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by Michael Thomas Cooper (mtcdrummer5@hotmail.com)

Rated:

Genre: Drama User Review:

The coming of age story of four high school students on spiraling journey with an intertwined fate. The central character of the story is Gavin Barry, a seemingly bland and unchallenged high school senior who is beginning to follow the path of life selected for him by a society he doesn't understand. On the other side of the story is Brian Kaneally, a teen who has it all: popularity, friends, and a future. Yet Brian wants out.

FADE IN:

INT. BRIAN'S CAR - NIGHT

FIGURE (O.S.)
I'm not Gavin. I'm not Ethan. I'm
your future, and we've already
decided what to do.

FADE IN on Brian Kaneally.

He sits alone in the driver's seat.

From a LOW ANGLE, we see his car speed down the empty road.

SERIES OF SHOTS:

Brian's tense, crazy expression. The tears coming down his
eyes.

The speedometer, reading damn near 100 miles an hour.

Brian's grip on the wheel.

FROM AROUND A CORNER, we see headlights. But Brian isn't
looking to avoid them.

We see the lights flash almost directly in our sight.

We hear tires screech, and a horn...

BUT WE CUT TO BLACK.

INT. GAVIN'S ROOM - DAY

The electronic alarm clock sits on a night stand; perched on
the top, paging away. Announcing the arrival of a new
morning. A hand creeps through the air and TURNS OFF the
alarm and it suddenly goes quiet.

BEAT.

PAN OVER to find Gavin in bed, waking up.

HIGH ANGLE of Gavin resting there for a minute, then
climbing out from under the covers. He stands up and
stretches.

GAVIN (V.O.)
Gavin Barry was probably the most
conflicted person you'll ever
meet.

Gavin crosses the room, picks up a bottle of LOTION, and
walks out.

INT. GAVIN'S BATHROOM - DAY

The sink runs. He wets his hands and carefully fixes his
hair, all the while studying himself in the mirror.

GAVIN (V.O.)
He was the kind of personality
that goes to bed and wakes up
every morning thinking, 'I hope I
get run over today.'

He's finished. After he stares at himself for a moment, he
dries his hands on a towel and moves on.

CUT TO:

INT. GAVIN'S ROOM - DAY

SHOT OF:

Gavin's new, loaded up backpack - his brown paper lunch bag
sitting next to it.

Gavin's clothes for the rest of the week, laid out and
hanging up. They look like they've been pressed.

His neat desk, with a change plate.

Gavin sits down, watching TV. Clearly, waiting. Impatient;
maybe nervous.

GAVIN (V.O.)
Here he sits. Watching TV, waiting
for his ride. Morally bankrupt.
Devoid of any sovereignty of mind.
He wishes he could say he was that
interesting, but... he's not. And
he would say he's sorry, but,
again... he's not.

From outside, we hear a horn HONK.

He picks up his backpack and leaves frame.

INT. JILL'S BATHROOM - DAY

Gavin stands in the doorway, wearing his backpack. In the
bathroom in front of him is his mother JILL BARRY, putting
on her make-up in the mirror. She's listening to the RADIO.

GAVIN
Mom?

She doesn't hear him.

GAVIN
Mom!

She turns to face him.

GAVIN
Tracy's here. I'm going to school.

JILL
Okay, honey. Have a good day.

Emotionless, Gavin steps out of focus. Jill continues to put
her make-up on.

EXT. GAVIN'S DRIVE WAY - DAY

Gavin walks out the front door of his house and down the
sidewalk.

GAVIN (V.O.)
Ah. Tracy. He'd only managed to
keep two friends this long.

OVER-THE-SHOULDER OF TRACY IN HER CAR: Gavin comes walking
out the front door of his house towards a CAR in the drive
way. He crosses in front of the car to the passenger door.
Pan around as he opens the back passenger door, throws his
backpack in, and climbs in through the front passenger door.

TRACY
Hey kiddo.

He looks at her as if to say, "Go to hell."

GAVIN
This is one of those mornings
where it seems like your bed is
your best friend, and to leave it
means to betray it.

TRACY
(starting engine)
It sounds like you're going to
have a great day.

GAVIN (V.O.)
Yeah, I'll have a great day. A
spectacular first day of school.
I'll be especially great when I
hang from the ceiling fan.

EXT. HIGH SCHOOL - DAY

A SERIES OF SHOTS:

The high school main building looming in front of us.

Kids lingering around the courtyard in the early morning
sun.

The busy parking lot.

We hear the SCHOOL BELL RINGING.

CUT TO:

INT. CLASS ROOM - HIGH SCHOOL - DAY

TRACK down the aisle of the classroom. We see the same shirt
twice. All of the clothes are similiar if not the same.

INTERCOM VOICE
Welcome back to school, students!
We in the administration are
excited to begin a new school year
with you all. First off, I'd like
to announce a new addition to our
student handbook that you should
pay special attention to...

TIGHT SHOT on Gavin. He zones out, and the Intercom Voice in
the background drifts away.

GAVIN'S POV: the students surrounding him. One of them is
Carrie Barns.

The teacher begins calls attention.

TEACHER
I will begin calling roll and then
we'll get started with AP
(MORE)

TEACHER (cont'd)
Chemistry, okay? Great.

BEAT

Carrie Barns?

A hand raises. He looks at her. She's barely dressed.

TEACHER
Worried about your tan lines
today, dear?

She shrugs. Turns red. Someone chuckles.

TEACHER
I'll go easy on you since it's the
first day of school, but for
tomorrow and every day after you
might need to see the Vice
Principle to see if we can't put
some more clothes on you.

Someone clears their throat. Sighs heavily. Teacher
continues.

GAVIN (V.O.)
Gavin wondered which corner she
worked at.

TEACHER
Barry, Gavin?

GAVIN
That's me. Barry, comma, Gavin.

Teacher smiles at him, maybe a fan of dry humor.

CUT TO:

INT. HALLWAY - HIGH SCHOOL - DAY

FOLLOW Brian as he walks down the hall with ANOTHER STUDENT,
class schedule in hand. He comes to an open door, looks at
the ROOM NUMBER above to make sure he's right, and enters.

INT. CLASS ROOM - HIGH SCHOOL - DAY

This is Gavin's class room. Teacher looks up over his
shoulder.

TEACHER
Can I help you gentlemen?

Gavin perks up.

BRIAN
Yeah, are you Mr. Mills?

TEACHER
Yes I am. I hope you guys will be
on time tomorrow.

(face straightens)

In the real world, you know, you
might lose your job for being
late.

Gavin rolls his eyes.

BRIAN
I'm sorry, sir. We will be. We
just couldn't find the classroom.

TEACHER
Well, come on in then.

(to Brian)

You are...?

BRIAN
Brian Kaneally.

Teacher CHECKS him off his list.

TEACHER
Okay sir, you're on the third row,
third seat.

Brian nods, smiles, and we LEAD HIM towards his seat with
the slow hesitation that anyone has on the first day of
school.

Gavin watches Brian, but his eyes move away when Brian takes
the empty seat next to him.

THE BELL RINGS.

CUT TO:

INT. HALLWAY - HIGH SCHOOL - DAY

BLACK. Then a door OPENS and we realize we're inside Tracy's
locker, facing her.

CUT TO OUTSIDE SHOT. Gavin is standing next to her.

GAVIN
We spent most of the class
'getting to know each other'. I
know just about everyone in that
class.

TRACY
Ha. I'm sorry.

GAVIN
Me too. I've done that little
"Getting to Know You" paper for
the past three fucking years in a
row. I can tell you EXACTLY who's
been to Hawaii and who's met a
celebrity.

TRACY
So what's your next class?

GAVIN
Weight training, but I've got to
get out of it. They screwed up my
schedule and now I'm in it, but I
didn't even sign up for it. Where
are you off to?

TRACY
Acting Styles & Directing.

GAVIN
(fakely enthused)
Neat.

INT. COUNSELING OFFICE - HIGH SCHOOL - DAY

Gavin walks into the counseling office to the secretary's
desk. The SECRETARY looks up at him from her work.

GAVIN
Hi. I'd like to pick up a schedule
change form?

She indifferently points at a stack of papers on a table
near the door.

GAVIN
Ah. Thank you.

She smiles - a fake smile.

GAVIN (V.O.)
All kids are trouble makers.

The BELL RINGS.

CUT TO:

INT. HIGH SCHOOL GYM - DAY

A class of guys in gym shorts sit on the floor waiting for
the teacher, COACH FROST. He walks in and begins his
orientation.

COACH FROST
Gentlemen, welcome to my weight
training class. If your schedule
doesn't say WEIGHT TRAINING with
HARVEY FROST, then you're in the
wrong class. Everybody here?

Silence.

SHOT OF GAVIN, looking so bored that it isn't even funny.

COACH FROST
Okay. Well, I'll go ahead and call
roll. When you hear your name,
raise your hand. I'm sorry if I
butcher it, I'll get to know you
later on.

(pause to read)

Dustin Abernathy?

Hang raises. A hand in the middle of an ant hill.

TEACHER
Gavin Barry?

He raises his hand.

Coach Frost continues reading. Gavin looks around the room
at the guys in the class.

GAVIN (V.O.)
There were the jocks, with their
tight muscle shirts drawing
attention to their
carved-out-of-wood torsoes.

CUT TO: lunch time. Gavin is telling this story to Tracy,
who sits across from him, sipping on a drink, giggling at
him.

GAVIN
There were the gang members.
You're afraid to piss one of them
off because they'll get their gang
together and cut your balls off.
If they talk to you, you laugh at
their jokes.

CUT BACK TO: Gavin sitting in the gym.

SHOTS of the kids sitting in different spots around the
room.

GAVIN (V.O.)
There were even the kids that
looked like Gavin. They didn't
want to be there, and they would
make damn sure to get out before
they had to commit to any kind of
physical activity.

COACH FROST
Brian Kaneally?

Gavin's ears perk. He looks over to see a hand raise in the
middle of the sea of jocks, stoners, and gang bangers.

TRACY (O.S. V.O.)
So did you change out of the
class?

