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Hot Summer Nights (2017)
(SIREN WAILING)
BOY: (WHISPERS) Shh. Listen. This all happened a while back in the town I'm from. (THUNDER RUMBLING) I can't swear to every last detail, but I can swear to most of them. (POLICE SIRENS WAILING) So I don't care what the newspapers said, or what your parents told you. Before the storm came in and blew the whole world to the ground, this is what really happened. (ENGINE REVS) (TIRES SCREECH) (FOLK ROCK MUSIC PLAYING ON STEREO) I'm going down to see your father. You gonna come? (FOLK ROCK MUSIC CONTINUES) Daniel, If I wanted to talk to something that didn't talk back, I'd get a cat. (LOWERS VOLUME) You think this is easy for me, huh? You think I'm just... It's not, okay? It sucks. It does. But it... It just kills me to see you pissing the whole summer away just doing nothing with yourself. I'm meditating. I'm leaving in 10 minutes. I'd like it if you came with me. (SIGHS) BOY: Daniel Middleton's father was just the kind of guy they don't make anymore. He lit his cigarettes with a match. Like a cowboy in an old movie. And he changed the oil in his car all by himself. He fought in Vietnam, for Christ's sake. He went to church. He loved his wife. People liked him. But when he died, Daniel was so fucked up he quit his paper route without giving notice. And after a week, Mrs. Schrader would phone the police to report that the Puerto Rican kids had been stealing her newspapers. He burned the records his father bought him for his birthday. Elvis, fucking Johnny Cash, Frank Sinatra. He thought it would help him move on. He told his mom it was an accident, but the school psychologist told her it was something else. This is what we call a cry for help. You're spending the summer with your Auntie Barb. DANIEL: Fuck. Watch it, that's family. And mind your mouth, you're in a goddamn cemetery. Do I get any say in this? Daniel, if I wanted your opinion, I would've asked. Sending me away for the summer. What a clich. You know what I did the summer after high school? You mean before you started drinking at breakfast? You know... I hope by this age you have a little bit of your father in you. Just a little. (POP ROCK MUSIC PLAYING) BOY: When Daniel Middleton arrived, the town wasn't too different than any other. It was hot in the summer and cold in the winter. And when it was Christmas, you were just six months away from the 4th of July. And on the Fourth of July, you were just six months away from Christmas again. People love Jesus and macaroni salad. And they hung American flags above front doors that they never locked. Everyone had two kids, and mowed their lawns on Saturday mornings. Some of the old people even still had a milkman. A lot of things happened that year. America went to war, Freddie Mercury died of AIDS, and I turned 13 years old. And, in Hyannis, Massachusetts, it was the hottest summer in 68 years. (POP ROCK MUSIC CONTINUES) There was the parade on Saturday, and then on Sunday, the summer birds would show up and change the whole town. It's delightful. BOY: They came from Connecticut and New York, and had white cars and white clothes and white teeth. And their kids always had names like... - Tanner. - Kendall. BOY: There were two types of people in this town. There were the summer birds, like these guppies. And then there were the townies. Save your shit, we're late. (AUNT BARB COUGHING) BOY: Look, see, Daniel Middleton wasn't either. He wasn't a townie because he didn't grow up here. And he wasn't a summer bird because his family wasn't rich. We din't have a name for people like that. But whatever it was, you didn't want to be it. Something changed inside Daniel Middleton that summer. I never did figure out what exactly caused it. Wonder if he ever did. (HIP-HOP MUSIC BLASTING ON STEREO) GIRL: You a summer bird? What? Yeah. What? - Are you a summer bird? - No. Are you from here? Yeah. Wait... - Are you from here? - What? What? - Are you from here? - No, no. - Okay. - Okay. (INDISTINCT CHATTER) (CAR ENGINE REVS) (BLUES MUSIC PLAYING) (ENGINE REVVING) (ENGINE CONTINUES REVVING) (BLUES MUSIC CONTINUES) BOY: It was 96 degrees the first time he saw that cold-blooded motherfucker, Hunter Strawberry. And Hunter Strawberry wasn't sweating. Oh, I forgot to mention, these summer birds absolutely love to get high. I mean, these fuckers smoked tons of weed, man. Every chance they could. Even the adults. And they had to get it from someone. They'd come in for a new muffler and leave with a bag of the best shit south of Route 6. Plus, they felt less guilty buying their drugs here than off some little Portuguese kid down at the harbor. I mean, if you were on the Cape during the late '80s and early '90s, you knew who he was. The boy's a criminal. Waste of talent. Wicked fucking hot. - Bad. - Cool. BOY: Everyone knew the stories. You'd hear them in a locker room or at a barbeque. Or at a sleepover or something. Like the one where they said he was kicked out of school 'cause he boned Principal Finney's wife in the butt without a condom, and never called her back. But how many of these stories were true? No one really knows. I