The Date By Jordan-Ashley Barney
Date: 10/12/2015 Genre: Comedy
FADE IN: INT. APARTMENT - NIGHT
RAYANNE(late 20s) is bending over in her walk-in closet looking at a collection of high heeled shoes.
She grabs a pair of the highest and pointiest heels. She holds them in her hand and stares at them intently.
She sets them down and her hand glides to and hovers over a pair of more conservative heels.
Hesitating, she picks up the higher heels and puts them on.
She walks over to her vanity mirror to finish applying makeup. Putting on a pair of fake eyelashes.
She walks over to full body mirror and turns around several times with a look of apprehension on her face.
A cellphone starts RINGING. She wobbles over to pick it up.
RAYANNE
(beat)
Any minute. I’m nervous. It’s been
years since I had a first date.
Apartment BUZZER goes off.
RAYANNE
Oh, shit! He’s here..gotta go. Bye.
She walks over to the intercom and presses the button.
RAYANNE
Be right down!
INT. RAYANNE’S FRONT DOOR - NIGHT
Rayanne opens the door of the apartment building and sees MATT(late 20s), dark hair, tall and very well dressed.
RAYANNE
Hello Matt!
MATT
Hey Rayanne! I got us a reservation at this
great French restaurant.
RAYANNE
Oh..that’s great. I’ve never been to a French restaurant.
EXT. CITY - NIGHT
They start walking towards the car as their conversation continues. He opens the door for her and she gets in.
MATT
Seriously? I lived in Paris for a year before I came back to
Northwestern.
RAYANNE
Really? Wow..that’s..um..that’s amazing.
MATT
Yeah! I wanted to have some foreign experience
before getting my PhD. I thought it would broaden
my mind. Have you done much traveling?
RAYANNE
Uh, no not really.
(sarcastically)
No broadening for me...HA..HA..HA.
Matt does not laugh. Rayanne nervously fidgets.
MATT
So what did you think of Dr. Hodgen’s class on Wednesday?
RAYANNE
He was so tough on that poor Donald kid. What an ass!
Am I right??!!
MATT
Hodgens is my favorite professor.
RAYANNE
Oh, god! I am so sorry...
They are silent as they pull up to the French restaurant. INT. RESTAURANT - NIGHT
They are sitting at a small table for two with a tall candle in the middle. They are each holding menus.
She looks up and down from the menu to Matt and back to the menu. She opens her mouth and closes it again.
A waiter comes by the table.
MATT
Bonsoir Monsieur, je voudrais un verre de vin rouge
et le Blanquette de veau.
WAITER
Et pour vous madame?
RAYANNE
(Looking extremely worried)
Uh...can I get the Tripes à la mode de Caen.
(said with a horrible accent)
Rayanne takes a sip of water and looks towards the front door.
She sees a man there with a tall and thin woman. Her eyes start to widen and she starts breathing heavily.
MATT
Are you alright, Rayanne?
He starts to turn his head to look back at the door. But she jumps slightly out of her seat and grabs his arm.
RAYANNE
No! No, don’t turn around...it’s my ex...
W-we didn’t end well. I don’t want to run into him. I might-
She starts to get up while Matt is still looking bewildered. But the man is already too close for her to make a run for it. She proceeds to duck down right underneath the table.
Matt’s eyes widen as he realizes what she is doing. He tries to act nonchalantly as Rayanne’s ex and his date pass by.
When they have passed the table cloth starts to rustle and there is suddenly a big BOOM. The sound of Rayanne’s head hitting the table.
She gets back into her seat. While still rubbing her head. Her hair ruffled.
Matt looks worriedly over at her.
MATT
What was that all about?
RAYANNE
Oh..uhm..it’s a long story.
(beat)
RAYANNE
So..what kind of movies do ya like?
Rayanne perks up. He looks slightly baffled.
MATT
Well, I don’t have much time for
films with school and work.
RAYANNE
That’s too bad! I love movies. I always
watch Dirty Dancing when I
am having a bad day. Patrick
Swayze always makes me feel better.
MATT
Oh, I haven’t seen that. I guess I
never really got into watching
films. I have always been more
focused on academia.
RAYANNE
Right of course. Very good of you..
A moment of time passes as they sit in silence, Rayanne visibly uncomfortable and Matt perturbed.
RAYANNE
Oh! Great! Look our food is here.
The waiter sets down both plates. Matt’s veal and a plate set in front of Rayanne that is covered with what looks a bit like intestines.
RAYANNE
(Whispering)
What is this exactly?
MATT
Tripe..you ordered the tripe.
RAYANNE
Of course I did..of course I did..
Can I try a bit of your’s?
MATT
(awkwardly)
Sure..
She leans over to take a bite of Matt’s food with her fork. As she leans, her right fake eyelash comes loose and falls into his wine.
She gasps. Matt’s eyes widen and he sits frozen.
RAYANNE
Oh jesus, that is so incredibly
embarrassing! I am so sorry.
Matt is still just sitting there, stunned. She leans over again to try and grab the eyelash out of the glass.
RAYANNE
Here I can get it..
Her hair touches the candle on table and catches fire.
RAYANNE
HOLY SHIT!!!
Matt jumps up and frantically grabs her glass of water and throws it over her head.
Rayanne is squatting over her chair at the table with singed, smoking, and damp hair.
The water has caused her make up to run and her left fake eyelash is hanging slightly sideways only half attached.
RAYANNE
I think I’d like to go home now.
INT. CAR - NIGHT
Rayanne is still slightly damp and Matt is straight faced. It is dead silent.
INT. APARTMENT - NIGHT
Rayanne’s apartment door SLAMS as she closes it behind her. She hobbles to her closet.
She closes the door for a second and then comes out wearing a pair of baggy sweatpants and an over sized t-shirt.
She walks straight to the kitchen, grabs a box of Oreos and a bottle of vodka.
She puts in a DVD and lies on her couch.
She curls up with a blanket on the couch as the beginning credits of DIRTY DANCING play on her television screen.
THE END
jordan-ashley 