Junior high is difficult for everyone
FADE IN:
INT. BEDROOM – NIGHT
The typical bedroom of a child becoming a teenager. Stuffed animals sit on the dresser amid bottles of nail polish. The pink walls are covered with posters of favorite music groups. Clothes are strewn everywhere.
CHRISTA lies in her bed. Her long, wavy, brown hair is loose around her shoulders and her big blue glasses sit on the nightstand.
MOM, a tall, warm, elegant woman, sits on the edge of the bed.
MOM
Okay, are you all ready for school
tomorrow?
CHRISTA
(hesitates)
I guess.
MOM
Oh, sweetie, don’t be nervous. You’re
going to love it! You remember how to
open the lock to your locker, right?
CHRISTA’S P.O.V. – A COMBINATION LOCK
An open combination lock sits on the dresser.
BACK TO SCENE
CHRISTA
Yeah, I remember.
MOM
Okay. Sweet dreams.
INT. BEDROOM – NIGHT
The room is dark.
INSERT – THE CLOCK SHOWS 3:30
BACK TO SCENE
Christa lies awake in her dark room.
INT. FAMILY ROOM – DAY
A family room with two old but comfortable couches and a brick fireplace. Two cats lie sleeping on a couch. The room appears warm and cozy.
Christa stands surveying the room wearing new clothes, neat but certainly not fashionable, and a backpack.
MOM (O.S.)
(yells)
Christa, it’s time to go! Kelly’s
already waiting in the car!
CHRISTA
Okay, I’m coming.
Christa looks around the family room.
MONTAGE – HOME SCHOOLING (FLASHBACK)
-- Christa and Mom sitting on the couch together reading out of a book. A fire burns in the fireplace behind them.
-- Christa sitting at a table working on her math homework with Mom sitting next to her, helping her.
-- Christa working on a brightly colored time line taped to the wall next to the fireplace.
BACK TO SCENE
Christa turns and walks up the stairs.
INT. CAR – DAY
Christa and her younger sister KELLY sit in the back seat of the car. Christa sits with her head against the window looking out.
Although Kelly is only one year younger than Christa, the age difference appears much greater because Kelly hasn’t hit puberty yet. She wears her slightly wavy hair in pigtails and speaks with a slight lisp.
KELLY
I’m tho ethited! Do you think I’ll get
to have art clath? I hope my
teacher’th nith. I hope I make lotth
of new friendth and . . .
Kelly’s voice FADES into the background.
They pass a bus stop. A LITTLE GIRL of about five years old is screaming and clinging to her MOTHER, who leans down, gives the girl a hug, and gently pushes the still sobbing girl onto the school bus.
Christa looks away as she quickly wipes a tear from her cheek.
INT. CHURCH CLASSROOM – DAY (FLASHBACK)
A small Sunday school classroom. The walls are decorated with inspirational Christian posters. The room is filled with several tables covered with art supplies.
GWEN, a middle-aged woman wearing a colorful, flowing dress, sits on the floor surrounded by about fifteen students.
GWEN
All right, we’re going to work on our
self-portraits today. Remember what
we’ve learned so far about drawing faces.
There’s all sorts of materials out on
the tables. I’ll be coming around if you
need any help. Any questions? . . . Okay,
let’s get started!
The students jump up, talking and laughing as they sit down at the table and grab their supplies.
Christa talks with a GIRL next to her as she draws. Gwen walks over and leans down to talk to Christa.
GWEN
So, this is your last day with us,
Christa?
CHRISTA
Yeah, I’m sure going to miss you,
Gwen.
GWEN
The whole home schooling group is
going to miss you too!
FLASHBACK ENDS as Mom speaks.
MOM (O.S.)
All right, we’re here!
Christa looks out the window to see a huge light brick building outside. The letters on the side read:
KELLOGG MIDDLE SCHOOL
Mom turns to face Christa and Kelly in the back seat.
MOM
Okay, girls, I’ll be back to pick you
up at 2:30. Have a good day! . . .
(hesitant)
And remember, this first day might be
hard, but it will get easier, okay?
Christa and Kelly nod and climb out of the car.
