Dreams to Reality Episode 1 (web series)

This is the first episode of Dreams to Reality, which was originally released on the internet on July 10, 2000. It takes place in the afternoon hours on Wednesday, May 24, 2000 on the series timeline. In this episode, the primary cast is introduced, showcasing a typical day at Eagle Creek Junior High School as much of the school's students are finalizing their plans for dates to the upcoming school dance later in the week, with Michael Bennett admitting to Rachel McCarey that he has a crush on her despite Danielle Grayson planning to win Michael away from Rachel, and Michael having to contend with a secret admirer. Also, Nicole Halloway and Melinda Flint get into a physical altercation that ends with Nicole falling down a flight of stairs and hospitalized. Meanwhile, Mark Shane is injured playing baseball in physical education class and is also hospitalized as a result. At the end of the episode, the first glimpse of a man wearing a skull mask is shown to viewers, holding a large fishing hook up to a photograph of Nicole.

Synopsis
On an normal late spring day at Eagle Creek Junior High School, Michael Bennett questions his friend Rocky Fronset about what Rocky knows about a handwritten note on Michael's school notebook asking him if he would go to the dance with the person who wrote the note. Rocky simply says that it was written by a secret admirer and will not elaborate further, even when Michael points out that whoever wrote the note wants him to go to the dance with her, and if he doesn't find out who it is between now and Friday, she won't have a date to the dance. Upon Rachel McCarey's arrival in the classroom, Michael explains to her that Rocky had borrowed his notebook the previous night, and when it was returned, the mysterious note had been added to the back while it was in Rocky's possession, but he won't divulge who wrote the note. Josh Poncek arrives in the classroom and tells Michael and Rachel about his earlier argument with his friend, Travis Sirlon over a misunderstanding in which Travis believes Josh wants to break up with his girlfriend, Nicole Halloway because of a conversation Travis had heard him having with Rocky about his ex-girlfriend, Melinda Flint, and saying he was going to "call it quits."

In one of the school's hallways, as Jarrid Harlen opens his locker door, his friend Dustin Finley asks him if he is planning on coming to the dance alone on Friday. Jarrid says that he doesn't know yet, but knows he doesn't want to go alone. Another friend, Mandy Marin is sympathetic to Jarrid, but he responds that it isn't Mandy's fault that Nicole did what she did. Jack Brock asks Jarrid if he is sure that Melinda didn't lie, adding that Michael Bennett knows Nicole better than anyone, and he had said that Nicole swears that she didn't have sex with Josh. Jarrid says he'd like to believe her, but that Nicole had plenty of opportunities to tell him about her date with Josh and didn't, so he has little reason to believe Nicole's claim that nothing happened on the date when Melinda says that she saw the two of them having sex. Mandy is quick to point out that just because Melinda says she saw that happen doesn't mean that she's telling the truth, but Jarrid responds that it also doesn't mean that Nicole is telling the truth, either. When Dustin asks him what he's going to do about it, Jarrid replies that he's simply going to get on with his life, and that if he and Nicole were meant to be together, they would be together. He adds that Nicole is with Josh now, anyway. At this point, Nicole arrives on the scene and immediately tells Jarrid that the only reason why she's with Josh is because Jarrid dumped her. This begins an argument between the two, with Jarrid saying that if Nicole really wanted to be with him, she wouldn't have been going out with Josh to begin with, and Nicole insists that she didn't have sex with Josh. When Mandy tries to play devil's advocate, Nicole tells her to back off, and Jack, Dustin, and Mandy soon leave Jarrid and Nicole to have their argument alone. Jarrid tells Nicole that going out with Josh was a big enough mistake, which Nicole admits to, but she insists that Melinda was lying when she told him that she had sex with Josh, adding that he knows that she wouldn't do that. Jarrid coldly replies that right now he doesn't know anything about her before walking away from her. Nicole decides not to go after Jarrid at this time, and proceeds on to her next class. Outside the classroom, where Melinda Flint antagonizes Nicole by telling her that it's too bad that he lies to Jarrid didn't work, and wonders aloud how Josh would like it if he knew that Nicole was trying to get her ex-boyfriend back. She says that maybe she should just tell him, prompting Nicole to snap at Melinda to shut up and order her to get away from her. Melinda then threatens to make it look like Nicole is ready to have an affair with another guy, prompting Nicole to tell her to get a life and to "buzz off," adding that Melinda has already "screwed up my life enough for one lifetime." Melinda asks her what about what she (Nicole) did to her life, and Nicole tells her that she didn't need any help making Melinda look like "the bitch you are." Melinda accuses Nicole of taking Josh away from her, and an aggravated Nicole tells her that she didn't take anyone away from anyone, and adds that maybe if Melinda's performance with Josh hadn't been so pathetic, he wouldn't have asked her out. Nicole says that Melinda must not be as hot as she thinks she is, prompting Melinda to make a move to slap Nicole, but Nicole is able to grab Melinda's wrist in mid-swing and avoid being slapped.

