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ALL SCRIPTS


 

                                THE GOOD GIRL


                                 Written by

                                 Mike White




                                     JUSTINE
                         (v.o.) As a girl, you see the world 
                         like a giant candy store, filled with 
                         sweet candy and such. But one day you 
                         look around and see a prison and you're 
                         on death row. You wanna run, or scream 
                         or cry. But something's locking you 
                         up. Are the other folks cows, chewing 
                         cud till the hour come and their heads 
                         roll? Or are they just keeping quiet, 
                         like you... Planning their escape?
 

               (Camera zooms on Holden/Tom)


                                     GWEN
                         On your left, honey.


                                     JUSTINE
                         What's that cashier's name?


                                     GWEN
                         Can't say.


                                     JUSTINE
                         When did he start working here?


                                     GWEN
                         Don't know. Yesterday?


                                     JUSTINE
                         Who is he?


                                     GWEN
                         Don't know. Can't say.


                                     JUSTINE
                         What are you doing?


                                     GWEN
                         It's called work, princess. Kind of 
                         fun. You might want to give it a go 
                         someday.
 

               
CHERYL Attention, shoppers. There's a Retail Rodeo special on aisle three. Liquid drain cleaner. Two 12-ounce cans for $5. Liquid drain cleaner has churning power and will churn right through your pipes. Ladies, shove something clean and new up your filthy pipes. Liquid drain cleaner on aisle three. Have a good day and thank you for shopping at Retail Rodeo. CORNY Hey, Justine. Can I talk to you for a second? JUSTINE Yeah. CORNY I was just curious. Have you ever been to a Bible study? JUSTINE Yeah. CORNY We got a good one going on every Wednesday at the First Church of Nazarine. Rodney comes, Benita comes. You got any interest in reading the Bible? JUSTINE I have my own, you know, beliefs. CORNY We don't preach fire and brimstone. Just the Ten Commandments. We’re not interested in scaring people. We’re about loving Jesus. JUSTINE I kinda like my nights to myself. CORNY Well, maybe you'll have nights of eternal hellfire to yourself. Just kidding you. Drive safe. JUSTINE Bye-bye.
BUBBA Hey, Justine. PHIL Hey, Teeny. How was your day? JUSTINE The same. How was yours? BUBBA The wind was flipping paint in our eyes. PHIL Paint stings. Feel like I've been attacked by hornets in my eyeballs. JUSTINE Bubba, stand up. BUBBA Why? JUSTINE For Christ's sakes. Look at that couch, Phil. Y'all got paint all over it. This ain't gonna come off. Damn it, Phil.
TV REPORTER ...including this gorgeous eggplant... PHIL I think we got most of it out. JUSTINE You two were stoned. You, keep frying your brain liike that, you'll slip off a ladder and crack open your head bone. You do really stupid things when you're high, Phil. PHIL Like what? JUSTINE Like sitting on my couch with your big blue ass. Everything just turns to shit. You finally get nice things, then everything just gets messed up. Why is this TV buzzing? PHIL It's the wind doing that. They the wind's coming in different lately. JUSTINE Different from what?
JUSTINE What you reading? HOLDEN Catcher in the Rye’ I'm named after it. JUSTINE What's your name? Catcher? HOLDEN Holden. After Holden Caulfield. He's the main character. JUSTINE What's he do? HOLDEN He's put upon by society. Hypocrisy of the world. JUSTINE I notice that you're, uh, not very social. HOLDEN I'm a writer. JUSTINE What do you write? HOLDEN Novels, plays, screenplays, stories, poetry. GWEN (to costumer) That's good. Justine will be right with you. Where is she? JUSTINE I better go. What happens at the end of your book? HOLDEN Oh, he has a nervous breakdown. Goes to a mental hospital.
GWEN You don't get paid to pick your crack. You get paid to work. JUSTINE I'm not sure I can do makeovers. GWEN Oh, come on! A little pancake, eyeliner, mascara, rouge on the cheeks and powder it up. Then you take a moist tissue, roll it in a ball and toss it in their face! Jeez, Louise... I'm talking to a tree stump! Girl, where are you?! JUSTINE Sorry, I’m just a little tired. GWEN It's the food you eat, Justine. Look at me. I am 10 years older than you and have 10 times your energy. Cause I don't eat meat and I don't eat dairy. It's probably why you can't get pregnant, honey. And why you have that hung-jaw look on your face. It's the cheese in your pizza and the chicken in your salad. JUSTINE I went to the doctor. He says I'm fertile. He says I could repopulate the entire planet. GWEN Then what's the deal here? Did he say you get enough vitamins? JUSTINE He didn't say.
