"Previously on Kyle XY..." " Kyle?" " Be careful, even in our backyard." "We have bigger problems." "Jessi starts back at school today." "I sort of levitated." " Show me how." " I will." " She's the one who attacked me." " I know Lori will never forgive me." "Earn forgiveness." " She Could Be You." " What?" "The two of you used to play that song all the time." "D4." "It's not there." "It's a Latnok ring." "All the members received rings." "A way of identifying one another." " Then you're Latnok?" " Yes." "I got accepted into a music program in New York." " I leave in two days." " Two days?" "I miss this." "I miss you." "I didn't want to go back to how I was before." "How were you before?" "Invisible." "I'll call and text and e-mail." "I'm gonna come back to you." " You promise?" " Promise." "Spring cleaning, a curious ritual." "Nicole said it meant time to rid ourselves of things we didn't need anymore." "The first step is reflection." "What's worth keeping?" "What's lost its value and can be given away?" "For some, the choice is easy." "For others, much more difficult." "Wow!" "Getting rid of all that." "Actually, I've gone through, and..." "I like all my things." "I don't want to give them away." "Oh, Kyle, you don't have to, but a lot of this stuff has seen its best day." "Look at this T-shirt." "It's shrunk, it's stained, it's faded." "I wore this the first time Stephen took me to work." "Well, this one's torn." "I ripped it playing basketball with Josh." "Great game." " The first gift Lori ever gave me." " Sentimental pack rat." "Great." "We're in trouble." "Look, this isn't supposed to be torture." "Consider it a chance to shed your old skin, be someone new." "Dude, take a load off." "Let's throw this puppy around for a few." "Let me grab the rest of the boxes." " The boxes aren't going anywhere." " But I told Nicole that I..." "The best part about spring cleaning is ditching out on spring cleaning." "You can't do it, can ya?" "You always have to do the right thing." "You always find a way of putting fun before work." "Alphabetical order, my encyclopedic friend." "I'll have you know, I'm done with my room." "And I'm trashing this with the rest of my stuff." "But first..." " Bite marks." " Foam." "It's irresistible." "Come on." "Show me what you got." "OK." "Keep going." "More." "Whoa!" " You didn't tell me you were coming." " No one knows." " I'm surprising my mom." " You're a good present." " How's New York?" " Amazing." "Everything I imagined." "And the music program?" "The teachers are all so inspiring." "And the students there are so talented." " Like you." " They've all had incredible training." "It was intimidating at first, but I'm in good company." "I'm learning about composers..." "Amanda's heart was beating rapidly, and she was speaking fast." "She seemed happy, but I could sense she was troubled." " I'm already a better technical player." " Amanda is everything all right?" "I can never hide anything from you." "But I need to let my mom know I'm home." "Can we get together later?" " Of course." " Good." "I guess we need to talk." " She said what?" " "We need to talk."" " What is it?" " Nothing." "No, I missed something." "Well, when someone says, "We need to talk,"" "sometimes it's a lead-in to a discussion" " about feelings that have changed." " Feelings?" "Prepare yourself." "She's dumping you." "At least she has the decency to do it in person." "Don't read into it." "Just wait and hear what she has to say." "No." "Not my lucky shirt." "Josh, you've outgrown it." "I couldn't help but wonder, had Amanda already outgrown me?" "OK, grab hold of the wire and make these babies blink." "What?" "You turned a block of headlights on." "This should be easy." " Are you serious?" " You said I look for ways to slack off." "This I take seriously." "You have to challenge that brilliant mind, and someone has to fill in for Foss." "Well, that someone, my friend, will be me." " Really?" " Just make 'em blink." " Hey." "Is it working?" " Not really." "Thinking about Amanda drained all the voltage out of him." "I heard. "We need to talk."" " Sorry she left you hangin'." " Typical woman." "Uh, anyway, I need to look for my digital projector." "You giving that away?" "No." "I need it for a lecture I'm giving at U-Dub." "You're giving a lecture?" "I mean you're giving a lecture." "I've