Ride Along

Fade In:

1. INT. BRIEFING ROOM- NIGHT.

A good sized room with a projector screen in front and a mix of

40 STUDENTS AND PARENTS. CARL BROMAN, late 50s with a very

serious demeanor, sits to the right of the projector screen.

There is a LAPTOP in front of him and a PowerPoint presentation

on the projector screen. This is a summer orientation for

upcoming high school seniors who are interested in becoming

Emergency Medical Technicians.

Carl Broman:

Make no mistake about it ladies and

gentleman. What you are now and how you

act now has a rapidly approaching

expiration date. This course is unlike

any you have ever taken before. It will

be your favorite and least favorite

class you ever take. You all are going

to be high school seniors! A very

relaxed and enjoyable year, right? If

you want easy than leave now and please

drop this class. If you want enjoyable

than look elsewhere because this will

be a grind that you can only hope

doesn’t leave you mentally, physically,

and socially exhausted by the time you

graduate next May.

Switch to POV of Mr. Broman. He glances around the room.

Carl Broman (cont’d):

This meeting tonight is the beginning

of the end of your teenage immaturity.

The minute you step into that classroom

in the fall you are no longer children.

You are adults, and will be treated

like it. Being an Emergency Medical

Technician is not something I, or any

person in need, wants a high school kid

for. Because this is not like your math

class where you make a mistake and get

a red “X” as a result. If you make a

mistake out there, in the field, people

could die. (A Pause) And parents if all

that scares you than you raised a good

kid.

2. INT. BRIEFING ROOM- NIGHT.

Cut to after the meeting. KEVIN STARR is an ordinary looking

high school senior. He is about 6 feet, short blonde hair, and

skinny.

He walks to CHLOE MCDAID, a very pretty girl with long

strawberry blonde hair and a smile that could make a person’s

day.

Kevin:

Are you enjoying your summer so far

Chloe?

Chloe:

Apparently not. Well at least not if

it’s my last summer I’m allowed to be a

kid for

Chloe glances towards Mr. Broman.

Kevin:

I wouldn’t worry too much about all of

that. An orientation meeting for a

class like this has a sole purpose to

scare the weak-minded enough so they

don’t waste anyone’s time. We had Mrs.

Cruise together last year, and if we

can survive that class I am pretty

confident that not even God could

strike us down if he wanted to.

Chloe:

Yeah, maybe, but doesn’t that stuff

about “making a mistake can kill

someone” not scare you? It terrifies

me.

Kevin:

I don’t let it. I mean, what’s the

worst that could happen?

Chloe:

Do you really want me to answer that?

Kevin:

Fear does no one good if you let it

change the way you think. (A pause)

Think about it. You get in your car

tomorrow but you don’t think if you

make a mistake you might kill someone.

Sure, you thought like that once, when

you first learned to drive, but with

instruction and experience your fear

was erased. For people, not knowing is

the scariest part. That is what will

always scare me if I let it, but I’m

sure going through the class will teach

me all I need to know for that fear to

be buried in the back of mind.

Chloe:

You’re not nearly as smart as you think

you are. Fear can sometimes be a good

thing, ya know. Without it you don’t

succeed. You don’t live, you don’t

reach your dreams and you don’t feel

alive. Without fear we’re mindless

creatures without a purpose or reality.

That fear that we’ll be feeling lets us

know that we’re human, and all humans

fear suffering. Even (air quotes)

‘tough guys’ like yourself.

Kevin:

This is too philosophical for the

summer. Try me again if three weeks.

Chloe:

A classic Kevin Starr deflection.

Anyways my parents are probably waiting

for me in the car. I’ll text you later.

(A pause) Oh, and enjoy the rest of

your last summer as a kid.

Chloe walks away smiling.

3. INT. CAR- NIGHT.

We see Kevin and his mom, MRS. STARR, in the CAR. She is late

40s and clearly has hair that has been dyed blonde too many

times.

Mrs. Starr:

So Kevin, do you think you’re ready for

this? It sounds like some serious stuff

and I just want to know if you think

you can handle it. I mean, last week

when the cable went out you decided to

put pillows at the bottom of the stairs

and then jump from the top. Hardly EMT-

like.

Kevin:

Haha, yeah… You know that helping

people has always been what I want to

do. Being an EMT is as helpful as

helpful gets, at least for a high

school senior.

Mom:

Just remember that this will be a lot

of time and work, and that graduating

high school comes first.

Kevin:

Yeah, yeah, it’ll be easy, don’t worry

about it. (A pause) Can we get pizza?

Mom:

No.

Kevin:

(Little kid voice) But mom I want

pizza. I want it, I want it, I want it!

Mrs. Starr sighs and says:

Mrs. Starr:

Fine…

4. EXT. HIGH SCHOOL PARKING LOT- DAY.

Kevin and Chloe both get out of Kevin’s CAR and shut the doors.

They both have their BACKPACKS and first day of schools clothes

on. They walk towards ELLICOTT CITY HIGH SCHOOL, an old, large,

brick building.

Chloe:

Oh, also we’re apparently allowed to

drive to the EMT class from school. We

don’t have to ride the bus to and from

it. That way we can just leave from the

class and don’t have to go back to

school.

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