Joseph Conrad once wrote.:
''Who knows what true happiness is?
''Not the conventional word...
''but the naked terror.
''To the lonely themselves, it wears a mask.
''The most miserable outcast hugs some memory....
''Or some illusion. ''
How much for the wall?
Come on, man, I'm serious. I'll take it, the whole thing...
the pink paint, the creepy clown.
Look, I'll give you...
$500 and whatever fell on the floor.
-How you doing, Coop? -Better than you, you little bitch.
Come here and give your uncle some love.
-It's good to see you, kid. -Yeah.
So, your mom called me.
And I got to tell you, Nate, if my big sister is calling me in...
the situation is pretty effed up, you know?
No, keep it.
By the way, I could beat your ass for looking like this, you handsome bastard.
I mean, I'm starting to finally feel good about myself.
I'm a racecar driver. I'm making a few bucks.
-And now I got to compete with this? -Dude, stop it.
I'm serious. What's wrong with her? Did you marry a blind girl? Unless it....
Man, it's your gear, isn't it? Okay, drop your shorts. Let's have a look.
-Come on, let's see it. -What are you doing here, man?
Perspective, nephew.
I'm here to adjust yours.
Hey, Brooke, you decent?
Am I dressed? Yes.
Am I decent? I never have been.
What time is it, anyway?
It's early. I'm sorry to wake you. I just got to stash something in my closet.
Okay.
So, I went to see Jake.
How's Peyton doing, anyway?
-I'm worried about her. -Yeah, me, too.
It's hard, isn't it?
Being apart from the person you care about.
Yeah.
-So, what's in the bag, anyway? -I don't know yet.
Anyway, apparently I'm taking a road trip with Nathan and his uncle.
So, just tell Peyton if she needs anything, that....
Sure. I got her.
Thanks.
See ya.
On the first day of this class I presented you with a controversial notion...
that ethics matter more than profits. Anyone buying that yet?
-Yes? -Yeah, I have a question.
May I ask what you're doing in my classroom?
Auditing.
I was wondering, what would you say about a person...
let's call this person ''Randy.''
Randy hires a private investigator to dig up dirt on a competitor.
I'm afraid I'm gonna have to ask you to leave.
Of course.
One last question.
Let's say our guy Randy was teaching a class on ethics...
and yet was sleeping with one of his students.
And let's call her ''Sharon.''
And Sharon was getting an A.
It seems to me that Randy is not only a hypocrite...
but also a candidate for dismissal.
Discuss.
So, Coop, how great is it that you get to race cars for a living?
You know, fame, money, extremely hot wives.
-Ex-wives. -Look who's talking.
Check it out.
I'll tell you what, there's only one view better than this one.
That one.
-This is Jeff Burton's car. -Yes, it is.
You guys want to meet him?
-Hey, Jeff. -Hey, Coop.
These two knuckleheads are fans of yours.
Is that right? How you guys doing?
-Good. -Good.
Your car looks really fast out there. Who's driving it?
-That's my crew chief, Ray Green. -Yeah. I know Ray. He's a good man.
-It's a shame what happened. -Yeah, it is.
Look, you guys stay out of trouble.
-I'll see you in Darlington. -You got it.
So, Jeff Burton mentioned Ray Green.
Isn't he the guy that took a swing at his team owner?
Yeah. That team owner was my dad.
He couldn't get a sponsor to touch him after that.
I found him about five years ago down in Florida.
He was trying to drink all the Scotch in South Beach.
It was bourbon.
If I knew what a pain in the ass you were gonna be, I'd have finished the job.
Ray, let me ask you a question.
I'm not a real smart guy, but if you're not in my car...
and I'm not in my car, who is?
Hey, Tony.
No way.
It's still not right, Dad. Tight in, loose off.
Nate, you remember my daughter, Daytona?
-You got your braces off. -Yeah, like four years ago.
-It's so good to see you. -It's good to see you, too.
So, Daytona, how long has it been since you've seen Nate?
Well, I think the last time I saw him, he was shorter than me.
-By, like, half an inch. -Whatever, shorty.
We don't let visitors in here.
This is all high-tech, you know, complicated, secret stuff.
Come on.
-So, Lucas, this is my little brother, Jarret. -What's up?
-Hey, I'm Lucas, Nathan's brother. -Your mom's Cooper's sister?
My mom slept with Cooper's sister's husband.
Okay. Whatever that means. Sounds messed up.
It is.
-You want to hop in a car? -Can I?
-Yeah. -Come on.
-Man. I haven't seen you in forever. -I know.
How's that marriage thing going?
