Easy Rider

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In Chapter 23 of SPIRAL, porn star Savannah, her stylist Dex and his best friend Andy stay up all night at Savannah's Hollywood Hills home drinking and doing lines of coke and bond on an even deeper level ...


INT. SHANNON'S KITCHEN - NIGHT
CLOSE UP OF OPEN REFRIGERATOR
Super: "10:04"

A dainty hand with red nails GRABS
a six pack and pulls it out.
The door SLAMS.

INT. SHANNON'S KITCHEN - NIGHT
Shannon puts the beer on the bar.
Andy and Dex each take one.

Sexy rap music plays in the background.
Andy CRACKS open his bottle and raises it in a toast.

ANDY
To Shannon! The best new starlet!

Shannon and Dex raise their beers.

SHANNON
To me!

They CLINK together, but Dex's bottle FLIES
out of his hand and CRASHES to the floor, SHATTERING.

DEX
Shit!

SHANNON
Clumsy idiot!

Dex stares at the mess on the floor, unmoving.

ANDY
It's okay, I'll get it.

Andy grabs a roll of paper towels. Shannon stops him.

SHANNON
(to Andy)
No. Let Dex clean up his own mess.

She offers her arm to Andy like they're at the prom.
Andy takes it and smiles. He likes this.

SHANNON (cont'd)
(to Dex)
We'll be in the ladies room.

Shannon leads Andy out of the kitchen.

INT. KITCHEN - SAME
Dex starts to clean up.
He's simmering with jealousy.

SHANNON
Be sure you get all the glass.
I don't want Daisy's feet to get cut.

IN BEAUTIFULLY SHOT BLACK AND WHITE:

CLOSE UP OF FRAMED PHOTO
Shannon poses with Daisy in the yard.

CLOSE UP OF FRAMED PHOTO
Shannon in a swimming pool, half submerged,
hair up, very classy.

CLOSE UP OF FRAMED PHOTO
Shannon wears a leather biker outfit
astride a Harley, sneering and sexy.

INT. LIVING ROOM - NIGHT
The CAMERA pulls back to reveal Andy
looking at the biker photo.

It's as tall as he is.
Shannon hands Andy a fresh drink.

Super: "12:46 AM"

Dex chops coke on the coffee table,
then SNORTS two lines..
Over the action, throbbing, driving techno music.

SHANNON
I was thinking of doing my biker look in New Orleans.
What do you think?

ANDY
Yeah. You look hot.
(pause)
The Wild One.

SHANNON
Easy Rider.

They laugh.
A beat. Dex looks up.

DEX
Andy?

ANDY
Yeah?

DEX
Another line?

Andy and Dex lock eyes.

ANDY
Let Shannon go first.

INT. SHANNON'S BEDROOM - NIGHT
Super: "3:21 AM"

Andy and Shannon sit on the bed
with a tray between them.

SNORTS a line. It burns.
Andy does a line.

Dex sits on the floor in the corner
leafing through a magazine.
Melodic pop music plays. The song ends.

SHANNON
Shit.

Shannon picks up her CD case and opens it.
She pulls out a CD, looks at it, then
suddenly FLINGS it like a frisbee.

SHANNON (CONT'D)
This one sucks!

She pulls out another.

SHANNON (cont'd)
THAT one sucks!

She FLIPS it into the air.
It hits the wall with a CRASH.

Shannon pulls out CD's, glances at them,
then WHIPS them across the room.

SHANNON (cont'd)
This one sucks, this one sucks, this one sucks...

A CD hits Dex in the arm.

DEX
Hey, that hurt!

The case is empty. Shannon HURLS it at the wall with a SLAP.

SHANNON
I hate all my cd's! I'm sick of 'em all!

Shannon looks like she's about to cry.
Andy gently touches her shoulder.

ANDY
What about "Like a Prayer?"
I'd love to hear "Like a Prayer."

SHANNON
Oh, Andy. That's perfect.

Shannon gets up to put it on. Dex rolls his eyes.

SHANNON (CONT'D)
I saw that, fuck-head.

Dex gets up and goes to the door.

DEX
Can I freshen anybody's cocktail?

SHANNON
Go freshen your own cocktail.

INT. SHANNON'S BATHROOM - DAWN
Super" "5:07 AM"
Shannon, Andy and Dex sit on bar stools looking in the mirror.
The light is dim. The dull thud of rap music softly plays.

They're fried. Wasted.
Shannon slides off her stool and pads over to the toilet,
pulls down her jeans and PEES in full view.

SHANNON
I don't want to go to New Orleans. I wanna stay here.

ANDY
You don't? Why not?

SHANNON
I wanna stay here. I don't want to go anywhere.

Shannon finishes peeing, pulls up her pants,
gets back on her stool. She sips her drink.

ANDY
We don't have to go anywhere.

DEX
But we have to go to New Orleans.

SHANNON
I don't want to. I'm tired.

Andy looks at his watch.

ANDY
It's after five. I bet the sun is coming up.

EXT. SHANNON'S BALCONY - SUNRISE
They stand on the balcony with their drinks looking down.
It's a beautiful view. The Valley is still, quiet.

EXT. PRIVATE ROAD - SUNRISE
A young, healthy JOGGER runs down the road below them,
smiling and chipper.

EXT SHANNON'S BALCONY - SAME
Dex holds his hands up and shields his eyes.

DEX
It's the work of the devil.

ANDY
I used to jog.

A beat. They stare into space. Shannon sips her drink.

SHANNON
We're at the top of the hill, looking down on everyone,
they're all just little ants. We don't need them.
We don't need anybody.

ANDY
We're above all the bullshit.

DEX
We're really high.

SHANNON
I don't want to come down.

Andy takes Shannon's hand in his.

SHANNON (CONT'D)
I love you guys.

Shannon's eyes well with tears.
She looks scared, vulnerable.

SHANNON (CONT'D)
Will you swear we'll always be together? Will you?
For ever and ever? Will you swear?