The Life of an American Teen



FADE IN:

EXT. ROAD - DAY

Cloudy day. Dull scenery. A road lined with trees. Cars line the road going one direction.

We DRIFT past a couple cars.

We LAND on a car with a SMILING GIRL looking out the window and a MOTHERLY WOMAN driving it.

DISSOLVE TO:

EXT. WESTSIDE HIGH SCHOOL - DAY

A typical school built with a mix of contemporary and retro styles. It has some floor-to-ceiling glass walls. In front, there is a large courtyard and a parking lot with a drop-off zone filled with cars.

The SMILING GIRL exits the car in the drop-off zone. She waves goodbye to the MOTHERLY WOMAN. She walks towards the entrance of the school.

Many STUDENTS walk around the courtyard and drop-off zone, heading towards an entrance to the building.

A BLOND GIRL calls something out to the SMILING GIRL from behind and she pauses to turn around. A grin lights up her face when she sees who it is. She waits for the blond girl to catch up.

BLOND GIRL

BROOKE!

BROOKE

Hey! You ready for the cross country meet today?

The BLOND GIRL groans. They continue to walk towards the school entrance together.

BLOND GIRL

No, I had to pull an all-nighter yesterday! I’m so screwed and Coach is gonna kill me.

The BLOND GIRL huffs in exasperation.

BLOND GIRL [CONT’D]

Whatever, are you going to the game this Friday?

The conversation continues as they enter the building.

CUT TO:

INT. HISTORY CLASSROOM - DAY

A bookcase full of textbooks lines the back wall. Colorful posters decorate the room. There are windows on two opposite sides of the room, one showing the courtyard from the first floor, the other showing the hallway leading to the classroom. The windows facing outside are open. The room is bright and cheery.

STUDENTS sit in table groups. BROOKE sits towards the back of the class, next to the window. MRS. ABBOTT lectures the class from the front of the room. The students are quiet, taking notes.

From the window, we notice a SUSPICIOUS MAN wearing sunglasses and a mask approach the school. They are holding something in their hands.

MRS. ABBOTT

Brooke, can you go close the windows? It’s getting a bit chilly in here.

BROOKE goes to close the windows. The SUSPICIOUS MAN examines the school and raises his gun. BROOKE stands up and gasps.

MRS. ABBOTT

What’s wrong, Brooke?

BROOKE

I swear I just saw someone with a gun walking around the front of the school.

MRS. ABBOTT

Please don’t joke about such serious matters. It’s not appropriate.

BROOKE

No, but I swear! Look, he’s still there-

MRS. ABBOTT rushes over. When she sees the SUSPICIOUS MAN holding his gun, she pales and runs back to the phone on her desk.

MRS. ABBOTT

(urgently) Everybody, head to the corner like we’ve practiced. Brooke, go draw the blinds. Adam, go lock the door. I’ll call the office.

MRS. ABBOTT jams numbers into a landline and then holds the phone to her ear. As she waits, she pounds the desk and she chews her lip anxiously.

MRS. ABBOTT

Come on, come on, pick up…

The landline beeps.

MRS. ABBOTT [CONT’D]

There’s someone with a gun outside…yes…black clothes, black mask and sunglasses…okay.

MRS. ABBOTT hangs up. The STUDENTS whisper worriedly to each other.

STUDENT 1

(whispered) There’s no way, right? Like it can’t be real.

The INTERCOM sounds.

INTERCOM

Students and staff, this is your principal speaking. An armed intruder is approaching the school. This is not a drill. We will be going into a full lockdown. Please stay calm and listen to your teachers.

MRS. ABBOTT

Stay in the corner and STAY PUT!

The STUDENTS stay huddled away from the windows, some whispering to others, some texting rapidly on their phones. The teacher is also texting. The classroom looks dark and depressing. A friend in class talks to BROOKE.

FRIEND

(whispering) Brooke, do you think…

She pauses, unsure if she should say it out loud.

FRIEND [CONT’D.]

... we’ll die?

BROOKE

Nah, there’s no way. It’s too early in the morning for that.

