Drawing the Line Part 1

[Noel is on the couch during an RA meeting.]
Noel: Okay, here’s my problem. There’s this guy on my floor who’s in love with this girl. He’s got a real connection with her. That’s what he tells me, but she keeps coming to him with problems about another guy.
Girl: Dude, he’s got the nice guy-friend thng.
Noel: Well, except that he swears there’s a spark there. There’s something there between him and this girl. He just can’t, I don’t know, make it happen somehow.
Girl: I’m sorry, uh, but this RA meeting is supposed to be about the new fire code.
Guy: Chill out. We’re allowed to share advisee horror stories.
Girl: I don’t get it. What’s the problem exactly?
Noel: This guy keeps coming to me about this girl, and he doesn’t know what to do, and I don’t know what to tell him.
Girl: He’s got to draw the line.
Noel: What?
Guy: Yeah, if there’s this guy who loves this girl, and all she’s doing is talking to him about another guy then he’s gotta draw the line.
Guy 2: Yeah, he’s gotta say to her, “I like you, but I don’t want to be your girlfriend. I don’t want to talk to you about this other guy anymore. So stop it. Stop talking to me about this other guy.”
Noel: He’s gotta draw the line.
Girl: Yeah, that’s kind of obvious.
Noel: Right.

[Inside Noel’s dorm room]
Felicity: So, I don’t know what to do. If what I did just destroyed whatever hope there was of us ever actually being anything, then I guess I have to live with that.
[Noel nervously taps his leg.]
Felicity: But before that whole paper thing happened, we were getting closer. I mean, we were developing something.
Noel: You and - - You and Ben?
Felicity: Yeah, I mean, I think there was this actual friendship starting which now, I just made the pendulum swing in the opposite direction.
[Felicity sighs.]
Noel: Uh, huh. [Not looking at Felicity.]
Felicity: Ben hates me now. He ignores me in class. He won’t even have a conversation with me.
[Music is playing in the background. There’s no greater story]
Noel: That’s – Yeah, that’s too bad.
Felicity: I know. So any advice would help even if it’s just “shut up.”
[Background music: We all play our part…]
[Felicity sighs]
[… Our story of love has yet to be told]
[Noel stands up.]
Noel: There’s, there’s something I gotta do.
[So tell me you’re mine, dear...]
Felicity: What?
[…to have and to hold]
[Noel sighs.]
Noel: I’ve—gotta draw…
Felicity: Draw what?
[so let’s start our story of love]
Noel: A comparison… between what you’re going through and something that –that happened to a friend of mine.
Felicity: Oh, tell me.
Noel: Um.. this is.. this is what I think. Okay, um.
[our story of love has yet to be told, so tell me you’re mine dear…]
Noel: Go to his apartment.
[..to have and hold…]
Noel: Say you left something there. And while you’re looking for whatever it is, you’ll have a little more chance for conversation.
[so let’s start our story of love…]
Felicity: Oh, okay. I see.
Noel: I’m sure that’s all you need.
[…so let’s start our story of…l-o-v-e]
[Felicity hugs Noel.]
Felicity: You are such a good friend. I cant’ stand it.
Noel: Yeah, me either.

[RA Meeting]
Noel: I told that kid to draw the line, right? But he, uh, he had some real difficulty doing that.
Everyone: Awww. Gosh.
Girl: No one ever said drawing the line was easy.
Girl: You need to tell this guy next time that girl goes to him—hard as it may be—“Draw the line and stick with it.”
Noel: [looks uncertain] Yeah, okay. I’ll tell him.

[Noel is in his dorm when he hears a knock.]
Noel: Come in.
Felicity: Are you busy?
Noel: Just working on my webpage.
Felicity: Your what?
Noel: My webpage—noelcrane.com
Felicity: Why do you have a webpage?
Noel: Why does anyone have a webpage? Too much free time, not enough friends—justify owning a computer.
[Chuckles]
Noel: What’s up?
Felicity: So, I went to Ben’s apartment.
Noel: Okay.
Felicity: It was horrible. I told him that I’d left a notebook there, but I’m pretty sure he knew I was making it up.
Noel: Yeah, uh, I—I have to stop you there. [holds up hand and stands up] Um…
Felicity: What?
Noel: I’m drawing the line.
Felicity: Wait. What?
Noel: Yeah, uh, I don’t..[sighs] I don’t want to talk about you and Ben anymore. I’m not going to be your girlfriend. [sits back down]
Felicity: Were you ever going to be my girlfriend?
Noel: I know it seems weird, and it may be selfish, but I don’t want to be that guy. You know, the one who always comes and talkes to you about tahat other guy.
Felicity: Really?
Noel: Yeah, that bugs the hell out of me. And that’s—that’s why I’m drawing the line.
Felicity: So um.. you and I can’t talk about Ben?
Noel: That’s right. Anything else, though, you know? Ben’s clothes. Just kidding. You understand, right?
[Felicity nods.]
Noel: Good.
[Felicity gets up to leave.]
Noel: Well, you don’t have to—you don’t have to leave.
Felicity: Oh, no. I know. Um, I—I just don’t want to cross the line.
Noel: Thank you.
Felicity: Mmm-hmm. I mean, I—I’ll just—I’ll tak to you later.
Noel: Okay.
Felicity: But not about Ben.