"Do you ever wonder how long it takes to change your life?" "What measure of time is enough to be life-altering?" "Is it four years, like high school?" "One year?" "An eight-week rock tour?" "Can your life change in a month or a week or a single day?" "We're always in a hurry, to grow up, to go places, to get ahead." "But when you're young, one hour can change everything." "How we doing this morning, seniors?" "Anyone wake up with their clothes on from the night before, still drunk but strangely hung-over?" "Anyone?" "Well, I guess that was just me." "Actually, last night was UNO night at my house and it was a bloodbath, but I care not to discuss it with you right now." "So, we won't." "But let me ask you guys a question." "Does today's class really matter?" "Or is it just a 50-minute requirement designed to get you a grade so you can go on to college or a job and the rest of your lives?" "Anyone?" "If we say yes, can we have the grade and go on to the rest of our lives?" "Mouth, using one word, describe how your classmates see you." "Awesome." "Really?" "Okay." "Let's say there are five universal terms that describe everyone in high school." "Okay, let's say, jock, prom queen," "geek," "Ioner, and?" "Slut?" "Okay, considering that "awesome" isn't a category," "Shelly Simon, describe Mouth in one word." "I don't really know him, but, "nice," I guess." "Nice." "I suppose we could file "nice" under "friendly,"" "but since "friendly" doesn't mean "friendly,"" "that would make Mouth a slut." "You have four other choices." " Geek, I guess." " Geek." "Join the club, Mouth." "Okay, class." "Nathan, five choices." "Jock." " Lucas." " Jock." " Brooke." " Prom queen." " Rachel." " Friendly!" "Hey." " Peyton." " Prom queen." "Oh, come on." "I am so a loner." "Right." "A loner cheerleader who's dating a jock." "No offense, but I'm a loner." "You're a prom queen." "Like it or not, you are who your classmates see you as." "But here's the good news." "That's gonna change soon." "Because pretty soon, you're going to be going into the big wide world and you can erase all those labels." "Now, for some of you, shedding this image is gonna be a great thing." "And for some of you, not such a great thing." "But what matters is that you know who you really are, and you know how you want the world to see you." "Now, you've all been together for what?" "For four years?" "Haley, what's Lucas' middle name?" "Eugene." "I'm sorry." "I'm so..." "I'm sorry." "Lucas, what's Glenda's last name?" "I..." "I don't know." "Sorry." "Okay, everyone on this side of the room," "I want you to write your name on a piece of paper and put it in Nathan's hat, okay?" "Hurry up." "Everyone on this side of the room is going to draw a name, and the name that you draw will be the person that you will spend the rest of the class with." "Maybe we'll find out if 50 minutes can matter." "Okay, pass the hat around." "Shelly, who you got?" "Mouth." "Karma's a funny thing, isn't it?" " Haley?" " Skillsington." " Rachel?" " Bevin." " Glenda?" " Gotta love karma." "Lucas." " Laura?" " Oh, I have Naria." " Emma?" " I've got Zack." " Michael?" " I got Fedig." "Brooke?" "I have Chase." "Peyton?" "Nathan." "Okay, here's the deal." "Everyone pair up." "You can leave the classroom, but not the campus." "At the door, you'll find a camera." "I want each of you, at the end of the class, to take a picture of your partner." "This picture represents how you see them." "That picture is going into the yearbook for the rest of time." "Now, for some of you, this is an opportunity to reinvent yourselves starting today." "Do we have to reinvent ourselves?" "'Cause I think most of my friends see me as fabulous." "Maybe so." "But my friend Mr. Miller sees you as the girl who's failing calculus." "Okay, everyone, grab a camera and get out of here." "Oh, and one more thing." "With the camera is a list of instructions." "At the end of class, I want you to tell me what you learned about your partner." "You have 50 minutes." "Go." "Well, I guess you're stuck with the geek." "Okay, okay, Haley J. S., let me make a deal with you." "As long as you don't give birth early, we good." "I don't get it." " I'm Lucas." " Scott, right?" "At least I know your last name." "This is kind of like the Boy Toy auction, one without the kissing and the partial nudity." "The hour is still young." "So, about this whole calculus thing..." "Glenda!" "Glenda!" "I'm sorry about not knowing your name." "Could we just do the assignment?" "All right, look, first thing on the list." "It's, "Share something personal with your partner."" "Farrell." "My last name's Farrell." "Is that personal enough for you?" "Will you just listen to me, please?" "So, what?" "You accidentally forgot to tell me that you were failing calculus when you started tutoring me in calculus?" "How'd you get that A I saw on your test, anyways?" " It's complicated." "Trust me." " Trust you?" "I already did that and now I find