heard he drove a motorcycle 180 miles per hour at night, in a thunder storm, without a helmet. I heard his cock was 10-inches long. Eleven, idiot. I heard he burned down an ice-cream shop for putting sprinkles on his cone. Hunter Strawberry does not like sprinkles. BOY: But there was that one thing everyone could agree on. I heard he killed a man. BOTH: I heard he killed a man. I heard he killed a man. Fuckin' killed him. BOY: But at the end of the night, everyone had gone home, we're still just a townie. And he knew that's all they'd ever see in us. He sold weed to this guy yesterday. And banged his daughter the night before. But, you see, that's the thing. In public, they all look the other way. Nobody was proud that they knew him. RADIO ANNOUNCER: Mainly clear skies today. It hit 90 in Boston. Tenth time that's happened so far this summer season. And it's still toasty in the late afternoon hours... (MUFFLED RADIO CHATTER) (CAR APPROACHING) (TIRES SCREECH) Hide this. (UPBEAT ROCK MUSIC PLAYING) (INDISTINCT RADIO CHATTER CONTINUES) Drink's free. The heat. HUNTER: You get high? (UPBEAT ROCK MUSIC PLAYING) (INDISTINCT CHATTER) (SNORTING) HUNTER: What happened to Adam? - What's your name again? - Uh, Daniel. Dan. Well, my mom... I'm gonna call you Danny. - Danny. Okay. - Yeah. Danny? Why Danny? 'Cause it's cool. Take that. (SNIFFS) Yeah, yeah. (MATCHSTICK STRIKES) (BUBBLING) NARRATOR: (ON TV) Marijuana. Derived from the hemp plant. It inhibits and distorts the action of the brain and nervous system in a manner somewhat different from opium. (MUSIC PLAYING) (THUD) (SOFTLY) Oh, my God. (MUSIC CONTINUES) (SLOW ROCK GUITAR MUSIC PLAYING) (GLAM ROCK MUSIC PLAYING) (GIRLS LAUGHING) (SLURPING) (INDISTINCT CHATTER) WOMAN: Honestly, fuck you. Yeah. Fuck you! BOY: She was the biggest fox in 50 miles. Most kids I know would've chopped off a nut just to touch her hair. Phil Lambert once stole a pair of her underwear from the girls' locker room. And he has the picture to prove it. I mean, like, every boy in town used to jerk it to her. I know I did. Still do. Before he and his prom date were killed by a drunk driver on the Mass Pike, Ricky Worrel swore on his mother he saw her naked once. He said if you rode your bike past her house at just the right time, you could steal a look in her bedroom window. He promised everyone she had a mole on her left tit which, if true, would be the closest thing to an imperfection ever documented about her. Too bad he was alone, no one could back him up. That Bazooka Joe would be the closest he ever came to kissing her. He kept that piece of gum until the day he died. Others had better luck. Freshman year in high school, she was dating a senior, Kirby Wells. He was the first kid in town to get a tattoo. But when he drowned that summer in Louis Bay, she didn't bat an eye. Or so the story goes. But Kirby Wells wasn't her only ex that wound up dead. By junior year, she was dating a linebacker on the Boston College football team. And he would drive up from Chestnut Hill every weekend just to see her. - I play football. - BOY: But when she dumped him, he was so heartbroken that he quit the team. And then, when he heard she had a new boyfriend, the poor bastard hung himself by the neck. (CAR DOOR SHUTS) It smells like fucking shit in here. Can you take me home? (GIRL SIGHS) (SIGHS) Come on, gorgeous. Enough with the hysterics, all right? You're embarrassing yourself. Suck a fucking dick, asshole. Who's the river rat, huh? Or you could just stay here. (TIRES SCREECHING) (LIGHTER CLICKING) Want one? What? Oh, no. No, thanks. I have asthma. That blows. He looked like a real... He looked like a real asshole. (CHUCKLES) And how would you know that? He was eating Raisinets. Food of... Food of assholes. - (RADIO SWITCHES ON) - (CLASSIC R&B MUSIC PLAYING) (GIRL LAUGHING) What? What are you laughing about? (CLASSIC R&B MUSIC CONTINUES) - Wanna hear a joke? - (SWITCHES RADIO OFF) Sure. You're not going to laugh 'cause it's not funny. Okay. Okay. So, this man walks into a man with his pet... (STAMMERS) (CLICKS TONGUE) This, um... Just gonna start again. This man walks into a bar with his pet giraffe. And the giraffe just goes to sleep on the floor. And there's a bartender in the bar, and he says, "Hey, hey, what's that lyin' there? "Can..." You know... And the guy says, "That's not a lion, "that's a giraffe!" (CLICKS TONGUE) That's my joke. You're dumb. What's your name? Uh, Daniel. But people call me Danny. Why Danny? 