Watered Down

Blake Hyman
Sep 4, 2018 · 12 min read

INT. SCHOOL AUDITORIUM — DAY
MICHAEL, a drably-dressed seventeen year-old, sits in the front row of the auditorium, right in front of the stage. A lunch tray sits in his lap as he eats from it, lounging back in his seat. Another tray sits idly in front of him on the edge of the stage.

LINDSAY, a driven, deeply serious seventeen year-old, walks in from off-stage, behind the curtains, and stops at the lunch tray at the edge of the stage. She stays standing.

LINDSAY
I heard something about you today.

MICHAEL
Something good?

LINDSAY
I heard that you hurt someone.

MICHAEL
Really?

LINDSAY
Yeah.

MICHAEL
What was it about?

LINDSAY
What do you think?

MICHAEL
I don’t hurt people on purpose. I feel like I’d know what you’re talking about.

LINDSAY
Amelia told me that you hurt her.

Michael stops lounging and leans forward in his chair.

MICHAEL
I didn’t hurt Amelia.

LINDSAY
Why would she say that, then?

MICHAEL
Because she’s pissed that I broke up with her for you.

LINDSAY
She’s been telling everybody that you sexually assaulted her.

MICHAEL
What? I haven’t seen her in months. I haven’t touched her.

LINDSAY
No. She said it happened back when you were going out.

MICHAEL
Well that didn’t happen. You weren’t there. You don’t know.

LINDSAY
That’s not the way this works. She’s the victim here. We have to believe her.

Michael stands from his seat.

MICHAEL
(frustrated)
But I’m saying I didn’t do it!

LINDSAY
(firm)
That’s not enough, Michael.

Lindsay picks up her lunch tray.

LINDSAY (CONT’D)
I can’t see you anymore. This is over. I don’t want to be seen going out with a sex offender.

MICHAEL
But you know me, Lindsay. We’ve been together for three months. You know I’m not some kind of rapist!

Michael steps towards the stage. Lindsay, above him on the stage, steps back. Michael stops.

LINDSAY
I don’t know who you are anymore. I thought you really loved me. Now I feel like you were just using me for sex, now, because Lindsay wouldn’t put out for you. You somehow talked me into it, I guess. You’re a fucked up person, Michael. You need help.

MICHAEL
Why won’t you believe me? I’m your boyfriend. You barely even know Amelia!

LINDSAY
I can’t believe how stupid I’ve been. I can’t even talk to you.

MICHAEL
(bewildered)
What? —

LINDSAY
(talking over Michael)
I’m so embarrassed that I let you do this to me. This is it. We’re over.

Lindsay walks towards the back of the stage.

MICHAEL
Wait! There has to be something I can do. I can change. I don’t have to be that guy anymore.

Lindsay stops.

LINDSAY
You’re never going to get better if you can’t admit you have a problem, Michael. I can’t believe I used to think you were such a good guy.

Lindsay walks off-stage.

MICHAEL
(yelling)
I am! I’ll prove it to you! I’ll find a meeting. I’ll get myself into a program. I can figure it out. Lindsay, I’m sorry!

Lindsay disappears behind a curtain.

INT. MICHAEL’S KITCHEN — EVENING
Michael walks into the kitchen. The dining table sits across the room from the kitchen area. A bunch of bananas sit on the kitchen counter. Michael grabs one and reaches to peel it, but he stops and frowns. He puts the banana back.

He enters the pantry and pulls out a box of Reese’s Puffs cereal.

Michael opens a cabinet and reaches for a bowl. Michael’s mom, AMY, a hippy-esque 45 year-old, walks into the kitchen. She is holding a crumpled piece of paper.

AMY
Michael, I’d like to talk to you for a moment.

MICHAEL
What’s going on?

AMY
Your dad and I saw your last English test in the trash.

MICHAEL
Oh. Yeah. Well, things are working well for me, obviously.

AMY
We want to know what’s going on in your life, Michael. You shouldn’t be hiding things from us.

MICHAEL
I wasn’t. I threw it away because nobody cares about it.

AMY
We care about it. We want you to be doing well.

MICHAEL
I don’t deserve the effort from you.

AMY
What makes you say that?

MICHAEL
I realized today that I made a really big mistake with Amelia. I’m going to get in trouble.

