Cut to a square room, with only one light. The only furniture is a table with two chairs. Sitting in one of them is Chris Wolfe, looking very nervous.
After what seems like an eternity, a man in a suit and glasses approaches Chris. He sits across from Chris, staring at him.
CHRIS: What do you want with me? I’m just a normal kid.
The man in the dark glasses smirks at him.
MAN: Now, you and I both know that isn’t true, young man. Don’t bother trying to lie. It won’t get you anywhere.
Chris begins to sweat. He’s never been so scared in his entire life.
MAN: Let’s cut to the chase then, shall we? Where is the device?
Chris takes a deep breath.
CHRIS: What are you? FBI?
MAN: Just answer the question.
CHRIS: I don’t know, ok? I have no idea what you’re talking about…
Suddenly, the FBI agent leaps across the table and grabs Chris by the collar.
MAN: Well, that’s a shame, isn’t it? How will we explain that to your little girlfriend?
A look of malice shines in the man’s eyes, revealing his sinister intentions.
This thought brings Chris over the edge.
CHRIS: YOU LAY ONE HAND ON HER, AND I’LL…!
Before Chris can finish his sentence, the man pulls out a gun and points it at him.
MAN: You’re hardly in a position to be giving threats, boy! Tell me what I want to know, or you’re dead. You, the girl, and those friends of yours.
He didn’t know what to do. Chris knew that the second this guy had what he wanted from them, they were all dead.
MAN: I won’t ask again!
V.O.(Hetson): Mr. Wolfe?
*****
Suddenly, the scene shifts into Professor Hetson’s classroom. Chris is standing in front of the class, reading from a manuscript.
CHRIS: Yes, Professor Hetson?
Hetson leans back in his chair.
HETSON: When I assigned you your creative writing assignment, I expected a short story. A poem. Not the third act of some mystery thriller. I wanted you to present, in your own words, a chapter from your own life. Somehow, I doubt you’ve ever been detained by the FBI.
Some of the students start chuckling.
CHRIS: Well, let’s face it…real life is boring.
Hetson crosses his arms.
HETSON: Boring, is it?
CHRIS: Well, yeah. Why do you think people go to movies so often. They’re tired of mundane everyday life, and want some excitement.
Hetson gets up from his desk.
HETSON: Please sit down, Mr. Wolfe.
Chris complies, as Hetson takes his place in front of the class.
HETSON: Well, I think it’s obvious that all of you have movies on the brain at the moment. Perhaps it’s the end result of a motion picture currently being filmed on campus. Fair enough. In the spirit of this new extra-curricular activity, I’m assigning you all to hand me a report on a film director. One of my choice, so I don’t want to see a dozen copies of ‘An Evening With Kevin Smith’ on my desk tomorrow morning. And no, Halloween is not an excuse to hand it in on Tuesday.
*****
A few moments later, outside of the class.
CHRIS: Spielberg? You’ve gotta be kidding me! Why couldn’t he give you Spielberg. You’re, like, surgically attached to the hip of someone who all but worships the guy.
JOEY: Them’s the breaks, Chris!
CHRIS: Ok, who’d you get?
Joey shows him her paper, with the director’s name clearly displayed on the top.
JOEY: Orson Wells.
Chris smirks.
CHRIS: Well, at least I got someone who’s contemporary.
JOEY: Don’t worry about me…I’ve got a plan.
CHRIS: Do you now?
*****
Cut to an empty classroom, somewhere in Worthington. Dawson, Pacey, Andie, and Oliver are sitting at a table, as a guy stands in front of them, performing.
GUY: Well, that’s what this whole thing is about, isn’t it? Choices! You chose to push it, and now you’ve gotta live with the consequences…
Oliver puts up his hand, indicating for the guy to stop.
OLIVER: Great. Perfect, that’s all we need! We’ll let you know if you got the part.
The guy smiles proudly, and heads out the door. Once he’s gone, Oliver sighs.
OLIVER: He won’t do at all.
Pacey stares at him, not believing his ears.
PACEY: Didn’t you just say…?
OLIVER: I didn’t want to insult the guy.
PACEY: Yeah, but…
OLIVER: Completely wrong for the part. We’re looking for someone with flash. With exposition. You know…like me? Only better looking.
Dawson looks over Pacey’s shoulder, hinting him not to push it. Pacey sighs.
PACEY: Well, we’re running out of candidates.
OLIVER: I have it all under control.
Andie yawns.
DAWSON: You tired?
ANDIE: Just a little. I’ve been taking some night courses here.
Pacey looks at her, surprised.
PACEY: At Worthington? Whatever happened to Harvard?
She groans.
ANDIE: Don’t ask.
Pacey looks over at Dawson.
PACEY: Hey, Dawson? Does it ever bother you than every woman we know is attending the same Ivy-league school, while we’re dropouts.
OLIVER: Maybe you two are, but I’m going to school still. Sucks to be you.
Dawson and Pacey give him cold stares.
OLIVER: Besides, smart girls are hot. You should count yourselves lucky.
DAWSON: (sarcastically) Oh yay, party time! As if the gender gap wasn’t wide enough as it is, let’s add education to the mix.
Andie laughs.
ANDIE: Somebody’s jealous.
DAWSON: I am not!
OLIVER: Hey, anyway, good for you Andie. I’m impressed that, after all that time in Europe, you can just go back to the mundane existence we have here. It shows real strength.
She blushes.
ANDIE: Thanks…
Pacey observes the two of them out of the corner of his eye. They seem very friendly.
Pacey doesn’t to like that fact.
However, Joey arrives a moment later, going up to Dawson.
OLIVER: Sorry, you need to schedule an appointment to audition…
Joey gives him a warning look.
