7th Heaven (1996–2007): Season 4, Episode 8 - ...And Expiation - full transcript

Previously on 7th Heaven:

This season

and this team are canceled.

Hey, wait.
What?

I heard the whole team
was into buying tests

and papers and stuff and
that's why he locked them out.

You've got
to be kidding.

Okay then what happened?

Their grades fell.

Things are out of
control at my house.

I'm, I'm thinking
about moving back home.



I hope you give me some notice

whenever you're done
thinking about it.

I don't know.
What did you have in mind?

Whoa, the last part's
a little extreme,

but I can handle the part where
we go get something to eat.

The girls on this varsity team
have continued...

to allow their grades to fall.

Then for now we're going
to respect this lockout.

What?

Hold it. That's enough.

You're under arrest.

♪ ♪

Thanks.
Sure.

If you need any help
finding a lawyer...



What?

We're releasing her

without bail
on your recognizance,

but this isn't over. She's...

you're going to need a lawyer.

Yeah, okay. Thanks.

Now, there's no reason
to be nervous.

I mean, Mom and Dad said
Mary was fine.
No.

They said that she wasn't hurt,

which is not
the same thing as fine.

And let me tell
you something

that I picked up from my
time on student court,

when people start choosing
their words too carefully,

it's not good.
Okay, well,

let's not get all freaked out
until we know something.

I mean, right now,
we don't know anything.

I mean, maybe
somebody had car trouble.

Well, that place

in between Dad's eyebrows

was all knotted up,
and he wasn't squinting.

And Mom wasn't wearing lipstick.

Well,

she always puts on lipstick
when she leaves the house,

even when she goes
to Home Depot.

Mom was wearing lipstick that
time, uh, Mary got detention,

the time she shoved that
guy's head in the toilet,

and even the time
she wrecked the car with you.

No lipstick is no good.

I hate to say it,
but she's right.

Well, you'd better get used to
saying it 'cause I'm older now.

I'm in the game.

What game?

The game of life.

Excuse me.

I wasn't trying to be a guy
this time.

It was just an accident.

When I'm nervous, my stomach
goes crazy and I burp.

Me, too.
Look, why don't you
all go to bed.

I'll wait for Mom and Dad
and fill you in in the morning.

It's late. We'll talk about
what happened tomorrow morning.

What are we going to do?

Call around,
get a lawyer, I guess.

I didn't see
this one coming.

Not this, no, not
in a million years.

We trashed the school gym.

What?

Who?

Some of the girls
from the team and me.

Why?
I don't know.

We were just eating and talking
about the team lockout

and it just happened.

And you got busted?

Yeah.

We must've set off an alarm
or something,

'cause the cops showed up.

What's going to happen?

I don't know, but Sergeant
Michaels says I need a lawyer.

This is unreal.

I wish.

Remember when we
were listening

to Mary on the phone?

And she said something about
that last part "being extreme?"

And we didn't know
what that meant,

but we knew it meant something

and we were going
to tell Mom and Dad, but...

We forgot.

Because we went to guys' night
at Matt's.

Well, I'll bet, whatever
that extreme thing was,

Mary did it
tonight,

and that's why she's
in major trouble,

and Mom and Dad are so upset.

If we had warned them,
this might not have happened.

But we didn't.

That's it then.
We're going to Hell.

Don't give me
that look.

I didn't mean it
like a bad word.

I meant it like the place.
I know.

I gave you that look
because you might be right.

Excuse me.
Excuse me.

I don't have much
of a choice now.

About what?

Well, about having
to move back home.

My dad's still recovering
from his heart attack,

and things are borderline out
of control. They need my help.

I think you should wait until
you've heard the whole story

before you make any decisions,

especially major ones
like moving back home.

I will, but the writing's
pretty much on the wall.

♪ ♪

Will you excuse me
a minute.

Uh-huh, sure.

I'm so sorry.

Me too.

Did Mary look different
to you this morning?

Different how?

I don't know,
more dangerous?

More like a bad guy?

Mom and Dad didn't
look so good either.

I know. It scares me
when they look like that.

