Lena Schorge

SCWR 220

February 2022

Driving Buddy - Treatment

ACT 1

Sequence 1:

Filing papers. Taking cash. Exchanging checks. This is the life BUDDY COLLINS, 43,

has lived everyday for almost 20 years. One particular Friday, Buddy works away at his

horrifically boring bank teller job and fantasizes about something interesting happening. The

days have grown long at Gold’s Bank recently, and Buddy is dying for a nugget of excitement.

Portland, Oregon has so much to offer, but for Buddy it’s always the same. The door of the bank

swings open. A man in a black hoodie enters the bank, hands stuffed in his pockets. Buddy’s

eyes widen. He pans his head around the bank. None of his coworkers see what is at stake here.

This could be his moment. Time to be a hero. Buddy’s fingers hover over the panic button as the

intruder creeps closer. As the hooded man closes in, Buddy squeezes his eyes shut at his threat,

pushing the button underneath his desk and sending alarms screaming throughout the building.

Every employee perks up and glares at Buddy, who opens his eyes to see the intruder’s paycheck

in his hand. This was no robbery. Just another boring client. Buddy feels a weird sensation of

regret, shame and relief. His boss, CARL STEVENS, 55, quietly enters the chaotic space. He

points at Buddy, then points at a door. Fuck. After a beat, Buddy leaves the room and shakes off

the chewing out he just received. He still has his job, but the rest of the day is about to be a lot
more embarrassing.

Queue a montage and title sequence of Buddy going throughout his day. He continues the

mundanities of work at Gold’s Bank, eats a peanut butter jelly sandwich while staring at the

rubber duckies on his desk, and packs his briefcase to go home. He walks along the streets of

Portland, Oregon, showing the distance he has to trek everyday in order to make it home. Once

he gets home, he eats an awkwardly quiet dinner with his wife, VICK COLLINS, 42, and son,

JIMMY COLLINS, 15. He pats the family samoyed dog, Bolt, on the head before sleeping on

the right-side edge of his shared bed with his wife. They don’t even kiss each other goodnight.

Clearly this is a sexless marriage. The monotony never ends. He wakes up the next day and

shuffles through the motions he knows so well.

Back at Buddy’s job on Saturday, the air is tense. Buddy, who gets to Gold’s Bank bright

and early everyday for work, is stunned when he sees all of his coworkers circled up, with Carl at

the head. It is dead silent other than Carl’s fingers rapping against his clipboard. Buddy chews on

his lip. This meeting isn’t gonna be good. Carl clears his throat and informs the staff that banks

are struggling right now because of a string of gang robberies in surrounding areas. The

employees nod their heads, aware of the situation after having seen stories on the news. On that

note, Carl looks Buddy dead in the eyes and adds that some people are going to be let go while

some only moved to a different location. Unfortunately, because of Buddy’s mishap the other

day, he is told he is to be transferred to a location that is a 25 minute drive away, in the town of

Newburg. Buddy bites his lip so hard it starts bleeding a little. This is not fucking good for him.

Carl remarks that he is aware of how long Buddy has worked at this location, so they’re trying to

do right by him. Carl offers a small severance pay to help fund a car for Buddy, knowing he does
not have one. What Carl does not know is that he has neither a car nor a license. This is a secret

Buddy has kept well over the past two decades.

Flashback to 28 years prior. It’s Buddy’s birthday. A 15 year old Buddy eagerly clicks his

seatbelt in the driver’s seat. He has been waiting for the day his father would finally let him drive

his stick shift blue Firebird for years. ARNOLD COLLINS, 45, his dad, rolls his eyes and straps

in for what will be the worst driving experience he will ever have. They head off, Buddy jerking

the gears and steering wheel in a naive fashion. Buddy speeds a little bit too fast down the tight

suburban streets. In the corner of Arnold’s eye, he sees a family of ducklings moseying down the

middle of the street. Arnold screams “Duck!” to a confused Buddy, who ducks his head. This

exchange happens twice more, and at the last minute, Buddy catches sight of the ducks, veering

the wheel to a jerked right. The car collides with a tree. The wreckage is not pretty. Buddy is

okay, but Arnold and the family of ducks cannot say the same. Arnold is paralyzed below the

waist from this moment forward, and never allows Buddy to sit behind the wheel as long as he

lives with him. Buddy is so traumatized from this experience that he has never attempted to drive

since.

Back in the present day, Buddy shakes off this memory. He reluctantly saunters to his

little desk, packing what little he has into a small bin. The last item to be stowed away is his

weathered rubber ducky. He looks at it longingly before gently placing it on top of his bin. He

heads out of the bank and begins the walk home.