been asked to speak at a symposium tomorrow." "Are you getting paid for this?" "Because you're supposed to bring home the bacon, and I eat a lot of bacon." "For your information, I have already had a job offer." "This lecture is about sharing my expertise... for free." "I think your expertise is worth more than that." "Thank you, Kyle." "I'll let you two get back to work." " What's that?" " Just an old magazine." " You done in your room?" "" " Yep." "And now I need permission to boycott an assignment." " Let me guess: math." " Nope." "Me." "My guidance counselor is making everyone write a two-page essay about who you really are." "I don't know the answer to that yet." "How old were you when you figured that out?" "I'll tell you when I get there." "Figuring out who you are" " is a constantly evolving process." " Constantly evolving process." " Three words." "I need more." " Sarcastic, moody and cynical?" "I didn't ask you." "And I'm not a cynic." "I am totally "glass is half full."" "I acknowledge the other half of the glass is a desolate void of disappointment, misery and regret." " Preparing makes me pragmatic." " Uh, speaking of being prepared..." "Homework?" "Done." "I know." "You should call Ripley's." "I need an opinion." "I can't decide which one." " What do you guys think?" "Plaid?" " Definitely." "Thanks." "You and Amanda should take a walk around the marina." "Sunsets are really pretty." "Maybe we will." "Dead man walking." " Hi." " Hello." " Can I come in?" " There's a front door." "I wanted to see you." "This is quicker." " What happened?" " Oh, I slipped and hit my shoulder." "Jumping off another roof?" "Kyle, I've learned my lesson." "And I'm here to learn another one." "You said I have to work my way up to levitate, so start teaching." " I can't." " There's nobody around." "I have plans tonight with Amanda." " Oh, Amanda." "She's home?" " As a surprise." "You're anxious about it." "Your heart's beating really fast." "I can tell." " She told me, "We need to talk."" " So?" " You don't think that means anything?" " Uh..." "It means she wants to talk to you?" " Isn't that a good thing?" " That's what I thought." "So when can we get started?" "When Amanda goes back, I'll have time." "OK." " Well... goodbye." " Bye." "You ready?" "Kyle, I can't go out." "But you said we need to talk." "I'm sorry." "I can't see you." "Amanda?" "Inside!" " This is all your fault." " What?" "My daughter flying clear across the country to surprise me." "You're not happy she's home?" "I'd be happy if she hadn't used my birthday to tell me she's dropping out." " Drop out of the conservatory?" "Why?" " You didn't know you're the reason?" "She didn't say anything to me." " We haven't talked." " You're not gonna get that chance." "You will not speak to Amanda until she's back where she belongs, at that school." "I don't understand why she won't let me speak to Amanda." "Well, unfortunately, Mrs. Bloom sees you as a distraction." "I just want to know what happened, make sure she's OK." "Well, put yourself in Mrs. Bloom's shoes." "What I mean is, try to see things from her perspective." "That music conservatory sounds like a big opportunity," " one that Amanda shouldn't miss." " I don't want her to miss it." "But Mrs. Bloom shouldn't force her to go back." "I'm afraid Mrs. Bloom has every right to send Amanda back, whether she wants to go or not." "Just as she has the right to ask you to stay away." "And the hard truth is..." "it's really none of our business." "You know what Amanda means to me." "If she's confused about something, how could it be none of my business?" "I know you're bummed, but look at the bright side." "Which, by the way, is my new M.O." "Amanda wasn't planning on dumping you." "How do you know that?" "Mrs. Bloom blames you for ruining her life." "Amanda flying home was a case of "girl missing boy next door."" "We don't know that." "We don't know anything Amanda's feeling." " No one's letting her explain." " Even Mom and Dad." "I can't believe they're with Mrs. Bloom." "I can't believe we're siding with Carol." "She's uptight, narrow-minded..." "Yeah, and those are her good qualities." "We have to respect what she wants for her daughter." "Kyle has shown nothing but love for Amanda." "Now we have to keep them apart?" "Knowing Kyle, he'd make the situation a lot better" " if