Pariah Page #11

ALIKE:

Wassup man.

A collective grumble of greeting goes up around the table

although no one addresses Alike directly. Laura slams the

table and raises her hands in triumph.

LAURA:

Board, goddammit!! I told you!

PIER GIRL #1

Awww, we shoulda been done set you!

Laura slaps hands with her partner. The unlucky pair of

partners argue. The personal cheerleader kisses Laura on the

neck. Alike looks away.

PERSONAL CHEERLEADER

Good game, baby!

LAURA:

What’s good, Lee?

ALIKE:

Just came to say wassup.

LAURA:

Whatchu got, Ty?

PIER GIRL #2

Three, maybe four.

LAURA:

We goin’ eight!!

Roars of disbelief from around the table. Alike is quickly

forgotten in the ruckus. Alike circles to Laura’s side. The

personal cheerleader looks her up and down.

ALIKE:

Can I talk to you for a second?

LAURA:

Now I got to cut you!! Grab ‘em

partner. We gonna run a Boston on

that ass!

(MORE)

66.

(to Alike)

Yo, I’m busy right now.

More raucous laughter from the table. Alike endures another

few moments of card slapping, table pounding dejection before

leaning into Laura’s ear.

ALIKE:

I really need to talk to you-

LAURA:

I said later!

Wide-eyed silence and scattered snickers around the table.

Laura resumes her hand and the game banter cranks back up.

Alike picks up her face and slips away.

PIER GIRL #3

Thought that was your girl?

LAURA:

Mind your business. Bam! That’s

what I thought!

Laura slaps another card on the table and takes a deep swig

of water.

53 INT. ALIKE’S PARENT’S BEDROOM - NIGHT 53

Audrey lies awake in bed. The clock on the nightstand

indicates a little past two in the morning. She looks at the

sliver of light underneath the bedroom door, the sound of

Arthur’s key in the door breaks the silence. Arthur’s voice

in hushed tones. Audrey rolls over and faces the wall.

54 INT. ALIKE’S BEDROOM - NIGHT 54

Alike watches her father’s footsteps break up the light

beneath her door. She tosses off her blankets and springs

into the hallway.

ALIKE:

(loud whisper)

Hey Dad!

She is talking to empty air. She eases down the hallway

toward the kitchen and the sound of his muffled voice.

ALIKE (CONT'D)

Dad?

67.

ARTHUR (O.S.)

Come on now, you know that’s not

what I want. That’s not what I’m

saying. That’s not--listen to me.

Are you gonna listen to me?

ALIKE:

Mom?

Alike stops short outside the kitchen door, confused.

ARTHUR (O.S.)

Lee? Hold on.

55 INT. ALIKE’S KITCHEN - CONTINUOUS 55

Alike swings around the corner.

ALIKE:

Huh?

ARTHUR:

No, not you.

(into phone)

Hey, I’ll talk to you later,

alright? My daughter’s up.

Arthur flips his cell phone shut and tucks it into his

pocket. He fishes a beer out of the fridge.

ALIKE:

Who was that?

Arthur sips his beer and walks over to the kitchen table. A

foil covered plate with a little pink sticky note waits.

ARTHUR:

What you doing up?

ALIKE:

Just wanted to talk.

Arthur crumples the sticky note and tosses it into the trash

without reading it. He peels up one side of the foil, peeks

at the food underneath, and launches it into the trash, too.

ALIKE (CONT'D)

Dad, the plate--don’t trash the

plate.

Arthur strips off his dress shirt and tie and flings them

into the living room.

68.

Alike rescues the plate from the garbage and carefully lays

it in the sink so it doesn’t clatter.

ALIKE (CONT'D)

Aren’t you hungry?

ARTHUR:

Ate already.

ALIKE:

You ate at work?

ARTHUR:

No, just grabbed some take out.

ALIKE:

Oh. Where?

Arthur explodes.

ARTHUR:

Why you asking me all these goddamn

questions, girl? What’s wrong with

you? You don’t question me.

ALIKE:

Sorry.

Alike starts to head back to her room.

ARTHUR:

Hold up. I’m sorry, Alike come on

back. Look-- I got patties...

Arthur tosses a greasy bag onto the table and pulls out a

chair for her.

ALIKE:

Beef?

ARTHUR:

And chicken. C’mon.

Alike sits happily and the two munch in silence for awhile.

ARTHUR:

Listen uh...Your momma’s worried

that uh...How’s school? Straight

A’s?

ALIKE:

Probably.

69.

ARTHUR:

That’s right. Want a sip?

Arthur offers her the beer. Alike takes it to the head.

ARTHUR:

I said a sip. A sip!

Arthur snatches the beer from her. They laugh. Alike picks at

her patty, eating little pieces of crust.

ARTHUR (CONT’D)

What’s on you your mind?

ALIKE:

Nothin’.

Arthur snorts.

ALIKE (CONT’D)

What if--what if...say somebody

liked you right?

ARTHUR:

They like you? Or they like you,

like you?

ALIKE:

Say they like you, like you.

ARTHUR:

Uh-huh.

ALIKE:

I mean, they haven’t said anything

yet. But what if... so what if the

person is kinda like a friend, but

you know they like you more than

that?

ARTHUR:

Well, I think that’s the best way

to start--as friends.

ALIKE:

But then what if...What if the

person is -

Arthur scents the heavy news packed in Alike’s expressive

pause and scrambles to intercept her at the pass.

ARTHUR (CONT’D)

What’s his name? What grade is he

in?

(MORE)

70.

I’ma look his ass up in the system.

Ha-ha! Wait ‘till your mama finds

out. She’ll be so goddamn happy.

Alike plays along, swallowing her disappointment.

ALIKE:

Yeah.

Arthur pushes back from the table and pulls a fresh police

uniform out the hall closet. He lays it across the back of

the couch and unzips his pants. Alike turns her back to give

him privacy.

ARTHUR:

Say uh--there’s this new--uh

women’s club up there by the liquor

store--have you--do you--you

haven’t heard anything about it,

right?

Alike shakes her head no. Arthur tucks his undershirt into

his pants.

ARTHUR (CONT’D)

Called the Kitty Litter, the

Catbox, something like that?

ALIKE:

Nah, I never even heard of it.

ARTHUR:

Good. ‘Cause you know that’s a

uh...it’s a rough neighborhood. You

know that right? I had a case over

there. You wanna be careful--stay

away from that element. Just in

case it ever comes up?

ALIKE:

I’ll be careful.

ARTHUR:

Good. I know you will.

Alike glances back at Arthur and sees that he’s decent. She

scoots back around to face him. Arthur smooths his uniform

shirt into his pants.

ALIKE:

Dad, when you were on the phone

earlier? It sounded like...I

mean...I guess you’re headed back

to work, huh?

71.

ARTHUR:

Yep. Your mama still up?

ALIKE:

Probably.

ARTHUR:

Tell her I had to work.

Arthur picks up his work tote and kisses Alike on the

forehead.

ARTHUR (CONT'D)

Love you.

56 INT. LAURA’S KITCHEN - MORNING 56

Laura jams a pillow into a t-shirt as a makeshift pillowcase

as she escorts one of the pier girls to the couch. The pier

girl looks slightly unkempt and is relieved to plop her

knapsack on the floor. Laura tosses the pillow onto the

couch.

LAURA:

My sister gets home at six so, you

gotta be gone by then.

PIER GIRL #2

Good looking.

LAURA:

There’s some lunchmeat in there

Rate this script:5.0 / 1 vote