BRADLEY

Screenplay by

Sean Negley

Based on the book

"There's A Boy In The Girls' Bathroom"

By Louis Sachar

First Draft(s) - 1996-2002

Second Draft(s) - 2008-2011
Third Draft - 2014
 FADE IN:

INT. CLASSROOM – DAY

We’re in a standard fifth-grade classroom. There are two

posters on the wall, one has the class rules and the other
has a picture of Yoda holding a book and says “Reading is
fun.” There is a bulletin board with “A” homework assignments
tacked up.

In the middle of everything, like the center of the solar

system, is a chart with gold stars. The gold stars accompany
children’s names. Every student’s name is on the board. And
almost every student has a star; most have four or five.

One name stands out above all the others: Bradley Chalkers.
This is the only one without a star. This name just sits
alone, among the proud star-studded names.

The teacher, MRS. EBBEL (50s), stands at the head of the

class.

MRS. EBBEL
We’re going to change the pace a
little bit now.

Twenty or so STUDENTS sit in the class, paying attention.

One boy sits with his head down, last seat, last row.

This is BRADLEY CHALKERS.

MRS. EBBEL (CONT’D)

I would like you all to meet Jeff
Fishkin. Jeff has just moved here from
Washington, DC, which, as you know, is
our nation’s capital.

Bradley looks up to see JEFF FISHKIN. He stares at him for a

second then continues scribbling on a piece of paper.

MRS. EBBEL (CONT’D)

Why don’t you tell the class a little
bit about yourself, Jeff.
 2.

Jeff shrugs, nervous.

MRS. EBBEL (CONT’D)

There’s no reason to be shy.

JEFF
(mumbling)
I don’t really know where to begin.

MRS. EBBEL
(smiles)
Well, I guess we’d better find you a
place to sit.
(looks around)
Hmm. I don’t see anyplace except...
I suppose you can sit there, at the
back. Nobody likes sitting there, but
that’s all we have for you. Sorry.

JEFF
(mumbling)
I don’t mind where I sit...

Jeff walks back towards Bradley. Bradley stares at Jeff with

bulging eyes. Jeff smiles. Bradley looks away.

EXT. MRS. EBBEL’S CLASSROOM - DAY

The recess bell rings and students run out. Bradley walks out
slowly. Jeff comes out behind him.

JEFF
Hey Bradley, wait up!

Startled, Bradley turns around.

JEFF (CONT’D)
Hi.

Bradley stares in amazement. He quickly fades down his

emotion to silently judge Jeff.
 3.

JEFF (CONT’D)
I don’t mind sitting next to you,
really.

Bradley is quiet.

JEFF (CONT’D)
I have been to the White House. If you
want, I’ll tell you about it.

Jeff waits for an answer.

BRADLEY
Give me a dollar or I’ll spit on you.

JEFF
What?

BRADLEY
(slower)
Give me a dollar or I’ll spit on you.

Jeff stares at him, scared. He reaches into his pocket and

gives Bradley a dollar. Bradley smiles so oddly that you
would mistake it for a frown.

Jeff runs away. Bradley laughs to himself and walks off.

INT. BRADLEY’S ROOM - DAY

Bradley comes in and sets his jacket on his bed.

His bed rests against a wall, next to a large window facing

the front yard. A large desk faces the window. On the
opposite side of the room are a dresser and a closet.

On his desk are approximately twenty little animal

statuettes. A lion, a donkey, two owls (a salt and pepper
shaker collection), a glass unicorn with its horn broken, a
family of cocker spaniels attached to an ashtray, a raccoon,
a fox, an elephant, a kangaroo, a hippo and some so chipped
you can’t tell what they are.
 4.

BRADLEY
Hey everybody. Bradley’s home.

Bradley sits on his bed and looks at his figurines. He

escapes to his own little world.

The figures come alive.

FOX
Hey everybody, Bradley’s home!

The animals cheer and say hello etc.

BRADLEY
Where’s Ronnie? And Bartholomew?

FOX
I don’t know, they’re always going off
together.

Bradley looks around. He sees his pillow moving and lifts it

up to reveal RONNIE THE RABBIT and BARTHOLOMEW THE BEAR.

BRADLEY
What were you two doing under there?

Ronnie giggles. She’s a little red rabbit with blue eyes

glued to her face and one broken ear.

RONNIE
Nothing... I was just taking a walk.

BARTHOLOMEW
Er... I had to go to the bathroom...

Bartholomew is a brown-and-white ceramic bear that stands on

his hind legs.

DONKEY
They were making out! I saw them
kissing!

Ronnie giggles.
 5.

BRADLEY
Oh Ronnie... What am I going to do
with you?

Bradley reaches into his pockets and takes out bits of paper
he cut up. He dumps it on the desk.

BRADLEY (CONT’D)
Here, I brought you all some food.
(animals eat)
Not so fast, there’s plenty for
everybody.

RONNIE
Thank you Bradley, this is delicious.

BARTHOLOMEW
Yeah, this is real good. Mmm mmm.

MOTHER COCKER SPANIEL

(to her pups)
Don’t play with your food.

OWL - PEPPER SHAKER

Pass the salt.

OWL - SALT SHAKER

Pass the pepper.

LION
Three cheers for Bradley! Hip hip!

ANIMALS
Hooray!

LION
Hip hip!

ANIMALS
Hooray

LION
Hip h--
 6.

The door bursts open. Bradley quickly looks up. CLAUDIA

CHALKERS barges in, Bradley’s older sister by four years.

BRADLEY
Get out of here or I’ll punch your
face in!

CLAUDIA
What are you doing? Talking to your
animal friends?

She laughs, showing her braces. Bradley scowls at her.

BRADLEY
I wasn’t talking to them. Only a loser
talks to his toys.

CLAUDIA
Do you give them names?

BRADLEY
Of course not. They're just dumb
little toys.

CLAUDIA
Mom wants me to ask you a question.

BRADLEY
What?

CLAUDIA
Is fish all right for dinner?

BRADLEY
Barf.

CLAUDIA
Thought so.

She leaves. Bradley looks to his figurines.

BRADELY
Sorry.
 7.

INT. KITCHEN - EVENING

MR. and MRS. CHALKERS are sitting down. Claudia and Bradley
come in and sit down.

MR. CHALKERS
Did you two wash your hands?

CLAUDIA
Yes.

BRADLEY
(overlapping)
Yes.
(looks at plate)
Fish? I hate fish.

He looks to Claudia. Claudia smiles.

MR. CHALKERS
You’ll eat what’s on your plate.

Bradley holds his nose with one hand as he eats a piece of

fish.

They eat in silence for a few beats.

MRS. CHALKERS
Bradley, I talked to your teacher
earlier today.

Bradley’s heart stops. He tries to be calm.

BRADLEY
What about?

MRS. CHALKERS
The school is hiring a counselor.
You’re going to be seeing her.

MR. CHALKERS
Counselor. Should be good for you.

BRADLEY
No! I’m not going to see a counselor.
 8.

MRS. CHALKERS
She won’t hurt you.

BRADLEY
Yes, she will.

MRS. CHALKERS
She’s going to help you.

BRADLEY
I don’t need help.

CLAUDIA
News to me.

MR. CHALKERS
Claudia.

CLAUDIA
Sorry.

MR. CHALKERS
Listen Bradley. There’s nothing wrong
with seeing a counselor. It doesn’t
mean there’s anything wrong with you.

BRADLEY
There isn’t anything wrong with me!

MRS. CHALKERS
We know.

BRADLEY
Then why do I need the counselor?

MR. CHALKERS
You’re failing school. We know this.
You can’t hide it anymore. You’re
seeing the counselor so that she can
help you do better in class.

BRADLEY
I don’t need school.
 9.

MR. CHALKERS
Yes, you do. You want to end up a
loser? I see it every day. Kids fail
school and become drug addicts. Drugs
lead to crimes. Do you want to become
a criminal? Do you want to spend the
rest of your life in jail?

BRADLEY
Not all criminals go to jail. What
about the man who shot you?

Nobody moves. Mr. Chalkers turns red as he stares at Bradley.

His voice is controlled, yet letting everybody know he will
snap if need be.

MR. CHALKERS
You’re seeing that counselor. End of
discussion.

Bradley nods.

MRS. CHALKERS
Your appointment is at one o’clock.
Every day.

Bradley says nothing. He looks at his fish.

FADE TO:

INT. MRS. EBBEL’S CLASSROOM - DAY

The Students work on some math problems. Bradley sits at his

desk, morose. He looks at the clock. 12:59. He gets up and
goes to Mrs. Ebbel’s desk.

MRS. EBBEL
Yes Bradley?

BRADLEY
It’s one o’clock.
 10.

MRS. EBBEL
Oh that’s right. Here’s the hall pass.
(hands it over)
I hope you enjoy your sessions.

She goes back to grading papers, Bradley stands still for a

beat, wondering if there’s any way he can get out of this.

Mrs. Ebbel looks back up.

MRS. EBBEL (CONT’D)

Go. If you don’t, you’ll be seeing
Mr. Booth.

Bradley nods and exits.

INT. HALLWAY - DAY

Bradley walks down the hall. His gloomy appearance turns to

resentment. Even though he hasn’t met her yet, he hates the
counselor.

INT. COUNSELOR’S OFFICE - DAY

The door opens, Bradley walks in.

BRADLEY
I’m here. Whadda ya want?

CARLA DAVIS sits at the desk. She’s in her mid thirties, with
beautiful blue eyes and brownish-blond hair. She wears a
white shirt with different-colored squiggly lines all over,
as if a kid scribbled on it.

She smiles warmly at Bradley.

CARLA
Hello Bradley.
(gets up)
I’m Carla Davis.
(extends hand)
(MORE)
 11.

CARLA (CONT'D)
It’s a pleasure to see you today. I’ve
been looking forward to meeting you.

Bradley is a bit amazed at this woman, but keeps it inside.

CARLA (CONT’D)
Aren’t you going to shake my hand?

BRADLEY
No. You’re too ugly.

He sits down. She sits across from him.

CARLA
I appreciate your coming to see me.

BRADLEY
Mrs. Ebbel made me.

CARLA
I’m glad you came.

BRADLEY
I meant to go to the library. I came
here by accident.

CARLA
Oh, I don’t believe in accidents.

BRADLEY
You don’t believe in accidents?

She shakes her head.

BRADLEY (CONT’D)
What about when you spill your milk?

CARLA
Do you like milk?

BRADLEY
No, I hate it!
 12.

CARLA
So maybe you spill it on purpose. You
just think it’s an accident.

She smiles. Bradley looks down, angry. He’s been tricked.

BRADLEY
I don’t drink milk. I drink coffee.
(looks around)
This place is a mess.

CARLA
I like messy rooms. Clean rooms are
boring and depressing. They remind me
of hospitals.

BRADLEY
Don’t you get in trouble?

CARLA
Why should I?

He doesn’t know the answer.

BRADLEY
I didn’t do anything wrong!

CARLA
Nobody said you did.

BRADLEY
Well then how come I have to be here?

CARLA
I was hoping you’d like it here. I was
hoping we could be friends. Do you
think we can?

BRADLEY
No.

CARLA
Why not?
 13.

BRADLEY
Because I don’t like you.

CARLA
I like you. I can like you, can’t I?
You don’t have to like me.

Bradley squirms in his seat.

CARLA (CONT’D)
I was hoping you’d be able to teach me
things.

BRADLEY
You’re the teacher, not me.

CARLA
But I’m not a teacher. Besides, a
teacher can often learn a lot more
from a student than a student can
learn from a teacher.

BRADLEY
I teach Mrs. Ebbel a lot. Today I
taught her Geography.

CARLA
What do you want to teach me?

BRADLEY
What do you want to know?

CARLA
You tell me. What’s the most important
thing you can teach me?

BRADLEY
The elephant is the biggest animal in
the world. But it’s afraid of mice.

CARLA
I wonder why that is.
 14.

BRADLEY
Because if a mouse ran up an
elephant’s trunk, it would get stuck
and then the elephant wouldn’t be able
to breathe and so it would die.
That’s how most elephants die.

CARLA
I see. Thank you for sharing that with
me. You’re a very good teacher.

He feels tricked again. He doesn’t want to share anymore.

He hates her.

CARLA (CONT’D)
What else do you want to teach me?

BRADLEY
Nothing. You’re not supposed to talk
in school.

CARLA
Why not?

BRADLEY
It’s a rule. Like no sticking gum in
the water fountains.

CARLA
Well, in this room there are no rules.
In here, everyone thinks for himself.
No one tells you what to do.

BRADLEY
You mean I could stick gum in the
water fountain?

CARLA
You could, except I don’t have a water
fountain.

BRADLEY
Can I break something?
 15.

CARLA
Certainly.

Bradley looks for something to break, but catches himself.

It’s another trick.

BRADLEY
I’m not in the mood.

CARLA
All right, but if you want to later,
there are a lot of things you can
break. Things I like very much and
things other children use.

BRADLEY
I will! I know karate. I can break
this table in half with my bare hand.

CARLA
I’d hate to see you hurt your hand.

BRADLEY
Nothing ever hurts me. I’ve broken
every table in my house. The chairs,
too. Call my mother if you don’t
believe me.

CARLA
I believe you. Why shouldn’t I?

BRADLEY
You should.

She does, really. There’s a short pause.

BRADLEY (CONT’D)
My parents only feed me dog food. Do
you believe that?

She nods.

CARLA
Delicious! Meaty and sweet.
 16.

Bradley looks at her, suspicious.