AMY
What did you do?

MICHAEL
I think that I sexually assaulted her.

AMY
Oh, Michael. Here, sit down for a moment.

Amy pulls a chair out for Michael at the table. They sit.

AMY (CONT’D)
Michael, we’re your parents. We know you better than anybody. We know you better than you know yourself. I know that’s a cliche but it’s true. You did not sexually assault Amelia.

MICHAEL
I did, though.

AMY
You had an incredibly hard time when the two of you dated. She wasn’t the one who suffered.

MICHAEL
She did suffer. That’s why she’s telling people that I assaulted her.

AMY
No. She’s telling people that in order to hurt you. You’re the victim, Michael. Not her. Look at the date on the test. It’s from when the two of you were still together.

MICHAEL
Obviously I was a piece of shit back then, too.

AMY
No, look. Your grades slipped, sure, but it wasn’t your fault. You were a good student until you dated. She messed that up for you. She’s the one to blame.

MICHAEL
I don’t want to get back at her for that. I messed her up too badly for her to deserve it.

AMY
Michael, you’re still not listening. You are the victim. She’s lying about you sexually assaulting her. She does things to hurt and control you.

MICHAEL
Okay, fine, but now it’s over and I can’t do anything about it.

AMY
Yes, you can. You can get your grades back up.

MICHAEL
What does that have to do with Amelia?

AMY
If you take control of your own life, you stop being the victim. You’re working against the consequences of her actions. They’re not permanent, either. Watch.

Amy rips up the test. Michael smiles.

AMY (CONT’D)
Look. Doesn’t matter. You can change it. She caused your grades to slip-

MICHAEL
(interrupting)
And now by getting my grades back up, I’m working against her. I stop being the victim.

AMY
Exactly! When’s your next English test?

MICHAEL
Couple days.

AMY
Are you ready for it?

MICHAEL
Maybe.

Amy gets up from the table.

AMY
That’s a no. It’s late but you still have time to study. Change the effect she’s had on you. Fight back!

MICHAEL
I will!

AMY
Good.

Amy leaves the kitchen. Michael puts the box of Reese’s Puffs back in the pantry. He looks at the banana briefly, then walks to his bedroom.

INT. BEDROOM — NIGHT
Michael reads an english textbook at his desk, the lights in his room dim. He reads a sentence of the book. He reads it again. He reads it again. Michael shuts the book. He climbs in bed and sleeps.

INT. SCHOOL STAIRWELL — DAY
Michael leans against a wall in the stairwell with TAYLOR, a seventeen year-old nerd whose hair is buzzed too close to his head, a haircut obviously done by his mom. The two are near the door out of the stairwell. Taylor hits a vape and passes it to Michael, who hits it too.

TAYLOR
Yeah, I heard Kelsey’s gonna be there. Obviously I gotta go. You going?

MICHAEL
I can’t. I still have to do the study packet for English. Test tomorrow. Told my mom I’d fix my grades since Amelia fucked them up.

Michael hands Taylor the vape.

TAYLOR
Oh, shit. I’m not going to have time to do the packet tonight cause of the party.

MICHAEL
Oh, that sucks.

TAYLOR
Amelia didn’t fuck up your grades man.

MICHAEL
Yeah she did. She took too much of my attention.

Taylor hands Michael the vape.

TAYLOR
No, you gave her the attention. She didn’t take it. Her head was messed up, you knew that. Your grades were dropping, you knew that. You made the choices you did. You’re not the victim. You’re the hero.

MICHAEL
What?

TAYLOR
You sacrificed something from yourself to help Amelia.

MICHAEL
How did I help her?

Michael hands Taylor the vape.

TAYLOR
She was the most stable I’d ever seen her while the two of you were dating.

MICHAEL
She’s been accusing me of sexual assault.

TAYLOR
Whatever happened privately between you guys, I’m sure that it helped her, whether or not she wants to believe it. She doesn’t know what’s good for her, but you do. It makes sense that you’d make decisions for her. We’ve all got problems and it’s nice for someone to take control for us when we can’t handle them. Shit. I don’t know what I’m going to do about the study packet.

MICHAEL
I’m doing mine tonight. You can copy off it tomorrow during lunch. You’re right, I like to help people.