PHIL You could make paint where, at different angles, the house is different colours. You stand at the front door and the house is red. You stand at the street and the house is green. Or you could make, like, an invisible paint. Make the whole house disappear. BUBBA What would be really neat is a paint that could change the molecular structure of a house, like a chemical acid deal. PHIL What do you think, Teeny? JUSTINE I think you two are a pair of potheads.
CHERYL You getting a whole one of these or a half? CUSTOMER That oneright there. CHERYL You didn't bring this into the store? CUSTOMER No. CHERYL Well then, I'll charge you for it. This is a hand lotion. So don't put it anywhere else, even if you need lubrication. We try to keep frivolous lawsuits to a minimum, unless, ofcourse, the customer is at fault. Here's your change and Fuck you very much. CUSTOMER Excuse me? CHERYL Thank you very much.
GWEN Good as new, I'll tell ya, good as new. JUSTINE Now, you might be interested in purchasing some of the products I used today... CUSTOMER Oh, I'm not buying anything today. GWEN Well, that'd be a mistake. These are bargain prices. CUSTOMER I didn't bring my purse.
JUSTINE I hate my job. HOLDEN That makes two of us. JUSTINE I hate everyone here. I hate Gwen. I don't know what the hell she's so happy about. I'm sorry I don't understand why maniacs get shotguns and shoot everybody to pieces. HOLDEN Maybe you're a maniac. JUSTINE Maybe so. You know you're lips are real pouty, like a woman. And how your eyes droop off to the side. How old are you? HOLDEN Twenty two. JUSTINE I'm an old lady next to you. HOLDEN How old are you? JUSTINE How old do you think? HOLDEN I don't know. JUSTINE I am thirty years old. HOLDEN How long you been workin' here for? JUSTINE Forever and a day!
JUSTINE You don't have a car? HOLDEN Oh, I live right down the street. JUSTINE Well, you can ride in here, there's room.
HOLDEN You wanna come in? JUSTINE I don't know. I'm in a funk. HOLDEN Well, I'm not gonna beg ya.
HOLDEN I'll be in my room. MOTHER Okay, Tom.
JUSTINE They call you Tom? HOLDEN It's my slave name. Holden's what I call myself. This is my room. JUSTINE Not aolt to look at. What are your folks like? HOLDEN They're okay. They don't get me. I mean, they're alright. JUSTINE My husband doesn't get me. HOLDEN Since when do you have a husband? JUSTINE Since seven years. He's a painter. HOLDEN What's he paint? JUSTINE Houses. He's a pig. He talks but he doesn't think. You go to college? HOLDEN Um, I had to drop out. I had a problem with drinkin' and stuff. I'll go back. I just gotta prove to my parents that I can fly staright. You go to college? JUSTINE No, I was afraid I'd lose Phil if I went. Now that'd be reason enough to go. I saw you in the store and I liked how you kept to yourself. I can see in your eyes that you hate the world. I hate it too. You know what I'm talkin' about?
JUSTINE After livin in the dark for so long a glimspe of the light can make you giddy. Strange thought come into your head and you'd better think 'em. Has a special fate been callin' you and you not listenin? Is there a secret message right in front you, and you're not reading it? Is this your last, best chance? Are you gonna take it? Or are you goin' to the grave with unlived lives in your vains? (TV conversation) PHIL Teeny, you're pretty. Bubba, isn't Teeny pretty? BUBBA I've seen better, I've seen worse. Nah. That's why I ain't never married. You got yourself the best fish in the sea. PHIL I wonder what it'd be like to be a woman. All that smooth skin and long hair. BUBBA If I was a woman, I'd be a slut. A lesbian slut. JUSTINE Gwen says smokin' marijuana lowers your sperm. PHIL Lowers it to where? JUSTINE Maybe you're the infertile one 'round here. Maybe every time you smoke a little dooby, you're killin' our unborn children.
GWEN Alright, close. JUSTINE Why you limping. HOLDEN I twisted up my ankle on the stairs. I was wonderin', maybe you could give me a ride home? JUSTINE Yeah, sure okay. HOLDEN Alright I'll talk to you about it later. GWEN All I know is, everyone should have one beau, before anyone has two beaus. JUSTINE He's not my beau, he's my friend. CHERYL Happy Halloween Retail Rodeo shoppers! There's a Retail Rodeo special on all bulk candy on aisle four. Ghouls and goblins, witches and warlocks, wandering these aisles, day after day. I'll put a Halloween curse on you.
GWEN Night Corny. Happy Halloween. CORNY Well I'm not a pagen but thanks all the same. GWEN Which ankle did you twist, Holden? HOLDEN My, uh, left. GWEN Maybe you should put some cold water on it so it doesn't sweel up and inflame. HOLDEN Okay.
JUSTINE You're a writer so you have yourself a goal. I used to lie in bed and imagine other cities, other jobs I could have. Other husbands. Now I don't even know what to imagine anymore. Holden, I have a husband. HOLDEN You said he was a pig. JUSTINE Well, Holden. I don't want to hurt anybody.
(TV sounds) PHIL I was thinking about what you were sayin' about my sperm bein' low. I mean, I know I got good sperm. It's baby-makin sperm. I suppose it couldn't hurt to have it confirmed by an expert. JUSTINE Oh who gives a shit, who needs a F&$%' baby around here anyways? If you wanna make yourself useful, why don't you get that goddamn TV fixed?! PHIL What the hell? JUSTINE It sounds like a helicopter is landin' in here.
