02x03 - Working Girl

[bunniefuu]

[music playing]

(SINGING) Something tells me I've been dreaming

of someone who's never real.

It seems that she's a thousand ways

I wish I look the way I feel.

Brace things.

My life is complicated.

Boyfriends.

Don't want to talk about it.

Teenage.

I will get out in the end.

Brace things.

My life is complicated.

Boyfriends.

Don't want to talk about it.

Teenage, I will get out in the end.

Brace things.

SHARON (VOICEOVER): A typical high school scene.

To the naked eye, it looks simply

like kids going from point A to point B. Those of us in the

know understand the web of complexities

at work because in fact, each of us

is on our own little spy mission absorbing the latest fashions,

making a mental list of what's in and what's not,

so we can figure out what we need to fit in.

Ew, that is so retro.

Isn't that a good thing?

SHARON (VOICEOVER): No matter what

our parents try to tell us, fitting in is what

high schools are all about.

TEACHER: A pet peeve of mine is the dangling modifier, which I

ask you to avoid at all costs.

SHARON (VOICEOVER): Colored mascara, purple nail polish,

pink cell phone.

Those shoes, that t-shirt, of course, fitting in

doesn't come cheap.

Lucky for, me it was allowance day.

For you.

And you.

And you.

But where's the rest?

I had to make a few deductions.

Why?

Give me one good reason.

I can give you three.

One, I didn't do the vacuuming.

Two, I forgot to clean out the cat litter.

Ew, gros.s

SHARON: And three, she said I was passive aggressive

with her twice.

Wow, am I glad my mom's not a shrink?

She is so completely and totally unreasonable.

How am I supposed to buy the stuff I need?

Look what I got last night at the mall.

Colored mascara, this cute pink cell phone, oh, and this shirt.

Oh, this is so unfair.

Forget about mascara.

This is what everyone's talking about.

SHARON: The school ski trip?

Uh-huh.

A full day at Sunny Peaks.

Tons of seniors go.

My volleyball team says it's the party of the year.

Really?

How much does it cost?

$100?

SHARON: I've got it all figured out.

You advance me the money, and I'll clean out the basement.

And after that, I'll wash all the windows,

and I'll even reorganize your closet.

Sharon.

Please.

All the kids are going.

All of them?

Well, anyone who's anyone.

I'm sorry.

The answer's no.

SHARON: But, Mom.

Sharon, I don't have $100 to spare.

And if I did, I'd spend it on something we need

like regrouting the bathtub.

So that's it?

Just because you're the mom you get to decide

what we do with all our money.

Our money?

You know the saying, what's yours is mine?

I earn the money in this house,

and that means I get to decide how we spend it.

Fine.

No problem, be that way.

I'll just go out and earn my own money then.

Salesperson wanted, minimum two years experience.

After school child care, minimum three years experience.

To qualify for any of these jobs,

I should have joined the workforce at 11.

If it makes you feel any better,

I'm not going on a ski trip either.

Good.

We can wallow in misery together.

But I'm not miserable.

Now I just don't ski.

Oh come on, Connor, it's going to be a major party

I'll give you a free lesson.

No, my mind's made up.

Believe me, I can have a great life without risking it

on the slopes.

As a matter of fact, I've been doing

a lot of thinking these days about what I really

want and need to be happy.

What does that mean?

I don't know yet, but I'm kind of on a simplification mission

to find out.

Take paper, I was about to buy more notebooks last week,

then I thought why buy it when I can

reuse all that paper that gets tossed in the school

recycle bins.

See?

Perfectly good.

And the added bonus, when you're bored you can read

somebody else's deep thoughts.

You are the sun when my cloud disappears

shining for eternity.

The next part scratched out.

How lame can you get?

WAITER: What can I get for you?

You're not, Bill.

Beauty and brains.

Your parents must be proud.

Where's Bill?

What do I know?

I bought the place off him now either order

or I'll have you arrested for loitering.

Mango smoothie, please.

Ditto.

Nothing for me.

Gee, that'll pay the rent.

And we thought Bill was bad.

This guy needs a personality transplant.

No, he needs help.

I know I don't have a lot of food service experience,

but I do have pets and I feed them twice a day.

And our skills would complement each other.

I'm good with people, well, you're good with the blender.

Problem is I'm trying to keep my overhead down.

SHARON: But you just can't do everything by yourself.

Can you work a few evenings and weekends for minimum wage?

Sure.

I can do whatever shifts you need, except for the 24th,

that's our school ski trip.

You can start tomorrow.

SHARON (VOICEOVER): Certain news you don't just blurt out,

you savor it, revel in it, bide your time

until the perfect moment presents itself.

