Typical disclaimer. Nothing I write here I own rights to. I just own the story. For the reviews I have gotten I'd like to say "Thank You". Hope you all enjoy, please review and tell me what you think.
Chapter 4: Historical Fiction
Tommy spent the rest of his classes working on the core of the script. Once classes were over he pulled out his cellphone to make a very important call. After he punched in the number he heard it start to ring.
"Hey Tommy what's up?" The voice on the other end said cheerfully.
"Angelica! Boy am I glad you picked up, have I got news for you." Tommy said barely able to contain his excitement.
Angelica was living in her dorm room at the local college on the other end of town. She wanted to stay close to her friends and parents, while at the same time getting the freedom of living outside of her own home. Surprisingly enough she's gotten a lot nicer to the group and a lot more mature since she went to college. But that's not to say she's still a bitch when she wants to be.
"Let me guess; is this about that film contest in New Mexico?" She responded as she leaned back in her chair in her dorm room.
"How'd you know about that?" Tommy asked confused and disappointed he couldn't make it a surprise for her.
"Dil called me earlier, he said you're probably gonna want to cast me right?"
"That's right, and lucky for you drama queen, I'm offering you the main villainess role." Tommy chuckled to himself remembering his history with his demon of a cousin.
"While I should take offense to that Pickles, I'd be honored to accept such a role. You have a script or anything done?"
"Well the core of it is. Why don't you head on over to my place, I'm discussing casting and plot summary with everyone." Tommy asked pushing open the main door out to the bus circle, heading over the student parking lot towards Chuckie's van.
"Let me guess, you're making your little girlfriend the lead right?" Angelica teased.
"I broke up with Melissa three years ago Angelica, I told you." Tommy said now starting to sound annoyed.
"Not her, Kimi you dumbass. I've seen the way you look at her all these years. Face it you're madly in lo-" Tommy sighed annoyed as he hung up his phone cutting Angelica off. He shortly after felt his phone vibrating in his hand as he saw he got a text from Angelica. "Dork ;P…. be there in 15"
"Not her too…." Tommy said to himself rubbing his eyes from the strain. Tommy waited by Chuckie's van as the rest of the gang showed up. As the rest of the gang showed up they piled into the car same order as before. Chuckie pulled out of the parking lot and they headed over to Tommy's house.
"So how's the script going T?" Dil asked turning around to Tommy.
"The core of it is done, I just need to run it by everyone and give the casting call." Tommy responded looking down at the script in his hands. He looked back up just remembering something. "Oh yeah, this is for you." Tommy followed as he slapped the back of Dil's head. "That's for spoiling the surprise with Angelica."
"Oww T, sorry." Dil said sarcastically rubbing the back of his head.
"How were the rest of your classes Tommy?" Kimi asked writing in her notebook.
Tommy looked back at her and smiled. "Thanks to you, they went great. Classes flew right by as I was working on the script."
Kimi lightly blushed as she turned to look at Tommy. "Your teachers didn't say anything to you?" She asked surprised.
"Nah, it was the first day what would they care? Besides they all thought I was taking notes or something."
Kimi giggled, "So besides the unfortunate bio incident and the film contest it was an uneventful day?"
"Well actually we got right into class in history. I'm actually using today's topic as the inspiration for the movie. Of course it's gonna be a piece of fiction so it won't be historically accurate. But I've made it close enough. I think you out of everyone would enjoy this movie Kimi." Tommy responded slyly.
"And dare I ask why is that?" Kimi asked slightly scared by Tommy's tone.
"You'll see when we get home."
** ARRIVING AT THE PICKLE'S HOUSEHOLD**
As they finally pulled up to Tommy's driveway they saw Angelica waiting next to her car that she parked in the road.
"Alright let's get this show on the road." Tommy said waving on everyone to follow him as he got out of the van. As he did everyone followed him and sat under the tree in the front yard.
"All right Tommy spill it. What's the movie pitch?" Lil asked excitedly curious as to what Tommy has come up with.