BRADLEY
The President called me on the phone
last night.

CARLA
What did you talk about?

BRADLEY
Hats.

CARLA
Hats? What did you say about hats?

BRADLEY
I asked him why he didn’t wear a hat
like Abraham Lincoln.

CARLA
And what did he say?

Bradley thinks a moment.

BRADLEY
I can’t tell you. It’s top secret.

CARLA
I understand.
(pause)
Do you like coloring?

Bradley shrugs.

CARLA (CONT’D)
Would you like to?

BRADLEY
Maybe.

Carla reaches behind her and grabs some construction paper

and a box of crayons. She hands them to Bradley.

CARLA
Here.
 17.

Bradley doesn’t take. She puts it on the table in front of

him. After a moment, he grabs a black crayon and a white
piece of paper. He starts to scribble wildly.

When he’s scribbled all over the whole page he puts down the
crayon. Carla leans to look at it.

CARLA (CONT’D)
That’s very nice.

BRADLEY
It’s a picture of nighttime.

CARLA
Oh. I thought it was a picture of the
floor of a barber shop, after someone
with curly black hair got his hair cut.

BRADLEY
That’s what it is! That’s what I meant.

CARLA
It’s very good. May I have it?

BRADLEY
What for?

CARLA
I’d like to hang it up on my wall.

BRADLEY
You mean here?

CARLA
Yes.

BRADLEY
No, it’s mine.

CARLA
I was hoping you’d share it with me.

BRADLEY
It costs a dollar.
 18.

CARLA
It’s worth it. But I only want it if
you’re willing to share it.

BRADLEY
No.

CARLA
Okay, but if you ever change your
mind, I’ll still want it.

BRADLEY
You can make me give it to you.

CARLA
No I can’t.

BRADLEY
Sure you can. Teachers make kids do
things all the time.

Carla shakes her head. Her watch beeps.

CARLA
It’s time for you to return to class.
I’ve enjoyed your visit very much.
Thank you for sharing so much with me.

She puts out her hand. Bradley looks at it as if it were a

snake. He gets up and walks out.

INT. MRS. EBBEL’S CLASS

Bradley comes in, returns his pass and crumples up his

drawing to throw it in the trash.

FADE TO:
 19.

EXT. RED HILL SCHOOL - MORNING

It’s the start of the day and Jeff is walking to class.

BRADLEY (O.S.)
Hey Jeff, wait up.

Jeff turns to see Bradley. He anticipates a fight.

JEFF
I don’t have any more money.

Bradley takes out Jeff’s dollar.

BRADLEY
I’ll give you a dollar if you’ll be my
friend.

Jeff looks at it and pauses. He reaches out and grabs it.

Bradley smiles.

BRADLEY (CONT’D)
Have you ever been to the White House?

JEFF
Um... yes.

BRADLEY
Me too!

Jeff doesn’t respond. They walk to class. Jeff is

uncomfortable.

JEFF
If you want, I can help you with your
homework sometimes. I know I’m new
here, but I’m pretty smart, and we
learned the same stuff at my old
school.

BRADLEY
I don’t need any help. I’m the
smartest kid in class. Ask anyone.

They walk on, silent.

 20.

INT. HALLWAY - DAY

Jeff walks down the hall, hopelessly lost. He sees a TEACHER

pass by.

JEFF
Excuse me. Where’s the bathroom?

TEACHER
It’s easy. You go down this hall, turn
right. Then you’re in another hall. Go
half-way down that hall, turn left.
It’s the second door on the right.

Jeff tries to make sense of the directions, too embarrassed

to clarify.

JEFF
Thanks.

The Teacher walks away. Jeff walks down the halls, trying to
follow the directions.

He goes right, then left. He comes to a door labeled BATHROOM

with a triangle on it. It doesn’t say if it’s the boys’ room
or the girls’ room.

He looks around. There’s another bathroom door with a circle

on it. He looks at the triangle door and shrugs. He goes in.

INT. BATHROOM - CONTINUOUS

A GIRL with red hair and a freckled face washes her hands.
Jeff comes in. She stops and stares at him.

GIRL
What are you doing in here?

JEFF
Huh?

GIRL
Get out of here! This is the girls’
bathroom!
 21.

Jeff freezes. He covers his eyes with his hands, then dashes
out the door.

GIRL (CONT’D)
THERE’S A BOY IN THE GIRLS’ BATHROOM!

INT. HALLWAY - CONTINUOUS

Jeff runs down the hallway.

INT. MRS. EBBEL’S CLASS - CONTINUOUS

Jeff walks in, shaky. He tries to be calm as he goes to his

desk. Bradley looks at him.

BRADLEY
What’s the matter with you?

JEFF
(shakes head)
Nothing.

Bradley shrugs and scribbles on a paper.

EST. SCHOOL - DAY

Rainy day.

INT. GYMNASIUM - LUNCH

All the kids in the school gather in the gym to eat lunch.
Jeff and Bradley enter.

JEFF
Where do you want to sit?

BRADLEY
Wherever.
 22.

Jeff walks to the back of the gym where nobody else is

sitting. Bradley trails behind. Jeff is uncomfortable,
looking all around.

They sit down and open their lunches. Bradley digs into his
sandwich.

JEFF
What are you eating?

BRADLEY
Peanubudder sandige.
(swallows)
Wha’ bou’ you?

JEFF
Tuna fish.

Bradley swallows fully.

BRADLEY
I hate tuna fish.

JEFF
My mother makes it good. She chops
apples in it.

BRADLEY
I hate apples.

Bradley opens his milk and sucks it through a straw.

GYMNASIUM - DIFFERENT AREA

Three girls sit against the wall, chatting and laughing.

MELINDA BIRCH, LORI WESTIN and COLLEEN VERIGOLD.

Colleen, a girl with red hair and freckled face, looks over
to her left. She covers her mouth with her hand.

COLLEEN
There he is! The new kid!
 23.

LORI
Where?

COLLEEN
Don’t look at him! He’s right there,
sitting next to Bradley Chalkers.

LORI
Bradley Chalkers? I think I’m going to
throw up!

COLLEEN
Don’t look.

BRADLEY AND JEFF

Bradley stops sucking on his straw. He crumples up his milk

box and tosses it on the floor. Having finished his lunch, he
carefully folds his brown lunch bag. He puts it in his back
pack, to be used again a later day.

Jeff looks off and something - or someone – catches his

attention.

COLLEEN, LORI AND MELINDA

Colleen looks to Jeff, then turns her head away.

MELINDA
Ooh I think he sees you.

Lori laughs. Colleen blushes.

LORI
C’mon. Let’s go talk to him.

She stands up. Lori is a short, skinny girl with long

straight black hair. Melinda also stands up. She's almost
twice the size of Lori and has short brown hair.

COLLEEN
No, don’t go!
 24.

BRADLEY AND JEFF

Bradley is telling Jeff a story. Jeff doesn’t really pay

attention.

BRADLEY
And that’s why I don’t like monkeys.

Two girls giggle behind them. Jeff and Bradley turn to see
Melinda and Lori.

LORI
Colleen thinks you’re cute.

JEFF
(blushes)
Who?

The girls laugh.

MELINDA
What’s your name?

Jeff blushes again.

LORI
Colleen wants to know.

They laugh again.

BRADLEY
He doesn’t have a name!

LORI
E-uuu, Bradley Chalkers!

BRADLEY
Lori Loudmouth!

MELINDA
We’re not talking to you, Bradley!
 25.

BRADLEY
Get out of here or I’ll punch your
face in!

MELINDA
You wouldn’t hit a girl.

BRADLEY
(shakes fist)
That’s what you think.

Melinda and Lori back away.

MELINDA
We only wanted to know his name.

LORI
And what he was doing in the girls’
bathroom!

The girls laugh and run back to Colleen.

Bradley slowly turns his head and looks at Jeff, amazed. Jeff
lowers his head into his hands.

BRADLEY
You went into the girls’ bathroom?

JEFF
I got lost. I didn’t mean to—

BRADLEY
I go all the time! I like to make them
scream.

He smiles at Jeff.

FADE TO:
 26.

EXT. RED HILL SCHOOL - DAY

Bradley and Jeff walk along the sidewalk.

JEFF
So how’d you like the counselor?

BRADLEY
She’s we-ird! She likes to eat dog food!

JEFF
Did she say that?

Bradley nods.

BRADLEY
She asked me why the president doesn’t
wear a hat! How am I supposed to know
that?

JEFF
I don’t know.

Pause.

BRADLEY
You want to go sneak inside the girls’
bathroom?

JEFF
You mean now?

BRADLEY
Why not?

JEFF
Um, now’s not a good time.

BRADLEY
Why not?

Jeff thinks a moment.

 27.

JEFF
There won’t be any girls there now.
They all go home to use their own
bathrooms.

BRADLEY
You’re right. Good thinking. We’ll do
it tomorrow during recess.

Jeff smiles weakly. They walk around the corner. Lori,

Melinda and Colleen appear.

LORI
Hello Jeff.

MELINDA
Hi Jeff.

COLLEEN
(barely audible)
Hi Jeff.

JEFF
(blushing)
Hello, hi, hi.

Lori laughs. The three girls hurry away.

BRADLEY
Stupid girls.

JEFF
Yeah.

BRADLEY
I hate them!

JEFF
Me too!

BRADLEY
Why’d you say hello to them?
 28.

JEFF
They said hello to me first.

BRADLEY
So?

JEFF
Whenever anybody says hello to me, I
always say hello back.

BRADLEY
Why?

JEFF
I don’t know. I can’t help it. It’s
like when someone says “thank you”.
Don’t you automatically say “you’re
welcome”?

BRADLEY
No.

JEFF
I do. I guess it’s like a reflex. Like
when you go to the doctor and he taps
your knee, you have to kick. You can’t
help it. It’s the same thing. When
someone says hello to me, I always
have to say hello back.

Bradley tries to make sense of all this.

BRADLEY
I know what you can do. The next time
one of those girls says hello to you—
kick her!
 29.

INT. MRS. EBBEL’S CLASS - DAY

Bradley and Jeff walk to the door, but Bradley stops. He

looks at the star chart. Jeff now has two gold stars next to
his name. Bradley looks proud, as if those stars were his.

INT. CARLA’S OFFICE - DAY

Bradley sits across from Carla. She wears a yellow shirt with
green triangle buttons. On the left side of the shirt is a
large exclamation mark (!) and the other side has a question
mark (?) .

CARLA
How’s class been going?

BRADLEY
(shrug)
Same stuff. Different day.

Pause.

CARLA
I understand you and Jeff Fishkin have
become friends.

BRADLEY
We’re best friends.

CARLA
That’s wonderful.

BRADLEY
I help him with his homework.

CARLA
That’s very nice of you. I’m sure Jeff
appreciates having you as a friend.

BRADLEY
I’m his only friend.
 30.

CARLA
But even if he had other friends--

BRADLEY
He won’t have any other friends.

CARLA
You don’t know that.

BRADLEY
Yes I do. I’m his only friend.

CARLA
But suppose he makes new friends?

BRADLEY
I don’t want him to.

CARLA
But if he made new friends, then his
new friends could become your friends
too.

BRADLEY
He won’t.

CARLA
Just because you and he are friends,
that doesn’t mean he can’t have other
friends too.

BRADLEY
Yes it does.

CARLA
Why?

BRADLEY
Because, so long as Jeff is friends
with me, nobody else will like him.
 31.

INT. PLAYGROUND - DAY

Bradley and Jeff sit against a white wall.

JEFF
What do you want to do?

BRADLEY
Nothing.

They sit in a bit of silence.

JEFF
I’ve been meeting with the counselor.
She’s helping me adjust to the new
school.

BRADLEY
She’s terrible, isn’t she?

Jeff hesitates. He looks down at the ground.

JEFF
I like her. She said that I can like
her even if you hate her. It doesn’t
mean that you and I can’t still be
friends. We don’t have to agree on
everything. She said friendships are
stronger when everyone has different
opinions to share.

BRADLEY
You told her I hated her?

Jeff nods.

BRADLEY (CONT’D)
Good.

JEFF
Except she didn’t believe me.
 32.

BRADLEY
She’s weird. She never believes
anything anyone says. I’m not going to
see her anymore.

JEFF
She said you don’t have to. I told her
you probably wouldn’t show up today
and she said that was okay. She said
you don’t have to do anything you
don’t want to do.

BRADLEY
That’s one of her tricks.

Awkward pause.

JEFF
So... what do you want to do?

BRADLEY
Nothing.

A basketball bounces towards them. Jeff jumps up and grabs

it. ROBBIE calls out.

ROBBIE (O.S.)
Hey Fishnose, over here!

BRADLEY
Kick it the other way.

Jeff throws the ball to Robbie and sits back down.

BRADLEY (CONT’D)
You should have kicked it on the roof.

JEFF
Maybe they’ll let us play. Let’s ask
them.

BRADLEY
No, I don’t want to.
 33.

Jeff watches the boys play basketball. Bradley looks away.

BRADLEY (CONT’D)
Uh-oh. Here come those girls again.
Try not to say hello to them.

Lori, Melinda and Colleen walk up.

LORI
Hello Jeff.

JEFF
Hello.

MELINDA
Hi.

JEFF
Hi.

COLLEEN
(whisper)
Hello Jeff.

JEFF
(whisper)
Hello.

Lori laughs and they walk away.

JEFF (CONT’D)
(sadly)
I can’t help it.

BRADLEY
Let’s go beat them up! Then they won’t
say hello to you anymore.

