HEATHERS

                               HEATHERS 

                        An Original Screenplay

                                  by

                             Daniel Waters

                                                FINAL SHOOTING SCRIPT

                                                Registered WGAW

                                                February 8, 1988

     NOTE: THE HARD COPY OF THIS SCRIPT CONTAINED SCENE NUMBERS
     AND SOME "OMITTED" SLUGS. THEY HAVE BEEN REMOVED FOR THIS
     SOFT COPY.

     FADE IN:

     EXT. SAWYER'S BACKYARD--DAWN

     Elegiac music murmurs as three female and barefoot PAIRS OF
     LEGS in skirts break from tableau to gently engage in Croquet.
     A blue mallet hits a blue ball through a wicket, a green
     mallet knocks a green ball, and a yellow mallet pushes forward
     a yellow ball, all in enticing syncopation.

     Suddenly a red ball rockets through the dew covered grass and
     hits the green ball. The LEGS all stop moving as a FOURTH PAIR
     OF LEGS, this one in stylish shoes and stockings, marches to
     the red ball and steps on it. A red mallet is brought down
     hard on the red ball causing the adjacent green ball to
     thunder out of view. The Pair of Legs manuevering the green
     ball departs. This process of elimination is grimly
     repeated with the yellow ball and yet again with the blue
     ball.

     However, when the BLUE MALLETED PLAYER makes her sad exit,
     the viewer's viewpoint glides along with this particular Pair
     of Legs. A red ball whizzes by. The Legs stop. Another red
     ball malevolently sails past the Legs. Then yet another red
     ball. A fourth red ball makes brutal contact with the Legs
     causing the Player to fall to her knees and into the frame. The
     Player is VERONICA SAWYER.

     INT. VERONICA'S BEDROOM--DAY

     VERONICA SAWYER, a sullen seventeen year old beauty, lies atop
     her bed dressed in a chic but understated ensemble, her eyes
     glazed open in a morning reverie. She blows up at her bangs
     then slides off her bed, launching into voice-over narration
     over the empty bed.

                             VERONICA (V.O.)
               Heather told me she teaches people
               Real Life.

     INT. HIGH SCHOOL HALLWAY--DAY

     Continuing her narration, VERONICA glides through a bustling
     high school hallway with a frozen smile.

                             VERONICA (V.O.)
               She said Real Life sucks Losers dry.
               If you want to fuck with the eagles,
               you have to learn to fly.

     INT. HALLWAY OUTSIDE CAFETERIA--DAY

     With her back turned to the viewer, VERONICA stands at the
     outskirts of the cafeteria entrance. The viewer's viewpoint
     approaches and finally curls around VERONICA to reveal that
     she is writing in a diary, wearing a monocle.

                             VERONICA (V.O.)
               I said so you teach people how to
               spread their wings and fly. She
               said Yes.

     THE DIARY PAGE

     VERONICA'S pen sways across the diary page forming the words
     echoed by her voice-over.

                             VERONICA (V.O.)
               I said You're Beautiful.

     A sudden off-screen bark from HEATHER MCNAMARA causes the pen
     to recklessly rocket across the written words.

                             HEATHER MCNAMARA (O.S.)
               God, come on Veronica!

     VERONICA coolly pops the monocle from her eye before angrily
     addressing the amusingly robust, conventionally beautiful,
     trendily coiffed HEATHER MCNAMARA.

                             VERONICA
               What's your damage, Heather? You
               ruined my...

                             HEATHER MCNAMARA
               God, I'm so sure. Don't blame me,
               blame Heather. She told me to haul
               your ass into the caf pronto. Back
               me up, Heather.

     From behind HEATHER MCNAMARA emerges a similarly trendily
     accessorized but noticeably more inhibited waif, HEATHER DUKE.
     She is clutching a tattered copy of "The Catcher in the Rye."

                             HEATHER DUKE
               Yeah, she really wants to talk to you.

                             VERONICA
               Okay, I'm going, I'm going. Jesus...

     INT. INSIDE THE CAFETERIA--DAY

     VERONICA, flanked by HEATHER MCNAMARA and HEATHER DUKE,
     strides into the lunchroom pandemonium.

     The stunning HEATHER CHANDLER turns from the tray before her
     toward her incoming comrades. She is dressed stylishly and
     expensively but not trendily; her hair, dramatically tied
     back.

                             VERONICA
                       (submissively)
               Hello, Heather.

     Pulling out a crumpled piece of yellow paper, HEATHER
     CHANDLER smiles. The content of what Heather says is
     consistently offensive but the tone in which she speaks
     is sexy, dangerous, and mysterious. She is a mythic bitch.

                             HEATHER CHANDLER
               Veronica. Finally. Got a paper of
               Kurt Kelly's. I need you to forge
               a hot and horny but realistically
               low-key note in Kurt's handwriting
               and we'll slip it into Martha
               Dumptruck's lunch tray.

                             VERONICA
               Shit, Heather. I don't have anything
               against Martha Dunnstock.

                             HEATHER CHANDLER
               You don't have anything for her
               either. Come on, it'll be Very. The
               note'll give her shower nozzle
               masturbation material for weeks.

                             VERONICA
               I'll think about it.

                             HEATHER CHANDLER
                       (looking off)
               Don't think.

     POV ON CAFETERIA LINE

     Unattractive and quite overweight, MARTHA DUNNSTOCK/DUMPTRUCK
     guiltily plops two jellos on her tray and clunks forward in
     line.

     CAFETERIA ENTRANCE

     VERONICA's arm, seemingly involuntary, latches onto the
     outstretched pen.

