Short Term 12 Page #3

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The phone RINGS. Grace picks up while writing a report onMarcus' blow-up.

GRACE:

Short Term 12 this is Grace.

(pause)

Right now?

INT. GROUP HOME JACK'S OFFICE -- DAY

Grace sits in an office, staring at a big, ugly, yellow lampin the corner of the room. JACK, an old guy with glasses,

finishes an email on his computer, typing very slow and loud.

He talks while he types.

JACK:

So what do you think?

GRACE:

Hm?

JACK:

The new lamp.

She looks at the very normal looking lamp.

JACK (CONT’D)

It's really a trip. You can turn

it on and off by just touching themetal part. Try it.

Grace reaches over and touches the lamp a few times, takingit through its various levels of illumination.

JACK (CONT’D)

Cool, huh?

He turns to Grace.

Grace shrugs and gives him a slight nod that says, "Maybe alittle."

JACK (CONT’D)

Look I’m suppose to be in a group

session like right now. You mind if

we walk and talk?

Jack gets up and grabs a couple folders from his desk.

CUT TO:

EXT. GROUP HOME, COTTAGE -- DAY

Jack and Grace walk down the sidewalk passing the cottages.

A small group of kids play dodge-ball in the foreground,

supervised by a couple staff members. Kids and social

workers pass through frame in the background.

Jack fumbles through his folders and hands her a file.

JACK:

This is Jayden, she just gotappointed to us this morning. Her

father’s a friend of a friend.

Real nice guy, very cultured.

GRACE:

Why isn't she with him?

JACK:

He lost his wife a few years backand Jayden hasn't made it very easyfor him. The past couple yearsshe's been in and out of grouphomes for dangerous behavior. Last

week she bit her therapist's nose.

GRACE:

Great.

JACK:

Yeah, so we'll have her during theweek, but she has weekend homevisits.

GRACE:

Alright.

JACK:

I told her father we’d take good

care of her.

GRACE:

I take good care of everyone.

Jack looks directly at her, a small smile on his face,

reminding her who's in charge.

JACK:

I know you do. That’s why I’mtrusting you to do the same forJayden.

GRACE:

(let’s it go)

When does she get here?

Jack looks at his watch.

JACK:

She might be here already.

He walks into his meeting.

INT. GROUP HOME OFFICE -- DAY

JAYDEN, 15, in worn jeans and high-tops with scribbles allover them, sits on the floor surrounded by all herbelongings, drawing in a sketchbook, fixated on a dead roachlying on its back a few feet away.

GRACE:

I like your name, Jayden.

JAYDEN:

It's a boy's name.

GRACE:

Really? I didn't think so.

JAYDEN:

Will Smith did.

Grace goes through the last of her bags. She pulls out abelt and adds it to the pile of contraband. She pulls out apair of scissors.

GRACE:

Okay, well these things you can’tkeep in your room, but we'll keepit in a closet out here, and youcan check it out whenever you want‘em.

JAYDEN:

Yep, I know the rules: no belts, norazors, no scissors, no fuckingfreedom.

GRACE:

No cussing.

JAYDEN:

Oh sh*t, I forgot about that one.

Grace smiles at her and shakes her head, amused.

GRACE:

I’m gonna let that one slide, onlycause it was clever.

Grace heads to the door.

GRACE (CONT’D)

Let's go see your room.

Jayden watches her, wondering if this one may be different.

INT. JAYDEN'S ROOM -- DAY

GRACE:

Here it is.

Jayden throws her stuff on the bed, including her sketch pad.

JAYDEN:

Wow, it's so inviting.

GRACE:

You can put up whatever you want onthe walls, as long as it'sappropriate.

JAYDEN:

So no pictures of penises?

GRACE:

Not unless they're very scientific.

Jayden walks over to check out the closet. Grace seesJayden's sketch book and a really cool drawing of a deadroach with balloons tied to its feet, floating through thesky. Grace picks it up and smiles.

