EVERY DAY AFTER

EXT. PARK BENCH - NIGHT Nina is sitting on a park bench. She’s wearing a really pretty dress. Her make up is smudged. It looks like she’s been crying for a long time. She’s barefoot. Her shoes are hanging from her fingers that are rested against the seat of the park bench. Her purse is on the ground beside her. She looks straight at the camera. NINA My name is Nina. I’m 20 years old and I just got raped by a man that lives in a building over there. She looks at the building and stares for a few seconds. NINA That honestly came out more dramatic than I expected. I’m sorry. I’ve just been sitting here crying for a little bit and trying hard to put things into words. She shrugs. She looks away from the camera and looks at the building across the street. NINA The last few hours have felt like an out of body experience. I went to a bar to grab a drink and met the most charming man I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting. He was so cute. A lawyer. Intelligent. Funny. She smiles as she looks away into the distance. She stares at the building for a few more seconds. She looks back at the camera. NINA Anyway, I drank a lot. I said something about wanting to go home. Next thing I know we were getting out of a cab and walking through the doors of his apartment building. Now that I think about it, I have no memory of telling him where I live. She looks down at her feet and rubs her feet together. INT. BEDROOM - NIGHT Nina is lying on a bed. Only her face is seen on screen. The sleeves of her dress have slid off her shoulder. Her head jers up and down. She’s staring blankly just past the camera. A guy moans in the background. EXT. PARK BENCH - NIGHT Nina is on the park bench. She shakes her head like she’s trying to get rid of the image. She looks for her bag on the bench and around her. She wipes her face and straightens her hair. NINA I was too drunk. I didn’t want to have sex. I just wanted to go home. I’m pretty sure I said No a few times but he didn’t listen. If this was anybody else, I’d say something like, “This isn’t your fault.” But, I can’t stop thinking of all the ways I could have prevented this. Wore a less revealing dress. Went with some friends. Not has as much alcohol as I did. Been louder about saying no. The list is endless. She looks sad as she looks right past the camera a little bit. NINA I should get home. I’m going to call a friend of mine. Marissa. She’ll come to pick me up. INT. MARISSA’S CAR - NIGHT There is a heavy silence as they sit in the car. They aren’t driving yet. The light inside the car illuminates their face. Nina is in the passenger seat looking out of the window. Marissa keeps looking ahead of her and then looking at Nina. MARISSA Hey. Are you okay? Do you wanna talk about it? Nina looks empathetically at Marissa and then looks at the camera. NINA Do you ever notice the awkward silence that follows a tragic story? This used to happen a lot when I talked about my dead father and it’s been 12 years but it never gets less awkward. Nina looks back at Marissa. NINA I went out drinking. I got a little too drunk. I met this guy. We went back to his place. He took his pants off. He started to unbutton my shirt. I tried stopping him but he continued. I tried pushing him off. He climbed on top of me. The next thing I know, he was... Anyway, I got dressed. Left his apartment. Walked to the park across the street. And then I called you. Marissa looks at Nina and struggles to find words. She looks at Nina for a few seconds. Nina looks at the camera. NINA See? That’s the awkward silence. MARISSA Okay. That’s okay. No. I’m sorry. It’s not okay. He didn’t do an “okay” thing. Do you know what the protocol is? Nina looks back at Marissa and giggles a little. NINA Protocol? MARISSA I mean. What do we do next? Do you want to report the crime? SCREEN: [[REPORT THE CRIME]] OR [[DON'T REPORT CRIME]]

