02x16 - The Sound And The Fury

[bunniefuu]

Previously on "Finding Carter... "

What do you think he's up to?

I can't figure out what it is.

In the end, people show you who they really are.

You gotta pay attention.

Did she send you here to babysit me?

I'm trying to help you.

Stop.

I don't want to lose you.

It's too late.

My publisher said my tour dates are locked.

Do you think that this is the best time for you to leave?

How could you sit there and eat dinner with them and then steal from my dad?

Screw you.

He took your watch with him.

You talking about this watch?

He packed up his things and left.

I have no idea where he is.

♪
♪ We can both be stars ♪
♪ Yeah who knows... ♪

Okay. Eyeliner?

There.

Thanks.

Okay.

Velvet plum or candy charade?

Do you ever wonder about the fate of womankind when these are the first choices we make every morning?

Not if we make the right choice.

Candy.

Great choice.

You've been checking your phone every ten seconds since you woke up.

I'm trying to get Ben to answer me.

Well, you're officially entering territory reserved for telemarketers and stalkers.

I know. I've tried everything.

Remorse. Humility.

Contrite emoji face.

And you think overwhelming him with texts is gonna help?

I feel awful.

I went out of my way to make him feel like he could trust me and then I accused him of stealing.

I just want to apologize.

Well, it sounds like you've tried.

Now you just have to leave it alone.

I can't just leave it alone, Taylor.

Okay.

What can I do now?

I'm not quite with this "Let's go say hi to my sister's former kidnapper," plan.

I get it.

But she was the last person to see him.

Carter?

Taylor.

What a surprise.

Yeah.

Um, we're looking for Ben.

Well, I wish I could tell you that I've heard from him.

Well, do you have any idea where he might be?

Maybe one of his old foster homes or something?

I have no idea.

And I can't call social services and ask.

I have a home study visit coming up soon.

It would not look good if I don't know where he is.

What's a home study visit?

His social worker comes to check things out, make sure he's okay.

And what happens if he's not there?

Chances are I lose him for good.

♪ There you go ♪
♪ There you stay ♪
♪ Keeping low ♪
♪ Never want to play ♪
♪ You've been up and down, down ♪
♪ You've been low, low, low ♪
♪ Pretending to not feel alone ♪
♪ Pretending to not feel alone ♪

This is about the halfway mark, so maybe you guys could come out for...

Hey, Max.

Hey.

My dad was just showing me his route for the book tour.

Oh. Where all does it take you?

26 cities in two months.

That's a lot of cities.

I don't mind the travel, it's the interviews that get to you.

The same questions over and over.

And a lot of bad coffee.

Where's the first stop?

Poughkeepsie.

You know the post office there was commissioned by Franklin Roosevelt in 1937?

Hope that's not its claim to fame.

I'm afraid it is.

But my publishers say it's all part of the strategy.

Yeah, well, I hope this strategy still includes taking me to high school orientation tomorrow.

Is that tomorrow?

Whoa, you're already going to that?

Yeah.

Next year I join the big leagues.

They like to prepare us middle schoolers early.

I'm supposed to sign some papers with my publisher, but I'll move things around. I can make it work.

I can take him. I can show you what's what.

Yeah. Yeah, that'd be awesome.

You sure, bud?

Well, you're taking off for two months, so I mean, might as well get used to it.

Well, done and done, then.

Hey.

Carter.

Taste this.

Okay.

Mmm. What is that?

I'm calling it the Magic Hour Mojito.

Got a Bachelorette party coming in next week, and they requested them.

Ah. Drunk bachelorettes.

I'll be off that night, right?

You know, actually, I was gonna teach you how to make these so you could take care of them.

Wow.

And here I was thinking you were starting to like me again.

Please. You know you're good for business.

You're natural with the customers, and you're fast with the register.

Are you saying you're glad I made you give me a second chance?

Why don't we focus on making mojitos.

Sure.

Mint. Lime.

Now, the secret to a perfect mojito is the muddle.

Give it a go.

Oh. What are you doing?

What?

Really. Here.

You gotta mash it, all right?

Mash.

Mash it.

Don't shred.

Okay.

Mash.

Gentle and firm.

Perfect.

What?

Like I said, you're good for business.

Okay. Now get some club soda.

Hey, Liz, you got a sec?

