Conviction

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(WIND CHIMES TINKLING)

(DOOR OPENING)

Betty Anne Waters?

Please define

"contract" for us.

Um...

A contract is a promise

or a set of promises

that the law in some way

recognizes as a duty,

and when it's breached,

the law provides a remedy.

BEN:
(SOFTLY) Ma. ma.

(BETTY INHALES SHARPLY)

What time is it?

BEN:
8:15.

Sh*t. I didn't

finish my paper!

Thanks, sweetie.

You did your math?

No, l left my book

at Dads.

Richard!

I'll do it in school.

Eat, Mom.

Mmm.

Did you finish

your poem, Ben?

Yeah.

RICHARD:
Thanks to me.

You get yourselves ready, we're

gonna leave in a minute.

"If There Was Peace in the

World by Ben Currente."

Here, here. Come over here.

Read it over here.

"If There Was Peace in the

World by Ben Currente.

"Children would no longer

have bad dreams

"of guns, bombs

and deadly screams."

"Deathly."

I wrote that line.

You did not!

It's beautiful.

Come on, read me the rest.

(PANTING) Wait, wait.

One more.

It's 10:
00.

You're late.

Sh*t.

Can't believe ii.

(BAND PLAYING

WHISKEY IN THE JAR)

(SINGING) Whack for my daddy-0

whack for my daddy-0

There 's whiskey

in the jar

You keep watching my ass, Aidan,

I'm gonna have to clock you!

You keep wearing those jeans,

I'm gonna have to marry you.

Here you go.

Hey, I know you!

Hi.

She's the other

old lady in my class.

(MEN LAUGHING)

AIDAN:
Still thirsty?

A Bushmills, please.

You her boss?

Well, technically.

But she's the one who's

a little bossy. Hmm.

Bummer about your paper.

I'm Abra Rice.

Oh, yeah, well...

Okay, now you're starting

to hurt my feelings.

What?

We're gonna be friends

'cause we're the only ones in class

who've been through puberty.

I'm just...

I'm really busy.

Okay, I'll start.

So, I got these lefty parents

and they're always telling me I

should put my big mouth to good use

and try to change

the system.

So, I ignored them,

of course.

And after partying for

a few too many years,

I finally figured out what I

wanted to be when I grew up.

And it turned out my parents

were right, God damn it!

So, here I am.

What about you?

Look, I'm not

trying to be rude,

I just don't really have

time for a friend right now.

Oh... Yeah, you do.

I mean, I'm all you got!

I don't want anyone in school

to know what I'm doing there.

Oh.

Well, I mean,

I do have a big mouth,

but I know how

to keep a secret.

My brother Kenny, he got

screwed by the system.

He's been in prison for 12

years, life without parole.

Whoa.

He's innocent.

Okay.

Yeah, I'm gonna find

a way to get him out.

Okay.

He's innocent of what?

(CHAINSAW WHIRRING)

NANCY:
Kenneth Waters?

Mr. Waters?

(CHAINSAW STOPS WHIRRING)

Hey.

(PANTING)

Finally someone who looks

good in a uniform.

I'm Officer Nancy Taylor.

I need you to come with me.

I'd love to, but I'm

already spoken for.

Where'd you get

those scratches?

Look around you, sweetheart.

See the branches?

Sir, I need you to step

into the patrol car.

Uh... Well...

My grandpa needs

this tree out of here.

(FIRMLY) Now, Mr. Waters.

Put down the chainsaw.

(SIGHS)

I tell you what, buttercup, why don't

you go give out some parking tickets

and then come back when I'm done.

How's that?

Put down the chainsaw, now.

Get the f*** off my grandpa's property.

You're trespassing.

Drop the weapon.

You're shitting me, right?

(FIRMLY) l said

drop your weapon.

Take ii easy there, Angie

Dickinson, it's okay.

I'm putting it down,

I'm putting it down.

Every time something happens

in this godforsaken town,

you have to pick him up?

You know the drill,

Betty Anne.

He's got a record,

we gotta bring him in.

That just sucks.

I mean, he would never hurt Mrs. Brow.

(CHUCKLING) Hey! Hey, Tommy,

Boisseau finally got my clothes off.

He's been wanting to get

me alone naked for years.

You have to make an honest man

of me now, you know that.

Let's go.

KENNY:
What's going on?

I'm picking you up.

You're picking me up?

I love you. Look at my sis.

Isn't she beautiful?

(LAUGHS) No.

Here she is to save the day.

She's got her cape on.

(MUFFLED) Hey, listen.

No hard feelings, okay?

And may I say that you are one

of my absolute favourite arrests.

What, you think

this is a joke?

She was stabbed 30 times

and her head bashed in

till her brains flew out.

You think

that's funny?

No, l don't think it's...

OFFICER:
Listen, don't leave

town for a while, all right?

We might have some more

questions for you.

There goes my trip

to Aruba. Okay.

So long,

gentlemen and lady.

BETTY:
You an right?

KENNY:
Yeah, you an right?

Carry you?

No, I don't want...

(KENNY GRUNTS) BETTY:

(CHUCKLES) Kenny, I'm...

(CLANKING)

(KIDS SHOUTING)

BOY:
Good one, Kenny.

No, don't ring it

till the end.

(BETTY SCREAMING)

GIRL:
Get him,

Betty Anne.

BOY:
Come on, Kenny.

(GIRL WHOOPS)

Someone's gotta

talk to her.

They ain't my

f***ing kids.

GRANDPA:

She won't listen to me.

ELIZABETH:

How'd you get so filthy?

Elizabeth, you treat them like trash,

they're gonna

grow up to be trash.

You go to hell.

I work day and night for these kids.

Everything l do

is fol' them.

Get upstairs

and take a bath.

And you're going to school

tomorrow, you hear me?

Hey, where the hell

are you going?

ELIZABETH:
I don't have

to answer to you.

BOYFRIEND:

The f*** you don't.

GRANDPA:
Elizabeth, get back here.

They're your kids.

Who's supposed to

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