The Other Me

By James Paul Nelson

Most college students are in college to learn a skill in a field they like and can use to make money. But some students are deep thinkers with skills that can be monetized already. This is a story about students like that but being exceptionally gifted doesn't mean you are mature enough to handle your own genius.

• Language: English
• Publisher: James Paul Nelson
• Release date: Jan 3, 2024
• ISBN: 9798224444410

James Paul Nelson

Born in the Philippines, raised in Sacramento, taught by all the greats that have come before. Just another artist seeking to express his love for art in multiple forms and disciplines. Trying to be the most well rounded artist he could possibly be.

Book preview

FADE IN:

INT. BATHROOM - MORNING

We see DEREK, late 20's, unclogging a toilet with a plunger.

EXT. SCHOOL CAMPUS - MORNING

We see a student throw up in front of DEREK and he immediately gets a towel off his maintenance cart to wipe up the mess.

INT. SCHOOL HALLWAY - MORNING

A student drops a soda in the middle of the hallway. DEREK gets a mop from his maintenance cart and proceeds to mop the hallway as a bunch of students walk past him like he was never there.

EXT. SCHOOL PARKING LOT - MORNING

DEREK sees a student walking a dog on campus suddenly the dog begins to poop.

DEREK notices the owner leaves without picking it up.

DEREK

Hey, pick up after your dog!

The owner looks at DEREK and just flips him off and keeps walking.

DEREK grabs a plastic bag off his cart and picks up the dog poop.

DEREK - VOICE OVER

I swear everything I need is on this maintenance cart. I know what you're thinking. This guy cleans shit for a living. Trust me it's not what you think it is. Let me start it this way. My name is Derek Moon and truth be told, I'm a loser.

OPENING CREDITS

TITLE: The Other Me

EXT. SCHOOL CAMPUS - MORNING

DEREK walks a large haul of garbage to the trash.

DEREK - VOICE OVER

This is what I do.

DEREK drops a pile of trash into the dumpster.

DEREK - VOICE OVER

I walk around this school and basically wait until there is something for me to clean.

DEREK mops the floor in a hallway.

DEREK puts out the Yellow Wet Floor sign.

As DEREK pushes out the maintenance cart from a building.

He sees a group of girls coming at him in slow motion.

DEREK - VOICE OVER

That might be the one thing that makes this job tolerable. There are plenty of cute girls walking around any given time in the day.

One girl from the group makes eye contact with DEREK as she walks by.

DEREK - VOICE OVER

I've fantasize about these girls even though I don't know their names.

The cute girl heads into a building away from DEREK's view.

DEREK is turning the corner with his maintenance cart when he sees a group of young athletes pick on a smaller kid in front of a lot of students.

The YOUNG STUDENT is standing there opening a soda, while the jocks proceed to throw a basketball at him.

The basketball knocks the soda out of the kid's hand.

YOUNG STUDENT

Hey!

The group of jocks begin to circle the YOUNG STUDENT. The Alpha male amongst them speaks.

ALPHA JOCK

You gotta keep your head on a swivel.

YOUNG STUDENT

You're going to buy me another soda, asshole.

ALPHA JOCK

Guys stop!

The other guys pause for a second to listen to what their leader was saying. The ALPHA JOCK walks over and grabs a soda off a bystander who is watching the scene.

ALPHA JOCK

He wants a soda.

ALPHA JOCK walks over and opens the soda.

YOUNG STUDENT reaches out to grab the soda.

The ALPHA JOCK instead pours the soda on his head.

DEREK sees enough.

DEREK

What are you guys doing?

The group of students shift their attention to DEREK.

ALPHA JOCK

It's the janitor!

The group of students begin to laugh. The ALPHA JOCK finishes pouring all of the soda onto the YOUNG STUDENT then proceeds to launch the soda bottle like a basketball at DEREK's direction and it falls into the trash bin he is wheeling around.

ALPHA JOCK

Swish! Ball don't lie.

The group of jocks laugh and begin to walk away talking trash.

DEREK comes up to the YOUNG STUDENT who is almost in tears.

DEREK

Are you okay?

YOUNG STUDENT

I've seen those guys around before. It could be worse. They flushed some other kid's cell phone.

DEREK

That's why the bathroom flooded in the art quad!

FLASHBACK:

INT. ART QUAD BATHROOM - EARLIER THAT DAY

DEREK is trying to contain a sewage back up and ends up pulling a cell phone out from the toilet.

EXT. SCHOOL CAMPUS - AFTERNOON

DEREK grabs a clean towel from the maintenance cart and hands it the YOUNG STUDENT.

DEREK

Here use this.

YOUNG STUDENT

Thanks. I'm Warren.

DEREK

I'm Derek. Listen. You gotta stick up for yourself. You can't let those punks do shit like that to you.

WARREN

There's only one of me and there's a bunch of them.

DEREK

Wait. This isn't the first time they did something like that to you?

WARREN, Early 20's, looks down in disgust.

WARREN

No.

DEREK

That's bullshit.

WARREN

I know.

DEREK

Well. If I see these guys around, I'll radio ahead to warn security, but I'm not always going to be there.

WARREN

I know. I'm just not sure what to do.

DEREK

Watch some UFC or better yet some Bruce Lee.

WARREN

Who's that?

DEREK

Are you fucking serious? This is why guys are pouring soda on your head and laughing about it.

DEREK

At this age, you gotta learn to be a man and stick up for yourself or guys are going to walk all over you all your life.

WARREN

You're right.