Confidence Page #7

41.

LETTY:

And my class. It'll be hard to

find a good substitute. And what

about my math program?

MRS. MAYER

Paul said he'd call the school.

(beat)

And your father thinks he's

convinced the guard not to press

charges as long as you get help.

LETTY:

Charges?

MRS. MAYER

For his injuries. I guess you...I

guess he got hit in the head.

Mrs. Mayer holds out a duffel bag to Letty.

MRS. MAYER

I packed up some of your clothes,

and I can bring whatever else you

need.

Letty refuses to accept the duffel bag. Her mother sets it

on the floor and stands. Letty is five again.

LETTY:

Mom, no, please don't go. Please.

Letty's mother holds her. Mrs. Mayer, crying, pulls away

from Letty. She kisses her daughter on the cheek.

MRS. MAYER

I'll see you soon.

LETTY:

Tomorrow?

MRS. MAYER

As soon as Dr. Emlee says.

Letty's mother walks out the door. Letty stares after her.

INT. LETTY'S ROOM - NIGHT

Letty, crying, unpacks her duffel bag, laboriously smoothing

and refolding every item she puts in the drawer.

Finishing her task, Letty goes to the mirror and stares at

her reflection. Finally, she fixes her makeup.

42.

Letty leaves her room. We follow her FOOTSTEPS down the

hallway. In the distance, Letty sees the Rec Room. She

hears the CLAMOR of voices. Every step is agony.

Letty stops herself just before entering, trying to collect

herself.

MICHAEL (O.S.)

Four people bet OCD and clinical

depression so I split the pool.

JOHN (O.S.)

Yeah, her diagnosis was no mystery.

MARIE:

Especially the OCD.

Sick realization spreads over Letty's face.

JOHN (O.S.)

F***, I mean, anyone who color-

codes her panties has big problems.

Letty freezes. Michael rounds the corner. He stops when he

sees her, falters, recovers his composure.

MICHAEL:

Hey there. They're showing

"Groundhog Day" if you...

LETTY:

You took bets on my diagnosis?

MICHAEL:

It's no big deal. We all compare.

LETTY:

(voice rising)

Who do you think you are?

INT. REC ROOM - SAME

Patients are grouped in front of the TV, watching Bill

Murray. Heads turn as they hear shouting in the hallway.

Not even a moment's hesitation before, one by one, they get

up and hurry to the hall. Only Mrs. Hallstrom remains.

INT. HALLWAY - SAME

John, Marie and others gather around the fighters.

MICHAEL:

Don't take it personally.

43.

LETTY:

You have no right, no right to take

the worst thing that's ever

happened to me and make it into

some kind of game.

MICHAEL:

Stop acting like you're someone

special. You're just like the rest

of us.

LETTY:

I'm not the one who's masquerading

as a doctor. I'm not the one

who's, who's...

JOHN:

(to Letty)

He's schizophrenic.

LETTY:

I'm not the one who's

schizophrenic. I don't see people

who aren't there or run around

acting crazy.

Letty pounds her fist against the wall.

PATIENTS:

Go, Girl!/ Come on, Michael.

MICHAEL:

Oh, no, you're perfectly sane.

That's why you're here.

Letty looks like she's been slapped. She thinks for a

moment. The patients wait, breathless, for her retort.

LETTY:

Go f*** yourself.

Michael grins at Letty. She turns, and strides down the

hall. There's a smattering of applause. It grows stronger.

We see Letty's eyes fill with tears as, behind her, the

patients yell.

PATIENTS:

Bravo./Encore./Re-match.

44.

INT. LETTY’S ROOM - NIGHT

Letty, unable to sleep, tosses and turns. She gets out of

bed and paces the room nervously, trying to hold herself

together. She slumps to the floor and starts to cry.

INT. GROUP THERAPY ROOM - HILLVIEW PSYCHIATRIC HOSPITAL - DAY

.

Dr. Emlee and seven patients sit in a circle of metal folding

chairs. Michael, who sits next to Emlee, practices rolling a

quarter back and forth across his fingers.

Letty sits across from Michael and Emlee, her legs and arms

crossed tightly. The group concentrates on Mrs. Hallstrom.

MRS. HALLSTROM

I can't stop thinking about the

things I did wrong when my daughter

was little.

DR. EMLEE

And how's that make you feel?

MRS. HALLSTROM

I just feel like sleeping. All the

time.

THOMAS:

Hell's bells, you can count me in

on that. I haven't had enough Z's

since I ran those sleep disorder

experiments at Stanford back in the

70s.

MARIE:

We really miss doing things with

you, Mrs. Hallstrom.

Michael, sitting next to Mrs. Hallstrom, squeezes her arm.

MRS. HALLSTROM

Maybe when I hit my manic phase

again.

Group members smile.

JOHN:

I've noticed Letty doesn't much

like to do things with us.

The group looks expectantly at Letty.

45.

LETTY:

Oh, no. Of course I do.

JOHN:

Then why are you so defensive?

MICHAEL:

(to John)

I don't think we need to sacrifice

Letty to pep up a slow session.

JOHN:

(to Michael)

You're the one who told everyone

about her panties.

Michael grimaces at John. Letty's head is bent down.

DR. EMLEE

Maybe you'd like to share some of

your feelings about OCD or

depression with us, Letty.

Letty eyes the doctor. She's dangerously close to tears.

LETTY:

Do we have to talk about this?

DR. EMLEE

I think in the spirit of group

therapy, it's beneficial for each

of us to open ourselves up to the

others.

Michael reaches his hand behind Dr. Emlee's head, catching

Letty's eye in the process. Michael pulls a silver dollar out

of Emlee's ear.

Letty looks but doesn't respond. The other patients ignore

Michael. Emlee is oblivious.

DR. EMLEE

You never know, Letty, how the

person sitting next to you may be

able to shed light on one of your

problems...

Michael goes for a bigger trick. Reaching again behind the

doctor's head, he produces a small bouquet of paper flowers.

Letty, almost against her will, smiles.

46.

DR. EMLEE

...by revealing something that's

going on in his or her own life.

Michael waves the flowers back and forth behind the doctor's

head. Letty's smile broadens.

DR. EMLEE

(responding to her smile)

There, now, I knew you'd feel

better once we discussed group

process. Let's talk a little about

your OCD.

INT. LIBRARY - HILLVIEW PSYCHIATRIC HOSPITAL - DAY

Letty ponders a shelf of ratty paperbacks. Michael turns the

corner, thumbing through a dog-eared book. Letty spots him

and moves away. Michael sidles up next to her.

.

MICHAEL:

Looking for a romance?

LETTY:

Excuse me?

MICHAEL:

What are you looking to read?

LETTY:

Anything interesting.

Michael holds out his book to her.

MICHAEL:

This is good.

Letty glances at the title, "101 MAGIC TRICKS."

LETTY:

But you're checking it out.

MICHAEL:

I've already checked it out 17

times.

Michael reaches behind Letty. She pulls away. He produces a

scarf from behind her back, and presents it to her. She

doesn't take it.

LETTY:

You keep the book. I'm looking for

Emily Dickinson.

47.

Letty walks away. Michael follows.

MICHAEL:

Hey, if you take the magic book,

I'll feel like maybe you accept my

apology and don't hate me anymore.

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