MUSIC SHOP IN A SHOPPING CENTRE - CLOSING TIME
Loud music is blasting through the shop. JESSICA, the Manager of the store, is bending down under the counter, changing a CD. Her whole style is alternative and 'in your face'. As she is changing the CD, MATTHEW walks into the shop, and starts to flick through some CD's on a stand which has a tall 'display' back to it blocking his view of the counter and vice versa. His style is much more casual. Unaware that there are any customers, JESSICA starts grooving behind her sales counter to the loud hip hop CD she's put on. MATTHEW registers the music - not to his taste - but he obviously needs to find a CD, so he takes a breath and keeps flicking through CD's. He finds one that might be OK, turns it around to see what tracks are on it, and decides to take it up to the counter to buy. As he moves off, he stops at another section close by, and chooses a CD from that rack. As he approaches the counter, JESSICA, mid-groove, turns back and gets a fright that someone is there. And then they BOTH get a shock to realise they know each other. The moment is loaded with "shit, how do I handle this moment?" on both sides. JESSICA: (yelling over the music) Matthew Whitehead ! MATTHEW: (straining, but yelling back) Jessica Walker ! JESSICA: (yelling) Shit, man, what are you doing here?! Which sounds like xxlsakfsioe a.s.fksfi to him. MATTHEW: (yelling) Sorry, I didn't hear you. JESSICA yells louder, but to no avail. JESSICA: I said ... xxlsakfsioe a.s.fksfi ! MATTHEW motions that he can't hear her over the music. JESSICA: What? I didn't hear you. MATTHEW: Can you turn the music down? JESSICA: Really? Is it too loud? He doesn't hear her and doesn't notice that her hand goes under the counter to turn the volume right down. MATTHEW: (screaming) Can you - The music stops. MATTHEW: (continuing screaming into the silence) - turn that fucking music down! JESSICA laughs. JESSICA: (sings to the tune of "Play That Funky Music")
" ... turn that fucking music down boy ...
... turn that fucking music Dow-ow-n ..."
Remember that song? MATTHEW: (laughing) I do. JESSICA: We loved it at High School. MATTHEW: I loved the original Wild Cherry version - (playfully) but you hopped on the Vanilla Ice bandwagon - JESSICA: - I did not! There's obviously a history here - attraction and friction mixed. MATTHEW: You did so! JESSICA: Well ... maybe for a minute. MATTHEW: Yeah right! JESSICA: Ok - so it took a while for my (indicates Vanilla Ice's atrocious hair cut) hair to grow back - MATTHEW: - and for everyone to stop making fun of you behind your back. Beat MATTHEW: Everyone but me, that is. JESSICA: (quickly) So how have you been anyway? MATTHEW: Good, and you? END OF FIRST PAGE |