JuliaIt's not the same thing.
I don't want to go to a different school.
You don't know that. We'll go visit the place. This is the first really great thing that's happened to me in my life, and I can't let it go, you have to understand that.
Julia
That's not fair, Charlie. That is not a fair argument! There is one of you and four of us, and each of us has something here that's every bit as important to us as your business is to you. And this is our home!
Fine. Then I'll tell you what. I'm not asking, I'm telling you. We're moving to Seattle.
The hell I can't! I'm in charge here, I'm the adult. We are picking up and we are going and I don't wanna hear another word about it from any of you.
We are not going with you!
Julia
I'm not going. I'm moving in with Justin, we asked his parents and they said they'd think about it.
What? What about me? Where do I go?
You are all coming with me.
There's no way you can do that, Charlie, OK? You can't! So you go. You go to Seattle and you take care of yourself. We're not going with you.
We're gonna get split up.
That's right. That's right. I hope you can live with that.
Julia
Bailey! What are you doing?
If you wanna help out, Clash goes on this end, Wilco over there and just fill in the rest of the alphabet along the way.
Julia
You just can't do this; you can't just decide to take this place away from me.
Hey, it's not like you'll listen to reasonable arguments.
Julia
What arguments? I thought of it first. It was my idea.
What are you back to this dibs stuff? I'm older, okay? How about that? I get the attic because I'm older.
Julia
Bailey, come on, I really need this place. I mean, when Justin comes over--
Hey, newsflash, you're not the only one going out with somebody.
Julia
Yeah, I know, but-- I'm trying out for this band, the Nielsen Family. And I'm gonna need somewhere to practice.
Yeah, so? You can sing in the shower.
Julia
God!
Look. I'm two seconds away from getting this TV internship. Coming home late probably. What am I supposed to do? Wake Owen up every night?
Julia
You can have my room.
Oh, right, so, it's not good enough for you, but it's good enough for me?
Julia
Bailey, I need the privacy, okay? I mean, doors mean nothing to anybody in this family.
Hey, you know what? I don't even have a door. Okay, I live with a 2-year-old. I'm 17. I deserve my own room.
Julia
God, I'm so sick of you sometimes! I'm so sick of everybody being in my face all the time. "Take care of Owen and take care of the house. "And help me with my homework. And can I come in? And can we talk?" I just need somewhere to get away from all of you.
Yeah, well, same here. Now get out of my room. Beat it.
Julia
Urgh! Urgh!
What the hell are you doing?
Julia
I'm just helping you straighten up. [lamp breaks]
Julia
What?
Um...I'm not the right person.
Julia
What?
I'm not trying to make you feel bad. I'm really not. Please don't think that. It's just that I have problems for myself, because of being adopted. I mean, if my mother had made the same choice as you, I wouldn't be here.
Julia
Oh. Right. Right. Um...[long pause] But see, you have to understand--
No, Julia. I know you need somebody on your side. I know that, and I want to...but I can't. I'm sorry.
I know you feel alone in this, Julia, but you're not. You're not the first one to ever make this decision. Something like a million women every year--
Julia
I know the statistics, Charlie. Thanks.
I went with a girlfriend once to get one. In college.
Julia
You did?
Yeah. Debra...Debra...Debra Lots of Bracelets Debra. [laughs] We didn't talk much beforehand about the decision. I mean, it just made sense for both of us. We weren't even 20, and it's not like we were in love with each other or anything. So...I felt really bad about it for a while afterwards, but that feeling...it goes away. You don't carry it around with you forever, Julia. You really don't. I mean, before this happened with you, I hadn't even thought about it in, like, years.
Julia
And what about her?
Well...it took a little time, I guess, but yeah. After a while, she was okay.
Julia
So you stayed in touch?
Julia
So how do you know that she doesn't still carry this around with her?
Julia
You don't have to leave.
Julia
Claud, I want to talk to you.
Julia
Claud.
[about Julia aborting her baby] I don't get it.
Julia
What?
How could you even think about doing this? What about Owen? He was an accident, too. Do you think Mom and Dad should have never had him?
Julia
This is different!
How is it different? It's not different at all!
Julia
Claudia, I am too young to have a baby! Claudia, please.
If you do this...there are people who are gonna say that it's murder, and you have to tell me what to say when they say that about you. You have to tell me what to say to them! Please!
Julia
I don't know...but I would not be doing this if I thought that was true.
I'm sorry. I just thought maybe if you came to do something fun, it'd make you forget about the other stuff.
Julia
Griffin, it's not your fault. It's like, what am I doing having fun. You know?
Julia
I don't know. Whenever I made a mistake before I could always fix it. But this...there's no way to undo it. It's just there. Always. I get a knot in my stomach when I think about it.
Yeah, I know that feeling. I used to get drunk when I'd get that.
Julia
I just want to feel like I'm still an okay person. Everyone tells me that I am, but it doesn't mean anything. I just look at them and think, what the hell do you know?
Julia
You go to church?
Well, I kind of have to. Part of the military school plan.
