WONDER YEARS By Sara Federico

(323) 807-4745 fedsfilms@gmail.com

INT. BATHROOM - DAY GABRIEL, a 14 year old with dark curly hair, sits in a grungy bath tub. He has red lipstick on. He starts smacking himself in the head repeatedly. EXT. HOUSE - DAY An ugly brick duplex stands against a gray sky. A montage of Boston and pictures of Gabriel. Credits roll. INT. BEDROOM - DAY Gabriel gets dressed. He briefly stares at a picture of himself and a girl on the wall. He opens up one drawer and pulls out a sheet. He unravels it to reveal a music box. He starts humming a tune as he opens the box. Inside is a .45 caliber handgun. Carefully, he strokes the barrel of the gun. He wraps his hand around the trigger. INT. LIVING ROOM - DAY Gabriel comes downstairs, ignoring his parents on the couch. SHERRY, his disheveled mother, passively folds laundry with a cigarette hanging out of her mouth. LLOYD, his attempted well-kept father, sits reading the New York Times. He puts his cigarette out in an already full ashtray. LLOYD Gabe. Gabriel stops in front of the door. LLOYD (teasing) Ill give ya 10 bucks to dress up and dance with me. Gabe ignores him.

2.

INT. KITCHEN - THE NEXT DAY Gabriel pours himself some cereal when he hears his mother on the phone. He quickly grows quiet. He turns his head slightly towards the direction of his voice. SHERRY ...if I could just dump one of them in the brush and one of them in the landfill or the roadside...I dont know. Id have to burn their skin so there are no fingerprints. Gabriel inches over towards the doorway. He slinks against the wall. SHERRY No, no...Lloyd is the easy one. Its Gabe I dont know if Ill be able to get...Yeah, theres a .45 caliber somewhere in the house... Gabriel, realizing shes serious, stands in doorway. INT. LIVING ROOM - DAY Sherry, sitting on the couch, looks up and locks eyes with Gabe. SHERRY Ill call you later. She hangs up the phone and lights a cigarette without breaking the stare. INT. STUDIO APARTMENT - EVENING Gabriel sits on a bed, shirtless, while an older guy hangs up Polaroids. Hes WALLACE- a 20 something man, Freddie Mercury inspired. Hes dressed in training pants, a navy blue blazer, donning Adidas sneakers and aviators. WALLACE Why dont you lower your pants a little. Gabriel starts to lower his pants.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED:

3.

WALLACE A little bit lower. There, right there. Wallace snaps a few pictures. WALLACE Why dont you take off your pants? Gabriel is silent as Wallace stares. GABRIEL How much? WALLACE An extra 5 bucks. Gabriel unbuttons the top button of his pants. Wallace begins taking pictures. Slowly, Gabriel unbuttons the second button and unzips, fully revealing his boxers. Wallace smiles. INT. WALLACES KITCHEN - MOMENTS LATER Gabriel sits on a barstool in his underwear. Wallace hands him a glass of orange juice. WALLACE (smiles) I like your look. Gabriel nods. Eventually he looks at Wallace. GABRIEL My mother made me a whore. WALLACE If I give her the yarn, will she make me one too? Gabriel forces a smile. WALLACE Its getting pretty late. Gabriel shrugs nervously as Wallace circles behind him and begins kneading Gabriels shoulders. Gabriel tries to speak. Wallace leans in towards his face.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED:

4.

WALLACE (whispers) You need a place to stay tonight? INT. STUDIO APARTMENT - MORNING Gabriel and Wallace are entangled beneath the sheets of Wallaces bed. Gabriel stirs. He casually puts his pants on and grabs his things off of the nightstand. As he exits, he stops at Wallaces tall mirror by the door. He takes out his tube of lipstick and draws a big heart on it. EXT. STREET - DAY Gabriel walks out of Wallaces apartment, looking at the Polaroids of himself that he snatched on his way out. He hums the same tune from the music box. He passes by a trashy woman having a cigarette. WOMAN (taking a jab) Long night, baby? Gabriel stops, smiles at her, hands her the Polaroids and continues walking. EXT. STREET - MOMENTS LATER Gabriel stops to stare at a large, nice looking home. The girl from the picture gets out of the car. LAINEY, a tall girl with poofy blonde hair, grabs her backpack from the backseat. Gabe watches her without budging. Laineys father glances in his direction and Gabe quickly flees. INT. KITCHEN - DAY Gabriel goes into the kitchen. He takes a carton of milk and starts drinking from it. He closes the door and turns around to see a drunk Lloyd standing there with a cigarette.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED:

5.

LLOYD Get a glass. Gabriel puts the milk away. GABRIEL Wheres mom? LLOYD Shes gone. Forever. Gabriel stares at him. LLOYD You know she thought Im a bad influence on you? She thought I was turning you into a fuckin faggot. Lloyd starts sluggishly walking out of the kitchen. LLOYD Thats what she thought. EXT. LAKE - DAY Gabriel hums the song from the music box while shooting at a pair of swans with a bow and arrow. He does this a few times, all unsuccessful. EXT. STREET - DAY Gabriel passes by dirty houses and tangled trees. He stomps in a dirty puddle, all while still humming. The tall, European style buildings are striking against the gray sky. Gabriel sees an abandoned building with the words "Im Sorry" scrawled on the outside. He stares at for a moment before passing by. INT. PET STORE - DAY Gabriel enters a pet store. The cashier behind the counter looks up from his magazine and stares him down. Gabriel looks into a large rabbit cage. He picks a white rabbit and brings it to the counter.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED:

6.

CASHIER Whatre you gonna do with this rabbit, boy? GABRIEL Its for my girlfriend. The cashier laughs out loud and rings him up. GABRIEL (quietly) Fuck you. EXT. DRIVEWAY - DAY Gabriel walks up the driveway of the nice house he was in front of beforehand. Lainey, dressed in hot pink leggings and a big ugly sweater, walks out her front door and over to him. LAINEY (shy) Gabe. GABRIEL Uh-huh. LAINEY (nervous) Whats up? Gabriel nods without speaking. LAINEY I like your rabbit. GABRIEL Its for you. Lainey looks at the rabbit, speechless. Gabriel stares at the pavement. GABRIEL I need a favor. She looks at him nervously. GABRIEL Can I stay over for a few days?

7.

EXT. STREET - MOMENTS LATER Gabriel walks back in the direction in which he came with his rabbit. He stops at the abandoned house and goes in. INT. ABANDONED HOUSE - MOMENTS LATER The house is gutted: floors have holes in them, windows broken, mildew grows on the walls, feces and trash are scattered across the floor. Gabriel enters the squalid environment before sitting on the floor. He pets the rabbit. FADE TO BLACK.