All of the above action having taken place in between classes at the school, as the new class period begins as the scene shifts to the school's gymnasium, where a physical education class is about to begin. Mark Shane asks his friend Brandon Danber who he is taking to the upcoming dance, and Brandon responds that Lisa Walker had asked him. He says that he had planned on taking a new student to the school, Danielle Grayson, who just moved to the area "last month," (April 2000 on this timeline) but it seems she's already taken. As it turns out, Danielle does not currently actually have a date, but is apparently planning on asking Michael Bennett to the dance. Mark realizes that if that's the case, there could be a love triangle starting, because Michael had told Mark that he has a crush on Rachel McCarey. Mark's girlfriend, Ashley Chamberlain, is there to tell Brandon that it might be a good thing Danielle turned him down for the dance, then, before the potential love triangle got too dramatic. Brandon realizes that she is right, citing the current situation of the "mess that Jarrid, Nicole, Josh, and Melinda are going through right now." Brandon changes the subject, saying that he assumes that Mark and Ashley are going to the dance together, as the two have recently become nearly inseparable. Ashley says that she and Mark had simply realized that they are definitely right for one another.

During a history class, Danielle Grayson asks David Richards if he's talked to Rachel today and whether she has asked Michael Bennett to the dance yet. David responds that no, she hadn't asked him, and doesn't plan to because she's too shy. He adds that he doesn't think that Michael had asked Rachel yet, either, which Danielle thinks is perfect, planning to ask Michael to the dance with her after this class. David warns Danielle not to leave herself open for trouble, because if Rachel decides that she wants Michael badly enough, she could become pretty vicious. Danielle says that she's trying to make sure that Michael doesn't ask Rachel to the dance before she asks him, and that way if Michael accepts her (Danielle's) invitation to the dance, Danielle can act like she didn't know that Rachel had a crush on Michael. David hopes that Danielle knows what she's doing, but Danielle says she knows exactly what she is doing, and says that by the end of the week, Michael will be hers. Danielle asks him to do her a favor when he sees Michael during their study hall next period, and grill Michael about whether or not he has asked Rachel to the dance yet, and to tell her immediately after the bell rings after the study hall so she can ask him to the dance before he gets a chance to talk to Rachel. David knows he will regret doing this later, but reluctantly agrees to do as instructed. David's acceptance of this quest prompts an excited Danielle to loudly thank him in front of the class, calling attention to the fact that the two of them were not paying attention to the lecture, prompting the teacher, Ms. Warner, to share with the rest of the class what they were saying to one another while disrupting her class. Danielle explains that David had just given her his notes from science class, explaining that she had been absent from the class for the past couple of days, so David lent her his notes so she wouldn't get behind. Ms. Warner accepts this, but urges Danielle to "keep your outbursts to a minimum." Ms. Warner continues with her World War II lesson, while David and Danielle continue with their own conversation, with David chastising her for coming up with the excuse of science notes for her outburst. Danielle challenges him to come up with something better on such short notice, and David tells her that she is lucky Ms. Warner didn't think too much about it, because she knows that his grades suck, mostly because he doesn't take notes in class. Danielle doesn't care, because it worked. The two go over their plan once again, and Danielle tells him that she owes him.

In Mrs. Jackson's classroom, Nicole and Melinda are seated at a table with Lisa Walker and Christina Davis while Mrs. Jackson's science lesson is commencing. Melinda distracts Nicole by calling her a slut and threatening to bury her if she doesn't stay out of her way. Nicole tells Melinda that she's so sick and tired of her stupidity. Lisa tells the two of them to give it a rest, asking how much longer they are planning to "bitch at each other like this," implying that this is fairly common between the two of them. Melinda tells Lisa to shut up, but Nicole tells Melinda that she's sure that Lisa and Christina don't exactly like the fact that they have to sit here and rehash the same thing over and over again, and tells Melinda to shut up. Mrs. Jackson tells them all to shut up, adding that she won't tell them again. As Mrs. Jackson continues with her lesson, Melinda quietly tells Nicole to shut up and says that she can't believe that Josh chose Nicole over her because Nicole is "nothing more than a $2 slut, and he's singing your praises like you're the Virgin Mary!" Mrs. Jackson begins to yell at Melinda for this rather unpleasant outburst just as Nicole calls Melinda bitch, stands, and slaps her across the face. Melinda then rears back and punches Nicole in the face, knocking Nicole back into the table behind her. Nicole recovers, jumping on top of Melinda, punching her and pulling ehr hair while Melinda gets a hold of some of Nicole's hair and begins pulling as well as the two begin rolling around on the floor of the classroom in a vicious struggle, much to their classmates' entertainment. Mrs. Jackson rushes over and pulls Nicole off of Melinda, screaming at them to knock it off right now, but Nicole tries to lunge after Melinda again, only to be held back by Mrs. Jackson. As Melinda gets to her feet, she calls Nicole a bitch and tells her she just made a big mistake, one that could turn into her last. Mrs. Jackson orders Nicole and Melinda to go to the principal's office. Nicole storms out of the room, slamming the door behind her before Melinda can get out the door, so Melinda has to open the door, and then slams it behind her as well. As Nicole climbs up a nearby stairway, Melinda runs up the stairs and grabs hold of Nicole's hair, telling Nicole that she had told her that Nicole would regret what she just did, and now Melinda plans to make sure she does right now. Nicole tries to shove Melinda off her her, asking what she's going to do. Melinda responds by slapping Nicole, which Nicole returns in kind with one of her own. Melinda then grabs Nicole's neck as if to strangle her, prompting Nicole to do the same in retaliation. The two struggle briefly at the top of the stairs before Melinda gets the upper hand and drags Nicole over to the head of the stairs. Nicole cries for Melinda to stop, saying she's about to fall over the stairs, but Melinda coldly states that was the idea, saying, "See you when I see you," and shoves Nicole backward down the stairs. Nicole screams as she falls down the flight of stairs while Melinda watches, smiling, from the top.

