Surviving the Times(project title)

by
Alexander Golden
FADE IN

EXT. COURTYARD HOME, UP-SCALE RESIDENTIAL, COUNTRY CLUB

COMMUNITY-NIGHT

Tons of underage teenagers flood the area around the pool,

girls dressed as slutty as possible in lingerie and other
scantily clad clothing. Guys dressed like wanna-be thugs and
old time pimps. Plenty of cigarettes and beer cans on the
floor, bottles of vodka and every other type of liquor. No
parents in sight.

V.O.
Welcome to my last summer. Things
were good. No work, no worries,
partying like it was going out of
style. Finally got laid. I was
getting high, getting drunk and
having a blast. This is how life
was meant to be. I wish I could
tell you that in the fall I would
be going off to Princeton or
playing ball for some big 10
school, but it just was not the
case. But fuck it. It’s summer.
Lets get loose.

We move past the crowds and cliques of kids drinking,

talking, smoking pot, and move into the house. The home is
decorated very minimally. Modern furniture and flat screen
TV’s on the walls, more kids inside the house doing most of
the same as outside. In the back patio is a small group of
kids sitting around a table passing a bong back and forth and
drinking. At the head of the table sits an average sized
brown haired boy wearing a purple pimp hat and sunglasses as
well as a black sport coat.

V.O. (CONT’D)
Oh, here I am, welcome by the way,
this is my house, well my dads. And
this is one of my Pimp n’ Hoes
parties. We never organized it this
way but the girls just explained to
us they would dress like whores and
we could be their pimps, good deal
huh? I may not look happy, but I'm
just really high. You see I never
actually threw the parties, The
large kid next to me, Big John.
 2.

Sitting next to our host is a stocky, hefty kid with dark

spiked hair wearing sunglasses and a leather jacket, laughing
and smoking, talking loudly and needing to be the center of
attention.

V.O. (CONT’D)
He would just tell the world I was
having a party and presto! Every
kid from the county would show up.
House Parties seemed to take on a
life of their own. You couldn't pin
point when they started or when
they would end. It’s kind of like
when you throw a half eaten apple
on the ground, at first just a few
ants show, but soon the core is
covered with the little suckers,
slowly devouring what's left.

Time lapse of an apple core on ground being eaten by a swarm

of ants until it is completely gone.

V.O. (CONT’D)
Before you know it the apple has
been reduced to a stem and a couple
of seeds and the ants disperse
slowly without notice. Unless the
cops show up. Then those ants are
fucked if they don’t run like hell.
Allow me to introduce the rest of
the crew.

Staring at two younger girls dressed in the sluttiest clothes

at the party are two tall, built kids. One with red crew cut
hair, resembles something Russian or eastern European. The
other has dark spiked hair, dark skin and is of Latin
descent. Both dressed like pimps.

V.O. (CONT’D)
These two strapping young gentlemen
are Ivan and Julio.

Pointing to a young girl with what looks like a lip ring.

IVAN
Oh damn, right there. That is my
honey, the one with the lip ring.

JULIO
Where?

IVAN
The one next to that girl in the
black with the hat.
 3.

JULIO
Oh. Mmm, I don't think that's a lip
ring man.

IVAN
What? Yeah it is. That's hot.

JULIO
No. I think, I think that's herpes
bro.

IVAN
Oh come on, you’re just mad I saw
here first.

JULIO
No, that's definitely a cold sore.

Cut to

EXT. STREETS AND HOMES OF COUNTRY CLUB NEIGHBORHOOD-NIGHT

Ivan and Julio crouch, running towards million dollar houses

with lush, illuminated landscaping and expensive cars parked
in the drive ways. Ivan walks up to a Bentley and opens the
door. The alarm does not sound, the residents do not fear
they will be robbed living in a gated community so the cars
are never locked, the homes front doors are usually open as
well. Julio goes into a Mercedes and finds money and a radar
detector. The two of them continue to loot cars for valuables

V.O.
These two morons are stealing from
cars right now. They don’t think of
it as wrong, these people have so
much money it’s wrong to them.
Mostly they don’t care because
they’re too messed up from booze
and pills, pills they stole from
bored housewive’s cars. For them,
it just feels right.

Just then a black SUV pulls up and stops abruptly. The kids
both stop and look, the window rolls down and a smaller kid
with a grown in stubble-beard yells out.

STEINMAN
Yo! I got an IPOD!

Ivan and Julio look up, annoyed. They close the doors to the
cars and run over to the truck
 4.

JULIO
Shut up Steinman! Drive!

They get into the car and drive off.

Steinman gets it from everyone, he gets used quite a bit, for

driving, buying liquor, whatever the rest of the crew doesn't
want to do.

V.O.
That’s Steinman, he is sort of the
bitch, nice kid though, and he’s
got a fake ID.

Cut to.

EXT. HOUSE PARTY BACK PATIO-NIGHT

Kids are passing the bong back and forth when it reaches Big
John and someone yells out “Taco Bell”

BIG JOHN
Oh shit, Taco Bell! Yo James, take
this shit.

He gets up out of the chair, which takes just a minute to

lift his big self up, and runs into the house yelling out

BIG JOHN (CONT’D)

Crunch Rap Supreme!

The bong sits on the table in front of James, the host. He

stares at it for a moment, then looks at everyone around him,
laughing and talking about nothing important and just
enjoying life,no worries.

V.O.
Yup, life was sweet. If this was
what it was going to be like after
high school, life was going to be a
breeze.

INT. JAMES’S BEDROOM, GUEST HOUSE-DAY

James is past out face down on the bed when his dad comes
busting through his door in a suit, briefcase in one hand,
coffee in the other. He is short with gelled, salon-dyed
hair. A blue light blinks from his ear signaling the blue
tooth for his cell phone. Unlike his stature, he has a
persona that is larger than life, some form of a Napoleon
complex, more like “little Jew from Philly with something to
prove-itis.” His voice booms, deep and purposeful.
 5.

DAD
You awake!

James mumbles an answer, sounds like yeah.

DAD (CONT’D)
Get a job yet?

James, again not able to be understood, stretches for some

type of answer that means yes, I’m on it. When he’s clearly
not.

DAD (CONT’D)
What? Quit mumbling, get up and get
a job, you are not going to sit
around all summer and drink beer.

JAMES
That’s not all I do.

DAD
OK, you are not going to sit around
all summer and drink beer and smoke
grass.

JAMES
I don’t smoke grass,

Turns his head and talks into the pillow.

JAMES (CONT’D)
I smoke weeeed...

DAD
What? Get out of bed it is nine
o’clock already, you are the
laziest white man I know.

JAMES
Everyone you know is old.

DAD
What was that? If you don’t have a
job by the end of the week you are
working at the bank. I mean it,
otherwise you’re out of the house
and you can live with your mother
and that bum, grass cutter.

James waves his hand in the air to signal him to go away, he

has heard his dad threat before, he doesn’t believe he’ll
kick him out.
 6.

DAD (CONT’D)
Oh, I left you a present outside
your door. I wont be home till
tomorrow so figure something out
for dinner. What are you going do
today?

JAMES
Look for a job.

DAD
That’s right.

James’s dad leaves the room and never closes the door, the
room is outside by the pool, as James tries to sleep the sun
comes through and landscape workers cut the grass and trim
leaves while he is still lying in bed passed out. Finally,
James gets out of bed and walks outside

EXT. JAMES’S GUESTHOUSE

He steps on a pile of cigarette butts, beer caps and bottle

tops. His present.

EXT. SMALL, MEDITERRANEAN STYLE HOME IN A TINY TOWNHOME

COMMUNITY-DAY

Entry level premium-brand cars line the street in front of

the house. James pulls up to the house in a black mid sized
sedan.

EXT. BACK YARD OF THE SMALL HOME. DAY

A group of kids, a few from the party including Big John,

Ivan, and Steinman are sitting in patio furniture smoking
weed out of a bong, they are being loud and knocking things
over.

The sliding glass door opens and a middle aged dark haired
woman glares at all of them. They stop and dead pan stare
back, no one smoking.

MS. STEINMAN
Look at you Chiba monkeys, Don’t
any of you have anything better to
do?

BIG JOHN
Chiba monkeys? I’m not a monkey.
 7.

IVAN
Yeah Bro, you’re way to fat to be a
monkey.

BIG JOHN
Fuck you Bro, your heads too big.

STEINMAN
You’re one of those big headed
Russian monkeys.

He laughs to himself

IVAN
Estonian, dick.

James walks into the house and to the backyard through the
sliding door.

MS. STEINMAN
More of you, don’t you have
something better to do than get
high in my backyard?

JAMES
I’m looking for jobs today. My dad
said would get kicked out of the
house if I didn’t.

BIG JOHN
You serious? You’ll be giving hand
jobs for crack before you ever get
a real job.

MS. STEINMAN
Leave him alone. I’m happy to hear
that you are taking some
initiative. How is it going so far?

JAMES
Well, I was going to start, but I
thought I would start with getting
high in your backyard first.

They all laugh

BIG JOHN
She called us chiba monkeys.

JAMES
She’s calling you pot heads.
 8.

BIG JOHN
If we are pot heads, then you are a
pot head too.

Defensively

JAMES
I’m not a pot head.

MS. STEINMAN
You’re all potheads, get out of my
house and get jobs, do you know
what I was doing at your age?

Ivan mutters, hinting at a flirt.

IVAN
Getting fucked?

They all laugh again.

Back at him, flirting

MS. STEINMAN
Wouldn’t you like to know.

The group croons.

STEINMAN
Dude, that’s my mom.

IVAN
What’s the matter, I’d be the best
dad you ever had.

MS. STEINMAN
Enough, get out of here you reek of
pot and now so does my new patio
furniture.

BIG JOHN
OK, this is the last bowl, I packed
a fire salad bowl.

STEINMAN
Of course you call it a salad bowl
you fat ass.

Big john grins, then punches Steinman in the nuts, Steinman

falls to the ground and whimpers. Ms. Steinman shakes her
head and goes back into the house.

They all smoke the bong and pass it around. After a round
they are all stoned off their asses.
 9.

Ivan Pulls out a brand new, sleek and expensive cell phone.

BIG JOHN
When did you get that?

IVAN
Last night. Found it in a Bentley.

JAMES
You’re an idiot.

IVAN
I’m not that bad, Julio took some
dudes wallet and it had like four
hundred dollars in it. Steinman got
an IPOD.

BIG JOHN
What happens when you all get
arrested and Steinman gets butt
raped by some dude named Vince who
likes to cuddle and eat small kids.

STEINMAN
Why would I be the one who gets
raped?

IVAN
That’s Steinman’s problem. No ones
touching my butthole. I’ll eat
glass before so when they try,
their dick’s gonna be looking like
it went through a paper shredder.

JAMES
You’ve really thought this one out
haven’t you.

IVAN
It’s all about planning my man.

Big John shakes his head. The group slaps hands good bye and
stand up slowly, stretching and yawning.

BIG JOHN
I’m starving, anyone trying to eat?
James you wanna eat?

JAMES
Yeah I’m down. Oh shit, never mind.
I gotta eat with my mom and her
boyfriend.
 10.

IVAN
Tarzan?

Ivan laughs, he tends to laugh the loudest at his own jokes.

James laughs slightly, He’s somewhat uncomfortable with the

issue.

JAMES
His name’s Chris.

BIG JOHN
Why did you call him Tarzan?

IVAN
He never wears a shirt, and always
has on those cut off short Jean
shorts.

JAMES
He wears a shirt. Sometimes.

Trying to defend the guy.

BIG JOHN
Sounds more like George Michael.

STEINMAN
Isn’t he like, a painter or
something.

JAMES
Sometimes he paints. He runs a
lawncare service. He’s kind of
cool. He just gets wasted like us.

BIG JOHN
So he drinks and he cuts grass.
Sometimes paints?

Not convinced he should take the guy seriously.

STEINMAN
He cuts grass?

