Letters

Jenna Bennett
12/1/14

FADE IN:
INT. TEES HOUSE - BATHROOM - NIGHT
The home is run down and so is the bathroom. One of the
lights is burnt out and the other is flickering. The tiles
are discoloured and the towels dont match the wall paint.
TILT UP
A set of young hands grip an unopened pregnancy test.
TEE is revealed, sitting on the floor, leaning against the
tub, staring at the unopened box, trying to build up the
courage to open it.
SCREEN FLASHES TO WHITE
INT. TEES HOUSE - TEES BEDROOM - DAY [FLASHBACK]
Its 5:30am and Tees mother, DENISE, BUSTS into Tees
bedroom with a SCREAMING baby, JOSIAH, in her arms.
Tees MOM is 36, but looks older.
MOM
Tee wake up! Josiah wont stop
crying, Tishana and Jamal need to
be fed and Im already late.
(Pulls the blanket off of)
Tee!
Tee groggily comes to, her mother puts the SCREAMING baby
down on the bed and hurries out of the room.
INT. TEES HOUSE - KITCHEN/LIVING ROOM - DAY
Tee enters the kitchen with Josiah in her arms. She finds
her two other siblings, Tishana 6, and Jamal 8, arguing.
Jamals holding a McDonalds toy in his hands, above his
head, out of reach to Tishana.
TISHANA
Give it back, its not yours! Give
it back!
She jumps up and down, trying to reach it.
JAMAL
Its not yours.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED:

2.
TISHANA
I found it at school on the ground
during recess! Give. It. Back!

Tee grabs the toy and puts it on top of the fridge. Josiah
is still screaming.
TEE
Both of you! Go sit at the table!
Jamal shoves Tishana on his way to the table. She gives him
a dirty look, secretly feeling defeated.
With Josiah in one hand, Tee mixes a bottle with the other
and puts the mixed bottle in the microwave.
JAMAL
Im hungry.
TEE
Lemme take care of Josiah first.
JAMAL
Im hungry NOW.
TEE
And Im getting Josiahs bottle
ready right NOW.
Jamal gives her a dirty look and Tee pays no attention to
his unnecessary drama.
INT. TEES HOUSE - TEES BATHROOM - DAY
Brushing her teeth, Tee stares at herself in the mirror. She
looks and feels tired. She SPLASHES cold water on her face.
INT. TEES HOUSE - TEES BEDROOM - DAY
She changes into her outfit of the day, same as usual; calf
length white socks, her school track pants, t-shirt, hoodie,
and of course, her headband. She always wears a headband.
She grabs her gym bag, a.k.a. her backpack, her BASKETBALL
and heads back out.
INT. TEES HOUSE - KITCHEN/LIVING ROOM - DAY
Tee puts her gym bag and basketball down and pours herself a
bowl of cereal.
Josiahs fast asleep on the couch with the empty bottle
still in his mouth. Tees surprised to see that Tishana and
Jamal are actually quiet.
(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED:

3.

A CREAKING noise comes from down the hall.

A man, comes from around the corner. "DAD" a.k.a. KURTIS is
47. Obese, sweaty, grotesque. Hairline is receding.
TISHANA AND JAMAL
(In unison)
Gmorning.
Kurtis doesnt reply. Instead, he wobbles over to the couch
and sits uncomfortably close to Tee. Shes staring straight
ahead, purposefully making no eye contact. She takes another
bite of cereal. Kurtis looks down and SLIDES his hand onto
her thigh. She JERKS forward and stands up. That wakes
Josiah and he starts to CRY.
She dumps her half finished bowl of cereal in the sink,
grabs her gym bag and basketball and heads out the door.
INT. HIGH SCHOOL - CLASSROOM - DAY
Tee isnt paying attention in class.
The teacher, Ms. BELL, is walking around to make sure
everyone is on track. Tee is drawing BASKETBALL plays in her
notebook.
MS. BELL
Tee, what have I told you about
bringing basketball into the
classroom? Do I need to mention
your constant distraction in class
to COACH SCOTT?
Without hesitation, Tee RIPS out the basketball play from
her notebook, crumples it up and shoots it into the garbage
can.
TEE
Swishhh!
The class chuckles and Ms. Bell gives Tee THE LOOK.
INT. HIGH SCHOOL - HALLWAY - DAY
Tee walks out of her last class for the day and joins her
teammates in the hallway. Only half the team, 5 girls, KATIE
17, ROCHELLE 15, BEX 17, CECE, 18, JEN 17, are there.
TEE
(nods her head)
Hey guys, whats up?

