Fixative By Jason Natzke

WGA Registration: 1479594 Copyright 2011

Phone: 720-427-3399 Email: [email protected]

FADE IN: TITLE CARD: "Fixative" (noun) a substance used to keep things in position or stick them together FADE OUT: 1. INT. BEDROOM - LATE MORNING The late morning sun attempts to push through the curtains but only a small shaft of light shines through. The room is stuffy, like being inside tent in broad daylight on a summer day. The room is untidy. Fast food wrappers and dirty clothes litter the floor. Two figures lay in bed. It is impossible to discern the two bodies, although it appears that one is laying on top of the other. A males voice is breathing heavily. A womans voice interrupts. WOMAN Are you done? The male voice clears his throat. MAN Yeah. Good. WOMAN Now open the shades. The man gives no response.

Her delivery is ice cold. WOMAN Jacob, do it!

She whines and pushes him off of her. exits the bed and opens the shades.

The man apathetically

Particles of dust float through the air. JACOB (20) stands by the window in his boxers, his hand shielding his eyes from the sun. He is naturally handsome, but makes no effort to show it. His dark hair is unkempt, just how he likes it...its too much work to comb it.

(CONTINUED)

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CASSIE (19), sits up on the bed, the sheets covering her below the stomach. She wears a hot pink bra. She is slender and attractive with strawberry blond hair. She grabs her phone from the nightstand and flips it open immediately. She texts. CASSIE Are you going to put some clothes on, or just stand by the window in your underwear? A beat. Silently, Jacob walks over to the foot of the bed, grabs his jeans and puts them on. CASSIE Hand me my shirt, will ya? Jacob reaches down, picks up the shirt and tosses it to her. He sees her texting and takes out his own cell phone. JACOB Who are you talking to? Cassie doesnt look up. CASSIE No one. He looks down at his own phone and sees that he has a new voicemail. He puts on his socks as he listens to the message. Halfway through the message, his demeanor changes. He sits on the bed with one sock on. JACOB Holy shit. He hangs up his phone and sets it on the bed next to him. CASSIE Who was that? JACOB An old friend. CASSIE Care to fill me in? Jacob puts on his other sock and stands up from the bed. JACOB I guess hes back in town for a night...he wants to meet up.

(CONTINUED)

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3.

CASSIE Remember that we have Bens party tonight. Yeah. JACOB I gotta go to work.

CASSIE Youre coming tonight, right? Jacob puts on a ratty polo shirt that reads "Casablanca Video" on the breast. JACOB Yeah Ill try. CASSIE What do you mean "Ill try"? Jacob is ready to walk out the door. He grabs his phone from the foot of the bed. JACOB I mean Ill try. Jacob grabs his keys from the nightstand and walks out. Cassie lays back down in the bed. 2. INT. CAR - MORNING Jacob sits in the drivers seat of an old and beat-up red truck. He smokes a cigarette and hangs it out the window. He stares forward. After a moment, he leans across and opens his glove compartment. He searches for a moment and finds a crumpled and faded photograph of two young boys, one blond, the other with dark hair. They are both skinny, but the latter even more so. Their faces are filled with joy, as they have their arms around the other ones shoulder. The boy with blond hair is wearing a t-shirt with the Captain America logo and gives the camera a thumbs up. The other boy holds an "Avengers" comic book. Jacob stares at the photograph and turns it around. It has the words "Avengers Forever" written on the back. Jacob turns it back over, folds it in half and places it in his back pocket. He flicks his cigarette out the window and starts the car.

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3. INT. CASABLANCA VIDEO - MORNING An out-of-date video rental store. Shelves of videos line the outer walls while a few rows stand in the middle. Paint is cracking on the walls, while a few fluorescent light bulbs are flickering out. Jacob kneels on the floor and stocks videos from a cart. organizes the shelf without any motivation. He drops a video on the ground. He continues to stock. 3. INT. CASABLANCA VIDEO - SAME He sits behind the counter and crumples up a piece of paper. A trash can sits on the floor, ten feet in front of him. He pauses and shoots the paper towards the basket. Air ball. He

4. EXT. CASABLANCA VIDEO BACK ALLEYWAY - AFTERNOON He leans up against the back wall, eating a sandwich. He takes out his phone and goes to his recent call list. Seans number is at the top. A beat. He is about to push the button to call back, but doesnt. He puts the phone in his pocket. He throws away his half-eaten sandwich and goes inside. 3. INT. CASABLANCA VIDEO - AFTERNOON Jacob squints his eyes in concentration. Just as he releases the paper ball from his hand, he hears a VOICE from the other side of the counter. Excuse me. VOICE (O.S.) Im ready.

