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EXT. BEACH CAMPSITE - NIGHT 4 TEENAGE BOYS dance around a bonfire. They sing incoherent songs at the top of their drunken lungs. A red 1975 [Mustang] convertible is parked next to the bonfire. I shit you not; it is the ugliest piece of crap you have ever seen. The radio plays Aerosmith's "Dude Looks Like a Lady". TEENAGE BOY #1 falls down. He's a skinny looking kid. He holds a bottle of rum. TEENAGE BOY #1 God, I wish I was Ashton! Ashton, Ashton, Ashton. Then I'd get the girls. Then I'd be okay. TEENAGE BOY #2 drops down onto the sand. He takes the rum from TEENAGE BOY #1 and gulps down a few. TEENAGE BOY #2 (to TEENAGE BOY #1) Ashton? Really? I wish I was John. Smooth John. I'm smooth. I could be smooth John! TEENAGE BOY #1 Yeah, you're not that smooth. TEENAGE BOY #3, a plump little fellow, flops down onto the ground. TEENAGE BOY #3 Kevin! Why couldn't I be Kevin? Do you know how hard it's been for me? It's been hell not being Kevin. Not surprisingly, TEENAGE BOY #4 drops down onto the sandy dunes. He's the most handsome of the quartet. TEENAGE BOY #4 That bitch! It's all because of that bitch! If she hadn't taped herself having sex, nobody would even remember her name. Why Paris? Why? I was perfectly comfortable with Paris. The four teenagers roll over towards a piece of driftwood. The stars above shine like the city lights of Los Angeles that the guys are accustomed too. They gaze up at the sky in wonder. TEENAGE BOY #2 When's this shit supposed to start? I'm drunk, I'm mad, and I'm drunk. TEENAGE BOY #3 Any second now. I know it. TEENAGE BOY #1 (to TEENAGE BOY #3) You'd better be right man. I did not drive my piece of crap car all the way up here just to get stuck. TEENAGE BOY #4 Why do you hate that car so much? TEENAGE BOY #1 I don't know. I guess it represents everything bad my parents gave me. An uncomfortable silence overtakes the beach. Teenage boy #2 decides to break it. TEENAGE BOY #2 Don't you think this is a little too desperate? TEENAGE BOY #3 No! It's not. After what we've been through, this is exactly what we should be doing. TEENAGE BOY #2 Really? How much is this gonna help anyway? We might as well wait until we turn eighteen to do it legally. Teenage boy #1 chugs down the bottle of rum. TEENAGE BOY #1 We won't make it to our 18th birthday I you let me drive back like this. The guys pause for a second and then burst into laughter. TEENAGE BOY #1 stops laughing and looks up at the stars. TEENAGE BOY #1 Move stars! Move! This is not how I'm spending my last day of summer vacation. TEENAGE BOY #2 (Pointing to the sky) Look! A shooting star dashes through the sky. Then another. Then two more. Then ten more. It's a meteor shower. The guys look up at the sky and shout. TEENAGE BOY #1 I wish my name wasn't ASHLEE! TEENAGE BOY #2 I wish my name wasn't JESSE! TEENAGE BOY #3 I wish my name wasn't KELLY! TEENAGE BOY #4 I wish my name wasn't PARIS! The meteor shower ends. The guys close their eyes and pass out. ASHLEE (V.O.) One last beach bonfire. INT. ASHLEE'S HOUSE - ASHLEE'S ROOM - MORNING Typical guy room. Clothes all over the floor. Walls covered with pictures of Ashlee and his friends. INSERT: A picture of Ashlee and Jesse with broken noses. The red mustang is parked behind them. ASHLEE (V.O.) One last fight. The pictures change as Ashlee speaks. His words describe their scenes and moods. An unidentified NERDY TEENAGER appears in most of the pictures. ASHLEE (V.O.) One last test. One last party. One last night in. One last night out. One last detention. One last joke. One last laugh. INSERT: A picture of the guys at the beach, sans the nerdy teenager. They're holding the bottle of rum and some cups. The bonfire behind them burns intensely. ASHLEE (V.O.) It's time to prove to your friends you're worth it, one last time. The alarm clock goes off. Ashlee gets out of bed. His head hurts. ASHLEE (to himself) Crap. Ashlee gets ready for school. He puts some clothes on, fills his book bag, and grabs a small bottle of rum from under his mattress. ASHLEE (V.O.) It's finally here. Senior year. No more playing around. No more brushing things off. It's time I get it together. It's time I become who I'm destined to be. You see I'm not your typical kind of guy. I'm one of the few individuals among the male population with what me and my friends commonly refer to as "The Ladybug Curse". A curse that makes growing up a real pain in the butt. I know what you're thinking and the answer is no, I'm not gay. I have... a girl's name, Ashlee. INT. ASHLEE'S HOUSE - KITCHEN - MOMENTS LATER Ashlee runs down the stairs and finds his dad, MR. HARRIS, making breakfast. ASHLEE Hi dad. MR. HARRIS Hey there Ashlee. Want some breakfast? Ashlee sits down at the table. ASHLEE Yeah, sure. I could go for some breakfast. Mr. Harris slaps some runny, gooey, scrambled eggs on Ashlee's plate. MR. HARRIS There you go. ASHLEE Yeah... I'm not gonna eat that. MR. HARRIS Come on, they don't look that bad. I did everything the recipe told me to. ASHLEE Did it tell you to use vomit? MR. HARRIS Cut me some slack kid. I'm still getting the hang of it. I've never cooked a single day in my life. You know your mother always-- Ashlee cuts his father's comment off. ASHLEE I think I'll skip breakfast. MR. HARRIS glances at his watch. MR. HARRIS You'd better hurry. Ashlee gets up and heads out the door. ASHLEE Later dad. MR. HARRIS Later kid. Oh, and be careful with BETTY. Ashlee stops cold in his tracks. He turns around. ASHLEE I'm beginning to think you love that car more that you love me. MR. HARRIS Kiddo, you were conceived in the back of that car. ASHLEE (disgusted) I know the story dad. MONTAGE: BETTY SUPERIMPOSE: 1976 A young Mr. Harris drives down the street's of L.A. in his brand new 1975 Mustang convertible. ASHLEE (V.O.) Meet Betty. My dad's first car. Who would have thought that this kick ass car would be the one of the many reasons my life sucks. Mr. Harris fools around in the back seat of the mustang with a YOUNG WOMAN. ASHLEE (V.O.) If you think about it, this is the reason my life sucks in the first place. Wait, no, that's not it. Mr. Harris and the young woman walk out of the hospital. She carries a BABY in her arms. They get into the Mustang convertible. YOUNG WOMAN We'll name him... Ashlee. ASHLEE (V.O.) That's the reason my life sucks. Then came the teasing. A 5 YEAR-OLD ASHLEE gets teased at school. YOUNG BULLIES Ashlee is a girl! Ashlee is a girl! ASHLEE (V.O.) It was there where I found my first true friend. TRACY KING. The 5 year-old Ashlee sits next to a 5 YEAR-OLD TRACY KING. YOUNG BULLIES Tracy and Ashlee are girls! Tracy and Ashlee are girls! ASHLEE (V.O.) Tracy has been my friend since I could remember. Well, I guess it's only natural that you hang around people who you feel connected with. That's were Jesse, Kelly, and Paris came in. The 5 year-old Ashlee, Tracy, Kelly, Jesse, and Paris play in the snow. Suddenly, they are bombarded by an avalanche of snowballs. BULLIES Ashlee, Tracy, Jesse, Kelly, and Paris are girls! Ashlee, Tracy, Jesse, Kelly, and Paris are girls! ASHLEE (V.O.) And that continued for a long time. And for one reason or another, I thought getting a car would end all of that. Mr. Harris hands the present Ashlee the keys to the mustang. MR. HARRIS Take good care of her Ashlee. Betty holds a lot of memories. ASHLEE (V.O.) But then fait interfered. QUICK SERIES OF SHOTS: The mustang getting hit with various objects: A bumper. A bowling ball. Eggs. A shopping cart. Firecrackers. A dog. ASHLEE (V.O.) And Betty turned into this. Again, the ugliest piece of crap car you have ever seen. Betty. END MONTAGE EXT. ASHLEE'S HOUSE - DRIVEWAY Ashlee kicks Betty's door open. He gets in and pulls out of the driveway. EXT. JESSE'S HOUSE - MOMENTS LATER Ashlee parks in front of Jesse's house. He honks the awful horn. Sounds more like a kazoo than a horn. Jesse runs out of his house. He throws his backpack into the backseat.. ASHLEE Hey Jesse. JESSE For a second there I thought I heard an animal dying. ASHLEE No, she's not dying. Betty's still alive. JESSE Anyway, I'm stoked. Seniors man, we're going to rule the school. ASHLEE It's our rightful kingdom. Oh, and you probably don't wanna put you're stuff in the back seat. Holds a lot of memories. Ashlee and Jesse drive off. EXT. KELLY'S HOUSE - MOMENTS LATER KELLY runs out of his house and gets into the mustang. KELLY Gentlemen, ready to enter Camelot? ASHLEE Ready to be kings is more like it. KELLY Oh, so now we're royalty? I thought we decided to stay with the title of knights? JESSE Kelly, the knights of Quinsy High? It's catchy, but the kings of Quincy High, now that's a title. ASHLEE Nobody's going to call us that anyway. Ashlee punches down on the gas. EXT. PARIS'S HOUSE - MOMENTS LATER PARIS dashes out of his house and into the mustang. PARIS Hurry up Ashlee, we're gonna be late. JESSE Royalty doesn't have to hurry. PARIS What are you talking about? I'm gonna miss home economics. ASHLEE Yep, you're a queen. KELLY Are we gonna pick up Tracy? ASHLEE No, you know him. He's probably there already. That's the advantage of having a brand new car. PARIS Lucky bastard. EXT. QUINCY HIGH - MOMENTS LATER The guys arrive at their high school. Young teens rush to their first day of school. ASHLEE Okay, here we go. Ashlee shamefully drives the mustang into-- EXT. MEDIEVAL VILLAGE - DAY -- a medieval village. Ashlee, JESSE, KELLY, and PARIS ride into the village on top of their galloping mustangs. Their armors gleaming in the sun light. The VILLAGER'S amazement causes them to stop cold in their tracks. ASHLEE (to the villagers) Thy kingdom is safe from evil once again humble villagers. Thy children can run freely once more. The shower of fire has passed and left our land untouched. We are safe from the wrath of the sky. The villagers step back. VILLAGER #1 strides over to the four knights and their beautiful horses. VILLAGER #1 Our kingdom is not safe, not anymore. When you left, the king's protection left! ASHLEE We left to lift the curse that was placed upon us. VILLAGER #1 Did you succeed? KELLY No, this curse still haunts us, and we fear it might haunt us forever. The villagers look down. Only VILLAGER #1 has the courage to look into the knight's eyes. VILLAGER #1 When you fled the kingdom, our lives were changed. You abandoned thy land. JESSE It was not our intention to abandon our land. Our people. Our king. VILLAGER #1 Thy