Not so good.
Man, that sucks.
-Yeah, tell me about it. -No, I mean...
you're gonna be, like, divorced before I even get a girl to date me.
Oh, yeah.
What do you think, Luke?
-This is awesome. -You guys want to drive them?
-Are you serious? -Yep.
You can take a crash course today, you learn about the cars and the track.
Spend the night and you can race tomorrow. How about it?
Dude, I am so there.
-Nathan? -Hell, yeah.
-Me, too? -No.
Andy, the man has to be stopped.
The fact that he would waltz into your classroom and insinuate....
You know something, I'm not sure how I was gonna tell Deb...
about his little arrangement with Jules, Emily, whoever the hell she was.
But now I hope Deb destroys him. Peyton's here.
Okay, bye.
-Hi, Peyton. How's Jake? -The same.
Is there anything I can do for you?
Sure. You can tell Brooke that I'm fine.
Actually, I was a little worried about you, too.
So we thought we'd all spend the day together.
Okay, I love you both for all the caring...
but, kind of, creepy attention you've been giving me...
but what's wrong with wearing a little misery now and then?
This whole thing sucks for Jake.
And why can't I be bummed for a little bit?
You can totally be bummed. You just have to do it with us...
and you have to do really fun stuff while you're bumming.
How you doing, boozy?
Great, actually.
As a matter of fact, I'm turning over a new leaf.
From now on, I'm looking on the bright side of things, staying positive.
Dan paid Jules to seduce Keith.
Life sucks. I need a drink.
Okay, so, you want to enter turn one high.
And then take this groove.
-So, you guys hear that new 50 Cent? -Jarret, they need to pay attention.
Yeah, I got that. It's pretty good.
What's up with Tony Yayo? Is he, like, in jail or out of jail, or what?
It's great that you want to talk G Unit hip-hop with my little brother...
but if you make a mistake at 160 miles an hour...
it's gonna be a lot more than your heart that's broken.
Whatever. No girl's gonna outdrive me, anyway.
Okay.
-I miss Nathan. -I miss Keith.
I miss Jake.
I don't really miss Felix at all, or my parents that much.
But I miss my money.
You know what I always do when I need to feel better?
Drink?
No. Dance.
What?
-Come on, Peyton. -Deb, no.
-Shut up and dance. -Okay.
I'm with her.
-Come on, Karen. Dance to my divorce. -Come on.
Oh, hell. I can dance to that.
The one thing that drives me crazy about home schooling...
is just getting behind in all the fashions.
And also every now and then, I like to, you know, catch up on the gossip.
-I don't know. Is that wrong of me? -You might just want to watch the track.
Okay, Daytona, we get the point. You don't need to get all crazy.
You think this is crazy?
No. This would be.
So, a student reported my relationship with you.
I have to see the Dean. Tonight.
Tell me you don't live in a tent all year around.
No. It's just nice to get out under the stars sometimes.
Plus, Jarret hates it, so that's a plus.
-You gonna play something? -What do you want to hear? NWA?
-Maybe a little Tupac? -Surprise us.
Okay.
Dancing when the stars go blue
Dancing when the evening fell
Dancing in your wooden shoes
ln a wedding gown
What? It's Ryan Adams.
-Did it suck that bad? -No. It's not that.
It's a Haley thing.
I just wish there was something I could do to help him.
-What was he like when you were kids? -He was kind.
Just a really sweet guy...
-and a good friend, pre-basketball. -Yeah.
By the way, your marshmallow's on fire.
You know, Mrs. Scott, you really had a lot to drink.
-Are you sure I can't walk you to the door? -No. I'm fine. Thank you so much, Brooke.
Okay.
Say hi to your big expensive house for me.
Okay, nighty night.
Mouth?
-I am so wasted. -Why? What happened?
You know, I've just been partying all night...
and, like, drinking.
I can see that.
-Let's get you home. -No.
I mean, we should drive around for a while...
because, you know, my parents are home.
I totally get it, but I have to take you somewhere...
'cause I can only do one ride at a time.
Are you sure? 'Cause I am really messed up on the hooch.
I'm sorry, Mouth. Those are the rules.
Okay, here's the deal, I'm not drunk. I just....
I knew your shift was tonight, and I wanted to hang out.
Sorry.
You are so lucky I am lonely tonight.
-Hop up front. -Score.
-I can't believe you. -Ow. Sorry.
How'd it go?
What did he say?
The Dean presented me with two options.
Either I end the relationship...
or, I lose my job.
-There's got to be someone-- -So I quit.
