--- INTERVIEW – JOEY DUNPHY ---
[Joey sits at his drafting table, a mechanical pencil in one hand, his architectural sketch of an art deco coffee shop pinned with surgical precision. Buddy rests his chin on a pile of erasers, snoring softly.]
JOEY: I like quiet. It's symmetrical. You know where everything fits. People? Not so much. They're... unpredictable. But sometimes, unpredictability teaches you how to draw outside the lines. Just not literally. That'd be... incorrect.
CHEVIOT HILLS HIGH – ART CLASS
Miss Dewitt, their arts and crafts teacher, looks like she moonlights as an off-brand rock band manager. She wears a smock that says "Art is not a hobby. It's unpaid therapy."
MISS DEWITT (to class): This week's theme is "identity." Interpret it however you want. Collage, sculpture, interpretive macaroni—whatever speaks to your weird little souls.
Joey works in silent intensity, sketching overlapping silhouettes of his family—each distinct, yet connected. His friend group takes notice from across the table.
ZOE (nudging Ethan): Look at Joey—he's like Michelangelo if he had anxiety and a dog with better posture than me.
MATT: You think he's actually listening to us?
TRAVIS (chewing on a paintbrush): I think he's plotting the dimensions of our emotional vulnerability.
ETHAN (dry): Great. My vulnerability's a split-level duplex with mood lighting.
Zoe leans in a bit closer.
ZOE: Hey, Joey. Is that... your family?
JOEY (without looking up): Yes. Each line represents a relationship dynamic, the pressure in each stroke reflects emotional proximity.
TRAVIS: And here I thought I was deep for drawing a sad banana.
JOEY (deadpan): That's potassium deficiency, not sadness.
The group bursts into laughter. Joey allows himself a very small smile.
DUNPHY KITCHEN – EVENING
Alex sits at the island counter, slumped over a thick textbook. Her shoulders look like they're holding up the roof.
ALEX: I got called a "calculator with legs" today. Again. And someone said I was "too intense to invite to sleepovers." What does that even mean?
Joey takes a sip from his alphabetically sorted mug set and sits beside her.
JOEY: It means they're insecure. They see someone who knows who they are, and that threatens them.
ALEX: But I don't know who I am. I just know facts and equations.
JOEY: That's still knowledge. You know what a lot of people have instead of answers? Noise. You have clarity.
ALEX (quietly): That sounds... actually comforting.
JOEY (softly): Being called a nerd doesn't mean you're a loser. Nerds are the ones who build things. Fix things. Run the world while the others are busy curating their MySpace angles.
ALEX (smiling): It's 2009, Joey. Nobody uses MySpace anymore.
JOEY: Exactly. They already fell behind. You won't.
He pauses, eyes scanning her expression.
JOEY (gently): You're pretty, you know. Inside and out. You don't need anyone else to tell you that. But I will. Anytime you forget.
Alex blinks a few times. Then, with the world's tiniest sniffle, she gives him a side hug.
CHEVIOT HILLS HIGH – CAFETERIA
Joey has his lunch tray organized by color and caloric value. Zoe drops a crumpled napkin onto his tray like it's a contract.
ZOE: We're doing a mural for the spring showcase. You in?
JOEY: I don't do collaborative messes.
MATT (grinning): C'mon, Joey. You can be in charge of symmetry and judgment.
ETHAN: We'll let you veto any paint strokes that violate your sacred geometry.
JOEY (pausing): If I say yes, you'll all follow my proportions?
TRAVIS (saluting): Architect's oath. Swear on the spirit level.
Joey sighs. It's almost theatrical. Almost.
JOEY: Fine. But I choose the music. No lyrics. Nothing that sounds like teenage pain therapy.
ZOE: Rain sounds it is.
They share a laugh as Lila finally joins the table, late from Yearbook Club.
LILA: What'd I miss?
ZOE: Joey's designing the mural. He's the boss now.
JOEY (quietly): I don't want to be the boss. I just want it not to look terrible.
LILA (smiling): That's basically leadership, Joey.
LIVING ROOM – LATE NIGHT
Haley walks in as Joey rewatches Grand Designs with a sketchpad in hand.
HALEY: Don't you ever just, like... do nothing?
JOEY (without looking up): This is nothing. Just structured.
HALEY (laughs): You're weird.
JOEY: Statistically speaking, weird people are more creative, emotionally intelligent, and attractive.
HALEY (suspicious): You just called yourself attractive, didn't you?
JOEY: Indirectly. But yes.
They both laugh. Haley flops down beside him.
HALEY: Hey... Can I borrow some money?
JOEY: .... (Shakes his head giving up)
MURAL WALL – WEEKEND
The gang works together, painting. Joey's design is balanced, precise, but somehow still warm. Zoe sings softly, Lila tapes off the edges, Ethan mixes colors.
JOEY (stepping back): It's not... terrible.
ZOE: High praise from the king of understatements.
LILA: We should frame that quote: "Not Terrible – Joey Dunphy, 2009."
JOEY (soft): I'm glad I met you guys.
They all turn to look at him. Genuine surprise. Joey looks a little startled himself.
JOEY: I mean. You're inefficient and impulsive. But... you've grown on me.
TRAVIS (mock-sobbing): He loves us!
MATT (faking a swoon): Someone sketch this moment!
They laugh. Joey lets it sit.
Just this once.
FINAL SCENE – NIGHT
Joey and Alex sit under a blanket on the porch. Buddy's head rests on Joey's knee.
ALEX: I told off a kid today. Told him nerds rule the world.
JOEY: That's statistically accurate.
ALEX: I said, "Someday I'll sign your paycheck."
Joey chuckles.
JOEY: Now that's the Alex I know
She leans her head against his shoulder.
POST-CREDITS INTERVIEW – BUDDY
[A clip of Buddy rearranging Joey's alphabetized book stack. Text overlay: "Editor in Floof."]