GWEN You want a blackberry, honey? A man was sellin' 'em on the road. JUSTINE No thank you. CORNY This is for you Justine. It's from Holden. JUSTINE Well where is he? CORNY He's got the day off. He came by this morning with it. JUSTINE Thanks. CORNY Don't mention it. Hey, Gwen. GWEN Hey sugar. HOLDEN Dear Justine. Because of you I'll be quitting the Retail Rodeo. The last two days have been the most god-awful days of my life. I've not been able to get rid of you in my head. I never wanted anything so bad, and I have wanted many things. I'd given up long ago on being gotten by someone else, and then you came along. The idea of being gotten, because of circumstance, will never get got is the worst feeling I've ever felt, and I have felt many bad feelings. I'm sorry I can never see you again, Justine, forgive me for being so weak, but that is who I am. Goodbye, Holden Wurther. If for some reason, you could change your mind and want to be with me, body and soul, meet me after work. I will be waiting for you at five PM outside Chuck E.Cheese. If you are not there at five, you will never see me in your lifetime. JUSTINE Gwen? What's wrong? Gwen I'm okay. I feel a little sick.
JUSTINE Gwen? Gwen you sick? JACK Justine? Justine what's goin' on in here? Gwen, you sick? We gotta get her to a hospital. Justine you drive her. JUSTINE Well what time is it? JACK It's aquarter to five. Why, you gotta be somewhere?
JUSTINE Gwen? GWEN Oh, I had a dream. I had dream that I sprouted a beard made of bean sprouts. JUSTINE I'm gonna let you off here, okay? GWEN Okay,You'll meet me inside? JUSTINE Yeah, you know what I'm gonna do? I'm gonna park the car, then I'm gonna meet you inside. GWEN Okay. Your a doll.
HOLDEN Hey. Oh god, I'm really glad you came. JUSTINE I just ditched Gwen at the hospital. HOLDEN Oh god, thank god. JUSTINE Where are we goin'? HOLDEN Let's go to my house. JUSTINE No, with your folks there? HOLDEN Let's just park somewhere. JUSTINE This isn't well planned. HOLDEN Look. I don't know. I don't care I just wanna hold you.
HOTEL GUY That's fourty five dollars even. And I need you to fill this out for me.
(Justine and Holden are in the hotel room and make love.)
(after the made love) JUSTINE I can't do it. HOLDEN We'll be back here before you know it. JUSTINE I don't wanna... I don't wanna go. HOLDEN Justine. I'm yours. I'm all yours. (they kiss)
PHIL Hey. JUTSINE Hey. PHIL Were you been? JUSTINE Gwen got real sick today. She was throwin' up all over the store. I had to take her to the hositpal, and sat with her. PHIL Did she sick up on you? JUSTINE No. PHIL Did she sick up on anybody? (chuckles) JUSTINE It's not funny, Phil, this is serious. I'm gonna go up there tomorrow too. And the next day.
JACK Justine? What happened to you? JUSTINE What? JACK I went down to St. Catherine's to check up on Gwen. I looked all over for you, she was askin' for you. JUSTINE Well, how is she? JACK She was heavin' up until there was nothin' left to heave. Doctor said she must've eaten somethin' with some kind of parasite in it or somethin'. JUSTINE I bet it was those blackberries. JACK They're gonna keep her in there until she gets better so you're gonna have to supervise cosmetics.
(there they go again) JUSTINE Stop it, somebody's gonna see! HOLDEN Who cares, I don't care. I crave you. I wanna know everything about you. Who are you? JUSTINE I'm just this woman. I moved to Texas when I was eleven. My daddy was in the Air Force. HOLDEN I wanna knock open your head and see what's inside. I've had so much pain in my life. I know you have too, I can see it.
(at the hotel, in bed, probably after they made love) JUSTINE Holden gave me two of his stories to read. It's like what a story would be. I was about a boy who was put upon, his mother was cold and selfish, and his father wanted him to play football. Other people didn't get him, especially girls. Then the boy comes to believe no one can ever really know him. So he starts actin' out, drinkin', and doin' all kinds of drugs. At the end the boy kills himself but jumpin' over abridge. The second story was pretty much the same as the first. Except at the end, the boy kills himself by drinkin' a bottle of bug poison. JUSTINE Your stories are intense. HOLDEN I just wanna leave some kind of legacy. Somethin' great. After that I don't care what happens to me. JUSTINE Don't say that. I wish there was a story about me. I don't know who would read it though. HOLDEN I would. JUSTINE I like this. I like havin' a secret. You gave me a secret Holden. HOLDEN Seee, now that you met me you're mysterious. And dark and twisted. JUSTINE I'm going to hell, aren't I? HOLDEN Yes, you are. (she rolls on top of him and they kiss)
(they exit the hotel and Justine sees a car) JUSTINE That's Bubba's truck. Get in the car. Phil takes that truck to work everyday. Bubba picks him up, and drops him off. Why, why would that truck be parked there? HOLDEN I don't know. JUSTINE If he finds out about us.... HOLDEN I won't let him hurt you. JUSTINE He's big, Holden. He'll kill you. He'll beat me, but he'll kill you. HOLDEN You can't worry about somethin' that hasn't even happened yet. JUSTINE I gotta go to the hospital. HOLDEN Okay. (leans in to kiss her; she pulls away) JUSTINE Don't! I mean he could be followin' us.
CORNY Justine! Poor lady. She just passed. JUSTINE Who? CORNY Gwen! She just passed away. JUSTINE What do you mean? I thought she had a stomach ache? CORNY It got worse. She was on life support all day. JUSTINE I don't understand. CORNY It's God's will, Justine. No one can understand it. It was just Gwen's time to fly away home. (Justine looks guilty and shocked)