Sequence 2:

Buddy hesitates outside his home with his hand on the door. A sheen sweat slicks his forehead,
making it apparent the effect walking to and from work has on him everyday. He opens the door

and enters, tucking his bin behind a nearby chair before meeting the disappointment of his

family. Vick is sitting at the dinner table, scooping homemade mac and cheese and greens

onto three plates. Next to her is their son Jimmy, who is so entranced in his phone he hardly

notices Buddy’s arrival. Vick is cold to Buddy, but this is typical. Buddy takes his seat at the

head of the table and they have a quick conversation about how Jimmy wants to finally learn

how to drive. This is clearly a hit at Buddy.

Buddy clears his throat, gathering the attention of Vick and Jimmy. Begrudgingly, he

breaks the news about moving locations for work. Vick snaps about his stupid bin he tried to

sneak behind a chair. She knew something was up and she is livid. She asks where the new

location is, to which Buddy shamefully tells that it is in Newburg. Vick laughs sarcastically.

They fight about how he is even going to make it to work anymore since it’s definitely not

walking distance. Jimmy blows air out his nose, furious at yet another family fight and storms to

his room, leaving Vick and Buddy in silence. Buddy avoids eye contact, glaring at his folded

hands. Vick calls Buddy a coward for not ever taking the first steps to learn how to drive. She

gets up and brings the dishes to the kitchen, finally leaving Buddy at the dining table on his own.

As the night drones on, Buddy sits in his home office and stares at his rubber ducky, still

perched atop his bin from work. He shakes off the conversation from earlier and pulls out his

driving simulator gaming console from the drawer in his desk. He expertly sets up the fake

steering wheel on his desk, and the gas and brakes system on the floor. He plugs in the devices to

his desktop and opens up GTA. His character, who he named Buddy, has roughly the same

features as him but elevated. The character is buff, confident, and women in the game swoon at
him. He wears a bright red button up, muscles bursting at the seams. Game-Buddy hops into a

flashy blue sports car and takes off with expert control of the car. Buddy knows his simulator

game like the back of his hand. This is how he blows off his steam.

Buddy wakes up in the still-dark early morning hours, still in his office chair. On his

desktop screen, his character victoriously stands atop his blue sports car chaos ensuing in the

streets around him. Buddy quickly powers down his computer, tucks away his gaming console,

and heads to his bedroom.

Vick is asleep on their shared bed. Buddy tiptoes to the other side and carefully lies down

so as not to wake his wife, keeping as much distance between the two as possible. He stares at

the ceiling. In one blink, his alarm is going off. Vick stirs, seeing Buddy is in bed now. Buddy

immediately asks if she’ll be able to drive him to work after they drop off Jimmy. She rolls her

eyes and gets out of bed to begin getting ready for work. She works as an actuary at Bridges

Mutual Insurance in downtown Portland. Buddy puts on the same blue button up that he always

does and meets Jimmy in the kitchen.

Jimmy sits at one of the shitty bar stools Vick had bought from Craigslist and eats a

couple of Eggo waffles. He taps away at his phone. Buddy stands and looks at him, unable to

start a conversation. Jimmy gets up to begin making his lunch, and Buddy asks to help. Jimmy

complains that he always gets the ratio of cold cuts to cheese wrong, so he’ll be fine on his own.

Buddy insists, making himself and Jimmy each a turkey and cheese sandwich. Buddy jokes that

he likes to make lunch for himself as well. Jimmy rolls his eyes and accepts the sandwich. Vick

enters the room, grabbing a cup of to-go coffee and snatches her car keys. Buddy and Jimmy take

this as a sign to head to the car.

On the way to Vick’s beat-up gray minivan, Buddy calls shotgun. Vick stands dead in her tracks

and glares at Buddy. Jimmy says it’s fine, he just wants to get to school and away from them

both. Buddy giddily hops into the passenger seat as Vick climbs into the driver’s seat, shoving in

the keys and getting onto the road. It’s a short drive to Jimmy’s high school. As

Jimmy is dropped off, Buddy waves at him and tells him to have a good day. Classmates stare.

Why would a fifteen year old need two parents to drop him off? Kids pick on Jimmy. A couple

of suspicious looking goonies grab ahold of him and sweep him into the school.

As Vick continues driving towards Buddy’s work, a road is closed. They have never been

to Newburg before. Buddy attempts to navigate on his phone, but he sucks at it. Tensions in the

car rise as Vick snaps at Buddy for being no help, to which he fails to defend himself. A full on

screaming match between the two ensues at a red light, which feels so much longer in this town.

