Bell Rings

FADE IN

EXT. SCHOOL BLDNG

(Flood of children run out of class room, some run to cars, others stay and talk to friends, ERIC and ASTON walk slowly out of the class, they are the last out, talking casually about the weekend ahead, (video games, movies, TV shows). They walk to Aston’s car.

INT. ASTONS CAR

Both Eric and Aston are in the back seat; Aston’s mother is driving.

ASTONS MOTHER
Hi guys, how was school? Do you have
much homework?

BOTH ASTON AND ERIC
Good, no.
(Short answer, subliminal not really paying
attention to the mother. Continue to talk to
each other)

ERIC
So my dad got this new TV it going to be
awesome. I think it's a Panasonic. We just
got it yesterday, it's a plasma screen,
wide screen, 50 in diagonal, with over 100
pixels a square in.

ASTON
That’s sweet to bad you don’t know jack
about what you’re talking about. Hell I’ve
got a projector over 178 inches diagonal,
DLP, Hi Def, with over 150 pixels an inch.

ASTON’S MOTHER
Now Aston stop bragging, and Eric congratulations.

ASTON
Yes Mom.
(Smart ass, cocky attitude)

EXT. CAR to EXT. HOMES
(Get out of car and say goodbyes quick. Aston and his Mother enter their home where ASTONS DAD is in the living room)

ASTON
Hi, Dad. What’s up? What’s that?

ASTONS DAD
Hey Aston, oh it's this new universal
remote; it can control your TV, Cable
Box, and DVD Player, as well as
the lights and a number of other appliances.

ASTON
Oh that’s neat, so when’s the TV going
to work again?
(annoyed)

ASTONS DAD
Oh it shouldn’t be to long, just go do
your homework.

SUPERIMPOSE ON BLANK SCREEN
3 Hours Later

INT. ASTONS LIVING ROOM
Aston is sitting in the living room. It is a very modern looking room very clean uncomfortable. Aston is sitting with a laptop on a small end table. The camera pans in and around to the screen to show a full screen of programs and codes. And plugged into the computer is the remote. As Aston sits with the remote and computer, his father enters the room.

ASTON
Hey dad I think I got it. Here.
(Picks up the remote presses POWER, The TV
turns on and Aston changes the channel a couple of times.)
There we have it, all fixed Dad.

ASTONS DAD
Awesome, son, way to go.
(Retrieves the remote from Aston)

Door Bell rings and Aston raises to answer it.

EXT. ASTONS DOOR
Eric is standing casually outside. Door opens and Aston steps outside.

ERIC
You must see our new TV we just
got it up and running. IT IS AWESOME.

(The two start walking to Eric’s house next door)

It is a flat screen that’s hanging on our wall,
we also got new lights and a new stereo system,
some sort of X-something it's way cool.

ASTON
It's X-10 and that is awesome dude.

INT. ERICS HOUSE
Aston and Eric enter the house and walk to the living room. On the wall there is the TV, there are boxes and things from the electronics, there are speakers on attached on the walls and new lights all around very modern but open. There are windows all around the room. Including the wall opposite the TV, that window faces ASTONS house.

ASTON
Sweet dude, this is an awesome
setup Dennon Receiver, Panasonic
Plasma, and JL Audio 5.1ch surround sound.

ERIC
(Dumbfounded)
Yea, you know I hate that you know
more than I do about it and it’s not even yours.

ASTON
Sorry, so how do like it? Seems like
it would be an awesome gaming spot.
You know we should bring out my Xbox
I bet it would be kick ass at Halo.

ERIC
(Ecstatic)
Totally. Go Grab it.

Aston Exits to get The Xbox

CUT TO INT. ASTONS LIVING ROOM
TV is off, parents are not seen, and it's quiet

ASTON
Hey, Mom, Dad? Anybody here? Hello?

ASTONS MOM
(Faint, in back of house)
Hey honey, we are in our room, come on back.

ASTON
Where are you guys off to in such a hurry?
(Walking down the hallway towards
the parents room, Camera is in
room zoom in on door, pans out
to see Astons Parents are packing luggage.)

ASTONS DAD
We got a call from your Grandma Betty, she
needs us to come up and stay with her for
the weekend. Plus your mom and I want
to go on a drive. Do you think you can
stay here by yourself?

ASTONS MOM
You could stay with Eric?

ASTON

Oh yea no problem. In fact I'm just here
to grab my Xbox. Eric just got a new
TV. I got my keys so just call when you
guys get there.

ASTONS MOM
(Hugs him)
Your to smart for your own good. Bye Sweetie.

CUT TO INT ERICS HOUSE (FRONT DOOR)

ASTON
Dude my parents are out for the weekend,
so I might crash here. You think that might
be okay.

ERIC
Yea, that would be sweet we should go
all night. OH YEA.

