While Mr. Porter tries to talk with Clay in his office, Justin, Jessica, Alex, Courtney, Zach, & Alex have a meeting in the gym to figure out how to deal with Clay.
Justin Foley: He's out of his fucking mind.
Courtney Crimsen: We played by Hannah's rules. It's not fair if the tapes get out there because Clay went postal.
Zach Dempsey: He's not gonna go public.
Jessica Davis: It feels like he might.
Alex Standall: He's just sad, okay? Let him be...
Alex groans as he's still feeling the pain from his fight with Monty from last week.
Jessica Davis: Are you getting your stomach things again, Alex? Come sit down a minute.
Justin Foley: What stomach things?
Alex Standall: He loved her, and she tried to kill herself. Okay? He's sad & going crazy. Just give him a second.
Courtney Crimsen: He's not sad, okay? He's getting revenge.
Alex Standall: It's not like we don't deserve it.
Alex's stomach start hurting again.
Jessica Davis: Alex, come sit down.
Alex takes a seat next to Jessica as Marcus arrives to the gym.
Justin Foley: Dude, you're late.
Marcus Cole: I talked to Tony. He says he'll take care of it.
Courtney Crimsen: What does that even mean exactly?
Justin Foley: Tony's a dick.
Zach Dempsey: He's not a dick.
Justin Foley: He's a dick, he's a prick, and he's a cock.
Zach Dempsey: Okay, those are the same things.
Justin Foley: No, they're nuances of meaning.
Zach Dempsey: Right. Yeah.
Justin Foley: Look, Tony's not gonna do shit. We have to take care of this. End that little bastard once and for all.
Jessica Davis: That's insane.
Justin Foley: I don't know. What if we make it look like a suicide?
The others scoff at Justin in disagreement.
Justin Foley: How tragic is that? I mean, 2 star-crossed lovers or some shit like that. He doesn't think Hannah will wake up, so he tries to join her.
Zach Dempsey: Grow up, Justin.
Justin Foley: Are you really telling me to grow up, Little Mama's Boy?
Zach Dempsey: Yeah, I am.
Alex groans once more as he holds on to his stomach.
Justin Foley: Dude, go see a fuckin' doctor.
Alex Standall: I've seen a dozen doctors, dude.
Zach Dempsey: One thing. If one thing had gone differently somewhere along the line... maybe none of this would have happened.
Meanwhile, Clay had finished talking to Mr. Porter as he decides to just leave school. He runs into Tony outside as he convinces Clay to come with him. Clay enters Tony's Mustang and he takes him for a drive.
Clay Jensen: So, are you kidnapping me?
Tony Padilla: Did you kidnap Courtney?
Clay Jensen: I had a purpose.
Tony Padilla: So do I.
Tony drives him out of Evergreen County and into the wood. Back at Liberty, everyone left they gym as Alex stayed behind. Jessica comes back to check on Alex.
Jessica: Alex. Are you okay?
Alex Standall: Yeah, yeah. Don't worry about it.
Jessica Davis: It's all this shit with the tapes, isn't it? If all that just went away, you'd be fine.
Alex Standall: Yeah, but how does all that just go away? Besides, it's only gonna get worst if Hannah wakes up. If Clay doesn't say anything, she will.
Justin & Zach return to gym.
Justin Foley: What the hell, Jess? You coming or not?
Jessica Davis: In a minute. I'm talking to Alex.
Justin Foley: Oh, about what?
Alex Standall: About how much she misses me. About how much better of a boyfriend I am than you. How she wishes she never broke up with me. How you smell bad.
Jessica Davis: Alex, come on!
Justin Foley: Fuck you, Alex.
Alex Standall: What? It's totally true. She was like, "Justin smells bad." I was like, "I know."
Jessica Davis: I did not say that.
Justin Foley: You're a funny guy, Standall.
Alex Standall: No, you're funny, Justin. With the "Let's end the little bastard"? What is that about?
Justin Foley: It's about protecting ourselves.
Alex Standall: From what?
Justin Foley: From Hannah's lies.
Alex Standall: But did she lie? 'Cause I'm really not sure. 'Cause she told the truth about me.
Alex leaves the gym as Zach goes with him. Justin sits down on the bleachers next to Jessica.
Justin Foley: You know he's full of shit, right? He's a fucking liar.
Jessica Davis: He's not a liar. He can be a pain in the ass, but he's a good person. He's never lied to me.
Justin Foley: Well, good for him.
Jessica Davis: He's got a point you know. "Let's end the little bastard"? Do you really think that's a good idea? If Hannah wakes up, she's gonna know that we had something to do with it.