Yeah, what's up?

It's about an arrest I made.

I thought you might want to know about it.

One of my cases?

Actually, it's Kyle Madeiros' boy.

Gabe.

Here.

You can't tell me I didn't mix that one right.

Oh, sugar. Definitely more sugar.

What? That was spot on. You're just messing with me.

Just give it one more go.

Fine. That one was perfect.

Whoa!

I guess it's okay to smell like a bar if you work in one, right?

In my office, got a bag, a couple extra shirts, grab one.

Sorry.

Right.

Thank you.

Where are they?

I gotcha. Hold on.

There you go.

Thank you.

I'm sorry. I'm sorry.

It's the alcohol.

I mean, I've been wanting to do that for a long time.

He blew a .16 on the breathalyzer.

What'd they do with his car?

They towed what was left of it to the impound.

It was bad.

Thanks for coming to me first.

He's lucky to be alive.

Oh, and there was somebody with him, but he had no I.D. on him.

I owe you one. Thanks.

Ben?

You two were together?

Yeah, we were together.

Are you all right?

Yeah, we're a little banged up, but nothing major.

Gabe, you could have k*lled yourself or someone else.

Do you know what you blew on that breathalyzer?

Yeah, your friend told me.

He's really your friend, because he's not charging you.

Do you know how lucky you are?

Yeah.

I'm the luckiest guy on Earth.

All right, I'm taking you both home.

If it's all the same to you, I'll just Uber.

♪ I feel alive ♪
♪ More than ever before ♪
♪ I can't describe... ♪

Um, okay.

Okay.

We should probably, uh...

No one's out there.

Yeah, we should, definitely.

Just so you know, I don't normally go around...

No, no, neither do I.

I really do have a rule about not hooking up with employees.

Ah. Though to be honest, uh... it looks like that won't be a problem much longer.

Why? Are you f*ring me again?

No, no, no, we covered that.

You're great, you're beyond great, just...

The bar's not doing so great, you know?

The bar's in the hole.

A pretty deep hole.

Seriously?

Yeah.

How? It's packed almost every night.

Gentrification.

The rents in this hood are just going...

Insane.

What are you gonna do?

Well, have you ever thought of moving it?

It's a family business.

You know, it's been in this spot for three generations.

Just doesn't feel right, you know?

That sucks.

This place is awesome.

It is, isn't it?

It's an institution.

Thanks.

Don't worry about it, okay? I'll figure something out.

Okay. Okay.

I should get back.

Boss lazing around all day Hey. Thank you.

The last thing I need is another charge on my record.

Oh, they weren't gonna charge you, but they won't release a minor if he's been drinking without an adult.

Well, thank you for driving me.

You're welcome.

That's one of the benefits of having a cop as a...

Well, knowing a cop. It's a benefit.

Yeah, it doesn't seem like Gabe got that memo.

Yeah, we're not in a good place right now.

Hop in.

I can handle it.

It's another benefit of being a cop.

You learn to deal with people at their worst.

Ben.

Are you bleeding?

Oh.

Yeah, I cut it pretty bad.

We have to take care of that.

You're coming home with me.

I thought you were the delivery guy.

Well, my mom called me. Are you okay?

I'm fine.

But you can thank her for spreading my business all over town.

It's not all over town, it's me.

Whatever. It was a dumb mistake.

Yeah, it was.

Gabe, you have to stop.

If it wasn't for my mom, you'd be in jail right now.

This isn't an Afterschool Special.

I don't need a lecture.

Just drop it, okay?

No, I'm not gonna drop it.

I care about you, Gabe. We all do.

I'm fine.

You're obviously not.

Enough, okay? I'm done talking about it.

Tell your mom to stay out of my business.

She didn't have to come to my rescue and neither do you.

Fine. I'll leave.

Yeah.

And you know what?

If you can't find anything else to talk about other than what a screw-up I am, don't come back.

Don't worry, I won't.

There you go.

Thanks.

Good as new.

Saves me a big explanation to Lori.

How's it going over there?

It's not bad.

You know, I don't bother her, she doesn't bother me, so...

Hey.

Hey.

Where have you been?

I'm just gonna put this away.

See ya.

Hey.

Hi.

Um...

I've been really wanting to talk to you.

Yeah, I, uh, I got your 87 messages.

