The Butterfly Effect Page #18

Evan's face falls as he hears a familiar voice, but not Thumper's.

LENNY:

What? Hey, sorry, man. We wake you up?

Evan is confused by Lenny's presence, but smiles to himself and shakes his head "no".

EVAN:

No, it's cool.

(re:
Lenny's okay)

Really cool.

Evan yawns, brining his hand to his mouth, but there's no hand. No arm, really, either. Just two FLESHY STUMPS!

Evan bolts upright in bed and stares down at his amputations.

A FLOOD OF MEMORIES ASSAULT HIM:

We see countless and brief image flashes of Evan growing up from the age of thirteen with NO ARMS, and requiring a WHEELCHAIR.

INT. MULTIPLEX THEATER LOBBY - DAY - 1995

Tommy and Kayleigh load popcorn and drinks onto Evan's lap as Lenny pushes the wheelchair.

INT. ANDREA'S HOUSE - KITCHEN - DAY - 1995

Evan celebrates his 14th birthday and blows out the candles. Andrea, Kayleigh, Tommy and Lenny all clap.

EXT. CHURCH - DAY - 1995

Tommy pushes Evan to church.

INT. EVAN'S DORM - DAY - 2002

Evan screams as blood pours from his nose. Lenny is out of bed at once to help him...as is KAYLEIGH! (Now beautiful and natural looking).

QUICK SERIES OF FLASHES:

EXT. LAKE - DAY - 1999

Lenny and Kayleigh, as teens, sit together with Evan at the far end of the boat.

INT. HIGH SCHOOL - DAY - 1999

Evan looks on longingly as Lenny and Kayleigh become lovers in high school.

EXT. WOODS - NIGHT - 1999

A campfire. Evan sips from a BEER CAP as Lenny and Kayleigh make out in plain sight with Tommy's bashful approval.

BACK TO EVAN:

INT. DORM HALLWAY - DAY - 2002

Evan's in agony as Kayleigh opens a series of dorm doors and Lenny rushes Evan's wheelchair through. Kayleigh carries a pair of prosthetic arms in her hands. Evan moans and tries to rub his temple with his stump.

EVAN:

Where are we going?

KAYLEIGH:

We have to get you to Sunnyvale. You're having one of your famous hemorrhages.

EVAN:

Stop! Take me back!

LENNY:

Sorry, tough guy, no can do. Your mother would kill me.

Evan launches his body forward and spills clumsily out of the wheelchair. Lenny must halt in order not to crush Evan. AS Evan writhes about on the floor, his legs paralyzed, a CROWD GATHERS.

Evan focuses on Lenny, but it's hard to ignore the crowd that titters and snickers in the background.

EVAN:

Take me back, Lenny!

(teeth clenched)

You owe me that much.

Kayleigh turns to face the jeering crowd.

KAYLEIGH:

What are you geeks looking at? Must be nice to be so goddamned perfect, huh? F***ing losers.

The crowd breaks up and leaves.

EXT. COLLEGE QUAD - DAY

It's calm now. Lenny and Kayleigh push Evan's wheelchair around the quad. Evan now wears prosthetic arms. Random PEOPLE call out to Lenny. He's extremely popular in this world.

LENNY:

'Sup, Sheila! WE missed you at the party! Don't even think I'm giving you my lab notes either! Think I like getting up for "eight thirty's"?

Lenny pushes Evan past Thumper and Cricket. Their conversation stops and they stare at their feet as Evan gets wheeled by. Evan boils to be treated as if he were non-existent.

LENNY:

Hey, there's Tommy.

Evan spins around in fear. He sees Tommy, clean-cut, and handing out flyers in front of a banner that reads "Campus Crusade for Christ." Tommy seems good-natured now, working hard and soliciting names for his list. He looks up as Evan rolls along and his eyes brighten to see Evan.

TOMMY:

I did what you said, man! We're pooling our student funds with Hillel House and we're going to have an Awareness Dance.

EVAN:

Oh goody, nothing like spinning my chair around to a techno mix of Hava Nagila til I puke.

Tommy frowns and exchanges glances with Lenny, who shrugs and nods back to him.

LENNY:

Uh, we should be getting to class now.

EVAN:

Forget it. What's the point of Psych now? Tomorrow I could wake up as some dirt farmer in Bangladesh.

Another exchanged glance. Kayleigh looks at Evan.

KAYLEIGH:

Let's go for a stroll.

Evan allows Kayleigh to roll him away from the others. To the very spot where Evan once killed Tommy.

Evan stares at his prosthetic hand which he can "magically" will to open, close, open, close...

EVAN:

So Tommy's really into this Jesus kick, huh?

Kayleigh looks at him curiously.

KAYLEIGH:

You know how spiritual he's gotten ever since he saved Mrs. Halpern and Katie.

EVAN:

He saved Mrs. Halpern? Please, the twisted f***.

Kayleigh, now by a bench. Stops and sits. As she casually uses her foot to turn his chair to face her, she pulls out a granola bar and hands it to him.

His prosthetic hand crushes it. It crumbles to dust. She seems more confused.

KAYLEIGH:

Is something the matter?

EVAN:

(re:
prosthetic arms)

Yeah, I think I gotta get these fixed or something.

She leans into him, gently feeding him her remaining bar.

EVAN:

Kayleigh? Do you ever think about "us?" I mean, wonder if it could ever have been different between the two of us?

KAYLEIGH:

Sure, Evan, why not? You were the first person I really ever cared about.

EVAN:

I was?

KAYLEIGH:

That's why when I was little I never went to live with my mother.

EVAN:

I don't get it.

KAYLEIGH:

(feeding another bite)

When my folks split, they gave me and Tommy a choice who we wanted to live with. I couldn't stand my dad, but I knew if I moved to my mom's I'd never see you again.

EVAN:

I never knew that. So then you still sometimes think of us... together?

KAYLEIGH:

It's crossed my mind from time to time.

EVAN:

(hopeful)

And...?

KAYLEIGH:

Well a lot of things cross my mind. I've always been a fast thinker, Ev. I can play out the movie of our entire lives in under a second. Boom - we fall in love-get married-two kids, your keen analytical insight matched to my generous nature-kids grow old as do we, relatively stable relationships, matching burial plots, the whole bit. It took a lot longer to spit out than to imagine.

EVAN:

Then you think it might have worked out?

KAYLEIGH:

Why not? But that's not how things wound up. I'm with Lenny, Lenny's your friend. And there it ends.

She looks into his eyes and shrugs almost apologetically. Tears streak down Evan's face as he speaks in a pleading tone.

EVAN:

Would it make any difference if I told you that no one could possibly love anyone as much as I love you?

Kayleigh shakes her head sadly, then suddenly looks up. Evan turns to see Lenny waving her over. She puts her hand on Evan's shoulder, stands and goes to Lenny.

Evan can't take his eyes off her.

ANGLE ON:

Lenny kissing Kayleigh. In painful slo-mo. Evan turns away, utterly heartbroken.

INT. HANDICAPPED BATHROOM - DAY

CLOSE UP:

Evan's stump turns on a BATHTUB FAUCET.

REVEAL:

Evan, fully clothes, lies in a bathtub that's filling with water. Beside the tub, the wheelchair has been tipped over.

The water rises past his mouth, to his nostrils - Evan makes his peace and takes a final breath.

Rate this script:5.0 / 1 vote