Justin Foley: Exactly, if she wakes up.
Tony & Clay arrive to their destination. Clay has no idea why Tony brought him here.
Clay Jensen: Is this like your idea of some twisted version of wilderness therapy?
Tony Padilla: Not a nature lover?
Clay Jensen: I love nature, especially in pictures in books.
Tony takes out a rope from the trunk as Clay wonders why he has a rope.
Clay Jensen: What's with the rope? No, seriously, this is getting messed up. So what, are you gonna tie me up to a tree and force me to listen to the rest of the tapes?
Tony Padilla: No, we're just going for a little walk.
Clay Jensen: How little is little?
Tony Padilla: Just up that hill.
They begin to walk for a couple a minutes. When they reach to where Tony wanted to bring Clay...
Clay Jensen: No freaking way.
It was a rock cliff. The plan: For Clay to climb to the top of the rock.
Clay Jensen: What the hell does this have to do with Hannah?
Tony Padilla: Don't you want to find out? People free solo it all the time.
Clay Jensen: People who climb things, people who climb rocks... which is a ridiculous thing to do if you aren't being chased by something.
Tony Padilla: It's for beginners. I used to climb it with my brothers when we were kids. Here. Take this, clip it on.
Tony gives Clay some chalk.
Tony Padilla: It's chalk. Put it on your hands, like this. Or you'll slip.
Clay Jensen: What?
Tony Padilla: Come on, are you a man or not?
Clay Jensen: Not! Most definitely not.
Tony Padilla: I grant you that, no question.
Clay Jensen: I, uh... I don't like heights.
Tony Padilla: It's an easy climb. All the answers you seek are at the top of the cliff.
Tony & Clay begin climbing the rock. They make half way as Clay looks down and sees that they are very high up.
Tony Padilla: Good. Now try and slow your breath down.
Clay Jensen: How do I do that?
Tony Padilla: By breathing slower.
Clay Jensen: What do I do about my heart, which is about to explode out of my chest?
Clay's phone begins to go off.
Clay Jensen: Shit.
Tony Padilla: You brought your phone on a climb?
Clay Jensen: No, I brought my phone on a walk. That's my mom's ring.
Tony Padilla: Be a good son or plunge to the rocks below.
Clay Jensen: Yeah. Thanks for the perspective.
Clay ignores his phone.
Clay Jensen: We are really freaking high.
Tony Padilla: Don't think about it. Chalk your hands if they're sweaty.
Clay Jensen: I can't really feel my arms.
Tony Padilla: You gotta shake 'em out, one at a time. Get the blood moving, all right?
They continue climbing when Tony grabs hold of a rock as it breaks off and hits Clay on his gash.
Tony Padilla: Shit! Oh, shit!
Clay Jensen: What? What? I can't see!
Tony Padilla: I lost a handhold. Give me a sec, I've got to figure this out.
Tony makes it to the top of the rock as Clay is still only half way there.
Tony Padilla: All right, I'm gonna throw this. Grab it, pull yourself up.
Tony throws down the rope for Clay.
Clay Jensen: Tony, I can't.
Tony Padilla: Of course you can. One foot at a time. Come on.
Clay grabs hold of the rope.
Tony Padilla: All right, you got it. There you go.
Clay begins to climb up.
Tony Padilla: There you go! There you go!
Clay makes it to the top as he is enjoying it.
Clay Jensen: Oh, shit! Oh, man! Whoa! That was freaking amazing.
Tony Padilla: Was it? Or was it fucking amazing?
Clay Jensen: That was fucking amazing. Like... I thought I was gonna die!
Tony Padilla: But you didn't, did you?
Clay Jensen: Fuck!
Clay begins to yell it out as Tony joins him along.
Clay Jensen: FUCK!
Tony Padilla: FUCK!
Clay Jensen: Yeah. I saw this YouTube video once where this guy in Spain was walking on this crane. He had to be at least 15 stories. He's walking, walking, walking. And then he slips. He lets out this loud scream. Seconds later, wham!
Tony Padilla: Wham what?
Clay Jensen: The camera went black, but I'm pretty sure he died.
Tony Padilla: Shit, Clay.
Clay Jensen: Fuck. I never totally realized, that's a really great word.
Tony Padilla: It is, huh? Uh... You're bleeding.
Clay Jensen: Fuck.
Tony helps clean off the blood from Clay's head. After Tony finished cleaning off Clay's wound, they sit down to have a rest.
Clay Jensen: You promised me the secrets are at the top of this rock. I risked my life to get here.
Tony Padilla: You wouldn't have died. You'd break a bunch of shit.
Clay Jensen: (Scoffs) I never thought about it. Dying. Until this year.
