SUGAR
Written by Max Astrophel
[email protected] +61417041666
FADE IN EXT. LAS VEGAS STRIP - NIGHT It’s the gaudiest place on Earth, the den of sin in the desert, the most glorious of humanity’s creations and most heinous of its crimes. CLOSE ON one of the cars, a 2016 Lexus ES300h pulling up into the PARKING LOT of the COSMOPOLITAN HOTEL -It stops. The window rolls down, and A MAN’S HAND tosses a startled valet his keys. Then the doors open. The hand belongs to JOHN KANG (44), clean-cut picture of the model minority with a vicious gleam in his eyes. eyes. On one side is his elder daughter ALYSSA (14), hapa nymphet from the hell planet; on the other is EMILY (12), who won’t lift her eyes from her iPad. John slips the valet a card. The guy glances at it, shrugs, and takes the door. CUT TO: INT. COSMOPOLITAN HOTEL Our family walks through the entrance of this shrine to Moloch and immediately gets the ‘fawning peon’ customer service routine of a casino about to make a lot of money off this guy. It’s an off-key song and an epileptic dance, but suckers fall for it anyway. CASINO HOST Ah, John! Great to see you! He turns and looks at Alyssa and Emily with a rictus grin. CASINO HOST (CONT'D) And I see you’ve brought the girls! How have you two been doing? Alyssa is too cool for this. Emily barely looks up. (The onlooker sees an extra copy of chromosome 21 in her face.) EMILY (mumbling) Good. CASINO HOST So, of course, you know you’ll be getting the suite --
2. John is beelining into the distance, straight for the craps table. The host’s eyes barely follow him, and the girls don’t even put up that pretense of care. SMASH TO: INT. HOTEL ELEVATOR The girls are being parlayed with gifts. They were travelling light, but now they’re loaded -- Alyssa has a gift bag from some high-end makeup place and [gifts], Emily clutches a ludicrously large stuffed animal while playing on a new 3DS. Emily certainly appreciates the gifts, but Alyssa has a studied air of distance. The host is talking like an auctioneer, but his words don’t even matter. He’s selling the dream, and the girls aren’t buying. SMASH TO: INT. COSMOPOLITAN HOTEL And the elevator stops. The host presses a key in Alyssa’s hand. CASINO HOST Room 67M. Seven down, on your left. ALYSSA I know. She grabs Emily’s hand too tight and struts down the hallway, doing her best impression of a supermodel. She’s a gangly child -- it’s not a good one. INT. ROOM 67M The door unlocks. A two-bedroom suite, a room of splendor, of grandeur, a mansion in the desert that should not exist. Emily runs for the bedroom that she and Alyssa will share, throws her stuff on one of the two queen beds. Alyssa, languid and dismissive, slumps on the couch. She delicately unzips the bag she bought with her. WE SEE the hooker clothes clothes she’s brought. Before she can pick any out, we’re distracted --
3. EMILY Alyssa? Alyssa sighs, overwrought. She tears herself off the couch. INT. ROOM 67M - GIRLS’ BEDROOM Alyssa opens the door. ALYSSA What the hell have y you ou -She doesn’t need to finish the sentence. What the hell Emily has has done was break a laptop. laptop. A gaudy pink-cased laptop covered in stickers of hearts and kisses. Emily’s lip quivers; she’s on the verge of tears. ALYSSA (CONT'D) Fuck you! EMILY I-I’m sorry -ALYSSA No, fuck you! Why did Dad let you hold that? She pushes Emily out the way, and there’s a scary amount of force in this skinny little girl’s push. The recoil knocks Emily against her bed, and she starts crying. Alyssa rolls her eyes and checks the time on her phone. It’s just past ten at night. ALYSSA (CONT'D) Go screw yourself, alright? I’m going out. Pick this up. And she slams the door. INT. ROOM 67M She picks up the bag again, daintily leafs through the clothing within. CUT TO:
4. INT. COSMOPOLITAN HOTEL - HALLWAY Alyssa exits the elevator and struts down the hall, head held high. She thinks the dress sense she pulled off is ‘young sophisticate’; it’s closer to ‘child hooker’, but no mind. She’s headed for the hottest bar in the house. INT. THE BOND It’s a madhouse, it’s awesome in both senses of the word, it’s glitz, it’s glamour, it’ll eat you up and spit you out and you’ll love it. Welcome to Vegas. Alyssa wants to turn heads, and you can see her getting kind of frustrated as people don’t rise from their slots and dancefloors just to gawk as she walks past. Still, she makes it to the bar. Sits on the chair, leans over, pouts as well as she can. The bartender turns around. KEVIN What are you having? It’s her turn to be mesmerized. KEVIN POWELL (21) is a bona fide Adonis, and he doesn’t even have an air about it. She catches herself and giggles. ALYSSA Pink flirtini. He grins -- what a fucking girly drink -KEVIN Coming right up. -- and pours an assortment of liquers that turn into a hot pink fluid of some kind defiling a martini glass. She picks it up. Tries to look cool. It’s a little wonky. Starts drinking, making a vague effort to look seductive. Kevin smirks, but falls for it in spite of himself. Alyssa starts flirting with him. She exists in some bizarre state between the smooth and the terminally awkward as she does so, but she’s cute enough for people to overlook the latter. Doesn’t change that she’s OBVIOUSLY FOURTEEN. Kevin’s into it, but he can tell. He clears his throat.
5. KEVIN (CONT'D) Listen, you’re cute and all, but... ALYSSA But what? A momentary hesitation. KEVIN Are you sure that’s a real ID? ALYSSA Yeah, I’m twenty, uh -- twenty-one. He gives her a pointed look. KEVIN You might want to get going soon. My shift’s about to end, and the next guy isn’t so into this. She finishes the martini quickly, tears off a piece of the nearest napkin and scrawls a phone number into it before hopping off the bar stool. It gets pushed into his hand. Hard to reject from there. He unrolls the note. CLOSE ON (949) 959-5309 He hesitates for a second, then puts it in his pocket. CUT TO: INT. BOULEVARD POOL - DAY Alyssa lounges. Sunglasses perched over her eyes, wearing the most risque tankini she she could get away with --- she’s still upset John vetoed bikinis -- drinking a Saint Clement’s, which she hopes everyone everyone will think is alcoholic. alcoholic. Emily, meanwhile, is splashing in the pool and looks like she’s having a whole lot more fun. John is nowhere to be seen. Until he is. He enters the pool area, already tipsy in the early afternoon, and makes a lunge for his older daughter. JOHN Alyssa! Alyssa sighs and slowly, in the traditional teenage manner, lowers her glasses.
6. ALYSSA Dad? JOHN I told you to watch Emily! ALYSSA (rolls eyes) She’s fine. JOHN Not with that lifeguard, she’s not! The lifeguard is admittedly a bit stoned-looking. ALYSSA Come on, Dad, you’re making a big deal out of -JOHN I am not! You’re being irresponsible, and I’m going to take you back right now. Alyssa’s eyes widen. ALYSSA That’s bullshit -JOHN No language! He grabs her by the hand, and as she keeps pulling, by the waist -- it’s the kind of thing that was rightfully rightfully called creepy before ‘creepy’ became a synonym for ‘guy the speaker finds unattractive’. JOHN (CONT'D) Emily! Get out! Emily looks up. EMILY Why? JOHN Because your sister is irresponsible! Emily, dejected, pulls herself up on the ladder.
7. EMILY (quietly) Why did you have to ruin this, Alyssa? Alyssa fumes and balls her hands up as she gets walked out. INT. COSMOPOLITAN HOTEL - BOULEVARD They’re just near the elevators. Emily spots something cool in the distance, and darts off. JOHN Emily! EMILY I’m coming back! John looks out for a second, concerned, but notices Emily is just looking at some pretty cool trees. The elevator heading up stops. A few people get off...one of whom is Kevin. ALYSSA Kevin! Kevin notices her. KEVIN Hey, Alyssa! John motions to get in the elevator, but Alyssa whispers to stay. Short argument, then he goes on without her. Emily runs in to get on. KEVIN (CONT'D) So who was that guy you were with? Alyssa grins. ALYSSA Oh, he’s my daddy. There is no mistaking the ‘sugar’ before that word. Kevin is taken aback. KEVIN You mean... She nods. Pushes the elevator button without taking her eyes off him.
8. ALYSSA So you’ll call me later KEVIN ...Yeah. The elevator dings. Alyssa gets on, and the doors close before Kevin, leaving him to stare in disbelief. CUT TO: THE NEXT DAY INT. ROOM 67M - GIRLS' BEDROOM The morning light streams through the windows. Alyssa, pyjama-clad, gabbers on the phone as she lounges. ALYSSA I had to delete my Facebook, Kevin...yeah, but I have Messenger. Add me, Alyssa Kang, okay? I can’t wait to see you. Bye. Bye. She hangs up the phone and smiles as she gets up to push the blinds open. Emily writhes. EMILY Alyssa... ALYSSA Deal with it. MONTAGE Alyssa gets dressed in her kindergarten whore style, adds Kevin’s number [(725) 958-2368] to her phone (with a bunch of heart emoji in the name, natch), and waltzes out into the living room -INT. ROOM 67M - MOMENTS LATER John looks her up and down. JOHN You are not going out like that! Alyssa pouts.
9. ALYSSA Dad... JOHN Look at yourself! Can’t you see how inappropriate that is? Her lip quivers. ALYSSA But Dad... JOHN No! What are you even going to, anyway? It’s six in the morning! ALYSSA Six-forty five -He gives her a pointed look. JOHN Go back to your room and get changed. INT. ROOM 67M - GIRLS' BEDROOM Alyssa stomps back, flings herself on the bed and, rehearsed, gives dramatic sobs into the pillow. Emily pulls her pillow over her ears. INT. ROOM 67M John hears the crying, gets up. INT. ROOM 67M - GIRLS' BEDROOM It’s a little disturbing, the way he looms over the door. His shadow projects over Alyssa, engulfing her. JOHN Lyssie? Alyssa rolls over, makeup messed up. She bites her lip. ALYSSA Dad? He makes his way over to her bed. Sits too close to her, wraps his arms around her back and shoulders. Too close. Too close.
10. JOHN I’m sorry, Lyssie. You know I love you. She doesn’t respond, but rests her head on his chest. He rubs her back, down to her waist, for too many agonizing seconds before he gets up. JOHN (CONT'D) Now get changed. He leaves the room. Alyssa keeps sitting on the bed, staring emptily at her feet. Emily, cuddling the stuffed animal, still can’t sleep. CUT TO: EXT. LAS VEGAS STRIP - EVENING Alyssa sits on a bench, double-checking the message John sent her half an hour ago to see if she’s really forced to do this -JOHN (text) Go entertain Emily somehow. Get her off the iPad. Go to a show or something She rolls her eyes. PAN TO Emily next to her. EMILY So where are we going? Alyssa shrugs exaggerately, grabs Emily by the wrist (Emily attempts to draw her hand back -- the grasp is way too tight) and sets off. They walk through the valley of the shadow of death for a bit. People-watching. They accidentally bump into one of the people -- a HOMELESS WOMAN, probably an uber-rough fifty, disheveled with the universe in her eyes. Alyssa visibly recoils. The woman had a jar of loose changes, which spills all over the pavement as they collided; collided; Emily sees and hears the money spilling everywhere, is surprised. HOMELESS WOMAN (filled with God’s rage) How dare you?
