Tape Page #5

Dude, do you think

I could borrow a few bucks?

Vince...

why are you doing this?

Well...

at first,

it was a moral crusade,

but now...

I don't know, except for

that you don't want me to.

And that's worth more

than our entire friendship?

John, come on.

I highly doubt if I weren't

one of your oldest friends,

I would even possess the power

to make you think twice

about something like this.

That's assuming

you are thinking twice.

There are better ways to go

about making someone do that.

How? Convincing him with

a really good argument?

Applying excessive

linguistic pressure?

I'm not a very moral guy, John.

Much less a...

highly articulate

poet-filmmaker, all right?

I can barely pay my rent,

much less

convince somebody like you

to stop being an a**hole.

No one's asking you

to be articulate, Vince.

You pick what is potentially

the most important weekend of my life

to bring up something I haven't

thought about in 10 years!

Yeah. I guess so.

So, are you staying?

Give me the tape, Vince.

No.

- Just give me the tape.

- Why?

Because

it doesn't belong to you.

I bought it...

at K-Mart.

What's on it

doesn't belong to you.

Bullshit, all right?

I had to be like Aldrich f***ing

Ames to make this tape.

This is the most

planned out thing

I've done

in my whole life. No.

It's mine, Vince.

I'm going to give it to you,

you're gonna destroy it.

No, I'm not.

What will you do with it?

Put it in your closet

and not think about it

for another 10 years?

You know, where did you get

this whole self-righteous thing?

It's not like you

to have a spine.

What can I say?

I...

am a fireman.

I'm not leaving

until you give it up.

Fine, stay as long as you want.

Just don't touch my coke.

Tell me something.

Have you ever done anything

you regretted?

Yeah.

You have.

That you never apologized for?

So...

why are you doing this?

It must be...

that I have guilt, all right,

for all the things

I never apologized for...

and that I'm taking it

out on you.

Okay, so then it's irrational.

Yeah, I agree.

So give me the tape.

No f***ing way.

You know something? I wasn't going

to give her the tape at all,

except now, with the way

that you're acting,

it's like I have no choice.

Listen, you should

really get going.

She called me from her cell.

She's a couple of minutes away.

Okay, that's it.

Give me the tape, Vince.

- No.

- Vince!

- What?

- Give me the tape.

Feel free to leave at anytime.

Stop being a dick, Vince.

I won't take get

in your way this time.

- Vincent!

- Vincent!

Get off me!

Hey, Amy.

- Hi, Vincent.

- Wow! You look good.

You too.

It's nothing.

Hey, you'll never guess

who stopped by.

Hey, John?

Yeah.

Look who's here.

Hey.

- John.

- Hey, Amy.

Sorry.

I'm so sorry.

Are you all right? Excuse me.

- Quite the reunion.

- Yeah.

He just swung by to say hi.

I haven't seen you in...

- Since high school, probably.

- Yeah. Yeah.

- I saw you at Tracy's.

- That's right.

What was that,

about like five years ago?

Yeah.

I couldn't make it that time.

That's right.

You were in grad school, right?

Yeah, USC.

For film?

Obviously.

I mean, the Lansing Film Festival.

That's great.

Right, that's why I'm here.

- Vincent told me.

- Right.

Yeah.

Wow!

- Great to see you.

- You too, you too.

Umm...

I think I'm going to wait

outside for you.

Why?

It's just that, umm...

I didn't lock my car so...

No, what is it?

Is it the black one right there?

- Yeah.

- It'll be fine.

Just sit and let's hang out,

just for a second.

Come on.

Sit down.

Let's hang for a minute.

Okay.

So.

Yeah.

- It's good to see you, Amy.

- You too.

What are you doing here,

in Lansing, Michigan?

I guess I like it.

It's kind of mellow.

Totally.

You know, I went to school

in Ann Arbor.

That's right, that's right.

- So I decided to stay on.

- I admire that.

Vince told me...

what kind of law is it?

I'm an assistant

district attorney.

- Right. That's cool.

- I like it a lot.

Yeah?

Yeah.

Definitely.

It's a pretty good job.

So, you like, what?

You basically

prosecute criminals?

Yeah.

Somebody's got to do it.

Yeah.

So, Vincent...

what are you up to?

- Me?

- Yeah.

Not much.

I couldn't believe you just called me

out of the blue this morning.

Yeah?

No, no, I actually love it

when people do that.

- Really?

- Yeah, no, no.

I don't have the courage

to do that kind of thing,

and it just...

I just figured,

what the hell? You know?

But you could've easily

not done it.

Not done what?

Well, not called.

Most people don't.

- That's true.

- It is true.

Like... John.

I didn't know

you lived out here.

And if you had?

I'm probably one of those people

who don't have the courage.

You think?

It's hard to say.

It is.

I mean, it is hard.

Half the time

it's not even worth it.

People change.

They end up having nothing

to say to each other,

even if they were

best friends the year before.

I'm glad you're not fat.

- Is that right?

- Yeah.

You should've seen me

in college.

Really?

A big girl?

Quite.

Well, me too.

Probably for different reasons.

Unh.

- You didn't answer my question.

- Which one?

What are you doing these days?

Well...

I live in California.

Where?

Oakland.

Nice.

Yeah, yeah.

I'm a...

a firefighter.

Are you serious?

Yeah, I'm totally serious.

- That's really cool.

- Yeah.

- It keeps me busy.

- I'm sure.

A lot of fires in Oakland?

Average.

I should get going.

Wait, I thought we were going

to have dinner.

No, I never said that.

Okay, but why don't you?

I can't, I gotta get

some sleep for tomorrow.

No you don't.

Yeah, actually I do.

Dude, they are showing

your movie!

It's not like you're running

a marathon.

I know, but...

Plus it's not showing

till 2:
00 in the afternoon.

Vince, I've got some meetings

in the morning.

God, you haven't changed a bit,

have you?

Me?

I remember you doing the same

thing when we were dating.

What do you mean?

Putting pressure on people

to follow whatever schedule

you've already made up

in your mind.

That's not true.

Yeah, it is, but it's nice.

No, it's like you...

it's like he stays up the night

before thinking for hours

how the next day's gonna go

and how he just wants

people to partake

in his vision.

- That's not true.

- Okay.

- John can do whatever he wants.

- I know.

I'm suggesting he join us

for dinner.

- Why?

- Because I'm sentimental.

I like it when old friends

get together.

Is that so wrong?

It makes me feel...

you know, warm.

Well maybe John

doesn't feel like it.

Yeah, well,

I know that he doesn't,

because he doesn't have

the courage.

It's like you said,

he lets things go.

I didn't mean him specifically.

Well, you should have.

He always does that.

Does what?

Lets things go.

Buddy, come on.

If you saw your mom

walking down the street,

you would cross

to the other side.

I think maybe next time, save

the drugs for after dinner.

- Are you high, Vincent?

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes