Homegrown Page #8

TEACHER 1

No way. I proctored the exams

myself.

GANTHON:

Ms. Dalton says his work in chem

lab is the most advanced she’s seen

in her 40 year career...

END OF MONTAGE.

EXT. SIDEWALK - DAY

Will walks home from school -- passes the local...

EXT. MIDDLE SCHOOL - DAY - CONTINUOUS

STUDENTS trudge home from school, glued to their smartphones.

Will stares straight ahead, unblinking, in his own world. As

he crosses the school driveway... Beeeep.

Will springs out of the way of the car. His leap and reaction

speed seem superhuman. He surveys the area, wide-eyed, then

slowly relaxes -- continues walking.

RENEE (O.S.)

Sorry to startle you. Just saying hi.

PULL BACK TO REVEAL Renee is driving the car, picking up her

brother BEN (13; pre-pubescent, overconfident) from school.

BEN:

That was some ninja robot sh*t.

Will becomes self-conscious.

RENEE:

This is my pesky little brother Ben.

Ben pretends to scratch his cheek with his middle finger,

flipping Will the bird. Will is oblivious.

RENEE:

Come over for dinner.

(off Will’s hesitation)

You like beef stroganoff? Mom’s

specialty.

45.

WILL:

Never tried it.

RENEE:

I’ll scoop you at 6.

Will tries to force a smile, but manages to look

uncomfortable. Renee drives away.

INT. CAHILL HOME - DAY

Mr. Cahill watches TV as Mrs. Cahill works on a crossword.

Will approaches. Mrs. Cahill looks up -- smiles.

WILL:

I won’t be eating dinner here.

MRS. CAHILL

Okay. Where will you be eating, if

you don’t mind me asking?

WILL:

A friend’s house.

MRS. CAHILL

What’s his name? Maybe we know the

family.

WILL:

Renee. I don’t know her last name.

MRS. CAHILL

Oh, a girl friend - not necessarily

a girlfriend girlfriend, but a

friend that’s a girl. Delightful.

Will blushes. Mrs. Cahill recovers.

MRS. CAHILL

Renee... Doesn’t ring a bell. We

aren’t the socialites we once were.

(Will lingers)

Is there something else?

WILL:

I was wondering... Would it be okay

if I borrowed some clothes from the

closet in my... the room I’m

staying in?

Mrs. Cahill pauses, nostalgic for a moment, then grins.

46.

MRS. CAHILL

Of course. It’s your room. You’re

welcome to wear anything you find.

WILL:

Thank you.

Will retreats. Mrs. Cahill calls after him:

MRS. CAHILL

But I doubt those clothes are still

in style...

Too late:
Will’s already out of earshot.

EXT. RENEE’S HOUSE - EVENING

Renee approaches her house, casually dressed. Will follows,

sporting a plaid flannel shirt and acid washed jeans.

The front door opens and a small DOG, “Otis,” sprints to

Renee. She greets it warmly. Renee’s dad, AMOS (39), barefoot

in gym clothes, leans out the door.

AMOS:

Make sure Otis drops one.

RENEE:

This is my friend Will.

Otis sniffs Will thoroughly. He stands straight, stiff.

AMOS:

Hey there.

(re:
Will’s attire)

You two going to a grunge

concert... or a costume party?

Will looks down at his outfit, instantly embarrassed.

AMOS:

You can help with the dog, Will.

He’s small but don’t underestimate

his ability to defecate.

RENEE:

We get it. Thanks, Dad.

Amos disappears into the house. Renee scratches Otis’ belly.

RENEE:

Do you have a dog?

47.

Will is slow to respond:

WILL:

We had a hunting dog for a while.

RENEE:

And...

WILL:

It’s a long story.

RENEE:

We have time. Otis likes to inspect

the area before deciding where to

drop one, as my dad so eloquently

put it.

As if on cue, Otis starts sniffing around the yard.

WILL:

I was much smaller... I had been

hunting with my father before but

only to help scout. One day he went

to town, and I wanted to try the

rifle by myself.

RENEE:

Oh god. You didn’t. You shot the dog?

Otis crosses into the neighbor’s yard. They follow.

RENEE:

Okay. Sorry. I won’t interrupt. But

if you shot the dog, you’re no

longer welcome for dinner. Just

kidding. But seriously - you didn’t

shoot the dog, did you?

WILL:

We went into the woods. Walked a

while - didn’t find any animals, so

I sat down by the creek.

Renee hangs on every word, enthralled.

WILL:

I dozed off... woke to barking.

There was a black bear with her cub

about 20 meters from me.

Renee is speechless for the first time in her life.

48.

WILL:

The dog tried to protect me and got

slashed. I fired one shot - missed.

Father had returned from town,

heard the shot, came running, and

shot the bear. The dog was injured

so Father shot it.

Her jaw drops at his deadpan delivery.

RENEE:

You’re joking, right?

WILL:

The dog wouldn’t be able hunt

anymore, so it wasn’t of use. No

reason to keep it around.

Renee looks away, perplexed.

RENEE:

What was its name?

WILL:

No name. It knew hunting commands.

No need to address it otherwise.

They turn back toward the house in silence.

EXT. NASY PROPERTY - CROP ROWS - SAME

The crops begin to show signs of neglect. Weeds creep between

the formerly pristine crop rows.

BIRDS snack on the crops.

INT. RENEE’S HOUSE - SAME

Renee and Will enter the tidy home. Ben and Amos lounge on

the couch, watching sports.

Renee’s mom, DIANA (38), hums as she prepares dinner.

BEN:

This is the drifter Renee picked up

on the sidewalk earlier.

Amos laughs. Diana chimes in from the kitchen:

49.

DIANA (O.S.)

I can’t hear exactly what you’re

saying, Benjamin, but I assume it’s

inappropriate. Knock it off.

BEN:

Are you two sexually active?

Renee reddens. Will raises his eyebrows. Amos laughs again.

BEN:

Didn’t think so.

RENEE:

Shouldn’t you be staring at your

armpits in the mirror, hoping to

miraculously sprout hair?

BEN:

Whoa whoa. Some of us take longer

to mature than others. Don’t rush

perfection, lady. It’ll happen.

AMOS:

That’s right, bud. Can’t rush it.

Ben shoots Renee a smug glance. Diana bounds from the

kitchen, greets Will with a handshake.

DIANA:

So nice to meet you. Please excuse

them... I visited a psychic in

college. She said I’d have three

kids:
two boys and a girl.

(motioning to Amos)

How right she was... Dinner is

served.

Ben leaps the couch -- runs to the dining area. Amos follows

Diana into the kitchen.

INT. KITCHEN - CONTINUOUS

Amos sneaks a few green beans from the serving dish.

DIANA:

I saw that, mister.

AMOS:

Looks so delicious - couldn’t wait.

DIANA:

Yeah yeah.

50.

Will watches the exchange. Renee smiles -- tugs at Will’s

hand. He follows her to the table.

INT. PRISON DINING HALL - SAME

INMATES eat mystery slop.

Jacob addresses the Skinheads, elbows on the table:

JACOB:

I know BJ got seizures, and I don’t

care if Nasy had nothing to do with

it. They had kitchen duty together -

That’s suspicious enough. We don’t

deal with him, we lose face.

Murmurs and nods. Jacob’s disciples listen intently.

JACOB:

Straight up:
This f***er is

serious. Got some Bruce Lee sh*t

going on. Can’t just walk up and

shank him. We wait... Let him get

comfortable, then we hit.

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