12x24 - Broken Boundaries

[bunniefuu]

[theme music playing]

[all cheer]

-[Arissa] This is the true story…
-[all] True story…

-[Frank] …of seven strangers…
-[Trishelle] …picked to live in a casino…

[Alton] …work together
and have their lives taped…

-[Brynn] …to find out what happens…
-[Steven] …when people stop being polite…

[Irulan] …and start getting real.

[all] The Real World: Las Vegas!

-[Arissa] Baby, yeah!
-[all laughing]

[upbeat music playing]

-Hi.
-Ooh!

[Irulan] Welcome to Vegas! [chuckles]

[Trishelle] Are you coming
to work tonight?

-I don't work tonight.
-[Trishelle] Ugh.

I care about Steven very, very much,
and he's a great friend to me,

but I'm very confused
about what our relationship means.

I sense that perhaps Steven

and Trishelle have some
unfinished business.

-How do you feel, honestly?
-I like him a lot.

-You do?
-Yeah.

I love Steven very much,
and I care about him very much,

but I don't know
if I wanna put myself in that position.

[tender music playing]

I thought that
I didn't have any feelings at all.

I thought that I could
just separate sex from caring,

and I have learned that I can't.

I think it's what everybody's
been saying all along,

you can't sleep with somebody that much

and not have
some sort of feelings for them.

-And…
-[Trishelle] Mm-hmm

I didn't think you gave a [bleep].

-I didn't. I didn't think I did.
-[chuckles]

[Steven] I thought I was cool.
I thought I was the iceman.

-Apparently I'm not.
-[laughs]

-The iceman. [laughs]
-Apparently I'm a big [bleep].

It's good to have it out in the open,
how we feel about each other.

-Are we still not gonna hook up again?
-[Steven chuckles] We'll just see.

I don't know, I don't know.

[Trishelle] Right now, we're just friends,
and it's kind of hard because…

Well, I've never really been like this
with a guy before, like,

um, always wanting to kiss him
and hug him and stuff and, um…

I don't know
what exactly the boundaries are.

-[dial tone ringing]
-[phone dialing]

[phone line ringing]

[pensive music playing]

[Gabe on voicemail] You've reached Gabe.
Leave me a message.

Hey, just calling to see what's up.
Give me a call when you get this.

I don't know
what the hell is going on with Gabe.

I have not been able to even really have
a full conversation with him

since everything
went down with Alton.

I can't get through
to him for the life of me,

and when he pages me,
he always gets off the phone

and says he has something to do.

[Brynn] Did you just talk to him?

-Huh?
-Did you just talk to him?

No, I got his voicemail.

We're not exactly broken up,
Gabe and I,

but we're also not exactly together.

[upbeat music playing]

I feel, like…
Like, I feel I'm really open with you.

I feel I'm really open with Arissa.

And I thought there was
an understanding between all the girls--

[Irulan] I'm not saying
that there is a beef.

I'm saying that I feel less close.

Like, it's not an issue to me.
It's not beef.

It's not drama. It's not anything.

It's just, like,
"Okay, this is the way it's gonna be."

Shutting down, for me, is just
sort of a defense mechanism.

I'm not gonna say
that I don't care deep down inside,

but I sort of have
to give off that impression.

I have a lot of feelings still for Irulan.

It sucks to be on when the girl
doesn't feel you the same way.

It sucks when that girl's casual
and you're all emotional.

She doesn't feel comfortable around me,
and I feel the vibe, and I feel it.

Sex isn't just nothing.
And it isn't. For me, it isn't.

Like, I can hook up
with mad girls and not care or whatever.

Honestly, but to me,
I was taught that sex is special.

You know, when you sleep
with all of Vegas,

you put yourself in the bird category.
Alton is a dirty bird.

I hate that [bleep],
and it really turns me off,

and it really makes me feel like,
"You know what? [bleep] you." Period.

-Cheers.
-[Irulan] Cheers to that?

[pensive music playing]

[Frank] Alton is really drunk.

One of the girls I was sitting with
reaches for a drink.

Alton drunkenly knocks her hand
into a few other cups

and spills them all over the table.

Will you stand up and grab me a drink?

-[Irulan] I'll stand…
-[Frank] Yeah, that's fine.

The girl's actually nice enough…

-What do you want?
-…to pay for Alton's drink.

A Jack and Coke.

Alton, smile, man. Relax, dude.

I don't like when girls--
I don't know that girl.

I don't respect her
for [bleep] a hole in the wall.

