India Alessandra

EXT. HILL – NIGHT

A girl stands on a hill, which looks over the suburbs and streets below.

The street lights illuminate giving a beautiful orangey glow to the view.

ALEX, 15, wears a big coat wrapped around her petite body and a blue beanie with strands of mousy brown hair peaking out.

She hops from one foot to the other as she anxiously glances around for someone.

Another girl appears as she walks up the hill.

It is MIA, 15, she wears ripped black jeans and a tight black crop top, totally unfazed by the cold.

Alex is relieved to see her.

ALEX: You came!

Mia takes a pack of Winfield Blue cigarettes out of her backpack and brushes her platinum blonde hair out of her face.

ALEX: I bet there are a lot of rumours about why you are back. And why you left…

Mia lights her cigarette and sits on a large rock.

ALEX: Why are you back?

Mia smokes her cigarette, looking out at the view.

Alex continues to rub her arms from the cold.

ALEX: You smoke now?

Mia holds the cigarette out to Alex, offering a drag. The filter is smudged with her red lipstick.

ALEX: No thanks, Mum hates smoking.

Mia smiles.

She takes a long drag, and exhales a cloud of smoke.

A beat.

MIA: You haven’t changed a bit.

ALEX: Neither have you.

Mia ignores the comment and stands up.

She begins walking back down the hill.

She doesn’t look behind her.

MIA: Come on.

Alex hesitates for a second and then jogs to catch up.

ALEX: Aren’t you freezing in that? It’s like minus thirty degrees!

Mia laughs. Alex smiles at the sound of it.

They reach the bottom of the hill and Mia stops suddenly.

She hands her cigarette to Alex and reaches inside of her backpack.

She rustles through her bag and produces a tube of red lipstick.

She carefully smears the lipstick onto Alex’s lips, the shade matching her own lips.

Mia smiles, content with her application and Alex blushes slightly before composing herself.

ALEX (CONT’D): Now can we go? Not sure if I’ve mentioned, but I’m freezing!

The girls walk off into the darkness.

FADE TO:

INT. KITCHEN. – THE NEXT DAY

Alex sits at her kitchen table, rubbing her tired eyes.

Across from her, her FATHER reads the paper and finishes his morning cup of coffee.

Her MOTHER, emerges into the room in gardening gear and a bunch of red roses clutched in a glove covered hand.

She places the roses in a vase.

MOTHER: I heard Mia is back.

ALEX: Yes, she’s been back at school for a week.

MOTHER: I don’t want you hanging out with her. She was awful to you.

ALEX: She was just playing around.

Her Mother places the vase on the table.

MOTHER: She really hurt you, Alexandra!

ALEX: (raising her voice) I told you it was an accident!

A beat.

Her Father puts down the paper.

FATHER: Listen to your mother, Alexandra.

Alex’s phone buzzes.

The text message appears on screen.

MIA: Same place, same time tonight X

She locks the phone and looks back at her Father, smiling sweetly.

ALEX: Of course, Dad.

INT. ALEX’S BEDROOM. – EVENING

Alex’s alarm clock reads “23:45” and it dimly lights up the dark room.

Alex is dressed in her big coat.

She peers at her reflection in the mirror.

She has drawn a badly done eyeliner – an attempt of copying Mia’s cat eye makeup from last night.

Alex grabs pillows and jumpers from under her bed, and stuffs them under her Doona. Attempting to create an unconvincing human like lump in her bed.

She takes a deep breath, before opening her window.

~

MIA is a short screenplay.