I'm sorry for what I said.

I should have never accused you like that.

It's fine.

I'm, uh, I'm sorry, too.

I should have texted you back.

I tried on his watch.

Okay, I just...

I wanted to know what it would feel like.

You know, how much bigger his wrists are than mine, so I should have told you, but...

No, it's fine.

Does Lori know you're okay?

No, not yet.

You should call her, Ben.

She's really worried about you.

Well, this is new.

Since when are you two so close?

We're not close.

We both just care about you.

Is there something wrong with that?

No. Just might take some getting used to.

So, um, where were you?

Gabe and I hit Atlantic City.

You and Gabe?

Yeah.

Wow, that's perfect, I should have guessed.

There's like nowhere to party in this town.

They actually have real nightlife down there.

They've got clubs open 24 hours.

Great DJs. Gambling.

Did you make any money?

No, I broke even.

You never really make money gambling.

Oh, that's a shame.

I could have used a good angle right about now.

What kind of angle?

It's just a situation at work.

Kind of got to figure out how to make some quick cash.

Look, there's no trick to making money other than figuring out what people want and giving it to them.

At a cost, of course.

I knew there was a reason I wanted to keep you around.

Look, I don't want to make a big deal, okay?

I'm back, it's just been a long day.

I'm glad you're home.

Thanks.

For the record, I apologize again.

Seriously, I just... I want to sleep.

Okay, is that cool?

There's one thing you should know.

Your social worker has been calling.

She set up a home study visit for Sunday night.

Yeah, I'm familiar.

Well, you need to be here.

I know. Carter told me.

You talked to Carter?

Yep.

You do understand what's at stake if you mess up our situation here.

Yeah.

Tonight, actually, for the first time since I've been here.

Hey.

Hey.

Busy?

Oh, just basking in the joy of writing paychecks.

Speaking of, here's yours.

Keep it.

What?

Seriously, I have a proposition for you.

Oh, a proposition. I like the sound of that.

Calm down.

I figured out a way we can make some extra cash.

All right, Carter, when I told you about my little rent issue, that was out of line.

I didn't mean to make you feel like that was your problem.

No. Look, I love this place, too.

I even occasionally like my boss.

Just occasionally?

Mm.

Here's the thing, though.

Magic Hour's a great place to, like, hang out and have a drink, right?

But you gotta close at a certain time.

And don't you always hear people talking about how they want to keep going, maybe find somewhere to keep partying, maybe dance a little?

You mean like an afterhours.

Yeah.

So what exactly do you have in mind?

You know, the police put up police tape for a reason.

Don't be a wuss.

It's just sitting here completely abandoned while the city figures out what to do with it next.

How do you know about it?

I have a secret police informant.

Okay.

But imagine with lights and music and art from my friend Bird.

We can put a DJ booth up there and a bar in one of the corners.

Carter, I'm barely making rent at Magic Hour.

How am I supposed to afford another venue?

Oh, we're not buying it. We're not renting it.

I'm just talking about one night.

We're in and then we're out.

A guerilla rave?

Mm-hmm, and we can charge whatever we want as cover.

One night? Who's gonna come?

How are people even gonna find out about it?

Well, that's my department.

Make sure we have booze and the bartenders, and, like, a sound system and security.

And I will make sure we have a crowd and a DJ that will blow this place up.

I'm not sure if I'm supposed to be... impressed by you or terrified.

A little of both.

Is that a yes?

Yes.

Okay.

This is either really smart or really stupid.

And to the left is our art room with a new kiln for ceramics and a darkroom for developing photography.

Darkrooms are also really good places for making out 'cause no one will walk in you unannounced.

Just don't skip class.

I won't.

To the left is the administration suite, teachers' lounge, school counselor's room and principal's office.

Usually has the best snacks.

Check.

Oh, God.

What?

It's Reagan.

Who's Reagan?

Hey, Grant.

Hey. Reagan. Random.

Not so random.

I'll be in high school next year, too.

Where else would I go?

Right.

I didn't mean random, I meant... funny.

Uh, Mr. Wilson? Let's keep up, please.

Uh, I'll see you around, I guess.

Good seeing you, Grant.

Bye, Reagan.

Okay, tell me that wasn't as awkward as it felt.

We got a little work to do.