OLIVER: Oh…it’s you! Umm…about the cell phone thing…
Joey ignores him.
JOEY: Dawson, I need your help with something. Spare a few minutes?
DAWSON: Sure.
He gets up from his chair and follows her into the hallway.
OLIVER: (mockingly) Spare a few minutes…puh-lease!
ANDIE: You’re reading too much into that. Joey probably needs help with Harley again, and since Dawson was the one who helped last time…
OLIVER: It’s all about the subtext, Miss McPhee. Somebody says one thing, when they really mean the other.
Pacey scoffs.
PACEY: You’re reaching here.
OLIVER: Come on. You really think she’d barge in here if she needed help with her homework?
*****
And outside…
JOEY: I need your help with my homework.
Dawson raises an eyebrow.
DAWSON: Uh huh…what grade are you in again?
JOEY: I’m serious. Ok, obviously a combination of your mom and your presence here has put Hetson in a filmmaking mood, so he gave us all assignments on famous directors. Actually, if you don’t help me out, I guarantee that Chris will come after you next.
DAWSON: Who’s Chris got?
JOEY: Spielberg.
DAWSON: And you?
JOEY: Orson Wells.
DAWSON: Hmm…the predictable choice would be to help Chris…
Joey gives him a pleading look.
JOEY: Come on…please?
A smirk appears on Dawson’s face.
DAWSON: Like you don’t know the answer already?
She grins.
JOEY: Great. I’ll see you at the dorms around seven?
DAWSON: I’ll be there.
She takes off. Dawson smiles, a sense of familiarity echoing in the back of his mind.
*****
Cut to another hallway. Chris is strolling down the hall, a stapler in one hand, and a folder filled with identical orange papers in the other. He’s humming to himself, pausing every few steps to staple one of the pages on a bulletin board.
As he passes one of the classes, Audrey comes out of it. She follows him down the hall until is puts up another flyer. She reads it.
AUDREY: Hey, wait a minute…
Chris turns around.
CHRIS: Hey Audrey. What’s up?
She shows him the page.
AUDREY: This! What are you doing?
CHRIS: Just an idea I had. I told the drama teacher, and she said…
AUDREY: Yeah, I heard. She told me. Why?
Chris shrugs.
CHRIS: It’s Halloween. Doing a haunted house is fun. Take your pick.
AUDREY: But why the Mad Cat?
CHRIS: Well, I heard through the grapevine that the city might want to tear the place down, since no one’s really used it in awhile. If we raise enough money, maybe we’ll be able to lease the place. It’d be perfect for showing ‘Phantom’.
Audrey crosses her arms.
AUDREY: And, considering how much I love the place, you thought it would be a way to get on my good side, right?
He smirks.
CHRIS: The thought had crossed my mind. However, I can assure you that my intentions are purely noble.
AUDREY: Do you know the first thing about putting on a haunted house?
CHRIS: Nope. But I know someone who does.
*****
Cut to Joey’s dorm room. On the television, the movie ‘Citizen Kane’ has just reached its closing credits.
Dawson shuts it off, and then looks over at Joey.
DAWSON: Thoughts?
Joey bites her lip.
JOEY: Well, he did tell the whole story in a series of flashbacks. Was he the first person to do that?
DAWSON: One of them. Ok, why did I bring this movie specifically?
JOEY: Because it’s Citizen Kane.
DAWSON: True, but it’s not the only movie he made in his lifetime.
JOEY: Just what he’s best known for.
Dawson grins.
DAWSON: There you go.
JOEY: You should have gone into teaching, Dawson.
DAWSON: I’ll consider it a backup plan.
JOEY: It’s kind of like being typecast, really. When you hear the name ‘Orson Wells’, you automatically think of ‘Citizen Kane’. Not because it’s the only good movie he ever made, because lord knows everything he touched turned to gold. No, it’s because this movie was so good, it blows everything else out of the water. I need to be writing this down.
She scribbles a few words on a piece of paper, as Dawson watches.
DAWSON: That’s my worst nightmare, you know? To me remembered for only one accomplishment. It’s like saying everything else you do after that is meaningless.
Joey looks at him
JOEY: It’s not. I mean, you won’t.
He smiles back at her.
JOEY: Wasn’t there some newspaper guy who tried to stop this movie from being made?
DAWSON: Yeah. William Hearst. He was convinced Kane was based on himself. They made a movie about that guy too, you know.
JOEY: Yeah. RKO somethingorother. Yet another case of art imitating life imitating art?
Dawson laughs.
JOEY: Are you ok, Dawson? About what’s happening with your mom?
Dawson bites his lip.
DAWSON: I’d be lying if I said I was fine with it.
JOEY: I don’t get it. Why would Gale be attracted to someone like Hetson? He’s such a stone cold creep…and worse when you actually get to know him.
DAWSON: I’m just going to put the whole thing in a box until I’m ready to deal with it. I’d rather not deal with my mom’s sex life at the moment.
Joey shutters.
JOEY: Please do not mention ‘Hetson’ and ‘sex’ in the same sentence. Ever again?
Dawson laughs.
DAWSON: Yeah, the imagery is quite disturbing, isn’t it?
They look at each other a moment, smiling.
JOEY: I missed this, you know? You and me, sitting in front of the TV. Commentating on the few interesting aspects in our dull lives. Who ever thought you’d be showing up in my room?
DAWSON: We’ll have to do it again sometime.
They both of them laugh.
JOEY: Well, might as well get back to work.
Joey goes up to her desk.
DAWSON: Joey?
She turns around.
JOEY: Yeah.
Dawson looks as though he’s about to say something, but holds back.
DAWSON: Nothing