JAMES
He doesn’t, he has people... What’s
it matter?

IVAN
That’s cool if the guy cuts grass.
My dad cuts grass, our grass. But
he wears a shirt.
 11.

JAMES
Are we done? Do you guys wanna come
to dinner and meet the guy?

BIG JOHN
Is he buying?

Ivan turns to John and hits him in the shoulder.

IVAN
Of course he’s not buying. He cuts
grass.

They all laugh. James is beginning to become annoyed, he

doesn’t respect it much either but it’s his mothers boyfriend
and he tries to stick up for her choice.

JAMES
You guys are retarded. I’m out of
here.

Frustrated.

James walks out of the house. From inside Ivan calls out

EXT. STEINMAN HOME

IVAN (O.S.)
Hey! Maybe he can get you a job!

BIG JOHN
Yeah! And pair of cut off shorts,
you lazy fuck!

JAMES
Shut up!

INT. MEXICAN RESTAURANT-NIGHT

It’s a small cantina restaurant lit by neon beer signs, the

kind that smells like cleaning solution and hot sauce. In a
booth is James, his mother, and her boyfriend.

The boyfriend is in his late forties. He has slicked-back

curly black hair with streaks of grey. He sports a soul patch
and a mustache. He’s tan and in decent shape, he looks like
he spends a lot of time outside doing labor. He wears jeans
and a grey crew shirt. He has adopted a very relaxed “fuck
it” approach to life and its hassles.

James’s mother is also in her late forties. She has long

blonde hair and a slender average height figure.
 12.

She dresses casually and how you would imagine an aging once
hip, baby boomer might. She too is on a sort of anti-society
and self-control trip after a recent divorce.

A waiter comes by to take drink orders. The adults order

Margherita’s. James, just a water.

JAMES
Margherita’s huh?

JANICE
Yeah.. It’s Friday.

CHRIS
That’s right babe. Happy hour.

He laughs

James shakes his head.

JAMES
Long week?

JANICE
Oh. It’s always a long week. Its
always something.

JAMES
Like what? I feel like you guys do
nothing. You just chill around the
house and re-do the kitchen or
renovate the bathrooms or
something.

CHRIS
Something’s always gotta be fixed
or changed, the kitchen is almost
done. I’m putting in a fountain in
the driveway.

The waiter returns with the drinks.

Chris takes down half his Margherita.

JAMES
Kitchens almost done? What else did
you do?

JANICE
Oh, lets think, I had the marble
guys come today. The new
refrigerator comes on Tuesday.
(MORE)
 13.

JANICE (CONT'D)
The fireplace is being ripped out
the day after next... It’s a lot of
work.

JAMES
Sounds like alimony money spent
well.

Chris chuckles and guzzles down his Margherita.

JANICE
Well your father would never let me
do what I wanted before when it
came to the house so now I’m in
charge, besides it increases the
value of the house, and the lawyer
said its a good investment.

JAMES
Better than saving it? She’s a
lawyer not an accountant. What are
you trying to do anyway? Get the
place a spread in some decorating
magazine?

JANICE
James, I think she knows a little
more than you. She does this for a
living. She knows what to do in
divorce situations.

JAMES
What’s that? Rip off the husband
and let the wife spend all the
money until she’s broke and can’t
support the kids so she comes
crying back to the ex for more
money? Don’t act like she is your
friend mom. She’s only here for the
hours she can bill you.

CHRIS
Smart kid.

JANICE
Speaking of your father, where is
he?

JAMES
Business in miami. We had dinner
the other night.
 14.

INT. JAMES’S HOUSE,KITCHEN

James and his dad sit silent at the table eating their food,
neither one says a word, the only noise comes from the metal
utensils clanking against the plates. The dinner is tense and
neither one seems to want to say a word. We hear into the
heads of one another.

JAMES (V.O.)
Money loving, greedy workaholic
asshole. so tight with his own
money.

EDWARD (V.O.)
Lazy little freeloading shit. Wont
even get a job.

They eat their food, almost making a race out of it so they

can be out the others company.

JAMES (V.O.)
Fucking summer job.

EDWARD (V.O.)
Fucking grass cutter.

INT. MEXICAN RESTAURANT

JANICE
OK. Lets change the subject. Aren’t
you supposed to be looking for a
job?

JAMES
Yeah. I guess. Why do I need to
work?

CHRIS
We ask ourselves the same question
everyday.

Continues to drink

JANICE
Your father is trying to teach you
responsibility. You need to learn
that there are going to be things
in life you may not want to do but
have to. That’s something we all
need to accept.
 15.

CHRIS
Nobody likes to work. But you have
to. How else are you going to
support yourself?

JAMES
So basically you are saying that a
job is getting up in the morning
and pretending you give a shit?

JANICE
Look at us, we don’t like to work.

CHRIS
You think anyone likes working?
Works no fun!

JAMES
No, I think its pretty obvious that
neither one of you like to work.
But I think my dad likes to work.

JANICE
He is one of the exceptions.

CHRIS
That guy just cant be happy without
money. That’s why he works so hard.
If he doesn’t have a new Benz in
his driveway he ain’t gonna’ feel
good about himself. People like
that are never happy.

JAMES
But I like nice stuff too. I like
cars and houses.

CHRIS
None of that shit really matters
though. It’s all shit, man. This is
what life is all about.

He raises his glass.

CHRIS (CONT’D)
You just gotta be happy. Let’s say
you do become successful one day.
You have your house on the beach,
and plenty of money. Meanwhile,
you’re driving your Porsche around
trying to convince yourself that
you’re happy. So what if you don’t
get a job? What’s going to happen?
 16.

JAMES
He’ll kick me out of the house.

JANICE
So you can come live with us.

JAMES
What am I going to do there? No
friends, no parties.

JANICE
Life isn’t just about partying you
know.

JAMES
Maybe not at your age.

The mother is annoyed at the remark.

JANICE
I think you should get a job. Learn
what it means to make money and
what everyone else goes through to
support themselves. I’m sure your
friends are all getting summer
jobs.

James scoffs.

JAMES
My friends? What are you, high?

Janice looks at him with disdain. He knows you don’t talk to

your parents like this.

CHRIS
Not right now.

Laughs, finishes his drink.

EXT. BEACH-DAY

Its a beautiful sunny day in South Florida. The water is

turquoise, the sand is beige, the girls are tan.

Julio, James, Anthony, and Josh are sitting down on towels

admiring the view, talking and relaxing. Anthony is tall and
lanky. He looks Italian and has dark, shaved hair. Josh is
shorter, but built like the others. He has brown short hair
and appears Jewish.
 17.

ANTHONY
Oh shit! That girl? Now that is a
Skuz.

JAMES
But is she really that bad?

JULIO
She makes most sluts look like
saints.

JAMES
What’s the matter with sluts? Sluts
are great. I love sluts. Sluts make
the world go round. Our existence
depends on sluts.

JOSH
Their dirty. That’s what’s wrong
with them. And that girl is the
dirtiest of the dirty. She just
smells like a slut.

Josh speaks very matter-of-factly.

JAMES
How can you smell like a slut?

JOSH
I swear, she smells like...cum. No
joke, the girl smells like cum.
Every time I see her, I figure she
just had someone dump their load on
her forehead.

ANTHONY
She smells like a facial.

JAMES
See, why aren’t I the guy dropping
his load on her face? I want that
kind of chick.

ANTHONY
I would like to find some fine ass
girl who will occasionally be like,
“I'm so wet, put it in me, I am
gonna’ suck your cock dry” you
know? But with some class.

JAMES
Exactly. A whore with some dignity.
 18.

JULIO
No dude. You don’t want that. You
just think you want that.

When Julio speaks, it’s not often, he is sort of quiet and

reserved. His answers seem to come from far away, as if they
have been pondered for a long while before spoken. He has a
sort of world weariness about him.

ANTHONY
No, I’m pretty sure I want that.

JULIO
When you get a chick like that in
bed, and she’s all sprawled out and
talking dirty. It seems great. She
tells you all the dirty shit you
want to hear. Tells you to fuck her
hard, so you do. And doesn’t care
if you wear a condom, so you don’t.
And then you finish and your lying
next to this little freak and your
just like, well OK. Now I have
chlamydia. Was it worth it?

ANTHONY
How freaky we talking?

JOSH
It’s true man. You want a girl to
act like that after you’ve dated
for awhile and she wants to show
you how much she’s still into you.
And you know you cant catch
anything since the only thing she
has got is what you already had and
gave to her.

They all nod in agreement.

JOSH (CONT’D)
So, party tonight?

JAMES
I don’t see why not. My Dad doesn’t
come home till tomorrow.

ANTHONY
Your dad throws the best parties.

JAMES
I’ll tell him you say so.
 19.

JULIO
That’s sick that he’s never home.
You got the house to yourself.

JOSH
what’s up with you and that younger
girl.

JAMES
which one?

He grins

JOSH
The only one, you know, little
brunette.

JAMES
Lisa. Yeah she’s cool.

ANTHONY
Man’s in love.

JAMES
Easy now. She’s a virgin.

ANTHONY
So no load dropping. Rough.

JAMES
Just wait, I’ll have that sealed
soon enough.

INT. JAMES’S ROOM-NIGHT

James and a short, brown haired girl are sitting in his

bathroom smoking pot. They are the only people in his room.
Meanwhile, outside his room the party goes on.

LISA
I love your parties.

She passes the pipe to James

JAMES
I love having them.

LISA
Like, my friends suck. They never
have house parties.
 20.

JAMES
I don’t think anyone’s parents go
away as much as mine do.

LISA
I feel like you’re so old. Like,
wise you know? I feel like you
think a lot.

JAMES
What do you mean? I am only two
years older than you.

LISA
Well, don’t you think about serious
stuff? Do you ever wonder why we’re
here or what life is all about?

JAMES
Of course, doesn’t everyone?

LISA
I don’t think so, not our friends.

She lights the pipe again and inhales.

LISA (CONT’D)
So tell me what you think, why are
we here?

JAMES
Do you really want to talk about
that right now?

He moves closer to her and grabs her waist. They start to

kiss, then she stops him. She would rather talk now.

LISA
I think it’s all a test, you know?

Frustrated he’s not getting any and instead, trading

philosophies with some younger chick at his party, He rubs
his eyes and attempts to act interested.

JAMES
A test?

LISA
Do You know what karma is?

JAMES
The thing that goes after a
sentence?
 21.

LISA
That’s a comma, I’m talking about
what comes around goes around, and
reward in the afterlife for good
deeds done in this life. So
depending on how good you do now,
that determines what kind of
afterlife you go onto. Heaven.
Hell. That sort of thing. But it
also refers to what can happen
while you’re alive. “So be good for
goodness sake”...ya know, that sort
of thing.

JAMES
The test huh? I’ve heard of that
before. I think the whole heaven,
hell issue is bull shit to be
honest. I had religion shoved down
my throat as a kid, left a bad
taste. I just don’t buy it.

He grows slightly more in-tuned to the conversation.

JAMES (CONT’D)
You think that the way you act here
will change what happens when you
die? Like you’re graded on a scale
of a hundred?

LISA
Something like that.

JAMES
So lets say you do just average,
then that means you go onto the
next average universe that’s kind
of boring and middle class where
everyone drives a Volvo and listens
to Hall and Oates? Or maybe you do
real well, you go onto the ivy
league, goody two shoes universe
with all the other overachievers.
Or fuck it, lets say you sucked.
You killed, cheated on your wife,
stole, all that good stuff you’re
not supposed to do. Then you go off
to some garbage ass planet that
looks like “Escape from New York”.

LISA
Escape from New York?
 22.

JAMES
Maybe you only saw “L.A.”?

She rolls her eyes at him.

LISA
So tell me, old wise one, what is
it all about?

JAMES
How the fuck should I know?

He tries to stick his finger in her mouth. She is not having

it. He grabs her waist and tries putting his hand down her
pants, but she grabs his hands with a strong hold. She’s a
bit of a tough cookie, a native New Yorker.

