Jeffrey Keith Wong A Typical Summer (The scene opens up with clear view of a typical house in a small quiet town of Lynbrook. It is 4:00 pm on a beautiful Friday late afternoon. The view then changes to the inside of the house. The front door is out of view. To the left is a plain wooden door that is wide open leading to a small cramped bedroom. To the right lies another door leading to yet, another bedroom. Directly ahead lies the living room. Further beyond the livingroom is the kitchen. As the camera pans to the left and through the door, one may notice that the bedroom has a large iron office desk littered with video game magazines. On top of the desk, there is a wallet, a watch, and a TV with a shadeless lamp resting on top of it. The bed lies against the far wall under a window looking out towards a neighboring house. Above either end of the bed, there are shelves containing items found in your average teenage boy's room. Lying on top of the bed, facing the TV is a oriental boy at the age of seventeen . He is wearing worn out blue jeans and a black t-shirt. The boy's name is Jeff. He is playing Super Nintendo games on the TV. After a brief moment, he turns off the system because a middle aged woman walks into the room. The woman is his mother) MOM:Jeff? (Jeff doesn't hear her) MOM:(Impatiently)JEFF! JEFF:WHAT? MOM:Why don't you go out? It's a very nice day out. JEFF:I'm playing a video game. MOM:That stuff rots your brain. JEFF:Why do ya keep botherin' me? MOM:Because I want you to go out. JEFF:Fine! If ya stop botherin' me. MOM:Ok then. (MOM leaves the room. Jeff decides to goto Nathan's to play games. He picks up the phone and dials for his friend, Chris) JEFF:(Holding the receiver while thinking)C'mon Chris! Pick up the stupid phone! (Someone picks up on the other line) VOICE:Hello? JEFF:(Recognizing Chris's voice)Hi Chris! It's Jeff. CHRIS:Hey Jeff! What's up JEFF:I was wondering. Would ya like to goto Nathan's to play some video games? CHRIS:I'm sorry but I have to go out now. JEFF:OK. No problem. I'll see ya later. CHRIS:Fine. Bye (Jeff hangs up the phone. He turns on Super Nintendo and starts playing games again. As he continues to play, his MOM walks in...again) MOM:(Angrily)Jeff! Will you quit playing those stupid games already?!? (Jeff pretends that he is not listening) MOM:(Fuming)JEFF! JEFF:WHAT?!? MOM:Quit playing those stupid games! You always play those dumb games. Go out at least once in a while! JEFF:I'll do as I wish. MOM:Not when when you're living under my roof! JEFF:Whatcha gonna do to me if I don't listen to you? MOM:I'm going to ground you is what I'm going do! JEFF:(Catching the point)OK. I'll go out. (MOM leaves the room. Jeff decides to call his friend Joe on the phone) JEFF:(Dialing Joe's phone number and thinking also)Please! Be home! (Someone on the other line picks up) VOICE:Hello? JEFF:Uh...Is Joe there? VOICE:Yes. This is Joe. Who is it? JEFF:It's me. JOE:(Trying to recognize the voice)Me who? JEFF:Jeff. JOE:Hey Jeff, what's up? JEFF:Do you wanna goto Nathan's to play a couple of video games with me? JOE:Nope. JEFF:Why not? JOE:I'm gonna eat soon. JEFF:Fine. Never mind. JOE:See ya later. (Jeff hangs up the phone. After a few moments of thought, he decides to goto Nathan's by himself. As Jeff leaves, he remembers to put on his watch and bring his wallet and keys. He grabs his wallet and checks to see the amount of money that's in there) JEFF:(Saying to himself)Let's see how much dough I have?