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Awake
by Claudia

Rated: PG-13   Genre: Teen Movies   User Review: ****
A story about a determined girl that will do anything to reach her dream; even going behind a friend's back and putting friendships on the line in order to get there. (short)


This screenplay is copyrighted to its author. All rights reserved. This screenplay may not be used or reproduced without the express written permission of the author.



FADE IN:

INT. JULIAN'S ROOM - DAY
                                                            
We see a girl, sleeping.
                                                            
                       JULIAN (VO)
      (voice narrating
       over black)
It's hard to know when you want
something. It seems like a dream,
playing over and over in your
head. Just like a fantasy. But
when you fully realize what you
want, you finally become awake.
                                                            
alarm clock RINGS.
                                                            
We see eyes opening. The girl is awake. She gets out of bed,
and is getting ready for the day.
                                                            
 
INT. CLASSROOM - DAY
                                                            
Julian enters classroom with friends (before class), is
talking with friends.
                                                            
                       HOLLY
Did you hear about the new kid? I
heard he's coming to tour the
school today, and that he has 1st
period with us.
                                                            
                       JULIAN
Really? I should introduce myself
to him. Anyway, remember our
stories that we wrote for Mr.
Caplan's class? Well I heard he's
graded them and no one got an
'A.'I'm scared to even ask what I
got on it.
                                                            
                       HOLLY
      (scoffs)
Is that all you ever think about?
I mean, there are so many other
things to think about, and you
think about school?
                                                            
                       JULIAN
Not school, just anything to do
with writing. I took this writing
class last summer, and I loved
            (MORE)

2.

                       JULIAN (cont'd)
every minute of it.
                                                            
                                         BELL RINGS- CLASS
STARTS
                                                            
students sit at desks and teacher enters-class begins.
                                                            
                       MR. CAPLAN
All right, I have your progress
reports! I want you to look them
over, don't show them to anyone,
and get them signed by your
parents by Friday. Don't forget!
                                                            
CLASS GROANS
                                                            
Mr. Caplan passes out papers, Julian glances at hers.
                                                            
                       JULIAN
      (saying to herself)
An 89.9%?! I really need to get
this grade up. This is the one
class i NEED to pass, or my
writing career is over.
                                                            
                       MR. CAPLAN
Now that we got the greatest part
of the day out of the way, let's
move on...
                                                            
We are interrupted by the door opening and a boy walking in.
He has a backpack on his shoulders, and is carrying a book.
This is TROY. He looks like he doesn't want to be there.
Walks slowly into the classroom, eyeing other students.
Students in the classroom all look at him.
                                                            
                       MR. CAPLAN
Ahh. Welcome Mr. McGuire! There is
a seat next to Ms. Mitchell in the
second row, so please, take a
seat.
                                                            
Troy sits down next to Julian. Julian eyes his book, and
sees that it is titled AWAKE. She smiles as she remembers
because that is one of her favorite books. Mr. Caplan begins
again, but stops and looks as though he's remembered
something.
                                                            
                       MR. CAPLAN
Ah! I almost forgot. Please
introduce yourself to the class.
                                                            

3.

Troy slowly stands up and talks quietly. Julian eyes his
book again, only this time it is open. It says, "To my #1
fan, this is for you, son. Good luck on your first day of
school." Julian realizes that the author of the book is his
father.
                                                            
                       TROY
      (quietly)
My name is Troy McGuire--
                                                            
                       MR. CAPLAN
Ah-Ah-Ah Mr. McGuire. In this
class, we speak up so our fellow
students can hear us.
                                                            
Troy tries again, louder this time.
                                                            
                       TROY
My name is Troy McGuire. I moved
here from New York.
                                                            
                       MR. CAPLAN
What else can you tell us Mr.
McGuire? How about... "Do you like
it here?" or "What was your first
impression coming to Southern
California?" or even, "What do
your parents do?"
                                                            
                       TROY
Can I just pick one question to
answer?
                                                            
Some laughter and giggles spread throughout classroom.
                                                            
                       TROY (cont'd)
My dad is a writer, and Southern
California is too hot.
                                                            
                       MR. CAPLAN
Thank you for letting the class
get to learn more about you! Now,
here are some rules that I have in
the classroom...
                                                            
                       JULIAN (VO)
His dad is THE Jack McGuire who is
quite possibly the greatest writer
of all time. Hmm. Troy McGuire, I
am going to become your new best
friend.
                                                            

4.

