Three girls sit in a tan Ford Explorer with their heads turned slightly left to read the brightly lit fast-food menu.
2. INT. CAYLEE'S CAR- NIGHT
The passenger, CATHERINE, leans close to the driver CAYLEE.
CATHERINE
Look! They have the chicken fingers again.
CAYLEE
Yeah, I know.
Catherine looks at the price of the chicken fingers.
CATHERINE
Kinda expensive for so little.
CAYLEE
Are you getting something?
Catherine
Nah, I'm not that hungry.
Caylee leans out the window to order.
CAYLEE
Um I'll get an order of chicken
nuggets from the value menu.
INTERCOM PERSON
Will that be-
JULIA, sitting behind Caylee, quickly interrupts.
JUlIA
Can I get some water?
CATHERINE
Oh, me too.
CAYLEE (cont.'d)
Actually I'll get two orders of chicken
nuggets and three cups of water.
INTERCOM PERSON
Okay. Two orders of chicken nuggets
and three waters. That'll be $2.98.
Pay at the next window.
CAYLEE
Alright.
Caylee drives up to the next window to pay.
CAYLEE
(to Catherine and Julia)
So I recently found out that
someone I knew just died.
Catherine and Julia raise their eyebrows but remain silent.
CAYLEE (cont.'d)
His mom posted a status on Facebook
about praying for her son or something.
Someone commented, asking what
was going on. She replied that
her son had committed suicide.
JULIA
That's crazy.
Caylee pauses then drives up to the next window for the food.
BURGER KING EMPLOYEE
Here's your chicken nuggets and waters.
He hands the food to Caylee. Caylee passes it to Catherine.
CAYLEE
Thanks.
Caylee drives out the lot and into the city streets.
CAYLEE (cont.'d)
I went to elementary school with him.
It was like a small Christian school,
so there were only like...nine of us
in the class. His mom was our teacher.
I liked him. He was so weird and funny.
My brother was actually really
good friends with him.
Catherine frowns as she looks at Caylee's solemn face.
CATHERINE
I'm sorry, Caylee.
CAYLEE
No, it's not like that.
Like I'm not really sad about it.
It was such a long time ago
since I've seen him, ya know.
I mean I feel bad for what his
family is going through, but
the whole thing has just
made me like...think-
CATHERINE
It's made you reflect certain things.
CAYLEE
Yeah, exactly...It's just I clearly
remember his mom always saying to us how
committing suicide was like the worst sin ever.
And if you do it, you'll go straight to hell.
Caylee reaches in the Burger King bag next to Catherine and pulls out some chicken nuggets.
CAYLEE (cont.'d)
I just don't get it.
He was so outgoing and happy. I mean I know
that was years ago, but how bad could
it have been for him to do that?
Especially being raised super Christian
and believing those things.
She pauses to chew on her food.
CATHERINE
He probably had severe depression.
CAYLEE
Yeah, but you guys know how I have depression.
I've been diagnosed with bipolar depression, but still-
JULIA
I didn't know that.
Caylee slightly turns her head back to Julia.
CAYLEE
Yeah, my dad has it too.
CATHERINE
Yeah it tends to be genetic.
CAYLEE
So, ya know, I've had some really bad days.
Days where I've had like really
depressive thoughts to the point
where I thought about like... killing myself.
But they were always just thoughts.
I could never really do it'cause the
thought of how it'd affect my family
if I did...I just couldn't do that to them.
It'd be selfish of me.
CAYLEE (cont.'d)
But what really stopped me was the idea of hell.
That if I committed suicide, I'd be damned to hell.
I'd eternally burn in the lake of fire. Like forever.
I mean we can't even truly understand
what eternity would feel or look like
'cause it's that fuckin' long.
JULIA
I don't believe in hell.
My mom didn't raise us to believe
in really anything. Heaven or hell.
CAYLEE
I don't know if I do either, but I was raised to believe that...
I go back and forth with it.
CATHERINE
I do, too.