In another classroom, an English lesson is being taught while Michael sits in the desk directly behind Rachel's, staring at the back of her head with a smile on his face. Rocky notices that Michael is smiling at Rachel. Meanwhile, Rachel is daydreaming, thinking to herself that Michael doesn't seem to know or care who his secret admirer is and wonders if it means that he already has feelings for somone else, and smiles at the thought that it could be her. She realizes that she needs to figure out what she wants to do about this. At this point, her friend Jamie Blonner taps her on the shoulder, bringing Rachel back to reality. Jamie points out that Rachel seems lost in thought and asks what is up. Michael overhears Jamie ask this question and eavesdrops as Rachel tells Jamie that she'll explain it to her later. Michael then makes eye contact with Rocky and worries that Rocky may think that he has a crush on Rachel, because he would tell her if he even suspects it, and Michael isn't sure what he's going to do about his feelings for Rachel yet.

Outside on a baseball field, the physical education class has moved outside for a game of baseball between the students in the class. The gym teacher, Mr. Long, announces that the current batter, Brandon, is the last batter of the game, because they need to head back inside soon. Mark is the pitcher for the opposing team as Brandon steps up to the plate to bat. Ashley, meanwhile, is seen to be playing shortstop on Mark's team. Mark pitches the ball to Brandon, who swings and misses. Mark soon gets set to pitch the ball again, and soon lets the ball fly toward Brandon. Brandon swings and makes contact with the ball, which is hit straight back at Mark, who cannot react in time to prevent the ball from hitting him sqare in the chest, knocking him backward and then onto his backside, unconscious. As the class converges around Mark to check on him, Ashley kneels down beside him, pleading for him to wake up. As Brandon says that this is all his fault, Mr. Long tells Ashley not to move Mark and Brandon to go to the office and tell them what is going on and to call an ambulance. Before Brandon takes off into the school building, Mr. Long makes sure to tell Brandon not to worry and that this is not Brandon's fault. Brandon tells Mr. Long that he'll stay in the office before heading inside. Mr. Long again warns Ashley not to move Mark, but Mark begins to come to at this point, much to Ashley's relief. Mark asks what happened, and Mr. Long explains that he was hit in the chest with a baseball. He asks Mark if he is all right, and Mark says that besides the fact that he feels like he's been hit by a car, he's doing great. He begins to tell Ashley something, but realizes they are not alone and changes his mind. When Mr. Long tells Mark to take it easy and that an ambulance is on the way, Mark reacts quickly, "An ambulance?! No! No ambulance!"

Back inside, as students begin to file into the hallways in between classes, Nicole lies unconscious at the base of the stairway until Danielle comes upon her first. As Danielle checks on Nicole, other students begin to arrive at the scene, including Jack, Mandy, and Jarrid. Danielle checks for Nicole's pulse and is relieved to find that she is alive and cries for someone to go get help. Jack, Jarrid, and Mandy realize that Nicole is who Danielle is helping, alarming Jarrid, who rushes over to see what he can do to help. Meanwhile, Josh comes down the stairs and is just as shocked to find Nicole unconscious, and he, too, rushes over to help try to revive her. The unnamed English teacher rushes over to the scene and says that an ambulance is on the way, but orders them not to move Nicole, fearing they could do further damage if they move her. Josh asks how this happened, but Danielle explains that she found Nicole like this when she walked around the corner to go up the stairs. At this point, Lisa comes into the area and sees Nicole unconscious and exclaims, "Oh, she couldn't have--could she?" Jack asks Lisa what she means, and Lisa explains that Nicole and Melinda had a fight during class, and that before Mrs. Jackson had kicked them out of the room, Melinda had threaned Nicole that she would pay for starting a fight with her. Josh asks Lisa if she's saying that Melinda did this to Nicole.