land is lost, thy people suffer, and thy king... is dead. Ashlee shuts his eyes tight-- INT. QUINCY HIGH - HALLWAY - CONTINUOUS -- and then snaps them open again, startled wide with fear. VILLAGER #1 is now STUDENT #1. The four knights return to their original forms. The school hallway buzzes with gossip. ASHLEE What? TRACY KING is dead? STUDENT #1 Yeah, he died in a car crash yesterday. STUDENT #1 walks away. Ashlee and his friends stand frozen. Their jaws on the floor. Their eyes filled with tears that are quickly hidden. JESSE What are we going to do? ASHLEE Finish it, for him. ASHLEE (V.O.) Tracy King, my life long friend. The one we looked up too. The one who couldn't go to the beach that night. The one who wrote and kept, "The Chronicles of the Ladybug Curse". EXT. QUINCY HIGH - LUNCH TABLE - LATER Ashlee, JESSE, KELLY, and PARIS sit down at a round table during their lunch break. Their eyes are red from the tears they couldn't hold back. Ashlee takes the bottle of rum out of his backpack and discretely chugs it. PARIS What the hell just happened? JESSE Our friend died. PARIS I know but, it's like nobody else but us cares. I didn't even hear a lecture about the appreciation of life from any of our teachers. ASHLEE Well, I hate to break it to you gentlemen, but it seems like nobody knew who Tracy was, except us. JESSE That's bullshit and you know it, Ashlee! They knew who he was, they just don't care! A BULLY walks by their table and hits Kelly in the head with a soda can. BULLY Having a nice brunch ladies? KELLY (to himself) Idiot. Ashlee reaches inside his backpack. He pulls a NOTEBOOK out and slams it on the table. The notebook has big bold letters on the cover that read-- INT. MEDIEVAL CASTLE - ROUND TABLE - DAY -- "THE CHRONICLES OF THE LADYBUG CURSE". Torches light the dark medieval room. The four knights sit proudly at the round table. JESSE Why do you have that? ASHLEE The king gave it to me before we left the kingdom. He wanted me to write down anything out of the ordinary. JESSE Why did you withhold this information from thy fellow knights? PARIS (to JESSE) Because he forgot. (to Ashlee) Didn't you? ASHLEE I did! But now I feel horrible about it! PARIS The king worked his whole life on those chronicles. He needed to prevent further generations from carrying the burden of the ladybug curse. You owed it to him. JESSE All of our lives we've handled the insults, the beatings, and the jokes. It's time somebody put a stop to it. KELLY (to Ashlee) Well you know what we have to do. You said it yourself. We have to finish the chronicles. PARIS We can't all write in it. We're not all poets you know. JESSE I for one propose that our new king finishes it. PARIS I'm flattered you would think of me, but I can't write a single coherent sentence. JESSE (to PARIS) I know that! I'm proposing that Sir Ashlee finishes the chronicles. Jesse proposes a toast and raises his bottle of-- EXT. QUINCY HIGH - LUNCH TABLE - CONTINUOUS -- rum. Ashlee quickly grabs Jesse's arm and hides the bottle. ASHLEE Are you out of your mind Jesse? JESSE Nobody saw the rum. ASHLEE I'm not talking about the rum you moron. I'm talking about finishing the book. I'm not ready for that kind of responsibility. JESSE Dude, you are. Another soda can hits Kelly in the head. The bell rigs. Lunch break is over. INT. QUINCY HIGH - SCIENCE LAB - LATER Ashlee slumps at his work space. His lab partner, JESSE, takes notes. KELLY and PARIS sit behind them. Kelly rubs his head. The teacher, MR.MCKLENNEN, rambles on in the background about energy and momentum ASHLEE (V.O.) As the day went on, it started to sink in. No more soccer games, no more making fun of the people on MTV, no more of his insufferable documentation of every little thing that went wrong in our lives, but the thing that troubled me the most was the feeling that I wasn't ready to deal with this responsibility, that I wasn't ready to deal with my friends, and that I simply wasn't ready to deal with moving on. MR.MCKLENNEN holds up a heavy looking scale model of Jupiter. MR.MCKLENNEN Ashlee, would you come up here and help me with this? ASHLEE Sure MR.MCKLENNEN. MR.MCKLENNEN walks to one side of the room, while Ashlee stands on the other side. MR.MCKLENNEN Okay class, this is what we call transfer of momentum. Ashlee has no idea of what's happening around him. Voices mix into a slur of words. His mind is somewhere else. His eyes wide open as his iris starts to sparkle with the lights of a millions stars. He realizes he is now on-- EXT. ALIEN PLANET - SURFACE - NIGHT -- a distant alien planet. A tacky red space ship, reminiscent of those old television shows that looked ahead into the not so distant future, has crashed on the planet's surface. Ashlee, JESSE, KELLY, and PARIS wear tacky astronaut suits as they emerge from the burning spaceship. JESSE That meteor shower really knocked us out of trajectory. This planet doesn't seem to show up on any of our maps. ASHLEE Just be glad we made it out alive, soldier. Our Captain was not so lucky. JESSE looks up at the stars. PARIS Sir, do you recognize any of these star formations? ASHLEE No I don't, soldier. KELLY We have to find a way to get out of here. My instruments show the planet is very unstable. ASHLEE The planet is the last thing I'd be worried about, soldier. I'm more concerned about those things. Ashlee points to the disgusting ALIENS that crawl and slither towards them from a distance. Ashlee takes out his laser and fires rays of light at the aliens. He uses the small amount of gravity at his advantage as he jumps off rocks and slides through craters. He jumps from rock to rock with the most effortless style. His fellow astronauts follow him, but they don't shoot. The astronauts reunite inside a shallow crater. JESSE Did you ever consider the possibility that they could be a peaceful race Sir? ASHLEE (to JESSE) In all my years of space travel I've never met a thing that disgusting that wasn't evil. (to KELLY) With the exception of you soldier. PARIS What are we gonna do? ASHLEE I don't know. JESSE Don't you think we should have communicated with them before we attacked? ASHLEE I don't know. KELLY Let's beg for mercy and hope they kill us quickly. ASHLEE No soldier! That's not the way our captain would have wanted us to go. PARIS Our captain is dead Sir! ASHLEE Soldier, I am your captain now! The alien life forms come closer. Their steps and squeals on top of them. KELLY What are our orders Sir? ASHLEE We're gonna give them all we've got. Gentlemen, take out your lasers. We're going out with a bang! The team takes out their lasers and wait for the go ahead. JESSE (to Ashlee) Are you ready Sir? Ashlee opens his mouth to utter the words and then-- INT. QUINCY HIGH - SCIENCE LAB - CONTINUOUS -- he is back in the science lab. MR.MCKLENNEN still standing at the other end of the room. ASHLEE I'm ready! MR.MCKLENNEN Okay then. MR.MCKLENNEN hurls the big scale model of Jupiter at Ashlee. Ashlee, obviously not ready yet, gets struck in the head with the planet and collapses. INT. QUINCY HIGH - NURSE'S OFFICE - MOMENTS LATER Ashlee holds a bag of ice to his head. He slumps on a chair as the school nurse, NURSE WATSON, extremely old, examines him. NURSE WATSON (checking Ashlee's eyes) You seem alright to me boy. No permanent damage. ASHLEE Doesn't feel like it. Nurse Watson takes out a bottle of [Peptobismol]. NURSE WATSON Just take a sip of this and you'll be fine. ASHLEE My stomach's alright. I'm more concerned about the ringing in my head. NURSE WATSON Don't be silly. Drink up. Ashlee takes a sip of [Peptobismol]. NURSE WATSON Don't be such a baby Mr. Harris, it's cherry flavored. Nurse Watson squeezes the bottle of [Peptobismol]. Ashlee chokes. ASHLEE Why are you giving me this? NURSE WATSON [Peptobismol] cures everything boy. Now that you've taken some, you'll be fine. ASHLEE Can I go then? NURSE WATSON Yes. Just one question, how did you get hurt? ASHLEE You wouldn't believe me. NURSE WATSON Amuse me child. ASHLEE (sarcastically) In a galaxy far, far away. NURSE WATSON Oh, I see. You've been daydreaming, haven't you? ASHLEE (confused) How did you...? NURSE WATSON Well little Ashlee Harris. You'd be surprised what runs in the family. ASHLEE (still confused) I'm sorry, I don't... NURSE WATSON Child, I've been healing beat up little boys like yourself at this school for a long time. You'd be amazed at the number of stories I could tell you about your father. ASHLEE My father? NURSE WATSON I knew your mother too. I knew their whole little gang. ASHLEE You mean one of those west side story gangs don't you? Like singing and stuff, right? That's the kind of gang my parents would've had. NURSE WATSON Oh no. They were the ones getting in trouble all the time. There wasn't a day one of them didn't come into this office with a small cut or a mild concussion. No, I had my work cut out. Ashlee's amused look changes into a stern face. ASHLEE I saw you at the funeral. Thank you. NURSE WATSON I knew her well. She was the nicest girl in school when she was young. It was easy to see why your father fell in love with her. This town just hasn't been the same without-- Ashlee interrupts her. ASHLEE Thank you. I appreciate it. An uncomfortable silence overtakes the room. NURSE WATSON Well, you better be heading back to class now. No need in wasting precious education time. Whenever you need to talk, I'm right here honey. ASHLEE I know. Ashlee walks out of her office. NURSE WATSON (to herself) I know. EXT. QUINCY HIGH - FRONT PARKING LOT - LATER A TOW TRUCK tows Ashlee's red mustang. ASHLEE Third time this week. JESSE Maybe you should tell your dad you hate Betty. ASHLEE That would just break his heart. I can't tell him right now. JESSE Right. ASHLEE Okay, so I'll see you guys later? JESSE Yeah, we'll see you there. PARIS Ashlee, how's your head doing? ASHLEE It hurts like hell. KELLY Now you know how I feel every single day. A soda can hits Kelly in the head. ASHLEE Right. EXT. STREET - MOMENTS LATER Jesse, Kelly and Paris rush home. Ashlee walks down the street alone. The sky turns to gray. Rain is coming. Ashlee picks up the pace. ASHLEE (V.O.) What a way to start your senior year. (beat) What a way to start anything. I knew what was coming next was going to be hard. I just couldn't imagine going back to that place again so soon, and with this strange feeling at the bottom of my stomach. But you know, they say bad things happen for a good reason, but sometimes, you