INT. COSTA COFFEE – AFTERNOON
Grace: A 17 year old college student who
is a victim of bullying. She has long, wavy hazelnut brown hair and pale skin.
She is of an average build and wears thick rimmed black glasses. She is sat
across from her best friend James who is also 17 and attends the same college.
GRACE:
She’s awesome.
(She places her phone on the table and
reluctantly smiles at James.)
JAMES:
You talking to her again?
(A frustrated expression stretches along
his face)
You have absolutely no idea who she is,
that’s if she even is a she.
GRACE:
Why do you get so angry about this? She’s
the only person who understands me. Listens to me.
JAMES:
(He sighs, sarcastically.)
So I don’t listen to you do I? Its
dangerous speaking to someone online, anything could happen. Even you must
see that.
(Grace stands up, swinging her rucksack
over her shoulders and snatches her phone off the table.)
GRACE:
I’m sick of you getting involved!
(She lowers her voice)
You don’t know me like she does, you don’t
know what it’s like for me to come here – everyday. It’s a living hell and I’m
sick of it.
(James glances at the floor, taking into
consideration how bad the bullying is)
CONT’D
Its alright for you. You’ve never had to
put up with the things I have.
JAMES
I know you’re having a hard time. (He
pauses)
...But I don’t like the sound of this
person. MissAnonymous13? That sounds freaky enough already? You could be
speaking to anyone. Could be Leonie for all we know.
(Grace moves towards the table and slowly
sits down beside James. She stares at him for a couple of seconds, gathering
her thoughts.)
GRACE:
You’re jealous, aren’t you? C’mon admit it.
JAMES:
Jealous?!
(He becomes quickly frustrated and
defensive and his tone loudness.)
Jealous of you speaking to some creep
online?
(He mocks her)
If I’m really being honest it’s not like
you’ve got many friends to choose from anyway, you said it yourself! I’m doing
you a favour!
GRACE:
Excuse me?
(She stands up quickly, feeling hurt and
attacked.)
JAMES:
Being friends with you is a nightmare. All
you ever do is lock yourself away its no wonder you’re so disliked. I’m forced
to listen to all your pathetic problems and you never listen to mine. I’m sick
of defending you all the...
(Grace interrupts but James continues)
CONT’D JAMES:
You may as well leave now. Run back to
your stupid Youtube Videos and your weirdo friend!
GRACE:
I can’t believe you.
(Grace storms off; a pained expression
stretches across her face as her cheeks become blushed and hot. She exits the
coffee shop and heads towards the bus stop leaving James sat alone. She reaches
home and rushes to her room. She logs onto a laptop and receives a message from
MissAnonymous13.)
(The scene switches to James walking home,
he has shrugged shoulders and a phone tightly grasped in his hands. His
earphones are dangling as his listens to music to blur out reality. The camera
is using a close up shot to display this characters emotion. A couple of
streets from home James passes a young girl who smiles: he quickly glances down
and blinks quickly feeling uncomfortable and insecure.)
INT. GRACES BEDROOM. BLACKBURN, ENGLAND.
(Grace and MissAnonymous chat online.
Grace is using the username PrettyYoung97)
MISSANONYMOUS13:
Hey girl. What’s up?
PRETTYYOUNG97:
Hey! God am I glad to be speaking to you.
I’ve had the day from hell and my so called ‘bestfriend’ has been vile.
MISSANONYMOUS13
Who? That looser James? I’ve told you he
isn’t the friend you think he is. You should just block him.
PRETTYYOUNG97
(Grace is oblivious to MissAnonymous13’s
scheming and agrees.)
Yeah! He’s jealous because I’ve found
someone who I can relate to other than him! He was sooo cruel to me and some of
the stuff he said – well, I’ve never seen him like that.
MISSANONMOUS13
Urgh. He makes me sick. How can he make
you feel like that? He enjoys making you feel like you can’t have other
friends, he wants to control you and that’s not right. I’ll never do that to
you.
Anyway, enough of him! How are you
really?
PRETTYYOUNG97
Not too good at the moment. Leonie is
still making my life hell and I don’t know how long I can cope with it. My
family doesn’t wanna know, my teachers don’t wanna know and now James doesn’t
wanna know.
MISSANONYMOUS13
Well I want to know you. Hey, I’ve just
had the best idea hahaha.
(Grace relaxes in her chair, her eyes
soaked into the comfort of the computer screen. She feels happy and
comfortable.)