LISA
Stop it.

JAMES
Stop what?

LISA
Pressuring me for sex. I know what
you boys do after you have sex, you
never talk to us again and brag to
your friends. Just take it slow.

JAMES
I’ll go real slow.

He starts pulling her pants down and kissing her neck but she
moves away. He sighs and sits down on the counter top.

JAMES (CONT’D)
OK, you really wanna know what I
think?

LISA
Yes! That’s what I like about you.
You actually form an opinion on
life instead of just viewing it.

I think our purpose is no greater

than a plants. We are here to serve
the planet, just part of the cycle
like everything else.

LISA (CONT’D)
You think we are all plants?
 23.

JAMES
No. But we’re not much better. We
just think we are more important
since our brains can think up
stupid shit and we make more noise
pollution with our mouths. “Fuck
this, suck my that” real
sophisticated shit. Oh look,

He points to the sink and toilet.

JAMES (CONT’D)
We built stuff, created things. Big
deal. Animals bare the elements
just fine without iced coffee,
IPOD’s, and subsidized home loans.
All we know how to do is destroy
this place. I think we forgot our
purpose, we were supposed to be
here to serve the earth, instead we
made it our bitch. Measured it,
claimed it our own, even priced out
all its parts.

Lisa frowns and passes him the pipe once more. James stares
into the bowl and sees the built up black residue from the
burnt Marijuana.

JAMES (CONT’D)
We’re no better than the resin in
this bowl.

LISA
That’s pretty bleak.

JAMES
I think that’s life.

EXT. JAMES’S HOUSE, COURTYARD-NIGHT

Kids have cleared out by now. It’s late in the night and the
neighborhood is quiet, the sky is clear of clouds and looks a
deep blue lit up from the moon. Some of James’s friends help
clean up the house, throwing beer cans and bottles into trash
bags. The sound of glass bottles hitting each other echo
through the home. James and Ivan are by the pool picking up
trash off the ground.

James holds a trash bag and stares up to the sky. He seems

perplexed and amazed as he stands speechless for a moment,
frozen.
 24.

IVAN
What are you doing man?

JAMES
What the fuck, man. Really. What
the fuck?

IVAN
What are you talking about?

JAMES
This, what is this all about. Why
are we doing this?

IVAN
You told me to clean, I’ll stop if
you want.

JAMES
No. I mean. What are we doing here?

Ivan stares at him blankly, slightly curious as to what the

next thing to come out of his mouth will be.

JAMES (CONT’D)
None of it makes sense you know?
It’s not... It’s not logical. But
maybe it’s not supposed to be
logical. What the fuck is logical
anyway?

IVAN
Fuck logical.

JAMES
It has just got to be beyond our
comprehension, there is no way any
of us will ever figure this out.
We’re just wasting our time.

He looks to one hand and mimics weighing the odds.

JAMES (CONT’D)
God is in heaven, the heavens are
above us.

Looks to his other hand.

JAMES (CONT’D)
Space is infinite. There is no god.
We are apart of a cycle.

He turns to Ivan
 25.

JAMES (CONT’D)
What are we? A bunch of suckers?

Ivan stares at him. He turns his head in the direction of the

house, calls out

IVAN
Yo! James is so fucked up!

From the house comes yelling and laughter.

James lets out a defeated sigh.

Ivan drops the trash bag and sits down in the lounge chair
next to James.

IVAN (CONT’D)
Space is crazy right?

James smiles, nods his head.

JAMES
Crazy.

He pauses

JAMES (CONT’D)
Fuck.

IVAN
What?

JAMES
I was supposed to get a job this
week.

IVAN
So?

JAMES
I never found a job.

IVAN
So?

JAMES
So! My dad said he was gonna kick
me out of the house if I didn’t get
a job by the end of the week.

Slowly, and convincing.

 26.

IVAN
Your dad isn’t going to kick you
out.

JAMES
No?... Yeah. He wouldn’t do that.

IVAN
You’re straight, dude.

JAMES
Yeah. I’m cool. I’m sure he’ll just
be mad for a little then forget
about it.

IVAN
Like it never happened.

JAMES
I doubt he’ll even come home
tomorrow. So I’ll look all day and
then when he comes home on the
weekend I’ll say I want to start
fresh Monday.

The two of them try to make it all seem like the most logical
choice in their heads.

IVAN
Fuck logical.

They both lay back on the lounge chairs with their hands
folded behind their heads, staring into the sky. Ivan notices
that James is a little upset and puts his hand on his
shoulder and then pats him on the head.

IVAN (CONT’D)
Don’t cry, James.

JAMES
I’m not crying.

Ivan still pats him on the head.

IVAN
One day your dad will love you.

JAMES
Get your hand off me.

He shrugs.

JAMES (CONT’D)
Hey, where’s Steinman at?
 27.

Cut to

EXT. UPSCALE HOME, DRIVEWAY-NIGHT

Steinman is standing by a Big Bodied Mercedes-Benz, gleaming

with luxury and opulence. He is about to open the door when a
voice interrupts the act.

VOICE
What are you doing?

Steinman looks around, scared. He glances towards the house

and the front door. Sitting in a chair on the front steps of
the house is a large older man in a robe, smoking a cigar.
Staring in disbelief at steinman, he lowers his cigar and
waits for a response.

Steinman stands frozen and looks back at the man.

STEINMAN
Nothing.

Innocently.

He stands for another moment, then bolts, runs as fast as he

can in the opposite direction.

INT. LISA’S BEDROOM-DAY

Lisa and James lay on her bead making-out. He tries to talk

to her while kissing.

JAMES
What time is it?

Lisa continues to kiss and grope.

LISA
Who cares.

JAMES
I’m job hunting this week, I wanted
to interview at some places today.

LISA
Go later, I’m sure the others will
call back.

JAMES
What others?
 28.

LISA
The other places you went to.

She starts to move lower, down his chest and towards his
shorts.

JAMES
Listen, I gotta talk to you about
something.

LISA
Later.

He would hate to refuse a blow job, but...

JAMES
Stop it for a minute, it’s serious.
My dad...

She pops her head up

LISA
I don’t want to hear about your dad
right now.

She goes back down, about to un-buckle his belt.

JAMES
Look, if I don’t get a job this
week I’m going to have to live at
my moms which is an hour away.

LISA
The other places will call back,
they need workers now.

JAMES
I didn’t go anywhere else...

She stops and sits up.

LISA
Let me get this straight. Your dad
told you to get a job this week.
You didn’t go anywhere and decided
to look on the last day, when you
knew he would kick you out of the
house if you never got a job, and
instead you’re here?

JAMES
Basically.
 29.

She gets off the bed and fixes her hair, annoyed with his
juvenile decision making.

He notices the clock and gets excited

JAMES (CONT’D)
It’s only twelve. I got time. You
can finish what you were doing.

She throws his car keys at his head.

LISA
Go get a job!

EXT. STEINMANS HOME-DAY

Back patio

The usual group is sitting outside smoking. Big John drinks

the bong water and spits it out. Everyone laughs as he spits
and gags from the nasty water.

James is stoned and laughing when his phone rings. On the

caller ID it reads, DAD. James panics, he never got the job
he was supposed to. He tells everyone to be quiet and stares
at the phone, it continues to ring.

He answers.

JAMES
Hello?

Clears his throat.

JAMES (CONT’D)
Dad?

He pauses, he listens and nods his head.

JAMES (CONT’D)
Yeah, I know but.

He’s cut off. His face is frozen, then his jaw hangs low like
he wants to speak but cannot.

JAMES (CONT’D)
No. No. I didn’t but I...

He stops talking. The group sits quietly, about to bust out

laughing. They hold it in.
 30.

JAMES (CONT’D)
I understand.

James hangs up the phone.

JAMES (CONT’D)
He said I cant come home. He really
kicked me out.

He can’t believe it, he sits in disbelief.

Then the group bursts into laughter, they just couldn’t hold
it any longer.

BIG JOHN
You’re homeless!

He dies laughing, rolling on the floor as the others point

and laugh.

IVAN
What are you going to do? Your Dad
straight up doofed you.

BIG JOHN
You could go to the shelter.

Thunder claps outside and the clouds darken.

James leaves the house and drives home.

EXT. JAMES’S HOME

Pouring rain, James runs through the courtyard to his room.

The door is locked. He runs to the main house and sees a
cleaning woman mopping the floors.

INT. JAMES’S HOME

The cleaning woman is cleaning the floors. She is Spanish and

does not speak much English, not the brightest woman around.
James stands in the kitchen, wet from standing outside.

CLEANING LADY
OH, hello. Your room is locked so I
have not cleaned yet. Do you want
me to change your sheets?

JAMES
Do you have a key?
 31.

CLEANING LADY
Oh, no.

JAMES
Do you know when my dad will be
home?

CLEANING LADY
No, he left me a check this
morning. Do you want me to do your
laundry?

James stares at her dead pan. Is she really asking to do his

laundry when they are both locked out.

CLEANING LADY (CONT’D)

Oh. Nevermind... Oh no! How will
you get in your room if it’s
locked?

James runs out of the house. She calls out as he leaves.

CLEANING LADY (CONT’D)

Do you want your sheet?

EXT. HIGHWAY.

James drives his car on the freeway to his mothers house that
is in the next county north.

EXT. MOTHERS HOME.

The house is totally different then james’s dad’s house. It

is more of a farm house with lots of homey antiques and old
furniture. The complete opposite of the fathers house. The
house is filled with animals. Dogs, a cat, fish, birds,
rabbits. The mother and sister are animals freaks. The sister
lives here as well and is a seasoned horseback rider.

INT. JAMES’S ROOM

The room is filled with things from james’s childhood, stuff

he didn’t want anymore that his mother couldn’t part with,
stuff she kept around to remind her of her son. Old toys,
posters, music.

James slams down face first onto the bed and tries to fall
asleep.

His little sister Gabby comes through the door and stands by
the bed. She is dressed in full equestrian gear.
 32.

She has on her knee high leather riding boots, tight tan
pants, a helmet and a whip like stick called a crop. She is
intense and quick. Blonde, Short and serious. She has more
drive than people twice her age. Complete opposite of james.
About 13 years old.

GABBY
What are you doing here?

Snooty.

JAMES
I came for the weekend.

James notices her outfit and stares at her.

JAMES (CONT’D)
Nice boots, how long you been with
the S.S.?

GABBY
The what? Mom says dad kicked you
out for being lazy.

JAMES
He didn’t kick me out for being
lazy, I got kicked out because I
was too lazy to get a job.

He says it with some pride.

GABBY
Because you’re lazy

JAMES
Something like that

No defense whatsoever.

GABBY
Why don’t you just get a job?

JAMES
Why don’t you get a job?

Right back at her.

GABBY
I’m 13! And I have horseback
riding.

JAMES
Well you should work, after all the
money they spend on that shit.
 33.

GABBY
It is not shit! It’s more important
than anything you do! I’m going to
the Olympics one day!

JAMES
Not if dad sells your horse to the
glue factory first.

GABBY
Oh yeah? Well dad’s going to sell
you cause you cant do anything!

James lifts his head and turns to her

JAMES
Get out of my room you little horse
Nazi!

GABBY
Mom! He called me a Nazi!

James gets up from the bed and hits her with her crop. They
fight back and forth until the mom calls out for dinner.

His sister runs down the steps

JAMES
That’s right, go eat your oats,
Hitler!

INT. LIVING ROOM, JAMES’S MOTHERS HOME-NIGHT

James is looking through books and pictures on a shelf when

he see’s an old black and white photo of a man he does not
recognize.

JAMES
Hey mom! Who is this guy in the
photo?

Chris is standing by the door when he hears James ask who the
man is.

CHRIS
That’s my old man.

JAMES
He still around?

CHRIS
He died when I was six. I never
really knew the guy.
 34.

JAMES
Did your mom ever re-marry?

CHRIS
Nope. It was just me and her.