He gets up, but Jeff stays put.

BRADLEY (CONT’D)
C’mon. Girls are easy to beat up. You
just have to hit them once, and they
cry and run away.
 34.

JEFF
Not now.

BRADLEY
Why not?

JEFF
Everyone will see us. We’ll get in
trouble.

BRADLEY
You’re right.
(sits down)
We’ll get them after school.

JEFF
I can’t. I’ve got to go right home
after school and do my homework.

BRADLEY
How come you’re always doing your
homework?

JEFF
I don’t know.

BRADLEY
Do you like doing it?

JEFF
It’s okay. I don’t mind it too much.

BRADLEY
Do you think if I did my homework,
Mrs. Ebbel might give me a gold star?

JEFF
I don’t think she gives gold stars
just for doing homework.

Bradley looks a little disappointed. Jeff picks up on it and

changes his attitude.
 35.

JEFF (CONT’D)
But she might!

BRADLEY
Maybe I should do it sometime.

JEFF
Why don’t you come over after school
today? We can do our homework
together.

BRADLEY
Today? I don’t think today’s a good
day to do homework.

JEFF
I can help y--

Jeff stops as he realizes a better way to entice Bradley.

JEFF (CONT’D)
You can help me with the stuff I don’t
understand.

BRADLEY
All right! I’ll do it!

JEFF
Good.

BRADLEY
First, we’ll beat up those girls, then
we’ll go to your house and do our
homework.

INT. HALLWAY - DAY

Colleen, Lori and Melinda walk together.

LORI
Listen Colleen, make up your mind. Are
you going to invite Jeff or not?
 36.

COLLEEN
I don’t know.

MELINDA
What’s the hold-up?

COLLEEN
I don’t want to invite just one boy to
my birthday party.

LORI
So invite another boy.

COLLEEN
But he only has one friend. Bradley.

LORI
Not Bradley. Please, not Bradley.

COLLEEN
I don’t want to invite Bradley. But if
I don’t then I won’t invite Jeff.

MELINDA
You are such a wimp.

INT. MRS. EBBEL’S CLASS - DAY

Bradley sits, scribbling. Only he’s not just scribbling. He

draws little stars all over a piece of paper. The bell rings.

MRS. EBBEL
Ok children, I’ll see you tomorrow.

Bradley and Jeff grab their stuff.

BRADLEY
C’mon, let’s go.

JEFF
Just a sec.

Jeff grabs a textbook from his desk.

 37.

BRADLEY
Oh, do I need one of those?

JEFF
That’s okay. We can share mine.

They walk out.

EXT. MRS. EBBEL’S CLASS - CONTINUOUS

There is a light drizzle as Jeff and Bradley walk out.

BRADLEY
They’re in Mrs. Sharp’s class. We can
wait here until they come out, then
sneak up behind them.

JEFF
Who?

BRADLEY
Those girls. We have to beat them up
so they won’t say hello to you.

JEFF
We should probably get started on our
homework right away.

BRADLEY
It won’t take long. You just have to
hit them once, and they cry and run
away.

JEFF
But it’s raining.

BRADLEY
Good! We can push them in the mud and
get their clothes dirty. Girls hate
that.

They get about ten yards away from Mrs. Sharp’s class.
Several kids come out, but no Colleen, Lori or Melinda.
 38.

JEFF
Maybe they’ve already gone home.

BRADLEY
No, girls always take a long time to
leave class. First, they have to put
their papers neatly in their
notebooks.

Every time Bradley says "neatly" he says it with disdain.

BRADLEY (CONT'D)
Then they have to mark their places in
their books and put all their pencils
in their pencil holders. Then they put
everything away, neatly, in their
desks.
(looks off)
Shh! Here they come.

Melinda, Lori and Colleen come out of Mrs. Sharp’s room.

Bradley puts his finger to his lips, then he and Jeff walk
after them, keeping their distance.

The girls go around a corner.

JEFF
Let’s just go home. The homework might
take a long time.

BRADLEY
Girls kick. They don’t know how to
punch, so they try to kick you.

He quickens his pace. Jeff lags behind. Lori is the first to

turn around.

LORI
E-uuu, Bradley Chalkers!

BRADLEY
Lori Loudmouth. The ugliest girl in
school!
 39.

MELINDA
Grow up Bradley.

BRADLEY
Make me.

COLLEEN
(quietly)
Hello Jeff.

JEFF
Hello.

BRADLEY
Quit saying hello to him!

LORI
It’s a free country. We can say hello.

BRADLEY
Not to us!

LORI
We didn’t say hello to you! Just him!
Hello Jeff.

JEFF
Hello.

LORI
(laughs)

MELINDA
Why don’t you just leave us alone,
Bradley.

BRADLEY
No, you leave us alone first!

He pushes Melinda. She pushes him back. Bradley pushes her

again. She shoves him off the sidewalk. Bradley slips on the
wet grass and falls to the ground. Lori laughs hysterically.
Bradley scrambles angrily to his feet.
 40.

BRADLEY (CONT’D)
You got my clothes dirty!

LORI
Bradley wet his pants!

BRADLEY
Shut up!

MELINDA
You started it.

BRADLEY
I’ll punch your face in!

He shakes his fists. Melinda raises her fists in the air.

Bradley charges towards her, kicks her in the leg. She slugs
him in the face with all her might. Bradley stumbles backward
and almost falls again, but catches his balance. He glares at
Melinda, his eyes swelled with tears.

BRADLEY (CONT’D)
No fair! Four against one!

He runs away crying.

INT. BRADLEY’S HOUSE - AFTERNOON

Bradley is embraced by his mother.

MRS. CHALKERS
My poor baby.

BRADLEY
(crying)
They beat me up and threw me in the mud.

Mrs. Chalkers wipes his eyes with a tissue.

MRS. CHALKERS
Come on. You take a nice warm bath,
put on clean clothes, and you’ll feel
good as new.
 41.

INT. BATHROOM - CONTINUOUS

Claudia combs her hair as Bradley and his mom come in.

CLAUDIA
What happened to him?

MRS. CHALKERS
Some bullies picked on him after
school.

BRADLEY
There were four of them. And they
ripped up my homework too!

CLAUDIA
You’ve been crying!

BRADLEY
It’s the rain!

MRS. CHALKERS
Claudia.

She motions her to leave. Claudia does. Mrs. Chalkers leans

over and starts the bath.

INT. BRADLEY’S ROOM - EARLY EVENING

Bradley comes in, just after his bath, wearing clean clothes
and his hair combed.

Bradley sits on his bed and looks at his figurines.

Ronnie the Rabbit hops along his bed.

RONNIE
Do de-doo de-doo... oh no, I’m lost in
a forest! Where am I?

Three bad guys appear. The TEN OF SPADES and the NINE OF
HEARTS, led by the KING OF DIAMONDS.
 42.

KING OF DIAMONDS
After her!

RONNIE
Help!

She runs to the edge of the bed -- A CLIFF. She’s trapped.

The floor is a thousand feet below, sure death.

The bad guys move in for the kill.

KING OF DIAMONDS
No one can help you now, there is no
escape.

RONNIE
Let me go!

They struggle. Ronnie falls off the cliff.

Cut to regular mode. Ronnie falling off the bed was an

accident.

BRADLEY
Oops.

He picks her up and puts her back into motion.

RONNIE
(to foes)
What are you going to do to me?

KING OF DIAMONDS
We are going to kill you.

BARTHOLOMEW (O.S.)
No you’re not!

Bartholomew comes into scene, swinging on a vine. He does a

flip and kicks the Ten of Spades off the cliff. The Ten
screams as he plummets to his death.
 43.

The Nine of Hearts attacks Bartholomew from behind. They

fight, Bartholomew throws the Nine off.

The King of Diamonds charges, waving an axe.

KING OF DIAMONDS
Off with your head!!

Bartholomew ducks, kicks the axe of out his hands and punches
the King’s face in. Bartholomew lifts the King up.

BARTHOLOMEW
Go join your friends.

He throws the King off.

Ronnie runs into Bartholomew’s arms.

RONNIE
You saved my life!
(a beat)
I love you.

BARTHOLOMEW
I know.

They kiss.

A knock on the door sends us back to reality. Claudia enters.

CLAUDIA
Mom’s making cookies because you got
beat up.
(looks at his eye)
Ooh, you’re going to have a black eye.

BRADLEY
I didn’t get beat up. I beat them up.
I gave one kid two black eyes, and
another boy three.
 44.

CLAUDIA
You can’t give somebody three black
eyes.

BRADLEY
Shut up! Or I’ll give you four black
eyes!

Claudia shrugs and leaves.

INT. KITCHEN - EVENING

Claudia sits at the table, chomping on an apple. Mrs.

Chalkers prepares the cookies. Bradley enters.

MRS. CHALKERS
I want to know the names of the boys
who did this to you. I’m going to call
your school principal.

BRADLEY
I don’t know all their names.

MRS. CHALKERS
Don’t be afraid. They won’t hurt you
anymore.

Bradley thinks.

BRADLEY
Jeff Fishkin! He was the leader of the
gang.

MRS. CHALKERS
I’ll call the school first thing in
the morning.

BRADLEY
Good! I hope he gets in trouble.
I hate him!
 45.

EXT. SCHOOL - MORNING

Bradley walks slowly, his hand covers his black eye.

INT. MRS. EBBEL’S CLASSROOM - MORNING

Bradley enters behind two other students, his hand still

covering his eye. He walks to the last row, last seat.

Jeff’s chair is empty. Bradley sits. He takes off his coat

with one hand and sits back, his hand still covering his eye.

Mrs. Ebbel starts to teach.

MRS. EBBEL
Right now we’re going to talk about
the difference between adjectives and
adverbs.

Bradley looks to the door, watching for Jeff. Mrs. Ebbel

looks to Bradley.

MRS. EBBEL (CONT’D)

Bradley, is there something the matter
with your eye?

BRADLEY
No.

MRS. EBBEL
Then please take your hand away from
it.

BRADLEY
I can’t.

MRS. EBBEL
Why can’t you?

He tries to think of why.

BRADLEY
My hand’s stuck.
 46.

MRS. EBBEL
It’s stuck?

BRADLEY
I was gluing something and got glue on
my hand, and then I accidentally
touched my face with my hand and it
got stuck.

MRS. EBBEL
Bradley, take your hand away from your
eye.

He grabs his wrist with he free hand and wiggles it.

BRADLEY
I can’t. It’s stuck.

MRS. EBBEL
Do you want to go to the principal’s
office? Mr. Booth is good at
unsticking things.

BRADLEY
Wait, I think it’s starting to loosen.

He pulls his hand off to reveal a bluish-black circle around

his eye. For a few seconds, nobody says anything. Then
everyone starts talking at once.

MRS. EBBEL
What happened? Never mind, I don’t
want to know. Class, turn around.

She goes back to adverbs and adjectives. Bradley puts his

head in his arms.

Jeff walks in. He says something to Mrs. Ebbel, then comes to

his seat. Bradley keeps his head down.
 47.

EXT. PLAYGROUND - LUNCH

Bradley sits against a wall at the back of the playground.

Jeff enters and sits next to him.

JEFF
Melinda fights dirty. She hit you when
you weren’t looking. And you couldn’t
hit her back because it’s impolite to
hit a girl.

BRADLEY
(cheered up)
Right! I would have punched her face
in, except it’s impolite. Melinda
probably told the whole school that
she beat me up, she’s so stupid.

JEFF
No, I don’t think she told anybody.
After you left, she asked me not to
tell anyone what happened. And she made
Lori and Colleen promise not to tell.

BRADLEY
She’s probably afraid I’ll punch her
face in.

JEFF
Probably. Then, this morning I was
called into the principal’s office.
Mr. Booth thought I was the one who
hit you.

BRADLEY
What’d you tell him?

JEFF
(shrug)
I told him you’re my best friend.

Pause.
 48.

BRADLEY
The principal’s stupid.

JEFF
Yeah.
(stands)
I’ll be right back. I have to go to
the bathroom.

BRADLEY
Which one?

JEFF
Boys’.

BRADLEY
Oh. I’ll wait here for you.

EXT. BATHROOM - LUNCH

Jeff comes out and walks back to the play ground.

EXT. BASKETBALL COURT - CONTINUOUS

Jeff walks by.

ROBBIE (O.S.)
Hey Jeff!

JEFF
Me?

ROBBIE
Come over here.

Jeff walks onto the court, to a group of boys. Robbie holds a

basketball.

BRIAN
Hi Jeff.

JEFF
Hi Brian.
 49.

JOSE
How’s it going Jeff?

JEFF
It’s okay Jose.

ROBBIE
This is Jeff Fishkin. He’s the guy who
gave Chalkers the black eye.

GUY
All right Jeff!

DAN
Jeff, my man!

GUY
Oh man I wish I could have seen that.

ROBBIE
Man when I saw Chalkers’ eye today, I
just smiled. And then when I found out
you got called to the principal’s
office, I thought, “Way to go Jeff.”

BRIAN
You didn’t get in trouble did you?

Jeff shakes his head.

JOSE
They probably gave him a medal.

Laughs.

GUY
You like to play basketball?

JEFF
Sure!

ROBBIE
Jeff’s on my team.

Jeff’s excited. He has friends to play with.

 50.

EXT. BRADLEY’S LUNCH SPOT - CONTINUOUS

Bradley sits, watching Jeff and the other boys play

basketball. He is devastated. He’s like a woman, watching her
husband kissing another woman.