'Cause... It's cool. I don't really think it's cool, so I'm just gonna call you Daniel. - Cool? - Cool. Very cool. (SIGHS) Hey, what... What's your name? (CHUCKLES) (SIGHS) (PATTING POCKETS) Fuck. (WHEEZING) (SIGHS) (CLASSIC R&B MUSIC RESUMES) You know, I drove her home last night in my car. And, uh... I just, I can't get her out of my mind. Her nails were, like, painted black but she chewed 'em down real low and, uh... This look she gave me, man... This fucking look... I don't even know her name. (CHUCKLES) What would you say if I told you I wanted to start selling weed? No, don't tell me this is about fucking pussy. No, no. - Nah. - It's about pussy. - No, no, no. - (COUGHING) Wow, I'm, like, really high. I'm, like, really high. HUNTER: Where's this chick live? What? - Where does this girl live? - She... Oh, just, like, over near the airport. Oh, fuck. DANIEL: "Oh, fuck" what? Uh-oh... Did you bang her? (LAUGHS) She's got, like, a penis or something? (GIGGLES) She's my sister, you little shit. Well, is it cool if I... Just leave her alone. - Okay. - "Okay"? - No. No "okay." I'm serious. - Yeah, no, dude. - I'm serious. - Yeah, yeah. - Leave her the fuck alone. - All right. Okay, okay. Yeah. Don't tell her I said anything. She doesn't talk to me anymore. Why... Why not? She's gonna get outta here. She's gonna go on and live a good life. Yeah. Okay, all right. All right, forget her, you know. I still want a piece of your action. - Why? - Look, look, cops are all over you, dude. Nobody know... Nobody knows me. - You're serious? - Yeah, I'm... - (SNICKERING) - I'm serious. Why not? Exactly. - Yeah? - Yeah. Yeah. DANIEL: So what's the standard pricing? A gram goes for 10 bucks. We call that a dime bag. That's what we smoked at the party. Exactly. Good, you're a fast learner. What's this one? That's 3.5 grams. We call it an eighth. It's 30 or 40, depending on how good the bud is. Most people wanna buy those things. What about this bad boy? That's a zip. It's an ounce. So it's 200 bucks, give or take. If more people bought these, my life would be a lot fucking easier. Well, we should sell more of those. Yes, we should sell more of these. But you can't make people buy what they don't want. And how can we make them want it? (PUFFS) You're a smart little fuck, you know that? You're too smart for your own fucking good. (COUGHING) All right? (INAUDIBLE) BOY: And so it began. Over the next month, they sold all up and down that town and five towns over. And if you were like me, which means you were getting stoned in lower Cape Cod that summer, you were getting it from Hunter Strawberry and Daniel Middleton. (CAR ENGINE STARTING) (MUSIC BLARING ON CAR RADIO) (POLICE SIREN WHOOPS) (MUSIC STOPS) (INDISTINCT POLICE RADIO CHATTER) (GLASS SQUEAKING) OFFICER: You're new out this way. - Yes, sir. - That wasn't a question, pal. (SIGHS) Happens every summer. And when the air's so heavy you can't breathe, the nights turn long and sleepless and the stars feel like they're burning out above you. The whole world feels like it's folding in. When you long for cooler times, do you know what it is that's gonna tear you apart? No, sir. You will soon. See you further down the road, Mr. Middleton. HUNTER: Yeah, that sounds like Calhoun. DANIEL: Who? Calhoun. That's his thing, just putting the fear of God into anyone - that'll fucking let him. - Okay, yeah. He scared the shit out of me. He's been on my back for fuck knows how long and I'm still here. Hey, I don't know about you, I don't wanna end up in Walpole getting fucking butt-raped by a skinhead in the showers. Whoa, whoa, whoa, take it easy, bro! No. I had a half pound of weed in the back of my car when he pulls me over. That's insane. Keep your fucking voice down. Hey, I'm serious. Right now, the risk versus reward is all fucked. Yo, what do you want? Can I get you, uh, a beer? You want an ice cream, some sprinkles on it? No, you don't get what I'm saying. If you're starting to fucking shake already, Then maybe this isn't the fucking thing for you. We have a choice, we have to choose. You're fucking confusing me. You want to be the guy that's putting gas in those cars or you want to be the guy that owns the gas company? (INDISTINCT SHOUTING) - That's good. - Yeah. DANIEL: So what do we have now, 25, maybe 30 customers? Altogether about a pound a week, right? HUNTER: That's good fucking money. DANIEL: That's great money. Look, the problem is we're dealing dime bags to teenagers. All right? We need customers who buy in bulk. A month ago, you didn't know how to use a fucking bong. Right? And now you're trying to tell me how to flip weed? Have I disappointed you yet? Look, the problem isn't with the demand. It's with the supply, all right? By the time it gets to us, it's already been through a load of hands, like, everybody's taking their cut. We would need to find someone who can move heavyweight. All that shit comes through Portland, anyway. - Oregon? - No, Maine. But that's besides the point. One of those big-time motherfuckers is not gonna want to deal with two fucking kids. (MUFFLED MUSIC PLAYING) DANIEL: We'll see. (LAUGHTER) Look, are you gonna tell me what the fuck we're doing here? Or... Like, who are you looking for? That big-time motherfucker. (SIGHS) - All right. - No, no, hold back. My cousin said this guy will talk to me only if I'm alone. It's cool. Don't worry. - I'm not worried. - Yeah. You're not worried. You're cool, you're not worried. (MIMICS SCHWARZENEGGER) I'll be back. (ROCK MUSIC PLAYING) DANIEL: Hey. Hey. Whoa, whoa, whoa, little man. You can't just be sneaking up on people. Sneakin', sneakin' like a little snake, huh? Sorry. I heard you had... I heard you had weed. Yeah, there's pussy everywhere, huh? (STAMMERING) No... I heard you sold weed. Come here. - Who are you? - Uh, I'm Taylor, Daniel's... Taylor's cousin Daniel. - You a