he were allowed to talk to her." " You remember being Kyle's age?" "Something like this takes over your life." "That's half the fun of being in love." "Now we have to be the buzz kills, the grown-ups." "If this is what being a grown-up means..." "It sucks." "Why can't Mom and Dad do something?" "They can't cross the line." "They're all about crossing the line when something's not fair." "Throw Mom your "puppy dog in a thunderstorm" look." " Get her to change her mind." " They made it clear." "I have to obey Mrs. Bloom's request." "This isn't right." "I can't just stand back and do nothing." " Kyle, do I detect defiance?" " Genius joins the dark side." "I've got rules I've been dying for you to break." "I don't want to break any rules." "I won't have to." "I'll do exactly what Mrs. Bloom asked me to do." "Atta boy, Kyle." "Take a stand." "Why are your feet on my bed?" "There were ways to contact Amanda without seeing or speaking to her." "I could easily circumvent Mrs. Bloom without leaving my own house." "It seemed she could find ways to thwart me just as easily." "If electronic messages weren't getting through, there would be no way to send a note or a letter without Mrs. Bloom intercepting it." "I couldn't see or speak to Amanda." "The written word was no longer an option." "But there were still a few notes I could send her way." "I hoped this message would get through and she would at least know I was thinking about her." " I was just trying..." " I know what you were doing." "I think you better come in now." "What?" "You want my music now, too?" "You've confiscated my phone, computer." " I know this is hard to understand..." " That you're keeping me prisoner?" "You will leave this house when you agree to return to New York to become the pianist you're meant to be." "Mom, I'm not seven years old anymore." "Think I don't get that this is a great opportunity for me?" " Why throw it away?" " Because it's not right for me now." " It's not what I want." " You don't know what you want." "Dude, the crispity, crunchity goodness in that bowl is long gone." " I'm not really hungry." " My essay sucks." "Speaking of sucks..." "What?" "I meant Shakespeare." "Extra credit." "Impressive." "Impressive would be figuring out what language this was in." "I thought Kyle might be able to translate, but..." "Well, what part are you at?" "Part that says it's about two families and it's set in "fair Verona."" "The first two lines." "She lives 38 feet, nine inches away, and I can't even tell her I'm sorry." "You could if she wasn't locked in her own house." "Who else but Mrs. Bloom changes the alarm code to keep someone in?" "I just hope Amanda doesn't feel as bad as I do." "Looks like we have our own resident pair of star-crossed lovers." "The balcony scene's her favorite part of the play." "Of course, it didn't end well for them." "So Romeo and Juliet did everything in their power to be together." "You guys know how this ends?" "Why didn't you say so?" "This all began when Amanda said we needed to talk." "That's exactly what we're gonna do." " I can write my essay later." " Whatever it is, I'm in." "Wait a minute." "I'll do just about anything but that." "If you want to help, you have to commit, take this seriously." "Then let me drive the getaway car instead." "Or I could create a diversion." "Hey, you want in?" "Accept the assignment." "Then I guess I'll see if I can borrow one of Andy's." " What can I do to help?" " Help what?" "Help Kyle have a night out with Amanda like you've been talking about." "How do you know what?" "You just sat down." "I listened in while I was sitting at that table over there." "I thought you had the copyright on that move." " I can do anything Kyle can do." " Could you make out with Amanda?" "'Cause that would be hot." "It's a common male fantasy to watch two women make out." "Number six on popular top-ten lists, but it's not backed by statistical evidence." "That's all really fascinating, but I think what she really needs to learn is the meaning of privacy." "Bitchy, not cynical." "A total difference." "I was just trying to help." "Actually, I think there is something you can do." "Can I help you?" "Hi." "Is Amanda home?" "I'm a friend." "I've seen you going in and out of the Trager house." " You're Lori's trampy friend." " Oh, no, that's Hillary." "Well, whoever