Shot of Gavin crumbling the schedule change form in his
hand.

GAVIN (O.S. V.O.)
No.

CUT TO:

EXT. HIGH SCHOOL COURTYARD - DAY

Tracy looks at him inquisitively.

10.

TRACY
Why not?

He pauses before answering.

GAVIN
And then there's me. I don't have
a real group. You're my only
friend. Nobody really knows who I
am. I almost prefer it that way.

TRACY
You dress like you want people to
know who you are.

GAVIN
That doesn't make me one of them.
I don't do drugs and fuck and
fight, so I'm not one of them.
It's almost a given that every one
of them is into something. I would
come to school tomorrow wearing
all black if I wanted.

TRACY
(raising eyebrows)
Okay, I dare you to come to school
wearing all black. Tomorrow. No
wait, I double-dog dare you.

GAVIN
Find one of them that isn't a fake
little asshole and I'll pay you my
life savings.

Tracy kind of chuckles.

GAVIN
They're not that much, anyway.

TRACY
A little bitter there, don't you
think?

GAVIN
It was Carrie Barns that pissed me
off earlier. She was talking about
some girl she's not even friends
with dating a skater. A guy with
darker clothes, a wilder
hairstyle. I mean, seriously, who
gives a shit?

11.

Beat.

GAVIN
Anyway, how's your day going so
far?

TRACY
Good. Except, all my classes are
packed. Even more than last year.
Stupid budget cuts for the
football team. There's something
like thirty five kids in all of my
classes, or close.

GAVIN
That's what you get for taking
regular classes.

TRACY
We can't all be child prodigies.

Gavin smirks.

INT. CLASS ROOM - HIGH SCHOOL - DAY

Gavin sits at his desk in the middle of a classroom, clearly
trying not to fall asleep. He looks up at the CLOCK.

The teacher is standing at the head of the class.

TEACHER
I'd like to start us off with
passing out these nifty little
quizes...

He perks.

TEACHER (cont'd)
...to get you guys comfortable
with each other. If you don't know
anyone in here, then it's great
for you. You'll get to learn a
little more about your fellow
classmates.

He passes papers down the rows.

TEACHER
Now, you guys will have three
minutes. There's no reason why you
shouldn't get an answer for
everyone in the class. Now go.

12.

Gavin puts his head down.

INT. TRACY'S CAR - DAY

Tracy is driving Gavin home.

TRACY
My first day of Algebra II, and
already we have a study guide
that's due next Monday for a test
that's on Tuesday.

Gavin shrugs.

TRACY
So can you believe this crap about
having to wear I.D.s on lanyards
all the time? There's no way that
they will be able to enforce that
all the time...

He tunes her out.

INT. GAVIN'S KITCHEN - NIGHT

Gavin is sitting at the counter doing his homework. Jill
Barry comes into camera in the background as if she's just
gotten home.

JILL
Hey honey, how was your day?

GAVIN
Ummm. It was alright. How was
yours?

JILL
Ahh, it was okay. I've been doing
a lot of research on the waste
disposal systems out in the west
part of town for Mr. Dormer.

GAVIN
You know. I find it.. oddly funny,
that for the amount of money they
make, lawyers can't do their own
research.

Jill shrugs. She pours herself a drink.

13.

JILL
It's how we can still live in this
house and pay the bills, kiddo. So
talk to me about your day. How's
class?

GAVIN
(sarcastically)
Funner than a barrel of monkeys!

With somewhat of a hurt look on her face, she resigns and
leaves the room.

CUT TO:

INT. GAVIN'S LIVING ROOM - NIGHT

Jill is sitting in her chair in front of the television
knitting.

IN THE BACKGROUND, Gavin crosses quietly... stops to peer
in... and goes up the staircase.

INT. TRACY'S CAR - DAY

Tracy is driving Gavin to school.

GAVIN
I don't mean to talk to her the
way I do, most of the time. I
really don't. She's all I have,
but.. well, most of the time
anyway, there's a huge distance
between us. A huge gap.

TRACY
So, don't let it fill up. Do what
you have to do to fix it.

GAVIN
That's the thing, though. I don't
want her to know the kind of
person I am.

She raises an eyebrow.

TRACY
What kind of person is that?

He studies her for a moment.

14.

GAVIN
I'm not the kid she raised.

(pause)

TRACY!

She turns to face the road in front of her. Her eyes blow
up. She gasps.

With a THUD, we see a quick cut from Gavin's hand grabbing
the passenger handle to the cups in her cup holder shaking
violently.

She's rear-ended the car in front of her.

TRACY
Oh my God! What do I do now?

GAVIN
Follow him into the parking lot.
Or run, so we can be chased down.
Sound like fun?

TRACY
My parents are going to fucking
kill me!

The car in front of her parks in a spot in an almost empty
parking lot, and she parks next to it.

GAVIN
Take it easy, love. They'll be
okay eventually.

(light chuckle, grabs hand)

Just take a deep breath. It'll be
okay. Just get out and talk to
this guy. He goes to our school.
He's our age. C'mon. It'll be
okay.

He smiles re-assuringly. In her hyperventalated tears, she
smiles back. During this time, the driver of the car that
she rear-ended.

Tracy opens the door and steps out of the car to meet ETHAN
BLACK. Ethan is a seventeen year old high school student.
Average-looking. He's not too upset, it appears. He
understands her panic.

15.

ETHAN
Just one of those mornings, huh?

(offering his hand)

I'm Ethan Black.

She hesitantly accepts, partly due to shock.

TRACY
Tracy Harrison.

ETHAN
The damage isn't very bad. A dent,
but not a bad one. What do you
want to do about this?

            GAVIN
      (appearing behind
       Tracy)
We won't tell if you won't.

ETHAN
Yeah... I don't think that's going
to work. I don't think we really
ought to tell our insurance people
about it. That'll be hell.

(scrambling in pocket. pulls out
piece of paper.)

Here, I'll give you my number.
Call me this aftenroon or tonight,
and we'll figure something out. Is
that okay with you, Tracy?

TRACY
(still in shock)
Umm. That's fine.

ETHAN
Okay. Are you alright?

TRACY
Umm. Yeah. Sorry, yeah. I'm okay.
I'm good. No injuries.

He looks at her funny. "No injuries"? What the fuck?

ETHAN
Okay...

(pause)
(MORE)

16.

ETHAN (cont'd)

Well, I'm sorry that we have to
meet like this. I'll call you
tonight and we'll figure out what
to do. Good?

TRACY
(lightly)
Uh huh.

ETHAN
Okay.

Ethan moves away, climbs back into his car.

Tracy looks at Gavin:

TRACY
This would've been worse if I
wasn't on codine.

He looks right back at her, horrified.

INT. HIGH SCHOOL GYM - DAY

The class is sitting on the gym floor again in the weight
training class. Coach Frost, the teacher, stands at the
front of the class.

COACH FROST
Okay guys, I've set you up with
your spotters. You'll be with
someone close to your size. Today
we actually get to start. Now, I'm
going to call you and your
partner's name, and when you're
paired, you can go ahead and go
into the weight room but wait for
instruction.

Gavin looks excited. Not.

COACH FROST
Okay, Abernathy. You're with
Lovette. Barry. You're with...

Gavin looks at Brian.

COACH FROST
Marshall Kelly.

His head falls. He didn't say, "Brian Kannealy". He said...

17.

GAVIN (V.O.)
Oh, yes. Marshall Kelly. Your
token jock. This would be lots of
fun.

He turns his head back and MARSHALL KELLY, a kid matching
Gavin's exact description, nods towards him. Gavin turns
back to us with a look of utter dissatisfaction.

CUT TO: Brian, looking at him from across the room. Making
eye contact, but he looks away suddenly.

EXT. HIGH SCHOOL COURTYARD - DAY

Gavin is eating lunch with Tracy.

GAVIN
How do you handcuff a one-armed
man?

TRACY
Handcuff your arm to his only arm.
Or go for the legs.

(pause)

Or handcuff his arm to one of his
legs. That could work. He wouldn't
be able to walk very fast.

GAVIN
You could always run over him.

Tracy grins. A tired, depressing grin.

GAVIN
So what is going to go on with
this guy, Ethan? You're just going
to pay for the damage yourself?

TRACY
I can. I'd like to pay for it with
the money from my garage band
fund. No one in my family will
notice THAT gone. If he'll go for
it, I think that's what I want to
do.

GAVIN
Well, I hope that works.

18.

A GUY comes into frame and stands above them. He's carrying
a clip board.

GUY
Hey guys, what's up?

They start to kind of say, "nothing much" - but get cut off.

GUY
Can I ask you guys a question?

Gavin looks to Tracy. Looks back at Guy. Shrugs.

GAVIN
Sure.

GUY
Do you believe in premerital sex?

Gavin's face blows up a little - surprised by the bluntness
of the question.

GAVIN
Umm... sure, why not? If you want
to have sex, then go ahead and do
it. I don't care.

GUY
(frowning)
Well, just so you don't feel bad..
a lot of people in this day do.

GAVIN
Why are you asking us something
like that? What does it matter?

GUY
I was going to ask you to join our
fellowship group.

GAVIN
But you're not going to now?

GUY
No. Sorry. Thanks for your time.

Guy walks away. Gavin turns his attention back to Tracy with
a look of half satisfaction.

19.

INT. GAVIN'S KITCHEN - NIGHT

Dinner time. Gavin is sitting across from Jill at the dinner
table. They're eating in silence.

Beat.

JILL
So what classes are you taking
this year?

GAVIN
AP Latin. Pre-Cal/Trig. A lot of
the usual AP stuff, remember?

JILL
I know. I'm glad for you.

(beat)

You know I'm interested.

GAVIN
Yeah, I know.

(beat)

You don't have to work so hard,
Mom.

She doesn't respond.

GAVIN
Tell me something about Dad.

She looks up from her meal, startled but paying attention
and ready to answer.

GAVIN
What did he want to be when he was
my age?

JILL
A pilot. He wanted to a commercial
pilot. He was very interested in
aeronautics and flying. That's
what he wanted to go back to
before he died.

GAVIN
How did the whole lawyer thing
come up, then?