(Counts the money)Ten...Twenty...Thirty...Forty..Fifty...Sixty...Seventy dollars.Wow! Being Chinese on Chinese New Year really pays off. (After putting his wallet in the back pocket of his jeans and putting his keys in his front pocket, he then grabs the watch and slips it on his left hand. He puts on his jacket and leaves the house and heads for the backyard to get his bike. He hops on the bike and heads towards Nathan's in a nearby town) (A new scene opens up with a view of a large brick building with a green roof. There is a sign up front which says "NATHAN'S". Jeff locks up his bike on a nearby bike rack. He notices that there is another bike locked up there already. He heads for the gameroom in the back) (The next scene takes place in the gameroom where Jeff is playing a game. His back is towards the camera. As Jeff continues to play, someone also with his back towards the camera walks into the scene towards Jeff. He taps Jeff's right shoulder very lightly. Jeff, in response turns his head at the person, making eye contact. Jeff notices that this person is somewhat taller with short dark hair. He is wearing a black jacket) JEFF:(Assuming the person wants to play)Do you wanna play against me? PERSON:Don't I know you? JEFF:Do I know you?(Stressing the 'you') PERSON:Aren't you Jeff? JEFF:Yeah.....So? PERSON:Now I know you. You're from my English class. Didn't you get caught pretending that you had a bad arm? JEFF:Yeah..so what? Who are you? PERSON:Brad. JEFF:I don't remember you. BRAD:I was the one who got kicked out of class for talking to a girl I liked, Joanne. JEFF:Oh yeah! Now I remember you! BRAD:So.....How are you doing? JEFF:I could be doin' better. You? BRAD:I'm doing good. JEFF:It's well. BRAD:What? JEFF:It's 'I'm doing WELL' - not 'I'm doing good'. BRAD:Sorry. (Jeff continues to play the game as he talks to Brad. They talk mostly about how Jeff got caught cutting English once, about how horrible the teacher is, and about this stupid book called "To Kill A Mockingbird". After chatting for a while, Jeff pretends that he's out of money and tells Brad that he has to go home to eat) BRAD:Where do you live, Jeff? JEFF:Near Lynbrook High School. Why? BRAD:I have to goto the high school at around 8:00 pm for classnight. JEFF:Yeah....So what! BRAD:I was wondering if I could go with you towards the school. JEFF:I don't care. Come if ya want too. BRAD:Thanks a lot. (Jeff looks at his watch and notices that it's almost 7:00pm. Jeff tells Brad the time and they both leave the gameroom together) JEFF:How'd ya get down here? BRAD:By bike. Why? JEFF:I just don't want to ride you on my pegs, that's all. BRAD:Don't worry about it. (Jeff and Brad both unlock their bikes. Jeff notices that the bike that was already there is Brad's bike but doesn't bother to ask how long he's been there. They both head towards the high school which is about three miles from where Nathan's is. Before they reach the high school, Jeff heads towards his house in another direction. Brad follows him.) (A new scene opens with a view of Jeff's house. Jeff and Brad then comes into cameraview. Jeff heads for the backyard of the house to put away his bike. Brad waits in the front of the house. Jeff walks back to the front and starts talking to Brad) JEFF:I have to go eat now. (Heads for the front door with his keys in his right hand)I'll see you in school on Monday.(Opens the door and turns around to face Brad. Jeff sees Brad riding his bike away towards the direction of the high school. Jeff thinks to himself)OK...don't say goodbye ya idiot!(Walks into house and shuts the door behind him) (The scene now switches to the inside of the house. Jeff walks through the livingroom and into the kitchen where his mother is sitting at the table. The table is located in the far corner of the kitchen. She is reading the newspaper) JEFF:Mom. Is there anything to eat? I'm starving! MOM:There's some vegetable soup in the pot. I made it a few minutes ago. JEFF:Vegetable soup! You gotta be kiddin' me! MOM:Take it or leave it! JEFF:I'm gonna leave it.....I'll live longer. Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha. I made a funny. MOM:(Angry now)Fine! Go make your own food. JEFF:(Deciding that he wants to eat at McDonald's)Better yet... I'll go buy my own food. MOM:Why don't you ever save your money? You always want to buy food when there's already food at home. JEFF:I just wanna eat some GOOD tasting food. MOM:What do you mean? JEFF:I'm not gonna answer that. If I did, you'll ground me for sure. MOM:Just try the soup. It's very good for you. It's much better for you than that McDonald's food that you always eat. JEFF:Nope....I'm outta here. (Jeff leaves the house and heads for the backyard. Before he hops on his bike, he checks his wallet. There's sixty five dollars left. Jeff jumps onto the bike and heads towards McDonald's) (A new scene opens up with a view of the front of a typical McDonald's restaurant with large windows up front. Jeff quickly comes into view and is seen getting off the bike and locking it up to a parking meter in front of the store. After he locks up the bike, he heads into the store. As the camera zooms in through the windows, Jeff can be seen looking up at the menu above the counter. He doesn't take too much time wondering what to eat. He walks up to the cachier to order his food) CASHIER:Hi. Welcome to McDonald's may I take.....hey....Don't I know you? JEFF:(Thinking)Damn! Not another person who knows me!?!(Begins to talk)I don't know. Do you know me!?! CASHIER:Now I remember you! You're Jeff, the kid who got caught pretending that you had a bad arm, right? JEFF:Yes I am. Does everyone know me like that? CASHIER:Yea, I think so. I found that out from some kids from another school. JEFF:I wished I didn't ask that....anyway....who are you? CASHIER:I'm Binu. JEFF:May I order? I'm starving! BINU:I'm sorry. I didn't mean to keep you waiting. What'll it be? (Jeff orders his food. After he pays for the food, he takes the food to the back of the restaurant to eat. While Jeff ate, somebody tapped on his shoulder. Jeff turns his head. It's Brad again. He's holding a tray of food) JEFF:(Thinking)Can't I have some time to myself. All I wanna do is eat!(Begins to talk)Hey. What's up? Better yet...why ya here? I thought you went to the high school? BRAD:It was closed. I guess I got the schedule mixed up. I just came here to eat.(Sits down across from Jeff and starts eating his food) JEFF:(Thinking)Damn! This kid's annoying. I'll just eat real quick so I could get outta here.(Begins eating faster) (After Jeff finishes his food, he tells Brad that he has to go home. On his way out Binu says goodbye to Jeff. Jeff says the same thing to Binu and goes outside to unlock his bike and pedals away while Brad is seen unlocking his bike and heading in the opposite direction. As Jeff rides home, he starts thinking to himself) JEFF:(Thinking)Who the hell is that Binu kid? I don't remember that kid from my school. Who does Brad think he is, coming up to me and talking to me as if I were his best friend?!? Sheesh! What a goddamn idiot I am for being so friendly to someone I don't wanna hang out with. (As Jeff is nearing his house) JEFF:(Thinking)I don't wanna go home yet.(Looks at watch)It's only 8:00pm and its a Friday night. I know.....I'll goto Whitey Ford's(Turns bike around and heads in that general direction) (This new scene opens up with a view of a large brick building. In front of the building there is a sign that says "Whitey Ford's". Jeff comes into the scene and locks his bike on a nearby bike rack. He notices that there are a few bikes locked up already but manages to squeeze his bike in and lock it up. After locking his bike, Jeff walks into Whitey Ford's. Inside Whitey Ford's, Jeff starts playing games. As Jeff plays games, Brad comes into view again and taps Jeff on his shoulder. Jeff turns around. It's Brad......again) BRAD:Why are you here? I thought you were going home? JEFF:I'm....uh.....meeting someone here. BRAD:Who? JEFF:Why do you ask so many questions? BRAD:I'm sorry. JEFF:Can I play my game please? BRAD:Sure. Go ahead and play. I'll just watch. JEFF:Thanks a lot.