FAKING VEGAS

written by

Anthony Pittore and Avery R. Russell

 FADE IN:

INT. TYLER’S HOUSE - TYLER’S ROOM - DAY

Dirty clothes, books, and electronics are strewn across the

floor of a typical teenager’s bedroom. Messy, but not
disgusting.

A computer mouse clicks as the back of a figure reveals,

illuminated by the blue glow of a laptop screen. This is
TYLER BRUNSON. He’s 16, nerdy, but in a good-looking way.

TYLER
C’mon baby. Give it to me.

More CLICKING.

Tyler’s body hunches over the computer screen in near-

orgasmic pleasure.

TYLER
Hell yes!

He collapses back into his chair, laughing in triumph, at the

same moment that--

BANG!

The bedroom door SLAMS open and MRS. BRUNSON (40), young-
looking for having a son, but she maintains a short and
manageable “mom haircut” and conservative clothes.

MRS. BRUNSON
Tyler!

Tyler furiously CLICKS the mouse to hide whatever was on the

computer screen, then spins in his chair toward his Mom.

TYLER
(faux-nonchalance)
Mom! Hey!

MRS. BRUNSON
What the hell are you still doing
here? Have you seen the time?

Tyler looks at the clock on his computer screen. It reads

8:05 a.m.

TYLER
Shit. I gotta go.

Mrs. Brunson looks at the blank computer screen, suspicious.

 2.

MRS. BRUNSON
Not yet, you don’t.

She moves to the computer desk and grabs the mouse from his
hand, CLICKING it to reveal the hidden window.

TYLER
Mom, wait!

The WHOOSH of the window reappearing causes Tyler to cover

his face with his hand, the screen still blocked from view.

TYLER
Listen, I can explain.

Mrs. Brunson looks down at him, arms crossed. She doesn’t

look angry. Just slightly disappointed.

MRS. BRUNSON
Oh, Tyler. I thought we already had
this talk.

TYLER
We did, I just--

MRS. BRUNSON
You’re not supposed to be doing
this before school. You’ve already
brought home four tardy slips.

TYLER
(pleading)
I’m sorry. I--

MRS. BRUNSON
(interrupts)
You know I’m not one of those bible-
thumping parents that thinks stuff
like this is a sin or whatever.

Tyler looks at his Mom, curious.

MRS. BRUNSON
It's natural to want to explore. I
understand.

She waves her hand at the computer.

MRS. BRUNSON
But this. This can wait until
you're older.
 3.

TYLER
Wow, thanks, mom. I'm impressed
with your open-mindedness. I’ll try
a little harder from now on.

He flashes a phony smile. She doesn't buy it.

MRS. BRUNSON
Cut the shit and get to school.

Tyler stands and heads for the door.

MRS. BRUNSON
Ty, one more thing?

TYLER
Yeah?

MRS. BRUNSON
Put on some pants.

He looks down, revealing that he’s only wearing boxers.

TYLER
Right.

He grabs a pair of jeans from the top drawer of a nearby

dresser and exits.

Mrs. Brunson sits down at his computer desk and looks down at
the screen with interest.

MRS. BRUNSON
I wonder what the big deal is...

She clicks a few times with a sly smile.

After a moment, the screen is finally revealed to be only a

game of online poker. TYLER’S AVATAR (a suave cartoon version
of him) has a huge stack of chips in front of it.

More chips slide toward his avatar and a look of surprise

flashes on Mrs. Brunson’s face.

MRS. BRUNSON
Ooh! I won!

She bites her lip as she settles comfortably into the chair
to keep playing.
 4.

EXT. GLENDALE HIGH SCHOOL - FRONT - DAY

Glendale High School’s main building is a huge brown brick

structure with white accents.

A set of concrete stairs lead to the school’s glass front

entrance doors, “Home of the Dynamiters” surrounding the
image of an anthropomorphized stick of dynamite (their
mascot).

The front of the school is deserted until...

TYLER
Shit! Shit! Shit!

Tyler pedals hard on his bike and leaps off, lets the bike
CLATTER to the ground near the school’s entrance stairs. He
runs up the stairs, taking them two at a time.

Tyler stops at the top of the stairs and looks back down at
his abandoned bike.

He runs back down the stairs.

TYLER
Shit! Shit! Shit!

He locks the bike to a nearby rack and runs back up the

stairs.

TYLER
Shiiiiit!

INT. GLENDALE HIGH SCHOOL - HALLWAY - DAY

As Tyler enters, the school bell RINGS, and the classroom

doors SWING open.

Hundreds of CHATTERING and YELLING students flood into the

hall as Tyler tries to blend in with the crowd.

MS. CALDWELL
Mr. Brunson!

Tyler’s eyes close. He's been caught.

He turns to see MS. CALDWELL (50), looks stern, wears a

bright, low-cut dress to offset her cold demeanor.

MS. CALDWELL
Over here, please.
 5.

She gestures him over by curling her pink-polished index

finger at him.

TYLER
(exasperated)
Yeah!

Tyler slowly walks over to her, looking for someone to rescue

him, but nothing comes.

INT. GLENDALE HIGH SCHOOL - TYLER’S LOCKER - DAY

Tyler stands at his locker with his head pressed against the
metal of the door. He looks destroyed.

A hand flies in front behind Tyler and SLAMS hard against the
locker next to his.

