American Beauty Page #4

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ANGELA:

(warming)

Thanks.

CAROLYN:

(to Angela)

Nice to meet you, Angela.

(to Jane)

Honey, I'm so proud of you. I watched

you very closely, and you didn't

screw up once.

(then, to Lester)

Okay, we have to go.

She starts toward the parking lot. Lester stays behind.

LESTER:

So, what are you girls doing now?

JANE:

Dad.

ANGELA:

We're going out for pizza.

LESTER:

Oh really, do you need a ride? We

can give you a ride. I have a car.

You wanna come with us?

ANGELA:

Thanks... but I have a car.

LESTER:

Oh, you have a car. Oh. That's great!

That's great, because Janie's thinking

about getting a car soon too, aren't

you, honey?

JANE:

(you freak)

Dad. Mom's waiting for you.

LESTER:

Well, it was very nice meeting you,

Angela. Any, uh, friend of Janie's

is a friend of mine.

Angela smiles, aware of the power she has over him. He is

mesmerized; grateful, even.

LESTER:

Well... I'll be seeing you around

then.

Lester waves awkwardly as he crosses off.

JANE:

Could he be any more pathetic?

ANGELA:

I think it's sweet. And I think he

and your mother have not had sex in

a long time.

INT. BURNHAM HOUSE - MASTER BEDROOM - A FEW HOURS LATER

CLOSE on a solitary red ROSE PETAL as it falls slowly through

the air.

We're looking down on Lester and Carolyn in bed. Even in

sleep, Carolyn looks determined. Lester is awake and stares

up at us.

LESTER:

It's the weirdest thing.

The ROSE PETAL drifts into view, landing on his pillow.

LESTER:

I feel like I've been in a coma for

about twenty years, and I'm just now

waking up.

More ROSE PETALS fall onto the bed, and he smiles up at...

His POV:
Angela, naked, FLOATS above us as a deluge of ROSE

PETALS falls around her. Her hair fans out around her head

and GLOWS with a subtle, burnished light. She looks down at

us with a smile that is all things... Lester smiles back

and LAUGHS, as ROSE PETALS cover his face.

LESTER:

Spec-tac-ular.

EXT. ROBIN HOOD TRAIL - CONTINUOUS

A WHITE BMW 328si CONVERTIBLE is parked on the street outside

the Burnham's house. We HEAR girlish LAUGHTER from inside.

INT. ANGELA'S BMW - CONTINUOUS

Angela is behind the wheel, Jane in the passenger seat.

They're passing a JOINT back and forth.

JANE:

I'm sorry my dad was so weird tonight.

ANGELA:

It's okay. I'm used to guys drooling

over me. It started when I was about

twelve, I'd go out to dinner with my

parents. Every Thursday night, Red

Lobster. And every guy there would

stare at me when I walked in. And I

knew what they were thinking. Just

like I knew guys at school thought

about me when they jerked off.

JANE:

Vomit.

ANGELA:

No, I liked it. And I still like it.

If people I don't even know look at

me and want to f*** me, it means I

really have a shot at being a model.

Which is great, because there's

nothing worse in life than being

ordinary.

An awkward beat. Jane stares at the floor.

JANE:

I really think it'll happen for you.

ANGELA:

Oh, I know. Because everything that

was meant to happen, does. Eventually.

EXT. BURNHAM HOUSE - CONTINUOUS

On VIDEO:
Jane gets out of the car, still LAUGHING, and waves

as Angela pulls away. We ZOOM toward Jane as she walks up

the driveway. She turns suddenly, sensing our presence.

Her POV:
We're looking at the COLONIAL HOUSE next door where

the moving van was parked earlier. The front porch is shrouded

in darkness... then a PORCH LIGHT abruptly reveals Ricky. As

usual, he's dressed conservatively.

There is a BEEPER attached to his belt, and his DIGICAM

dangles loosely around his neck.

Irritated, Jane stares at him, hard.

JANE:

A**hole.

He looks back at her curiously, then raises his Digicam and

starts to videotape her.