JUSTINE Gwen died today. PHIL What? Are you kiddin? What for? JUSTINE Parasite. Somethin' she ate. PHIL You okay? JUSTINE Where were you this afternoon? PHIL Paintin' on Bovery. Why? JUSTINE What time did Bubba bring you home? PHIL We knocked off early 'bout four. Bubba had a date with a stewardess, why? JUSTINE Oh. I can't believe she's dead. I wasn't a very good friend to her. PHIL Don't say that, Teeny. 'Course you were. 'Course you were.
JACK Retail Rodeo employees this is Jack Fields, your store manager. Before we open today, I just want to share some terrible and shocking news. One of our best employees, Gwen Jackson, died yesterday. Gwen was a real class act. She had a good attitude, she had ideas. We're all gonna miss her. Now, if any of y'all need to collect you thoughts and remember Gwen. GWEN, then today's the day. You'll be excused from work and we'll just have to do without you. Gwen, this one's for you. (music comes over PA)
JUSTINE Holden had the notion to go to Gabler's Creek, skinny dippin' and makin' love. He said we'd be like Adam and Eve, rollin' around around in the sticks and the dirt and bein' one with nature. He was so fixed on the idea thateven when the clouds started rollin' in, and the sky was gettin; dark, he kept on swimmin'. All my thoughts turned to death. I thought of Gwen's body, rottin' away. I thought of how nice a person she was, so full of life and good will. If there was a heaven, Gwen would be there. Givin' makeovers and offerin' up helpful advice. I thought if I died today, what would happen to me? A hateful girl. A selfish girl. An adultress. A liar.
(Justine and Holden are running towards the car and get in)
(Next scene they're in the car; back seats, kissing) JUSTINE What are we doin'? HOLDEN Makin' one out of two. JUSTINE (sighs) I haven't thought this through. HOLDEN Justine, will you leave him? JUSTINE And go where? HOLDEN Away. With you on my arm, my folks'll think I've changed. They'll stop thinkin' I'm suck a loner, I got a girlfriend, a pretty one, who knows me and likes me. And they'll be so happy, they'll give me money to write my novel. JUSTINE But where will we GO? HOLDEN We'll be like... Catcher in the Rye. Only by me. I'll be immortal and then like JD Salinger I'll just vanish.
PHIL Hey, Teeny. We've been up to no good. We got the day off on account of the rain. JUSTINE I thought you might. (TV sounds) BUBBA So I heard about your friend bein' dead, and all. I'm sorry. JUSTINE Yeah. She was real healthy too. BUBBA Well, at least you were with her when she went. (intense voice and look) Ain't that right? You were... with her, when she went? JUSTINE Yeah. PHIL Oh, I wish it would rain every day from here on out. Never have to paint again.
JACK Hey Justine. How you holding up? JUSTINE Fine. JACK Real shocker. I decided to move Cheryl over to cosmetics. She got a little too creative on the P.A. Maybe she'll watch her P's and Q's over here. If not she's out on her but. Now you listen to Justine, sister.
HOLDEN You want me to help you get stuff out of storage? JUSTINE Not right now, maybe later. HOLDEN Well, are you gonna give me a ride home? My ankle's actin' up. JUSTINE I gotta get home. Maybe Cheryl can. CHERYL What, you need a ride? HOLDEN Forget it.
JUSTINE I think we gotta take a breather. I'm nervous. HOLDEN Well, can't we go to the motel? JUSTINE Not today. HOLDEN Well, let's go in the store room. JUSTINE Just be patient, Holden! (Holden looks freaky; sort of like he's losing his mind not being able to be close to her)
JUSTINE I was wonderin', when was that, uh, bible study? CORNY Tomorrow night at eight. We'd love to have ya. JUSTINE Can I bring my husband? CORNY 'Course! A couple that prays together stays together.
PHIL What's this? JUSTINE The Holy Bible. There's one for you, and one for me. PHIL Not very light is it? JUSTINE We're goin' to Bible study. A couple that prays together, stays together. PHIL I heard it was the couple that lays together stays together. JUSTINE Well you heard wrong.
JUSTINE Cheryl? You think you can take this one? CHERYL Sure... Sit right down here ma'am, we're gonna make you pretty. Now how do you like your hair? CUSTOMER Wait, you gonna do my hair? CHERYL No, I just need to know if that's your usual way of wearing it all big and high. If it is then I'll just put more makeup on your chin to off-set. Now, you're gonna want to take a whole bottle of this home wtih you. It's got quite alot of ingredients in it so you're getting a good deal. It's got Ginco extract in it, do you know what that is? CUSTOMER No. CHERYL It's extract of the Ginco and it makes your skin real slick so that any liquid will roll right off, be it water or lemon juice or urine. I'll put that in a bag for you.
JUSTINE Phil, what the hell are you doin'? We're gonna be late for Bible study. You're stoned, you got paint in your hair, would you just get in the shower? PHIL I completely didn't remember... JUSTINE Get in the shower. BUBBA Workin' on your spiritual life? JUSTINE Yeah, I guess. BUBBA Ain't that a hoot and a holler. JUSTINE What do you mean? BUBBA I saw you, Justine. JUSTINE Saw me what? BUBBA I saw you. We got some things to talk about, you and me. You come by my place after work. If you knwo what's good for ya.