20.

JILL
Well, you're not always sure what
you're going to be paid when
you're a pilot. He had a fairly
easy time getting into school. He
had your brain. Supporting us
would be a lot more secure. And he
liked helping people.

GAVIN
I'm not so sure I could have
abandoned my dream, even if I had
a family.

JILL
You'll understand when you have
kids.

GAVIN
What if I don't have kids?

Jill looks across the table at him. Gavin looks down,
somewhat uncomfortably.

INT. GAVIN'S BEDROOM - NIGHT

Gavin's laying in bed, in very dim light.

GAVIN (V.O.)
At night, Gavin thought of new
ways to start over and make more
friends. Maybe new friends. He
wanted to be popular.

INT. ETHAN'S HOUSE - NIGHT

Ethan is laying on a couch in the relative dark, talking on
the phone.

ETHAN
I worry about you.

PHONE VOICE
(clearly a male)
Yeah, well. You shouldn't. I don't
need you to. I'm not your problem.

Beat.

21.

ETHAN
I still care about you. Maybe, I
always will. And I care about you
now, and then, and every second
inbetween.

PHONE VOICE
Why do I still call you?

ETHAN
I don't know. Because we had
something.

PHONE VOICE
Yeah. We did. But not anymore,
Ace. We just don't work. I
couldn't make it work.

ETHAN
So the life you live now - that
works for you? Being careless and
irresponsible? You walk through
your life dead, with pieces of all
the things you really cared about
around your feet.

PHONE VOICE
What do you want from me?

ETHAN
I don't know. I don't know what I
expect from you. Somehow, though,
I can't free myself of you. I've
tried. I've tried, and I've
failed.

(beat)

You can't tell me there's nothing
there.

PHONE VOICE
I'm sorry. But look... my sleeping
pills are starting to kick in. I'd
better go before you have a
sleeping corpse on the other end.

ETHAN
Can I call you tomorrow?

PHONE VOICE
Sure. I'll be around.

22.

ETHAN
Okay. I---

Good night.

PHONE VOICE
Good night, Ace.

We hear the phone line CLICK.

Ethan puts the phone down and lays his head back, his eyes
showing us that he's lost inside.

FADE OUT/IN ON:

INT. BRIAN'S BEDROOM - NIGHT

Brian is laying in bed, asleep. We sit next to him, until a
light turns on.

Brian groggily wakes up, his eyes squinting. He sits up in
bed.

BRIAN
You--

FAST PAN over to A FIGURE sitting in a chair across the room
from him. We can't see a face or recognize a shape - the
lighting is at his feet.

FIGURE
I thought I'd pay you a visit.
You're doing a pretty good job in
the pursuit of fucking up your
life.

BRIAN
Fucking up my life? What would you
know about that?

FIGURE
You mean, the fuckees from this
weekend? Stop me when I get to
close to home.

BRIAN
You're a lousy little shit. You
couldn't understand--

23.

FIGURE
Try me. I'd like to understand
what's going on behind those
despondent eyes.

BRIAN
We were close. Maybe... too close
for comfort.

FIGURE
Are you so sure that's it?

BRIAN
Then you tell me what to do.

Beat.

FIGURE
It's time to wake up.

CUT TO:

TIGHT SHOT: Brian's face. The morning sunlight is on him.

Clearly, what we just saw was a dream.

He looks at the clock: 7:02.

He explodes, throwing over the the sheets and jumping out of
bed.

BRIAN
Fuck! I'm late!

FREEZE FRAME: Brian jumping out of bed.

BRIAN (V.O.)
Brian Kaneally is probably the
most paralyzed person you'll ever
meet.

INT. BRIAN'S CAR - DAY

BRIAN (V.O.)
This is the way the day begins for
him. Day after day... after day.

Brian is behind the wheel, driving; an almost dead
expression. His cell phone rings. He answers:

BRIAN
Hello?

24.

CUT TO SHOT OF HILLARY RYAN IN HIGH SCHOOL COURTARD:

HILLARY
Where are you? We're all here in
the courtyard.

CUT BACK TO BRIAN IN CAR:

BRIAN
I.. ehh.. overslept.

HILLARY (V.O.)
(filtered)
Well, hurry your ass up and get
here.

He hangs up on her. Drops the phone on the seat. It lands
next to his school I.D. lanyard and a pack of cigerettes.

BRIAN (V.O.)
Look at this guy. Look at him and
try to find something stable.

SHOT OF HIS CAR SPEEDING DOWN STREET.

CUT TO:

INT. HIGH SCHOOL COURTYARD - DAY

Brian, backpack on his shoulder, walking.

BRIAN (V.O.)
You wake up at the crack of dawn,
you try to make yourself look good
for anyone who cares to notice,
and this is what you get.

MARSHALL
What up, dawg?

He approaches Marshall Kelly and his group of friends, who
does some kind of homie handshake with him.

INT. CLASSROOM - DAY

Brian is sitting in his desk in class, staring into the
galaxy of nothing. Then, he focuses, looking at a desk in
front of him.

He sees Gavin.

25.

BRIAN (V.O.)
Sometimes you wonder... what would
your own life look like from far
away?

CUT TO:

Gavin, sitting at his desk, doing his classwork.

BECKY HARRIS, a pretty and intelligent-seeming girl, leans
across the aisle to get Gavin's attention.

BECKY
Hey.. Gavin? Is that your name?
Can you help me with this real
quick?

GAVIN
(smiling)
Sure, what can I help you with?

BECKY
Do you know what the answer is?

            GAVIN
      (looking at her
       paper)
Yeah, for number seven? That was a
hard one. It's genotype.

BECKY
Thanks.

He shifts over, hoping maybe he can get a new friend out of
this.

GAVIN
Is there anything else I can help
you with?

BECKY
Umm. No. Thanks.

EXT. HIGH SCHOOL CAMPUS - DAY

The weight training class is jogging across the campus.
Gavin is jogging next to his spotter, Marshall Kelly.

26.

MARSHALL
...and so I was like, you know,
"Bitch! What the hell is wrong
with you?", you know what I'm
sayin'?

GAVIN
(deadpan)
Yeah. I know.

MARSHALL
I so wanted to hit her. She's
supposed to want it. It's like,
that's her sole purpose on this
planet.

GAVIN
Maybe she just isn't ready yet.
Not everyone messes around. Maybe
she just doesn't want to.

MARSHALL
Only a fag doesn't.

EXT. HIGH SCHOOL COURTYARD - DAY

Brian is sitting with his regular group of jock friends.

BRIAN'S POV: Silence. No talking, though the camera is
showing us laughter and loud chitchat. Teasing. Looks of fun
and satire. A girl hiding a pack of cigerettes in her
backpack and looking over her shoulder carefully. A couple
cuddling.

BRIAN (V.O.)
There's something about this
life... in the booze, or the weed.
Something's wrong here. I want
out. I want to escape from these
instruments. I want to, but I
don't know how.

The sound slowly creeps back in. Brandon Street is standing
over him. Brian comes to.

BRANDON
Brian. You there, man?

Brian chuckles, looks up at him, then notices someone
walking in the foreground. He focuses.

27.

BRIAN'S POV: Ethan Black is walking in front of him. They
make eye contact for a brief moment.

INT. BRIAN'S HOUSE - DAY

The front door opens, and we watch Brian walk into an
expansive but desolate house.

OVER-THE-SHOULDER SHOT: We follow him through the different
rooms.

Up the stairs.

Into his room. He drops his back-back on the floor.

BRIAN
Brian's parents - no, wait, father
and stepmother - were rarely
around at the same time he was.
Currently they were vacationing in
the Big Apple. Brian was alone.

He looks around. Something's on his shoulders. Nervous
energy?

INT. NEIGHBORHOOD TRACK - DAY

Brian is running furiously, his feet pounding loudly on the
concrete of the overgrown retention pond. Heavy breathing.
His hair all over the place.

The camera is moving as widely ranged and crazy as he is. He
doesn't know where he's running. Neither do we. He doesn't
know why. Neither do we. He's almost out of control, though.

Brian STOPS and leans on an old wooden fence to keep his
balance. Out of breath, he blinks and stops to stare at the
ground.

BRIAN'S POV: The grass, out of focus.

TIGHT on Brian's raging eyes.

BRIAN'S POV: Grass, in focus.

INT. BRIAN'S BEDROOM - NIGHT

SLOW PAN to find Brian laying on his bed, talking on the
phone. He's talking to his father, THOMAS KENEALLY.

28.

THOMAS (filtered V.O.)
So son, how was school?

BRIAN
It was okay. Nothing special. Just
orientation in all of my classes.
I'm taking a few advanced classes
this year - hopefully it will put
my long-term GPA up a little and
give me some credibility when next
fall comes around.

THOMAS (filtered V.O.)
That's good, son. Your Mom and I
are having a great time here in
New York. We just got in this
afternoon. It would have been
great to have you fly in with us.

BRIAN
She's not my "Mom", Thomas. And it
would have been real great of you
to fly me in, wouldn't it? Too bad
you just thought of that.

THOMAS (filtered V.O.)
Well, regardless of that son,
you'll have to get used to her as
that.

BRIAN
Yeah, because it's not like Mom is
actually still alive and living in
Denver. I think I'll stick to the
real thing than the cheap
substitute.

THOMAS (filtered V.O.)
Show a little more respect for
her, son. She's at least your
stepmother. If nothing else,
respect her because she's my wife.

BRIAN
I guess anyone who assumes
credibility with fake boobs as big
as hers IS to be rewarded with
some respect.

            THOMAS (filtered V.O.)
      (sighing)
Well, son... I just called to
check up on you, and see how your
            (MORE)

29.

THOMAS (cont'd)
day went. Now that I've done that,
I guess I'll let you be. You get a
good night's rest and have a good
day tomorrow.

BRIAN
(calming down)
You too... Dad.

We hear the other line CLICK.

FADE OUT.

Brian is tossing and turning in the dark, uncomfortable in
his bed.

CUT TO: Shot of the faceless Dream Figure watching him.

FIGURE
You need to breathe again.

