Copyright © 1992 by Lisa C. Heyden
VALENTINES FADE IN: INT. CORRIDOR - DAY - MED SHOT - NICK... ...a solitary figure in a suit, hat and coat with a briefcase as he walks toward us down the corridor of a corporate office building. INT. CORRIDOR - DAY - MED SHOT - NICK Nick is walking away from us. His body is almost in sillouette. EXT. CITY STREET - DAY - MED SHOT - NICK... as he is walking down the street away from us. The street is unusually empty. He stops to check out a window, shades his eyes as he looks in. EXT. CITY STREET - DAY - CLOSE ON NICK AS HE SHADES HIS EYES RETURN TO SCENE This is sort of reminiscent of Wild Strawberries. The deserted street scene type look. (The one in the dream where there is the clock with no hands.) He moves on, walking slowly. INT. BAR - DAY - CLOSE ON NICK As he enters the bar. The bar is unusually empty as well. LONG SHOT - ZACK A bum sitting in the darkness of the far corner of the bar. A cigarette hangs from his mouth. CLOSE SHOT Nick as he spots Zack immediately. Nick takes a puff of his cigarette and drops it. CLOSE SHOT Zack as he tips his hat and smiles with the cigarette hanging out of his teeth. LONG SHOT Nick goes to the bar and orders a drink. Nick grabs his drink and sits across from Zack. CLOSE SHOT - NICK He puts a cigarette into his mouth and requests a light from Zack with a nod of his head. CLOSE SHOT - ZACK Zack obliges. MED. SHOT They sit and smoke for a few moments. CLOSE SHOT - ZACK ZACK Lost yer job, didja. CLOSE SHOT- NICK Nick nods. CLOSE SHOT - ZACK He takes a puff. ZACK Yeah, those were the days. Have you told the old lady yet? CLOSE SHOT - NICK Nick blows some smoke out of his mouth. Pause. NICK Not yet. I?m on my way home, now. ZACK Yeah, I can see that. Zack laughs a smokey laugh. Pause. LONG SHOT The two sit and smoke for a while. MED. LONG SHOT Nick puts out his cigarette and leaves the bar. EXT. CITY STREET - DAY - LONG SHOT - NICK Nick walks along the street, which is still unusually empty. He moves away from us. INT. ABBY'S HOUSE - BEDROOM - DAY - MED. SHOT - ABBY AND TODD A woman and a man are in bed and going at it good. The woman is somewhat older than the man. ABBY and TODD. Abby is on top at first. They roll over. CLOSE SHOT - ABBY AND TODD She strokes his face. ABBY You have the most beautiful eyes. You know that? She continues to stroke his cheek, but he bends down and kisses her neck suddenly. Perhaps a little clumsily. ABBY Oh.... hold on... But she laughs. They roll over. Abby laughs and they wrestle somewhat. They roll over again. Abby is laughing and stroking the young man's face. She brushes the hair from his eyes. A door in the next room slams. The woman gasps and sits up suddenly. MED. LONG SHOT Abby is sitting up in bed, listening. Todd continues to kiss her. She shushes him and listens. LONG SHOT Still quiet, listening. INT. ABBY'S HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - DAY - MED. LONG SHOT Nick has just entered his house. He tosses his briefcase and takes his coat off. He is smoking, and must shift the cigarette from one hand to the other. He sits with a thud on a soft leather chair, crosses his legs and takes a puff. Pause. A CREAK is heard from a door O.C. MED. LONG SHOT - ABBY Abby has just entered the room. She is standing in a bathrobe just outside the bedroom door. Pause. MED. LONG SHOT - NICK - ABBY'S POV Nick sits in the chair, puffing. MED. SHOT - ABBY She begins to walk towards him. MED. SHOT - ON NICK As Abby comes toward him. She stands near him. Her back to us. He looks up at her and offers the cigarette to her. CLOSE SHOT - ABBY She takes the cigarette and puffs. Pause. She blows the smoke out of her mouth as if it feels really good. MED. SHOT - ABBY It's almost as if she has just come back to life after her