Post by saywhatknow on Aug 11, 2005 15:12:40 GMT -5
This is my first fanfic. I couldn't really tell how long it was supposed to be, so it might be a little too short. Also, some of the transitions from clue-to-clue and scene-to-scene are a little rough, I think. But I hope at least somebody enjoys it 
*OPENING SCENES*
*August 23, 1996;
Music: “Closer to Free” by the BoDeans*
It is orientation day at college. There are shots of students and parents moving things into dorm rooms, carrying luggage across campus, and standing in line for various things. In one room a boy, Bryan Wright; his parents; and his girlfriend Janelle; are moving a computer and bedding and rug and various other things into a dorm room. Bryan is tall and heavy, but not fat. He has light brown hair and big blue eyes. Janelle has long blonde hair in a pony tail and narrow blue eyes: she is cute, but young-looking. Bryan’s dad opens a box and pulls out a Nintendo 64. “I thought we agreed this was not coming with you,” he says, looking crossly at his son.
“Come on, Dad,” Bryan says, “it’s mine, I bought it. And besides, there’s no reason I can’t have it! It’s just video games!”
Bryan’s parents look at each other. Janelle quickly looks down and continues putting sheets on the bed.
“Well,” Father continues, “this had better not be a distraction. We expect A’s, Bryan. Or the Nintendo comes right back home.”
“Okay,” Bryan says irritably.
Now, Bryan and Janelle are exiting a building packed with new students and walking out onto the sunny campus yard. Bryan has a lot of registration papers in his hand.
“You don’t seem to be in a good mood today,” Janelle says. She has a naturally soft voice.
“My mom and dad are just on me about every little thing. Haven’t you noticed?”
“Well yeah, Bryan, but…you’re their little baby boy. You’re leaving and it’s hard for them, you know?”
“I guess,” Bryan says. They continue walking. Bryan continues, “This is so exciting. I can’t wait to explore the campus and stuff. This place is so great. College is going to be awesome. I just…need to get away from my old life. I want to put it all behind me.”
Janelle looks at the ground. Bryan notices she looks upset.
“Hey. Look, Janelle,” Bryan starts, putting his arm around her shoulders, “just because I’m leaving my old life behind doesn’t mean leaving you behind. Okay?”
Janelle half-smiles, but she still looks sad. Bryan reaches into his pocket and pulls out a little stuffed green alien toy.
“Here,” Bryan says, opening Janelle’s palm and putting the toy in her hand, “you can put him on the rearview mirror of your car. That way you can think of me whenever you drive to school.”
Janelle looks down at the toy, then smiles.
Weeks Later. It is night out. The sounds of a wild party from another building can be heard in the background. There is a shot of Bryan’s dorm building: the window to his room has been shattered. The camera zooms down to the ground way below his 4th floor window. Bryan is laying there amongst shattered glass with a stream of blood coming from underneath him. The camera focuses on his lifeless body.
In the case file room, a box is filed away:
Wright, B
Sept. ‘96
*Present Day: Homicide office. A man and woman have come into the office. They say something to Vera and he points in Lilly’s direction. The man and woman approach Lilly’s desk.*
Lilly: Hi, can I help you?
Woman: My name is Cynthia Wight. This is my husband, Bill.
*The man and woman’s images flash back to their 1996 images from orientation day. They are Bryan’s parents*
Bill: Our youngest son is going off to college this fall. And it’s brought back all these horrible memories of our older son. He died in 1996, a month after he started his first year of college.
Cynthia: He was murdered. It…it was a party night.
Lilly: And the murder was never solved?
Cynthia: No. They stopped looking after a while. I guess another drunken college freshman just wasn’t as important as other cases…
Lilly: Listen, ma’am -
Cynthia: But he wasn’t just another drunken college freshman. He was our son! And he was a good boy! He had so much potential.
