CHAPTER 1:
The Dead Girl in the Field
EDWARD:
(v.o.)
When I was young, I fell in love
with a girl in the ocean.
EDWARD, 6 years old, plays in the surf close to the beach. A
GIRL comes up and pushes him down and he pulls her down and
then they hold each other and laugh.
FADE OUT.
FADE IN:
EXT.
Grover's field Morning
We are close on the bare foot of ALANNA PRICE. In the
background we hear TALKING.
GROVER:
I was just coming up to plant-
DODDS:
I understand that.
GROVER:
Well, when I see her laid out-
DODDS:
Yeah.
GROVER:
I just stop.
DODDS:
Okay.
GROVER:
I didn't go nowhere near her. I
see what it is from here, see?
DODDS:
So you stayed away?
GROVER:
Are you listening to what I say?
DODDS:
Well it doesn't quite make sense.
GROVER:
That's your department, pal.
CUT TO:
EXT.
Grover's field Same time
Police are putting up tape across two fence posts and holding
back each other.
DODDS:
(addressing the officers)
No one goes near the body. No one
until forensics.
(turning back to GROVER)
And you didn't, I don't know, clean
it up or-
GROVER:
Been standing right here since I
called it in.
CUT TO:
EXT.
Grover's field Same time
We look down on the scene. The ground is ripe for planting,
completely devoid of grass or anything else to disrupt the
dirt. The body of a young white girl in a dress is facedown
in the field. There are no footprints or tire tracks to be
seen.
CUT TO:
EXT.
The track field at James Madison High Same time
We find EDWARD ALBANY circling the track in a tank top and
track shorts. A girl, APRIL GAUSSER, watches him from the
stands. Closer to the field, SCOTTY JENKINS does his
calculus homework. EDWARD finally breaks off his run and
pulls up to SCOTTY.
EDWARD:
Calculus?
SCOTTY shuts his notebook.
EDWARD:
Calculus, Scotty?
SCOTTY:
Athletics, Edward?
EDWARD:
I don't have a choice. My parents
make me.
SCOTTY:
You run for your parents?
EDWARD:
No, I actually picture myself
running away from them. That's
what keeps me going.
SCOTTY:
I don't get it.
EDWARD:
The damn doctors. They said that
exercise will help me to not be
depressed and sullen and I'll have
a sunny attitude and all the other
horseshit they give you before
doping you to the gills.
SCOTTY:
(collecting his books and
putting them into his
backpack)
They're cutting Japanese.
EDWARD:
One less thing to put on your
college transcript.
SCOTTY looks at him.
SCOTTY:
They're cancelling it to provide
more funding for the football team.
Athletics beats academics again.
EDWARD:
You act like I'm the one that
killed it.
SCOTTY looks at him again, pushes his glasses up on his nose
and then walks away. EDWARD turns around and notices through
a crack in the stadium all the flashing lights out in the
field. He begins to walk over.
CUT TO:
EXT.
Grover's field Morning
EDWARD walks up to the taped off section and is kept there by
a police officer.
EDWARD:
What happened here?
OFFICER:
Murder or a heart attack. Fuck
off, kid.
EDWARD stares at the body being loaded onto a gurney, slipped
into a black bodybag.
"Nothing At All" by Wired All Wrong begins playing over
opening credits. Credits should be Pop Art style mixed with
pulp artwork.
INT.
The school's office Day
EDWARD is sitting patiently in one of the chairs that line
the wall. The head secretary, ROSALIND, hangs up the phone
and turns to him.
ROSALIND:
Edward, you're a smart kid. Why
are you always in trouble?
EDWARD:
What's a nice girl like you doing
in a place like this, huh?
ROSALIND laughs.
EDWARD:
I had no choice. Mr. Johannsen
insisted that the press is a fourth
branch of government.
A police officer exits one of the offices and walks past
EDWARD.
EDWARD:
What's that about? The girl in the
field?
ROSALIND:
That was-
STOCKWELL:
(o.s.)
ALBANY! GET YOUR BUTT IN HERE!
EDWARD:
Table it for a later date. I
promise I'll be back before the
week is over.
ROSALIND laughs again. EDWARD stands and begins to walk to
the vice principal's office when the principal, PRICE, rushes
past him, frantic. EDWARD is body checked by him and spun
into the wall. He smooths his shirt and walks into
STOCKWELL'S office.
