

I'm going gonna tell him. I'm going gonna tell him everything that you did to me. Scotty, your daddy loves me. He'll never believe you. I'm sure he won't be eager to come up for another visit.

Sorry. Daily crisis. Oh, honey, you work too hard. This is time to spend with Scotty. You're right. And I want to hear everything. Um... You know, I'm a little wiped out, dad. They get us up early for chores and stuff. Think we could head back a little early? Well, all right. Um, we have the whole weekend, huh?

( Door opening and closing ) Okay. I'm leaving, tonight. Are you coming? Did you tell him? I can't tell him. Not ever. You have to. No more talk, all right? Behind the dorms before sunrise.

Well... This is scintillating conversation. You're worried about him. He is an emotional crash site. But he's a male, so he won't talk about it. He just wants to run away. You don't know what to do. Chaos makes life interesting. I don't want to do the wrong thing. My whole life I've done the wrong thing. You know that voice that's telling you you're a bad person? That voice that says "she deserves all those things that happen to her"? That voice is wrong. Don't listen. You don't even know me. I trust you. So does he. Just do what you think is right.

Shelby. Shelby.

[Scott paddles off}

Hey, kid. You're up early. You're almost out of fingernails. What's up? He ran.

How much of a head start does he have? I don't know. Three hours, maybe? Scott ran. Any idea what direction he was going? Uh, he took the lake down to the river. The lock is broken on the shed. Maybe he took a kayak. Oh. What They're releasing water from the dam all this week. Two miles downstream that river's going to be nothing but whitewater. Call Curtis, tell him that Scott's on the river. Tell him to bring a search and rescue, and tell Jeff that I borrowed his dirt bike, all right? Got it.

I told him... About the river. Well, you shouldn't have told him anything. You should have -- Why are you going off on me? Shelby, those few hours make a big difference. It gave Scott enough time to put himself in real jeopardy. The essence of Horizon is responsibility, and you were irresponsible. You think I wanted him to run? Do you? No, I don't. But given what's happened, do you think you helped him?

I'd run too if she was my girlfriend. I made it all the way to the bus station once. You ran? I'd only been here about 45 minutes. My parents were still talking to Frank. ( Auggie ) Did you catch a bus? ( Katherine ) No, Peter was waiting at the ticket counter. I hope he's all right.

Get away from me. Shelby, you did the right thing. He's gonna hate me. You don't know. He's the first guy... When he looks at me... No one has ever looked at me like that, not ever. And now it's all gonna be gone.

( Horse neighing ) Don't sneak up on me like that. You don't look so good, you know that? Guess we could take this rope off, huh? There. All right. Go home. Go back to your...Herd. No, no. No, that way. Go. Just...

Soph. Sophie, you there? Yeah, I'm here. The river's worse than I thought. Tell Curtis to position himself at Valler Bridge. Got it? Got it.

Go away. Go away. Get away from me. Go! Get away from me.

[flashback] Scotty? Scotty? [edn of flashback]

( Siren wailing )

I saw cuts like that before. Someone did that to him. Beat him up. Then he ran away. Well, then I suppose he can join our little club. Is that thing still here? He's scared. He's all alone. Well, he'll just have to learn to survive on his own. I did. Come on, it's lunch. We're on kitchens.

Hey. Probably getting tired of eating grass all the time. Whoa. You're smart too, aren't you?

This is insane. Not to mention negligent. We're doing everything that can be done to find your son. Oh, and that's supposed to make us feel better? You assured me that he would be safe here. You know, clearly they don't know what they're doing. I think Scott would be much better served somewhere else. I understand how you feel. How could you possibly understand? We've got search and rescue looking. We will find him.

Jeez. Could you not sneak up on me? I was looking for you. Your horse -- It's not my horse. -- is sick. He fell down, and he isn't getting back up.

What happened to him? I don't know, but it's not good. I thought you knew about horses. I'll get Sophie. We need a vet.

Whoa! Help, help!

Scott! Scott! Help! Peter, over here! Help, help! Hold on.

I got you. Hold on!

It's okay. How long has he been down? Almost two hours. I got him up but he laid right back down again. Can't you give him something? He hurts. Pain medicine isn't a good idea. He's colicking. Colicking. What's that? It's like a tummy ache. Actually, it's a kink, a blockage in the intestines. Okay, well, what do you give him? This animal is in very bad shape. Someone has been mistreating him for a long time. I think maybe the best thing we can do is stop his suffering. What, you mean kill him? No. Look, he is scared and he is in a lot of pain. He has maybe 30 infected cuts, he has a split hoof, he's dehydrated, malnourished and the colic.

Doc, we're not gonna kill him. I can give him some antibiotics for the infection and then bind the hoof, but you're gonna have to keep him up on his feet. That is his only chance with the colic. How do I keep him from lying down? However you can. Just you have to keep him walking until he gets his appetite back.

See? See, he's up. He -- he's gonna be okay, right? No, he's still very sick. Frankly, I don't think he'll make it through the night.

Okay, you start walking him. I'll go get Auggie and the others. Shelby, here. No. Shelby, it's important that we -- He's not gonna make it. Didn't you hear? He has a chance. He's dead. I got better things to do with my time.

We're fine. Tell Jeff to get my truck, come up here and get the rest of our gear. We're just going to warm up. We'll see you in a few.

