“AS THE WORLD TURNS”
TELEPLAY
<FADE IN>
SCENE: THE SNYDER FARMHOUSE PORCH
NOAH IS HOLDING LUKE ON THE SOFA.
LILY RUSHES OUT THE DOOR WITH THE GIRLS AND ETHAN.
LUKE REMAINS ANGRILY SILENT
UNTIL THEY'VE ALL GONE.
NOAH:
Bye, Natalie. Bye, Faith.
NATALIE:
Bye, Noah!
LUKE TRIES TO ESCAPE NOAH'S GRIP AGAIN.
LUKE:
Noah! Why are you hurting me?
NOAH:
Why are you hurting yourself?
Luke, if you want to go in the house,
all you have to do is tell me.
If you don't... I kind of
like having you here in my arms.
LUKE LOOKS AT NOAH THROUGH HALF-CLOSED EYES
LUKE:
I hate you.
NOAH IS UNDETERRED:
Passionately, I hope.
LUKE:
Burning.
NOAH CHUCKLES:
Well as long as it's some
type of strong emotion, I'm happy.
<FADE OUT>
<OPENING TITLES>
<COMMERCIAL>
<FADE IN>
SCENE: THE SNYDER'S HOUSE.
LILY OPENS THE DOOR AND STEPS IN,
TURNING ON THE LIGHT.
LILY:
And that was how Mr. Donovan
got me into his car.
NATALIE:
He was a mean man...
Why would you try to hurt someone?
LILY PAUSES:
Honey, I think
Mr. Donovan has
gone a little crazy.
He doesn't think
about the reasons why he does something
any more.
FAITH RUSHES BY LILY AND NATALIE, RUNS UP
THE STAIRS.
LILY:
Faith, don't run on the stairs.
You could fall.
FAITH YELLS FROM UPSTAIRS:
Fine!
LILY LOOKS AT NATALIE:
What has gotten into your sister lately?
NATALIE SHRUGS:
I don't know. She's been acting really
weird since that sleepover.
LILY GROWS CONCERNED:
Didn't you girls have fun?
NATALIE:
Yeah! We played games and
watched TV and made
cotton candy. Julie and Cameron
were really nice too.
Except for one time...
but that's okay.
They just didn't know him.
LILY:
Know who?
NATALIE:
Noah.
I told them how he saved my
life on Christmas.
LILY:
They said something not nice about Noah?
NATALIE:
They were mean. Julie called him gross.
LILY (EVEN MORE CONCERNED):
Why is Noah gross?
NATALIE:
Faith said he was Luke's boyfriend...
LILY IS STRICKEN, HER HAND RAISED
TO HER THROAT.
LILY:
Oh god.
<TRANSITION>
SCENE: THE SNYDER FARMHOUSE PORCH
LUKE STARTS SHIVERING:
It's getting colder, Noah.
Let's just go inside and
forget this stupid game.
NOAH DOESN'T RESPOND, JUST HOLDS LUKE AGAINST HIM
AND RUBS HIS ARMS AND SHOULDERS RAPIDLY TO GENERATE HEAT.
NOAH LEANS FORWARD AND TRIES TO KISS LUKE.
LUKE TURNS AWAY.
LUKE:
Please, Noah.
NOAH SIGHS, LEANS BACK, FRUSTRATED.
NOAH:
Maybe we could trade secrets...
Is there anything about me you want to know?
LUKE THINKS FOR A MOMENT.
LUKE:
Why were you late?
NOAH:
Late? When?
LUKE:
The first day we met,
when you came to Oakdale.
NOAH SUDDENLY REMEMBERS.
Oh, the internship.
NOAH PAUSES, OBVIOUSLY RELIVING
A PAINFUL MOMENT IN HIS MIND.
NOAH:
That's a good one. It was because
of my father. He was keeping
me in Missouri so that he
could tell me how stupid I
was for going to work
at a television station instead of
in the military.
LUKE LOOKS AT NOAH WITH SURPRISE:
Your father called you stupid?
NOAH SHAKES HIS HEAD:
Not in so many words, but
I could tell that's what he meant.
LUKE:
I'm sorry.
NOAH CHUCKLES:
Don't be sorry, Luke.
You didn't have anything to do with my d-.
LUKE (INTERRUPTING):
No, I'm sorry I snapped at you that day
and acted like a jerk.
NOAH:
Oh... I'd forgotten about that.
Well, that's easily forgiven, if...
LUKE SIGHS:
Okay, what do you want to know?
<FADE OUT>
<COMMERCIAL>
<FADE IN>
NOAH:
When was the first time you knew you
were in love with Kevin?
LUKE BREATHES A SHARP SIGH AND TRIES NOT
TO LOOK AT NOAH. HE LEANS BACK A BIT, STILL
IN NOAH'S ARMS.
LUKE:
We were just friends, just kids who hung out together.
Played sports, snuck out and went to parties
we weren't supposed to go to.
NOAH RELEASES A SHORT BARK OF LAUGHTER
LUKE (CONT'D):
You know, the normal stuff that
kids do. And I really liked him...
LUKE PAUSES, UNCERTAIN IF HE CAN GO ON.
LUKE (CONT'D):
But I guess I didn't know I loved him until...
until one night almost two yeasr ago, I
think it was December, we came home
from a basketball game...
He pulled a muscle in his back.
And he wanted me to rub it...
(I guess he couldn't reach it)
LUKE GETS A FARAWAY LOOK IN HIS EYES AS
THOUGH REMEMBERING THE EVENT FONDLY.
LUKE (CON'T):
And at first I didn't – I didn't want to.
NOAH (SOFTLY):
Why not?