JAMES
Kind of funny, I never pinned you
for a guy who was raised by just
his mother. How did you become so,
you know, handy and into
motorcycles, and not...a homo?

Chris laughs

CHRIS
Believe me, she wanted me to be
like that, tried to dress me like a
little fag and go to church and
care about school. So I said fuck
it and did my own thing. I had to,
what else was I going to do. Either
be a little queer raised by his
mommy or be a man on my own.

James thinks about it for a minute, he looks back the photo.

He realizes all he has he owes to his father.

JAMES
You miss him?

CHRIS
Shit no. When he died he abandoned
me and my mother. Your mom put the
picture there. I never knew him. It
might as well be one of your
relatives, the house’s filled with
all of them anyway. Listen dude,
you gotta go out on your own
sometimes. Figure out what you
wanna do and go after it. You can’t
always do what your parents tell
you to, what they think is best for
you is not always the case. You’ll
be alright. You’ll grow some balls
and tell your pops to shove off one
day and be just fine. He’ll be
proud when he sees you succeed on
your own.

James stares back him at a loss for words, he really has no

way of relating, and lacks the age or maturity to reply with
a dignified response.
 35.

CHRIS (CONT’D)
Enough of that. Come on, come get
drunk with me and your moms.

JAMES
I don’t...

He needs some motivation.

CHRIS
Come on, we’ll drink tequila and
curse our fathers and complain
about working.

JAMES
OK.

This time he sounds more interested.

INT. JAMES’S BEDROOM, MOTHER’S HOUSE-DAY

James awakes and walks downstairs.

INT. KITCHEN

No one is there.

INT. GARAGE

Chris is crouched down by some old cabinets that he is

working on while an old radio pours out classic rock. Its a
weekday, but Chris is at home, working on cabinets.

JAMES
What are you doing?

CHRIS
What’s up man? Not much, just
putting these cabinets together.

JAMES
Gotcha, so uh, what are you gonna
do all day?

CHRIS
Well, this is pretty much it. This
shouldn’t take much longer. What
about you?
 36.

JAMES
I guess, just chill. Take my time
up here as vacation you know?

CHRIS
Yeah, I wouldn’t mind a vacation.

JAMES
Right. From all the work, right?

Chris laughs and goes back to work. James rolls his eyes and
goes back upstairs.

INT. JAMES’S BEDROOM, MOTHER’S HOUSE-DAY

James rummages through his old stuff. He plays with action

figures on his bed, then model cars on the floor. He makes
car noises and pretends to crash them into one another, then
Chris walks by the room and notices James making noises and
playing.

CHRIS
Having fun?

James coughs and puts the car back, awkwardly.

Chris leaves and he opens the closet revealing a ton of old

clothes. He finds an old biker jacket he probably wore when
he was 11.

JAMES
Oh man, I loved this jacket.

He puts it on and smiles from ear to ear, then puts his arms
down and both sleeves rip off. His smile is quickly gone.

James sits down on his bed and day, once again, turns to
night. Another unproductive day.

INT. KITCHEN-NIGHT

James’s sister is doing homework and talking on her cell

phone. James grabs her cell phone and farts into the
microphone, then says “Gabrielle’s gay!”

GABBY
Give me back my phone!

He laughs then gives it back to her.

GABBY (CONT’D)
That was James.
 37.

JAMES
Who is that? One of your horse dike
friends?

GABBY
It’s dad.

James looks mortified.

GABBY (CONT’D)
He wants to talk to you.

Slowly, James reaches out and takes the phone.

JAMES
Hello?

EXT. JAMES’S DAD’S HOUSE, BACK PATIO-NIGHT

James’s dad is sitting in a lounge chair facing a lake while

on the cell phone.

DAD
What’s the matter with you? Did you
just fart into her phone?

INT. KITCHEN-NIGHT

JAMES
No, she dropped it on the floor.

EXT. JAMES’S DAD’S HOUSE, BACK PATIO-NIGHT

DAD
Sure. Are you having fun wasting
your time up there? I hope you are
ready to cut this lazy shit out and
come home. Maybe your mother
doesn’t mind you living off of her
and doing nothing but I wont have
it. Get your ass back here. You
hear me? You are not a kid anymore,
it is time you got a job and became
responsible.

INT. KITCHEN-NIGHT

James stands holding the phone, unable to say a word into the
phone.
 38.

DAD (V.O.)PHONE
Or don’t. Stay up there and go work
for the grass cutter, Your choice.

James and gabby try to hold in their laughs, as they notice

Chris outside mowing the lawn.

INT. JAMES’S BEDROOM, MOTHER’S HOUSE

James is on his cellphone

INT. BIG JOHN’S HOUSE

John answers his phone.

BIG JOHN
Yo! James, where you been man?

INT. JAMES’S BEDROOM, MOTHER’S HOUSE

JAMES
At my Mom’s house, doing jack shit.
What have you guys been up to?

INT. BIG JOHN’S HOUSE

BIG JOHN
Partying hard Bro, we all got fake
ID’s. You should come out with us
tonight.

INT. JAMES’S BEDROOM, MOTHER’S HOUSE

JAMES
I wish I could. You guys got fake
ID’s? That’s sick. Where are you
going to go?

INT. BIG JOHN’S HOUSE

BIG JOHN
Downtown, Anthony knows the door
guy at one of the clubs. Come with
us, we’re gonna pop bottles.
 39.

INT. JAMES’S BEDROOM, MOTHER’S HOUSE

JAMES
Pop bottles?

INT. BIG JOHN’S HOUSE

BIG JOHN
Yeah Bro, pop bottles. Well be like
the ballers in VIP.

INT. JAMES’S BEDROOM, MOTHER’S HOUSE

JAMES
VIP? Na Bro, you’ll just look like
those Pakistani guys. Listen, I
think I’m coming back tomorrow.
I’ll hit you up when I’m back.

EXT. SCOTT’S HOUSE-DAY

Scott is one of James’s buddies. A pot head and a quirky

goofball.

James pulls up to his house in his car, he is back in his

home town.

INT. SCOTT’S HOUSE

SCOTT
What it is boyee!

Scott laughs loud and they slap hands.

SCOTT (CONT’D)
Yeah! Man on the run back in town!
How’d it feel to be on the
underground railroad escaping the
wrath of the white man dad!

James laughs

JAMES
What the fuck are you talking
about?
 40.

SCOTT
You straight up ran away dude.
Didn’t you?

JAMES
I didn’t run away, I got kicked out
of my house for not getting a job.

SCOTT
Damn, you really are a lazy piece
of shit. But don’t you worry, I got
the answer to all your exiled woes.

Scott pulls out a rumpled plastic bag filled with weed.

EXT. SCOTT’S HOUSE

The two of them sit at a patio table passing a pipe back and
forth.

JAMES
All in all is all we are

SCOTT
Yeah man, Kurt Cobain.

JAMES
Yeah, all you know of something is
what your told and except of it.

SCOTT
I’m not sure if that is what that
means.

JAMES
That’s what I always got out of it,
to be honest I always thought he
was saying all we are is all we
know.

SCOTT
Explain.

JAMES
India.

SCOTT
Yes, India. Dirty place.

JAMES
No, see that’s it. Believe it or
not, it is a beautiful place.
 41.

SCOTT
You’ve been?

JAMES
No. But what I am saying is that it
is a really great place but all you
have heard is that it smells like
shit, they worship the cow..

SCOTT
I think they have a river.

JAMES
And they have a river. And so, you
will never go.

SCOTT
I think they piss in the river.

JULIO
You accepted what you were told and
shown and prohibited yourself from
experiencing something new.

SCOTT
But I never wanted to go anyway.
You know where I wanna go,
Stockholm, and I don’t know shit
about it.

JAMES
Sweden?

SCOTT
Yup. Think about it. You ever hear
of Stockholm Syndrome? It’s when
you get kidnapped and you start to
take the side of the people that
captured you. You know that place
is cool if they named that after
it.

JAMES
I...guess...you hungry?

SCOTT
Yeah. Nuggets.

JAMES
Nuggets?

SCOTT
Nugs, son.
 42.

JAMES
Chicken nuggets?

SCOTT
Nuggetry, chicken nuggetry.

JAMES
You want chicken nuggets? I don’t
follow.

SCOTT
I think, that this is one of those
times where my brain, is trying to
tell my. No, my body is trying
to...my brain wants McDonalds but
my mouth cant say it.

JAMES
Do you ever wonder what life would
be like for you if you weren’t
retarded?

EXT. SCOTTS HOUSE, DRIVE WAY

James and Scott get into scotts car to go eat, James realizes
he does not have his wallet and goes to his car, the car
won’t open and he notices his keys are still in the ignition
and he is locked out. He looks back at Scott who is staring
down at the plants by his car.

JAMES
Hey, dude, I left my wallet in my
car.

SCOTT
So get it out, dude.

JAMES
Can’t, dude. Locked out. Looks like
you gotta spot me.

Scott does not look away from the ground and, channeling the
“HAL 9000” from 2001 space odyssey responds.

SCOTT
I’m sorry James, but I’m afraid I
cannot do that.

JAMES
Come on man, I’m starving. Just
spot me and I will get you back
later. Otherwise you gotta take me
home so I can get a spare set.
 43.

Scott continues to look around, not paying attention.

SCOTT
It is so nice out here. Why aren’t
we outside more often, huh? James,
I’ll tell you why, it’s video games
fault, they keep us inside. They
need to make video games for
outside. That would sell.

JAMES
Dude, hello! Keys or money? What is
it going to be?

SCOTT
Alright! Shit, easy. You are
killing my high. Always, killing my
high. A habitual High Killer. A
repeat offender.

Dead serious. Like the burden of spotting James is the worst

possible thing to happen to him in days.

INT. SCOTT’S CAR

The two of them are on their way to go to James’s house, they

are about to pull up to the guard gate to enter the
neighborhood.

JAMES
Hey, listen. When we get to the
guard house, no stupid shit, OK?

SCOTT
What do you mean?

JAMES
You know what I mean, you always
say some stupid shit and embarrass
me. Just act your age.

SCOTT
Listen to you, Mr. Mature. “I’m
James Goldstein, I’m Mature, I run
away from home so I don’t have to
work for my dad.”

In a goofy, mocking tone.

SCOTT (CONT’D)
What’s the name of the street you
live on?
 44.

JAMES
Woodshire.

SCOTT
Woodshire, right. Sounds like some
Medieval castle or something.

The car pulls up to the gate house and a large security guard
leans over to the car.

GUARD
How you two doing? Where you
heading today?

Before James has a chance to state that he lives there, Scott

clears his throat and in his best impersonation of a knight’s
era introduction servant, calls out.

SCOTT
I have with me, Sir James Goldstien
of Woodshire! Son of Edward and
Janice Goldstien!

James is laughing uncontrollably and then so does Scott, the

guard stares back, not amused.

INT. SCOTT’S CAR

They pull into the drive way of James’s house, his dad’s car
is in the drive way.

JAMES
Shit.

SCOTT
What?

JAMES
My dad is home.

SCOTT
So?

JAMES
I hate being high around him, bugs
me out.

SCOTT
You live in the guest house, just
grab your keys and get out. He’ll
never see you. Be sneaky.
 45.

James gets out of the car and tries to smoothly and quickly
get into his room without his dad noticing.

INT. JAMES’S BEDROOM

He remains silent in his room, being very careful not to make

any noise opening drawers and moving about. The moments are
tense and nervous, coupled with the fact that he is stoned
and making a bigger deal about everything. He finds his keys
and makes his way out of the room.

EXT. JAMES’S HOUSE

As he walks to the back of the guest house to leave, his dad

calls out.

EDWARD
James?

James stops dead in his tracks. He slowly turns around and

looks at his dad.

EDWARD (CONT’D)
What are you doing?

James stares back, red eyed and holding his car keys.

JAMES
Nothing.

EDWARD
Good. I was thinking we could go
get you some clothes for work.