Me too.

And none of this
would've happened

if I would've just remembered
to tell Mom and Dad

what we heard last night.

I mean, this whole
thing is my fault.

Well, I helped it be your fault.

Does your stomach
feel like it's...

kind of sick?

Guilt gut.

What's that?

It's when you feel so bad
about something,

your stomach hurts.

Should we tell Mom and Dad?

They've got enough
to worry about.

And Dad's heart is under
enough stress right now.

I mean, if he found out

this whole thing
could have been avoided,

it'd probably explode.

And that would just mean
more guilt for us.

Will we never be free?

I don't know.

Well, that's not
good enough.

We have to do
something.

I don't want to have guilt gut
and got to...

well, you know where.

Yeah, I do. And I don't want
to go there either.

Okay. I got it. God.

Well, He helped us
get Happy

and twin brothers,
and He made sure

that Dad was okay
after his heart attack.

Well, let's give Him a whirl.

What do we have to lose?

Nothing but our guilt gut.

Excuse me.

Did Bill Mays
return my call?

Yeah, he did
better than that.

He said he'd be right over
to see what he could do.

A lawyer who makes house calls.
That's unbelievable.

Well, you baptized
all of his children,

helped two of them
get summer jobs

and talked one out
of an ill-advised piercing,

so he felt it was
the least he could do.

Hi, Bill.

I can't thank you enough
for coming over.

It's no problem.

Mary?

Hi, Annie.

Sorry this couldn't be
just a social call.

Oh, me too.

Mary, you remember Mr. Mays
from church?

Yeah, hi, Mr. Mays.
Hi, Mary.

He's going to help us out
with everything.

Have a seat.

He's going to try.

Now, I spoke with Ms. Russell,
the school principal,

and she said you and the others

will have to appear
in student court,

but the worst that can happen
there is expulsion.

Sorry, but that's
just the school side of it.

I haven't spoken
to the prosecutor yet,

but after reading
Sergeant Michael's report,

I'm pretty sure
you're gonna be charged

with wanton destruction
of property

and vandalism.
Now that means a fine

of $1,500 or three times
the value of the damage,

whatever's more.
It also means

no more than two
and a half years in jail,

no less than two
and a half months.

Maybe you've forgotten,
Bill, but, um...

Mary's only 17.
She still a minor.

Well, at 17,
she's almost an adult,

and she's certainly not going
to be viewed as a minor child

in the eyes of the court, but...

there's one other course
of action I'm going

to pursue on your behalf.

It's called
the Diversion Program.

Now, the program
is designed as a way
to divert some people

from the criminal
justice system.

It involves probation,
community service,

weekly counseling
sessions, classes

on victim impact,
and whatever else

the probation officer
wants to tack on.

It's a one-time shot.

If you get into any trouble
in the future,

the Diversion Program
will not be an option.

But if you
successfully

complete the program,

your conviction
will eventually be erased.

It'll be like
it never happened.

How do we get her
in this program?

Now, I'm gonna talk
to the prosecutor

and see if I can get
the judge to hold off

setting a trial date
while I walk Mary's application

through the Diversion
Program's red tape.

But there are
no guarantees, right?

I mean, if she doesn't
get in the program...

There's a very real chance
she could go to jail.

Okay, I never did
anything like this.

Oh, man.

I did not imagine this.

I can't believe my own sister
could do something like this.

Yeah, but she didn't
do it alone.

She had a lot of help.

I know, but still.

Yeah.

This is bad.

- Hi, uh, excuse me.
- Hi.

We did something
wrong, and, uh,

we thought
if we talked to God
and made it up to Him,

He might make us
feel better.

Yeah. And we don't
want to go to...

Well, you know where.

It's hot, not
summer vacation hot.

Too hot, if you
know what I mean.

Yes, I think I do.

And I hear that a lot.

What happened?
In a nutshell,

we eavesdropped on our older
sister because she was

in a super bad mood.

Although, sometimes we
do it 'cause we're bored

or, to tell you the truth,
because we like to.

Her life is very
interesting.

Really, I'm
not kidding.