just don't see them, or her. Ashlee bumps into a beautiful GIRL. She drops her books. He drops his backpack. "The Chronicles of the Ladybug Curse" pops out. ASHLEE I'm sorry, I didn't see you. GIRL It's okay, don't worry. ASHLEE No, no, it was my fault. Let me help you. Ashlee picks up the girl's books. The girl picks up Ashlee's backpack and "The Chronicles". She looks at the notebook. GIRL The Chronicles of the Ladybug Curse? Ashlee takes the notebook away from the girl. ASHLEE It's nothing. Ashlee hands the girl her books. GIRL Thank you. ASHLEE No problem. Ashlee feels something, something new. ASHLEE I'm sorry but, do I know you from somewhere? GIRL You might have seen me today at school. I just transferred to Quincy High. ASHLEE How was your first day? GIRL I'm still getting used to things. Transition's been a little bit "bumpy". ASHLEE Sorry, I'm a bit clumsy. GIRL (whispering) Don't worry. Me too. ASHLEE I noticed. GIRL So, I'll see you around then? ASHLEE Yeah, I hope so, if not I guess we'll be bumping into each other a lot. GIRL Funny. They start to walk away. The girl turns around. GIRL By the way, what's your name? ASHLEE (hesitant) It's Ashlee. GIRL I'm CHARLIE. ASHLEE Cool. CHARLIE Alright, bye. She turns and walks away. ASHLEE (to himself) CHARLIE? It starts to rain, no, not rain, pour. EXT. CEMENTER - DUSK A mourning crowd gathers at Tracy King's funeral. Black umbrellas shielding them from the rain. Ashlee, Jesse, Kelly and Paris stand around an open grave as Tracy King's coffin is lowered. Mr. Harris stands in the background. ASHLEE (V.O.) It was weird. As I stood there, I couldn't help but think that this was supposed to be the year that our lives out in the real world would start, not end. So right then and there, I made a promise to myself. I promised I'd set things straight. The coffin hits the bottom of the grave. People cry and sob. JESSE (to Ashlee) Ashlee, are you okay about us staying over tonight? ASHLEE Yeah, I could use the company. KELLY (to Ashlee) Yeah me too, I don't know where my mind has been all day. ASHLEE Tell me about it. But, yeah, you can stay tonight. I need some cheering up. JESSE We all need some cheering up. Mr. Harris walks over to the guys. MR. HARRIS Let's get going you guys. I'll drop you back at the house and then I have to go back to the office and pick up some papers. I'll be back in time to make dinner. ASHLEE No! (beat) I mean, no, don't worry dad. We'll make dinner. PARIS (whispering to Ashlee) We will? ASHLEE (to Paris) Trust me, it's much better that way. As they walk away from the grave, Ashlee turns his head and looks at a nearby tombstone. Mr. Harris glances at his son. He puts his arm around him MR. HARRIS It's okay son. INT. ASHLEE'S HOUSE - KITCHEN - EVENING Jesse, Kelly and Paris watch as Ashlee cooks dinner on the stove. His cooking looks like vomit too. JESSE (to Ashlee) Are you sure we can eat that food? KELLY (to Jesse) Are you sure that's food? ASHLEE (screaming at all of them) Hey, you wanna eat? PARIS (to Ashlee) I don't wanna die. Wrong words, wrong time. Uncomfortable silence. ASHLEE Look you guys, this is stupid. Tracy wouldn't want us to be sad. He'd want us to be happy. Remember what he did for us? Remember what he did for me? He's been our friend since like... forever. He's the only one who actually enjoyed riding in Betty. A collective grin. PARIS Yeah I remember that. JESSE (to Ashlee) You know, he was the one who dared me to grind that stair railing at school. ASHLEE (to Jesse) And who was the one who visited you each and every single day when you were at the hospital afterwards? JESSE Tracy. PARIS Yeah. He made me spray paint MICHAEL HOLIDAY'S car after he introduced me as Ms. Hilton at the school assembly that one time. KELLY Right, and he was the one who dared me try out for the cheerleading team. Ashlee, Jesse, and Paris look at Kelly with pity. KELLY Okay, so maybe he didn't make me do that, but still, people don't know I'm very light on my feet. PARIS Yeah, you're right Kelly, they don't. ASHLEE Look, Tracy wouldn't want us to be sad. He'd always find a way to make us stronger, even if that meant falling flat on our faces. And right now, it's like he's daring me to finish the "Chronicles", and that's what I'm gonna do. JESSE You're really going to finish them? ASHLEE You're damm right I am. I know I'm not the most focused person in the world, but if I concentrate real hard, I can get some things done. JESSE I know you can. It's just that, you know, Tracy spent most of his time on that book and yeah, I think we all know that Tracy was kind of a book worm. And you're just... you know... you. ASHLEE I know, but I gotta try. Ashlee scoops a spoonful of the "goo food". ASHLEE Now, who wants some dinner? PARIS You mean who wants salmonella? Ashlee throws the spoonful of goo at Paris's face. It splatters all over him. PARIS Bad move Mr. Ashlee. Paris grabs a handful of "vomit food" from the stove and chucks it at Ashlee. Ashlee ducks behind a counter. ASHLEE Okay then. If that's how you wanna play. PARIS Bring it. Ashlee throws another handful of "vomit food" and it hits Paris right in the-- EXT. ALIEN PLANET - SURFACE - NIGHT -- space helmet. The "vomit food" is exactly the same color and consistency as the Alien's blood. Paris shoots through some aliens as he jumps out from a crater. Jesse flies by with his jet pack. He bounces off a rock and kicks an alien in the face. He flies above the aliens and shoots at them with his laser. Kelly takes out his laser. He tries to shoot a LARGE ALIEN that's quickly crawling towards him, but the laser won't work. The alien gets closer and closer. The laser still doesn't work. Kelly gets desperate. The large alien crawls over a little button hidden under the planet's surface. Kelly smiles. KELLY Gotcha! A land mine explodes under the large alien and covers Kelly with goo. KELLY Ew. Ashlee fires his laser. He jumps into a crater and uses his momentum to slide through it and fly out the other side. He spins in the air while firing his laser. He lands on a large hill besides Paris. Both of them run up the hill keeping the aliens at bay. Finally, they reach the top of the hill, only to find a huge canyon. They turn around and spot the incoming aliens. Without hesitating, Ashlee and Paris leap into the canyon. They shoot upwards with their jet packs. The aliens can't stop and they topple over the edge of the canyon. Ashlee and Paris rejoin Kelly and Jesse on the ground. They put their backs to each other as the aliens form a circle around them. ASHLEE Get ready soldiers. Alpha Delta attack formation on my command. JESSE We're ready sir. ASHLEE Now! Suddenly,-- INT. ASHLEE'S HOUSE - KITCHEN -- Mr. Harris walks into the kitchen. Goo is splattered all over the walls. Ashlee, Jesse, Kelly, and Paris stand motionless in the kitchen. Everything's covered with food. They smile. MR. HARRIS I'm glad to see you're taking it well. (beat) I'll order some pizza. EXT. STREET - MORNING ASHLEE (V.O.) Chapter four: "Cursed brothers must always keep an eye out for possibilities". Ashlee, Jesse, Kelly, and Paris drive passed the old abandoned "MILLER THEATER". Its exterior walls covered with graffiti. It's in real bad shape. Ashlee notices Charlie walking by the front of the theater. ASHLEE You know what? Why don't you guys take Betty to school for me? I'll catch up with you later. I have some business to take care off. Jesse spots Charlie. JESSE Okay then, but remember, you have to focus on the book Ash. It has to be your number one priority. ASHLEE Don't worry, it will be. I promise. Ashlee jumps out of the mustang. Jesse, Kelly, and Paris keep on driving. Ashlee walks towards Charlie. She's even more beautiful than before. ASHLEE Hey there Charlie. Charlie looks pleasantly surprised. CHARLIE Good morning, Ashlee. How are you? ASHLEE I'm good, I'm good. How are you? CHARLIE Good. ASHLEE Cool. So, what are you doing here? CHARLIE Oh, I'm just checking the theater out. ASHLEE Not much to see right? CHARLIE Yeah. (beat) I'm so stupid. Charlie puts her head between her hands. She sits on the sidewalk. She's upset. ASHLEE What's wrong? CHARLIE I'm just such an idiot. I did the stupidest thing. ASHLEE What? CHARLIE I volunteered to help raise money to restore this old piece of junk. I don't know why I did it, I just did. I loved this theater when I was a kid and for some reason I just had the urge to do something good for a change. So I went and talked to the owner and he's this really old man who just got so happy when I asked him if I could help raise money for this, THING! And now I can't back out you know. It would break his shriveled up little heart. ASHLEE Don't worry Charlie. Maybe he'll die soon. CHARLIE Don't say that Ashlee! He's a really nice man and he kinda reminded me of my dad. ASHLEE Why? CHARLIE My dad loved the theater. He just loved it. He used to take me to all these great plays and... you know his name was Charlie too. He found it real charming to name his little girl Charlie. ASHLEE What happened? CHARLIE He died when I was 12. ASHLEE I'm sorry. I know how it feels like to lose someone you love. If it makes you feel any better I think Charlie's a great name. I'd kill for a name like Charlie, but no, I'm stuck with Ashlee. CHARLIE I think Ashlee's a really cute name for a boy. ASHLEE Oh, so you think I'm cute? CHARLIE I think your name is. Ashlee's eyes glaze over the theater. ASHLEE You know, I think it's great that you volunteered. How many people are helping you? CHARLIE Well, so far... none. ASHLEE Oh. CHARLIE It's gonna be so expensive and I haven't even got a plan to come up with the money. ASHLEE Charlie, I don't think it's gonna be that expensive, I mean, my dad owns a construction company and I think he gets a lot of stuff dirt cheap. CHARLIE You think your dad could help us restore the theater. ASHLEE Us? CHARLIE Yeah us. Come on Ashlee. You'd be doing me a big favor. I know I only just met you but you seem like a really nice guy. Please Ashlee. Will you help me? ASHLEE I don't know Charlie. My dad's real busy right now and I don't think he'd be interested. Plus, I don't have time. Charlie pulls out her ultimate weapon. Her puppy dog eyes. EXT. QUINCY HIGH - LATER Ashlee, Jesse, Kelly and Paris sit at their round table at lunch. JESSE Ashlee, are you out of your mind?! Restore that old piece of crap? ASHLEE It's not that old. PARIS But it's still a big piece of crap. ASHLEE Paris, when