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED:

4.

KATIE
Hey!
ROCHELLE
Hey girl.
BEX
Were just chillin.
CECE
(To Tee)
You excited for the big showcase
tomorrow?
JEN
I am so excited! Do you know how
many PEOPLE are gonna be there!?
Rumour has it DeMar DeRozan, my NBA
husband, is gonna be there!
BEX
Ew, DeMar Derozan is NOT cute.
Like, at all.
KATIE
I dont know about you guys, but
Blake Griffin is my NBA husband.
ROCHELLE
Im with Katie on this one. Blake
Griffin. All the way.
Everyone but Tee starts laughing.
TEE
All of you SHUT UP!
They all go silent.
TEE
(Shes fed up)
Do you guys understand how
important tomorrow is? Tomorrow
could change the REST of our lives
and you guys are hung up on whether
your NBA husbands are gonna show
up? The only people that matter are
the scouts. THEY are gonna be
changing your lives.
All of the girls just stare at Tee.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED:

5.
ROCHELLE
My bad Tee, youre right.
TEE
Hey, dont be sorry. I just want
the best for you guys.
JEN
Ahh sheeitt. Got me shedding a tear
over here!

Jen jokingly rushes Tee, puts an arm around her and the rest
of the team follows. Theyre her true family.
TEE
(Smiling and laughing)
Alright, alright, you saps. Lets
go, Coach is gonna kill us if were
late to practice!
She races down the hall. They all chase after her.
INT. HIGH SCHOOL - BASKETBALL GYM - NIGHT
Tee walks into the gym alone, dressed in her practice
uniform. Shes the first one. The silence is comforting.
VARIOUS ANGLES - MONTAGE
The whole team is lined up on the baseline. COACH SCOTT
stands in the middle of the court. She blows the whistle.
The team sprints suicides.
Defensive slides.
Suicides.
Shell drill. 500 Shots.
Suicides.
Two on two.
Full court scrimmage.
Tees bringing the ball up the court and Cece is guarding
her. Tee DEKES her with an in-n-out cross over and blows
past her.
Tee dribbles into the paint and Katie pops out, playing the
help "D". Tee has to make a split decision: do a two-step
layup to get around her, or make the pass out to Jen. She
sees Jen with her peripheral vision and Rochelle is
guarding her hard. Two-step layup it is.
(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED:

6.

Tee dribbles toward Katie, takes a two-step around her, goes

up for the layup and makes the basket! She comes down from
it and lands BADLY. On the ground, shes holding her ankle.
The scrimmage stops. Everyone gathers around Tee.
KATIE
Oh my god, Tee. Are you okay?!
COACH SCOTT
Guys, give her some room.
The team backs off. Coach Scott takes a knee beside Tee.
COACH SCOTT
You okay?
TEE
(rotates her ankle)
Yeah Im good. Its not sprained or
anything. I think I just landed
weirdly.
COACH SCOTT
(relieved)
Okay good.
Coach Scott helps her up.
INT. GYM - LOCKER ROOM - NIGHT
Bex exits.
BEX
See you tomorrow Tee!
TEE
Later!
Everyone but Tee has left the locker room. She puts on her
coat and grabs her gym bag. Coach Scott walks into the
change room.
COACH SCOTT
You ready?
TEE
(joking)
To go home? Uh, No.
COACH SCOTT
(seriously)
No, I mean for tomorrow.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED:

7.