INT. MRS. EBBEL’S CLASSROOM - AFTERNOON

Bradley and Jeff sit, quiet, working on some math problems.

BRADLEY
(whispering)
Jeff.

Jeff does nothing.

BRADLEY (CONT’D)
(whispering)
Hey Jeff.

Still nothing.

EXT. MRS. EBBEL’S CLASSROOM - AFTERNOON

Everyone walks out. Bradley follows Jeff.

BRADLEY
Jeff! Wait up.

Jeff stops and slowly turns around.

BRADLEY (CONT’D)
Do you want to do our homework
together? I can come over to your
house if you want, or you can come
over to mine. We can use my book. See.

He holds up a textbook. Robbie and his clan push Bradley

aside.

ROBBIE
Out of our way, Chalkers.
 51.

BRIAN
Chicken Chalkers.

ROBBIE
Jeff is our friend now.

JEFF
Yeah, Chalkers.

Bradley looks hurt and walks away. Jeff laughs with his
friends.

FADE TO BLACK

FADE UP:

INT. MRS. EBBEL’S CLASSROOM - DAY

Bradley sits at his desk, scribbling on a piece of paper. He

cuts his paper up, and tapes it all together under his desk.

His face is twisted in hatred and sorrow. Bradley is back to

square one.

INT. CARLA’S OFFICE - DAY

Bradley walks in the door. Carla wears a light blue shirt

with mice running all over it.

CARLA
Hello Bradley. It’s a pleasure to see
you today. I appreciate your coming to
see me.

She holds out her hand. Bradley sits down.

BRADLEY
I punched myself in the eye. I’m the
only one who can beat me up.

CARLA
Did it hurt?
 52.

BRADLEY
No. Nobody can hurt me. Not even me.
I wanted to hit somebody else. But if
I hit another kid, I would have gotten
in trouble, so I hit myself.

CARLA
Why’d you want to hit somebody?

BRADLEY
Because I hate him.

CARLA
Who?

BRADLEY
Everybody.

CARLA
Is that why you hit yourself? Do you
hate yourself?

He doesn’t answer.

CARLA (CONT’D)
Do you like yourself?

BRADLEY
I like myself. You’re the one I don’t like!

CARLA
Tell me something about yourself that
you like.

He glares at her.

CARLA (CONT’D)
I like you. I think you have lots of
good qualities. But I want you to tell
me things you like about yourself.

BRADLEY
I can’t talk anymore.
 53.

CARLA
Why not?

BRADLEY
I’m sick. The doctor said I can’t
talk. The more I talk, the sicker I
get.

CARLA
That sounds serious.

BRADLEY
It is! I’ve probably said enough
already, and it’s your fault. I’ll
probably throw up.

Carla nods.

CARLA
Don’t say another word. We’ll just sit
together in silence. Sometimes people
can learn a lot about each other just
by being together.

She pretends to lock her mouth, and swallows the key.

BRADLEY
You’re weird.

CARLA
A lot of people tell me that.

She presses her finger to her lips.

They sit in silence. Bradley shifts in his chair. His eyes

dart restlessly around the room. He puts his hands behind his
head and leans back.

He is obviously uncomfortable.

BRADLEY
I can probably talk a little bit.
 54.

CARLA
No, I don’t want you to get sick.
I like you too much.

BRADLEY
The doctor says I’m supposed to talk a
little, just not a lot.

CARLA
All right. Shall we talk about school?

BRADLEY
No! The doctor says if I talk about
school, I’ll die!

CARLA
(frowns)
That’s a problem. See, as part of my
job, I’m supposed to help you do
better in school. But how can I help
you if we can’t even talk about it?

BRADLEY
(thinks)
I know. Just tell everybody that you
tried to help me, but I wouldn’t let
you. Tell them that I was too mean and
nasty. That’s it. Tell them I said I’d
spit on you.

CARLA
Oh no, I couldn’t say that about you.
You’re too nice.

BRADLEY
They’ll believe you.

CARLA
It doesn’t matter whether they believe
me or not. I’d know it was a lie.

BRADLEY
So?
 55.

CARLA
So when you tell a lie, the only
person you’re lying to is yourself. I
just wish I knew why a smart kid like
you keeps failing.

BRADLEY
It’s because Mrs. Ebbel doesn’t like me.

CARLA
Shh! Don’t talk about it!

BRADLEY
Well, I can probably talk about school
a little bit without dying.

CARLA
Okay, but as soon as you feel even a
little bit like dying, let me know and
we’ll stop.

Bradley nods.

CARLA (CONT’D)
You know, on tests, the same questions
that are asked are also on homework
assignments. Maybe if you do homework,
just a little, the tests might be
easy.

BRADLEY
The tests are easy. I could get a
hundred if I wanted. I’m the oldest
kid in the class. I answer all the
questions wrong on purpose.

Short pause.

CARLA
Are you afraid of failing?

BRADLEY
I’m not afraid of anything.
 56.

CARLA
Good. You shouldn’t be. I have lots of
confidence in you, Bradley. I know you
would do so well, if only you’d try. I
can help you. We can help each other.
We can try together.

Silence.

BRADLEY
I feel like dying now.

CARLA
Okay. I thank you for talking as much
as you did. You were very brave. Maybe
for our next meeting you could make a
list of topics to discuss so that we
won’t have to risk talking about
school again.

BRADLEY
Is that homework?

CARLA
No. You don’t even have to put your
name at the top.

BRADLEY
Good.

CARLA
I think our time is up. Thank you for
sharing so much with me. I enjoyed
your visit very much.

She holds out her hand. Bradley shoves his hands in his
pocket and walks out.

INT. MRS. EBBEL’S CLASSROOM - DAY

Bradley sits at his desk, not scribbling, but paying

attention. Sort of. He has a sheet of paper in front of him
with a list of things. He occasionally writes more.
 57.

EXT. BRADLEY’S LUNCH SPOT - DAY

Bradley sits, watching and listening to the children play. He

continues to add items to his list.

INT. CLASSROOM – DAY

It’s Halloween, kids are dressed up and having a little

elementary school party.

One of Jeff’s friends (Brian) uses a magic marker to give

himself a black eye.

BRIAN
My costume is Bradley!

Kids laughs. Bradley watches and adds more items on his list.

INT. BRADLEY’S ROOM - AFTERNOON

Bradley lays on his bed. He writes and talks to his friends.

RONNIE
Whatcha doing?

BRADLEY
I’m writing a list of things to talk
about with my counselor.

RONNIE
Ooh, put Rabbits on the list.

BARTHOLOMEW
And bears.

He writes them down. His list is massive, four pages long

with over eighty items.

Topics includes things such as “Gold stars,” “Basketball”

“Good boys / bad boys” “Black eyes” and “Monsters.”
(See addendum)
 58.

Claudia comes in. Bradley shoves his list under his bed.

CLAUDIA
What you working on?

BRADLEY
What are you talking about?

CLAUDIA
That paper.

BRADLEY
What paper?

CLAUDIA
Oh, I don’t know.

She wanders over to Bradley and lunges for his list. Bradley
goes for it too, but she beats him.

She scans his list and laughs.

BRADLEY
What’s so funny?

CLAUDIA
Your list!

BRADLEY
What’s wrong with it?

CLAUDIA
This isn’t the kind of stuff you talk
about with a counselor.

BRADLEY
How do you know?

CLAUDIA
Chalk? What can you say about chalk?

BRADLEY
A lot!
 59.

CLAUDIA
(laughs)
One potato, two potato? Your
counselor’s going to be mad when she
sees this.

BRADLEY
Give it to me!

CLAUDIA
Yes.

BRADLEY
Yes, what?

CLAUDIA
Yes. Your head looks like a chili
bowl.
(laughs)

BRADLEY
Shut up!

CLAUDIA
Who shot my father? How’s she going to
know that?

Bradley shrugs. Claudia gives the list back.

CLAUDIA (CONT’D)
You wrote “Gold stars” three times.

Bradley grabs it from her hand and looks at it.

CLAUDIA (CONT’D)
That’s the stupidest list I’ve ever
seen. Your counselor’s not going to
want to talk about anything on that
list.

BRADLEY
You don’t know her. She’ll talk about
anything I want to talk about. She
listens to me. She likes me!
 60.

CLAUDIA
No, she doesn’t. That’s just her job.

She walks out laughing. Bradley watches her go. He adds

“Sisters” and “Jobs” to his list.

Tears fill his eyes. He crosses off two of the “Gold stars”
topics, then crumples the list and throws it in his trash.

EXT. BRADLEY’S LUNCH SPOT - DAY

Bradley sits, arms wrapped around his legs. A couple kids run
up to him.

CHUBBY FOURTH-GRADER
Look out! Here comes the monster! It’s
the monster from outer space!

SKINNY FRIEND
Aaaah! It’s so ugly!

GIRL WITH PINK GLASSES

Don’t let it touch you! Or you’ll turn
into a monster too.

Bradley jumps up and runs at them. They scatter like pigeons.

INT. HALLWAY - DAY

Carla waits as Bradley walks up. She wears a long-sleeved

white shirt with two triangles on it, one blue and one red.

CARLA
Hello Bradley.

She holds out her hand.

CARLA (CONT’D)
It’s a pleasure to see you today. I
appreciate your coming to see me.

Bradley walks past.

 61.

INT. CARLA’S OFFICE - CONTINUOUS

Bradley and Carla sit at the round table. Bradley hates

Carla. He looks to her with a face so mean it could make your
mother cry. Carla smiles at him.

CARLA
Did you make a list of topics to
discuss?

BRADLEY
No, you’re the teacher.

CARLA
So?

BRADLEY
So you’re the one who has to say what
we talk about, not me. That’s your job.

CARLA
Well, let me think. Are you sure you
can’t think of anything?

Bradley shakes his head.

CARLA (CONT’D)
I’m surprised. I thought you would
have come up with a lot of interesting
topics. Well in that case, we’ll have
to talk about school. Shall we start
with the subject of homework?

BRADLEY
Monsters from outer space.

CARLA
Hmm?

BRADLEY
Monsters from outer space. You said I
could pick the topic. I want to talk
about monsters from outer space.
 62.

CARLA
What a wonderful topic!

BRADLEY
The only way to kill them is with a
ray gun. Regular guns, or even hand
grenades and atomic bombs, won’t kill
them. You need a ray gun.

He stands up, pretending to shoot a ray gun, making a noise

that sounds like a cross between a machine gun and a horse.
Carla puts her hands up to protect herself.

CARLA
Don’t shoot me!

BRADLEY
You’re a monster from outer space.

CARLA
No I’m not. I’m a counselor.

BRADLEY
(stops shooting)
Do you believe in monsters from outer
space?

CARLA
No, but I do believe there are other
types of creatures living in outer
space. But I don’t believe in
monsters. I believe that Earth is just
one small planet in a gigantic
universe. I think there are billions
of other planets with trillions of
other kinds of creatures living on
them. Some are real stupid and others
smarter than you or me. Some are
bigger then dinosaurs; others, smaller
than ants. But out of all of those
creatures, I don’t think there is even
one monster.
 63.

BRADLEY
Not even one?

CARLA
No. I think everyone has good inside
him. Everyone can feel happiness, and
sadness and loneliness. But sometimes
people think someone’s a monster. But
that’s only because they can’t see the
good that’s there. And then a terrible
thing happens.

BRADLEY
They kill him?

CARLA
No, even worse. They call him a
monster, and other people start
calling him a monster, and everyone
treats him like a monster, and then
after a while, he starts believing it
himself. He thinks he’s a monster too.
So he acts like one. But he still
isn’t a monster. He still has lots of
good, buried deep inside him.

BRADLEY
But what if he’s real ugly? What if he
has green skin, and only one eye in
the middle of his face, and three
arms, and two hands on each arm, and
eight fingers on each hand?

CARLA
(laughs)
You and I might think that’s ugly, but
that’s just because it’s different
from what we’re used to seeing. On
that planet, that might be considered
beautiful. You may have just described
a handsome movie star.

Bradley laughs.
 64.

CARLA (CONT’D)
On that planet, they probably would
think I was ugly because I don’t have
green skin and I have two eyes.

BRADLEY
No, they might think I was ugly, but
not you.

CARLA
(astonished)
Why Bradley, that’s the nicest thing
you’ve ever said to me. Thank you.

Bradley blushes.

BRADLEY
I don’t want to talk about monsters
anymore.

CARLA
Okay. I think we had a very good
conversation, don’t you? You picked an
excellent topic.

BRADLEY
May I color?

CARLA
Why of course.

She grabs a paper and a box of crayons to give to Bradley. He

takes a green crayon and starts to draw. He draws a monster.
A monster with three arms. And two hands on each arm. There
aren’t eight fingers, only because he runs out of space.

He looks up.

BRADLEY
Carla?

CARLA
Yes?
 65.

BRADLEY
Can you see inside monsters? Can you
see the good?

CARLA
That’s all I see.

He returns to his picture. He draws a black eye in the middle

of the creature’s face. He draws a red heart inside the
creature’s chest to show all the good that was there.

BRADLEY
Well, how does a monster stop being a
monster? I mean, if everyone sees only
a monster, and they keep treating him
like a monster, how does he stop being
a monster?

CARLA
It isn’t easy. First, he has to
realize for himself that he isn’t a
monster. That I think, is the first
step. Until he knows he isn’t a
monster, how is anybody else supposed
to know?

Bradley puts down his crayon and holds up his picture.

BRADLEY
He’s a movie star on his planet.
Everyone loves him.

CARLA
He’s very handsome.