The voice throws his motion off and the paper lands short of the bucket. The forehead of an oddly confident little BOY is all that is visible to Jacob. He gets up from his chair to get a better view. The boy looks to be around nine or ten years old and barely reaches the height of the counter. His eyes bleed curiosity. He looks up at Jacob, without breaking eye contact. JACOB Ready to check out?

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BOY Yes sir. JACOB You dont need to call me sir. Membership card. The boy gives Jacob his card, along with the videos. Jacob inputs the numbers into the computer. He shoots an annoying glance at the boy. BOY You dont like it here, do you? He hands the membership card back to the boy. JACOB No, its alright. The boy looks at Jacob and blinks. Jacob scans the videos. He looks down at them: Spider-Man 1 and 2, X-MEN 2 and The Incredible Hulk. JACOB Have a thing for superheroes, huh? The boy looks at the videos. His eyes light up.

BOY Yeah! Spider-Man, Wolverine, Hulk, Iron Man, Captain America! Jacob looks at the boy. A smile crosses his face.

JACOB Whos youre favorite? BOY Spider-Man! Wait...no. America! I think. Jacob chuckles. JACOB Captain America, huh? He was the leader of the Avengers, you know. BOY The Avengers? JACOB Yeah! Iron Man, Ant-Man, Wasp, Hulk, Thor and Captain (MORE) (CONTINUED) Captain

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JACOB (contd) America..."Earths Mightiest Heroes!" I used to love them when I was a kid. Joy returns to Jacob for a fleeting moment. exchange a high-five. BOY Why dont you love them now? The boy is serious with his question. a moment of introspection. JACOB I dunno...I grew up. BOY Thats silly. JACOB Yeah, I guess it is. Jacob hands the boys his videos. BOY Well I still like superheroes. The boy puts the videos under his arm and heads for the exit, leaving Jacob alone. He watches the boy leave. 4. EXT. CASABLANCA VIDEO BACK ALLEYWAY - AFTERNOON Jacob leans against the wall and puffs on a cigarette. He takes out his phone. He taps his cigarette and presses "dial". A moment passes. JACOB Hey Sean...its Jacob. Got your message. Been awhile, man. This is uncomfortable. JACOB Listen, I get off work in two hours. I can meet you at the wall at 4:30ish. He doesnt know what else to say. Jacob pauses and has The two

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED: JACOB Good to hear from you. Yeah. guess Ill see you soon.

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He hangs up the phone. He takes one more puff on his cigarette before he flicks it to the ground. 3. INT. CASABLANCA VIDEO - AFTERNOON Jacob sits behind the counter and aims a paper ball at the basket. He shoots. He scores. He raises his arms up in the air in quiet triumph. 5. EXT. THE WALL - LATE AFTERNOON A stark, gray and U-shaped stone wall structure. It seems to be out of place in this town. It extends out towards an old, dried up riverbed with two perpendicular walls. It is surrounded by a chainlink fence. There is dirt and sand below and between the two walls. Jacob walks down the old riverbed and now wears a zip-up hoodie over his "Casablanca Video" polo. After a few yards, he turns the corner and stops. SEAN (21), sits on the ledge of the wall, looking down at the dirt. He is tall and lanky, with shoulders that bend in towards his chest. He is muscular, but in a subtle way. He has a buzz cut and wears a tan colored t-shirt and blue jeans. SEAN Jacob Miller...long time, man. Silence for a moment. Jacob climbs up the wall by himself. He has seat next to Sean and brushes his hands. Yeah. JACOB How you been, Sean?

SEAN Ive been good... An awkward beat. Sean stares straight ahead.

JACOB So what brings you back? Jacob has picked a few pebbles and begins tossing them at the other wall, through the tiny holes in the chainlink fence.

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SEAN Just felt like coming back for a night. JACOB Just a night? SEAN Yeah. Sean finds a stick nearby and takes out a knife from his pocket. He flips it open and whittles off the bark. Jacob glances nervously at the knife. JACOB Where you been living? SEAN Ive bounced around the last five years or so...ya know. Different homes, here and there. Jacob is out of pebbles to throw. Sean continues to sharpen the stick as Jacob watches out of the corner of his eye. SEAN Hows the town treating you? JACOB Oh, fine. Nothings changed, really. Same old people, same old shit. SEAN You in school? JACOB Naw...taking a year or two off. You working? SEAN In the Marines. Jacob pauses. He looks at Sean.