puff on the cigarette. ABBY You?re home early. Is this a new thing or something? CLOSE SHOT - NICK Nick just blinks. He leans forward to accept the cigarette back from her O.C. Pause. He puffs. He looks up at her. NICK Nah. It's nothing new. Nothing's new. Same old shit. CLOSE SHOT - ABBY Abby turns away and sits down. ABBY So, what do you wanna do? CLOSE SHOT NICK He watches her sit down. CLOSE ON ABBY She looks at him for an answer. CLOSE ON NICK NICK I don?t know. Pause. TWO SHOT - ABBY AND NICK CLOSE ON ABBY ABBY You wanna move out of here, huh. CLOSE ON NICK He's looking a bit uncomfortable. Shifts in his seat. NICK Yeah... It's a bad scene. Maybe I'll try a new line of work. ABBY Again? NICK Something, you know, something that allows me to travel. CLOSE ON ABBY She nods in approval. ABBY Where do you want to go? CLOSE ON NICK NICK Ah, I don?t know. It doesn?t matter. CLOSE ON ABBY Long pause. ABBY How long you think you'll be gone? TWO SHOT - ABBY AND NICK NICK It's difficult to say. A year or so? ABBY It sounds like it might be a good idea. Have a little time away. Who knows, get frequent flyer benefits. Hmmm? Abby's attempt at levity. NICK You think it's a good idea? ABBY I think so. NICK What?re you gonna do? ABBY I need a change of pace. I think I need some fresh blood. NICK You got it, baby. Nick begins to get up. CLOSE SHOT - ABBY She's thinking how true it is as she says... ABBY I do. MED. CLOSE SHOT - NICK Nick gets up. (perhaps a little backlighting on this might help the effect) He puts his coat and hat on, grabs his briefcase and is about to leave. He doubles back to give her the rest of his cigarette. CLOSE SHOT - ABBY Nick walks into the frame. He gives the rest of his cigarette to Abby. She takes it and watches as he leaves. The door slams. ABBY Goodbye, Nick. INT. APARTMENT BUILDING/HALLWAY - DAY - LONG SHOT We HEAR MUSIC blasting and filling the entire hallway. It is some kind of headbanger stuff. A door opens in the hallway and JANE exits. She crosses the hallway and bangs on a door. JANE I told you to turn that shit down. Turn it down! Turn it down, fer chrissake. CLOSE SHOT Over Jane's shoulder as she bangs on the door. The door opens and JASON stares out at her. RETURN TO PREVIOUS SHOT They stare at one another menacingly. She finally begins to turn away and mutters under her breath. JANE Little fuck... Jason watches her for a moment, and as soon as her back is turned he slams the door. She turns around quickly. Looks at the door and mutters something else unintelligible. She enters her apartment and slams the door. The music stops. Another door opens in the hallway and a dwarf with a cigar in his mouth crosses over and enters a different room across the hall. He slams the door. Long pause. Someone is stumbling up the stairs. Zack, with a cigarette hanging out of his mouth. He climbs for a moment, then stops to rest. Zack finishes the climb, takes a breath, then a puff and makes his way down the hallway. He stops at room 4A. Takes another brief rest. A puff. He knocks on the door. There's no answer. So Zack nonchalantly opens the door and enters. He slams the door. INT. JULIA'S APARTMENT - DAY - MED. SHOT - ZACK Zack walks into the room. The TV is on. He wanders around the room a minute. Peers out the window. INT. APARTMENT BUILDING /HALLWAY - DAY - LONG SHOT A LANDLADY can be heard from the stairs. She is leading a new tenant to his room. THE LANDLADY Room 4B is empty. No pets. Clean up after yourself. A cat can be seen in the backround in the hall. He follows her down the hallway. She stops at room 4B. She swings open the door. INT. NICK'S APARTMENT - DAY - MED. SHOT We see the door swing open. Nick walks in. The landlady slams the door behind him. Nick turns around. Pause. He turns again to survey