Anyway, her friend
said something,

we don't know what,
because we were eavesdropping

with a baby monitor,
I mean, it's not like

we had a wiretap
or something.

I wish.

Well, I do.

But we heard Mar--
I mean, our sister,

say something
that didn't really

make any sense to us,
but it meant something.

You know what I mean?
Oh, yes.

Yeah, you're preaching
to the choir now.

And we were going
to tell our mom and dad,

but we forgot,
and then our sister
did something bad,

and it might
not have happened

if we would've just
remembered to tell them.

Oh, yeah, and I gave
the finger,

but I already
got in trouble

and apologized
for that.

Me, too.

But I was just
trying to get someone

to tell me
what it meant.

Now I know.
Yikes.

You're not Catholic, are you?

No.
No.

Is it okay that
we're in here?

Of course.

Oh, good,
because we have

bad enough guilt
gut already.
Well, I'm sorry to hear that.

But the way I see it,

you confessed your sins, and you
seem truly sorry for them.

And anyone who asks for God's
forgiveness shall have it.

You're kidding.
Just like that?

Well, there's one more thing.

Oh, sure. This whole
thing was way too easy.

I think you should perform
an act of contrition.
Okay.

What is that?

It's a task that'll help you
get back on the right track.

Oh, yeah, that's exactly
what we're looking for.

One of the Ten Commandments is

"Honor thy mother
and thy father."

So you must honor them

by being truthful
and up-front with them

about everything you've told me.

You'll also feel better
if you do.

In the name

of The Father, and The Son,
and The Holy Spirit,

I bless you.
Go in peace.

Thank you.
Thank you.

They should make
those rooms bigger.

You almost poked
my eye out with your hair.

Sorry.
I've heard that confession
is good for the soul.

And I have to say,
it gets my thumbs-up.

My guilt gut's
still killing me.

Thank you.

Hey.

See ya.

Hey.
Hi, John.

Who's that?

Just a guy
from my Econ class

interested in taking over
your half of the rent.

That's if you decide
you have to move back home.

I'm not pushing you out
or anything.

I just have to cover my bases,

make sure my business
is being taken care of.

Same way you're making sure

your business is
taken care of with your family.

I-I understand.

So, is Mary all right?

She's in major
"get a lawyer" trouble.

Uh, I'm sorry.

I guess that means you're done
thinking about moving out.

Yeah.

Well, it's been
great. Um...

tell your family

"hi" for me
and I hope everything

works out with Mary.
Thanks.

I will. I'll...
I'll see you around.

Yeah, it's probably
for the best.

Things have been
a little strained

around here lately.

Well, you dropped
the moving home bomb
on him, what,

24 hours ago?

It's not like I planned
this stuff with my family.

I know.

Part of the reason
I think you're so great

is because you love
your family so much.

But if you spent

one-fourth the time
at the grocery store

that you do
at your parents' house,

you might not be
so frustrated or hungry.

With everything that's
going on with my family,

that's what you say?

I get the stuff
with your family.

I really do.
I love your family,

but I know what
you're going through.

It's tough living on your own.

I felt the same way
when I first moved out.

I just didn't have a family
like yours to fall back on.

You know, not having
a family to lean on

meant that you didn't
have a family to worry about.

You didn't have anybody to worry
about except yourself.

That's not true.

I worried about my mom
and my brother,

but there came a point

when when I realized
that there was nothing more

I could do for them
except worry.

And that's not the same

as being helpful
or constructive.

Yeah, well, I guess
our situations are different.

Yes, they are.

And now I have you
to worry and care about.

And I do care. A lot.

I-I care about you,
too, but right now,

after this conversation,
I don't feel like
you know me at all.

Wow, how cool is that?

Pretty cool.

Hello.

Hi.

We're sorry
to bother you.

Is it okay if
we're in here?

Of course.

Oh, good. 'Cause we feel
terrible enough already

about everything else,
including giving the finger,

but not as much as
the whole thing
with our sister.

we forgot

to tell our parents about
something that we overheard

our sister say that didn't
make any sense to us,

but it meant something,
and not a good something.