you are, Amanda is not allowed to have visitors." "Oh, but do tell Kyle nice try." "Hey!" "Dad!" "Josh." "Guess who was a hit at the symposium." " I knew you'd be." " I was nervous when I got there, but I look out and see a room full of computer science geeks." "My peeps." "Sounds like really fulfilling and fascinating stuff." "Say, uh, why don't you take a load off, and I'll put that projector away for you." "Sure." "Thanks." " That's our block?" " On a map of the power grid." " There's our house and Amanda's." " And how does that help?" "I need to know how the neighborhood is wired." "This has high-voltage cables, transformers, utility lines, breaker panels." "It's part of the plan." "I'm back." " Jessi, please try to use the..." " Oh, front door." "Right." " How'd it go?" " 12154." "So I'll see you at the Rack later?" "OK." "Bye." "She was done, right?" "I should probably get going." "Um, didn't you just leave?" "I wanted to talk to you, and Kyle said that I should use the front door." "OK." "Your parents didn't press charges, and they could have." "They understand that what I did to you wasn't me." " I'm really lucky that they do." " Yeah." "You are." "Kyle explained everything to you." "I didn't want to beat you up." "It was my programming." "Things went wrong." "So, what, you caused the most traumatic experience of my life, and you're telling me it's not your fault?" "I'm telling you I'm sorry." "I'm not here to ruin things anymore." "I'm here to help." "I'm trying." "Then I guess I can try, too." "OK." " Hey." "Want some help?" " Oh, dig in." "Hey, I thought you got rid of this." "Yeah, I got a little nostalgic and rescued it from the reject pile." "I got a little nostalgic myself today." "Being back on campus again." "No office politics, no corporate crap, just this flow of ideas." "It was a real give-and-take." "I forgot how satisfying that can be." "It's been a long time since you talked about teaching." "Yeah, I know." "I was surprised when the feeling hit me." "I was also surprised when the head of the computer science program" " mentioned an adjunct professorship." " Stephen, that's great." "Two job offers." "No, no, no." "Just the one." "I turned him down." "Why?" "You want to get back in the public sector, and I already have a fantastic job." "I mean, it's a great salary." "I'd be the senior VP in charge of software development." "Yeah, at a company that makes elevator control panels." "It's not as exciting as a career change, I admit, but at least this time around, I won't have an evil boss." "How'd it go?" " Mission accomplished." " Excellent." "So far." "What you're planning is so out there," " no way everything will go right." " Suzy Cynic." "Kyle, your plan is genius!" "It's totally optimistic, at least what I understand of it." " Thank you." " So, what's next?" "Jessi got the alarm code, and you got her to pull down the shade, so on to phase two." "Here you go." "Phase two." "Now we just wait for dark." "I have unwavering faith and support your exploits," " but how is that a plan?" " Got something better?" "There's a lot at stake for Kyle's sake, and I don't want anything to go wrong." "Why would it?" "Kyle's covered all angles." "I'm sure he has." "Why don't you just relax?" "Kyle's plan has to work." "He won't get to Amanda before she's gone for good." "I think phase two has been activated." "Think about Amanda, how much you want to see her, to hold her to touch her." " Josh, ew." " What?" "He needs an emotional trigger." " The other thing I need is silence." " Good idea." "Lori, out." " What did I do?" "This is man's work." "I so want to make a joke right now." "She could have stayed." "Yeah, but I'm about to get all mushy, and I didn't want her to hear it." "Listen, Kyle, I get how messed up you are right now." "If anybody told me I couldn't see Andy ever again," "I'd be a mess, too." "But you've got to pull it together." " You really think I can do this?" " How much you care about Amanda?" "Zero doubts." "Come on." "Deep breaths." "Just take it slow, one bulb at a time." "By focusing," "I could control the flow of electrons along the wire, much like driving a car along a narrow road." "In this case, the road led into the Trager house's electrical system, which in turn connected to the neighborhood transformer." "Through the transformer, I was able