Small world (screenplay)

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Lewis
Small World
INT. NIGHT – BEDROOM (S)
SIMON sitting in his room alone, is talking to his friends
online through his headphone mic. Its dark in his room. There's
light chatter coming from his friends. It’s raining.
SIMON
Hey, George, when are you coming back
to Reigate then, I haven’t seen you
for so long.
GEORGE
I don’t know man, haven't really had
much time lately.
Turns in his chair to hear the faint sound of his parents
arguing downstairs. Long pause.
EXT. DAY – COLLEGE
SIMON walking to college with his headphones in listening to
music with his hands in his pockets and his head down trying to
avoid any eye contact. (Introduce music in this scene)
SIMON(VO)
I’m in the second year of college now.
UCAS sorted and everything. I can
hardly remember my secondary school
friends anymore; I haven’t seen them
since I left. I miss them. It’s not
too bad though, since I have more
friends now – obviously. They’re a
great laugh those guys. They hide from
me in my frees, and at lunch, in
different places every time – for a
joke, you know? And it is funny, don’t
get me wrong, but sometimes it takes
up more of the day than I’d like. I
just want to be with my friends. I
remember when we were all new to the
college, they told me to meet them

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somewhere in Croydon – so I did, but
it turned out they were all at home.
Again, funny and all, but I only
wanted the company. I read something
that said that, “Your pain is the
breaking of the shell that encloses
your understanding.” One of my friends
online showed it to me when I told
them that. I don’t know, maybe there’s
something to it, but it just seems
dramatic. Anyway, Thursdays are good
though; I’ve only got a couple of
lessons and I’m home in time for
lunch. Not a minute wasted. And even
if I do stay for lunch - like today -
it’s not like I’m going to sit in the
refectory with all that noise. And
sometimes there’s so many people there
that you can feel their heat like a
meat radiator. I’ll usually just sit
with my friends, but they must not be
in because I haven’t heard anything
from them yet. Maybe they’ve all
caught the same bug.
INT. DAY - REFECTORY
SIMON enters new building (refectory) where there is a lot of
people and lots of noise.
SIMON carries on through and finds a nice quiet place to sit
down on his own. (end music)
(CONTINUED)

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Small World
EXT. DAY – BENCHES
SIMON is sitting on a bench alone looking at his phone and looking
up occasionally as if there's someone meant to be coming over.
A girl and a few friends sit down at the far other end of the
benches and they seem to be SIMONS sudden focus point.
SIMON (VO)
I'm not sure what her name is. I see
her here quite often and like to
pretend I know her, but I've never
spoken to her. I'm not sure she even
knows I exist (awkward laugh).
Cuts to OLIVIA’S view and repeats same camera views there was
for SIMON.
OLIVIA (VO)
I see him quite a lot. He's always on
his own and honestly, I wish he would
just come up to me. I’ve always
fantasized about the idea of boys but
never really had any experience. Other
than the odd friend I have at school,
I don’t have much contact with boys.
INT. NIGHT – BEDROOM (O)
Flash back a day ago to OLIVIA procrastinating some work and
clicking on to her game, putting on a pair of headphones and
joining a group call.
OLIVIA
God I just wish I knew you guys in
real life. It would make my life so
less...boring (giggle).
(CONTINUED)

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Small World
EXT. DAY – COLLEGE
Simon sees one of his “friends", he waves but gets ignored and
is left alone again.
Simon begins his slow walk home with his music again. Less
chipper this time.
SIMON (VO)
The truth is, those twats are not my
friends. They treat me like I can’t
tell what they’re doing, but of course
I know. I just don’t understand why.
And I miss my old friends! Everything
was simpler when we came in at eight,
left and three, and got online for
whenever we’d agreed. But then they
stopped playing because they got
girlfriends or jobs or whatever, and
just left me to rot. My parents don’t
even love each other anymore! Of all
the people in the world that I would
expect to know how to be friends, it
would be them. But if I think about
it, I don’t know if they’ve ever been
friends. They must’ve only got married
because they found out about me. What
a mistake that all was. They don’t
talk to me about it and I can't talk
to them. I don’t have anyone to talk
to. I get up, I’m out of the house in
ten minutes, I get the same train
every day, then its college, home,
computer, bed. I’ve never thought
about it until now, but I don’t
fucking move! I used to be a huge
cliff by the beach, but after millions
of years or abuse from the sea I’m
reduced to a few pebbles. Still
serving the same purpose. Nothing. But
you know, I think now I get what my

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friend showed me. “Your pain is the
breaking of the shell that encloses
your understanding.” I understand
that I am going to pass through this
life as if I never existed.
INT. DAY – HOUSE (S)
SIMON drops his bag at the door, climbs the stairs, takes of his
shoes and sits at his desk. Slowly.
INT. DAY – HOUSE (O)
OLIVIA calls out to her mum that she's home and picks up the
letter that’s addressed to her. She goes up the stairs, places
her bag neatly next to her bed, opens her laptop and cheerily
greats her friends.
SIMON enters the call.
(CONTINUED)

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Small World
OLIVIA
Oh, hello Simon. How was college. It
is college that you go to, right?
SIMON
Uh, yeah it is, same old
really...nothing significant.
OLIVIA
How’s everyone else then?
INT. NIGHT HOUSE (S)
The call breaks into a light chatter, leaving Simon free to be
quiet.
He slowly slips he headphones off over his face placing them and
his hands in his lap. He stares at the screen for a while before
one crystal tear rolls down his cheek.
Cut to black