PHIL Hey. Where's Bubba? JUSTINE He left. PHIL Well, I'm ready. Let's go.
PHIL I don't know what to say about Jesus. I'm stoned. JUSTINE Just let the other people do the talking. PHIL Jeez. We forgot the Bibles, Justine. JUSTINE Well, that's alright, they'll forgive us. CORNY Hi. Welcome. Hey there people! Glad you could make it! JUSTINE Hi Corny. This is my husband, Phil. CORNY Y'all are in for a treat. We got a good discussion going tonight. If man is made in God's image, what does that say about God? PHIL Yeah, that sounds like a good one. (Justine recognizes one of the people. It's the guy who works at the motel where she and Holden have been going to.) JUSTINE Phil, come with me to the car. PHIL What? JUSTINE Come with me to the car, I gotta get somethin'. PHIL What's goin' on? JUSTINE Just get in the car. Get in the car, Phil. PHIL What the hell? JUSTINE I don't want to go to Bible study. PHIL Why not? JUSTINE Because I don't want to. Now, can we please just get out of here? PHIL Justine, this is embarassing. We're runnin' away from Bible study like a couple of Devil worshippers. JUSTINE I don't care. I'm not in the mood. PHIL You are freakin' me out, man. Why? JUSTINE Why? Beacause we forgot our Bibles is why. PHIL You just said a few minutes ago they'll forgive us. JUSTINE Yeah, well, they may not, alright. So can we please just get the shit outta here? PHIL I'm never goin' back to Bible study again. JUSTINE I don't care, fine by me.
CUSTOMER I think I look too white, don't you think? CHERYL I'm just tryin' to match your face with your hair, I was thinkin' you're not white enough. CUSTOMER I think I look kinda wierd. CHERYL Well, the first rule of fashion is that you have to look wierd. What I'm doing here has come straight from France. CUSTOMER Oh. CHERYL It's called circ du face, meaning circus of the face and it's all the rage with the Frenchies. CUSTOMER Well, you're the professoinal. CHERYL That's right. CORNY Justine, what happened to you? I looked up and I saw you two drivin' off like vampires in the night. JUSTINE Oh geez, we forgot our Bibles. CORNY You coulda looked off your neighbor. It's a church, you know. You can't make water without bumpin' your nut on a bible. JUSTINE Oh. Well, we felt bad. CORNY (looks at the customer) What in blazes?! CUSTOMER Do you like it?
JUSTINE I can't go. HOLDEN What? JUSTINE I can't go today. There's something important I need to tend to. HOLDEN I thought you said we'd go today. JUSTINE Well, something came up. HOLDEN What came up? JUSTINE Um, okay. I think, maybe, somebody's found out about us. HOLDEN I'm starting to wonder if you even want to go. I'm startin' to think you don't get me. JUSTINE Well, maybe I don't get you. HOLDEN You do, you do get me you just don't want to me 'cause I'm too intensified for you! Justine, who cares, who cares if someone finds out. We don't have to live like this, Justine. I know what it's like to go home every night and feel like you're hidin' out. We can leave all this behind... JUSTINE That's easy for you to say, Holden, you are not married. HOLDEN You just, you just gonna give up?! You gonna go crawlin' back?! JUSTINE Holden, you are gonna get us caught! HOLDEN You're so fucking afraid it makes me sick. Don't give up on us. JUSTINE I won't.
(Justine goes out of the backdoor of Retail Rodeo, takes a few deep breaths, trying not to freak out)
JUSTINE I'll see you tomorrow, okay? Okay? HOLDEN Okay. Good luck on your important thing. JUSTINE Thanks.
(Justine arrives at Bubba's. He opens the door and his dog, Bitz, is barking.) BUBBA Easy Bitz, easy Bitz. Back in your corner! Back in your corner! Back in your corner, Bitz! Come on in. I wanna show you somethin'. Sit. (Yells at dog again) I'm in shock. JUSTINE Why? BUBBA You know why. JUSTINE Bubba sat like that for what seemed like ten years before he began to speak. Finally, when he opened his mouth, he talked a blue streak about the ruin that was his life. He talked about how he loved Phil, and how he loved me. And how he always wanted a girlfriend just like me, and to be a guy like Phil, to this imaginary girl like me, that he never found. Then he wen on about givin' up your dreams and how it's all a part of gettin' older. Bubba had given up on his dream to be like Phil, and accepted his fate as Bubba, always and forever. Then, last week, a door that remained shut swung wide open. Bubba thought this no chance coincidence, a cosmic force was at work. The sounds of me makin' love to a man that wasn't Phil was like a shout in Bubba's ear from the creator himself. What it meant, or what to do, or why Bubba didn't know. All he knew was that he hated me for poisoning the well of idealism that he had drunk from for so long. I was no longer Bubba's image of perfection. To him I was just a liar, and a whore, and that sickened him. But on the other hand he loved me for opening his eyes and releasing him from the bitter chains of evny that bound him to Phil. Phil was no superman, just a cuckhold, and a foll, and that was beautiful. Bubba felt that there was just one thing left for us to do. Something that would solve both our problems and end this whole tragic cycle. JUSTINE Bubba, I am not gonna sleep with you. BUBBA But don't you see? This is my chance, for liberation. JUSTINE But, one person's liberation is another person's, well, badness. There's just no way. BUBBA I'm gonna have to tell Phil then. JUSTINE Why? BUBBA He's my best friend. I can't keep him in the dark about somethin' this big. He's a cuckhold. JUSTINE You wanna cuckhold him yourself! BUBBA Well that's different. That isn't about him. That's about my salvation. Look, you've got your choice to make. Either destroy your marriage, and break your husband's heart. Or have sex with me right now.