JACOB Oh...thats great, man. After a moment, Sean tosses his whittled stick over the opposite chainlink fence, across the other wall. A beat. Sean breaks the silence and pockets the knife.

(CONTINUED)

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SEAN Im starving, man. Jacob exhales. He answers quickly.

JACOB Yeah, me too. SEAN That old Chinese take-out place still open on Tower road? JACOB You bet. The two both stand up at the same time. Their movements mimic each other. 6. EXT. MIDDLE SCHOOL PLAYGROUND - EVENING Sean and Jacob sit on a ledge at the perimeter of a middle school playground. The sun is on its way down. Behind them is the playground, with swings, a slide, the usual stuff. It is in need of an update. In front of them is a large, web-like jungle-gym. Heavy ropes cross intricately inside as the object stands tall. Sean and Jacob sit while eating food out of the usual Chinese take-out boxes; the white ones with the cool red dragon on the side. Sean eats with chopsticks while Jacob shovels rice into his mouth with a fork. The familiar sound of a vibrating phone interrupts the eating. Jacob takes out his phone and views a text message from Cassie that reads: "where r u? now i have to walk. fuck ". He shakes his heads and pockets the phone. SEAN Everything cool? JACOB Yeah...women. Jacob takes a bite. Still chewing, he stands up. to the nearby jungle-gym. He walks Sean notices.

10. 6. EXT. MIDDLE SCHOOL PLAYGROUND JUNGLE-GYM - EVENING JACOB Dude, remember this? He hops on the jungle-gym. Sean smiles, gets up from the ledge and puts his take-out box on the ground. Sean arrives and leans on the ropes, his feet still on the ground. Jacob climbs enthusiastically. SEAN You de-pantsed Seth Martin. He chased you around this thing for like five minutes. JACOB You remember why I did it? Sean pauses. He is trying to remember. bulb goes off. SEAN All for Jacqueline Pace. Jacob laughs. With energy, he climbs a little higher. Suddenly, the light

JACOB You know it! He couldnt get me...and you got a clear shot at Jacqueline. SEAN Yeah, and that went well. Seans sarcasm is noticeable. SEAN What ever happened to her? turn out alright? She

JACOB Nope. She ended up kinda fugly, man...major disappointment. He makes the puking gesture with his finger. and shakes his head. SEAN Dude, you were like Spider-Man on this thing! Sean gestures as Jacob laughs and climbs above him. Sean laughs

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SEAN What did you do with all your comics? You still have them? Jacob pauses and makes his way down from the top of the jungle-gym. JACOB Nope...sold them at a garage sale a few years back. SEAN Even your Avengers? JACOB Yeah. Well, maybe I kept a few of those. Dunno. Jacob hops off one of the ropes and walks to the playground swings. After a pause, Sean follows. 6. EXT. MIDDLE SCHOOL PLAYGROUND SWINGS - EVENING Jacob sits on a swing, as does Sean. JACOB You got a girl? SEAN Nope...single and free. JACOB You could have done a lot better than Jacqueline Pace. SEAN I get around. CUT TO: SILENT MONTAGE 7. INT. COFFEE SHOP - AFTERNOON Sean sits at a coffee table with an attractive BLOND (17). She is obviously giving him the "its not you, its me" routine. It really is him. She gets up and walks away. Sean stares ahead.

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7. INT. BEDROOM -

NIGHT He gets a new email: "I think we

Sean sits at his computer should see other people". 7. INT. CAR - MORNING

Sean sits at the steering wheel of a car. He gets a text message. He opens his phone and reads a text: "Its really nice having you as a friend". He shuts the phone and stares ahead. 6. EXT. MIDDLE SCHOOL PLAYGROUND SWINGS - EVENING SEAN Nothing really worked out. JACOB Well at least you got to lay some pipe. Seans demeanor changes at this comment. it off. SEAN Yeah...how about you? JACOB Oh ya know... a few sexcapades over the years. SEAN Just a few? 8. INT. HIGH SCHOOL GYMNASIUM - DAY MONTAGE. This sequence is fast-paced. JACOB (V.O.) Well...there was Megan Lawson in tenth grade. The unmistakable school photo-shoot back drop. An attractive but innocent looking GIRL (16) walks in and sits on a stool. She smiles at the camera. JACOB (V.O.) Cynthia Rivera junior year...that girl was wild. He quickly brushes

