THE ROOMMATE
Written by Jake Lubin
jacobmlubin@gmail.com 914-844-1083
INT. DORM ROOM - MORNING CAL, a 16-year old boarding school student is lying on his bed. His small dorm room consists of two single beds surrounded by simple, white-painted walls. A few textbooks and papers are disorganized on the floor. Cal’s eyes are closed. As we close in on his sleeping face, we begin to hear the eerie sounds that one might hear in a forest in the dead of night. We begin to hear the sounds of predatory animals growling and tearing apart flesh. Feasting on their prey. The sound grows increasingly loud, and Cal’s eyes flutter rapidly underneath his eyelids. Suddenly, loud music plays from a neighboring dorm room, and Cal immediately wakes up. His eyes open and his pupils constrict. Cal’s lanky, on the shorter side, and has pale skin and a flop of messy dark brown hair. He sits up on the side of the bed and he's wearing a plain white tee and pajama pants. CUT TO: Groggy from an early wake-up, Cal struggles to get a clean blue shirt on over his head. He puts it on backward first and then turns it around by taking his arms out of the sleeves. He pulls his pants up and feeds a brown belt through the loops. The dorm’s door opens and shuts. Cal’s sitting on his bed getting his shoes on. He looks up at DON, 16, standing in front of the dorm room’s door with a towel around his waist. He's muscular, and pretty good looking, with somehow not gelled perfectly spiked hair. He’s talking with someone on the phone. Hey, Don.
CAL
Don admires his refined body as he talks on the phone. DON Yeah. Yeah, we should. Alright. Yeah, it was fun. See you. Don hangs up his phone and smiles to himself. Don walks over to his dresser and starts looking for a shirt to wear. Hey.
CAL
Don turns around and looks at him for a second. DON Hey. What’s up man.
*
2. CAL Were you running again? Don looks back again. DON Huh? Oh, yeah. Yeah, I ran. Don flips his bag over his shoulder. DON (CONT'D) I’ll see you later man. Don?
CAL
Don shuts the door with a thud. Cal nods his head. Suddenly, a sharp sound begins to ring in Cal’s ears, and he stands up and grabs his bag. He closes his eyes and puts a hand on his head. INT. DORM BUILDING HALLWAY - MORNING We hear a loud, sharp panging sound as Cal walks down the relatively crowded hallway. He stops in front of the vending machine. All the while, Cal is in the midst of counting. CAL ...seven, eight, nine, ten. When Cal gets to ten, the sound stops. He is standing with a hand on the vending machine for support. He takes a deep breath and shakes himself off. Cal inserts a dollar bill into a vending machine and taps a few buttons. Nothing happens. He hits the side of the vending machine once. Nothing. He slaps it aggressively a few more times, but still nothing. Kids around him turn their heads and eye him critically. He sighs and continues walking down the hall. Cal looks up and notices a sign on the hallway wall. It reads: “IT’S ALL IN HOW YOU LOOK AT THINGS. :):” Cal chuckles to himself and thinks for a second, but walks on. The other students are walking too, laughing and talking together with their backpacks on. Cal walks alone.
3. INT. DORM BATHROOM - MORNING Cal is standing in front of a bathroom sink. Kids behind him are talking as they stand around or use urinals. Cal spits, done brushing his teeth, and washes his mouth out with sink water. He puts the tooth brush and tooth paste away, and washes his face. He gives an empty look to the thin-framed kid staring back at him in the mirror. He holds his small arms out in front of him and flexes his biceps slightly. Not very impressive. A bigger kid waiting to use the sink comes right up next to Cal and looks down at him menacingly. You done?
BIG KID
Cal nods and grabs his bag. He heads toward the door. INT. CLASSROOM - MIDDAY Students file into an average looking classroom. Don’s already sitting in the back of the class. He sends a text on his phone, smiles, and puts it away. An attractive girl, smartly dressed with soft, pretty features and long brown hair places a folder, a book, and a pencil case on her desk near the front of the room, but in doing so, she accidentally drops her pencil case onto the ground. Cal recognizes her as ANNA, 16. Cal swiftly reaches down and retrieves the pencil case, returning it to the girl’s desk. ANNA (politely smiling) Thanks. Cal offers a brief smile, but continues to stand there for a moment. Lingering. Don looks up, and watches their interaction. ANNA (CONT'D) I'm sorry, do you need something? No, sorry.