Tony Padilla: Have you ever seen a dead body?
Clay Jensen: I've been to a few funerals.
Tony Padilla: Have you ever seen a crime scene?
Clay Jensen: Well, like... CSI and Law & Order, all that.
Tony Padilla: No, no. Like a... a real one.
Clay Jensen: Have you?
Tony Padilla: Yeah. Once.
Clay Jensen: What was that like?
Tony Padilla: Quiet. Not silent or anything, just... no excitement. No big noise. Like it was nothin'.
Clay Jensen: How old were you?
Tony Padilla: 17.
Clay Jensen: What was the crime?
Tony Padilla: Suicide attempt.
Clay Jensen: You were there. You saw her.
Tony Padilla: Yeah. She came by my house that day. I can see her through the window. She walks up to the door, she leaves this box. And goes. I didn't get up. I figured if it was important, she would have knocked. Rang the doorbell or something, right? And I... I should have gone out there. I should have talked to her. But... Look, I liked Hannah. She was a friend. But the girl was a lot. She was drama. And I was apparently the only guy at Liberty who didn't grab her ass or stare at her tits. And so I always got to hear about it... and on that particular day, I didn't want to deal, so I let her walk away.
Clay Jensen: Jesus, Tony.
Tony Padilla: Half hour... 45 minutes later, I get the box, open 'em, and there's these tapes, and a letter. "Please take care of these. Listen, and you'll know how." I started listening to the firsttape. And then... I try calling the Bakers. They don't answer. I speed to her house. The ambulance is already there. They rolled her into the ambulance with her wrist bandaged up and rushed her to the hospital. She was lucky. Ever since that day she's been in a coma. If only I'd stopped her that day, she'd be here with us.
Clay begins to tear down.
Clay Jensen: (Sniffling) Do the other kids know? Why you're taking care of Hannah like you are?
Tony Padilla: Of course not. You needed to know. You're my friend.
After a little while, they get up begins making their way down.
Clay Jensen: There was a path the whole time? We could have just walked up there?
Tony Padilla: Yes. But what's the fun in that?
Clay Jensen: Everything you told me, you could have told me anywhere. In Monet's the other night.
Tony Padilla: Would you have been ready to hear it?
Clay Jensen: Yeah. No. I don't know. I wish I had known, though. Why you cared so much about Hannah. I kept trying to figure it out. I thought maybe... I thought maybe you were in love with her.
Tony Padilla: Clay... you know I'm gay, right?
Clay Jensen: What? No, I didn't know that. How was I supposed to know that?
Tony Padilla: I thought everyone knew it.
Clay Jensen: I don't think everyone knows.
Tony Padilla: A lot of people know it.
Tony stops walking as does Clay.
Tony Padilla: Wait, wait, wait, wait. Did you think that I was, like... just friends with Ryan?
Clay Jensen: Well, yeah, I guess so.
Tony Padilla: You think I would be friends with a guy like Ryan.
Clay Jensen: Yeah, would think you would be 'cause apparently you went out.
Tony Padilla: They're different things. Trust me.
Clay Jensen: So that guy Brad... is he your boyfriend now?
Tony Padilla: I hope he's still my boyfriend. He's been pretty annoyed lately because... I've been spending all my time with another guy.
Clay is confused.
Tony Padilla: You.
Clay Jensen: Oh. Right. You mean with the tapes and all, not in a romantic way.
Tony Padilla: Sure.
They make their way back down and head back to the Mustang as the sun begins to set. They both enter the car as Tony takes out his phone to see his missed calls or texts he received.
Tony Padilla: Apparently your mom called my dad.
Clay Jensen: Oh, Jesus. My mom. I'll text her. We do not need that particular hysterical phone call at this moment.
Tony Padilla: Maybe if you didn't keep all those secrets from her...
Clay Jensen: Oh, fuck you, with your secrets.
Tony starts up his Mustang.
Clay Jensen: Could I, uh... Could I get those tapes back sometime?
Tony Padilla: Sure thing.
Tony reaches to the backseat and gives Clay the tapes back.
Clay Jensen: So, what, was this your plan the whole time?
Tony Padilla: Maybe I helped it along, but... I knew sooner or later you'd want the tapes back.
Clay Jensen: You knew?
Tony Padilla: Yeah. You haven't heard yours yet.
Tony drives back to Evergreen County as the sun has now set. Laine had been worried about Clay all day. Earlier in the day, she meet with Kevin Porter to disscus the lawsuit. Porter informed her that he left school but did not tell her about his meltdown. As they wait for Clay to arrive...