11. ALYSSA I -HOMELESS WOMAN How dare you?! Who are you to interfere? Alyssa opens her mouth to speak, wide-eyed, but finds herself opening and closing it like a fish. HOMELESS WOMAN (CONT'D) What told you to do this, you little harlot? What sick pleasure, what lust for destruction destruction befell you? Emily opens her mouth to respond; Alyssa clamps her hand over it. The homeless woman’s gnarled hands reach up and clasp Alyssa’s arms, filling her eyes with horror. ALYSSA Please let go of me -HOMELESS WOMAN (spitting) May you wither before you bloom. The woman’s eyes stare into hers, eerie and wild, and Alyssa finally breaks the ocular grasp. The woman’s hands then fall, pathetic, to her side. Alyssa makes a break for it, pulling Emily along. EMILY She’s mean. Alyssa is too shaken to speak. She glances at the neon advertisements, trying to find something, anything, that can take her mind off this. ALYSSA Let’s -- um, there’s a magic show. Let’s go to that. Emily grins. Alyssa pulls herself and her sister into the lounge advertising it, glancing behind her back as she goes. CUT TO: MUCH LATER THAT NIGHT
12. INT. CASINO - NIGHT The lights! The sounds! It’s a Skinner box for your money, and they’re really raking it in tonight. But John is, for a glorious moment, beating the house. He’s betting on the craps dice, and it’s all coming up for him. He’s tipping gratuitously, ordering extra rounds of cocktails, hitting on a waitress. The waitress is COURTNEY EPPERSON (23), generic Vegas blonde, used to be waiting her way through college but due to unforeseen circumstances is now just waiting. She plays the ‘willing victim’ role to his drunken fumbles. MEANWHILE Alyssa’s at the bar. She’s recovered from earlier, still too skimpily dressed. Taps on the bar. ALYSSA Ahem. Kevin. He turns around, expecting her. She smiles and leans over the bar. He signals. KEVIN Busy. Talk to you in a moment, alright? She pouts. KEVIN (CONT'D) Hey, I need to get paid. ALYSSA But I want to talk no-o-ow~ He shrugs sympathetically, turns to the next customer. Alyssa realizes this won’t work. She locks eyes with the guy Kevin will be serving just after after this -- mid-50s businessman, businessman, a little disheveled. ALYSSA (CONT'D) (to him) Hey. The businessman turns, surprised to see just who’s acknowledging him. She smiles, sweet as sugar. ALYSSA (CONT'D) What’s your name?
13. TODD (trying to get himself together) Todd. ALYSSA Hey, Todd. I’m Alyssa. She touches his shoulder lightly. ALYSSA (CONT'D) You know, you look pretty built for a guy your age -TODD I have a wife. He doesn’t seem too convinced he should stick with her, though. She gives him a knowing look. ALYSSA Oh, she won’t have to know anything. Won’t she? CLOSE ON Kevin, who just sees what’s going on -SMASH TO: INT. ROOM 67M - GIRLS’ BEDROOM Todd is dead asleep on the other end of the queen bed. Alyssa has the whole blanket wrapped around her and the distant look of someone whose search to fill the hole in their heart still isn’t working. She looks at her phone. Kevin has been messaging her all night, and she hasn’t acknowledged him in the least. She opens up her contacts to call him. The phone rings once, twice, thrice. Four times. ALYSSA Kev. She smiles. It’s a genuine smile, maybe. ALYSSA (CONT'D) Hey, sexy. I love you so much. Back to saccharine. CUT TO:
14. INT. POWELL HOUSEHOLD - NIGHT The clock reads 4am. Kevin is on speakerphone. He’s just barely winding down from a heavy bartending shift, but in his own right is barely tipsy; in the tiny house he lives in, a girl with a sororal resemblance sleeps on the floor, cuddling a two-year-old boy. A dead silence hangs in the air. He can’t think of how to respond. KEVIN Alyssa. There’s the response. ALYSSA (O.S., suddenly concerned) What’s wrong? Don’t you love me? KEVIN What were you trying to do? ALYSSA I just didn’t want you to ignore me... He looks up, confusion and concern on his face. KEVIN What did you do? ALYSSA Nothing. KEVIN Nothing? ALYSSA Nothing. Pause. ALYSSA (CONT'D) I promise. CUT TO: INT. ROOM 67M - GIRLS’ BEDROOM ALYSSA POV, staring at the floor between the beds.
15. Then glancing over to the next bed -- Emily is staring right at her. Somewhere between upset, perplexed, and innocent. BIRDS EYE -- Alyssa’s eyes narrow at her sister’s intrusion upon her life. CUT TO: INT. ROOM 67M - DAY Alyssa barely slept. She’s drifting in and out of consciousness upon the couch. Emily is lying on the floor, watching anodyne tryhard Youtubers. John is nowhere to be seen. Alyssa keeps drifting... CUT TO: EXT. KANG HOUSEHOLD BACKYARD - DAY [DREAM SEQUENCE] Alyssa sits on a swingset, one leg crossed over the other, swaying only with the breeze. ANGELA KANG comes in. Her mother is just shorter than her, blonde, early forties. Appearance-wise her peak was ‘cutest waitress at the truck stop’ and age has stripped stripped her of even that, but there’s more to Angela than simple looks -- she personifies inner beauty, the sun shines out of her eyes, all that is love or has loved comes through her. Angela lays a hand on her daughter’s shoulder. She looks up. ALYSSA Mom? Alyssa looks up, and there she is, smiling down at her. The scene shifts -INT. ROOM 67M - DAY [DREAM SEQUENCE] Alyssa reclines on the couch, resting her head on Angela’s shoulder. ANGELA Do you know why I left you?
16. Alyssa closes her eyes. ALYSSA You didn’t. ANGELA I did. She runs her hands through her daughter’s hair. ANGELA (CONT'D) I’m sorry. I’m so proud of who you are, Lyssie. Her words, even through the beauty of her soul, ring empty. Alyssa pushes herself off. ALYSSA Why are you lying to me, Mom? Pause. ANGELA I’m not lying, Lyssie. Why would you think that? Once again, a shift -EXT. CEMETERY - DAY [DREAM SEQUENCE] CLOSE ON a headstone -Angela Dawn Kang (nee McGrath) [cross symbol] February 28th 1975 - October 30th 2017 Daughter of Glenn and Linda Sister of Sean and Christina Wife of John, mother of of Alyssa and Emily In God’s hands Angela and Alyssa are sitting on the grass next to the headstone, dressed to mourn and holding hands -- well, Angela is holding Alyssa’s hand. Hard to tell if it’s mutual.
17. ALYSSA Why? ANGELA Why what? Alyssa fidgets with the ruffles on her funeral dress. Angela smiles. ANGELA (CONT'D) You’re not leaving the house dressed like that, young lady. Alyssa looks up at her confused. ALYSSA What? ANGELA You’re not leaving the house dressed like that, young lady. There’s a knocking sound in the distance. Alyssa glances around. ANGELA (CONT'D) (with John’s voice) You’re not leaving the house dressed like that, young lady. Alyssa pulls away, but her mother is holding too tight. ANGELA (CONT'D) (with John’s voice) You’re not leaving the house dressed like that, young lady. The knocking gets louder. ANGELA (CONT'D) (with John’s voice) You’re not leaving the house dressed like that, young lady. Alyssa glances around frantically. The knocking gets louder. Louder. Louder! END DREAM SEQUENCE CUT TO:
18. INT. ROOM 67M - MOMENTS LATER Alyssa jolts awake. The scene around her is the same as it was before -- but for the rasp at her bedroom door. She slowly gets up. Fear on her face as she makes her way over and opens it. TODD (leering) You’re just as beautiful in the morning! Todd is not, himself, easy on the eyes. He smells Alyssa’s fear. TODD (CONT'D) Hey, baby, what’s wrong? Don’t remember me? ALYSSA I, uh, I think -TODD You aren’t asking me to leave, aren’t you? It’s only brunch. Emily looks up. EMILY Alyssa, who’s your boyfriend? Todd laughs. Alyssa is terrified; the corners of her face turn angry. TODD Oh, just a friend of your sister’s. I’m Todd. Todd LeBlanc. ALYSSA He’s not my friend -TODD Don’t mind that, she’s a bit sleepy. Emily shrugs. EMILY She was asleep on the couch! Did you see that? TODD No, she’d trapped me in her room!
19. EMILY That’s mean. (sticks her tongue out at Alyssa) Lyssie, why did you trap Todd in her room? Alyssa breathes in. ALYSSA Get out. TODD Not even going to offer me a drink? ALYSSA Please get out. He gives Emily another broad grin, then shrugs. TODD Well, I know when I’ I’m m not wanted. Todd gives Emily the littlest of waves as he leaves; the choreography to his actions makes her laugh. EMILY Hey Alyssa, why did you kick your friend out? Alyssa fumes. ALYSSA Fuck off, Emily, nobody likes you. Emily blinks, wide-eyed. Alyssa meets her gaze. For a moment, Alyssa stares her younger sister down. Then Emily sniffles and walks off into the bedroom, shutting the door with just too much force behind her. CUT TO: EXT. A NEARBY RESTAURANT - DAY It’s brunch! John and Courtney are laughing over Bloody Marys and mimosas. Courtney, as it turns out, is just a bit vapid. COURTNEY So what did you say you are?
20. JOHN A dermatologist. COURTNEY It must be so cool to be a doctor. That’s what I wanted to be, you know, when I was little -JOHN It’s a lot of hard work, but the good days are worth it. COURTNEY Yeah, that’s what I was looking forward to! Like, my mom has multiple sclerosis, and I’m her carer, and I really just want to, like, research the drugs and stuff for it -- so there can be a cure, you know? What do dermatologists research the cures for? Uh, skin cancer? He smiles. JOHN We do. COURTNEY Yeah, like in Seinfeld! Both laugh. As she laugh, Courtney accidentally knocks an empty glass off the table. COURTNEY (CONT'D) (eyes widening) Oh my god! A waiter comes over to clean it up for her. COURTNEY (CONT'D) Thank you! You know, this is stupid, because I’m a server too -The waiter grins fakely. John involves himself. JOHN Don’t worry about it, Courtney. COURTNEY Not worrying! But it’s just kind of funny, you know? So how much longer are you going to be in Vegas for?
21. JOHN Oh, a week, two weeks? COURTNEY Cool! JOHN I tend to take long vacations. I bring my girls along, too -COURTNEY You have daughters? He smiles. JOHN Alyssa and Emily. They’re twelve and fourteen, wonderful girls. COURTNEY I bet they are. I really love kids... CUT TO: INT. ROOM 67M - DAY Alyssa gets a text from Kevin. KEVIN (text) No shift tonight. You want to hang out? She grins. ALYSSA (text) Hell yeah KEVIN (text) Tell me room number, will pick you up @ 7 ALYSSA (text) 67M She clasps the phone to her chest and squeals the squeal any fourteen-year-old girl who just got asked out would squeal. CUT TO:
22. MONTAGE EXT. PARK - DUSK Kevin and Alyssa cuddling on a park bench, coming up for air between kisses. INT. THE BOND - NIGHT Alyssa drinking pink flirtinis as Kevin tends bar. INT. CASINO - NIGHT John killing it at the craps table, Courtney by his side. INT. CASINO - NIGHT John and Courtney at the roulette wheel, putting it all on black -- and winning. EXT. HOTEL POOL - DAY Alyssa and Kevin splashing around in the pool. As she prepares to get out, he pulls her back in, embracing her in his arms. END MONTAGE CUT TO: EXT. HOTEL BALCONY - NIGHT It’s a cool, crisp night, full moon hanging overhead. Our dynamic duo are sitting out on the balcony, Alyssa’s head laying on Kevin’s chest, a bong (which sure as hell doesn’t look like it’s tobacco-use-only) on the plastic table before them. She reaches up, tousles his hair with her hand and giggles. He laughs uproariously in response before suddenly calming. KEVIN Babe, why are we laughing? You just told me your mom died. This makes her giggle more.
23. ALYSSA I don’t know! She cuddles into him more. He gains an uncharacteristic amount of seriousness in his demeanor for someone whose eyes are still red. She notices. ALYSSA (CONT'D) Kev? What’s up? KEVIN I was just, uh... He pauses for a second. KEVIN (CONT'D) That guy. What was up with that? Alyssa doesn’t lose her composure. She’s used to spinning these tales, even under duress. ALYSSA My, well...my daddy set me up to that. To try and make you jealous. KEVIN What?! ALYSSA (bites lip) He just wanted to make sure you weren’t some asshole going to, uh KEVIN Of course I’m not that asshole! He slumps back in his seat. Alyssa leans against him. ALYSSA Kev, are you mad at me? Then he breaks into laughing again, and she follows. KEVIN Man, we’re really fucked up right now. ALYSSA (giggling) Yeah.