TAYLOR
That would be awesome.

Taylor hits the vape. JESSIE, a preppy sixteen year-old walks up the stairs from below Michael and Taylor. Taylor sees her, quickly puts the vape in Michael’s hand, and dives through the door out of the stairwell. His COUGHING is heard through the door.

Jessie walks up to Michael, who holds the vape behind his back.

JESSIE
Cheating on a test?

MICHAEL
No. Just helping a friend with homework.

JESSIE
Cheating on homework?

MICHAEL
(beat, then sheepishly)
Yes.

JESSIE
(smiles)
There it is.

Jessie quickly reaches behind Michael and grabs his vape. She hits it and then gives it back.

JESSIE (CONT’D)
I like you.

MICHAEL
(embarrassed)
I’m just trying to help him with his homework.

JESSIE
You know it’s wrong, though. It’s cheating.

MICHAEL
I’m doing good by helping him.

JESSIE
He can do the packet himself.

MICHAEL
He’s busy tonight.

JESSIE
Is he? There’s no way he could choose to work on the packet instead of whatever he has going on tonight?

MICHAEL
I guess he could.

JESSIE
Absolutely, he could.

MICHAEL
He’s going to go to the party no matter what I say, which means he’ll need me to let him copy.

JESSIE
Even after finding out that it could hurt him in the long run, you’re still going to cheat. You’re cute.

MICHAEL
Thanks.

JESSIE
Give me your phone.

Michael pulls his phone from his pocket and hands it to Jessie. She types into it.

JESSIE (CONT’D)
Text me sometime.

Jessie walks up the stairwell. Michael smiles before walking through the door next to him.

INT. BEDROOM — NIGHT
Michael is at his desk, textbook and study packet open. The study packet is still blank. Michael’s phone is on his desk. He picks it up and texts Jessie.

MICHAEL (TEXT)
Hey, this is Michael. Want to come over now? My parents are home but I can sneak you through my window.

Michael sets his phone down and goes back to the textbook. His phone vibrates, interrupting him.

JESSIE (TEXT)
I can’t tonight. Maybe soon.

Michael types a response.

MICHAEL (TEXT)
No worries.

Michael sets his phone down and goes back to his textbook. The phone’s vibration interrupts him again.

JESSIE (TEXT)
I like that you do stuff without stressing about the consequences.

MICHAEL (TEXT)
I stress about the consequences.

JESSIE (TEXT)
Even if you do, you still act. You still make the bad decision.

MICHAEL (TEXT)
How did helping my friend copy a study packet make you figure all this out about me?

JESSIE (TEXT)
I heard about what you did to Amelia.
Michael sets his phone down. After a moment —

JESSIE (TEXT) (CONT’D)
Hey, I’ve got to sleep. I’ll see you tomorrow at lunch. Don’t worry, I won’t interrupt your cheating lol.

Michael waits a moment and then smiles.

MICHAEL (TEXT)
Okay lol goodnight.

Michael closes his phone. After a moment of staring at his blank study packet, Michael puts it in his backpack along with the textbook. He climbs in bed and turns off the light.

INT. SCHOOL HALLWAY — DAY
Michael sits on a bench inside a hallway of the school with Taylor and Jessie, each of them with lunch trays. They eat by the English class which is down the hall.

MICHAEL
Be right back.

Michael leaves his backpack with them and turns the corner, away from the English class.

INT. SCHOOL CAFETERIA — DAY
Michael walks up to a vending machine. He puts money into the machine and looks at the selection of junk food inside the machine. After a moment, he closes his eyes and pushes random buttons. A package of Cheez-Its fall out. Michael grabs the bag.

INT. SCHOOL HALLWAY — DAY
Michael walks towards the bench Taylor and Jessie sit on. The English class is around the corner, out of his view.

TAYLOR
(calling to Michael)
Hey, man, where’s your study packet?

MICHAEL
I didn’t get a chance to work on it last night. I brought my textbook so we can do it now before class.

TAYLOR
Shit. That’s not enough time.

Michael walks past the corner and is suddenly in view of the English class. Lindsay is standing outside it with the ENGLISH TEACHER and a SECURITY GUARD.

MICHAEL
Oh fuck.

Michael throws himself back behind the corner, hiding from them. Taylor and Jessie stare at him.

