(ESTABLISHING SHOT: Middleton High School)
(Cut to the interior. Play rehearsal. JILL, JULIA ROBERTS, and VANESSA are on stage. JULIA has a bandage on her arm. KIM is directing)
KIM: Okay, good scene. Vanessa, thanks for being able to fill in on such short notice.
VANESSA: No problem, Kim. I'm more than happy to help.
KIM: And, Julia, I swear we'll have the mat in by tomorrow.
JULIA: Okay. I'm fine, it's really no big. Just a few bruises.
KIM: Yeah, but we wouldn't want that to cause any trouble. Okay, take a couple minutes break while I do the guys' scene.
JULIA, JILL, and VANESSA: Thanks.
(JULIA, JILL and VANESSA leave)
(RON and JOSH walk onstage. They sit in two chairs. RON picks up an invisible remote)
JOSH: What else is on?
(RON pantomimes clicking a remote)
RON: All right, hockey!
JOSH: Greatest sport on Earth.
RON: Let's see, it's the Islanders and the... the... (Pause) Line!
(Cut to BONNIE, who has an open script in her lap)
BONNIE: I don't deserve this. (reading) Lightning.
RON: Islanders and the Lightning.
JOSH: (Beat) And there's the fight.
RON: Can't have a hockey game without a fight, it's an unofficial rule.
JOSH: Which is ironic since it's against the rules.
RON: Yeah. And there-
KIM: (Interrupting) Um, Ron, could you try that again?
RON: What?
KIM: That line.
RON: What line?
KIM: "Yeah."
RON: You want me to say "yeah" again?
KIM: Yeah, I'm not happy the way it turned out, can you do it again?
RON: Um, sure. (Pause) Yeah. There they, um, line!
BONNIE: There they go towards the goal.
RON: There they go towards the goal. And, um, line!
BONNIE: What the? They actually went through with that?
RON: Thanks. What the? They actually went through with that?
KIM: Ron, did you memorize your lines?
RON: Yes.
KIM: It doesn't look like it.
RON: Look, I'm trying my best. I can't remember things that well.
KIM: Well try a little harder.
RON: I can't.
KIM: You can and you will. You aren't going to bring my production down.
RON: Look, KP, it's just a high school play. No one's expecting us to put on an Oscar-worthy performance.
KIM: Well we should try. I demand perfection.
RON: Look, not all of us can give perfection! See! It's happening! Just what I said would happen! You're gooning!
KIM: I am so not.
RON: You so are! You're obsessed. You're living and breathing this play! You haven't even thought of anything else since you took this job!
KIM: Well that's how it has to be done!
RON: Well I can't do that. Sorry, Kim, I can't do it. I tried to tell you that. I can't take it anymore, I can't learn lines. I... (beat) line.
BONNIE: Quit!
RON: Quit!
(RON walks off)
KIM: Wait! Ron!
(KIM runs after him. The other students start to mingle. KIM runs back into frame)
KIM: Hey! Study your parts while I'm gone!
(The other kids start working on their parts. Satisfied, KIM continues after RON)
(Cut to the outside of Middleton High. RON walks out the front doors. KIM follows after him)
KIM: Ron, wait.
RON: What now?
KIM: Look, maybe you were right. Maybe I am taking this too seriously. Maybe I am asking people for things they can't give.
RON: Glad you've seen the light.
KIM: But at the same time, you have to do your best. And frankly, you haven't. You've been so paranoid that I'll goon on my power that you failed to do what you're supposed to.
RON: When you're right you're right.
KIM: Okay. So I'll tone down a bit if you get up to speed. Agreed?
RON: Agreed.
KIM: Good. Now let's (pause. Sniff) Ew. What smells like a lake?
RON: I don't know, I've been smelling it all day.
KIM: Hm. Well, let's go inside.
(KIM and RON go back into the high school. In the bushes next to the doors, GILL pokes his head out)
(Cut to the interior. Play rehearsal. JILL, JULIA ROBERTS, and VANESSA are on stage. JULIA has a bandage on her arm. KIM is directing)
KIM: Okay, good scene. Vanessa, thanks for being able to fill in on such short notice.
VANESSA: No problem, Kim. I'm more than happy to help.
KIM: And, Julia, I swear we'll have the mat in by tomorrow.
JULIA: Okay. I'm fine, it's really no big. Just a few bruises.
KIM: Yeah, but we wouldn't want that to cause any trouble. Okay, take a couple minutes break while I do the guys' scene.
JULIA, JILL, and VANESSA: Thanks.
(JULIA, JILL and VANESSA leave)
(RON and JOSH walk onstage. They sit in two chairs. RON picks up an invisible remote)
JOSH: What else is on?
(RON pantomimes clicking a remote)
RON: All right, hockey!
JOSH: Greatest sport on Earth.
RON: Let's see, it's the Islanders and the... the... (Pause) Line!
(Cut to BONNIE, who has an open script in her lap)
BONNIE: I don't deserve this. (reading) Lightning.
RON: Islanders and the Lightning.
JOSH: (Beat) And there's the fight.
RON: Can't have a hockey game without a fight, it's an unofficial rule.
JOSH: Which is ironic since it's against the rules.
RON: Yeah. And there-
KIM: (Interrupting) Um, Ron, could you try that again?
RON: What?
KIM: That line.
RON: What line?
KIM: "Yeah."
RON: You want me to say "yeah" again?
KIM: Yeah, I'm not happy the way it turned out, can you do it again?
RON: Um, sure. (Pause) Yeah. There they, um, line!
BONNIE: There they go towards the goal.
RON: There they go towards the goal. And, um, line!
BONNIE: What the? They actually went through with that?
RON: Thanks. What the? They actually went through with that?
KIM: Ron, did you memorize your lines?
RON: Yes.
KIM: It doesn't look like it.
RON: Look, I'm trying my best. I can't remember things that well.
KIM: Well try a little harder.
RON: I can't.
KIM: You can and you will. You aren't going to bring my production down.
RON: Look, KP, it's just a high school play. No one's expecting us to put on an Oscar-worthy performance.
KIM: Well we should try. I demand perfection.
RON: Look, not all of us can give perfection! See! It's happening! Just what I said would happen! You're gooning!
KIM: I am so not.
RON: You so are! You're obsessed. You're living and breathing this play! You haven't even thought of anything else since you took this job!
KIM: Well that's how it has to be done!
RON: Well I can't do that. Sorry, Kim, I can't do it. I tried to tell you that. I can't take it anymore, I can't learn lines. I... (beat) line.
BONNIE: Quit!
RON: Quit!
(RON walks off)
KIM: Wait! Ron!
(KIM runs after him. The other students start to mingle. KIM runs back into frame)
KIM: Hey! Study your parts while I'm gone!
(The other kids start working on their parts. Satisfied, KIM continues after RON)
(Cut to the outside of Middleton High. RON walks out the front doors. KIM follows after him)
KIM: Ron, wait.
RON: What now?
KIM: Look, maybe you were right. Maybe I am taking this too seriously. Maybe I am asking people for things they can't give.
RON: Glad you've seen the light.
KIM: But at the same time, you have to do your best. And frankly, you haven't. You've been so paranoid that I'll goon on my power that you failed to do what you're supposed to.
RON: When you're right you're right.
KIM: Okay. So I'll tone down a bit if you get up to speed. Agreed?
RON: Agreed.
KIM: Good. Now let's (pause. Sniff) Ew. What smells like a lake?
RON: I don't know, I've been smelling it all day.
KIM: Hm. Well, let's go inside.
(KIM and RON go back into the high school. In the bushes next to the doors, GILL pokes his head out)