Between Love and Hate

Charles Templeton:
Your mother was worried half out of her mind when you didn't come home last night.

Matt Templeton:
I told her I'd be late.

Charles Templeton:
This isn't late, Matt. It's dawn. Where the hell have you been, anyway?

Matt Templeton:
None of your business.

Charles Templeton:
Matt, as long as you're living under this roof, everything you do is my business. [walks over to Matt] Look, I just want to make sure you're not doing something you'll be sorry for later.

Matt Templeton:
[not buying it] Get real. You don't care about me. You don't care about Mom either. And the only reason why you're back in this house is 'cause you're flat broke.

Charles Templeton:
[slaps him hard]

Matt Templeton:
There's Dad I know.

Matt Templeton:
[on the phone] Yeah, Mom, hi. I just wanted you to know I got here safe and sound. Okay, I'll be home in a couple days. Okay, Mom. [hangs up]

Vivian Conrad:
That was so sweet.

Matt Templeton:
I don't like my Mom to worry.

Vivian Conrad:
Well, all mothers worry about their children.

Matt Templeton:
Yeah, well, this is different.

Vivian Conrad:
It is? How is this different.

Matt Templeton:
I did something a while back that really scared her a lot.

Vivian Conrad:
It sounds like it must've been pretty serious.

Matt Templeton:
It was serious.

Vivian Conrad:
Well, do you wanna tell me about it?

Matt Templeton:
I don't think I really wanna talk about it right now.

Vivian Conrad:
I hope you know that you can tell me anything and it's never gonna change the way I feel about you.

Matt Templeton:
I tried to kill myself.

Vivian Conrad:
Why?

Matt Templeton:
To get away from my Dad.

Vivian Conrad:
What did he do to you?

Matt Templeton:
It started when I was about 6. He used to slap me with his hand. That wasn't so bad. When that didn't work, he used to whip me with a belt. A *thick* *black* *leather* *belt*. Anything would set him off. If I didn't win a swim meet, if I didn't bring home straight A's on my report card.

Vivian Conrad:
Oh, Matt.

Matt Templeton:
He'd just grin at me and then he'd snap that belt. I can still hear it.

Vivian Conrad:
Did your mother ever try to stop it?

Matt Templeton:
She tried, but he'd just slap her down and keep coming at me.

Vivian Conrad:
When did it stop?

Matt Templeton:
It stopped... it never stopped. There were times he beat me so hard, I thought he was gonna kill me. That's when I decided to kill myself and save him the trouble. But my Mom walked in on me.

Alec:
You know, I can't believe you actually showed up today.

Matt Templeton:
Sorry, man, but it's not like I've been hiding out.

Alec:
Yeah, well, you could've fooled me.

Matt Templeton:
Alec, have you ever cared about someone so much, that it hurt. That if you left them behind, you thought you'd die?

Alec:
Once.

Matt Templeton:
Well, then maybe you'll understand what's been going on. I'm in love.

Alec:
Well, that explains a lot. You finally did it, didn't you? You did it and you kept it all to yourself. Well, come on, Matt, who is she?

Matt Templeton:
Vivian Conrad.

Alec:
[Alec's face drops]

Matt Templeton:
We've been seeing each other since the beginning of the summer. We're in love.

Alec:
Oh, man. You are in way over your head.

Katherine Templeton:
I didn't know whether to show them to you or not.

Charles Templeton:
[calls Matt into the room] Matt, get in here!

Katherine Templeton:
Charles, he leaves for school soon.

Charles Templeton:
You let ME handle this.

Matt Templeton:
What?

Charles Templeton:
What's going on here? [holds up credit card] This is Vivian Conrad's credit card. I want an answer.

Matt Templeton:
[looks at his mother] I'm in love with her, Mom.

Katherine Templeton:
You can't mean that.

Matt Templeton:
Vivian's the best thing that ever happened to me.

Charles Templeton:
You must be out of your mind.

Katherine Templeton:
Matt, she's a grown woman. She's married and she has a child. You haven't even finished school.

Matt Templeton:
Vivian wants me to finish school. She's the only reason I'm bothering to go back.

Katherine Templeton:
This just... isn't normal.

Matt Templeton:
Oh, sure. Like this family wrote the book on being normal. [walks away]

Charles Templeton:
JUST A MINUTE. I'm not through with you yet. [tries to grab Matt]

Matt Templeton:
[knocks his hand away] DON'T YOU TOUCH ME AGAIN.

Matt Templeton:
[Matt sees his father beating his mother] Get away from her, you hear me! Leave her alone! [Matt starts to struggle with his father]

Matt Templeton:
[Matt gains the upper hand] Where's your belt now, Dad!

Katherine Templeton:
Matt, stop it!

Matt Templeton:
You got two choices; you could pack your bags and get out of our lives or I could finish you off right now! Which is it gonna be!

Alec:
You did WHAT?

Matt Templeton:
I copied the letter she sent me. The one about how I made love to her, about how she missed being with me, *everything*.

Alec:
Tell me you're making this up, man. You *are* making this up?

Matt Templeton:
No, I really did it. I plastered it everywhere. I plastered it all over the club, all over their neighborhood, *everywhere*.

Alec:
What did you do that for?

Matt Templeton:
BECAUSE, the Conrads are running around telling lies about me, THAT'S WHY. I can't let them get away with that, Alec. I want everyone to know the truth about *me* and *Vivian*.

Alec:
The truth about you and Vivian? The truth is she used you. She used you and she dumped you.

Matt Templeton:
You don't understand. We loved each other.

Alec:
Matt, it had nothing to do with love.

Matt Templeton:
Damn it, Alec!

Alec:
Matt, I know what I'm talking about.

Matt Templeton:
No you don't. No one understands.

Alec:
Matt, I do understand.

Matt Templeton:
[looks away, annoyed]

Alec:
Did she give you a shirt too?

Matt Templeton:
[Matt looks at him]

Alec:
I thought so. Matt, I hate to break this to you, but she does this every summer. Last summer it was me. Don't worry, man, you'll get over it. I did.