As Vick pulls up to Gold Union’s Bank, Buddy’s new place of work, she says nothing but the

fact that he has put her job in jeopardy too for being late. Buddy watches her drive away in

anger, before he turns to enter the bank.

When Buddy enters Gold’s Union Bank, his new boss, RICHARD WELLS, 49,

welcomes him, joking that Buddy is a bit late. Buddy tries to explain that he doesn’t have a car

quite yet and he’s trying to figure out the logistics of his commute. Richard says he can have

some slack for his first few weeks while he gets adjusted. He doesn’t think it will be a big

problem.

Gold’s Union in Newburg looks different from Gold’s Bank in Portland. It’s much more

quaint, the boss is more mellow, and the average clients are in far less of a hurry. Buddy thinks
he will grow to like it here. He meets JOE MILLER, 40, , a quirky bank teller who begins

showing him the ropes of the new location. Joe reveals to Buddy where certain security cameras

and panic buttons are. Good to know, but this bank doesn’t seem like the kind of place that sees a

lot of action. Even less action than his old place.

The next morning, Buddy pitifully asks for a ride from Vick again. She denied his request,

explaining how she was late for work the previous morning and cannot risk it again, as

her boss is a stickler on the subject. Buddy claims it’s fine, there’s probably a bus route to

Newburg. After Vick and Jimmy leave, he checks Google, but to no avail. There are no bus

routes to Newburg. Shit. Buddy decides to bite the bullet and take an Uber. It seems to be his

only option.

The Uber takes forever to arrive at the Collins home. By the time it gets there, Buddy

knows he is going to be majorly late. JAMES, 30, the driver, terrified Buddy by talking about

how horrible he is at driving. Buddy’s twenty minute Uber ride is not a pleasant experience. The

ride ends up costing $80 and Buddy is still late to work. He has to figure out something else for

next time.

Richard asks to speak with Buddy. He asks if Buddy has made any progress with getting

a car. Buddy tells him that he doesn’t even have his license. Richard cannot believe this, and

laughs. Richard tells Buddy he needs to figure it out within 6 weeks, or he’ll have to let him go.

Buddy is stressed.

During one of Buddy’s down moments at work, he stares into the weathered eyes of his lucky

rubber ducky. He begins searching driving schools on his computer. There aren’t many
customers at Gold’s Union Bank. Buddy pages through driving schools that appear way out of

price range. He’s a cheap guy. Buddy sees that there is a brand new driving school located only a

few blocks away from Gold’s Union. It’s called “Burnout Driving School”. It is very cheap

compared to the other options. Buddy smiles to himself. It would meet every Saturday for a 4

week program. Not too bad, and it would work with the time that Richard is giving him. Joe

Miller looks over his shoulder and asks what he’s doing. Buddy shamefully confesses to not

having learned how to drive. Joe laughs. Even the quirky coworker thinks he’s pathetic.

At the dinner table that night, Vick, Jimmy and Buddy all stuff themselves with delivered

pizza. Buddy explains that he has some news: he found a driving school that he and Jimmy are

going to enroll in. Vick is dumbfounded. She cannot believe he is finally going to learn how to

drive. She is proud of him at this moment. Jimmy is pissed that he has to go to driver’s ed with

his father.

ACT 2

Sequence 3:

It’s Saturday. Vick drops Buddy and Jimmy off outside of the Burnout Driving

School. Around them, teens whisper to one another. One of them, named BEN, 15, taps

Jimmy on the shoulder and asks why he needs his daddy to walk him inside. Jimmy shakes it

off, but Buddy interjects, explaining that he, too, is a student. The teens laugh.

A loud car engine is heard racing down a nearby street. Every head whips towards the

direction of the noise. Suddenly, a small white car with “Burnout Driving School” painted on the

side skids into view. The driver drifts into the small parking lot, expertly landing in one of the
parking spots. Buddy’s jaw is dropped. Out steps a handsome man in his early 40s with muscular

physique. The suave stranger is chewing a toothpick and is wearing sunglasses, even though the

weather is cloudy. The man unlocks the school’s door and allows the students to shuffle inside.

Nobody says a word in astonishment

When inside the classroom, Buddy sits down next to Jimmy, who rolls his eyes and goes to sit

next to one of his school friends. Buddy remains at the desk alone, students keeping their

distance from the strange 43 year old who is in driving school for some reason. Peers range

from

studious 15 year olds, to teens who clearly aren’t here to learn, to random 20 some year olds who

clutch their vapes like their lives depend on it.

The instructor drapes his black leather jacket over the chair at the front of the classroom.

