Friday, November 18, 2011

Jessie, Wilson, Dolores and Vodka

This is a script that I started working on for a script - writing workshop that I'm attending. This is the first beat. I'll post the others as I write them (if I write them).

[Jessie, a boy of 16 is standing on the front porch of a suburban house in a nice neighborhood, talking on the phone.]

WILSON:

(Sleepily) Jessie? What’s going on? How can I help you?

JESSIE:

Uh… you could start by coming down to your front porch for a minute. That would be immensely helpful.

WILSON:

(Jumps out of bed) WHAT? Are …are you down there?

(Walks downstairs and opens front door to face Jessie)

WILSON:

Oh...this can’t be good. This can’t be good at all.

JESSIE:

Hey! You just said ‘how can I help you’?!

WILSON:

It’s two in the morning! And I was really just being polite. I’d really rather not be of help to you at all. I…I’m gonna go/ now.

JESSIE:

No No! Wait. Please. You know you want to know why I’m here. Don’t pretend.

WILSON:

(Considers leaving for a moment, then) Right. Well. Fine. Let’s hear it then. What’ve you done this time? And more importantly, what do you want from me?

JESSIE:

(Pretending to get offended) How about you show a little faith in me, huh? How do you know it’s something bad? I could be here to give you great news!

WILSON:

(Gives him a skeptical look)

JESSIE:

Right. Well anyway … Dolores died.

WILSON:

DIED? You did this, didn’t you? Wha...what did you do?

JESSIE:

Nothing! It was an accident.

WILSON:

Of course it was. Your old man is going to KILL you. Dude, what the hell happened?

JESSIE:

Well, you see, I was on YouTube the other day…

WILSON:

Oh no…

JESSIE:

I watched this hilarious video! It was SO funny! It was EPIC!

WILSON:

(Voice laced with sarcasm) Yeah. I bet it was. My funny bone is still tickling.

JESSIE:

There was a drunk cat doing all kinds of crazy things! It was so cool! Anyway, I thought, you know, we have a cat. Why not try it? See what it does?

WILSON:

I do not like where this is going…

JESSIE:

So I sneaked some Vodka from the dad’s liquor cabinet and switched it with her water. She came and lapped it all up. Next thing I know, she’s dropped dead. In 5 seconds. I didn’t think she’d drink it in the first place. I mean what kind of stupid cat can’t tell water from vodka?!

WILSON:

So you try to give vodka to a CAT and the cat is stupid for drinking it? Great. Nothing wrong with that. That makes perfect sense. What did you do then?

JESSIE:

When my dad walked in on the dead cat, he went berserk. He went purple and sort of started puffing up with fury. He assumed, correctly I might add, that I had something to do with it. So I told him I had nothing to do with it, suggested a couple of alternative explanations and got out of there as fast as I could…although I’m pretty sure he didn’t buy it.

WILSON:

Setting fire to the kitchen, wrecking your neighbor’s marriage, almost running your teacher over with your car…and now killing your dad’s cat. You know, I think you’ve made progress. At least you’re not endangering human lives anymore.

JESSIE:

Exactly! I mean it was just a CAT! I’m telling you, that man is ridiculously attached to the cat. It’s weird.

WILSON:

(Looks at him with exasperation) Look, buddy, your dad is a peace-loving man, a very patient man. After all, he raised you. I’m sure if you go home and explain to him exactly what happened, he’ll let you live.

JESSIE:

The peace-loving man you’re talking about would have turned into revenge-seeking psycho by now! I can’t go back there without a plan.

WILSON:

(Sighs with resignation): Fine. Fine. Come on in. We’ll think of something. By the way exactly what alternative explanations did you give him?

JESSIE:

(Laughing nonchalantly) Oh yeah, about that…I told him you might have tested one of your chemicals on him.

WILSON:

WHAT?!

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