Meanwhile in the principal's office, Melinda claims to the school's principal, Rose Manning, that Nicole attacked her, and was trying to kill her before Mrs. Jackson came over and pulled Nicole off of her and sent them both here. She then claims that on the way up the stairs to the office, "Nicole tried to kill me again, and I accidentally pushed her down the stairs." This is a shock to Rose, who asks if Nicole is still alive. Melinda claims that she was too scared to check, but that Nicole is "probably still down at the base of the stairs unconscious." Rose tells Melinda to stay here, saying that "we're not finished here, so get comfortable." Rose then rushes out of the office to check on Nicole. As Melinda looks out into the hallway, she is shooed back into Rose's office by the secretary, Ms. Cline, while Melinda thinks that Nicole had to be taken care of, and that "now that she has been, I just know that Josh is going to come back to me."

In the study hall, Michael keeps his eye on Rachel as she walks across the room to sit near Jamie to have a conversation with her. Rocky notices Michael watching Rachel and demands an explanation, accusing him of having a crush on her. Michael quickly denies this, asking what makes him think that while David pays careful attention to this. Rocky tells Michael that he's been staring at Rachel and drooling all day. Michael claims he doesn't know what Rocky is talking about and that he already likes someone else. David asks him who, and Michael says that they wouldn't know her. Rocky clearly doesn't believe him, but Michael doesn't care and insists that they actually would not know this girl. David asks him if that is because this girl is an imaginary friend, but Michael responds that it's because she is new there. This causes David to think that since Danielle has only been in town for a month now that Michael may be talking about her. Rocky prods Michael to tell them who he has a crush on, but Michael refuses to because then Rocky would go right up to her and tell her how he feels just to irritate him. David realizes that this other girl does go to this school, then, and that he must be referring to Danielle. Meanwhile, Rachel asks Jamie if she's still not taking anyone to the dance, and Jamie says no, and that she doesn't think she's going to go. Rachel tells Jamie that she is so going, even if she doesn't have a date, because someone needs to keep her (Rachel) company on the sidelines. Jamie asks Rachel what about "the guy you were thinking about last period so intently," and Rachel claims that she wasn't thinking about anybody. Of course, Rachel then shoots a look across the room at Michael, and Jamie follows Rachel's eyes over to Michael and realizes that she has a crush on Michael and that Rachel is afraid that Michael won't ask her in time. Jamie suggests that Rachel ask him instead, but Rachel doesn't want to rush it, because while she knows that Michael at least sees her as a friend, she isn't sure if he has the same feelings for her as she does for him. She claims that if she gets a hint that he's simply too shy to ask her and that he actually does like her as well, she'll ask him. Jamie tells her that she'd better make sure if he likes her quick, otherwise Rachel will be entertaining her on the sidelines Friday night. Meanwhile, Michael begins to tell Rocky and David that he has a crush on someone who just moved to Eagle Creek, a girl with brown hair and brown eyes. As David interrupts, "Oh, God, it can't be," Rocky asks him, "Can't be what?" just as Rachel asks Michael who he has a crush on. Michael takes Rachel away from David and Rocky to speak with her privately while Rocky asks David what is wrong. David claims that he just remembered that he forgot to tell someone something, and Jamie changes the subject by asking David who he is going to the dance with. David reveals that he and Josh are going to a birthday party at the Rollerskate that night instead of the dance. Jamie asks about Nicole, having thought for sure Nicole would be at this dance, but as far as David knows, Nicole is still going to the dance, alone, although David doesn't think she'll be alone for long. At a pair of desks away from Rocky, David, and Jamie, a nervous Michael admits to Rachel that he has a crush on her, and an excited Rachel enthusiastically responds that the feeling is mutual. Michael quiets Rachel, saying that the last thing he needs right now is Rocky getting on his case, so they need to be a little more discreet. Rachel says that Rocky will find out eventually, but Michael says that he just told him that he liked someone else in order to throw Rocky off. He explains that Rocky had seen him looking at Rachel last period and he didn't want Rocky "going nuts with it," adding that he wants to know "what he's trying to pull with this secret admirer thing." Michael says that he's going to ask Rachel this now so that he can get it over with and so that he doesn't feel guilty later when and if he ever finds out who his secret admirer is and Rocky tries to make him feel bad for asking Rachel. He then asks Rachel to the dance, and Rachel happily accepts. Michael says this may be the beginning of something beautiful. Meanwhile, Rocky gazes over at Michael and Rachel and notes that the two of them are "pretty chummy right now," and wonders what is going on. Jamie says she doesn't know, but is sure that Rocky is going to find out.