(Continues playing the game) (After a brief moment) BRAD:Are you good at this game? (Jeff doesn't answer) BRAD:Jeff? JEFF:What?!? BRAD:Are you good at this game? JEFF:Didn't I just ask you to let me play my game? BRAD:Sorry. (Jeff's game is over) JEFF:Goddamnit. Look at watcha did. BRAD:What did I do? JEFF:Never mind. Brad, I have to.....er.....go look for my friend. I'm leaving. BRAD:Can I come help you look? JEFF:No.....I'm outta here. (Jeff exits the building and unlocks his bike. He heads for his house) (As Jeff is riding home, he starts thinking to himself) JEFF:(Thinking)What a lousy night this is! Why does that Brad keep botherin' me? Doesn't he have a clue that I wanna be alone? (The next scene opens up with the view of Jeff's house. Jeff is seen putting his bike in the backyard and going into the house. He then goes into his room and flops onto the bed. As he lies in bed, he begins thinking to himself) JEFF:(Thinking)What the hell am I gonna do now?(Looks at watch)Goddamnit! It's already 9:00pm. I know.....I'll watch TV(Grabs the remote)Let's see what's on(Turns on the TV)Sheesh! These goddamn OJ trials are BORING!!!(Flips channel)Great.....there's nothing on that's good. Oh well.....I'll watch the news. (As Jeff watches TV, he accidentally falls asleep) (It's now Saturday morning. Jeff wakes up at around 11:30am. He notices that he's wearing yesterday's clothes. He takes his watch off and throws it on the bed. He then takes off the clothes and goes to the bathroom to shower. After his shower, Jeff gets dressed and goes to his room. He notices that the house is empty, meaning his parents left for Chinatown) JEFF:(Thinking)Now then......what am I gonna do? I guess I should goto the gym to work out. (Jeff makes a bowl of cereal and quickly finishes it. After eating, he takes his keys, gym clothes, and jacket and leaves for the gym. He gets on his bike, and heads for the gym) (This new scene takes place in front of a large building. There is a sign in front that says "GOLD'S GYM". Jeff enters the scene and locks his bike up to a nearby parking meter and goes into the gym. Inside the gym, there is gym equipment placed neatly about. There is a counter by the enterance. Working behind the counter is a beautiful girl with straight brown hair. She is a bit shorter than Jeff. He walks up to the counter and starts a friendly conversation with her. During the conversation, DEBBIE indicates that she doesn't like working there and that she would like to get away. After a short period of time, she mentions that she has to get back to work. Jeff says goodbye and heads for the locker room to change into his gym clothes. After an hour, finished with his workout, Jeff heads for the locker room and changes back into his street clothes. He leaves the gym, unlocks his bike, and heads for home. As he pedals, he begins thinking) JEFF:(Thinking)That must be the first person in a long time that I enjoyed talking to. I'm glad she works there. Looks like I'm gonna be workin' out more often. (The scene now switches to Jeff's house. Jeff is seen putting his bike in the backyard and going into the house. Inside the house, Jeff goes into his room and flops onto his bed) JEFF(Checks his watch and then thinks to himself)Damn. I forgot I took it off.(Grabs the watch and puts it on his wrist. He checks the watch)1:00pm. Goddamnit! I wish I have my license right now so I can go somewhere. At least it's only a week away before my road test. (Time passes on and Jeff goes about his business as usual) (It's now a week later and Jeff passed his road test meaning he now has a license. Jeff receives his own set of keys to the station wagon from his mother. Jeff and MOM are in his room) MOM:Jeff. You better be careful when you drive. JEFF:I know mom(Puts the keys on his key chain) MOM:You better not crash it. JEFF:I know. I know. MOM:Fine then(Leaves the room) JEFF:(Thinking)First thing I'm gonna do is tell my friends. (Jeff calls and tells his friends the good news) (After talking to his friends, Jeff goes about his business again except this time he has a car) (It's now Tuesday at around 1:00pm. The scene is of Jeff's room. Jeff is on the