CAL
Cal drops his backpack and sits down in the desk to the right side of her. He nods his head at Don, and Don nods back. He pulls his binder out of his bag along with a book, a paperback copy of "ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST."
4. She sets down her binder, revealing the “ANNA FREMONT HONORS LIT” neatly written on the cover in large, pretty letters. A serious but friendly-looking TEACHER, mid-40s clears his throat. TEACHER So. Everyone should have their books out. The teacher erases an obscene drawing on the board. A few students chuckle. TEACHER (CONT'D) Harding has a very important monologue in last night's assignment. Would anyone like to read starting from "This world belongs to the strong?" Anna raises her hand, along with a few other students. TEACHER (CONT'D) Go ahead Anna. Cal looks over and motionlessly gawks at her. As Anna speaks, the students in the classroom start looking at Cal, one by one. ANNA "This world belongs to the strong, my friend. The ritual of our existence is based on the strong getting stronger by devouring the weak. We must face up to this. No more than right that it should be this way. We must learn to accept it as a law of the natural world. The rabbits accept their role in the ritual and recognize the wolf as the strong. In defense, the rabbit becomes sly and frightened and elusive and he digs holes and hides when the wolf is about. And he endures, he goes on. He knows his place. He most certainly doesn't challenge the wolf to combat. Now, would that be wise? Cal is still staring at Anna, but with a new sense of awe and understanding. He looks around and realizes that every single student is glaring directly at him. He’s jolted when Anna finishes the quote.
5. This time, the words sound harsh, almost like a chastise. When Cal turns to look at her, she’s staring directly at him as she speaks. And every single other person in the room is gone. It’s empty except for the two of them. Would it?”
ANNA (CONT'D)
Cal does a double take, but when he looks back at her, she’s just looking down at her book. She looks up and smiles at the teacher. All the students are back in their seats, jotting down notes and looking at the teacher. TEACHER So, would anyone like to take a shot at what this might mean to the story? A few hands go up. Cal stares forward, paralyzed. His pencil absentmindedly slips from his hand, breaking his trance. INT. BOARDING SCHOOL CAFETERIA - AFTERNOON Cal sits at a table by himself, eating a sandwich. A group of boys in football uniforms walk past him to sit down. Cal notices that Don is among them. He tries to give him a headnod and wave, but Don doesn't pay him much attention. He looks back down at his sandwich and takes another bite. We see Don and the football kids sitting together at their table, practically yelling at each other in obnoxiously loud voices. Some are standing, some sitting, as each one of them tears into whatever food they’re eating. They’re taking up one side of the table almost completely and there’s some room left on the other side of the table. A lone SKINNY KID holding his food tray approaches the table and drops his bag on the ground next to it. A broad-shouldered FOOTBALL PLAYER turns to look at him and drops the smile on his face. FOOTBALL PLAYER Yo, does it look like there’s room here? The skinny kid reaches down and grabs his backpack. Sorry.
SKINNY KID
He heads off to another table.
6. RACK FOCUS TO Cal standing next to the garbage cans holding his tray. He watches the skinny kid slink away in search of a new table, and turns back towards the laughing jocks. He places his tray on top of one of the bins and starts to take a few steps towards the table. Don notices him walking towards the table and makes eye contact with Cal, giving him a look of confusion. Cal takes a deep breath and stops in place. He turns back around and starts walking back towards his own table. He puts a hand on the left side of his forehead and closes his eyes as he takes a deep breath. As he walks away, we hear him count aloud to himself. CAL Seven, eight, nine... INT. DORM BUILDING HALLWAY - NIGHT We see a clock strike ten in the dormitory hall. Cal knocks on his own room's door. Don?