INT. MALL DEPARTMENT STORE

James and his dad walk through the mens formal clothing
section at an upscale department store, looking at shirts and
pants for the new job at the bank.

EDWARD
How about this one?

Edward holds up a shirt that an older man would wear.

JAMES
Gay.
 46.

EDWARD
Gay? I have a shirt just like this
one. This is an expensive shirt.

JAMES
I like this one

James holds up a more modern but less business appropriate

shirt.

EDWARD
Son, you need a shirt for work, not
for picking up men.

JAMES
Come on, girls love these kinds of
shirts.

EDWARD
Oh no, son. No girls for you. Girls
have diseases.

JAMES
You’re ridiculous.

They walk through some more racks of clothes

JAMES (CONT’D)
Well, are you happy?

EDWARD
About what?

JAMES
That you got me back here so I
could ruin the rest of my summer
working at the bank.

EDWARD
James, I didn't make you make come
back to ruin your summer. I made
you come back to learn some
responsibility. You don't want to
be here, go back to your mothers
and do nothing. Fine with me, but
if your here then you are going to
be working.

JAMES
Why though, it’s my last summer
before I go to college. I’ll work
every summer for the rest of my
life after this.
 47.

EDWARD
Because the sooner you realize what
it means to make a dollar the
sooner you will get off your lazy
ass and become motivated to work.

JAMES
I’m not that lazy.

EDWARD
Son, your the laziest white man in
the world. Besides, when I was your
age if I wanted something I went
out and worked for it. I always had
some type of job, even when I was
in school. You got it easy, pal.

JAMES
So it’s my fault that I grew up
with money and didn't have to work
for things I wanted?

EDWARD
I didn't say that, I'm sure that
you, growing up more fortunate, has
a lot to do with your lack of
hunger. You didn't grow up with the
struggle that I did, but you gotta
know that it is not going to last
forever, I wont always be here to
take care of you.

JAMES
I know.

EDWARD
Do you know?

JAMES
Yeah, I know. Look, I will start to
work, I would just rather not work
this summer.

EDWARD
And what summer do you plan to
start working?

James finds a shirt and tries it on, its a little too tight.

EDWARD (CONT’D)
Looks a little small.

JAMES
Nah, I'm just swole.
 48.

EDWARD
Swole?

JAMES
Yeah, you know. I got muscles.

EDWARD
Muscles, What are you a tough guy
now?

They start to pretend to box, Edward goes in for a hit but

opens his fist and slaps James.

JAMES
What you do that for?

EDWARD
Didn't think I would do that did
you?

JAMES
No, I thought we were boxing.

EDWARD
Pretty tough for an old guy.

JAMES
More like pretty old for a tough
guy.

EDWARD
Hey!

Edward slaps James again in the head. The two are actually
getting along.

EDWARD (CONT’D)
And I hope you know this means no
more partying. Think you can throw
parties at my house when I’m not
there. We’ll see about that.

INT. JAMES’S HOME-NIGHT

Another raging party goes on inside the house. Tons of

teenagers fill out the inside and out the front door to the
patio. Everyone is dressed in black or white. Red cups line
the counter tops and tables. Bass thumps heavily from the
living room. James is leading a slightly frumpy black haired
girl down a hallway into a bedroom, she hops awkwardly behind
him in her heels and smiles through large black sunglasses.
 49.

INT. BEDROOM

James flicks on the lights to reveal pink walls and a white

canopy bed. The room has pictures of horses and animals, it
is his little sisters room. The girl pushes him up against
the wall and knocks over a picture of a pony.

INT. CLOSET

They then make their way to the closet and undress. She sits
on top of him and starts to ride, just a moment later he
finishes. She was expecting a longer show, he is still
enamored with the idea of having sex.

INT. BEDROOM

The girl puts her clothes back on and leaves the room. James
walks to the bathroom and washes off. He stares into the
mirror and grins, then shakes his head and leaves.

INT. HALLWAY

As James leaves the room and closes the door, a couple pass
kissing each other, then open the door to James’s sister room
and shut it behind them. The room has become the stand in
brothel bedroom at most parties since his sister never stays
there.

INT. HOUSE, LIVING ROOM.

James walks into Anthony and Josh, standing against a wall

staring at girls. Anthony is intently staring at the girl’s
ass directly in front of him.

JAMES
What’s up fellas, having a good
time?

ANTHONY
Always man, good party. You look
exceptionally happy.

He cant help but notice the giant grin on James’s face.

JOSH
Wait, did you just come from that
back room? Did you and that chick
in the skirt just...?

James smiles wider.

 50.

JOSH (CONT’D)
Tell me you didn’t just fuck that
skuz in your sister room?

JAMES
No, no. We were in the closet.

ANTHONY
You are a dirty fuck you know that.
You know that’s like Lisa best
friend right?

JAMES
Bullshit.

JOSH
Hey, if you were ever afraid of
having aids but weren’t sure, sleep
tight tonight cause brother, you
got the aids now.

JAMES
Get the fuck out of here.

ANTHONY
Yeah man, word on the street is
she’s been around.

JAMES
I don’t have any fucking diseases.

ANTHONY
You never know. I thought I had
crabs one time. Turned out to just
be lint.

JAMES
I’ll talk to you bozos later

James walks off and the kid yells out

ANTHONY
Don’t be a fool bro! All they do is
stick a Q-tip up your pee hole and
tell you whether your gonna live or
die!

A few girls standing by James hear the kid and look at both
of them in disgust, James tries to play it off and walks to
the back patio.

In the back are about six kids sitting around a glass table
passing a bong back and fourth. Big John sits at the head of
the table and smokes the bong.
 51.

James opens up the sliding glass door and takes a seat.

EXT. BACK PATIO.

BIG JOHN
James! Where the fuck you been man?

JAMES
Here and there.

BIG JOHN
Look at that grin, you look like
you just got laid.

James continues to grin, not trying to deny it.

BIG JOHN (CONT’D)

Mother fucker just got laid. Look
at you, throwing parties getting
loose, getting pussy, no work. Nice
life.

JAMES
Actually, I start work tomorrow.

BIG JOHN
No shit? Bout time, you should be
working. You’re a lazy piece of
shit.

JAMES
Why the fuck does everyone think
I’m so lazy.

BIG JOHN
You don’t think your lazy? Where in
the fuck did you get a job anyway?

JAMES
Working at the bank.

BIG JOHN
Your dads?

JAMES
Yes sir. You’re looking at a
professional bank teller.

BIG JOHN
You’re so fucking lucky your dad
has that bank, or even gave you a
job.
 52.

Big john takes a rip then exhales.

BIG JOHN (CONT’D)

I wouldn’t give you a job, even if
you were my son.

JAMES
You serious?

BIG JOHN
Okay, maybe I’d give you a job. You
could wipe my ass or pick out my
gray ball hairs.

JAMES
You have gray pubes?

BIG JOHN
Yeah, you don’t?

JAMES
No man, why would someone your age
have that?

BIG JOHN
I always thought they just grew in
that way, I don’t know I guess I’m
stressed.

JAMES
What do you have to be stressed
about?

BIG JOHN
Tons of shit. Selling weed,
cheating on my girlfriend.

JAMES
You know how to avoid that?

BIG JOHN
How?

JAMES
Quit selling weed, and stop
cheating on your girlfriend

BIG JOHN
Yeah, but I like doing those
things, you see that’s what you
don’t understand. You gotta work
hard for the things you want in
life. And sometimes my man, it
stresses you out.
(MORE)
 53.

BIG JOHN (CONT'D)

Sometimes to the point that it
turns your pubes grey.

The kids around the table take in the thought and all smoke.

BIG JOHN (CONT’D)

Where the fuck is your dad? Is he
ever home?

JAMES
Another business trip in Miami.

BIG JOHN
Must suck that he has to work that
hard while you party in his house.

INT. UPSCALE STRIP CLUB IN MIAMI

James’s dad is getting a lap dance in his suit while numerous

business men do the same. He seems to be enjoying himself.
Does a line of cocaine off a strippers ass.

STRIPPER
So what do you do?

EDWARD
I’m in investment banking.

STRIPPER
How is that?

Another line.

EDWARD
Business is good.

He pushes a fifty into her g-string.

INT. JAMES’S BEDROOM

The next morning James awakes bright and early, but extremely
hung over. Today is his first day of work. The house is still
trashed from last night but no time to sleep or clean he has
got to get to work. He showers and seems to be in absolute
pain from the headache and nausea.

EXT. HOUSE COURTYARD

James steps over beer cans and bottles. A kid sleeps on a

float in the pool.
 54.

INT. KITCHEN

James grabs some cereal and a Gatoraid and makes his way to
the garage to leave.

INT. BANK.

Inside the small bank are three women and an elderly and
unruly customer who is shouting and waving his hands in the
air.

OLD MAN
What is the matter with you people!
Where did you put my money?

BANK EMPLOYEE
Mr. Loyakono, I can assure you that
your money is still here with us.

OLD MAN
I know it’s with you! You took my
money! Every time I go to see my
balance it shows me nothing!

BANK EMPLOYEE
Maybe you are looking in the wrong
place.

OLD MAN
I’ll put you in the wrong place you
bitch! In my day the banks got
robbed and we all agreed it was for
the better, my money is insured!
Where is it!

BANK EMPLOYEE
Sir, calm down. Would you like a
free hat or pen?

OLD MAN
What! I’ll shove that pen up your
ass! Get me my money!

James walks in the bank and notices the scene, an older

Italian looking woman with dark black dyed hair approaches
him as the older man continues to shout and make a scene.

JANETTE
Hello! You must be James! I’m
Janette.

JAMES
What is going on? Who is that guy?
 55.

JANETTE
Oh, that is Mr. Loyakono, he is
entering the first stage of
Alzheimer's, he has been with us
forever.

JAMES
I’m starting to doubt he remembers
all the great times he spent here.

JANETTE
Hmm. Well, we would hate to lose
him as a customer.

JAMES
Why? Wouldn’t it be a lot easier
without him coming in here and
acting nuts? Let Bank of America
deal with him.

JANETTE
Oh, it’s not that bad, he lives
pretty far too, so we appreciate
him coming down to see us.

JAMES
So he doesn’t come by that often.

JANETTE
Well, actually he comes in a few
times a week. He gets lost on his
way home and thinks the drive
through is his garage. Let me show
you where you will be working.

Janette walks James to the teller stations where customers

sit down and deposit or withdraw money. James has a seat and
she puts down a stack of paper work for him to fill out.

JANETTE (CONT’D)
OK, fill out these forms then get
your Toxin test and you will be all
set.

JAMES
Toxin test?

JANETTE
Yes, toxin test. It is a company
policy for employees to be toxin
free.
 56.

INT. DRUG TEST LAB

White walls and green hard plastic seats filled by a handful

of suspicious employees and a few need to be hired folks that
seem completely out of place at a drug testing clinic.

James sits in his chair filling out the paper work. Next to
him sits an apparently tweaked out woman who seems to be
abusing some type of substance at the very minute. She
intently watches James fill out his forms, trying to figure
out what he writes in order to fill hers out correctly.

James looks over numerous questions about substance abuse and

when the last time he did or did not use them, he pauses and
wonders whether to answer truthfully, as he stops so does the
woman next to him. They both look at each other and cross out
the box marked never.

NURSE
James Goldstein.

A nurse calls out and James makes his way to a bathroom after
being given a cup to urinate in.

INT. BATHROOM.

James paces back and forth in the small room, wondering what
he can do. He puts the cup on the counter and sighs.

INT. SUSHI RESTAURANT.

James and his mother sit having dinner.

JANICE
You’re a pot head!

JAMES
I am not a pot head.

JAMES (CONT’D)
Your father called me today and
said you told him you weren’t going
to pass the drug test to work at
the bank. He hasn’t called me in 2
years, and this is what he tells
me. The last time we spoke on the
phone it was during the divorce and
he told me he wouldn’t stop on the
road to pee on me if I was on fire
if I didn’t fire my lawyer.
 57.

