ATLANTA

"Club Man"

written by
T. Ford

[email protected]
 COLD OPEN

INT. RESTAURANT - DINING ROOM - DAY

An expensive restaurant. The kind that's bare, cold and
clinical. EARN and AL are seated at a table for a lunch
meeting.
The seating itself is sparse, with the few other patrons
side-eyeing them over their avocado salads and lentil
hushpuppies. Al shifts in his seat as he looks at the menu.

AL
(sotto)
Man, I don't like this place.
EARN
You don't like it because it's
nice.
AL
Fuck is that supposed to mean?
EARN
You tend to get insecure at places
like this. It's okay. I do too. I
just handle it better.
AL
(scoffs)
I can handle it fine. I'm just
saying, man. Thirty dollars for
some spaghetti?
EARN
Please don't make a scene about
spaghetti. We really need to
impress this agent if you want to
get on this showcase.
AL
(getting angry)
I said I can handle it fine.
An awkward silence.
AL (CONT’D)
Is he even showing up?
EARN
Maybe he messaged me. He may just
be running late or something.
 2.

Earn pulls a cell phone out. Looks at the screen. Damn.

EARN (CONT’D)
(sighs, tosses phone down)
Can I use your phone?
AL
What's wrong with yours?
EARN
There's no wifi in here. I just
need to check my messages.
AL
How the fuck are you gonna check
your texts on my phone?
EARN
My social messages.
(ashamed)
I don't really have a number right
now.
Al laughs at Earn.
AL
Damn, fool! Your broke ass needs a
cell plan, man.
Earn isn't having this.
EARN
Can I please...just?
Al rolls his eyes. Hands Earn his phone.
AL
I really hope you didn't give an
agent your Facebook page as a
contact.
EARN
(curt)
I have a business page and they
give you a phone number tied to
it. I just can't do it without
wifi. It's cool. I'm not new at
this.
Earn fidgets with the phone, visibly flustered.
AL
Alright, damn. Talk about being
tense.
 3.

EARN
I'm not tense. I'm just stressed
out about this meeting, and now I
can't remember my password.
AL
You need to get a new girlfriend,
man. Van kept your shit mellow.
Earn pretends not to hear that. A waiter, TRAVIS, approaches
the table.
TRAVIS
Good afternoon, gentlemen. My name
is Travis. I will be your waiter
this afternoon.
The men barely look up.
AL EARN
Yeah. Yeah.
TRAVIS
Have you dined with us before?
EARN
No, we're actually waiting for a
third.
TRAVIS
Gotcha. Do you have any questions
at all about the menu? Can I bring
you some water? Maybe some apps? We
have a really nice glazed-
AL
(fed up)
Yes, man. Please bring us some
water.
Travis is gently offended, and barely hides it.
TRAVIS
Got it.
He leaves.
A man in a cheap suit, MIKE, approaches the table. He's a
youthful 40, but would never admit to it.
MIKE
Paperboi?
 4.

AL
Yeah, man. Hey.
Earn stands to shake his hand while Al stays seated.
EARN
Hi, I'm Earn. You must be Mike.
MIKE
Right, I tried to reach out a
couple of hours ago.
EARN
Yeah, my phone is...
Earn looks at Al.
EARN (CONT’D)
It's dead.
MIKE
You know, they have these portable
charger things you can get pretty
much anywhere. They saved my ass at
Bonnaroo.
He smiles at Al. This guy knows what I'm talking about.
AL
(bored)
Uh huh.
Mike pulls out a chair and sits.
MIKE
Have you guys ordered yet?
AL
Nah, we were waiting on you.
EARN
It's cool, the guy's coming back
with water.
MIKE
Great! I love it.
Al looks at Earn. What the hell is this?
 5.

MIKE (CONT’D)
So, gentlemen: I've been listening
to a lot - a lot - of Paperboi for
the last week, and I am nuts about
the music. I think you're the next
big thing.
Al warms a little from the compliment.
AL
Thanks, man.
MIKE
(overselling)
No, thank you. Thank you.
A different server, KAYLEY, returns with three waters.
KAYLEY
Hey, guys! My name is Kayley. I'll
be taking over for Travis if that's
okay.
AL
Where'd Travis go?
Al and Earn look past her to see Travis serving a different
table.
AL (CONT’D)
What, he didn't like us?
EARN
(sotto)
Not now.
MIKE
(off Al’s reaction)
No, you know what, Earnest? Yes
now.
(raising voice)
This is the kind of shit we will
not tolerate. We're fucking out of
here!
EARN
Whoa! What?
Mike stands and ceremoniously dumps each glass of water on
the floor of the restaurant while maintaining eye contact
with Kayley.
 6.

