INT. AMAN'S ROOM - CONFESSIONAL
Aman is sitting in his gaming chair, looking directly at the camera. He looks well-rested, holding a mug of coffee.
AMAN "Well, here's the update. Haley got expelled from college. And I slept like a log. Missed the whole day. Cam woke me up in the middle of the night , when already i sleep late screaming about he gonna protect all of us with his life. I tried giving advice to mitch, but that fell on deaf ears. Haley dug her grave; what can I say? You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it stop drinking underage tequila."
He takes a sip of coffee.
AMAN "And then Cam... again... or should I say for the first time... gave Luke an allergic reaction. He fed him fake bacon , the thing he pick from vegan classes. It has been be hell , i dont like began food that much turn out , it just bland . Turns out, Luke is allergic to fake pancake , that are made of soy . They had to rush him to the hospital and me ? why didn't i warn them , hey i dont remember everything i could forget something . i am not saying i forget to avoid this because i sleeping in phil and clarie as their baby boy was choking ."
Aman " and another Cam was furious—not at clarie before, but because he thinks Claire doesn't see him as a 'good parent.' Which, ironically, turned out to be true otherwise false. Alex told him Claire actually respects him. But then Luke said Claire doesn't consider him a 'good baker,' and Cam lost his mind all over again. and i was forgotten like i didn't exist and miss school . But i had a good sleep ."
Aman sighs, shaking his head.
He leans forward.
AMAN "Speaking of school... Olive Penderghast has started wearing lingerie as outerwear. Basically a young Emma Stone. As much of a witch as she was to me on Halloween, I don't want to give her credit... but she looked smoking hot. Rocketing her popularity. And Cady Heron? She joined Regina's group. Officially. Which is weird, because there's no Janis Ian here pulling the strings. So why is the original timeline playing out? It's a mystery. But let's talk about today. And how I ended up stuck in a tree."
EXT. THE PARK - DAY
The sun was shining on a beautiful, sprawling park. In the center stood a massive, ancient tree. It was majestic. It was leafy.
And it was currently occupied by Cameron Tucker.
Cam was perched on a lower branch, about six feet off the ground. He was wearing a dramatic scarf and hugging the trunk like a koala.
A construction crew stood nearby with chainsaws, looking annoyed.
Mitchell stood at the base of the tree, holding Lily's hand. Aman stood next to them, eating a bag of chips.
"This is murder!" Cam shouted to the gathered crowd (which consisted of three people and a dog). "This tree is a staple of our community! It has seen lovers' quarrels! It has seen children's first steps! It is the lungs of the park!"
"Cam, please," Mitchell whispered, looking around. "People are staring. And not in the 'look at the celebrity' way. In the 'call the authorities' way."
"Let them stare!" Cam declared. "I am the Lorax! I speak for the trees!"
Aman crunched a chip loudly.
"He knows the Lorax leaves at the end, right?" Aman asked Mitchell.
"Don't tell him," Mitchell sighed. "He thinks it's a happy ending."
Suddenly, Cam's phone rang. He struggled to pull it out of his pocket while maintaining his grip on the bark.
"Hello? ... Yes, this is Cameron. ... A part? In Cats? "
Cam gasped. He looked at the tree. He looked at Mitchell. The conflict on his face was Shakespearean.
"I... I have to be there in twenty minutes for the costume fitting? "
Cam hung up. He looked down at Mitchell with pleading eyes.
"Mitchell. You have to take my place."
"What?" Mitchell recoiled. "No. Absolutely not. I am not climbing a tree. you start something and i have to finish it ."
"Please!" Cam begged. "This tree means everything to me! But Cats... Mitchell, I was born to play Rum Tum Tugger! Just hold the fort for an hour. Please!"
Mitchell looked at Cam's desperate face. He looked at the chainsaws. He looked at Aman, who was just shaking his head.
"Fine," Mitchell groaned. "Get down. But you owe me. Big time."
EXT. THE PARK - LATER
Mitchell was now sitting in the tree. He looked miserable. His legs were dangling awkwardly, and he was gripping a branch with white knuckles.
"This is humiliating," Mitchell muttered.
Down below, Aman and Lily were sitting on a park bench.
"Can we get ice cream?" Lily asked, kicking her legs.
"Yeah," Aman said, standing up. "Let's go. Mitch isn't going anywhere."
Mitch look at aman going ," really?. Aman! Aman! ."
They walked over to a nearby ice cream cart. Aman bought two cones—chocolate for him, strawberry for Lily.
"Do you think Daddy is going to fall?" Lily asked matter-of-factly, licking her ice cream.
" Probably not," Aman said.
Lily giggled. "He looks like a scared squirrel."
" Nice observation but be nice, dont say in front of mitch" Aman smirked. "He's doing it for love."
They walked back to the tree. Aman held up an extra popsicle he had bought.
"Hey, Mitch!" Aman called up. "Brought you a lime popsicle."