Bill: Look, ma’am, I hate barging in here and asking you this. But he was our boy. Our first boy. He was so smart and had a great future ahead of him. Now our other son is about to go to college, too. Our family needs this. We’d solve it ourselves but we need help.
Lilly: We’ll look into it, Mr. and Mrs. Wright.
Bill: Thank you. We appreciate it so much.
*In the case file room, the detectives are looking through Bryan Wright’s box*
Lilly: Bryan Wright; died in a fall in September of ’96. It says here he was pushed through his 4th floor dorm room window.
Scotty: There was a big party that night on campus so not many people were around. Bryan’s residence hall was all but empty that night.
Lilly: His parents said that the only friend he talked about was a guy named Owen Carson, who was also a freshman that year.
Scotty: Says here he also went into the year with a long-distance girlfriend named Janelle Shermen, who was a year younger than him.
Lilly: Well, there’s two places to start. Looks like we’ve got our day planned!
*Lilly and Scotty knock on the door of a house and a man answers.*
Lilly: Owen Carson?
*Man’s image flashes back to 1996 Owen. He had brown eyes and short blond hair. Image flashes back to present Owen, who now has glasses thicker, spiked blond hair*
Owen: Yeah, that’s me.
Lilly: Rush and Valens, homicide
Scotty: Can we come in?
Owen: Umm….uh….sure, I guess….what’s this about…?
Lilly: Think back to college, Owen. Do you remember a guy named Bryan Wright? *she shows him Bryan’s photo*
Owen: Oh, sure, Bryan. I knew him. He lived in the dorm next door. We hung out a few times.
Scotty: So, you were pretty good pals?
Owen: Well, yeah. I met his girlfriend and everything. Nice girl. And Bryan was a decent guy…at first.
Lilly: At first?
Owen: Well yeah. This was a heavy drinking school, you know. And Bryan…well…he gave in easy to the sauce.
*Flashback – party on college campus. Bryan and Owen are standing together. Bryan is acting goofy and downing a beer.*
Bryan: Whoo! Man! Owen, did you know this place is the greatest place on all of Earth, buddy? WHOO! *he chugs some beer*
Owen *also drinking, but not quite as drunk*: Ha, man, college is so great.
Bryan: Tell me about it. So much better than that high school crap. Man, I’m sittin’ here thinkin’, man, how could I have ever taken that seriously? I mean, it was such a joke, you know, man?
Owen: Don’t worry, college will be great for us. Cheers.
*They clink glasses, and Bryan looks over and sees Janelle approaching the lawn. His face drops*
Bryan: Oh, man, hold on.
*Bryan goes over to Janelle and they start talking. Soon Janelle looks very hurt and upset. Owen hears muffled conversation, the only sentences he clearly makes out are “try other things” and “can’t make this work.” Soon Bryan comes back to Owen after Janelle storms off. He looks very upset and more sober now.*
Owen: Hey, man. Cheer up. We’re in college, remember? All the girls here are sophisticated, and intelligent, and hot, and we’re gonna be getting babes in no time!
*End Flashback*
Owen: I don’t even know why he kept his high school girlfriend. I mean, the second he got a taste of college, she’s gone.
Scotty: Sounds like both of you took to the booze pretty heavy.
Lilly: That party was, what? The second week of college?
Owen: Yeah, we did. But you have to understand. Bryan and I were both good boys with strict parents. *flashback to 1996 Owen* We get to this awesome school, and we just wanna let loose *flashback to present Owen*, you know? That’s why we got along so well.
Lilly: What about the night he died? You guys party together then, too?
Owen: Yeah, but I was pledging to a fraternity. So I was hanging out with those guys. Bryan thought he was too good for that kind of thing. I didn’t see him most of the night.
Scotty: So you didn’t see him at all that night?
Owen: I saw him. He was so drunk he could barely stand up straight by the end of the night. But I wasn’t hanging with him that night. *he sighs, and his image flashes back to 1996 Owen* Might have saved his life if I was *flashback to present Owen*
Lilly: Thanks, Owen.