MIKE
Come on, guys. We're leaving.
(yelling to no one)
We're taking our business
elsewhere!
Mike storms out. Earn and Al sit for another moment to
reflect.
AL
I like this dude.
Al stands, grabs his keys, and leaves. Earn sits for a beat,
sharing an awkward silence with Kayley.
EARN
Sorry about...
Earn gives up on the apology. He silently gathers his things
and leaves, almost slipping on the spilled water.
END COLD OPEN
 7.

ACT I

EXT. BURGER STAND - PATIO - DAY

Al and Mike sit at a wrought-iron table outside of a burger
stand. Looking at the place, you’d think it was built when
the country was first settled.
As the two polish off a couple of greasy burgers, Earn sits
and watches them, stone-faced, like he's watching a golf
tournament.
MIKE
Shit, that's good. I never get to
eat like this on client meetings.
Earn takes the chance to strike:
EARN
Yeah, so about that...
MIKE
Right.
(wipes hands)
I think we could have a good
partnership together. I think that
this showcase can be a good jumping
off point for your career,
Paperboi. Feel me?
AL
Yeah, man. Absolutely.
MIKE
Groovy. The showcase is in a month.
You should try to slim down a
little before then.
Al takes a second. Makes sure he didn't mishear what he knew
damn well he’d heard.
AL
Excuse me?
MIKE
I'm not saying to do anything
drastic. But you should try to get
in better shape now, before things
jump off for you. It's a lot easier
now than later, you know?
Al looks at the empty, soggy burger wrapper in his hands.
 8.

AL
Shit, I wish you would have said
something before we ate these
burgers.
MIKE
No worries! You’re gonna be fine.
Mike rises to shake Al’s hand.
MIKE (CONT’D)
I'll be in touch.
He turns to Earn.
MIKE (CONT’D)
Hey, Earn. Can we talk in private
for a sec?

EXT. BURGER STAND - BUS BENCH - CONTINUOUS

Mike and Earn sit on a bus bench near the burger joint.
MIKE
You seem like you have a level
head.
EARN
Thanks.
MIKE
Al doesn't.
EARN
Yeah, he's never really been a
people person.
MIKE
As much as I love the music, and
don’t get me wrong, I do...I can't
help but worry about the image he
gives off.
EARN
What, the shooting? No one even
remembers that.
MIKE
It’s not the “tough guy“ act, it's
the “doesn't give a shit“ act. He
acts like a business lunch is
middle school detention. Why aren't
you more in control?
 9.

EARN
He's not big on the business side
of things. That's always been my
part. And I don't "control" Al, you
know? No one really does.
MIKE
He's an artist, you're family, I
get that. But it's your job to keep
him on track. If we're all going to
work together as a team, I need to
know you're legit.
EARN
Me?
MIKE
He's got the talent. I'm not
worried about that. But that talent
needs you. Someone who can help him
use it to the fullest extent.
Earn nods. He knows he's right.
MIKE (CONT’D)
I can tell I'm the first person to
tell him to lose weight in about
fifteen years.
EARN
Alright. I know what you mean. So
what do you need me to do?
MIKE
I need you to talk to my boss.
There's a small shindig at his
place tonight. Nothing big. I want
you to go there, and just talk to
him.
EARN
Seriously?
MIKE
Earn. Do you want this?
EARN
(beat)
Yeah, of course.
MIKE
No, listen. Do you actually want
this?
 10.

EARN
Yes.
(beat)
I mean, I don't know anything that
I want more.
MIKE
You're sure?
EARN
Yeah.
MIKE
Then this is the first step.
Mike reaches into his jacket's inner pocket and hands Earn a
PLATINUM PURPLE BUSINESS CARD.
MIKE (CONT’D)
This is the address to the party.
Don't be late.
(beat)
Or do be late, who cares. It's a
party.
Mike stands and begins to walk away.
MIKE (CONT’D)
I'll know by tonight if you're the
one!
Earn sits on the bench and holds the business card. Stares at
it while he feels the weight. He heaves himself up and walks
back to Al's car.

INT. AL'S CAR - CONTINUOUS

Al sits snugly in the driver’s seat with his eyes shut and
the A/C blasting. Earn pops the passenger door open and hops
in. Al doesn't bother to open his eyes:
AL
We good?
Earn shuts the door.
EARN
Uh...not quite.
That makes Al open his eyes.
 11.