was the last time we helped our community out? PARIS When's the last time our community helped us out, Ashlee? Let me break it to you, but it's kinda clear our community doesn't give damm about us. ASHLEE That's not true. A GUY walks by and throws a soda can at Kelly. Paris points to Kelly. PARIS Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I rest my case. KELLY (rubbing his head) I for one think it's a great idea. Tracy loved the theater. ASHLEE (getting an idea) Right! Tracy loved the theater! KELLY You were planning this for Tracy? Weren't you? ASHLEE (bold face lying) Yeah... I was. We could do it in his honor and... put a little plaque with his name somewhere or something. KELLY Well if it's for Tracy count me in. (beat) But, it's gonna be a lot of work. JESSE (to Ashlee) Kelly's right. You're putting too much on your plate. You have to finish the book, and now you're restoring a theater? ASHLEE Don't you think Tracy deserves all of that? JESSE Yeah, but you're not going to be able to juggle everything at once Ash. ASHLEE I can do it, Jesse, but only if you guys help me. It's just like chapter six of the "Chronicles" says: "Always help your fellow cursed brothers". And right now, I need you guys to help me. Jesse and Paris just can't say no. JESSE Don't use the "Chronicles" on us Ashlee. We'll help you; just don't make us say we told you so. Ashlee puts his hand out. ASHLEE For Tracy. Kelly puts his hand on top of Ashlee's. KELLY For Tracy. Paris puts his hand on top of Kelly's. PARIS For Tracy. Jesse is hesitant, but he gives in. JESSE For Tracy. ASHLEE Thanks and don't worry about it. Anyway, how expensive can it be? EXT. MILLER THEATER - THE NEXT DAY Ashlee, Jesse, Kelly, Paris, and Charlie stand in front of the old abandoned "Miller Theater". It looks even worse than it did before. ASHLEE This is gonna be expensive. CHARLIE Ashlee, what did your dad say about this place? ASHLEE Well I didn't exactly mention this place. I just sort of threw it out as a random question. Dad, what would it take to restore and old theater? CHARLIE And? ASHLEE And he said something about a construction crew, and something something licenses, and something about a lot of money. You know I really thought he'd help us with some of the costs but... we're kinda taking some financial hits back home. He missed work a couple of times and he's not been himself lately. Very secretive. I think my mom's... well, you know, I think it really took a lot out of him. I'm sorry Charlie but, I think we're on our own right now. CHARLIE What happened to your-- Kelly interrupts her. Obviously on purpose. KELLY Hey you know what, let's stop worrying about the money and lets go inside and take a look-see, okay. PARIS Yeah, let's go in. Come on. Paris opens the theater's rusty entrance. Jesse whispers to Ashlee. JESSE (pointing at Charlie) What's she doing here. ASHLEE I told you already, she's the one who gave me the idea. They walk into the theater. INT. MILLER THEATER - LOBBY - CONTINUOUS It's dark and gloomy. Spider webs line the concession stand. The walls are filled with beautiful embellishments whose only job along the years has been to collect dust. Charlie and the guys look around. PARIS Wow, this place is creepy. KELLY Hey, you think there's still some food left in the concession stand? ASHLEE I don't think so Kelly. The only thing left in this theater is dust-- A spider drops and dangles from its web right in front of Ashlee's face. ASHLEE (scared) -- and spiders! CHARLIE (to Ashlee) Don't tell me you're afraid of a little spider. ASHLEE (still scared) No I'm not. Ashlee turns around and finds Jesse dangling a spider right in front of his face. Ashlee falls backwards. JESSE (laughing) He's arachnophobic, Charlie. He can't stand spiders. Ashlee lies on the ground. ASHLEE (sarcastically) Very funny, Jesse. Paris walks over to the entrance of the main theater hall. PARIS (to all of them) Let's go inside. (to Ashlee) Don't worry Ashlee, I'll go in first and make sure there's no spiders. ASHLEE (acting tough) In your dreams Paris. I'm going in first. Ashlee walks over to the entrance of the main theater and opens the door. He walks into-- INT. ANCIENT EGYPTIAN PYRAMID - SECRET PASSAGE -- an ancient Egyptian pyramid. The hallways are covered with hieroglyphics. Sand completely covers the floor. A flaming torch burns its way through the passage. It's the intrepid team of tomb raiders composed of Ashlee, Jesse, Kelly, Paris, and Charlie. They make their way through the passage. ASHLEE I've never seen a pyramid so complex before. JESSE This must have taken them ages to build. I wonder how much gold they spent on a place like this. PARIS I'd like to know how much gold they stashed in a place like this. KELLY Usually all of the gold was placed inside the sacred burial chamber. PARIS Well what are we waiting for? Let's find that treasure. Paris steps ahead of the group. Ashlee quickly takes out his whip and snaps it at Paris. The whip coils around Paris's arm and stops him cold. The ground under Paris's feet collapses. Paris dangles from the whip. A massive abyss beneath him. Ashlee and Jesse pull him up. ASHLEE (to Paris) Don't ever stray ahead of us. This place is rigged with traps left and right. You don't know what kinda crazy crap can fly at you. PARIS (still shaken up) Okay, don't worry, it won't happen again. Ever again. ASHLEE We've got a real problem now. How the hell are we gonna get across this thing? Charlie, what do the hieroglyphics say? Charlie examines the hieroglyphics on the walls. CHARLIE Well... it basically says jump. Jesse and Ashlee look at the other end of the abyss. It doesn't seem like they could jump it. JESSE We won't make it. We need to find another way across. Ashlee and Jesse continue to make assumptions as Charlie decides to back away from the large abyss. ASHLEE Maybe we can go back and find a plank to use as a bridge? JESSE There's no way a plank is coming in through the narrow turns back there. Suddenly, Charlie runs passed them and heads towards the abyss. She leaps to the other side and barely makes it. ASHLEE (stunned) What the hell are you doing?! CHARLIE Somebody had to be the man around here. Jesse and Ashlee look at each other. They start running towards the abyss. They leap across it and land on the other side. Kelly and Paris remain on the other side. KELLY Are you insane? How in the world do you expect me to jump that? Charlie pulls a hidden lever and a bridge slides out from the wall, covering the abyss. CHARLIE There were heavy people back then too. INT. ANCIENT EGYPTIAN PYRAMID - THE PHARAOH'S CORRIDOR The explorers continue their journey into the depths of the pyramid. They wonder into a corridor with stone statues of past pharos lining the walls. The statues hold various sharp objects. An obvious trap. ASHLEE Wait, this is too easy. Ashlee takes out a water bottle from his backpack and throws it into the hallway. Just as the bottle hits the ground, the statue next to it snaps it in half with its sword. PARIS (to Charlie) Alright then, ladies first. Jesse takes a closer look at the sand covered floors. He gently brushes the sand off to reveal a red stone pattern hidden beneath. JESSE Look, there's some kind of trail under the sand. I bet if we step on the red bricks we can make it across. Charlie pulls another lever from the wall. CHARLIE. Or, I could just turn the mechanism off. Charlie proudly walks across the hallway. ASHLEE (whispers to Jesse) Isn't she great? JESSE (to Ashlee) No she's not. ASHLEE (bitterly) Someone's got sand up their ass. Ashlee walks through the corridor. JESSE (to Ashlee) Hey, it's a sensitive area! INT. ANCIENT EGYPTIAN PYRAMID - SACRED BURIAL CHAMBER The explorers finally reach the sacred burial chamber. Mounds of gold wherever they look. Paris can't contain his excitement and throws himself onto a pile of gold. PARIS Gold! I love gold! Jesse grabs Paris and pulls him out form the pile of gold. JESSE Try to control yourself Paris, remember this place isn't safe. Ashlee and Charlie examine the room and find 2 golden Egyptian sarcophagi. ASHLEE Mummies! KELLY Mummies? Are they dead? ASHLEE Of course they're dead. (whispering to Charlie) They are dead, right? CHARLIE Yep, they're dead. PARIS There must be millions of dollars worth of stuff in here. ASHLEE Just the arqueological value of these coffins is worth more than all of the gold in here. Charlie examines the hieroglyphics on the sarcophagus. PARIS What does it say? CHARLIE It seems to me like these are the remains of a royal couple. It says-- INT. MILLER THEATER - MAIN STAGE - CONTINUOUS CHARLIE (CONT'D) -- "ASHLEE AND LESLIE FOREVER". Ashlee, Jesse, Kelly, Paris and Charlie stand on the dusty theater stage. They gather around a carving on the floor that reads "ASHLEE AND LESLIE FOREVER" JESSE (to Ashlee) Who's this Leslie we're suddenly finding out about, Ashlee? ASHLEE No one I know. I'm not that Ashlee. CHARLIE. Oh my gosh, this is so romantic you guys. It's like a secret love message from the past. PARIS A secret lesbian love message CHARLIE Stop being such a guy Paris. PARIS I am a guy. CHARLIE Could have fooled me. The guys examine the stage. There are sand bags scattered around the floor. Some of them are still dangerously hanging from the ceiling. ASHLEE We're gonna need some serious cash to fix this place up. KELLY No kidding, but where are we gonna get it? CHARLIE I don't know, I don't know. Let's brainstorm for a while. PARIS Yeah, but lets do it quickly before this whole place comes crashing down on top of us. Paris leans on an inclined stage pillar. ASHLEE Wait, don't lean on that-- INT. ANCIENT EGYPTIAN PYRAMID - SACRED BURIAL CHAMBER The explorers are back in the sacred burial chamber. ASHLEE (CONT'D) -- scepter! Paris leans on a scepter and knocks it over. The whole pyramid starts to shake. The walls begin to shift and sand begins to pour into the sacred burial chamber. KELLY What's going on? CHARLIE Paris must have tripped another trap. ASHLEE Charlie, what do we do now? Charlie quickly reads the hieroglyphics on the walls. CHARLIE Well, it basically says... (screaming) run! The explorers dash out from the sacred burial chamber. Paris manages to grab a handful of rubies. INT. ANCIENT EGYPTIAN PYRAMID - THE PHARAOH'S CORRIDOR Ashlee leads the explorers back into the pharaoh's corridor. The corridor shakes. Stones fall from the ceiling. Ashlee is about to run right through it when he hears