28 Tee Shirts

By Mark Lennon

Jason had it all until his addiction finally caught up with him. After being court ordered to serve 28 days in a substance abuse facility, he loses it all. Jason learns to change his selfishness into charity for others as he bonds and forms a family with fellow addicts. This inspires him to develop the 28 Tee-Shirts Calendar Method.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Jan 17, 2012
• ISBN: 9781468530520

Mark Lennon

Mark Lennon is born and raised in Kingston, N.Y.; still a resident in Kingston his writing works include multiple short scene writings for actors/actresses. Mark was produced in 2007 for his co-writing in the short film "FOUR" a film he wrote for the Ed Wood Film Fest. After a brief stint in standup comedy in 2009 he returned to writing. This is his first short novel.

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© 2012 by Mark Lennon. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

First published by AuthorHouse 12/14/2011

ISBN: 978-1-4685-3054-4 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4685-3053-7 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4685-3052-0 (ebk)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2011962895

Printed in the United States of America

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

28 Tee Shirts

Screenplay written by:

Mark Lennon

Original story and story concept by:

Mark Lennon

All characters are original and created by:

Mark Lennon

July 3, 2009

Author:             Mark Lennon

-Begin 28 Tee shirts

(Movie begins in the upstairs hallway of a moderate suburban house; dialogue begins on Whitney yelling upstairs to her husband Jason)

Whitney:             Jason! Honey you better get a move on you’re running late.

(Jason enters the shot seemingly in a rush drinking a beer. Dialogue on Jason as he heads toward the bathroom)

Jason:             (Jason yells downstairs to Whitney) I know, I know! I just have to brush my teeth!

(We see Jason just finishing brushing his teeth then grabbing a bottle of Listerine and swishing the liquid around in his mouth before spitting in the sink. He looks into the vanity mirror then sighs before drinking a good amount from the bottle. While he’s drinking, Whitney yells to him.

Whitney:             What are you doing in there?

Jason:             (quickly breaks away from the bottle) Nothing! (Wipes his mouth) Just brushing my teeth, that’s all. I’m coming out now.

(Jason glances again into the vanity mirror before exiting the bathroom. As he gets to the front door, he is greeted by Whitney holding his car keys. Dialogue on Whitney, after he grabs the keys)

Whitney:             Have fun. Tell the boys I said hi. What time do you think you’ll be home? I don’t feel like worrying.

Jason:             Not too late. I promise.

Whitney:             If you need a ride.

Jason:             I know, call you. You know I won’t, I hate to wake you. I’ll just have one of the guys bring me home don’t worry. (Jason kisses her) I love you.

Whitney:             (As the front door closes in front of her she quietly says) I love you too.

(Scene changes to the inside of a night club where we see Jason and three other guys touch their beer bottles in mid-air. Dialogue on the guys)

All together:             Cheers!

Alan:             This is cool guys isn’t it, hanging out again? It’s been years.

Jonas:             Dude. Is our ten year reunion really tomorrow? Can you believe it? Ten years already.

Jason:             It’s crazy right? (Jason shakes his head in disbelief then addresses Brad) How’s Adrian?

Brad:             She’s good, but bitching because her sister just had a pool put in. Of course now we need a pool, naturally.

Jason:             (points his beer bottle at Brad) Naturally.

Brad:             Come on man you’ve seen pictures of our yard (Brad drinks from his beer bottle before finishing his sentence) we can’t even fit a tree.

Jason:             That sucks. (Thanks the waitress for another beer then asks Jonas a question) How are the kids?

Jonas:             Getting big bro, Caitlin starts her new dance troupe on Monday. Frigging insurance for her to join was ridiculous. Kids dude. Speaking of (Jonas drinks from his beer bottle before finishing his sentence) how are you and Whitney doing with getting pregnant?

Jason:             We’ve been trying but nothing yet. (To Alan) What about Rebecca? How is she?

Alan:             She’s at your house with Jonas’s wife. Rebecca thought it would be fun to have a ladies night in while we have a boy’s night out. Or so that’s how she put it. Didn’t Whitney mention it?

Jason:             Maybe. (Jason finishes his beer then responds) Oh yeah. Yeah she did. I just forgot. (As the waitress walks toward him, Jason jiggles his empty bottle ordering another one)

(Scene goes back to Jason and Whitney’s house. We see three women sitting in the kitchen looking through photo albums and drinking wine. Rebecca (Alan’s wife) begins to refill the glasses but the bottle is empty. Whitney says she has more and goes to the wine cabinet)

Whitney:             Hmm. (looking into the cabinet) that’s strange.

Rebecca:             What’s wrong?

Whitney:             I could’ve sworn we had two bottles in here. That’s weird.

Diane:             That’s Ok.

Whitney:             No it isn’t actually.