JULIA
Well if hell is real, then I'm screwed. I drink, I've had sex before marriage, I-
CATHERINE
It's not about if you sin. It's whether you believe in Jesus Christ as your savior or not. Like even if you lived your entire life as a nonbeliever, but accept him as your savior in the last seconds of your life, you're good. That's what I was taught.
CATHERINE (cont.'d)
Of course you have to ask for forgiveness for all your sins. Including things like lying or any lustful thought you've ever had. At least that's what the Catholics believe.
JULIA
So we're all screwed then.
CATHERINE
Yup, pretty much.
JULIA
That's my problem with religion. Like we were built to have sex and lustful thoughts. It's human fuckin' nature. But instead we're suppose to abstain from it and feel bad if we do? Like even the Buddhists- they're all about reaching a state in which you no longer desire anything anymore...that's what they believe in right?
JULIA (cont.'d)
And that's bullshit. I mean I'm all for trying to have peace within ourselves and in our minds but no desire? To desire is to have ambition, drive and motivation in our lives. What's wrong with that? I don't know...It's bullshit. All of it.
CATHERINE
I get what you're saying. But I wouldn't want to live in a world where everyone acted out their lustful thoughts or desires 'cause there's some fucked up people out there. I see why religion is needed in our world.
CAYLEE
Do you think he saw his life flash before his eyes before he died?
CATHERINE
Who? Your friend?
CAYLEE
Yeah.
I go back and forth with it.
CATHERINE
I do, too.
JULIA
Well if hell is real, then I'm screwed. I drink, I've had sex before marriage, I-
CATHERINE
It's not about if you sin. It's whether you believe in Jesus Christ as your savior or not. Like even if you lived your entire life as a nonbeliever, but accept him as your savior in the last seconds of your life, you're good. That's what I was taught.
CATHERINE (cont.'d)
Of course you have to ask for forgiveness for all your sins. Including things like lying or any lustful thought you've ever had. At least that's what the Catholics believe.
JULIA
So we're all screwed then.
Julia chuckles.
CATHERINE
Yup, pretty much.
JULIA
That's my problem with religion. Like we were built to have sex and lustful thoughts. It's human fuckin' nature. But instead we're suppose to abstain from it and feel bad if we do? Like even the Buddhists- they're all about reaching a state in which you no longer desire anything anymore...that's what they believe in right?
Julia looks at Catherine. Catherine shrugs.
JULIA (cont.'d)
And that's bullshit. I mean I'm all for trying to have peace within ourselves and in our minds but no desire? To desire is to have ambition, drive and motivation in our lives. What's wrong with that? I don't know...It's bullshit. All of it.
CATHERINE
I get what you're saying. But I wouldn't want to live in a world where everyone acted out their lustful thoughts or desires 'cause there's some fucked up people out there. I see why religion is needed in our world.
They all paused, consumed in their own thoughts.
JULIA
Alright, I gotta get going. I have work early tomorrow morning.
CAYLEE
Okay, I'll drop you off.
CATHERINE
Yeah, it's getting pretty late. I need to be home, too.
Caylee nods.
3. INT. CAYLEE'S CAR PARKED IN FRONT CATHERINE'S HOUSE- LATE AT NIGHT
CAYLEE
I don't know what scares me most- hell or the belief that it's just nothing after we die. Just an eternity of blankness. I mean I hope hell isn't real, honestly. But at the same time, I don't really see the point of all of this if there isn't like a heaven or something after we die. What's the point of being a good person? Why not just say 'fuck it, I'll do what I want'?
CATHERINE
I don't know. My friend John explained it this way: after we die, we are no longer conscious. Like how we were before we were born. But when he said that, I just thought 'the difference is I've lived a life now.' Ya know? There's meaning to it now. Before I was born, I was blissfully ignorant of it all. I didn't know what I was missing out on. But when I'm on the verge of death, all I'll think about is the life I've lived. CAYLEE
Do you think he saw his life flash before his eyes before he died?
CATHERINE
Who? Your friend?
CAYLEE
Yeah.
Catherine contemplates her next words.
CATHERINE
I don't know, Caylee.
Catherine looks at her friend with empathy, feeling as lost as her.
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