INT. NINA’S HOUSE - NIGHT She drops her purse and removes her heels near the doorway. She walks to the couch and sits down. She looks straight at the camera. NINA How do you stop your brain from thinking of something? How do you stop it from replaying the same situation over and over again? She puts her head down into her palm. NINA I keep wondering if it really was rape. Yes. I was drunk. I shouldn’t have agreed to go to his place. Was I not verbal enough? Maybe he just didn’t hear me. Why do I feel so terrible and disgusted inside? Why do I feel like my insides are tight and knotted? She cries into her palm as the camera fades out. INT.LIVING ROOM - DAY Nina is sitting on her couch, blankly staring. She’s holding a cup of tea and just staring. There is a television that’s switched on but she’s not watching it. She’s wearing a robe and has her hair tied up in a bun. She looks at the camera. NINA I didn’t sleep last night. I took the longest shower I have taken in a while. I wanted the hot water to wash away any remnants of what happened to me. Honestly? Nothing seems to help. I just feel numb. Doorbell rings. She ignores it for a minute. Marissa screams through the door. Nina looks at the camera surprised, whispers the word “Marissa?” and goes to get the door. MARISSA Hey! How’re you doing? NINA I’m okay. MARISSA Have you eaten anything yet? I got you some lasagna with extra parmesan just like you like it. Nina smiles and grabs the container of lasagna that Marissa was holding. She looks at the camera. NINA She’s a sweetheart, isn’t she? Marissa sits down on the couch and Nina joins her. They hug for a bit. She hands Nina a business card. MARISSA Before I forget...I did some research last night. She’s the best therapist there is. Her number is on the card. I think you should book an appointment Nina. It doesn’t have to be now but...I think it will be good for you. Nina takes the card. Looks at it and puts it on the table nearby. She nods in agreement. Marissa also pulls out a bottle of wine from her bag. MARISSA I’ve also bought wine. There’s nothing a bottle of red can’t fix. They laugh. Nina grabs two wine glasses from the kitchen and they sit down to drink. INT.LIVING ROOM - DAY Nina is sitting on the couch in her robe, sipping tea, and eating straight out of the lasagna box. There is a nearly empty wine glass beside a bottle of wine also on the table. She notices the card on the table and picks it up. SCREEN: [[BOOK AN APPOINTMENT]] OR [[THROW THE CARD AWAY]] SCREEN: [[BOOK AN APPOINTMENT]] OR [[THROW THE CARD AWAY]]

EVERY DAY AFTER TRIGGER WARNING: This film may have triggering or sensitive content because it has themes of sexual assault, drug abuse, and suicide. START THE [[OPENING SCENE]]

INT. POLICE STATION - NIGHT Nina is sitting on a metal chair that creaks every time she moves. The sound is so loud that you notice it. She’s sitting in front of a blank white wall. NINA I think he said his name was Arnold. I’m not sure. I don’t remember what we talked about but we laughed a lot. She looks away like she was thinking of something really sad. NINA Anyway, we went to his place. He sat down beside me and we started to kiss. His hand started to go up my dress. I didn’t feel like it, so I pushed it away. But, he continued to take my dress off. I stopped him and said that I was too drunk and didn’t feel like having sex and that I want to go home. He nodded in agreement and continued to run his hand across my chest. He was so drunk. I felt like he was oblivious to everything I was saying or doing. I tried pushing him off but... INSPECTOR (off-camera) Did you say you were drunk? How much had you had to drink? NINA I don’t know. Quite a bit I guess. But, not so drunk that I didn’t know what I was doing. Anyway...Why does it matter? Inspector writes down something in his notepad. INSPECTOR Just getting all the details. Please continue. Nina looks taken aback but continues. NINA He lives across the street from a park called ... Her voice fades away as the screen fades to black. INT. HOSPITAL ROOM - NIGHT Nina is lying down on a bed wearing a hospital gown. NURSE (off-camera) I’m going to swab you now, okay? Nina nods. NURSE Can you tell me what happened? NINA I’ve already told the cops what happened. NURSE (off-camera) I know. I’m sorry. But, we need it for our records. Nina sighs and nods. NINA I met him at a bar. INT. NINA’S HOUSE - NIGHT She drops her purse and removes her heels near the doorway. She walks to the couch and sits down. She looks straight at the camera. NINA How do you stop your brain from thinking of something? How do you stop it from replaying the same situation over and over again? She puts her head down into her palm. NINA I keep wondering if it really was rape. Yes. I was drunk. I shouldn’t have agreed to go to his place. Was I not verbal enough? Maybe he just didn’t hear me. Why do I feel so terrible and disgusted inside? Why do I feel like my insides are tight and knotted? She cries into her palm as the camera fades out. INT.LIVING ROOM - DAY Nina is sitting on her couch, blankly staring. She’s holding a cup of tea and just staring. There is a television that’s switched on but she’s not watching it. She’s wearing a robe and has her hair tied up in a bun. She looks at the camera. NINA I didn’t sleep last night. I took the longest shower I have taken in a while. I wanted the hot water to wash away any remnants of what happened to me. Honestly? Nothing seems to help. I just feel numb. Doorbell rings. She ignores it for a minute. Marissa screams through the door. Nina looks at the camera surprised, whispers the word “Marissa?” and goes to get the door. MARISSA Hey! How’re you doing? NINA I’m okay. MARISSA Have you eaten anything yet? I got you some lasagna with extra parmesan just like you like it. Nina smiles and grabs the container of lasagna that Marissa was holding. She looks at the camera. NINA She’s a sweetheart, isn’t she? Marissa sits down on the couch and Nina joins her. They hug for a bit. She hands Nina a business card. MARISSA Before I forget...I did some research last night. She’s the best therapist there is. Her number is on the card. I think you should book an appointment Nina. It doesn’t have to be now but...I think it will be good for you. Nina takes the card. Looks at it and puts it on the table nearby. She nods in agreement. Marissa also pulls out a bottle of wine from her bag. MARISSA I’ve also bought wine. There’s nothing a bottle of red can’t fix. They laugh. Nina grabs two wine glasses from the kitchen and they sit down to drink. INT.LIVING ROOM - DAY Nina is sitting on the couch in her robe, sipping tea, and eating straight out of the lasagna box. There is a nearly empty wine glass beside a bottle of wine also on the table. She notices the card on the table and picks it up. SCREEN: [[BOOK AN APPOINTMENT]] OR [[THROW THE CARD AWAY]]