(Bubba is yelling at the dog again, and saying Justine's name) JUSTINE Oh god! There was someone in the window! Did you not see? BUBBA You're paranoid. JUSTINE I gotta go. BUBBA Phil is never gonna find out about any of this. Don't fret. (the dog is still barking) JUSTINE Get this damn dog away from me!
BUBBA You're lookin' at a free man, Justine. A free man. JUSTINE Great. Good for you. BUBBA Thank you. (Yelling at dog again.)
(TV sounds as Phil comes out of the bathroom, still brushing his teeth) PHIL I'm nervous. JUSTINE You're nervous? Why? PHIL 'Cause I gotta go to that doctor tomorrow and jism into a cup, that's why. What if I can't do it? JUSTINE You can do it. PHIL You know, If you said you'd help me I'd feel alot less nervous. It's gonna be on your lunch hour anyway. JUSTINE Okay. PHIL You didn't even say nothing about the TV bein' fixed. JUSTINE Oh. Is it? Thanks. PHIL You're welcome.
JACK Well aren't you a fright? Justine, you talked to Holden lately? He didn't show up for work today, I wanna know what gives. I know you two are friends. JUSTINE We're not friends. JACK You eat lunch together every day. JUSTINE No, we don't. JACK Well, if you see him, tell him Jack Fields is lookin' for him.
(Justine gets in the car and is shocked when she sees Holden in the car, more depressed than ever.) JUSTINE Oh my god. What are you doin'? HOLDEN You're a hooker, you hooker. JUSTINE I saw you. You followed me. HOLDEN So, how many guys you gettin' with? You gettin' with every guy in the state? JUSTINE No, Holden, this is all because of you. He had me over a barrel. If I didn't sleep with him he was gonna tell Phil about us! HOLDEN I'm so alone! JUSTINE You've gotta get a hold of yourself! Are you drunk? HOLDEN Yes, I'm drunk! And I'll be drunk every day until the day I die! What do you care?! You jump on any pecker that's put in front of you! JUSTINE It's not what you think. HOLDEN I saw everything. Oh god. Oh god. JUSTINE Look, go home. Sober up. And meet me after work. HOLDEN Where you goin'? JUSTINE I gotta help Phil with his sperm. HOLDEN What? JUSTINE Just go. Go! HOLDEN I can't share you, Justine! Maybe with one man but not with a whole bunch of 'em!
JUSTINE Great.
NURSE Mr. Last? Would you come with me? PHIL Wish me luck. JUSTINE Good luck, honey. BUBBA Knock 'em dead, partner. (Justine and Bubba watch Phil walk into one of the rooms) You look nice. JUSTINE No, I don't. BUBBA I know you're angry and I can figure why. But, from where I stand, what happened yesterday was a wonderful thing. JUSTINE Nothin' happened yesterday, so drop it. BUBBA Well, I'm awful grateful to ya, Justine. JUSTINE Bubba, I mean it. BUBBA Let me just ask you one thing. How do I stack up against Phil? You know, how do I stack up where it counts? NURSE Ma'am? Your husband asked me to request for your presence.
(Justine knocks on the door.) PHIL Who's there? JUSTINE It's Justine. (gets into the room) PHIL C'mon. I can't do this on my own. I need help. JUSTINE You've never done it on your own? PHIL Not in a place like this! Not where I have to hand over the results! Just, let me hold your boob. (holds her boob; Justine's face is full of pain) JUSTINE Ah, they're sore. (Justine looks fed up with everything)
CHERYL What's wrong with you? You look like death. JUSTINE My stomach's crampin'. I feel sore. CHERYL Is it your period? JUSTINE Nah, it's stress. CHERYL This job is stressful. I'm breaking out. JUSTINE You're breakin' out 'cause you put so much makeup on your face. CHERYL Maybe you're pregnant. JUSTINE What?... No... (thinks about it)
HOLDEN You know, sometimes, I think to myself, at least it can't get any worse. But it can. I can worse. As long as you can say you've hit rock bottom you can. JUSTINE Oh my god, Blackberries. HOLDEN A blind man can go deaf. A widow can lose her children. Babies starve and they never get food. They never get any food. They just come into the world and they die. JUSTINE Calm down, Holden! HOLDEN I can't calm down! I'd be easy if I was a hooker like you. I could calm down all over town. JUSTINE Hey, hey! I am not a hooker. HOLDEN I know you're not. I'm in agony. JUSTINE Why? HOLDEN What do you mean 'why'? I thought you hated your life. JUSTINE I do. I mean I'm depressed but... You are really depressed. HOLDEN I'll kill him. I'll murder him in his sleep. I'll kill my parents, I'll steal the money whatever it takes. You just, just whatever you want as long as it's you and me. Please don't forsake me Justine. JUSTINE Oh... I, I promise. (car is parked somewhere; Justine and Holden are sitting on the car, Holden's smoking) JUSTINE I realized then that Holden was at best a child, and at worst a demon. If I was ever gonna go straight I'd have to ditch him. Sometimes, to get back on the road to redemption, you have to make a few pit stops.
(Justine goes up to the "Blackberry Man") JUSTINE How much are the blackberries? BLACKBERRY MAN A tin for two dollars, miss. (gives her the blackberries) There you go. JUSTINE Thank you.