CLASS RESUMES- FADE OUT
                                                            
                                         BELL RINGS- CLASS
OVER FADE IN
                                                            
                       MR. CAPLAN
      (yelling over bell)
If you have any questions see me
after class! Make sure you get the
reports signed! Welcome to San
Juan Hills Mr. McGuire!!!
                                                            
 
EXT. BREAK - DAY
                                                            
Julian and Holly (friend) are sitting at a table.
                                                            
                       JULIAN
What am I going to do? I am this
close to an A.
                                                            
                       HOLLY
So close yet so far.
                                                            
                       JULIAN
Oh be quiet. Well, one thing's for
sure: if I don't get this A, I can
flush my future career as an
author down the toilet.
                                                            
                       HOLLY
So what are you going to do about
it?
                                                            
                       JULIAN
I can't accept this grade. I'm
going to talk to Mr. Caplan. Oh,
did you hear Troy today? He said
his dad was a writer!
                                                            
                       HOLLY
Who's Troy?
                                                            
                       JULIAN
      (sighs)
The new kid. Remember? He has a
name you know.
                                                            
                       HOLLY
OHH. Him. Yeah so?
                                                            

5.

                       JULIAN
Well, this is one way I can find
out more about the business! If
only I could talk to him...
                                                            
Julian heads towards Mr. Caplan's room, doesn't hear her
friend.
                                                            
 
INT. CLASSROOM- DURING BREAK - DAY
                                                            
Julian enter classroom- approaches Mr. Caplan who is sitting
at his desk.
                                                            
                       JULIAN
Mr. Caplan, I saw my progress
report today--
                                                            
                       MR. CAPLAN
      (interrupts)
And you want to know if you can
raise your grade up, am I right?
                                                            
                       JULIAN
      (stammers)
w-well y-yes.
                                                            
                       MR. CAPLAN
I thought so. Well, tutoring is
always an option. 20 hours is what
you need. Sound easy enough?
                                                            
                       JULIAN
      (nervous)
Uh. Yeah I... I just realized that
I left something by the lunch
tables. So, I'm going to go now.
                                                            
                       MR. CAPLAN
      (laughing)
No wait, I'm just joking around
with you. All you need is about 4
hours. Sound better now?
                                                            
                       JULIAN
      (nervous)
Yeah. Just helping people study
right?
                                                            

6.

                       MR. CAPLAN
That's the general idea. But it's
not always as easy as it looks.
I'm sure you'll have fun. I always
did.
                                                            
                       JULIAN
Thanks. So, when do I start?
                                                            
                       MR. CAPLAN
Oh, it's not that easy. You'll
have to find someone that needs a
tutor. And let me tell you, not a
lot of people are willing to admit
they need help.
                                                            
Julian starts to walk away.
                                                            
                       MR. CAPLAN
Oh, Julian. Now I've known for
awhile now that you want to be a
writer. If you get a letter of
recommendation, from Troy's dad-
yes I know who his dad is- that
could just get you even closer
than you are now. It's just a
thought, so think about it.
                                                            
                       JULIAN (VO)
      (narrating)
FUN?! Tutoring?! 4 hours?! That's
called fun? Unfortunately for me,
the fun was only beginning. But,
the letter of recommendation idea
was tempting, that was for sure.
                                                            
 
INT. LOCKER ROOM - DAY
                                                            
WE SEE A BOY WANDERING AROUND LOOKING LOST. THIS IS TROY.
                                                            
                       HOLLY
      (whispers)
That's the new kid! I heard that
he lives in the bad part of town
and was held back a year.
                                                            
                       JULIAN
Do you actually believe everything
that your hear? I'm pretty sure
everything that's been said about
him isn't true.
                                                            

7.

Julian sees Troy and goes toward him to introduce herself.
                                                            
                       JULIAN
Hi. My name is Julian...
                                                            
                                         TROY WALKS BY JULIAN
AND BUMPS HER
                                                            
                       TROY
Watch where you're going!
                                                            
Troy WALKS away.
                                                            
                       HOLLY
See? I told you something was
wrong up here. (She points to her
head and signals that he is crazy)
                                                            
Julian SHAKES her head.
                                                            
As she is WALKING away... we see Troy struggling to get his
locker open.
                                                            
                       JULIAN (VO)
      (narrating)
I'll admit, I thought he was weird
at first. But all that was going
to change.
                                                            
 
EXT. BREAK- QUAD - DAY
                                                            
Troy is listening to his iPod, escaping the world around
him. He looks around, and sees a poster. "NEED A TUTOR?
CONTACT JULIAN MITCHELL IN 1ST PERIOD CAPLAN. SHE's HERE TO
HELP!"
                                                            
 
INT. FLASHBACK TO LOCKER ROOM - DAY
                                                            
We see Julian trying to introduce herself and Troy bumping
her.
                                                            
 
EXT. BREAK-QUAD - DAY
                                                            
                       TROY
      (scoffs)
Yeah right. That girl Julian must
be a teacher's pet. I don't need a
tutor, but everyone at this lame
school does. Their lockers don't
work, their teachers stink, and
their lunch period is WAYYY too
            (MORE)

8.