narc? - Uh, what? - A narc. - A narc? Taylor didn't tell you I was coming? No, Taylor didn't tell me you were coming. - You're not a narc, huh? - No. (STUTTERS) Taylor didn't tell you - I was coming? - (IMITATES MOCKINGLY) - You cool? - Yeah, I'm cool. Cool. Okay. (PANTS) You wanna party, huh? - Huh? Wanna party? - All right. (WHISPERING) Well, I really want to buy some weed. I heard you had weed. Like, a lot. - Like, as much as you can get. - Oh, really? Pounds, you know? - Pounds? - Mmm-hmm. Tons? Well... (GRUNTS SOFTLY) I'm a little high, so let me get this, uh... You come to my place... I don't know who you are, little snaky. You don't know who I am. And you ask me to sell you pounds of drugs? Let me tell you something. I look like a jungle monkey from Dorchester to you, huh? - You know, I'll just... - No, no, no, no. You tell your little slippery Jew fucking cousin... No, no, no, no... (GROANS) (PONYTAIL GROANING) (GURGLING) - (PANTING) - (GURGLING CONTINUES) Let's go. (PANTING) (BREATHING HEAVILY) (ENGINE STARTING) (FUNK MUSIC PLAYING) BOY: The next time he saw her was a Wednesday. Earlier that day, Gary Pinkus, the diabetic kid, collapsed and nearly drowned at the pool after trying Nutella for the first time. It was also the same day Terminator 2 came out. I don't think any of those events were related, but I can't be sure. (CLATTERING) - Daniel? - What? Hi. What, uh... What happened here? Oh, just a fight. I don't know. - Naughty. - Yeah. I'm guessing I should see the other guy. Yeah. (CHUCKLES) Why? It's an expression. So how long have you been following me for? Following... What, following you? I haven't been following you. (FUNK MUSIC CONTINUES) Can you smell my sunscreen? (SOFTLY) Yes. Coconuts. - (SOFTLY) Good. - Thanks. I'm looking for Epsom salt. Why? Have you ever thrown Epsom salt on a slug before? No. What's it do? It's pretty cool. But I can't find any. Slugs? Salt. Oh, fuck me. (CAR HORN HONKING) Well, I gotta split. You gonna go to the fireworks on Thursday? Maybe. Maybe. Okay. Maybe we'll share another lollipop? Keep dreaming. (DOOR OPENS, CLOSES) (TIRES SCREECH) (TIRES SCREECH) - Hey! - DANIEL: What? - Come here. Come here. - What? - I... - Come here. Come here. It's cool. If I were here to hurt you, you'd be hurt. - You understand? - Yeah. I have something you want. Something, uh, you've been looking for, huh? - Okay. Hey, I'm not... - Get in. - I'm not into any of... - DEX: I'm not asking. (CASH REGISTER DINGS) (SING-SONG) I've been watching you. Longer than you'd be comfortable with knowing. You've got reach, I've seen that. You're, uh, smart, careful. But not careful enough. That kid whose head you split open, he shits into a bag now, but he's alive. You're lucky. However, you caught my attention. Which means before long, you'll catch the wrong kind of attention. Look, I don't know how close you've been watching, bro, but I've been around the block a few times so I know that the cops out here ain't worth spit in a bucket. I'm not talking about cops, bro. You know what your problem is? Got a feeling you're about to tell me. You're selling dime bags to tourists. You're sitting at the penny slots trying to take down the house. Yeah, well, it's doing just fine for me so far. All right. I'll tell you what. If all you're looking to do is, uh... Is scratch together enough cash to buy the Traci Lords' videocassettes, I'll settle this tab right here. We part ways. No love lost. Something tells me you're looking to do more than blow your itty bitty loads into your tube socks. Amen to that. Amen to that. All the running around, all the, uh, transactions... Keep it up. It'll end one of two ways. Either you'll be in Walpole getting raped by a skinhead in the showers - or... - That is exactly what I said. Which, I can assure you, is not pleasant. Or the homeboys from Jamaica Plains are gonna come out here and take all your... You've made your fucking point. Ooh. Oh! Thank you, ma'am. Hello. Yes, yes, yes. Your job is to find people who are looking to buy in bulk. HUNTER: And what's your job? Hmm? - What's your fucking job? - Ah. The man I work for who, sure as the sky is blue, you will never meet, will provide you with as much product as you can handle. My job is to make sure you pay us back on time. What does your boyfriend do? My boyfriend here, he drives. He also occasionally hurts people, but that's another story. (SOFTLY) How do we know this isn't some sort of, like, sting operation? How do we know you're not cops? That's a good question. A very good question. Cops can't do that. Sit down. Okay. Um... Sit down? (DEX HUMS) What happens from here on is something of a trial period. We front you some weight, you have till Thursday, and not a second more, to flip it and pay us back the principal. Whatever you make over that, that's yours to keep. - That's two days. - Mmm-hmm. That's a shit fucking deal, man. How much are we talkin' about? Two pounds. Good shit. Better than anything around here. It'll sell like, um... Like cold cherry ice on a hot summer night. How about five pounds? Think you can handle five? That shouldn't be a problem. But what if something happens? What if we... What