Yeah, and now we have

guilt gut and we don't
want to go to...

well, you know where.

You know, it's like
a really hot, hot tub,

only it's not relaxing
for your muscles?

Ah, yes.

You're not Jewish, are you?

We don't believe in Hell.

Really?
May we sit down?

For us, God is
like a giant pool

filled with the brightest
light you'll ever see.

And we all come
from that pool
and have some

of God's bright light in us.

But every time we sin,

that light gets a little dimmer.

And eventually,
at the end of our life,

everyone goes back
to God's pool.

Yeah, but we don't
want to have

the dimmest lights
in the pool when we get back.

And then everyone
would know that we
were major losers.

How pathetic
and embarrassing
would that be?

No, we definitely
have to get our
lights bright again.

Okay, well, traditionally,

Jewish people atone,
or make up, for their sins

once a year during Yom Kippur.

And I hate to be
the one to tell you this,

but you've already missed it
for this year.

We can't wait a whole year
to make up for this.

I mean, our dim lights
are giving us guilt gut.

I'm sorry, but you know
you can't control

other people's free will,
even if you could see

these things coming, which most
of the time, you can't.

In the meantime,
talk to your parents.

You'll feel better.

Thank you very much
for everything.

You're welcome.

I feel better already.

This place is beautiful.
I wish I had a camera.

Thank you.

More laundry?
Are you taking in

other people's now?

Uh, not exactly.
What's going on?

Well, with everything

that's been
happening lately,

I've decided
to move back home.

You know, to help out,
keep an eye on things.

Oh. That's very
thoughtful.

Thank you.

Yeah, um, listen,
don't worry about it.

I'll take care of all
the arrangements.

Um, I just got
off the phone

with Mr. Wolf. Um...

Mr. Wolf from the group
that gave me a scholarship.

Apparently word of what happened
has gotten around,

and in light of everything
that's gone on,

including my recent subpar
academic performance,

Mr. Wolf said

the scholarship committee felt

that there were
better candidates out there

for the limited funds
that they have to donate

for college next year.

I lost my scholarship.

Exactly how long are
you planning to visit?

I'm not visiting, Simon.
I'm moving home.

But what happened
to independence,

uh, not always having to
remember to put the seat down,

and partying it up
in your own pad?

Yeah, what about
the chicks?

What happened is
Mom had two babies,

Dad had a heart attack,
you got suspended

for giving the finger,
you offended the world

by trying to be a guy,
and Mary, well...

So, I mean, this Mary thing
is really bad,

but what are you
gonna do about it?

I'm gonna be
the big brother again.

I'm gonna try to help Mom
and especially Dad out

by keeping my eye on things.

But weren't you living here
with your eye on things

when Mary snuck out
and went to a frat party,

skipped school,
shoved a guy's head

in the toilet, wrecked the car?

I mean, no offense,
but we were doing okay

or at least as bad without you.

If I were here,

I might have seen
this Mary thing coming.

We've been told that
it's not always possible

to see these things
ahead of time.

All that means
is that sometimes it is.

Excuse me.

You okay?

No.

I stopped by the gym.

I did the same
thing earlier.

And from the look on your face,
we had the same reaction.

I know the criminal
justice system's options,

and I know the school's,
but what are we supposed to do?

Ground her?

Take away her phone
and TV privileges?

Of course, if by some miracle
she doesn't go to jail

and just gets expelled,
some of those things

might be more relevant,
but until then...

I have some other news.

We won the lottery?

I love your sense of humor. No.

Um, Mr. Wolf called.

Mary lost her scholarship.

Well, I know this
is bad, very bad,but

none of it much matters

compared to the possibility
that Mary might go to jail.

Of course, if she
does go to jail,

she could probably pursue
a nice vocational skill,

so that losing the scholarship,
uh, might not seem so bad.

I thought I was an okay parent.

I thought I knew my kid.

But I didn't.

I'm afraid to answer it.

Do we know
where all our kids are?

Approximately.

Hello.

Oh, hi, Bill.

You're kidding.

Okay, I'll tell her.