bed) JEFF:(Thinking)Now that I have a car, how come I still don't do anything fun? I gotta get out more.....I know.....I'll go camping with some friends and maybe with DEBBIE(Calls Chris. There's no answer. Calls Dan. Dan answers) VOICE:Hello? JEFF:(Recognizing Dan's voice)Hey Dan, It's Jeff. How 'ya doin'? DAN:I'm doing all right. JEFF:Would ya like to go camping tomorrow? DAN:Are you serious? I'd love to go. But when tomorrow? JEFF:Around.......say.......one. DAN:Who's going? JEFF:I'm tryin' to find out. DAN:How long are we staying? JEFF:About two days. DAN:Where are we going to stay? JEFF:Somewhere upstate. DAN:How are we getting there? JEFF:By car. DAN:Who's car? JEFF:My car. DAN:Can I invite a friend? JEFF:Who? DAN:This girl named Katie. JEFF:Fine go ahead. The more the better. DAN:Where do we all meet? JEFF:At my house.......at around twelve. Don't forget to bring campin' equipment.Ok? DAN:I'll see you tomorrow then. Bye. JEFF:Later(Hangs up the phone) (Jeff starts thinking to himself) JEFF:(Thinking)Man.....so goddamn many questions. I gotta explain all at once. (Jeff calls Joe. Joe answers) VOICE:Hello? JEFF(Recognizing Joe's voice)Hi Joe. It's Jeff. JOE:Hey Jeff. What's up? JEFF:Would ya like to go camping with Dan, Katie, and me? JOE:Sure I do! Who's Katie? JEFF:I don‘t know….probably some girl Dan likes. JOE:Why is she coming? JEFF:Dan invited her. JOE:Can I invite someone too? JEFF:Who? JOE:Nadia. JEFF:Who? JOE:She's in my class. JEFF:Sure. The more the better. JOE:When are we going? JEFF:We leave at around 12:30pm tomorow from my house. We'll stay there for about two days. We're taking my car. It's somewhere upstate. Don't forget to bring campin' equipment. Ok? JOE:No problem. I'll see you tomorrow then. Bye. JEFF:Later(Hangs up the phone) (Jeff decides to call Brad even thogh he's a pain. Jeff picks up the phone book and looks up Brodar, Brad. Finds the number and calls it. Someone picks up on the other line) VOICE:Hello? JEFF:Hi. Is Brad there? VOICE:Who's this? JEFF:Jeff Wong. VOICE:Hey Jeff, what's up? JEFF:Brad? VOICE:Yeah. It's Brad. JEFF:How's it goin'? BRAD:I'm doing good. JEFF:WELL. BRAD:What? JEFF:Do you remember what I told you about a week and a half ago an Nathan's? BRAD:Sorry. JEFF:Never mind that. Do ya wanna go campin' with my friends and I? BRAD:Sure I do. JEFF:You can invite someone along if ya want. BRAD:Ok. JEFF:We leave tomorrow at around 12:30pm from my house. We're going somewhere upstate for about two days. We're taking my car. BRAD:Ok. JEFF:Do ya know who ya gonna invite? Brad:I'm going to invite Joanne. JEFF:Ok. The more the better. BRAD:Anything else? JEFF:Oh yeah. Don't forget some campin' equipment. BRAD:Ok. JEFF:See ya tomorrow. BRAD:Fine. Bye. JEFF:Later(Hangs up the phone) (Jeff starts thinking to himself) JEFF:(Thinking)Ok. Everthin' is set. Goddamnit...I forgot to invite DEBBIE. (Jeff grabs his jacket and leaves for the gym. He takes his car) (At the gym, Jeff parks his car in the parking lot in back and enters the gym. In the gym, he walks up to DEBBIE who is working there) JEFF:Hi. DEBBIE:Hi Jeff. How's everything going? JEFF:Everthing's alright. May I ask you a question? DEBBIE:Sure. Go ahead. JEFF:Want to take a few days off work? DEBBIE:For what? JEFF:I was wondering if you'd like to go camping with my friends and I. DEBBIE:Are you serious? JEFF:Yeah. I am? DEBBIE:I barely know you. JEFF:I know. That makes the trip more interesting. DEBBIE:I'd love to. JEFF:Really? DEBBIE:I love the great outdoors. JEFF:Anyway, so is there any way you can get some time off... for about three days? DEBBIE:No problem. Leo is very understanding. JEFF:Leo. Who's Leo? Your boyfriend? DEBBIE:No silly. He's my boss. JEFF:Oh. So you can go? DEBBIE:Yes, I can. JEFF:Ok. We're going to be leaving tomorrow at around 12:30pm from my house. I'm takin' my car. It's gonna be somewhere upstate. DEBBIE:One problem. JEFF:What's the problem?