EDWARD:
What was that all about? Did
another girl have her period in the
pool?
STOCKWELL is not amused.
STOCKWELL:
It's bad enough it happens right
behind the school, but his own
daughter.
EDWARD:
Whose daughter?
STOCKWELL:
The body they found was Alanna
Price.
EDWARD:
...The principal's daughter.
STOCKWELL:
Give me your write up.
EDWARD reaches into his shirt pocket and withdraws a yellow
page, folded over several times. He hands it to STOCKWELL,
who reads it.
STOCKWELL:
Why do you get up to these sorts of
tricks, Edward?
EDWARD:
It was no trick. The United States
press corps is not a branch of
government.
STOCKWELL:
You called him uneducated.
EDWARD:
I think I said mis-educated.
STOCKWELL:
He has uneducated here.
(beat)
Detention. Two days.
EDWARD:
Can't I produce a character
witness?
STOCKWELL:
Make it three.
EDWARD:
(sullenly)
They told me you'd be like this.
CUT TO:
EXT.
The quad Day
EDWARD finds SCOTTY doing Venn Diagrams in a corner. He
approaches him.
EDWARD:
Hey, Scotty.
SCOTTY:
Shouldn't you be in detention?
EDWARD:
Yeah, I got an extension.
(beat)
Listen, did Price's daughter go to
this school?
SCOTTY:
Did she? She still does, far as I
know.
EDWARD:
Can you tell me where her locker
is?
SCOTTY:
She's Miss-Perfect-Cheerleader and
you're a walking ghost. She's way
out of your league, Edward.
EDWARD:
Not exactly.
CUT TO:
INT.
A school hallway Day
EDWARD stands before locker 1254, looking at it. There is a
MURMURING from some students nearby. When they leave, EDWARD
gets to work. He attempts to open the locker as though it
were unlocked. It is locked. Next, he produces a nail file
and a paperclip. He jams the file in the lock and begins to
manipulate it. He then bends the paperclip into a hook and
reaches that into the side of the locker. There is a
snapping sound and then he pulls the paperclip up and the
locker swings open. It is an average locker, a picture of
ALANNA with her boyfriend, BART STEERSON; ALANNA with some
other friends; books; an apple. EDWARD notices a postcard
partly sticking out from under the stack of books. He
withdraws it and inspects it. It is black and features a
skull and crossbones. It is labeled: INTERNATIONAL PIRATE
DAY!!! EDWARD flips it over. On the back, it mentions a
party and there is a phone number. FOOTSTEPS begin
approaching. EDWARD pockets the card and slips away.
CUT TO:
INT.
EDWARD'S bedroom Night
EDWARD is holding the postcard, sitting on his bed, staring
at the phone. He finally picks up the receiver and calls the
number. A teenage girl answers.
EDWARD:
I'm interested in the party.
GIRL:
What party?
EDWARD:
The Pirate Party?
GIRL:
I think you're walking up the wrong
plank, kid.
EDWARD:
I'm investigating a crime.
GIRL:
I don't think I know you.
EDWARD:
No, you probably don't. But can I
come to the party anyway? It can
be good to make new friends.
GIRL:
I think it's a little far for you.
EDWARD:
Why do you say that?
GIRL:
Well you know what happened to the
guy that learned too much too fast.
EDWARD:
What?
GIRL:
He died.
She begins LAUGHING maniacally and then the line goes dead.
EDWARD hangs up the phone. After a second, he picks it up
again. He punches a number and waits.
EDWARD:
Scotty. You have talents, right?
SCOTTY:
I can maybe dissect a frog or
something.
EDWARD:
But you have skills.
SCOTTY:
I can jump really high when I'm
standing still.
EDWARD:
That's a skill?
SCOTTY:
It's just something I can do.
EDWARD:
Is it genetic?
SCOTTY:
I don't know. I've never asked my
parents how high they can jump.
EDWARD:
God damn, that is a great skill
after all. Listen, can you trace a
phone number for me?
SCOTTY:
Trace a call?
EDWARD:
No, not a call, just the number.
SCOTTY:
I can Google it. Maybe run it by
the FBI database.
EDWARD:
You can do that?
SCOTTY:
Anyone can with the right tools.
EDWARD:
Let me give you the number.