BRADLEY
You want it? I mean, I don’t want it
anyway, so you can have it.

CARLA
I’d love it! Thank you. I’m going to
hang it on the wall right now.

Carla tacks up his picture.

 66.

BRADLEY
I think it’s time for me to go back to
class.

CARLA
I look forward to next week’s visit. I
hope you have another great topic to
discuss.

Bradley gets up and starts walking, but stops and turns

around.

CARLA (CONT’D)
Yes?

He stands, waiting for something.

CARLA (CONT’D)
Did you forget something?

He stands. Carla’s eyes light up. She holds out her hand.

CARLA (CONT’D)
I enjoyed your visit very much. Thank
you for sharing with me.

Bradley stretches his mouth into his smile/frown, then

hurries out the door.

EXT. SCHOOL - AFTERNOON

Colleen, Lori and Melinda wait just off of campus.

LORI
Here he comes. Don’t be such a
chicken.

COLLEEN
Maybe we should wait until tomorrow.

LORI
Hey Jeff!
 67.

COLLEEN
(whisper)
No.

Jeff turns to see them. Lori and Melinda walks towards him.
Colleen lags behind.

LORI
Hello Jeff.

MELINDA
Hi Jeff.

JEFF
(annoyed)
Hello, hi.

Lori laughs.

MELINDA
C’mon Colleen. Ask him.

Colleen blushes and looks away.

MELINDA (CONT’D)
Colleen has something she wants to ask you.

COLLEEN
Well, see, um, okay, well--I’m having
a... it’s my birth--

JEFF
Quit bothering me.

Colleen turns bright red.

JEFF (CONT’D)
And quit saying hello to me!

LORI
We're not bothering you! We're just
talking.
 68.

MELINDA
We can say hello if we want. It’s a
free country.

JEFF
I don’t want you saying anything to me.

Colleen explodes.

COLLEEN
Don’t worry! I won’t!

LORI
I will! Hello, hello, hello, hello,
hello.

JEFF
Shut up!

LORI
Hello Jeff, hello Jeff, jello Jeff.
(laughs at her mistake)
Jello Jeff. Hello Jello.

She laughs hysterically.

JEFF
And quit laughing!

COLLEEN
She can laugh. You can’t tell her she
can’t laugh.

LORI
Hellohellohellohellohello.

JEFF
Shut up!

MELINDA
You shut up!

JEFF
I’m not afraid of you Melinda.
 69.

MELINDA
I’m not afraid of you either.

Jeff raises his fist. Melinda does the same. Lori shrieks
with anticipation.

JEFF
Okay, hit me.

MELINDA
You hit me first.

JEFF
No, you hit me first.

LORI
Somebody hit somebody!

Jeff taps Melinda’s shoulder. Melinda slugs him in the gut.

As he bends over, she hits him in the nose. Jeff flails his
arms as he tries to defend himself, but Melinda continues to
punch; in the neck, in the stomach, in the eye.

Jeff falls to the ground. Melinda jumps on top of him, knees

first. She sits on his chest and holds his arms flat against
the ground. Lori kneels beside him, slapping the ground.

LORI (CONT’D)
One... two... three... four... five...
six-seven-eight-nine-ten!

Melinda stands up. Lori holds Melinda’s arm high in the air.
She holds her nose as she talks.

LORI (CONT’D)
The winner, and still champion of the
world... Marvelous Melinda.

Colleen claps her hands.

 70.

INT. BRADLEY’S ROOM - MORNING

Bradley buttons up a shirt, smiling. Ronnie is perched on his

dresser.

BRADLEY
I’m going to be good, and then when
everybody sees how good I am, they’ll
know I’m not a monster.

RONNIE
And you’ll get a gold star!

He’s so excited he doesn’t realize he puts on two different

colored socks; a blue sock on his left foot and a green sock
on his right.

He puts on his shoes and ties them up. He looks at himself in

the mirror. His black eye is almost gone. It’s faded into a
light brownish-yellowish color.

INT. KITCHEN - CONTINUOUS

Bradley comes in to greet a big bowl of oatmeal.

BRADLEY
I hate hot cereal.

MR. CHALKERS
You’ll eat what you’re served. This
isn’t a restaurant.

Bradley nods. He knows he’s supposed to be good. He takes a

spoonful and swallows it.

BRADLEY
Mmmmm. That’s pretty good.

He brings his arm down and his elbow hits his glass of orange
juice, spilling it on the table. Claudia shrieks.

MRS. CHALKERS
Oh Bradley!
 71.

His father glares at him.

BRADLEY
It was an acci--

He stops himself. Carla said there are no accidents.

MR. CHALKERS
Are you just going to sit there, or
are you going to help your mother
clean it up?

He picks up his napkin to help, but his mother stops him.

MRS. CHALKERS
You’ll only make a bigger mess.

He continues eating silently.

INT. HALLWAY - MORNING

Bradley walks to his room. Claudia sees his feet and laughs.

BRADLEY
What’s so funny?

CLAUDIA
Look at your socks!

He looks down at his feet, then back at Claudia.

BRADLEY
Thank you Claudia. I appreciate your
sharing that with me.

Claudia stops laughing and stares at him. He walks into his

room.

CLAUDIA
(to self)
What?
 72.

INT. MRS. EBBEL’S CLASSROOM - MORNING

Bradley walks in, determined to be good. He walks to his seat

and sits down. He sits straight, with his hands folded on top
of his desk.

Jeff walks in and walks to his desk. Bradley sees Jeff

through the corner of his eye. Jeff has a black eye!

JEFF
What are you staring at, Chalkers!

SHAWNA, the girl in front of Bradley, turns around.

SHAWNA
Hey, you two look like twins.

She chuckles and turns around.

JEFF
Yeah, that’s right Shawna, you turn
your ugly head around.

SHAWNA
(without turning)
Oh shut up Bradley.

Bradley is speechless. He looks to Jeff, who snarls at him.

EXT. CLASSROOM - DAY

The bell rings for lunch and kids come out. Bradley walks out
a little behind. He walks around the corner and bumps into
WILL and BEN, Jeff’s friends.

BEN
What’s the big idea?

WILL
Hitting Jeff when he’s not looking.

BRADLEY
Huh?
 73.

Ben pushes him. Bradley stumbles backwards into Jeff, who

pushes him the other way. Bradley sees that he’s surrounded.

ROBBIE
Jeff’s our friend.

BRIAN
Yeah!

JEFF
You hit me when I wasn’t looking! And
my hands were full of groceries.
I didn’t want to break the eggs.

DAN
Chicken Chalkers.

Bradley dashes through an opening between Ben and Guy.

EXT. PLAYGROUND - CONTINUOUS

Bradley runs across the blacktop, Jeff and his gang

following. Bradley turns his head to look back and smashes
into a little girl, who falls to the ground.

GIRL
I’m telling on you!

BRADLEY
I’m sorry.

Bradley helps her up. She screams and punches him a little.
Bradley sees Jeff’s gang getting close and runs off.

EXT. LIBRARY - CONTINUOUS

Bradley runs up to the library and dashes in.

INT. LIBRARY - CONTINUOUS

Bradley walks in and sits down at a table. The librarian,

MRS. WILCOTT, sees him.
 74.

MRS. WILCOTT
What do you want Bradley?

BRADLEY
Nothing.

MRS. WILCOTT
I don’t want any trouble from you.
Go somewhere else.

BRADLEY
But—-

MRS. WILCOTT
But nothing. I’ll call the principal.

BRADLEY
I’m sorry.

He leaves.

EXT. LIBRARY - CONTINUOUS

He sees Jeff’s gang.

BEN
There he is!

Bradley runs back the way he came. He rounds a corner and

looks for a door. He sees only one. The girls’ bathroom.

He closes his eyes and runs in.

INT. BATHROOM - CONTINUOUS

He hears no screams, so he opens his eyes. He looks surprised

to he sees that the girls’ bathroom is almost exactly like
the boys'.

He hears footsteps and runs into a stall.

 75.

INT. STALL - CONTINUOUS

Bradley locks the door and stands on the toilet. Footsteps

approach his stall, then go to the next one.

The stall door opens. He hears an unzip. He plugs his ears so

he won’t hear the girl next to him.

A toilet flushes and the stall door opens. He hears footsteps

and the bathroom door opening and closing. She left.

He opens his door and walks out.

INT. BATHROOM - CONTINUOUS

Bradley comes out to face two girls. One is by the door, she
just came in. The other is at the sink, a look of horror on
her face. She screams and Bradley runs out.

INT. HALLWAY - CONTINUOUS

Bradley runs out of the bathroom, looking for a door. He runs

into the first one he sees.

INT. ROOM - CONTINUOUS

Bradley closes the door.

CARLA (O.S.)
Bradley?

The sight of Carla calms him instantly.

BRADLEY
Hello Carla.

He holds out his hand as he walks forward.

BRADLEY (CONT’D)
It’s a pleasure to see you today.

She shakes his hand. He sits down.

 76.

BRADLEY (CONT’D)
You won’t believe it. You just won’t
believe it.

CARLA
I’m sure I won’t.

Carla wears a sleeveless, black-and-white checkered shirt.

BRADLEY
Okay, I’ll tell you.

CARLA
I was hoping you would.

BRADLEY
Do you know where I was before I was here?

CARLA
No.

BRADLEY
The girls’ bathroom!

Carla looks a bit confused.

BRADLEY (CONT’D)
I was hiding in the bathroom, in a
stall, and a girl came in and used the
stall right next to me. I heard her
toilet flush and heard the bathroom
door open and close. I thought she had
left. So I left my stall. But when I
came out, there were two girls!
Another girl had entered. At first I
didn’t know which girl was which, but
then one of them screamed, so she must
have been the one.

CARLA
Who was she? Did you know her?
 77.

BRADLEY
Yes, but I don’t think I should tell
you her name. She probably doesn’t
want anybody else to know.

CARLA
That’s very considerate of you,
Bradley.

Bradley shrugs.

CARLA (CONT’D)
Shall we have lunch?

BRADLEY
Okay.

He takes out his lunch, a roast beef sandwich and a carton of

apple juice. Carla sets her lunch on the table. She has
yogurt and a plate of sliced tomatoes and cucumbers.

BRADLEY (CONT’D)
That looks good.

CARLA
You want to trade?

BRADLEY
Okay.

They trade lunches. Bradley eats a slice of cucumber.

CARLA
So what were you doing inside the
girls’ bathroom?

She takes a big bite out of Bradley’s sandwich.

BRADLEY
Jeff and his friends were chasing me.
Jeff’s got a black eye, just like me!
They all thought I gave it to him.
 78.

CARLA
Did you?

BRADLEY
No. I can’t even beat up a girl. Melinda
Birch beat me up. Do you know her?

CARLA
No.

BRADLEY
You’d like her. She’s nice.

Carla smiles.

BRADLEY (CONT’D)
I tried to hide in the library but
Mrs. Wilcott wouldn’t let me.

CARLA
Why not?

BRADLEY
A long time ago, before I met you, I
used to check out books and not return
them. I used to scribble in them and
rip them up. So she won’t let me in
the library anymore.
(eats another cucumber)
I’m trying to be good, but nobody will
give me a chance.

CARLA
They will. It just takes time.

A beat.

BRADLEY
Do you ever play checkers on your
shirt?

Carla nearly spits out her juice. She laughs and shakes her
head.
 79.

BRADLEY (CONT’D)
I like your shirts.

CARLA
I like your socks.

Bradley looks down at his mismatched socks.

BRADLEY
I didn’t even notice!

CARLA
I hate socks that match. See.

She sticks out her legs. She wears white pants. She also
wears one white sock and one black sock.

Bradley smiles. It’s not his twisted smile, but a genuine

one.

CARLA (CONT’D)
I know something good that you could
do. And Mrs. Ebbel will notice it too.

BRADLEY
What?

CARLA
Homework.

His smile drops from his face.

BRADLEY
No. No I can’t.

CARLA
Sure you can.

BRADLEY
I can’t!

CARLA
You can do anything you want to,
Bradley Chalkers. I have a lot of
confidence in you.
 80.

BRADLEY
(voice cracks)
But I can’t.

CARLA
Don’t say “I can’t.” As long as you
say you can’t do something, then of
course you won’t do it. Say, “I can!”
Say, “I can!” and you can do anything.

BRADLEY
(crying)
I can’t! I can’t!

CARLA
Bradley, it’s not that difficult.
You’re making a big deal out of
nothing. If you want, I will help you.

BRADLEY
I can’t.

CARLA
Why can’t you?

He wipes his eyes with his sleeve and sniffs. He looks Carla
in the eyes.

BRADLEY
I don’t know what page we’re on!

He cries. Carla smiles.

CARLA
Oh Bradley.

She stands, walks around the table, and kisses Bradley on the
cheek.
 81.

INT. BRADLEY’S ROOM - AFTERNOON

Bradley lays on his bed, chewing the end of his pencil as he

looks hopelessly at his arithmetic book. Next to him is a
notebook. On the front page is his homework:

Bradley Chalkers
Homework
Arithmetic
Red Hill School
Room 12
Mrs. Ebbel’s Class
Last seat, last row
Black eye

Question 1. What is three-fourths of two-thirds?

He looks dead.

Ronnie comes hopping up to him.

RONNIE
What goes on here?

BRADLEY
I’m doing homework.

RONNIE
What’s homework?

BRADLEY
It’s work you do at home.

RONNIE
Are you being funny?

BRADLEY
No, that’s what they call it at
school. They give you work to do at
home and call it homework.