out that my tutor is doing worse in calculus than I am." " It's a long story, okay?" " Well, don't tell me another story, Brooke." "Tell me the truth." "Or is that even possible for you to do?" "Okay." "Come on." "You know, you shouldn't judge people like that." "You called me a geek." "It was the only category that fit." "I called you nice first." "Well, how do you know I'm nice?" "Maybe I'm not nice." "I see that." "We're supposed to tell each other something personal." "Like, my middle name's Leonardo after my grandpa Leo." "I guess that's kind of geeky." "Wow, you really got personal there." "Well, it's not like you're gonna tell me anything real either, right?" "It's just an assignment." "Before I started Clean Teens," "I was in a serious relationship with this guy I met at summer camp." "It was pretty intense and then we couldn't see each other for the rest of the summer." "My parents, they wouldn't let me talk to him or anything." "But I knew I'd see him when we got back to school in the fall." "And the night before we got back, I couldn't sleep." "This is the spot I was standing in when I finally saw him again with his new girlfriend." "He looked at me, you know?" "He looked right at me, and then he just walked away without a word." "It was just over." "That's the moment I thought of Clean Teens." "But, like you said, it's not like I'm actually gonna tell you anything real." "Okay, pregnant girl on the roof." "Come on now, man, we had a deal." "No early deliveries." "All right." "Now, check it out." "You're gonna love this view." "It's the shiznit." "Wow!" "This view really is the shiznit." "You see that factory way out there?" "Yeah, my pop's been working there since he graduated Tree Hill." "Six days a week, on second shift." "So, we supposed to tell each other something personal, right?" "Yeah." "Okay, well, here's mine." "There's a job waiting on me in that place if I don't get a scholarship to college." "That's not gonna happen, Skills." " I can feel it." " I'm glad you're so sure..." "No, the baby's kicking, I can feel it, here." "It's like a step show." " Something personal, right?" " Yeah." "So, I guess I was right about the partial nudity thing." " The boys' locker room?" " I'm just following the assignment." "You see this bench press?" "The summer when I decided to really dedicate myself to basketball, my dad told me that I was way too skinny to ever be a great player." "He said I wasn't tough enough and I wasn't strong enough." "So, to prove him wrong," "I spent every single day in this weight room." "It's like a thousand degrees in here but I wasn't gonna let him be right." " Anger is motivation." " Anger and inspiration." "Every time I benched another 10 pounds, I'd scratch two letters into the plate." "What is that?" "PS?" "It was the same summer we started dating." "We were pretty good together, weren't we?" "Give me your hand." "Come here." "I want you to feel this." "Jeez, what happened?" "I broke that knuckle punching something after we'd broken up for, like, the 20th time." "We were horrible together." "Yeah, I know." "I was kind of hoping you forgot." "Okay, so, I don't get it." "We're supposed to do the stuff on this list and then take a picture for the yearbook?" "That's the plan." "Well, I already took my photo for the yearbook and my hair looked really pretty that day." "It's not that kind of photo and, anyway, it doesn't matter, because this assignment makes me wanna get high." " Seriously." " You're not listening." "See, this assignment makes me wanna get high." "The teachers keep all their current exams in this file cabinet." "I got a copy of the key and I stole the test." "That's great, Brooke." "Anything else?" "I don't really believe in Clean Teens." "I just stayed in it because of you." "That's the one thing I was really truthful about, my feelings for you." "Well, it doesn't matter now, does it?" " Anyone for starting over?" " Hey." "I'm sorry about judging you." "You seem like a really nice guy." " Okay, you gotta stop saying that." " Why?" "Because that's part of the problem." "I hate being the nice guy." "The little brother, the great friend." "Just once I'd like to be a little dangerous, you know?" "Not so safe." "Yeah." "So, what's next on the list?" "Okay, "Lighten up." "Do an impression of a celebrity or famous character."" "Okay." ""This is gonna be awesome, baby!" ""He's a diaper dandy, a trifecta magician!"" "It's Dick Vitale." "He's a sports announcer." "He's really famous." ""You seem somewhat familiar, love." "Have I threatened you before?"" ""I'm Captain Jack Sparrow."" "So, my sister Mary-Kate was like," ""Ashley, you really need to eat something."" ""Merry Christmas, you old Building and Loan!"" ""I like you." "Do you like me?"" ""I like sexy time explosion."" ""I'm sorry Dawson, I just..." "I love Pacey."" ""Happy Birthday, Mr. President."" ""Say hello to my little friend!"" ""My wife, she very nice." "High five!"" ""My