CUT TO:
EXT.
The quad Day
SCOTTY is again in a corner, working on some calculations.
EDWARD is looking around the quad. He notices that everyone
in each group looks very similar. There are jocks and
preppies in a couple small groups, there are hippies,
skaters, potheads, metal kids, white suburban gangstas,
goths, punks, every group seems to have its own little circle
somewhere on the quad. Then he looks at SCOTTY, sitting
alone, a pariah because of his intelligence. He walks up to
him.
EDWARD:
So...what have you got?
SCOTTY:
The number belongs to Megan
Turnstall.
EDWARD:
Megan? That cheerleader?
SCOTTY:
How did you get her number? That's
like her private line. It's
unlisted.
EDWARD:
How did you get her unlisted
number?
Before he can answer, EDWARD is already headed to the
jock/preppie group. They stop laughing and chatting as they
realize he's coming for them.
EDWARD:
Megan, can I talk to you?
MEGAN:
What makes you think you can talk
to me?
EDWARD:
I don't know...the social Doppler
Effect?
A large football player puts out an arm and begins to push
EDWARD away.
FOOTBALL PLAYER:
We don't want you coming around
here.
EDWARD:
It's a free country.
FOOTBALL PLAYER:
I don't like your stupid little
hoodie. I don't like your faggy
little velcro sneakers. And I
don't like your stupid face.
You've got three seconds to get out
of here before I take it
personally.
EDWARD finally turns to face him.
EDWARD:
I'm sorry, I wasn't listening.
The FOOTBALL PLAYER'S fist flies out and connects with
EDWARD'S face. From his POV, we fall sideways onto the
ground. There is distant LAUGHTER and HOOTING.
CUT TO:
INT.
The nurse's office Soon after
EDWARD is laying on a cushioned table, nursing a bloody nose.
NURSE:
I don't know what you were trying
to prove. Everyone there said you
provoked him.
EDWARD:
Yeah, because all of his friends
would never lie on his behalf,
would they?
NURSE:
I- Um- Well...
EDWARD:
It's okay. I learned my lesson.
Big fish eat the little one.
NURSE:
It's a big school, Edward. You can
find other friends.
EDWARD:
Did you know Mr. Price's daughter?
The NURSE becomes agitated, fidgeting.
EDWARD:
Maybe who she was dating? Who she
hung out with?
NURSE:
I can't tell you that.
EDWARD:
You can't or you won't?
NURSE:
Let me get you another ice pack.
CUT TO:
INT.
STOCKWELL'S office Day
EDWARD knocks on the door. He has gauze shoved up one
nostril.
STOCKWELL:
What the hell happened to you?
EDWARD:
I'm uh...I'm trying to help out.
STOCKWELL:
Help out who?
EDWARD:
I think I can find Alanna's killer.
STOCKWELL:
Shut the door.
EDWARD shuts the door.
STOCKWELL:
Sit down.
EDWARD sits down. STOCKWELL takes out a bottle of whiskey.
He has a drink.
STOCKWELL:
This ends right now, you hear me?
You're not a qualified law
enforcement official. I don't know
what you have planned but I won't
have you snooping around the tragic
death of Alanna Price.
EDWARD:
And why is that?
STOCKWELL:
I don't even have to give you a
reason. I'm just warning you: I
hear one thing about you doing that
and you're out of this school.
Okay? That simple enough for you?
EDWARD:
You can't just-
STOCKWELL:
I can and I will. You've committed
hundreds of infractions in the last
year, nobody would slap my hand.
EDWARD:
My parents-
STOCKWELL:
Would put you in the best military
school that money can buy. So just
stop it. This school has suffered
enough.
CUT TO:
EXT.
The quad Day
EDWARD is explaining his plan to SCOTTY.
SCOTTY:
I don't think that's going to work.
EDWARD:
It has to. Look. Look around.
EDWARD points out several police officers questioning
students.
EDWARD:
They're everywhere. The trick is
to get them to come to us.
SCOTTY:
But then your plan falls apart.
EDWARD:
No. No, see, I'm smarter than a
cop. I can get information from
him while he thinks he's getting it
from me.
SCOTTY:
How do you plan to do that?
EDWARD:
By talking. Leading questions.
Ambiguous answers. The more he
probes, I'll know where the
investigation is headed and for
what reasons.