-No, it just sorta slipped.
-Yo, you're drunk, man. Forget about it.

-Like, have a good time.
-Well, I don't.

-She's getting you a drink right now.
-I don't know her.

She's getting-- She spilled a drink.

[Irulan] Alton drives me up a damn wall.

I think it's also the alcohol.

You know, sometimes
he's headed down a path of disaster,

like, getting into a fight with somebody,

and there's nothing
that I can do to stop it.

-I will knock you out right now.
-[Alton] If I spilled your drink, homie--

-If I'm being stubborn, we could dance.
-I understand but you gotta listen though.

If you want to represent
for her, we can dance.

Their friend doesn't like
the way I'm speaking to her

and says that I'm talking
to her like she's dirt.

[all arguing]

No, that's my roommate.
Do not…

Trishelle and Brynn,
of course, have my back

as far as a girl can go, like,

just basically trying to intervene
and mediate the whole situation.

But Frank, to me, I was just like, uh,

"You know, you're a chump. You sold out."

-Trying to represent your girl…
-Don't call her a piece of dirt.

Don't call her a piece of dirt.
She's not a piece of dirt.

-[Sara] Don't, seriously, don't.
-She is not a piece of dirt.

If there's one thing I'm understanding of,

it's acting like an idiot
when you're drunk.

I think that's a very forgivable offense,

but I was trying to get him
out of a situation,

and he was pulling me into one.

I'll talk to him.
We'll dance if he wants to dance.

So I just walked away.

[Alton] You want to go out
and have a little conversation?

[Sara's friend] Whatever you wanna do.

[Alton] I'm trying to have
an intelligent conversation

with you as man to man.

She wasn't disrespected.
If you feel disrespected…

She felt bad because she spilled my drink

and she didn't wanna stand up
to get my drink.

I don't know how you talk to people--
Let's go out and talk… Go out and talk.

Right now it's just me.
Let's just go out and talk.

[Sara's friend]
I don't know what the problem is.

[Alton] You know what? Let's dance.

It doesn't seem like that
right now to you.

I'm very nonconfrontational,
but I've been in more fights.

I'm not saying that I'm gonna
beat your a*s. I don't know you.

-[Sara's friend] Yeah, I know…
-[Alton] I know size doesn't matter.

I already know that.
So, size does not matter. Anyway…

Don't tell me I'm treating
no girl like dirt,

'cause I love my mom.
I don't treat girls like dirt.

-I would've been like, "Yo."
-[Sara's friend] Didn't handle it right.

[Alton] She didn't handle it.
But that's all I'm trying to let her know.

He's telling me how
he doesn't wanna do this, and I'm like,

"Well, whatever. I really don't want
to fight you either."

Let's go back in there.
Let's get some drink, homie,

-because on the real, I am not violent.
-[Sara's friend] Listen…

[pensive music playing]

[Alton] 'Cause I don't need--
I'm a one-man team.

I don't need anyone to stand up with me.
I don't need no one.

[Arissa] I know about being angry,

angry at circumstances
that he can't control.

Probably the same thing for Irulan.

I'm-- Man, Frank, not worried about.

He may be bigger. I think his punk a*s--

-[door opening]
-[suspenseful music playing]

I'm about to go in the house.

I think that there's definitely a side
to Alton that is really aggressive,

and it comes out
in a sort of destructive way.

If somebody was rolling up
on you, just be like,

"What's cracking, homie?"
I would've been right there with you.

I would not let you leave a casino

and, on the real,
the way you just shade

and turned your back
and, like, did whatever

and start rubbing your little
b*tch's hand…

I'm not even calling her a b*tch,
because I don't--

I mean, on the real,
I don't call females "b*tches" like that,

but the way you were rubbing
that b*tch's hand,

-which I didn't like.
-[Frank chuckles]

I didn't like her
'cause she spilled my drink.

It was the whole beginning.

I mean, it doesn't matter
that she spilled my drink,

because it was a drink
that was two dollars and fifty cents.

It doesn't matter to me.

You know, I have many more
two dollars and fifty cents,

and even if I don't,

I can call Mom and be like,
"Mom, guess what?"

-"I need two-fifty."
-[Irulan laughing]

"I need two dollars and fifty cents
or I'm gonna d--

-Can you hook it up?"
-[laughs] Oh, my.

She'll be like, "Yo, Alton,
here's two dollars and fifty cents."

I mean, it's no big deal to me.

So I don't expect you to say
you're gonna fight anybody for me.