                       TROY (cont'd)
short. I'm not going to stay here
for long.
                                                            
We see Mr. Caplan WALKING towards Troy, carrying a piece of
paper.
                                                            
                       MR. CAPLAN
Hey Troy. How's your first day so
far? Good?
                                                            
NO ANSWER
                                                            
                       MR. CAPLAN
Great! I forgot to tell you
before, since you came pretty late
in the year, you're going to have
to catch up on the material that
we've already covered.
                                                            
                       TROY
You've got to be kidding me.
                                                            
                       MR. CAPLAN
I recommend that you either study
it yourself, or to find help. One
of my students, Julian Mitchell,
is looking for someone to tutor,
so there's your chance!
                                                            
                       TROY
I'll think about it...
                                                            
Mr. Caplan walks away, leaving Troy to think.
                                                            
We then see a boy walking towards Troy. This is Kyle. He
provides Troy advice throughout the story.
                                                            
                       KYLE
Dude. Mr. Caplan is totally giving
you an opportunity man. He's
usually not that nice to new kids.
                                                            
                       TROY
... And who are you?
                                                            
                       KYLE
Name's Kyle. And you're Troy. Just
keep in mind that second chances
don't come often with Mr. Caplan.
Understand?
                                                            
 

9.

INT. AFTER CLASS - DAY
                                                            
Class has just ended, and Troy and Kyle are walking out of
class.
                                                            
                       TROY
HEY KYLE!
                                                            
Kyle turns around.
                                                            
                       KYLE
Troy! What's up?
                                                            
                       TROY
Thanks for the advice man.
                                                            
                       KYLE
No problem. Just trying to help.
So, what do you think of that girl
Julian Mitchell?
                                                            
 
EXT. LUNCH - DAY
                                                            
Julian and Troy are sitting at a lunch table, talking and
laughing together. We can see a chemistry between them, and
they are enjoying themselves.
                                                            
Holly and Kyle look from afar.
                                                            
                       HOLLY
And so... the tutor falls for the
student. Classic.
                                                            
                       KYLE
      (laughs)
Got that right. To think, he
didn't even like school before,
now he loves it. And its all
because of-
                                                            
                       HOLLY
      (interrupts)
-Julian. It's kinda obvious.
                                                            
                       KYLE
      (sighs)
True. So true.
                                                            
Julian and Troy are still talking and laughing with one
another.
                                                            

10.

                       TROY
My dad's a writer, well actually,
he's in the middle of writing a
book.
                                                            
                       JULIAN (vo)
      (narrating)
Could this be a miracle? Oh. my.
gosh. This cannot be happening.
Finally, a person who can help me
reach me dream. Could it be?
                                                            
                       TROY
So, tell me more about yourself.
                                                            
                       JULIAN
Well, my mom is an author. She
doesn't really write anything
memorable, she just writes
thoughts and storylines down.
Anyway, I always see her writing,
and I am the only one that got to
read her stories. Because of my
mom, I want to become a writer.
                                                            
                       TROY
I'm happy you found a way to make
your mom proud of you.
                                                            
                       JULIAN
Thanks. So, should we get started
with the tutoring?
                                                            
 
INT. THE NEXT DAY- 1ST PERIOD - DAY
                                                            
In the classroom, there are whispers around the classroom
about Troy and Julian. The class thinks that he is a freak,
and makes fun of him. Troy storms in, looking angry and
holding a piece of paper (letter). Julian is already sitting
down, a look of bewilderment on her face. Troy sits down
angrily, and doesn't talk to Julian.
                                                            
 
INT. LOCKER ROOM - DAY
                                                            
Troy is getting angrier and and angrier by the minute. He
storms out of the locker room, and is clearly in a bad mood.
Julian still can't get him to talk.
                                                            

11.