the room. INT. ZACK'S ROOM - DAY - MED. SHOT Zack is sitting in his chair smoking. He hears the door of the next apartment slam. He turns in the direction of the sound. He turns back. He puffs. Suddenly the door opens. MED. SHOT JULIA enters. She has a package of groceries in her hands. She moves the package from her line of view and sees Zack. Pause. JULIA Zack. What?re you doing here? ZACK I live here. JULIA Well, besides that. ZACK Ah, I was hanging out at the bar and I thought I?d come by and see how you was doin?. JULIA Same as always. Now get out. Julia heads for her kitchen. INSERT - CLOSE SHOT - ZACK ZACK I ain?t leaving. RETURN TO SHOT JULIA Look, I?m expecting somebody, okay? ZACK Who?re you expectin?? JULIA A man. ZACK Oh, Julia. A man? This is unexpected. JULIA Is it now, Zack. ZACK It is. I have to think about this. JULIA Why do you have to think about this? Just get out. Ye know? A girl needs some privacy. She can?t have her old bum coming in to check on her. ZACK I live here. JULIA You live here, and I pay the rent. Beat it. ZACK Listen, Julia. I need someplace to stay. You can?t just put me out on the street. JULIA Why? You?re already out there. ZACK C?mon... JULIA You come on Zack. I can?t have this shit any more. We broke up years ago, goddammit. Something hits the outside wall of the apartment. The two stop talking and look towards the wall. ZACK You still get that shit? JULIA All the time. There's a knock on the door. Julia goes to open it. The man seen previously in bed with Nick's wife, Todd, is there. He is a longhair. Very young and looking somewhat innocent. JULIA Oh, gosh. What now, baby? EXT. A PARKING LOT - DUSK - LONG SHOT Zack is standing on a crate and shuffling through a dumpster. Behind him is Todd. CLOSE SHOT - ON ZACK (A kind of OTS shot, we see a bit of Todd in the shot.) His back is to us as he shuffles through the garbage. He pulls out various pieces of garbage and looks at them. Some he throws back. (Get cutaways of Zack looking at the garbage. Close ups.) Pause. ZACK Now listen kid. There's a right way and a wrong way to go about this. Zack turns around and hands something to Todd. ZACK Here, hold that. He goes back to digging. ZACK What's her name? Joyce? Jennifer? What is it? CLOSE SHOT - TODD TODD Abby. It doesn?t matter. BACK TO PREVIOUS SHOT ZACK Sure, sure it matters. How long you know, you been doin? her? TODD Too long. Zack throws away an item and gets down from the dumpster. CLOSE SHOT - ZACK AND TODD He walks forward and sifts through garbage on the ground. Todd follows. ZACK You?re too young for it to be too long. She's married, eh? Zack begins to build a pile for his campfire. He holds his cigarette in his mouth and picks up some items that he decides to keep. He hands something to Todd. Pockets something else. CLOSE SHOT - ZACK Zack sits himself on a crate and puffs. TODD Well, her husband just left. He went somewhere. She thinks he left the country. ZACK That means he's probably around the corner someplace, now lissen to me, kid. CLOSE SHOT - ON ZACK He leans forward to begin the fire. ZACK Now, where's this woman live? TWO SHOT TODD Why, man. You want her for yourself. CLOSE SHOT - ZACK Zack turns to Todd. ZACK C?mon kid. What kind of a bum you think I am? CLOSE SHOT - TODD Todd looks at Zack blankly. TODD She don?t live around here. He blinks. TWO SHOT Zack is building his fire. ZACK So, if the husband's out of the picture then what's the problem? Eh? TODD There's no problem, man. Todd sits on a crate. Zack looks up, annoyed. ZACK Then what do you come running to my old lady for? CLOSE ON TODD TODD Your old lady? You?re screwing Julia? Pause. ON ZACK ZACK Man, it's not like that. Watch what you say about Julia. TWO SHOT TODD It's not Julia. I just don?t believe you. I