The Scholarship

THE EPISODES- Chapter Sixteen

Episode Seven: It's A Great Night for Date Night

Stevie Quay paces anxiously in the lobby of the Sunset Marquis.  He looks at the camera and winks.  "I'm not nervous or anything," he says with a shrug.  He suddenly trips over the edge of the large Persian rug laid out in the middle of the floor.  "Okay, maybe a little nervous," he admits with a sheepish grin. 

In the background of the shot, Gabrielle Jones enters the lobby just in time to see Stevie trip.  She watches him talk to the camera before walking over to him.  She taps him on the shoulder, and he quickly spins around, obviously startled. 

"Oh, hey, Gabby!" He says.  "You look amazing."  Gabby looks down at her jeans and New England University t-shirt. 

"I'm not too dressed up, am I?" She jokes.  Stevie laughs and leads her through the revolving doors of the Marquis.  The valet attendant hands Stevie his keys, and he opens the passenger side door to a fully loaded orange Jeep Wrangler.  "Cool car!" Gabby says as she climbs into her seat.  The interior is weather friendly, but it also has every added feature, including a state of the art stereo system. 

"Thanks," Stevie says.  "I bought it with my own money.  I'm pretty proud of this baby."  The camera angle shifts to behind Stevie and Gabby.

"So what did you name him?" Gabby asks.  Stevie shifts uncomfortably in his seat.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he says as he starts the car and music blares from the speakers.  Gabby smiles as she reaches over and turns the music down.

"C'mon, Stevie.  All guys name their cars.  Spill it!" She says. 

"I named him Nemo," Stevie finally admits as he steers the car onto the main drag of Santa Monica Boulevard.  The traffic is pretty light for a Sunday afternoon, so the Jeep quickly picks up some speed as they head toward La Cienega Boulevard.  "I can't believe I just admitted that on national television," Stevie says with a nervous laugh.

"Like from the Disney movie?" Gabby asks.  Stevie reluctantly nods.  "Well, that's adorable!" She says with genuine laughter. 

"It was my favorite movie growing up!" He admits.  Gabby turns the music slightly back up and relaxes in her seat. 

"So where are we going?" She asks. 

"Well, I thought I'd show you where I grew up," Stevie says.  He takes the turn onto the boulevard and traffic slows them down.  Gabby pulls out her phone and shakes her head. 

"My dad has already texted me three times since we left," she says.  "You should have seen how long it took me to convince him not to walk me to the lobby!  I honestly think he only let me go because the cameras will be with us for most of the day."

"So what you're saying is that your dad doesn't trust me?" Stevie asks.  "It's not like it would be the first time that's ever happened to me."

"Oh, it's not you," Gabby says.  "I could be out with Mother Theresa, and he'd still text me to make sure I was okay and safe."  She sighs.  "He just worries about me."

"Well, I guess there could be worse things in life," Stevie says as he stops at another red light.  "So this is pretty much where I grew up," he says.  "This part of West Hollywood, anyway."  Gabby looks around. 

"So you were, like, rich?"  She asks. 

"Well, I wouldn't say rich compared to Hollywood standards, but we lived comfortably.  If you think this is nice, wait until you see my old high school! It's all the way out in Santa Monica," Stevie says as he takes the ramp going westbound on the 10.  "It's a sweet town though.  Sometimes my friends and I would skip school and go spend the day at the beach."