SCOTTY:
I think you're nuts.
EDWARD:
Fine. You don't even believe in
me.
SCOTTY:
And how are you going to get him to
talk to you?
EDWARD:
You're about to see.
EDWARD stands and walks over to MEGAN. A police officer is
questioning her. She has tears in her eyes.
EDWARD:
Hey, Megan. I won't be able to
make it to that Pirate Party you're
throwing next weekend. But let me
know if there's a memorial kegger.
MEGAN just stares at him. EDWARD walks back towards SCOTTY,
flashing the thumbs up as he approaches.
SCOTTY:
What, you want to get socked in the
nose again?
EDWARD:
That was a sucker punch. If you
put me up against one of these guys
in a fair fight-
SCOTTY:
They'd still cream you.
EDWARD:
No, no. It's a myth. Just having
more physical strength doesn't mean
you can beat someone up.
SCOTTY:
Oh, I forgot, you've secretly
become a ninja warrior after
school.
EDWARD:
No, I'm just saying that most big
guys haven't been in many fights
because they're big. You go to a
bar, the most dangerous guy there
is the smallest. Because he's done
the most fighting.
The police officer walks up.
OFFICER:
Excuse me, can I ask you a few
questions?
EDWARD picks up his bag and leans in close to SCOTTY'S ear.
EDWARD:
X equals: Told ya so, smart guy.
They walk away a few feet and the OFFICER begins his
questioning. He writes everything down in a little notebook
as they talk.
OFFICER:
What is your name?
EDWARD:
Edward Albany.
OFFICER:
Did you know Alanna Price?
EDWARD:
We didn't run in the same crowd but
we bumped up against each other
from time to time.
OFFICER:
Where were you two nights ago?
EDWARD:
Two nights ago? I would have to
say I was home studying. I had a
civics test yesterday morning that
I was unable to complete for
reasons I won't go into.
OFFICER:
Do you own any lumber?
EDWARD:
Lumber?
OFFICER:
Boards?
EDWARD:
To hit someone with?
OFFICER:
Yes, possibly.
EDWARD:
I heard about it.
OFFICER:
Heard about what?
EDWARD:
Actually, I mean I was there. I am
on the cross country track team and
I happened to be there when the
body was discovered. I heard the
other officers mention there were
no footprints. You're asking about
the lumber because you think
someone could drag a board behind
them and not leave footprints.
OFFICER:
That's a very astute observation,
young man.
EDWARD:
(suddenly nervous)
I didn't kill her. I don't even
know how she died.
The OFFICER'S radio begins blaring police babble.
OFFICER:
(distracted)
She was beaten. Nearly every bone
was broken.
EDWARD:
Have you talked to her boyfriend?
OFFICER:
Bart Steerson?
EDWARD:
Yeah, him.
OFFICER:
Of course we have.
(beat)
Listen, is there anything you can
tell us?
EDWARD:
Vice principal Stockwell keeps a
bottle of whiskey in his desk.
The OFFICER is not amused.
EDWARD:
I wish I could be of more
assistance. I think I'm shaken,
just like everyone else here.
OFFICER:
What happened to your nose?
EDWARD:
I was playing dodgeball with a
guy's fist.
OFFICER:
Looks like you weren't very good at
it.
EDWARD:
Athletics have never been my strong
suit.
OFFICER:
What's your GPA?
EDWARD:
I think that marker is gender
biased.
The bell rings.
EDWARD:
I have to go.
OFFICER:
School is out, son.
EDWARD:
That was the bell for the late bus.
If I don't get on it now, I'll have
to walk home.
The OFFICER nods and walks away. EDWARD walks over to
SCOTTY.
SCOTTY:
Did it work?
EDWARD:
Yeah, sort of. Her boyfriend was
Bart Steerson.
(beat)
Could you...I don't know. Could
you like hack into his computer?
SCOTTY:
If I knew his IP address and he
doesn't have a firewall that's too
tough, but-
EDWARD:
Okay, find that out.
SCOTTY:
Wait. I'm not getting involved in-
EDWARD:
Maybe I should tell you about the
dream I had last night.
CUT TO:
INT.
A glowing white room
EDWARD sits in a lounge chair at a small table, a cup of
coffee steaming before him. He turns and looks to find the
DALAI LAMA sitting across from him.