RONNIE
You’ve never done it before.
 82.

BRADLEY
I’m doing it for Carla. Now leave me
alone so I can concentrate.

Question 1. What is three-fourths of two-thirds?

RONNIE
Why are you doing it for Carla?

BRADLEY
Ok I’ll tell you, but this is our
secret. Promise you won’t tell.

RONNIE
(crosses heart)
I promise.

BRADLEY
We’re in love.

RONNIE
Really?! How do you know?

BRADLEY
She kissed me.

RONNIE
Ooh, that means she loves you! Are you
going to marry her?

BRADLEY
Maybe, when I’m older. But first I
have to do my homework.

Ronnie lets him get back to it and she hops away. Bradley
chews his pencil.

INT. KITCHEN - AFTERNOON

His mother sits at the table, working on a newspaper

crossword puzzle. Bradley plops down next to her and sighs.
She looks at him inquisitively.
 83.

BRADLEY
I can’t figure out how to do my
homework. Will you help me?

His mother smiles.

MRS. CHALKERS
I’d be delighted. Let me see.

BRADLEY
Page forty-three.

She opens the book and looks at Bradley’s notebook. She reads
his margins on the top right.

MRS. CHALKERS
What’s all this?

BRADLEY
You have to put that, in case it gets
lost.

MRS. CHALKERS
Oh.
(back to the textbook)
Question one: What is three-fourths of
two-thirds?

He shrugs.

MRS. CHALKERS (CONT’D)

Okay, the first thing you want to do
is write the equation.

He stares blankly. She writes it for him.

MRS. CHALKERS (CONT’D)

Whenever you see the word "of", it
means you multiply.

BRADLEY
"Of" means "times".
 84.

MRS. CHALKERS
Right. Now you can cancel out the
threes.

Claudia, who has been standing behind them, interjects.

CLAUDIA
That’s not how you’re supposed to
learn it.

Bradley turns and glares at her.

CLAUDIA (CONT’D)
You have to explain why you cancel
them. And they don’t call it
canceling. It’s called dividing by
one.

MRS. CHALKERS
I just know it the way I learned it.

CLAUDIA
If you want, I can show you, Bradley.

He looks to his mother.

MRS. CHALKERS
She knows the way they’re teaching it
now.

BRADLEY
(to Claudia)
You’ll help me?

CLAUDIA
Sure. I’ve got nothing better to do.

Mrs. Chalkers stands up and lets Claudia sit down.

MRS. CHALKERS
Don’t do it for him. Make sure he
knows how to do it for himself.
 85.

Timecut. Transitional shots. Claudia helps Bradley, writing

out equations and explaining.

It’s dinner time. Claudia and Bradley have gotten halfway

through. Their father sits at the table, having watched some.

BRADLEY
Can you help me after dinner, too?

CLAUDIA
Sorry. I’ve got my own homework to do.
You know how to do it. You can do it
yourself.

BRADLEY
I still need help.

MR. CHALKERS
I’ll help you.

Beat.

BRADLEY
You will?

MR. CHALKERS
Sure. Right after dinner. We’ll work
in my office.

INT. MR. CHALKERS OFFICE

Bradley and his father sit at his desk, working on his

homework.

MR. CHALKERS
Claudia did a very good job teaching
you. Let’s see how much you remember.
You ready?

Bradley nods.

MR. CHALKERS (CONT’D)

Ok, so you tell me how to do this one.
 86.

BRADLEY
Um... you take 5 and multiply it by 2.
That’s the num-- numerator. Multiply
the bottom numbers, 8 times 3.

MR. CHALKERS
And what are the bottom numbers
called?

BRADLEY
Uh... denominators.

MR. CHALKERS
Excellent! Continue.

BRADLEY
Now we have... 10/24ths.

MR. CHALKERS
Can you get the fraction lower than
that?

BRADLEY
Hmm... oh yeah! They’re both even
numbers so I can divide by 2!

MR. CHALKERS
Smart boy! And what do you have now?

BRADLEY
5/12ths.

MR. CHALKERS
Very good. Can it go any lower?

BRADLEY
Uh... Does 5 go into 12 evenly?

MR. CHALKERS
Does it?

BRADLEY
No.
 87.

MR. CHALKERS
Very good. So is this the final
answer?

BRADLEY
Yep.

MR. CHALKERS
Excellent work!

Bradley smiles.

INT. MRS. EBBEL’S CLASSROOM - MORNING

Bradley goes to his desk, his homework clutched in his hand.

As other kids come in, he sees them place papers in a tray on
Mrs. Ebbel’s desk. Bradley looks confused. Is he supposed to
put his homework in the tray?

Shawna sits in front of him.

BRADLEY
Shawna.

She turns.

BRADLEY (CONT’D)
Are you supposed to put your homework
on Mrs. Ebbel’s desk?

SHAWNA
Don’t tell me what to do, Bradley! You
worry about your homework, and I’ll
worry about mine, okay?

He opens his binder to get his paper. He grabs it and walks

to the front of the class. He walks slowly, scared he’s not
doing what he’s supposed to.

He gets to Mrs. Ebbel’s desk. Sweating bullets.

MRS. EBBEL
Do you want anything, Bradley?
 88.

He shakes his head. He walks to the trash can. He rips up his

homework and throws it away. He instantly feels better. He
walks back to his desk.

INT. CARLA’S OFFICE - DAY

Bradley comes in. Carla wears her squiggly line shirt again.

CARLA
Bradley. How nice to see you. I
appreciate your coming to visit me.

He shakes her hand, and then sits down.

BRADLEY
I did my homework last night.

CARLA
(beaming)
I’m so proud of--

BRADLEY
I ripped it up.

CARLA
What?

BRADLEY
I ripped it up. I brought it to
school, and I was just about to put it
on Mrs. Ebbel’s desk, but then I
ripped it up.

CARLA
Why did--?

BRADLEY
Why did I rip it up?

CARLA
I don’t know, why did you?

He shrugs. She shrugs. They smile.

 89.

BRADLEY
I was afraid you’d be mad.

CARLA
You did your homework, that’s the
important thing. I’m so very proud of
you, Bradley Chalkers.

BRADLEY
I’m going to do all my homework, from
now on.

CARLA
That’s wonderful!

BRADLEY
But what if I keep ripping it up?

CARLA
Why would you want to do that?

BRADLEY
I don’t know. I didn’t think I wanted
to rip it up today.

CARLA
The main thing is that you did it. And
you learned some things by doing it,
didn’t you?

BRADLEY
What “of” means.

CARLA
What “of” means?

BRADLEY
“Of” means "times".

It takes a moment for her to understand.

 90.

CARLA
Oh, right. Okay, so even though you
ripped up your homework, you still
remember what you learned. You didn’t
rip up your memory. And when Mrs.
Ebbel gives the next arithmetic test,
you’ll know how to answer the
questions.

BRADLEY
If they don’t change the rules.

CARLA
What rules?

BRADLEY
Like, what if they decide to make “of”
mean subtraction?

CARLA
They won’t change the rules, whoever
"they" are.

BRADLEY
But what if I rip up my test, too?

CARLA
Has Mrs. Ebbel given you any homework
for tomorrow?

BRADLEY
Tomorrow’s Saturday.

CARLA
Monday, then.

BRADLEY
No, we never have homework over the
weekend. But we have a book report due
next week. Only...

CARLA
Only what?
 91.

BRADLEY
I don’t have a book. And Mrs. Wilcott
won’t let me check out any from the
library.

CARLA
Well, let’s see. Do you think you
might know somebody else who might let
you borrow a book? Think hard now.

Bradley looks around and sees a large shelf of books.

BRADLEY
May I borrow one of your books?
Please. I won’t scribble in it.

Carla walks around to grab a book.

CARLA
It’s my favorite.

She hands it to Bradley. "My Parents Didn’t Steal an

Elephant", by Uriah C. Lasso. He opens the book and reads the
first sentence aloud.

BRADLEY
“I hate tomato juice.”

Bradley looks a bit amused. He reads a few more sentences to

himself.

URIAH C. LASSO (V.O.)

Every morning, Aunt Ruth gives me a
glass of tomato juice, and every
morning I tell her I hate it. “Fine,
Dumpling,” she always says, “don’t
drink it.” She calls me Dumpling.
Uncle Boris calls me Cornflake.
They’re crazy. One of these days I’m
afraid they’re going to try to eat me.

Bradley looks up to Carla.

 92.

BRADLEY
Thank you.

CARLA
You’re welcome.

The bell rings. Bradley closes the book.

BRADLEY
Do you want to have lunch together
again?

CARLA
I’m sorry. I’m having lunch with the
president of the school board. I’d
much rather eat lunch with you though.

BRADLEY
That’s all right.

They shake hands.

CARLA
Goodbye.

BRADLEY
Goodbye.

INT. BRADLEY’S ROOM

Bradley reads Carla’s "Elephant" book.

URIAH C. LASSO (V.O.)

Uncle Boris and Aunt Ruth are married.
I bet you thought you already knew
that, except you’re not as smart as you
think you are. They were my uncle and
aunt even before they got married.
Uncle Boris is my mother’s brother and
Aunt Ruth is my father’s sister. They
didn’t even know each other until my
parents got arrested for stealing an
elephant.
(MORE)
 93.

URIAH C. LASSO (V.O.) (CONT'D)

Then they both came here to take care
of me. They fell in love and got
married a week later. It was sickening!
You’re lucky you weren’t there.

There’s a knock at his door. His mother enters.

MRS. CHALKERS
Oh, you’re reading. That’s good.

BRADLEY
It’s a good book.

MRS. CHALKERS
I just got a letter from the Concerned
Parents Organization. There’s going to
be some sort of meeting about Miss
Davis, your counselor.

Bradley’s heart flutters.

MRS. CHALKERS (CONT’D)

It says if I have any complaints I
should come to the meeting. I don’t
think I have any complaints. She seems
to be helping you. Do you have any
complaints?

Claudia appears behind her.

CLAUDIA
Oh, no! He doesn’t have any
complaints! He’s in love with her. I
heard him say it to his animals.

BRADLEY
What?

CLAUDIA
Look Mom, he’s blushing. That proves
he loves her.
 94.

MRS. CHALKERS
It doesn’t prove anything. Quit
teasing your brother.

CLAUDIA
Where’d you get the book, Bradley?

She already knows the answer. Bradley’s heart beats fast.

BRADLEY
Carla gave it to me.

CLAUDIA
Carla gave it to him.

MRS. CHALKERS
Well, I don’t care where he got the
book. I’m just happy to see he’s
reading.

CLAUDIA
The only reason he’s reading is
because he’s in love with his teacher.

BRADLEY
She’s not my teacher. She’s my
counselor.

Claudia roars with laughter. Mrs. Chalkers laughs too, but

covers her mouth.

BRADLEY (CONT’D)
I didn’t say I was in love with her!
We were just talking about my
counselor, not my teacher, that’s all!

CLAUDIA
Mom, are you going to let him marry her?

MRS. CHALKERS
Well, I don’t know. She seems like a
very lovely girl.

Bradley nearly dies. Mrs. Chalkers is serious now.

 95.

MRS. CHALKERS (CONT’D)

So you don’t have any complaints about
Miss Davis?

BRADLEY
She’s okay.

MRS. CHALKERS
Well, then, I won’t go to the meeting.
C’mon, let’s leave your brother alone.

She leaves.

CLAUDIA
The Concerned Parents Organization
never likes anything. They’re always
causing trouble at my school, too.
They want to turn kids into robots.

She leaves and closes the door. Bradley looks like he’s
embarrassed just to be alive. The door opens again. Claudia
sticks her face in.

CLAUDIA (CONT’D)
If the Concerned Parents Organization
found out Carla kissed you, she’d be
fired for sure!

INT. MRS. EBBEL’S CLASSROOM - DAY

Mrs. Ebbel teaches arithmetic. Bradley pays close attention.

EXT. BRADLEY’S LUNCH SPOT - AFTERNOON

Bradley sits and reads "Elephant".

Mrs. Wilcott walks by and stops.

MRS. WILCOTT
Bradley? Are you reading?
 96.

BRADLEY
Yes.

MRS. WILCOTT
Good for you, Bradley! Good for you!

He smiles. Mrs. Wilcott walks away. Bradley puts his book

down and starts to eat.

Colleen walks by.

BRADLEY
Hello, Colleen!

Colleen stops. She’s confused, so she leaves. He smiles.

He finishes eating. He opens his book and reads.

Jeff and his gang come by.

ROBBIE
Look, he’s reading.

BEN
I didn’t know he knew how to read.

Bradley looks up to see he’s surrounded.

BRIAN
He can’t read. He just looks at the
pictures!

JOSE
Whatcha readin’?

Bradley closes the book and stands up.

DAN
Chicken Chalkers.

Guy bounces a basketball.

JOSH
What’s the matter, Brad-ley?
 97.

ROBBIE
Hey Chalkers, what’s the name of your
book?

Bradley looks to his book, then up at Robbie.

ROBBIE (CONT’D)
Let me see it.

Bradley clutches it against his chest.

ROBBIE (CONT’D)
Aw, c’mon Bradley, be a pal. I just
want to see it.
(steps up)
You can’t read anyway. Give it to me
and I’ll read it to you.

He reaches out. Bradley jerks it back.

BRIAN
Uh-oh, I think he’s getting angry.

ROBBIE
I just want to see it.

He reaches for the book again. Bradley holds it tighter with

his left hand. He makes his right hand into a fist. Robbie
backs away.

ROBBIE (CONT’D)
Jeff.