precious!" "Oh, my precious!" "Gotta keep it from the hobbitses." ""Oh, the hobbitses!"" "You do a really good Elmo." ""Admit something that worries you or something you're afraid of."" "You." "Me?" "Why?" "Because you're really pretty, and it's kind of intimidating." "I've walked into a hundred enemy gyms, thousands of fans screaming at me, taunting me, I never flinched." "I'd just take it all and light them up." "No fear." "But the thought of being a father?" "It scares the hell out of me." "I love the idea of being a mom, I really do, but I just..." "I still wanna leave my mark on this world." "And that's what scares you?" "Not having a chance to do that?" "Yeah, a little, and clowns." "Clowns really scare me." "What are you afraid of, Rachel?" "Rachel?" "I'm afraid..." "I am way too high to care." "I was worried I wouldn't be enough for you." "That's why I lied." "That's what I'm afraid of, not being enough." "Not good enough, not smart enough, not pretty enough, not..." "Brooke, you're the Student Council President, captain of the cheerleaders, and probably one of the most popular girls in school." "How is that not good enough?" "I don't know." "You should ask my parents, considering they haven't called in a month." "Month and a half, actually." "Not a single call or text or e-mail." "So, what do you suppose that says about me?" "I think it says more about your parents." "You haven't told me what you're afraid of." "I'm afraid of my mom." "Come on." "Is she really that bad?" "You see these diamond earrings?" "I can only wear them at school because I stole them from her." " Why?" " 'Cause she loves them more than me." "How about you?" "I'm killing two birds with one stone." "Something personal and something I'm afraid of." "This is the first draft of a novel I'm writing." "That's the personal part." " Who knew?" " No one." "How come?" "My first dream was to play professional basketball." "I already gave that up." "You're holding my second dream." "If this thing sucks, it's gonna be kind of hard to find a third one." "Okay, "What do you plan to be in ten years?"" "In ten years, I plan to be 28." "Not at this rate." "I want my fashion line to be hugely successful." "I'd like to be a pilot." "Well, I've always wanted to fly." "Just jet off to faraway places." " Milan." " Why not?" "That, or be an X Games champion." "Totally make Clean Teens look bad-ass." "Well, I hope in ten years, Haley's got a bunch of platinum albums, my dad learns how to be a good grandparent, my mom's alive and sober, and, hopefully, my son will have a killer crossover dribble." "Okay, but the question is about you, doofus." "Where do you plan to be in ten years?" "I know, but if everybody else's dreams come true, then I'll be fine." "Nate, I think it's great that you take care of Haley and that you're worried about your family, but if you don't start putting yourself first every once in a while and chasing your own dream," "then I'm scared you're gonna wake up one day and have to wonder what could've been, like Dan." "Don't be haunted like that, Nate." "You know basketball's global now, right?" "I mean, everybody think being a pro is just NBA." "Me, I'd be happy just playing basketball overseas somewhere." "So, when you all roll through on the world tour, we can remember this day, sit back and laugh about it." "Oh, man, I'd love to play music for a living." "But if that doesn't happen, I'll still be happy." "Yeah?" "Doing what?" "You know, I don't know yet, but whatever it is, it'll be okay 'cause I'll have a great group of friends that I can laugh with and a few secret comforts that keep me sane." "Like, I want a great big tabby cat that greets me when I come home every day." "And a boy that I'm in love with." "Yeah, in ten years, I'm definitely in love." "Well, if I don't make it as a writer," "I can always come back here and coach the Ravens." "I mean, Whitey's retiring, my mom's here, and, besides, I love this place." "Not me." "I can't wait to get out of here." "I'm going as far away as I can get." "I'm gonna try and forget this place ever existed." "I never thought about teaching until now, but I think I could be really happy doing that." "When I tutor someone and I watch them get it, like that light goes on, it just feels really good." "Anyway..." "So, look, we got one more thing to do before we take our pictures." ""Tell your partner a secret."" "This one gonna do some damage." "Rachel bet me that I couldn't sleep with you within three dates." "Wow." "But I need you to know something." "I would've never ever asked you to compromise what you believe in, or tried to pressure you out of it." "That's the truth and I just need you to know it, even though I know I don't have a chance with you now." "Is that it?" "No more secrets?" "That's it." "I promise." "Well, here's one more." "You are enough, Brooke." "And if I can just get you to quit lying," "I think I might like the real you, but..." "Don't tell." "It's