AL
"Not quite"? The hell is "not
quite"?
EARN
It means I have to "prove myself"
as a member of the team,
apparently.
Al bursts out a cackle.
AL
Oh shit! They're gonna turn you
out!
EARN
Nah, man, not like that.
(off Al’s laughter)
Shut up. Seriously.
AL
What, then? Man, don't tell me I
got dragged to a bougie-ass
restaurant and told I'm fat for
nothing.
EARN
I'll know tonight.
Earn buckles up. They sit in silence for a beat.
AL
You still got my phone?
EARN
Oh. Yeah, here.
Earn hands Al his phone. Al checks it.
AL
Yeah. Guess we're gonna have to get
some shoes.
Al puts the car in drive and turns up the stereo. Earn shuts
his eyes and listens to the music.

INT. AL'S APARTMENT - LIVING ROOM - DAY

DARIUS is picking up around the living room. He grabs an old
Chinese takeout container. Smells it, shrugs.
Earn and Al enter through the front door. Al is carrying five
boxes of shoes.
 12.

DARIUS
Yo.
AL
What’s up?
DARIUS
Damn, five pair? You stocking up
for something?
AL
Nah, man. I gotta start exercising.
I couldn't find a pair of kicks
that I liked so I bought one for
every day.
EARN
There are seven days in the week.
AL
I don't do shit on weekends.
Darius opens the shoeboxes and inspects them.
DARIUS
Damn. Damn. This is nice.
Darius begins to pull a shoe out.
AL
Yeah, man. Those are the new Air
Zooms. I wanted the Hyper Violet
but shit is hard to find.
Darius removes the shoes and continues to inspect the
shoebox.
DARIUS
Nah, man. I meant this shoebox.
This is quality packaging.
AL
Man, give me a break with that
shit.
Al snatches the box from Darius' hands and puts the shoes
back.
DARIUS
Can I have that box when you're
done?
AL
No.
 13.

DARIUS
Oh.
(beat)
Can I have any of them?
AL
(annoyed)
I don't know man, maybe.
EARN
Hey, Darius. Do you have any idea
what this place is?
Earn hands Darius the purple platinum business card.
DARIUS
What's this?
AL
Earn got invited to some Eyes Wide
Shut shit tonight. Something about
proving himself.
EARN
(to Al)
Yeah. I don't really want you to
talk about it anymore, it's making
me anxious.
Darius' eyes widen as he inspects the card.
DARIUS
Oh, my... Wow. How did you find
this?
EARN
You know about this place?
AL
(rolls eyes)
Figures.
DARIUS
I've only heard legends. They say
the proprietor of this
establishment started the first
club.
EARN
The what?
Darius holds the card up like he found the holy grail.
 14.

DARIUS
That's what this is. The first
club. The club from which all other
clubs derive.
AL
Bruh, that's some stupid shit. The
first club?
DARIUS
The Mother Club.
AL
Yeah, okay. Get the fuck outta
here.
Al begins to try on his shoes. He slides one on and takes a
picture of it with his phone.
DARIUS
(beseeching)
Earn. Can I please accompany you on
this journey tonight?
Earn thinks for a beat. He really doesn't want Darius there.
EARN
I don't know, man. I don't think I
can even bring a plus one.
DARIUS
The card says you can.
Darius points to fine print on the card, reading "YES, PLUS
ONE!"
EARN
Oh. Well... Al, don't you think you
should be the one to-
AL
Hell no. I'm gonna stop you right
there. I fuckin' hate fake-ass
elite clubs, and this club sounds
like the most one of those ever.
EARN
You know, if you're gonna be a
successful artist, you're gonna
have to be in a lot of places you
don’t want to be.
 15.

AL
Yeah, I know. And I will...when I
have to. This shit tonight is about
you. I got my own thing tonight.
Al stands and shows off his shoes.
AL (CONT’D)
I gotta break these bad boys in.
DARIUS
So, Earn. Can I come?
Earn shuts his eyes and breathes deeply.
EARN
(grudgingly)
Yeah, man. But I really don't want
to be there long.
DARIUS
We'll stay as long as you want. I
just want to be inside with you.
AL
See, this is why I'm not going to
this shit.

EXT. APARTMENT BUILDING - NIGHT

Earn and Darius are outside of the apartment building,
waiting for an Uber. Earn is dressed in casual attire; Darius
is dressed like André 3000.
DARIUS
How far does it say they are?
EARN
I don't know, man. I'm trying not
to check too much. Something's
wrong with my battery. It keeps
draining. I think I need an
upgrade.
Darius smirks.
DARIUS
Hm.
EARN
What?
 16.