Charlie scream. CHARLIE Wait! Stop! That trap must have reactivated the other ones. Ashlee stops cold in his tracks, but Kelly doesn't. Kelly bumps into Ashlee from behind and pushes him into the corridor. Ashlee lands smack in the middle of two statues. The statues swing their swords and they swish right passed Ashlee's face. He stands still for a while, miraculously unharmed. The swords didn't touch him. He looks at the other explorers in shock. ASHLEE Keep running! The other explorers run as fast as they can through the corridor. The swords swish by, barely missing them. They all make it out alive and in one piece at the other end of the corridor. INT. ANCIENT EGYPTIAN PYRAMID - SECRET PASSAGE The explorers run through the narrow passage and head towards the now bridgeless abyss. ASHLEE It took down the bridge! CHARLIE Just jump God dammit! Ashlee, Jesse, Paris and Charlie jump the gap and land on the other side. Kelly doesn't want to jump. JESSE You've gotta jump Kelly! KELLY I can't make it. PARIS Yes you can. Remember "Free Willy". If he can make it then you can too. Kelly gathers up all his strength and as the walls behind him collapse, he leaps-- INT. MILLER THEATER - MAIN STAGE -- from the main stage and onto the theater floor. Sand bags fall from the theater's ceiling and burst as they hit the stage. Kelly lands on his face next to Ashlee, Jesse, Paris, and Charlie. KELLY I made it! A soda can flies out of the main stage wreckage and hits Kelly on the head. He faints. Ashlee grabs the soda can and reads the label. ASHLEE Huh, 1992. Good year. EXT. MILLER THEATER - MOMENTS LATER The whole gang walks out of the theater. CHARLIE Wow, I can't believe how dangerous it was in there. JESSE Yeah, that escalated quickly. ASHLEE I know. Swords almost split me in half. The gang looks at Ashlee in confusion. ASHLEE What? It's an expression. KELLY I'm hungry you guys. PARIS You're always hungry. ASHLEE I'm kinda hungry myself. Wanna go back to my place? I can make some food. JESSE No! (trying to redeem himself) Let's go get some pizza. INT. PIRATE PEET'S PIZZA PLACE - LATER The guys and Charlie sit inside a pirate ship themed pizza place. The restaurant prides itself on its family friendly environment. It has a large play area in the form of a pirate ship, where children scream and play. ASHLEE (V.O.) The stakes had changed so fast, not only was I trying to fulfill Tracy's destiny, keep my friends happy, and win over Charlie's heart, but now I had to get money. I shouldn't have read chapter nine of the chronicles: "Cursed Brothers Support Each Other's Ideas". KELLY How long does it take to get a pizza around here? ASHLEE It's been like 20 minutes. CHARLIE Let's talk about other stuff you guys. How are we gonna get that money? ASHLEE I don't know. KELLY Me neither. I can't think on an empty stomach. CHARLIE Do you always think about food? KELLY (ashamed) Yeah I do. ASHLEE Look Charlie, I'm having my doubts about this project. It's harder than I thought. CHARLIE But Ashlee, we can't just give up, we haven't even tried. I never thought you were a quitter. ASHLEE I'm not a quitter. I'm just a very realistic person. JESSE (sarcastically) Yeah right. You're realistic. ASHLEE Shut up Jesse. Kelly gets very impatient as he waits for his pizza. KELLY (to Charlie) Why the hell is this pizza taking so long? CHARLIE I don't know, maybe it's because this place is jammed packed with little kids. Get a grip Kelly, it's gonna come sooner or later. In the mean time, anyone have any bright ideas? PARIS (to Charlie) We could ask for charity. You know, stand on a corner and ask for change. JESSE (to Paris) We're not that desperate. PARIS (to Jesse) Okay then, do you have any bright ideas? JESSE As a matter of fact I do. EXT. MORGAN OAKS NEIGHBORHOOD - A WEEK LATER. Large plentiful gardens grace the beauty that is the "Morgan Oaks Neighborhood". Clean streets and happy children, that's what it's all about. The guys and Charlie walk down the street carrying gardening equipment. JESSE Gardening is a very lucrative profession. ASHLEE What are you talking about? Name one person who's made name for themselves in the gardening world. JESSE Carolus Clusius. ASHLEE You just made that up! JESSE You don't know that. Besides, at my last job I made a ton of money and had a very high position. I worked above thousands of people in suits. ASHLEE You mowed the lawn at the cemetery! The guys and Charlie walk down the street. EXT. NURSE WATSON'S HOUSE The guys and Charlie arrive at nurse Watson's house. Ashlee rings the doorbell. JESSE It was weird, I mean, she really wanted to get help with her garden. KELLY I've always found nurse Watson a little creepy. PARIS I know, she treats everything with [Peptobismol]. Nurse Watson opens the front door. NURSE WATSON Come in boys... (looking at Charlie) and girl. INT. NURSE WATSON'S HOUSE - CONTINUOUS Tacky furniture and glass figurines fill every available space inside the house. Her 20 CATS run and hide behind anything they can find. Their eyes slowly scanning the intruders from head to toe. ASHLEE (to nurse Watson) So, Jesse tells me you need help with your garden. NURSE WATSON Oh, yes, desperate help. You now with my bad back I can't afford to bend down and pull out those bad weeds. I might get stuck and stay like that for a week before anybody finds me. ASHLEE Don't worry nurse Watson. We'll take care of your garden. NURSE WATSON Oh thank you sweetheart, let me show you the backyard. Nurse Watson leads the pack out to the backyard. EXT. NURSE WATSON'S HOUSE - BACKYARD - CONTINUOUS A complete mess. Weeds growing all over the place, dead roses, large green bushes out of control. Nurse Watson directs the pack out to the garden. NURSE WATSON It's quite awful. Those bushes are in desperate need of some trimming. ASHLEE Don't worry we'll get right on it. NURSE WATSON Oh and if you could pay extra attention to my roses, that would just be wonderful. They seem to die fairly quickly, I don't know why tho. ASHLEE We'll figure it out. When we're finish with this place it's gonna be a regular garden of Eden. Nurse Watson heads back into the house. JESSE (to Ashlee) You turned out to be quite optimistic promising her all that stuff. ASHLEE She's a nice lady. What's wrong with showing some optimism? JESSE Nothing, nothing at all. ASHLEE Okay then, let's get cracking. Ashlee, grabs his machete and-- EXT. AMAZON JUNGLE - CONTINUOUS -- chops through wild jungle vegetation. A scientific expedition team treks down the dangerous Amazon jungle. Ashlee, the guide, leads the other explores, Jesse, Kelly, Paris, and Charlie, through the humid habitat. ASHLEE Now keep you're eyes open. The jungle is no place for scientists like yourselves. PARIS (wiping the sweat form his forehead) Very well then, I'm sharp as a cat. ASHLEE Don't talk about cats right now, Dr. Paris. There are some mighty large ones in this area. Kelly looks at a FLOWER through a magnifying glass. KELLY These flowers are exquisite. Very colorful indeed. CHARLIE Mr. Ashlee, how long until we reach the valley? ASHLEE Not too long, but we have to take it slow. These regions are not precisely suited for a lady like yourself. CHARLIE (insulted) I beg your pardon? I'm very capable of taking care of myself. Ashlee throws his machete at Charlie. The machete barely misses her face, but it didn't miss the snake's head dangling beside her. ASHLEE I told you to keep your eyes open. The group continues to hike through the jungle. EXT. AMAZON JUNGLE - RIVER'S EDGE - CONTINUOUS The group decides to rest near the river's edge. The river is calm and murky. Large rocks rise from the river's surface. They form a natural bridge across the river. ASHLEE Just ten minutes of break time and then we'll keep on moving towards the valley. Charlie cools herself down by pouring water from a canteen on her face. Ashlee stares in disbelief. CHARLIE So, how long have you been a guide? ASHLEE Not that long ago. To tell the truth I was mostly a follower. I had a friend who guided me through life for a long time. CHARLIE And now? ASHLEE Now he's not here to lead me, but I'm starting to believe it's a good thing. There's just that moment in life where you decide it's time to start making your own decisions. CHARLIE I know what you mean. ASHLEE So, tell me again why you're here in the jungle? CHARLIE We're trying to find a cure for a rare disease. We believe a very special insect might provide us with the final key toward discovering a cure. ASHLEE A cure for what? CHARLIE The roses. ASHLEE (confused) What? EXT. NURSE WATSON'S HOUSE - BACKYARD - CONTINUOUS The guys are back at the garden. Charlie examines some dead roses from the garden. CHARLIE The roses. ASHLEE What? CHARLIE These roses aren't dying, they're being eaten. The group huddles around the roses. Tiny little aphids crawl all over them. PARIS What are those things? KELLY I've heard about these, they're called aphids. They devoured entire crops in the old days. ASHLEE It certainly seems they've grown fond of these roses tho. CHARLIE How can we get rid of them? KELLY I have no idea. Ashlee notices that the soil is covered in a pink substance. He scoops some of it up with his finger. He smells it, and then he tastes it. ASHLEE [Peptobismol]. She does think it cures everything. KELLY I bet it doesn't kill aphids. ASHLEE Maybe we should just leave these roses alone, concentrate on the other parts of the garden. PARIS Fine by me, as long as we finish with these plants and get paid. I wasn't cut out for manual labor. Just then, something behind them growls. The group turns around to find-- EXT. AMAZON JUNGLE - RIVER'S EDGE - CONTINUOUS -- a fierce JAGUAR. Its eyes filled with the lust for explorer's blood. The explorers stand still for a moment. ASHLEE (whispering) Alright, nobody make any sudden movements. Kelly, Jesse, Paris, and Charlie don't listen to Ashlee's advice and jump onto the rocks coming out from the river's surface. Ashlee has no choice but to follow them. The explorers leap from rock to rock trying not to fall into the crocodile infested waters. They make it to the other side of the river. Paris looks at the other river bank and sees the jaguar still standing there. PARIS Yes! We're safe, it can't swim. Naturally, the jaguar leaps onto the rocks too, and starts to make its way towards them. PARIS Damm it! The explorers run deep into the jungle trying to escape the jaguar. EXT. AMAZON JUNGLE - CONTINUOUS The explorers storm through