Helena: I’m having dinner with Dylan on Saturday Night.

Alice: Are you on crack?

Kit: Let me tell you….lost her mind totally

Bette: Why?

Tina: Are you a masochist?

Alice: Helena, WHY?

Helena: I can’t help myself. Dylan has colonised my thoughts

Alice: Wow, that’s deep

Bette: Really…colonised

Helena: She told Tina I was the love of her life and now I can’t think of anything else and honestly I’m sick of trying

Bette: Helena, this is a terrible, terrible idea. Shouldn’t you just make a little effort to know….

Helena: Know what?

Tina: Know that she is not going to f**k you over again

Bette: Thank you

Alice: Helena.... she really put you in a shitter last time

Helena: What are you going to do, Alice? You’re going to make Dylan fill out a questionnaire?

Alice: I don’t know, Helena. I don’t know. You know what? Maybe not a questionnaire….maybe something more like a test

Tina: A test?

Alice: You guys….what if we thought of a test….that would prove once and for all whether Dylan was a sleazy, gold digging opportunist or is she this misunderstood, reformed film maker who just happened to get wrapped up with the wrong guy who made her steal the money

Tina: Oh yeah…that’s good…. a test

Bette: But you can’t test Dylan…

Alice: There’s a test for everything

Bette: What would it look like?

Kit: A love test?

Tina: No…it’s more like a test of character

Alice: Yes..,,thank you

Tina: Because there’s things we need to know, right? I mean…one, is Dylan just after you for the money…two, is she still a conniving, ambitious will do anything to advance her career operator or has she really changed……three, does she love you and only you or would she love anyone rich enough or pretty enough to help her get ahead.

Kit: Ok….What if we hire an escort to seduce Dylan?

Alice: That would just prove she’s a ho. Got to be something bigger. Like someone that would advance her career. That sort of thing, you know.

Bette: I mean….I think really this whole thing is incredibly juvenile and ill-advised but......

Alice: But…..

Bette: Nikki….you know…if you want to send Dylan to do some kind of test what you would do is you get Nikki to pretend that she was in this big movie and she was interested in having Dylan direct it. I mean that would be tempting, right? For a struggling film maker.

Tina: That would be great. Nikki is huge right now so that would be a major pay day for any new director

Alice: And then we can have Nikki hit on her and then see if she sells Helena out for the big time.

Helena: I don’t know…I mean….it just seems a little over the top

Tina: Don’t you just want to know? I mean….don’t you just really want to know who you’re dealing with once and for all…..Come on…..it’ll give you peace of mind.

Helena: I suppose ….I’d be curious to see what would happen…….

Alice: That’s the spirit….yes…

Bette: This is absurd

Tina: It’ll be fun.

Alice: This is going to happen tonight…it has to

Bette: We can’t…we’ve got a dinner

Kit: It has to be tonight….dinner with Dylan is tomorrow

Alice: Yeah you guys…tonight for sure. Ok. The only thing is somebody needs to call Nikki.

Bette: Tina knows her.

Tina: Yeah I do. But she’s not going to do it for me. We have to bring in Shane and Jenny on this one

Alice: I’m not talking to them right now especially not Jenny.

Tina: Fine. I’ll do it.

Bette: Doesn’t Jenny hate Nikki?

Tina: Yeah…but she loves intrigue and she doesn’t need to have any contact with Nikki. All she has to do is impersonate her manager

Jenny: She is hot hot hot. She is turbo hot. She is so hot, I’m getting hot flushes. So I say to her who do you want to work with? Who do you want to work with…Spielberg, do you want to work with Scorsese, Soldeberg…..you know what she says to me? She says no…..that’s not what who I want to work with……I want to work with Dylan Moreland.

Dylan: It’s weird. I’ve only directed a few obscure documentaries

Jenny: She loves your documentaries. She f**king loves your documentaries. So basically here’s the deal. Nikki has a pet project, ok? I want you to read it and so…and you’ll also get lots of money

Dylan: Ok …..you know what….we don’t have to talk about the money right now but……you know I think I just need to read the script

Jenny: I’ll messenger to you tonight. Yah…go meet her at HIT.

Dylan: Really? She wants to meet at Hit?

Jenny: Yes. She definitely wants to meet at Hit because she is young and she likes to party and she’s a whippersnapper. What are you going to do?

Dylan: Ok..Um..I’ll meet her there

Dylan: Hi Helena

Helena: Oh…Dylan…hi

Dylan: Hi…listen…I just got this really odd call from Nikki Stevens’ manager.

Helena: Nikki Stevens the film star?

Dylan: Yeah… I know it’s kind of strange but she wants to meet me tonight at your club about a possible directing job.