Some of the teenage girls are seen swooning. He introduces himself as JACKSON NEWMAN,

but goes by Jax. Chewing his toothpick, he explains that he won’t waste time on introductions

and gets immediately to the material. He asks one of the college burnout-looking dudes and asks

if he is smoking a vape. The man nervously nods his head. Jax takes his vape and smokes from

it. Damn, he’s cool. Jax begins instruction. Buddy is the only one in the class who is taking

notes, scribbling nonsense after every word. Jax is strangely curious about Buddy.

After the first day of class, Buddy packs up his filled notebook sheets into his briefcase.

Jimmy’s notepad, along with the rest of the class, is empty. Buddy approaches Jax at the front of

the classroom. Teenage girls say goodbye to the instructor and giggle as they head out for the

day. Jimmy hangs back, waiting for his father and for Vick to pick them up. Buddy asks Jax if

there is any way he would be able to get a driving lesson in as early as tomorrow, Sunday, due to
his tight schedule and how behind he already is. Jax agrees mostly due to his curiosity, and says

they can go tomorrow at 2pm. Buddy thanks Jax almost too much before Jimmy shouts that Vick

is there to pick the two up. They depart, the camera closing in on a calendar on Jax’s desk.

During the month of March, two of the previous Sundays are marked off with “Bank

Appointment”, including the 22nd, which would be tomorrow.

At the Collins dinner table, Vick asks how class went. Jimmy complains about Buddy being

embarrassing the entire time, to which Buddy reveals that he has his first in-car lesson

tomorrow. Vick is happy with Buddy. Jimmy pesters his parents about a pizza night at his friend

Elliot’s place, asking for Buddy’s card to pay for the pizza. Buddy eagerly gives his son his

card.

He would do anything to revive their relationship. Jimmy skips out the door with his father’s

credit card, leaving Vick and Buddy. Tensions are lower tonight.

Sequence 4:

Buddy waits outside of the Burnout Driving School, a few minutes early for his lesson.

He taps his foot anxiously, checking his watch periodically. At exactly 2pm, Jax’s car engine can

be heard once again, swerving down the street before landing directly in front of the school.

Buddy peers inside the car, but the windows are tinted so he cannot see through. Jax rolls the

window down and stares at Buddy through his sunglasses. He exits the driver’s seat, continuing

to chew his toothpick. Buddy does not budge. Jax jokes about holding the door open for Buddy

as if he’s a princess, causing Buddy to scurry to the driver’s seat.

Buddy closes the driver’s side door carefully and eyes down the controls. The gears and
controls are mostly normal on the driver’s side, but the passenger’s side has an extra steering

wheel and brakes system. This is far different from his simulator games. Jax is intrigued while

Buddy fumbles to buckle and adjust all his mirrors, following a scribbled list of steps written on

a cheap pocket-notepad. Buddy is shaking from his anxiety. He narrates through his actions,

looking over at Jax for confirmation. Jax does not react. He likes watching Buddy stress. While

this is happening, Jax’s phone repeatedly buzzes in the cup holder but he does not hear it. It says

“30 minutes until showtime” from an unknown caller.

Buddy is unsure that he completed all of the steps correctly. He follows his list until the final

step, which is to begin driving. After a dramatic beat, Buddy sets off down the street, driving at

a painfully slow pace. Buddy fumbles even more as he drives around the block a few times. His

lesson is supposed to be 2 hours. After 15 minutes, Jax says it's been a while of

driving in circles so they should venture into town. Buddy is anxious to do so, but more terrified

of what would happen if he disobeyed Jax. Buddy steers them into town, where they drive by

Grand Partner’s Bank. Jax suddenly remembers he was supposed to work as a getaway driver

today, and the gang will be coming out and running to the pick up spot any second now.

Jax gives confusing directions to Buddy and has no patience for his too-safe driving

anymore. He is full-on barking orders. It’s chaos, but he never explains why. They make a few

turns and end up in an alleyway. Around the corner comes a group including a huge, muscular

dude, JUGGERNAUT, 32, a black-bobbed beauty, BOMBSHELL, 28, and an average-build man

who goes by the name of SLUG, 34, who is holding two guns in his hands. Behind them runs

along JERRY, 29, a normal man with glasses who runs awkwardly. He’s the one stuck holding

most of the cash. The four shuffle into the backseat of the driving instructor’s car but there is not
enough room, Jerry gets thrown in the trunk with the cash. They don’t notice a mouth-gaping

Buddy, who doesn’t know what to say.

Slug removes a gun from his belt and holds it to Buddy’s head, ordering him to drive.

Buddy slams his foot on the gas, not having put the car into reverse to back out of the alley.