Okay, I have been timing you, and you have been organizing your briefcase for over an hour.

I'm having second thoughts about taking off.

Book tour remorse?

There's a lot going on around here.

And that thing with Gabe and Ben?

That didn't ease my mind.

Honey, I know.

It's difficult to leave, but you know what?

I'm starting to feel okay about Ben.

I think he's warming up to us.

Gabe, on the other hand...

No, that'll take time, Liz.

He blames me for Kyle's death.

It's written all over his face.

He needs to grieve.

Are you gonna be okay with me on the road for two months?

Yes.

It's just... You know, it's part of the package.

Being married to a successful author.

It'll fly by.

You're a good wife.

Mm-hmm.

And mother.

And friend.

I noticed you didn't say cook.

Three out of four isn't bad.

Good seeing you.

Good seeing you, that's what she said?

Yep.

Tell me the truth.

Is that more like... genuine good seeing you, or, like, dismissive?

I think that sounded genuine.

'Cause I couldn't really tell.

I mean, the way she said my name made it sound like it was more dismissive, like, she was saying good-bye, as opposed to...

Grant, you're gonna stroke out about this. You gotta chill.

Yeah, you're right.

How does she do it, you know?

Just get me so crazy.

I think you're doing it to yourself.

It was pretty clear to me Reagan was really happy to see you, dude.

And if you're unsure about that, then you always just call her.

A call? Like, talking on the phone?

It's 2015. Anything more than a Snapchat is stalking.

Just text her.

Text? Yes.

Great, that's good.

"Hey, good seeing you.

Let's FaceTime soon."

It's casual, yet direct. Nice.

How is offering to FaceTime less intimidating than calling?

Oh. You're right. You're totally right.

What was I thinking? I'm a mess.

Oh, relax, it's all right.

Wait, wait, look, look, look, look.

She's texting back.

See? No problems, man.

And the lights are gonna be synched to the music, so we're gonna have this, like, cool strobing effect.

Ooh. What if no one shows?

Oh, come on. Instagram, Snapchat, Vine.

Everyone's on notice.

Well, my phone's already blowing up.

I just have to make sure people have a good time when they show up.

Which they will.

'Cause you're totally doing this right.

Thanks. I hope so.

Jared kinda needs this.

You know, every time you say his name, you blush, right?

What's going on?

Um, we, uh...

We kind of kissed.

And?

And it was pretty amazing.

I feel like everyone says that when they kiss someone new.

No. This was different.

I don't know, maybe 'cause he's older, more experienced or something.

It just felt right. I can't stop thinking about it.

Ugh, jealous.

I can't even remember the last time I kissed like that.

Yeah, good kissers are surprisingly hard to come by.

Most guys our age are like...

So sloppy.

Yeah, or, like, really careful and awkward.

And they make you feel like you're making out with a water hose or a piece of cardboard.

Ew.

I'm just trying to figure out if I have to tell him how old I really am before we do anything else.

I don't want to put him in a bad position.

No pun intended.

Okay, well, why tell?

I mean, what he doesn't know can't hurt him.

But a relationship built on less than the truth...

Wait, who said anything about a relationship?

Yeah. Yeah, exactly.

(car engine starting)

You should not be here.

I know that, David. Do you think I want to be here?

What's the matter? Ben all right?

Yes. But I need your help.

What's going on?

Um...

His social worker is doing a home study tomorrow.

She wants to make sure that I'm a fit parent, and given recent circumstances, I need things to go well.

Well, what do you want me to do?

I think it would really help my case if you were there.

To show a united front, to prove that you see me as a fit parent for Ben.

Even though he lives with me, you're still his father, and that counts for a lot, especially in our... unusual situation.

This is not a good idea.

If this doesn't go well, I could lose him.

Maybe that's what you want.

No, I don't want that.

He could go back into the system if that happens.

But I'm in a very awkward situation here.

Elizabeth wouldn't like it.

Then don't tell her.

I'm not gonna lie to her.

David, please. It's for Ben.

Dude, you are gonna fry your corneas staring at that thing.

Come on, it's been two hours and those little dots are still there just taunting me.

I mean, you think it's bad, the text she's sending?

Give me the phone.

No.

Dude, give me the phone.

No. Not until I get a text back.

Have you ever heard the phrase that the watched pot never boils?