TEE
Uh, yeah Im ready. Why?
COACH SCOTT
I just...I want to tell you how
proud I am of you. Of everything
youve accomplished. Youre an
amazing basketball player Tee, and
I know youre gonna make it far,
but above all that, youre an
exceptional person. Dont forget
that.
TEE
(trying not to tear up)
I...thank you Coach...thank you.
Tee gives her a HUG.
EXT. HIGH SCHOOL - PARKING LOT - NIGHT
Tee exits the school.
Shes preparing herself mentally for the long journey back
to the MADHOUSE when her boyfriend, JORDAN 19, pulls up in a
beat up Honda Accord. Black, tinted windows.
JORDAN
(rolls down the passenger
window)
Get in. Ill drive you home.
Tee just looks at him.
JORDAN
Come on. You know you want to get
in.
He leans over and pops the door open for her. He smiles. He
always did have a killer smile.
Tee gets into the car.
Jordan drives off.
INT. HONDA ACCORD - NIGHT
Rush hour is over. The roads are mostly empty. Every once in
a while, a car or truck will pass by.
JORDAN
So...how was your day?

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED:

8.
TEE
It was good actually...practice was
intense.
(optimistically)
I just...I have this feeling
tomorrows gonna change everything.

Jordan doesnt seem very impressed or happy. Tee realizes

that hes driving a bit FAST.
TEE (CONT.)
What?
JORDAN
Nothing.
TEE
No, seriously. What?
JORDAN
Its just...its the same old shit.
All you care about is basketball
and winning and moving on. You
dont give two shits about us.
TEE
(keeping her cool)
Most boyfriends would be happy to
hear their girlfriends are actually
going somewhere in life.
JORDAN
What the hells that supposed to
mean?!
Jordans really speeding now. He pulls out a spliff and a
lighter. He lights up and takes a puff.
TEE
(pissed)
Are you serious? God, you know,
NOTHING has changed with you. You
SAY youve changed, but as soon as
theres a "problem" you turn to
that crap. Plus youre speeding! Do
you want to go back to jail!?
Jordan takes another puff and speeds up.
TEE (CONT.)
Jordan, I wasnt kidding. Slow
down.
He speeds up some more.
(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED:

9.

TEE
I said slow down!
ANOTHER ANGLE
Taking his eyes off the road to look at Tee, he swerves to
the other side of the road into on coming bright lights and
swerves back just before running into the other car.
Tee screams. The other car furiously beeps its horn. Jordan
DROPS his spliff.
TEE
(staring straight ahead)
Stop the car. Right now.
JORDAN
No.
TEE
STOP THE FUCKING CAR, JORDAN!
With the car still going, she motions to open her door.
JORDAN
Alright, alright!
He pulls off to the side of the road.
JORDAN
(calmly)
Were almost at your house. Just
lemme drop you.
Tee grabs her gym bag and basketball from the back seat,
opens her door, gets out and slams it. She doesnt even look
at him.
His Honda headlights are shinning on her. Jordan puts the
car in park, opens his door and gets out.
JORDAN
Come on Tee!
Tee continues to walk.
JORDAN
Tee!
Leaving him at the side of the road, she never looks back.

10.

INT. TEES HOUSE - FOYER/KITCHEN/LIVING ROOM - NIGHT

Tee opens the front door and enters the foyer. She kicks off
her Nike slippers, heads into the kitchen and drops her gym
bag and basketball on the floor.
She looks over to the living room to find the T.V.
illuminating her siblings faces. All three are on the
couch. Josiah is passed out and Tishana and Jamal have their
eyes glued to the T.V. Theyre watching Futurama, a very
inappropriate show for kids. Damn Teletoon At Night.
Tee walks into the living room, picks up Josiah and turns
off the T.V.
JAMAL
Hey!
TEE
Jamal, do NOT wake your brother.
Come on, its bedtime.
Jamal and Tishana sluggishly get up off the couch and follow
Tee down the hall.
INT. TEES HOUSE - KIDS BEDROOM - NIGHT
The three kids share a bedroom.
Tee puts Josiah into his crib while Tishana and Jamal change
into their pyjamas.
TEE
(Whispers)
Come on you guys. Get into bed.
Finished getting changed, they both jump into bed and Tee
spreads the blanket over them. She kisses Tishana on her
cheek and kisses Jamal on his forehead.
TEE
Night you guys, love you.
JAMAL
Night, Tee.
TISHANA
Love you.