BROOKE chuckles nervously, trying to assure herself as well.

BROOKE [CONT’D.]

We’ll be fine.

Later...

Quietly, MRS. ABBOTT reads a text out loud.

MRS. ABBOTT

The suspicious man has broken into the school near the glass walls in the cafeteria. We don’t know where he’s headed. Some of our cameras aren’t working. The police are on their way.

STUDENT 1

That’s right next to us!

STUDENT 2

My friends are near there!

The class is hysterical, but the only sign is the fear in their eyes. They can’t afford to break down. They’ve had lots of drills for this eventuality...

Suddenly, MRS. ABBOTT pales and looks up from her phone.

MRS. ABBOTT:

Now he’s in D-wing.

BROOKE

But that’s-

MRS. ABBOTT

Our wing. Everybody quiet. Don’t move.

The first shot sounds. Then a second. BROOKE curls up tightly, hugging her legs. She covers her mouth with her hand. Then a string of shots sound as glass breaks and people scream. BROOKE scrambles to push herself further behind a filing cabinet but she is already right against the wall.

Another round of shots go off. From behind the bookshelf, Brooke’s FRIEND gestures at BROOKE to stand up. BROOKE shakes her head. The FRIEND gestures more frantically at BROOKE as she and some classmates run out of the classroom.

CUT TO:

INT. D-WING HALLWAY - DAY

The SHOOTER rounds a corner and sees the students running. He fires his gun. The FRIEND and ANOTHER STUDENT fall down. He grins.

SHOOTER

Ooh, that looks like it hurts. Serves you right! Ha!

BROOKE witnesses this through the window, horrified, and stays in place, unmoving.

The SHOOTER peers in through the window.

SHOOTER

Ready or not, here I come!

He showers the classroom with bullets, then moves on to do the same to other classrooms. He makes sure not to step on a body as he passes.

We zoom into two bullet holes in the filing cabinet.

CUT TO:

INT. HISTORY CLASSROOM - DAY

Something trickles down BROOKE’s head. Without looking, she slowly reaches toward the back of her head. Her hand comes away with blood. Her eyes widen, but in shock and fear rather than pain. She wipes the blood on her pants. A pool of blood builds under her.

BROOKE slumps over.

FADE TO BLACK

MONTAGE

We hear somber music playing throughout each element of this montage.

FADE IN:

INT. HISTORY CLASSROOM - DAY

Two MEDICS rush into the classroom. They find BROOKE slumped over and one feels for her pulse. They turn to the other MEDIC and shake their head while saying something.

Loud police sirens are going off.

FADE OUT

FADE IN:

EXT. WESTSIDE HIGH SCHOOL - DAY

A line of STUDENTS are exiting the school. POLICE are directing them. There is visible fear in their eyes. Some are in shock or empty-looking. A few are huddled together, shivering, although the temperature isn’t very cold.

A small crowd of PARENTS are gathered outside of the school. The campus is covered in armed POLICE. Within the crowd, most look grief-stricken. The POLICE keep the crowd separated from the line of students.

One STUDENT spies their parents in the crowd and sprints towards them, but an OFFICER tries to stop them.

OFFICER

…following protocol…student suspects…preserving evidence…

The STUDENT shakes the OFFICER off and embraces THEIR parents.

FADE OUT

NEWS ANCHOR (V.O)

…Breaking news-school shooting at Westside High School in Florida leaves 19 dead and 21 wounded…

FADE IN:

INT. EMERGENCY WARD - NIGHT

Dimly lit and mostly empty. A small TV hangs on the wall, currently on a news broadcast.

The MOTHERLY WOMAN is sitting out in the hallway, her head in her hands. Her body shakes with silent sobs.

NEWS ANCHOR [CONTD.]

The gunman, a seventeen-year-old boy and a victim of cyberbullying, is currently under police custody. Police investigation revealed that he had acquired the firearm after breaking into his stepfather’s safe. The trial will take place…

The MOTHERLY WOMAN stands up and turns off the TV hastily after hearing the recap of the school shooter’s words.