No.

Do you think that a girl is gonna want to hang out with some dude who's only interest is her?

Come on, I have two sisters.

I know girls love being the center of attention.

Yeah. They want to be the center of attention from a guy who has his own life.

Fine. Tell me what to do.

You play your video games.

You focus on what makes you tick.

That's what's gonna make a girl really like you.

How am I supposed to concentrate if I can't even get a girl to text me back?

Meditate. Little woosah, some breathwork.

And somehow you get through it.

I gotta go see Taylor.

Stay off the phone, okay?

You focus on you and you keep focusing on you until you hear from her.

Hey, you keep focusing on you even if you don't.

You think I won't?

No phone.

Got it.

(people shouting)

(DJ playing music)

(cheering)

Hey!

Hey!

This is beyond, babe, you did it.

No, come on, we did it. This was a team effort.

So, where'd you find the DJ? He's insane.

Oh, just a lucky break. His name's Seth something.

He just got back from a tour of the west coast.

Maybe I should let you figure that out for yourself.

Well, don't mind if I do.

What did you do?

This is amazing!

This is incredible.

Thanks, yeah.

I can't believe the turnout.

Looks like everyone's having fun, right?

Yeah, I think so.

Hey.

Hey.

Um, Taylor, Max, this is Jared. My boss.

Nice to meet you.

This is a great party.

Not bad, eh?

No, not bad at all.

We've already made more money tonight than the bar usually makes in a week.

So it's a success?

You're a success.

I gotta get back to it.

Hey, very nice to meet you guys.

Nice to meet you.

Your boss? Huh?

I think he might dig you.

I don't know what to do.

I don't know if it's the lights or the music or what, but I kind of dig him, too.

Then what's the problem?

Well, he's 25 and she's 17, and he doesn't know.

Oh.

Yeah, that's weird.

Look, if he likes you, age shouldn't matter.

Serious?

How all y'all sexy people doing tonight?

(cheering)

I can't believe he's here.

Yesterday, he was in a jail cell.

Can you get us another round?

She's still pissed, huh?

Yeah, yeah, she is, imagine that.

You know, part of me was hoping that that car wreck would knock some sense into you.

Give me a break, all right?

I got into a fight. It's not the end of the world.

Dude, she loves you.

And she cares about you.

If you cared for her at all, you would get out of here and get yourself straight.

Being around and treating everybody like this is not cool for anyone.

Yeah.

I get it.

See ya.

How long does a person's page stay up after they're gone?

I don't know.

Thinking about Gabe?

Yeah.

I just wish I could make things better with him.

Give it time.

Just look how things are changing with Ben.

Yeah.

I just hope Lori doesn't interfere.

Well, you can't worry about that.

We just have to do our best to keep him close.

Yeah. You're right.

Just focus on that.

Do whatever it takes to make sure that happens.

I need some air.

I can't breathe.

Look, man, I don't care what you gotta do, you gotta find a crowbar, get the garage door open, okay?

We gotta get some air in there or something.

Go. Come on.

The windows aren't budging.

We gotta do something, all right?

It's getting too hot in there.

The last thing we need is for someone to call an ambulance.

Well, can't people just come outside if they're too hot?

It's packed in there. People can barely move, okay?

Look, we gotta figure something out or...

I'm gonna shut this thing down.

Okay, just give me a minute.

Hey.

(indistinct chatter)

Feeling all right?

I need some air.

We're about one stampede away from serious trouble.

Yeah.

Tell Seth to keep an eye on me.

(whispering, indistinct)

(clapping)

(cheering)

(lock turning)

All right. We're gonna head out.

Great work with those sprinklers.

Uh, thanks.

Great work with those beats.

This is a good venue.

Let me know when you throw the next one.

Yeah, sure.

All right, love you, babe.

Yeah, bye.

BT-dub, the DJ knows how to kiss.

Bye.

Hey.

Hey.

I didn't even know you were here.

Thanks for coming.

Yeah, it's... It's a great party.

Good enough to keep you in town?

I'm not sure about that.

You're gonna show up tomorrow for the home study visit, though, right?

Yeah, I don't know, Carter.

Maybe I should just teach her a lesson about going through my stuff.

Why is it so important to you?

It's not.

You are.

All right, great work, everyone.