CONT’D MISSANONYMOUS13
You have to take control and stop people
from walking over you. You like YouTube right?
PRETTYYOUNG97
Yeah, guess so.
MISSANONYMOUS13
Well, do you remember last week? We spoke
for hours about our dreams - you said yours was to be a number one
internet sensation, yeah? PRANK VS. PRANK. Have you any idea how many
subscribers they have? You could do it! You could become famous then you’d be
the one laughing at Leonie.
(Grace freezes as she puzzles to
understand how MissAnonymous13 knows this information. She has not told her
internet friend about her dream of a career on the internet but nevertheless
continues as normal as this may have been easy to guess.)
PRETTYYOUNG97
I could do pranks? No way. I wouldn’t know
where to start and I’m not funny, not to mention creative. What would I do
anyway? Put some gum on her seat? Lame.
MISSANONYMOUS13
No looser. That’s armature. I mean
something insane. Something wicked. Be smart. Do something they won’t expect.
Something no one will expect.
PRETTYOUNG97
OK, well go on.
MISSANONYMOUS13
How about if you was to find out where
they lived? Not hard.
PRETTYYOUNG97
And if I did, then what?
MISSANONYMOUS13
You need to go when it’s dark. Really
dark. Take photographs of her house and when she’s walking home. Tell her
you’re coming for her.
PRETTYYOUNG97
Are you crazy?! She’d kill me. She’d come
into college the next day and everything would be made worse. I can’t do that
to her: she frightens me.
MISSANONYMOUS13
No, silly. How is she supposed to know
it’s you? You create a fake profile and message her on that. Look at you now,
you’re talking to me and either of us can be whoever we want. When we talk we
have a blank slate: you don’t know who I am and I don’t know who you are.
That’s the beauty of it.
(Grace smiles and agrees with
MissAnonymous13 but also considers the dangers and risks of messing with
Leonie.)
PRETTYYOUNG97
Hmm, I’m not sure. You have a good point.
I guess, well... I guess I’m just a little scared.
MISSANONYMOUS13
C’mon, its a great idea. You have too.
If you don’t take control now it will be too late and get worse, you don’t want
that do you? You don’t want them to hurt other people the same way they hurt
you, do you? What about your little sister? For all we know she could be next.
You have to do something girl.
EXT. MORNING - ST PAULS COLLEGE.
BLACKBURN, ENGLAND.
It is early morning and the clouds that
loom above are grey and eerie. Grace heads towards the college doors to receive
a smirk off Leonie who is stood with a group of friends discussing their
weekend plans.
Leonie has shoulder length, glossy blonde
hair and tanned skin. She has a slim build and is wearing a navy skater skirt
with flat black shoes. Her face is thin and heavily coated with makeup.
LEONIE:
What you lookin’ at?
(Laughter erupts from the surrounding
girls and Grace looks at the ground and attempts to scurry away.)
FRIEND 1:
Hey, she’s talkin’ to you. Where do you
think you’re going?
(Friend 1 grabs Grace by the arm and
pushes her so that she is trapped between the wall and the group of bullies.)
GRACE:
Ouch! Please get off, I wasn’t lookin’ at
nothin’. Let me go I’m gonna be late.
(Grace shrugs herself free from the grip
of Leonie and attempts to move past. Her heart is pounding and her eyes begin
to fill with tears.)
FRIEND 2:
Oh shut up you silly girl! Were only
messin’ with ya’. What you crying for?
JAMES:
Hey! What you doing? Get off her now.
(James approaches the group of girls and
allows Grace to scurry off. Grace gives him a look of appreciation.)
GRACE:
(Mouthing) Thankyou.
(James turns away and a look of disgust is
painted across his face. He exits.)
INT. GRACES HOUSE - KITCHEN – LATE
AFTERNOON. BLACKBURN, ENGLAND.
Grace’s mother, Janet, and father, Kevin,
are stood in the kitchen while Janet is preparing dinner. Kevin approaches
Janet and puts his arm around her shoulder.
KEVIN:
I’m worried about Grace y’know. This is
the third time her tutor has rang me in the past month. She keeps turning up
late and when she is there she can’t focus…
JANET:
I know darling, but there all
the same. Girls that age are feelin’ all over the place. She just needs some
time to herself.