Owen: He was my pal, you know. I missed him when he died.
*Lilly nods. Her and Scotty exit*
*Lilly approaches a small cottage-like house where a petite blonde woman with chin-length blonde hair is tending to a garden outside. Lilly walks up to the woman*
Janelle Shermen?
*Image flashes back to young Janelle in ’96, then back to present Janelle *
Janelle: Can I help you?
Lilly: I’m detective Rush from Philly homicide. I’m here about Bryan Wright.
Janelle: Bryan? Are you serious?
Lilly: We’re looking into his murder again.
Janelle *studies Lilly for a second*: You’re the gal that does all the Cold Cases. I’ve heard about you.
*Lilly smiles*
Janelle: Sure, sure. Come in.
*They sit down*
Lilly: Janelle, you and Bryan took on a long distance relationship when he went to college?
Janelle: Yes. I was a senior in high school. We had met and started dating the previous year. He was only an hour away, I…thought we could make it work.
Lilly: You loved him?
Janelle: I…don’t know about that. But, we’d been together 6 months. I was afraid to let go.
Lilly: But Bryan wasn’t.
*Janelle looks at her*
Lilly: Janelle, we heard about how he broke up with you when he was drunk at that party.
*Janelle just shakes her head*
Janelle: No, no. Look, that may have been 9 years ago, but I remember. Bryan didn’t break up with me that night…
*Flashback – Janelle has come to campus to visit Bryan. She comes to the party and finds him.
Music: “Hook” by Blues Traveler*
Janelle: Bryan.
Bryan: J?
Janelle: I’m here to visit, Bryan.
Bryan: Look, now. You don’t need to be staying up all night waiting for your boyfriend to call and stuff. You could be out having fun. You don’t need to be worrying about me and coming up here.
Janelle: Bryan, please! Stop acting like I’m all whiny and miserable over you!
Bryan: Look, I just don’t want us to be holding each other back.
Janelle *rolling her eyes*: We’re not. Ugh. Typical guys.
Bryan: You know, college is a whole other world, Janelle. I’m in a new world now. It’s so different from high school, J.
Janelle: Okay…
Bryan: College is a whole other world.
Janelle: I get that, Bryan! I know that.
Bryan: I’m just saying, you know, that if we were to try other things…maybe I can’t make this work…
Janelle *near tears*: Bryan, I…why are you saying this? Why are you doing this to me?! I don’t want to break up.
Bryan: I am trying, Janelle.
Janelle: No you’re not! No! What brought this on? Why do you suddenly not want to be with me anymore?!
Bryan: I DIDN’T SAY THAT!
Janelle: I can’t believe this.
Bryan: Look…there was…there is…this party tonight…and there was a keg at this party….
Janelle: Oh, God. You didn’t.
Bryan: It’s a whole other world here…
Janelle: I can’t believe you’re saying all these things, threatening to break up…because you’re drunk!
Bryan: Look, it’s not like I’m gonna become an alcoholic, okay? People drink here. It’s just a social thing.
Janelle: I can’t believe you’re just throwing me around like this. And you’re drunk. That really hurts, Bryan.
Bryan: Okay.
Janelle: That’s all you have to say for yourself? I’m telling you how much it hurts and you just say “okay”?
Bryan: Look. I’m inebriated. Okay? So what do you expect? A soliloquy?
*Janelle gives him a disgusted look and then storms off*
*End Flashback*
Lilly: But, you two didn’t break up that night?
Janelle: No. But it sure felt like we were. He called me the next morning. He was sober, he apologized, and we were okay again. He said that he would stop drinking for me. And I believed things were all better again. *flashback to 1996 Janelle* But I never really recovered from that incident. *flashback to present Janelle*
Lilly: Why had you been so surprised by his drinking?
Janelle: Bryan was always the good kid: the one who stayed away from drugs and booze and followed the rules. He was a valedictorian of his class. The thought of him getting drunk was just…so hard to imagine.