CUT TO:

EXT. PARK - DAY

Gavin is walking alongside Tracy in the post-school
afternoon.

GAVIN
So what, is this codine left over
from yesterday or something?

TRACY
Yeah, it is. I found it in my
parents' bathroom. They're
completely stoners.

GAVIN
Are you serious? "Just call me
Mom"'s a stoner? As in, they take
pills and--

TRACY
--smoke pot. Yes. I'm not even
kidding. It's really wierd getting
high with your parents, too.

30.

GAVIN
You got high with your parents?!

TRACY
Umm. Yes, I did. I came home one
night, and I was already drunk --
and they were like, 'Tracy, do you
want to smoke this weed with us?'

GAVIN
You never told me any of this.

TRACY
Yeah, well... I woke up the next
morning and started thinking about
the night before and I was
suddenly horrified when I thought
about the fact that I'd gotten
high with my parents!

GAVIN
What do you talk about with your
parents when you're stoned,
anyway?

TRACY
Well, we started talking about
environmentalist issues - and my
Dad's really liberal, so he was
like "global warming doesn't
exist!"

Gavin's laughing pretty hysterically.

GAVIN
Your dad always was a character.

TRACY
So I was talking to Carrie Barns
today...

GAVIN
Yeah?

TRACY
Okay. Now get this: she invited me
to a party at her house tonight.

GAVIN (V.O.)
Likely a side effect of the
codine-induced mellowed state.

31.

GAVIN
No shit. Cool for you, I guess.
Are you going to go?

TRACY
I want to, and Gav...

He stops and makes eye contact with her.

GAVIN
I want you to come with me.

He tries not to laugh.

GAVIN
Somehow I don't think a real party
animal, do you? If she wanted me
to come, she'd invite me.

TRACY
I don't really feel comfortable
around all of those people,
though. Come on, Gav. At least if
you were there, I'd have a good
time.

GAVIN
You're already having a good time.

She looks pitifully at him.

He studies her for a moment.

CUT TO:

INT. CARRIE BARNS' HOUSE - NIGHT

OVER CARRIE'S SHOULDER: The front door OPENS on Gavin and
Tracy.

CARRIE
Tracy, hey! Thanks for coming.

And then she notices Gavin.

CARRIE
Oh! And you brought... Gavin. Come
on in. Party's just getting
started.

Gavin comes in. Carrie takes Tracy and pulls her away in

32.

sound-limited conversation. Gavin looks like he's been
sepereated from a twin. Tracy looks back at him
apologetically.

GAVIN
(mumbling)
Fucking hell.

He steps further in and looks around to see if there's
anybody he knows. And, of course, there isn't.

He makes eye contact with some GIRLS. They look at him as if
to ask what the hell he's doing there. There's LOUD MUSIC.
Lots of PEOPLE.

This isn't fun.

GAVIN (V.O.)
Point a dart gun between my ears
and fire it, the way they
slaughter farm animals.

CUT TO:

Carrie and Tracy, walking to the kitchen.

CARRIE
So Gavin Barry. What's up with
that?

TRACY
He's one of my best friends. I
thought he could help me out
tonight.

CARRIE
What could he help you out with?

She indicates an ice bucket.

CARRIE
Help yourself.

TRACY
Well, to tell you the truth, I was
a little nervous about coming here
tonight.

CARRIE
Oh, B.S.! You shouldn't be! We're
going to have a good time.

TRACY
But what about Gavin?

33.

CARRIE
Don't worry about him. He'll find
his way around. So did you bring
any of the codine with you?

CUT TO:

Gavin, just sitting out on the porch, nursing a beer.

We hear a lot of noise, and here comes Brian Kaneally with
Brandon Street. Brian's got his arm around Brandon and helps
him into the yard.

Brandon drops to his knees and VOMMITS on the ground.

BRIAN
I can't believe you got this
wasted. Asshole. You told me you
weren't going to drink much
tonight.

Gavin laughs, but Brian helps Brandon to his car.

GAVIN (V.O.)
Sometimes you wonder what your own
life would look like from far
away.

He drops his beer cup on the ground.

INT. VARIOUS CHARACTERS' BEDROOMS - NIGHT

MONTAGE:

Ethan Black; his eyes desperately open and looking tired.
Exhausted really. He's laying in bed with his arms wrapped
around a pillow and a candle lit which barely illuminates
the wadded-up cleanex all around him.

Tracy Harrison; brushing her hair and smiling about her
new-found popularity.

Carrie Barns; holding hands with Brandon Street and walking
into her bedroom and closing the door.

Gavin Barry; twisting and turning in bed with the distant
radio in the background.

and Brian Kaneally; sitting up in bed with the light on,
clearly deep in thought and with eyes nearly in tears.

34.

EXT. GAVIN'S DRIVEWAY - DAY

Gavin walks towards frame with his backpack over his
shoulder.

CUT TO:TRACY, standing by her car.

TRACY
I'm so sorry that I abandoned you
at the party, Gav.

GAVIN
Are you going to spill your guts
to me a couple of more times?

TRACY
At least a couple of hundred. I
just kind of got stuck in her
little group.

GAVIN
(smirking)
Slow but sure death.

TRACY
I won't drag you to another party
again. I know it sucked.

            GAVIN
      (smiling
       half-heartedly)
It's alright.

She hugs him.

TRACY
I love you!

GAVIN (V.O.)
And he needed her. But not for
much longer.

He pulls away from her.

INT. HIGH SCHOOL CLASSROOM - DAY

Brian sits down in the desk next to Gavin without really
thinking about. There's a few moments of awkwardness - Brian
looks away, and Gavin turns to him. Then Gavin looks away,
and catches Brian's attention for a brief second.

35.

GAVIN
So... good time at Carrie Barns'
party, huh?

BRIAN
(rolling eyes)
Eventually, you get tired of doing
the same thing every weekend, man.

GAVIN
Did your friend end up okay?

(pause)

...the one puking in the driveway?

BRIAN
Yeah. Brandon. Sadly, that's what
happens with damn near all of my
friends. They're either
lightweights or they drink until
they puke.

GAVIN
What about you?

BRIAN
I don't drink.

GAVIN
Not ever?

BRIAN
Not anymore.

GAVIN
(offering hand)
I'm Gavin Barry.

Brian considers it, then shakes his hand.

BRIAN
Brian Kaneally. So.. Gavin Barry..
did your parents name you after a
spy or a British rocker?

GAVIN
It's a family name.

Right about here, the bell rings and everyone settles into
their seats for class to begin.

36.

EXT. HIGH SCHOOL COURTYARD - DAY

Tracy is standing with Carrie Barns in the courtyard after
school.

CARRIE
...and I love how I'm the one who
has to coordinate every little
get-together. If it wasn't for me,
we'd all be in some other place
with other friends.

TRACY
That sounds like an awful lot of
work.

CARRIE
I know.. but once we're all
together, we have fun. So, have
you met any guys you like?

TRACY
Maybe. Why, do you think you can
put in a good word for me?

CARRIE
What about Ethan Black?

TRACY
The guy I rear-ended?!

CARRIE
Why not? He already knows how well
you handle stress! And plus, he
hasn't had a girlfriend in a very
long time..

BRIAN walks into frame and we LEAD with him as he crosses
the courtyard... and stops.

BRIAN
Hey!

CUT: Gavin turns around.

BRIAN
You're just the guy I need to talk
to. I'm sorry, I tried to figure
it out on my own and then talk to
someone else, but I couldn't get
anyone - do you understand what's
going on in class?

37.

GAVIN
Sort of.

BRIAN
Look, man. I need help with this.
I know we've got the test tomorrow
and I can't afford to fail another
one.

GAVIN
You want me to help you.

BRIAN
I know we don't really know each
other, but I really need to get
this down. I'll... umm... buy you
a coffee if and we can go over
this? If you're not busy.

Gavin shrugs. Sure.

EXT. COFFEE SHOP PATIO - DAY

Brian and Gavin are both sitting at a table; their books
open and half-melted coffee drinks standing. They both go to
say something but interrupt each other.

BRIAN
So are you new here.. this year?

GAVIN
No. I've been going to school here
since the third grade.

BRIAN
Oh.

Only just a moment of silence.

BRIAN
So, I would have gotten a discount
here if I had my student I.D., but
I got it taken away in the hall
last week.

GAVIN
What for?

BRIAN
This assinine teacher took it away
Monday morning before school...
this is Thursday.

38.

GAVIN
Why did you get it taken away?

BRIAN
I cursed in the hall before
school. I said that a drink tasted
like shit, and then a teacher came
out of nowhere. Obviously, he'd
been paying attention to me
because I wasn't being loud. I've
been office hopping whenever I had
a minute, checking in with our
five principals. None of them have
it. This asshole has probably lost
it in his desk somewhere. I don't
even have his class. I don't have
any classes in his hall. He even
teaches in a different building.

GAVIN
If it was before school, I don't
see why he should care anyway.

BRIAN
Exactly.

GAVIN
I mean, there's dress code
violations, people getting in
fights, people getting bullied.
And he gets on your ass simply
because you cursed... before
school.

BRIAN
In the bible belt - in the actual
buckle - why don't we take kindly
to cursing? How about prejudices
against other people? We tolerate
those.

GAVIN
That's the system, I guess. That's
life.

BRIAN
Yeah, well. Sometimes I think of
this system as a prison.

GAVIN
School?

(beat of silence)
(MORE)

39.

GAVIN (cont'd)

Life?

BRIAN
It does have an entire system, you
know? And no matter what dou do,
you can't get out of it. So what
if you want to break free from the
circle and do your own thing. You
can't, even if you try.

GAVIN
You make it sound more like a
rule. But who says those are
important? You can get out of the
circle if you try hard enough. How
much do you want it? That's what
it comes down to.

GAVIN (V.O.)
For Gavin Barry, it was the one
moment where everything made
sense.

GAVIN
You have to get rid of the past.
Get rid of the accessories.

(beat)

Nothing can be changed unless you
rip down the old values. That's
all I'm saying. Look at us now.
We're at a coffee shop... drinking
latte...

