Walks in the Rain Sarah James
FADE IN 1 INT. DORM ROOM - MORNING A phone rings out in a pitch black room., a petite sophomore in college, grumbles and turns over in her bed, groggily reaching for her phone. She finds it, the brightness from her screen illuminating her face as she squints. The caller ID reads "." She looks at her alarm clock. It reads 6:03 am. Eleanor s thumb hovers over the answer button, but it s too late, her phone goes to voicemail. She sighs, slightly in relief, turns over and goes back to bed. 2 INT. DORM BATHROOM - DAY Eleanor is wearing a bathrobe, her hair wrapped in a towel. She reaches for her toothbrush sitting by the sink when her phone rings again. The caller ID reads "Marcus." Her hands recoils from her toothbrush and lingers over her phone for a moment. She picks up her phone preparing to answer it, but instead hits ignore call and begins to brush her teeth. 3 INT. DORM ROOM - DAY Three abstract paintings are on Eleanor s walls, full of twisting shapes and bright colors, all signed "Andi" in the bottom right corner. A few picture frames sit on her dresser: a cast picture from Les Miserables, Eleanor standing in the front as Fantine, Eleanor and ANDI, a short, transgender male, dressed in all black, wearing headsets and giving thumbs up from backstage, a selfie of Eleanor and Marcus, a tall clean-shaven college sophomore. A pair of jazz shoes sits on top of her script for Chicago on her desk. Eleanor sits down at her desk chair to pull on her combat boots. She is dressed in leggings, a baggy T-shirt, and a jacket - her rehearsal clothes. Once again, her phone rings. She doesn t stop tying her shoes; she knows who it is. She grabs her script and jazz shoes, puts them in a drawstring bag, hikes it over her shoulder and walks out the door, phone still ringing. After a moment, the room is silent as the phone goes to voicemail. Eleanor walks back into the room, snags her phone, and exits.
2. 4 EXT. UNIVERSITY THEATRE - DAY Eleanor paces outside of the University Theatre, phone in hand. Her thumb hovers over Marcus s name. She sighs, closes her phone, and sits down on a nearby bench, head in her hands. She takes a deep breath, stands up, and walks. 5 INT. FOOD COURT - DAY (V.O.) Hey babe, just wanted to tell you good morning. Tell me when you re free, I want to see you. Love you. Eleanor sits down at a table by herself, places headphones in her ears, and begins to eat a salad. She presses play on her phone; her screen shows that "Sugar We re Going Down" by Fall Out Boy is playing. 6 EXT. DORM BUILDING - DAY (V.O.) Hey babe, call me when you wake up, I love hearing your voice in the morning. A couple friends and I are going to play some ultimate frisbee in about an hour and you should join us. I know you re no good at it, but I want to see you. Love you. Eleanor walks towards her dorm building. It begins to rain. She checks her bag for an umbrella but doesn t find one. She throws her hood over her head and walks faster. 7 INT. DORM ROOM - AFTERNOON (V.O.) Hey babe, are you mad at me or something? You haven t called me back yet, and I don t know why. You should come over later, I want to talk to you, because I m really confused. Did I do something wrong? At least text me or something, I really want to see you. Love you. Eleanor sits on her floor, stretching, her phone resting on the floor beside her. It rings, and she rolls her eyes. She looks down at her phone where the caller ID reads "ANDI". She smiles and answers, putting her phone on speaker.
