SCRIPT OF FLIPPEDBRYCE: All I ever wantedwas for Juli Baker to leave me alone.It all began in the summer of 1957,before the start of second grade.STEVEN: Here we are.PATSY: Ha, ha.- What do you guys think?LYNETTA: I like this place.BRYCE: Its cool.LYNETTA: Uh, what color is my room?Just you wait.BRYCE: Lets see whats inside.STEVEN: Hey, come on, buddy Bryce.Why dont, uh, you and Igo help unload the van.and the womenfolk herecan get in the kitchen and start setting up.Okay, Dad.BRYCE: For me, it was the beginningof what would be.more than half a decade ofstrategic avoidance and social discomfort.- Hi, Im Juli Baker.- Hey, hey, what are you doing?Dont you want some help?No. Theres somevaluable things in there.- How about this one?- No, no, no.Run home. Your mothersprobably wondering where you are.Oh, no, my mom knows where I am.She said its fine.BRYCE: It didnt take long to realizethis girl could not take a hint.- Its crowded in here with three people.- I dont mind.BRYCE: Of any kind.- You wanna push this one together?Bryce, isnt it time for youto go help your mother?Huh?Oh, yeah.BRYCE:I mean, nothing would stop her.I was about to tell her to get lostwhen the weirdest thing happened.I couldnt believe it.There I was holding handswith this strange girl.- How did I get into this mess?PATSY: Well, hello.- I see youve met my son.- Uh-huh.BRYCE: Finally, I did the only manlything available when youre 7 years old.BELL RINGINGHowever, my troubles were far from over.The minute I walkedinto Miss Yelsons classroom.Bryce? Youre here.BRYCE:.it was clear:School would not be a sanctuary.CHILDREN LAUGHINGHey, Bryce, wheres your girlfriend?BRYCE:I was branded for life.Hey, Bryce,why dont you ask her to marry you?GIRLS SINGING:Bryce and Juli sitting in a treeK-l-S-S-l-N-GBRYCE:My first year in town was a disaster.GIRL:Look at them.BRYCE:And the next three werent much better.But finally, in the sixth grade,I took action.I hatched the plan.Sherry.Sherry, wait up.Hi, Bryce. Heh.BRYCE:I asked out Sherry Stalls.I was wondering if you wanted to go.BRYCE: To full appreciatethe brilliance of this plan.you have to understandthat Juli hated Sherry Stalls.though I never understood why.Sherry was nice, friendlyand she had a lot of hair.At first, my mother wouldnt let meget my ears pierced, but I begged.BRYCE: The idea was that Sherrywould eat with me.maybe wed walk around together,and hopefully Juli would lose interest.But I still cant get the hoops till Im 16.Oh, thats a shame.So Melanie wanted to get her ears pierced,but of course her mother said no.So she threw a fit and smashedher Johnny Mathis Greatest Hits album.LAUGHS.and she got grounded, so now she cantcome to my pajama sleepover party.BRYCE:Things were unfolding quite nicely.What are you doingfor your science project?BRYCE: That is, until my supposedbest friend, Garrett Einbinder.took an interest in Sherry himself.I was thinking of showing how split endsreact with different hair conditioners.Thats fascinating.BRYCE: Loyalty gave way to desireand Garrett, the turncoat.told Sherry what I was up to.SHERRY:Jerk.BRYCE:She didnt take it well.Word got back to Juli, and pretty soonshe started up with the goo-goo eyes again.Only this time it was worse.She started sniffing me.Thats right, sniffing me.What was that all about?My only consolationwas that next year would be different.Junior high, bigger school.Maybe wed be in different classesand it would finally, finally be over.JULl:The first day I met Bryce Loski, I flipped.It was those eyes,something in those dazzling eyes.You wanna push this one together?JULl: His family had just movedinto the neighborhood.and Id gone over to help them.Id been in the van all of two minuteswhen his dad sent him off to help his mom.I could see he didnt wanna go.So I chased after him to see if we couldplay a little before he got trapped inside.The next thing I know,hes holding my hand.and looking right into my eyes.My heart stopped.Was this it?Would this be my first kiss?- But then his mother came out.- Well, hello.JULl: And he was so embarrassed,his cheeks turned completely red.I went to bed that night thinkingof the kiss that might have been.I mean, it was clear he had feelings for me,but he was just too shy to show them.My mother said boys were like that.- So I decided to help him out.- Bryce? Youre here.CHILDREN GIGGLINGJULl: I would give him plentyof opportunity to get over his shyness.By the sixth grade,Id learned to control myself.Then Sherry Stalls entered the picture.Sherry Stalls wa