"Thanks aman " Mitchell , reaching down carefully to grab it. "Is Cam back yet? My left leg is asleep."
"Not yet," Aman said, sitting back on the bench. "So, enjoy the view."
Just then, a burly man in a city worker uniform walked up to the tree. He looked up at Mitchell.
"You know why we're cutting it down, right buddy?" the worker asked.
"Because you hate beauty?" Mitchell retorted, channeling Cam.
"No," the worker said, spitting on the ground. "Because it's rotten. Core is hollow. Full of rats."
Mitchell froze.
"I'm sorry... did you say rats?"
"Oh yeah," the worker nodded. "Big ones. Tree rats. And spiders. They nest in the hollows right about... where you're sitting."
As if on cue, a rustling sound came from the branch directly above Mitchell's head.
Mitchell's eyes bulged. He let out a sound that was not quite a scream, but a high-pitched squeak.
"Something touched me!" Mitchell shrieked. "Something hairy!"
He started scrambling, trying to slide down, but his coat got snagged. He was flailing.
"Get me down! Get me down!"
Aman jumped up and climb the tree seeing mitch panic. He saw the genuine panic in Mitchell's eyes.
"Mitch, calm down!" Aman yelled. "You're gonna fall and break your neck!"
"RATS, AMAN! RATS!"
Aman sighed. He tossed his ice cream into the trash.
"Okay, okay! Get down. I'll go up."
Mitchell stopped flailing. "You will?"
"Yes," Aman said, walking to the trunk. "I'm younger. I'm faster. And I don't fear rats. Go. Save yourself."
Mitchell practically fell out of the tree, landing on the grass with a thud. He scrambled to his feet, brushing invisible bugs off his shirt.
"You're a hero, Aman," Mitchell breathed, backing away. "A hero."
Aman grabbed the lowest branch and pulled himself up. He climbed past the "rat zone" (which was actually just a squirrel nest) and settled onto the main branch.
He looked down. Lily was eating her ice cream, unimpressed.
"Coward," Lily whispered to Mitchell.
"I heard that," Mitchell said.
EXT. THE TREE - ONE HOUR LATER
Aman was leaning back against the trunk, playing Temple Run on his phone.
"This is boring," Aman shouted down. "Mitch, tell me a story."
"I'm reading emails," Mitchell called back from the safety of the bench, ten feet away.
Suddenly, a car screeched to a halt. Cam jumped out. He was still wearing his cat makeup—whiskers and all.
"I'm back!" Cam announced, running over. "Rum Tum Tugger is secure! Mitchell people called " Divine~~" ."
He looked up at the tree.
"Aman? Why are you up there?"
"Mitch got scared of a squirrel," Aman deadpanned. "Tag out."
"It was a rat, Cameron!" Mitchell defended himself. "A colony of rats!"
"Oh, you poor brave souls," Cam said, hand to his chest. "Aman, come down. The Captain must go down with his ship."
"Gladly," Aman said.
He swung his legs over and hopped down, landing gracefully.
Cam looked at the tree. He took a deep breath.
"Okay. One last stand."
Cam began to climb. He huffed. He puffed. He got his foot stuck in a knot.
"A little help?" Cam grunted.
Aman and Mitchell pushed Cam's butt until he managed to hoist himself onto the branch.
"I'm up!" Cam cheered. "The tree is saved!"
Aman checked his phone. "It's 5:00 PM, Cam. The workers would left in an hour. You're would be sitting in a tree in the dark."
"It's a vigil!" Cam insisted.
Mitch " no you just have to remain there until they are gone."
It was dark. The streetlights were on.
Cam was still in the tree.
"Um... Mitchell?" Cam's voice was small.
"Yeah, Cam?" Mitchell asked, shivering on the bench.
"I can't feel my legs."
"Okay, come down."
"I... I can't."
"What do you mean you can't?"
"I mean I climbed up, but looking down... it's very high, Mitchell. And my center of gravity is not what it used to be. I'm stuck."
EXT. THE PARK - LATER
Red and blue lights flashed against the "Save the Tree" sign.
A fire truck was parked on the grass. A handsome firefighter was setting up a ladder.
Cam was clinging to the branch, looking mortified but also loving the attention.
"Don't worry, citizen!" the firefighter called out. "We'll get you down!"
"Thank you!" Cam yelled back. "Please be careful with the bark! It's delicate!"
Mitchell stood next to Aman, hiding his face in his hands.
"I can't believe this," Mitchell groaned.
"Look on the bright side," Aman said, chewing his jerky.
"What bright side?"
"Cam got the lead in Cats, he saved the tree for a day, and now he's being rescued by a guy who looks like a calendar model," Aman pointed out. "This is the best day of his life."
Mitchell looked up. He saw Cam flirting with the firefighter as he was carried down the ladder.
"You're right," Mitchell sighed. "He's going to talk about this for years."
Firefighter " who does he belong to ?"
Mitch shyly rasiing hand " Me."