Thankfully, Jax had his foot on the extra brakes so the car skids around a little bit. Everything is

chaotic as the car speeds onto the main street. The shot cuts to two cops, munching down Sonic

burgers and milkshakes. On the left is BART BUGGS, 40, who has the worst haircut you’ve

ever seen. On the left is SONNY SHAFFAR, 38, who goes by the name of Slinky. He got this

nickname due to his tall, thin frame. Bart and Slinky watch the driving school car fly down the

street and laugh, remembering when they learned to drive at 15. They are not suspicious at all.

They hear the call come through their police radio that Grand Partner’s Bank has been robbed.

Burgers are scarfed down and wrappers are flung through the air as they gather themselves to

attempt to make an arrest. They too want to be heroes. They veer the car the complete opposite

way as where the Burnout Driving School car was headed.

The chaotic car chase scene continues with Buddy still behind the wheel. To Jax’s

surprise, Buddy excels at handling the controls under these turbulent circumstances. Slug

continues holding the gun to his head until they make it across town and back to the driving

school.

Buddy is held in the Burnout School’s basement, hands and feet tied to one of the shitty

metal chairs used in the classrooms. The group, named the Burnout Gang appropriately, glares at

him and discusses with one another about what they should do. Buddy promises that he won’t

tell anyone and he’ll drop out of the program, never to see them again. They threaten his son and
the fact that he was driving, making him believe he would be an accomplice to this crime. They

let a petrified Buddy loose to return shamefully to his family.

Buddy comes home from his lesson to a pissed-off Vick and Jimmy, head hung low.

Buddy is worried that they somehow found out how he is in trouble. At the dinner table, Vick

forces Jimmy to confess to using Buddy’s card for gambling with his friends instead of pizza.

Buddy checks his funds, and sure enough, it is hugely depleted from Jimmy and from the Ubers

he has been taking to and from work every day this week. Buddy needs some cash or he’s

screwed.

Sequence 5:

The next Saturday, Buddy reluctantly goes back into the school with Jimmy, aware that

he is going against what he promised to Jax and the gang. He is terrified Jax will kill him on

site. As Buddy and Jimmy shuffle into the tight classroom, Jax catches sight of Buddy and

stands very still. They share a moment of threatening eye contact. Jax asks to speak with Buddy

and drags him to the staircase, trying to conceal the manner of their conversation in front of the

other students. Buddy explains himself, saying that he can be of use to the gang because of his

knowledge of banks and excellence as a passenger, he just needs a cut of cash and to be taught

how to pass the driving test. After a moment of thinking it over and much to Buddy’s surprise,

this works and Jax agrees. They go back to the classroom. Jax begins teaching about the

logistics of braking, with Buddy at the front desk scribbling down every word. A week later on

Sunday, Buddy and Jax work together to getaway drive the gang excellently. Buddy is in the

passenger seat, and he and Jax have a quick conversation about the braking controls. Jax has
taught Buddy some of the ins and outs of being the getaway passenger in this kind of car. This

moment of calm is broken up when Juggernaut, Bombshell, Slug and Jerry parade towards the

car. The gang seems to be big fans of Buddy now, as he has helped them gain much more cash.

There is always a squabble about who gets the bitch seat in the trunk. Today, Slug is pissed

when he loses the rock, paper, scissors fight to Jerry and has to sit in the trunk of the driving

school car. He is beginning to feel a seething hatred for Buddy. What used to be his given right

hand seat in the front has been taking by a seemingly random 43 year old fuck-up of a father and

bank teller. They skid out of their pickup zone in the alleyway. That night, Vick orders a pizza

for the family. When she ventures into the kitchen, she sees that Bolt has created a mess of trash

on the floor. Vick complains that she has to go pick up the pizza and clean up the mess caused

by Bolt. To Vick’s astonishment, Buddy offers to grab the pizza. He wants to prove to her that

he’s learning something in driving school. Vick does not want to let him drive her car, but he

convinces her to once he says he’ll go for a little drive with Jimmy, who has been depressed

lately. She throws him the keys. Fuck it, the van’s a piece of shit anyway.

Buddy takes Jimmy on a joyride now that he has better driving skills. They drive across

the city. Portland is beautiful at night. Jimmy smiles and laughs with his father for the first time.

Jimmy worries if the pizza will get cold and Vick will be mad, but Buddy says he doesn’t care.

At this moment, it’s just the two of them and the open road. They drive through the streets

screaming along to songs on the radio. Buddy drives like a controlled maniac. Jimmy has never

had so much fun with his father before. It starts raining. It’s freezing out, but Buddy rolls the

windows down. The two get soaked and scream-laugh through it all.