11.

INT. TEES HOUSE - TEES BEDROOM - NIGHT

Lying down on her back, she stares at the ceiling.
Her door CREAKS open. She looks up to see the silhouette of
a fat man. Her stepfather. Shes frozen.
He tip toes towards her and slides into HER bed.
TEE
(quietly whispers)
No.
He continues to move closer. Slithers his arm towards her
and spreads his hand over her abdomen.
TEE (CONT.)
(sternly)
No.
He leans into her and kisses her in the crook of her neck.
Hes sweaty. He kisses her again. She pushes him away, hard.
TEE (CONT.)
Get off me!
He raises his hand high in the air and brings it crashing
down across her face. She tastes blood in her mouth.
He stares at her. She says nothing.
Straddling her, he leans down and kisses her neck. Her
clavicle. Her chest.
Tee just stares up at the ceiling.
INT. TEES HOUSE - TEES BEDROOM - SHOWCASE DAY - DAY
Tees alarm goes off. She slowly opens her eyes and reaches
for her phone on the night table. She turns off the alarm.
She cranes behind her to find the other side of the bed
empty. She rolls over onto her back.
Its showcase day.
INT. TEES HOUSE - TEES BATHROOM - DAY
Tee militarily brushes her teeth, gets changed and puts on
her hair band. She seems different, hardened in a way.

12.

INT. HOUSE - KITCHEN - DAY

Tee walks into the kitchen only to find Josiah screaming his
head off in his high chair and Tishana and Jamal paying no
attention.
Tee grabs a granola bar from the cupboard and a bottle of
water from the fridge. She puts her gym bag over her
shoulder, grabs her basketball, slips on her Nike slippers
and heads out the door.
EXT. HOUSE - SIDEWALK - DAY
Walking down the side walk, Tee hears her stepfather yelling
from the front step.
KURTIS
(pissed)
Tee! Get back here and shut these
damn kids up!
She ignores him. She keeps walking and doesnt look back.
INT. HIGH SCHOOL - LOCKER ROOM - DAY
Everyone is sitting in front of their individual cubbies,
dressed and ready for the battle ahead. Coach Scott stands
in the middle of the room.
Silence.
COACH SCOTT
Alright. The day is finally here.
You ladies have worked harder then
any other team Ive coached in the
last 20 years, but today you have
to work even harder. The games
youre about to play will be some
of the most important in your
careers. I know by the end of today
you guys will all have offers from
around the country and will
probably all split up after this
season, but today. Right now. Right
here in this locker room and in
that gym, we are a team. We fight
for each other, we fight together
and most of all, we play hard on
that court. So lets go out there
and show those scouts who we are.
Bring it in.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED:

13.

She puts her hand out. The team brings it in and they all
put one hand in the middle of the huddle. Coach Scott looks
to Tee.
TEE
Team on three. 1 - 2 - 3 THE WHOLE TEAM
TEAM!
They all turn towards the doors and head out to the court.
INT. HIGH SCHOOL - BASKETBALL GYM - DAY/NIGHT
The gym is packed with spectators, hardcore parents and,
most important, college scouts.
The games are INTENSE, and Tees team is definitely not the
underdog. Although theyre all playing amazingly, Tees game
is on a whole other level-- a Michael Jordan, Candace
Parker, Kobe Bryant kind of level. Shes seeing the court,
sinking every shot, making perfect assists, isnt afraid to
get in the paint, and is playing with heart.
In the final 13 seconds of the championship game, down by 2
points with the ball in their possession, Coach Scott calls
a time out.
The crowd is going wild.
The whole team is huddled around Coach Scott.
COACH SCOTT
The rest of this game comes down to
heart. Who is gonna dig deep within
themselves and push for 13 seconds.
I know each and every one of you
has the potential to do that, so
lets go out there and show them.
(she points to the crowd)
Team on three. 1-2-3THE WHOLE TEAM
TEAM!
The opposing team is playing a full court press. Katie,
Rochelle, Jen, Cece and Tee are on the floor and they set up
their full court offense.
Katies inbounding, Cece and Rochelle are on the wings,
Jens in the middle and Tees running point.
The refs put the ball in play.
(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED:

14.