DAN
C’mon Jeff, teach him a lesson.

Jeff steps between Guy and Jose.

BEN
All right!

GUY
Do you want me to hold your book,
Bradley?
 98.

Bradley glances at him.

GUY (CONT’D)
(sincerely)
Don’t worry. I won’t hurt it.

Bradley hands Guy the book, then looks back at Jeff.

BRIAN
C’mon, get’m Jeff.

JOSE
Give him another black eye.

Bradley raises his fists. Then lowers them. He smiles.

BRADLEY
Hello, Jeff.

Robbie snickers. Jeff stares at him, wide-eyed.

JEFF
Hello, Bradley.

Bradley holds out his hand. Jeff smiles. It’s his first
honest smile in a while. He shakes his best friend’s hand.

The others are dumbfounded. No one says anything for a few

seconds.

GUY
So Bradley, do you like to play
basketball?

BRADLEY
I’m not very good.

JEFF
It’s ok. None of us are.

ROBBIE
Now we have even teams.
 99.

EXT. BASKETBALL COURT - AFTERNOON

The kids play a game of basketball. Bradley’s pretty bad but

he’s having fun.

Bradley gets the ball and aims to the basket. The other
players stop and encourage him to shoot the ball. Bradley
makes the shot.

JEFF
Great shot!

Bradley can’t believe it. Then he sees Carla’s book on the

ground a few feet from him. He knows. Bradley smiles.

FADE TO:

INT. HALLWAY - DAY

Jeff walks down the hallway. He runs into Colleen. There’s an

awkward pause.

JEFF
Hello.

Colleen looks at him silently.

JEFF (CONT’D)
I’m sorry.

COLLEEN
That’s ok.

JEFF
You can say hello to me whenever you
want.

Colleen smiles.

COLLEEN
Hello.

JEFF
Hello.
 100.

They smile at each other for a moment.

JEFF (CONT’D)
I’d better get to class.

Colleen nods. Jeff starts to walk off.

COLLEEN
Jeff.

He turns.

COLLEEN (CONT’D)
I’m having a birthday party. I’d
appreciate it if you were there.

JEFF
I’d love to. When is it?

COLLEEN
December 22nd. Well that’s when my
birthday, the actual day, is. The
party is on the 18th.

JEFF
I’ll be there.

COLLEEN
Um... my mom says I can’t just have
one boy there, so I need to invite one
of your friends.

JEFF
Sounds good.

COLLEEN
Who do you want me to invite?

Jeff smiles.
 101.

EXT. CHALKERS’ RESIDENCE - EVENING

Bradley and his father are out in the drive, playing with a
basketball. No hoop. Mr. Chalkers teaches Bradley how to
dribble.

MR. CHALKERS
There you go. You got it.

Bradley gets the hang of it. Mr. Chalkers rests a hand on

Bradley's shoulder.

INT. MRS. EBBEL’S CLASS - DAY

The bell rings. Kids rush outside to go to recess.

Bradley stays. He puts his paper in his notebook. Neatly.

Then he marks his place in his book and puts all his pencils
in his pencil holder. Then he puts everything away, neatly,
in his desk.

EXT. MRS. EBBEL’S CLASS - CONTINUOUS

Colleen waits as Bradley comes out.

COLLEEN
Hello, Bradley.

He stops.

BRADLEY
Hello.

COLLEEN
Would you like to come to my birthday
party?

He’s speechless.

COLLEEN (CONT’D)
It’s on December 18th. Jeff will be
there. He’s the only other boy.
Everyone else will be girls.
(MORE)
 102.

COLLEEN (CONT’D)
I would have invited you sooner, but
um, I just found out when it was.

BRADLEY
Yes! I’d love to come to your party!

COLLEEN
Good.

She smiles and scoots away. Bradley stares at her.

INT. BRADLEY’S ROOM - NIGHT

Bradley sits in bed, reading his book. There’s a knock at his

door, then Mr. Chalkers comes in.

MR. CHALKERS
It’s past your bedtime, Bradley.

BRADLEY
Okay.

He’s about to turn off the light.

MR. CHALKERS
Oh you were reading. Well, that’s all
right then. You can stay up if you
want to read.

Bradley smiles.

MR. CHALKERS (CONT’D)

So what did the kids think of your
dribbling?

BRADLEY
(almost ashamed)
I forgot how.

MR. CHALKERS
That's ok, buddy. I guess we need to
practice more.
(MORE)
 103.

MR. CHALKERS (CONT'D)

Maybe this weekend I’ll put up a
backboard on the garage. Good night.

BRADLEY
Good night.

He leaves. Bradley continues reading.

URIAH C. LASSO (V.O.)

I just met Ace. He’s my parents’ lawyer.
Guess what? He’s crazier than my Aunt and
Uncle put together.
The first thing he said to me was,
“Do you like peanuts?”
“They’re okay,” I answered.
“Good,” he said.
He gave me a peanut and I ate it. “Do you
want another peanut?” he asked.
I shrugged. So he gave me another peanut
and I ate that one too. Big deal.
“You must really like peanuts a lot,”
he said. I told you he was crazy.
“I want you to remember that,” he said.
“If anybody asks you, you really like
peanuts a lot.” “Okay, I really like
peanuts a lot,” I said.
Then he gave me three more peanuts!
“Eat these!” I ate them. “You just ate
three peanuts in five seconds,” he said.
Can you believe it? He timed me. Tell me
he isn’t crazy!

INT. HALLWAY - DAY

Bradley smiles as he walks to Carla’s. Carla waits outside

her door for Bradley. She wears a dark blue shirt with little
white stars on it.

BRADLEY
Hello, Carla. It’s a pleasure to see you
today. I appreciate coming to see you.
 104.

CARLA
The pleasure is mine.

They shake hands and go inside.

INT. CARLA’S OFFICE - CONTINUOUS

CARLA
So what’s new?

He opens his mouth to tell her everything, but reconsiders.

BRADLEY
What’s new with you?

CARLA
With me? Nobody’s ever asked me that
before.

BRADLEY
You’re always asking me what’s new.
Why can’t I ask you?

CARLA
You can! You can ask me anything you
want. Let me see. What’s new? I bought
a new shower curtain yesterday. But
that doesn’t sound like very
interesting news, does it?

BRADLEY
What color?

CARLA
Oh sort of beige, I don’t know, it
doesn’t really have a color.

BRADLEY
That’s a good color. It sounds
beautiful.

CARLA
It’s okay.
 105.

BRADLEY
What happened to your old shower
curtain?

CARLA
It started getting a little rotten.

BRADLEY
Was it also beige?

CARLA
Um, no. I think it was yellow when it
was new, but it was sort of a greenish
brown when--

BRADLEY
Colleen invited me to her birthday
party!

He can’t hold it in any longer. Carla smiles.

BRADLEY (CONT’D)
Jeff’s invited too. We’ll be the only
boys. Everyone else will be girls.
Jeff and I are friends now. The other
guys like me too. We play basketball
together. At first I was afraid to
shoot the ball, but then everybody
said, “Shoot, Bradley, shoot,” so I
shot and made it! Everyone was amazed.
So was I. I still miss a lot more than
I make, but I’m getting better.
Everyone says so. My father taught me
how to dribble. He’s going to put a
basket over the garage. At first they
wanted to beat me up, but I said,
“Hello, Jeff,” and he said, “Hello,
Bradley,” and then Guy asked me if I
wanted to play basketball. Then
Colleen asked me to her birthday party
and I said, “Yes,” and she said,
“Good.” She would have asked me sooner
except she just found out when she was
born. It’s all because of you.
 106.

CARLA
You did it Bradley, not me.

BRADLEY
It was your magic book!

CARLA
My book? What’s that got to do with--

Bradley starts crying.

CARLA (CONT’D)
Bradley, what’s wrong?

He covers his face with his hands. Tears spill out.

CARLA (CONT’D)
What is it? What happened?

He shakes his head. Carla rises from the table, gets a box of
tissues and places it in front of him. He pulls out a tissue,
but doesn’t use it.

BRADLEY
I’ve never been to a birthday party.
(hiccup)
Not a real one, with other kids there.
(hiccup, blows nose)
A long time ago, when I was in first
grade I went to one, but then they
made me go home because I sat on the
cake.

CARLA
Well you’re a lot smarter now than you
were when you were in first grade.

BRADLEY
But I don’t remember what to do! Do I
have to bring my own chair?

CARLA
Why would you have to bring your own
chair?
 107.

BRADLEY
For musical chairs. That’s why I sat
on the cake. I got mad because there
was no place else to sit.
(sniffle)
Will there be ice cream?

CARLA
Do you like ice cream?

BRADLEY
What if they don’t have enough for me?
What if they only have enough for
everybody else? And what about pin the
tail on the donkey?

CARLA
You don’t have to bring your own
donkey.

He laughs through his tears.

BRADLEY
But what if I stick it in a bad place?

CARLA
You want to know what I think? I think
you’re a little overwhelmed by all
that has happened to you. It’s scared
you. You think you’re Cinderella.

BRADLEY
Cinderella?

CARLA
You’re Cinderella and you’ve just been
invited to the ball and now you’re
afraid that right in the middle of
Colleen’s birthday party, everything
will suddenly turn into a pumpkin!

He wipes his eyes with another tissue.

 108.

CARLA (CONT’D)
You’re afraid all the good things that
happened will suddenly disappear.
You’re afraid everyone will suddenly
stop liking you. But this isn’t a
fairy tale, Bradley. Your friends like
you for who you are. My book wasn’t
magic. The magic is in you.

BRADLEY
Do I have to bring a present?

CARLA
You don’t have to do anything. But
it’s a nice thing to do, don’t you
think? Colleen invited you to her
birthday party because she likes you,
and you give her a present because you
like her and because you want to help
celebrate her birthday.

BRADLEY
What should I get her? Should I get
her a doll? Is that what girls like?

CARLA
I don’t know. Everyone likes different
things. Give her something you like.
If you like it, then she probably will
too. Give her a gift from the heart.

BRADLEY
How about a shower curtain?

CARLA
If it comes from the heart.

He smiles.

CARLA (CONT’D)
Feel better?

He nods.
 109.

CARLA (CONT’D)
Good. Because our time is up. I
enjoyed your visit very much. Thank
you for sharing so much with me.

BRADLEY
The pleasure was mine.

They shake hands.

FADE TO:

CLOSE UP - BOOK REPORT

Bradley's book report on white lined paper. It's filled with

scratches and misspellings. The top right corner looks like
anything else Bradley would write on an official piece of
school homework.

Bradley Chalkers
Book Report
My Parents Didn’t
Steal an Elephant
By Uriah C. Lasso
Mrs. Ebbel’s class
Room 12
Red Hill School
Last seat, last row
Next to Jeff

My Parents Didn’t Steal an Elephant

by
Uriah C. Lasso
by
Bradley Chalkers

Bradley sits in Carla's office, reading aloud.

 110.

BRADLEY
My Parents Didn’t Steal an Elephant
was a very funny and crazy book by
Uriah C. Lasso, a funny author to
write such a book. It is a story told
by a kid. The kid’s parents are in
jail because they stole an elephant,
except they are innocent. Hey! I just
realized something.

This is part of the book report, the "Hey! I just realized

something."

BRADLEY (CONT'D)
You never know the kid’s name! I just
realized that. You know what else? You
don’t know if the kid is a boy or a
girl! I just realized that now as I
was writing this book report because I
didn’t know whether to write he or
she. I told you it was crazy! The kid
lives with his aunt and uncle. They’re
crazy too. They put wallpaper up in
the garage for no reason. I told you
they were crazy. Ace is crazy too.
He’s the lawyer for the kid’s parents.
He makes the kid practice crying for
an hour every day so the kid will be
able to cry good in court. Only when
the kid finally gets to court, the kid
doesn’t cry. The kid laughs! Then
everybody else laughs too. Then the
kid’s parents get to go home because
they’re innocent. Except, do you want
to know something? I’m not so sure! I
mean, if they really were really
innocent, then who ate all those
peanuts? I told you it was crazy.
The end.

Bradley looks up to Carla. Carla wears a fluffy light pink

sweater.
 111.

CARLA
Absolutely wonderful!

BRADLEY
Is it good?

CARLA
You captured the very essence of the book.

He smiles even though he doesn’t know what "essence" means.

CARLA (CONT’D)
I always wondered what happened to the
peanuts too.

BRADLEY
Me too. And they could have hid the
elephant in the garage. That’s why
they put wallpaper there. To cover up
the fingerprints!

CARLA
Do elephants have fingerprints?

BRADLEY
Maybe they have trunk prints.

She laughs.

BRADLEY (CONT’D)
Well, I have to get back to Mrs.
Ebbel’s class. Here’s your book back.
Thank you. I didn’t write on it or
spill food or anything.

CARLA
I’d like for you to keep it. It’s my
present to you.

BRADLEY
But I thought it was one of your
favorite books.
 112.

CARLA
It is. That’s why I want to give it to
you. If I didn’t like it, then it
wouldn’t be much of a present, would it?

BRADLEY
I wish I had a present to give you.

CARLA
You already gave me one.

BRADLEY
I did? What was it?

CARLA
The book report.

Bradley’s smile drops.

CARLA (CONT’D)
What’s the matter?

BRADLEY
Well, I’m supposed to give it to Mrs.
Ebbel, but... that’s okay! You can
have it. It wouldn’t be much of a
present if I didn’t want it too.

Carla laughs and shakes her head.