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A fierce GOTH GIRL (17) does the same and stares ahead with malice. JACOB (V.O.) Then there was Liz Nelson. God DAMN she was hot...and crazy in bed too. A KNOCKOUT BLOND (18) sits on the stool, smiles and whips her hair back. She is attractive but obviously slutty. JACOB (V.O.) And then theres Cassie. Cassie stares at the camera. to her smile. She has a melancholy sweetness

6. EXT. MIDDLE SCHOOL PLAYGROUND SWINGS - EVENING SEAN Cassie? JACOB Yeah, Im with her now. Jacob pauses. JACOB Its whatever. I hooked up with her at a party. She latched on pretty quick. SEAN How long has it been? JACOB Coming up on a two years. Damn. Another beat. JACOB Yeah...no...wait...sometimes...no. SEAN Give me an answer, soldier. JACOB No. SEAN Worth it?

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SEAN Then you shouldnt be with her. Sean speaks matter-of-factly, as an older brother. SEAN You got better things to do with your time. JACOB I dunno. Jacob shrugs. JACOB I was supposed to go to this party with her tonight. SEAN When? JACOB Now. A pause. JACOB I think she is sleeping around. Sean hops off the swing. SEAN Alright, lets go. JACOB Go where? SEAN To the party. Hell no. JACOB Not going.

SEAN Get up. Were gonna go to that party, and youre gonna tell her where she can shove it. Jacob is resistant. JACOB No, I cant do that.

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SEAN Why the fuck not? Jacob pauses. The two stand facing each other. Sean gives a convincing smile. 9. EXT. NEIGHBORHOOD STREET - NIGHT Night has fallen. The thumping bass of hip-hop music can be heard from a suburban home. The lights are on inside, and its obvious that everyone is having a good time. It hasnt gotten out of control...yet. Sean and Jacob stand beneath a lamp post in front of the home. Jacob is wigging out. SEAN You can do this. I know you can.

JACOB I dunno, man. Lets get outta here. Ill take care of this tomorrow. SEAN Like hell you will. Sean playfully shoves Jacob towards the house. 9. EXT. DOORWAY - NIGHT Sean and Jacob arrive at the doorstep. The throbbing bass is even louder. Party noises can be heard. Jacob stalls. SEAN Open the door, dick-less. Jacob turns the knob. 10. INT. PARTY HOUSE - NIGHT Pervasive hip-hop music blasts. The home is adequate, but not incredibly nice. The lights are dim, a smokey fog fills the air. A throng of teenage HOT GIRLS dance in the dining room next to the kitchen. They hold red plastic cups in the air. One of them is laughing hysterically. A few JOCKS stand nearby, watching.

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Jacob squeezes past a pack of PEOPLE, with Sean on his heels. Jacob clears the pack, but Sean is caught by an BUSTY BRUNETTE (22), who steps in front of him. She wears a low-cut shirt and holds a red plastic cup. BUSTY BRUNETTE Well hi... She slurs her speech and looks Sean up and down. nervous. SEAN Hey. She bites her lower lip. BUSTY BRUNETTE Youre really cute. She puts her hand on his belt. Sean awkwardly takes her hands off. She grabs his ass and giggles. This throws Sean off kilter. 10. INT. HALLWAY - NIGHT Jacob stands in the narrow hallway of the house. A dead end. Before he turns around, he sees that a nearby door is cracked. He pauses before looking through. 10. INT. BEDROOM - NIGHT Cassie sits on the lap of WHATSHISFACE (23) a massive, thick and muscular douchebag. His neck is the size of his brain: small. He is actually very ugly, but his large biceps have saved his face countless times...literally. Cassie and Whatshisface passionately kiss as she struggles to maintain the focus to put her clothes back on. 10. INT. PARTY HOUSE - NIGHT Sean sees Jacob standing in front of the door. He pushes the Busty Brunette off to the side. She is crestfallen. BUSTY BRUNETTE Where are you going? Sean ignores her and walks to stand by his friend. He appears

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10. INT. HALLWAY - NIGHT Jacobs eyes are wide watches the two kiss for a moment. Cassie and Whatshisface stumble out of the doorway and into the hall, directly in front of Jacob. He continues to watch. Sean arrives. JACOB You bitch. Cassie turns. CASSIE Jacob! Whatshisface wears a proud look. Jacob glances at Sean, who gives him a look of encouragement. Cassie frantically tries to straighten up. CASSIE Its not what you think! Jacob cuts her off. JACOB Were done. CASSIE What? JACOB You heard me. Cassie makes a last-ditch effort. out. She reaches her hand I was-

CASSIE Aw, cmon baby. Lets talk. No. JACOB Im not doing this anymore.