Buddy and Jimmy giggle as they walk up the steps to their home with the soaking wet
and cold pizza. Rain is dripping from their hair. Vick stops them dead in their tracks at the front

door. She declares that she just had to clean up the mess caused by Bolt and doesn’t want to deal

with another disaster. Buddy and Jimmy crack up laughing, wringing out the tops of their hair

and kicking off their sopping wet shoes by the door. Vick can’t help but laugh at the sight. Buddy

and Jimmy fight over who gets the first shower.

That night in bed, Buddy and Vick climb into bed as they always do. This time, Buddy

isn’t as passive as he usually is. He begins caressing his wife’s face. Vick asks him what the fuck

he’s doing. Buddy says he feels like he’s been ignoring how beautiful she is. They make love. It’s

romantic. Their love is being restored. That week, Buddy buys Vick a new car with his money he

has been saving from working with the Burnout Gang. It’s not much, but it’s better than the old

minivan, which he says will be going to Jimmy soon, if he is good and never associates with his

old gambling ring again. Vick is ecstatic, but a part of her is growing suspicious of this new

money and the fact that Buddy seemsto be gone all the time “driving”. It sure does seem strange

that they don’t feel so strapped with cash all of the sudden. And why is Buddy gone for more

Sundays than he used to? It seems fishy to Vick.

Sequence 6:

After their successful run these past few weeks, the Burnout Gang has a meeting in the

basement of the driving school. They’re worried that the cops are going to catch on to them soon,

but they want more money. Then it hits Buddy: why not rob Gold’s Union Bank during one of

his shifts? He comes up with the master plan to pretend as if the security measures are broken,

that way when he is being held at gunpoint it will appear that he has no choice but to offer as
much cash to the gang as possible. The plan seems foolproof. The Burnout Gang agrees to stage

this robbery the following Sunday.

As Sunday arrives, on the other side of Newburg, Bart and Slinky get a call that leads

them to believe the gang they are searching for has been using driving school cars as getaway

vehicles. Chowing down their burgers and shakes, they laugh about the terror driving students

would feel should they decide to pull them over in search of this deadly gang. They pause. That

is exactly the kind of thing that would add zest to their boring lives. There is a short montage of

them pulling over 15 year old driving students during their lessons, scaring the shit out of them.

They have fun with terrorizing the youth. They are in the middle of terrifying a driving student

when they end up across the street from Gold’s Union Bank.

Vick sits at home watching a random movie with Jimmy in the living room. Jimmy tells

her he’s going to his room to play video games. Vick wonders why Buddy is working again. She

decides she will visit him at work today. Buddy sits at work and anticipates the gang showing

up. He checks the clock, then checks his watch. The air is still. Eventually, much like the

opening shot, the gang files in wearing hoodies and have their hands stuffed into their pockets.

The bank robbery commences. Slug announces that a robbery is taking place and holds one of

his guns to Buddy’s forehead. Buddy feels a very real fear of Slug, but acts with the plan and

pretends the panic button is not working. Vick enters the bank only a few moments after this

chaos begins. She spots Buddy with Slug’s gun to his head and screams. Slug starts sneezing

from the dog hair on Vick’s shirt. Buddy is so shocked that he accidentally activates the alarms,

sending the gang scrambling.

Bart and Slinky across the street observe the alarms and hustle into Gold’s Union. As
they enter, they see Slug’s face due to his impaired state. The rest of the gang remains unseen,

shuffling out of the back of the bank and sprinting to their associated pickup spot.

The gang files into the car without Buddy, so Jerry gets shotgun. There isn’t enough time

to fight over it. Jax angrily asks what happened, seeing as the gang came empty-handed. Slug

complains that Buddy was working with the cops the whole time. The gang is torn. Jax drives

them away. He drives cautiously.

When Buddy gets home after the shitstorm of a day, he fears that his cover will be blown.

However, much to his surprise, Buddy is hailed a hero. Vick’s worries are alleviated because she

saw Buddy at work and not cheating on her. Jimmy looks up to his father now. He is excited to

pass his driving test with his father next week. Buddy chokes down the lie. He feels guilty that he

is hiding the truth from his family and from his community, and feels petrified that the Burnout

Gang will assume that he was in on the seemingly convenient bust. He won’t be able to sleep

soundly for a while.

Buddy leaves his phone charging on his bed and goes into his office to play video games

and relieve some of his stress. He pulls out his driving simulators and gets to work. Meanwhile

in the bedroom, Jax spam texts and calls Buddy all night. His name on Buddy’s phone is “J”.