CARLA
That’s very sweet Bradley, but that’s
not what I meant. I want you to give
it to Mrs. Ebbel. It just makes me
very happy that you did such a
wonderful job. That’s the present you
gave me.

BRADLEY
Really?

CARLA
Really. It was the best present I
could have gotten.
 113.

He smiles. Carla wipes her eyes. The corner of her mouth

trembles.

BRADLEY
What’s wrong? Are you crying?

CARLA
Bradley, I have something I have to
tell you. I hope you can listen to
what I have to say without feeling
scared or upset.

He suddenly feels very scared and upset.

CARLA (CONT’D)
Tomorrow will be my last day here at
Red Hill School.

BRADLEY
What?

CARLA
That’s why I’m so glad you’ve written
such a wonderful book report. I know
you can continue to do good work
without me. I’m very proud of you.

BRADLEY
You’re leaving?

CARLA
I’ve been transferred. I’ll be
teaching kindergarten at Willow Bend
School. But I want to thank you
Bradley. You’ve made my short time
here very special. I’m so glad we got
to know each other.

BRADLEY
You’re leaving?

CARLA
We can still see each other. Saturday
I’m--
 114.

BRADLEY
No, you can’t go. It’s not fair.

CARLA
I have to.

BRADLEY
What if I don’t do my homework? Then
you’ll have to stay and make me want
to do it again.

She smiles very warmly at him.

CARLA
You’re on your own now, Bradley. I
know you’ll do wonderfully.

BRADLEY
No! It’s not fair!

He stands up.

BRADLEY (CONT’D)
You tricked me!

Carla stands. She walks toward him.

BRADLEY (CONT’D)
I hate you!

CARLA
I know you don’t mean that.

BRADLEY
Yes I do. I hate your stupid book too!

He picks up My Parents Didn’t Steal an Elephant by Uriah C.

Lasso and throws it at her. He picks up his book report.

CARLA
Bradley please--

He rips his book report in half. He tears it again and drops

the pieces on the floor.
 115.

BRADLEY
I hate you!

He runs out.

INT. BOYS’ BATHROOM - CONTINUOUS

Bradley leans over the sink and cries. A knock on the door.

CARLA (O.S.)
Bradley? Are you all right?

BRADLEY
Go away! I hate you!

The door opens and Carla enters.

BRADLEY (CONT’D)
You’re not allowed in here.

CARLA
I think it’s important that we talk.
That’s how friends handle their
problems, by talking about them.
That’s why we’ve become such good
friends, because we’ve learned to talk
to each other.

BRADLEY
I’m not your friend. Why would I want
to be friends with you? I hate you!

CARLA
I like you, Bradley. I can like you,
can’t I? You don’t have to like me, but
I like you a lot.
(beat)
It wasn’t me who magically changed
your life. It was you. You’re not
Cinderella and I’m not Prince
Charming.

(MORE)
 116.

CARLA (CONT'D)
Bradley, I love you. And I know you
love me.

Pause. Tears stream down Bradley’s face.

BRADLEY
This is the boys’ bathroom. You’re not
allowed in here.

CARLA
Saturday, I’m going to need someone to
help me move all my things out of the
office. I would appreciate it very
much if you would come and help me.
Then afterward, we could have lunch
together. We can go to a restaurant,
just the two of us.

No answer.

CARLA (CONT’D)
It will be lots of fun. And it would
be a great help to me.

BRADLEY
I have to use the toilet.

CARLA
Maybe I’ll see you on Saturday. I
would like that very much.

She walks out. Bradley cries more.

INT. MRS. EBBEL’S CLASS - DAY

Bradley sits at his desk. Jeff comes up.

JEFF
Where were you yesterday after lunch?
Did you go home?

He doesn’t answer.
 117.

MRS. EBBEL (O.S.)

Bradley! Will you come here, please?

He gets up and goes to Mrs. Ebbel.

BRADLEY
I felt sick after lunch, yesterday.
Call my mother if you don’t believe me.

Mrs. Ebbel doesn’t care.

MRS. EBBEL
I just wanted to tell you how much I
enjoyed your book report. It made me
want to read the book.

BRADLEY
Huh?

MRS. EBBEL
Miss Davis gave it to me yesterday.
She explained how she accidentally
ripped it.

He stares at her, amazed. He notices his book report on her

desk. It’s taped together. At the top, in red ink, is one
word: "Excellent!"

MRS. EBBEL (CONT’D)

I gave you a gold star.

He picks up his book report.

BRADLEY
Thank you.

He walks to his desk. He looks up at the gold star chart.

There it is, next to the name “Bradley Chalkers”, a gold
star! It seems to shine brighter than all the other stars.

He winces in pain. The star reminds him of Carla.

He shoves the book report to the back of his desk. He feels

better.
 118.

EXT. SCHOOL - DAY

Bradley walks home. His face is strained with a mixture of

grief, regret and anger.

INT. BRADLEY’S ROOM - DAY

Mrs. Chalkers comes in.

MRS. CHALKERS
Let’s go, Bradley! We’re off to a real
barber shop!

BRADLEY
I don’t want to get my hair cut.

MRS. CHALKERS
You want to look nice for Colleen’s
birthday party tomorrow, don’t you?
You don’t want to go looking like a
punk rocker!

She smiles. He doesn’t.

BRADLEY
I’m not going to her birthday party!
I hate her!

MRS. CHALKERS
Oh, I see...

Mrs. Chalkers leaves.

CARLA (V.O.)
Saturday, I’m going to need someone to
help me move all my things out of the
office. I would appreciate it very
much if you would come and help me.

Bradley shuts this out. His father comes in.

 119.

MR. CHALKERS
Bradley, I think we need to talk, man
to man. Why don’t you tell me what’s
bothering you. Maybe I can help.

Nothing.

MR. CHALKERS (CONT’D)

I was very sorry to hear that your
counselor had been transferred to
another school. I know how much you
liked her. At first I didn’t like the
idea of you seeing a counselor, but--

BRADLEY
(stands)
I have to get my hair cut. Mom said so.

Bradley exits.

INT. CAR - MOVING - DAY

Mrs. Chalkers drives. Bradley sits next to her, straining

himself to not think of Carla. But he can't help it.

CARLA (V.O.)
We could have lunch together. We can
go to a restaurant. Just the two of
us. It will be lots of fun. And it
would be a great help to me. Maybe
I’ll see you on Saturday. I would like
that very much. You’re not Cinderella,
and I’m not Prince Charming. I like
you, Bradley. I can like you, can’t I?
You don’t have to like me. I love you.

Bradley cracks.

BRADLEY
Stop the car! I have to go back!

The car swerves.

 120.

MRS. CHALKERS
Don’t ever do that again! We could
have had an accident.

BRADLEY
I don’t believe in accidents.

MRS. CHALKERS
I’m getting sick and tired of your
nonsense, Bradley. What is your
problem?

BRADLEY
I can’t get my hair cut now. I have to
go to school.

MRS. CHALKERS
On a Saturday?

BRADLEY
I’m supposed to see my counselor.
She’s waiting to see me. Call the
school if you don’t believe me.

The car stops in front of the barber shop.

MRS. CHALKERS
We’re here! You’re getting your hair
cut, now.

INT. BARBER SHOP

Mrs. Chalkers goes to the receptionist.

MRS. CHALKERS
Hi. My son needs a cut.

RECEPTIONIST
Name?

MRS. CHALKERS
Bradley.
 121.

RECEPTIONIST
It will be a few minutes.

Bradley and his mom sit down.

RECEPTIONIST (CONT’D)
(to Bradley)
Do you want to read a comic book?

BRADLEY
No, thank you.

TIMECUT:

Finally it’s Bradley’s turn. He sits on an oily vinyl barber

chair. The BARBER ties an apron around Bradley’s neck and
combs his hair. Bradley wants more than anything to run away
to Carla, but he’s here. Arguing about it would be something
Bad Bradley does.

The barber picks up the scissors and starts cutting.

EXT. BARBER SHOP - DAY

Bradley and his mother walk out.

MRS. CHALKERS
You’ll be the most handsome boy at
Colleen’s party.

BRADLEY
Can you drive me to school?

MRS. CHALKERS
Okay, fine.

EXT. SCHOOL - DAY

Their car comes up. Bradley hops out and runs to the front
doors. They’re locked.
 122.

MRS. KEMP, the janitor, is waxing the floor. Bradley pounds

on the door to get her attention. She comes and unlocks the
door.

MRS. KEMP
What do you want, Chalkers?

BRADLEY
I have to see Carla.

MRS. KEMP
Miss Davis is gone.

He ducks under her arm and runs down the hall.

MRS. KEMP (CONT’D)

Chalkers! I’ll call the police!

INT. CARLA’S OFFICE - CONTINUOUS

Bradley runs in. Everything but the table and chairs are gone.

CARLA (V.O.)
Hello, Bradley. It’s a pleasure to see
you today. I appreciate your coming to
see me.

Tears roll down his face. He notices a manila envelope on the

table. He picks it up. “BRADLEY CHALKERS” is written across
in big letters. Under that, in smaller letters, is the
following:

Mrs. Ebbel’s class

Room 12
Good friend,
Honest,
Thoughtful,
Caring,
Polite,
Whom I will never forget,
And who I hope will someday
forgive me
Last seat, last row
 123.

Mrs. Kemp comes in.

MRS. KEMP
There you are! If you don’t get out of
here right now, I’m going to call the
police.

BRADLEY
Look!
(holds up envelope)
She left this for me. See! We’re best
friends. Carla and me. We were best
friends.

MRS. KEMP
You have ten seconds to leave this
building. One... two...

Bradley takes the envelope and leaves.

EXT. MONKEY BARS - DAY

Bradley sits and opens Carla’s package. Inside is the book My

Parents Didn’t Steal an Elephant by Uriah C. Lasso, and a
letter.

CARLA (V.O.)
Dear Bradley. This book was a present
from me to you. It was a gift from the
heart, and that kind of gift, for
better or worse, can never be
returned. I’m sorry for hurting you.
I didn’t mean to. If it makes you feel
any better, you hurt me too, when you
didn’t come see me Friday or Saturday.
I kept hoping I’d see your happy face
walk through the door. I hope you
didn’t mind much that I gave your book
report to Mrs. Ebbel. It was just too
good to throw away. You can do such
wonderful work. Now, if only you can
learn how not to rip it up. I hope you
went to Colleen’s birthday party.
(MORE)
 124.

CARLA (V.O.) (CONT'D)

If you did, I’m sure you enjoyed it.
If you didn’t go, that’s all right
too. There will be lots of other
parties. You’re a very likable person.
You’ll always be very special to me.
It was always a pleasure to see you.
I appreciated your coming to see me.
Thank you for sharing so much with me.
I love you. Carla.

EXT. CHALKERS’ RESIDENCE - DAY

Bradley walks home. Mr. Chalkers stands outside.

MR. CHALKERS
I want to talk to you, Bradley.

Bradley runs to him and hugs him, nearly knocking him over.

BRADLEY
I love you dad.

Mr. Chalkers doesn’t know what to say. He can’t remember the

last time his son ever said those words.

MR. CHALKERS
(fighting back tears)
I love you so much.

They embrace.

INT. BRADLEY’S ROOM - EVENING

Bradley tries writing a letter to Carla. He writes something,

then crumples it up, to throw it away in his trash.

Next to the trash is an awfully big pile of crumpled paper.

 125.

INT. HOUSE – LIVING ROOM

It’s Colleen’s birthday party. A bunch of KIDS are there,

eight girls and Jeff and Bradley. Colleen opens presents.

COLLEEN
This one is from Amy.

Colleen opens it. Everyone “oohs” and “aahs” over the gift.

COLLEEN (CONT’D)
From Bradley.

Bradley perks up. Colleen opens the box. Inside is “My

Parents Didn’t Steal an Elephant” by Uriah C. Lasso.

COLLEEN (CONT’D)
(sincerely)
Thank you. It’s wonderful. I can’t
wait to read it.

Bradley smiles.

FADE TO:

EXT. PLAYGROUND - DAY

Bradley sits against his white wall. He watches all the kids
play. He’s thinking of how to finish his letter to Carla.

BRADLEY (V.O)
Dear Carla. Hi. What color shirt are
you wearing today? I’m sorry I yelled
at you. I shouldn't yell. I'm sorry. I
hope I didn't make you angry.

INT. BRADLEY’S ROOM

Bradley puts the finishing touches on his letter.

 126.

BRADLEY (V.O.)
Guess what? I got a hundred percent on
my arithmetic test. Can you believe
it? And I didn’t rip it up! I would
have sent it to you, but I can’t
because it’s hanging on a wall in Mrs.
Ebbel’s class. I promised Mrs. Ebbel
I'll do my homework every day. My
sister is smart, so she'll help me. Do
you like teaching kindergarten? I bet
you’re a good teacher. Ask them to
draw pictures for you. You should
teach them how to do somersaults, too.
Thanks for giving me back the book
which you already gave me. I passed it
on to Colleen. It was my gift for her
birthday. You told me to give her
something from the heart and even
though it’s my favorite book, I wanted
her to have it. I’m sending you a
present too. It’s a gift from the
heart, so you can’t return it.
Her name is Ronnie.
(pause)
I love you. Bradley.

Bradley folds the letter and puts it into an envelope. "Carla

Davis, Willow Bend School." He places the little red rabbit
with the broken ear inside the envelope.

He stares out his window for a moment, then looks down at the
bulge in the envelope. He frowns. But it is an unusual frown.
In fact, it may be a smile.

FADE OUT.

THE END