EXT. - Camera pan over the ocean and around reapers curve. Camera zero's in on a man sitting on top of reapers curve holding a silver medallion that says "I love you". The man is drinking. Fireworks are set off, it's the 4th of July.
EXT. - The croaker parade --- Floats are up and down the street and people are cheering.
INT. The Croaker queen contest ---
MC
That's got to be the prettiest girl we've ever had in this competition, I tell you. Now let's welcome back our six finalist on stage, come on back out girls. There they are, pretty as can be I tell ya. were proud of you girls. you've worked hard.
On the balcony. Barry Cox, Julie James and Ray Bronson are cheering on Helen Shiver.
JULIE
Look at her. She was born for this.
RAY
I never knew her breasts were so, ample.
BARRY
She does these exercises to pump 'em up.
JULIE
Guys, I'm on sexist overdrive as it is, kill the commentary.
Back on stage
MC
Now in the spirit of Mother Teresa what will be your comtribution to your community and the world at large?
HELEN
Well Bob, at summers end I plan to move to New York City where I will pursue a career as a serious actress, it's my goal to entertain the world through artistic expression, through art, I shall serve my country.
Back to the balcony.
RAY
Do you believe all this shit?
BARRY
Work it babe. Their eating it up, look she's incredible.
Back to stage
MC
And now. this years Croaker Queen is...Miss Helen Shivers
The crowd cheers as the announcers gives Helen her crown and septor.
BARRY
That's my girlfriend, yeah!!!!
EXT. The streets of SouthPort --- On the street the song My Baby's Got The Strangest Ways is being preformed live by Southern Culture on the skids a hundreds of locals are parting.
Helen and Julie walk in.
HELEN
How's my hair?
JULIE
Hurricane proof.
HELEN
Hey, it's all about the hair don't you forget that. especially when you become some big hot shot laywer those professional women types thinks its all about brains and ability and compleatly ignore the do'.
JULIE
So the do's vital, got it.
Helens sister Elsa appears.
ELSA
Hey you riding with me?
HELEN
No tell mom I'll be home late.
ELSA
Ah is little miss Croaker getting sauteed tonight?
HELEN
Oh a twit with a wit.
ELSA
Eat me.
Max runs up to Julie
MAX
Hey Julie, I brought you a shooter on the house.
JULIE
Oh thanks Max but I have this mental block, can't get past the slime.
MAX
How about I take you out before you leave town, you know kind of a bon voyage.
JULIE
Ah you know, I don't think so.
MAX
We've been friends since forever, now you can't just leave without farewell right?
JULIE
Right.
Barry and Ray walk up .Barry takes the shooter from Max.
BARRY
A toast to us, to our last summer of immature, adolecant decandence.
He drinks the shooter
HELEN
Somebody's buzzed.
BARRY (to Max)
Yo chumbake, take a hike.
Barry then pushes Max to the ground and a fight breaks out. Ray pulls them apart.
HELEN
Barry they're just friends.
BARRY
Okay Ray just taking care of your girl like I promised.
RAY
Thanks, Buddie, now lets blow.
HELEN
Yeah okay, lets beem down to Dawson's beach. Enjoy a ride?
JULIE (to Max)
Bye.
EXT. Reapers curve --- Driving along the highway, driving very dangerously.
EXT. South Port beach --- The four friends are on the beach.
RAY
So the boy and girl are making out, right? When they hear over the radio that this lunatic killer's escaped from an insane asylum, he's got this long sharp hook for a hand.
BARRY
No, you're telling it wrong.
RAY
Shut Up! So the girl, she gets all scared right? And the boy, all hot and bothered, he gets pissed and peels out.
BARRY
No, no, no no. That's not the way it goes. Okay the boy goes for help and the girl stays in the car and she hears this scratching sound...
HELEN (interrupting)
It's not a scratching sound, it's a drip, drip, drip.
BARRY
No. its scartching because the guys been hung from a tree limb and his feet are scratching on the roof of the car.
HELEN
No, he's been decapitated and it's the blood for his severed neck that's dripping on the car going drip, drip, drip.
JULIE
No he wasn't decapitated, he was gutted with a hook. That's the way I heard it.
RAY
You're all wrong, they get back to the girls house and find the lunatics bloody hook in the car door. Now that's the original story, that's the way it really happened.
BARRY
Hey, hey none of it really happened, it's a bullshit ghost story to begin with .
RAY
No it's not, it's true.
HELEN
Yeah. I don't think so Ray.
RAY
I swear it.
JULIE
Please, it's a fictional story created to warn young girls of the dangers of having premarital sex.
RAY
Well actually honey, you know how terrified I am of your IQ but it's an urban legend, American folklore and they all usually originate from some real life incident.
Ray smiles.
Some time has passed on the beach and Helen is running around while Barry is laying on the ground.
HELEN
So by that time, I will just be finishing my two year contract on Guiding Light, coinciding with your first year as starting quaterback for the Steelers...
BARRY
Cowboys!