The crowd is going crazy.

The opposing team expects the ball to go to Tee because
shes point guard and shes been the star of the game.
Cece and Rochelle run parallel towards Katie, and Tee runs
to the middle of the court, in front of Jen.
Katie inbounds the ball to Cece. Rochelle runs over and sets
a screen for Cece and then runs towards the middle.
Jen cuts down from the middle on an angle and Cece passes
her the ball.
Simultaneously, Katie runs from the inbounding possession to
the other end of the court on the right side and Tee runs to
the left side of the court, now opposite Katie.
From here, its a matter of passing the basketball as quick
as possible. From Jen, to Rochelle in the middle, to Katie
on the far left hand side, she makes a cross-court pass to
Tee, waiting on the 3 point line.
5-4-3Tee releases the shot with the opposing defence right in her
face.
2-1The buzzer goes off, the shot in mid air.
ERRRRRRRRR!
Silence.
SWISH.
The entire gym goes nuts! Tees team wins by 1 point in the
last 13 seconds!
Tees in shock. She made the final shot. She made the
winning shot.
The entire team runs onto the court and jumps Tee, tackling
her to the ground. Laughing and crying, they all rejoice in
their victory.
FADE TO
Tee shakes the hand of the final scout in line to talk with
her. In her hand she holds 20 different offer LETTERS from
division 1 Universities all over the country. She holds her
head high as she walks out of the gym.

15.

EXT. HIGH SCHOOL - PARKING LOT - NIGHT

Tee walks out into the parking lot. A beat up Honda Accord
with tinted windows pulls up in front of her.
Jordan rolls down the window.
JORDAN
Congratulations on the win. I hear
you made the winning shot.
He didnt even show up to her game. Great.
TEE
Yup.
JORDAN
Listen, me and the guys are going
out tonight. Why dont you come and
well celebrate together.
TEE
First of all, you didnt even have
the courtesy to show up to my game.
And second, when I saved myself
from your recklessness last night,
and walked home, I was done. And
Im still done. Were over Jordan.
Over.
JORDAN
You dumb bitch.
He steps on the gas and drives off. Tee laughs to herself.
She sees her bus in the distance and jogs to the bus stop,
gym bag and basketball in hand.
EXT. SHOPPERS DRUG MART - NIGHT
Getting off a couple stops early, Tee enters the store.
INT. SHOPPERS DRUG MART - NIGHT
She walks up and down the aisles until she finally finds
what shes looking for.
At the cash she grabs a pack of gum and adds it onto the
bill. She pays the cashier and exits.

16.

INT. TEES HOUSE - FOYER/KITCHEN - NIGHT

Tee kicks off her Nike slippers at the front door and walks
into the kitchen. She looks around. She listens.
Its a miracle.
Everyones asleep. Thank God.
Tee puts her basketball on the ground and opens her gym bag
on the kitchen table. She pulls out a handful of offer
LETTERS. Looking through them, she smiles, feeling proud of
herself.
INT. TEES HOUSE - TEES BATHROOM - NIGHT [OPENING SCENE]
Tee locks the bathroom door, sits on the floor, opens her
gym bag, pulls out a Shoppers Drug Mart plastic bag and
removes a box from it.
Her young hands grip the unopened pregnancy test.
TILT UP
To reveal Tee staring at the unopened box, trying to build
up the courage to open it. And take it.
She brings her knees to her chest, closes her eyes and takes
a deep breath.
DISSOLVE THROUGH TO
Tee looks over to her gym bag filled with offer LETTERS.
Its time.
She reaches for the pregnancy test as it rests on the side
of the tub.
She looks down at it.
The LETTERS spell out: P-R-E-G-N-A-N-T.
Its positive.
She sits completely still at a loss for what to do.
FADE TO CREDITS
THE END