Spring 2014: Article Contribution- Buses, Bikes, and Automobiles

http://readbuzz.com/life/2014/buses-bikes-and-automobiles

Fall 2013 Final Draft Story 2

Bugger

Roy’s tongue hurt. A lot. He gingerly tried to pull it back into his mouth, but it was frozen fast to the cast iron railing on his front porch. It felt like the ice was pulling his taste buds off. He was just about to pull some more when the door opened. Roy looked over and there was his mother. She did that thing where she settled all of her weight back on one foot and crossed her arms. “Again?” she said. It looked like another bad day to show her the microphone he’d built.

Roy gave his tongue another tug. Halfway done.

“It’s December, Roy,” his mom said. “What were you thinking?”

One last pull and Roy was free from the railing. He turned to face his mother and puffed out his chest. Half of his mouth felt somewhere between stinging pins and needles and numbness, but he forced out the words, “I’m going da be a thienthist.” Roy picked up his book bag and walked into the house.

“Is that what you were thinking when you put your legs in the arm holes of a life jacket and jumped in the lake?”

Roy rolled his eyes. “I was four.”

“You drowned.” She helped him out of his thick parka and hung it up on the hook.

“Almost drowned,” he corrected her and fought his way out of his boots.

“Whatever you say, Roy. Now go get cleaned up. The guests will be arriving in only two hours.”

Great. Another dinner party. There’d never be a good time. Roy could probably win a Nobel Prize and his mom would have to watch the ceremony in a rerun. Roy picked up his book bag and trudged up the stairs. On impulse, he turned around.

“Hey mom, can I show-”

“Go.”

Roy dumped his books on his bedroom floor with a thud. “How was school, Roy?” he asked in a pretend version of his mom’s voice. “It was fine, mom. I got an A on my science test. And look what I made!” He grabbed the microphone he’d just finished building last week. “That’s wonderful, Roy. I’m so proud of you.” He grabbed a speaker and put it on his desk next to the microphone. “Thanks, mom.” Roy tested the tuning and checked the batteries.

The equipment communicated perfectly. Roy had an idea. He’d show her his project at the party. That way, they could both get what they wanted.

Roy snuck into his mom’s room and hid the microphone in the vanity’s top drawer.

Back in his room, Roy changed into his nice trousers and an itchy, starchy white shirt. He jammed his feet into his shiny, black dress shoes and combed his hair flat. He looked himself over in the mirror. His mom’s clean and proper son looked back at him out of the glass and shrugged. Roy frowned and defiantly snatched the tie decorated with methane molecules.

He looked at the clock. An hour left until the house would be filled with boring grownups. Loud boring grownups. Loud boring grownups that thought they were interesting and funny. Those were the worst kind of grownups ever. They did things like pinch cheeks and pretend not to know about the things he learned in science class 2 years ago. At least he hoped they were pretending.

As usual, Roy’s mom didn’t start getting ready until his dad got home. Roy wondered if she was afraid to go in her room without him of something. She always took forever to primp her makeup or whatever it was moms did, and it was always Roy’s job to keep the guests entertained while they waited.

The first doorbell rang 5 minutes early. Roy straightened his methane tie, marched down the stairs, and left the speaker behind a lamp. “Mr. and Mrs. Stiller, come on in,” Roy said as he opened the door.

“Hello Roy, dear,” Mrs. Stiller handed Roy her purse and smiled too big at him. He spun round just fast enough to avoid getting pinched and put the purse in a closet.

“My parents will be right down,” he explained and led them away from the entry.

The grownups sat down on the couch in the living room, and Roy claimed the end of the couch next to the lamp hiding his speaker.

“How’s school, Roy?” Mr. Stiller asked.

“It’s good,” Roy said. “I finished my science project early.”

“Oh?” Mr. Stiller raised his brows. “What is it?

“I made a wireless microphone and speaker.”

“All by yourself?” Mrs. Stiller said.

“Yeah,” Roy smiled. “I tried to show Mom earlier, but she was busy. So I’m gonna show everyone later.”