I wouldn't let-- I would not allow

any of my friends
to be getting in any fight for me.

And then, if old boy
would have come out on me,

or out on you, I should say,

I would have been
like, "Homie, kick back."

"Let me let you know what just
happened right now."

"Old boy, my homie Frank
is drunk right now."

"No, he's drunk."

It just looks like his brain
is following his mouth.

It's not even about
who's gonna win or lose.

It's about… friendship.

-[clears throat]
-[Alton] You know what I'm saying?

[Frank] Can I say something real quick?

Um, I didn't know you felt this way,

-and, like, I--
-[Alton] Of course you wouldn't have.

-You wouldn't know for a year…
-Well, let me--

-…if I wouldn't have told you.
-This will be real quick.

Um, obviously, I let you down or whatever,
and I apologize for that.

I think we would have
a much better conversation

about this tomorrow
when you're 100% sober.

And I feel like tomorrow things,

you know, they're not gonna be
forgotten about,

but it'll be a lot easier
to talk about them.

Let's just do it then.

I'm over it. [clears throat]

Just done.

[lively music playing]

I honestly-- I don't think

I enjoy hanging out with you
when you're drunk.

When I get drunk, either I turn
into this horny, like, wild person,

or I turn into this belligerent jerk.

It's not even about, like,
I'm doing the wrong thing.

-It's just that my inhibitions are--
-[Frank] The wrong way.

Exactly.

Whatever.

I'm glad Alton can recognize he
was a [bleep] head when he was drunk

because maybe that means he'll make
an effort not to be such an a*s

when he's been drinking.

But actually, like, we went through
a little bit of adversity together.

-[chuckles]
-So I think we're cool, man.

[Alton] Definitely.

["Ready for Love" playing]

Today is Steven's birthday.

♪ I am ready for love ♪

♪ All of the joy and the pain ♪

♪ Tell me what is enough ♪

♪ To prove I am ready for love ♪

[laughs]

Steven always says that,

you know, he doesn't think birthdays
are a big deal or anything.

And I wanted
to do something special for him.

[mellow music playing]

[Trishelle] I took some pictures
that I knew that he would probably like,

and I made copies
of them and blew them up

and got some nice frames

and wrote a sweet little note
in the back of Steven and I-- our picture.

I love Steven, and I care about Steven,
and I want him to be with me,

and I don't want him
to be with anybody else.

[upbeat music playing]

Yeah.

Basically, you're like,
"No, I don't have feelings for you."

-And then you're like, "Maybe I do."
-I'm just confused, dude.

I don't think Steven knows
what the hell's going on in his head,

-and he gets all these, like…
-[laughs]

…flashes of feelings,

and then thinks
he should act on them,

-but isn't really sure why.
-In the past, like, whenever I do this,

I don't see the people ever again,
so it doesn't bother me.

Like, I never had feelings for 'em,

they're out of sight, out of mind.

[Frank] That's the issue you find, too,
when you sleep with your roommates, okay?

-[both laugh]
-I mean, sorry.

You should have thought
about that before this.

I'm not intentionally trying
to play with Trishelle's emotions

or anything like that, but I think I am.

So she has feelings for you,
and she, like, basically…

Trishelle would date you if you wanted to.

There's still, like, this emotional void
that was filled by my wife--

or my ex-wife, Christy,

and, um, I've dated
a lot of girls just to fill that void

in my life, just to have somebody there.

[phone line ringing]

[ringing continues]

[Gabe over phone] Hello?

-[Irulan] Hello.
-[Gabe] Yeah.

Haven't talked to you
too much in the past two weeks.

What's going on?

[Gabe] Yeah, I don't know. I've been,
you know, taking care of business.

Yeah, so, I mean, everything's
holding up well out there?

-You having a good time?
-Just living my life.

[Gabe] That's good. Have a good time.

Things feel really, really weird.
Like, I don't talk to you ever,

and, like, I don't have
any clue what's going on,

and I feel pretty much
like we're broken up

and maybe I might see you
when I get back to the city.

Things are changing,
and there's a million miles of distance

between us,
and not just, like, physical space.

For now, he's not present.

[Gabe] I mean, you have a different life
out there right now, you know?

So, I guess while you're out there,
like, you know, what's the difference?

[Irulan] He doesn't wanna talk to me.

How can you say that you're with somebody

who doesn't even wanna be
a part of your life?

-[Gabe] I'll call you soon, all right?
-Well, don't do me any favors.