EDWARD:
Wow, is it really you?
DALAI LAMA:
Naturally. But are you yourself?
EDWARD:
What do you mean?
He looks down and notices the DALAI LAMA is barefoot.
DALAI LAMA:
The littlest birds sing the
prettiest songs.
EDWARD:
How am I not myself?
DALAI LAMA:
For a true path to spiritual
oneness with the world, you must
first become one with yourself.
You have not been yourself.
EDWARD notices a mirror with lights around it. He stands and
walks to it. He looks in it and finds his usual self staring
back.
EDWARD:
I look the exact same.
DALAI LAMA:
To me, all Caucasians look the
same. But inside you, there is the
pebble that will cause the pearl.
You must not let it be taken from
you.
EDWARD:
What pebble? What would be taken?
DALAI LAMA:
To do a little wrong, to do a great
right.
EDWARD:
Shakespeare. Right?
The DALAI LAMA laughs.
FADE OUT.
BACK TO:
EXT.
The quad Same time
SCOTTY:
That's your dream?
EDWARD:
Yeah, that's what happened.
SCOTTY:
And what does it mean?
EDWARD:
That I have to solve this murder.
And that maybe Buddha is on my
side.
(beat)
Bart's the captain of the football
team, isn't he?
SCOTTY:
If you believe what you read in the
school newsletter.
EDWARD:
Pinko commie rag.
EDWARD stands and begins to walk away.
SCOTTY:
Where are you going?
EDWARD:
To join the team.
CUT TO:
INT.
The COACH'S office Afternoon
EDWARD sits passively in a chair across the desk from the
COACH. The COACH is a slightly portly but fairly athletic
middle-aged man. He appears to be going bald so he's shaved
his head to hide it.
COACH:
I can't see any spot on the team
for you.
EDWARD:
I was worried you would think that.
If you ask Coach Cooper, he'll tell
you I'm one of the fastest long
distance runners he's got.
COACH:
What the hell does that mean?
EDWARD:
It means I can sprint and do it the
whole game.
COACH:
Christ, Albany. A guy your size
would get creamed out there, even
if you were the kicker. Most of
these guys have been lifting
weights for eight years now.
EDWARD:
All the more incentive for me to
not get tackled.
COACH is still unsure.
EDWARD:
What about Title IX?
COACH:
You're not a girl.
EDWARD:
And if I was, I'd have a chance to
play?
COACH:
You want to help the team, you can
be a manager.
EDWARD:
I don't think I'm qualified for
that.
COACH:
It's a glorified title for
towelboy.
EDWARD:
Again, a bit out of my league.
COACH:
I got nothing else for you.
EDWARD:
How about I do it for a week? Then
you give me a shot? Just time me
on the 40 and see how I do.
COACH:
You really love your school, huh?
EDWARD:
(with a grin)
I love the football team.
CUT TO:
INT.
The locker room After practice
The football team is changing clothes and showering off.
Most of them are half-dressed. EDWARD is guiding his way
through, handing out towels and picking up equipment. He's
making his way towards BART.
EDWARD:
Fresh towel, Bart?
BART:
(to the rest of the team)
We've got a little faggot in here
today.
EDWARD:
I just offered a towel. It's not
like I'm blowing you in front of
your pals.
BART:
(reaches out and grabs him
by the shirt)
Hey. You don't fuck around with
me. Take your faggot shit
elsewhere.
EDWARD:
Bart, aren't you also on the
wrestling team?
BART:
That's right. And that means I
could demolish you in two seconds.
EDWARD:
I don't know...something strange
about muscular guys dressing up in
tights for a ticklefight in front
of an audience.
BART throws a punch but EDWARD, anticipating it, easily
ducks. He slugs BART hard in the crotch and BART falls to
his kness. EDWARD then punches him hard in the solar plexus
and BART can't breathe.
EDWARD:
(helping him lay back on
the floor)
Easy. Slow breaths. Take it real
easy, it'll come back.
The locker room is now completely silent. None of BART'S
friends come to his aid, they're all stunned by what's
happened.
EDWARD:
I need to know about Alanna Price.
You were seeing her, yes?
BART is still wheezing.
EDWARD:
Did you have a fight? Did you see
her at all that night?
BART:
(out of breath)
What are you, a fucking narc?
EDWARD:
I'm trying to solve the murder.
