DECEMBER 31st
THE LODGE AT FALLEN LEAVES SKI RESORT
The ski lodge is alive with excitement as the inhabitants enjoy the festivities.
Emily sits peacefully on a sofa reading as Mrs Junk approaches.
"Emmy, it's New Years Eve. Enough reading."
"but, Mom, I'm almost done." Emily responded, hardly looking up from her book
"The teen party? I've laid out your best clothes. Come get ready."
"Can I at least have my book back?"
"Okay" she sighed "but be sure to put yourself out there, have a good time."
"Thanks, mom."
"Come on. Go get ready." She smiled as she watched her daughter walk into her room.
LODGE GYM
"Keep working left, Stace. Got a guard in the championship game we're expecting. You'll torch 'em!" Coach Conrad said as he bounced the ball to his daughter
"By going left?"
"Yeah. She looks middle, you take it downtown."
"OK, like this?"
Stacie dribbles the ball down the court, goes left and nails the shot
"Whoo! That's it. Sweet. I wanna see that in the game."
Mrs Conrad walks into the room. Slightly annoyed at the duo
"you'll see that in the game, don't worry about me."
"Did we really fly all this way to play more basketball?" Mrs Conrad asks
Stacie and Mr Conrad shoot each other a knowing look before agreeing.
"Yeah."
"It's the last night of vacation. The party, remember?"
"Right, the party. The party."
"Stacie, they have a kids party downstairs in the Freestyle club."
"Kids party?"
"Young adults. Now go, clean up."
Slightly irritated, Stacie takes the ball from her father and bounces it.
"Come on mom, one more."
Mrs Conrad sighs
"Please? Last one. I promise"
"It'll be real quick." Protests Mr Conrad
Mrs Conrad hesitates before agreeing and walking to the other room
Like before, Stacie nails the shot
FREESTYLE CLUB
YOUNG ADULTS PARTY
The party is in full swing as Stacie enters and casually makes her way through the crowd. From across the room, Emily shly makes her way through the crowd as a partygoer tips his ridiculously large cowboy hat at her
"Howdy, ma'am."
Emily smiles nervously as she finds a unoccupied cushion and goes back to her book.
"All right! How about that for a couple of snowboarders?" The host chants into the mic as the audience cheers loudly.
"Yeah! Who's gonna rock the house next? Huh?"
The host steps off the stage as two spotlights move around the crowd and eventually stop on Stacie and Emily
The host cheers
Stacie attempts to decline but the kids around her push her closer to the stage placed in the centre of the room.
"I can't sing. Someone else should go"
The host walks to where Emily is sitting and takes her hand
"And you! Yeah, come on."
Emily looks frightened as she is led to the stage as Stacie tries to escape.
"Look I don't sing. I can't sing. No, guys…" Stacie says timidly.
Both Stacie and Emily reluctantly get up on the stage
"Hey you know what? Someday you guys might thank me for this." the host says before handing the mic to Stacie
"Or not."
Living in my own world, didn't understand
That anything can happen, when you take a chance
I never believed in what I couldn't see (Ohh)
I never opened my heart (Ohh) to all the possibilities, ooh
I know that something has changed
Never felt this way
And right here, tonight
This could be the start of something new
It feels so right to be here with you, oh
And now, looking in your eyes
I feel in my heart (I feel in my heart) the start of something new
Oh, yeah
Now who'd have ever thought that, mmm
We'd both be here tonight? Oh
Yeah, and the world looks so much brighter (Brighter, brighter)
Oh, with you by my side (By my side)
I know that something has changed
Never felt this way
I know it for real
This could be the start of something new
It feels so right to be here with you, oh
And now, looking in your eyes
I feel in my heart the start of something new
I never knew that it could happen, 'til it happened to me
Oh, yeah
I didn't know it before, but now it's easy to see, oh
It's the start of something new
It feels so right to be here with you, oh
And now, looking in your eyes
I feel in my heart
That it's the start of something new
It feels so right (so right) to be here with you, oh
And now, looking in your eyes (Looking in your eyes)
I feel in my heart (Feel in my heart)
The start of something new (The start of something new)
The start of something new
The music fades out and the crowd is cheering madly. Stacie and Emily look into each other's eyes as Stacie raises her hand
"Stacie."
"Emily."
FREESTYLE CLUB BALCONY
Stacie and Emily walk out onto the Freestyle club balcony for a chat over some hot chocolate.
"But seriously, you have an amazing voice. You're a singer right?" Stacie asks Emily, her voice filled with curiosity.
"Just school choir is all. I tried to do a solo and nearly fainted."
"Really? Why is that?"
"I took one look at all the people staring at me and next thing I knew I was staring at the ceiling. End of solo career." Emily laughed nervously.
"Well with the way you sang tonight, that's pretty hard to believe."
"Well that was the first time I did that. I mean, it was so fun!"
"I know! Completely!"
"Well you sounded like you've sung a far bit, too."
"Yeah sure. My shower head is very impressed with me." Stacie laughs
The crowd starts chanting in the distance "9, 8, 7...6, 5, 4...3, 2, 1!"
The crowd goes wild as an impressive fireworks display begins. Emily and Stacie look at each other in a moment of longing before Emily breaks the silence
"I guess I better go find my mom and wish her a happy new year."
"Yeah, me too. I mean, not your mom. My mom... and dad. Uh... I'll call you. I'll call you tomorrow."
"Yeah! That sound great!"
"Here, put your number in.:
Stacie pulls out her phone; Emily follows suit.
"Hang on." Stacie says as she takes a picture of Emily.
"You too."
Emily hands Stacie her phone for her to take a picture with.
"There you go."
Emily quietly strolls away without stacie noticing
"Just so you know, singing with you is the most fun I've had on this entire vacation. So um... where do you live?"
She turns around to discover that Emily has already left.
"Emily?"