Brandon rushes into the school office and cries out for someone to call 911, but Ms. Cline tells him that an ambulance is already on the way. Brandon is confused by this, as he hasn't even told her what's going on yet. Ms. Cline assumes that he's talking about Nicole Halloway being pushed down the stairs and again tells him that an ambulance is on the way for her. This is shocking news to Brandon, who then reveals that he's talking about Mark Shane, who's been in an accident outside. He explains that while they were playing baseball in "phys. ed.," he hit the ball right into Mark's chest, and when Brandon rushed inside, Mark was still unconscious and need an ambulance as well. Ms. Cline then begins to call 911 for the second time in a rather short period of time to call for an ambulance at the school while Brandon notices Melinda standing in Rose's office. While Ms. Cline places her second 911 call, Brandon asks Melinda what she did. "Oh, nothing much," Melinda replies, prompting Brandon to ask her what she's doing here, then, and why he gets the impression that this has something to do with Nicole Halloway falling down the stairs. Melinda says that of course it does, and explains that Nicole "ticked me off, and we had a little... squabble during science class," after which Mrs. Jackson "threw us out," and while they were going up the stairs, she had warned Nicole that she would regret getting her into trouble. She says that Nicole "got all uptight, so I had to... correct the problem." Brandon can't believe that Melinda would actually push Nicole down the stairs, asking her if she has completely lost her mind. "No," Melinda replies, "I'm as sane as ever." Brandon doesn't think that is saying much, but changes the subject and asks what she and Nicole were fighting about in the first place. Melinda asks, "What else? Josh," and the fact that Nicole is "trying to win Jarrid back, too." Melinda says that Nicole is trying to get Jarrid back and keep Josh on the side "like a little slut," and she couldn't exactly let her get away with it. Brandon tells Melinda that Josh broke up with her, not the other way around, so she shouldn't be trying to get into his life when he wants nothing to do with her, but Melinda tells him that the only reason why she isn't still with Josh is because "that tramp" used her looks and "so-called charm" to get Josh to ask her out on a date that Nicole shouldn't have even gone on because she was dating Jarrid at the time. Brandon reminds her of what she did after that date Josh had with Nicole, Melinda had made sure that Jarrid wanted nothing to do with her, and in doing so, sabotaged her own relationship with Josh. He points out the self-destructive pattern of behavior that Melinda won't realize until it's too late, because Nicole will tell Josh that Melinda pushed her deown the stairs. Brandon asks her if she honestly believes that Josh would "drop her like a bad habit" and come back to her after that. Melinda says that Nicole got what she had coming to her and that she's "damn lucky" she didn't do something like this sooner. At this point, Rose arrives back in the office and orders Melinda back into her office right now. Brandon wishes Melinda luck as Rose and Melinda enter the principal's office. Rose slams the office door shut as Brandon asks Ms. Cline if he should stay in the office until Melinda comes out, because he was the one who hit Mark with the baseball and is now being taken to the hospital as a result. Brandon figures that Mrs. Manning may want to talk to him about it, but Ms. Cline refers to the sound of Rose's voice yelling at Melinda from inside the principal's office as she tells Brandon that it sounds like they will be a while and tells Brandon that he can go to class and if Mrs. Manning wants to speak to him, she can call him up to the office. Brandon asks if the police would be asking him questions, too, and Ms. Cline says that since this incident did happen on school property, he'll probably need to give a statement, but that he'll very likely not be in any trouble for it. Brandon feels very guilty that he is responsible for putting one of his best friends in the hospital, but that this was an accident. Ms. Cline understands and tries to tell him not to worry about it. She tells him that he can go back out there to see what's going on, figuring that the ambulances are already at the scene. Brandon thanks her and begins to head out of the office.

Back outside on the baseball field, Ashley tries to reason with Mark that he is injured and needs to be checked out at the hospital, but Mark stubbornly insists that isn't that hurt, and just had the wind knocked out of him. He insists that he doesn't need to go to the hospital, but Mr. Long tells him that he has to because he lost consciousness for more than a minute, and it's school procedure to call in the ambulance for such a serious event. Mark laments, but says that he'd better not have to stay there overnight. Ashley says that he probably won't have to and asks Mr. Long if he thinks Mark will need to be kept overnight. Mr. Long says that they may want to keep him for observation, but probably not if he is conscious now. An ambulance arrives on the field at this point, and Mark is not at all pleased when two paramedics walk up to the scene with a stretcher. Mark says that he can stand up and walk over to the ambulance and prepares to do just that, but Mr. Long orders Mark to lay back down. Mark insists that he can stand up and doesn't need to be wheeled into an ambulance like an invalid, but Mr. Long tells him that this is procedure, forcing Mark to give in and allow the paramedics to take him to the ambulance on a stretcher.