don?t believe Julia would want you. Zack takes the cigarette out of his mouth and gestures. ZACK Aw, now, that's low, kid. That's real low. TODD Well, I don?t mean any disrespect. It's just that Julia likes a different kind of person. Zack begins to squint at the kid like he suspects something. ZACK Like you maybe? Zack pushes Todd. ZACK You just better watch it, Todd. Shit. CLOSE SHOT - TODD Todd blinks. TODD Hey man, take it easy, I?m not after your old lady. TWO SHOT Pause. Zack shifts and puffs. ZACK Shit. TODD She just gives me some advice, sometimes. S?nothin? to worry about. Don?t worry about it, man. LONG SHOT The two of them at the campsite. INT. NICK'S APARTMENT - DUSK Nick is sitting in the same chair he was in before. He puffs. He gets up. MED. CLOSE SHOT - NICK As he comes to the window. INSERT - FROM ABOVE Todd and Zack from above the height of 4 stories. RETURN TO SHOT Nick takes a puff and leaves the window. MED. SHOT Nick returns to his seat. As he sits there is a LOUD BANG on the outside wall. He looks up briefly and sits. INT. JULIA'S APARTMENT - MORNING - LONG SHOT Julia is up and making coffee in the kitchen. Zack and Todd are asleep on the floor. Something hits the wall. Zack wakes with a start. Todd, however, sleeps through it. Zack notices this and pushes Todd awake. TODD Huh? Oh. JULIA Okay guys, lets go. She tugs on Todd to get him up off the floor. There is a knock on the door and she lets go of him. He falls back down and curls up again, asleep. Julia opens the door. INT. DOORWAY MED. SHOT - BERNARDO BERNARDO, the dwarf, stands there. BERNARDO So sorry, may I have a cup of sugar? Music begins to blare from the apartment next door. INT. NICK'S APARTMENT - LONG SHOT - NICK Nick is wandering around his apartment. MED. SHOT IN MIRROR He's already dressed and is just fixing his tie. He looks at himself in a mirror and throws off the tie. LONG SHOT He pours himself a cup of coffee. Music begins blaring. CLOSE SHOT He blinks. EXT. CITY STREET - DAY - LONG SHOT Nick is wandering about on a busy street with dark sunglasses on. He walks for some time past noisy traffic. Jason can be seen in the frame. Jane, who lives across the hall, is also in the frame. They are not together. MED. SHOT Nick continues to look in windows. He spots some jewelry and moves in for a closer look. He looks at his reflection for a second and then puts his face to the glass and shades his eyes from the glare. He decides to travel on. A woman is walking towards the next store. It's Abby. Nick sees her just in time to hide himself behind a pole. He sneaks a look from behind the pole. Abby has entered the store. Nick doesn?t see her anymore. He moves to the window and peeks. INSERT - ABBY THROUGH THE WINDOW He sees Abby and pulls back. RETURN TO SHOT He tiptoes away. EXT. CITY STREET - DUSK LONG SHOT Nick is still walking around. His shirt is open. The traffic is dying down. He crosses the street to the apartment building. The girl from across the hall is returning as well. She enters just before Nick. INT. STAIRWELL They walk up the stairs together in silence. INT. HALLWAY LONG SHOT The girl enters her apartment and slams the door. Nick enters his apartment and slams the door. The hallway is empty for a few moments. Finally a figure can be seen coming up the stairs. The headbanger. He enters his apartment and slams the door. A few moments pass in silence. Music begins blaring from the headbanger's room. INT. JULIA'S APARTMENT Julia is cooking in the kitchen. Long pause. Something hits the wall. Julia acts as if she didn?t notice it at all. She continues stirring something in a pot. The music stops. EXT. THE CAMPSITE - POV JULIA'S WINDOW AERIAL SHOT (MOS) Todd and Zack are sitting on crates around a mini campfire they?ve built in a