INT. LIVING ROOM - DAY Nina is sitting on the couch, looking at the card in her hand. She puts her box of lasagna down. She looks at it for a minute and then grabs her phone from the table and dials a number. NINA Hello? Hi. My name is Nina. I was wondering if I could book an appointment with Dr. Barrow. She walks around the room like she’s nervous. NINA Did you say 4 pm Tuesday? Great. Okay. I’ll be there. She ends the call and puts her phone down and then looks at the camera. NINA That was a little scary for some reason. But, this is gonna be good for me. Right? She sounds like she’s reassuring herself. NINA Right? It’s gonna be good for me. Why is this so scary? Why am I so scared of meeting a therapist? INT. THERAPIST’S COUCH - EVENING Nina is lying down on a couch. NINA So, what do we talk about? OFFSCREEN VOICE We can talk about whatever you want to talk about. I’m here to listen to anything you have to say. Nina stays silent for a minute. NINA Well, I got raped recently. So, that’s been a difficult experience. And I feel a little numb right now. Voice fades. SCENE 19 INT. LIVING ROOM - DAY She’s sitting on the couch with her computer in her lap. Her hair is tied up in a bun. She’s typing away at her keyboard. There is a knock on the front door. She puts the laptop away and gets up to go get the door. NINA Hey! Thanks for coming. MARISSA Hey! I’m glad you called. I haven’t seen you in a while. I bought some wine. NINA Yay! Awesome. I’ll grab some glasses. MARISSA You’re looking well. What have you been up to? NINA Well...I feel good. I went to therapy as you had suggested. And I started writing again. I feel like I’m slowly getting back to my old self. Like I’ve found my voice again. MARISSA That’s amazing. I’m so proud of you! Tell me about it. What have you been writing about? NINA I tried writing romance novels like I usually do. But, it’s been tough. A romance novel feels like an unattainable fairytale. MARISSA Well, you’ve changed. Your story had an unexpected plot twist. And, maybe it’s a good idea for your writing to reflect it too. NINA You know...you’re right. I’ve been trying to pretend that nothing has changed but I was just lying to myself. MARISSA Yeah! It’s time to move forward. On that note... Have you considered dating? you haven’t done that in a while. NINA I haven’t even gone to a bar since...well..since you know. MARISSA You don’t have to go to a bar if you’re not ready. It could be restaurants or coffee shops or park benches. SCREEN : [[JOIN A DATING APP]] OR [[FOCUS ON WRITING]]

INT. LIVING ROOM - DAY Nina is holding the therapist’s business card and she looks at it for a few moments before getting up to throw it into a trashcan. She looks at the trashcan for a little bit and then walks to the couch and continues to sip on her tea. Nina looks straight at the camera. NINA Therapy sounds scary. I don’t think I’m ready to talk about it. I’m only able to get out of bed right now because I have gotten really good at not thinking about that night. A therapist would make me talk about all the things I don’t want to talk about. She shrugs before taking another sip of her tea. INT. CAFETERIA - DAY Nina is eating out of a takeout container. There’ a plastic bottle of pills near her hand and she’s looking through her phone as she eats. Her backpack is on the chair beside her. She looks at the camera. NINA A professor of mine called last evening to check on me. I was going to have to redo this semester if I didn’t come to class. She shakes her head before she goes back to eating her food and then picks up the bottle of pills. NINA A kid in my Art History class said I looked sad and if I was alright. I gave him 4 - line synopsis of the past 2 weeks. After class, he gave me a few pills to help me sleep. I can get more from him if I want to. Haven’t decided if I want to take them yet. SCREEN: [[TAKE THE PILLS]] OR [[DON'T TAKE THE PILLS]]