24. KEVIN C’mon, let’s go back to Mario Kart. CUT TO: INT. GIRLS’ BEDROOM - NIGHT Kevin and Alyssa are spooning; Kevin is essentially asleep, but Alyssa can’t. Emily is nowhere to be seen. Alyssa’s phone goes off. It’s from Todd. There are already six messages from Todd. She looks only at the message saying John and Emily will be back at 8am -- it’s 2am. She turns the phone off. But as she does so, another message rings through. CUT TO: EXT. COSMOPOLITAN EMPLOYEE PARKING LOT - DAY Kevin and Alyssa are sitting up on a concrete slab, looking over the cars below. He’s smoking cigarettes, she has a lollipop. ALYSSA So which one is yours? He points to one of the less impressive ones. Her face is expressionless. KEVIN You’re looking forward to it, huh? She smiles. He takes this as a yes, but it’s unclear whether it really is. He hops off the slab. KEVIN (CONT'D) C’mon. Let’s meet the family. I/E. KEVIN’S CAR - AFTERNOON We’re well off-Strip now. now. Turns out when you leave the glamour, Vegas is just a desert town. Alyssa is in repose in shotgun, looking out the window.
25. ALYSSA I thought Vegas would be prettier than this. Kevin grins. KEVIN Hey, they’re just trying to sell it. Her phone dings again. She doesn’t look down. CUT TO: INT. ROOM 67M - AFTERNOON Emily is home and for all intents and purposes alone -- John is drunk and snoring on the couch. Her iPad is nowhere to be seen. She’s looking around the suite, trying to find it, looking under pillows and in the kitchenette cabinets. She opens the bedroom door -INT. GIRLS’ BEDROOM It isn’t in there, either. Not where she can see it. What she does see is Alyssa’s Alyssa’s apparently-broken apparently-broken laptop in full working order. In fact, she forgot to turn it off when she left. Emily hesitates, then hops on Alyssa’s bed. Alyssa left her laptop on Messenger. There’s a pile of exchanges between her and Kevin -- declarations of love, shooting the shit, the occasional sext. Emily’s eyes widen as she reads. She glances around the room. EMILY Where’s my phone? Looks around. Nowhere She heads back into the main room --
26. INT. ROOM 67M -- and dials on the hotel phone. CUT TO: I/E. KEVIN'S CAR - EVENING Alyssa’s phone rings. She takes it out. Doesn’t recognize the number, but it’s not Todd. ALYSSA Hello? EMILY (O.S.) Alyssa? Alyssa hangs up. Kevin glances over. She doesn’t respond. And so, somewhere in the empty exurbs of the City of Lights, the car pulls up into a long driveway. EXT. POWELL HOUSE - EVENING The house is not all that impressive. It’s a drab brown against a landscape of the same, a small ranch home of the type that was popular midcentury -- but not exactly the variation the upper-middle-class had. On the front of the house is set a rusty plaque: Powell House Kevin gets out of the car, opens Alyssa’s door for her. The sliding door opens. Out comes JULIA POWELL (47), kindness in her tired eyes and with an out-of-place Minnesotan Minnesotan accent. JULIA Kevin! KEVIN Hey, Mom! She comes over to embrace him, and he hugs her back with the hug of someone mostly over his adolescent embarrassment stage. Alyssa, in the fog of it, looks on in bewilderment.
27. JULIA And this is your girlfriend? He smiles. KEVIN Alyssa, this is my mom Julia. Julia, Alyssa. Julia beams. JULIA Well, haven’t you found found such a gorgeous young lady! (quieter) So exotic, too. Aren’t half-Asians always beautiful? Alyssa smiles awkwardly in response. ALYSSA Nice to meet you, um -- Julia. Julia takes Alyssa’s hand and starts leading her into the house, talking a mile a minute as she goes -JULIA Kevin’s told me so much about you, haven’t you, Kevvy? (ignores her son cringing at the nickname) Oh, you’re lucky to have him, and I think you’re going to love it here -- sorry about the mess, by the way, it was a bit short short notice -but I made hotdish, have you ever had hotdish? Well, he says you’re Californian -- it’s a Minnesota thing, I grew up in Bemidji... INT. POWELL HOUSE - EVENING JULIA ...and we kept horses then, but -oh! Everyone, this is the girl Kevin was talking about! Inside the slightly-too-cramped house, there are three everyones. The first is BRENT POWELL (48). He’s the no-nonsense image of blue-collar masculinity, although a rather noncentral example -- the central example isn’t quadriplegic.
28. The second is TEGAN POWELL (18), harried. She’s trying to handle the third -- her son JACE POWELL (2), hyperactive cherubim. They greet her. Jace runs up to her, grins from ear to ear. JACE Wanna lollipop? He presses a wrapped heart-shaped lollipop into her hand. Despite herself, she smiles. EXT. POWELL HOUSE - EVENING On the patio. A casserole dish of tater tot hotdish sits in the middle of the glass table, the centerpiece to side dishes of corn, garlic bread, and a nondescript salad. It’s flyover Americana. Alyssa isn’t impressed. JULIA So Alyssa, how are you liking the hotdish? ALYSSA (smiling unconvincingly) It’s good. Over the sound of his oxygen tube, Brent clears his throat. BRENT You go to college? Kevin doesn’t miss a beat. KEVIN She’s from California -- she goes to school in Irvine. Alyssa smiles, content that Kevin is buying into her notquite-lies. (There are many high schools in Irvine!) Tegan struggles to feed Jace, who is acting exactly how toddlers act when forced to sit still and eat dinner. JULIA Tegan, I’ll help with that...Alyssa, what are you majoring in?
29. ALYSSA Um... (pauses) I’m a premed. Everyone’s eyes widen. JULIA Oh, that’s incredible! How are you doing? ALYSSA I’m getting good grades and stuff BRENT Did Tegan mention she’s a CNA? Alyssa is getting bored. She plasters on the fakest of smiles. ALYSSA You didn’t! That’s really cool. TEGAN (modest) Yeah, I’m the main breadwinner... CUT TO: LATER INT. POWELL HOUSE - NIGHT Alyssa rests her head on Kevin’s chest as he reclines on the couch. The house is quieting down, receding into darkness. Only Jace keeps up the pace, trying to get Alyssa to play with him. ALYSSA (under her breath) This fucking kid... (louder) Jace, isn’t it your bedtime or something? He grins and looks at her from the toy steering wheel he’s been pushing around. JACE Not yet!
30. She rolls her eyes. ALYSSA Kevin... Kevin holds her, gazing off into the distance. CUT TO: INT. KEVIN’S BEDROOM - NIGHT Kevin and Alyssa lie in bed. It’s a bit cramped for two, but they manage. She curls up too close to him, catlike. His face is unreadable; desperation flickers across hers. KEVIN (monotone) What’s wrong? She doesn’t answer. For a painful moment, she doesn’t answer. Then she starts. Quiet. ALYSSA Kevin, why won’t you fuck me? He turns. That’s not the answer he expected. And so there come the emotions. A troubled fourteen-year-old girl has a lot of emotions -- even if, as Alyssa, she thinks herself a distant and cold seductress. Hers flare up, run across, take her in madness and love and rage. ALYSSA (CONT'D) Why won’t you fuck me, me, Kevin? Don’t you love me? Are you gay? Do you think I’m ugly, do you have another girlfriend? (to his silence) Answer me! He opens his mouth to talk, but she grabs him by the shoulders, pushes down with as much strength as a skinny hapa girl has -ALYSSA (CONT'D) Why?! He struggles. KEVIN Let go of me!
31. ALYSSA Not until you answer me! KEVIN (genuine fear) I’m trying! She leans down into his face. ALYSSA You think I’m ugly, don’t you? You hate me, and you want to hurt me, and you want to break up with me, and you have another girl -KEVIN Lyssie... She freezes. KEVIN (CONT'D) Lyssie, I love you -ALYSSA Don’t. Call. Me. That. KEVIN Don’t call you Lyssie? ALYSSA Don’t call me that. It’s genuine, oh God, it’s genuine. He blinks, surprised. KEVIN I heard him call you that -Her eyes water. He puts his palm to his forehead, pushes his hair back in stress. KEVIN (CONT'D) This is why -ALYSSA It’s why you hate me, isn’t it? You won’t touch me, you hate me -- you called me -- you called -- oh my God -She slumps down, turns her back to him. He reaches over to touch her; she freezes up. KEVIN ...I knew he was hurting you.
32. No response. KEVIN (CONT'D) I wanted to save you. She pulls the pillow around her face. KEVIN (CONT'D) I want to get you away from him -from that man -- from what you said his name was -ALYSSA (muffled) John. KEVIN From John. I...I wasn’t going to touch you if you’d shatter. Silence. She breathes into the pillow. He puts a hand around her waist. Silence. He slowly pushes the pillow off. Alyssa stares blankly into the distance. ALYSSA I want you to fuck me. He looks her up and down. ALYSSA (CONT'D) You say you love me -- I want you to fuck me. He closes his eyes. KEVIN And, uh -- the other thing. ALYSSA That you hate me? That there’s another girl? He breathes in. KEVIN I’m not sure you’re twenty-one. She turns around, evil in her eyes.
33. ALYSSA Fuck me. He reaches over to her chest. She still stares blankly in the distance. LATER Alyssa is cuddled up against Kevin again. Both are struggling to sleep. EXT. CEMETERY - DAY [DREAM SEQUENCE] Alyssa, crumpled, dressed in Kevin’s clothes, wakes up on her mother’s grave. ANGELA (o.s.) We’ve been expecting you. She looks up. Her mother is looming over her, smiling. ANGELA (CONT'D) Why don’t you let your your mommy hold you? Before she can protest, Alyssa is picked up like a ragdoll, held to Angela’s chest. Her mother coddles her daughter, a babe in arms. ANGELA (CONT'D) Oh, angelface. I missed you so much. CUT TO: EXT. KANG HOUSEHOLD - DUSK [DREAM SEQUENCE] That very same backyard. Angela and Alyssa lie on the grass beneath the swingset, sunset streaming behind their heads. ANGELA You’re so beautiful. So, so beautiful. She sounds more like a lover than a mother. Alyssa tries to pull herself up to her feet, but she finds herself picking roses instead -- roses that spring out the ground before her, rising and swaying without a single sign of their presence before, red, pink, white, black, blue. All of them are budding. None of them have flowered.
34. Automated, she picks the roses. Her mother smiles and takes the bouquet out of her hands, twists them into a crown and places them on her daughter’s head. Beams down on her. ANGELA (CONT'D) Now boys will like you. CUT TO: INT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL CLASSROOM - DAY [DREAM SEQUENCE] Alyssa, equipped with crown of thorns, finds herself sitting cramped at a desk in a first-grade class. She glances around, notices the children surrounding her. Gets struck with fear. Looks out. There’s her first-grade teacher, MISS VASQUEZ -Alyssa starts hyperventilating. Every face turns to look at her. She buries her head in her hands, one step short of a full-on freakout, breathing in and out and in and out and in and out and inanoutandinanoutandin inanoutandinanoutandinanout anout - Without warning, MISS VASQUEZ (27, the Devil in a kindergarten teacher) reaches over her and places her hand on her shoulder. MISS VASQUEZ Lyssie, pretty, what’s wrong? Alyssa looks up. When she sees who’s standing there for her, tears run down her face. Miss Vasquez kneels down lower, starts fondling Alyssa. MISS VASQUEZ (CONT'D) Lyssie, pretty, what’s wrong? John and Angela suddenly appear in the classroom -MISS VASQUEZ (CONT'D) (with John’s voice) Lyssie, pretty, what’s wrong? Alyssa starts crying harder -MISS VASQUEZ (CONT'D) (with Angela’s voice) Lyssie, pretty, what’s wrong?
35. John and Angela kneel down to their daughter’s level, hold her too tight for her to possibly escape -CLOSE ON her terrified face as the roses on her crown wilt. CUT TO: INT. KEVIN'S BEDROOM - NIGHT Kevin is still awake. Alyssa rolls into him, asleep. She buries her head in his chest and sobs. He’s concerned, reaches out and touches her head -The crying turns to hysteria, to wailing. She kicks at him in her sleep, cuddling up against him and sobbing into him. He simply holds her, concerned. CUT TO: EXT. POWELL HOUSE - THE NEXT DAY Kevin (sleep-deprived) and Alyssa sit on the porch, the sun streaming low in the sky above them. He’s stubbing a cigarette into an ashtray older than either of them. She’s vacant. A single rose (yet to bloom) lays on the table beneath them. ALYSSA (blankly) So when are we going? Kevin opens the pack, begins to draw a new cigarette -- then slots it back in and stands up. KEVIN Now. We’re going now. Alyssa, still unreadable, stands up and follows him out of the car. CUT TO: INT. ROOM 67M - DAY Emily splays out on the couch, playing some terrible dressup doll app. A dress notifies her she’ll need to pay real money to proceed; she buys it without thinking.