Vick wakes up and sees the messages, opening his phone so she can read them. She reads Jax’s

messages about the truth behind their business. She is horrified, but relieved again that at least

he’s not having an affair.

In the Burnout Driving School basement, Jax furiously contacts Buddy to no avail. The

gang argues about what to do. Slug wants to kill Buddy. Juggernaut and Jerry believe that he had

nothing to do with their failed robbery. Bombshell is undecided. After a heated disagreement, Jax
makes the final call that they should just wait for everything to cool off and then leave town,

never to see Buddy again. He declares that he will finish this session of driving instruction and

then close the short-lived business down. It was never meant to last.

ACT 3

Sequence 7:

Two weeks later, on a Sunday, Buddy is anxiously waiting for Jax to come take him for

his driving test. He is terrified, but needs to pass. Jax slowly pulls up to the curb and silently sits

in the passenger seat. Buddy silently takes the driver’s seat. The test starts and Buddy is

performing under immense stress, so his actions and dialogue are really awkward and nervous.

First is a three point turn. Buddy performs it perfectly. Jax lifts an eyebrow in surprise. Next is

parallel parking. The scene is far more intense than it needs to be. Buddy passes all of the exam

requirements with flying colors. Jax writes on his paper that Buddy has passed. They still have

not said a word. The final step is to drive the car back to the school.

At the other end of town by the school, Jimmy taps his foot waiting for his father to be

done with the driving test so he can get it over with as well. The Burnout Driving School car

pulls up to the side of the road. Jimmy goes over to the driver’s seat, but Slug is the one who

rolls the window down. Jimmy appears confused because he has never seen this man before, but

Slug reassures him that Jax couldn’t do all of the tests on his own and enlisted him for help.

Jimmy shrugs, and Slug moves from the driver’s seat to the passenger seat. Jimmy settles in.

They begin driving.

While driving down the street, a cop car comes ramming down the road full in force with
loud sirens and tells Buddy to pull over. Buddy and Jax look at each other. This could be their

end. Slinky and Bart ask them to roll the window down and say their typical one liner, but see

Buddy is a full grown man. Slinky and Bart laugh in response so hard they almost fall over. Over

the police radio, they hear that there is another Burnout Driving School car spotted over on Main

St. Bart and Slinky remark that they thought there was only one of these cars. Buddy and Jax

look at each other, initially in confusion, but then in horror.

Back in Jimmy’s car, the tensions rise as Slug makes him do more and more difficult

tasks that are clearly not on the test. Jimmy asks why Slug is making him do all of this shit. Slug

does not reply. After a few moments, Slug veers them off course. He barks orders at Jimmy.

They try to lose the police cars behind them. All of this commotion is heard by Buddy over the

radio, who is a pro because of his video game training. He loses Bart and Slinky in the other

Burnout Driving School car. The other police cars get confused by the second car, leaving

Jimmy and Slug’s car to chase Bart and Slinky instead. It’s a mess. Eventually the chaos comes

to a head when the police realize who they have been blocking off the whole time; two of their

own. It’s a massive hold up. Bart and Slinky decide they should go check on the Collins’ home

in all this disarray. Back at the Collins’ house, Vick orders a celebratory pizza for when her

husband and son get home. She is oblivious to the ongoing disaster. Jimmy’s old online

gambling enemies have bugged the family’s phones. They hear this call. They respond,

pretending to be part of the pizza company. An evil plan unfolds. Buddy eventually finds Jimmy

and Slug’s car parked outside a field. He hops out of the car. Jax is not far behind, as he was

following them throughout the pursuit. Slug holds Jimmy at gunpoint in the field. He threatens

Jimmy’s life. Buddy offers up his own instead. There is an exchange with the two. Jimmy cries
in terror. Buddy tries to explain himself to Slug, not wanting to die. He remains strong in front

of his son. Jax remains hidden, out of sight from Slug but visible to Buddy and Jimmy who do

not react. A family of ducks waddles through the park. With no hope left, Buddy cries out

“duck!” in a callback to what initially destroyed his life. He screams “duck!” confusing Slug,

who ducks his head. Jax comes up from behind Slug and tackles him to the ground. They

wrestle in the grass. Buddy pulls himself together. Jimmy is losing his mind. Buddy grabs hold

of the gun. He shakes from anxiety. He takes a deep breath, trusting his skills and his instincts,

and shoots. There is a moment of wonder. Who got hit? This moment is cut off by Slug’s

screaming. He has been shot in the arm. He trudges towards Buddy, who shoots him in the leg.