(Thinking)Please don't say that tomorrow's no good. DEBBIE:I don't know where you live. JEFF:(Relieved)No problem. I'll pick ya up. Umm.......where do ya live? (DEBBIE gives Jeff her address) JEFF:I'll pick ya up at around 10:30am. Ok? DEBBIE:Fine. JEFF:Oh yeah. Do you have campin' equipment? DEBBIE:Of course I do. I told you that I like to great outdoors. JEFF:Ok then.....I'll see ya tomorrow then. Take care(Begins to leave) DEBBIE:Bye (Time passes by quickly) (It's now Wednesday. Its around 9:00am. Jeff is already awake preparing for the trip. After packing his camping equipment into the car, he takes a long shower. After the shower, Jeff gets dressed and leaves to pick up DEBBIE. It's around 10:00am now. Jeff takes his car. After a little less than an half an hour of locating, he arrives in front of DEBBIE's house. Her house is very similar to his, except there is a pickette fence around the property. Everything else was pretty much the same. As Jeff pulls up, the front door opens and out comes DEBBIE with a large backpack. Jeff gets out of his car and helps DEBBIE put the backpack in the back. DEBBIE and Jeff both get into the car and heads for his house. During the car ride, Jeff talks to DEBBIE about the trip) JEFF:So. Are ya excited about the trip? DEBBIE:(Excitedly)Yes. But who's coming? JEFF:Well. There's Brad, Joanne, Joe, Nadia,....um....Dan,....and....Katie...and us. DEBBIE:Wouldn't it be crowded? JEFF:Oh my GOD! I never thought of that. DEBBIE:Does this mean were not going? JEFF:Nah. I'll find a way. I'll ask my friend to drive his car too. DEBBIE:I can use my car. JEFF:Don't worry about it. Besides you'll be driving a carload of kids ya don't know. DEBBIE:I guess your right. (They both reach Jeff's house at around 10:45am. At Jeff's house, Brad and Joanne are there waiting in front. Jeff and DEBBIE both get out of the car. Everyone introduces one another) BRAD:Hey Jeff. What's up? JEFF:Nothin' much. How'd ya get here? BRAD:I drove my car. JEFF:Did ya bring your campin' equipment? BRAD:Oh man! I knew I forgot something. Sorry. JEFF:You idiot! BRAD:I said I was sorry. JEFF:Goddamnit! BRAD:Are you angry? JEFF:Never mind. What's done is done. Say....can you drive half the gang up there? BRAD:What?.... Why? JEFF:My car can't fit eight people. BRAD:I don't know where the campsite is? JEFF:Don't worry. Just follow behind me. BRAD:I really don't think I can do it. JEFF:Don't worry. All you have to do is follow me in your car. BRAD:Well....I guess I'll do it. JEFF:Good. (Joe, Nadia, Dan, and Katie show up at 11:15. Jeff never bothered to ask of their camping equipment. He explains that half will be taking his car and the other half will be taking Brad's car. They all decide who goes in whose car and they head upstate. Jeff, DEBBIE, Joe, and Nadia took Jeff's car while Brad, Joanne, Dan, and Katie took Brad's car. After a few hours of driving, everyone arrives at a campsite near some mountains. There, Jeff finds out that only he and DEBBIE brought camping equipment) (This scene opens up with a gorgeous view of a mountain side. The sky is perfectly clear with no clouds that could be seen as far as the eye can see. There is a ledge extending from the mountain with two tents and a campfire set up nearby the cliff. It is around 5:00pm. Since there were only two tents, Jeff, Brad, Joe, and Dan had to sleep in one tent while DEBBIE, Joanne, Nadia, and Katie had to sleep in another. Everyone was sitting around the campfire talking and roasting marshmellows. As everyone enjoyed each other's company, it started to get late, resulting in sunset. Everyone watched as the sun set out over the horizon. It was a truly magnificant view from the cliff. As it got real late into the evening, everyone decided it was time to hit the sack even though no one was tired. They all went into their tents and began talking once again. The girls talked to each other in their tent while the guys talked to each other in their tent. It was around 2:00am when everyone fell asleep.)