All Out of Lemons (Short Film) By David Raygoza

July 14th 2011

TALKING HEAD INTERVIEWS In quick succession we watch a three teenagers give their variations on the saying "When life gives you lemons, make lemonade". TEENAGER #1 When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. No wait, I take it back. You should probably wait for some sugar before you start making the lemonade. TEENAGER #2 When life gives you lemons...you probably just found lemons. TEENAGER #1 Unless youre diabetic, then you probably shouldnt be drinking lemonade and these life lemons need to go somewhere else. TEENAGER #3 When life gives you lemons, hey! Free lemons! TEENAGER #1 Maybe a pie. Like lemon meringue. TEENAGER #2 Look, all Im saying is, who gives out lemons? TEENAGER #3 When life gives you lemons, make sure the "Thank You"-card is hand written, texts and emails dont seem very sincere. TEENAGER #1 Are there other ways to use lemons besides food? Does any one know? TEENAGER #2 Life doesnt do that. And if it does, then I must be all out of lemons! A shot of TEENAGER #3s smile fading.

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EXT. COMMUNITY POOL

MORNING

Its EARLY in the morning, before the sunrise, and the sky is DARK BLUE. Trees WAVE, RUSTLE, and surround a community pool, DIMLY lit by small lights, where a YOUNG WOMAN is swimming. As she does a couple laps back and forth, TEENAGER #1, whos name is WESLEY, enters with towel in hand and a backpack on. He sets his things down, until he notices the young woman. As hes on his way to leave she stops by the pool edge. YOUNG WOMAN Hey. Wesley, right? WESLEY stops and turns around. WESLEY Yeah. YOUNG WOMAN Im Stacey. WESLEY Yeah, I know, you were Cinderella. STACEY You dont have to leave. WESLEY No, I do. I just remembered I left mySTACEY Youre what? WESLEY My stove on. STACEY Yikes! WESLEY Yeah, and Ive got like 40 cats so... INTERCUT SHOT OF A KITTY STACEY The cat meat market isnt looking very good these days. Maybe time travel back a few centuries?

(CONTINUED)

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WESLEY Did I say cats? STACEY Yeah. WESLEY I meant antique colonial dolls. I collect them and if I dont get back now they wont really be worth anything. STACEY Say they survived the civil war! WESLEY Im not sure American Girl sells many charred, scarred dolls. STACEY Well they should! Make those "American Girls" tough! Show them theres worse things than boys out there. WESLEY Right, like house fires. STACEY Stay. WESLEY I dont know if I should. STACEY Why not? WESLEY This is sort of mySTACEY AND WESLEY Alone time. WESLEY Yeah. STACEY Me too. Maybe its about time we let someone in on our "alone time". WESLEY Wouldnt that defeat the purpose?

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CONTINUED: STACEY Not everyday. Just every now and then. If we like the way it ends upSTACEY AND WESLEY Working out. STACEY We already, finish each othersWESLEY Sandwiches. STACEY Sentences. WESLEY What the hell. Why not?

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WESLEY starts running toward the pool and does a CANNON BALL in. CUT TO INT. THEATRE OFFICE DAY

Later in the day, at a student office seemingly modeled to reflect the Corleone office in The Godfather. Light coming in through the blinds, a KINGPIN sitting behind a desk. Teenager #2, whose name is ROY, sits and asks for a favor. Meanwhile the KINGPIN prepares himself a sandwich. KINGPIN Sorry Roy, cant do it. ROY Yes you can. KINGPIN Nope, sorry. ROY You know its your fault theyre investigating me! Fix this! KINGPIN Whos investigating you? ROY The administration! The principal. Your father. He thinks I gave everyone the answers to the final. (CONTINUED)

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5.

KINGPIN You didnt? ROY No. You did. KINGPIN Sounds like a problem. ROY So fix it! Tell your Dad it was you. He wont punish you for it. KINGPIN Youre right. But the administration IS going to want to punish someone. ROY So why me? KINGPIN Because. You came in here and asked me for help. You wanted a small bump on your grade so that you wouldnt have to sit in summer school, and I asked, I gave you the window of opportunity, I said: "Roy, I can bump your grade, but youre going to need to do me a favor too. Are you sure you want that?" And you told me "Yes, I want that. Ill do anything not to sit with those morons for the whole summer." I gave you a chance. So dont pout. Its not so bad. Youll sit with the morons in detention for three weeks. Better than the whole summer, right? ROY gives KINGPIN a scorching DEATH glare. KINGPIN Dont give me that look. You know what youve got to do. ROY stands up and heads for the door. ROY Yeah. I know what to do. INTERCUT SHOT OF WHAT ROY WISHES HE COULD DO

(CONTINUED)

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KINGPIN Hey! Look. Here it is again. Another chance Im giving you. Do you fall for me and land light? Or do you fall by yourself and hit the ground hard? Stay? Or go? CUT TO INT. KITCHEN NIGHT

That night, in a kitchen. Teenager #3, whose name is REBEKAH, lays her left arm on a cutting slab and holds a knife in her right hand. She presses the blade against her wrist, closes her eyes and THE PHONE RINGS. She rushes over to pick it up, knife in hand. REBEKAH Hello? Yes, mom, everything is fine. Im actually about to go to sleep so could I call you in the morning? No, I feel fine Im just tired from school and band and theatre and my friends and Im just tired, you know. Okay. Yes. Good night, mom. Love you. She looks over by the phone, to the spot on the counter where she left her suicide note. After a breath, she heads back to the cutting slab. Placing her arm back in position, she steadies herself. The blade of the knife presses into the surface of her wrist AND THE PHONE RINGS. She gives a big sigh, sets down the knife, and heads toward the phone. REBEKAH Hello? Hey, I cant really talk right now. No, Im fine. Yes, Im sure. Okay calm down. Yeah Ive met Wesley before. Im glad you two hit it off so well. No really, Stacey could we talk later. No Im not mad at you. Im just tired. I dont know, Ive been exhausted lately. Were not all as strong as you Stacey. I wish I was as strong as you. INTERCUT SHOT OF WHAT SHES BEEN TRYING TO DO.

(CONTINUED)

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REBEKAH (CONTD) So Ill talk to you later, all right? Okay, good night. REBEKAH begins to take small steps toward the knife and the cutting slab again. Standing a few feet from the counter, she reaches her hand out to grab the knife AND THE PHONE RINGS. She smiles to herself, and puts the knife and the cutting slab back in the drawer. SPLITSCREEN SHOTS For our finale we see the epilogue of all three characters. WESLEY walking away, holding hands with STACEY as the sun rises. ROY confronting the principal with: ROY Your son gave out the answers. Would you happen to know where I can register for Summer School? REBEKAH speaking into the phone: REBEKAH Yeah, I can talk, whats up? TALKING HEAD INTERVIEWS WESLEY Dont over speculate the good lemons, they arent usually booby trapped. Well, okay, maybe be a tiny, little bit apprehensive. ROY Life can give some pretty spoiled lemons, so maybe grow your own. REBEKAH Maybe youve already got your lemons and you dont even know it. WESLEY And who cares?

(CONTINUED)

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REBEKAH Youre stronger than that. ROY You dont need lemons. Let me let you in on a little secret: Were all out of lemons. ROLL CREDITS