Hey, I got a job.

A really great job at Life Cycles.

Me, Sharon Spitz, yours truly.

At Life Cycles?

Oh, very cool.

A job is a big responsibility for someone your age.

Are you sure you can handle it on top of school?

What about all your other commitments?

Mother.

Sorry.

Of course, you can handle it.

It's great news, hon.

And since I'm earning the money,

I get to decide how to spend it, right?

I suppose so.

As long as it's not ill*gal.

SHARON: Isn't this great?

Getting paid to hang out with my friends.

Good for you.

Who knows?

I might even be able to sneak you free smoothies.

Excellent.

I like a girlfriend who comes with perks.

Excuse me.

Sorry to interrupt this little social circle,

but if you read my newly compiled employee manual,

you'll see that on page 73 section two,

it says no sitting down on the job,

and no, I don't chit chat with the customers.

Follow me there's work to be done.

Too much.

Too much, every extra centimeter adds to the bottom line.

Now always remember to put on the lid.

No, no, PPY is papaya.

PPL is pineapple.

It's all very logical.

Like the Dewey decimal system.

No, PLY is a papaya pineapple combo.

PPY is papaya, PPL is pineapple.

MO is mango.

Isn't she worried about her nails?

Excuse me but--

E-hem.

The toilet's back in.

You'll note that I've changed to one-ply tissue.

Every penny saved counts.

Loser.

SHARON (VOICEOVER): OK.

So the job wasn't exactly what I'd expected.

But it did have its perks.

You work at Life Cycles, right?

Who, me?

Your boss looks like a jerk.

Yeah.

But, hey, what are you going to do?

I know what it's like.

I pump gas, right?

And my boss is always on my case to be helpful.

How many times can you say, can I

do your windows without feeling insincere about it?

I figure, if someone wants their windows cleaned, they'll ask.

Yeah.

They treat us like robots or something.

CONNOR: So I just bring my own cup everywhere.

No more wasted plastic cups.

Less pollution.

That's a great idea.

BRETT: Order up.

Sorry, Connor.

Got to run.

Hey, Sharon.

You're going on the ski trip?

Wouldn't miss it.

He's only talking to you because he hopes

you'll give him free smoothies.

I don't expect you to get what it's like to work

for a living, Nina.

You've had everything handed to you on a silver platter.

You mean like all this fabulous gear

my mom just bought me for the ski trip?

Breathable fuchsia boarding jacket

with matching pants, cute powder blue toque,

fogless goggles, wickable gloves.

And to top it all off, ta-dah!

You know what?

You'd never be able to handle the responsibility of a job.

You're too much of a spoiled brat.

So what if I am?

Is being spoiled a crime?

[music playing]

OK.

$72.31?

That's it?

With deductions for your apron,

taxes, unemployment insurance, yup.

SHARON: I've barely got half the money for the trip,

never mind the gear.

Don't worry about gear.

You can borrow my old snowboard.

And your ski jacket from last year is totally fine.

Hey, Sharon, you coming to the game?

I can't, I'm taking on extra shifts.

Bummer.

It's the season opener.

See you later.

[music playing]

SHARON (VOICEOVER): I missed out on a lot of fun

stuff the next couple of weeks.

But I just kept telling myself it was worth it.

Ski trip, here I come.

Ski trip, here I come.

Tomorrow I'll be skiing, oh, ski trip, here I come.

Tomorrow?

As in Saturday?

Yeah.

Impossible.

You're working.

But I told you when you hired me, I needed the 24th off.

I would never have agreed to that.

I have an extremely important seminar

to attend tomorrow, how to make your customers

pay more and get less.

I'll meet you here at 7:00 AM sharp to let you in.

But-- but you said--

As your boss, I get first dibs.

So you will just have to bite it.

Ha!

Can you believe it?

After all those hours I put in and now he tells me I can't go.

Well, we'll see about that.

Hey, are you sure you really want

to give that pogo stick away?

It's practically brand new.

I used it like twice.

Now some kid who hardly has any toys can play with it.

I can't believe you're willing to give

away half your childhood.

It's all for a good cause.

But don't worry, I'm keeping the good memory lane stuff.

Like this costume?

What were you supposed to be again?

Van Gogh's famous sunflower painting?

Yeah.

And the year after that, my mom made me go as Mona Lisa.

I think she was taking some sort of art appreciation course.

How embarrassing.

I bet all you wanted to be was Dracula or something, right?

Like every other guy on the block?

At first.

But then it was sort of me having

such an original costume.

Everyone gave me extra candy.

I was a witch five years in a row, remember?

Sharon, do you think you worry too much about what

other people think about you?