-Andy, you love teaching. -Not as much as I love you.
-I'm so sorry. -It was a no-brainer, Karen.
There'll be other teaching positions.
But I hope there's never another woman in my life.
Erica?
What happened?
Nothing, really.
I was hanging out with some of the guys from Felix's party...
and it just kind of got out of hand.
-Out of hand how? -Nothing major.
Just grabby and...
-not what I expected. -You sure that's all it was?
I'm sorry those guys were like that.
Thanks.
I feel stupid for even calling. It's just....
I got scared and, I don't know...
disappointed.
I'm glad you called...
because we were just about to get some food.
Yeah. What do you say, Marsh? You in?
Okay. But call me Erica.
You know, when my wife left, I was a mess.
You saying you're not still a mess?
I mean, you should've been. Carrie was really hot.
Yeah, they usually are when they're supermodels.
And by the way, shut up.
I had to let it all go, you know...
the feeling that I wasn't good enough for Carrie...
how much I resented the fact that she wanted things besides me.
I mean, it wasn't fair to her.
Hell, I wasn't gonna give up racing for her.
I would've.
I mean, given up basketball for Haley.
I kind of did.
You think...
maybe that's the reason she left?
I mean, when you met her, would you have given it up then?
No, probably not.
Maybe you're not the person she fell in love with anymore, man.
Maybe she's not the person you thought she was.
Look, I don't say this to hurt you, Nate...
but it's just....
People change, you know.
So, after she left you, I mean...
was there ever a day when it felt better?
Sure. Followed by a day when it felt worse.
I mean, that's just the way it goes.
But I got to tell you, you'd be amazed at how therapeutic 200 miles an hour can be.
I'll bet, man.
Look, Nate...
love is a pretty great thing, man.
Maybe it's the greatest thing.
But it's got to be true love for the both of you.
What if it was?
-What if it still is? -If it still is, man, you fight like hell for it.
But the harder question is, ''What if it wasn't?''
Trust me, that one's a bitch.
I think you're on the wrong side of the desk, little man.
I think you're on the wrong side of me.
-I lost my teaching position tonight. -Really?
That's terrible. What happened?
-Do you have any faith, Dan? -Faith?
You know, do you believe in anything?
God? Science? Karma?
No, I don't believe in karma.
But I do believe I'll give you a chance to remove yourself from my establishment...
before I personally remove you.
You know, we're very different, you and I.
See, I'm a big believer in karma.
I think it's amazing how, most of the time...
tragedy befalls a man who just isn't living right.
You know, if you're gonna threaten me, kid...
at least do it like a man.
Karma finds us all in time, Dan.
But, you know, I find that sometimes it helps to just point it in the right direction.
Wait.
You should take a job application. I mean, now that you're unemployed.
You know, an hour ago I wouldn't have believed it...
but it's turned out to be a pretty night. Thank you for hanging out with me.
You're welcome. We should get you home, though.
-No, I think I'll walk. -Are you sure?
-Okay. Call if you need anything. -I will. See ya.
Hey, you wanna walk with me?
I'd love to, but I have to finish my shift.
I know. I meant you.
Okay.
I'm sorry, Brooke.
Did you want me to hang out with you for the rest of your shift?
-No, it's fine. You should go. -Are you sure?
Yeah. Go get her, tiger.
Hello?
Hi. Is this the Safe Rides Program?
It sure is.
I was wondering if you could come pick me up.
-Of course. -Good.
I'd love to feel safe for a night.
Thanks.
Thanks for walking me home, Mouth.
No problem. Thanks for inviting me.
Well, I guess I'll see you.
I loved what you said about Brooke during the campaign...
even though it's pretty much the reason I lost.
I suppose there's no reason to ask you out then?
Like, on a date?
I was kind of pretending this was a date.
Okay. Did we have fun?
You tell me.
-I think we had a blast. -We did.
-Good night. -Night.
Yes!
AII right. Four cars. Three laps.
You can all talk on an open frequency in your helmets.
Now, if you get a little squirrelly out there...
just take your foot off the gas, downshift, and either come into the pits...
or pull the car on the inside apron.
There's a tach in your car, tells you the rpm.
When it hits six, you're up around 140 miles an hour.
Nobody goes to seven.
Got it?
AII right, Jarret will lead you out in the pace car.
Jarret, don't wreck the pace car.
Okay. May the best man win.
That should eliminate you three girls.
Good luck, Nate.
-Gentlemen. -Hello!
And beautiful ladies.
Start your engines.
This is stinking great!
You sure you boys want to be humiliated?
Notice he didn't say ''girl''?