JAMES (CONT’D)
I’m sorry.

JANICE
I should have known when you guys
started buying incents and lighters
and those black light posters.

James shakes his head.

INT. JAMES’S BEDROOM

Early morning. James is sleeping peacefully, when Bam, the

door flies open and James’s dad throw a dry cleaned shirt on
his head.

EDWARD
Wake up Cheech, time for work.

INT. KITCHEN

Edward is making a cup of coffee with the espresso machine

while James sluggishly finishes his oatmeal and makes his way
to the sink to wash it out and leave.

EDWARD
Hey, I want you to call your
grandmother and have lunch with her
today.

JAMES
Do I have to?

EDWARD
You got something better to do? Go
eat with your grandmother. She was
complaining that you never visit
her.

JAMES
Neither do you.

EDWARD
I don’t have to, I put up with her
shit for twenty years.

INT. JAMES’S CAR

James pulls into his grandmothers neighborhood. The place is

a fifty and older community. White houses with different
color trim and American flags over the garages.
 58.

Just the way folks had imagined that communities would look
after the cold war, communist bungalows in disguise as the
American retirees dream.

EXT. GRANDMAS HOUSE

James knocks on the door and a moment later his grandma opens
it.

In all her five foot splendor stands Norma. Her puffed up

blonde dyed hair makes for an extra four inches of her
height. She is glitzed out in gold jewelry and clothing
fashionable maybe ten years back. Drink in hand. She motions
James to come inside.

NORMA
James! Come in, come in.

JAMES
Hey grandma, what’s up?

NORMA
What’s up? Oh, nothing much , come
on back to the patio.

INT. GRANDMAS HOUSE, BACK PATIO.

They sit down in white patio furniture and watch “the price
is right” on a small white TV.

JAMES
So how you been Grandma?

NORMA
I’m good, James. Went to the casino
yesterday.

Her eyes light up as she says “casino”

When she speaks, it is with a heavy philadelphia accent. O’s

are replaced with Ah’s, U’s with Eh’s.

JAMES
Win any money?

NORMA
No.

She seems upset. A compulsive gambler to heart.

JAMES
How often do you go?
 59.

NORMA
Not as often as I did when me and
your grandfather lived in Atlantic
City. A few times a week, sometimes
my neighbor Dotty goes with me. I’d
be there now if you weren’t here.

JAMES
I’m sorry to interrupt your
gambling habit.

NORMA
Oh, hush. And don’t tell your
father. Besides, If we don’t go to
the casino we always have drinks in
the afternoon.

JAMES
So you have been gambling and
drinking. Good to hear.

NORMA
What else am I going to do?

JAMES
What else do other people your age
do? Knit, save the money for their
Grandkids?

NORMA
What do people your age do? Smoke
dope and drink, I heard about you
pally. Not good.

JAMES
I don’t do those things.

NORMA
Sure.

She’s quick as a whip for eighty-five.

JAMES
What you got to eat around here?

NORMA
I just got turkey meat and bread,
and there should be some iced tea
in the fridge.

JAMES
Great, I’d love a sandwich.
 60.

NORMA
Alright then.

They both sit there. The one waiting for the other to do
something. Her expecting him to get up and make it, him
expecting her to make it.

JAMES
...OK, I’ll get... I’ll make it.

He fumbles and walks to the kitchen. She won.

INT. BANK.

James sits, slouched with one hand under his chin, at his
desk with a stack of paper work next to him. Rather than fill
it out he plays games on the internet.

An ox like woman named Doris walks over to James after she

notices him doing nothing. She loves to put him to work, and
gets a kick out of making the boss’s son feel inconvenienced.

DORIS
James, fill out those customer
return forms yet?

JAMES
Yeah, I’m about half way there.

He maintains eye contact on the computer screen.

DORIS
You know, at a real job you
wouldn’t be able to surf the web
all day, you know that, right?

JAMES
What do you mean? This is a real
job.

He can’t help but be a smart ass, especially with Doris.

DORIS
OK. Well, when you are done with
that, I have a job for you. Is that
OK?

JAMES
Yeah, that’s fine.

She’s annoyed, but what is she going to say? She ain’t in

charge. Just another disgruntled employee.
 61.

INT. JAPANESE RESTAURANT

James is sitting with his mother at the table with his head
low.

JANICE
So how is work?

JAMES
I think I die a little bit each
day.

JANICE
It cant be that bad. You’ll feel
better once you get paid.

James lifts his head.

JAMES
Is that what pimps tell their
Whores?

INT. JAMES’S BEDROOM

James is sitting on his bed with Lisa. She has her arms
folded and sits up against the bed board, she doesn’t look
happy. James is laying on his back at the foot of the bed.

JAMES
It’s miserable. I can’t work there
anymore

LISA
Are you serious? You have worked
there for two weeks.

JAMES
It feels like a year.

LISA
Don’t you get to have lunch with
your grandma everyday? Most people
at work eat like a can of soup in
the back of the office.

JAMES
Yeah but she doesn’t even make me
any food. I have to make the
sandwiches. Aren’t grandmas
supposed to spend the whole day
baking cookies and knitting mittens
for their grandkids?
 62.

LISA
Do you hear yourself? Wining and
bitching about your easy little job
that daddy gave you and how you
wish you didn’t have to do
anything. You have to make your own
sandwich. Boo hoo. You have it so
good and all you do is complain.

JAMES
Where is this coming from, you are
supposed to be on my side.

LISA
Your side? You’re an irresponsible
little prick who appreciates
nothing, how can I side with that.

JAMES
Did I do something wrong?

LISA
You are unbelievable. Were you just
not going to tell me?

JAMES
Tell you what?

LISA
About you fucking Danielle!

James is speechless.

JAMES
Oh...

LISA
Oh, yeah that. I mean you know that
she is one of my best friends. And
even if you didn’t, did you not
think I would find out, or even be
okay with it? You think I’m going
to lose my virginity to someone who
doesn’t even have the decency to
stay true to one person and put
some effort into something
meaningful. Why are you so fucking
lazy?

James sits up and hangs his head. He is growing tired of

being told he is so lazy. He knows he messed up, and in a big
way. He takes too much for granted, material things,
opportunities, and people in his life.
 63.

JAMES
I’m sorry. Look, I really like you
and...

LISA
You’re sorry, and you like me. Is
that it? I hate you. You got a lot
to learn, dude.

She gets up and grabs her bag

Opens the door and looks back at James

LISA (CONT’D)
You have some serious growing up to
do. Don’t call me.

She slams the door shut.

EXT. JAMES BEDROOM

Lisa briskly walks away from his room but starts crying as
she reaches her car.

James sits on the bed and does nothing.

EXT. JAMES’S HOME, PATIO-NIGHT

Kids flood the house once more. James sits outside in a chair
with sunglasses on, smoking out of a bong that is being
passed around. He is not apart of a conversation or talking
to any girls. No one notices him or says hello or thanks for
letting us party at your house, the faces seem to grow more
unfamiliar by the night, no one here cares about the house or
its host, just there to trash the place and get drunk.

Big john is having a blast with the rest of the kids, talking
to everyone and drinking as much as they can.

James gets up and walks into the house, unnoticed.

James walks into his dads bedroom and flicks on the lights.

INT. JAMES’S DAD’S BEDROOM

The room is quiet and relaxing, especially compared to the

scene in the rest of the house. Its decorated sparingly with
Modern art and a big swanky bed, high tech speaker and TV set
up. Beige and brown tones cover the walls and furniture.
Every young mans dream bedroom, reserved for the hardworking
middle aged man.
 64.

The lights glow through modern fixtures hanging from the

ceiling, the bachelors lair.

The lights reveal books on the shelf and plenty of family

pictures. James has a seat in a comfy contemporary chair and
looks at the photos.

Pictures of his dad with various members of the family, from

past and present. Fishing and hiking, next to private planes
and old cars, previous and current girlfriends.

James smiles and appreciates the history and his fathers

collection of family memorabilia. He seems distant from his
father but in this moment he misses him, misses his father
being in his room, at least in his house. He eyes the picture
of vacations and cars with slight envy, it’s that part of a
man who wants to do all he can and have all that he sees.

INT. KITCHEN

James shuts off the speaker system and then hops up onto the
kitchen counter.

JAMES (TO ALL THE KIDS IN THE HOUSE)

Hey, listen. Party is over. Go
home.

A few people notice, sort of puzzled. The rest of the kids

pay no attention. A couple ask what happened to the music.

JAMES (CONT’D)
Hey! Party is over, get the fuck
out.

Again, not much of a response, one kid calls out, “who is

that?”

James shakes his head and gets down from the counter,
defeated and feeling used.

EXT. COURTYARD OF JAMES’S HOUSE

James makes his way to his guest house

He walks with his head low past groups of kids when Julio
notices him.

JULIO
Yo, where you going?
 65.

JAMES
I’m gonna pass out man, kind of
tired.

JULIO
Really? Don’t do that, were going
bucking, come with us.

JAMES
I don’t feel much like stealing
shit, man.

JULIO
You don’t have to steal anything.
Just be a look out, come on.

EXT. HOUSE DRIVEWAY

Julio sits inside a Mercedes going through the glove box,

James sits on the hood looking around, mainly staring into
space.

JAMES
I cant stop thinking about her.

Julio keeps his eyes on the merchandise.

JULIO
Who?

JAMES
Lisa

JULIO
The younger chick?

JAMES
Yeah. But she doesn’t act younger
you know. She thinks about stuff,
she’s deep, she...got a great ass.
But she hates me right now. Found
out I had sex with her friend.

JULIO
Yeah, that will do it.

JAMES
So what do I do?

JULIO
You gotta call her.
 66.

JAMES
She told me not to

Julio sits up and looks at James.

JULIO
Dude...when a girl gets mad and
tells you not to call her, she
really means that she wants you to
call her. Girls think the opposite
of us, you cant take everything
they say so serious. They want you
to chase after them.

James thinks about it.

JULIO (CONT’D)
You like her right?

JAMES
Yeah, I think I like her a lot,
ever since she stopped talking to
me she’s all I can think about.

Ivan runs by carrying a GPS unit with wires dangling freshly

un-hooked and some wallets.

IVAN
Fag!

JULIO
Just call her, bro. She’ll forgive
you.

JAMES
So, should I tell her how much I
like her?

JULIO
No, no. You Still gotta play the
game and make her want you. You
gotta make her forgive you without
begging for it.

Julio can tell James is pretty strung out over this girl.

He looks at what he has acquired and hands James a radar

detector.

JULIO (CONT’D)
Here, take this.

JAMES
Oh, dude, I cant take that.
 67.

JULIO
No, I want you to have it.

Just then a light goes on inside the house and the door
opens, a woman pokes her head out and notices the two of them
sitting in her car.

WOMAN
Hey! What are you kids doing out
there! Get out of my car! I’m
calling the Police!

JULIO
Run!

They both run as fast as they can in the opposite direction.

INT. BANK.

James sits at his desk sluggishly typing names into the

computer from files stacked high on his desk, Any slower and
you would think he was asleep.

Doris walks by and smiles at the sight of the bosses kid

doing her busy work.

James notices the time on the computer, twelve o’clock. Time

for lunch with grandma.

INT. GRANDMAS HOUSE

Norma and James sit down at the table on the patio eating
lunch.

James takes a bite out of his sandwich and looks around for a
drink.

JAMES
Got anything to drink?

NORMA
I should have iced tea in the
fridge.

JAMES
That’s fine.

She sits with her hands folded across her lap, he stares at
her as she watches TV, expecting her to get up and get him
the iced tea.
 68.

JAMES (CONT’D)
I’ll get it.

James gets up and walks to the kitchen somewhat annoyed.

Grandma watches as he gets up to get it himself and smiles.

NORMA
So what have they got you doing at
the bank?

JAMES
Well, Mostly I do compliance type
stuff, keeping accounts up to date
and things like that.

NORMA
Sounds important, hard work?