if we're late? What then? You've seen the movies. Five pounds? Are you out of your fucking mind? Now we're caught up with those cocksuckers. They're exactly what you said we needed. Five pounds. - That was fucking dumb. - I have a plan. What? What is your fucking plan? Trust me. - What if it doesn't work? - It has to. Now give me one of them cigarettes. (SLOW ROCK MUSIC PLAYING) BOY: Daniel Middleton had this crazy cousin who lived down in Quincy. He was sent away at 10 years old after lighting a squirrel on fire during a family cookout. When he was a kid, his drunk daddy crashed the car into a Chinese restaurant. And he was the only survivor. And after that, he called himself the "Lucky Jew." But, several years later, somewhere outside Sioux Falls, South Dakota... - (GUNSHOT) - ...that luck ran out. But for a while, life was good. He knew every crook, junkie, tweaker, doper, gambler, hustler and low life in South Boston. If anyone could get rid of five pounds of pot overnight, it was him. (TAYLOR LAUGHING HYSTERICALLY) God damn, boy! You grew up fast! Why were you running? Why were you running? You were running. Why the fuck were you running? I have no idea! (LAUGHS HYSTERICALLY) - Go! - What? Did you get it? - Go! - Did you get it? (POLICE SIRENS WAILING) Go! (TIRES SCREECHING) BOY: It was the biggest gamble Daniel Middleton had ever taken. And he won. Just let me - do the talking, okay? - Yep. Shut your mouth. Guess who did a good job? Who? You did, fuck-up. DANIEL: I got Wellfleet, Chatham, most of Falmouth, half of New Bedford, my cousin down in Quincy, my guy up in Marblehead, if we can get Framingham, that's... That's 15 pounds a week. Holy shit. - Fuck! Fuck! - Fuck! - Daniel? - Yeah, I... Just... All right, just tell her I'll call her back! (ENGINE REVS) DANIEL: Take it for a spin? They want more. They want more. They want more. Ha-ha! They want more. (LAUGHS HYSTERICALLY) (KIDS SCREAMING, CHEERING) (CARNIVAL MUSIC PLAYING) So who's coming to the beach house this weekend? Yeah? Oh, sounds like a fucking blast. (CHUCKLES) Hey, I'm gonna go grab some more beer out the Beemer. You ladies have any requests? Something strong. (BLAIR CHUCKLES) He's fuckin' wicked hot, Kay. Not to mention, like, rich as f'ing God. He's fine. You always do this. You wouldn't know Prince Charming - if he came in your mouth. - That's gross. What is this creature doing? Hey. Hey yourself. I was hoping you'd show up. Guess who got lucky. I brought you something. I gave it a shot. It's fucked up. But you're right, it is awesome. Well, don't kill 'em all at once. It's too late for that. I'm hooked. (FOLK ROCK MUSIC PLAYING) OKIE: I think my tampon just crawled up into my stomach. BLAIR: So who let the clodhopper - out of his shed? - BOY: Right? What? (FOLK ROCK MUSIC CONTINUES) BLAIR: Hey, whoa, shit swallower, take a step back. GIRL 1: Seriously? GIRL 2: Yeah, I know. GIRL 1: He's like a really cute older man. GIRL 2: I don't see it. He's married. Okay. Well, I'm not married. - What are you, a homewrecker? - Mmm-hmm. - Um... Not yet. - Ew! Speaking of home-wrecking though, did you guys hear some random summer bird kissed McKayla Strawberry at the fireworks last night? Oh, my gosh, she is so pretty. She's a whore. GIRL 1: I thought she was with that rich kid from Connecticut. GIRL 2: Exactly. Oh, my gosh, Amy, he's, like, so staring at you right now. GIRL 1: He is such a fox. GIRL 2: Ew! (GIRLS CONTINUE CHATTING INDISTINCTLY) (POP MUSIC PLAYING) GIRL 1: Um... No. GIRL 2: No. GIRL 1: Whatever. I'd let him take a bite. GIRL 3: Yuck! I have a boyfriend. Nah, no, you don't. If you don't stop being so frickin' cute, you will soon. You don't know the first thing about me. I know you like ketchup. MAN: Hey! Hey! (GASPS) Yeah, I gotta pee. - Yo, hold on. - (GUNSHOT ON FILM) Nah, it's really bad. (COUGHING) This is the best fucking part. D! Fucking pussy. (GUNSHOTS CONTINUE ON FILM) Hey. Hi, everyone. (SIGHS) Just getting some Gummy Bears... Who do you think you are? ...and sour peach rings. I'm sorry. What? Seriously. Who the fuck do you think you are? You think you can just walk around and kiss girls on the mouth in front of their boyfriends? On the mouth. In front of their boyfriends. You're lucky all he did was punch you. So lucky. DANIEL: Um, listen. Sorry? - No, you're not. - OKIE: No, you're not. Listen, I... I really have to pee. You pencil-dick, rat-faced little fuck. Why are you still standing here? Fuck off. Sour peach rings, you stupid fucking... Sour peach rings, you stupid fucking... Sour peach rings, you stupid fucking... (McKAYLA CLEARS THROAT) (BOTH GASPING) (SLOW ROCK MUSIC PLAYING) (KIDS LAUGHING, SCREAMING) (SLOW ROCK MUSIC CONTINUES) Please? Come on. - Please? - HUNTER: No. No, it's gonna be so good. You can't give me the puppy-dog face like that. Whatever. Just get in. Just get in. (GIGGLES) (FLASHBULB POPPING) (SLOW ROCK MUSIC CONTINUES) (LAUGHS) Oh! Too much. - (GIGGLES) - I'm gonna be sick. Ooh! Can we get one of those? - One of what? - One of these. AMY: (ECHOING) Hey. Hey... Hey, Hunter. Look at me. I know something better. (SLOW ROCK MUSIC RESUMES) HUNTER: Yeah, I know where she lives. Like, she's