Gaining Momentum Now

 

FADE IN:

INT: GRACIE’S ROOM – NIGHT

 

Gracie sits in her room, at the baseboard of her bed, alone. Her hair and make-up are done, and she’s dressed in the outfit she was going to wear to the party. She is very drunk. Her phone begins to ring, and she clumsily searches for it through her pockets, before she realizes that she’s sitting on it.

 

GRACIE

(slightly slurred)

Haaaaalloooooooo....

(very excited)

Hiiii, how are you?.... Nope, I’m drunk....

(laughing)

Very.... Yea, see the party I was planning got cancelled, so I have to drink now, so I can get rid of it, so I can get caught- I mean, not get caught....

(giggling)

No. Getting caught would not be good. Not at all. I don’t know why I said that.... Why what?.... Because, silly, mom and dad are home. You know that they won’t bother me when I’m by myself. But if I have twenty people over, then they’ll get suspiss... suspiss... suuuh-spish-us.... I am not that bad. Am I that bad?.... You think so?.... Really? I can barely hear it.... I don’t know, I guess I’m immuuuune at this point.... Oh, I don’t know

(picking up a crushed beer can)

maybe about nine...

(picking up another one)

Or thirteen.... Meh, that’s not so bad. I had a big dinner. I’ll be fine.... Oh stop being such a Debbie Downer, I’ll be fine.... I know you don’t approve- What?....

      (laughing)

Yea, I guess I could’ve done that. Oh well, there’s nothing I can do about it now....

      (laughing)

No I guess I didn’t think it out.... No don’t come over; then mom and dad will see me.... They keep to themselves down there, and don’t bother me. But if you come home, they will because they’ll come upstairs.... Nope, until tomorrow morning I stay right hurrrrr....

(laughing)

Because it’s funny, back off.... Huh?.... Oh, first because a pipe burst at Jenny’s house.... I don’t know, but it did.... So then I was like “F**k, what are we going to do?” Then I realized that Jessica Henner’s parents don’t care.... So Sara called her up and she said, “OK.”

But then she found out Annie Leibowitz was bringing her ex-boyfriend and it all went to hell. And now Jessica’s probably in her room crying.... (>>>)

GRACIE (CONT)

 They went out for like a year, and broke up like two weeks ago.... Yea, and now he’s with some s**t from North. That couldn’t have been the best thing to hear.... No, seriously, that’s not even a joke. Her nickname is “Loose Legs”.... Seriously.... Example?- Mike Kurtzman got with her. He says, “Hi,” by the way....

      (laughing)

I saw him today.... He’s the one I got all the beer from.... I know you don’t approve, but he was the easiest person to get it from. Now I realize what a f*****g waste it was.... Yea, he did.... He talked about the ski trip , y’know, the one where you blue balled him....

(laughing)

No, he didn’t say that, and I told him that I knew nothing about it, so he just talked about how it was romantic that you two stayed and talked by the fire, or whatever.... Creepy. Real creepy.... Oh, but guess who else I saw today.... Coug.... I know, your heart melts for that kid....

      (giggling)

Yes, he’s still cute.... Yes, of course, he still hangs out with Burgis.

      (a beat)

Did you ever get with him?.... That’s a shame. I remember once I heard you talking on the phone with Maria about how you wanted to jump his bones....

      (laughing)

I didn’t hear that specifically, but that’s what I inferred. It took me so long to figure out, though, that ‘Marshall’ was Coug....

      (with excitement)

He said that today! That you’re the only one that calls him that.... Yes, we talked about you.... No, only briefly.... It’s a long story, that I do not have the wherewithal to explain right now.

 

She rests her head on the baseboard of her bed, and looks up at the ceiling.

 

GRACIE (CONT)

Leah, who put all the stars on the ceiling above my bed? Was that you and Mom?.... No definitely not. They’ve been there forever. They were there when I had my Princess bed.... Hmmm.. Maybe it was just Mom, then.... No, I don’t think Dad would’ve done that.... Yea, but anyway, back to Coug.... Yes, I want to know, why you never got with him. Was it because he was so much younger than you?.... It’s a lot when you’re a senior and he’s a freshman.... Yea, I guess- man, I can’t even think of hanging out with someone three years younger than me, let alone f*****g them.... (>>>)

     

GRACIE (CONT)

(laughing)

Yea, but according to you it’s not so different.... Three years ago, though, you were saying something completely different....

      (laughing loudly)

Killing a what?....

      (laughing even louder)

Killing a unicorn? Oh that’s f*****g brilliant.... Oh, I’m definitely using that for something.... Oh it’s genius. Where’d you heard that?

 

There’s a sudden knock at the door. Gracie looks to it with an expression of panic.

 

GRACIE (CONT)

F**k.

 

A voice, which we can only assume to be GRACIE’S MOM, follows.

 

GRACIE’S MOM (OFF)

Gracie? Honey? Are you alright? You’re being a little loud.

 

Gracie freezes with terror at the thought of her mother walking into her room, finding her, in the middle of a pile of crushed beer cans, hammered.

 

FADE OUT.

Author's Note

(>>>) This means that there's a page break during the line.