Production Code: 411

Air Date: 25 Feb 2005

Episode Title: Always Something There to Remind Me (II)

Summary: Abby’s taken far more than the recommended dose of antidepressants… Will her actions come back to haunt her?

[After School…]

(Liberty and JT are heading the first play meeting. They’re standing on the auditorium stage while the people who want a part sit in the audience – this includes Emma and Manny. They’re worried about Abby’s absence.)

Manny: Is she coming?

Emma: She said she’d be here!

Manny: Then where is she?

Emma: We should go find her. JT can give us the script later. Come on.

(They begin to get up when Abby flies into the back of the auditorium, a big smile on her face.)

Abby: Hey! Sorry I’m late.

Emma: It’s not problem – we’re glad you’re here!

Manny: Liberty’s been droning on for like, ever. You’re lucky you missed it.

Emma: And Abby – listen – we’re really sorry.

Abby: For what?

Manny: For, you know, our failed cheer-up routine yesterday.

Emma: We were just trying to help you forget.

Manny: Although – maybe remembering isn’t that bad.

Emma: So if you want to talk to us, we’re here.

Abby: (very cheery) Thanks guys! But I’m fine. Really!

(Abby breezes past Manny and Emma. The two share confused looks and shrug it off as they follow Abby. The three girls sit back down.)

Abby: (whispers as Liberty talks) What play are they doing?

Emma: Dracula. Liberty’s adapting it from the book.

Abby: Wow! That’s impressive!

Manny: Well, she is Liberty. Impressive is sort of what she does.

Emma: I’m sort of worried, though – what if it sucks?

Abby: Oh, I’m sure it’ll be amazing. If anything, your acting will make it awesome, Em. You’ll probably get the lead!

Emma: Um, thanks.

(Abby smiles and sits back, listening to Liberty. Manny and Emma share another freaked out look.)

[End of Scene]

[At School…]

(At lunch, Manny, Emma, JT, Toby, and Liberty are sitting together. Abby comes running up to them, grinning.)

Abby: Hey guys!

(They all stare at Abby, flabbergasted by her cheerfulness. Emma finally speaks after an awkward pause.)

Emma: Oh, hey, Abby! Are you staying long?

Abby: No, I’ve got to go. I’ve offered to tutor some Grade 9s in bio. Maybe one of them will be cute! See you later! Call me!

(Before they can say anything, Abby bounces off.)

JT: Is that the Abby Benson whose boyfriend just dumped her and ditched town?

(Manny and Emma shrug.)

Manny: Apparently.

Liberty: She’s dealing well, isn’t she?

Toby: She was a wreck yesterday at the yearbook meeting. One picture of Sean and she broke down in sobs.

JT: This can’t be good.

Emma: Maybe Liberty’s right. Maybe she is dealing really… really well. I mean, what else can it be?

Manny: Maybe she took some magical post-break-up potion.

Toby: Maybe he called her? That’s the only thing that would cheer her up, right?

Emma: She would have told us if he called her!

JT: Maybe she just has a really really good therapist.

Emma: We should keep an eye on her. She might be – I don’t know – hurting herself.

Liberty: Bottling it up is never healthy.

Manny: Nah. Abby’s too smart to do something like that.

JT: Yeah, I’m with Manny. (snorts) For once.

Toby: We should still watch for her, though. The past month has been pretty rough.

Emma: That’s putting it lightly –

Toby: Tenfold for Abby. We should look out for her, in case she needs us.

(The others nod their head in agreement.)

[End of Scene]

[At School…]

(Abby’s walking down the hall, smiling and looking very happy. She waves and says hi to everyone she passes. Suddenly, she trips. Looking dizzy, she attempts to regain her footing, but she has to lean against her lockers to stay up. She holds her head, blinking slowly. People stare. Craig runs up to her, worried.)

Craig: Hey, Abby, are you okay?

Abby: W-what?

(Abby looks lost for a second)

Abby: Oh – oh – yeah! Of course! I’m fine. Just a little tired, you know? Up late working on this killer lab report.

(She trips, Craig catches her. She leans on him as they walk down the hall.)

Craig: Are you sure?

Abby: Yeah, yeah. But enough about me. How are you, Craig?

(Craig is a little freaked out by Abby’s enthusiasm.)

Craig: I’m – um – good. Here, let me take you to the Caf. You need something to clear your head. Tea – or water – or something.

Abby: No, no, really – I’m fine! I have a gatorade in my bag. Go on – go eat something. You’re looking awfully skinny!

(She grins at him and pokes his stomach, he forces a smile back.)

Craig: Oh – um – see you later?

Abby: Bye!

(Craig walks away and Abby turns for the girl’s room. As she walks in, she slips the Zoloft out of her bag.)

[End of Scene]

[At Abby’s House…]

(Morgan is on the phone in the kitchen as Nina makes dinner. Charlie runs into the room and sticks his head in the fridge, looking for food.)

Nina: Charlie! Dinner’s in less than an hour. Can’t you wait to feed the beast within?

Charlie: Practice was really intense today, Mom! I need food now!

(Abby walks into the room, grinning. She drops her bag and goes to hug Nina.)

Abby: Nina, I love you!

(Nina turns around, flattered, and hugs her daughter back.)

Nina: Why, thanks, sweetie. I love you, too.

(Morgan hangs up the phone and turns to her sister.)

Morgan: What’s with you?

Abby: What do you mean, Morgie?

Morgan: You’re happy.

(Morgan watches as Abby dances over to her.)

Morgan: (slightly sickened) Really, really happy.

Abby: Being happy never hurt anyone, now did it?

(Abby squeezes Morgan tightly. Morgan is weirded out.)

Morgan: Um, sure. I’m going to go watch TV.

(Morgan leaves and Charlie leans against the kitchen counter, eating an apple.)

Charlie: The Morg’s right. You’re acting pretty creepy.

Abby: Why? There’s absolutely nothing wrong with being optimistic! Right, Nina?

Nina: I’m just glad that you’re dealing so well, Abs. You’ve had a rough month.

Charlie: (snorts) That’s one way of putting it!

Abby: I’m going upstairs to start my English paper. Call me down for dinner!

Nina: Of course.

(Abby begins to leave the room as Lizby enters. They bump into each other at the doorway.)

Abby: Hey, Liz! I haven’t told you how much I loved you in a while, have I?

Lizby: Actually, you told me yesterday.

(Abby grins and hugs Lizby before leaving. Lizby shrugs it off and sits down at the table. She looks flustered.)

Nina: What’s wrong, hon?

Lizby: I can’t find my Zoloft pills anywhere!

Charlie: Zoloft? You take Zoloft?

(Lizby glares at Charlie as he laughs.)

Nina: If you kept the bottle in the medicine cabinet like you were supposed to, maybe you wouldn’t have lost them.

Lizby: But, Nina, I did! I mean – I do! I take one pill every night before bed and put the bottle in the medicine cabinet right after! I don’t know where they could have gone!

Charlie: Maybe the tooth fairy who visited Morgan last week was feeling a little down in the dumps, eh?

Lizby: Eat your apple!

Nina: Charlie! (to Lizby) Maybe you left them out, or misplaced them by accident.

Lizby: (sighing) I guess that could have happened.

Nina: We’ll all keep an eye out for them.

Lizby: But, Nina –

Nina: If we don’t find them soon, we’ll get your prescription refilled at the pharmacy. Okay?

Lizby: (head in hands) Okay.

Charlie: I’m going to go take a shower. (sniffs armpits) I sort of smell.

(Lizby speaks from buried in her arms.)

Lizby: You always smell!

Charlie: (mocking high tone) My name’s Lizby and I’m addicted to pills.

Lizby: I hate you!

Charlie: I hate you more!

(Charlie rolls his eyes at Lizby as he leaves. She wallows in self-pity for a moment until Abby’s bag starts to beep.)

Lizby: That’s Abby’s phone. I got it, Nina.

(Lizby begins to dig through her sisters’ bag. Underneath a few books, she finds her missing bottle of Zoloft. She shakes it – it’s nearly empty.)

Lizby: Oh, my God.

[End of Scene]

[Abby’s House]

(Abby’s typing away on her computer when Lizby walks in, holding the pill bottle behind her back.)

Lizby: (gently) Hey, Abs.

Abby: Oh, hey, Lizby! Didn’t see you there?

Lizby: So, what’s up?

Abby: Just typing up this ten-page essay for Kwan. It’s killer, but I’m slogging through it.

Lizby: That’s – that’s good.

(Lizby sits down on the edge of her bed.)

 Lizby: How have you been, Abby? I mean – lately?

Abby: I’ve been absolutely wonderful. Why do you ask?

Lizby: Because – because – because… I found these in your bag.

(Lizby slowly pulls out the pills. Abby’s expression turns cold at the sight of them.)

Abby: What are you talking about?

Lizby: Have you – have you been taking these? To feel better?

Abby: Of – of – of course not!

Lizby: (sighs) Don’t lie, Abby. I found them. I know the truth!

Abby: The truth is that you’re just jealous because – because – because my life is so perfect!

(Lizby begins to tear up as she speaks to Abby.)

Lizby: Who are you kidding, Abby? Your life isn’t perfect – it’s far from it! Your school is in crisis, your boyfriend ditched town –

(Abby turns back to her computer, her face scrunching up as she attempts to ignore Lizby.)

Abby: Stop it, stop it, stop it!

Lizby: And that’s why you took my pills, isn’t it? You wanted to feel happy! You wanted to forget everything that had happened! Mask the pain!

(Abby’s crying; so is Lizby.)

Lizby: How many pills did you take, huh, Abby? Five? Ten? Twenty? How many did it take to make you happy again?