straightlaced, but she's so nice that... Thank you, Julia. I swear. You and Amy are, like, the only two people in my life who really take me - for who I am, you know? - Yeah. Don't lie to me. Don't play me for a fool. - Is that so much to ask? - Yeah. You were at the fireworks the other night, right? I hear some summer bird walks right up to my baby sister, kisses her on the mouth. Hunter, I'm... HUNTER: I don't know who this kid is, but I swear to God I'm gonna find him. And when I do, I'm gonna make sure that he can't touch my sister ever again. Touch any girl ever again. What do you mean? (CHUCKLES) Oh, shit! - I almost had you. - Fuck you! Oh, you are such a gullible motherfucker. McKAYLA: I love how it gets after a storm. The air gets real light. The sky's super clear. Like I could just float away. (CHUCKLES) Mmm... Or maybe I'm just super high. (DANIEL CHUCKLES) You know, I could get... Like, more, like... A bunch more. You're not caught up in anything shady, right? What? Shady stuff? What does that... You think I would... I'm not. You better not be. You know anything about my brother? Uh... I've heard of him. Anything else? No, not really. We don't talk anymore. We haven't for a long time. (FIREWORKS CRACKLING) (PEOPLE CHEERING) It was when my mom got really sick. My brother was fucking up. Selling drugs. Fighting. And got kicked out of school. My mom asked him to stop. She said it would mean the world to her. But he didn't. (McKAYLA SIGHS) And then she died. He leaves money and... I can never use it. I just couldn't. I'm sorry. WAITRESS: So, how will you be settling the bill tonight? It's cash. (SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA PLAYING) Hey. HUNTER: Whoa, what the fuck, man? Dude, we got it. That's 75? - A hundred? - More. What? What, what, what? 150? Open your fucking mouth, man. How much? - Two-fifty. - Fuck you. Two-fifty. (CHUCKLES) - Fuck you. - Fuck you, dude. - Fuck you, man! - Fuck you, dude. - (THUNDER RUMBLING) - (PEOPLE SCREAMING) (TIRES SCREECH) - (THUNDER RUMBLING) - (PEOPLE SCREAMING) (PSYCHEDELIC ROCK MUSIC PLAYING) - Okay. - All right. Go. (AMY GIGGLES) (ENGINE REVVING) (TIRES SCREECH) (PSYCHEDELIC ROCK MUSIC CONTINUES) Hey, Daddy. You been in here all night? Yeah. Where else would I be? (CHUCKLES) Well... You might turn in. You know we got church in the morning. Okay, Daddy. Good night. Good night, sweetheart. (DOOR CREAKING) (THUNDER RUMBLING) - Fuck you. (LAUGHS) - DANIEL: No, no. (McKAYLA LAUGHS) What about you? If you could be anything. I don't know. It's stupid. No, it's just fantasy. It doesn't matter. That's what I'm worried about. Yeah. (McKAYLA GIGGLES) (INDISTINCT) (INAUDIBLE) (THUNDER RUMBLING) (McKAYLA YELPS) DANIEL: Run! (McKAYLA YELPS) - (RAIN POUNDING ON CAR) - (McKAYLA SIGHS) I have... I've never... Before. Me neither. Really? - Fuck you. - No. Really? Yeah. DANIEL: I thought you said you were good at this. I'm destroying you. I'm guessing you're yellow. That's a rookie move. McKAYLA: Shut the fuck up. DANIEL: Can you get in? Can you get in? McKAYLA: You put in codes. That's not fair! DANIEL: You're the one who got owned. - (BOTH LAUGH) - Hey, you... Hey, get more coins. Hurry. Hurry. - You have money? - McKAYLA: Yes. Danny boy. What're you doing here? On your own, you fucking loser. You all right? What are you... Is this, uh... Oh. - Amy, Danny. Danny, Amy. - Hi. She's fucking cute, isn't she? Huh? - I can say that. - AMY: Stop. No. (GIGGLES) You're so fucking cute I'm gonna punch you in the face, huh? You two know each other? Uh... No, we haven't met. Yeah, there's, uh... There was one time I gave you a ride home, but, uh... You don't remember, probably. Since when do you go to the arcade? I don't. Okie forgot to give me a ride so I had to get, uh... Quarters to call her. Dad okay? You're getting the mail, right? I'm gonna walk home. It was nice meeting you. - Hey. It'll be okay. - No. I'm cool. How do you know my brother? I don't, really. Just... Met him at a party once. He's gonna kill you. WOMAN: (ON RADIO) We are on weather watch. Continuing to track the severe storm which is going to have major implications for multiple counties. The National Weather Service has informed us that this storm will likely be upgraded to a category 4. That means you need to stand by on further instructions whether there will be mandatory evacuations, we don't know yet, If you're in a red zone... (ENGINE REVS) (PANTS) Daddy, you scared me. Of all the boys in this town. (BELL DINGS) (INDISTINCT RADIO CHATTER) (DOOR CLOSES) CALHOUN: It's a warm night, isn't it? This is private property, you know. I could call the cops. Uh... Why don't you and me go for a ride? Why don't you fuck off? (SIGHS) Let me show you something. (DOOR OPENS) I'll be in the car. This is very romantic but what the fuck are we doing here? You know, you remind me of... There was a boy a few years back. Kyle Tate, right? Yeah, I know all of the stories. I look like someone who wants to spend the next 20 years rotting away up in Walpole? I'm not gonna go out like that. Not like that. You ever thought about just giving it up? Yeah, sure. And do... Do what? Go to college. Get a job, maybe. I