CAL
Don comes to the door and steps outside to face Cal without letting him see the room. He's wearing an unbuttoned blue shirt with the sleeves rolled up to just under his elbows. He looks red-faced and drunk. DON Hey, Cal, would you mind staying out of the room again tonight? I'll let you know when you can come back in. Won't be too long. Cal notices a vodka handle on the nightstand behind Don. Ok.
CAL
Don gives him a quick nod, then closes the door behind him. Cal walks over to the opposite side of the hallway. He sits against the wall and opens his backpack, removing his copy of "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest." He opens the book to a folded page and begins to read.
7. INT. DORM ROOM - NIGHT Don closes the door behind him. He walks over to his desk and picks up the handle, pouring another round into two shot glasses beside it. Next to him on the bed are crossed feet with painted toenails, belonging to a girl whose face is not contained in the shot. ANNA (O.S.) You sure he's ok with this? Don places a shot glass in her hand. Who?
DON
ANNA (O.S.) Your roommate. DON Nah, he's used to it. He’ll be fine. INT. DORM BUILDING HALLWAY - NIGHT The girl opens the dorm room door. She turns around to speak to Don before leaving. ANNA You should come by sometime. I'm in room 103. DON Sounds good. I'll see you. She closes it behind her. Cal, who is laying on the floor next to the opposite wall of the hallway and using his backpack as a makeshift pillow, is startled awake by the sound of the door slamming shut. His copy of "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" is open against the ground next to him. When Anna turns around to face Cal, his jaw drops slightly and he stares in shock. Anna glances at him briefly, but practically looks right through him. She walks away unfazed. A broken looking Cal sits up against the wall. His face is pained and his hands tremble. He closes his eyes.
8. INT. DORM ROOM - NIGHT Cal closes the door behind him. Don is sitting on the side of his bed facing away from Cal, but turns to look up at Cal. Cal stands silently and glares back at him from the doorframe. Hey, Cal.
DON
Don lets out a deep, satisfied sigh that turns into a smirk. Cal takes his backpack off and places it on the ground. He puts his book on top of his dresser. DON (CONT'D) (smiling to himself) Thanks for doing that. Don turns away from Cal to start getting his shirt back on. As he continues to talk, we see Cal over his shoulder. Cal walks over to the nightstand and examines the vodka handle. DON (CONT'D) If you ever need the room, I’m gone. Only the lower half of Cal’s body is contained in the shot. Don's vulnerable, sitting on the side of his bed facing away from Cal. Yeah.
CAL
Cal picks up the vodka handle on the nightstand in between the two beds. PAN TO REVEAL the cover of "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" on Cal's dresser as we hear a bottle BREAK over Don’s head. We hear Cal counting aloud, and a sharp noise that accompanies each number as it is spoken. One.
CAL (V.O.)
We see Cal pulling Don's body further up onto the bed. Don's out cold. Two.
CAL (V.O.)
Cal slowly removes a firm white pillow from his own bed. He places it over Don's still face and begins to suffocate him.
9.
Three.
CAL (V.O.)
After about ten seconds, Don begins to flail frantically. Cal avoids his swinging arms while continuing to hold the pillow over his face. Cal's expression is pained but determined. Another ten seconds, and his body goes limp. Only his foot briefly twitches before going still. Four.
CAL (V.O.)
Cal pulls the blue, unbuttoned button-down shirt off Don’s body and leaves the room. INT. DORMITORY HALL BATHROOM Cal's now wearing Don's blue button-down shirt, looking up at the bathroom mirror. Five.
CAL (V.O.)
He washes his face in the bathroom sink. He looks up at his reflection. He uses his wet hands to fix his hair for a second, then smiles slightly at his improved look. Six.
CAL (V.O.)
EXT. ANNA'S DORM A hand knocks twice on a dorm room door. Number 103. Seven.
CAL (V.O.)
After a few seconds, a tired looking Anna opens it. Eight.
CAL (V.O.)
