Tapping Page #9

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years.

AVERY:

I'm sorry, Po.

The first cop car leaves. The police officer from before

comes up to Po and Avery.

POLICE OFFICER:

(looking to Po)

Where's your Mom?

PO:

At the hospital.

POLICE OFFICER:

Come on, we'll give you a ride.

INT. POLICE CAR - NIGHT - MOMENTS LATER

Po and Avery sit in the back of the police cruiser. Two

officers sit at the front.

AVERY:

I haven't been in the back of a

police car in ages.

The police glance backwards.

PO:

She's kidding.

*

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YELLOW 05/24/2017 55.

EXT. STREET - NIGHT - CONTINUOUS

The police car goes a little faster than it needs to.

INT. MARY'S HOSPITAL ROOM - DAY

Mary lays in her bed. She's looking better. She's sound

asleep. Po and Avery sit on either side of her in chairs,

talking quietly. Avery is drinking a Soda.

PO:

Remember how much longer the nurse

said?

AVERY:

I think that she said one more

week.

Po nods.

PO:

Thanks for being here.

AVERY:

Of course.

PO:

It... it means a lot.

Avery smiles to him.

INT. PO'S SCHOOL - CAFETERIA - DAY

Po, Avery and Chuckie sit at their table in the cafeteria. As

usual, Avery has Soda. Po and Chuckie have water.

AVERY:

I finished "FOUND" last night.

PO:

What?! Aren't there like six

seasons?

CHUCKIE:

Yeah, but if you stay up all night

for a while, you can finish at a

really good speed.

(MORE)

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YELLOW 05/24/2017 56.

CONTINUED:

Po rolls his eyes.

PO:

Are you guys doing anything next

week? Because we should go see a

movie.

AVERY:

I have a dance recital thing.

PO:

Really?

CHUCKIE:

Really?

AVERY:

(proudly)

Yep. I've been practicing after

school three days a week.

PO:

Is this with Jonathan?

AVERY:

Yes.

PO:

UGHHH! You gotta teach me how to

dance. I don't wanna go and watch

you dance with some dude. It's

really uncomfortable.

CHUCKIE:

I've got an idea.

AVERY:

Shoot.

CHUCKIE:

'Cause Po here has a loyalty

problem-

PO:

What? Hey!

Avery laughs. Chuckie holds out his hand to Po.

CHUCKIE:

No one's blaming you. Listen,

Avery. Halfway through the dance,

or whenever you want...

(MORE)

*

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YELLOW 05/24/2017 57.

CONTINUED:
(2)

Chuckie stops, grinning.

PO:

Chuckie!

CHUCKIE:

Avery, halfway through the dance,

you need to spit on Jonathan.

They all laugh.

CHUCKIE (CONT’D)

And don't make it seem like an

accident! You gotta spit, and then

be like; "Oh, I'm so sorry, I got

possessed!"

They all three laugh.

AVERY:

I might do that, just to see what

he says. But if he won't dance with

me again, I'll have to teach Po.

PO:

Win-win situation.

BEGIN MONTAGE:

INT. RESTAURANT - NIGHT

Po and Avery sit in the restaurant, talking. They don't have

food. They laugh.

INT. MOVIE THEATER - NIGHT

Po and Avery's Dad, Brad, sit watching a movie together.

They're both laughing hysterically. They have similar humor.

INT. AUDITORIUM - DAY

Jonathan and Avery dance the Balboa Swing Dance. It's even

more fluid than before, at the school dance. They finish

their dance... to a standing ovation. Led by Po Black.

*

YELLOW 05/24/2017 58.

INT. PO'S BEDROOM - NIGHT

Po and Avery are laying on Po's mattress. Avery seems to

think that Po is still awake, because she is excitedly

talking. Po sleeps beside her.

END MONTAGE:

INT. PO'S KITCHEN - MORNING - THE NEXT DAY

Po walks into the kitchen, where Avery is making eggs. He

watches her happily.

PO:

Where do your parents think you

are?

AVERY:

They know I'm here. Taking care of

you.

PO:

I don't need taking care of.

AVERY:

Well that was the only excuse I

could think of.

A large cloud of smoke is rising behind Avery. There go the

eggs.

Po laughs a bit.

PO:

Hey babysitter, please don't burn

down my house.

He points to the stove.

AVERY:

Oh!

She turns around and turns off the stove.

AVERY (CONT’D)

Waffles?

Po smiles.

*

*

YELLOW 05/24/2017 59.

INT. WAFFLE PLACE - DAY - MOMENTS LATER

Po and Avery sit across from each other at Waffle House.

They're in the same booth that they usually sit in. Po sighs.

He's tired.

AVERY:

OK?

PO:

I need to go see my Dad today.

Avery purses her lips. Doesn't approve.

AVERY:

Why?

PO:

My Mom and I agreed that one of us

need to go see what's going on with

him. And my Mom shouldn't ever have

to go near that man again.

AVERY:

Do you want a ride?

PO:

I'll take my Mom's car. I'd like to

go alone.

Avery nods.

INT. POLICE DEPT. VISITING ROOM - DAY - LATER

Po sits in a chair. Across from him, behind a glass wall,

sits his father. There are a few small holes in the glass, so

that they can hear each other. They don't speak. Just stare

at each other. Po's Dad looks a bit better; he's not drunk.

But he does have a bruise from the pan. Po's Dad looks a

little bit emotional. Po sits like a stone.

PO'S DAD

(almost crying)

I'm sorry. I was a bad dad.

Po shakes his head. Not in anger, but knowing that his Dad is

wrong.

(MORE)

60.

CONTINUED:

PO:

No.

Po seems to anger a little bit now.

PO (CONT’D)

No. You weren't a bad dad. You

weren't a dad at all. If you were a

Dad, there'd be two parents living

in my house. As well as my brother.

Not just me and my girlfriend. She

feels like she has to take care of

me; looks at me like a wounded

animal.

Po leans forward.

PO (CONT’D)

Because I am a wounded animal.

There's something about taking the

bus to the ER in the middle of the

night, and then lying about why I

needed stitches. Coming home the

next day to find a pure-bred sonof-

a-b*tch sitting on my couch.

Telling me that my Mom had an

accident.

PO (CONT’D)

Going to the hospital and nearly

getting our neighbor killed because

you've scared the Hell out of me.

Waking up the next day having

morphine fed to me through a tube.

Finding that my Mom has whiplash.

Po shakes his head. Starts to cry a little bit.

PO (CONT’D)

I don't even want to think about

how she ended up with that. And no

matter what I won't forgive you.

No. Maybe that's why I won't go to

Heaven, and that's OK. I'll go to

Hell before forgiving you. For

doing that to my mother. A woman

that maybe... maybe you used to

love. I don't know what changed.

(MORE)

(MORE)

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PINK 05/18/2017 61.

CONTINUED:
(2)

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