can. Nick joins them. He walks up from outside of the frame. They offer him a cigarette and a carton to sit on. EXT. CAMPSITE CLOSE SHOT - NICK Nick takes a puff. NICK Yeah... so.... Nick blows smoke upwards. Pause on him. CLOSE SHOT - ZACK He has a cigarette, too. He blows smoke out of his mouth. Maybe he makes a smoke ring. ZACK It's like that sometimes. (long pause) Been to see the old lady? CLOSE SHOT - NICK NICK Nah. She doesn?t know where I am. She thinks I?m outa town. CLOSE SHOT - TODD He looks sleepy and bored. ZACK Yeah, outa town. (pause) Frisco? NICK No, more like.... Italy. I don?t know. CLOSE SHOT - TODD - Reaction He looks bored. Doesn?t suspect a thing. ZACK Italiano. Eh? Cigarette hanging out of his mouth, Zack reaches for a bottle. Takes a swig and pumps up the flame in the garbage can. THREE SHOT ZACK It's a good thing. NICK Yeah... Todd suddenly comes to life. Like he's been daydreaming. Now, still bored, he wants to get in on the conversation. He doesn?t susupect anything at all. Maybe we do. I don?t know. TODD Having trouble with your old lady are you? That's funny. Zack is, too. ZACK Don?t listen to the kid. He's the one with the troubles, not me. TODD I have no troubles. ZACK You don?t think so. TODD No. ZACK Take it from me, the kid has latent troubles. CLOSE SHOT - TODD TODD I don?t have any troubles. ZACK Listen, kid. When you have a few more years you can tell me about it, okay? You don?t know nothing kid. THREE SHOT TODD I know. So what's this trouble? NICK It's no trouble. ZACK We all have trouble some time. TODD I don?t have trouble. ZACK You?re a wise ass, kid. You have trouble. CLOSE SHOT - TODD TODD I don?t have trouble. ZACK Yeah, yeah, yeah... I should be inside watching the ballgame. Instead I?m out here schmoozing with you, you got trouble, kid. TODD I don?t have trouble. You have trouble, Zack. Don?t blame this shit on me. ZACK What trouble? This scrawny, frizzy haired kid? Trouble? MED. SHOT - ALL Everybody just sighs. Zack puffs. Everybody's quiet for a moment. ZACK Yeah.... Ah... nothing like a smoke by the campfire on a mid-winter night. Everyone breathes deep, very long pause. EXT. CAMPSITE - POV JULIA'S WINDOW (MOS) Zack gets up and begins to leave the site. He walks out of frame. Nick and Todd continue to smoke and talk. INT. JULIA'S APARTMENT Julia is lying on the couch half asleep. The door creaks open. Zack enters. ZACK Hey baby. JULIA Hey Zack. CLOSE SHOT - JULIA Zack can be heard closing the door. The light goes out. He lays down with her on the couch. JULIA Zack! She laughs. He kisses her. JULIA Well... you?re feeling amorous tonight. What happened? ZACK Don?t ask questions, baby. He kisses her again. They laugh and wrestle. INT. ABBY'S HOUSE MED. SHOT Abby is in her bed with a book. She puts down the book a minute and thinks. She gets out of bed and turns off the light. CLOSE SHOT - ABBY She raises the shade and looks out onto the street. INSERT -EXT. STREET FROM THE WINDOW - NIGHT The spot in front of the house is empty. RETURN TO SHOT MED. SHOT Abby sighs. Leaves the shade up and gets into bed. She turns on her side and settles down, tugging at the covers. EXT. CAMPSITE - POV JULIA'S WINDOW Todd and Nick are still talking. Pause. Todd gets up and leaves the frame. Nick remains. Pause. EXT. CITY STREET - MORNING LONG SHOT Nick from a distance looking in windows. MED. SHOT - NICK Looking in window. INT. ABBY'S HOUSE- FRONT DOOR WINDOW Todd is looking in. Abby spots him while she's on the phone and opens the door for him. ABBY Yeah, we'll work on it. I don?t know if I can get away just now... maybe in a couple of weeks. Yeah... let me go... I?ve got someone here. Okay, bye. CLOSE SHOT - ABBY She puts the phone down and turns around quickly, happily. ABBY Okay, where?re we going? TODD To bed. He lifts her up. She laughs. INT. JULIA'S APARTMENT - NEXT DAY MED. SHOT There is a knock on the door. Julia answers. Todd walks in. JULIA Well, good morning to you. He walks past her. CLOSE SHOT - TODD He plops himself down immediately in the chair. JULIA Okay, what is it. He just sits like he's not going to tell her. JULIA C?mon. You want to tell me. TODD I don?t know. JULIA That's a start. What don?t you know? TODD About Abby. JULIA I guessed as much. What? TODD I don?t know if I love her. JULIA That you care shows improvement, Todd. Maybe you do. TODD I don?t know. JULIA What is it? TODD I don?t know. Julia shakes her head with a ?they?re all the same? sigh. JULIA I think you have a case of the ?I?ve got her now what do I do with her? syndrome. TODD You think? JULIA Yes. TODD Okay. Zack breaks through the door at about this time. He rushes up to Julia with some flowers and kneels at her feet. He smiles wide with the cigar in his mouth. She looks at him deadpan. And blinks. JULIA Why, Zack... A knock comes at the open door and there stands Nick. Zack stands momentarily, takes a puff and is seated in a chair opposite both Julia and Todd. NICK Mind if I.... JULIA Not at all. She sniffs at her flowers seeming suddenly genuinely touched. JULIA There's some breakfast on the table if you?re hungry. Something hits the wall loudly from the outside. There is a long pause as Nick silently shifts through some food on the table. Todd stares into space. Zack smokes. Julia sniffs her flowers. INT. A LOBBY SOMEWHERE - DAY Nick is wandering around the lobby in dark sunglasses. He appears to be looking at something on a wall. We notice however that he is sneaking looks in another direction. Abby can be seen leaving the building with some friends. He takes the glasses off momentarily, then turns back around away from her. He exits the building. EXT. CITY STREET - DAY Nick walks across the street. We see the apartment building before him. INT. BUILDING - STAIRCASE - DAY Nick walks up the stairs. INT. BUILDING - LANDING - DAY Nick enters his room and slams the door. There is a pause. A door opens and the midget crosses the hall with a bouquet. He knocks on the door across the hall, next to Nick's, and is let in. There is a cat in the hallway. CAT Meow. INT. JULIA'S APARTMENT - DAY Julia is cutting her flowers and whistling as she talks to Todd who is seated on her couch. Julia is happy. Todd doesn?t look so happy. TODD You?re happy today. JULIA I guess I am, yeah. TODD I?d never?ve guessed, you and Zack. JULIA No? Why not? TODD I don?t know.... You?re just... I don?t know. JULIA Oh, don?t stop now, Todd. You were getting so much better. TODD I know, I know, just give me a minute. Pause. JULIA Yes? TODD It's just that.... You?re so pretty and he's.... Julia smiles at that. JULIA Oh... well.... Who do you think would better suit me? Eh? TODD I don?t know. JULIA Ah, well. I love Zack.... I always have. I guess I just had to wait for him to grow up. You'll grow up, too. TODD Yeah.... JULIA So, how's your married woman. TODD I don?t know. JULIA Time will tell. She continues to whistle and rearrange her flowers. INT. NICK'S APARTMENT - DAY Nick is standing over the phone. He looks at the receiver. Places his hand over the receiver. Stops. Looks around. Puts his hand on the receiver again. Picks up the phone and makes a call. It rings three times. There's a click. Nick panics and hangs up before he can hear the voice. NICK Shit! He picks up the receiver again. And dials. It rings. Someone picks it up. ABBY Hello? Nick almost hangs up, but decides he wants to listen. ABBY Hello? Hello. Click. INT. STORE - DAY Zack is looking for a present of some kind. It's Valentine's day. He picks up a box of chocolates. Checks out the price. Puts ?em