LUKE:
I think I already knew I had feelings
for him, in some way. And I-I didn't
want to confirm it. I wanted it
to be impossible.
But, anyway, he kind of made me.
And he was my friend. How can
you say no to something like that
and still be someone's friend?
NOAH NODDED:
I can see that.
LUKE:
But Noah, when I put my hands
against his back, and could feel
the warmth coming from his skin, and
how strong he was... it was
like being wrapped up in a
warm blanket. It just felt...
LUKE LETS A LITTLE PAIN INTO HIS VOICE.
LUKE:
So good...
After that, I think I
realized I could never be the same again.
And everything changed.
All of a sudden my life went from
being something filled with so
much possibility to this lonely
existence where I couldn't tell anybody
what I really felt.
NOAH LOOKS AT LUKE CONCERNED:
I kind of know that feeling, Luke.
But you... you had it a whole lot
worse than I did. Me, I was
just moving around all the time.
You, you stayed in one place and
lost everything you thought you would have.
LUKE SIGHS, A TEAR STREAKING DOWN HIS CHEEK.
HE REACHES UP A HAND AND WIPES IT AWAY.
<FADE OUT>
<COMMERCIAL>
<FADE IN>
NOAH PULLS AWAY FROM LUKE LONG ENOUGH TO
PULL HIS JACKET OFF, THEN HE COVERS
LUKE WITH IT, AND PULLS HIM AGAINST HIS BODY.
NOAH:
So you were in love with Kevin?
LUKE:
I don't know... Yeah, I guess so.
I mean, I've never felt that
way about anyone again -
not until you came along.
NOAH:
When did you try to tell him?
LUKE:
The next summer.
NOAH TAKES A SHARP BREATH:
You went through that hell for six months?
LUKE:
More like eight, but yeah.
NOAH'S VOICE IS FILLED WITH PAIN.
Eight?
LUKE:
I had to figure out ways to let people know.
I mean, my parents knew, my cousins knew,
but I think that was it. Oh, and the counselor
my parents got me. It was really, really painful.
NOAH (SOFTLY):
I know, Luke. I really do.
I remember hiding so many things from
my father. Nothing like what you've gone through.
But a lot of stuff he wouldn't have liked.
And the worst part wasn't that I had to hide them,
but that I had no one to share them with.
LUKE:
Is that why you're making me go through this, Noah?
NOAH SHRUGS:
I'm trying to help you see things a little differently.
You've kept all this inside for so long, Luke, because
you didn't think anyone else could understand you,
or share it with you.
LUKE BURIES HIS HEAD IN NOAH'S CHEST:
Oh god, Noah.
Have I hurt more people that way?
NOAH:
No, Luke. Only yourself.
NOAH REACHES UP AND CARESSES LUKE'S CHEEK.
<FADE OUT>
<COMMERCIAL>
<FADE IN>
SCENE: THE SNYDER HOUSE
LILY IS WALKING UP THE STAIRS WITH
NATALIE.
LILY:
Faith? Will you come and talk to me, hon?
FAITH IS IN ANOTHER ROOM:
No, mom. I don't want
to hear any more from you
about Luke and Noah.
Why do you love them so much anyway?
LILY:
Oh honey... I love you too, Faith.
I try to love all my children
the same.
FAITH:
But Luke and Noah are different!
All my friends laugh at them!
LILY WALKS INTO FAITH'S ROOM.
LILY (QUIETLY):
Faith, Luke and Noah are part of
our family now. And a lot of
people are going to laugh at them or
try to hurt them, or say you're
bad for being with them.
But are the other people right?
FAITH SHRUGS:
I don't know.
LILY:
I think they're wrong.
I think you're a wonderful little girl.
And that Luke and Noah are very
polite and well behaved young men.
FAITH SHRUGS AND NODS:
Okay.
If you say so.
LILY:
Faith, you know Luke.
He's not any different now
than when he was younger.
He's the same old oversensitive,
overprotective, older brother
that you've always had.
FAITH:
But he's with Noah, now...
Julie and Cameron said
that it wasn't right.
And when Natalie was asleep
I heard them say they
didn't want to be our friends anymore.
LILY (ANGRY):
Well, that's their loss!
You can make new friends, Faith.
You do it all the time, I've seen it.
All you have to be is your adorable, kind self,
and all sorts of people fall in love with you.
FAITH LAUGHS:
You're right, mom. I can
make friends really easily.
I just hope they can
accept Luke and Noah so I
can stay friends with them.
LILY WALKS OVER TO FAITH AND HUGS HER.
LILY (SOFTLY):
Oh honey. I hope they can too.
<FADE OUT>
<COMMERCIAL>
<FADE IN>
SCENE: THE SNYDER FARMHOUSE PORCH. LUKE
AND NOAH ARE STILL CURLED UP ON THE SOFA.
NOAH:
Okay, my turn.
LUKE:
Your turn? Don't I get to ask a question now?
NOAH CHUCKLES:
You already did.
LUKE:
What?
NOAH:
You asked me if that was why I was making you do this.
LUKE GRIMACES:
You're right. I did.
It just kinda slipped out.
NOAH SIGHS AND LIFTS LUKE'S HEAD UP A BIT
TO KISS HIM ON THE FOREHEAD.
NOAH:
You can have another one though.
LUKE:
Why do you keep kissing me on the forehead?
NOAH:
Because I happen to like your forehead.
My question.
LUKE GROANS, EXASPERATED:
No, that wasn't my question.
NOAH:
Tough, you asked it.
I answered.
My question.
LUKE LOOKS UP WITH A MIXTURE
OF PAIN, FEAR, AND UNCERTAINTY.
<FADE OUT>
END