DARIUS
Just the age we live in.
“Upgrades,“ “batteries.“ Sometimes
people talk like robots.
(contemplating)
I guess we are.
Earn's eyes roll into the back of his head. He looks at his
phone.
DARIUS (CONT’D)
At the least, we're slaves. Drones
to the system. Yearly upgrades,
unlimited data, face recognition.
It's almost-
EARN
(happy to end this)
Hey, look! The ride is here!
An Uber pulls up. Earn and Darius hop in. Earn sits in the
back and Darius sits in the passenger seat.

INT. UBER - NIGHT - TRAVELING

As they climb in, the DRIVER, a white college-aged guy,
greets them:
DRIVER
Hey, guys!
Darius shuts his door, then adjusts his seat repeatedly, like
he's trying to find the perfect atom to settle on. This makes
the Driver visibly uncomfortable. Darius notices.
DARIUS
Cool if I sit up here?
DRIVER
Oh, yeah. That's totally fine. You
guys are going to Brickmoor Street,
right?
EARN
Yeah.
DRIVER
Alrighty. Sit tight.
As they begin their drive, the Driver taps on his phone.
 17.

DRIVER (CONT’D)
Is there anything you guys want to
hear?
EARN
Nah, thanks. Whatever's fine.
The Driver begins playing West Coast gangster rap. Darius
makes eye contact with Earn from the rear-view mirror.
DARIUS
Hey, man.
(beat)
You didn't put this on because
we're black, right?
DRIVER
(almost offended)
No?
DARIUS
Okay.
A pregnant pause.
DARIUS (CONT’D)
Can I pick a song?
DRIVER
Absolutely.
Darius grabs the Driver's phone and plays Dave Matthews Band.
The driver squints, partly to focus on the road and partly to
calculate what's happening. Darius grins. Earn simply shuts
his eyes and folds his arms across his chest.

INT. AL'S APARTMENT - LIVING ROOM - NIGHT

Al sits on his couch with his running shoes on. He glares at
them from his seat. Sighs deeply.
END ACT I
 18.

ACT II

EXT. MOTHER CLUB - LINE - NIGHT

The Uber pulls up to the outside of the club. A long line of
people stretches from the front. Earn and Darius exit the
car. Before he leaves, Darius fishes in his pocket.
DARIUS
Do you take tips?
DRIVER
Oh, it's not necessary.
DARIUS
No, I feel bad for our interaction
and I want to make it right. Here.
Darius hands the driver two Sacagawea dollar coins.
DARIUS (CONT’D)
Those are Sacagawea dollars.
They're still legal tender, so wait
to spend them once everything
crashes. They'll be like gold then.
Darius winks at the Driver.
DRIVER
(unimpressed)
Thanks.
The car pulls away. Earn & Darius get in line, which
stretches as far down the quiet, dimly-lit street as the eye
can see.
The dress code appears to be loose - partygoers are clad in
fresh white tees, jeans and tight dresses. They each step
toward a giant BOUNCER who checks cards and confiscates
sunglasses and hats. Earn shakes his head.
DARIUS
You okay?
EARN
Yeah, man. I'm just tired. This
isn't really where I want to be.
BOUNCER (O.S.)
Have your cards out!
 19.

DARIUS
But it's where you are. Might as
well be where you are.
Earn contemplates this for a beat before his focus is broken
by the conversation behind him:
WOMAN IN LINE
I don’t care if he‘s a pedophile.
He makes good songs.
MAN IN LINE
Too true.
Earn shuts his eyes, trying to tune the world out.
BOUNCER (O.S.)
Have your cards out!

EXT. MOTHER CLUB - MAIN ENTRANCE - CONTINUOUS

Earn and Darius walk up to the Bouncer.
BOUNCER
Arms up.
Earn and Darius comply. The Bouncer pats both of them down.
BOUNCER (CONT’D)
Card?
Earn pats his pockets, pulls out his wallet, and hands a card
to the Bouncer. The Bouncer takes it, inspects it, and hands
it back to Earn.
BOUNCER (CONT’D)
This is a Quiznos punch card, bruh.
Out of my line.
EARN
Whoa, wait! Hold up. Sorry. I have
it right here.
Earn produces another card.
BOUNCER
Nuh-uh. You blew your chance. Out
of my line.
EARN
No, look! It's right here!
 20.