Jacob begins to walk away, back down the hall. CASSIE Jacob? He is unresponsive. She realizes he isnt going to turn around. Cassies desperation boils over. CASSIE Dont you walk away from me, Jacob Dean Miller! (CONTINUED)

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Her voice raises.

He doesnt turn around.

CASSIE You fucking coward! Jacob stops and turns around. This struck a chord.

JACOB Im the coward? Who the hell are you? Youre sitting here shoving your tongue down Micky fuckin Rourkes throat and youre calling me the coward? Fuck you, Cass! Cassie is shocked by Jacobs sudden empowerment. Whatshisface takes note. He moves forward. WHATSHISFACE What did you just call me? He gets closer to Jacob, who is considerably shorter. Jacob hesitates, as his eyes are only at his chest. Sean takes charge. SEAN Micky Rourke...not a compliment, asshole. Dude is uglier than as your mom. He steps in front of Jacob. Whatshisface doesnt back down.

WHATSHISFACE I think you two faggots should leave. Cassie looks back from Whatshisface to Sean and Jacob. doesnt back down. SEAN Fuck off, man. He shoves Whatshisface. He hardly budges, but three large and just as ugly GOONS close in on Sean and Jacob from behind. Whatshisface has a posse. They surround Jacob and Sean. wide. Cassie watches, her eyes There is spark in Seans Sean

Jacob and Sean exchange a glance. eyes. A beat.

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Sean swings a punch at Whatshisface, which connects at his jaw. Cassie shrieks as he stumbles back towards the end of the hall. The Goons scramble towards the two friends, as Jacob stands in shock. Sean grabs Jacob by the shoulder and they push through the pack of Goons. Whatshisface kneels in front of Cassie, bloody nose in all, in a slight state of shock. 10. INT. PARTY HOUSE - NIGHT Sean and Jacob pass through a throng of TEENAGERS standing near the kitchen. The goons are hot on their heels. Just as the two friends are out of the house, Jacob turns around and slams the door. 10. EXT. NEIGHBORHOOD STREET - NIGHT Sean and Jacob sprint down the street. After a few paces, the posse is behind them. Its a footrace. Jacob cuts across the street. 11. EXT. ANOTHER NEIGHBORHOOD STREET - SAME Jacob and Sean turn the corner and book it down the street. At first, they dont seem to be pursued. They slow down to catch their breath. Before they can relax, two blinding headlights shine as a large SUV roars towards them. Jacob and Sean sprint again. 12. EXT. DARK YARD - NIGHT The SUV chases them down another street before Jacob quickly hops a fence and lands in dark yard, as Sean follows. The truck roars past. Sean turns to look at Jacob. SEAN Take the back way. bridge! Under the

Jacob nods and smiles. The two wait for the truck to pass before they move again.

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13. EXT. QUIET STREET - NIGHT Sean and Jacob have made it. Their run turns into a jog, their jog into a trot. Finally, Jacob stops and bends over, leaning his hands on his knees. Sean stands with his hands on his hips. Jacob is more out of breath than Sean. The two have stopped beneath a lamppost. They breathe heavily. As they begin to catch their breath, Jacob looks up at Sean. Sean smiles and Jacob begins to chuckle. His chuckle turns into a laugh. The two begin to belly-laugh. The emotional release lasts for a moment. 13. EXT. QUIET STREET - SAME Jacob laughs but Sean has fallen silent. Jacob realizes this and rises. He looks at Sean, who is a few paces in front of him. Sean stands beneath the lamppost, staring at an old, dilapidated and ugly house just behind an unkempt yard. There are no lights on; the house appears to be abandoned. Jacob walks to Seans side. They stare at the house in silence. back to earth. The two have fallen CUT TO: 14. INT. SEANS BEDROOM - SILENT FLASHBACK A YOUNG SEAN (13) and YOUNG JACOB (12) sit on the floor of Seans childhood room. The walls are decorated with superhero posters and the room is cluttered with toys. A line of superhero action figures stand on the windowsill. Young Sean leans up against his bed and reads a "Captain America" comic book while Young Jacob is engrossed in an "Avengers" comic. He sits on the floor cross-legged. There is innocent joy. The door to the room opens. Young Sean turns towards the door, as if reacting to his name. Young Jacob looks up. The figure of a HUSKY MAN (46) stands by the door. He is seen only from the waist down, but he is unmistakeably tall. The boys look at each other.