BRIAN
But I like latte. I guess you
could say it's all designer
clothes and music videos. You have
to conform to this iconic image;
look like a model out of a
clothing store catalogue. It's not
latte.

GAVIN
I wouldn't say that's it exactly.
I mean, you're partly right, but
it's also regulated by all of the
generations that came before ours.
Our parents. Their parents. If
they believed they were oppressed
by their parents, and want to let
(MORE)

40.

GAVIN (cont'd)
their kids have more personal
freedom, they'll work over time to
pay for the lifestyle, and neglect
their kids, which brings on their
need for forgiveness from their
kids. Guilt for the neglect they
show towards them by working to
provide.

He takes a sip.

GAVIN
I mean that yeah, we are pressed
to wear clothing labels and listen
to pop music. But it starts with
our parents. Notice how the fads
from decades past have been coming
back. Spiked hair. The cesar cut.
A couple of years ago, orange was
THE color all over again. Khaki
pants, rugby shirts. If you ask an
adult, their time was the peak of
civilization. But has it really
come yet, and what threatens it's
advent?

Beat.

BRIAN
So what are you saying?

GAVIN
Well, is society dying or is it
about to be reborn?

BRIAN
So what, we're the people who can
change the world?

GAVIN
As I see it, there's two options
you have - and I, for that matter.
One is getting caught in the cycle
of becoming what everyone wants
you to become. The other is to
give them hell trying to break
out. Even if you fail, you'll be
closer to that freedom than if you
never tried at all.

Brian sits back, satisfied.

41.

Gavin picks up Brian's bill-fold and looks through it. He
pulls out a folded picture.

GAVIN
Your parents?

BRIAN
No. My Dad and his wife. When he
hit midlife crisis, he left my
Mom. She lives in Colorado, where
we used to life. He wanted to move
here.

GAVIN
What does your dad do?

BRIAN
He's an investment banker.
Basically, he just transfers money
from one place to another. So
what's your story, then?

GAVIN
My Dad died a few years ago. My
Mom felt like she had the world to
make up to me after that, and she
wanted to be both parents for me.
But she also works to provide for
us. She works all hours of the day
as a secretary for John Davis.

BRIAN
Who?

GAVIN
John Davis? The TV lawyar? With
the old actor from "Galaxy Star"
in the commercial?

BRIAN
Oh. Yeah, right.

GAVIN
There might be a reason she's
never home which supplements that,
though.

BRIAN
What's that?

GAVIN
She grew up with her mother.

42.

Beat.

BRIAN
You're different than them. You
think things through. Don't
change.

Gavin smiles.

BRIAN
You don't know them, but they're
so overly religious on the
outside; pretending that they're
good people, yet they turn around
to smoke and screw. If you're new,
you almost have to do drugs to
prove yourself and gain worth. You
have to be their type. Wear their
kind of clothes. Have the right
hair. Play the right sports. It's
a whole world you don't want to
know about.

GAVIN
It's not hard to guess about it.
So weight training. Who's your
partner?

BRIAN
Adam Martinez. Who's yours?

GAVIN
Marshall Kelly.

BRIAN
Haha. I feel bad for you. Really,
I do. He's such a redneck. At
football camp last year, his Dad
snuck dip in for him. It was
distusting.

GAVIN
All he ever talks about are his
sexual conquests. Rosie Harper.
Chelsea Robbins. Try that for
disgusting. He practically rapes
them.

BRIAN
He's quite the asshole. I've known
him for a long time.

43.

GAVIN
That's right. You know everyone in
that crowd.

Brian's phone VIBRATES on the table. He checks it, then
starts gathering his things together.

BRIAN
That's me. I better get running.
What are you doing this weekend,
Gavin Barry?

GAVIN
I don't know. I guess I'll be
going to the football game
tomorrow night, and nothing after
that.

BRIAN
Well, maybe I'll see you there.
Have a good one, and thanks for
the help.

Gavin smiles and sits there for a moment.

INT. GAVIN'S HOUSE - NIGHT

Gavin walks in the front door, and looks around. He finally
locates Jill, sitting in the library with a notepad and some
magazines. He walks into the library and sits down on a
chair across from her.

            JILL
      (face in her
       notepad)
How was your day, sweetie?

GAVIN
You know. It wasn't bad at all. I
hung out with a kid named Brian
after school. What are you doing?

She looks up, and takes off her glasses.

JILL
I've decided - it's time for
vacation. So where do you want to
go for Thanksgiving?

Gavin smiles.

44.

GAVIN
I don't know, Mom. Where do you
want to go? You need a vacation
more than I do.

JILL
I was thinking about Key West.

GAVIN
All the way out there?

JILL
Oh, but there's such pretty white
sand beaches and the water is so
nice and clear. I went there with
my college girls one summer and we
rented a house. I'd love to go
back there.

Gavin smiles.

GAVIN
That's where you met Dad, isn't
it?

She nods.

CUT TO:

INT. GAVIN'S ENGLISH CLASS - DAY

Gavin sits alone in this class; no Brian, Tracy, Carrie
Barns, or other important characters. [director's note: it
is important that Gavin appear isolated in the scenes in
this English class]

Mrs. Martin, Gavin's English teacher, stands at the head of
the class.

MRS. MARTIN
(dryly)
That is all we'll have today of
the adventures of Beowulf.

(shifts)

Now, if you'll please get out the
senior scrapbook papers that I
handed out to you at the beginning
of class.

45.

There's shifting in the class. Everyone digs into their
notebooks and backpacks and digs out their copies of the
paper. Gavin just sits there and watches her speak.

MRS. MARTIN
Like I explained earlier, you
won't need to worry about the
other chapters on the list for a
while. Your primary concern is to
get the introduction on, form your
title, and possibly outline how
you want to write. Is everyone
clear?

Gavin plays with his pencil, looking at a blank sheet of
paper.

GAVIN (V.O.)
Form your title. Gavin had no
problem forming his.

He scribbles on the paper: "The 411 on Global Warming".

CUT TO:

INT. GAVIN'S HOUSE - NIGHT

Gavin sits at his computer desk, drinking a glass of water.
Thinking. Contemplating.

GAVIN (V.O.)
Gavin's assignment was to create a
scrapbook; an autobiography of
sorts. Eight chapters would detail
his early life and his recent
life. Eight illustrations were
required.

He sips. Finds an idea. Puts down his drink and assumes the
keyboard.

He sits back before typing. He's lost his idea.

His cell phone rings. After two rings, he answers it.

GAVIN
Yeah?

CUT TO:

TRACY, sitting at home on the other end.

46.

TRACY
Hey, do you want to go to the
football game?

CUT BACK TO GAVIN:

GAVIN
Who are we playing?

CUT BACK TO TRACY:

TRACY
Fulda High.

CUT TO GAVIN:

GAVIN
Eh. Okay.

TRACY (filtered V.O.)
Okay. I'll pick you up in about
fifteen.

GAVIN
Sure. Yeah. See you then.

He hangs up and sits there for a second.

GAVIN (V.O.)
Every Friday night, high school
football stadiums are filled with
sudents and spectators. To what
purpose do most of them come, no
one knows. Gavin went because
everyone else did. I went where
everyone else went. He didn't know
what he wanted to do, so he did
what everyone else wanted to do.

He types.

SHOT OF SCREEN:

Word processor line:

"THE STANDARDS OF NOTHING".

GAVIN (V.O.)
Gavin knew how to begin... but he
didn't know where his story would
take him and how it would end.

47.

EXT. TRACY'S CAR - NIGHT

They're sitting, waiting to go into the stadium.

TRACY
So look, Carrie wants me to go sit
with her and her friends. I want
you to come up there with me,
though.

He looks at her with widened expression. How dare she.

TRACY
Is that okay, Gavin?

Beat. Gavin ceases eye contact with her and looks forward.

TRACY
Look, you're going to have to get
past this. I'm going to be friends
with her. She's not quite as bad
as you make her out to be.

CUT DIRECTLY TO:

EXT. STADIUM BLEACHERS - NIGHT

TRACY'S POV:

CARRIE BARNS stands right in front of her as she walks up to
her row in the bleachers.

She shouts:

CARRIE
Tracy, you bitch! Come up here and
give me a hug!

TRACY
(gasping loudly/playfully)

No no, bitch! The ghetto girl
squad is gonna' take you down!

Tracy leaves Gavin being the only one in the shot. He looks
up at them as if a monster has been created.

OVER GAVIN'S SHOULDER: Tracy goes down the line of hugging
the girls in the clique.

He came for Tracy, and he won't sit here for this.

48.

CUT TO:

Gavin, walking into the crowd and heading towards the exit
gate. He passes Brian Kaneally. Brian stops, and calls after
him:

BRIAN
Gavin.

Gavin stops and slowly turns to face him.

BRIAN
Hey, I didn't think I'd see you
here.

GAVIN
Yeah. I'm leaving, though.

Brian considers this, then:

BRIAN
Me too. Do you have a ride?

GAVIN
No. No, I don't.

BRIAN
Well, do you want one then?

Gavin considers this.

CUT TO:

INT. BRIAN'S CAR - NIGHT

Brian's driving. Gavin sits in the passenger seat.

BRIAN
You left early.

GAVIN
Yeah. Take 91st street.

BRIAN
Why did you leave?

49.

GAVIN
Carrie Barns. My good friend Tracy
is drifting away from me. And
that's fine, you know - everyone
has to do their own thing. But
she's getting into Carrie's little
clique and I can't stand it.

BRIAN
I dated her once.

Gavin chuckles.

BRIAN
Yeah. It was sophmore year, when
she moved here. She seemed like a
differnt person then. It was
before she became a monster.

(beat)

God, so many things have changed
between then and now. If I had
thought about all of this, this
time last year...

GAVIN
Why did you leave?

BRIAN
Well, I guess I'm just getting
more and more... distant from my..
group. They're just not my group
anymore, I guess.

Gavin studies him.

GAVIN
Stop here.

Brian's car comes to a STOP in front of Gavin's house.

GAVIN
Well man, thanks for the ride.

He opens the door and climbs out.

BRIAN
No problem. Hey--

Gavin stops.