The Bouncer snatches the card away and throws it into the
bushes behind him. Steps to Earn so they are nose-to-nose.
BOUNCER
Get out of my line.
People behind Earn in line begin to get impatient. The Man In
Line behind him pipes up:
MAN IN LINE
Yo, get out of the line! Damn!
Earn turns to say something to the man, but stops himself. He
accepts defeat, he begins to leave. Just as he does, two
people start a fistfight towards the back of the line.
BOUNCER
Oh, hell yes.
The Bouncer pulls a chrome Desert Eagle from under his jacket
and begins to move towards the fight like he's going to storm
Osama Bin Laden's bunker.
BOUNCER (CONT’D)
Everybody get down! Down!
Earn and Darius look at the fight, then at each other, then
to the door of the club. They book it towards the door.

INT. MOTHER CLUB - LOBBY - CONTINUOUS

Earn and Darius arrive in the main lobby of the Mother Club.
The Club is one massive two-floor space, and each floor is
dotted with doors leading to themed rooms. The entrances to
the rooms are all arches lit with vibrant LED light panels.
The lobby swirls around Earn as he surveys his surroundings,
overwhelmed by the sensory overload. Pulsing lights and the
noises of the crowd mixed with bass-heavy music put him in a
momentary trance before he returns to reality.
He looks around for Darius, who is now lost to the crowd.
EARN
Dee!
Earn looks through the sea of partygoers. No sign of Darius.
EARN (CONT’D)
Darius!
The voice of a girl calls through the crowd:
 21.

GIRL (O.S.)
Earn!
Earn sees the girl, who is standing at the entrance to one of
the rooms. She waves him over. It's VAN.
VAN
Come on!
Van walks into the room, lit with a cool pink glow. Earn,
dazed, decides to follow her.

INT. MOTHER CLUB - LOVE ROOM - CONTINUOUS

Earn walks through the portal into the room. Loud music
blares over couples in various states of passion. Earn looks
around the room, searching for Van, but doesn't spot her. He
turns to leave.
VAN (O.S.)
Hey you!
She runs up to him.
VAN (CONT’D)
Where've you been? I've been
waiting for you.
EARN
What are you doing here? Where's
Lottie?
VAN
What?
Earn shouts over the music.
EARN
What are you doing here?
VAN
What are you doing here?
EARN
I'm looking the owner of the club,
I'm supposed to meet him.
VAN
Oh! He's up.
Van points her finger towards the ceiling.
 22.

VAN (CONT’D)
Up.
Earn tries to figure this out:
EARN
Are you really here right now?
VAN
Do you want me to be?
She takes his hand.
VAN (CONT’D)
Do you want my love?
EARN
What?
VAN
Love! Don't you want my love?
EARN
Uh... We broke up. Remember?
VAN
What?
Earn shouts over the music again.
EARN
We broke up!
Van looks upon him with pity.
VAN
You and Van broke up? That's so
sad!
EARN
What are you talking about?
A loud POP cracks from outside the room. Earn turns for a
moment to check.
EARN (CONT’D)
Did you hear that?
Earn turns back, but Van is gone. He looks around the room
one last time, then backs out quietly.
 23.

EXT. APARTMENT BUILDING - NIGHT

Al steps outside, wearing a pair of his new shoes. He paces
in place for a moment, stretching his calves and lifting his
knees perfunctorily. He takes a deep breath, then begins to
jog down the street.
After jogging for a moment, he stops and tightens his
shoelaces. He stands, looking around the neighborhood and the
street lamps. After another deep breath, he begins jogging
again.
Headlights shine in the distance, far behind him. He
continues to jog as the lights become closer, narrowing. He
notices and slows his pace, moving to the side. The car pulls
up next to him and a TEEN pops his head out of the passenger
window.
TEEN
Keep running, fatass!
The Teen throws a milkshake, splattering it all over Al. The
car speeds off.
Al, covered in shitty franchise fast-food milkshake, stands
in place. He looks down at his new shoes...covered in
chocolate. He screams:
AL
Fuck!
Al takes a beat to try and clean the gunk off. He turns
towards the apartments and begins to walk back.

INT. MOTHER CLUB - LOBBY - NIGHT

Darius sifts through the crowd, enjoying the atmosphere. He
nods and vibes with various other revelers, then notices a
weird sound. It's the sounds of crying. He's alarmed, yet
intrigued. He moves towards the source of the noise.
As Darius continues, the cries become louder and stronger.
The sound of the wailing becomes almost comically
exaggerated, until he reaches one of the rooms, when it stops
entirely. Darius enters...

INT. MOTHER CLUB - MOURNING ROOM - CONTINUOUS

...A suspiciously well-lit room. The ceiling and walls are
painted blue and the floor is painted green, like if a
daycare had a "cemetery" room.
 24.

People dressed in funeral clothes stand in place, sobbing.