As two paramedics carefully roll a still-unconscious Nicole up the steps to the ground level doors leading outside with Josh and Danielle following, Jarrid asks Lisa if she is positive that Melinda did this. Lisa admits that she isn't absolutely positive, and that Nicole's fall could have been an accident, but points out that Melinda left the science classroom after Nicole did, and even if Melinda was ahead of Nicole on the stairs, she surely would have heard Nicole fall and checked on her. Mandy points out that this would be the perfect place for Melinda to try to finish off Nicole after they were trying to kill each other right before they came up these stairs, and if Melinda had nothing to do with this, why didn't she help Nicole when she fell, and where is she now? Jack says that they won't know for sure until Nicole wake up. Lisa glumly responds, "Yeah, if she wakes up," causing Jarrid to become upset and insist that Nicole will wake up and be fine. Brandon heads down the stairs at this point and approaches the scene, saying that he's got news. Mandy tells him that Nicole is being wheeled into an ambulance right now, and Jack notices a second one outside and wonders why there's another one there. Brandon says that is what his news is, but first stops to reveal that Nicole's fall down the stairs was deliberately orcehestrated "by Nicole's biggest fan, Melinda." Jarrid can't believe that Melinda did this, but Brandon tells him that he must not know Melinda, then, adding that she has gone completely over the deep end, but that luckily Mrs. Manning is "trying to bring her down a couple of pegs right now." He then reveals that Mark Shane was in an accident at almost the same time as Nicole and explains the circumstances behind Mark being knocked unconscious while playing baseball. Jack asks Brandon if he's going to be okay, and Brandon says that he feels awful for putting Mark in the hospital, but that he should be fine, and that when Mark gets home, Brandon will stop beating himself up. Lisa takes the opportunity to give Brandon a small, sympathetic hug before Brandon departs the group to go see how Mark is doing before they drive him away in the ambulance. After Brandon heads back outside, Jack, Jarrid, Lisa, and Mandy get ready to head to their next classes, against their own wishes to go outside and watch Mark and Nicole be taken away in ambulances. Jack reminds Jarrid and Mandy that they were supposed to meet Dustin at his locker between classes and probably thinks they've disappeared by now, so they quickly gather their books that are scattered throughout the area after most of them were carelessly tossed aside when the people carrying them arrived at the scene.

During the next period class, Jack, Jarrid, and Mandy inform Dustin of what happened to Nicole. Dustin asks if Nicole is okay, and Jack says that Nicole was still unconscious when she was taken to the ambulance. Dustin then asks what happened to Melinda, so Mandy tells him that Brandon said that Melinda was in the office. She figures that Melinda may be getting suspended for the rest of the school year and maybe part of the next, or perhaps even expelled.

As Mark and Nicole are seen being lifted into their respective ambulances, Josh and Danielle try to get in the back of Nicole's ambulance until one of the paramedics stop them and tell them that they're not allowed to rid with her unless they're related. Josh says that he's her boyfriend and asks if he can go, but the paramedic refuses to allow this and tells him he'll have to wait until they can get her checked into the hospital. Just before the doors to Nicole's ambulance can be shut, her voice can be heard calling to Josh, "Josh--stay away--Melinda..." Josh asks Danielle what Nicole had said, but Danielle didn't make it out either, but points out that at least Nicole is conscious now, which is a relief to Josh. Danielle then notices the second ambulance over by the baseball field and wonders what else happened over there. Meanwhile, along the side of the school building, the back of someone wearing a black trenchcoat and black pants and black gloves is seen looking in the direction of Nicole's ambulance. The individual pulls out a long, metallic hook with a sharpened point that gleams in the sunlight. Over at the baseball field, while Josh and Danielle are seen crossing the street in front of the school building toward the field, Ashley kisses Mark's hand as he is being wheeled into his ambulance. Mark tells her that he'll be fine, as Ashley asks one of the paramedics if she can come with him. She is also told that she's not allowed to unless she's related, but that she is more than welcome to go to the hospital right now and wait for him to be admitted. Ashley says that she's going to get permission from Mrs. Manning, while Mr. Long plans to head back to the school and tell Ms. Cline to make an announcement on the public address system for teachers to allow students from this class into their next classes late. Josh and Danielle arrive at the scene just after the ambulance doors are shut, preventing them from seeing who is inside. Josh asks Ashley what happened, and Ashley explains what happened during the baseball game and that Mark was knocked unconscious. Danielle asks Ashley if Mark is going to be okay, and Ashley says he's awake now and that they're just taking Mark in for observation. She asks who was in the other ambulance, and Josh and Danielle explain what they know about Nicole falling down the stairs and about Nicole and Melinda's fight during Mrs. Jackson's class. Ashley asks if Melinda was the one who caused Nicole to fall down the stairs. Brandon arrives at the scene at this point and says that yes, Melinda did, and that she's pretty pleased with herself over it. Josh asks Brandon if he is sure, saying that Melinda may be desperate, but he doesn't think she would do something this crazy. Brandon assures Josh that he talked to Melinda in the office, and that she was pretty happy with herself for doing that to Nicole, adding that Melinda is really "going off the deep end." Danielle proposes the unsettling thought that if Melinda did this to Nicole on purpose, nothing is stopping her from trying to do something to her at the hospital. Ashley wonders if Melinda is capable of murdering Nicole, and Josh says he doesn't know, but says that "you can be damn sure I'm going to find out," before heading back into the school building without another word. According to Ashley, Brandon lives next to Melinda and therefore would know her better than either her or Danielle, and so Ashley asks him he he really thinks Melinda could do something that crazy. Brandon says that when Nicole first went out with Josh, Melinda made it her quest to destroy Nicole's life, and that while they thought it was bad when Melinda told Jarrid that Nicole slept with Josh, it's only going to get worse unless something happens right now. Brandon, Ashley, and Danielle decide to head back inside the building, but none of them see the man in the black trenchcoat, who watches them walk back into the building. The man is revealed to be wearing a mask designed to look like a human skull over his face. The masked man takes out a photograph of Nicole from a breast pocket inside his coat and looks at it. Still holding his hook, the man holds it up to the photograph in a threatening manner.