The doorbell rang again and Roy jumped up to go answer it. Soon the living room couches were filled up with the Stillers, the Greens, the Browns, the Yates’, and the Turners. Roy reached over and turned the speaker to top volume, and his mom’s voice burst from behind the lamp.

“What do you think, Dan? The red or the pink?”

“You’re about to eat dinner. It’s just gonna get rubbed off anyway.”

“Oh, you’re just useless at this.” There was a pause.

The room was oddly quiet, and the guests looked puzzled. Except Mr. Stiller. He looked like he was about to say something, but Roy’s mom’s voice over the speaker cut him off.

“Did you have to invite the Browns?”

“You’re the one who invited the Stillers,” Roy’s dad said.

“Oh come on, Dan.” Roy’s mom said. “You know what Sheila would do if she found out that we had the Greens over without her.”

The guests traded embarrassed glances. The Stillers were especially stiff and quiet on the couch.

Roy hid a smirk.

“Don’t you think it’s a little quiet down there?”

“Just a bit, yeah. You about ready?”

“Just about.” There was the scratching noise of the microphone’s drawer opening. “What’s this? Something of yours or Roy’s?”

“It’s not mine,” Roy’s dad said.

Roy heard his parents’ door closing and footsteps coming down the stairs echoed by the speaker behind the lamp. They walked into a silent party.

“Hello everyone!” Roy’s mom said and the speaker squealed at the microphone’s close proximity. Everything was still until Roy reached behind the lamp for his speaker. His mother’s jaw dropped a little when she saw it. “You didn’t…”

Roy shrugged. “I tried to show you.”

Fall 2013 Final(ish) Draft: Epistolary Story Reworked Into Screenplay

How Not to Make Friends      

                     

                                                                         
                                                                         
          THE NOTE                                                        
                                                                         
          IT’S THE SECOND WEEK OF FIFTH GRADE. MEG BRIGHTLEY SITS IN      
          THE THIRD ROW RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE. SHE IS PART OF THE COOL      
          GIRL GROUP AND DRESSES FOR THE PART WITH HAIR CLIPS SHAPED      
          LIKE PINK FLOWERS AND PURPLE BUTTERFLIES. SHE IS SO COOL SHE    
          EVEN WEARS LIP GLOSS LIKE A TEENAGER.                          
                                                                         
          Meg opens her desk to get her spelling notebook. As she        
          picks it up, she notices a folded index card sitting on top    
          of the cover.                                                  
                                                                         
                              MEG                                        
                    Oh god no. Not again!                                
                                                                         
          MEG IS SEEN EXAMINING THE NOTE. EMILY’S VOICE IS HEARD          
          READING IT.                                                    
                                                                         
                              EMILY                                      
                    I know you got my last note. I saw                    
                    it crumpled up in the garbage. I                      
                    just wanted to tell you that I                        
                    noticed that your mom isn’t very                      
                    good at packing lunches. All of the                  
                    sandwich ingredients were in the                      
                    wrong pattern for maximum wonderful                  
                    sogginess! Don’t worry. I fixed it                    
                    for you. Friendiness, Emily                          
                    Longshadow                                            
                                                                         
          Meg turns around to look at one of the seats behind her.        
                                                                         
          EMILY IS SEEN LEANING FORWARD IN HER CHAIR, SUPPORTING          
          HERSELF ON HER ELBOWS. HER HAIR USED TO BE BLOND, BUT NOW      
          IT’S THE SHADE OF GREEN THAT CAN ONLY COME FROM FADED BLUE      
          DYE OR TOO MUCH TIME IN THE POOL WITH NO SHAMPOO FOR A          
          MONTH. HER SHIRT IS ORANGE AND HER SHORTS ARE PURPLE AND HER    
          SHOES ARE RED.                                                  
                                                                         
          Seeing Meg face her, Emily gives her a smile with a few        
          teeth missing and two thumbs up.                                
                                                                      