BART:
Why?
EDWARD:
Because the Dalai Lama told me to.
A hand reaches down and grabs EDWARD by the shoulder. He
turns and looks up just in time for a punch to hit him square
in the face.
FADE OUT.
INT.
The glowing white room
EDWARD lays on a bed with white sheets. He is dressed in
white clothing. He stares up at a mobile of small paper
airplanes spinning. A hand reaches out from under the bed
and grabs his ankle. He jumps, startled. ALANNA crawls out.
EDWARD:
Alanna.
ALANNA:
I followed the voice. There was a
shape inside me and it had to be
let out.
EDWARD:
You're dead.
She lifts the sheet from underneath with her hands.
ALANNA:
You are right here.
(She holds up one section
of the blanket)
And here is the school.
(Another section)
And here is the world.
(Another section)
And here's me.
(Very close to where he
is)
EDWARD:
I don't understand.
ALANNA:
See how close?
EDWARD:
But you're dead.
ALANNA:
We're all part of the same fabric.
(she produces a pack of
cards)
Pick a card, fuck face.
EDWARD:
They're not tarot cards are they?
Because I played poker with them
once. I got a full house and my
aunt died.
ALANNA:
This is important. You need to
remember this.
(she leans in and whispers
into his ear)
You won't understand it right now.
But it will make sense.
EDWARD:
I couldn't hear you.
ALANNA:
That's because I was talking
without words. Just like I spell
my name.
EDWARD:
So it's a code?
ALANNA:
Do you believe you can travel
forward and backward in time?
EDWARD:
No.
ALANNA:
Do you believe that subatomic
particles exist on all levels at
once?
EDWARD:
I don't understand.
ALANNA:
You will. You were chosen.
EDWARD:
Chosen? By who?
She lifts the sheet again.
ALANNA:
The fabric. Follow Bart.
EDWARD:
We're not on the best of terms.
ALANNA:
I've got this stitching and it
itches.
(she pulls open her
nightgown a bit to show
him the stitches from her
autopsy)
Bart is next. You've got to keep
an eye on him.
EDWARD:
Why?
She reaches out and grasps his head with each hand. We are
blasted with the sight of APRIL, blood gushing from her head.
EDWARD flinches out of her hands.
EDWARD:
What the hell was that?!
ALANNA:
You can save her. But first you
have to kill me.
She climbs back onto the floor and begins to crawl under the
bed.
ALANNA:
The drugs don't work.
EDWARD springs up and looks under the bed. It is bare.
CUT TO:
INT.
EDWARD'S bathroom Morning
EDWARD is holding a bottle of pills. He shakes two out and
tosses them back. But he freezes. He leans over the sink
and spits them out.
CUT TO:
EXT.
The quad Day
EDWARD is pacing in front of SCOTTY.
EDWARD:
No, you don't understand. She was
real. She's reaching out to me
from the other side.
SCOTTY:
What did she say?
EDWARD:
That I was chosen for this.
SCOTTY:
What else?
EDWARD:
That we're all part of the same
fabric and that I can travel
through time.
SCOTTY:
You can?
EDWARD:
Well that's what she implied. She
said I have to kill her so that I
can save another girl.
(beat)
And she wanted me to pick a card.
SCOTTY:
(suddenly very interested)
A card?
EDWARD:
Yeah.
SCOTTY:
What kind of card?
EDWARD:
I don't know. It would make sense
to be a playing card, but-
SCOTTY has unfolded a piece of paper. It is a computer
printout of a baseball card.
It is the infamous 1989 Bill Ripken baseball card, in which
the bottom of the bat he is holding sports "fuck face" in
marker.
EDWARD:
What the hell is this?
SCOTTY:
It's a baseball card. A rare and
valuable one.
EDWARD:
Okay, so what does that have to do
with anything?
SCOTTY:
I was able to hack into Bart's
computer and this was hosted in a
folder named Alanna.
EDWARD:
That's odd.
SCOTTY:
I did some checking. The card was
reported stolen from a shop up in
New Castle two days before she
died.
EDWARD:
What does that mean?
SCOTTY is staring at the group of cheerleaders across the
quad.
EDWARD:
Scotty? Scotty? Stop staring at
the blonde without a bra.
SCOTTY:
She's a blonde?
CUT TO:
INT.