Shoot, you'll all be lucky if I don't lap you.
You ready, guys?
Oh, yeah.
-Nathan? -Let's do this.
So I was thinking maybe I should just drive in reverse for a while...
just to make it close.
Nate, coming up on your left.
So, what's going on back here in the slow part of the world?
Is that my punky nephew?
All right, last lap, Nate. You'd better bring it.
The low line is closed, my friend.
And the high side.
Well, well.
That was almost impressive, even for a knucklehead like you.
Looks like you got some competition out there, Cooper.
Block him low, Nate, and he's yours.
You got him, Nate.
Gut-check time, nephew.
Nathan, I love you...
but I sure hope you brought a change of shorts.
No, Cooper, you did not just bump him.
Revving's racing, Nathan.
Looks like another checkered flag for me.
Thank you very much.
Good try, Nate. Nice run, guys.
Tony, were you in second place or third from last?
Okay, bring it into the pits.
Nathan, you not only missed your pit stall...
you just broke a half dozen pit road rules.
Nathan, that's the first victory lap I've ever seen for last place. I like it.
Hey, Nate, you all right?
Nathan, you reduce your speed and you come in.
You know what I need, Coop?
Some of that 200-mile-an-hour therapy you were talking about.
Nathan?
Nobody goes past seven on the tach, right?
Let's see about eight.
-No. Too fast. -Nathan!
You were right, Coop. This feels pretty damn good.
Nathan!
We've got to get him out of here! Help me!
Come on!
Come on, buddy!
Nathan! Come on!
Hold on, buddy!
I've got severe respiratory distress. Heart rate accelerating. He's tachycardic.
-You've been in an accident, son. -You'll be okay, Nate.
We're right here, buddy.
-Promise me.... -Anything.
Six units of blood!
Don't call Haley.
Let's take him to the O.R.
Well, well. It's my wife, the lawn gnome.
You gonna tell me where you were all night, Anna Nicole?
-We're leaving again, are we? -I know about what you did to Keith.
I see.
-What's all this? -I'm boiling water to throw on you.
-And what's the syrup for? -That's so it sticks to you.
I wish you would have died on that floor in the beach house.
I went to the chapel, and I prayed for you to die.
That's the kind of horrible, pathetic shell of a person I've become.
But no more.
I'm walking out that door, Dan...
because if I don't, one of us is going to die soon.
What?
-Lucas! -Where's Nathan? How is he?
Deb, I'm so sorry.
Mrs. Scott, your son has had severe blunt trauma to his chest...
and it was caused by a high-speed collision.
His right lung has collapsed, and he's losing a great deal of blood.
Is he in surgery?
We're prepping him, but the antigen in his blood...
-it's rare. -I'm the same. I'll donate.
You better pray he's okay.
You ought to lock your front door, you know.
Some old crazy guy might come in here and get you.
OId crazy guys don't scare me.
I know this is not really appropriate...
but Jake said you wouldn't answer the door if I knocked...
so I should just walk in.
-You've been to see him? -I have.
Mind if we sit down?
Yeah. The bed?
The PTA would have a field day with this.
Have you ever been to Florida, Peyton?
Once, with my dad.
There's a little town just off the Gulf of Mexico...
the weather's perfect year round, kind of like today.
It's almost a paradise.
It's a great place to raise a child.
Or, if you're family, to protect one till her daddy can arrive.
Jenny's fine, Peyton. Jake wanted you to know that.
I went by to see him this morning...
and he told me he didn't want me to visit anymore.
He said it was too hard.
I can understand that.
I know you miss your mom, honey, just like I miss my wife.
But think about Jake.
He misses both women that he loves.
-Mr. And Mrs. Scott? -Yes.
Nathan is in surgery.
We were able to locate an additional supply of his blood type.
He needed more than what I gave?
Mrs. Scott, how long have you been abusing prescription drugs?
I'm sorry. Your blood was unusable.
Excuse me.
Lucas.
It's okay. I'm here for you.
How long with the pills?
-Since I quit my job. -Why?
Because I'm married to you.
Look, man, I was just trying to help, all right?
Dan, calm down.
How's your karma, Dan?
He would have turned left.
Nathan's an athlete. His reflexes would have been to turn left.
But he didn't.
It was almost like....
Like he aimed for the wall, you know?
Like he tried to crash.
Stephen King once wrote.: ''Time takes it all.
''Whether you want it to or not.
''Time takes it all, time bears it away...
''and in the end, there is only darkness.
''Sometimes we find others in that darkness.
''And sometimes we lose them there again. ''
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