(Holden and Justine are in the car again, Justine's driving) JUSTINE Have a blackberry. HOLDEN We need a plan. We can't keep livin' day to day. We gotta chart a course and we just gotaa stick.... JUSTINE Have a blackberry, Holden! HOLDEN But, they're dirty. (hesitating, he eats a blackberry and then smiles) They're sweet. If I could only get my hands on some money, someone could just tell me the answer. I gotta do. But If I ever do, I end up thinking about it instead. I gotta do. But do what? (Justine pushes the blackberry he's about to eat away from his mouth) What...? What was that for? JUSTINE They looked dirty. I, I think I saw a bug in them or something.
(Jack talking to Holden about something)
(Justine's talking to Holden's parents.) JUSTINE I'm worried about Holden. Tom. I'm worried about Tom. I just befriended Tom, recently, and now, well, I think he's mentally ill. He has this idea in his head that we've had some sort of affair. Which is crazy because I'm, I'm married. He's been sayin' all sorts of strange things, and makin' threats. And drinkin'. And, and I just think he would be better off in a place where people, professionals, could take care of him. Otherwise, he's just gonna get himself in trouble.
PHIL What are you doin' in here? What's that? JUSTINE It's a home pregnancy test. PHIL Why you takin' it? JUSTINE 'Cause I still haven't gotten my period. PHIL What's it say? JUSTINE Well, I haven't taken it yet. Could you give me a minute please? PHIL I wanna be here when you find out. JUSTINE Okay.
PHIL The little plastic doohickey's turnin' blue. What's that mean? JUSTINE Blue? PHIL Bright blue. JUSTINE It means I'm pregnant. PHIL ALRIGHT!
PHIL I knew it. Waste of time going to that sperm doctor. We did it. We're gonna have ourselves a baby. JUSTINE Maybe. PHIL And tomorrow, we're gonna celebrate at Senor Tuna. Yes we are. I'm gonna bring Bubba. You can bring some of your friends from work. Or Bible study guy. Whoever. Too bad Gwen's dead. JUSTINE The test could be wrong, Phil. It's a little early to be havin' a party. PHIL Let's do it mellow then. You sure don't seem too excited. JUSTINE No, I'm excited. It's just, a lot of worries come with havin' a baby... PHIL Don't think negative. Think positive. We could have ourselves a tiny Phil. Or a tiny Teeny. Teeny's gonna have a tiny weeny Teeny. JUSTINE Do you think anything's gonna change havin' a baby? PHIL What do you mean? Everything's gonna change. JUSTINE Yeah, but I mean, do you think anything's really gonna change? PHIL What do ya mean?
(Holden and his parents sit on the couch and watch TV when the phone rings. Holden gets it.) HOLDEN (picks up the phone) Hello? WOMAN Hi, this is Dr. Williams returning the call of Jean Worther. I'm calling from the Holland County psychiatric hospital. (Holden hangs up) MOTHER Who was it, Tom? HOLDEN It was a wrong number.
(Holden goes into his room with a crazy smile on his face. He starts to laugh. When he hears the phone ring again, he stops smiling and starts to look like he's thinking of something.)
JACK Either of you seen Holden? Boy is out on his ass! CHERYL Justine, somethin's goin' on. Something is definately happening. JUSTINE Go find out. CHERYL It's big. It's very big. JUSTINE C'mon Cheryl, I'm gonna kill you. CHERYL Someone stole fifteen thousand dollars from the safe. They blew the thing open with a gun. JUSTINE Oh my god. CHERYL Not only that but the cops know who did it. JUSTINE Who? CHERYL Somebody who works here. JUSTINE Cheryl! CHERYL Holden, Holden did it. Fool left his cashier key in the door. JUSTINE Oh my god. CHERYL They can't find him though. They say he robbed his folks too. You in on it? JUSTINE What?! No! CHERYL I know you two played hookie in the store room. I never rat on ya, I've done some things myself. But, still. You in on it? JUSTINE I don't know what you're talkin' about. CHERYL Suit yourself. CORNY Justine. Can we talk to you for a second?
JACK Hi, Justine. Go ahead and have a seat. CORNY Justine, you like workin' at the Retail Rodeo don't you? Like the company, like the people? You wouldn't want to jeopardize that by makin' some silly error in judgement would ya? JACK Holden stole fifteen thousand dollars from the safe last night. Did you have anything to do with it? JUSTINE No. I don't know anything. CORNY 'Cause we know you're pretty tight with Holden. JUSTINE I hardly know him. CORNY I've seen you in the store room with him Justine. On many the occasion. I think you know him pretty well. JUSTINE I don't know anything.
HOLDEN Justine! Justine!
HOLDEN I did it! I finally did somethin'! JUSTINE Holden, the police are lookin' for you! HOLDEN Oh, who cares? I'm proud of myself. Fuck them, Fuck all of them! JUSTINE Hey! They think that I'm in on it, too! Corny's got a camera in that storage room. That Bible thumpin' pervert's been watchin' us the whole time. HOLDEN Well, we're outta here! Justine, I got over twenty thousand dollars! I got a gun, what else?! JUSTINE I'm gettin' all goosey. I think I'm gonna crash. (takes a right turn and stops the car) I'm pregnant, Holden. HOLDEN It's my baby. JUSTINE Not necessarily. HOLDEN Yes, it is. You know it is. JUSTINE Even if it is, you cannot raise a baby on the run. HOLDEN Yes, you can. I mean, you can't raise a baby here. You know that. Justine. You hate your husband. You hate your job. You love me, so let's go. JUSTINE I can't go tonight. I gotta pack my things and I'd have to get more money. HOLDEN Well, then tomorrow. I'll go to the motel and wait for you. Just be there by noon. JUSTINE This is all going too fast. HOLDEN Justine, what have you got to lose? JUSTINE Nothin'. HOLDEN So be there by noon. JUSTINE Okay. HOLDEN I love you, Justine. This is all gonna work out. I know it. I almost forgot. This is a story of your life. You inspired me. (they kiss and Holden gets out of the car)
