INT. DINER - NIGHT
A group of six guys are having a great time, loud and boisterous, taking up half the place. All of them are 18, just getting out of high school.
They are:
DAMIAN, designer jeans, stylish shirt, nice watch.
JOSEPH, sitting at the head of the table in a wheelchair, happy to be included.
STEVE, overweight, certainly not the jolly Santa Claus-type of big man, his laughter is much more subdued than the rest.
MARTIN, neatly ironed khakis, neat collared shirt.
CRISS, slicked-back hair, clothes that are way too big for him. Thug look. CRISS looks like a knock off of Eminem.
LESTER, mousy, with an outdated haircut, glasses and shifty eyes.

The decent-looking WAITRESS brings them their plates of food on a tray. Criss eyes her the whole time while she hands them out.
When she gets to him he sticks out his chest, the alpha male in his mind. She hands him the plate and turns away. Rebuffed, disappointment flashes on his face.
He pinches the waitress’ ass and she jumps a little. The other guys all laugh. The Waitress turns to Criss, and he flashes her a seductive smile. Her anger disappears and she leaves.
Lester takes the salt shaker and goes to salt his fries, but the top falls off, leaving a mound of salt in his plate.
The guys all laugh again. Lester, suppressing his anger through gritted teeth, starts removing the salt with his tiny spoon.

LESTER
You could have at least thought of something original.

Martin hands him a bigger soup spoon.

MARTIN
Here, this’ll be faster.

Lester takes it with a nod of thanks.
Damian stands and lifts his glass for a toast.

DAMIAN
To life after high school.

All the guys lift their glasses and cheer.

INT. DINER ENTRANCE - LATER
They’re leaving now, shaking hands with each other.
Criss gives their waitress a little wink as he passes her. She waves back.
Damian helps Joseph to a spot in the entrance where he’s out of the way, but can see outside.

JOSEPH
No Damian, its fine, my ride will be here in a few.

DAMIAN
All right man, we’ll see you next Friday.

Joseph nods. They all shake and say their goodbyes as they exit.

EXT. PARKING LOT - NIGHT
They break up, saying their brief goodbyes to each other as they head to their separate cars.
Damian’s is a nice, clean expensive car (BMW). He beeps the doors open and gets in.

INT. DAMIAN’S CAR
Damian checks his rearview mirror, but what’s reflected is not a pristine expensive car with leather seats.
Instead, its a pickup with a mound of dirt and plants in the back. In the back seat is a YOUNG WOMAN crying in silence as an OLDER MAN AND WOMAN yell from either side of her in indistinct voices.
Damian starts his car, not noticing anything.

EXT. PARKING LOT
Steve uses the key to unlock the door to his old, rusty, not flashy car (Mercury Topaz) and gets in.
INT. STEVE’S CAR
He settles in, takes a deep breath and leans back. The interior of his car is old, but not in bad shape, everything’s intact.
He adjusts his side mirror, but what’s behind him is not the interior we just saw.
The back windshield has a crack through it, the seats have rips. He’s in the back with a GIRL. They stare into each other’s eyes then suddenly bring up knives.
They wrap their knife arms together so that they bend back to hold the knife at their own throat.
They start to cut and blood begins to trickle down their neck.
In front seat, Steve starts the car.

EXT. PARKING LOT
Martin unlocks his modest car (Toyota Corolla) and gets in.
INT. MARTIN’S CAR
He checks the rearview, but what’s there is not the interior of his car.
Instead, its a three-row minivan with a babyseat in the middle of the second row.
A baby’s cry echoes through the minivan’s cavernous interior.
Martin starts his car.

EXT. PARKING LOT
Criss beeps open his car, its modest but on the flashy side (Malibu Sedan) and gets in.
INT. CRISS’ CAR
Alone in his car, he checks his hair in the overhead mirror, but what’s reflected there is not the back of his car as it is now.
Instead, there’s two SLUTTY WOMEN drinking straight from a shared bottle. They dance in their seats.
Criss starts his car and club music immediately blasts from the radio.

EXT. PARKING LOT
Lester unlocks his conservative car and gets in.
INT. LESTER’S CAR
He sits and removes his glasses. He holds them up near the rearview mirror to see if they’re dirty, but the reflection in the mirror (or the glasses if we can do it) is not that of the car he got into.
Instead, it shows an old van with children’s toys littering the otherwise empty back.
A children’s laughing echoes though the van.
Lester puts his glasses back on and starts his restored car.