HELEN
Whatever. Then we can elope in Europe or the Caymans or wherever where I will let you impregnate me with the first of three children, before you head off to rehab and then we can live happily...
Another part of the beach. Julie is walking alone on the beach calling out for Ray.
RAY (running behind her)
I'm gonna hook you!!
JULIE
Hey Ray you don't really believe all that crap do you?
RAY
That's true.
JULIE
Please, it's really a phallic symbol.
RAY
Oh really?
JULIE
Yeah ultimatly castrated. God I'm gonna miss you.
They sit down on the sand.
RAY
You don't have to, you can always ditch this Boston thing and come to New York with me.
JULIE
Yeah well we can't all sit in the village coffee house and ramble esoterically on our laptops. There just isn't enough room.
RAY
See, no one gets me the way you do.
JULIE
I understand your pain
RAY
Precisely.
JULIE
I hate this. I really hate this. You're gonna go off and fall for some head shaving-black wearing-tattoo covered-body peircing philosophy student.
RAY
That sounds attractive.
JULIE
And I'll never see you again.
RAY
Hey, did you know the success rate of high school sweetheart realationships is higher than any other type of relationship?
JULIE
Yeah? Name your source.
Ray then puts his hand on his heart. Julie begins to remove her jacket.
RAY
Are you sure?
Julie nods yes. Music comes up and the two begin to kiss as they lay on the ground.
CUT TO - Helen and Barry at Barry's car. Barry wants the keys to his car.
HELEN
Okay, man-meat, give me the keys.
BARRY
Who's car is this? Nobody drives my car but me.
HELEN
I know that baby but the Croaker Queen has to get home now.
Helen then grabs the keys from Barry.
HELEN
Thank you.
Julie and Ray walk up.
HELEN
Hey you two.
Helen tosses the keys to Ray.
BARRY
Give me my fuckin' keys.
RAY
You're trashed pal.
HELEN
Come ride in the back with me, I'll let you do things to me.
BARRY (to Ray)
Nobody drives my car but me you got that shit smear?
RAY
Loud and clear. Get in the car.
INT. Barry's car. --- Ray is driving, Julie is in the passenger seat and Barry and Helen are in the back seat making out. The car shifts and Barry sits up.
BARRY
You can't drive for shit you know that?
JULIE (to Barry)
Can you say Al-co-hol-ic???
Sappy music is playing on the radio.
BARRY
What the hell is this crap?
Barry then puts on some thrash music and climbs out the sunroof while swilling back the booze and screaming. Barry then drops his bottle on Ray and the car starts to slide.
JULIE
You asshole.
RAY
What's wrong with you?
BARRY
WATCH OUT!!!!!!!
The car hits something hard and skids off the road.
HELEN
What was that?
RAY
I don't know.
JULIE
Is everybody okay?
HELEN
Yeah.
RAY
Maybe it was an animal.
Barry comes down through the sunroof.
HELEN
Oh my god you're bleeding.
Barry wipes the blood of his face.
BARRY
It's not mine.
RAY
It must have been a dog or something.
BARRY (screaming) -
Jesus Christ, my fuckin' car!
They all hop out and look at the smashed up car.
BARRY
Fuck! Can't you see where you're going??
RAY
Look, it came out of nowhere, I didn't see it.
JULIE
A dog couldn't have done that.
BARRY
Yeah well a fucking deer could.
RAY
You dropped your bottle, I was just...
BARRY (interupting)
My dad is gonna freak on my ass.
HELEN
It was an accident, leave him alone.
JULIE
Where is it? If it was a deer then where is it?
RAY
Maybe it ran off.
HELEN
I hope so, I hope we didn't kill it.
BARRY
Fuck that. Let's go.
Julie sees a man's boot on the side on the road with blood on it.
JULIE
Oh my god.
She runs and picks it up.
RAY
No way.
JULIE
Oh my god.
HELEN
But I thought...
RAY
I didn't see it.
BARRY
No there's no way.
JULIE
Oh my god this isn't happening.
Barry runs and gets some flashlights out of the trunk of the car. They begin looking.
BARRY
You check that side.
RAY
Yeah.
BARRY
Come on Helen.
Julie screams in horror, there is a body laying on the side of the road.
RAY
I couldn't see him, I swear.
HELEN
Is he dead?
RAY
I don't know
BARRY
Check his pulse.
RAY
No way.
BARRY
You're the one who rammed him.
JULIE
Just do it.
Ray goes towards the body and checks his pulse.
RAY
I think he's dead.
BARRY
SHIT . . . FUCK!!!
HELEN
Who is he?
RAY
I can't tell, his face is all messed up.
BARRY
What the hell was he doing out here?
JULIE
We've got to call the police and get an ambulance out here.
BARRY
Hey hey what's your hurry? The guy's dead.
JULIE
You're not a doctor you don't make that descison.
BARRY
Use your brain Julie, we call the police and were fucked.
JULIE
It was an accident.
RAY
Look, lets think about this a minute.
JULIE
Think about what? Think about what? He was crossing the road in the middle of the night, okay? It was an accident, you weren't drinking or speeding.
RAY
There's liquor all over the car.