PHIL Hey Teeny! JUSTINE Hey. PHIL We were gettin' worried about ya! JUSTINE Sorry. BUBBA Justine, this is Liberta. Liberta, this is Justine. JUSTINE Hi. LIBERTA Hi. BUBBA Congratulations, on your expectation. JUSTINE Thanks. LIBERTA Do you think it's a girl or a boy? PHIL Doesn't matter. As long as it plays quarterback for the Cowboys. BUBBA Well, I hear Senor Tuna callin'. (phone rings) PHIL (picks up the phone) Hello. Yeah. Well, that's not right. What's that supposed to mean? Hey look. No. You don't know shit okay. Justine's pregnant. You got that? Well, look you better check your records again, pal, then call me! (hangs up) Some doctor says my sperm's no good. Does that mean Justine's not pregnant? BUBBA No. That just means they got it wrong, is all. They don't know everything. JUSTINE They just got it wrong, so...
(Justine and Phil are in bed together.) PHIL Looks like that wind's pickin' up again.
(Justine is packing her things, she seems to be in a hurry. She drives down the street with her car and stops because of the red lights.) JUSTINE How it all came down to this, only the devil knows. Retail Rodeo was at the corner on my left, the motel was down the road to my right. I closed my eyes and tried to peer into the future. On my left I saw days upon days of lipstick and ticking clocks. Dirty looks and quiet whisperings. and burning secrets that won't ever die away. And on my right, what could I picture? The blue sky, the desert earth streching out into the eerie infinity. A beautiful, never ending nothing. CHERYL Hey Justine. JUSTINE I know where you can find him. JACK Holden? JUSTINE He's at the Hotel Glen Capri, and he'll be there till noon. JACK You done good. You're a good girl.
PHIL Hey. JUSTINE Hey. PHIL What's going on in the bedroom? Looks like a twister hit it. JUSTINE Oh yeah. I was doin' laundry. PHIL I thought we were robbed. Why aren't you at work? JUSTINE They gave me the day off. (TV reporter talking about Holden killing himself at the hotel) PHIL Retail Rodeo? You know that guy? JUSTINE No.
JACK Attention Retail Rodeo employees this is JAck Fields, your store manager. As most of you all know by now, We lost another employee yesterday. Holden was a thief and a disturbed young man, and what happened was a sad thing. Perhaps we can learn a lesson from this tragedy, like don't steal and don't be disturbed. The important is to move on. Like dozens of those who quit. This one's for you Holden. CHERYL I thought we were gonna get a day off and go to the movies....
JUSTINE What? BUBBA I was just at your house and the mail came. Phil was opening letters, and he opened this bill from the credit card company. And F&$%. Please don't tell him about us, Justine. Please. Please. I love Phil. I love him more than myself. Please have mercy on me.
JUSTINE Hey Phil. PHIL Have you been sleepin' around behind my back? JUSTINE What? PHIL I said, have you been sleepin' around behind my back? JUSTINE Yes. (he slaps her) PHIL Why? Why? JUSTINE I don't know why. PHIL Don't you love me? Don't you love me at all? JUSTINE You're the only man alive that I love. PHIL Oh god. Please don't tell me it's not my baby. JUSTINE It's your baby. PHIL Are you sure? JUSTINE It is. I swear. I swear to God. PHIL Who is he? JUSTINE It doesn't matter. PHIL Yes, it does. Was it some guy from work? JUSTINE Yes. PHIL Yeah, I know who it was. It was that Bible guy, wasn't it? The Nazarine. That's why you were actin' so spooked. JUSTINE Yeah, yeah. PHIL I'm gonna beat his ass. JUSTINE Don't. PHIL You're gettin' all swollen. I'm sorry I hit you, baby. JUSTINE I'm sorry, Phil. PHIL I need to get stoned. JUSTINE Okay. Get stoned. PHIL I just gotta escape, you know. You ever feel like that? Like you gotta escape?
JUSTINE What are those? CHERYL Fake eyelashes. Extra long. JUSTINE Just do it normal for once? CHERYL You want me to make the other cheek purple to even it out? JUSTINE No. CHERYL D'you hear about Corny? He was goin' home after Bible study last night and two beefy guys with painted faces pulled up in a truck and jumped him. JUSTINE That's terrible. (shot of Justine in the bathroom of Retail Rodeo. She's sitting on one of the toilets, she's wearing fake eyelashes and just looks trashy.) JUSTINE That day I read the story Holden wrote for me. It was kinda different from the other one, but kinda the same. It was about a woman who was put upon. Whose job was a prison, and whose life had lost all meaning. Other people don't get her, especially her husband. One day she meets a boy who is also put upon, and they fall in love. After spending their whole lives not getting got, with one look they get eachother completely. In the end, the boy and the girl run away together in the wilderness, never to be heard from again.

Good Girl, The



Writers :   Mike White
Genres :   Drama  Comedy


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