the jungle. The wild jaguar quickly catching up. KELLY Is it still chasing us? Charlie looks back and sees the jaguar getting closer and closer. CHARLIE Yes it is! They explorers find themselves in front of a huge tree in the middle of the jungle. JESSE Quick, climb! The explorers start to climb the tree as fast as they can. EXT. AMAZON JUNGLE - TREE TOPS The explorers reunite on a tree branch on top of the tree. Paris looks down at the jaguar. PARIS Yes! They can't climb trees. The group hears a loud PURR. They look at the branch besides them to find a family of JAGUARS on top of it, but wait a minute, they're sleeping. ASHLEE (whispering) Okay, this time, nobody make a sound. A huge SPIDER plops down onto Ashlee's shoulder. Ashlee lets out a high pitched scream. The jaguar family wakes up. Ashlee starts to freak out. As the jaguars come closer and closer, the explorers get more and more worried. CHARLIE What are we gonna do?! What are we gonna do?! Amidst the chaos, Ashlee continues to try and brush the spider off. He falls from the tree branch, but manages to hang on to a vine. He swings from the vine to another tree. Kelly grabs another vine. KELLY I hope they're strong. Kelly swings over to the other tree. The whole gang repeats this maneuver. EXT. OTHER TREE - CONTINUOUS Paris looks back at the jaguars they left behind. PARIS Who's laughing now huh? I'd be real surprised if you could swing too. The explorers hear another PURR behind them. They turn around and find that the first jaguar they encountered has now climbed up their tree. PARIS Damm it! The jaguar tries to pounce on top of Paris, but he-- EXT. NURSE WATSON'S HOUSE - BACKYARD -- kicks the SMALL CAT away. Nurse Watson watches in horror as her favorite kitten flies through the air. NURSE WATSON Kitty! INT. NURSE WATSON'S HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - MOMENTS LATER Ashlee sits in front of nurse Watson. She pets her small cat. Paris, Jesse, Kelly, and Charlie stand ashamed behind Ashlee. ASHLEE We are so sorry nurse Watson. We didn't mean to hurt your cat, it's just that, well, some people are a little bit... How can I put this without being to harsh? Idiots. NURSE WATSON It's okay Ashlee, but it's not me who you should be apologizing to. Nurse Watson holds up her cat in front of Ashlee's face. ASHLEE (to the cat) Sorry. NURSE WATSON Apology accepted. Did you finish the garden? ASHLEE Yeah, except for the roses. There's no use in trying. NURSE WATSON Oh Ashlee, you can't give up just like that. There's gotta be something else you can do. ASHLEE I'm sorry. I don't... NURSE WATSON Well, it's okay then. I'll guess I'll have to live without them. Nurse Watson carries her cat away into the kitchen. She grabs a bottle of [Peptobismol] from a shelf. NURSE WATSON Here kitty, this will make it all better. Ashlee and the others share a confused look. INT. PIRATE PEET'S PIZZA PLACE - A WEEK LATER Ashlee and the gang look for jobs in the newspaper. As always, Pirate Peet's Pizza Place is jammed packed with kids. ASHLEE Well that didn't work. JESSE I'm sorry, but how was I supposed to know Paris was afraid of cats. PARIS I'm very sensitive to aggression. JESSE Shut up. Jesse punches Paris in the arm. PARIS What the hell's your problem man? Charlie stops the fight before it escalates any further. CHARLIE Stop. Stop it. You guys, we're getting off track. What are we gonna do about the money? PARIS I don't know. ASHLEE Me neither. I'm broke. I've paid a tow truck three weeks in a row. Betty's like the most expensive old hag on the planet. CHARLIE Who's Betty? ASHLEE Oh, she's my car. CHARLIE You have a car? ASHLEE A 1975 [Mustang] convertible. CHARLIE Cool. ASHLEE Not really. Imagine a red soda can with wheels on it. Kelly slams his fists against the table. KELLY WHERE IS MY PIZZA!? The gang controls Kelly. ASHLEE Kelly, calm down. It'll get here. KELLY I've been waiting for twenty minutes! Jesse slaps Kelly. JESSE Calm down Kelly. ASHLEE (to Jesse) Stop hitting people. JESSE It worked, didn't it? Kelly slouches in his seat. KELLY Sorry you guys. I get a little frustrated when I'm hungry. Why is there such bad service around here? Ashlee and Charlie scan the whole restaurant. Hundreds of kids, but hardly any waiters. They spot a sign that reads: INSERT: HELP WANTED INT. PIRATE PEET'S PIZZA PLACE - RECEPTION AREA Charlie wears a very unflattering pirate uniform (parrot included). She greets a HAPPY FATHER AND SON as they enter the restaurant. CHARLIE (Melodically) Welcome to Pirate Peet's Pizza Place, the place where cheesy pirate pizza dreams come true... Argh. HAPPY FATHER Thank you. CHARLIE I'll show you to your table. Charlie takes the happy father and son to their table. INT. PIRATE PEET'S PIZZA PLACE - TABLE #1 - MOMENTS LATER The happy father and son sit down at their table. Charlie prepares to take their order. CHARLIE So what will it be? HAPPY FATHER Well, it's my son's birthday today and we heard you guys had the best birthday special in town. CHARLIE That's right. One "Pirate Peet's Pizza Birthday Platter" coming right up. Charlie pulls a lever on a nearby wall. INT. PIRATE PEET'S PIZZA PLACE - KITCHEN A red siren goes off in the kitchen. Ashlee, Jesse, Kelly, and Paris wear silly pirate costumes as they shuffle plates of food around. ASHLEE Not another birthday. A FAT COOK throws Ashlee a large pizza with sparklers on top. FAT COOK (to Ashlee) Get that to table #1. Ashlee slams open the kitchen door. EXT. PIRATE PEET'S PIZZA PLACE - TABLE #1 Ashlee sings and dances out of the kitchen door. He carries the pizza. ASHLEE OH, THE SEA IS ROUGH AND THE WIND IS TOUGH. JUST ANOTHER YEAR OF A BUCCANEER. SO COME ON DOWN TO PIRATE PEET'S AND HAVE A HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY BIRTHDAY PARTY, ARGH! The happy father applauds. The HAPPY SON (about 8 years-old) gets a little too excited and jumps on the table. HAPPY SON Again. Again. ASHLEE I'm sorry little captain. Just one time. HAPPY SON Do it again clown! ASHLEE I'm a pirate. HAPPY SON Do it again! The happy father manages to get his kid off the table. HAPPY FATHER (to happy son) Calm down son. Why don't you go play on the pirate ship? That looks fun. HAPPY SON (angry) Alright. The happy son runs over to the pirate ship play place. HAPPY FATHER (to Ashlee) I'm sorry. He's got some emotional issues we've been dealing with. ASHLEE Don't worry about it. It's cool. I understand. INT. PIRATE PEET'S PIZZA PLACE - KITCHEN Ashlee walks back into the kitchen. ASHLEE Crazy bastard child. Jesse finished making and ice cream sundae. JESSE (referring to the kid) Another one. ASHLEE They're all the same. Kelly grabs the ice cream sundae and starts to eat it KELLY So what's up with Betty? ASHLEE My dad took her to the repair shop. I don't know how much good that's gonna do, but, I ain't paying. JESSE (to Kelly) Is that the sundae for table #3? KELLY Was. Paris rubs his fake pirate mustache. PARIS You guy's think I should grow one of these? You know, like Geraldo Rivera. JESSE Grow a pair first. Suddenly, Charlie runs in to the kitchen. CHARLIE (exasperated) You guys better get out here. That birthday kid's going crazy. ASHLEE What? Ashlee and company storm out of the kitchen and into-- INT. ASHLEE'S PIRATE SHIP - TOP DECK - DAY -- a PIRATE SHIP. The ocean is restless. A full-fledged nautical battle unravels. ANOTHER PIRATE SHIP fires cannonballs at Ashlee's ship. Ashlee has become a full bearded captain, while his friends have all become buccaneers. ASHLEE What's going on? CHARLIE They came out of nowhere Cap'n. ASHLEE Well what the hell are you waiting for? Fire back! Jesse and Kelly prepare a cannon. Paris lights the fuse and BAM! The cannon ball flies through the air and blasts a hole into the other pirate ship. The other pirate ship starts to sail closer and closer. ASHLEE They're going to board the ship. Get ready for man to man combat. BAD PIRATES swing from their ship and land on Ashlee's. A dirty pirate battle ensues. Ashlee, Jesse, Kelly, Paris, and Charlie all fight on different locations of the ship. Swords clink. Punches fly. Kicks connect. Suddenly, the BaD CAPTAIN has the upper hand on Ashlee. Just as he's about to drive his sword into Ashlee's head, Ashlee dives out of the way. Ashlee gets behind a large cannon, points it at the bad captain, and lights the fuse. BAD CAPTAIN You dirty sea dog. BAM! The cannon fires an-- INT. PIRATE PEET'S PIZZA PLACE - PIRATE SHIP PLAY PLACE -- orange plastic ball. The plastic ball hits the happy son right in the face. He falls into a large pool of plastic balls. HAPPY FATHER (O.C.) My son! What are you doing? The happy father pushes Ashlee out of the way. ASHLEE He was out of control. Jesse appears from under the ball pool. JESSE What was he supposed to do? You should have been keeping an eye on you're crazy kid. The happy son sobs uncontrollably in his father's arms. HAPPY SON This is the worst birthday ever! The happy son and father leave the play area. The MANAGER walks over to Ashlee and Jesse. MANAGER You're fired! (he points to the ball pool) All of you! Charlie, Kelly, and Paris lift their heads out from the ball pool. EXT. STREET - NIGHT Ashlee and his friend sit on the sidewalk. JESSE Alright, so we've injured a cat and a kid so far. What will it be next? A dolphin? ASHLEE How was I supposed to know the kid would cry? JESSE You hit him in the face. ASHLEE Oh, like my spaghetti arms can do that much damage. Charlie throws a small rock across the street. CHARLIE I'm beginning to think you're right Ashlee. ASHLEE About my spaghetti arms? CHARLIE No. About this being too hard. Maybe we should quit. ASHLEE We can't quit. We've just gotta stick it out. We'll come up with a plan to get the money. I promise. Charlie hugs Ashlee. CHARLIE Thank you Ashlee. You're so selfless. You're going through a lot of trouble just because I asked you too. Jesse gets suspicious. JESSE What? I thought we we're doing this for-- Ashlee abruptly cuts Jesse off. ASHLEE How about a garage sale? Fortunately for Ashlee, Kelly likes the idea and goes along with it. KELLY Yeah, that brings in a lot of money. I have a lot of useless crap I can sell. JESSE Wait a minute. Let's go back a sec. Aren't we doing this for-- Charlie checks her watch. CHARLIE Oh my God. It's getting late. My mom is gonna kill me. I'll see you guys tomorrow and thanks again Ash. You're such a sweetheart. Charlie kisses Ashlee on the cheek and runs off. Paris and Kelly pat