Film School: Part Six

"Mike, what were you texting me about all day? Come to the library, come to the library. I got the message. What’s up?” Vivian looked slightly confused.
“Hey.”
“Oh, um, Grant. Hi. How are you?”
“Good.”
“That’s really great, Grant.” She said “great” and “Grant” next to each other in a sentence. Mistake. It sounded gross. She looked down at the table that she was leaning on. Stood up straight.
He nodded and she turned back to Mike.
“Thanks for coming to the meeting. Sit, please.”
“So I’m allowed to be a part of this?” She sounded needier than she meant to. This was not a situation in which sounding needy would help, not in the least.
“You wanted this? I was roped in.”
“Being a part of something special makes you special. I think this is really special.”
“It is something special. This could be everything, if we make it everything.”
“Mike, let’s cut to the chase. What kind of movie are we making?” Grant interrupted whatever kind of strange, spiritual moment they had been having.
“It’s a one-actor type thing.”
“What kind of a movie has one actor?”
“It’s unique.”
“It’s plotless.”
“Anyway, we’re doing it.”
“You two are so silly and childish.”
“There’s nothing silly or childish about believing in your dreams. You should try it sometime.”
“You just got served, bro.”
“I did not just get served.”
“So let’s start this thing. We need to get storyboarding.”
“That’s gross.”
“Is there something on my face?” She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand while Mike chuckled.
“We don’t really need to plan this out. We can just go with the flow, you know?”
Vivian turned her head to the right, further than looked possible. “We don't really need to plan? What are you planning on making, a trainwreck?”
“Oh snap!” Mike said.
“Unnecessary, Mike.” Vivian snapped.
“Whatever. I just can't see you two working together. Ever.”
“Can we at least do a little planning on this thing before we just dive in?”
“No.” Mike and Grant said, in unison.
“You are children.”
“Probably true.”
“Well, I'm going to plan this thing out.” She paused for a second, expecting some sort of murmur of agreement. There was none, so, after looking disappointed for a second, she resumed her previously perky disposition and pulled a notebook out of her bag. “Planning is ninety percent of any successful project.”
“Mike, could I talk to you?”
“Yeah.” Mike seemed a little confused by this request.
“You have to get up and walk away.”
“I don't want to get up.”
“I'm just guessing here, but I think he wants to talk to you without me around.” At this, Grant and Mike both felt slightly guilty. They did want to talk without her presence, but they weren't intentionally making her feel left out.
“Um...Okay.”
“Just talk to him.”
They got up and walked away a little, between two bookshelves with titles like A Complete History of German Nationalism and The Soviet Union Today. “What is she doing here?” Grant seemed angry.
“She wanted to be a part of it, okay? I couldn't just say no. And she's really good. Some of the stuff I've seen of hers is way better than anything we've ever made.” A white lie wasn't really a lie, was it?
“Mike, do you go around telling people about your crazy ideas?”
“Yes. Sometimes.”
“This is a trend that should be stopped dead in it's tracks.”
“Is that all?”
“Whatever.”
And with that, they went back to the table where she had been sitting. Both were considerably more subdued than they had been before.
“You have an outline? Already?”
“I've been working on it for a while now.”
“Oh, um, okay.”
“Do you want to help?”
“Sure.”