Thank you.

Bill called in a lot of favors,

and he walked Mary's application
through the red tape.

The head of
the probation department

will meet with us tomorrow.

Tomorrow?

You're kidding?
Nope.

So then Mary has a chance
at the Diversion Program?

Just one.

I'll take it.

Oh, yeah.

Thank you, Mom.

You can thank me.

I did a couple of
color loads yesterday,

and Mary went to
the grocery store last week.

But I've moved on
to whites now.

Thanks.

Where's everybody?

Ruthie and Simon
went over to the park

as soon as we got
home from church.

They were too nervous
about Mary's interview

to sit around
the house.

Mom and Dad and Mary
left already?

Well, I was gonna go with them
to kind of help out.

They seemed under control
when they left.

Can I help?

With what?

Nothing.

Assuming you're Mary.

And these
are my parents.

Nice to meet you.

Make yourselves comfortable.

You're with me.

I know she's your baby
and probably always

will be to you,
but she's not to me.

She's 17,

and she isn't
in your house anymore.

She's in mine.

Someone must
really like you

because you can't begin to
imagine what kind of favors

it took to get me to come in
today to review your case.

So, Mary... what happened
to your grades?

Drugs?

No.

Booze?

Boyfriend you couldn't
get enough of?

No.

None of that.

Did you see something on TV

or at the movies
that you had to copy?

Did Marilyn Manson hypnotize
you with one of his songs?

Your parents just
not love you enough?

No.

Well, then,

I heard about the team lockout
and everything,

so I'm guessing that
the coach and the school

just did you so wrong
you had to get back at them,

that basically
they had it coming.

No.

Come on, Mary.

There's got to be some reason
you did this

that has nothing to do
with it being your fault.

Why should I consider you
for the Diversion Program?

I'm not sure.

I-I've made mistakes,
but for the most part,

I've always been
a pretty good kid.

Pretty good kids don't trash
other people's property.

What else have you got?

Uh, can I come in?

It doesn't matter
who was right

or wrong in our argument,
because the bottom line is

my family doesn't need me
anymore for anything.

What?

I'm like the appendix
of family members.

Just take me out and not only
does everything function

without me, it's like
I was never even there.

There's no role of any kind
for me in my family anymore.

That's not true.

You'll always have
a role in your family.

But roles change
when people grow up.

You'll just have
to figure out

what your new role
is going to be.

You were right about the rest
of what you said, too.

I was so busy trying to be a man
by taking care of my family

that I was trying to duck out
of the part of being a man

where you take care of and claim
responsibility for yourself.

That's easier said than done,

especially when
your mom's a great cook.

Thanks.

And, um, I'm sorry.

Really sorry.

And now I'm off to John's to
apologize for being such a loser

and to kick
his new roommate out.

That's the spirit.

Call you later.

You're not Buddhists,
are you?

Okay.

Look at it this way.

If you jump into a lake
to save a drowning man

but don't get there in time,
it's not your fault.

And that's what happened
with your sister.

So, there's no reason
for you to have guilt gut.

You meant to do the right thing,

but you can't control
what happens.

Sometimes, you can't even
see what might happen.

If you mean to do the right
thing and try very hard

to do it, your lights
won't get any dimmer.

And that's it?

Oh, well, that's only
a tiny part of Buddhism.

But maybe you should meditate

on what you can
do to avoid

making the same mistakes again,
so you can become

a better person,
not only in this life,

but also in the next one.

So you mean we get
more than one chance at this?

We believe that
the soul moves on

from lifetime to lifetime
looking for enlightenment.

Now that is
good to know.

Well, thank you
very much for everything.

Oh, there is one more thing.

We believe that
we're all connected,

and we're most connected
to our families.

So you need to talk
to your parents about this.

You'll feel better.

Okay, so if I don't
get it right in this life,

then I'll just
get it in the next one.

You feel better
in every religion.

I can't help it.

His mysterious ways
really work for me.

I don't know what kind of
senior year you thought

you were going to have,
but now it belongs to me.

I'll let you know later
how many of them

after that are going
to be mine, too.