                             HEATHER CHANDLER
               Splendid. I'll dictate. Veronica
               needs something to write on.
               Heather, bend over.

     Both HEATHER MCNAMARA and HEATHER DUKE bend over. HEATHER
     CHANDLER violently laughs.

                             HEATHER CHANDLER
               How nice. Two assholes: no waiting.

     HEATHER MCNAMARA and HEATHER DUKE stand erect, embarrassed.

                             HEATHER CHANDLER
               Heather Duke, back down.

     VERONICA scurries to the contorting HEATHER DUKE.

                             HEATHER CHANDLER
               Dear Martha, you're so sweet..

     THE JOCKS' TABLE

     The traditionally handsome KURT KELLY and the massive RAM sit
     with other typical Jocks taking in VERONICA and the HEATHERS.

                             KURT
               It'd be so righteous to be in a
               Veronica Sawyer-Heather Chandler
               sandwich. Punch it in, Ram.

     KURT and RAM raise their right arms and slam their fists
     together.

                             RAM
               Hell yes. I wanna set a Heather on
               my Johnson and just start spinning
               her like a fucking pinwheel.

     RAM makes a frantic spinning motion.

     CAFETERIA ENTRANCE

     In slow motion, VERONICA finishes the note and rises up along
     with her makeshift desk, HEATHER DUKE.

     HEATHER MCNAMARA hawkishly gazes toward the cafeteria line.

     VERONICA hands the note to an impressed HEATHER CHANDLER.

     MARTHA DUNNSTOCK/DUMPTRUCK pays the CASHIER and then, grasping
     her lunch tray with both hands, moves toward VERONICA and the
     HEATHERS.

     HEATHER MCNAMARA excitedly tugs on HEATHER CHANDLER'S arm as
     MARTHA approaches. With a tranquil smile, HEATHER CHANDLER
     passes the note to her frantic disciple.

     In a self-consciously clandestine manner, HEATHER MCNAMARA
     saunters past MARTHA then wields around to sneakily tuck the
     note onto MARTHA's tray.

     The slow motion concludes as their plump victim shuffles
     past a magnetic preppie PETER DAWSON and a thin, black,
     bespectacled DENNIS. The guys are working a large stand which
     has a cashbox reading THE FOODLESS FUND and a banner reading
     WESTERBURG FEEDS THE WORLD.

                             PETER
               Come on people, let's give that
               leftover lunch money to people
               without lunches! Those tater tots
               you threw away today are a delicacy
               in Africa! They're Thanksgiving dinner!

     HEATHERS' TABLE

     The Girls reach their table with HEATHER MCNAMARA and HEATHER
     DUKE sitting themselves down first.

                             HEATHER MCNAMARA
                       (looking to the stand)
               God, aren't they fed yet? Do they
               even have Thanksgiving in Africa?

                             VERONICA
                       (low key sarcasm)
               Oh sure, Pilgrims, Indians, tater
               tots; it's a real party continent.

     HEATHER CHANDLER draws up a clipboard.

                             HEATHER CHANDLER
               Sawyer. Guess what today is?

                             VERONICA
               Ouch....the lunchtime poll. So
               what's the question?

                             HEATHER DUKE
               Yeah, so what's the question?

                             HEATHER CHANDLER
               God-damn Heather, you were with me
               in Study Hall when I thought of it.
               Such a pillowcase.

                             HEATHER DUKE
                       (hurt)
               I forgot.

     ANOTHER ANGLE

     VERONICA and HEATHER CHANDLER briskly bop away from the table
     as a wounded HEATHER DUKE retreats to The Catcher in the Rye.

                             VERONICA
               Hey, this question wouldn't be that
               bizarro thing you were babbling
               about over the phone last......

                             HEATHER CHANDLER
               Shut up, it is. I told Dennis if he
               gave me another topic that was
               political, I'd spew burrito chunks.

     VERONICA shakes her head and looks off. She's suddenly
     captured by the sight of a JAMES DEANESQUE GUY sitting stark
     in a long, tan gunslinger coat, behind a Rebel Without a Cause
     lunchbox. They make eye contact.

     Transfixed, VERONICA crashes into seated BETTY FINN, a
     slightly overweight, unstylishly dressed sweetie surrounded by
     clones.

                             BETTY
               Sorry Veronica.

                             VERONICA
               Betty Finn. Gosh.....

     VERONICA crouches down, embarrassed and rueful.

                             VERONICA
               I'm really sorry I couldn't make it
               to your birthday party last month.

                             BETTY
               That's okay. Your Mom said you had
               a big date. Heck, I'd probably skip
               my own birthday party for a date.

     VERONICA gently laughs at BETTY's innocent awe.

                             VERONICA
              Don't say that.

                             BETTY
              Oh Ronnie, you have to look at
              what I dug up the other day.

     BETTY pulls from her purse a picture showing a YOUNG BETTY
     FINN AND VERONICA SAWYER, arm-in-arm, dressed in Halloween
     costumes: BETTY is an angel, VERONICA is a witch.

     VERONICA glows at the photo until HEATHER CHANDLER tows
     VERONICA away causing the picture to fall face up on the
     floor.

     ANOTHER ANGLE

                             VERONICA
               I was talking with someone!

                             HEATHER CHANDLER
               Color me impressed. I thought you
               grew out of Betty Finn.

     THE COUNTRY CLUB KIDS' TABLE

     A coolly coed cabal of Country Club Kids icily eye the
     approaching VERONICA and HEATHER CHANDLER. Country Club
     kid COUTRNEY sourly speaks out.