Over my Dead Body

By Mayra Nassef
Over the black screen and the credits, we hear two
voices, one female and male. The aggravating muffled
sound of students from the hallway are also heard. The
female is LAYLA and the male is BEN. LAYLA’s voice is
transparent, sweet but with a sharp edge of cynicism and
a stubbornness that only a smart self-assured person
would have. BEN’s voice is a notch less excited than
LAYLA’s, a little nasally but smothered with supportive
disdain for LAYLA; his voice reflects his lack of
assuredness, his worry but mixed with a faux sense of
confidence only a true journalist would have. The perfect
juxtaposition.

BEN:
Why is it designed like that?

LAYLA:
Designed like what?

BEN:
Like a Wanted poster, you even have a freaking bounty.

LAYLA:
It’s not a bounty.

INT. EMPTY CLASSROOM – DAY

We finally see LAYLA and BEN, but only their faces which
are illuminated with the haze from the laptop they are
staring at. LAYLA is a 17 high school student with
glasses and a passable pretty face, she has good skin and
she knew it. Her face is contorted to what could only be
described as a scowl. Ben, also 17, is also quite
passable, but is marked with the etch of adolescence
known as acne, and he certainly knows it.

BEN:
Did you use a template on the internet?

LAYLA:
You say it like it’s a bad thing. Do you think I have
time to create this from scratch? It’s exam season, Ben.

We finally see the poster. MISSING STUDENT is written in

a big bold font with a picture of CASSANDRA BLAINE and
her name written under. And “if any information is found,
please bring it forward to this email: newspaper @
croolhigh . com or visit classroom 107 after school on
Tuesdays, those who do will be rewarded”. That wasn’t the
issue. It was the strange yellow-ish background that was
obviously an emulation of a Wanted poster and the gold
border around the poster. That’s not to mention the
bullet shot stickers on the top right corner.

Ben points at the gold border and the stickers.

BEN:
Why?

LAYLA:
It’s eye catching.

BEN:
It’s distasteful.

We finally see a little more of BEN and LAYLA. BEN stands

up from the table he and LAYLA and were sitting on with
the laptop in front of them. He’s dressed in the most
casual attire possible while LAYLA is marked with her
strange graphic shirts that always had some strange
declaration or joke on them. Otherwise, they are pure
mediocrity. Not too skinny not too fat. Appearance is
important in school and they knew it, but they didn’t
bother; at least Ben didn’t.

LAYLA stays on the table, facing him fully as he stands

in front of her, nervously moving around.

BEN:
And what is the reward you mention?

LAYLA:
The hell do I know. It’s enigmatic.

BEN stops, giving her a solemn face expression. LAYLA

mocks him.

LAYLA:
Trust me on this. We want people to look at the poster
and we’re not gonna do that with a boring-ass paper on
the bulletin board.

BEN:
We’ll get in trouble with the police.

LAYLA rolls her eyes and jumps off the table.

 LAYLA:
Yea, right. Listen, this is senior year and I want people
to really engage with our newspaper. Now, we have the
perfect opportunity.

Ben ruminates as LAYLA closes the laptop screen shut.

BEN:
That’s exploitation.

LAYLA:
Welcome to real life, exploitation is part of the system.
Besides, we’ll balance it out with making a heartfelt
article about how wonderful Cassandra is and how much she
contributed to the high school-

FLASHBACK –

INT. HIGH SCHOOL HALLWAY:

We see students in an interview-like fashion

STUDENT 1:
She was such a sweet girl, she really loved the arts you
know.

STUDENT 2:
She was… beautiful.

STUDENT 3:
She was just so perfect. I could see her like being a CEO
and like bossing people around.

CARMEN:
What is this, an interview?

CARMEN walks away furiously.

STUDENT 4:
You know she was hot and all, but if you really looked
her in the eye, there was just emptiness. Nothing.

A reaction shot of BEN and LAYLA. LAYLA opens her mouth

then closes it again, speechless. BEN looks up from his
notepad.

END OF FLASHBACK

BEN looks up at her after thinking for a few seconds.

LAYLA hovers, hands on her hips.
 BEN:
Fine. But remove the weird bullet stickers.

LAYLA punches the air, giddy. BEN has a ghost of a smirk

on his face. She high-fives him.

LAYLA:
This is gonna be huge.