He is about to tell her how tough and boring it is, build it

up to impress the old lady, but...

JAMES
To be honest. I do absolutely
nothing. They make me put names
from folders into the computer if
they catch me not doing anything.
We have like five customers a day.
It’s really a joke, Mom’mom.

NORMA
I wish they could give me a job
like that.

JAMES
Why would you want a job?

NORMA
I get bored sitting around here all
day. I watch my soaps, have a drink
in the afternoon, go to bed around
eight. That’s my day. It’s pretty
quiet around here without your
grandfather.

JAMES
You miss him a lot, huh?

NORMA
You got no idea, pally.

JAMES
I miss him too. Why don’t you get a
boyfriend?
 69.

NORMA
Sure. Whose gonna date me?

JAMES
You kidding, plenty of people your
age date these days.

NORMA
Well you know, there is this one
fella.

JAMES
Oh yeah? Who?

NORMA
He drives the bus that takes us to
the pool.

JAMES
Great, so ask him out.

NORMA
I would but...he’s a colored.

James tries to hold in a laugh and puts his hands over his
face.

JAMES
Mom’mom. You don’t call them
coloreds anymore. You mean he’s
black, right?

NORMA
Yeah, the cutest little shvatza.

Shvatza is a Yiddish term for African-American.

JAMES
Shvatza?

NORMA
What? You said I can’t call him a
colored.

James leans in grinning, humored by the idea of teasing his

out of the loop grandma.

JAMES
You know what they say about black
guys right?

NORMA
I know all about it.
 70.

She smiles wide and laughs to herself.

James is taken aback that she actually knew what he was going
to say, and is a little grossed out that his grandma has
black dong on her mind.

JAMES
Ugh...Mom’Mom!

NORMA
Oh, James, before you go, I need
you to help me out with something
in the garage.

INT. GARAGE

JAMES
What you want me to do?

NORMA
I’m getting a new washer and dryer
so I need to move these ones out of
here.

JAMES
You serious? Why don’t you just
have the service guys do it when
they install the new ones?

NORMA
Because I have you here now.

James, begrudgingly, moves both the units as grandma watches

while sitting in a beach chair having a drink.

James finishes moving both of them and looks exhausted, he

isn’t used to doing much work.

NORMA (CONT’D)
Thank you, ya look tired, want
anything to drink?

JAMES
Water.

NORMA
OK, help yourself, oh and grab me
some ice, will ya.

James shuffles inside the house.

 71.

EXT. GAS STATION-NIGHT

Friday nights at the local gas station are a pre-party to

wherever the real deal will be going on, it’s where everyone
meets up to find out what’s going on for the night.

James stands by his car while big john and Ivan stand next to
him, both are a little upset and look concerned.

BIG JOHN
What do you mean you’re done? Are
you sure, are you sure that this is
what you want to do?

JAMES
I’m sure. No more. I’m done having
parties.

IVAN
When you say no more, do you mean
like, No more this week? Or does
that include the following weekend?

JAMES
I mean no more as in done for the
rest of the time we are here until
we go to college.

BIG JOHN
Have you thought this one through?
This is pretty selfish, I want you
to know that. You’re only thinking
of yourself here. You cant just
stop mid-season.

JAMES
What are you talking about? I don’t
run a summer-crowd-dependent club
in south beach, we are talking
about my house, that’s my home. You
guys forget, and it ain’t even
mine. It’s my Dad’s. No one gives a
shit about my house or me anymore.
I don’t even know half the people
that show up.

BIG JOHN
Those are your friends.

JAMES
Those are your friends.

BIG JOHN
I’ll introduce you.
 72.

James shakes his head, then notices Lisa standing with a few
of her friends at the opposite side of the parking lot and
decides to walk over to her.

BIG JOHN (CONT’D)

James! Don’t do this to me, man!

IVAN
So...the following weekend he might
have a party?

James walks up to Lisa as she stands with a few friends. She

notices and gives James the look meaning “why should I give
you the time of day”

JAMES
Hey...

LISA
What do you want.

JAMES
Can we talk?

They move away from the crowd

JAMES (CONT’D)
I called you a couple times, texted
too. Maybe your phone isn’t
working.

LISA
My phone works.

JAMES
Oh. good... Look. I feel real...

LISA
I don’t really care how you feel
right now. I’m the one whose
feelings matter. You hurt me. I
didn’t do anything to make you act
the way you did.

JAMES
I know, I feel like such as
asshole.

LISA
You should! You are an asshole.

JAMES
I know. A big hairy, asshole.
 73.

LISA
Yup.

JAMES
Like, a sixty year old mans
hemorrhoidal asshole.

LISA
OK. Enough.

JAMES
You are all I can think about
lately.

LISA
That is so lame.

JAMES
It’s the truth. I really care about
you, it took this happening for me
to realize that.

LISA
Please...all you care about is
having parties and getting drunk
with your idiot clepto friends.

JAMES
Not anymore. I’m done having
parties.

LISA
I didn’t say stop having the
parties. What else are we going to
do all summer.

JAMES
I decided that I don’t want people
using me for the house. I want to
be more responsible and
do..things...

LISA
You’re just realizing this?

JAMES
No, But they come in, trash the
place, eat my hot pockets, never
say thank you or offer drugs or
money or sex. You would think the
host should at least get a blow
job.
 74.

She faintly laughs, trying not to let him see that she was
amused at what he said.

LISA
This isn’t something you just get
off the hook for. Having sex with
your supposed girlfriend’s best
friend is usually a big No-no.

JAMES
So...you’re my girlfriend?

He’s excited by the thought.

LISA
I could have been, Now I guess
We’ll never know.

JAMES
Well, hey. Tell me what I gotta do
to fix this.

LISA
I can’t tell you, that’s not how it
works. You gotta figure this one
out on your own. You know, actually
work for something you want? I know
that seems like a stretch for you.

JAMES
Easy, everyone treats me like an
irresponsibility punching bag.

LISA
And this is a surprise to you?

JAMES
I guess, I can be a little lazy
sometimes.

She rolls her eyes.

LISA
A little?

Across the parking lot james’s buddies call out to him

LISA (CONT’D)
Looks like your needed

JAMES
Yeah. I’ll see later, right? I’ll
call you. You can answer, or not
that’s cool too.
 75.

LISA
Bye.

James runs back over to his crew

BIG JOHN
Alright, since James is being a
little bitch and won’t have a
party, and not much else is going
on tonight. That leaves one option.

He pulls out a few white pills from his pocket and holds them
out for the guys to take.

Each kid takes a Xanax bar and swallows it with a beer. They
get into Steinman’s truck and leave the gas station for a
Gated community.

INT. STEINMANS TRUCK

The five of them are packed in and approach a neighborhood

guard gate.

BIG JOHN
How are we getting in?

STEINMAN
Relax, I got a clicker for the
gate.

As they reach the gate, Steinman raises a stolen gate remote

and presses the button opening the gate arm. Presto. They’re
in.

Tall king palms lit up by bright lights line the roads

leading into the sub divisions, each with an individual stone
entrance way with waterfalls or iron lettering on tile or
marble, the landscaping is impeccable.

BIG JOHN
Turn here.

The boys pass massive homes with luxury cars sitting in the
driveways and look on like it is the buffet line, any car
with a open door is fair game.

Ivan spots a white Bentley parked on the side of the road

with its door locks popped up.

IVAN
Here is my stop, I’ll catch up with
you gentlemen later.
 76.

Ivan hops out of the car and leisurely walks over to the car
and reaches for the handle, slowly, and...its open.

The drugs have taken a hold. They are in a zombie like state.
Nothing but the “Id” running their functions. If it feels
good, do it. It’s like gold rush for these boys, they
couldn’t be happier.

Big john leaps out and makes way for a convertible Mercedes
and Julio follows swiftly after.

James is left in the car, looking out in amazement.

STEINMAN
Well, James. What’s it Going to be?
See anything you like?

They come up on a Blue Maserati

Steinman notices James practically drooling.

STEINMAN (CONT’D)
Go for it man.

James exits the truck slowly and walks towards the Maserati,
he stands a few feet back from it at first, like you would if
you were at a car dealership and they asked you not to touch.
But this isn’t the dealership, and there aren’t any employees
around.

He opens the door and it clicks open.

INT. MASERATI

He slides into the tan leather seat and is engulfed by the

tight racing styled bolsters. He grips the wheel and has a
look around inside, the glove box has plenty of personal
belongings, the center console holds an IPOD and designer
shades, and even...a spare set of keys.

James, glassy eyed and expressionless holds up the keys and

looks at the gauges on the dash reading 0-180

Wearing the large designer shades, he doesn’t even consider

putting the keys back or to maybe get out of the fucking car,
but rather puts the key into ignition. Electronic noises
whirl on and beep, the radio turns on to smooth jazz and the
warm air from the AC blows onto James’s face. All he has to
do is push the start button and he could take the Italian
sports car for a little cruise.
 77.

He comes to his senses and releases the key from the

ignition. Puts the IPOD and sunglasses back and exits the
car.

EXT. STREET

Standing in the middle of the street, he sees the guys

running back and forth from side to side getting in different
cars and checking which ones are open. What the hell is going
on? How did it get to this?

He knows this is not for him and walks up to Steinman’s

truck, Steinman is no longer in it.

He turns around when Steinman startles him.

STEINMAN
Open the door, bro.

Steinman stands holding a couple cell phones, MP3 players,

wallets and a few other goodies. He dumps them through the
window onto the front seat.

JAMES
Where did you get all that shit?

STEINMAN
Slick, dog.

JAMES
I’m out of here.

STEINMAN
Where you going?

JAMES
Home. I got the house to myself, I
wouldn’t mind some peace and quite.

James starts to walk away

STEINMAN
Pussy.

James stops and turns around.

JAMES
Yo, Steinman. You know you don’t
have to do this for them to like
you. Why do you want to fit in so
bad?
 78.

STEINMAN
What do you mean? It’s free.

JAMES
That’s not what I meant...You’re
better than this.

Steinman seems touched by the statement, it was almost a

compliment, and almost a compliment to steinman is most
definitely a compliment.

STEINMAN
You, you think I’m better than
this?

James pauses for a moment, how does he word with this without
sounding negative.

JAMES
Not really.

Steinman deflates

JAMES (CONT’D)
But you’re capable of a lot more
than this.

Steinman is almost giddy once more.

STEINMAN
You don’t mean like, robbing houses
right?

James grins and sighs

JAMES
No, not like, robbing houses.

STEINMAN
Listen, I like doing this. This is
the hobby I’ve been waiting all my
life for.

JAMES
Hobby? You’re not making model
airplanes! You are stealing from
people who worked hard to afford
this stuff.

STEINMAN
Since when do you give a shit about
hard work and other peoples things?
Fuck these people. If these rich
assholes...
 79.

JAMES
Rich assholes! You are one of these
rich assholes. You don’t live in
the slums, your dad lives in one of
the nicest...

STEINMAN
Fuck my dad! I don’t get a damn
thing from him. Just because you
live this life doesn’t mean it
spreads over to us. Besides. Like
these dicks with hundred thousand
dollar cars can’t afford another
cell phone. They keep two hundred
dollars for safekeeping in the dash
the way most people keep two
dollars in change for tolls.

Steinman reaches into the truck and begins to throws multiple

cell phones across the street in a quick tantrum. The phones
break into tons of pieces on the concrete. He tires and leans
against his truck, calming down.

STEINMAN (CONT’D)
Happy? I gave them back. They
should lock their fucking cars.
That’s what alarms are for.

JAMES
To keep out people like you.

Steinman sits down on the car seat and leans his head back.

STEINMAN
Yeah.

He smirks

James pats him on the shoulder and walks away.

James makes his way out of the neighborhood, he has a good

deal of walking to get back home.

EXT. NEIGHBORHOOD STREETS

He walks through the neighborhood and looks at all the homes.

He seems appreciative of what hard work has brought these
people. It’s a very nice night, slight breeze, cloud free
purple sky.