In Rose's office, Rose accuses Melinda of deliberately pushing Nicole down the stairs. As Melinda begins to defend this claim, Rose reminds her that if Melinda lies, the punishment will be much more severe, so Melinda admits that she did push Nicole down the stairs deliberately. When Rose demands to know why, Melinda replies, "Because she was getting on my nerves." Rose asks her, "So you decided to try to kill her?!" Melinda explains that Nicole took her boyfriend away from her and rubs her face in it every chance she gets, so when she told Nicole exactly what she thought of her last period, Nicole attacked her. She goes on to claim that after Mrs. Jackson broke up the fight and sent them out of class, at the top of the stairs, Nicole came after her again, and in order to get Nicole off of her and out of her life, Melinda pushed her, and Nicole fell down the stairs. Rose asks her if what she is trying to tell her is that Nicole's injuries, the fight the two of them had, and now the publicity that is going to come to this school because of Nicole's accident is because of a boy. Melinda confirms this to be the case, and a frustrated Rose says that it's obvious that there is another underlying story dealing with the hatred Melinda and Nicole ahve for one another, and Melinda has a series of flashbacks from October 30, 1999, or nearly seven months prior. That night, Melinda walked down the Boardwalk over the Eagle Creek river, but stopped in her tracks when up the wooden walkway ahead of her, she spotted Josh and Nicole begin to kiss each other. The flashback shifts to her arriving at Jarrid's house in tears, where she told him that there was something he needed to know, that she just walked in on Josh and Nicole in bed together. The flashback shifts to the next day, October 31, 1999, when a livid Nicole arrived at Melinda's house, calling Melinda a bitch. Melinda had asked Nicole if there was trouble in Paradise, which prompted Nicole to slap Melinda and demand to know why Melinda told Jarrid that she had gone on a date with Josh and that she had sex with him. Melinda told her that it was her birthday present to Nicole, and pointed out that Nicole is trying to ruin Melinda's life by dating Josh, and so Melinda will ruin Nicole's life by telling Jarrid everything. The next flashback depicts a Halloween party, at which Nicole was dressed as a witch with a mask on, but the mask was so hot that she took it off and decided to put it back on later. Nicole then put the mask on a table and walked away from it, allowing Melinda the opportunity to take the mask and use it to make this the worst night of Nicole Halloway's life, then began to brush super glue on the inside lining of the witch mask. The flashback end here, with Rose making it clear to Melinda that if any medical problems should arise with Nicole, Melinda will be expelled and arrested. Melinda asks what if Nicole does recover, and Rose tells her that as of now, she is suspended for ten school days. When Melinda asks about the dance, Rose snaps at her to "Forget the damn dance!" After figuring out that ten days' suspension would include the final day of the school year--June 8--Rose says that Melinda isn't allowed anywhere near the school until the first day of school in the fall. Melinda asks about finals. Rose tells her she can take them in summer school in her office on June 12 and June 13. Melinda is not pleased that she has to come to school and take finals during her summer vacation, but Rose explains to her that had she done this the following day, she would be suspended until the second day of school in the enxt school year, she wouldn't be able to take her finals at all, would automatically fail her classes, and would have to repeat her eighth grade year all over again. Melinda says she should be relieved then, but Rose yells at her that she should be grateful she doesn't call the police right now and have her arrested, but adds that Nicole and her parents may do that much anyway. Melinda asks what is to happen with her for the rest of the day, and Rose replies that she is staying in here. Melinda silently vows that Nicole will wish she stayed out of her life.