INT. DINER ENTRANCE
Joseph watches the cars pull out of the lot. A handicap-accessible van pulls into one of the spots they vacated close top the door.
Joseph starts to roll out, but a news report on the TV over his head to his right draws his attention.

NEWS ANCHOR (O.S.)
A report of another missing child tonight has police baffled...

The Anchor goes on indistinctly as Joseph watches.

INT. DAMIAN’S PARENTS’ HOUSE
A large, opulently decorated home. A party is in full swing.
Damian, nice suit, drink in his hand, big smile on his face, talks with the other guys, all of whom are neatly dressed.

DAMIAN
Well, I figured, if it feels right, why not go for it?

They nod, Criss gives him a little punch on the arm.

CRISS
The old ball and chain.

MARTIN
Hey, speaking of which, where is Lynn?

Damian looks around.

DAMIAN
Has to be around somewhere.

He puts his drink down, exits.

INT. DAMIAN’S PARENTS’ HOUSE - MOMENTS LATER
Sounds of indistinct arguing come from the garage. Damian heads to it. As he gets closer, the words get clear.

MARZIO (O.S.)
...What respect is!

Damian enters the garage to find his father, Marzio (the older man from his reflection) in the face of his fiance, Lynn (the crying young woman from his reflection). Once again, she is crying.

MARZIO (CONT’D)
You think you’re ready for this? You don’t know anything about life yet! You can’t even wipe your own ass!

LYNN
You’re not even giving me a chance!

Damian is furious, he jumps in between, raging at his father.

DAMIAN
What the hell are you doing!

MARZIO
This wasn’t my plan for you. This stupid bitch is destroying everything!

DAMIAN
Your plan???

MARZIO
She has no right even standing next to you. I won’t allow you to disgrace our family.

LYNN
Why won’t you...

Finally, he snaps and pushes her. She goes down.
Both Lynn and Damian are shocked.
Marzio beats a hasty retreat while Damian sees to Lynn, but glares after Marzio.

INT. CRISS’ HOUSE - NIGHT
Damian and Martin walk through the house, calling to Criss.

MARTIN
Criss, let’s go, guys are waiting!

They knock on Criss’ door, open it without waiting for an answer
and stop in the doorway in shock. Criss is in bed with TWO SLUTTY WOMEN (different women than in his reflection).
Criss stops what he’s doing long enough to see his friends.

CRISS
Hey guys, wanna join us?

He’s totally serious. Damian and Martin just look at each other.

INT. STEVE’S HOUSE - NIGHT
Steve folds a tear-stained letter into an envelope.
The tears are his. He breathes to try to get himself together. He takes a large swig from a bottle of alcohol and chokes it down past the tears.
He puts the bottle down next to a revolver and box of bullets. He takes the gun and one bullet and looks them over.
He opens the gun, loads the bullet into a chamber and closes it. He spins it like in Russian Roulette, leaving it in a random place.
He puts the gun to his head. He grits his teeth and takes a few more breathes. He pulls the trigger.
CLICK. Empty chamber. He drops the gun. His crying renews as he plops into a chair.

EXT. MARTIN’S PARENTS’ HOUSE - DAY
Martin and his girlfriend, SAVANNAH, sit outside a large, obviously upper-class house.
Martin rubs her baby bump.

MARTIN
I just think it would be better if we stayed here. There’s plenty of room and my parents can help--

He gestures to the huge house. Savannah shakes her head.

SAVANNAH
I want to be with my family, not yours. And this baby just happens to go wherever I go, so if you want to be a part of its life, you’ll go to.

Martin is torn, he looks at his beautiful house.

EXT. TRAILER PARK - NIGHT
Focusing on one particular trailer.

INT. TRAILER
A small bedroom. Martin and an even more pregnant Savannah lie in a bed with a curtain around the whole thing, like a hospital room.

SAVANNAH
Isn't this cozy???

MARTIN
Cozy? Are you serious? If I fall out of bed I’ll be outsi--

The curtain gets pulled back from the other side, revealing another bed right next to theirs.
A middle-aged woman, SAVANNAH’S MOTHER, holds the curtain to her, blocking her naked chest. Behind her in the bed is her husband, naked, whipped cream covering his crotch.

SAVANNAH’S MOTHER
Will you two keep it down? Your father and I are trying to have an intimate moment over here.

She puts the curtain back in place. Savannah has a look that almost portrays a comfort in her surroundings, like this home sweet home.
Martin lays with his eyes wide open. After a few moments, he hears moans from behind the curtain and cringes.
He covers his face with his pillow.