Darius approaches a blubbering PARTY MOURNER #1.
DARIUS
Hello.
PARTY MOURNER #1
Hello.
DARIUS
What is this?
PARTY MOURNER #1
Can't you tell?
The cries around Darius grow louder.
PARTY MOURNER #1 (CONT’D)
How can't you tell?
Darius, afraid, moves to the exit. He tries to take the edge
off:
DARIUS
(nervous smile)
Damn, I thought this was a party.
PARTY MOURNER #1
(furious)
How can you not know?!
The cries of the mourning party begin to turn to angry shouts
and screams. They corner Darius, blocking his exit.

INT. MOTHER CLUB - SECOND FLOOR - NIGHT

Earn has finally made his way upstairs. He passes various
rooms as he heads towards a large door in the center of the
second floor. Judging by the size of the door and the lack of
LED panels, he can tell that this one is special.
He stops. A nearby room is playing a song. Earn listens. Is
that...? He looks toward the Main Door again, but decides to
investigate this first.

INT. MOTHER CLUB - LISTENING ROOM - CONTINUOUS

Earn enters the room. It's filled with partygoers listening
to the song, nodding their heads along to it. Earn approaches
one of them, PARTY GIRL.
 25.

EARN
Hey. Excuse me, what is this?
PARTY GIRL
This is Paperboi.
Earn listens for a moment to confirm.
EARN
Yeah, no. This isn't Paperboi. I've
never heard this beat before. Or
these words.
PARTY GIRL
(snooty)
Uh, yes, it definitely is Paperboi.
EARN grabs another nearby stranger, PARTY GUY.
EARN
Excuse me. Whose song is this?
PARTY GUY
This is Paperboi.
EARN
(flustered)
No, that's not possible.
Paperboi says his own name in the song.
EARN (CONT’D)
Okay, this doesn't make any sense.
I'm his manager. Who's playing
this? Where's this coming from?
PARTY GIRL
You're Paperboi's manager?
(scoffs)
That's not possible. I'm his
manager.
EARN
What?
PARTY GUY
I'm Paperboi's manager.
EARN
The fuck is wrong with y'all?
Various partygoers begin to say the same thing to each other,
rising in tone, until the whole room breaks out into a fight.
 26.

EARN (CONT’D)
Yo, yo! Stop!
Earn dodges blows and tackles until he reaches the door and
leaves.

INT. MOTHER CLUB - SECOND FLOOR - CONTINUOUS

Earn re-enters the second floor of the lobby and rests his
head on the wall, exhausted. He glances at the Main Door,
takes a deep breath, and makes his way over.
He raises his fist to knock before the door opens on its own.

INT. MOTHER CLUB - DADDY'S ROOM - NIGHT

Earn peers into the room, a garish lounge of green marble
that looks like it was designed by conflicting tastes. He
gently shuts the door behind him. A voice calls out:
VOICE (O.S.)
Earn? Is that you?

INT. MOTHER CLUB - MOURNING ROOM - NIGHT

Darius calmly moves through the crowd of PARTY MOURNERS,
careful not to irritate them. They surround him regardless of
his intent.
DARIUS
Listen, if one of y'all could just
let me out of here...
PARTY MOURNER #2
Why would you want to leave?
DARIUS
Because my friend needs me.
PARTY MOURNER #1
We need you. You can't leave.
DARIUS
Yo, what are you talking about?
Seriously. This is...
Darius' eyes drift towards the center of the room, where he
sees a casket with the lid open.
 27.

He slowly approaches and looks inside. He sees a pair of

legs: the wrong side of the casket is open. He lifts the
other half and sees...AL, dead, at peace.
PARTY MOURNER #2
You came for us!
Darius slams the lid, trying and failing to keep his
composure.
DARIUS
Okay. Look, I know you guys
probably have a reason for doing
this, like a prank video or
experiment or something, but I'm
uh...I'm not really feeling it
right now.
PARTY MOURNER #3
Leave that open.
DARIUS
No.
PARTY MOURNER #1
What do you care?
DARIUS
Because that's my friend, man!
PARTY MOURNER #2
What?
The Mourners storm to Darius and re-open the casket.
DARIUS
No, man! Don't!
Darius covers his eyes, but his arms are pulled down by one
of the Mourners. He looks in the casket and sees his own
figure as an embalmed corpse. Horrified, he backs away. The
Mourner's cries grow louder.
END ACT II
 28.

