SYNOPSIS:

JUST SAY GOODBYE by Layla O’Shea Except in moments of approaching thunderstorms, SARAH MORIN (16) is always in control. Her outgoing personality makes her a magnet for friends, but she chooses to spend most of her time with her best friend of ten years, artistically gifted introvert JESSE PETERSON (16). Jesse’s introversion makes him a magnet as well; for abuse by CHASE GIBBONS (16), school bully extraordinaire. Since his mother’s suicide when he was age six, Jesse has lived alone with his alcoholic father, RICK (early 40s). Rick leans not only on the cane he tows about, but also on Jesse to forgo half of his school lunch everyday so he can eat; after all, what little money they have is best spent on booze binges, not groceries. Chase’s interest in Sarah makes Jesse a barrier he’s hell bent on penetrating. Until he can break their concrete bond, Chase occupies himself with injecting daily misery into Jesse’s life. After nearly drowning at the hands of Chase, Sarah grills Jesse as to why he barely defended himself. Reluctantly, Jesse confesses that he’ll be abandoning his life soon anyway. And when better to do this than while Sarah is off on vacation in two weeks. He plans his final exit for his birthday, right after his mother’s prized irises bloom one more time. Why on his birthday? So his father won’t feel guilty for not giving a gift for the tenth year in a row. No longer harboring the weight of such a secret, Jesse’s spirits actually lift; he just wants to spend his final days hanging out with his best friend. He warns Sarah, however, that if she divulges his intentions to anyone, he’ll just pull the trigger earlier – literally. Taking him at his word, Sarah is on a lone quest to save her best friend from himself. But each and every effort fails in succession; she is not going to change his mind. Jesse reveals the weapon he’ll be using to Sarah: a gun hidden in a lockbox beneath his father’s bed. His aim was not to show her the gun, but to reveal a photo within the box: a print of his mother. Jesse recently confessed to Sarah that he wears only pocketed shirts because he’s been carrying a picture of his mother every day since her funeral. It was thought to be the lone surviving snapshot after his raging father burned all of her pictures immediately following her funeral. After placing the photo back in the box, Sarah discovers a hidden compartment concealing Jesse’s mother’s suicide note. After reading, “God knows I tried, but it’s been four years and every time I look at him I feel like I’m being punched in the gut,” Jesse falls into deep despair; he was the was the cause of her death after all. Sarah consoles him, blaming postpartum depression. “For four years?” Jesse snaps back. Unable to convince Jesse he’s doing the wrong thing, Sarah resorts to confiding in Chase. She begs him to take Jesse under his wing and treat him like one of the guys. He agrees - but only if she will date him; she can’t betray her disgust for Chase after everything he’s done to them. So again, she’s on her own. Knowing that Jesse wants to see his mother’s irises bloom once more, she sneaks a 3 a.m. mission to Jesse’s house and proceeds to tear out the beautiful beds with a vengeance. Jesse confronts her, infuriated. Can’t she just accept it? Can’t she just stop trying to stop him? But she cares no longer about preserving their friendship - wanting only to preserve his life. Their relationship straining, Sarah and Jesse sit in silence at lunch when he pulls the small picture of his mother from his pocket. He begs Sarah to promise she will make sure he’s buried with the photo. Chase walks by while they’re speaking. Getting wind of the picture, he snatches it from Jesse’s hand. When Jesse tries retrieving it, Chase doesn’t hesitate: he destroys the photo and tosses it back at Jesse with a vengeful smile. Unleashing Pandora’s Box, Jesse lunges at Chase. He pours years of abuse and pent up rage into every punch. The incident gets Jesse suspended for what would have been his last day at school. With time running out, Sarah’s desperation becomes clear. While Jesse sits on her bed drawing, soaking in the glorious sensation of finally giving Chase his due, Sarah offers to sleep with him, even if it only means postponing his death for a year – just one more year. Jesse laughs at the idea…but she isn’t joking. Sarah kisses Jesse for the very first time, and for a few moments, they get pretty heated…until Jesse pushes her away. He reminds her that she only loves him like a brother. She insists that she loves him more than that. But Jesse replies, “You do only love me like a brother. You’re just trying to convince yourself so you can save me.” Before leaving, he admits that her kiss was truly a dream come true for him. Jesse receives a call from his art teacher. She took it upon herself to submit some of his pieces to the college of art where she graduated from. If he could gather a portfolio of his other works together, there could be a full scholarship available to him if they like the rest of his work. Jesse relays the news to Sarah. He admits that he might just reconsider his intentions if the school likes his work and he had a way out of the town. Sarah is elated. His art is beautiful. There’s no doubt in her mind that the scholarship is already his. She can go on her trip after all, and keep her best friend. Chase’s mother, CHRISTINE GIBBONS (early 40s), confronts Rick about Jesse turning her son’s face into hamburger. Jesse listens in and discovers that his father and Christine had an affair years ago…resulting in the birth of Chase. It was Chase that Jesse’s mother had been talking about in her suicide note, not him. While Sarah relaxes on her trip, Jesse comes home and finds his father tending a fire in the back of the house. He pays it little attention until he goes inside the house and discovers all of his completed drawing tablets missing from his top drawer. Jesse rages out the door to find his father is indeed burning all of his artwork. Rick reveals that he knows Jesse’s been tampering with his lockbox, because he never leaves the picture on top of the gun. He insists that burning Jesse’s work is a lesson he needs to learn. “It’s not nice when people mess with your personal shit, is it?” Knowing she won’t have cell service the following day, Sarah calls to wish Jesse a happy birthday the night before. She immediately detects the dangerous tone in his voice. Distraught, Jesse says his final goodbye announcing that, come midnight, he’ll be gone. He hangs up on Sarah. She tries desperately to reach him again and again, but the phone rings busy. A race ensues to catch the final flight home that night…but fails. It’s only then that she brings herself to call Rick at his daily watering hole. But Rick rebuffs her story. It isn’t until she screams “What are you waiting for? Run!” that he falls from his barstool and launches into the blistering rain to reach his jaded son before it’s too late. 2011 10th Annual FilmMakers International Screenplay Competition - Finalist – Feature Drama 2011 Austin Film Festival Screenplay Competition - 2nd Rounder (Top 10%)

JUST SAY GOODBYE (FEATURE)