The school's pool Day
EDWARD is in his bathing suit, as are the rest of the gym
class. The pool is in a glass building connected to the
school by a long hallway. In the stands sits a man,
DUKOWSKI, a rumpled looking fella with a mustache. He has
his tie loosened and is looking over the class as they enter.
The COACH walks up to him and discusses things for a minute.
DUKOWSKI points at EDWARD and the COACH nods. He stands and
walks out the tunnel as the class jumps into the pool,
LAUGHING and SPLASHING each other.
CUT TO:
INT.
The locker room An hour later
The class enters the room, covered in towels and shivering.
EDWARD finds his locker open. He glances around and then
looks inside to see if anything is missing. At the bottom of
the locker, under his clothes, EDWARD finds DUKOWSKI'S
business card. He studies it and then SHOUTING breaks out.
BART:
You ready for round two, faggot?
EDWARD turns to find BART, with two of his muscular friends,
primed to jump him.
EDWARD:
Bart. Do we really have to go
through this again?
BART:
That wasn't a fair fight.
EDWARD:
But three on one is?
BART rushes him and EDWARD flips the locker's door open to
smash him in the face. BART falls on his ass, stunned
senseless. EDWARD sticks his foot on BART'S chest and pins
him to the floor. He looks at BART'S friends.
EDWARD:
You could probably take me if you
jump me together but with three on
one, there's no way anyone will
believe that I started it. As I
see it, Bart is a dick and you're
his balls. You're already unsure,
starting to recede back up into
your home. Sometimes it's best to
let the dick have what's coming to
him.
They are unsure but they also do not intervene. BART
recovers enough to spit out:
BART:
Who are you calling a dick?
EDWARD drops down on BART, his knees pinning his shoulders to
the floor. He punches him hard in the face.
BART:
Guys, do something!
EDWARD:
They've given up on you, Bart.
You're a dick with no balls now.
BART'S friends begin to back away and out of the locker room.
BART is calling after them to come back and help him. EDWARD
punches him again. It knocks him out. EDWARD goes though
his pockets, retrieving a cell phone and a small vial of
cocaine. The rest of the gym class has just been staring
throughout this. BART'S head moves back and forth and then
his eyes open. EDWARD instantly socks him again, causing
another blackout.
CUT TO:
INT.
PRICE'S office Day
EDWARD stands in front of PRICE'S desk. The cocaine vial
sits between them. They are staring at it.
PRICE:
How do I know that's not yours?
EDWARD:
Mr. Price, we've worked together
for four years now. In official
and unofficial capacity.
PRICE:
Bart Steerson is in the hospital.
EDWARD:
He was going to jump me. It was
self defense. And look what it
netted us.
PRICE picks up the phone and dials an extension.
EDWARD:
Who are you calling?
PRICE:
I'm going to pretend you didn't
just give me this. I'll turn it
over to the police and say we found
it in a hallway. I don't want to
see you or Bart in jail.
EDWARD:
He's not dating her anymore, Mr.
Price. He's mixed up in some bad
shit.
PRICE:
You're in the shit with him. Now
get back to class.
EDWARD begins to walk away.
PRICE:
Edward. If Bart misses the game
tonight because of you, you're
suspended.
EDWARD:
What about if he just overdoses
during school? You going to punish
yourself?
CUT TO:
EXT.
The stadium Night
"Rock and Roll" by Gary Glitter blasts and is mingled with
the rabid CHEERING of the school as the football game starts.
EDWARD is at a concession stand, leaning against the wall and
checking out the crowd that walks around. He notices
DUKOWSKI further down the corridor and begins approaching
him. DUKOWSKI spots his approach and turns and begins to
walk away quickly. DUKOWSKI leads him into a deserted part
of the stadium. It is almost completely dark and all we hear
are TWO PAIRS OF FOOTSTEPS. DUKOWSKI'S steps stop. EDWARD
stops. Another set of FOOTSTEPS start up behind EDWARD. He
turns and looks. A dark figure is coming towards him.
EDWARD sees a retractable club suddenly expand from the
figure's hand. EDWARD begins running, his FOOTSTEPS POUNDING
ON THE PAVEMENT. The figure follows suit. EDWARD navigates
blindly through luck and the murky light that filters in. He
turns a corner and quickly tosses off his shoes. The
FOOTSTEPS behind him slow. EDWARD, now barefoot, runs up the
little alley he is in.