ACT III

INT. MOTHER CLUB - DADDY'S ROOM - NIGHT

Earn sits at a long, dimly lit table in the quiet chamber of
CLUB MAN (think Paul Williams or James Brown) sitting across
from him.
CLUB MAN
Thank you for coming tonight.
EARN
You own this place?
CLUB MAN
I do. I'm Daddy, but you can call
me Club Man.
EARN
"Daddy?"
CLUB MAN
"Club Man." That's what they call
me. It's stuck for some time.
EARN
What's your real name?
CLUB MAN
It's Daddy.
Club Man laughs. Earn nervously fidgets in his seat.
CLUB MAN (CONT’D)
Can I get you anything? A water?
Scotch? Both?
EARN
No, thank you.
CLUB MAN
Shit, suit yourself.
Club Man picks up the glass in front of him and takes a sip.
CLUB MAN (CONT’D)
So you work for Alfred?
EARN
Yeah. Sort of. I'm his manager.
(beat)
We grew up together.
 29.

CLUB MAN
Oh, I know all about that. You're
cousins.
EARN
Yeah. How did you know-
CLUB MAN
(philosophical)
What is it about cousins?
EARN
(clueless)
What?
CLUB MAN
I have cousins. Or...I had them. I
don't even know anymore. That's how
little cousins mean to me. They're
just...superfluous.
EARN
Well, Al and I aren't like that.
Really, we're more like brothers.
CLUB MAN
So why didn't you just say that to
begin with?
Earn dwells on this for a second.
EARN
Because he's not really my brother.
CLUB MAN
Right.
An awkward silence.
EARN
Um...can I get that water?
CLUB MAN
(curt)
No, you may not. You had your
chance.
Earn shifts in his seat, trying to maintain a certain
coolness.
CLUB MAN (CONT’D)
Do you know what I mean when I say
that?
 30.

EARN
About what? My chance?
CLUB MAN
Yes.
Club Man takes another sip of his drink. Clinks the ice
around in the glass.
CLUB MAN (CONT’D)
Why did you come here tonight,
Earn?
EARN
Because I was supposed to.
CLUB MAN
According to who?
EARN
Mark.
CLUB MAN
Mark? Mark who?
EARN
Mark... Mark. I don't know his last
name. Mark.
CLUB MAN
(chuckling)
Well, I know a lot of Marks, kid.
You need to be more specific.
Earn sighs.
EARN
Can I ask you something?
CLUB MAN
Sure.
EARN
Something like...unrelated, or
whatever, to this topic?
CLUB MAN
Hit me, kid.
EARN
You started this club?
Club Man smiles. He loves being recognized.
 31.

CLUB MAN
Boy, I started the club.
EARN
Why isn't it...fun?
Club Man laughs.
CLUB MAN
It's not fun for you?
Earn doesn't know what's funny about this.
EARN
Nah. Not really. It's kind of
spooky.
CLUB MAN
Everyone who comes to this place
sees what they want to see. It's
just like any other club, just not
as...diluted.
EARN
So what am I supposed to see?
CLUB MAN
Shit, you gotta figure that out for
yourself. I still haven't heard you
tell me why you're here to begin
with.
EARN
I came here to be vetted, I guess.
For Paperboi. Al.
CLUB MAN
Your cousin. Your family.
EARN
Yeah.
CLUB MAN
You don't think you've done enough
to be vetted? To prove yourself?
Earn thinks.
EARN
I don't think this is about just
me.
 32.

CLUB MAN
(smiling)
Explain.
EARN
I came here for us. I want to prove
that I'm as much a part of this as
he is.
CLUB MAN
Are you?
EARN
Of course.
CLUB MAN
Do you really want to be?
Earn doesn't know how to respond to that. He honestly wasn't
expecting it.
CLUB MAN (CONT’D)
Do you want this life? The constant
pressure, the late nights? The
loneliness? Never getting any
credit? All Paperboi does is
perform, and no one knows your
name. Just his.
EARN
Yeah, but that's how it is in this
business, right? The best managers
put in the most work.
CLUB MAN
They have passion, too. I look at
you, what you've been doing for Al,
and I just see...burnout. You're
tired. Depleted.
He leans in to hit Earn with:
CLUB MAN (CONT’D)
You don't even know anymore, do
you?
Earn lets this sink in, staring at the table.
CLUB MAN (CONT’D)
You don't even know if you want
this anymore, and I'm here to tell
you...that it’s okay.
Earn's face twitches as he thinks.
 33.

CLUB MAN (CONT’D)
No one said you had to do this. No
one said you had to stick up for
your cousin while he's laying
around his apartment all day.
EARN
He works just as hard as me.
CLUB MAN
What's he doing right now? And what
are you doing right now? You're
sticking up for him while he enjoys
the fruits of your labor. You can
walk away from all of this, Earn.
There's a life you can build
without it. Something for yourself.
Earn stays put, then finally looks up from the table to
Daddy. A decision's been made.