CUT TO THEM PLAYING THE VIDEO GAME
Both opened mouth gaping( hear gunshots, explosions, etc.) Both with a blank zoned face. staring at the TV (CAMERA)

ERIC
Nice kill, right to the…

ERICS MOTHER
(interrupts ERICS sentence, annoyed From kitchen, we never see ERICS mother)
Eric get in here! You haven done the
dishes yet! And your rooms a mess
I told you, to have this cleaned up
before you could have anyone over.
I'm sorry Aston, but I need you to
go on home. It's nothing against you, sorry.

ASTON
(Unplugging And Packing up his XBOX)
Oh it's ok Mrs. P I understand that Eric
is a slob that needs to clean up his act.
(SARCASTICALY)

CUT TO INT. ASTONS HOUSE
Aston finds a note on the refrigerator, pulls it down and as he carries his stuff back to his room he reads quietly:

Hey honey we wont be back until Sunday night there’s twenty dollars on the table for pizza, don’t do any thing stupid. Love MOM. X O X O

ASTON
(Sarcastically)
How Sweet.

Aston drops his stuff and walks out to his back yard. It is just evening now. He cleaning in front of the TV. The Camera pans back to a View of ASTON who is still for a second than bolts out of the picture, we hear the pounding of feet and a thump.

CUT TO INT. LIVING ROOM ASTON
We see Aston sitting on his computer and the remote is connected to it. After a second of just a few keystrokes we see him unplug the remote than run back outside.

CUT TO EXT. VIEW OVER THE FENCE.
We first see ASTONS head peeking over the fence. Then we se his hand raise up with the remote in it. than the camera pans to the window. Where we see ERIC still cleaning in front of the TV. Than we see the TV turn on. ERIC turns startled looks for the remote and turns it off thinking it was an accident. Then when he starts cleaning again the TV turns on again, this time he’s a little suspicious (looks puzzled) he tries to turn of the TV but instead the lights dim. He tries again to turn off the TV and the Radio Turns on REALLY LOUD. ERIC drops his remote and runs out screaming.

Pan Back out to see ASTON ducking behind the Fence trying not to laugh to loud. Then he stand back up and looks back to the window, he presses a few buttons on the remote and ERICS living room returns to normal

CUT TO INT. ERICS LIVING ROOM
ERIC is returning to the room with his mother.
ERIC
…and the lights went weird and the
stereo turned on and the TV wouldn’t turnoff!

ERICS MOTHER
(walking into the room with everything normal)
Yea Right ERIC your not getting
off that easily. Keep working, you still
have to clean the…

The lights turn off and on a few times then go off completely.

ERIC
I TOLD YOU SO!!!

CUT TO ASTON BEHIND FENCE.

Laughing harder now, but trying to keep it in. He runs back inside crashes on the couch and turns on his own TV with the Remote.

Fade out

Fade in

ASTON is asleep on the couch the TV is still on. There thump as the remote finally slips out of ASTONS hand, he jumps at the sound. Then as he picks it up lets out a small laugh (single hmm). He gets up walks to his room and looks at the clock he slept to noon.

CUT TO THE FRONT DOOR

Eric is walking to the door, he knocks and ASTON opens it straightening his shirt (new clothes).

ASTON
Hey dude what’s up?
(noticing a Cable Truck in front of ERICs house)

ERIC
Our wiring must have been crossed
or something they said. Our TV went
crazy last night it turned on and off by
itself and I tried to turn it off but then the
lights went crazy and so did the stereo.
It was weird.

ASTON
(Hiding it well)
Oh that is strange, they are probably
right it's most likely the wiring.

ERIC
Yea, This guys here to check it all
out. Hopefully hell have it fixed later.

ASTON
You want to come in I got the XBOX
up to the projector.

ERIC
Sure, anything to get my mind off last night.

CUT TO THEM PLAYING THE VIDEO GAME
Both opened mouth gaping( hear gunshots, explosions, etc.) Both with a blank zoned face. staring at the TV (CAMERA) then suddenly Both jump up. Screaming in Victory.

ERIC
Awesome. Nice hit.

ASTON
You too, that was a tough one but
you got that guy right in the back of the…
(Starting to imitate the character in the game, holding an “air” gun , making fake shooting sound, he starts walking around in the room, but at his second step we hear a click and the camera pans to see the remote under his foot. The TV turns off, the lights turn on, and the stereo starts to play)

ERIC
Dude, not cool, that was you?
You scared me half to death.
Not to mention that we are paying
a boatload for some scary cable
guy to redo all our wiring. Dude,
no. (Eric starts to walk out.)

ASTON
Oh. Come on you know it was just
a joke. Come on. I'm sorry.

ERIC
(At the door, turns back to ASTON)
Well, it was fairly funny. I've got an idea
on how you can make it up as well.

ASTON
What?

CUT TO FENCE
Both boys are hiding behind the fence now, it's afternoon. We see the two heads pop up. Looking through the window, the TV is off the wall (but still plugged in, as well as the lights and speakers) the cable guy is inside bent over behind the TV on the floor. We pan back to see the boys heads. A hand raises (Eric’s hand) it's holding the remote. We see him press a button.

CUT CAMERA LIKE AN OLD STYLE TV.

END