Soon, both Rose and Ms. Cline are not around when Josh walks into the office, which Josh thinks is perfect. He calls out for Melinda, who emerges from Rose's office, saying hi. Josh demands to know if she pushed Nicole down the stairs, at which point Rose reappears and tells Josh that yes, Melinda pushed Nicole down the stairs, but that he may not stay in here and orders him to get to class. Josh tells Rose that he's actually here to see her, and explains that he and Ashley Chamberlain would like to leave school right now to go with Mark and Nicole to the hospital. Rose immediately denies this on the grounds that they would have no way of getting there, with the ambulances having already left, and it being very difficult for her to believe that either he or Ashley drove themselves to school today. Josh realizes that Rose is right, shoots Melinda a nasty look, and leave the office. Rose turns to Melinda and presumes that he was "the boy who caused this insanity around here," prompting Melinda to ask her how she knew. Rose says that he just asked her if he can go to the hospital to be with Nicole, "and no other Nicoles were pushed down a flight of stairs today."

On the next Dreams to Reality

 * David tells Danielle that he thinks Michael has a crush on her
 * Michael asks Rachel what time she wants to meet up on Friday
 * Nicole awakens in the hospital to see the man in the skull mask looking through the window of her hospital room at her
 * Rachel tells Danielle that Michael asked her to the dance today
 * Danielle cries that Michael likes Rachel, not her
 * The man in the skull mask pours gasoline on a wood pile, lights it on fire, then takes out the photograph of Nicole and tosses it onto the fire

Episode Cast
(Note: Numbers in parentheses represent the number of appearances for that character to date)

(in order of appearance):
 * Michael Bennett (1)


 * Rocky Fronset (1)


 * Rachel McCarey (1)


 * Josh Poncek (1)


 * Dustin Finley (1)


 * Jarrid Harlen (1)


 * Mandy Marin (1)


 * Jack Brock (1)


 * Nicole Halloway (1)


 * Melinda Flint (1)


 * Mark Shane (1)


 * Brandon Danber (1)


 * Ashley Chamberlain (1)


 * Ms. Warner (Eagle Creek Junior High School teacher) (1)


 * Danielle Grayson (1)


 * David Richards (1)


 * Mrs. Jackson (Eagle Creek Junior High School teacher) (1)


 * Lisa Walker (1)


 * Christina Davis (1)


 * Unnamed English Teacher (1)


 * Jamie Blonner (1)


 * Mr. Long (Eagle Creek Junior High School teacher) (1)


 * Rose Manning (1)


 * Nancy Cline (Eagle Creek Junior High School secretary) (1)


 * Four Unnamed Paramedics (1)


 * Skullface (1)

Key Events

 * Michael asks Rachel to the upcoming school dance in order to avoid any future complications from an alleged secret admirer of his
 * Danielle plans to ask Michael to the dance before he and Rachel make plans to go together
 * Michael's description of a girl he likes leaves David to believe that Michael may have a crush on Danielle anyway
 * Mark is knocked unconscious when a baseball hit by Brandon strikes him square in the chest during a game of baseball during physical education class
 * Nicole and Melinda have a physical altercation that ends with Melinda pushing Nicole down a flight of stairs and knocking Nicole unconscious
 * Mark and Nicole are hospitalized as a result of their near-simultaneous-yet-unrelated injures
 * Melinda is suspended from school for the rest of the school year, while many others are concerned about what she could be capable of
 * A man in a skull mask seems to be targeting Nicole for some evil purposes

Cultural References

 * Days of Our Lives: Jamie compared Michael to the character of Bo Brady from Days of Our Lives while she and Rachel were discussing Rachel's crush on Michael.

Background & Trivia

 * As of August 2010, this installment is the earliest piece of Dreams to Reality material that still exists.
 * There is a fairly large continuity gap in that it appears at the beginning of the episode that Melinda's claim that Josh and Nicole had made love on their date happened fairly recently, as Jarrid was still upset about it, and Jack, Mandy, and Dustin were sympathetic about it with him, but Melinda's flashback later in the episode places these events seven months prior to the present situation near Nicole's birthday on Halloween 1999.
 * As with many other storylines that will be either completely changed or scrapped altogether in the 2010 reversion of the series, the plotline revolving Michael's secret admirer will not be carried over in the novel series, due to a different plan taken for both characters involved. That plotline, however, was an original storyline brought over from the series' earliest beginnings as a series of short novellas.
 * This episode is the only episode of the web series to take place entirely within the same general setting (Eagle Creek Junior High School), even though multiple different storylines were played out. All future episodes will feature multiple different settings.
 * The skull-masked man is visually based off of the mask worn by the killer in the "Terror Island" story arc of the 1997-1999 NBC soap opera Sunset Beach in January 1998.