A DOCTOR walks out of a nearby room and the MOTHERLY WOMAN stands up quickly.

MOTHERLY WOMAN

How is she, Doctor?

DOCTOR

She passed the critical stage and is now in relatively stable condition. She was hit by two bullets. The first skimmed the base of her head. Your daughter is very…um…fortunate, ma’am. That is to say, a little deeper and she would have suffered brain damage. The second bullet, however…was lodged in her spine. I’m sorry, but your daughter may never walk again.

FADE OUT

FADE IN:

INT. HOSPITAL ROOM - DAY

The room is sterile and simple, with a bed in the middle.

BROOKE is laying in bed. She stares at the ceiling. Beside her, the MOTHERLY WOMAN is talking.

MOTHERLY WOMAN

(gently) I don’t know how to tell you this, Brooke, but the doctor says you won’t be able to use your legs… again.

CUT TO

FADE IN:

EXT. NEIGHBORHOOD - DAY

A typical residential street in a suburban neighborhood. Houses line both sides.

BROOKE is jogging through a neighborhood alone. Suddenly, a HOODED FIGURE appears behind her and draws a gun. BROOKE is trying to run away, but her legs buckle under her. She falls and can’t get up. The HOODED FIGURE raises the gun in slow motion and aims. BROOKE wakes up, breathing hard.

CUT TO

END OF MONTAGE

FADE IN:

BROOKE is laying in bed. She stares at the ceiling. She raises a hand to examine it.

BROOKE
(whispering) I survived. I survived. Why?

CUT TO

FADE IN:

BROOKE is sitting in bed. The MOTHERLY WOMAN walks in, pushing a wheelchair.

MOTHERLY WOMAN

(cheerfully) You’ve been stuck in here for a while and I figured we could take a walk outside today? I’m sure the fresh air would do you some good and the doctor approved it.

BROOKE stares at the wheelchair. Her gaze seems empty. A tear rolls down her cheek.

CUT TO

FADE IN:

INT. BROOKE’S LIVING ROOM - NIGHT

BROOKE sits on a couch, next to the MOTHERLY WOMAN.

MOTHERLY WOMAN

So, how are you feeling?

BROOKE

I’m sure you can tell. Why would you even ask that? I can’t go anywhere, I can’t walk, I can’t think inside my own head! I have no friends. They’re gone. Traumatized, avoiding me because I’m a mess, or just dead. Point is, they’re gone. People stare at me if I go out. I’ll never be able to run again. What do you want me to say? Life is good?

FADE OUT

FADE IN:

INT. BROOKE’S ROOM - NIGHT

Half a year has passed. It is the 4th of July. Through the window, brilliant fireworks light up the sky.

BROOKE is on the floor, hyperventilating, and tears stream down her face. Her hands cover her ears. She tries to scream but no sound comes out. The MOTHERLY WOMAN is beside her, trying her best to calm BROOKE down.

BROOKE

Make it stop! Stop! Please, I can’t listen to this-I don’t want-just make it stop!

MOTHERLY WOMAN

Shhhhh, why don’t you go to sleep earlier tonight?

BROOKE

I can’t! I’ll have nightmares. I-

MOTHERLY WOMAN

Take the stronger pills today. They worked well last time, right? You’re safe, Brooke. I’m here.

She walks out of the room and returns with a glass of water. BROOKE reaches for one of the pill containers in the drawer of her nightstand. She takes out a pill and stares at it blankly.

The MOTHERLY WOMAN kisses BROOKE’s forehead.

MOTHERLY WOMAN

Tomorrow will be a better day.

The MOTHERLY WOMAN leaves the room and shuts the door.

BROOKE

(whispering) Yeah, but you can’t promise that.

CUT TO:

The MOTHERLY WOMAN sits beside an peacefully unconscious BROOKE on her bed. The MOTHERLY WOMAN sobs uncontrollably.

We PAN from the bed to the empty pill bottle on top of the nightstand.

FADE TO BLACK

THE END