CONTINUED: 3. Hey friend! What s up? Hola mi amiga, have you asked Marcus about Friday? I need to know how many people are coming. Eleanor stands up, picking up her phone off the floor and placing it on her desk. She continues stretching, resting her hand on the edge of her desk and using it as if it were a ballet barre. Yeah, I keep asking him, but he says he still needs to figure out a few things. I ll ask him again today. Okay. You ll be there no matter what, right? Are you kidding me? My best friend finally has his artwork in a professional gallery, of course I ll be there for the premiere. Awwww, thanks! How are things with Marcus anyway? Any better? Eleanor stops stretching and stands up straight, unsure of what to say. She takes a deep breath. Andi notices the silence. I ll take that as a no. Look, I was planning on talking to him today, but... Eleanor, this relationship isn t just going to fix itself. You need to talk to him. Let him know how you feel. What am I supposed to say? Hey babe, I know you think everything (MORE)
CONTINUED: 4. (cont d) is wonderful between us but sometimes you make it seem like my interests don t matter? Maybe not those words exactly, but something along those lines. Eleanor rolls her eyes and stands in an open area of her room, practicing pirouettes. I mean, I was going to call him after rehearsal, but I was so aggravated. Why? Because he called me three times this morning asking me... no, not asking... telling me to hang out with him today. And I know I told him about rehearsal. He s just so- There s a knock at the door. Eleanor jumps, surprised. Hey, Andi, give me a sec, there s someone at my door. Tell the bastard to go away, I m trying to help my best friend. Eleanor and Andi laugh as Eleanor walks towards her door and opens it. Her laughter stops; it is Marcus. Um, Andi, I have to go. What? But... Eleanor rushes back to her desk and hangs up the phone. Marcus steps into the room like he owns it, opening Eleanor s mini fridge and helping himself to a bottle of water. Eleanor sits down at her desk sheepishly. Marcus remains standing, looking at the paintings on the wall.
CONTINUED: 5. So, you can talk to Andi but you can t answer any of my calls? Marcus turns to face Eleanor. I m sorry. I had rehearsal all day. And then Andi called to ask about Friday... I promise I was going to call you later. Marcus takes a sip of water. It s fine. I missed you at ultimate frisbee this morning. Really? Absolutely. I love getting to spend time with you. Sorry I forgot about your rehearsal. Marcus takes another sip of water. Eleanor s phone vibrates on her desk. Andi is calling. Marcus grabs the phone and hits ignore before Eleanor could reach. He puts the phone in his pocket. You didn t have to do that. He s my best friend. I understand sweetheart, but I need you to talk to me right now. Is something wrong? Eleanor looks at her feet, unsure of what to say. Marcus lifts her chin with his fingers, bringing her eyes to meet his. CONT. You know I love you, right? You re the best thing to ever happen to me. Thanks... I love you too.
CONTINUED: 6. Marcus kisses her forehead and then walks to the door. He grabs an umbrella propped up against the wall and opens the door. He turns to face Eleanor, a big smile on his face. Put on your rain boots. We re going for a walk. 8 INT. DORM HALLWAY - AFTERNOON Marcus walks down the hallway. Further down the hall, Eleanor emerges from her room and runs to catch up with him. Marcus! Can you wait a second? Marcus stops and turns to face Eleanor as she reaches him. When she reaches him, he places his arm around her shoulder and starts walking again. Hey, I have a question for you. Shoot. Have you thought about Friday? Andi needs to know how many people are coming to his premiere. Oh yeah, I meant to tell you. My choir is having a party that night and I think I m gonna go. It would be really weird if I didn t show up. (Jokingly) Parties are gross. You should come with me! Eleanor laughs. Marcus lets go of her hand. They stop walking. Well, I m student director, and you know how important this group is to me. Um... sorry... forget I said anything.
7. Marcus takes Eleanor s hand in his again, and starts walking. 9 EXT. COLLEGE CAMPUS - EARLY EVENING Marcus and Eleanor walk along the sidewalk, sharing the umbrella. We do not hear what they say. Marcus says something he thinks is hilarious, laughing hysterically. Eleanor smiles but does not laugh. She keeps looking at the ground as they walk. Eleanor asks a question. They stop walking. Eleanor nervously says something to Marcus, her hands are shaking. Marcus is caught off guard, taking a few steps back and leaving Eleanor in the rain. At first he seems hurt, but that is quickly replaced with anger. He gestures wildly, on the verge of yelling. Eleanor says something back, throwing her arms up in defeat before walking away. Marcus catches up to her in two steps, grabbing her arm and turning her around to kiss her. Eleanor pushes Marcus off of her. He looks hurt, takes her phone out of his pocket, shoves it into her hand, and stomps away with the umbrella. Eleanor stands still, completely stunned. 10 INT. S HOME BEDROOM - DAY It is Friday. Eleanor is in a tea length dress, hair pulled into a sophisticated bun. She sits on the edge of her bed, staring at her phone, pressing play on a voicemail from Marcus. (V.O.) Hey babe. I m not sure what happened the other day, but I really want to move past this. I m not sure what you meant when you said you couldn t take this anymore... I know things have been... I guess they ve been different for the past couple months, but I don t think it s fair for you to just ream me out as a bad boyfriend. Eleanor closes her eyes, trying to prevent tears from falling. She mouths these next words along to the voicemail; she s obviously listened to this multiple times. (V.O.) These things go both ways, and both of us are to blame... I hope things can get better between us. I still love you, so much.