don't think that meatloaf dinners and a white picket fence are in the cards for me. Well, how do you imagine this is gonna end? Look, if you were gonna get me, you woulda got me already. McKAYLA: When I was a little kid, I used to catch them in those glass jars. It always reminded me of how planes looked when they're way up in the sky. Why'd you stop? Kept dying. Got depressing. I think you should start collecting the fireflies again. You can't hold on to everything. I think some things you can. Then I hope you're good at being hurt. (ROCK MUSIC PLAYING) All right. So what? So, last time I checked, it wasn't illegal for your old man to be a fucking fuck-up. It's a little hard to tell now, but half a lifetime ago, your dad was the coolest thing in 100 miles. Yeah. Kind of guy who could break a girl's heart just walking into a room. Jimmy Strawberry. Yeah, see, we was thick as thieves, me and him. (SCOFFS) We, uh... Got into some trouble. (CHUCKLES) They were good times. You know, part of me likes to believe that it was him who saved me. That he knew who he was. And he knew where his life was headed. And he didn't want that life for me. The choices that we make ain't always about us. DANIEL: I've never really said this before... Uh... But I think I might... Whatever it is that you want to say... Wait. And if you still wanna tell me when summer's over... Tell me then. (CLASSIC R&B MUSIC PLAYING) (THUNDER RUMBLING) DANIEL: Hunter? You hear what I said? There's this guy up in Portland, he's got good stuff. Good prices. He wants to meet us. What does... What does Dex think about this? Dex doesn't know. What? Dex doesn't know, but, you know, I can imagine that it's gonna be fine. All right. All right, am I missing something here? We got the best weed hookup in the whole of the northeast. And you want to fuck it up, for what? This guy... He's not selling weed. HUNTER: Oh... So you think you're a cocaine dealer now. This is gonna be more money than either of us have ever seen. Is that... Is that really what this is all about? What else would it be about? You don't think any of this shit through. You don't, man, do you? Cocaine. All I'm saying is how long are you gonna be Dex's errand boy? We're not the only guys he sells to, why in the fuck should he be the only guy we buy from? 'Cause that's just how this shit works, Danny. That's how it's always worked. I don't have to explain that shit... Okay. If we never upended how things worked, we'd be on that corner right there selling nickle bags and dime bags to summer birds and teenagers. If Dex finds out, and he will find out, look at me. Don't... ...come running to me. That stuff that people say about you. Any of that true? (McKAYLA SIGHS) HUNTER: Hey, who was that? Stop, wait. Will you... Will you just talk to me? McKayla, please. I'm sorry about Mom, okay? I know that I hurt her. I don't expect you to forgive me. I don't expect it. I'm... I'm just... I'm trying to be good. I'm trying really fucking hard. All right? I need... - I can't do this on my own. - Stop selling drugs. You know, it's not that simple... How else am I supposed to... How? Okay. All right. It's all that she wanted. WOMAN: (ON RADIO) ...Providence you're going to have an extreme potential storm surge that could be life threatening. Why haven't you started? WOMAN: (ON RADIO) You're going to have extreme hurricane-force winds. (DOOR OPENS) More information on this storm for you now. The winds are 105 miles per hour. (BREATHING HEAVILY) What the hell is this? What's going on? I'm gonna ask you something, and I want you to be straight with me. Have you been seeing her? No. - What the hell is this? - It's mine! Let go! Wait, tough girl! Where you going? Where you going? (THUNDER RUMBLING) That shit I said before about not wanting you to go near her, I don't fucking care anymore. Just tell me the truth. I said no. You cool, dude? (VEHICLE APPROACHES) (BAG DROPS) McKAYLA: You fucking assholes. DANIEL: Hey. Hey! Wait! Wait! - Wait! Wait! - (TIRES SQUEAL) (THUNDER RUMBLING) (DOOR UNLOCKS) SHEP: Hey, hey. Come in. (MELANCHOLY ORGAN MUSIC PLAYS) You want some coffee? Huh? Hey, sit down. Hey, you don't want coffee. You're young. When you're young and you're free, you don't drink coffee. Guy spends his whole life being good to people. Trying to make them happy, and he gets what? A whoring wife and kids who hate him. Is that fair? None of it's fair. It's not supposed to be. Where is the order? There isn't any order. - Stop fucking looking for it. - (ORGAN PLAYING STOPS) You think my rotten wife cared when she took a big, giant shit on my life and stole all my money and told my kids that I was a drunk? I'll tell you. She did not. Have I had pain in my life? More than you will ever know, brother? Daisy! (ORGAN PLAYS) Be happy, they say. Life is too short, they say. Be happy. What is happy? What does that look like? A new car? Hey. Hot wife. Big dick. What am I trying to say? I don't know. I think life will be good to you. - Is that the money in there? - (SOFTLY) Yes. (LOUDER) Yes. - All of it? - Yes. Hand it to Chester, please. To new friendships. To new business. Daisy, sweetheart. Play something