INT.—TYRELL LIVING ROOM—DAY
KELLY is sitting in the living room, staring into space. She is wearing a black skirt, a black sweater and black tights. In her hand is a prayer card, a memento from Martin’s funeral. She looks up listlessly when she hears the front door open. TEGAN and GINA appear, both dressed as if for a funeral. TEGAN looks like she’s been crying. GINA is trying to comfort her.
GINA
(as if by rote)
Just ignore them. They’re upset. You really can’t blame them.
KELLY
Who’s upset?
TEGAN
(ignoring her sister)
They hate me.
KELLY
Who hates you?
GINA
They don’t hate you. They just lost their son. And after what happened to Scott…
KELLY
You’re crying because of the Carsons? They’re total snobs. And Clark was such an ass—
TEGAN swings around and slaps Kelly hard on the face. The sound echoes in the suddenly silent room. GINA stares at her friend in disbelief. She looks uncomfortable.
GINA
Maybe I should go.
TEGAN
No, don’t.
KELLY has a hand to her cheek where Tegan slapped her. She turns slowly and leaves the room.
CUT TO:
INT.—KELLY’S BEDROOM—DAY
KELLY enters her room. She slowly and deliberately closes the door behind herself and crosses to her dresser. She stares into the mirror at the red hand mark on her cheek.
KELLY
(to the camera as she looks into the mirror)
He was an asshole. Clark Carson was an asshole, and if you ask me, his parents are to blame. He thought he was better than anyone else. He gave people a hard time all the time.
DISSOLVE TO FLASHBACK:
INT.—HIGH SCHOOL HALLWAY—DAY
A short, thin boy is carrying a stack of textbooks down the hall. Suddenly he topples forward. The books fly out of his hands in slow motion. In slow motion— and in silence—they cascade to the floor. So does the boy. The camera pulls back to reveal a foot sticking out into the hall. The camera pans slowly up the foot, the leg, the torso, to a silently laughing face. It is CLARK’s face. The sound kicks in. CLARK is laughing. Everyone in the hall is laughing—except the boy on the floor, and KELLY, who watches in disgust from down the hall.
CUT BACK TO:
INT.—KELLY’S BEDROOM—DAY
KELLY is facing the camera.
KELLY
He was one of those guys who got a real kick out of making other people miserable.
DISSOLVE TO FLASHBACK:
INT.—HIGH SCHOOL CAFETERIA—DAY
A chubby girl is sitting alone at a small table at the back of the cafeteria. On the table in front of her is a plastic container. Inside are carrot and celery sticks. The girl is munching slowly on these as she leafs through a fashion magazine. Around her, the cafeteria bustles with the usual lunchtime comings and goings. The background noise is a cacophony of talking and laughing. A PIZZA DELIVERY GUY appears, carrying three large pizza boxes. He walks toward the rear of the cafeteria. Kids stop what they are doing to look at him. He keeps walking. He doesn’t stop until he gets to the chubby girl’s table.
PIZZA DELIVERY GUY
Gail Worthington?
GAIL
(confused)
Yes?
The PIZZA DELIVERY GUY sets the pizza boxes on Gail’s table.
GAIL (CONT’D)
I didn’t order these.
The PIZZA DELIVERY GUY takes a pitch pipe out of his pocket and blows into it. He starts to sing.
PIZZA DELIVERY GUY
Gail, we know you’re trying hard
To shed unwanted weight,
To take off all that fat and lard
So you can get a date.
GAIL glances around. Everyone is staring at her. She slouches in her chair and looks as if she wishes she could melt away.
PIZZA DELIVERY GUY (CONT’D)
You’ve given up the things you love
Like ice cream, cake and pie.
You’ve traded them for veggie sticks.
It’s so sad, we could cry.
But we’ve seen your sacrifice.
And the discipline you’ve found.
So here’s our gift to you, dear Gail,
For losing one whole pound.
The cafeteria explodes in laughter. GAIL is mortified. She stares at the pizza boxes. Tears well up in her eyes. The PIZZA DELIVERY GUY retreats. We see a hand reach out with money. The camera pans slowly up the arm to the shoulder, then the face. CLARK laughs as he presses the money into the pizza delivery guy’s hand.
CUT BACK TO:
INT.—KELLY’S BEDROOM—DAY
KELLY
Yeah, a real jerk. He was the kind of guy who could turn you into a jerk. You know, into one of those people who laughs at other people’s misfortune. Well, at his misfortune. Not that he didn’t deserve it.
Take the time I had that dentist’s appointment. I’d just finished and I stepped out onto the street. It was like a neutron bomb had gone off or something. There was nothing moving out there except for me. Then I saw a car slide by.
DISSOLVE TO FLASHBACK:
EXT.—CITY STREET—DAY
A black Lexus van slides past KELLY, who is standing on the sidewalk. The van stops and then begins to back into a parking space. But before it can get there, a second car, also a Lexus, zips into the space headfirst. The driver of the second car gets out, grinning. It’s CLARK. He spots Kelly and waves to her. KELLY groans and rolls her eyes. She watches the first car pull into another parking spot farther down the street. The driver gets out. He opens the rear hatch of the van and then walks away from the car. KELLY frowns. What is he doing? Meanwhile, CLARK, oblivious of the other driver, approaches Kelly.