Slug passes out. Buddy chucks the gun into a nearby lake. Jax gathers Buddy and Jimmy,

explaining that they should leave immediately. They ditch the scene. Vick waits anxiously for

her husband and son to call that they are done with their test. The doorbell rings. She assumes

it’s the pizza guy, so she opens the door only to see a hooded man holding a pizza box. The man

has a gun wedged inside the box, hidden to neighbors but visible to Vick. She slowly backs

inside her house, leaving the door open as more intruders enter, all wearing black hoods. The

door is left open just a crack. They back her into a corner, demanding to know where

“Jmoney07”. Vick has no idea what or who they are talking about. She suddenly realizes they

must be associated with Jimmy’s illegal gambling ring. She tells them her son is only 15 and

doesn't know any better and she can pay off whatever they need. They demand to know when he

will be home, not agreeing to her offer. In terror, she explains that he’s taking a driving test and

should be home any minute. They decide to tie her up while they wait.

Jax pulls the car up to the Collins’ home and sits outside as he watches Buddy and Jimmy
walk up to the front steps. The real pizza delivery boy, KYLE, 19, pulls up right behind Buddy

and Jimmy. They make a joke about how awkward it is. The three enter at the same time. Jax

waits out front, curious. He decides to step out of the car. It’s stolen, so it’s probably not the best

idea to wait there. He hangs back to observe what happens.

As Jimmy, Buddy and Kyle enter, they pause in place when they see Vick tied up. They

are forced inside by the hooded men, who hold them at gunpoint. There is a long moment of

tense silence as nobody moves a muscle. It looks like all hope is lost. This is broken up by Bolt,

who darts into the hallway after smelling the pizza. He knocks the pizza box into the air, sending

an array of cheese and sauce about the room. The mess gets on some of the hooded men’s faces,

causing Bolt to attack them. With this distraction, Buddy is able to get the upper hand by tackling

the main gang member to the ground. Bolt continues wreaking havoc on the others, chewing and

biting to get every last bit of pizza. Jax hears the commotion and runs inside. Instinctually, he

runs to untie Vick. As he does so, the main gang member gains a leg up on Buddy. He grabs the

pizza box and begins beating the shit out of him. Jimmy, Jax, Vick and the pizza boy fight off the

others. Pizza and punches are sent flying.

The door opens. Bart and Slinky enter and diffuse the situation. They put Jax and the

gang members into handcuffs and take them away, leaving the family and Kyle at the house to

address what just happened. All they can do is look at each other. As more police file in, Kyle

asks for a tip. Everyone just glares at him. He is kicked out.

Sequence 8:

Later, in the prison, Jax and the other gang members are locked up. They await
questioning. Slug is handcuffed to a hospital bed. He is alive and patched up, but there is a long

road ahead of him.

Eventually, Jax is let loose. The entire operation is pinned on Slug due to Bart and Slinky

remembering him from Gold’s Union. He’s going to be in prison for a long time. As for the other

gang members, they are discovered to have been coaxing young people into online gambling.

They too go under for their crimes.

3 months later, it’s a Sunday morning. Bright and early, Buddy kisses his wife on the

cheek and wakes her up with a cup of coffee. She grabs him and they kiss. Buddy explains that

they can’t go further, he has to get to work and grab his paycheck before his vacation begins. She

groans. Buddy goes into his closet and picks out a new outfit. It’s unlike anything he’s ever

worn: a red button-up. It’s a similar outfit to what GTA-Buddy was wearing earlier. Hey, at least

it’s a little different.

Buddy rolls up to work in a brand new blue sports car. It’s reminiscent of Arnold’s blue

Firebird. He skids to a halt, perfectly lining up in the parking space. Onlookers gawk. Buddy is

wearing sunglasses. He looks fresh in his outfit, which is probably breaking corporate standards

slightly. Richard Wells smiles when he sees Buddy, who is early. He gives him his paycheck

and

the two exchange a few words about how different Buddy is now that he knows how to drive and

has a car. Buddy departs with a skip in his step.

Buddy is behind the wheel of the old minivan. It’s packed to the brim with suitcases, trail

mix, and the dog Bolt. They sing along to the radio and laugh, enjoying each other’s company.
Jimmy doesn’t even touch his phone. It’s the road trip they have always talked about.

In a new state far far away from the old town, a pizza delivery car is seen speeding down

the street. Two cops, similar to Bart and Slinky, eat hot dogs and watch the car fly down the

street. They make a joke about the hurry just to deliver a pizza. They do not pursue the situation.

However, on the inside of the car Jax is driving the gang, minus Slug. Jerry gets the passenger

seat. After so many close calls in the Portland area, it appears the Burnout Gang continues to do

what they do best.