36. An ad rather too mature for this game’s target audience comes up; she bumps it by accident, stares blankly at what appears. John enters, tipsy, laughing. Courtney follows behind him, a hot mess in a little dress. JOHN How about that, babydoll? COURTNEY (laughing, slurring) I love you! She practically leans in on him. He isn’t dragging her in, but he isn’t far from it, either. Neither of their eyes ever drift to Emily. CUT TO: EXT. COSMOPOLITAN HOTEL - DAY Kevin and Alyssa are out in front of the hotel. Kevin is noticeably calmer, happier. Alyssa wants to be. KEVIN So all’s good? ALYSSA (smiling semiconvincingly) All’s good. She takes his hand, then pauses. ALYSSA (CONT'D) Wait, I need to do something something before -- Can you wait for me? He nods as she runs into the hotel. INT. COSMOPOLITAN HOTEL The elevator doors open. Alyssa steps foot on the 67th floor. She hears John and Courtney through the walls, laughing and gabbing about nothing at all as they drift into his room. She opens the door.
37. INT. ROOM 67M Emily looks up with trepidation as her sister enters. Alyssa glances over dismissively. ALYSSA Emily. Emily sits up, unwillingly sycophantic. EMILY Yes? Alyssa grins. ALYSSA Wanna play hide-andhide-and-seek? seek? SMASH TO: INT. ROOM 67M ALYSSA (eyes wide open) 98...99...100! Coming! CUT TO Emily inside a closet, giggling. Alyssa knows exactly where Emily is. She walks up to the closest, gets the key out her bag, and locks the door before leaving. CUT TO: EXT. COSMOPOLITAN HOTEL - DAY Alyssa walks back out. Kevin is still there. She goes up and kisses him. ALYSSA Hey, sexy. Let’s go up. They head off. CUT TO: INT. ROOM 67M - DAY Alyssa unlocks the door.
38. ALYSSA ...and yeah, you haven’t been here yet? KEVIN I haven’t. He looks around. Whistles. KEVIN (CONT'D) Nice. Real nice. Alyssa is demure. ALYSSA Oh, you know, he gives me what I want. She looks up at him, eyes batted. He tries to shrug it off. Tries. Fails. There are sounds coming from the next bedroom. They’re not porny, but they’re not far from it, either. Kevin looks at Alyssa in confusion-slash-disgust. She clears her throat. Does her best impression of a battered wife. ALYSSA (CONT'D) I’m not the only one. KEVIN You’re... Courtney moans. COURTNEY (o.s.) You have a huge dick for an Asian guy. That’s the only thing Kevin needs to hear. Alyssa is excruciatingly uncomfortable, but it doesn’t even compare. KEVIN What do you need me for?! He’s bigger than her. A lot bigger. She begins to speak, but cuts herself off -KEVIN (CONT'D) Answer me! He starts crying. She’s crying, too.
39. ALYSSA (through mostly-crocodile tears) I want you to help me... He looks at her. She looks back, and puts her hand in his. ALYSSA (CONT'D) I love you, Kevin... It’s hard for him to stay upset. He is -- oh, he is. But he softens. Holds her close. KEVIN I love you too. (pause) But really...what do you want me to do? ALYSSA (leaning into him) I want you to help me get away from him. There’s a spark of a plan in her eyes. Kevin is too dumb to have one himself. KEVIN ...Does he hurt you? She doesn’t answer. Just cuddles up closer to him. KEVIN (CONT'D) Oh, God. The sex noises continue from the bedroom. FADE TO: INT. CASINO - DAY Todd LeBlanc is at the slots. It’s late afternoon at best, but every time is peak time somewhere this busy. He robotically shoves coin after coin in an empty machine that occasionally splutters them back out tenfold in some kind of clanking mechanical orgasm, but most of the time they disappear, never to be seen again. Beside him is a gin and tonic, half-finished. He gets his phone out. He has Alyssa in it, a thousand heart emoji on each side of her name.
40. Their interactions are a long string of unilateral attention -- lovey-dovey messages from him, over and over again, no sign of a response. They’re beginning to get a hateful undertone. But you can only just tell. He types out another. TODD (text) Why won’t you reply? [pile of emoji] CUT TO: INT. ROOM 67M Alyssa’s phone goes off. She ignores it. KEVIN What was that? She closes her eyes. ALYSSA Todd. She looks up. He’s confused. ALYSSA (CONT'D) My...my... Recognition dawns over his face. KEVIN Your stalker. ALYSSA (biting her lip) My stalker. He holds her tighter. Tighter. Can she even breathe? KEVIN I’m going to save you. ALYSSA (strangled) I know. From a closet, a faint whining noise emerges.
41. INT. CLOSET Emily’s trapped. She picks fruitlessly at the space between the doors, although you can tell she’s picked a thousand times before. Desperation crosses her face. She bangs just a little on the door, whining as quietly as she can while still being confident Alyssa will hear her. Footsteps. KEVIN (o.s.) What’s that? ALYSSA (o.s.) Just going to the restroom, I’ll be back in a second. Kevin laughs, offscreen. KEVIN (o.s.) Alright, see ya. The lock clatters. Alyssa spreads the doors open. INT. ROOM 67M Bang, bang -- the noise of the doors hitting the wall. KEVIN (o.s.) Everything alright in there? ALYSSA (saccharine) Everything’s fine. She turns back to her sister. ALYSSA (CONT'D) Emily, you bitch -EMILY That’s mean -Alyssa clamps her hand over her sister’s mouth, slapping her in the process.
42. ALYSSA Don’t you dare ruin my goddamn date, Emily. You understand? Emily tries to nod. ALYSSA (CONT'D) No, you don’t understand. Emily makes a muffled noise. ALYSSA (CONT'D) Don’t fucking talk back to me. You don’t understand. You’re a retarded little girl and you don’t know what any of this means to me. Do you know that, Emily? Alyssa takes her hand off her sister’s mouth. Emily is snuffling back tears. It isn’t pretty. ALYSSA (CONT'D) Do you? Emily nods. ALYSSA (CONT'D) Say it. EMILY I u-u-understand. ALYSSA Say it. EMILY (crying) I-I’m a little retard and I’m ruining your day. Alyssa smiles. ALYSSA Good. Emily breaks into full-blown sobs. KEVIN (o.s.) Are you sure you’re okay? ALYSSA I’M FINE! (back to her sister) (MORE)
43. ALYSSA (CONT'D) You see what you’re doing? You’re getting my boyfriend worried about me. And for what? Because Because you can’t take knowing you ruin everything. Emily tries valiantly not to cry. She’s crying. Oh God, she’s crying. ALYSSA (CONT'D) You should have been aborted. I hate you. EMILY Please stop -Alyssa grabs her sister by the neck. Pushes her back against the closet. Slaps her in the head. Pulls her hair, hits her in the eyes and nose. It’s brutal, it’s hideous, it’s cruel and irredeemable. Alyssa pushes Emily down to the ground. It’s not a fair fight -- Alyssa is a tiny little girl, but Emily is smaller and younger. She assaults her sister, biting her and strangling her, hitting and kicking anywhere she’s vulnerable. Nothing about this is friendly. It’s uncomfortable, it’s ugly. It comes from hate. Finally, agonizingly, Alyssa pulls herself up from the ground, leaving Emily crumpled in the corner. She kicks her sister while she’s down, just for good measure. ALYSSA I hate you. And so she goes, leaving her sister to cry in the back. Alyssa smiles as she greets Kevin. ALYSSA (CONT'D) I’m back! She practically leaps into his arms. He takes her in them, a bit taken aback. KEVIN Were you okay in there? there? ALYSSA (fake grin) Yeah, great! Why do you ask?
44. KEVIN I just thought I heard -ALYSSA It’s good, everything’s good. She takes his hand a bit too enthusiastically and heads to the bedroom. CUT TO: INT. CASINO - NIGHT John and Courtney are at the craps table. She’s all googlyeyed for him, glaring dismissively every once in a while at a groupie who tries to join in when his luck is good. JOHN (joking) Hey, aren’t you meant to be a waitress here? She giggles. COURTNEY Hey, I almost forgot to ask -JOHN Ask away. COURTNEY What's up with the gun? gun? The one in your car, I mean -JOHN The Nano? Just self-defense. Never had to use it, but you never know in Vegas. She seems satisfied with this explanation. Todd’s at the bar. He’s been drinking since we last saw him and looks all the worse for wear. Nearly knocks over the last gin and tonic he gets. It looks pretty watered-down at this point, too. He takes his phone out. Alyssa still hasn’t replied. He calls her. The phone rings. Rings.
45. Rings. Nothing. Rings. Rings. Rings -He slams the phone back on the counter. The last couple rings are muffled before it stops and he waddles back to the slots, booze in tow. INT. CASINO - NIGHT Todd, empty, looks at the phone that will not be answered. Something grips him. He walks out the casino, a man with a purpose, knocking people with his shoulders as he goes. EXT. COSMOPOLITAN HOTEL - NIGHT On the sidewalk. Not too far from John and Courtney, who we see talking, though we can’t make out what we’re saying over the din of Vegas at night. Todd looks down at the phone and smashes it upon the ground. Smash. The screen breaks into a million tiny pieces. But the phone still works. Todd is stricken with rage. He lets out a growl that turns to a wordless scream as he kicks and pummels the phone, over and over again, over and over and over again. Finally, it’s dead. He looks upon his works and despairs. He picks up the broken hunk of silicon, cradles it in his arms. People walking past were and are trying not not to stare -- their success success varies. Then he throws it, right into an open dumpster. Grins the grin of a child who got his scrunched-up worksheet into the trash on the first time. Todd pauses to admire it, then walks off. CUT TO:
46. EXT. STRIP MALL - NIGHT It’s a expect people around
24-hour strip mall, exactly as impressive as you’d a 24-hour strip mall just outside the parts of Vegas care about to be. There are four or five cars strewn the poorly illuminated lot.
Todd’s 2006 Honda Civic pulls into the closest park to the supermarket entrance. It’s a disabled park, but who cares? The light overhead shines upon him, and not in a good way; he’s a sickly man who’s lived too hard. INT. SUPERMARKET - NIGHT Todd enters the store. The fluorescent lights flicker, unwelcoming. He heads for the floral display, uncaring for anything else. It doesn’t take him any time at all to decide which to get. He picks out a bouquet of roses, red as blood to the last. Plunks it down on the conveyer belt. The retail lifer working the cash register tries to exchange pleasantries. He doesn’t reciprocate. EXT. STRIP MALL - NIGHT As he leaves, Todd looks down at the pocket where his phone used to reside. He notices a payphone up ahead, and pauses before running for it like it’ll disappear if he doesn’t get there fast enough. (It’s a payphone in 2018. It just might.) It’s in exactly the repair you’d think a payphone today would be in, but he doesn’t care. He slumps against the wall, pathetic, clutching the bouquet in his free hand. He pays and dials. It doesn’t work. CUT TO: INT. GIRLS’ BEDROOM - NIGHT The phone is quiet. Alyssa is in fitful sleep. Emily, on the other hand, is awake. She carefully rolls out of bed, tries to crumple the quilt in a way that makes it look like it has a sleeping body inside, and tiptoes out.
47. She doesn’t seem to mind that the door creaks. INT. ROOM 67M - NIGHT The suite is dark. Emily (bereft of her glasses) rubs her eyes, then giggles when she realizes the lightswitch is off. After flicking it on, she makes her way into the kitchen. Looking through the pantry for something appropriately midnight-snack-like, she she gets distracted by a photo on the counter. It’s a framed photo from two years ago. John, Angela, Alyssa, and herself, sitting in a field, leaning against each other and grinning. Emily reaches out to touch the photo. To touch her mother’s face. CLOSE ON Emily’s touch -- too forceful -- knocking the picture over. The collision on the marble countertop is loud. She looks around in shock, hoping she didn’t wake anyone up. CUT TO: INT. GIRLS’ BEDROOM - NIGHT [DREAM SEQUENCE] Alyssa wakes up to the crash. Angela stands over her. She startles up, pulling the blankets over her body -ANGELA What are you doing? ALYSSA Mom -Angela leans over her daughter, chastisement in her eyes and a sick grin on her face. ANGELA What are you doing? Alyssa tries to look away. Angela grabs her daughter’s face. ANGELA (CONT'D) Are you having boys over? Alyssa mumbles something that can’t be heard. Angela, suddenly, grips tighter and pulls Alyssa’s face yet closer.