Lilly: Some people have trouble handling self-responsibility.
Janelle: And it’s always the good kids with the strict parents that crash the hardest.
*OPENING SCENES*
*August 23, 1996;
Music: “Closer to Free” by the BoDeans*
It is orientation day at college. There are shots of students and parents moving things into dorm rooms, carrying luggage across campus, and standing in line for various things. In one room a boy, Bryan Wright; his parents; and his girlfriend Janelle; are moving a computer and bedding and rug and various other things into a dorm room. Bryan is tall and heavy, but not fat. He has light brown hair and big blue eyes. Janelle has long blonde hair in a pony tail and narrow blue eyes: she is cute, but young-looking. Bryan’s dad opens a box and pulls out a Nintendo 64. “I thought we agreed this was not coming with you,” he says, looking crossly at his son.
“Come on, Dad,” Bryan says, “it’s mine, I bought it. And besides, there’s no reason I can’t have it! It’s just video games!”
Bryan’s parents look at each other. Janelle quickly looks down and continues putting sheets on the bed.
“Well,” Father continues, “this had better not be a distraction. We expect A’s, Bryan. Or the Nintendo comes right back home.”
“Okay,” Bryan says irritably.
Now, Bryan and Janelle are exiting a building packed with new students and walking out onto the sunny campus yard. Bryan has a lot of registration papers in his hand.
“You don’t seem to be in a good mood today,” Janelle says. She has a naturally soft voice.
“My mom and dad are just on me about every little thing. Haven’t you noticed?”
“Well yeah, Bryan, but…you’re their little baby boy. You’re leaving and it’s hard for them, you know?”
“I guess,” Bryan says. They continue walking. Bryan continues, “This is so exciting. I can’t wait to explore the campus and stuff. This place is so great. College is going to be awesome. I just…need to get away from my old life. I want to put it all behind me.”
Janelle looks at the ground. Bryan notices she looks upset.
“Hey. Look, Janelle,” Bryan starts, putting his arm around her shoulders, “just because I’m leaving my old life behind doesn’t mean leaving you behind. Okay?”
Janelle half-smiles, but she still looks sad. Bryan reaches into his pocket and pulls out a little stuffed green alien toy.
“Here,” Bryan says, opening Janelle’s palm and putting the toy in her hand, “you can put him on the rearview mirror of your car. That way you can think of me whenever you drive to school.”
Janelle looks down at the toy, then smiles.
Weeks Later. It is night out. The sounds of a wild party from another building can be heard in the background. There is a shot of Bryan’s dorm building: the window to his room has been shattered. The camera zooms down to the ground way below his 4th floor window. Bryan is laying there amongst shattered glass with a stream of blood coming from underneath him. The camera focuses on his lifeless body.
In the case file room, a box is filed away:
Wright, B
Sept. ‘96
*Present Day: Homicide office. A man and woman have come into the office. They say something to Vera and he points in Lilly’s direction. The man and woman approach Lilly’s desk.*
Lilly: Hi, can I help you?
Woman: My name is Cynthia Wight. This is my husband, Bill.
*The man and woman’s images flash back to their 1996 images from orientation day. They are Bryan’s parents*
Bill: Our youngest son is going off to college this fall. And it’s brought back all these horrible memories of our older son. He died in 1996, a month after he started his first year of college.
Cynthia: He was murdered. It…it was a party night.
Lilly: And the murder was never solved?
Cynthia: No. They stopped looking after a while. I guess another drunken college freshman just wasn’t as important as other cases…
Lilly: Listen, ma’am -
Cynthia: But he wasn’t just another drunken college freshman. He was our son! And he was a good boy! He had so much potential.
Bill: Look, ma’am, I hate barging in here and asking you this. But he was our boy. Our first boy. He was so smart and had a great future ahead of him. Now our other son is about to go to college, too. Our family needs this. We’d solve it ourselves but we need help.