Lainie Jensen: It's a horrible story, Matt. She's a beautiful... sweet girl, and she's in a coma. Of course, we're supposed to tear her apart. Go after her reputation, her boyfriends, anything she's ever written or said.
Matt Jensen: So don't do it. Don't go after her. You always said that's why you did law. If it didn't always serve justice, it could serve the truth. Right? So find out the truth.
Lainie Jensen: What if it hurts our son?
Matt Jensen: I believe he'll survive.
Tony arrives to Clay's house and drops him off as they say their goodnights.
Matt Jensen: The traveler returns.
Lainie Jensen: You think that Tony's a good influence?
Matt Jensen: My sense of him is that he's a very good influence. But that's not our concern at the moment, right?
Lainie Jensen: Nope. I know. I am on board.
Clay enter the house where he sees his parents waiting for him.
Clay Jensen: I'm sorry. I'm... really. Tony and I had to talk, and we lost track of time. And I know this was really not like me, believe me. And I'm sorry.
Matt gets up from his seat and hugs his son, much to Clay's surprise.
Clay Jensen: Oh, God, I must be in huge trouble.
Lainie Jensen: No. But next time, a text would be appreciated before you go, and not on the way home.
Clay Jensen: No, right, of course. I couldn't reach my phone for a while. But, yes. And you can ground me for a month.
Matt Jensen: No groundings. We're just... glad you're alive.
Clay Jensen: Me too, Dad.
After visiting Hannah at the hospital, the Bakers went out to dinner when they had a fun encounter with a little girl. It brought back memories of Hannah's childhood. They have a little chat with the girl's mother as Olivia brought up Hannah. Olivia told the mother that Hannah is currently looking at colleges as Andy gave her a look. The drive back home was very quiet. When they arrived home...
Andy Baker: You didn't say much on the way home.
Olivia Baker: I wasn't sure what to say. I didn't lie to that woman. I'm still a mother. And to not be the mother of a comatose suicidal girl for a few minutes!
Andy Baker: Should we move?
Olivia Baker: What?
Andy Baker: Should we move? When she wakes up. Should we go somewhere and start new?
Olivia Baker: And... give up the store?
Andy Baker: I'll give up the store, give up the house, everything... if I have you both.
Olivia Baker: But you do. You do have me.
Andy Baker: Okay.
Olivia Baker: She will wake up. She'll wake up and she'll come home.
Meanwhile, Clay goes up to his room and resumes listening to the tapes. He listened to tape 8, Ryan Shaver. It was there that Clay discovers that the poem that everyone was talking about months ago was written by Hannah. Ryan stole it from Hannah's poetry notebook posted it on his zine. Clay read it to Hannah at work and called the author "One dark human being, that's for sure". He also said that he liked her poem, but wasn't sure he'd want to hang out with her. Clay still had that magazine. He searched through his drawers and found it. The next day, Clay goes to the Baker's store as Olivia was working behind the pharmacy counter as Clay approaches her.
Olivia Baker: Hi, Clay.
Clay Jensen: Hey, Mrs. Baker. I'm sorry to bother you at work. I wanted to give you something.
Clay gives her his copy of Ryan's zine, Lost & Found.
Clay Jensen: It's from Hannah. Well, it's not Hannah's, but there's a poem... that she wrote. It's really good. I mean, even our English teacher said so. Page 7.
Olivia opens it and begins reading it. She recognizes the handwriting as she begins to cry.
Olivia Baker: It's her handwriting.
Clay Jensen: Yeah. I know that now.
Clay leaves the store as Olivia reads Hannah's poem. With Justin still having his bike, Clay walks all the way over to the hospital. He goes up to Hannah's room and sits down next to Hannah's hospital bed as she lays in a coma.
Clay Jensen: Hey, Hannah. I'm through 8 now. I now know that you wrote that poem. I didn't know you wrote it, otherwise I never would've called you one dark human being because you're not. You should've told me it was you. By the way, Zach didn't threw away that letter that you wrote him. He kept it. Hopefully you'll let him explain. These tapes, they've been fucking with my head. But I'm gonna continue listening to them, for you. Plus, I still have to listen to my tape. I'm afraid of what I did to make you do this to yourself. I care about you, Hannah. Always have. I just wished that you would've come to me instead of making these tapes and try to take your own life.
Clay takes out a piece of paper that was folded. He unfolds it revealing that he drew a bunny for her. The same bunny that he drew for her and put it in her compliment bag in Communications Class. He sets the drawing on the counter next to her bed. Clay takes Hannah's hand as tears begins to come down from his eyes.
Clay Jensen: Please, come back to me. You're stronger than you think. I believe in you.