CLARK
If it isn’t the other Tyrell twin.
KELLY
(annoyed)
We’re not twins.
KELLY looks over Clark’s shoulder. The DRIVER of the other car is fast approaching. He’s not an especially big man. In fact, he’s rather slight, although he is easily as tall as Clark. He is dressed head-to-toe in black—black jeans, black T-shirt, long black overcoat, black boots— and has shoulder-length black hair. He is dark-skinned and is wearing mirrored sunglasses. A nasty scar runs diagonally from the middle of his chin to the middle of his right cheek.
CLARK
(to Kelly)
The one with no sense of humor. The one…Hey!
The OTHER DRIVER has grabbed Clark roughly by the arm. He spins Clark around.
OTHER DRIVER
That was my space. You didn’t see me ready to back in?
CLARK
(annoyed now that he sees who is daring to touch him)
No, I didn’t. Now if you don’t mind—
OTHER DRIVER
I mind. That was my spot. I was there first.
CLARK jerks his arm free.
CLARK
Well, it’s mine now.
He turns from the other driver to Kelly and is about to say something when a shrill sound rips through the air. The OTHER DRIVER has whistled. In response, two dogs bound from the back of his van and race to his side. KELLY takes an automatic step backward when she recognizes the dogs as pit bulls. They are not leashed. The OTHER DRIVER points at Clark and snaps his fingers. The dogs dart in front of Clark, growling. They look nasty.
CLARK
(trying to hide his fear)
Hey, man. Call off your dogs.
OTHER DRIVER
You owe me an apology.
CLARK
Jeez, it’s a parking space on a public street. You found another space. What’s the big deal?
The OTHER DRIVER snaps his fingers again. This time the dogs start jumping at CLARK, who can no longer hide his fear.
CLARK (CONT’D)
Jesus!
CLARK fumbles in his jacket pocket for his cell phone. He pulls it out without once taking his eyes off the dogs, which are still growling.
CLARK (CONT’D)
Call them off or I’ll—
The OTHER DRIVER says “Hand,” and one of the dogs snaps at Clark’s hand. He drops his cell phone in terror as his hand flies up out of reach of the dog.
OTHER DRIVER
Or you’ll what?
KELLY moves back a few more steps. No way does she want to get involved in this. She doesn’t want the other driver to know she even knows Clark.
OTHER DRIVER (CONT’D)
There are other commands I can give them. Ones you won’t like.
CLARK says nothing.
OTHER DRIVER (CONT’D)
Like att—
The OTHER DRIVER breaks off as a wet patch appears on the front of Clark’s pants. He has wet himself. KELLY stares at him. The OTHER DRIVER grins.
OTHER DRIVER (CONT’D)
About that apology…
CLARK
I’m sorry, okay? Jesus! I’m sorry. I’m sorry.
The OTHER DRIVER snaps his fingers and the dogs fall instantly silent.
OTHER DRIVER
Don’t let it happen again.
He says “Heel,” and the two dogs fall in on either side of him. KELLY watches him walk away. CLARK stands motionless for a full minute. Finally, in a small, strangled-sounding voice, he speaks.
CLARK
Is he gone?
KELLY nods. CLARK turns around. His whole body seems to sag with relief. He turns back to KELLY, who is staring at his crotch. CLARK’s face turns red. He takes off his jacket and holds it in front of himself.
CLARK (CONT’D)
If you tell anyone about this…
KELLY just stares at him. She watches him walk to his own car, then pause, then walk up to the other driver’s car, where he stands, studying it. Finally he gets back into his own car. A moment later it squeals away from the curb, and KELLY starts to laugh.
KELLY
(to herself )
Where’s an audience when you need one?
CUT BACK TO:
INT.—KELLY’S BEDROOM—DAY
KELLY
(to the camera)
The thing is, I didn’t tell. I wanted to. But I kept seeing the look on his face—not Clark’s face, the other guy’s. He was mean. And those dogs? They were weapons, and the guy knew it. I don’t know. After everything Clark did, there are a lot of kids who would have pissed themselves laughing over that story. But I just couldn’t do it. I couldn’t tell. Not even Tegan. Clark didn’t look at me for weeks. After that, well, when he did see me, he had a kind of scared look to him all over again, like he was afraid I was going to say something. Like he was afraid everyone was going to laugh at him like they did at Gail or at that kid in the hall he tripped.
(sighing)
I guess I didn’t tell anyone because of what my mom calls the good-guy rule. In a movie, the bad guy can do pretty much whatever heinous thing he wants— he can rape and kill and mutilate. But the good guy—he’s not supposed to do stuff like that because if he did, well, what would make him any different from the bad guy? Another way my mother puts it: “There are enough jerks in the world, Kelly. You don’t need to add to that number.” But, boy, you have no idea how close I came to spilling the beans.