There you go.

Hey.

Hey.

So? How'd we do?

Well, you remember that paycheck you told me to keep?

Uh, not keep, invest.

Yeah, well, now it's four times as big.

And what about the bar?

We're gonna have no trouble paying rent this month.

People are already blowing up my phone, asking me when the next party is gonna be.

Hey.

What's wrong?

Um...

Okay, there's something I should probably tell you.

Okay, give it to me straight, Doc.

Rip the Band-Aid off.

What, you got a boyfriend or something?

Um, no.

I don't have a boyfriend.

Well, that's good.

What is it, then?

You know what?

It's nothing, never mind.

I'm just... Come on, let's go.

(phone buzzing)

Hello?

Sorry I didn't text you back yesterday.

Oh, no, no worries.

It's cool, you know, just been doing my thing.

Playing video games and stuff.

Well, I'm glad we'll be going to the same high school.

It'll be fun.

Yeah. Yeah, it'll be great.

I know, right?

We should definitely hang before we start and compare our schedules.

Maybe we can take some classes together.

Yeah.

I'd love that.

Well, anyway, sounds like you're busy.

I'll let you get back to it.

Text me again sometime.

Oh, I will.

I mean... sure.

Carter, what are you doing here?

Sorry if I'm interrupting.

I just wanted to make sure Ben showed up.

Come in for a minute.

Carter, this is Amanda Roland, Ben's social worker.

Lovely to meet you, Carter.

And, of course, you know Ben.

Hi.

And last, but not least, your dad dropped by, too.

What a nice show of support, everyone being here.

Given the circumstances, it's quite unusual to see a family come together like this.

You all must really care a great deal for each other.

Yeah. Yeah, we really do.

What are you doing here?

I need to talk to you.

Fine. Talk.

I've made some mistakes lately, which I think we both know why.

But the biggest mistake that I made is not telling you the truth about something really important, which is how I feel about you.

There are some things that I had never said before, things that I should have said a long time ago.

Gabe, please stop.

I'm with Max.

There's nothing that you can say that's gonna change that.

So, I had a sh*t, once upon a time, I missed it and that's that.

I don't know what to tell you.

Well, just so you know, I'm really sorry for the way that I've been acting.

I'm going to be better.

Thank you. I appreciate that.

You're the man of the house now.

You know what that means.

Yeah, yeah, whatever. Just make sure to not watch any of the new "Walking Deads" without me.

I promise.

Oh, I'm gonna miss your cooking.

I see more cookies in your future.

Thanks.

Bye.

Bye.

Thank you.

For everything.

You've really stepped up.

You, too.

Okay, everyone, clear out.

Give your dad and me a moment alone.

I'll call you every night.

I'll answer every night.

I love you.

Even for the things we disagree about.

That's why I keep you around.

I guess that's a little ironic right now, huh?

I'll get the door.

Yeah.

I'll be back before you know it.

I'll be here.

♪ Feels make believe ♪
♪ All that glitters isn't gold for me ♪
♪ Save me from everyone ♪

What's wrong? Where'd you go?

Hmm?

You remember when I said there was something I should probably tell you?

Yeah, you mean when you almost gave me a heart att*ck?

Jared, I'm not 21.

I'm 17.

I used a fake I.D. to get my job here, and I'm so sorry I didn't tell you about it before, but I wouldn't be telling you this now if I didn't...

No, no. No, stop, okay? Stop.

You're 17?

I know, and I'm sorry I lied about it, but...

You liked me when you thought I was just a little bit older.

Why do a few years have to make such a big difference?

Because it does.

Because that makes a huge difference.

You need... You need to go.

What? Jared.

Just give me a minute, okay?

I'm still the same person.

No, you're not.

Your underage, Carter. You're 17 years old.

This is crazy.

Do you have any idea what kind of situation you got me in?

No.

I'm... sorry.

You need to go.

Now.

(sniffles)

I never meant to get involved with you, or to lie.

It just happened.

And I'm only telling you this now because...

Because I really care about you.

Next time on "Finding Carter... "

You are stealing from my boss.

Don't mess with me.

Carter?

I don't want you working there anymore.

It's not your call.

The parties are over.

Have you seen Taylor?

Gabe told me that he has feelings for me.

Taylor.

You have no idea what you just did.