THE JUNEBUGS’ NIGHT OUT
FADE IN:
INT. SCHOOL - DAY
The lunch bell has just rung, and all the students are going to the cafeteria for lunch. Emily has just come out of the lunch line toward Mr Peterson, the janitor, and once she gets close to him she (maybe by accident maybe not) spills her food all over him. She tries to clean it but ends up smearing it more on his clothes. Embarrassed, she hurriedly goes to the lunch table where her friends are sitting.
EMILY
OMG! guys did you just see what I did?
RACHEL
I did, Emily, and you’ve offended Mr. Peterson
STEVEN
Yo! No one cares what lame thing you did Emily!
EMILY
Nobody cares about you, Steven!
DOYLE
Yeah, you guys should have seen the look on his face. He
was all like- (imitates angry monkey-like facial expressions). I didn’t know it was possible, Emily!
Emily, Rachel, and Steven, confused, look at each other. Finally, Emily decides to say something.
EMILY
What, Doyle?
DOYLE
You made Mr. Peterson even uglier than he was before!
EMILY
Yeah, I guess I did, but that’s a good thing because maybe
he’d learn to clean better by cleaning himself up.
End of lunch bell rings.
RACHEL
I’m ready to go back to class.
STEVEN
Oh, c’mon Rachel we still have a few minutes left.
RACHEL
Fine, you can stay here but I’m not.
STEVEN
Ok, fine.
DOYLE
I’m ready!
Rachel pushes her chair out and stands up to leave the room. Steven crosses his arms slouching even further back into his seat, and Doyle happily stands up and follows Rachel out of the cafeteria.
EMILY
You guys are so silly!
Emily then finishes staring at her phone and briefly makes eye contact with Mr. Peterson before exiting the cafeteria and walking in a different direction than Rachel and Doyle.
Steven rolls his eyes, sighs to himself and gets up. He attempts to throw a wrapper in the trash can like a basketball and misses drastically. He then walks to his class alone just barely making it on time.
Mr. Peterson slowly turns around and watches as Steven, the final friend of the group, walks out. Then he continues sweeping the floor and shaking his head.
MR. PETERSON
(mutters under his breath)
CUT TO:
EXT. SCHOOL STEPS - AFTERNOON
Final school bell rings. All the friends come out of their classes and meet up in the school parking lot. Mr. Peterson in the BG.
RACHEL
So, is everyone good with the movie at 7:00?
DOYLE
Yes, please!!! I’ve been waiting to see that movie
forever!
Emily and Steven nod in agreement and the scene ends with a slow zoom in on Mr. Peterson.
CUT TO:
EXT/INT. INSIDE/OUTSIDE OF MOVIE THEATER - NIGHT
Steven and Rachel stand outside the theater waiting for Emily. The movie is about to start and Emily hasn’t shown up. Doyle, inside, orders his popcorn unaware of what his friends are doing outside.
STEVEN
Where is she?
RACHEL
I don’t know, she said she would be here.
Doyle emerges from the theater with a bucket of popcorn in hand.
DOYLE
Hey guys, the movie is about to start.
STEVEN
Emily isn’t even here yet.
RACHEL
Her location says she’s still at the school…why would she
still be there?
DOYLE
I dunno, but this movie is starting sooo.
RACHEL
Maybe we should go look for Emily, make sure she's ok?
STEVEN
Yeah, I agree, she wouldn’t just bail on us like this.
DOYLE
Ugh, if she doesn’t want to watch the movie, she doesn’t
want to watch the movie.
STEVEN
Doyle, if you disappeared she’d go find you too y’know.
DOYLE
Fine. But let’s be quick so we can get back to the movie.
Characters exit the scene to go to the school.
CUT TO:
EXT. SCHOOL PARKING LOT - NIGHT
In the school parking lot, near Emily's car, noticing that it's unoccupied. They try to enter through the front doors but they are locked. Steven and Rachel fiddle with the lock while Doyle stands in BG munching on his popcorn.
STEVEN
This door won’t open.
RACHEL
Maybe if you tried a bit harder it would work out. Like our old relationship.
Doyle disappears from the BG.
STEVEN
See, it's locked.
DOYLE
Hey lovebirds, I found a way in.
STEVEN/RACHEL
Shut it, Doyle.
DOYLE
Suit yourselves, dudes.
It is revealed that Doyle found an open window. Doyle is standing next to the window proudly. Steven and Rachel glarnce (glare/glance)at each other and follow Doyle over to the window.
RACHEL
What is this you found Doyle?
DOYLE
Oh you know, just a window.
STEVEN
Yeah, no duh.
DOYLE
An open window, Stevie.
STEVEN
Ohhhhh.
RACHEL
That’s great Doyle, good job! At least someone else around
here has a brain.
DOYLE
Thanks, Rache.
CUT TO:
INT. SCHOOL BUILDING - NIGHT
Cut to Steven falling in the window at the feet of Doyle and Rachel who are already in the classroom.
Cut to the main hallway inside the main doors. Characters turn on flashlights.
Steven steps on Emily’s phone dropped on the floor.
STEVEN
Wuh, what’s this?
Rachel picks up the phone and looks at the screen.
