Pariah Page #10

PIER GIRL #1

‘Member when we used to stay out

here all night?

PIER GIRL #2

Sh*t, used to?

PIER GIRL #1

You stay with your sister now, huh?

Laura nods and spits.

PIER GIRL #2

Lucky as hell.

49 INT. AP ENGLISH CLASSROOM - AFTERNOON 49

AP English class is a safe haven. The desks are pulled

together in a rough circle and are filled with heavily

pierced, dyed hair, and vintage clothes types. Mrs. Alvarado

sits cross-legged atop her desk taking notes. Alike stands at

the center of the circle reciting an original poem.

ALIKE:

A butterfly, briefly

Suffocated

On the mucous of its own change

Imprisoned

(MORE)

59.

By the membranous chaff of its own

underdeveloped

Wings

And

Cramped

In the darkness of the too-tight

cocoon of its own creation

Pauses

Thinking death inevitable

Prepares to die in the absolute

solitude

Of Swollen Husk.

A c r a c k appears

A thin jagged light connecting

The inner to the outer world

A butterfly, briefly

Paralyzed by the imminence of death

Discovers life is possible.

The class claps.

MRS. ALVARADO

Comments? Critiques? Julie, tell me

what you think.

A forest of hands go up as Alike winds her way back to her

seat. A few classmates whisper brief encouragements. Bina

nods and smiles at Alike. Unguarded, Alike smiles back.

50 EXT. STREET - DAY 50

Bina and Alike troop home at a more leisurely pace. Alike

breaks the silence for once.

ALIKE:

I liked your story, though. It was

tight.

BINA:

Yeah? Which one? The one about the-

ALIKE:

The one about karma, how things

come back to you. That one, I

thought it was tight.

BINA:

For real? Thanks. I wasn’t gonna

say anything, but I liked yours

too.

ALIKE:

Why?

60.

BINA:

Why did I like it or why wasn’t I

gonna say anything?

ALIKE:

Why did you like it?

BINA:

I don’t know. I guess because it

felt honest.

ALIKE:

Oh.

BINA:

Didn’t you have on a different

shirt earlier?

ALIKE:

What?

BINA:

Nothin’.

ALIKE:

No, what’d you say?

BINA:

Nothin’.

ALIKE:

Yeah, I had on a different shirt.

BINA:

Oh... Well, that’s cool.

ALIKE:

So why weren’t you gonna say

anything about it?

BINA:

About your shirt?

ALIKE:

About the poem.

BINA:

Cause you’re moody.

ALIKE:

Moody?

BINA:

And quiet.

61.

ALIKE:

Man, I’m not moody.

BINA:

Yeah, right.

Bina stops.

ALIKE:

What?

BINA:

This is me.

Alike looks up at the stoop, surprised.

BINA (CONT’D)

It’s not so bad when there’s some

conversation, huh?

Alike looks away.

BINA (CONT’D)

You wanna come up?

51 INT. BINA’S BEDROOM - AFTERNOON 51

Alike sits on Bina’s twin bed, looking around and really

taking in the room for the first time. She reaches over and

picks up a little molded soldier figure off of the shelf.

Bina fishes around in a rack of CDs.

ALIKE:

Who gave you this?

BINA:

What the bear? My dad.

ALIKE:

No, this.

Alike holds the figurine out, Bina looks at it over her

shoulder.

BINA:

Oh that. Girl, my stupid ex-

boyfriend gave me that.

ALIKE:

Oh. Cute.

Bina opens a CD case and pulls the booklet out.

62.

BINA:

Not really. I mean I guess it was

at the time.

Bina lobs the little army man into a trash can across the

room and hands Alike the booklet.

BINA (CONT'D)

Anyway, this is the other artist I

was telling you about. Her stuff is

like, bouncier.

A buoyant Afropunk beat wafts through the bedroom. Bina plops

down on the bed next to Alike.

ALIKE:

This is straight. You’ll burn me a

copy?

BINA:

Yeah, I have a bunch of other

stuff, too.

(beat)

So who do you hang out with? I

don’t really see you with anybody.

Alike shrugs and rifles through her backpack. She pulls out

her composition book. Awkward silence.

BINA (CONT’D)

I didn’t mean it like that. I was

just asking because I was curious.

I don’t really like anybody that

goes there either.

ALIKE:

My friend Laura used to go there.

Not now, but she’s going back.

BINA:

Oh because, I was just gonna say-I’m

going to this house party and

you can come if you want to.

Bina waves her hand at the radio.

BINA (CONT'D)

They play this kind of music.

ALIKE:

Sure. How’m I supposed to dress?

63.

BINA:

You don’t dress. You just come

however. Come as you are.

Alike nods.

BINA (CONT'D)

Can I see?

Bina snatches the book from Alike’s hands and starts flipping

through pages before Alike can answer.

ALIKE:

Yeah...But that’s mainly old stuff,

though.

BINA:

This is the one you did today?

ALIKE:

Yeah.

BINA:

Nice.

Bina offers the journal back to Alike. Alike reaches for it.

Bina pulls it away at the last second--an impromptu game of

keep away.

BINA (CONT'D)

Take it.

Alike misses again. The girls crack up.

BINA (CONT’D)

Sorry, here.

Bina yanks it away again. Alike gives up, still smiling.

ALIKE:

You play too much.

BINA:

Seriously, it’s right here. Just

take it.

Alike summons the courage for one last swipe. She manages to

grab it but Bina doesn’t let go right away. The girls lock

eyes during the extemporaneous tug-of-war.

ALIKE:

Thank you...

64.

BINA:

You’re welcome...

Beaming with her victory, Alike busies herself with the

journal. Bina recruits a small stuffed moose for her next

foray. She dances the moose up Alike’s arm and plants an

exaggerated peck on her cheek with it.

BINA (CONT'D)

Mmmwaahhh!

The girls erupt into renewed giggles. Bina tosses the stuffed

animal aside and scoots closer to read over Alike’s shoulder.

BINA (CONT'D)

What’s so private?

ALIKE:

Nothin’, just my writings...

Bina studies Alike’s profile. She leans in and pecks Alike on

the cheek. Alike lets the kiss soak in, glancing at Bina

sidelong. Bina leans in again, this time planting a long kiss

on Alike’s lips. Alike pulls away. Bina tenses for the

verdict.

ALIKE (CONT'D)

Why’d you do that for?

BINA:

Sorry--

ALIKE:

No, I’m sorry. I just umm...I gotta

go.

BINA:

I thought-

ALIKE:

Sorry.

Alike blindly grabs up her things and rushes the door, Bina

flounders in her wake.

52 INT. LAURA’S LIVING ROOM - EVENING 52

Laura and a group of friends play a rowdy game of spades. A

cute Puerto Rican girl is draped around Laura’s neck like a

PERSONAL CHEERLEADER. Music blasts from the TV but doesn’t

drown out the hoots and banter of the rollicking entourage.

There is a knock at the door.

65.

LAURA:

You’ll get that for me?

One of the friends breaks away from the pack, opens the door

without greeting and walks away. Alike is left alone to

escort herself in. Laura hardly looks up as Alike stops at

the fringes of the pack.

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