JULIE
But you're sober.
RAY
They will never believe I was driving.
BARRY
It's my car, they'll nail my ass.
HELEN
That's not true.
BARRY
Are you kidding? Look at me, I'm drunk as shit, I'm fucked.
HELEN
So we'll call the police, just tell them the truth, they'll believe us.
RAY
It's manslaughter. We're gonna fry no matter who takes the fall.
BARRY
Then we leave right now.
JULIE
No way are you crazy?
RAY
The grills busted, there's blood everywhere.
BARRY
We can clean it up, come on.
JULIE
Listen to yourselves. NO, we are going to the police.
BARRY (still screaming)
We don't have time for your shit, you understand? We've got to move fast.
RAY
Hey, now lets try to stay calm. Focus.
JULIE
Don't you get it? If there's some of him on the car, there's some of the car on him, their gonna trace it back to you, you're looking at a hit and run.
BARRY
Then we dump the body.
JULIE
You've lost it.
HELEN
Like just pretend we were never here.
BARRY
We could drag him into the water and dump him in, they wouldn't find the fucker for weeks by that time all the evidence would be washed away.
RAY
If they found him at all... The currents are strong, the undertow could carry him out to sea.
JULIE
I won't be any part of it.
RAY
Look I'm scared Julie, I'm not like the rest of you, I don't have the family or the money to get me out of this. Please.
BARRY
This is your future Julie, think about it, college, your schloarship. The guy's already dead, if we go to the police we're dead too.
A truck starts coming down the road towards them.
BARRY
Fuck.
HELEN
What do we do?
BARRY (to Ray) -
Help me.
Barry and Ray pick up the body and carry him over to the other side of the guardrail.
HELEN
Shit, they're slowing down. Who is it?
JULIE
It's Max.
BARRY
Get rid of him.
Max stops the truck.
MAX
Julie? What you got car trouble?
Max and Julie look over to the guardrail where Barry is pretedning he is vomiting.
JULIE
Actually, it's Barry, he's had way too much to drink and were trying to keep the up-chuck out of the new car.
Max looks back at the smashed up car.
MAX
Doesn't look so new anymore
JULIE
Yeah, don't drink and drive.
MAX
Daddy's gonna be mad.
Ray comes over to the truck.
RAY
What can I do for you Max?
MAX
You can wipe that "my shit don't stink grin off your face".
RAY
Okay Max, will do. Have a goodnight.
MAX
You almost got that rich boy act down Ray.
RAY
We'll be seeing you Max.
MAX
Yup. Take care Julie.
Max drives away.
EXT. Down at the docks. --- Barrys car is arriving, they get out and open the trunk and Barry and Ray start dragging the body down to the water.
BARRY
Even if his body washes ashore in the next couple of weeks, he'll be eaten by crabs and small fish. Maybe we'll get lucky with a shark. Take him to the side.
They start to lower him on to the side of the wharf.
BARRY
Put him down.
RAY
Easy, that's it.
BARRY
Lets do it.
JULIE
Wait.
RAY
What?
JULIE
Should we check his wallet and see who he is?
BARRY
Why?
JULIE
I don't know okay, just to know.
HELEN
I don't want to know.
BARRY
Let's just pretend he's some escaped lunatic with a hook for a hand and we're doing everybody a favor. Ray, help me.
RAY
I don't think I can Barry.
BARRY
Shit, we agreed.
JULIE
God, come on Barry it's not too late.
BARRY (screaming)
You, shut up. Jjust shut up.
HELEN (wanting to get it over with)
Christ already. I'll do it.
Helen and Barry start to move the body towards the water when all of the sudden the man wakes up and grabs Helens crown, they all scream and push him in the water.
HELEN (hysterical)
My crown, he's got my crown.
Barry jumps in the water after the crown and swims to the bottom where the man has landed with the crown in his hand. Barry reaches for it and as his hands touches the crown the mans eyes pop open and Barry beats the crown away from him while screaming his head off and swims back to the top leaving the man underwater.
RAY
Over here.
Barry slams the crown to Helen and walks towards the car.
RAY
Let's get out of here.
BARRY
We're going home now and never, ever, under any circumstances known to God speak about this again is that clear? It is now mearly a futural therapy bill agreed?
BARRY (screaming)
Helen??
HELEN
I'll never mention it again.
BARRY
We make a pact, right here and now we take this to our grave.
RAY
Agreed.
BARRY
Julie?
Julie nods her head in agreement.
BARRY (livid)
Don't you nod your head. You fuckin' say it.
JULIE (somber)
Yeah okay.
Barry runs and grabs Julie by the neck pushing her against the car.
BARRY
We take this to our grave, let me hear it.
RAY
Let her go Barry.
BARRY
You fucking say it!
JULIE
Okay Barry, we take this to the grave.
Barry gets in the car wet and furious.
RAY (to Julie)
It will be okay.
Julie begins to cry. And they all get in the car and leave. Camera pans in on the ground where a silver medallion that says "I love you" is laying.
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This page was last updated on August 1st 1998