The hand and locker belong to CHRIS JENKINS. He’s also 16,
taller than Tyler and athletic. An artist in a jock's body.

CHRIS
Yo!

TYLER
(miserable)
What's up.

CHRIS
Damn. Caldwell did a number on you.
She was so pissed you weren't in
homeroom.

TYLER
Yeah.

Tyler stows his bag in the locker.

CHRIS
That's your fifth tardy, right?

TYLER
Yeah.

CHRIS
So you're kinda boned, huh?

TYLER
Yeah.

AUSTIN (O.S.)
(singing)
Get the fuck out of my way!
 6.

Tyler and Chris turn to see AUSTIN WEINSTOCK, who runs down
the hall, parting the sea of students in front of him.

Unlike the other two, Austin is 17, but still a junior. In

spite of his age, he’s the shortest of the trio. Dressed
well, with purposely messy hair, and a permanent smile
plastered to his face.

AUSTIN
(to Tyler and Chris)
There they are!

Austin slides to a stop in front of Tyler and Chris and grabs

them around the shoulders, spinning them to walk with him.

INT. GLENDALE HIGH SCHOOL - HALLWAY - DAY

The trio walk together down the hall through the throngs of
students, all gathered in their own little cliques.

AUSTIN
(obnoxious)
What’s up, boys?

CHRIS
Ask Tyler.

Austin turns to Tyler, who didn’t respond.

AUSTIN
Someone’s grumpy.
(to Chris)
What’s wrong with him?

CHRIS
He was late again and got reamed by
Caldwell.

AUSTIN
Getting reamed’s not that bad.

CHRIS AND TYLER

(together)
What?

AUSTIN
(ignores them)
Isn’t that your fifth tardy?

TYLER
Jesus! Why is everyone so obsessed
with fucking "tardies"?
 7.

And why does everyone keep using

that stupid word anyway?

Silence falls between them.

AUSTIN
That’s what their called, right?
(beat)
I don’t think I understand the
question.

Frustrated, Tyler rubs his hand down his face.

CHRIS
Just forget it. It’s the last day
before Spring Break. Caldwell will
forget about it by the time we’re
back. Why were you late anyway?

TYLER
Mom came in while I was online
doing my thing.

CHRIS
Doing your--

AUSTIN
Bro, did your mom catch you jerking
it? That happened to me last
summer. Right when I was about to--

TYLER
Jesus fuck no. It was worse. I was
stuck in a tournament and it ran
long. Was winning till my mom
walked in and kicked me out.

CHRIS
You’re still wasting time with
online poker? You can’t even make
money with it. What's the point?

Tyler’s mood noticeably changes for the better as the subject

of poker is breached.

TYLER
Well, yeah. But it’s like...
playing tee-ball before you go to
little league. Right?

AUSTIN
Or like jerking off before you
fuck.
 8.

Tyler and Chris look at Austin for a moment, and just shake
their heads.

TYLER
Do you only have the one brain cell
that activates masturbation and
literally nothing else going on in
there?

He taps Austin on the head, who rubs the spot, confused.

TYLER
You're useless.

They keep their walk-and-talk going through the halls.

TYLER
You gotta practice before you
actually play for real, right? And
you two aren't exactly a challenge.

AUSTIN
So you're just gonna jerk off in
online poker for four years till
you turn twenty-one?

CHRIS
Four years for your held-back ass.
It's still five for us.

AUSTIN
Right. At least I got that year on
you. So fuck you, Chris.

The group stops at a vending machine down the hall from their
lockers. Austin pats his pockets, then holds out his hand.

AUSTIN
Spot me a couple bucks? I need a
Monster.

CHRIS
Clearly that extra year didn’t help
too much.

A hand appears between Chris and Tyler holding out a $5 bill

to Austin.

JACKSON PRITCHETT appears attached to the hand. He’s also 16,

obviously wealthy and shows it off with a pink Lacoste polo
and a pair of Gucci sunglasses tucked into his collar. It’s a
natural reaction to want to punch him at first sight.
 9.

JACKSON
I gotcha, buddy.

AUSTIN
Oh. Thanks. You really don’t have
to.

JACKSON
Well, I know you’d do the same for
me if I was in need.

Austin looks sideways at Chris and shakes his head, but

Jackson doesn’t notice.

TYLER
So, what do you have planned for
break, Jackson? The Hamptons?
Paris? Abu Dhabi?

JACKSON
No, I actually don’t have any
plans. I’ll probably just end up
hanging around the estate while my
parents are in Europe.

CHRIS
(to self)
"Estate."

JACKSON
How about you guys?

AUSTIN
We’re going--

Chris flicks Austin in the crotch, cutting him off. Austin

doubles over in pain.

CHRIS
Pretty much the same. Other than
the estate and Europe part,
obviously.

JACKSON
That’s cool, that’s cool. Well,
maybe we can all hang out or
something. We just put in a great
new--

The school bell RINGS, drowning out the rest of Jackson’s

bragging.

The crowd around them dissipates as students go to their

respective classrooms.
 10.

TYLER
That’s great, Jackson. But, we
should get to class.

CHRIS
Don't want to get Tyler another
tardy slip.

The group breaks off and Tyler goes away on his own.

AUSTIN
Say ‘hi’ to Zoe for us, loverboy.

Austin and Chris walk off together as Tyler gives them the
finger. Jackson is left behind.