First draft of a short film
Scene 1
(Standard math class. Everybody in the class is normal, as a regular class should be, the teacher is teaching at the front, but the sound is getting quieter and muffled as the camera zooms closer to Lucas, who’s slouched to the side and starting to fall asleep)
Scene 2
(Door of the school. Lucas walks out holding Julia’s hand and with the two guys following. Lucas isn’t paying attention to everybody else, and still looks very sleepy. They’re all talking to each other as a group)
Julia: Oh god, I thought Munson would never shut up.
Greg: Whatever, it isn’t like it’s anything unusual for him.
Julia: Yeah, but more nonsense doesn’t make it any clearer.
Ron: Maybe it’d be clearer if you just paid attention.
Julia: Hey, I try.
Ron: If you did, he wouldn’t be giving you D’s.
Julia: Please, it’s his fault for being such an awful teacher.
Greg: He is pretty bad.
Ron: Eh, all teachers are the same. You just aren’t smart.
Julia: Am too!
Greg: You aren’t that smart.
Julia: Who’s side are you on?
Greg: Whichever one’s right.
Julia: Lucas, you’re with me, right?
(The camera flips to look at Lucas’ face, completely spaced out. Julia snaps in front of his face and the view flips back to the group)
Julia: Lucas, you okay?
Lucas: (Coming back to his senses) Oh, uh…yeah, I’m fine.
Julia: You sure?
Lucas: I’m… I’m fine. I’ll see you tomorrow, kay?
Julia: … yeah, okay. (She kisses Lucas on the cheek. Lucas doesn’t react). Bye baby!
(Lucas turns a corner and the others keep going straight)
Scene 3
(Lucas walks into his room and puts his backpack down beside his desk. He opens a laptop and the camera takes a look at Lucas’ agenda saying he has to write an essay for SS, which notes 1000 words. He pulls out the headphones from a desk drawer and plugs them into the laptop. He starts a music file, and he begins to smile. He starts working quick, and a flash-forward shows him finished. The song ends and he looks a little less happy. He looks at the laptop with consideration for a minute, and smiles again as he starts another song, and keeps the headphones on with the laptop in hand. He goes to sleep with them on his head)
Scene 4
(Lucas wakes up and he plugs the headphones out of the laptop and into an MP3 player, and gets out of bed with them still on. The scene flips to show him going to school for a short bit. The scene flips again to a math class, where he isn’t paying attention to the teacher in front who’s teaching the entire class, but it shows a mass of math homework finished on his desk. The scene flips to the end of the school day, and Julia + Greg + Ron are waiting. Lucas wanders out but passes the group, and the group follows him)
Julia: (After kissing him on the cheek and grabbing his hand) How was your day?
Lucas: (Ignores her)
Julia: Hello? Lucas?
Lucas: (Ignores her)
Julia: Can you hear me? Lucas?
(They get to Lucas’ turn and he leaves the group. Julia watches him as he leaves, still walking onwards with the friends)
Ron: I don’t think he could hear through the headphones.
Julia: But he never wears headphones at school. He didn’t even notice us.
Greg: No big deal.
Ron: Yeah, I’m sure he’s just trying something different.
Julia: …I guess.
Ron: Trust me, you’ve got nothing to worry about.
Scene 5
(Math class; 3 days later. Lucas is doing his work with his headphones off, and “Love Spreads” by Stone Roses is playing. The teacher notices Lucas and tries to get his attention, and Lucas ignores. After another ranged try, the teacher walks up to Lucas’ desk, and asks politely again for him to remove the headphones, and Lucas just shoves a pile of homework towards him, still working on another sheet at the same time. The teacher grabs Lucas by the shoulder and pulls him out of his desk)
Scene 6
(Principal’s office, outside. Julia and the friends are outside. Julia’s pacing and concerned, the friends are relaxed).
Julia: Ug, what is going on in there?!?
Ron: Calm down, we’d have seen his parents go in if it was serious.
(Door opens, Lucas walks out, ignoring friends. He’s going home, but Julia and friends follow closely)
Julia: Lucas, what happened?
Lucas: (Smiles and ignores her)
Julia: Come on! Say something! Anything!
(Lucas continues)
Julia: Guys, a little help here?
Greg: Hey, I’ve got nothing to say to him
Ron: Same here.
Julia: You two suck. Lucas? (She waves her hand in front of her face. They get to the corner and Lucas makes his turn away from the group home)
Ron: Julia, calm down.
Julia: Why?!? He won’t say a thing! He won’t take those fricking headphones off!
Greg: What can we do? His life, his choice.
Julia: Yeah, and he’s ruining it. Tomorrow after school, he’s in the library.
Ron: What, like an intervention?
Julia: Whatever gets them off.
Scene 7
(Library; Lucas is working alone with books, handwriting an essay. Across the room are Julia and the friends, where the camera’s looking at)
Julia: You guys go first.
Greg: What? Why us?
Julia: You start weak, I finish it strong.
Ron: That’s so unfair.
Greg: Seems reasonable though.
Julia: Thank you, Greg.
Greg: Hey, I don’t want to do it! It’s reasonable, but it’s still unfair.
Julia: Oh just shut up and go over to him.
Greg: Fine.
(Greg goes over to the table and goes over Lucas’ shoulder)
Greg: Hey, Lucas, can you hear me?
Lucas: (Ignores him)
Greg: I know you can.
Lucas: (Ignores him)
Greg: (Waving hand in his face) Lucas, buddy, you in there?
(Camera goes back to Julia and Ron)
Julia: Idiot. Go help him.
Ron: (Rolls eyes and goes over. He does essentially the same thing as Greg, and they just look pathetic from Julia’s view. Eventually, they shrug to each other and start leaving)
Julia: Where the hell are you going? You didn’t do anything!
Greg: Hey, we tried.
Ron: He doesn’t want to listen, he doesn’t have to.
Julia: He’s your friend!
Ron: We have others.
Greg: I’ve got 500 online.
Julia: (Gives out a small screech in anger, and stomps over to Lucas) LU-(She remembers she’s in a library and has to be quiet, and goes in a hush tone) Lucas!
Lucas: (Ignores her)
Julia: Lucas, I am sick of this! Take those off and talk to me!
Lucas: (Ignores her)
Julia: I said, take them off! (She reaches for the headphones, but quickly Lucas is shocked and grabs them tight, keeping them on his head. Julia calms down and changes her anger into sadness) Why won’t y-
(She realizes he can’t hear her. She rips a piece of paper out of his binder and pulls a sharpie out of her pocket, and writes “Why won’t you take the headphones off?” Lucas looks at it for a moment and rips out another piece of paper, and writes “I’m happier with them on”. “But what about me? What about your friends?” Julia writes. Lucas replies “I don’t know”. Julia writes “I can’t be with you if you’re like this”. Lucas ends with one more note; “I’m sorry, then”. Julia is slightly crying on the inside, and gets up and leaves. Lucas’ straight face starts slowly smiling again, as he gets to work again. The camera zooms out, and fades)
The End
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