INT. SCHOOL LOBBY – DAY
A typical junior high lobby crowded with students. The room is large, with gray tile floors and bleak white walls. The students stand in groups, laughing and talking. Christa and Kelly stand lost and alone.
The school counselor, MRS. LARSON, a warm, friendly, matronly woman, walks up to them.
MRS. LARSON
Good morning girls! Are you excited?
. . . All right, I’ve paired each of
you up with a buddy from your grade
to show you around today. Christa,
this is Alice. You will be going with
her to her most of her classes today.
You can start your own schedule
tomorrow.
ALICE steps forward. She is a slight girl wearing jeans and a pink sweat-shirt. She wears her hair in a smooth ponytail and carries a worn flute case. She stands straight and moves gracefully.
Alice smiles shyly at Christa, then quickly looks down.
MRS. LARSON
. . . And Kelly, this is Olivia. Now, I
want you girls to come see me if you
have any problems. Have a great first
day!
Mrs. Larson walks away, followed by Kelly and OLIVIA, who are already chatting.
Christa and Alice stand awkwardly.
ALICE
(softly)
Well, welcome to Kellogg.
INT. CLASSROOM – DAY
A world history classroom with rows of desks facing the chalkboard in the front of the room. The walls are covered with maps and pictures of historical sites. The teacher’s desk in the back of the room is empty.
Christa and Alice enter the room just as the BELL RINGS. Alice walks towards an empty desk in the back of the room, then hesitates and turns to Christa.
ALICE
I think all the desk are already taken.
You’ll have to wait until Mrs. Arends
gets here and ask her where to sit.
CHRISTA
Okay.
Alice sits in the empty seat and begins talking to a GIRL next to her while Christa stands against the wall. She scans the room as she waits.
MONTAGE – THE CLASSROOM
-- Two geeky looking boys are pounding away furiously on their calculators.
-- A girl in the front row paints her nails a bright pink.
-- A group of four or five students talks loudly.
-- A girl sits on her boyfriend’s lap as he whispers something in her ear.
BACK TO SCENE
Suddenly, the room grows quiet and the students scramble into their seats. Christa turns to see that MRS. ARENDS has entered the room.
MRS. ARENDS
(breathlessly)
Good morning, class. Sorry I’m late
again. Please take out your textbooks
and open them to page one oh three.
(to Christa)
Can I help you with something?
CHRISTA
Uh, yes, I’m a new student here.
MRS. ARENDS
Oh. In February? Well, let me get you
the textbook and some assignments.
Mrs. Arends hurries to her desk, sets down her beaten-up leather bag, and pulls a book out of the top desk drawer. She opens a file cabinet drawer and takes out several papers from various file folders. She hands the books and papers to Christa.
MRS. ARENDS
All right, here’s your book and all
the assignments from this unit. The
test is next Wednesday . . . I’d
like you to try to take it, okay?
Christa shuffles through the stack of papers.
CHRISTA
Uh, when do I need to have these done
by?
MRS. ARENDS
Oh, no rush. Just as soon as you can.
I’d recommend starting with the most
recent and working your way back so
you don’t get too behind. And try to
have them all done before the test.
Any other questions?
CHRISTA
Where should I sit?
Mrs. Arends places her hands on her hips and scans the room.
MRS. ARENDS
Hmmm, I guess there aren’t any open
seats, are there? Well . . . let’s
see . . .
She strides over to a table against a side wall about four feet away from all of the other students and pushes aside a stack of newspapers.
MRS. ARENDS
I guess this will have to do for now.
Christa sits down and pulls a plain blue notebook out of her backpack.
CHRISTA
Thanks.
MRS. ARENDS
All right, class, quiet down please!
We’re going to pick up today with the
Mesopotamians . . .
INT. SCHOOL HALLWAY – DAY
Christa and Alice exit the classroom together.
ALICE
So, what did you think?
CHRISTA
It was okay. I mean, it was kind of
confusing, but it was. . . interesting,
I guess.
ALICE
Okay, I have band next and since you’re
not in band, I think you should go to
your own gym class instead.
CHRISTA
(hesitant)
Umm . . . okay.
ALICE
The gym is right down the hall. I’ll
meet you outside the gym doors after
class, okay?