                                                                         
          THE HAIRCUT                                                    
                                                                         
          MEG IS SEEN DRAWING WITH COLORED PENCILS. THE TOP OF THE        
          COLORING SHEET SAYS "DRAW YOUR BEST FRIEND!" MEG’S PICTURE      
          IS OF HER DOG. THE SOUND OF A PAIR OF SCISSORS CLOSING IS      
          HEARD.                                                          
                                                                         
          Meg jerks to see Emily walking away with a tuft of her hair.    
                                                                         
                              MEG                                        
                    Did you just cut my hair?                            
                                                                         
                              EMILY                                      
                    I couldn’t draw it right. It’s so                    
                    pretty!                                              
                                                                         
                                                                         
          THE LIFE OF THE PARTY                                          
                                                                         
          MEG IS SEEN OPENING PRESENTS NEXT TO WHAT IS LEFT OF A          
          BIRTHDAY CAKE. THE ENTIRE CLASS IS SITTING ON THE GROUND        
          WATCHING.                                                      
                                                                         
          Meg stuffs shredded wrapping paper into a trash bag her mom    
          is holding. She picks up another gift and starts opening.      
                                                                         
                              MEG                                        
                    The last Harry Potter movie!                          
                    Thanks, Kristy!                                      
                                                                         
                              KRISTY                                      
                    You’re welcome.                                      
                                                                         
          Meg discards the wrapping and picks up a rather large          
          parcel. She tears the wrapping and opens the plain cardboard    
          box inside. At the top of a mound of packing peanuts is a      
          Lost Dog sign with a picture very similar to the Yorkie in      
          the "best friend" drawing. Meg digs through the peanuts and    
          pulls out the dog. It is completely still and stiff, frozen    
          in a play bow with its butt in the air.                        
                                                                         
                              MEG                                        
                    Lucky?! Wha- What happened?!                          
                                                                         
                              EMILY                                      
                    I saw that you were sad that he had                  
                    gone missing, so when I found him,                    
                    I had him taxidermy-ed so you could                  
                    keep him forever!                                    
                                                                         
          Meg bursts out crying.                                          
                       
                                                                         
          THE FAREWELL                                                    
                                                                         
          EMILY IS SEEN SITTING IN CLASS. PAN TO THE CLOCK. IT’S 5        
          MINUTES INTO FIRST PERIOD. PAN TO MEG’S EMPTY CHAIR.            
                                                                         
          Emily ducks her head sadly.                                    
                                                                         
          EMILY IS SEEN EATING LUNCH BY HERSELF IN THE CAFETERIA. THE    
          TABLE WITH KRISTY AND MEG’S OTHER FRIENDS HAS AN EMPTY SEAT.    
                                                                         
          Emily pushes her soggy sandwich away and crosses her arms      
          with a sigh.                                                    
                                                                         
          THE CAMERA ZOOMS OUT FROM A CLOCK READING 3:00 PM AS A          
          SCHOOL BELL RINGS. CUT TO EMILY RIDING HER BIKE AWAY FROM      
          THE SCHOOL. ON HER WAY HOME, SHE PASSES A HOUSE WHERE MEG’S    
          MOM IS SEEN DIRECTING MEN CARRYING BOXES OUT TO A BIG TRUCK.    
                                                                         
                                                                         
          THE NEXT                                                        
                                                                         
          BACK IN THE CLASSROOM, EMILY IS SEEN OPENING HER DESK.          
          INSIDE IS A LITTLE BOX LABELED "NEW FRIENDS."                  
                                                                         
          Emily pulls a note card out of the box. It says, "Hi _____!    
          Will you be my new best friend? Friendiness, Emily              
          Longshadow." Emily fills in the blank, folds the note, and      
          hides it in another desk.                                      
                                                                         
          CUT TO KRISTY OPENING HER DESK AND FINDING THE NOTE.            
                                                                         
          Kristy runs to the front of the room, grabs the hall pass,      
          and runs out the door.                                          
                                                                         
                                                                         
          CREDITS