48. ANGELA (CONT'D) Answer me! Alyssa is near tears. ALYSSA Please don’t hurt me -ANGELA Answer me! The scene morphs -INT. POWELL HOUSE - NIGHT [DREAM SEQUENCE] Angela and Alyssa are on the living room couch. Jace plays before them, unaware of what’s going on around him. ALYSSA I love him -Angela’s face twists into something filled with derision, yet almost like ugly crying. ANGELA You love him? Why don’t you love me? ALYSSA I -ANGELA What about your poor mother, Lyssie? Don’t you care about your mother? ALYSSA I-I -ANGELA Don’t you love me? Say it! Say it! She’s grinning sickly as Alyssa sobs. She tries to say it, but she simply can’t get out the words -ALYSSA I -- I -ANGELA Say it!
49. ALYSSA (almost incoherent) I love you! ANGELA (terrifying) Sorry, what was that? Alyssa is screaming by this point. ALYSSA I love you! I love you! CUT TO: INT. GIRLS’ BEDROOM - NIGHT Kevin rouses. Alyssa is kicking him, just barely crying in her sleep, mumbling something about about how she loves him -Kevin looks over, holds her, tries not to get kicked. INT. ROOM 67M - CONTINUOUS Emily keeps looking around. Notices the scene is clear. Peels herself up off the floor. She heads to the dresser, grabs the keys off of them. The lock on the door is just above a comfortable level for her, but she stands on tiptoes and gets it anyway, then HEADS DOWN -EXT. COSMOPOLITAN HOTEL - NIGHT Todd stumbles, bouquet in hand, to the front of the hotel. It glimmers cyberpunk hell back at him. Emily steps out into the night. She shivers, not expecting the cold. The two of them cross paths -TODD What are you doing o out ut here? Emily studies his features.
50. EMILY You're Alyssa's friend! Recognition dawns on Todd's face. TODD Yes! You were her...sister? Emily nods, looking too pleased with herself. Todd brandishes the bouquet. TODD (CONT'D) Do you think you could go up there and give this to her for me? Emily is in awe at the size of it. Todd reaches into his wallet, drags out a couple couple of Benjamins and adds adds them to the package deal. TODD (CONT'D) (stage whisper) You can keep this if you want! Emily grins, grabs for the stuff. EMILY Thank you! TODD Remember to give it to her! EMILY I will! He watches as she disappears back into the crowd. Posed just on the exterior wall, Emily catches sight of the same homeless woman who accosted Alyssa. Her change jar sits in front of her as she stares in blank repose. Emily makes her way through the throg of people and shoves one of the $100 notes into the jar. The homeless woman looks up. She recognizes Emily's face, and winks. INT. ROOM 67M - NIGHT We made it back to the suite. Emily places the the bouquet on the coffee table, grabs a piece of paper, and stares with a furrowed brow at the words she needs to form. They're inelegant, but she manages.
51. 'ALYSSA YOUR FREND TODD MADE ROSES FOR YOU LOVE EMILY :) <3' She smiles. Places the card beside them. Crawls back into her room. INT. GIRLS’ BEDROOM - CONTINUOUS Emily sneaks in, buries herself back under the blanket. Alyssa is sleeping, calm. Kevin has his eyes closed, but wakes again to the sound sound of Emily entering. He looks, still half-asleep, at the lump in the bed beside him. We see the confusion on on his face. CUT TO: EXT. GAS STATION - MORNING We're off the Strip, and and the streetlights are dimming as the day grows. John fills up the car as Courtney lounges against it. COURTNEY Does this mean anything? John startles. JOHN Mean what? COURTNEY Am I just a fling? He pauses, shakes the nozzle as he withdraws it from the fuel tank. JOHN You're practically half my age. COURTNEY That doesn't matter.
52. JOHN You're nine years older than my daughter. What would people think? COURTNEY It happens all the time! JOHN And you live here. How would we get you to Irvine? You'd have to take care of your mother -He stops as he notices tears at the corner of Courtney's eyes. JOHN (CONT'D) This really means something to you, doesn't it? Courtney tries to look strong. Her success is debatable. COURTNEY It does. John doesn't know what to say. COURTNEY (CONT'D) B-but I know when I'm not wanted -She gestures to walk off, but he raises a hand. JOHN Stay here. She just looks at him, trying to keep it together. JOHN (CONT'D) We'll figure something something out. Courtney lets herself be happy. COURTNEY Will we? JOHN I promise. COURTNEY Do you love me? A beat, while John hangs the gas nozzle up. JOHN I love you.
53. Courtney beams, throws herself at him. He looks straight ahead as he holds her. CUT TO: INT. ROOM 67M - DAY Alyssa stumbles out of her room, unable to either sleep or wake. She fumbles around around -- then sees the roses. roses. She heads for them. Sits, grabs Emily's message in her hand. Alyssa recoils as she reads it. Looks like she's going to throw up. Looks up to the ceiling, tears the note in two. Her hands clammy and shaking, she grips the bouquet -John and Courtney burst in right on time. Courtney and Alyssa haven't been formally introduced, and each look a little shaken to see the other in the flesh. John just grins manically. COURTNEY Is that your daughter? JOHN (through gritted teeth) Yes. Courtney looks at him with concern, and he faux-relaxes a little. JOHN (CONT'D) Alyssa, Courtney. Courtney, Alyssa. Alyssa rolls her eyes. With sudden force -JOHN (CONT'D) Who got you those roses? roses? ALYSSA What? JOHN The ones you're holding. ALYSSA I found them in the pool room.
54. He's not buying. COURTNEY Is this a bad time? JOHN No, no, everything's good. Alyssa just gets a little...headstrong. Courtney fakes a smile. COURTNEY Alyssa, do you want to go out for breakfast? Alyssa doesn't acknowledge her. JOHN Oh, you know how teenagers are sometimes. There's a hint of insincerity to his voice. COURTNEY Didn't you say you had two daughters? JOHN Yes! We'll all go. He heads for the room where Emily sleeps, and Alyssa's heart beats out of her chest -ALYSSA Don't go in there! John freezes. Alyssa has to think on her feet -ALYSSA (CONT'D) She peed in there! It smells awful -JOHN Emily? ALYSSA You don't want to go in there, I'll get her if I have to -JOHN Why would she do tha that? t? ALYSSA I dunno, it's her --
55. JOHN She's not stupid. Alyssa rolls her eyes. JOHN (CONT'D) Lyssie, don't -ALYSSA Don't go in there, Daddy, okay? He drops it. Alyssa opens the door the tiniest crack and sneaks through. INT. GIRLS’ BEDROOM - CONTINUOUS ALYSSA Get up. Emily scrunches her eyes shut. ALYSSA (CONT'D) Get the fuck up! Emily rolls out of bed, thumps onto the floor. Alyssa averts her gaze, looks to Kevin, sound asleep. EMILY What? ALYSSA We're going out for breakfast. Get dressed. Emily looks up at her. EMILY Breakfast? ALYSSA Yeah. We're going to a nice restaurant and don't fuck this up. Alyssa dramatically slides open the door to her wardrobe. Nothing is on the hangers, but there's a giant pile of clothing, mostly inappropriate, sprawled all over the floor. Emily glances over. EMILY Are my pants in there?
56. ALYSSA Why the fuck would I have your stuff? EMILY Sorry. Alyssa rolls her eyes, picks out a dress that maybe kind of isn't completely inappropriate for a girl two years older if you squint. INT. CLOSET She slams the door, fumbles around in the dark for a moment. ALYSSA Emily, did you take my bra? EMILY (o.s.) Don't you have a lot of bras? ALYSSA Did you? Beat. EMILY (o.s.) No. ALYSSA Really? EMILY (o.s.) No. ALYSSA Then why isn't it in here? Beat. EMILY (o.s.) You're in the dark. Alyssa slides the door back open.
57. INT. GIRLS’ BEDROOM She sticks her head out the door, keeping her body behind. Emily is half-dressed, wearing pants but still in her pyjama shirt. ALYSSA We don't even wear the the same size. EMILY I know! ALYSSA You don't have tits, you retard! EMILY Stop calling me a retard! ALYSSA But you are! JOHN (o.s.) Is everything okay in there? ALYSSA YES! A hush falls over the room. ALYSSA (CONT'D) Give me back my bra. Emily doesn't have it. Her lip starts to tremble -ALYSSA (CONT'D) Stop crying and give me my bra! JOHN (o.s.) Is it the pink one? With the ribbons? Alyssa stops in her tracks. JOHN (CONT'D) (o.s.) Courtney has that one. Alyssa opens the door, just a squeeze --
58. INT. ROOM 67M Courtney giggles as John produces the bra from her handbag. It is, indeed, pink and festooned with ribbons. Alyssa takes it in her hands like a crown jewel. ALYSSA Why did she have it? JOHN Well, you're the same same size. Courtney bimbo-giggles again. JOHN (CONT'D) Now apologise to your sister. Alyssa sticks her head back in the room, mumbles the least sincere apology since COINTELPRO, and goes back to getting dressed. CUT TO: EXT. RESTAURANT - DAY The four of them sit on an outside table, picking at case studies of the many interesting things you can do with eggs. John and Courtney have mimosas. Alyssa looks dejectedly at her mocktail. Putting down her chocolate milk -EMILY What do you do, Courtney? Courtney? COURTNEY I'm a waitress. EMILY Is that cool? Courtney smiles. COURTNEY It's alright. I used to be in college -JOHN She was an education major. EMILY You wanna be a teacher?
59. COURTNEY Yeah, but I have to care for my mom. I think I'm gonna gonna go back to community college, become a preschool teacher -Alyssa can barely stay awake. All of a sudden, her phone goes off -JOHN Lyssie, no phones at the table. She doesn't acknowledge him. Looks at the text. KEVIN (text) Where are you? ALYSSA I need to take this. John opens his mouth to speak, but she's gone before he can. EXT. SIDE OF RESTAURANT - CONTINUOUS Alyssa doesn't bother to go through the whole messaging routine. She calls him -ALYSSA Kev. KEVIN (o.s.) Hey, babygirl. She blushes. ALYSSA I had to go out for breakfast. KEVIN (o.s.) With? -ALYSSA Yep. Kevin pauses. KEVIN (o.s.) Everything alright?
60. Alyssa smiles unconvincingly. ALYSSA Yeah. I'll talk to you later, okay? EXT. RESTAURANT - MOMENTS LATER Alyssa makes her way back to the table. John watches her all the way. JOHN What was that about? ALYSSA Sorry, Daddy. He drops it, and they get back to their food. Alyssa's phone starts going off again, but solely in vibrations. She ignores it. WE SEE Todd fumbling around around on the street, not not too far from our First Family. His phone is full of texts to Alyssa, the last one but seconds ago. He spies her, sitting at the table, and makes a beeline for it -TODD Alyssa. Something's haunted in his voice. The three of them look up while Alyssa stays buried in her food. John surveys the bloated corpse of a man. JOHN Is there a problem? TODD What's she doing her here? e? JOHN She's having lunch with her family. Todd takes a step back. Alyssa is hyperfocused on her food, unable to make eye contact with anyone. Courtney and Emily can't decide whether to look at him or her. John is just studying the man's features. Without looking back to to his daughter -JOHN (CONT'D) Alyssa, who is this?
61. Silence. TODD Who are you? JOHN Dr John Kang. I'm her father. Do you have a problem here? EMILY What's going on? Alyssa squeezes her eyes shut. Quietly, to Courtney -JOHN I'm sorry about this. She keeps smiling her stupid smile. COURTNEY It's fine. Alyssa, suddenly, grabs her drink and rises off the table. She bumps hard into Emily as she shoves the chair back in, then walks off in the opposite direction. JOHN Lyssie?
TODD Lyssie?