He comes to a door that is padlocked shut. He realizes he is
cornered in this alley. The FOOTSTEPS begin to walk up the
alley and EDWARD glances around. The only thing to hide
behind is a small cart meant to hold footballs. He swings it
away from the wall. The FOOTSTEPS ACCELERATE. The figure
reaches the cart and rips it away to find nothing. He looks
around but it is too dark to see anything. The figure
overturns the cart and walks towards the door. As he does
so, EDWARD is silently sliding down the wall opposite him,
easing past the figure. He notices that the figure is
wearing black boots with white crosses painted on the tip of
each. EDWARD makes it out of the alley and takes off running
again.
CUT TO:
EXT.
A suburban neighborhood Night
EDWARD has walked about two miles without shoes. He goes to
SCOTTY'S house. SCOTTY'S mother, GLADYS, answers the door
and lets him in.
GLADYS:
Scotty's upstairs with his
girlfriend.
EDWARD cocks an eyebrow. SCOTTY bounds down the stairs.
GLADYS is already exiting.
SCOTTY:
What are you doing here?
EDWARD:
You have a girlfriend?
SCOTTY:
No. No.
EDWARD:
Your mom just said-
SCOTTY:
She doesn't know what she's talking
about.
EDWARD pushes past him, headed for the stairs.
SCOTTY:
No, don't go up there. Hey, where
are your shoes?
EDWARD:
I thought it would be fun to walk a
couple miles in my socks.
SCOTTY grabs him and restrains him.
EDWARD:
What's the deal?
A voice calls down from upstairs:
DONNA:
Who is it, Scotty?
She walks out to the railing overlooking the stairs. DONNA
is quite heavy, has bad acne, braces, bad haircut.
SCOTTY:
I'll handle it, Donna.
DONNA:
I want to meet your friend.
SCOTTY:
Just wait up there for me. I'll be
up soon.
(quietly to EDWARD)
Okay, so now you know. Just get
out of here.
EDWARD:
Well, I was hoping you have an
extra pair of sneakers. It's a
long walk home. What size do you
wear?
SCOTTY:
10.
EDWARD is looking at his feet.
EDWARD:
Those aren't a 10.
SCOTTY:
Five, okay? I have surprisingly
small feet. But the rest of me is
normal!
(beat)
Maybe my dad has some shoes you can
wear.
EDWARD:
Really? Your dad, the janitor?
Wait a second, I thought you were
gay. What is she-
SCOTTY:
Just take the shoes and leave.
Don't tell anybody about this.
EDWARD:
That you're gay or that you're-
SCOTTY:
Thanks for coming, Edward. Good
luck getting home.
CUT TO:
EXT.
Suburban neighborhood Night
We are focused on the ground. A black dress shoe steps in
front of us. As EDWARD's foot picks up, the shoe almost
comes off. It is obviously four or five sizes too big for
his feet. EDWARD swears as one of the shoes comes off. He
puts it back on and begins sliding his feet as though skiing.
As he makes his way home, BART'S cell phone begins to ring in
his pocket. He takes it out and looks at the number. It is
labeled as "APRIL". EDWARD does not answer the call. As
soon as it is finished, he opens it and begins to look
through the phone's address book, while he slides home in his
over-sized shoes. He notices an entry for "MEGAN". He calls
it.
MEGAN:
Hey, baby.
EDWARD:
Right back at ya.
MEGAN:
Is this Bart?
EDWARD:
Of course it is, honey.
MEGAN:
You sound different.
EDWARD:
Yeah, I stepped in dogshit and it's
fucked up my day. Listen, when is
our anniversary?
MEGAN:
Are we officially dating now?
EDWARD:
Well, now that Alanna is gone...
MEGAN:
Oh, baby, that makes me so happy.
You know I hated hiding what we
have.
EDWARD:
So it's been, what, two months?
MEGAN:
I think three. Are you okay? You
really sound different.
EDWARD:
I swallowed a fly. I have to go.
MEGAN:
Are you at the game?
EDWARD:
No.
MEGAN:
You're still coming to the party
though, right?
EDWARD:
Yes. And I want you to give me a
big kiss right in front of
everyone.
EDWARD shuts the phone and continues sliding.
FADE OUT.