50.

GAVIN
Yeah?

BRIAN
Do you have to be home right now?

GAVIN
(thinking about it)
No... why?

BRIAN
(smirking)
Want to cause a little terror?

EXT. CARRIE BARNS' YARD - NIGHT

Brian and Gavin stealthly charge across a neighbor's yard
into Carri's yard carriny a pump sprayer. They stop by a
hedge.

BRIAN
We'll spray the grass killer so
wildly over the yard that in order
to get rid of it, they'll have no
choice but to tear up the whole
yard. In the morning, I'd give
anything to see the look on Mr.
Barns' face when he wakes up and
goes outside to get the newspaper.

Gavin's laughing his ass off.

BRIAN
Quiet! Now are you ready to go?

GAVIN
Yeah.

BRIAN
Okay, let's go.

Brian leaps over the hedge and runs into the middle of the
yard, spraying as fast and as wildly as he possibly can.

Gavin watches him, and then we see him form an idea.

            GAVIN
      (indicating pump
       sprayer)
Hey, let me see that.

51.

He sprays, with decidedly more control than Brian, onto the
yard. He's writing something.

Suddenly, a LIGHT comes on in the house. It's glare catches
Brian and Gavin's eyes.

They haul ass to Brian's car.

INT. BRIAN'S CAR - NIGHT

They climb inside quickly, throwing the pump sprayer in the
back seat. Brian starts the car. They're both laughing
hysterically.

GAVIN (V.O.)
That act of violence. That
juvenile prank. That was more
excitement and fulfillment than
Gavin Barry had felt in many
years.

CUT DIRECTLY TO:

INT. GAVIN'S BEDROOM - NIGHT

Gavin is laying on top of the covers with the light still
on.

GAVIN (V.O.)
He'd never be a shell of himself
again.

FADE OUT / FADE IN TO:

INT. HIGH SCHOOL CLASSROOM - DAY

Carrie Barns is sitting a few chairs behind Gavin, talking
to her friends. She looks and sounds furious, though we are
meant to feel as if we are overhearing her conversation with
Gavin.

CARRIE
It's not enough that they sprayed
all over the yard, but they wrote
'BITCH' and 'SLUT' on it. I'm not
a bitch... right? And I'm
definitely not a slut.

52.

Gavin smirks.

GAVIN (V.O.)
For one day, just let life happen.
Don't try to change anything, or
affect anything, or influence
anything. Whatever will happen is
going to happen. Let it.

CUT TO:

INT. HIGH SCHOOL HALLWAY - DAY

Gavin is walking through the hallway, just trying to get
through people.

GAVIN (V.O.)
Some people hadn't seen Gavin as
himself before, and so this was a
shock. There's a reason for that,
you know, and that's that if
you're a guy, you always act
different around people you don't
know.

CUT TO:

INT. HIGH SCHOOL CLASSROOM - DAY

Becky Harris gets Gavin's attention. He looks to her.

GAVIN (V.O.)
--especially girls. You're always
more gentlemanly to them. More
intelligable.

BECKY
(whispering)
Gavin! What's the answer to number
fifteen?

GAVIN
(mouthing)
Fuck off.

Her face withdraws. Gavin turns back to his paper.

53.

GAVIN (V.O.)
And why shouldn't you be all of
those things? You don't want
anybody to get the wrong
impression.

INT. GAVIN'S BEDROOM - DAY

Gavin sits at his computer desk; busily typing away, working
on his paper.

GAVIN (V.O.)
If you want to be found, you can
find yourself. If you want a
miracle, you can make your own. If
you want the answers, ask the
questions.

Jill knocks on the door.

JILL
Can I come in?

GAVIN
No one's stopping you.

He looks at her.

GAVIN
(vexed)
What?

JILL
Gavin, I read your report card.
These grades, Gavin. They're not
like you. They're disappointing.
What's going on?

GAVIN
It sure isn't all that alone time
I get.

Jill backs away, looking a little hurt.

INT. HIGH SCHOOL CLASSROOM - DAY

The teacher is passing back papers. He/she passes Gavin his
scrapbook project. He flips through it to the last page,
only to read in sharpee:

54.

"GAVIN?! I KNOW YOU'RE MORE INTERESTING THAN THIS! TRY AGAIN
FOR 80% CREDIT"

Gavin sits back in his chair.

GAVIN (V.O.)
Apparently for Gavin, it was time
to either embellish the truth...
or take the next step.

EXT. HIGH SCHOOL COURTYARD - DAY

Gavin is eating lunch with Tracy.

TRACY
So what's on the docket for this
weekend, sir?

GAVIN
I don't know. What are yo doing?

TRACY
I might go party.

GAVIN
Good for you. Ma'am.

He crumbles up his pop can and sends it flying towards it's
grassy destination.

Tracy looks at him.

TRACY
Gavin.

GAVIN
What?

TRACY
You're not going to recycle that?

He shakes his head.

TRACY
Why not?

He considers this for a moment, then:

GAVIN
Because everyone wants me to. Now,
think about it. Since civilization
began, human beings have
completely trashed away this
(MORE)

55.

GAVIN (cont'd)
planet, and we have to pay for it?
We have to recycle our paper. We
have to give up using our cars on
ozone alert days because the
people who came before us began a
vicious ozone-eating cycle. Well,
I'm not going to help. There's no
use in trying to save all this.
It's too late.

Tracy flings her arm in a fit across the table, knocking
trash everywhere.

She stands up:

TRACY
I don't understand you anymore.

She shakes her head and walks away.

Gavin pretends to think this over for a moment, and then
starts eating again.

CUT TO THE OTHER SIDE OF THE COURTYARD:

Brian sits at the end of an ISLAND, not far at all from the
populars that he used to call his friends. Carrie sits
behind him most noticibly:

CARRIE
God, does anybody have any
cigerettes?

            MARSHALL
      (digging in his
       back pocket)
Yeah, hang on a second.

They freeze and let a TEACHER walk by. They follow him with
their eyes.

CARRIE
Okay.

He quickly pulls the cigerettes out of his pocket, hands her
one, and stuffs them back in as she puts her cigerette
behind her ear.

MARSHALL
Okay... so who's hitting up Will
Martin's party tonight?

56.

CARRIE
I'm definitely going to be there.
I'll bringing Hilly with me too.

She sneaks up behind Brian and leans on his shoulder.

CARRIE
(half-seductively)
And what have you been up to
lately?

He's still got his eyes concentrated on a book open in front
of him.

BRIAN
Recovering from an illness.

She closes his book.

CARRIE
Why don't you call me tonight?

BRIAN
I'm sorry. I 've got an
appointment with a noose.

INT. BRIAN'S CAR - DAY

It's getting darker and darker outside.

Brian's car comes to a stop in front of Gavin's house.

BRIAN
So what are you doing tonight?

GAVIN
Nothing.

BRIAN
You want to crash a party?

GAVIN
No... thanks. I'm tired. I think
I'm just going to go home and
sleep for a while.

BRIAN
Well, alright. Call me if you
change your mind.

GAVIN
Yeah.

57.

Gavin opens the door, climbs out. Before he closes the door,
Brian says:

BRIAN
So... I'll see you for coffee
tomorrow morning?

GAVIN
Yeah. Thanks for the ride.

He closes the door, walks away.

Brian thinks for a moment, then drives off.

DISSOLVE TO:

INT. GAVIN'S BEDROOM - NIGHT

Gavin lies on top of the bed sheets with the night table
lamp on, sleeping.

GAVIN (V.O.)
You know, you spend one third of
your life sleeping. Think of all
the things you could be doing.
Traveling around the world. You
could be writing that novel that
you've always wanted to write. You
could start a corporate monopoly
and kill little business after
little business and no one would
stop you.

ELAPSE TIME:

Morning sunlight beams in. Gavin wakes up lazily and sits
up, rubbing his eyes.

GAVIN (V.O.)
But on a Saturday morning, you're
oh so thankful for that sleep.
Because now you have the energy to
do anything.

EXT. COFFEE SHOP PATIO - DAY

Brian sits down in front of Gavin with a curious look of
elation on his face.

GAVIN
What?

58.

BRIAN
You'd love me for what I did last
night.

GAVIN
Try me.

BRIAN
Ever notice that when you're
thinking of something... trying to
get ideas... they show up when
you're in the bathroom?

GAVIN
I can't really say that, no... but
going to bed, yes. Most of the
best stuff comes to me right when
I'm about to go to sleep - after
it's too late to do anything about
it.

BRIAN
I was at Will Martin's last night.

CUT BACK IN TIME TO:

INT. WILL MARTIN'S HOUSE - BATHROOM - NIGHT

We hear the sound of a tiolet flushing. Brian's washing his
hands at the sink, and splashes his face with water. Looks
in the mirror.

INT. WILL MARTIN'S HOUSE - NIGHT

Brian stands in a corner by himself, looking disgusted.
People drink. Two people are having dry sex against a wall.

He goes to get a drink at the make-shift bar, and then
stops. He looks around one more time, over his shoulder.

CUT TO: bottles of liquor. All kinds. Beer in ice buckets.
All of it, left alone.

CUT TO:

Gavin, sitting at the coffee shop in present time. He's
figuring out what is about to come--

GAVIN
You didn't.

59.

BRIAN
Oh, but I did.

CUT BACK TO:

WILL MARTIN'S HOUSE.

Brian has a bottle of some random alcoholic drink. We can't
necessarily see what it is, and that doesn't matter. He
pours it into a keg without anyone noticing and pours more
beer to cover the taste.

BRIAN (O.S.)
For all the people who drank beer
from the keg to be cool - some of
them not even knowing what it
really tasted like in the first
place. They would be much cooler
when they were wasted beyond their
control.

TIGHT SHOTS of cups being filled to the brim under the
nozel. Cups to mouths. Laughing. People falling over. Brian
observes.

GAVIN (O.S.)
(laughing)
That's brilliant! And did this all
work?

BRIAN (O.S.)
Well, in a word... yes.

CUT TO SERIES OF SHOTS:

Graphic shot of Marshall Kelly puking into a tiolet,
uncontrollably.