TAYLOR
What are you doing, man?

Michael lifts a finger to his mouth.

TAYLOR (CONT’D)
(whispering)
Dude, stop fucking around. We’ve got to do the packet.

Michael gestures at Jessie and then at the backpack. She picks up his backpack. Michael gestures her towards him. She walks over and Michael grabs his backpack from her.

MICHAEL
Thanks.

Michael turns around and walks out of the building. Jessie follows.

EXT. SCHOOL PARKING LOT — DAY
Michael strides across the parking lot silently. Jessie walks bouncily next to him, practically skipping in excitement.

JESSIE
I can’t believe this is happening. I feel so amped up. I love seeing you do things like this. It’s even better that we’re doing it together.

Michael remains silent.

JESSIE (CONT’D)
What’s wrong?

Michael stops walking.

MICHAEL
I’m not doing this with or for you. This is something I’m doing. You’re just next to me.

JESSIE
(annoyed)
I’m sorry, I thought we were fucking shit up together.
Michael walks again.

MICHAEL
I’m not doing this to be fucking problematic. I hate this.

Michael and Jessie arrive at Michael’s car. Michael gets in. Jessie stands in the open driver seat doorway, keeping Michael from shutting the door.

JESSIE
(pissed)
I thought you liked it. Why are you doing this if you hate it?

MICHAEL
Because I feel like I fucking have to.

Michael pulls the car forward with the door open and shuts it as soon as Jessie is out of the way.

EXT. MOVIE THEATER — DAY
Michael walks to the movie theater box office. He glances at a poster for a brightly colored children’s movie called “Watered Down.” On the poster is a cartoon water drop character desperately holding onto a rope, dangling above a bucket of water.

Michael walks to the box office. The overtly bubbly sixteen year-old ATTENDANT turns on her microphone to the outdoor speaker.

ATTENDANT
(channeling Book of Mormon)
Hello!

MICHAEL
Hi.

ATTENDANT
Welcome to the movies! What are you seeing today?

MICHAEL
I’m not sure.

ATTENDANT
Do you want recommendations?

MICHAEL
Okay.

ATTENDANT
Cool! I saw some great movies that are playing right now. I saw this documentary called “Found the Beef” that will totally make you want to go vegan.

MICHAEL
What else?

ATTENDANT
Are you a fan of horror?

Michael shrugs.

ATTENDANT (CONT’D)
Well, this movie “The Shapeshifter” will make you one. It’s terrifying and brilliant. I liked it. I bet that you would too.

MICHAEL
I’m not sure about either of those.

ATTENDANT
Okay well if you want to bring out the nerd in you, we have a superhero movie —

MICHAEL
(interrupting)
I don’t think I’m going to see anything, actually. Thanks.

ATTENDANT
Oh… Okay! Thank you for coming. Sorry we couldn’t find you something to see.

Michael, as the attendant watches, walks away from the box office and to an electronic kiosk. He purchases a ticket for “Watered Down” and enters the movie theater.

INT. THEATER AUDITORIUM — DAY
Michael sits in the theater, near the back, by himself. The lights are on and advertisements play quietly on the screen. A MOM and CHILD sit near the front of the theater. The theater is empty otherwise. Michael yanks on a candy rope with his teeth.

INT. THEATER AUDITORIUM — 1 HOUR LATER
The lights in the auditorium are off. Michael’s face is lit up by the images on the screen. He is glued to the film.

WATER DROP (O.S.)
Please don’t make me go back in the bucket. I know you want me to.

BEAST (O.S.)
The bucket’s full of water. I thought you wanted to be with your kind, inside the bucket?

WATER DROP (O.S.)
No! I can’t do that.

BEAST (O.S.)
Why not?

WATER DROP (O.S.)
I lose myself in there. I get all mixed up with the other water.

BEAST (O.S.)
Why don’t you stay outside the bucket, then?

WATER DROP (O.S.)
I thought you wanted me to go back in!

BEAST (O.S.)
I love you, little water drop. You could go back into the bucket and get mixed in with the rest or you could hang out outside the bucket with me. You don’t even have to do either of those. You can just walk right out of here if you want. You can do what you want to do. I’ll love you no matter what.

Michael cries.

THE END