back. Picks up something else and gets on line. The midget is on line ahead of him. He buys some chocolates. He's rung up and leaves before Zack.. Zack doesn?t notice him. EXT. CAMPSITE - NIGHT Zack, Todd and Nick are all sitting around the campsite. Zack and Nick are smoking. There is a long pause. ZACK Well...I?m going. EXT. JULIA'S WINDOW - CAMPSITE - NIGHT Everyone gets up to leave. INT. JULIA'S APARTMENT - NIGHT Julia is in her little kitchen, whistling and preparing a dinner. She is happy. INT. NICK'S APARTMENT - NIGHT The door opens and Nick enters. He takes his key out of the lock and closes the door behind him. He sits. INT. ABBY'S HOUSE - BEDROOM - NIGHT Abby is at home,in bed, staring at her TV with a drink in her hand. There is the sound of a doorbell, or a knock. She stares in the direction for a moment. Another knock. She finally gets up to answer it. INT. ABBY'S HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - NIGHT It's Todd. TODD Hey, Baby. He puts his arms around her, but she doesn?t return his hug. She's very distant and quiet. TODD Hi. ABBY Hi. She tries to hide it. ABBY I was just watching TV. You want a drink? TODD Nah, I?m okay. He's starting to catch on, but he doesn?t want to believe it. Things are very, very quiet. Abby sits on the bed and stares at the TV. Todd stands, watching her. ABBY Are you gonna sit down? TODD Uh... I don?t know. Todd never knows. He figures he'll give it a try. He sits next to her on the bed and strokes the hair from her face. She doesn?t return the affection. TODD So, what's on? ABBY Oh... She grabs the remote and click around. ABBY I was just flipping around. Long pause. Todd decides to get bold. He kisses her. She allows it - but gives nothing back. He strokes her hair from her face. She tries to put up enough of a front to make it look like she cares. She smiles at him and brushes a lock of hair from his face, but her whole attitude is a dead giveaway that she's feeling guilty. INT. JULIA'S APARTMENT - NIGHT She is preparing dinner. Zack comes in. ZACK Hey, baby. JULIA Zack! She wipes her hands and goes to him. He hugs her. JULIA I?ve got dinner ready for us. ZACK You did, I see. She strokes his face and kisses him. He kisses her back. She looks up at him lovingly. Strokes his face and kisses him again. JULIA I love you. These words bring a slight but noticeable change over Zack. He breaks away slowly trying not to be obvious. He lights a cigarette. ZACK So... What's for dinner, there eh? He goes to look in a pot. Julia's face has changed. She knows what's happened. She sighs. JULIA (sadly) Your favorite. ZACK Wow, hey... I?m just gonna run out and get a beer. Okay, babe? I'll be back. He kisses her goodbye and exits. She watches him go. INT. ABBY'S HOUSE - BEDROOM - NIGHT To save his pride, Todd gets up. TODD I?m gonna go for a walk, I think. ABBY Okay. She doesn?t protest. This hurts him. His face shows it a little. TODD I'll see you. ABBY Goodbye. He exits. She sits there watching the TV. INT. JULIA'S APARTMENT - NIGHT Julia sits on the couch. She flips the TV on with the remote. Her face is sad, but stoic. INT. ABBY'S HOUSE - NIGHT Abby goes to the door and opens it. It's Nick. They throw their arms around one another. INT. BAR - NIGHT Zack is at his usual table in the back. Todd comes in and sits across from him. INT. BAR ZACK You?re a man now. Todd sighs with a blank look. He eats a chip. Takes a swig. ZACK Yes, indeed. A man. TODD What happened, Zack? ZACK What happened, what happened. Ah, we all know what happened. She loves me. He takes a swig. INT. HALLWAY - NIGHT There is loud music blaring. A heavy workboot is tossed and hits the door of the headbanger's apartment. The music stops. EXT. POV JULIA'S WINDOW The campsite is empty. FADE OUT. THE END[ top ]