No.

Well, what about this ski trip?

Why does it matter to you so much that you can't go?

It matters because I want to go.

Why?

Because I want to be part of something that feels cool.

OK.

So even if you can't go for whatever reason,

that doesn't make you uncool.

Maybe not.

But it doesn't make me as cool.

Why can't you get that?

I don't know.

I guess I don't worry about the same stuff as you.

Exactly.

So I guess we don't have much in common anymore.

I want to be in.

And you, you're willing to be Mona Lisa.

I was eight.

I'm going on the ski trip, one way or another.

You could tell him you're sick.

He'd never buy it.

I know.

A relative died.

Too morbid.

Oh.

This is nowhere close to the gear Nina has.

I can't believe my mother used to wear this stuff

and think she looked good.

Hey, I know.

You could tell him you got lost on your way to work.

Funny.

No, whatever it is, he'll have to see it with his own eyes.

Are you almost done?

Almost.

And now for the final item, the ever handy onion.

Ah!

Perfect.

I'd better go before it wears off.

Break a leg.

Ha!

Hi, Brett.

What-- what is wrong with you?

Oh, nothing.

Just a little cold.

Possibly chicken pox.

Then again, it might be that weakened strain of Asian flu

that's kicking around.

But enough about me.

Let's get a move on.

I'm ready to work.

I can't let you work in this condition.

What are you talking about?

I'm-- I'm fine.

You drive away all our customers.

You'd put me out of business.

Do you know what the health regulations are for a food

and beverage service operator?

Go on.

Go home.

Get better.

I'll take over.

Sunny Peaks, here we come.

Woo-hoo!

Welcome to this week's edition of Travel Destinations.

I'm Jorah Nielsen.

And today, I'm at beautiful Sunny Peaks, a hot

or should I say cold--

Oh!

How's it going?

I'm beginning to think I should have stuck to skis.

Ah!

Hey, need a hand?

This is hopeless.

Maybe I'll just go sit in the chalet.

No way.

All you need is a lesson.

But I can't afford it.

From me.

From you?

Great idea.

Come on, let's head to the chairlift.

All the way up there?

It's the only way you're going to learn.

Come on.

Wow.

Where is everyone?

They're all on that ski trip.

And I'm stuck here when I could be

discovering innovative new ways to save pennies.

Start by facing the side of the hill

and lean on the toe side.

Lean back on the heel side to turn.

You did it.

I did, didn't I?

Way to go, Sharon.

Would you mind showing me that last move just one more time?

NINA: Oh, Sharon.

Olie bigness.

SHARON: Please.

Do you think someone's trying too hard?

Hi, guys.

Nice outfit, Spitz.

What you do?

Raid your mother's closet?

Oops, did I feel a snowflake?

No worries.

Come on, Maria.

Let's go.

Thanks for the lesson, Isaac.

She needed a lesson?

Who needs lessons when you have top-of-the-line gear?

Actually, you still do.

Nah.

They said the equipment does it all for you.

Watch.

[music playing]

Oh!

How come I'm not turning?

How come I'm going faster and faster?

Oh!

Woah!

Look out!

Ah!

People of all levels skier, from the true professionals

to the spectacularly--

oh!

Aww!

Oh.

Sharon Spitz?

Ouch.

Of all the irresponsible underhanded--

If you just let me explain.

You lied to me.

That's one way of looking at it.

You are so utterly, unequivocally,

irrevocably fired!

Gee, Sharon, I guess you couldn't

handle the responsibility, huh?

Ah.

For you.

SHARON (VOICEOVER): Telling my mom I'd been fired was painful.

I thought she'd give me this huge lecture

on well, everything.

And you.

SHARON (VOICEOVER): But you know what?

She didn't.

She just gave me a hug.

You gave me too much.

You've earned it.

I have?

You did a great job on the toilets.

SHARON (VOICEOVER): I can't say my job

didn't teach me anything.

Hi. Ah, listen--

Connor, about what I said.

It was really terrible to make fun

of your old Halloween costume.

Forget it.

No I can't.

You've always been willing to be original.

That's what I love about you.

I mean, take this whole simplification thing.

It's really great.

I can always use company doing it.

Want to hang out?

Sure.

But I hardly have any money.

So who needs money to have fun?

Come on, get in the ready position.

Forget it.

What if someone sees us?

So what if they do?

Who cares?

SHARON (VOICEOVER): And suddenly I realized, Connor had a point.

If I wanted to start having fun, I have to stop worrying

so much about looking good.

CONNOR: One, two, three.

SHARON (VOICEOVER): Even if it meant looking kind of weird

every now and then.

[theme music]