to reach Amanda's house and gain access to the house's electrical system." "Once inside, I could direct the flow of electrons through the wires hidden in the walls." "I was able to find my way to Amanda's room." "Finally, I got my message through." "And finally, we would have our chance to talk." "Phase three." "You owe me... big." "Trager, you really embraced your inner Hallmark card." "You've gone soft." "I know." "You can cut the irony with a spoon." "I just hope it's worth it." " What's that supposed to mean?" " Nothing." "All this for puppy love?" "What are the odds that the person you're gonna spend the rest of your life with is the girl next door?" "I mean, I don't want to put a bad mojo on the whole love vibe, but I don't want to set Kyle up to get his heart chopped, sliced and diced." "God, that felt good." "Did you see where I put the napkins?" "Is there a garlic convention in here?" " Too much?" " Never." " What's the occasion?" " Take your pick." "I feel guilty about discouraging Kyle." "I appreciate the life we have and that we have such good kids." " Um, I'm incredibly hungry." " How about all of the above?" "Stephen." "You mentioned Amanda would be missing an opportunity." " You ever feel that way?" " What makes you think I do?" "Spring cleaning." "Dragging the past out of the closets, seeing who we've become." " You still look great in a bikini." " I wouldn't know." "I haven't worn one since Josh was born." "Remember how I was supposed to be the cool mom who published thought-provoking articles and had a career?" "All I've accomplished this weekend is loads of laundry." "Not to mention an insanely aromatic marinara sauce." "There was a time when I wanted to teach, but I don't feel like I'm really missing anything." "I never went down that path." "You went the corporate route to support our family." "Which I wouldn't trade for anything." " Why don't you go gather the troops?" " All right." "I'm on it." " Hey." "Is she coming?" " I hope so." "She got my message." "It's not the best time, but can we add the electrical trick to the list?" "I really want to learn that." "After Amanda goes back, when you have time." "I'll make time." "But I have to make time for Amanda, too." " She might be staying." " Oh, she's staying?" "She doesn't want to go back." " You're surprised." " No, it's... it's good news for you." " Do you know why?" " Not yet." "But now I'll have a chance to find out." "Thank you for your help." "Your dinner was getting cold." "I know you're not very happy with me right now, but I am only looking out for your best interests." "I made that noodle casserole you like so much." "Oh, Amanda." "Phew!" "Hey, hon?" "Where the hell are they?" "This could be the biggest move you bust all night, so we just want to make sure you have it down." "You meet her at the door." "Compliment her." "Walk her over to the table." " Offer her a seat." " Yes." "Care to demonstrate?" " Would you like a seat?" " No, no." "You have to pull the chair out for her." "Oh." "And then just slip it underneath her as she sits." "Not too fast, or you'll take her out at the knees." "Right." "Not too fast." "Why am I even worried?" "You'll be fine." "Does it look OK?" "Perfect." "I love this." "The lights, the table, everything." "And the window in my room." "How'd you even get the idea for that?" "Romeo and Juliet." "Act two, scene two, line two." " The balcony scene." "That's..." " Your favorite scene in the play." "I like that you pay attention to weird little details." "You do?" " You're blushing." " I am?" "I shouldn't have said that." "I totally embarrassed you." "No." "Amanda, you can always say whatever you want with me." "Glazed Cornish game hens on a bed of sautéed greens, sweet-potato soufflé and asparagus, with shaved Romano and pancetta." "I don't think this is what we ordered." "Right. 