Homegrown Page #4

Will immediately shoves Adam forcefully against the lockers.

Adam’s face drops, startled by Will’s strength. The other

Boys - equally shocked - step in between them.

Will assumes his fighting stance, identical to Charlie in the

prison yard. OFF WILL’S CLENCHED FISTS, we...

FLASHBACK - EXT. CABIN - DAY

Will, sweaty from training, stands in his fighting stance at

the makeshift punching bag. Charlie watches.

CHARLIE:

Right.

Forceful right hook to the bag.

CHARLIE:

Left.

Will punches with his left, equally powerful.

CHARLIE:

Attack.

Will pivots to Charlie, who assumes an identical stance. Will

lunges at Charlie, unleashes a flurry of full-force punches

and kicks. This is no simple sparring session.

Charlie only defends. One kick solidly connects with his

side. Charlie nods, impressed but betraying no approval.

20.

CHARLIE:

Stop... Defend.

Charlie attacks at full speed, punches and kicks flying. Will

skillfully defends, but Charlie’s strength takes a toll on

his forearms and shins.

Will deflects a jab at his stomach, but Charlie lands a

forceful punch to Will’s cheek. Will is momentarily fazed but

defends the next barrage.

CHARLIE:

Stop.

Will steps back, catching his breath, his cheek already

bruised and swelling.

CHARLIE:

We are strong, William.

Will’s eyes are locked on Charlie’s, fully focused.

CHARLIE:

We possess the physical ability to

overpower... to injure... to kill.

Will nods, intense.

CHARLIE:

Using this ability at the wrong

time is wasteful - jeopardizing

everything we work for. We must

carefully choose when to use these

skills... Understood?

WILL:

Yes, Father.

END OF FLASHBACK.

INT. HIGH SCHOOL HALLWAY - RESUMING

Will stands in his fighting stance, glaring at Adam. Adam and

his friends remain frozen.

Will recalls Charlie’s advice -- exhales -- relaxes his

posture -- collects his books.

The bell rings. The Boys walk away. Adam feigns confidence,

joking with his pals, but glances back at Will, uneasy.

RENEE (16), an indie girl-next-door type, rushes from her

locker to catch Will.

21.

RENEE:

Don’t worry about them. They’re

a**holes.

(off Will’s silence)

I’m Renee.

Will shuns her -- quickly walks away. She watches him go,

then turns and heads to class.

INT. WARDEN’S OFFICE - DAY

Tidy. Plaques adorn the walls. WARDEN AYERS (50s) sips coffee

at his massive desk. Charlie sits opposite him, stolid.

WARDEN AYERS:

I’ve seen thousands of inmates come

through these doors.

Charlie stares him dead in the eyes.

WARDEN AYERS:

I pride myself on running a tight

ship. When a new inmate immediately

gets to fighting, I smell a trouble

maker.

(sips his coffee)

You a trouble maker, Nasy?

Charlie’s constant eye contact unsettles the Warden. He

fidgets with his already-straight tie.

CHARLIE:

No.

WARDEN AYERS:

Trouble makers get time tacked on.

That what you want?

Charlie shakes his head.

WARDEN AYERS:

Keep your head down. Serve your

time. We’ll overlook today’s

indiscretion, but only once.

(off Charlie’s nod)

I’d like nothing more than to not

see your face again til your

release. I want you to be a ghost.

CHARLIE:

Likewise.

22.

EXT. CABIN - LATE AFTERNOON

Will jogs up the long driveway, drenched in sweat -- surveys

the property:
no sign of intrusion.

INT. CABIN - MOMENTS LATER

Will selects a thick tome from a bookshelf -- opens it --

removes several rolls of CASH from a secret cut-out section --

replaces the homemade safe on the shelf.

EXT. CROP ROWS - SUNSET

Will moves through the crops, pruning and picking.

INT. CAHILL HOME - NIGHT

Will enters, out of breath. Mrs. Cahill stands to greet him

as Mr. Cahill watches the nightly news.

MRS. CAHILL

In the future, please let me know

if you have plans after school. So

we can have supper together. We can

get you a cell phone, so-

WILL:

No, thank you. I’ll be exercising

after school most days. Like today.

INT. DINING ROOM - LATER

Will and Mrs. Cahill finish their meals in awkward silence.

Mrs. Cahill searches for words.

WILL:

Could you drive me to visit my

father on Saturday? Visiting hours

begin at 9:
00.

MRS. CAHILL

Sure. It’s about a 3 hour drive.

WILL:

So we should leave by 5:30.

MRS. CAHILL

You mean in the morning, right?

Will nods. Mrs. Cahill is surprised by Will’s nonchalance.

23.

MRS. CAHILL

The gardeners are coming to finish

the shrubs. Maybe we could leave a

bit later...

They make eye contact. Will’s gaze is intimidating. Mrs.

Cahill crosses to the refrigerator, unnerved.

MRS. CAHILL

Blueberry or cherry pie? Wasn’t

sure which you preferred, so I

baked one of each.

(off Will’s shrug)

Who can choose, right?

Will scrapes his fork against his empty plate.

WILL:

I’ve never tried either.

Mrs. Cahill’s face drops. She quickly recovers with a smile.

MRS. CAHILL

Try a piece of each and decide.

Will looks at her with a naive innocence, but his

vulnerability is short-lived. He turns unpleasant, defensive.

WILL:

I don’t want any. Excuse me.

MRS. CAHILL

Okay, honey. I just-

Will exits. She joins Mr. Cahill on the couch -- rests her

head on his shoulder, unaffected by his trance-like state.

INT. CLASSROOM - DAY

MR. GANTHON (40s) displays a slideshow on a large FLATSCREEN

TV. Renee sits a few rows behind Will, paying more attention

to him than the lecture.

GANTHON:

Columbus discovered the Americas

because he dared to explore. Took a

leap into the unkown and found

scores of new land and resources.

Will shakes his head in disgust, looks down at his TEXTBOOK.

OFF HIS TEXTBOOK, we...

24.

FLASHBACK - INT. CABIN - DAY

Will sits opposite Charlie at the table, reading the final

paragraphs of Sartre’s Nausea. Will closes the book.

WILL:

I’m sure I would experience similar

frustration out there: the lack of

intelligence, consciousness,

purpose.

CHARLIE:

These simple-minded people are

brainwashed in schools, factories

for teaching lies so a select few

can control the masses. The outside

world is bleak... If we are

separated, you must never trust

anyone.

Will nods with conviction.

END OF FLASHBACK.

INT. CLASSROOM - RESUMING

Will - lost in his memory - stares at Ganthon.

GANTHON:

It could be argued he was seeking a

shortcut to India, but the bottom

line was that he had the courage to

get in a boat and explore.

The bell rings and most of the students dash out. Will

lingers, sorting his books. Renee confidently approaches.

RENEE:

How’d you like the lecture?

(no response)

Ganthon is so smart. Most teachers

would lose my interest in the first

ten minutes, but he’s just so

articulate and keeps it

interesting, you know?

(Will scoffs, judging)

You disagree? How could you? He

just gets it.

Will boils over.

25.

WILL:

That man knows nothing. They spit

lies to impressionable students...

RENEE:

Low blow.

Will looks puzzled at her slang usage. She smiles.

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