"Alright, relax Lil. Now before I start I'm open to suggestions if and when the time arises." Tommy started as he pulled out his script's overview page and began to read it off. "The story takes place in the western edge of the Mongolian Empire near the Empire's border. It's there where Borte who was Genghis Khan's wife fled from his tyranny and adultery and built a small village which quickly turned into her own city."
Tommy stopped as he looked up at everyone. "That was where I was telling you guys it turns into a work of fiction. Borte was the actual wife of Khan." He informed them as he read on.
"The city attracted a lot of outsiders from Europe especially German mercenaries. Word soon arrives that Genghis Khan was not happy about her actions as he learned of her city's existence on the fringe of his empire. He sends a legion of his men to march on the city, claim it and execute his wife. With the mercenaries she relied on as protection she ordered the defensive stance for the city. "
Tommy stopped as he felt something on his shoulder as he saw Kimi's head resting on it looking at the script as Tommy was reading it. He looked at everyone else around him snickering to themselves at the situation. His face turned red as he tried to regain his voice. Kimi was oblivious to it all; she was really getting into this story.
Tommy continued, "Now I was thinking of ending the story with a showdown of the army's generals in a one-on-one fight. And the movie would end with a first person point-of-view as the former Queen's General swings his sword at the camera, the camera would flip and twist and would land looking at the silhouette of a body with the actor's head off camera, giving the idea that Khan's General was decapitated in battle."
"AWESOME!" exclaimed Phil. "I'm not one for historical movies, but I can picture the fight scenes. They would be so epic!" He shouted in excitement as he stood up raising both fists in the air.
"So what was the casting you had in mind Tommy?" Lil asked curiously.
"Well, I was gonna have Angelica be the strategist behind Khan's forces." Tommy started off.
"So she's one of the main bad guys, suits her." Phil laughed.
"And I'll make sure you're the first to die in this movie if you don't shut it Deville." Angelica hissed as she shot a glare at him. Phil just stood silent.
"Anyways…" Tommy said moving right along. "I was thinking of putting myself as the role of the military commander who dies in the climatic fight."
"You're gonna act and direct Tommy?" Lil asked confused. "Don't you think that might be a bit hard?" She continued.
"Hey, it worked fine for Quentin Tarantino." Tommy responded. "Just look at Pulp Fiction."
"Aahh…" Lil responded with a smile on her face remembering the movie as it was one of her favorites. "Good movie….. Ok point taken!"
"Next, I was thinking of having Phil play as the leading General I face off against in the end."
"BOOYAH! I'm a main character and I KILL TOMMY!" Phil shouted and stopped as he went bug-eyed realizing what he just yelled. "Wait, that didn't come out right."
Everyone started laughing.
"Lil, you're playing the former queen's handmaiden." Tommy continued.
"HEY, what kind of role is that? It sounds like some minor support character to me!" Lil shouted in disappointment.
"Relax Lil; you get a good amount of screen time. Plus a Queen and her handmaiden are like best friends. Plus you're the brother of the lead mercenary in the story too. So you get to help Phil set up the defenses."
"What about our lines? You know we always screw them up if our dialogues are with each other."
"That's why you don't have any official dialogue. I'll film you guys just winging it. That's where my cinéma vérité experience will come in handy."
"Nice thinking Tommy." Lil nodded sitting back down.
"And finally there's Kimi." Tommy said looking over to her. She lifted her head up looking at Tommy. "You get the lead role as Genghis' former wife Borte." He said with a smile.
"Oh my god…. That is SO AWESOME!" Kimi yelled cheerfully as she leaned over hugging Tommy tightly. "Thank you!" She yelled tightening her grip.
Tommy hugged her back as best as he could, trying not to suffocate. "You're * cough* welcome…" He muttered out barely able to breathe. When Kimi finally let him go he gasped for air for a good ten seconds.
"So what about me and Dil?" Chuckie asked angrily since he didn't get a part.