-[Gabe] Be good. Take care of yourself.
-You too.

[violin playing]

[Irulan grunts]

I'm not interested in having
just, like, casual conversations

about the weather or whatever, you know?

He's just like,
"Well, just live your life."

I'm like, "I am living my life.
Like, don't worry about me."

And I'm just like, "Okay."

So that's that. I don't think
I'll be talking to him again. [sighs]

You know, it doesn't even
sound like he misses me.

Like, his voice just sounds so cold.

[Brynn] So now you just have
the rest of the time here

to just forget about it and do whatever,

and when you get home, take it from there.

Changes everything.

[melancholic music playing]

Gabe and Irulan aren't together anymore.

I have to just be straightforward,
stop beating around the bush,

and let her know how I feel.

[mellow music playing]

[Steven] Oh, my God!

[chuckles]

♪ I think your love… ♪

Makes me so happy.

Oh, my God.

-[Trishelle] I got you a present.
-[chuckles]

That's the kind of gifts I like.

Thank you so much. [kisses]

-[Trishelle] You're welcome, sweetie.
-[Steven] Oh, my God.

Steven likes gushy stuff.
I know he does. [laughs]

♪ Maybe you will get close to me ♪

♪ Di-dee ♪

["Outtathaway" playing]

[all cheer]

My birthday rocks.

-Let's get drunk!
-♪ Well, I'm… allowed! ♪

[Trishelle] Steven is just so precious.

I just care about him a lot.

Now let's get drunk!

♪ Yeah! ♪

Alcohol… I think just alcohol
makes me horny.

["Desire" playing]

Oh, my God. [laughs]

♪ People, people ♪

♪ Desire, desire ♪

♪ People desire, oh, desire ♪

♪ Desire, desire ♪

Oh, no. [laughs]

[glass cups clattering]

[mellow music playing]

[Brynn] Steven can deny his feelings
for Trishelle all that he wants,

but Steven really cares about Trishelle.

[indistinct whispering]

[Trishelle]

[Steven]

Steven and I both kind of tell each other
that we love each other

and that we maybe want to date.

I can't escape it while we live
one door away from each other.

[tender music playing]

[Irulan exhales deeply]

It's so good, like,
sitting out and talking with you

and drinking with you
and feeling good with it.

Alton says to me,
"Do you think that you want things

to go back to us being together?"

And I'm sort of just,
like, "Yes, but no, but yes."

I don't wanna make
the same mistake twice. I don't.

You don't know if it's the right choice
until-- unless you make it.

I love you, Irulan.

[sighs deeply] I can just breathe
and be like, "I love her."

-[chuckles] There hasn't been--
-[chuckles] All right, I guess…

-I guess that's the answer. I guess…
-[Alton] There hasn't been construction…

[Irulan] I'm tired of fighting it.
I'm tired of pretending like I don't care.

I love Alton. [laughs] I do.

♪ I want to treat you
Like you want to be treated ♪

I know that Alton is a dirty bird,

but, like, I don't care.
Because I want to be with him.

♪ I want to see you
As you want to be seen, yeah ♪

It very well may end up horribly.

♪ When you're holdin' on ♪

♪ Go ♪

[soft music playing]

Alton and I sort of had a talk last night.

I just didn't want
to continue denying that, like,

it didn't matter to me
or I didn't care, because I did care.

There's really nothing holding
Irulan and Alton back

now that Gabe's out of the picture.

Roommates hooking up, like,
is a potentially very bad idea

because it can end up…

And it affects everybody
in the house.

I don't think
it's been bad for you and Trishelle.

[Steven] No, it's been fine.

[Irulan] I think you guys have…

-something special.
-[Steven chuckles]

[Irulan] Perhaps there's more
to the story with you and Trishelle.

I watch you guys,

and I kind of see the way
that you look at one another.

And I wonder
if maybe you guys didn't stumble upon

something in your quest to just sort of…

-[Steven] I didn't think that--
-…be friends and be physical.

Well, I didn't think
that I had any feelings for her

other than friendship,
but keep feeling like,

"Man, I guess I-- Maybe I do have some."
I'm just confused.

She's a beautiful girl.
She's a sweet girl.

She's great in bed, but I need more.

I need more out of a woman.

I don't know if that's right or wrong,
but that's just how I feel…

Sometimes I think
that they're just using each other

for the physical chemistry that they have,

and sometimes I think
that the two of them are in love.

I just can't call it.

I don't know.

I really don't know.

[music concludes]