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13. EXT. QUIET STREET - NIGHT Sean and Jacob stand in front of the house. down at the ground for a moment. SEAN I need to take care of something. Sean hardly waits for an answer and turns to walk away. After a moment, Jacob turns and follows. The ugly house stands just as it did before. 15. EXT. GRAVEYARD - NIGHT Its cold now. Jacob and Sean walk in a single file, several yards apart. Several stone tombs stand in the ground. The graves range from small and subtle to large and extravagant. After stopping to look at a few of the graves, Jacob looks back up to find Sean, who is no longer in sight. Jacob searches for his friend, whom he finds standing in front of a large tombstone. 15. EXT. TOMBSTONE - NIGHT Sean stands in front of a large tombstone. It is too dark to properly read the names. Sean doesnt move or acknowledge Jacob as he approaches. Jacob settles next to Sean, who continues to look at the grave. Sean breaks the silence, but still focuses his attention on the grave. SEAN Im shipping out in the morning...Iraq. It is ambiguous whether he is talking to the grave or Jacob. Jacob reacts. He looks at Sean, then the grave. He attempts to break the tension. JACOB I think theyd be proud. Jacob, with his hands in his pockets, motions to the grave. Sean snorts. SEAN Like hell they would. Jacob is surprised. Jacob looks

(CONTINUED)

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SEAN They left me with him...Ill leave them. There is venom to Seans words. His face is strained...no tears, just a deep-rooted anger. He turns away from the grave. Jacob hesitates. Sean walks down the path without looking back. Jacob leaves to follow Sean. He is several paces behind. 16. EXT. FIELD - DAWN The sun is starting to rise and the sky is a beautiful mixture of orange and purple. As the sun is on its way up, the moon on its way down. Sean and Jacob walk through a dry field filled with dirt and yellow, dying grass. It is a vast open space, with only a few buildings off in the distance. There is no place to hide. Sean walks at a brisk pace. The look on his face is cold and brooding. Jacob walks behind him. Silence. Jacob stares at the back of Sean as he walks. breaks the silence. JACOB So youre leaving in a few hours, huh. SEAN Thats what I said. Seans delivery is ice cold. He does not turn around. JACOB Why? SEAN Whatever, man. Sean brushes him off. Im doin it. Finally, he

He keeps walking forward.

JACOB (to himself) Youre just running away. forever, my ass. Sean stops and turns.

Avengers

The two are separated by a few yards.

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SEAN What did you just say? Jacob stares at the ground. SEAN Running away, huh? think? No response. SEAN Whats wrong, Jacob? Dont have the balls to answer me? This worked. JACOB Yeah I think youre running away. Just like you did before. SEAN Oh so you think I had a choice! You think I just decided to leave town with that bastard? Jacob hasnt bothered to make eye-contact with Sean, who is staring him down. 14. INT. SEANS BEDROOM - SILENT FLASHBACK Young Sean and Jacob sit reading comic books, just as they did earlier. The door to the room opens. Young Sean turns towards the door. Young Jacob looks up. The Husky Man stands by the door. JACOB (V.O.) I just dont know why you didnt try to do something. The boys look at each other. receded. The smiles on their faces have Thats what you

SEAN (V.O.) Try to do something? In case you didnt notice, the man was over six feet tall! The Husky Man is only seen from the waist down.

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16. EXT. FIELD - DAWN So what. back. JACOB You could have fought

Sean steps even closer to Jacob. Oh yeah? do? SEAN And what the hell did you

14. INT. SEANS BEDROOM - SILENT FLASHBACK The Husky Man has a hand on Seans shoulder. He leads Sean towards the door. Sean turns to look back at his friend, who still sits on the floor. The CAMERA dollies away from Jacob. Nothing. SEAN (V.O.) Some friend you are.