(Diane and Rebecca exchange glances to one another behind Whitney. Dialogue continues on Whitney)

Whitney:             (Whitney turns around and looks at Diane and Rebecca) I’m embarrassed. I’m sorry, I must’ve been mistaken.

Rebecca:             That’s fine. I’ll just run and get more.

Whitney:             You sure.

Rebecca:             Yeah (Rebecca finishes the wine in her glass with a single gulp before finishing her sentence) I’ll be right back the liquor store is right around the block. I haven’t had that much to drink. (Rebecca grabs her keys and leaves)

Whitney:             (to herself) Where have I heard that before?

Diane:             (to Whitney) You alright? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.

Whitney:             (Whitney fakes a smile) I’m fine.

(Scene goes back to the night club where the guys are seated all looking exhausted, all except Jason. Dialogue on Jason)

Jason:             Who wants shots? (Jason orders four shots of scotch from the waitress by holding up four fingers)

Jonas:             Not me man, I’m good.

Brad:             Yeah, no more for me either. Besides (Brad checks his watch) I’m already supposed to be home. Adrian and I have to take the kids to see grandma and grandpa tomorrow. (Stands up, and throws two twenty dollar bills down onto the table). Well gentleman, I bid you adieu.

(Walks off scene)

Jason:             Quitter! (Jason laughs and downs a shot of scotch, reacts to the alcohol, breathes out heavily then says to Alan) Come on, help me with these.

Alan:             No. I’m going to get the check. Be right back.

Jonas:             I’m with Brad. (Jonas stands up, puts two twenty dollar bills down onto the table then stretches) It’s been fun guys. (Alan momentarily exits the shot, dialogue continues on Jonas) Jason, you need a ride man?

Jason:             Nah, (takes another shot of scotch) I’ll be fine.

(Jonas nods and exits the scene. Alan returns to the table with the bill. Dialogue on Alan)

Alan:             (studying the check) Holy shit! Two hundred dollars and change, this can’t be right. There’s no way. How did we drink over two hundred bucks in booze?

(Scene changes to Whitney in the bathroom drying her face with a towel before brushing her teeth then picking up the bottle of Listerine and studying it; her face indicates that something is definitely wrong. She sighs then turns off the light.)

(Scene goes back to the night club at the table where Alan and Jason remain. Dialogue on Jason after he finishes another shot of scotch)

Jason:             (Jason looks at the bill as Alan holds it in front of him) Fun don’t come cheap. So we went a little overboard tonight. It’s been a long night, who knows where it went. (Takes another shot of scotch)

Alan:             You ought to slow down, are you Ok to drive yourself?

Jason:             Why does everyone keep asking me that? Yes! I’m fine.

Alan:             At least you’re fine. Rebecca would flip if she knew I spent this much drinking.

Jason:             Settle down (Jason grabs the bill from Alan) I’ll pay the bill (Jason studies the bill before responding) She doesn’t have to know a thing. Cool?

Alan:             I guess. (Alan looks at Jason) Look at you. You’re not fine to drive. Give me your keys I’m taking you home, call Whitney and let her know.

Jason:             (Jason looks down at his watch) Dude she’s asleep. Let her be. Don’t worry about me I’ll just drink a few glasses of water before I leave.

Alan:             You’re sure.

Jason:             Yes, now go. Have a good night.

Alan:             (Alan gets up from the table and pushes his chair in, dialogue on Alan) Call me tomorrow.

Jason:             I will.

(Alan turns and leaves Jason at the table by himself then the waitress comes over for the bill. Jason gives her his credit card and leaves the club. He gets outside to his car when the waitress approaches him. Dialogue on the waitress)

Waitress:             Sir, you forgot to sign this.

Jason:             Oh yeah, my bad. (Jason signs the slip and goes to get in his car when the waitress interjects again)

Waitress:             Sir, your credit card.

Jason:             What? Oh, can’t go home without it. (starts to laugh). It’s a joke. (waitress awkwardly breaks eye contact with him dialogue on Jason) Yes. That would have sucked thank you.

(Jason gets inside the car and settles into the seat with a huge breath. Looks at himself in the rear view mirror and says to himself.)

Jason:             Tic-tac? (Jason puts a bunch of breath mints in his mouth then pretends as if there are others in the car with him by offering them a Tic-tac. He starts the car, takes another deep breath. Dialogue continues with Jason)

Jason:             Ok let’s do this. (Jason puts the car in reverse on accident and stops suddenly, looking around to see if anyone caught him. Satisfied that no one saw him, he responds to himself)

Jason:             No Jason, the other reverse. (Jason laughs to himself as he puts the car into drive and goes off onto the road.)

