Episode Report Card Niki: A | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT Sex, Lies, and Bugaboos
By Niki | Season 1 | Episode 4 | Aired on 10.11.1999
Eli, meanwhile, is staring down the barrel of a fully loaded test. He glances hopelessly at the questions. He's screwed.
"Okay, well, we should have the book in about five business days," Lily tells Rick as she sees him to the door of the shop. He forces himself to say goodbye to Judy, who calls out a half-hearted "bye" without even looking up from the paperwork she's doing. Lily turns and marches over to the desk. "You don't special order? Since when?" she says, laying out the bait. "Since I said," Judy snaps. Lily asks why she doesn't like Rick. Judy snarks that she never said she didn't like him. "Well, do you?" Lily demands. "No," Judy answers, sullen. Lily wants to know why, and Judy says she doesn't trust him. Lily points out that Judy doesn't trust anybody, and Judy insists that that's beside the point. She adds that she's finished lying for Lily, too. Lily's bewildered. "Who asked you to lie?" she wonders, but Judy refuses to answer and heads for the back room. Lily follows. Lily starts to say that she understands, but Judy snaps that she doesn't: "No, you don't. You don't, because you won't admit how all this lying and sneaking around is part of what's making it so hot for you!" Judy spits. Lily's taken aback and insists that nobody's been lying. "Of course you are, and that's fine, but just don't put me in a position where I have to lie to Grace, because I'm not going to do that!" Lily jolts to attention at the mention of Grace. Defensively, she insists that Grace doesn't have to know everything, and that that's not lying. Judy snarls, "[Grace] is fourteen -- she figures stuff out." Lily's voice is challenging as she asks what Grace has figured out. "That liking sex is shameful. That wanting it makes you a slut! Where do you suppose she got that idea?" Lily is stunned. She manages, "That is not what I..." before realizing that it is, in fact, what she....
The phone on Karen's desk rings. "Eli?" she says into the receiver. It's Rick. Karen breaks the bad news that Eli's teacher just called to let her know Eli failed his test. Rick is crestfallen. Karen says, "I'm sitting here in shock. He studied for this one. If studying doesn't work, I....Why did you call?" He mentions the interview with Jessie. "What interview?" Karen asks.
Cut to Grace's locker, where she's busy stuffing crap into her bag. Jennifer sidles up like she's got a score to settle. "Why are you always giving me dirty looks?" she asks. Grace's head snaps back like she's been kicked in the jaw. As she fumbles for something to say, we cut to Grace dressed in judge's robes, doing her best Judge Judy. She barks, "Because, you're out of order! And you're a slut!" She slams the gavel down. Jennifer thinks it's to do with the Mock Trial and explains that she only eliminated Grace because she had to. Grace says, "I'm really sorry. Those looks weren't directed at you. It may sound like a lie, but it's true." They look at one another for a second, as if they're both waiting to see whether Jennifer buys it. Grace asks how the trial is going. "Do you want to hear my opening, um, thing?" Jennifer asks. Well, I can see how she got to be the prosecuting attorney. Grace agrees, but still looks a little wary.