Abby: You don’t understand! I needed those! I needed them!

Lizby: Needed them? You didn’t need them, Abby! That’s not what these are for! I thought you were smart enough to know that!

(Abby gets up and turns to her sister.)

Abby: I – I – I –

(Abby stops speaking, blinking slowly. Her hands fly to her throat, then her temple, as she opens her mouth to speak. Instead she faints on to the floor with a thud. Lizby drops to her sister’s side.)

Lizby: Abby? Abby? Abby, please, wake up!

(Lizby shakes Abby, but she remains motionless. Horrified, Lizby jumps up and backs away towards the door.)

Lizby: Nina! Nina! MOM! Come quick! Abby’s – she’s – NOW! PLEASE!

[End of Scene]

[At the Hospital…]

(Abby’s family is standing outside Abby’s room, looking at her through the glass window when Emma and Manny come running up.)

Emma: Nina called –

Manny: How is she?

Lizby: (staring through the glass) They – they pumped her stomach. She overdosed on my antidepressants. She could have died.

Manny: Oh, my God. Is she going to be okay?

Robbie: The doctors say she’s going to be fine.

Emma: So that’s why Abby’s been so happy recently?

Lizby: Sort of.

Nina: The doctor’s say Abby’s state of euphoria wasn’t caused by the Zoloft – it was more of a phsycological effect. Abby was so convinced that the pills would work, her brain caused the effect by itself.

Manny: So – she was the one making the happy, not the pills?

Charlie: Pretty fucked up.

Manny: (nodding) Yeah.

Morgan: She really missed Sean, huh?

Nina: More than any of us can imagine, sweetie.

Manny: I – I can’t believe we didn’t notice!

Emma: Or do anything about it.

Nina: Don’t blame yourselves, girls. This isn’t your fault.

Charlie: Right. It’s that asshole Sean’s fault.

Nina: No, Charlie. It wasn’t anyone’s fault.

Lizby: But, Nina – we could have helped –

Robbie: If you had known, which you didn’t. Abby did a pretty spectacular job of hiding her feelings.

Emma: Why didn’t she tell us?

Manny: We’re her best friends!

Lizby: I’m her sister!

Emma: We’re supposed to be there for her.

Nina: She didn’t want your help, guys. She wanted to deal with her hurt on her own.

Morgan: That didn’t work very well, did it?

Robbie: No, Morgs, it didn’t.

(Robbie puts his arm over Morgan’s shoulder; she leans her head into him.)

[CUT TO: Abby in her room.]

(Abby is having a dream of some sort as she tosses and turns in the hospital cot.)

Abby: Sean – Sean – I love you – don’t go –

(Suddenly, Abby wakes up. She sits up and blinks slowly a few times as she gains her bearings. Looking around, she saddens in realization.)

Abby: Oh right. He’s in Wasaga.

[CUT TO: Abby’s family and friends watching her worriedly as she sleeps.]

(Abby smiles to herself.)

Abby: Sean isn’t here…

(Abby grins as Emma waves and Charlie makes a face up against the glass.)

Abby: And I’m sort of okay with that.

[End of Scene]

[On the road…]

(Abby is walking home with Emma and Manny when they reach Abby’s house. They stop in her yard.)

Emma: So how was your first day back?

(Abby shrugs.)

Abby: Okay. I kept getting weird looks from people, though. Wonder how they found out?

Manny: It could still be over the shooting thing.

Abby: Oh yeah, good point. Never thought of that.

Emma: It’s weird that we’ve already forgotten about the shooting.

Manny: We haven’t forgotten.

Abby: We’ve just moved on.

Manny: Exactly what Abby is doing with Sean – right?

(Abby smiles and nods.)

Abby: Yeah, yeah.

Manny: (grinning) Good.

Emma: Oh, Manny, we have to hurry up! My house is like five blocks away and I have to finish that presentation for Media Immersion, study for bio and baby-sit Jack –

Manny: We’ll power walk it, don’t freak. So, bye, Abby! Talk to you later, ‘kay?

(Manny hugs Abby.)

Abby: Of course. Bye Em!

(Emma and Manny begin walking away. Abby smiles at them.)

[CUT TO: Abby walking into her room.]

(Lizby’s left her a note taped to her desk. It reads: “LOVE YOUUU! BE BACK LATER! XOXO LIZBY”. Abby smiles at it and sets her bag down. Rummaging through it, she comes up with Sean’s letter. It’s all crumpled. Abby looks at it for a moment.)

Abby: Sorry, Sean. I have to get over you. Maybe you’ll come back someday. But for now, I’ve got to move on. Just like Manny said.

(Abby opens up one of her drawers and drops the letter in, still unopened. She closes the door and smiles.)

Abby: Just like Manny said.

(Abby turns to her computer, where IMs are popping up from various users. Abby’s smile turns into a grin.)

((freeze))