ACT 1

EXT. BENCH OUTSIDE GALLERY (EVENING)

2 GIRLS (AROUND 18) SAT ON A BENCH AT SUNSET. THE SCENE IS MOVING IN

SLOW MOTION. ONE OF THE GIRLS (ANAYA BURTON) TURNS TO MAKE EYE
CONTACT WITH THE OTHER GIRL (EVELYN MONROE), WHO SHARES A SOFT
BUT SLIGHTLY UNEASED SMILE.

ANAYA (V.O)
Evelyn Monroe was my rock. I met her only 2 years ago…

EXT. SCHOOL YARD (DAY)

ANAYA IS WALKING UP A HILL ALONE AS GROUPS OF STUDENTS PUSH PAST

HER IN A HURRY. SHE APPEARS UNCOMFORTABLE AND LOST. A CLOSE UP
SHOT OF A SMILING AND SOCIAL EVELYN, WHO IS TALKING TO SOMEONE
OFF-SCREEN. SHE TURNS TO FACE THE CAMERA, AS IF FROM ANAYA’S POV.
SHE WAVES, SIGNALLING ANAYA TO COME OVER.

ANAYA (V.O)
…on a nerve-wrecking start at a new school.
I was searching for salvation in a sea of
foreign faces, her wave was my guide.

EVELYN
Hey! Anaya, right?

ANAYA
Yeah, hi.

EVELYN
I’m Evelyn, I’ve been asked to show you around the campus!

ANAYA
Oh okay, cool.

ANAYA (V.O)
Lynn is one of those people who always seems to be in the right place at the
right time- saying the right thing.

EXT. BOTTOM OF A HILL (AFTERNOON)

POV SHOT-REVERSE-SHOT OF EVELYN PULLING ANAYA’S HAND IN

ENCOURAGEMENT TO GET UP A HILL. THEY HAVE BACKPACKS ON AND
EVELYN IS HOLDING A BLANKET.
 ANAYA (V.O)
She pushed me out of my comfort zone; drove me to experience all of the
wonders that I’d otherwise be too scared to face.

EXT. THE TOP OF THE HILL (CONTINUED)

EVELYN AND ANAYA ARE SAT ON A PICNIC BLANKET, EATING FOOD AND
TAKING PICTURES.

ANAYA (V.O)
I had never had a friend like Lynn. She was my sunshine on a shitty day; she
felt like my soulmate in the form of a best friend.

EXT. RIVER PIER (AFTERNOON)

THE GIRLS SAT BY THE RIVER, FEEDING THE DUCKS. EVELYN IS SMOKING A
CIGARETTE, ANAYA IS NOT. WHEN OFFERED IT, SHE SMILES BUT SHAKES HER
HEAD TO INSINUATE THAT SHE DOESN’T SMOKE.

ANAYA (V.O)
We were fast friends too, soon to be spending all of our breaks together.
Everything about us simply clicked, as if it was fate.

INT. CLASSROOM (DAY)

EVELYN (whisper)

Hey Naya.

ANAYA (whisper)

Yeah?

EVELYN

Are you doing anything after school…?

ANAYA SHAKES HER HEAD.

EVELYN

…do you want to? Cause I’m meant to meet some friends, small group, and
it’d be cool if you could come too.

ANAYA (hesitantly)
 I mean, I’d have to check with my dad.

EVELYN

Girl do it right now, I promise it’ll be fun.

ANAYA TAKES HER PHONE OUT OF HER POCKET, THE SOUND OF THE GIRLS
TALKING AND THE CLASSROOM FADES OUT TO AN ECHO.

ANAYA (V.O)
And that is how it began. It was like a gate to this new world, Evelyn’s world.

EXT. SKATEPARK (evening)

SMALL GROUP OF TEENAGERS, MALE AND FEMALE, DRINKING AND

LAUGHING UNDER A SHELTER. THERE IS A SPEAKER BLASTING MUSIC,
WHICH WE CAN FAINTLY HEAR OVER THE NARRATION, AND EVELYN’S
LAUGH IS PREVALENT.

ANAYA (V.O)

She had plenty of friends, we always hung out with such a variety of people.
And she was right, it was fun- really fun.

AS ANAYA EXPLAINS HOW ‘FUN’ IT WAS, WE WATCH HER REST HER HEAD ON
A GUY’S SHOULDER, WITH A SMILE ON HER FACE.

EXT. SKATEPARK (evening)

CUT TRANSITION TO ANAYA SAT IN THE SAME LOCATION, BUT COMPLETELY

ALONE. SHE IS LISTENING TO MUSIC THROUGH EARPHONES AND HER FACE
APPEARS CALM, YET EMPTY. SHE RECEIVES A MESSAGE NOTIFICATION FROM
‘DAD’ ON HER PHONE. THE TEXT MESSAGES READS ‘ARE YOU OK? WHEN ARE
U COMING HOME?’, SHE RESPONDS ’20 MINS’ AND WALKS OUT OF FRAME.