I'm not going back. You can't make me go back. What about "thank you," huh? Didn't I just pull you out of that river? I didn't ask to be up here in the first place. You're right. And I'm too tired, I'm too cold, and I'm too wet to fight with you anymore, Scott. I didn't ask you to save me. You want to go? Go. You want to run so bad, I'm not gonna stop you anymore. I'm done with you. You sound like my father. Yeah, well, I'm not your father, Scott. I'm just trying to help you get on with your life. But if you think it's out there, you go. The police will just pick you up. They'll take you back home. And you know what? You won't be my problem anymore. Hallelujah!

Just...You don't get it. I don't get it? I saw you when you first came to this school, Scott. You were stoned and you were angry. Now look at you. You're drug-free, you're doing well in school, and you and shelby -- There's nothing going on between me and shelby, all right?

Just let me finish, please. That girl... That girl has smiled more in the last two months than she's probably smiled in the last two years. There's something positive going on there, Scott. But you, you want to run away from her, from everything, you go on. But if you go, you're not coming back. Not this time. No more.

Don't let this get to your head.

Come on. Come on. Come on. Yeah, I'm tired too.

Auggie, wake up. I'm up, I'm up. We have to keep him moving. He doesn't want to. Neither do I. Okay, I'll have a turn. Ah, Jules. You're exhausted. You know, maybe it's just... Maybe it's just his time, you know?

Can I have a turn? Thought you didn't care about the stupid horse. Hey, Jules. Lay off. We could use your help. If you're up for it. You have to keep him moving all the time.

Hey, listen. I'm not crazy about this either, but I'll do my part. You do your part and don't die, okay?

I'll have to call your dad, let him know you're okay. Do I still have to see him? You know the answer to that. It's tomorrow. Try to get some sleep tonight.

Hi. You're all right. We got a horse? Just another stray loser. All right. Hey. Huh? Thanks for bringing him back. Sure. A horse.

Where's everyone else? Uh, I made them go back to their beds. They've been up almost all night. What about you? I'm not tired. He's looking a little better. Bright eyes, head up. Why don't you let me take him for a little while. That's okay. He's calmer with me. Just a few minutes so you can get off your feet. Oh, he likes circles, not back and forth. Oh, and watch out, he -- he thinks it's funny to step on your toes.

Did you see Scott? I don't think he wants to see me. If you want to talk about it a little bit -- No. Where are you taking him? Thought I'd give him the tour.

Your parents are on their way up. We'll meet in my office in 10 minutes.

Well, I hear a lot of gut sounds. Gut sounds are good? Well, it means everything's moving in there and that is definitely good. You guys did an amazing job. He still has a long way to go, but's he's gonna be okay. Is there someplace he can stay? I have got an empty stall at my stable, if you don't mind. You can stop by and say hi whenever you want.

Is he okay? Mr. Berenger.

They should lock up people like her.

Good to see you in one piece, man. Come on, let's go get some breakfast. Is he feeling better? Yeah. Better than me. You ratted me out, didn't you? Don't hate me. I couldn't stand it. I should listen to you more often. I could run all the way to Alaska, wouldn't change a thing. They're inside... Both of them. Want me to come along? Nah.

Look who's back. Your dad was so disappointed. Running away again. I have to talk to my father. He'll never believe you. He loves me. What have you ever done but break his heart? It's the truth. The truth, Scott, is there were two of us. Even if he believes you, he'll never forgive you. Scott, don't. It doesn't have to be this way. We could do anything that you wanted, Scotty. Anything. You're done.

Oh, thank god you're okay. Thank Peter. Scotty, I'm so glad you're all right. Dad -- dad, I -- I -- I need to talk to you. Well, why don't we all go out for dinner? Scott, do you think that's a good idea? No...Now. All right, um... I'm listening.

All this, uh, this -- this stuff that's been going on with me, um, it's about Elaine. Elaine again. You have got to stop blaming Elaine. She didn't break up your mother and me. This is the progress you made with my son in two months? Maybe it is. Let's just hear him out.

I told you this place isn't helping Scott. If you love him, you'll bring him home. No. You know, Martin, I don't see any point to this. Let's just go, okay? Running away I don't think will solve anything. Certainly we agree upon that, don't we, Mr. Beringer? Yes.

Why don't you just tell him the truth? Go ahead. Tell him. Tell him why I was using, tell him why i had to get high every day. Mrs. Berenger? Do you have any idea why Scott has these feelings? Martin, I have no clue. Scott.

Dad. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to.

[flashback] Scotty, you up? [End of flashback] She would come into my room at night and she would get into bed with me -- Scott, when will the lies stop? We had sex, dad. That's enough. No. Do you hate me so much, Scott? You shut up! Please, everyone, just -- I never thought it could go this far. I never thought the lies could become so hateful. You don't know her, dad. You don't -- you don't know what she -- This is really sad, Scott, really. Shut up! Can we please just -- Can't we just accept the truth, Scott? This is the truth! Stop it now, please!

It's the truth, dad. Everything -- it is. Scott, you are my only child. And I love you. Look at me! I don't know you anymore. I don't know who you are. It's me, dad. Just me. I know you can't believe it and I know that you don't want to, but it happened. It happened, dad. I'm sorry, okay? Scott? Let him go. The damage has been done.

You think I'm lying? If you say it, I believe it, man. For the first time in so long, I feel like I can breathe.

What happened in there?

The truth.

[fade to black]

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