Things are pretty silent this time of night in Boca Raton.

Most people are asleep and there isn’t much traffic past ten.
 80.

Almost complete silence when,

Helicopters can be heard in the distance, the chopping of the

blades through warm air grows closer. James grows curious.

Now small sirens can be heard near by, James crouches behind
a bush as a white security truck speeds by with yellow lights
flashing. Something is going on.

EXT. STREETS OF SUB DIVISION.

Ivan and Julio get out of a BMW and show each other what they
have, laughing.

Then they hear the sirens.

Both run behind a bush on the side of a house and wait for
the security to pass.

EXT. SIDEWALK

James walks quickly to exit the neighborhood when he sees cop

cars pulling up to the gate entrance, he needs to find
another way out.

He runs through bushes and backyards to reach the end of the

guard gate.

He isn’t far now. He can see the gas station is only about an
eighth of a mile away from him, he can easily run low and
reach it without being noticed if he stays away from the
street lights.

EXT. BUSHES

Julio and Ivan watch as the security truck stops a few houses
down. The security guard gets out and meets with the
homeowner who walks out and points to his car.

The boys stay crouched and make way for the exit of the
neighborhood. As they walk they see Steinman driving slowly
in his truck with Big John.

They run up to the car and open the doors scaring both
Steinman and Big John.

BIG JOHN
Holy fuck, we thought you were the
cops.
 81.

JULIO
Someone called security, we need to
get the hell out of here now.

BIG JOHN
Steinman, get us out of here, quick

Steinman starts to drive off and they get out of the

neighborhood.

They make it past another subdivision and pass a security

guard going the other way. The moment is tense. They all
remain silent in the car.

As soon as they thought they were in the clear, the security

guard turns on his lights and makes a U-turn and heads for
the truck

BIG JOHN (CONT’D)

Steinman! Dip!

He floors the truck and reaches the guard gate but sees the
cop cars, they notice him too and flash their lights, a few
officers exit their cars and make their way to the truck.

He continues but then slams on the brakes.

IVAN
What are you doing?

STEINMAN
Do you not see the cops! How the
fuck am I going to get past them?

IVAN
Well don’t stop you Idiot!

STEINMAN
Fuck you! Don’t tell me what to do!

JULIO
Fuck this.

Julio opens the door and runs for it.

Ivan follows after in the opposite direction.

Only Big john is left in the car.

BIG JOHN
Drive!, Go to the right through the
woods!
 82.

To the right of the guard gate is a clearing of trees and

bushes that leads to a lake and the other side of the
highway.

They drive off into the woods and the car goes bouncing up
and down over branches and tree stumps, radar detectors and
cell phones go flying inside the cabin. The boys yell and try
to keep the car from flipping.

EXT. BACKYARD.

Julio tosses whatever he had on him and hides inside a play

set tower, while cop cars drive by shining lights and talking
over the radio.

EXT. LAKE

Ivan ditches his stuff as well and jumps into the lake and
starts swimming to the other end. On the other side of the
lake is the highway that Big John and Steinman hope to reach.

As he swims he can see Steinman’s SUV off-roading in the

bushes, barely maintaining control when it hits a tree stump
and wraps the tire around it. They’re toast.

EXT. PLAY SET

Julio lays on his stomach out of view of the cops inside the
wooden play set. He should be okay for awhile up here.

Then he hears the unlocking of cages and rustling, whistles.

It’s the K9 unit. They are about to unleash the dogs to find
him.

EXT. SIDEWALK

James can only imagine what is going on deep inside the

neighborhood. He notices that the cops are preoccupied and
one leaves to go inside the gate.

He starts to walk towards the opposite side of the street to

the gas station and just about makes it when an officer
notices him.

OFFICER
Hey! Stop!

James freezes and says nothing.

The officer walks over to James.

 83.

OFFICER (CONT’D)
What are you doing out here?

James has no clue what to say, he is still a little foggy

from the pills.

JAMES
I...was...

A white sedan pulls out of the gas station and stops as it

notices James talking to the police.

A voice calls out from the car.

LISA
James?

OFFICER
Who is that?

That car pulls up to James, on the brink of pissing his pants

and being handcuffed.

JAMES
I... was waiting for my girlfriend
to pick me up.

James walks casually to the car and gets in the passenger

seat.

INT. LISA’S CAR

JAMES
Drive. Now.

LISA
Don’t think I’m not still mad at
you, cause...

James tries to keep his cool and talks through his teeth.

JAMES
Drive the fucking car away now.

The officer watches intently, not sure what to make of it.

She leans her head out the window and talks to the cop

LISA
I thought he was running off with
some skank, I’m glad you stopped
him officer.
 84.

The officer nods and waves them away.

EXT. LAKE

Above Ivan is the helicopter shining its light down over the
neighborhood and the lake. He is about half way across.

EXT. PLAY SET

Julio remains laying down inside the tower when a German

shepherd runs up the ladder and pounces on him, he falls off
the tower onto the grass and kicks the dog. Two policemen
follow behind and handcuff him.

EXT. STEINMANS TRUCK

Steinman and Big John exit the truck, in pain and panting,
scared to death and running off adrenaline. Steinman tries to
grab as much stuff as he can.

BIG JOHN
Dude, are you nuts! Leave it!

More dogs come running after the truck and lead the cops to
the two of them. It’s been a good run.

EXT. LAKE

Ivan is about to get out of the water when a cop shines his
light on him and holds out a pair of cuffs

COP
Freeze, Aquaman.

INT. LISA’S CAR

James sits in his seat flush faced and nervous.

LISA
I can’t believe you are in my car
right now. I should have let that
cop...

JAMES
Just shut the fuck up.

LISA
What! Don’t talk to me like...
 85.

JAMES
Hold on! I’m sorry. I didn’t mean
it like that.

LISA
You can get out. I still hate you.

JAMES
Listen! Just be quiet for a minute.
I gotta think.

LISA
Are you in trouble?

JAMES
They are so fucked. Steinman’s
totally getting butt raped.

LISA
What is going on?

JAMES
OK. Look, we went bucking, and...

LISA
Bucking?

JAMES
Stealing. Someone must have seen us
and called the cops. They’re all
still in there.

LISA
In where?

JAMES
In the neighborhood.

LISA
How did they get in there?

JAMES
Steinman had a gate clicker. We
gotta get them.

LISA
What! No fucking way, I’m not going
to jail to save your friends after
they stole peoples things. They
deserve it, it’s about time they
got caught.
 86.

JAMES
Deserve it? They are all going to
go to get arrested! We gotta go
back.

Lisa reluctantly turns the car around and they pass by the
guard gate.

Through the car windows they can see Julio and Ivan being put
into the squad car. Both handcuffed.

LISA
Are you glad? Look at them now. I
hope it was worth it.

JAMES
I should be getting arrested right
now.

LISA
What are you talking about, you
never stole anything.

JAMES
But I was with them. I could have
stayed.

LISA
But you didn’t. You left because
you’re not an idiot. Well, you are
in idiot but you had enough sense
to leave.

JAMES
What do you think is going to
happen to them?

LISA
You kidding? This is Boca, they’ll
be out tomorrow and have to do some
community service. Probably do it
all again next weekend.

She pulls the car away and makes her way to James’s house.
Neither one talk to each other on the way home.

EXT. JAMES’S HOUSE

Lisa pulls her car into the driveway and puts the car in
park.

James is still in shock from what has happened and that he

got away.
 87.

LISA
Quit bugging out, you didn’t do
anything.

JAMES
But I should have done something. I
should have stopped them. That’s my
problem. I never do anything.

LISA
You honestly think they would have
listened to you if you told them to
stop? They’re idiots. That’s what
they do...and yet... People love
them for it. They’re the coolest
kids because everyone only sees it
as them not giving a fuck...and you
did do something. You made the
right choice to leave.

James sits Quiet, he doesn’t have much to say for himself. He

is just as guilty of going along with the looting, only he
left before anything bad could have happened to him, he sees
it as a cowardly move.

LISA (CONT’D)
I have to be home pretty soon...
Fucking dad and his curfew, thinks
I’m going to wind up pregnant if I
stay out past one. If he only knew
the lack of action I get.

JAMES
You wanna come in?

LISA
Sorry slick. You’re a little late.
Besides, I’m not sure you deserve a
chill session in your guest house
right now.

Rejected.

JAMES
Umm...Thanks for picking me up and
getting me out this.

He leans over and kisses her on the cheek. She moves away at
first thinking he’s going in for her lips.

LISA
That was weird.
 88.

JAMES
Yeah.

LISA
Was that a kiss goodnight?

JAMES
I prefer it the other way too, I
just thought.

LISA
That was very mature of you.

He takes it as sign to give her a real kiss and moves in once

again, she resists.

LISA (CONT’D)
I think we’re good.

JAMES
Okay.

An awkward moment. Then he gets out of the car.

He turns around and leans down to the window.

JAMES (CONT’D)
Don’t hate me. Okay? Because...
Aside from my grandma, You’re the
only person I couldn’t deal with
hating me right now.

She is still very upset over the whole ordeal of him having
sex with her friend. She most likely will not forgive him,
they could remain friends but never what they had before.

LISA
I gotta go.

He walks away with his head down and opens the gate to his
house.

She calls out from her car.

LISA (CONT’D)
James.

He turns around

LISA (CONT’D)
So no more parties?
 89.

JAMES
Nope. Summer’s pretty much done. I
guess I should just worry about
getting to work on time and
cleaning the sheets in my sisters
room before she actually sleeps in
there and becomes the youngest
person to ever contract syphilis.

They both laugh.

LISA
That’s a shame. You threw some
great parties.

She drives away.

He thinks for a moment, pleased with the comment. You know,

he may not have done anything all that productive that
summer, but he did throw some great parties and had some fun.

INT. JAMES’S LIVING ROOM

The house is spotless and quiet. James sits half asleep on

the couch watching TV.

The door to the garage opens and the noise of business lingo
grows louder as james’s dad walks through the hallway to the
living room. Every few seconds his ear lights up blue from
his blue tooth mobile device. Old guys like him love that
kind of technology, makes them feel like they lived to
witness the future.

EDWARD
Bud!

He calls out

JAMES
Yeah! I’m on the couch.

EDWARD
Where else would you be. (Into
phone) No, I was talking to my son.
Well tell Mendez We are meeting
with the southern group on Monday
and to have that presentation done
or I’m personally financing the
boat we put his Cubano ass on back
to Havana. OK. Have a good weekend.

JAMES
How was work?
 90.

EDWARD
Same old. Raising money, meetings
as usual. What have you been up to.

JAMES
Just been watching TV.

EDWARD
Must be nice... Lay around and
party while poor pops has to slave
away. I make the money so you and
your mother can party it away.

Half sarcastically

JAMES
Mom isn’t partying.

EDWARD
She isn’t? I thought her and the
Grasscutter party every night, ride
on the Lawnmower and smoke doobies.

He pantomimes pushing a lawnmower and smoking a joint.

James laughs and gets off the couch, walks towards his dad.

JAMES
I’m done partying too.

EDWARD
You’re kidding. You? What’s next?
Don’t tell me you’re going to do
well in school next year.

JAMES
One step at a time.

James’s dad grabs him and pats him on the head.

EDWARD
OK, sonny. I don’t want you working
too hard.

He lets him

JAMES
Love you.

Edward is caught a little off guard, they don’t usually say

that to one another, maybe write it in birthday and holiday
cards, but it is rarely spoken.
 91.

EDWARD
I love you too, bud.

James seems satisfied and begins to walk out of the house.

JAMES
Oh, and umm...thank you.

EDWARD
What for?

JAMES
You know... for everything.

Edward is touched, his spoiled son is actually showing

gratitude for the way he works in order to set his family in
a posh lifestyle free of financial struggle and neediness.

EDWARD
You are welcome, pal.

James smiles and turns around. Making his way to his guest
house.

He walks in and shuts the door behind him.

FADE OUT