Two girls huddled suspiciously together on a couch.

One girl knocking over a lamp.

CUT BACK TO:

EXT. COFFEE SHOP PATIO - DAY

Gavin is enthused.

60.

GAVIN
That's fucking brilliant! I'm
going to help you next time!

Brian sits back, satisfied.

GAVIN (V.O.)
And so Gavin Barry and Brian
Kaneally would become the party
terrorists.

INT. PARTY HOUSE - NIGHT

Gavin creeps up to a keg. He pulls out two bottles of liquor
and pours them both into the open lid.

GAVIN (V.O.)
If the mindless, unaccountable
teenagers of his school were going
to get drunk... wasted... trashed,
then their wish would come true;
and their niavity would be turned
against them.

CUT TO: Gavin checking in with Brian.

BRIAN
Mission status?

GAVIN
Mission accomplished.

BRIAN
Wait five minutes, then proceed to
the next phase.

Gavin comes to hover above a couch where a group of people
sit, entranced by television. He smirks, but watches it with
them.

GAVIN (V.O.)
TV. What's it good for? Filling
your mind with political
propoganda and correctness.
Another few dead soldiers on the
news. People mindlessly watch
these boses; these boxes that show
you what you can't have and what
you can't be. Take your TV and
throw it out the window and just
let it lie on the pavement for
other people to see.

61.

EXT. NEIGHBORHOOD STREET - NIGHT

FOREGROUND: A TV sits in the middle of the street.

FOCUS on the BACKGROUND: Gavin and Brian kneel behind a car
with a screwdriver. They're removing the license tag from
the car.

GAVIN (V.O.)
Find all of your drunk peers'
cars. They should all be lined up
in the street. Switch the license
plates of each of those cars.

They seem to actually be doing this.

GAVIN (V.O.)
Then call your local law
enforcement officers and report
each of the cars stolen. Even
their victims - that dumb piece of
trash that decides to drive home
and will be able to prove that
he's innocent, will still be a
drunk driver.

CUT TO:

Brandon Street, in his car. He rolls the window down as a
flash light is BEAMED right into his face.

CUT TO:

INT. RESTARAUNT CORNER - NIGHT

Brian walks up to a pay phone, inserts his quarter, and
dials a three-digit number.

OPERATOR (filtered V.O.)
911 emergency assistance, how may
I direct your call?

BRIAN
Yes ma'am. I'd like to report
stolen vehicles.

Gavin is walking down the hall. Tracy rushes up behind him.

INT. HIGH SCHOOL HALLWAY - DAY

Gavin's walking down the hall. Tracy rushes up behind him.

62.

TRACY
Gavin!

He stops, and turns to face her as if he's on a schedule.

TRACY
Gavin we need to talk. I know how
it's getting with us.

GAVIN
Yes?

TRACY
I don't want to lose you as a
friend.

GAVIN
We just don't have that much in
common anymore. I'm not mad. Are
you?

She folds her arms.

GAVIN (V.O.)
But in a way, he did want her to
rot in hell.

TRACY
Is it going to end up like this,
Gavin?

GAVIN
This doesn't matter, Tracy.
Christ, don't you get it? In five
years, all of this - all of this
bullshit that you think is so
important - none of it's going to
matter. Why should you care what
any of these people think of you?
Me?

Beat.

TRACY
What's happened to you? You used
to be a nice guy. You used to be
so cool.

63.

GAVIN
Yeah, well. We all change. It's
not like you haven't got better
off. Be friends with them instead.
Let them recycle you. Then you'll
be worth nothing.

She wells up, and passes off.

INT. GAVIN'S BEDROOM - DAY

Gavin sits back in his chair at the computer desk, thinking.

GAVIN (V.O.)
Had Gavin's words failed him? Had
his reasoning and logic failed
him? Words are useless. Only
action can undo what is said. And
still, he sat there wasting his
energy on words.

He finally leads forward and clicks the "print button".

CUT TO:

EXT. PICNIC TABLE AREA - HIGH SCHOOL - DAY

Tracy is sitting at a picnic table across from Carrie.

CARRIE
Of course I didn't want to meet
someone there. That's not why you
go to clubs.

TRACY
That's why I went that time. I'm
not good at meeting people.

CARRIE
You met me.

TRACY
Without thinking much. I was a
little barred out, Carrie.

CARRIE
Let me ask you something.

TRACY
Sure.

64.

CARRIE
Are you a virgin?

She hesitates, then shly nods.

CARRIE
Oh my God, get out! You are?!

TRACY
Shut up.

CARRIE
That's so adorable. May I ask why
you've kept it this long?

TRACY
Well, I always wanted it to be
special when I lost it. You know,
something memorable and romantic.

CARRIE
True enough, I used to think that.
But then I decided, I want to be
good. I want to be the best. My
husband might not be a virgin, and
I want to be the best piece of ass
he's ever had.

She seems a bit uncomfortable.

CARRIE
Tracy, what would you say if I
knew a guy that was into you, who
will be at my party tonight?

TRACY
Who?

Carrie only grins.

CUT TO:

INT. HIGH SCHOOL CLASSROOM - DAY

TRACK ON GAVIN as he walks through the aisle in the
classroom and stops at his teacher's desk.

Teacher looks up. Gavin hands him a new binded booklet of
his report.

65.

TEACHER
Thank you, Gavin. See? I knew you
could do a better job.

Gavin just looks at this teacher with empty eyes and fakes a
smile.

BRIAN (V.O.)
For a day, always say what's on
your mind when it's on your mind.
Stop lying, stop catching
yourself. Say every damn word that
you want to say.

CUT TO:

EXT. HIGH SCHOOL COURTYARD - DAY

Hillary Ryan is catching up with Brian as he walks to class.

HILLARY
So are you going to buy a team
spirit shirt from me yet?

BRIAN
No, you bitch. I don't want to buy
a shirt from you. I told you twice
before - I don't want one, and now
you will face my wrath. I am
anti-school, anti-team, and anti-
dumb little whores like yourself
who pretend to be nice but the
minute somebody turns their back
on you, you trash them like
they're dirt. No, I won't buy a
shirt from you. Go fuck yourself.

He walks away. She looks horrified.

INT. WEIGHT LIFTING ROOM - DAY

Gavin is once again spotting for Marshall Kelly.

MARSHALL
So who do you want, Gavin?

GAVIN
No one.

MARSHALL
Are you gay?

66.

He SLAMS the weight down, startling Marshall. He's had it.

GAVIN
Look, you deficient fuck. I don't
want to talk to you about who you
want to screw. I don't want to be
friends with you. I'm your
spotter. I'm spotting for you. I
don't want to listen to your shit
anymore. So lift the weights, and
shut the fuck up. I'm sick of your
shit.

Brian looks over from across the room, clearly impressed.

MARSHALL
Who do you think you're talking
to? I'm the quarterback of the
football team.

GAVIN
Who do I think I'm talking to? A
horny retard.

MARSHALL
Do you want to fight me? Say one
more thing.

GAVIN
Hey, sure. Let's fight. Beat me
up, right now. Make it nice and
embarassing. Do it here.

Beat.

Marshall lifts the weight again.

EXT. PARKING LOT - DAY

Brian is walking with Gavin.

BRIAN
You only said what everyone else
was thinking.

GAVIN
I don't care anymore. I don't care
about anything anymore.

BRIAN
We're two of a kind like that, I
guess.

67.

GAVIN (V.O.)
And it was true. They were. It was
them against the world.

BRIAN
Do you need a ride home?

GAVIN
No. Thanks. I feel like walking.

BRIAN
Okay. See you later?

GAVIN
Yeah. See you later.

They part ways, and Gavin walks out into the street.

A car PULLS UP right to him and stops.

The driver kicks the door open. It's Marshall Kelly.

He jumps out, and starts his approach towards Gavin.

Marshall swings at Gavin. He CLOCKS him right in the nose
and Gavin is knocked backwards on his ass onto the ground.
He looks up, raising his eyebrows, but Marshall's foot meets
him in the face and SPINS him on his stomach.

INT. GAVIN'S LIVING ROOM - DAY

Gavin walks inside the house. Jill is sitting there, waiting
for him.

He has his back to her.

JILL
Gavin, we need to talk.

GAVIN
What about?

JILL
Gavin, you never talk to me
anymore. Just... sit down, and
tell me how your day went.

Gavin turns to face her. His face is all bloody. He may have
a black eye.

JILL
Oh my God, Gavin. What happened?

68.

He shrugs.

GAVIN
I got the hell beat out of me.

The telephone RINGS. She answers it.

JILL
This is Jill Barry? Yes. Okay,
Michael. 7:00. Bennevito's on 81st
street and Garnett. Okay. I will
see you there.

She hangs up.

JILL
Gavin, honey, I have to go to a
dinner meeting. Please, clean up
and rest. We'll take care of all
this tomorrow.

GAVIN
No, Mom. You don't get it. I'm not
going to do anything. This is what
I deserved.

The phone RINGS again. Jill goes for it, but Gavin beats
her. He picks it up and THROWS it across the room.

GAVIN
Don't you see, Mom? Don't you see
how this job has taken over your
life? You're trapped by it. The
money's fine, yeah. But you're
never here. I never see you.
You're the only parent I have, for
Christ sake, and you're not even
home! This is why I can't talk to
you. You don't have to work this
hard anymore but you do.

JILL
Gav, I...

GAVIN
I know you feel like you have the
world to make up to me, Mom. But
we'd do fine without any of this.

JILL
Gavin...

69.

GAVIN
Yeah, okay. Go.

She makes her exit, walking past him and to the door. He
stands there for a moment.

EXT. PARK - DAY

Brian and Gavin are walking.

GAVIN
This was the end of some stage.
One door closed. Another has
opened, and I'm not going to sit
here long enough lamenting over
what I've lost before I see what's
coming right at me.

BRIAN
What does that mean?

GAVIN
I'm just going to wait.

BRIAN
For what?

Beat. Then he smiles.

GAVIN
I don't know.

(beat)

At the beginning of the year, did
you think you would end up like
this?

BRIAN
No, I didn't. But I wanted it to.