On the outside looking in is a more put-together, confident Cal. He looks like a new man. He's smiling. Anna looks at him and smiles for a second. Cal takes a step forward, leans in, and kisses her on the lips. As he pulls away, she smiles at him again.
10.
Nine.
CAL (V.O.)
Then, she tilts her head slightly. Her brow briefly furrows and her expression changes to a look of worry. ANNA Are you okay? INT. DORM BUILDING HALLWAY - NIGHT Cal is sitting on the ground against the hallway wall, right where he was when Anna left the room. He's looking up at someone. What?
CAL
Don is standing in the dorm’s open doorframe in just pants. His fly is down. Still half-drunk, he’s looking down at Cal with vague concern. DON I said are you okay? RACK FOCUS TO Cal's clenched, pulsating fist. He relaxes it and lets out a sigh. I'm fine.
CAL
Cal swings his backpack over his shoulder and stands up to meet Don face to face. Don offers him a brief head nod, then turns around and heads into the room. Cal walks towards the dorm room door. He reaches out to grab the doorknob, but thinks again. Instead, Cal takes a turn and starts to head toward the dormitory hall bathroom. He leaves his copy of “One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest” behind him. We hear the sounds of animalistic growling and howling. Cal passes by a few other boys returning to their rooms or heading to the bathroom to shower. The wild sounds and calls intensify and amplify with each step he takes. INT. DORMITORY BATHROOM Cal busts the door open and heads right over to the sink. The loud, sharp, ear-wrenching sounds have begun once again. He splashes water onto his face and starts taking short breaths. The panging sounds have gotten louder.
11. Behind Cal, three of the big kids that sat at Don’s lunch table are chanting, taunting and hysterically laughing as they surround a shower stall and dump shampoo, soap, and wet wash cloths on their vulnerable, miserable, wet victim (SKINNY KID). Cal shuts his eyes hard and rubs his temples as the three blurry figures scurry out of the room upon seeing Cal. He tries to calm himself down as he rubs his face at the sink. As Cal’s emotions reach a peak, he struggles to count up from one. CAL (muttering and trailing off) One, two... No, no. One. One, two, three... Cal slaps the hand-dryer next to the sink. CAL (CONT'D) Shit! One, two, three... The victim in the shower stall opens it and peaks out at Cal. He gets out and slowly approaches Cal as he struggles to count. SKINNY KID Why are you counting? Cal is caught off guard and briefly looks at him. He tries to start from one again, quieter this time. SKINNY KID (CONT'D) I do something like that too. When I need to relax, I mean. Cal is once again frustrated by his interruption. He doesn’t look up, and instead takes a shaky breath and starts counting again. Oblivious, the skinny kid comes up next to Cal and continues to talk to him. SKINNY KID (CONT'D) Sometimes I do this thing where I start at 300, and count down, but by 3s, so, 297, 294Cal lashes out and grabs the skinny kid by the shoulders. He shoves him into the shower stall, and the kid falls and cries out, dropping his towel. Cal is surprised by his actions, and looks down at the skinny kid, now sitting on the floor in pain.
12. Cal narrows his eyes, steps forward, and slams the stall door shut in the kid’s face. The kid goes to retrieve his fallen towel, but Cal steps on it with a firm foot and pulls it back out from under the shower stall door. He reaches down and swiftly grabs the towel off the floor. SKINNY KID (CONT'D) N-no, please. Don’t take it. Cal leaves the bathroom as the kid calls out after him. EXT. THE MIDDLE OF A FOREST - NIGHT Cue the powerful rock music. Cal closes the bathroom door behind him and turns around only to realize that he’s not back in the dormitory hall, but rather a small clearing in a North American forest. He looks around, but sees nothing but woods for miles. All he has are the clothes on his back and the poor kids towel, which he clenches in his hand like a trophy. He looks back for a second, but there’s no door. No bathroom. No Skinny Kid. We begin to hear the sound of wolves howling. A confident, true smile emerges on his face, and Cal takes a step forward. FADE TO BLACK: THE END.