CONTINUED: 8. As the voicemail ends, Eleanor clutches her phone against her chest. (softly, to herself) Why did you have to say something, you idiot? There is a knock on the door. Eleanor groans and falls onto her bed, pulling one of her pillows over her head. Eleanor s DAD opens the door, peeking his head in. DAD Hey Ellie, dinner s ready. And Andi is going to be here soon. Thanks dad. I ll be down in a sec. Dad cautiously walks into his daughter s room and sits on the corner of her bed. DAD I know this past week has been tough on you honey, but tonight is going to be a good night. You re home, you re supporting your best friend, and you re going to get through this. Eleanor emerges from under the pillow, looking at her father. I just keep wondering if there was something I could have done to keep things from getting so bad. DAD No, Ellie. Dad holds out his arms for a hug. Eleanor sits up and accepts his hug gratefully. DAD CONT. This is not your fault. You did absolutely nothing wrong. Then why do I feel so guilty? From downstairs, we hear the front door open and close.
CONTINUED: 9. ANDI (O.S.) Hola mi familia! I m here! DAD We re upstairs! Dad breaks his hug with Eleanor, looking at his daughter with a sad sense of pride. Andi reaches Eleanor s room, knocks on the open door and comes in. Dad kisses Eleanor s forehead before leaving the room. ANDI Hey friend. How are you? Eleanor looks at her phone for a moment. Her lock screen is a picture of her and Marcus. She places it beside her on the bed. Andi takes a seat at the foot of her bed. I ve been better Andi... I just wanted to talk to him. I didn t even get the chance to tell how bad he makes me feel sometimes. Eleanor stands up, frustrated. She paces around her room, trying to find her words. CONT. You know, all I said was that he shouldn t control me anymore, and he couldn t take it! It s as if he no idea what I was talking about! How could he have been so ignorant? Eleanor s anger subsides. It is quickly replaced with sadness and defeat. She sits down on the floor, resting against her wall. CONT. I - I didn t expect for him to get so upset... they look he gave me when I pushed him away... he looked so defeated. I probably shouldn t have said anything. Andi gets up and sits down next to his best friend. Eleanor rests her head on his shoulder. ANDI You said what you had to. That boy put you through hell, and you deserve better.
CONTINUED: 10. I know, I know... So why do I miss him so much? Why do I wish it wasn t over? ANDI Because you re human. And regardless of how awful he was at times, you guys loved each other. I know it s hard to walk away, but it s what you need to do. Eleanor sits up and looks at Andi, and then towards her phone resting on her bed. She stands up, a little straighter than before. Andi stands up with her. ANDI CONT. Look, you are the strongest person I know. You had my back throughout the horrors of high school. So now it s my turn. I m here for you, no matter what, and I swear, I will never make you feel like anything less than the star you are. Andi pulls Eleanor into a hug, which she returns wholeheartedly. God, what did I do to deserve a friend like you? ANDI Nothing about deserving. You re a great human and I m glad to know you. I m here for you, promise. Andi offers his arm to Eleanor, which she takes with a smile, and the two leave the room. 11 EXT. ART GALLERY - NIGHT Eleanor and Andi leave the gallery, laughing. It begins to rain. Eleanor and Andi walk arm in arm, surprised at first by the rain, but it only makes them laugh harder. They walk to the curb, waiting for a moment for Dad to arrive with the car. The car pulls up along the curb, Eleanor and Andi take their seats in the car, and they drive away. FADE OUT