Lilly: We’ll look into it, Mr. and Mrs. Wright.
Bill: Thank you. We appreciate it so much.
*In the case file room, the detectives are looking through Bryan Wright’s box*
Lilly: Bryan Wright; died in a fall in September of ’96. It says here he was pushed through his 4th floor dorm room window.
Scotty: There was a big party that night on campus so not many people were around. Bryan’s residence hall was all but empty that night.
Lilly: His parents said that the only friend he talked about was a guy named Owen Carson, who was also a freshman that year.
Scotty: Says here he also went into the year with a long-distance girlfriend named Janelle Shermen, who was a year younger than him.
Lilly: Well, there’s two places to start. Looks like we’ve got our day planned!
*Lilly and Scotty knock on the door of a house and a man answers.*
Lilly: Owen Carson?
*Man’s image flashes back to 1996 Owen. He had brown eyes and short blond hair. Image flashes back to present Owen, who now has glasses thicker, spiked blond hair*
Owen: Yeah, that’s me.
Lilly: Rush and Valens, homicide
Scotty: Can we come in?
Owen: Umm….uh….sure, I guess….what’s this about…?
Lilly: Think back to college, Owen. Do you remember a guy named Bryan Wright? *she shows him Bryan’s photo*
Owen: Oh, sure, Bryan. I knew him. He lived in the dorm next door. We hung out a few times.
Scotty: So, you were pretty good pals?
Owen: Well, yeah. I met his girlfriend and everything. Nice girl. And Bryan was a decent guy…at first.
Lilly: At first?
Owen: Well yeah. This was a heavy drinking school, you know. And Bryan…well…he gave in easy to the sauce.
*Flashback – party on college campus. Bryan and Owen are standing together. Bryan is acting goofy and downing a beer.*
Bryan: Whoo! Man! Owen, did you know this place is the greatest place on all of Earth, buddy? WHOO! *he chugs some beer*
Owen *also drinking, but not quite as drunk*: Ha, man, college is so great.
Bryan: Tell me about it. So much better than that high school crap. Man, I’m sittin’ here thinkin’, man, how could I have ever taken that seriously? I mean, it was such a joke, you know, man?
Owen: Don’t worry, college will be great for us. Cheers.
*They clink glasses, and Bryan looks over and sees Janelle approaching the lawn. His face drops*
Bryan: Oh, man, hold on.
*Bryan goes over to Janelle and they start talking. Soon Janelle looks very hurt and upset. Owen hears muffled conversation, the only sentences he clearly makes out are “try other things” and “can’t make this work.” Soon Bryan comes back to Owen after Janelle storms off. He looks very upset and more sober now.*
Owen: Hey, man. Cheer up. We’re in college, remember? All the girls here are sophisticated, and intelligent, and hot, and we’re gonna be getting babes in no time!
*End Flashback*
Owen: I don’t even know why he kept his high school girlfriend. I mean, the second he got a taste of college, she’s gone.
Scotty: Sounds like both of you took to the booze pretty heavy.
Lilly: That party was, what? The second week of college?
Owen: Yeah, we did. But you have to understand. Bryan and I were both good boys with strict parents. *flashback to 1996 Owen* We get to this awesome school, and we just wanna let loose *flashback to present Owen*, you know? That’s why we got along so well.
Lilly: What about the night he died? You guys party together then, too?
Owen: Yeah, but I was pledging to a fraternity. So I was hanging out with those guys. Bryan thought he was too good for that kind of thing. I didn’t see him most of the night.
Scotty: So you didn’t see him at all that night?
Owen: I saw him. He was so drunk he could barely stand up straight by the end of the night. But I wasn’t hanging with him that night. *he sighs, and his image flashes back to 1996 Owen* Might have saved his life if I was *flashback to present Owen*
Lilly: Thanks, Owen.
Owen: He was my pal, you know. I missed him when he died.