GRACE (CONT’D)

Oh, wow. This is really cool.

Jayden grabs the sketchbook and closes it.

JAYDEN:

That's crap.

GRACE:

If you call that crap, I'm jealous.

Grace takes in a breath and realizes Jayden doesn't want tochat.

GRACE (CONT’D)

Put your clothes outside the doorbefore bedtime and the overnighters

will wash them. And, um,

you can’t keep your door closed...

JAYDEN:

I don't do that anymore.

GRACE:

I'm not saying you do...

JAYDEN:

And if I did ever want to cut

myself, keeping the f***ing doorcracked isn't going to stop me.

GRACE:

I warned you about cussing. That

one's gonna be a level drop.

JAYDEN:

Oh no, a level drop, what am I

going to do?

Grace looks at her for a moment before responding.

GRACE:

Your attitude is not helping eitherone of us.

Jayden puts in her headphones. Grace watches her for a

moment, then walks out of the room.

INT. GIRL'S ROOM 1 -- AFTERNOON

Kendra lies in bed, feet on the wall, filing her nails with anon-metal file.

INT. SAMMY’S ROOM -- AFTERNOON

Sammy plays with a plastic dinosaur.

INT. MARCUS’ ROOM -- AFTERNOON

Marcus stares at his fish.

INT. GROUP HOME OFFICE -- AFTERNOON

Grace signs out her hours for the day and puts the binderaway.

EXT. GROUP HOME LOUNGE -- AFTERNOON

Mason stands with Nate, smoking a cigarette after work. Nate

has a back-pack on. Grace unlocks her bicycle.

NATE:

What happened to that guy?

MASON:

What guy?

NATE:

The big kid who made you poop yourpants.

MASON:

Wesley?

GRACE:

He ran away again, and then twodays later someone found him deadin the bushes.

NATE:

What?

GRACE:

That's the real ending to the

story.

MASON:

I don't like that part.

Mason takes a drag as Grace gets on her bike.

MASON (CONT’D)

Sure you’re not coming with me.

GRACE:

I’m gonna clear my head.

She rides off.

GRACE (CONT’D)

Good first day Nate!

NATE:

(unsure)

Thank you.

MASON:

(sarcastic)

See ya!

NATE:

Alright, man

MASON:

Yeah, take it easy. See you

tomorrow.

He takes another drag.

EXT. SUBURBAN STREETS -- AFTERNOON

Grace rides her bike.

EXT. WOMEN'S CARE CLINIC -- AFTERNOON

Grace locks her bike to a railing.

INT. WOMEN'S CARE CLINIC LOBBY -- AFTERNOON

Grace sits in a waiting room with 4 teenage girls. She's

visibly awkward and out of place. NURSE BETH, a plump 40year-old with a weathered face, walks out from the back witha clipboard in hand.

NURSE BETH:

Grace? Come on in, hon.

Grace gets up and walks back with her.

INT. WOMEN'S CARE CLINIC OFFICE -- AFTERNOON

Nurse Beth sits at her desk, looking at the testing resultson the clipboard. She has a kind, motherly tone in hervoice.

NURSE BETH:

So, the test did come back

positive.

GRACE:

(sarcastic)

Lovely.

NURSE BETH:

How are you feeling?

GRACE:

I already took like seven of those

tests at home, so I’m not really

surprised.

NURSE BETH:

Okay, well you have a few optionsto explore. And we can go over them-

GRACE:

(interrupting)

Can we just make an appointment forSaturday?

Nurse Beth looks at her, wondering if she's really thought itthrough.

NURSE BETH:

You don't want to hear the other

options?

GRACE:

No.

Nurse Beth looks at her, looks down at Grace's hands.

NURSE BETH:

Okay.

She grabs another clipboard.

NURSE BETH (CONT’D)

Have you ever been pregnant before?

Grace is a little thrown off.

GRACE:

One time.

Grace picks at the corner of her thumb.

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