CHRISTA
Yeah, see you after class.
Christa walks towards the large double doors at the end of the hall.
She reaches the doors and pulls them open to find a large empty gym. She looks around for other students, then pulls a plastic bag out of her backpack and begins to wait.
The BELL RINGS. Christa looks around nervously.
CHRISTA
(to herself)
Am I in the right place?
She begins to hear voices. They grow louder and louder until finally, two GIRLS burst through a door in the far corner of the gym. They see Christa and stop suddenly.
CHRISTA
(with a sigh of relief)
Hi, I’m a new student here.
She holds up her bag.
CHRISTA
Could you show me to change into my gym
clothes?
One girl, JULIA, steps forward. She wears her long, dark hair in pigtails and wears knee-high socks with her gym shorts.
JULIA
Hi, I’m Julia! I’ll take you down to
the locker room.
CHRISTA
Thank you.
Julia leads Christa through the doors, down a cement staircase, and into a room lined with lockers. Other girls are pulling on their t-shirts, tying their tennis shoes, or fixing their hair in the mirror.
JULIA
Here we are!
Julia plops down on a bench.
CHRISTA
Oh, no, you don’t have to wait for me.
JULIA
Oh, no, that’s okay. So, did you just
move here?
Christa pulls her gym clothes out of her bag and begins to change. By now, the room is completely empty. Christa anxiously watches the clock as she changes.
CHRISTA
No, I was home schooled.
JULIA
Ohhh. So this is, like, your first day
in a real school?
CHRISTA
(uncomfortably)
Yeah, I guess.
JULIA
Weird . . . Well, are you ready to go?
CHRISTA
Yeah.
They leave the room and begin walking up the stairs.
CHRISTA
Are we going to get in trouble for
being late to class?
JULIA
(laughs)
No, it’s only gym anyways.
They open the door to the gym
TEACHER
All right, that’s our last stretch for
today. Now, I . . . Oh, I see we have
some stragglers.
All eyes turn to Christa and Julia. Julia seems unfazed, but Christa blushes.
TEACHER
As I was saying, I want everybody to
do at least eight laps of the room.
Go!
JULIA
(mutters)
Well, here we go.
EXT. GYM – DAY
Christa stands outside the doors to the gym. The halls are full of students.
Alice walks up with her flute case.
ALICE
Hi . . . uh, how was gym?
CHRISTA
It was okay.
ALICE
Uh, good. Well, we have lunch next,
But I have to go to my locker first.
Christa holds up her plastic bags of gym clothes.
CHRISTA
Yeah, me too.
Christa and Alice walk down the hall and stop at a row of lockers.
Christa turns the combination to her locker, sighs, and starts over again.
ALICE
Do you need help?
Christa nods.
CHRISTA
Thanks.
Alice walks over and begins turning the combination.
ALICE
What’s the combination?
CHRISTA
It’s forty-eight, twenty-five,
thirty-seven.
Alice gives the locker a kick and pulls it open.
ALICE
You have to kind of kick the bottom to
get it to open.
CHRISTA
Thanks.
Christa kneels, opens her backpack, and pushes some books into her completely empty locker.
A wad of paper flies towards her, hitting her on the back of the head.
She jumps, then whirls around to see DEREK standing behind her with a smirk on his face. He is short and stocky and he wears holey jeans and a gray hoodie sweatshirt.
DEREK
(sarcastically)
Hey, New Girl.
Christa stands, surprised. She opens her mouth as if to say something, but no words come out.
Alice approaches.
ALICE
Christa, are you ready to go?
CHRISTA
Yeah.
Christa slams her locker shut and the girls walk away.
ALICE
That’s Derek. He’s mean – you should
stay away from him.
Christa looks over her shoulder to see Derek opening the locker next to hers.
CHRISTA
I don’t think that’ll be possible.
INT. CAFETERIA – DAY
A cafeteria full of noisy students eating and socializing. Rows of tables filled with kids line the walls. Students stand in the lunch line on the far side of the room.
The room is so noisy, it is impossible to carry on a conversation without yelling.
Christa and Alice enter and walk to the lunch line.