Helena: Oh….right… no, I mean I’m sure that will be fine. It’s an exciting opportunity for you

Dylan: Are we still on for dinner tomorrow night?

Helena: If you don’t get a better offer.

Dylan: I’m so grateful and honestly I’m a little surprised that you wanted to meet with me.

Nikki: Oh my god. No. I’ve been a fan of yours ever since I saw ‘There’s always something’

Dylan: 'The other side of nothing'

Nikki: Right…..right…

Alice: Bring it back, Nikki…come on..

Nikki: This happens to be my lucky spot. Last week I made out with the most gorgeous woman ever…right there

Nikki: …….really beautiful and glamorous, you know, like Atonement….oh my god…I love that movie.

Dylan: I did too but I kind of …I disagree a little…I think that this is a small delicate film and really should be spare and naturalistic like ‘Down to the Bone’.

Nikki: But that girl looked awful in that movie.

Dylan: Well, she let herself look awful because that’s what the character required. I mean… she was real and compelling and riveting

Nikki: Oh my God. I mean ….you are so right. That’s brilliant. I mean if you think about it. If you really want to win an oscar…I mean ..you either got to play ugly, retarded or a lesbian.

Nikki: I’ve already played a lesbian so…

Dylan: Wait a minute. I’m so sorry. What are you talking about?

Nikki: I know you just do the math. Charlize Theron…Monster..ugly, lesbian..oscar. Nicole Kidman in The Hours…prosthetic nose…really ugly …lesbian..oscar. Sean Penn in 'I Am Sam'.. retarded…oscar nod and Hilary Swank in Boys Don’t Cry……total lesbian

Dylan: I get your point. I really do. But I don’t think you have to be ugly….I just…you’ve got to be real..

Nikki: That’s what I mean…real

Nikki: Is there anyone special?

Dylan: Yes. Actually there is someone very special.

Nikki: Are you guys together?

Dylan: I’d like to be. But it's something really really f**ked up in the past and it’s not something you can undo.

Nikki: I’ve done a lot of f**ked up things in my life too.

Dylan: really? Do you regret doing them?

Nikki: Always. But then, you know...sometimes it is so good in the moment, you know. How old are you?

Dylan: Why?

Nikki: I don’t know…I just …I tend to always be attracted to older women

Nikki: But.... in order for me to do my best work, I need a director that I can really trust. You know …someone that I can be really close with

Dylan: You know…Nikki…I’m not really sure where you are going with this. I might be out of line here. I can get involved with you

Alice: You know exactly where she's going

Nikki: Why Not?

Dylan: Well for one, it’s unethical. It’s not really a good idea for the director to get involved with the star of the movie. Plus there is someone I’m in love with.

Nikki: Oh. But she doesn’t know…it won’t hurt….if you want to direct this film……then you’re going to have to come home with me tonight

Dylan: Guess I’m not going to be directing this movie.

Everyone claps their hands in excitement. Dylan passed the test. Helena looks very serious plotting her next move. Alice gives her a hug. Helena promptly leaves the room to approach Dylan.

Helena: Hey…

Dylan: Hey….

Helena: How did your meeting go?

Dylan: Oh It’s probably not going to work out….

Helena: Why not?

Dylan: I don’t think I was what she was looking for

Helena: Do you mind if I ….(sit)

Dylan: No…please…

Helena: Tina told me what you said to her

Dylan: Yeah….well…it’s all true…..you know, I came back to LA after all this time because I could never stop thinking about you…never….I’m madly in love with you, Helena and I always have been….always…and I get it…really. You want to see me, you don’t want to see me, I understand, really. I just was hoping….never mind.

Helena: Let’s go somewhere we can talk. This place is not private.

Dylan: ok

They leave the club and ended in Dylan’s place. Dylan makes tea while Helena looks at some photographs of Dylan’s work on the laptop.

Dylan: That was taken when I was in Thailand

Helena: I don’t really know what I’m doing here

Dylan: Maybe we can just talk

They sit down on the sofa while Dylan pours out the tea.

Helena: So when were you in Thailand?

Dylan: About a year ago. I had this job where I was shooting rubber trees.

Dylan pours a cup for Helena

Dylan: Do you want milk?

Helena: No

Dylan: We would get up very early every morning and this guy his name was Neng Ing, he would show me these rubber trees and….

Helena: I’m not really interested in rubber trees right now.

They look at each other awkwardly.

Helena cautiously reaches for Dylan’s hand and lightly strokes it with her fingers. Although she feels very insecure and vulnerable Helena makes the first move.

They make out in the living room. Helena sits on the sofa. They reconnect.

Helena seems a little overwhelmed and upset. Dylan is very gentle and caring, reassuring her

Dylan: What’s wrong?.......what's wrong?

Helena: I’m scared

Dylan: I know…me too……it’s okay.