His POV, on VIDEO: Jane, angry and self-conscious, turns and

walks quickly toward her house, flipping us off as she goes.

INT. BURNHAM HOUSE - FOYER - CONTINUOUS

Jane enters, closes and locks the door. She quickly TURNS

OFF THE LIGHT that's been left on for her, then peeks through

a window.

Her POV:
There's no sign of Ricky.

Jane turns back into the room, her heart racing... and smiles.

INT. BURNHAM HOUSE - JANE'S BEDROOM - THE NEXT MORNING

CLOSE on an ADDRESS BOOK: A man's hand flips to the H page

and then his finger stops at the name Angela Hayes.

Lester, dressed for work, goes through Jane's address book.

We HEAR the SHOWER running in the adjacent bathroom. He grabs

Jane's phone and dials, then stands with the receiver to his

ear, nervous.

ANGELA:

(over phone line)

Hello? Hello?

Lester is frozen, unable to speak. Suddenly, the SHOWER is

turned off in the next room. Lester hangs up and exits

quickly. A moment, then the PHONE RINGS. Jane emerges from

the bathroom, a towel wrapped around her torso, drying her

wet hair. She picks up the PHONE.

JANE:

Hello?

INT. HAYES HOUSE - ANGELA'S BEDROOM - CONTINUOUS

Angela is sprawled across her bed, on the phone.

ANGELA:

Why'd you call me?

INTERCUT WITH JANE IN HER BEDROOM:

JANE:

I didn't.

ANGELA:

Well, my phone just rang and I

answered it and somebody hung up and

then I star sixty-nined and it called

you back.

JANE:

I was in the shower.

Then Jane notices her address book open to the H page.

JANE:

Oh, gross.

EXT. BURNHAM HOUSE - CONTINUOUS

On VIDEO:
We're across from Jane's WINDOW, looking in. Jane

picks up the address book, frowning. She speaks into the

phone, but we can't hear her.

WOMAN'S VOICE (O.C.)

(sing song)

Rick-y! Break-fast!

INT. FITTS HOUSE - RICKY'S BEDROOM - CONTINUOUS

Ricky stands at his window, videotaping. He lowers his

Digicam, but his eyes remain locked on Jane across the way.

RICKY:

Be right there.

INT. FITTS HOUSE - KITCHEN - MOMENTS LATER

BARBARA FITTS stands at the stove, flipping bacon strips

mechanically, her eyes focused elsewhere. At least ten years

younger than her husband, she's pretty in a June Cleaver-ish

way. The Colonel sits at a dinette reading The Wall Street

Journal. Ricky enters.

RICKY:

Mom.

Startled, Barbara turns to him.

BARBARA:

Hello.

As she attempts to serve him bacon:

RICKY:

I don't eat bacon, remember?

BARBARA:

(unnerved)

I'm sorry, I must have forgotten.

Ricky serves himself scrambled eggs from another pan, then

joins his father at the table.

RICKY:

What's new in the world, Dad?

COLONEL:

This country is going straight to

hell.

A DOORBELL rings. The Colonel and Barbara look at each other,

alarmed.

COLONEL:

Are you expecting anyone?

BARBARA:

No.

(thinks)

No.

The Colonel heads toward the living room, a little puffed

up.

INT. FITTS HOUSE - FOYER - MOMENTS LATER

The Colonel opens the front door to reveal the two JIMS.

JIM #1

Hi.

JIM #2

Welcome to the neighborhood.

Jim #1 holds out a basket filled with flowers, vegetables

and a small white cardboard box tied with raffia.

JIM #1

Just a little something from our

garden.

JIM #2

Except for the pasta, we got that at

Fallaci's.

JIM #1

It's unbelievably fresh. You just

drop it in the water and it's done.

The Colonel stares at them, suspicious.

JIM #1

(offers his hand)

Jim Olmeyer. Two doors down. Welcome

to the neighborhood.

COLONEL:

(shakes)

Colonel Frank Fitts, U.S. Marine

Corps.

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