Ashlee on the back. PARIS Player! KELLY How do you do it spaghetti arms? ASHLEE I don't know. Jesse looks at Ashlee. JESSE How the hell do you expect to get the money? Kelly said it himself; all we have is a bunch of useless stuff. Last time I check, nobody wants to buy useless stuff. ASHLEE I'll sell Betty. JESSE Again, nobody wants to buy useless stuff. ASHLEE Some people do. JESSE Ashlee, your father is never gonna let you sell it anyway. No, not even that, nobody is gonna want it. We're gonna have to end up paying somebody to take it. ASHLEE I've got a plan. JESSE Here we go again. INT. ASHLEE'S HOUSE - ASHLEE'S ROOM - DAY Ashlee, Jesse, Kelly, and Paris sit in Ashlee's room. ASHLEE (V.O.) Chapter 23: "A rose by any other name would smell just as sweet". It's all about the wording, and right now, I had to pick the right words to keep Jesse from finding out I haven't been really focusing on the chronicles. How am I supposed to handle all the responsibilities I've suddenly acquired? KELLY When's Charlie gonna get here? ASHLEE She's not. I didn't invite her. PARIS Why not? (beat) Oh, playing hard to get are you? That's cool, that's cool. ASHLEE No, it's not that. I just think this should be between us right now. I mean, it is for Tracy. That comment was meant for Jesse. JESSE If you say so, but I'm still a little worried about selling your car. ASHLEE Don't worry; my dad went to pick Betty up from the shop. This plan is gonna get us the money. I promise you I'll sell the car. JESSE You sure? ASHLEE Yes, I promise. I'll convince my dad to put an ad in the paper. All we need to worry about right now is making this car sound like the most incredible piece of machinery on 4 wheels. JESSE That's gonna be impossible. ASHLEE No it's not. It's all about picking the right words. JESSE There are no right words for your car. The thing doesn't even start half the time! ASHLEE We'll say it has a quiet engine. JESSE It was towed 3 times last week! ASHLEE Fuel efficient. JESSE The thing looks like it's a hundred years-old. ASHLEE Classic. JESSE The seats are totally shredded! ASHLEE Rugged interiors. JESSE It has like 50 dents. The thing looks like an accordion. ASHLEE Easy to park. KELLY That's good. ASHLEE (to Kelly) I know right. Betty will practically sell herself. The SOUND of a car pulling up the driveway startles Paris. He looks out the window. PARIS Oh my God. ASHLEE What? PARIS Looks like Betty got a face lift. Ashlee rushes over to the window. ASHLEE Oh my-- EXT. ASHLEE'S HOUSE - DRIVEWAY ASHLEE -- God! Betty is parked in the driveway. She has gotten a total makeover. Brand new paint job. The dents are gone. The top is working. Chrome rims. Betty has become a total hottie of a car. Jesse, Kelly, and Paris have their jaws on the floor. MR. HARRIS Surprise! ASHLEE What? I mean, how? When? What!? Ashlee inspects every inch of the brand new Mustang. MR. HARRIS Happy? Ashlee hugs the crap out of his father. ASHLEE I love you dad. MR. HARRIS I thought you'd say that. ASHLEE Why did you do this? MR. HARRIS I don't know. I guess I wanted you to feel the way I felt when my dad gave me this car. I know it wasn't in the best shape so... I took the liberty to ask for a full makeover. ASHLEE But I thought we were low on cash? MR. HARRIS We are now. ASHLEE Dad, you didn't have to do this. MR. HARRIS Just glad to see you happy, son. ASHLEE I love you dad. MR. HARRIS Okay. I'll let you boys check out the new Betty while I go inside and figure out how I'm gonna pay for this. Mr. Harris walks into the house. Ashlee freaks out over the car. Kelly walks over to his side. KELLY I guess you were right, Betty's practically gonna sell herself. ASHLEE What? KELLY You're still gonna sell it aren't you? ASHLEE Hell no! Are you out of your God damm mind? I'm not gonna sell her. JESSE Then how are we gonna get the money? ASHLEE I don't know. JESSE You'd said you'd do it for Tracy. ASHLEE I don't care what I said. Wrong choice of words. ASHLEE (ashamed) Sorry, I didn't mean that. I do care about Tracy and the theater... JESSE No you don't! I'm not an idiot, Ashlee. It's clear to me that the only reason you've put so much effort into this is because of Charlie. You're only thinking about yourself. ASHLEE It's not easy being me you know. JESSE Yeah, well it's not easy feeling sorry for you. Now get out of that car. ASHLEE No! JESSE Get out of the freaking-- INT. PIRATE SHIP - TOP DECK - DAY JESSE -- ship! Mutiny has occurred aboard the pirate ship. Captain Ashlee walks the plank. Beneath him lies a sea of shark infested waters. Buccaneers Jesse, Kelly, and Paris point their swords at Ashlee. ASHLEE You can't do this to me you scoundrels. JESSE You broke your promise. ASHLEE The only thing I'm gonna break is your face, Jesse. JESSE Jump! ASHLEE This is my ship! JESSE It belongs to the Cap'n. ASHLEE I am your Cap'n! JESSE Not anymore. Ashlee's hurt. ASHLEE Argh. Ashlee jumps off the plank. The sharks in the water open their teeth infested jaws. Ashlee falls into-- EXT. ASHLEE'S HOUSE - DRIVEWAY - CONTINUOUS -- the front seat of Betty the mustang. He puts the petal to the metal. Jesse, Kelly, and Paris are left standing there. KELLY (to Jesse) You really shouldn't have said-- JESSE Shut up. INT. BETTY THE MUSTANG Ashlee drives. At first mad, but then... tears. He wipes them off his eyes and grabs his cellphone. EXT. CHARLIE'S HOUSE - DUSK Ashlee pulls up to Charlie's house. He honks the horn. Charlie runs out the front door. She's so excited over Betty. Ashlee gets out of the car. CHARLIE I thought you said Betty was a tin can on wheels? ASHLEE Brand new Betty. CHARLIE I like her. Ashlee opens the door for Charlie. ASHLEE Madame. CHARLIE Such a gentleman. Charlie and Ashlee get in the car. They drive off into the sunset. EXT. BEACH - NIGHT Betty the mustang is parked at the beach. Ashlee and Charlie lie on the hood of the car. They look up at the stars. CHARLIE I'm really glad I met you Ash. ASHLEE Me too. (beat) You know what I mean. I'm glad I met you. Charlie laughs. Ashlee is silent. CHARLIE What's wrong? ASHLEE Nothing. CHARLIE Don't lie to me. I know something's wrong. You're not the same. ASHLEE I just got in a fight with my friends. That's all. CHARLIE I don't know what you guys are fighting over, but I gotta say I've never seen a group of friends support each other as much as you guys do. ASHLEE I don't know about that. CHARLIE It's true. You guys have one thing in common. ASHLEE Our girl names. CHARLIE No, that you care about each other. ASHLEE I don't know. I guess it's just another part of being cursed. CHARLIE Cursed? ASHLEE (hesitant) Yeah, well, the ladybug curse. CHARLIE The ladybug curse? ASHLEE Yeah, you know how a ladybug can be male or female but either way you still call it a ladybug. CHARLIE Yeah. ASHLEE Well, we're ladybugs. Charlie bursts into laughter. ASHLEE What? CHARLIE You call yourselves ladybugs? ASHLEE Oh, like Ashlee is such a manly name in the first place. CHARLIE I know but, ladybugs? ASHLEE Shut up and kiss me. Ashlee and Charlie make out under the night sky. Charlie laughs. ASHLEE What's so funny? CHARLIE Ladybugs. ASHLEE Alright stop it. It's getting annoying. CHARLIE I'm sorry. Ashlee goes in for another kiss, but suddenly, Charlie has an epiphany. CHARLIE Ladybugs, that's it. ASHLEE What did I just tell you? Charlie jumps of the hood of the car and opens the passenger door. CHARLIE No, no, that's not it. Get in the car. I'll explain on the way. ASHLEE Where are we going? INT. NURSE WATSON'S HOUSE - NIGHT Nurse Watson answers the front door. Ashlee and Charlie stand on the porch with a LARGE BOX. NURSE WATSON Ashlee, what are you doing here so late? ASHLEE I think we've found a way to save your roses. EXT. NURSE WATSON'S HOUSE - BACKYARD - SECONDS LATER Hundreds of LADYBUGS fly out of the large box. Ashlee, Charlie, and nurse Watson watch in amazement as the ladybugs begin to eat the tiny little aphids that crawl on the roses. CHARLIE I remember my dad used to tell me stories about how the ladybugs in his grandfather's farm would save the crops every year. He said the ladybugs were an army of soldiers. They'd arrive every summer with their red armors ready to fight the evil pests. NURSE WATSON That's beautiful. ASHLEE Yeah, it is. NURSE WATSON So my roses will be alright? CHARLIE Yeah, they'll be fine. NURSE WATSON Thank you sweetheart. Do I owe you anything? CHARLIE No, don't worry about it. NURSE WATSON Just one question. How did you get all these ladybugs? CHARLIE My dad was a biologist. He studied insects and the mating habits of ladybugs. NURSE WATSON Oh, well you must be tired. I'll bring you a couple of bottles of [Peptobismol]. Nurse Watson goes into her house ASHLEE The mating habits of ladybugs? I like the sound of that. Charlie elbows Ashlee in the stomach. EXT. NURSE WATSON'S HOUSE Ashlee and Charlie walk out of nurse Watson's house carrying 2 bottles of [Peptobismol]. Nurse Watson says goodbye form her front door. NURSE WATSON Thanks again. Oh, and (to Ashlee) Mr. Harris. Ashlee turns around. NURSE WATSON Ashlee would be proud of you. Nurse Watson walks into her house. Charlie gives Ashlee a confused look. CHARLIE Ashlee? ASHLEE My mom. (beat) Come on, I'll drive you home. Ashlee and Charlie drive off. EXT. ASHLEE'S HOUSE - DRIVEWAY - NIGHT Ashlee parks his car in the driveway. He gets out of the car and opens the front door. INT. ASHLEE'S HOUSE - ASHLEE'S ROOM - NIGHT Ashlee gets into bed. He contemplates the multiple pictures of him and his friends. He pulls the covers over his head. He hears a NOISE. He quickly pulls the covers off his head and realizes he's now in a large-- INT. MEDIEVAL CASTLE - BEDROOM - NIGHT -- medieval bedroom. Torches illuminate the multiple portraits of Ashlee and his friends. King Ashlee gets out of bed. He contemplates all of the portraits. He hears a NOISE behind him. He turns around and his eyes fill with tears as he sees Tracy King sitting on his bed. ASHLEE Tracy? TRACY How you been Ashlee? ASHLEE (teary eyed) I can't believe this. TRACY Believe it. (beat) How are the chronicles coming along? ASHLEE Good. TRACY Liar. ASHLEE Things have been different. Things change. TRACY I know. I've noticed how you've doing without me. I'm proud. ASHLEE Why? All I've done is mess things up. TRACY No, you haven't. You've found yourself. ASHLEE I've lost myself. I've lost my friends. TRACY No, you haven't. ASHLEE Jesse's right. I've only been thinking about myself. TRACY Jesse's