celebratory. (PLAYS UPBEAT TUNE) (SNORTING) Oh, listen... (EXHALES) (SNORTING) Take it. I'm probably... Probably gonna leave soon. Take it. (SNORTS) Good shit, huh? It's fucking great. (SNIFFS) Come on. Hit me. Come on. Do it. Hit me. I really don't want to do that. Come on. Look, look. Jesus fucking Christ. Hit me in the face. Come on. Hit me in the face. Come on, you, hit me. (DAISY FINISHES SONG) (DAISY STARTS PLAYING NEW SONG) (LAUGHS) (LAUGHING) (LAUGHING) It's... It's... It's baby formula. DANIEL: What... What is? That. It's not cocaine. It's baby formula. Daisy, Daisy. Stop... Daisy! Oh... (SIGHS) Look... I'm gonna take your money, okay? I'm gonna take your money because you're stupid and you're weak, and because I can. Lift your head up. Come on, look at me. I know who you are. And I know who you work for. He doesn't know you're here today doing this, does he? Dex know you're here today doing this? Huh? When he finds out what you've done here, it won't be good. Now, if I were you, I would go someplace very far away. And I would do so very quickly. - (PHONE RINGING) - (TIRES SCREECHING) (RINGING CONTINUES) - DANIEL: Hey, Dex. - (DEX GROANS) You broke my heart. (TIRES SQUEALING) BOY: At roughly 4:15 Eastern Time, Hurricane Bob made landfall on the Massachusetts coast. It was a Monday and it was 74 degrees. MAN: (ON TV) It moved on to areas like Block Island about 1:30 this afternoon, with 125 mile per hour winds. Falmouth, Massachusetts reported 94 mile per hour winds. FEMALE NEWSCASTER: Governor Weld has now issued a state of emergency throughout eastern Massachusetts. - (THUNDER RUMBLING) - (DOG BARKING) (RAIN PATTERING) (LINE RINGING) (WIND HOWLING) (PHONE RINGING) (DIALING) (LINE RINGING) (PHONE RINGING) (PHONE BEEPS) DEX: (ON PHONE) You know how this has to end now. Got you. I wish it could've been different. (THUNDER CRACKING) (SIRENS BLARING) Hey! Hunter! (BANGING) Hunter! (CONTINUES BANGING) Hey, hey, whoa. Whoa, whoa, whoa. I didn't know how to tell you about me and her. All right, I wanted to. I just couldn't! Now I fucked up! All right, I fucked up really bad! I'll count to three. Hunter, listen to me! Dex is coming to kill me! He's coming to fucking kill me! One... Two... All right, fuck you. Fucking kill me. Fuck you! Run away. Never come back. I just want to say goodbye to her. Then I'll leave, all right? Just go. (TIRES SQUEAL) - (THUNDER RUMBLING) - (WIND HOWLING) (THUNDER RUMBLES) (CAR APPROACHING) (CAR DOOR OPENS) (SHUTTER OPENING) Where is your boy? Where is your boy? I don't know. Now is not the time to be proud. Tell me where your boy is. He didn't show. (POLICE SIREN WAILING) What happened to you, kid? You could've really been something. Like you? You knew how it would all end, didn't you? Your whole life. Fuck you. Okay. (GUN COCKING) - (HORN HONKING) - (TIRES SCREECH) (RAIN PATTERING) (SYNTHPOP MUSIC PLAYING) (SYNTHPOP MUSIC CONTINUES) (CAR STARTING, ENGINE REVS) (SYNTHPOP MUSIC CONTINUES) BOY: Owen Shepherd's house was swept out to sea. And Kelly Fine's dog died in the flood. I didn't have electricity back until Halloween. And the drive-in theater which had been around since my grandma was a little girl was blown to the ground. REPORTER: Uh, do you intend on ever having a cottage on the shore again? No. We're hoping to rebuild. BOY: Overall, they say it was more than a billion dollars in damage. Hunter Strawberry's body was found on August 20, 1991. He died young, and left a pretty corpse. Becoming what everyone always expected him to become. In the end, only four people attended his funeral. His first-grade teacher Miss Wolcott, little Pat Shaughnessy from the fish market on South Street. Amy, and Sergeant Frank Calhoun. Hey. Amy. BOY: For a while, there was a rumor going around that Calhoun paid for the funeral. And that at one point, his eyes even watered up a little. But nobody knows if that's true. I can't swear to it, but I'd like to think that it was in this moment that Daniel Middleton knew his time in this town had finally come to an end. And he knew if he loved the girl, the best thing was to leave her be. Some say he ended up in Wyoming or Nevada. In some forgotten little town on the edge of the desert. Others will tell you he's in a big city somewhere. Lost in the crowds. Either way, he was never seen again. (WIND BLOWING) (RAIN PATTERING) (MOUTHING) To this day, I can't tell you why I looked out that window. But when I saw her standing there, somehow I knew neither of us would ever be the same. I'm the last person in town to see her alive. And I don't know how I feel about that. I really don't. When she left town, she killed the dreams of every boy whoever knew who she was. Even if they were little dreams. Like catching a whiff of her perfume. Or tasting a piece of her gum. Or even, maybe one day, that she would know our names. She was last seen in a diner outside Peoria, Illinois, and headed west. I wonder if she got there okay. (THUNDER RUMBLING) (McKAYLA YELPS) Wherever she was going. And I wonder where she is now, and how she's doing. (RAIN PATTERING) I guess I'll always wonder. (INDIE ROCK MUSIC PLAYING) |
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