She has to process my paperwork

and assign me
to counselors

and classes and stuff...

but I made it.
I'm in.

Thank you.

Hey, sorry about
just dropping in.

It's all right.
It's still your place.

At least till
the end of the month.

Hey, uh, listen, uh,
I'm sorry about everything.

If it's okay with you,
I'd like to go on living here.

You know what?

It's not gonna work.

Um, I'm sorry.

It's just not.
Thanks.

And I got us a little
something to celebrate.

I'm-I'm sorry for
being such a jerk.

You're one of my best friends

and a really good guy,

and you deserve more respect and
consideration than I gave you.

Thanks. And that's cool.

I thought about moving home
a million times,

so I can't blame you
for doing the same thing.

What do you say we go talk to
those guys about their music?

Yeah.

Mary got in the program.

Excuse me.

What's wrong?

None of this would've ever
happened if it weren't for me.

Us.

We eavesdropped on Mary
while she was on the phone,

and we heard her say

that something
was pretty extreme,

and we didn't know what
that meant, but we knew

it meant something, and we were
gonna tell you, but we forgot

because we went to
guys' night at Matt's,

and then Mary went and
did the extreme thing.

So this whole thing's
really my fault.

And we would've told you sooner,
but you were too busy with Mary,

and we didn't
want to get you mad.

And there's my bad
heart to consider.

I'm really sorry.

Me, too.

And we both got
guilt gut, bad.

We talked to a bunch

of God's people and tried
to do what they said

so God would know we were sorry
and maybe make us feel better.

And not make us go to,
well, you know where.

Like a campfire,

and you have fun
making s'mores,

but it's not so fun
when you're the s'more.

I, I know you've been
doing some questioning.

The people you talked to
are all friends of mine.

They called to let me know
you were out repenting.

Nothing we said worked.

We still have guilt gut.
Yeah, well,

it's one thing
to say the right words.

It's another thing to live them.

It's kind of tough to do that
in a couple of days.

Mary got in.

And you didn't do
anything wrong.
Except a little lying

about your destinations.

What if something happened to
you coming back from the temple?

Nobody would know
where to look for you

because you told Lucy
you were going to the park.

It was my idea
and my responsibility.

Ruthie only did it
because I did.
Uh-uh.

I made my own choices

and helped out with the lying
all by myself.

I'm sorry.
It's okay.

The road to salvation
is a bumpy one.

By the way,
how's that guilt gut feeling?

It started feeling
better after I...

...talked to you.

Man, those guys are good.

And for the record,

Mary's situation was never
your fault, okay?

And it wasn't your fault
because it was my fault.

I-I knew Mary was mad,

and if I hadn't been
so into my life,

my classes, and my apartment,

I-I would have seen
it coming.

No, sorry, it wasn't
your fault either.

It was mine.

Okay, this wasn't your fault
or your fault or yours.

It was mine.

I knew the choice I was making
was wrong and I did it anyway.

Oy.

Ooh, bad karma.

You've got
other fish to fry.

And I'm sorry.

I'm sorry that I did it

and I'm sorry for the
way I've been acting

and I am sorry for everything

that everyone's gone through
because of me.

And it kills me to know

that, that "sorry" doesn't
make a difference

and that it doesn't undo
what I did

and it doesn't make
my family like me again.

Hang on.

Look, I know that you love me,
but how could you like me?

I don't even like myself,

and-- I don't know what to do
to make things better.

Be very sorry, then do
an act of contrition

like meditate to get
your light bright again,

learn from
your mistakes,

and just be normal.

Okay.

Do you feel better now?

Not really.

Maybe you'll get it
in the next life.

Look, I'm sorry for everything,

including putting
more stress on your heart,

because I-I know losing
my scholarship made it worse.

I'm really sorry, too.

Yeah, yeah, me, too.
I didn't mean to...

Oh, save it!

See?

Nothing.

My voice is strong.

My pulse... is steady,

and I feel great,

so you can just
stop worrying.

But if you can't--

I mean, if you
feel you have

to keep secrets from me and end-
run me with your problems, fine.