ALICE
I’m getting a sub sandwich – what
are you getting?
CHRISTA
Spaghetti. I love pasta!
ALICE
Okay, I’ll meet you on the other side.
Christa grabs a tray and moves through the line. A dollop of sticky, unappetizing spaghetti is placed on her plate. She wrinkles her nose and continues moving past stands of chips, cookies, and candy.
She reaches the register, where the CLERK looks at her expectantly. Christa stares back, confused, then jumps.
CHRISTA
Oh!
She digs in her pocket and pulls out a slip of paper, handing it to the clerk.
CHRISTA
Here’s my number.
CLERK
(exasperated)
Enter it in the number pad.
Christa looks around.
CHRISTA
Where –
The clerk points to a box next to the register.
By this time, a line of students has formed. Their angry mumbles are audible.
Christa punches in her number.
CLERK
Press enter.
CHRISTA
Oh! I’m sorry, this is my first --
CLERK
Move along.
Christa moves out of the line to meet Alice, who is already waiting for her. They head to a table where two girls, EMILY and HEATHER, are already waiting.
EMILY
Hey Alice, how was your weekend?
Christa and Alice sit down. Christa begins poking at her spaghetti with her fork.
ALICE
Pretty good. I placed fourth in the
floor exercises at the Lakeville
tournament.
Emily and Heather stare pointedly at Christa.
ALICE
Oh, uh, this is Christa. Christa, this
is Heather and Emily. Christa’s a new
student here.
HEATHER
Oh, where did you move from?
CHRISTA
Actually, I used to be home schooled.
HEATHER
Oh, uh . . . huh.
EMILY
What music are you in?
CHRISTA
Choir. I have Mr. Sherman.
HEATHER
You’re lucky. I have Old Sag-Boobs
Blenkush.
The other girls all laugh. Christa chuckles nervously.
EMILY
So anyways, like I was saying, I was
talking to Josh on IM last night . . .
The GIRLS’ VOICES FADE into the background.
Christa looks around the cafeteria. The other voices in the room grow louder. Nothing particularly stands out, just a lot of activity throughout the cafeteria.
INT. KITCHEN – DAY (FLASHBACK)
A cozy family kitchen decorated warmly with country décor. Christa and Kelly sit at the kitchen table. Mom stands at the counter.
Mom carries over two plates, each with a sandwich, some baby carrots, and a sliced apple, and sets them in front of Christa and Kelly.
MOM
Here you go, girls.
Mom walks over to the stereo and turns on some soft CLASSICAL MUSIC.
Mom returns to the kitchen and sits down at the table.
CHRISTA
Mom, tell us again about your kittens
on the farm when you were little!
MOM
(smiles)
Well, okay. When I was very small,
my family lived on a farm that didn’t
even have electricity yet. My favorite
thing to do was play with my two
kittens, Telephone and Seesaw --
FLASHBACK ENDS as Alice speaks.
ALICE (O.S.)
-- Christa? . . . Christa, are you
ready to go?
Christa pokes her sticky lump of spaghetti with her fork one last time and stands up.
CHRISTA
Yeah, let’s go.
INT. CLASSROOM – DAY
A math classroom. The walls are decorated with colorful posters of Albert Einstein quotes and calculator functions.
A SUBSTITUTE TEACHER sits in the teacher’s desk in the front of the room.
Christa and Alice enter the room. Alice moves to her seat at a desk in the center of the room, while Christa approaches the sub.
CHRISTA
Hi . . . Ms. Kuiper?
SUB
No, I’m Mrs. Richards. Ms. Kuiper is
out today for a conference.
CHRISTA
Oh . . . well, thanks anyways.
Christa turns slowly and walks to the back of the room, where she sits down in an empty seat.
The BELL RINGS.
MRS. RICHARDS
Hello class, my name is Mrs. Richards.
Ms. Kuiper is at a conference in the
Twin Cities today.
Mrs. Richards stands with a stack of papers in her hands. She begins passing them out to the students.
MRS. RICHARDS
As Ms. Kuiper told you on Friday, you
have a quiz today.
A few scattered groans from the students. Christa looks up suddenly, panicked, and raises her hand.