(he sighs)

I'm free now. I feel free, anyway.

They stand there for a moment.

BRIAN
So do you want to go ahead and go
to the party now?

70.

GAVIN
Oh. I don't know, do we really
have to go to this one?

BRIAN
Why not?

GAVIN
I don't know, Brian. We've done
this three times now. We've gotten
everybody we wanted to get. People
have to be catching on to us now.
And besides....

GAVIN
Don't you think that maybe we're
getting too involved in all of
this?

BRIAN
No, Gavin. No, I don't. Think
about this - we've taken abuse
from these people - these people
who go to these parties and drink;
these people who force their
friends to drink whether they like
to or not - these people who
follow everyone else because
they're too afraid of themselves.
They capitalized on our weaknesses
all these years, and we're just
now getting them back for it. I
can't give that up yet. I deserve
it. Now when do you want to
fucking go?

Gavin studies his face. It's so full of anger and
resentment. It scares him.

CUT TO:

INT. BRIAN'S CAR - NIGHT

Brian's driving. Gavin is the passenger.

They're driving through dusk. The lights from other cars
pass through and by. Street lights beam temporary light on
them.

TIGHT ON: Gavin. Looking out the window. Lost. Tired.
Lonely. He looks over to Brian, barely peeking.

71.

TIGHT ON: Brian. He's staring blankly onto the road. A
solitary tear falls down his cheek.

CUT TO:

EXT. CARRIE BARNS' DRIVEWAY - DAY

Brian pulls into the driveway and sits for a minute.

GAVIN
Okay, what do you have this time?

BRIAN
Scotch, vodka, and... pills.

GAVIN
Pills? Are you fucking crazy?

Brian just looks at him.

BRIAN
They're pennicilen.

GAVIN
(sighing)
Brian. No pills. That's going too
far. I can't do this if you're
going to use the pills.

Brian looks down, maybe considering it. Then he opens the
door car. They both climb out of the car, and look ahead to
the house.

INT. CARRIE BARNS' HOUSE - NIGHT

It's a party, of course. People are dancing. Drinking.
Kissing in the corner. Watching television. Listening to
music. Socializing. This establishment should take about a
minute of screentime.

Ethan Black comes into the shot, looking around.

CUT TO:

Gavin slowly creeps up on Tracy. She's alone on a balcony,
crying her eyes out; her back turned to the world. She
doesn't want anybody to see her hurt.

He puts his hand on her shoulder. She knows his touch. She
turns around and hugs him tightly.

72.

            TRACY
      (barely managing
       words)
Oh, Gavin!

GAVIN
(calmy, softly)
Tracy. What happened? Huh? What
happened?

She kisses him on the lips.

GAVIN
Tracy. Please. I want to help you.

TRACY
Oh, Gavin! I couldn't do it. I
just couldn't do it.

GAVIN
What couldn't you do? Talk to me,
please...

She looks into his eyes.

GAVIN
Tell me.

CUT TO:

WIDE SHOT of the driveway.

WIDE SHOT of Ethan's car.

INSIDE ETHAN'S CAR: Ethan's eyes are full of nervous tears
as he slips his hand around someone else's hand and squeezes
it tight. The other person's hand is shaking visibly.

REVEAL SHOT of Brian Kaneally as his eyes focus from the
hand to Ethan's eyes.

CUT BACK TO:

THE BALCONY. Gavin is drying Tracy's tears with furious
intensity.

TRACY
Gavin, please... don't...

GAVIN
Tracy. I'm going to take care of
this. Get something to drink. Stay
here. I'll come back, I promise.

73.

CUT BACK TO ETHAN'S CAR:

Brian's head is leaning on Ethan's shoulder. Ethan stares
off into space.

ETHAN
Why couldn't it always be like
this, Brian?

BRIAN
I couldn't change, Ace. I didn't
know how. I don't know how.

ETHAN
It could have worked. We could
have made it work.

BRIAN
You know that you can do better
than me.

CUT BACK TO:

Gavin CHARGING through the party, pushing people out of the
way. We don't hear the noise anymore, only silence and
music. He looks grim. He looks like he's going to kill
somebody.

He sees Brandon Street. He pushes him against a wall so hard
that Brandon can't defend himself.

Gavin mouths something to Brandon, and Brandon answers.
Gavin lets go of him and leaves the shot. We still can't
hear any of this.

INT. CARRIE BARNS' ROOM - NIGHT

Gavin charges open through the door.

Mid-scream.

On the bed in the FOREGROUND, Marshall Kelly is raping
Carrie Barns. We can't see the detail, and we don't want to.
The noise is horrifying enough.

All of the anger becomes pent-up intensity, and Gavin grabs
a GOLF CLUB out of Carrie's golf bag and releases that
intensity into hitting Marshall over the head.

Marshall falls off the bed, screaming and holding his hand
to his head.

74.

Gavin's heart melts in his eyes. Carrie's laying on the bed,
shivering and crying. Gavin finds a blanket and wraps it
around her, trying to calm her as he gets her up.

She fights him at first, then lets him wrap his arms around
her and he shushes her.

INT. CARRIE BARNS' HOUSE - NIGHT

BALCONY. Tracy's still sniffing, but generally calming down.
She's sitting down now, rubbing her eyes.

ETHAN'S CAR. Ethan's alone now. He starts the keys, turns on
the headlights, and drives away.

FRONT YARD. Brian's walking towards the house. He
momentarily turns to see Ethan drive down the street, then
stands midway between the door and the sidewalk.

CUT TO:

LAUNDRY ROOM.

The door is closed.

Tracy is sitting, blanket wrapped, on top of the washing
machine.

Gavin hands her an ice water.

GAVIN
He went home. Brad Troxell saw him
leave. You're safe now, Carrie.

Beat.

CARRIE
Why are you doing this for me?

He shrugs.

GAVIN
It's the right thing to do.

CARRIE
Nobody does the right thing.

Beat. He just looks at her.

All of a sudden, there's a loud KNOCK on the door.

75.

GAVIN
What is it?

BRANDON (O.S.)
Carrie! There's something wrong.
We need to take somebody to the
hospital.

GAVIN
(under his breath)
Fuck!

He storms the door and opens it. Brandon's standing right
there.

BRANDON
It's Tracy Harrison.

CUT TO:

Brandon and several others pull Tracy inside the house, and
lay her on the ground to perform CPR.

Gavin sees Brian from across the room. He knows that Brian
dispersed the pills into the drinks after all. He tensely
looks him in the eyes as Brian comes closer, sees Tracy on
the floor, and then looks to Gavin, horrified.

After several moments, Brandon looks up.

BRANDON
Who's good to drive?

INT. GAVIN'S BEDROOM - NIGHT

Gavin and Brian sit there, silent at first. Then Gavin
speaks.

GAVIN
What are you going to do about
this?

BRIAN
What do you mean? We can't do
anything. It's over. She's in the
hospital, in a coma. It's over if
we do anything. Right now, nobody
knows it had anything to do with
us.

GAVIN
We have to tell someone.

76.

BRIAN
No. We have to tell no one. She
had it coming to her. They all
did.

GAVIN
No, Brian, she didn't! You don't
understand any of this anymore. I
don't either, but I know right
from wrong.

BRIAN
What, you're defending them? Think
of all that has gone on. All that
has happened to you. To me. To
anyone who's not fucking one of
them. Think about it, Gavin!
Fucking think!

GAVIN
I KNOW! I know all of this. Do you
think I don't? YOU were one of
them.

BRIAN
And you wanted to be one of them.
Go ahead and admit it. It was
obvious to them. And obvious to
me, at first. You couldn't be one
of them. You couldn't be popluar,
and so you were against everything
they stand for.

GAVIN
Think about what you did--

BRIAN
No. I want to hear you admit it.
Say it, Gavin. Say, 'Yes, I wanted
to be a prep but nobody loved me
and I couldn't deal.'

GAVIN
It doesn't matter.

BRIAN
No, it's everything. Take some
responsibility for yourself.
That's your problem. You take no
responsibilty for anything. Even
now--

77.

GAVIN
No. I take full responsibility.
This is all my fault. And we have
to come clean. We've had fun
before, but this is a serious game
now. God damnit.

BRIAN
This is our life. Think of what
could happen. Think. For a minute.

GAVIN
How could you hold something like
this? How could I?

BRIAN
She had it coming. They all did.

He gets up and leaves the room, but we focus on Gavin
standing there.

This is the epitomy of our character - he's standing alone
in an empty room. He thought he had found someone who would
stand there with him, but he was wrong.

FADE TO BLACK.

FIGURE (O.S.)
You've had one hell of a night
tonight.

EXT. BRIAN'S BEDROOM - NIGHT

Brian is sitting up in bed with the light on, facing the
Dream Figure.

BRIAN
Do you think they'll forgive me?

FIGURE
Who?

BRIAN
The world around me. Do you think
that some day they'll understand
why, and forgive me?

FIGURE
Probably some day. But there's
only one who's forgiveness you
will need, and that may take
longer.

78.

Brian looks at the pictures on his night table.

We see his family in those picture frames.

FIGURE
As I see it, you have two options.
One is getting caught in the cycle
of becoming what you want yourself
to become or to give yourself hell
trying to break out of that cycle.
Even if you fail, you'll be closer
to that freedom than ever before.

(beat)

But I know you've made up your
mind already.

BRIAN
You're not going to argue with me?

FIGURE
No. I'm not Gavin. I'm not Ethan.
I'm your future, and we've already
decided what to do.

The Dream Figure crosses the room. We only see his mid-body.
He turns off the light for Brian.

FIGURE
Good night, Champ.

FADE OUT.

BRIAN (V.O.)
Make a single promise to yourself
and keep it. No matter what. Learn
a new word and use it. Notice
something unique. Go somewhere you
have never been, and do something
you've never done. Because one
day, your world my collapse on
itself. Make yourself happy,
because in the end it's you, and
only you.

FADE OUT.

Feedback

From Danielle	Date 10/2/2005
<3 the script changes! This is Danielle, btw... I got a scriptbuddy account. I caved. I can't wait to see this all finished.

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