                       JULIAN
Troy, what's the matter? I haven't
seen you this mad ever and you
won't talk to me.
                                                            
                       TROY
Nothing. Nothing's wrong.
                                                            
Troy is crushing the letter in his hands, infuriated.
Frustrated, Julian goes and talks to Holly. Troy talks with
Kyle.
                                                            
 
INT. LOCKER ROOM - DAY
                                                            
                       JULIAN
Holly, what did I do? Troy is
completely ignoring me and not
telling me what's wrong.
                                                            
                       HOLLY
You know, you should be a little
bit more observant when it comes
to gossip.
                                                            
                       JULIAN
Why?
                                                            
                       HOLLY
Well rumours have been circulating
that you're "using" Troy to get
your way.
                                                            
                       JULIAN
But that's not true! And besides,
he shouldnt-
                                                            
                       HOLLY
      (interrupts)
-actually believe the gossip, I
know. But he did, and this is the
result of it. And he kinda found
out about the letter of rec.
thing.
                                                            
                       JULIAN
      (frustrated)
UGHHHH!
                                                            
                       HOLLY
Anyway, you should apologize for
treating Troy like that. He got
his feelings hurt too you know.
                                                            
 

12.

EXT. QUAD - DAY
                                                            
                       KYLE
You're mad at her because of a
flimsy piece of paper? I know it
feels like she used you, but she
isn't that kind of person. You
should get the real reason
straight from her, not from anyone
else, not even a letter.
                                                            
                       TROY
You don't understand. This morning
I wake up, I go down to eat
breakfast, and my dad hands me a
letter saying that its a letter of
recommendation for Julian, written
by him. Turns out she was using me
to get my dad to give her a letter
of rec.
                                                            
                       KYLE
All right, fine. I'll lay off. But
anyway, you should talk to Julian.
Just talk.
                                                            
 
EXT. LUNCH TABLE- LUNCH TIME - DAY
                                                            
Troy and Julian rush up to each other and start talking at
the same time to each other.
                                                            
                       TROY
      (overlapping)
I'm really sorry for hurting your
feelings....
                                                            
                       JULIAN
      (overlapping)
-And I'm sorry for doing things
behind your back, I shouldn't
have...
                                                            
                       TROY
      (overlapping)
--I just wanted to talk because I
wanted to know the truth...
                                                            
                       TROY
      (Simultaneously)
I'm sorry.
                                                            

13.

                       JULIAN
      (Simultaneously)
I'm sorry.
                                                            
                       TROY
It's ok.
                                                            
                       JULIAN
But I also have something else to
say to you.
                                                            
                       TROY
What is it?
                                                            
                       JULIAN
Ever since- well, forever,- I've
always wanted to become an author.
Even if it was at least one book
that became published, I would be
happy. The day I found at that
your dad was an author, I-I was
so... excited. It was actually a
chance to get one step closer to
my dream. I wanted to know more,
not of you, but of your dad, and
I'm sorry. I guess I wanted it so
bad that I didn't think anything
was going to get in my way. I
decieved you, no, I lied to you. I
don't think I was "using" you like
other people said i was.
                                                            
                       TROY
I'll admit, that came as a
surprise. I didn't know you wanted
it that bad. It's just hard to
accept, you know? And its hard to
realize that you want something so
much, you'd do anything for it,
and looking at me-my life, it
seems so unrealistic that I don't
have aspirations or goals. It
feels like I'm stuck in a place
where I can't function, can't wake
up. But because of you, I can
understand that. So, this may
sound weird, but thanks.
                                                            
He hands her the letter of recommendation from his dad.
                                                            
                       JULIAN
      (sincerely)
Thank you. So, friends?
                                                            

14.

                                         JULIAN HOLDS OUT HER
HAND
                                                            
                       TROY
Friends.
                                                            
THEY SHAKE HANDS.
                                                            
                                         FADE OUT.
                                                            
                                         FADE IN TO...
                                                            
 
INT. JULIAN'S ROOM - DAY
                                                            
We see a calendar, with a day marked "Last day of High
school!" A girl is sleeping, and there is an alarm clock.
The girl's eyes open, the alarm clock never rings. She wakes
up, without any help from the alarm. We pan over her desk,
see a letter of recommendation (the same one that Troy was
holding) as well as college pamphlets.
                                                            
She sits down at her desk, and starts to write...
                                                            
                       JULIAN (VO)
      (narrating)
I'll never forget my last day of
high school, where English, math
and World History were the least
of my problems, and
misunderstandings, new
friendships, and wierd English
teachers were. It was quite a
memorable year, with no regrets
and no shame. I'll always remember
the two people who started it all,
a guy who is now a best friend,
and a teacher who made me tutor
him.
                                                            


FADE OUT.


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From Kelsey Date 3/12/2008 ****
Awesome work!!! :-)

From Richmond Ofori Date 3/11/2008 ****
It's nice; I love it. I think you're one of the first ladies I've really read on your projects on teen movies. If you're young then you're way up gouing to be one of the greatest young writers. Bravo.


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