"Well Dil has always been my stagehand. He'll help out when I need him to." Tommy said patting Dil on the shoulder. He then turned his attention back to Chuckie. "You my main man are the costume designer. You use your tailoring skills like the master craftsman you are."
"You can count on me Tommy." Chuckie said smiling giving his best friend a fist-bump.
"All we need is a sign-up for extras to serve as soldiers for both sides as well as a few townspeople." Tommy followed.
"Actually there's a big LARP competition tomorrow after school." (Author's note: LARP or Live Action Role Play is when large groups of people do pretend sword fights in several teams typically to decide who becomes the next ruler, mostly for bragging rights.) Dil just remembered. "You just record all of that T; you practically have your entire battle leading up to your battle against Phil. Plus less strain on Chuckie making the costumes."
"Great idea Dil." Tommy said excited. "Let's win this thing guys!"
"You know we will." Chuckie said with a grin putting his hand on Tommy's shoulder. "Kimi and I better get home. I gotta start on those costumes." He said starting to walk to his van.
"I'm actually gonna stay." Kimi responded quickly. "You know, go over lines and such." She continued while trying to seem sincere.
"Ok, I'll see you at home." Chuckie said as he waved goodbye and left.
"Yeah, we better go home too. I need to put together those posters." Lil said starting to walk back home.
"Yeah, we'll see you guys later." Phil waved back.
Dil went inside without saying anything and just went into his room.
"Guess I'll head back too." Angelica said walking back to her car. "Have fun you two!" She yelled back waving before she got in her car and drove back to her dorm.
"You know Kimi; I don't have many of the lines done. I've only done the main part of the story." Tommy said turning back to Kimi.
"I know... it was just to get them to leave. I actually just wanted to hang out with you… we haven't hung out or anything by ourselves for a while."
"Well you wanna help me on the script?" Tommy asked invitingly.
"Yeah sure." Kimi responded with a slight smile.
Tommy and Kimi ran inside. They saw Tommy's parents sitting on the sofa watching TV in the living room. Tommy ran up to them after grabbing the contest poster.
"Hey guys!" Tommy said ecstatically as Kimi walked up behind him.
"Hey champ, first day go well I take it?" Stu said taking a sip from the beer in his hand.
"Anybody you know in any of your classes?" Didi followed taking a sip of her tea.
"Yeah, Kimi's in my bio class." He said pointing back to Kimi.
"How nice, bet you're happy about that." Didi said with a smirk.
"Yeah, it's pretty cool. But you guys gotta check this out." Tommy said flipping open the poster. "There's a huge film contest in New Mexico that I wanna enter.
"Wow look at that!" Stu said grabbing the poster and started to read it. "Think you'll win champ?" Stu asked unsurely.
"Give me some credit Dad, I'm a great film-maker. Plus with Kimi and the gang by my side how can I lose?" Tommy responded confidently. Kimi gave a slight blush at the compliment.
"I bet you'll do great Hun." Didi said with a smile.
"You guys will drive me to New Mexico if I make it in the finals right?" Tommy asked with hope.
"The border is only an hour away, getting to Albuquerque will only take about 3 hours. Of course we can take you. We won't let you miss this opportunity Tommy." Stu responded handing back the poster.
"Thanks you guys!" Tommy yelled in excitement as he hugged both of his parents. Kimi and I are going up to my room to work on the script." He then turned his attention to Kimi. "You wanna stay for dinner?"
"Is that ok with you guys?" She asked Tommy's parents.
"Of course dear, I'll set an extra plate." Did responded with a smile.
"Great! Come on Kimi." Tommy smiled as he led Kimi upstairs.
On their way upstairs Tommy heard his mother's voice. "Tommy! Keep your door open!" Kimi burst out laughing.
Tommy went red and turned around yelling back, "For God's sake MOM!"
So here's chapter 4. Chapter 5 will come in time, school is starting in a couple of days and I need to get an idea on how to further develop this story. Please R&R suggestions, compliments and criticism welcome.