14. INT. HALLWAY - SILENT FLASHBACK Young Jacob stands in front of a cracked door. dollies toward him. The CAMERA

His eyes are wide as he stares through the crack in the door. 16. EXT. FIELD - DAWN The two stand face to face. SEAN Fucking coward. JACOB Dont call me that. SEAN Why not? Maybe your girl was on to something. JACOB Dont fuck with me. Jacob shoves Sean, who does not budge. Sean is in Jacobs grill.

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SEAN Yeah? What the hell you gonna do, coward? A beat. Jacob doesnt react. SEAN Yeah, thats what I thought. Too much of a pussy to do anything. Sean turns and begins to walk away again. speaks. Bring it on. Jacob finally

JACOB Maybe you deserved it if you didnt have the balls to tell someone about it. Sean stops dead in his tracks. He turns.

JACOB It was your own fucking fault. And you know what? I bet you liked it too...didnt you? Jacob is up in Seans face now. JACOB Didnt you!? Sean growls like an animal and shoves Jacob. He attempts to take Jacob to the ground, who plants his legs. The two attempt to push each other back, like fierce elk who have locked antlers. Sean breaks the tussle by gut-punching Jacob, who stumbles back. Jacob charges back at Sean, who throws him to the ground. As Jacob is on his way down, he takes Sean with him. The two tussle on the ground, with Sean on top. Jacob attempts to connect a few punches, but Sean easily dodges them. With Jacob under him, Sean suddenly pulls out his knife from his back pocket and flips it open. The scuffle stops. Jacob stares wide-eyed up at Sean, who stares back, panting. He holds the knife dangerously close to Jacobs face. A tense beat. JACOB Sean.

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A tear begins to run down Jacobs face. Sean does not respond to his name. Jacob starts to sob. After a moment, Sean returns to reality. His eyes grow wide and he realizes what he is about to do. He slowly drops the knife off to the side. He numbly stands up as Jacob breaks down. JACOB Sean...Im sorry. something. I shouldve done

Sean blankly stares ahead. Jacob reaches his hands out and grabs Seans pant leg. This brings Sean back again. He finally speaks. SEAN No. Jacob looks up at Sean, who stands above him. SEAN Its not your fault. JACOB What? Sean kneels down to Jacobs level. SEAN Its not your fault. Jacob pauses. JACOB I should have told someone. Sean shakes his head. SEAN We were kids. He extends a hand. Jacob takes it as Sean brings him to his feet. Jacob wipes his nose with his sleeve. SEAN I need you to be ok. like this. He motions to himself. the eye. Dont end up Sean looks him in You hear me?

Jacob hesitates.

SEAN You dont get it do you. Jacob shakes his head. (CONTINUED)

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SEAN Thats alright. for me.

Just work on it

Jacob gives a weary smile and nods. Sean looks at the sky, which is now beginning to resemble early morning rather than dawn. SEAN I gotta run. He gives Jacob a long look before he starts to turn. As he begins to walk away in the opposite direction, Jacob speaks. JACOB Who are you trying to be? Sean pauses. He turns to face Jacob, who shakes his head in both admiration and confusion. They are a few paces apart now. SEAN Captain America. Sean gives Jacob one last encouraging, peaceful smile. arms are open. His

Jacob stares back. Sean faces Jacob for a beat. Jacob nods. Sean nods back. He walks away slowly, as the sun covers the field for the first time. Sean is gone. Jacob stands alone in the field. 17. EXT. MIDDLE SCHOOL PLAYGROUND SWINGS - LATER Jacob sits alone on the same playground swing he sat in earlier. He calmly swings back and forth. He is processing. He reaches inside his jean pocket and takes out his pack of cigarettes. He takes one from the carton and puts it in his mouth, staring forward. He reaches in his pocket for the lighter, but its not there. He pats all of his pockets to no avail. As he pats his back pocket, he feels something. He reaches back and pulls out the photo of Sean and Jacob from earlier. He unfolds it and stares at it. There are wrinkles and creases in the photo, but the innocent smiles still shine bright. He takes the unlit cigarette from his mouth and tosses it away. Jacob hops off the swing and goes to his knees. (CONTINUED)

CONTINUED:

28.

He kneels in the gravel beneath the swings and slowly buries the photo. The photo is out of sight, but not deep enough...someone will no doubt find it. When the picture is covered, a soft smile comes across his face. He takes moment before he rises and walks away. He walks forward, as the CAMERA lingers on the swing where he once sat, the buried photo below it. It swings slowly in the breeze. CUT TO BLACK END.