not always right you know. ASHLEE He is about me. All I've done is ask for their help. I haven't done anything for them. TRACY Then maybe it's time you proved to your friends you're worth it, one last time. ASHLEE I can't. They hate me now. What happened to friend's forever? TRACY I was just about to ask you that. The whole room begins to spin. Ashlee hears a VOICE calling out to him. VOICE Friends forever. Friends forever. Friends forever. INT. ASHLEE'S HOUSE - ASHLEE'S ROOM - CONTINUOUS Ashlee wakes up from his dream. He breathes heavily. Suddenly, Mr. Harris's head pops up next to Ashlee. MR. HARRIS Friends forever! Ashlee freaks out. He punches his dad in the face. ASHLEE Dad! What the hell are you doing? MR. HARRIS (rubbing his face) I heard you and your friends had an argument. I though subliminal messages would help. I wasn't expecting a right hook. ASHLEE Dad, you didn't have to do this. Mr. Harris sits on Ashlee's bed. MR. HARRIS What's wrong Ash? ASHLEE I don't know. I don't know what to do dad. MR. HARRIS What happened? ASHLEE Well, I got involved in this project with Jesse and all. And we were trying to raise money to restore this old theater and so far we've managed to raise no money and get no where. And I was planning on selling Betty when she was a piece of crap, but now that she's new Betty, I can't seem to do it. MR. HARRIS You can sell Betty. ASHLEE I can't dad. MR. HARRIS Yes you can. You just gotta ask yourself. What's more important? Your car. Or your friends. ASHLEE Thanks dad. MR. HARRIS Anyway, what theater are you restoring? Maybe I could help. ASHLEE The Miller Theater. MR. HARRIS What? ASHLEE Something wrong? MR. HARRIS That's the theater where I feel in love with your mother. ASHLEE What? How come I haven't heard that story? MR. HARRIS Well, we were doing a school play back when Nurse Watson was the school's drama teacher. ASHLEE Nurse Watson was a drama teacher? MR. HARRIS Yeah, and a strict one for sure. She used to pick on me so hard on account of my constant daydreaming. I don't know, there was just something about that theater that took me somewhere else. And then I met your mom. Well... she saved me. ASHLEE Mom saved you? MR. HARRIS Yeah, she did. I was getting picked on real bad and she decided to stand up for me. ASHLEE Why did they tease you? MR. HARRIS Can you keep a secret? ASHLEE Duh. MR. HARRIS My name hasn't always been Carl Harris. ASHLEE What are you talking about? MR. HARRIS When I was younger I decide to change my name. I didn't exactly have the manliest name. ASHLEE What was it? Mr. Harris takes a deep breath. MR. HARRIS Leslie. Ashlee burst into laughter. ASHLEE Leslie? MR. HARRIS What's so funny? ASHLEE I'm sorry dad, but I thought Ashlee was a girl name, but Leslie. MR. HARRIS Yeah, well laugh all you want. I've always regretted changing my name. It was my mother's name. She raised me all by herself and I just couldn't take it. ASHLEE Thank God you didn't name me Leslie. I'm beginning to think Ashlee's not that bad. MR. HARRIS Your mother's name was beautiful Ashlee. You're just like her. Always sticking up for your friends. ASHLEE That is if I still have friends. MR. HARRIS Believe me, you do. Ashlee jumps out of bed. He grabs his jacket. MR. HARRIS Ashlee, where are you going? ASHLEE To set things straight. EXT. BEACH - DAWN Ashlee's toes wiggle in the sand. Betty's radio plays a soft tune that mixes with the ocean breeze. SOFT FOOTSTEPS are muffled by the sand. JESSE (O.S.) What happened? Ashlee raises his head. Jesee, Kelly, and Paris stand before him and the ocean. ASHLEE Tracy happened. Ashlee extends his left hand. It holds "The Chronicles of the Ladybug Curse". Jesse takes it. He opens the front cover. INSERT: A picture of Ashlee, Jesse, Kelly, Paris, and Tracy riding inside the old Betty. JESSE You don't have to sell it if you don't want to. ASHLEE No, it's not that. Look below the picture. Jesse inspects the page. There is a quote below the picture. INSERT: "Chapter One: Brothers 'Till the End" JESSE Brothers 'till the end. ASHLEE How bout it then? 'Till the end? Ashlee puts his hand out. Jesse puts his hand over it. JESSE 'Till the end. Kelly and Paris join in. KELLY 'Till the end. PARIS 'Till the end. A smooth silence flows through the air. Suddenly, Charlie jumps out of Betty's back seat. She's angry as hell. CHARLIE That's it? What the hell? How can you settle things just like that? Where was the arguing? Where were the tears? Where was the hair pulling? Ashlee looks at Charlie. ASHLEE Guys don't settle thing like that. CHARLIE (hulk angry) Who gets you?! The guys laugh at her. Jesse looks at Ashlee. JESSE You don't have to sell Betty. It was out of line to ask you that. ASHLEE Don't worry. I won't sell her. I've got a better idea. But this time, we'll all have to work hard. And it won't be quick. JESSE Count us in. ASHLEE Alright, here's the plan. MONTAGE MUSIC: "NO RAIN" BY BLIND MELON Charlie and the guys sit in Ashlee's room. They gather around the open chronicles. Charlie and Ashlee paint colorful posters up on the roof of his house. Jesse and Paris visit a costume shop. Kelly prints flyers out from a local copy shop. The guys and Charlie ride Betty with the top down. The sun shines down on them. The guys and Charlie eat at Pirate Peet's Pizza Place. Ashlee has an intimate picnic with Charlie. Kelly paints large spots on a red piece of cloth. The guys and Charlie help nurse Watson with her gardening. Ashlee writes in his laptop late at night. Jesse enters his room through the open window. He hands him a cup of coffee. Charlie and Mr. Harris direct CONSTRUCTION WORKERS as they restore the old "Miller Theater". The guys hand out flyers in the street. They are dressed in large ladybug costumes. The music stops. We catch Ashlee and the guys telling Charlie an old story. ASHLEE So I tell Jesse, "You can't jump off that", but he's like-- JESSE -- trying to prove something. ASHLEE So he jumps off, and he lands on top of CARLY O'BRIEN. KELLY And she's covered in pudding. ASHLEE So I think "Oh my God, she's dead", but she's not. She gets up and hands Jesse his hat. KELLY And she says: "What do you say?" CHARLIE Sorry. ASHLEE No. Jesse said: "Thank You" Charlie laughs out loud. The music plays again. The guys pretend to fight on an open field. Charlie dances in Ashlee's room. Kelly works out. Paris hangs from wires on stage at the Miller Theater. Jesse claps from the stands. Nurse Watson directs Kelly and Charlie as they dance on stage. Ashlee places the letters up on the Miller Theater's marquee. They read: INSERT: "PREMIERE: THE CHRONICLES OF THE LADYBUG CURSE" END MONTAGE INT. MILLER THEATER - DRESSING ROOM Jesse and Ashlee get dressed into silver jumpsuits. ASHLEE You think this is gonna work? JESSE I hope so. Charlie walks in. CHARLIE We're on in 10. Ashlee and Jesse nod. Charlie leaves in a hurry. ASHLEE You think Tracy is somewhere better? JESSE I know so. He's probably looking down on us right now, laughing his ass off. ASHLEE Yeah, probably. Ashlee takes out his small bottle of rum. Jesse takes it away from him. JESSE When are you gonna stop doing that? ASHLEE When are you gonna stop doing that? Jesse takes a drink. He hands it to Ashlee and walks out. Ashlee contemplates the bottle for a second. He places it on top of a table and walks out of the dressing room. INT. MILLER THEATER - MAIN STAGE A packed house. Dark silence. The curtains open to reveal a medieval castle. The beautiful princess Charlie waves a pink handkerchief from the tower. CHARLIE Oh my, the dragons are attacking! Help! Help! Ashlee, Jesse, Kelly, and Paris burst out of the castle dresses as if pulled out from King Arthur. ASHLEE Thou need not to worry, my lady. Thy ladybug knights are here. MONTAGE: THE PLAY The knights fight the evil dragons, who oddly enough, look like giant aphids. KELLY Die! Die! The knights have killed the evil dragons. ASHLEE Thy kingdom is safe from evil once again humble villagers. Thy children can run freely once more. The AUDIENCE applauds. The knights have now become astronauts. They fly across the stage. Good wire crew. KELLY We have to find a way to get out of here. My instruments show the planet is very unstable. ASHLEE The planet is the last thing I'd be worried about, soldier. I'm more concerned about those things. The audience gasps. The astronauts fire their lasers at the evil aliens. ASHLEE Get ready soldiers. Alpha Delta attack formation on my command. JESSE We're ready sir. ASHLEE Now! The astronauts are now tomb raiders exploring an ancient pyramid. JESSE This must have taken them ages to build. I wonder how much gold they spent on a place like this. PARIS I'd like to know how much gold they stashed in a place like this. Props fall from the ceiling as the pyramid collapses. KELLY I can't make it. PARIS Yes you can. Remember "Free Willy". If he can make it, then you can too. The audience laughs. A team of jungle explores fight off jaguars. PARIS Damm it! Paris kicks one of the jaguars right in the face. Nurse Watson winces in the audience. Ashlee is held at sword-point. He walks the plank of a pirate ship. ASHLEE This is my ship! JESSE It belongs to the Cap'n. ASHLEE I am your Cap'n! JESSE Not anymore. The audience cries. Ashlee, Jesse, Kelly, Paris, and Charlie stand on a beach. They hold hands and bow. Applause explodes from the audience. A standing ovation. ASHLEE (V.O.) In the end I guess it all turned out okay. We raised enough money with the tickets for the performance that we were able to pay the bank the loan my dad took out. We acted for 6 months until a talent scout saw us. EXT. CEMENTERY Ashlee kneels before Tracy's tombstone. ASHLEE He's interested in making the play into a movie. We've all agreed and well... I just wanted you know. Even tho you haven't been with me this past year, you've been with me. And that's a true friend. JESSE (O.S) Ashlee, we're gonna be late. Ashlee places "The Chronicles of the Ladybug Curse" next to Tracy's tombstone. ASHLEE Later dude. Ashlee gets up and heads towards his friends, who wait inside Betty. They all wear graduation togas. Charlie kisses Ashlee. Ashlee turns his head towards a nearby tombstone. He contemplates the words for a second. INSERT: ASHLEE ELIZABETH HARRIS A small ladybug lands on the tombstone. ASHLEE Bye mom. He gets in the car and drives away. The California sun shining down on him and his friends. The proud knights ride into the sunset. THE ENDReturn to SimplyScripts.com