Julia
My dad used to take us to church...
Yeah. My parents too. Every Sunday, my mom and I would have a huge fight over wearing a tie. When I came here, it was like one more thing I have to do, you know? Punishment, great. I don't know. One day, I started to see things differently. I actually started to listen to what the guy was saying. A lot of the stuff I could care less about. But the main stuff, the overall feelings...it's cool. This is the only place where all the bad stuff that I've done...all of the mistakes that I've made, don't matter. [pause] They matter. They just don't change what I'm worth. As a person. Here I'm...loved. No matter what. My parents would never say that to me. Even if they thought it they wouldn't say it. I guess yours can't either, huh?
[Julia rests her head on his shoulder]
Julia
Maybe I'll stay. It's nice here.
No it's not. The music sucks and the people talk funny.
Julia
Well, it's nice being with you. What do you have at that place, a bunk? Maybe you could hide me in your bunk.
You probably shouldn't joke about that.
Julia
Yeah, probably not.
Because, uh, I mean, you've got a life back there. You've got...well, a lot of things back there.
Julia
Yeah. But I feel so far away from them now. I don't know if I can, you know, feel like this back there.
I just think you've got to hang in there and do the time. I mean, that's the one thing you know is going to change. For every sucky day you live, you don't have to live it again. It's done...you did it. Move on. Maybe the next one won't suck.
Julia
And if it does?
Same philosophy. Just...do the time.
Wait a minute. Excuse me. But how is a road trip to Mexico a rite of passage? Are you getting this, Julia?
Julia
You know what? I say just be supportive and wave adios so the two of them will shut up already and hit the highway. Send me a postcard.
No, no. This is not about postcards. Will, this is not about documenting an experience. It's about having one. It's about driving too fast and partying too late and-- And sleeping too long and living too hard.
Julia
No, no, no, no, no. He's just seen way too many beer commercials.
Because there comes a time in every man's life, when he has to sit on a beach and take stock of where he's been and where he's going. There comes a time when he just has to take a deep breath and swallow the worm.
Swallow the worm? Is that a metaphor?
A tequila reference, actually.
Julia
Griffin? Uh, hey, I-I don't understand. When--?
Julia
Ah.
Uh, how you been? You look...
Julia
I-I didn't hear from you. You-- Didn't you get my letters at school?
Julia
Mm-hmm.
Um, no, no, I-- See, no, no, as soon as I'd done my time and my term was over, I was-- I was outta the place. My roommate's old man's got, uh, this shipping operation down in Florida. He got me this merchant marine gig. My boat's-- I just got back from Bangkok. They got weird food in Bangkok.
Julia
Um, you didn't call or anything.
N-no. Um, I thought about it. I decided it would be a bad idea, you know, c-considering how things are with you and Justin.
Julia
We broke up. Uh, Justin and me, l-last s-spring, I-I wrote you. I wro-- I wrote you all about it.
Julia
Yeah.
Julia
I can't believe it's you.
[Julia comes home while Griffin is watching TV]
Hey. Oh, you're home early. Cool.
Julia
[mad] Cool?
Okay. It's not cool. You're mad?
Julia
What were you thinking? I mean, what could possibly have been going on in your brain to think that it was okay to talk to my boss like that?
What was I supposed to do, sit there and watch him rag on you?
Julia
Yes. Yeah.
Well, no-- Nobody treats you like that. I don't care who he is.
Julia
Griffin, I got fired. Okay?
'Cause of that Xeroxing thing?
Julia
No. No, because of you.
What? So you got fired from some lousy job you hated anyway. Big deal. You don't need to be working for that jerk.
Julia
I needed a recommendation from that jerk. I needed this job for college, and y-you ruined that for me. I am so tired of this stuff. I'm sorry, Griffin, but I am. I used to think it was cool, you know, the way that you would show up whenever you wanted and be aloof and create all these dramas. I used to think that that made you this really romantic guy.
What do you mean used to?
Julia
I love you, Griffin, but stuff has happened to me, and I am different now. And there are things that I want. Only you... You're just... [sighs] You're just still hanging around. I mean, isn't there anything that you want?
Julia
No. I mean, out of life.
Julia
That's not enough.
I am not going to win. I have nothing to write about. A-- A pivotal event in my life? What am I--? What are you writing about? What's your essay? Your, uh-- Your entry?
Well, uh, meeting my birth mom.
Oh, great. Fantastic. They're gonna love that. They're gonna eat it up with a spoon.
Well, excuse me. It's not like I made it up so I'd have something to write about.
And don't even tell me. You're gonna write about your parents.
Julia
Well, yeah. But I don't know what that has do with anything.
Man, talk about a ringer.
Julia
Justin, that is disgusting.
You know what? I bet you'll both win. Yeah, you'll tie. And you'll both go to Stanford, and I'll be busy over at, uh, Stop & Shop saying, "paper or plastic?" Paper or plastic? Can I double-bag that for you? Paper or plastic? Paper or plastic?
Julia
Yeah.
Party of Five · 364 quotes