KEVIN:
That’s just it though – she is never out
of her room. She comes home from college and goes straight up there, sometimes
she doesn’t even say Hi.
(Janet faces Kevin and directs him a
comforting smile to reassure him.)
JANET:
It’s not as bad as that.
KEVIN:
(He sighs)
Her grades have dropped so much since she
started college, you can’t tell me there’s nothing wrong with that. Maybe she’s
got a boyfriend or somethin’.
(Grace opens the front door and enters the
house but her parents are oblivious to her entry. She can hear them discussing
about her and decides to edge towards the door and listen.)
CONT’D KEVIN:
Look im sick of it. We have two other
children and she just seems to be the odd one out. She’s needlessly moody,
failing at college and she seems to enjoy making our life difficult by hiding
away and playin’ on that stupid laptop. I’m gonna take it off her until her
grades improve.
JANET:
Don’t you think you’re being a little
hasty…Confiscating her laptop isn’t gonna solve anyt-…
(He interrupts)
KEVIN:
(Grace storms into the kitchen, feeling
furious and betrayed her cheeks are blemished. Kevin and Janet turn around
surprised and speculate whether Grace has heard their conversation.)
JANET:
Hey, darling. I didn’t hear you…
GRACE:
Is that what you really think? Wow thanks
dad. If that’s how you feel then I’m leaving right now, I…
KEVIN:
Don’t be stupid, I didn’t mean…I was just
saying that erm…
GRACE:
I know exactly what you was saying, I just
can’t believe…
(Her eyes begin fill with tears as she
turns away and hurries upstairs. She reaches her bedroom and pulls a drawer of
clothes out and takes a handful then throws them onto her bed. She sobs and
glances at her phone screen. She takes out her laptop from under her bed and
messages MissAnonymous13.)
GRACES BEDROOM – LATE AFTERNOON.
BLACKBURN, ENGLAND.
(Typing)
PRETTYYOUNG97:
Hey! You won’t believe what just happened.
I came home to hear my parents slagging me off, calling me a failure! My dad
said he’s going to take my laptop off me.
MISSANONYMOUS13:
God that’s awful. Your own parents?
Anyway, did you set up that fake account like I told you? I’m so excited, this
is gonna’ be such a great plan.
(Grace sulks into her chair feeling
ignored.)
PRETTYYOUNG97:
Well, no. Not exactly. Leonie shoved me up
against a wall today, she said I was starin’ at her when I wasn’t. But, you
know what? James came over, he told them to get off me! He’s never done that
before, stuck up for me like that! I really hope me and him sort things out
soon.
MISSANONYMOUS13:
You can’t keep putting it off, OK? Do it
tonight, do it now? Set up the account. I’ve already told you, James is a
pathetic loser, he’s jealous and controlling and you can’t see that because of
how blind you are! Get a grip girl and get rid while you still can.
(Grace feels hurt that her online friend
is being spiteful towards her friend James. She feels uncomfortable defending
him as she knows that MissAnonymous13 is her only friend and someone that she
cannot afford to lose.)
PRETTYYOUNG97:
Ok, I’ll do it now. Speak to you later.
(Grace closes the chat and creates a new
account. She uses the username ‘RightBehindYou_.’ Feeling agitated, hurt and
wanting revenge she searches Leonie and messages her.)
(Typing)
RIGHTBEHINDYOU_:
I know who you are and I know what you did.
(Seconds after sending the message Grace
slams her laptop shut to hear her mother edging up the stairs and knocking on
her door before opening it at a small angle. Grace, aware that her mother is
there, ignores her appearance and stares at the end of her bed.)
JANET:
How you feeling darling? About before, Dad
didn’t mean what he said. He just cares a lot and he doesn’t want you falling
behind…That’s all.
(Grace shrugs – her eyes still focused on
the direction at the end of the bed.)
CONT’D JANET:
I can’t help if you don’t talk to me, dear.
(Janet walks slowly towards Grace and
perches on the end of the bed. She directs Grace a soothing look and exhales
deeply.)
GRACE:
It’s not like you’ve ever helped me
before! I’m sick of being treated like second best. Just get out of my room mum.
(Janet looks surprised but more hurt that
her daughter has spoken to her in this way. She attempts again to comfort Grace
by placing her hand on her shoulder.)
CONT’D GRACE:
I told you! Get off and get out my room! I
don’t wanna’ ever talk to you or dad again. I have all the people I need and
you’re not one of them.
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