They give each other a dirty look. She doesn't acknowledge. She just keeps walking, sipping from the virgin mimosa as she goes. EXT. LAS VEGAS STRIP - DAY The city looks different during the day, so obviously superimposed on a desert backdrop. The lights are off or dim, the technicolour buildings straining against the sun. Alyssa weaves through the sparser crowds. Even dressed to the nines, nobody notices her -- there's too much else going on in a place like this. She sips the mocktail down to the bottom, then pitches the glass into a dumpster. There's a real twist of impostor syndrome to the way she carries herself. It heightens whenever she walks past actual young women, old enough to drink and fuck, and the ferocious attitude within her looks like it's going to curl up in a corner and die. There are too many of those in Vegas for her.
62. She makes her way to an empty bench. Sits upon it, crossing one leg over another, and awkwardly slides her phone out her pocket. A MAN approaches her. He's in his early thirties and looks like he'd rather be in Southeast Asia, if you catch my drift. MAN How much? Alyssa is startled out of her placebo narcosis. ALYSSA What? MAN You know, how much for full service? She suddenly picks up what he's putting down, and takes a moment to figure out a fair price in her head. head. ALYSSA Hundred bucks. He seems pleased. Presses a Benjamin into her hand. MAN Your hotel or mine? ALYSSA I'm at the Cosmopolitan -MAN Me too. Room 32A. We'll get an Uber. CUT TO: INT. ROOM 32A - DAY Hair and clothes rustled, Alyssa lies catatonic on the lounge. The man sticks his head out his bedroom, looking pleased with himself. MAN You going soon? ALYSSA (voice cracking) I just need to rest a little.
63. He gets out, grabs a bottle of Jim Bean out the fridge and starts mixing a glass with coke. MAN You want a drink? She closes her eyes. ALYSSA Yeah. He pours a second glass. Brings them over to the couch. MAN How much to keep you here? ALYSSA Hm? MAN I got a few friends coming here later. We're going to the Bond -- I told them I knew where to get some Asian girls. ALYSSA I'm hapa. MAN Yeah, I've been to all those places, I can tell. You think most white people care? She doesn't respond. MAN (CONT'D) Anyway, just wanted to see -ALYSSA How many guys? MAN Depends how many show up. Could be two, could be five. ALYSSA Pay me like it's five. And I want an extra hundred, 'cause I'd miss all my other stuff today. She drives a hard bargain. He pauses for a moment. MAN I'll go to the ATM.
64. And he leaves the room, leaving Alyssa alone with her conscience. CUT TO: INT. THE BOND - NIGHT Kevin enters the bar, puts on his best customer service face. He checks the time on his phone. It's pretty early in the evening, but Vegas goes hard at all hours. He looks at the sea of people he has to serve, and takes one last glance at it to type out a quick message to Alyssa -KEVIN (text) Will I see you tonight? tonight? INT. CASINO - NIGHT The man is there, with three of his friends. They've all pregamed extensively and won't stop leering at Alyssa. She smiles, her eyes dead. One of the friends yells over the din at her -FRIEND 1 What did you say your your name was? ALYSSA Alyssa. FRIEND 1 Great! I'm Scott. He turns to the guy who bought her. SCOTT Hey Mike, where'd you get her? Mike laughs. MIKE I have my ways. SCOTT She's hot! Can we get more? Alyssa stares down at the floor while they all laugh behind her.
65. SCOTT (CONT'D) Hey Alyssa, you good at poker? ALYSSA I can learn. He grips her in an unreasonably tight hug. MIKE Hey, don't break her. She's expensive. Scott keeps laughing. He laughs like a dog. SCOTT We're gonna teach her her poker, you'll get all that money back. MIKE We better! INT. AROUND THE POKER TABLE - CONTINUOUS The four guys and Alyssa crowd around the table. Mike turns to his second friend. MIKE Hey Zeke, you gonna help her out? Zeke is the most benign-looking of the four. He's a big guy, more fat than muscle, with a beard of debatab debatable le quality. The smile he gives Alyssa almost looks like he doesn't want to eat her. Almost. ZEKE You ever played poker, Alyssa? Unable to say anything that works for her, Alyssa elects not to say anything at all. ZEKE (CONT'D) It's not that hard to figure out. We're playing Texas Hold 'Em, you have to get the best set of five cards from the two you get... INT. THE BOND - CONTINUOUS Kevin takes a break from serving. He checks his phone. Nothing from Alyssa.
66. John and Courtney come up to the bar. They don't recognize him, but he recognizes them, and freezes for a moment before he can put his customer service face back on. It's a little weaker than it should be. JOHN Scotch on the rocks. Macallan 25. And she'll have the best rosé you have. Kevin pauses, then gets back to smiling and makes their drinks. John studies his face. JOHN (CONT'D) Do I know you? KEVIN I don't think so. He slides the drinks in front of them. KEVIN (CONT'D) That'll be -JOHN They're comped. But -He slides over a generous tip. Kevin takes it, watching the couple leave, and stuffs it in his pocket in a trance. INT. CASINO - NIGHT As they head for the craps table, John glances over at the poker and sees Alyssa at the table. He stops. Courtney stops with him -COURTNEY What's wrong? JOHN Is that Alyssa? Courtney, who barely knows her, tries to study her features. COURTNEY I think that's just a random girl. John isn't completely pacified, but he heads off with Courtney all the same.
67. INT. AROUND THE POKER TABLE - CONTINUOUS Alyssa isn't great at poker, but she's not awful either. The guys are practically drooling over her; she tries to block them out and keep her attention on the cards, but it's her main handicap. The cocktail cocktail waitress serving the five regards her with a hint of suspicion. WAITRESS I still don't know what a pink flirtini is. ALYSSA I have a card! She gets her phone out, slides open an image describing the ingredients of this grotesque magenta fluid. The waitress studies it - WAITRESS Too complex. You'll have to go to the bar. Alyssa sighs, passes the cards over to Zeke, and looks at the message from Kevin on her phone. ALYSSA I'll be back soon. None of them seem to acknowledge her as she leaves. INT. THE BOND ALYSSA Hi, Kev. There's sadness in her voice. He startles to hear it. Looks over at her. KEVIN Everything okay? ALYSSA Pink flirtini. He smiles and mixes it. She pays with one of the $100 bills, then starts gulping it down. KEVIN What's going on?
68. ALYSSA I don't want to talk about it. They sit in silence for a moment. KEVIN Is it -ALYSSA Daddy's fine. KEVIN Well, that's good. He doesn't think it's good. As she finishes the drink too fast -ALYSSA How old do you think I am? KEVIN What? ALYSSA You don't think I'm twenty-one, how old do you think I am? He stops in his tracks. KEVIN (evasively) Probably in your late teens. ALYSSA Like how late? KEVIN Seventeen, eighteen...Sixteen? Alyssa tries to hide how pleased she is people think she's sixteen. KEVIN (CONT'D) Not sure how you'd be in college at sixteen, though. It occurs to Alyssa, once again, that Kevin's not that bright. ALYSSA Yeah, I'm eighteen.
69. KEVIN Eighteen? He smirks. KEVIN (CONT'D) Might have to stop serving you. ALYSSA Yeah, but the law is stupid anyway. We're like the only country where it's that, right? KEVIN I guess, and it's not like anyone else knows. She looks at him knowingly. ALYSSA Can I have another? He laughs, shrugs, and mixes a second pink flirtini. After a moment of hesitation -KEVIN You look super young. ALYSSA What? KEVIN Super young. ALYSSA Yeah, that happens sometimes. And, like, Asians -KEVIN I know, but it's still weird for an eighteen-year-old to look fourteen. Alyssa doesn't respond. KEVIN (CONT'D) I guess you're right it happens, though. ALYSSA Yeah. You know, Todd's looking for me, so I should probably probably --
70. She gets the glass and heads off. Kevin watches her go, wondering. CUT TO: EXT. COSMOPOLITAN HOTEL - NIGHT Alyssa stands outside the glory that was Rome as the four guys take a smoke break. MIKE Hey Alyssa, you want one? ALYSSA No. MIKE Good choice. As the four talk amongst themselves, she stands there, watching the cars go by. by. ALYSSA Are we going back to the hotel? MIKE Eh, may as well. It's been... (checks phone) Four hours. He wraps an arm around her waist as the four of them hail a taxi. As he throws her in, she closes her eyes. CUT TO: INT. ROOM 67M - NIGHT Alyssa lies in broken repose on the couch, staring at nothing. Emily is in the armchair next to her. She's watching HBO at 4am, because nobody told her she couldn't. Emily looks back over to her big sister. Tears well in Alyssa's eyes. EMILY Are you okay? Alyssa doesn't respond. FADE TO:
71. INT. COSMOPOLITAN HOTEL - NIGHT [DREAM SEQUENCE] We're in the hallway outside outside Room 67M. Alyssa stands against the wall, lost in thought. Out of nowhere, a hand rests on her shoulder. It's Angela's. ANGELA I'm so proud of you, Lyssie. Alyssa puts her head down, blubbers a little. ANGELA (CONT'D) Don't cry. It's all going to be okay. Mommy loves you. ALYSSA Please -ANGELA It's almost over. Alyssa looks up. ALYSSA What's over? Angela just smiles. CUT TO: EXT. PARK - DAY Alyssa and Kevin sit together on a park bench, watching the world go by. Alyssa is stiff; Kevin holds her, her, but she isn't going to relax any time soon. KEVIN I just want you to be okay. She doesn't say anything. The happy families and kissing couples keep surrounding them, a grey storm cloud in a tranquil sky. She takes her handbag, patterned with roses, and extracts the remaining six $100 bills from it. ALYSSA Are we doing anything tonight? Kevin is taken aback.
72. KEVIN Where did those come from? ALYSSA I said, I don't want to talk about it. False realization dawns. KEVIN John? She doesn't respond. He takes the message. KEVIN (CONT'D) We can do something. ALYSSA (suddenly) I'm sick of the Strip. Kevin chuckles. KEVIN Yeah, it's just a great big mousetrap. We've got lots of other stuff. We've got -- the shop from Pawn Stars? ALYSSA Do you have stuff that isn't the shop from Pawn Stars? KEVIN We've got Fremont Street. Street. She relaxes a little (going from completely tensed to just most of the way), snuggles snuggles into his chest. ALYSSA Let's go. INT. FREMONT STREET EXPERIENCE - DAY We're in a massive pedestrian pedestrian mall, an 'entertainment 'entertainment complex' per the brochure, that holds its own against the Skinner boxes on the Strip. It was Vegas before Vegas, and it knows it deserves the title. Alyssa wants to be jaded, but she's still a giddy little girl, and she rubbernecks at all the attractions. Kevin is used to it, but it's fun to be a tourist in your own town.
73. Someone is hawking flowers nearby. She spots the couple and grins widely, brandishing a bouquet. FLORIST Hey, you want to get something for your girlfriend? The florist practically pushes a dozen roses into Kevin's hands, then winks at Alyssa. KEVIN I -FLORIST Hey, looks to me like she'd love them. That'll be $80. He curses under his breath. Alyssa produces one of the $100s. FLORIST (CONT'D) Buying them in your own right, huh? Hope he's got a great personality. Alyssa smiles. ALYSSA He's the best guy I've ever been with. FLORIST Call me for the wedding. And she leaves, out to get another mark. The roses are still buds, like in any decent floral display -- but inexplicably, they already look a little rough around the edges. KEVIN Eighty bucks for roses? They're not even that special. Alyssa mimes smelling them exaggeratedly deep. ALYSSA I think they're nice. Kevin shrugs, smiles, and begins weaving one of them into her hair. INT. NEONOPOLIS - DAY For Christ's sake, it's called 'Neonopolis'. We're in a truly massive mall, a paean to consumerism, the kind kind of place that digs up angel skeletons to advertise its grand opening.
74. The millions of feet of neon covering everything could technically be considered a photosensitive epilepsy trigger in the most sensitive. Alyssa is in a daze by this point, her only connection to the land of the living being Kevin's hand as she stares at the sights. She clutches the remaining eleven roses in the other. KEVIN Where do you want to go? She startles. ALYSSA What? KEVIN We've got a lot of stuff stuff here. We've got an esports lounge, that one crazy restaurant with the heart attack burgers -ALYSSA Like, Burger King? He laughs. KEVIN No, they advertise it. It's a whole thing. You eat free there if you're 300 pounds. ALYSSA Is that why the terrorists hate us? KEVIN It probably doesn't help. They grin. ALYSSA Um, anything else? KEVIN We've got arcades. ALYSSA You're really into arcades. He blushes. KEVIN They're just super cool, you know?