RACHEL
It’s Emily’s. She has to be here.
STEVEN
Let's start searching then.
The group searches from classroom to classroom. We see them entering one classroom and exiting another, from one end of the hallway as they get further and further away. Doyle lags behind Steven and Rachel going in and out of classrooms at different times. All the while chowing down on his popcorn.
CUT TO:
End of hallway by band room.
DOYLE
We’ve been at this for hours.
STEVEN
Welp, It’s just the band room left.
RACHEL
Wait, guys listen. Do you hear anything?
Muffled screaming and hollering coming from the band room.
They slowly open the doors with caution to find Mr. Peterson dragging Emily towards the exit door.
DOYLE
Hey guys, what's Emily doing here with Mr. Peterson?
EMILY
Guys, don’t just leave me here with him! Helpppp!
STEVEN/RACHEL/DOYLE
Emily! We’re coming!
Mr. Peterson notices the kids and hurriedly leaves with Emily to the door leading outside, with the kids on his tail.
STEVEN
Quick guys, he’s getting away.
CUT TO:
INT/EXT. INSIDE OF SCHOOL/SCHOOL PARKING LOT - MORNING
As Steven, Rachel, and Doyle start to chase after Mr. Peterson, Steven holds the door for Doyle, but lets it shut on Rachel.
RACHEL
What the heck?
STEVEN
What?
Doyle stands awkwardly in the middle. Looking back and forth from Steven to Rachel, as they begin to argue.
RACHEL
You closed the freaking door on me!
STEVEN
You know, just because we broke up doesn’t mean that you
have to be such a jerk!
DOYLE
Um, guys?
RACHEL
I’m the jerk? Ah, that’s rich coming from the guy that
skipped out on my 16th birthday!
DOYLE
Guys?
STEVEN
It was leg day!
DOYLE
GUYS! HE’S GETTING AWAY!!!
Steven and Rachel both look over to where Doyle was motioning to and they see Mr. Peterson close the side door to his van. Then he gets into the driver seat.
RACHEL
Oh,shoot!
Steven rushes over to his car and shouts to the others as he opens the driver’s door.
STEVEN
Come on. Let’s go!
Rachel and Doyle run over to Steven’s car, Doyle stumbles,and Steven opens the driver side door for Doyle. He then gets in himself and lets Rachel get in the passenger seat herself.
STEVEN
Why didn’t you say something sooner?
DOYLE
Don’t go too fast please.
They see Mr. Peterson speed out of the parking lot and Steven unfolds his sunglasses, places them on his face and peels out of the parking lot in pursuit of the van. As they begin to chase Mr. Peterson’s car through the many streets of their town, Rachel starts to shout directions and names of the streets they need to follow. They turn and lose sight of the van due to Rachel’s directions.
STEVEN
Where are you taking us?
RACHEL
There’s a roadblock somewhere near the dirt roads. If we
can change his path we can trap him there.
Steven nods and makes a hard left as Rachel then instructed. Meanwhile, Doyle is sitting on the floor behind the middle console, trying not to throw up into his popcorn bucket.
EXT. DIRT ROADS - MORNING
A couple streets away, they see Mr. Peterson’s van approaching an intersection and Steven turns so they’re coming at the van head on from the opposite direction. The van turns in response and they follow, ahead to the roadblock, where the police are waiting at the roadblock.
When they get to the roadblock, Mr. Peterson stops his car and gets out, glaring at the kids in the other car. Steven and Rachel exit Steven’s car and watch as the police handle the situation. Paramedics go to the van and find Emily to check on her. As the police take Mr. Peterson away, before leaving, the paramedics return Emily to her friends.
EXT. DIRT ROADS - MORNING
B.G. Dirt Roads, Corn Field, cop cars, and the runaway car. F.G. Camera pans to the group meeting and hugging, excited for Emily’s return.
RACHEL
Emily! We are so glad you're okay. How are you feeling?
Anything hurting?
EMILY
No. I’m fine. He didn’t hurt me.
RACHEL
Thank goodness.
STEVEN
Hey, now that I think about it. Who called the cops to let
them know to meet us here?
RACHEL
Don’t look at me. I mean, I’m glad that Emily’s okay, but I
didn’t call them.
STEVEN
Well, if I didn’t call them, and you didn’t call them. Then
who did?
Doyle opens the car door and stumbles out, but thankfully catches himself.
DOYLE
I did.
STEVEN
You called the cops? When?
DOYLE
Right after we got into the car and started chasing Mr.
Peterson.
RACHEL
I thought you were carsick.
DOYLE
I am, but it was for…for….
Doyle pukes into his popcorn bucket. Emily goes to Doyle and rubs his back. When he is finished, the friends can hear Doyle’s voice.
DOYLE
[voice barely above a whisper]
For Emily.
FADE OUT.
THE END
Screenplay written by:
Sophie Birkestrand
Allison Boettcher
Jessie Bronson
Kylie Burken
Aspyn Chapin
Darbie deFreese
Maxine Fickenscher
Isaac Haack
Steel Marks
Alizabeth McDermott
Jocelyn McGee
Ben Popple
Anika Scheele