a secret." "What time is it?" "Feels like we've been in here forever." "Well, that's because you're wasted." "I don't suppose you wanna tell me a secret and actually participate." "I'll tell you a secret, not because of class, just because." "I've never really felt anything with the guys I slept with." "When I got my new body, I thought it would change everything." "Maybe it did for the boys, not for me." "You know, I always wondered what it would be like to be a dude." "Like, walking through the halls in jeans and a ratty T-shirt, all bad-ass." "You know, talking smack and checking out chicks and stuff." "Checking out chicks, maybe that's my problem." "Maybe I'm into girls." " What the hell are you doing?" " Did you feel anything?" " No!" " Then you're not into girls." "Trust me, Rachel, I'm a really good kisser, and you'd totally be into me right now." "It's my scholarship offer or not." "I mean, I haven't had the courage to open it yet." "Skills, you can't keep this a secret." "Come on, I've got a really good feeling about it." "Open it." " Okay, just give me a few minutes, though." " Okay." "Why don't you tell me your secret?" "Now we talking." "Sometimes I feel incredibly disconnected." "Really uncomfortable in my own skin, or kind of like I don't fit into this world." "Like I was born at the wrong time and I don't belong." "I just think about my son and it scares me because I don't ever want him to feel like he doesn't belong." "I don't know if my heart could bear that." "No, he'll belong." " The kid gonna rock this place." " You think so?" "Oh, yeah, I do, 'cause his mom got his back." "And if she don't, I do, I promise." "Okay, here." " You're on the pill." " No." "No, I'm not on the pill." "You have the pill but you're not on it." "That's very secretive." "When my mom was in high school, she was one of the pretty and popular." "And I think her greatest disappointment is that I'm not." "Sometimes she teases me about it, and not in a fun way." "Like, why can't I lose some weight?" "And I'll never get a boyfriend." " That sucks." " Yeah." "Anyway, one day I got some flowers from my boyfriend." "So, you have a boyfriend." "No." "I made him up and I sent the flowers to myself." "He was pretty awesome, though." "He sent me all kinds of things." "Your imaginary boyfriend?" "Anyway, I told my mom we were getting serious and that maybe I should go on the pill." "And in my head, I thought it would be this bonding experience." "Like she'd secretly be happy for me and sit me down and counsel me about being safe or just tell me to wait or just be my mom." "Instead, she took me to the doctor and got me the pill, and when we left the pharmacy, she handed me the prescription and she said," ""I don't know who would sleep with you, but here you go."" "I'm sorry, Glenda." "It's okay." "So, I looked at her, and I said," ""Well, I don't know who would sleep with you, either, but here I am."" "And we haven't spoken since, not a word." "How long has it been?" "Like eight weeks." "She just drops me off at school and picks me up, and we just don't talk." "There's just silence." "Silence and disappointment." "My mom tried to kill herself." "What?" "She just took a bunch of her pills." "I haven't told anybody, just Haley." "Nathan, I'm so sorry..." "The worst part about it is, when I found out that she might die, there was a moment, just a fraction of a second, where I actually..." "I felt relieved, like maybe it was for the best." "You believe that?" "A kid actually feeling relief at the thought of losing his mother?" "Well..." "What kind of person does that make me, Peyton?" "That I could feel that?" "I can't whistle." "Nothing." "That's terrible." "How can you not whistle?" "I know!" "Okay, I'm pathetic." "I've got a pair of leather pants in my locker that I've been dying to wear." "Nice." "You should totally rock those." "I can't." "I'm a Clean Teen." " It doesn't exactly fit the image." " Then change the image." "Mouth, before I took back my virginity," "I was kind of friendly." "It just figures, everyone saw me as a slut, and now I'm this radical virgin who can't wear a pair of leather pants." "Sometimes I just wish they'd see me as a girl, you know?" "Just a girl." "Nice." "Cool sometimes." "Dorky." "Beautiful." "So, how do you know about all this media stuff?" "Oh, me and Jimmy..." "Jimmy Edwards." "He was my friend." "I miss him a lot." "I have to keep it a secret because he killed Lucas's Uncle Keith, and I loved Keith." "But it doesn't mean I don't miss my friend, you know?" "Especially with graduation coming up." "So I..." "I never told you what I'm afraid of." "Second question on the list." "I'm kind of afraid of being here with you." "Why?" "'Cause I'm a Clean Teen and you're hot." "I'm sorry I lied, Chase." "It's just you're a Clean Teen and you're hot, and..." "Were you serious about me being decent-Iooking or were you just trying to make up for the geek comment?" "I didn't say "decent-Iooking," I said "hot."" "Mouth..." " I'm a Clean Teen." " So what?" "So, I've been thinking about your manuscript." "You need to give it to someone who won't go easy on you." " Someone who's gonna tell you the truth." " Someone like you?" "I haven't actually been that truthful." "I mean, not about school." "The truth is, I'm gonna miss this place and it's all my fault." "I just wish I would've tried harder." "I mean, I just didn't want to look like an idiot." "I think everybody feels that way sometimes." "You know, like, people don't see them for who they really are." "It's not just you." "You would've made a great goth, you know that?" "A little tortured, bit of a loner, but kind." "Hey, I have an idea for your picture." "Thank God, this ridiculous class is almost over." "I liked it." "That's because you're too blissfully stupid to resist." "I know people think I'm stupid, but I'm not dumb." "I just let you and the other girls have your way because that's how you need it to be." "But I think Carl's right." "Pretty soon we're all gonna graduate and I can start over." "It'll be harder for the people who need this place to make themselves feel special." "The people who use high school to build themselves up, and then find out that the real world doesn't care so much about who you were in high school." "People like you." "Okay, so what are we gonna do for our pictures?" " You need to go get those leather pants." " What?" "For the picture." "Also, you need to take off your shirt." "Wait, what?" " Take off your shirt." " Wow, just like the old days." "Stop it." "I have an idea for your picture." "But before you do that, come here." "Look, the bell's gonna ring soon and I don't know if I'm going to get a chance to say it, so I'm just gonna say it now." "You're doing great, Nathan." "All right?" "Just please put yourself first sometimes." "Well, now let's see the merchandise!" " Oh, funny." " Let's go." "Chop chop, baby." "I want you to open it." "Tell me if it's the factory or college." "All right, but I want you to know no matter this letter says, you're gonna find your way to some great things." "I know it." "Yeah, well, if it all means the same," "I'd rather find my great things through college." "Well, it looks like you'll be going into that factory." "And you're gonna tell your father that you just got a full ride to college." "Girl, that's messed up." "I almost threw my ass off this damn roof." "I'm sorry." "So, how about it?" "You think one class can change your life?" "The way you kiss?" "Definitely." "You still think you're not good enough?" "I don't think that ever goes away." "But I think you just have to learn to deal with it, you know?" "Learn to use it." "So let's use it, then." "Today, I spent an hour with Brooke Davis and I learned something." "People are gonna label you." "It's how you overcome those labels." "That's what matters." "I spent an hour with Chase Adams." "He's a Clean Teen and that's pretty cool." "People think they know Nathan Scott." "I know I did." "But I discovered something new today." "Nathan Scott is a martyr." "He's also gonna be a terrific father." "I spent the class with Peyton Sawyer." "It reminded me what a good friend she is." "I also learned that, considering recent history, she's not quite ready for the whole picture thing." "Some of you have met Shelly Simon, Clean Teen." "But today, I got to know Shelly Simon, teen." "I also asked her to prom." "An hour ago, I called Marvin McFadden nice." "He is." "But I should have called him dangerous." "I also said yes to prom." "This is one of the best classes I've ever had." "A kick-ass 50 minutes, during which, Bevin told me she always wanted to be a guy." "I spent the hour with Rachel and I think she learned today that I am not an idiot." "This is my picture of her." "Over the years, I've known Haley James, bookworm," "Haley James, sarcastic girl, Haley James Scott, rock star, and Haley James Scott, mother-to-be." "Today, I got reacquainted with just Haley, my good friend." "She getting heavier, too." "Skills has been my friend since we were young." "And today, I remembered why." "He's a great listener, he's gonna do awesome in college, and he deserves to be on top of the world." "Fifty minutes ago, I called Lucas Scott a jock, but I was wrong." "He's more than one simple word." "I guess we all are." "Anyway, I learned that Lucas is actually a lot like me." "Who knew?" "I wish I would've hung out with Glenda before today." "Something tells me she could've been a great friend." "But it's good to know there's still a little time left to do that." "Glenda." "Listen, would you mind taking a look at this for me?" "I need someone I can trust to tell me the truth." "Sure." "Okay, Lucas Scott." "Hey, today was awesome." "I had a blast with you." "See you tomorrow." "And I also learned her last name." "Hey, Mrs. Farrell." "Okay, Mom, let's go." "And I learned that one hour can change everything." "English"