'Cause nothing says romance like a smoked turkey wrap." " I took some liberties with the menu." " You made this?" "No one knows I'm secretly a fan of Top Chef." "And no one ever will." "Bon appétit." "Stop staring." "I can't." "I'm ODing on suspense." "I want to know how it's going." "You want to know if it's going badly." "What you witnessed earlier was a completely uncharacteristic outburst." "No, it's how you really feel." "It was just a mini meltdown brought on by some stupid homework assignment." ""Who You Really Are" essay?" "No one takes that seriously." "Well, almost no one." "It was recently brought to my attention that I am always the girl with the wry commentary and the patented eye roll." "Honest question." "Do you think I'm a cynic?" "Honest answer?" "Absolutely." "You're Miss Possible But Not Likely." "About my own life?" "Of course." "But watching those two, who am I to say they're not meant for each other?" "I mean, look at them." "Have you ever seen two people get each other like Kyle and Amanda?" "Not in a while." "Amanda, you said we need to talk." "Right." "You didn't think I meant..." "Maybe a little." "After a few people weighed in." "The one time you didn't take my words literally." "Did you really think my feelings had changed?" " Is that why you brought me here?" " Everyone was making assumptions about what you wanted and how you were feeling and what was right for you." "But no one was actually asking you." "That's why my feelings for you could never change." "Didn't know the lights out here twinkled." "Only for you." "You have no idea how disappointed I am right now!" " Mom..." " Save your excuses!" "Your flight leaves in less than two hours." " My flight..." " You heard me." " But you haven't heard her." " You have nothing to say in the matter!" "But I do!" "Don't you even care?" "I'm not happy at the conservatory." "Of course I care!" "But I also care about scholarships, opportunities." " I care about your future." " If you really cared about my future, you would not have sold my piano in the first place." " Mom, I'm sorry." "I didn't..." " Get in the car now." " I have to go." " I understand." "I hope you're satisfied." "It took all my will power not to trip her." "Thank you for letting me know Amanda was here." "Glad I could help." "Welcome home." "I'd ask you what you were thinking, but I don't think you were thinking at all." " This took a great deal of planning." " Not helping." "The Blooms' situation was private." "We made it very clear you were not to see Amanda," " you were not to get involved." " I know I broke a rule, but I'm not sorry I did." "I had to do it for Amanda." "Good intentions aside, you're grounded." "All of you." "Two weeks." " What?" " School, work, home." "Everything else is off-limits." "I'll take your cell phones." "This was my idea." "Lori and Josh shouldn't be punished." " They were just helping." " Exactly." "What if Foss?" "If anyone important calls, I'll have it with me." " Do I get one last call?" " No." "But you do get to go to your rooms." "Now." "Grounding Kyle." "Who would have expected it?" "And he was the ringleader." "When did that start happening?" "Be honest." " You're kinda glad they did it." " Well?" "Aren't you?" "Some rules are meant to be broken." "About that." "I think we should break some rules, too." "Stephen, I don't want us to sail into a complacent suburban existence without fighting the good fight." "I want you to pursue that opportunity at U-Dub." " That's not an option." " Well, then we need to make it one." "You can't get the chance to pursue an old dream and just pass on it." " We have mouths to feed." " We'll keep them fed." "We'll make it work." "We always do." "Spring cleaning isn't just about getting rid of clutter." "It's about taking stock of who you are and how others see you." "It's a chance to redefine yourself to change expectations." "And to remember that it's never too late to recapture who you were." "Or to aim for who you want to be." "Take a seat." "Where have you been?" "I was just out looking at the stars." "You were stargazing every night this week." "How about the truth now?" " I've been sneaking out." " Obviously." "Why?" " To try things." " Such as?" "Um..." "I've been testing myself." "Getting stronger and faster." "I shouldn't let people see, that's why I do it at night." "I don't know what to say." "I expected that it would take you longer to get comfortable living here before we were ready." " We?" " I have big plans for you, Jessi." "And I need you to be as strong and as smart as you can possibly be." "How do we start?" "Well, first thing's first." "You need to get some sleep." "We'll talk about it further in the morning." "OK." "Amanda." "What happened?" "Did your mother change her mind?" "No." "I didn't get on the plane." "Can you hide me?" "Come in."