(Jason’s cell phone starts to vibrate so he checks to see who it is. Jason sees that it’s Whitney calling him so he puts the phone in the glove box while taking his eye off the road. Dialogue on Jason)

Jason:             Yeah, yeah I’m coming home now. I’m on my way. Jeesh! (Jason looks back onto the road, realizes he’s veering onto the shoulder too far and panics prompting him to drive over a curb nearly missing a road sign. He hits the brakes bringing the car to a complete stop and collects himself briefly. Dialogue on Jason)

Jason:             Whoa. (Jason looks around then says to himself) Pay attention! No more almosts. (Jason breathes out and starts to drive forward)

(Hidden off of the road is a police cruiser that witnessed the whole incident. Inside are two officers watching the roadway. Dialogue on Officer 1)

Officer 1:             Did you just see that?

Officer 2:             Yup, we got a live one. Let’s go get him.

(Scene switches to inside of Jason’s car where again he’s checking his rearview mirror and talking to himself; dialogue on Jason.

Jason:             Come on me, pull it together. Get us home. (He gets a few yards up the road when he sees the flashing lights in his rearview mirror.) Shit! Shit. (shakes his head after pulling over.) This is not happening.

(Officer 1 walks up to the window, taps on it and motions for Jason to roll down his window with his hand. After Jason rolls the window down, dialogue on the officer)

Officer 1:             Evening sir.

Jason:             Hi there. (Jason gets nervous as the other officer approaches the passenger side of his car shining a flashlight. Dialogue on Officer 1)

Officer 1:             License and registration please.

Jason:             Sure, no problem. (Jason retrieves the two items then hands them to the officer) Here you go.

Officer 1:             (talking to Jason while studying the license) Where you coming from?

Jason:             Just a little get together with a couple of friends, back in town for our ten year reunion. Just a friendly get together.

Officer 1:             Mm Hmm. (still studying his information) Any drinking at this get together?

Jason:             Only a little.

Officer 1:             Have you been drinking tonight?

Jason:             I had a couple but that was like hours ago.

Officer 2:             Do you realize that your vehicle momentarily jumped a curb and that you nearly clipped a stop sign?

Jason:             Uh.

Officer 1:             Sir I’m going to need you to go ahead and disable your vehicle by shutting it off then taking the key out of the ignition. Can you do that for me?

Jason:             Sure, why?

Officer 1:             Because I asked you too.

Jason:             (Jason turns his car off and takes the key out of the ignition as instructed, then asks the officer a question) Do you want the keys?

Officer 2:             You can just set them down on the passenger seat.

(Jason puts the keys in the seat. Dialogue on Officer 1)

Officer 1:             Sir, why don’t you go ahead now and slowly exit the car. After which I want you to walk towards my partner over there slowly in a straight line.

(Jason) exits the car with his hands in the air and starts to walk toward the officer. Dialogue on Officer 2)

Officer 2:             You can lower your hands, just walk to me. (Jason staggers a little getting to the officer. Dialogue continues on Officer 2 as Jason reaches him) Ok you can stop right there. Now I’m going to administer a field sobriety test. I want you to raise your arms to your side, make two consecutive three hundred sixty degree turns of your body then I’d like you to walk foot in front of foot back over to the officer across from me. You can go ahead and do that.

(Jason spins himself and barely makes the second without falling down. He tries to straighten himself as best he can and begins walking toward Officer 1. He can barely make it half of the way, dialogue on Officer 1.)

Officer 1:             Sir that’s alright, just walk towards me normally. (Jason walks to him, dialogue continues on officer 1) Now I’m going to ask you to blow into this device. (shows Jason the tester) You are about to take a breathalyzer test. If you are unfamiliar with this instrument, it will tell me what you BAC, or blood alcohol level is. Should you register higher than a 0.08% BAC, I will be obligated to deem you unfit to be behind the wheel of this motorized vehicle and you will be placed under arrest. Do you understand what I have just said to you?

Jason:             Yes.

Officer 1:             You can go ahead and blow into the tester. (Officer 1 puts the mouthpiece into Jason’s mouth, he blows into it. Dialogue continues on Officer 1) Thank you. Go ahead and stand over there please, until I get a reading.

(There is a brief pause and the tension in the air is obvious as to what is about to happen. After a moment Officer 1 motions for Officer 2 to come and look at the device, Jason’s face sinks as the two officers shake their heads then make their way toward him. Officer 2 is already reaching for his handcuffs. Dialogue on officer 1)

Officer 1:             It seems we have a problem. Based on our reading you currently have a BAC of 0.19% which is over two times the legal limit. So I’m placing you under arrest. (Officer 2 begins handcuffing Jason while officer 1 is reading him his Miranda rights. Scene slowly fades out as Jason is driven away. Fade to black)

(Scene reopens with the sound of a telephone ringing in the background of a black screen, the screen will remain pitch black until Whitney turns the bedroom lamp on to answer the telephone, dialogue on Whitney who’s half asleep. Scene will switch between Whitney lying in bed on her stomach under the covers and Sergeant Fosters sitting upright at his