75. Alyssa giggles at her adorkable boyfriend. He notices, blushes harder. KEVIN (CONT'D) But you don't have to go to the arcade if you don't want to -ALYSSA I wanna go where you wanna go. She leans against his shoulder. ALYSSA (CONT'D) You'd think there'd be more stuff, though? KEVIN Vegas is pretty trashy, really. It's all country concerts and a Denny's with a wedding chapel. ALYSSA Wait, what? KEVIN You know, Denny's, the pancake place? ALYSSA I know Denny's, I don't associate it with weddings. KEVIN Welcome to Vegas. You You know, that's not even the only wedding chapel in this mall. ALYSSA Do people go to the other one? KEVIN It's got a dwarf Elvis impersonator. ALYSSA Do they take walk-ins? KEVIN Do you even have any real ID on you? ALYSSA Hey, you fell for it.
76. Kevin blushes again. KEVIN Anyway, we can't get married yet. We're not even engaged. engaged. ALYSSA You can change that! He laughs. KEVIN Give it a couple months. You hungry? ALYSSA I don't want Denny's and I don't want that weird burger burger for fat people. KEVIN Fair enough. Like I said -- trashy place. You sure you're sick of the Strip? If we'd stayed at the Cosmopolitan they'd have some great places. Alyssa weighs up her options. ALYSSA I feel like there's something bad waiting for me there. there. KEVIN What? She shrugs. KEVIN (CONT'D) Well, if anything happens, happens, I'll protect you. Come on, let's go. Alyssa smiles as they head off. INT. BLUE RIBBON BRASSERIE - EVENING Back in the Cosmopolitan. It's a nice restaurant, dressy, but laid-back. New American. The WAITRESS comes up to serve our couple. WAITRESS Do you -- hey, Kevin!
77. KEVIN What's up, Tasha? TASHA Just working. Didn't know you had a girlfriend. What's her name? He smiles. KEVIN Alyssa. We've been seeing each other for a bit. Tasha sizes the girl up. TASHA Lucky guy. Half-Asian girls are cheating, they're always cute. Alyssa remains stone-faced. TASHA (CONT'D) Yeah, I'll seat you two. We've got a spare table for two right there... As Alyssa is seated, she notices, on the other end of the restaurant -- John and Courtney. Kevin picks up on her discomfort, leans in -KEVIN What's up? She doesn't respond. John and Courtney are engrossed in food and conversation, not noticing the newcomers. Alyssa focuses in on them, her heart beating out of her chest -TASHA Any appetizers? Alyssa is shocked back to reality. ALYSSA N-no, I'm good. TASHA Great. Can I take your drinks? ALYSSA I, um -- is there anything you're good at?
78. KEVIN Just get her something sweet. Tasha nods, scribbles, heads back into the kitchen. Alyssa doesn't avert her gaze from the table. Another remarkable couple comes in -- it's Mike, with a NEW ASIAN GIRL. She at least looks above the age of consent this time. Mike looks around the restaurant, notices Alyssa. He winks. Alyssa closes her eyes. Kevin watches her, concern evident on his face. KEVIN (CONT'D) Do you need to go back to the hotel? ALYSSA I'm fine. Her dead monotone doesn't sound 'fine'. Mike and the new girl get seated. They're just a couple tables over. Alyssa reopens her eyes, focuses her gaze hard as possible on the cutlery before her. Tasha comes out with something in a martini glass, and an IPA for Kevin. KEVIN Thanks. TASHA Everything okay here? ALYSSA Yeah, we're great. I'll, um, I'll just have the salad. TASHA Which one? We have --ALYSSA The good one? Kevin intervenes. KEVIN You pick. I'll have the fried catfish sandwich.
79. TASHA Nice. See you guys soon. She heads off, darting a last concerned glance Alyssa's way. KEVIN Seriously, what's wrong? Alyssa doesn't say a word. She just points towards the opposite end of the restaurant. Kevin looks up, scans the crowd -- and recognizes the couple. Disgust spreads on his face. Alyssa sees, whispers -ALYSSA Don't get worked up about it -KEVIN How am I going to not get worked up about it? ALYSSA It's not a big deal. KEVIN If you're this upset, it's a big deal! ALYSSA We can deal with it later, okay? I just wanna eat. She smiles a little. ALYSSA (CONT'D) And be with you. Kevin softens. He keeps a suspicious eye on the couple at the other end, but maintains his focus on Alyssa. Something occurs to him. You can see it on his face. KEVIN You know...If you're eighteen, are you even in college? Beat. Alyssa says something too quietly to hear. KEVIN (CONT'D) What?
80. ALYSSA No. He nods. KEVIN What do you really w want ant to be? ALYSSA Huh? KEVIN You said you were a premed. But, like -- what do you really want out of life? You don't seem into that stuff. Alyssa is quiet. KEVIN (CONT'D) Is everything okay? ALYSSA Yeah, I just don't know. KEVIN What did you want to do as a kid? ALYSSA (without hesitation) I want to be a model. Kevin smiles. KEVIN You're going to major in modelling? ALYSSA I want guys to look at me and wish I was their girlfriend. KEVIN Well, you do that anyway. anyway. ALYSSA Yeah, but I want all of them to. KEVIN If you're not a model, what will you be? ALYSSA A failed model?
81. KEVIN I was thinking a little more hopeful. Alyssa isn't quite checked into the conversation anymore, but more rambling to herself. herself. ALYSSA You know, I could totally stay here. I don't have to go back to Irvine, I can stay here and be a dancer. KEVIN You're going to be a stripper? ALYSSA I just want them to look at me. Mike is looking at her. Oh, he's looking. Neither of them have noticed yet. KEVIN Are you going to strip your way through college? ALYSSA Lots of girls do it. KEVIN You need a major first. ALYSSA What did you major i in? n? KEVIN I'm in Criminal Justice. ALYSSA So you're the guy in the war on drugs? They laugh. KEVIN Nah, I don't know what I'm going to do. But wherever I'm going, I'm getting there. He looks over his shoulder, catching a quick glimpse of the guy staring at Alyssa.
82. JOHN AND COURTNEY Are at their table, their food half-eaten. They look relaxed, comfortable. Happy. A bottle of rosé sits between them. COURTNEY Where did you say the the girls were? JOHN I told Lyssie to take Emily to the mini-golf -- they'd be back at the hotel now. COURTNEY I was hoping to be alone. She smiles pseudo-seductively. They have a giggle at each other's expense. Courtney looks up, around the restaurant. She sees Kevin and Alyssa on the other side, looks at them for a good moment. MIKE AND THE ASIAN GIRL Are still beside our main couple. A disaffected WAITRESS places a Budweiser each in front of them. It's clear Mike ordered for them both. MIKE So...Claire? The woman, presumably Claire, doesn't respond. MIKE (CONT'D) You liking this restaurant? CLAIRE Yes. She's monotone, real sick of selling this fantasy. Her eyes narrow subtly at the bottle before her. The waitress comes back, deposits a giant bucket of wings in the middle of the table. Mike takes one, starts eating it in a way that recalls brutal massacres even by the standards of wing-eating, while Claire Claire just watches. KEVIN AND ALYSSA Kevin tears his eyes back from the guy performing the Rape of Nanking on the wing bucket.
83. KEVIN Who's that guy? ALYSSA Hm? KEVIN The one staring at you. Alyssa shrugs, puts on an air that this happens all the time. Kevin watches her for a moment, then looks at Tasha headed towards the table with a leek vinaigrette salad. TASHA (with a smile) Tell me if you like it. Alyssa nods, takes the cutlery and starts eating. Kevin keeps watching her. She eats like she's starved, trying to pace herself -- it's not a big salad -- but with debatable success. He looks up for a moment, then back to JOHN AND COURTNEY Courtney tears her own glance back away. JOHN What was that? COURTNEY Just thought I recognized someone. John watches her for a moment, then nods and pours her another glass. MIKE AND CLAIRE Mike is distracted once again, eyes on Alyssa. Claire can't hold her peace. CLAIRE Why do you keep looking looking at her? MIKE Hm? CLAIRE I mean, this is costing you 300 bucks an hour, you'd want to pay attention.
84. MIKE What's your problem here? CLAIRE I don't have one, I'm just confused. You struck me as a stingy bastard, what's the deal with the amateur? MIKE She's not an amateur. CLAIRE Well, you should put in an anonymous tip, because there's no way she's legal. MIKE She is! We were in the casino, she had an ID and everything! Claire rolls her eyes, takes a very awkward sip of 'her' Bud. CLAIRE I'm twenty-two. You look at that girl, you think she's my age? MIKE ...Yes? CLAIRE Man, I do not want to know what you were doing in Thailand. Thailand. Mike laughs just a little. MIKE Cambodia's better -CLAIRE Yes, I definitely want you to tell me where you plan to get a mailorder bride! MIKE What's with the sudden sudden bitchiness? CLAIRE I'm just giving what I got. She daintily takes a wing in her fingers, dips it in the wasabi honey, and begins begins tearing it apart.
85. MIKE So...which is best for mail-order brides? CUT TO: INT. COSMOPOLITAN HOTEL - NIGHT Todd's a man on a mission. He's holding a dozen roses -- same quality problem as Kevin's -- while keeping a single-minded stare at the elevator. A HOTEL ATTENDANT looks over at him, but doesn't say anything. INT. HOTEL ELEVATOR - CONTINUOUS He paces back and forth in the box. His face is unreadable, his legs moving like they're acting of their own accord. INT. COSMOPOLITAN HOTEL - CONTINUOUS He gets out on Level 3, per the sign above his head. Sees the sign for the Blue Ribbon and heads straight for it, loitering on the outside. The HOSTESS spots him -HOSTESS Do you have a reservation? He doesn't dignify her with a reply. INT. BLUE RIBBON BRASSERIE Alyssa's salad is half-done, and Kevin's food has just arrived. She squirms in her chair. KEVIN What's up? ALYSSA My legs hurt. She's playing at being pathetic a little, puppy-dog eyes and sickly posture. He oozes sympathy. KEVIN You can get up and stretch them a little.
86. She follows his advice, heading for the outside of the restaurant. He takes a look at the food, touches a fry -drops it with the slightest of a yelp. Burning to the touch. Kevin looks to each side of him, then to John and Courtney on the other side of the restaurant, and rises from his chair. MIKE AND CLAIRE Mike watches Alyssa get up -- then Kevin, as he walks past their table. Claire, with nothing better to do, joins in. CLAIRE Guess their date didn't work out. MIKE That ever happened to you? CLAIRE I don't take refunds, if that's what you're asking. Mike snorts. MIKE I'm talking about theoretical situations here. CLAIRE Ooh, big words. Haven't heard you use a lot of those -- didn't strike me as a guy who would. would. MIKE I'm an engineer! CLAIRE I've met some dumb engineers. MIKE Will you answer my q question? uestion? CLAIRE Failed dates? Seen it a couple times. She traces Kevin's path -CLAIRE (CONT'D) Ooh, he's heading for her manager. MIKE I've never called them managers.
87. CLAIRE Street girls have pimps, she doesn't look street. Well -- I've never met an underage girl in an agency, who knows? JOHN AND COURTNEY John looks at the intruder making his way over, but doesn't register it until he's directly at the table -- hitting it with his hand. John makes makes his best guess at what what a Gen Z guy in a fancy restaurant is -JOHN Did we change waiters? Rage wells in Kevin's eyes, adjusting John's prior to 'maybe not a waiter'. KEVIN What are you doing t to o her? John's (and Courtney's) face fills with genuine confusion. JOHN What am I doing to w who? ho? Kevin takes a step back, and we see his eyes fill with possibilities -- none of them good. KEVIN To who? How many girls are you doing this to? He takes a knowing look at Courtney, who, to say the least, doesn't share it. JOHN I think you've got the wrong man. KEVIN I'd recognize you anywhere. Tasha heads out of the back to check on Kevin and Alyssa, but finds an empty table. Looking around the restaurant, she sees Kevin where he is -TASHA Hey, Kev, everything alright?