*Lilly nods. Her and Scotty exit*
*Lilly approaches a small cottage-like house where a petite blonde woman with chin-length blonde hair is tending to a garden outside. Lilly walks up to the woman*
Janelle Shermen?
*Image flashes back to young Janelle in ’96, then back to present Janelle *
Janelle: Can I help you?
Lilly: I’m detective Rush from Philly homicide. I’m here about Bryan Wright.
Janelle: Bryan? Are you serious?
Lilly: We’re looking into his murder again.
Janelle *studies Lilly for a second*: You’re the gal that does all the Cold Cases. I’ve heard about you.
*Lilly smiles*
Janelle: Sure, sure. Come in.
*They sit down*
Lilly: Janelle, you and Bryan took on a long distance relationship when he went to college?
Janelle: Yes. I was a senior in high school. We had met and started dating the previous year. He was only an hour away, I…thought we could make it work.
Lilly: You loved him?
Janelle: I…don’t know about that. But, we’d been together 6 months. I was afraid to let go.
Lilly: But Bryan wasn’t.
*Janelle looks at her*
Lilly: Janelle, we heard about how he broke up with you when he was drunk at that party.
*Janelle just shakes her head*
Janelle: No, no. Look, that may have been 9 years ago, but I remember. Bryan didn’t break up with me that night…
*Flashback – Janelle has come to campus to visit Bryan. She comes to the party and finds him.
Music: “Hook” by Blues Traveler*
Janelle: Bryan.
Bryan: J?
Janelle: I’m here to visit, Bryan.
Bryan: Look, now. You don’t need to be staying up all night waiting for your boyfriend to call and stuff. You could be out having fun. You don’t need to be worrying about me and coming up here.
Janelle: Bryan, please! Stop acting like I’m all whiny and miserable over you!
Bryan: Look, I just don’t want us to be holding each other back.
Janelle *rolling her eyes*: We’re not. Ugh. Typical guys.
Bryan: You know, college is a whole other world, Janelle. I’m in a new world now. It’s so different from high school, J.
Janelle: Okay…
Bryan: College is a whole other world.
Janelle: I get that, Bryan! I know that.
Bryan: I’m just saying, you know, that if we were to try other things…maybe I can’t make this work…
Janelle *near tears*: Bryan, I…why are you saying this? Why are you doing this to me?! I don’t want to break up.
Bryan: I am trying, Janelle.
Janelle: No you’re not! No! What brought this on? Why do you suddenly not want to be with me anymore?!
Bryan: I DIDN’T SAY THAT!
Janelle: I can’t believe this.
Bryan: Look…there was…there is…this party tonight…and there was a keg at this party….
Janelle: Oh, God. You didn’t.
Bryan: It’s a whole other world here…
Janelle: I can’t believe you’re saying all these things, threatening to break up…because you’re drunk!
Bryan: Look, it’s not like I’m gonna become an alcoholic, okay? People drink here. It’s just a social thing.
Janelle: I can’t believe you’re just throwing me around like this. And you’re drunk. That really hurts, Bryan.
Bryan: Okay.
Janelle: That’s all you have to say for yourself? I’m telling you how much it hurts and you just say “okay”?
Bryan: Look. I’m inebriated. Okay? So what do you expect? A soliloquy?
*Janelle gives him a disgusted look and then storms off*
*End Flashback*
Lilly: But, you two didn’t break up that night?
Janelle: No. But it sure felt like we were. He called me the next morning. He was sober, he apologized, and we were okay again. He said that he would stop drinking for me. And I believed things were all better again. *flashback to 1996 Janelle* But I never really recovered from that incident. *flashback to present Janelle*
Lilly: Why had you been so surprised by his drinking?
Janelle: Bryan was always the good kid: the one who stayed away from drugs and booze and followed the rules. He was a valedictorian of his class. The thought of him getting drunk was just…so hard to imagine.
Lilly: Some people have trouble handling self-responsibility.
Janelle: And it’s always the good kids with the strict parents that crash the hardest.