INT. MOTHER CLUB - LOBBY - NIGHT

Darius stands near the entrance, a drink trembling in his
hand and a thousand-yard-stare on his face. Earn approaches.
EARN
Hey, You good?
Darius doesn't blink. Earn taps his shoulder.
EARN (CONT’D)
Darius.
Darius snaps into the present and sees Earn. He hugs him,
holding him tight.
EARN (CONT’D)
Whoa!
Earn doesn't know what to do, except hug him back.

EXT. MOTHER CLUB - ENTRANCE - NIGHT

Darius and Earn walk out of the club.
DARIUS
I don't know what to say. I had an
experience in there, man, like
mortality-level shit.
 34.

EARN
You talk about death all the time.
You had a podcast about it.
DARIUS
I know, but this was on some other
other shit. What happened to you?
Did you find what you needed?
EARN
Yeah, I'm good. Hold on.
Earn pulls his phone from his pocket.
DARIUS
If you're calling a ride, can you
make sure it's not the same dude
from before?
Earn smiles. For the first time tonight, he's relaxed.
EARN
Yeah, I'll get it now.
(taps phone)
Ah, shit!
DARIUS
What?
EARN
I forgot to get the wifi in there,
man. I need to check my messages.
DARIUS
Try guessing the password.
Earn types on the phone.
DARIUS (CONT’D)
Try one, two, three, four.
EARN
I'm not trying that. It's a wifi
password, it's not a PIN number.
Earn and Darius look up as a car pulls up and honks, with Van
behind the wheel.
VAN
Hey. Hope I'm not late.
EARN
Van?
 35.

Earn looks at Darius, who shrugs. Don't look at me.

INT. AL'S APARTMENT - LIVING ROOM - NIGHT

Al cackles to himself as he sits on his couch, still in his
workout clothes. He looks at his phone, with Earn's Facebook
login, as he sees the message he sent Van:
"Can you come pick me and Darius up? We're scared."
As he laughs at his handiwork, he sees a notification on the
phone, from Mark:
"Boss spoke. All good. See you at the showcase."
He smirks, then winces at the next notification from Mark:
"Remember: don't do it for him. Do it for you."
Al looks up from his phone, then looks outside.

INT. VAN’S CAR - NIGHT - TRAVELING

Darius and Earn sit in Van's car - Earn up front, Darius in
the back. Earn looks at messages on Van's phone.
EARN
Yo, not cool. I didn't send these.
Al must be messing around with my
messages.
VAN
Well, you're here now. And you both
look about as scared as he said you
were.
DARIUS
You should have seen this place,
Van.
EARN
Where's Lottie?
VAN
She's with my mom. Why?
Earn stares at Van, thinking. She laughs, a little
uncomfortable.
VAN (CONT’D)
You look like you've seen a ghost.
EARN
Yeah. It's been a long night. A
weird night.
(MORE)
 36.
EARN (CONT’D)
(beat)
Damn, I hope...Can I check my
messages on this real quick?
Van nods. Earn continues scrolling. Stops. A tiny smile pokes
from the corner of his mouth. He looks up, and squints.
EARN (CONT’D)
Yo, hold up.
The car slows and Earn rolls his window down, spotting Al
jogging down the street. Earn shouts to him:
EARN (CONT’D)
Paperboi! Alfred!
Al stops. He's sweaty, heaving and wary of another milkshake
throw, until he sees Earn.
AL
(playing it cool)
What's up?
EARN
Nothing.
(beat)
You went through my stuff.
AL
Yeah. I know I did. All good?
Earn smiles.
EARN
Yeah, man. All good.
Earn and Al stare at each other, silently daring the other to
say something.
VAN
So are we going, or staying, or...?
AL
Man, let me in.
Al opens the backseat door and slides in next to Darius.
DARIUS
How was the workout?
AL
Fine, man. Did about two miles or
something.
 37.

DARIUS
It's good you got out, man. I'm
glad you're here.
AL
Man, what? What happened to y'all
at that party? Why are you acting
so weird?
DARIUS
We'll tell you about it at home.
EARN
(realizing)
I don't think I've eaten today.
VAN
You don't think?
A beat as Earn thinks.
EARN
Nah. I haven't.
VAN
Well, I could eat.
DARIUS
Yeah, me too. I got the weirdest
craving for a milkshake just now.
Al throws his head back. He would say that.
AL
Earn and I know a place.
END OF SHOW