Mrs. Richards reaches Christa’s desk.
CHRISTA
Uh, I’m a new student here. This is my
first day.
MRS. RICHARDS
Hmm, Ms. Kuiper didn’t say anything
about a new student.
CHRISTA
Well, this is my first day here. I
didn’t know about the quiz.
MRS. RICHARDS
I’m sorry, Dear. You’re going to have
to take it and talk to Mrs. Kuiper
about it when she gets back tomorrow.
Christa sighs and takes the quiz from Mrs. Richards’ hand. She looks down.
INSERT – THE QUIZ
1. Explain the “FOIL” rule as we learned it in
class.
2. Solve the following problem using the FOIL rule. Make sure to write out every step.
(X+3)(X-2X)
3. Name two practical applications of Chapter Nine.
BACK TO SCENE
CHRISTA
(whispers)
The foil rule?
INSERT – THE CLOCK
The minute hand speeds through the next thirty minutes.
BACK TO SCENE
The students are whispering quietly. Christa sits miserably with her head in her hands, staring at her quiz.
Mrs. Richards approaches her desk.
MRS. RICHARDS
I’m sorry, Dear, but class is almost
over. I have to collect your quiz.
Christa sighs and hands her quiz to Mrs. Richards, who shakes her head.
MRS. RICHARDS
You should have at least tried instead
of just leaving every answer blank.
The BELL RINGS.
MONTAGE – THE REST OF THE DAY
-- Christa is handed a thick textbook by a science teacher.
-- Christa takes a typing test. The teacher writes the highest and lowest scores on the board; Christa’s is the lowest.
-- Alice opens Christa’s locker while Christa watches.
INT. HALLWAY – DAY
The closed door of a classroom. The BELL RINGS and students immediately begin pouring out. Christa and Alice are the last two to exit the classroom. They pause just outside the door.
ALICE
Well, I have to hurry to catch the bus.
CHRISTA
Okay. Um, thanks . . . for showing me
around today.
ALICE
Yeah, no problem. Bye.
Alice walks off hurriedly. Christa crosses the hall to her locker and sets down her backpack.
She turns the combination, gives it a feeble kick, and tries to open it, to no avail. She repeats the process again unsuccessfully.
She kicks the locker repeatedly, harder and harder.
DEREK (O.S.)
Having some trouble, New Girl?
Christa stops kicking her locker and turns to see Derek standing behind her.
DEREK
Even fifth graders know how to open
their own lockers.
Christa looks from Derek to the locker, then picks up her backpack and walks quickly away.
INT. SCHOOL LOBBY – DAY
The dark and drab school lobby. Across the room, the warm glow of sunlight is visible through the small glass windows in the doors.
Christa walks rapidly down the stairs into the lobby. She hurries towards the door, picking up speed as she goes.
Mrs. Larson stands against the wall.
MRS. LARSON
Christa! How was your first day?
Christa ignores her, pretending not to hear.
By now, she is almost running. She bursts through the doors into the light.
EXT. SCHOOL – DAY
Christa walks briskly towards the waiting car.
JULIA (O.S.)
Hey, Christa!
Christa stops and turns.
JULIA
See you tomorrow in gym, right?
CHRISTA
(with a smile)
Yeah. See you tomorrow.
Christa, still smiling, climbs into the car.
INT. CAR – DAY
Christa sits in the back seat next to Kelly.
KELLY
. . . and then we had math clath and
I’ve already learned almotht to the
end of the book! I got my math
homework done and then I helped
Thtathy and Thtephanie with theirth.
And then . . .
Mom holds up her hand, signaling Kelly to be quiet.
MOM
Christa, how was your day?
Christa looks out the window, where she sees Julia climbing onto a school bus.
CHRISTA
It was . . . I think it’s going to
be okay.
They drive away as Christa continues watching other students boarding their buses or getting into cars with their parents.
Kelly begins talking again in the background.
OLDER CHRISTA (V.O.)
And I knew that it was true – I was
going to be okay, even though I still
had a lot of adjusting to do. Because
I had made it through that first day –
with some help, sure, but for the most
part, I did it on my own. And for the
first time in my life, I was
independent.
FADE OUT.
................
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