88. KEVIN My girlfriend's worst nightmare crashed our date, does it look alright? Cogs start turning in John's head -INT. COSMOPOLITAN HOTEL - CONTINUOUS Alyssa vacates the restaurant, her legs taking her somewhere without much input from from her mind. Todd laser-focuses in on her. She seems him, freezes like a startled rabbit. TODD I have a gift for you. She can't talk. She can't move. He moves towards her, nearly floating, and reaches out the bouquet. TODD (CONT'D) Isn't it pretty? Alyssa can barely choke out -ALYSSA Where'd you get it? TODD Oh, I was wandering off the Strip. Met a nice florist on Fremont Street. Don't you like them? She nods like a bobblehead made of wood. TODD (CONT'D) Here -- I'll take one for you. He extracts a rose from the dozen, looks at her head for a second like a pathologist planning where to make the cut. On the opposite side to the one Kevin wove, perfectly matched, he weaves in his own. Alyssa just stands there, unable to resist. Todd takes his phone out, opens the mirror app and shows Alyssa her reflection. TODD (CONT'D) Aren't you gorgeous? You're such a gorgeous girl.
89. Alyssa stares into her reflection. Her eyes are blank. She looks like a doll, porcelain and glass in the uncanny shape of a girl. TODD (CONT'D) Let's not stand in the doorway much longer -- people might want to eat. We should go back to my room. He takes her hand. INT. BLUE RIBBON BRASSERIE - CONTINUOUS While the other three are silent, panic starts starts to cross Courtney's face. She's way out of her depth, bless her. COURTNEY What's going on? JOHN I think there's been a misunderstanding. He doesn't say it the way he said the last similar line. There's a narcissistic venom to his voice -- one that Courtney hasn't heard. TASHA ...should I get a new table? KEVIN (to John) How? Tasha looks just a little offended at Kevin ignoring her. JOHN Are you talking about Alyssa? Now it's Kevin's turn to be speechless. John smiles, just a little. It's not a kind smile. JOHN (CONT'D) Where is she? KEVIN She went outside. John rises from the table. JOHN Courtney, do you want to see something?
90. Courtney sits in frozen silence for a moment, then nods a tiny nod. JOHN (CONT'D) (to Tasha) You'll need a new table. Then he and Courtney head out, leaving Kevin to chase behind. INT. COSMOPOLITAN HOTEL - CONTINUOUS John gets out -- to see an empty hallway. JOHN You're lying. Kevin, right behind him -KEVIN What? JOHN Where is she? KEVIN She probably just headed down the hallway -JOHN What do you know abo about ut her? Beat. KEVIN What do you mean? JOHN What backstory did she she give you? KEVIN Uh -JOHN Do you know she's supposed to be babysitting her sister right now? Confusion crosses Kevin's face. KEVIN Her sister? John smiles broadly. It's more like when animals bear their teeth.
91. JOHN You've got a lot to learn. INT. ELEVATOR BAY - CONTINUOUS Todd stands next to the elevator buttons, a grin on his face. Alyssa stares a thousand-yard stare. The elevator doors swing open. Todd pulls Alyssa in without resistance. INT. BLUE RIBBON BRASSERIE - CONTINUOUS Mike stands up. Claire just watches. CLAIRE Didn't like the wings? MIKE Did you see how all those guys just left? CLAIRE You jumping on the trend? MIKE I think we should check it out. Claire raises an eyebrow. CLAIRE If I investigated all the hooker drama I've ever seen, I wouldn't have any time left to work. MIKE Yeah, but you don't have anything else to do. CLAIRE Fair. She stands up. Lets herself smile. CLAIRE (CONT'D) Your mail-order bride's gonna be a lucky girl. MIKE Really?
92. CLAIRE Yeah, she won't have to live in Cambodia anymore. Claire giggles a little at her own joke. Mike is stone-faced. He wraps an arm a little too tight around her waist as they leave the restaurant. INT. COSMOPOLITAN HOTEL John and Kevin walk down the hall in silence. JOHN I never caught your name. KEVIN Kevin, uh -- Kevin Powell? John detects the question mark, smirks a little. JOHN Dr John Kang. Don't mind the formalities -- I'm just following your lead. Kevin's phone goes off. He stops. John stops, looks at his questioning expression, and nods. Kevin takes the phone out. ALYSSA (text) I'm on floor 18. Please help Kevin looks at it, frozen. John's now the quizzical one. KEVIN We need to go to flo floor or 18. JOHN Why? Kevin doesn't say anything -- just makes a beeline for the elevators. From a distance, Mike and Claire watch the proceedings. CLAIRE Are we getting that elevator? Mike nods.
93. WE SEE, all of a sudden, sudden, that Courtney -- unaccounted unaccounted for in the proceedings -- was just hanging around the front of the restaurant. Mike notices -MIKE Weren't you with that that guy earlier? Courtney trembles. CLAIRE Hey, it's okay. You can go back in if you want -- was he treating you okay? Courtney gives Claire just a little bit of a strange look, but works up the ability to speak anyway. COURTNEY I'm not sure what's going on. CLAIRE Yeah, that's fine. We just want to find out. And the 'couple' head off for the elevator, leaving Courtney to tag behind. INT. ELEVATOR - CONTINUOUS Courtney files into the elevator, looking at John pleadingly. Mike and Claire aren't far behind. Kevin steps up, hits the 18 button. Mike eyes it off. The five of them ride up in silence. INT. LEVEL 18 - NIGHT We see Todd and Alyssa, Alyssa, secluded in a corner of the floor near the door 18Y. The elevator dings. John is the first off. He sees the two shapes -JOHN Lyssie? Alyssa freezes. So does Kevin, who Mike practically pushes out as the rest of them leave. Todd sticks his head out --
94. TODD Who the fuck are you you? ? John smiles without a verbal response. Todd eyes him off like he's crazy. John looks over to Kevin. JOHN You have anything to do with this? Kevin focuses in on Todd's face -KEVIN That's her stalker. John keeps his smile. JOHN You seem to know a lot of things I don't. KEVIN Maybe? JOHN Well, we're even, th then. en. He looks back to Todd. JOHN (CONT'D) Let go. Todd stares at him. TODD What? JOHN Let go of her. TODD Again. Who the fuck are you? JOHN How old is Alyssa? Kevin and Todd both stop in their tracks. A tear rolls down Alyssa's face, wreathed in shadows. The two men start talking rapidly --
95. TODD We met in the casino --
KEVIN She told me she was eighteen --
JOHN Alyssa? His tone is perfectly measured, and he beckons for his daughter to step into the light. She doesn't have a choice. In the hallway light, she's gone from a blossoming young woman to a child in makeup running down her face. JOHN (CONT'D) Alyssa, how old are you? Silence. Everyone's watching. JOHN (CONT'D) Lyssie? ALYSSA (quietly) Fourteen. And -- freeze. Todd's hand drops off of her as if accord, as if she became a red-hot poker. Kevin's in shock, with the air of someone who's just been the deep end. Claire looks at Mike almost excited proven right, and Courtney, poor Courtney, has no going on.
of its own eyes widen thrown into to be idea what's
John looks back at Kevin -- like Todd is beneath his notice - and smiles. JOHN I asked you a question. What backstory did she give you? Kevin does not have the words for anything in this universe. JOHN (CONT'D) Who do you think I am? am? He barely stammers out -KEVIN You were her -- sugar daddy, or -or something -JOHN I'm her father.
96. Kevin looks pleadingly at Alyssa, waiting for the punchline. From her face, her mind is off somewhere else -- presumably some hell dimension of pure suffering. Courtney can't hide her confusion (and mounting fear) much longer. COURTNEY What's going on? John doesn't acknowledge her. Gestures at Todd, in the doorway. JOHN Get out. TODD Why? His voice wobbles. JOHN Get out. Petulant, he complies. John, still terrifyingly placid, REACHES to the 4-o'-clock position just behind his hip --- and PULLS OUT a Beretta Nano, a 9mm concealed-carry handgun, pointing right at Todd's face. Nobody moves, talks, or can do anything but stare in shock. Todd opens and closes his mouth, like a fish. JOHN (CONT'D) I'm sorry, were you going to say something? TODD I have a wife -JOHN Does she know you fuck fourteenyear-old girls in Vegas? Todd closes his eyes, heaves back a sob. JOHN (CONT'D) What's your wife like? like? Your family?
97. TODD I-I have three kids, they're all in college now, m-my wife back in Cincinnati, Donna, she's a nurse -JOHN Donna? TODD Donna. JOHN Do you have a name? TODD Todd -- Todd LeBlanc. JOHN Todd and Donna LeBlanc. Nice Ohio couple. TODD (sniffling) D-do you have a wife? JOHN I'm a widower. TODD What happened? John takes a step back, keeping the gun pointed where it is. JOHN Car crash. Out of nowhere -- she was driving home from from work one day and wrapped the car around a tree she'd driven past a thousand times before. TODD I'm sorry -JOHN Turns out she had a brain tumour the whole time. Six months to live no matter what. Todd opens and closes his mouth again. JOHN (CONT'D) I think God got impatient. And with that, he FIRES!
98. The onlookers SCREAM at various intensities, but Alyssa's is the most primal and terrified of all. She's covered in what used to be inside of Todd's head. John turns his focus to his daughter -JOHN (CONT'D) Are you okay, Lyssie? He says it like someone gunning for Father of the Year. She looks at him, eyes glassy and filled only with terror, heaving with sobs. Kevin is paralyzed. John switches to him -JOHN (CONT'D) You look young. He just breathes in and out, like he's trying to prove he's alive. JOHN (CONT'D) You've got your whole life ahead of you. Get out. KEVIN I can't -JOHN Or you can watch. KEVIN I want her to be okay. John looks back to Courtney. She's shellshocked. JOHN I'm sorry you had to see this. She just looks at him, wordless. JOHN (CONT'D) Do you want to leave? Without verbal acknowledgement, acknowledgement, she runs back to the elevator bay. Mike sick seem goes
and Claire are still hanging around in the background, a fascination visible beneath their shock. John doesn't to think they're worthy of acknowledgement before he back to Alyssa.
99. JOHN (CONT'D) It's okay, Lyssie. Nobody's going to hurt you ever again. She chokes out -ALYSSA What? He puts the gun on her. Not her face -- her stomach. JOHN I can't touch your face. Or your chest. Nobody can -ALYSSA What?!
KEVIN What?!
Kevin LUNGES for the gun. Without a look, John whips it away just in time. JOHN I wouldn't do that. You don't want to make this any worse. KEVIN What the fuck are yo you u doing?! JOHN Ending this. Kevin stares at him in disbelief. JOHN (CONT'D) Again -- I don't want to kill you. I know you don't mean any ill will towards her. The best thing you can do now is leave. If you don't leave, you're going to watch this, and there's nothing you can do about it. KEVIN I can do something -And before Kevin can finish his sentence, John SHOOTS HIS DAUGHTER IN THE STOMACH. She SCREAMS, collapses on her back. Clearly hit an artery, from how much blood is gushing out. Kevin is panicking madly. John just looks at him, completely calm.
100. Mike can't stand being a bystander anymore. He looks from the corner he's hiding in with Claire, gets his phone out, calls 911 -John takes the gun and presses it to his own head. Kevin stops. Stares. He PULLS THE TRIGGER and collapses. Alyssa writhes on the floor, gushing out blood, her face twisted and sobbing. Kevin drops to his knees beside her, cradles her and sobs -FROM ALYSSA'S POV, we see Angela in the doorframe. She's beaming. ANGELA It's been such a long year, hasn't it? Alyssa is too busy shrieking and gasping to respond. In the distance, we hear sirens. CUT TO: EXT. PARK - DAY It's a beautiful day. Emily is frolicking in the park, no supervision in sight, her iPad forgotten. She watches the world go by, rejoicing in its beauty. She sees A BOY about her age, with the same dysmorphic features as her. They lock eyes. Smile shyly at each other. EMILY What's your name? AARON Aaron. EMILY I'm Emily. Wanna play tag? He pauses for a second, then grins and tags her before running off. She rolls her eyes, chases back after him. Underneath a tree, the homeless woman counts her pennies and smiles. FADE OUT.