My stride is long.
My hips are wide.

See, God designed me
for the long race.

So just remember when you
leave this room, this house,

and this zip code,

and you're running around
unfettered and free,

you're all my blood and
blood follows blood.

So when you finally get
to that place behind my back

where you're so desperate
to get,

don't be surprised
to find me already there.

Because I've been a guy
who's had a heart attack

for a few months,

but I've been your dad for years
and I know you people.

Oh, yes,

and I know your ways.

So listen up.

Make room for Daddy
'cause Daddy's home.

I'm back, baby.

Oh, baby,
don't I know it.

Ooh.

You were quite a man,

taking responsibility
for everything

and trying
to protect Ruthie.

Well, I just did
what I figured Dad would do.

Uh-huh.

I-I-It might be the light,
but is that a chest hair?

Probably.

Yeah.

Yeah, all right.

It's probably
just sweatshirt fuzz,

but, hey, why kill his dream?

You're a good man,
Ruthie Camden.

Thank you.

It's really hard with you
being gone, but I do what I can.

Hey, Ruthie.

Thanks for missing me.

I can't help it.

Thanks for,
uh, dinner,

the washing machine,
and everything else.

I'm gonna head home.

You okay?
Oh, yeah.

Thanks.

What happened
to his moving back home?

I guess my speech
probably reassured him.

It was really something
for all of us, dear.

Hey, you.

What's going on?

I can't turn my head off
and go to sleep.

I'm, I'm worried about coming up
with the money to pay the fines,

and, and then there's college,
though.

If I get expelled, I...
I guess I could take the GED

and, and then get
a full-time job.

Calm down.

I tried, but unlike Lucy,

I-I'm worried about
what's going to happen

in student court tomorrow.

What if I get expelled?

We just have to wait
and see what happens

and then deal with it.

I know I blew it...

but up until now,
I've been a pretty good kid...

...and now, it's gone.

Now it's all gone.

Who would have thought one
mistake could ruin your life?

Your dad and I.

When you're an adult,

you know that one mistake
can ruin your life,

but your life's
not ruined.

It's going to be...
radically different,

but only
you can decide

if that's going to be good
different or bad different.

Yeah, me and Ms. Williams...
and Ms. Russell and Lucy.

This afternoon's
court session will be devoted

to dealing with the acts
committed against the school

by some of the members of the
varsity girls basketball team.

While I will take all that's
said into consideration,

the final ruling will be mine.

Now, according
to the police report,

those present were caught in
the act of vandalizing the gym.

According to the
insurance report,

total damage was assessed
at $4,350.

Thank you
for sparing the floors.

Any of these accounts
in dispute?

Um, no.

Okay, is there anything else
then?

There are a couple of things
I'd like you to consider.

I'm in the unique position

of seeing a lot of sides
of this case.

My sister is, or was,

an honor roll
student and captain

of the varsity
basketball team,

and even though we fight
and argue--

and I've never told her this--
I've always admired her.

She's also one of the people
who trashed the school gym,

and I saw the gym afterwards.

I also saw my family afterwards,

and I saw how my
sister's mistake

not only screwed up her life,
but my whole family's.

She learned--

and because of her,
my brothers and sister

and I also learned-- that
one mistake can ruin your life.

And when I thought
about it, it made sense.

What I didn't expect, though,

was how much one person's
mistake can ruin

other people's lives, too.

You trash a school gym
for whatever reason,

and everybody in this school,

including
your innocent teammates,

loses a team, a gym,

and the feeling
that they're safe at school.

And that makes me mad.

Mad enough to want
to do something.

And it would be easy
to make you guys

write a check
and then kick you out,

but this is your school, too,

and I want you to make up
for what you did to all of us.

If only by showing up
every day in the hall

as examples of the best
and worst we can be

and reminding us of how close we
are, on any given day, to both.

Gandhi said we're supposed
to be the change

we want to see in the world,

so maybe part of the way
you can make things up to us

is by showing us how.

I know it's probably an
unbelievably hard thing to do,

but if anyone
can do it,

my sister can.

♪ ♪