INT.BEDROOM - NIGHT Nina is on her bed and looking at the pills. She eats one of them and looks at the camera. NINA Anything to help me sleep, right? INT.BEDROOM - NIGHT Nina is on the bed and grabs the pills from the table beside her. She eats a pill and gets comfortable. INT.BEDROOM - NIGHT Nina is wide awake on her bed and the clock on her bedside table says that it’s 4 am. INT.BEDROOM - NIGHT The doorbell is ringing but she stays in bed. Her face is a little swollen from crying and she looks like she’s lost in thought. INT.BEDROOM - NIGHT Nina eats another pill and then checks her phone. INT.BEDROOM - NIGHT Nina cries as she sits at the foot of her bed. INT.BEDROOM - DAY Nina is lying on the bedroom floor with an empty pill bottle beside her. Marissa calls her name out from the distance. Footsteps come closer. MARISSA Hey Nina. I know you gave me your spare key only for emergencies. But, you hadn’t opened the door the last few times and I was...Oh my God! Nina. Nina! Wake up!! She dials a number on her phone. MARISSA Hi. I’m at my friend’s house. I just found her on the floor. She’s not responsive. Can you send somebody quickly? I don’t think she’s breathing... Her voice fades out. GO BACK TO [[START]] OR [[THE END]]

INT.CAFETERIA - DAY Nina puts the pills into her empty take away container and pushes it away. She picks up her bag and the container and gets up. NINA Nope. Not for me. Not today. She walks away and throws the container into a trash can that’s nearby. INT. BATHROOM - NIGHT Nina is getting dressed and putting on her makeup. She straightens out her dress and looks at herself in the mirror and then turns to the camera. NINA I’ve decided the pity party is over. I’m gonna go out tonight. I’m going to a bar. Nina walks out of the bathroom. FADE TO BLACK Nina walks back into the bathroom and wipes her make up off. NINA There was a guy at the bar. He was funny. We talked about our mutual love for The Office and dislike of Game of Thrones. She giggles before she looks back at the camera sadly. NINA But, I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t stop thinking about that night. I left after one glass of wine. I just couldn’t.....Maybe some other day. FADE TO BLACK INT. RESTAURANT - EVENING Nina is sitting at a table and you see the arm of a man on the chair opposite her. MAN My favorite show is Game of Thrones. I love the violence, the costumes, the storylines. His voice fades out and she looks at the camera and rolls her eyes. NINA I could probably live with that. INT. BEDROOM - NIGHT Nina is sitting down on the floor. She looks like she’s been crying. NINA He hit me. I was texting a classmate about a project. He thought I was cheating on him and he hit me. FADE TO BLACK INT. BATHROOM - NIGHT Nina is now adjusting a sweater that she’s wearing. You see bruises under her sleeves. NINA Jacob and I are going out to dinner with his friends. And I have to hide... Her voice fades off and she looks away quickly. FADE TO BLACK INT. BATHROOM - NIGHT Nina is sitting on the floor with her back against the door. She is crying into her knees. There is some blood on the back of her head. You don’t see her face. Jacob is banging on the door and he’s screaming. JACOB You fucking whore! Open the fucking door. Open the door, bitch! Did you try to call the cops? What were you gonna tell them? That I hit you? Why would they believe a whore like you? He starts to punch the door and push it open. He’s also turning the knob. He walks away and comes back a few minutes later. He manages to finally punch through the door and Nina looks really scared and worried. INT. MARISSA LIVING ROOM - NIGHT Nina is sitting on the couch crying. Melissa consoles her. MARISSA This is good, Nin. It was very brave of you to end things. He wasn’t good for you. Abuse of any kind is unacceptable. And it’s not your fault. Marissa Nina cries into her shoulder. GO BACK TO [[START]] OR [[THE END]]

If you need to report a sexual assault in the state of NSW, please go to your nearest police station or fill up the Sexual Assault Reporting Option questionnaire that is found on https://www.police.nsw.gov.au/crime/sex_crimes/adult_sexual_assault

EXT. PARK BENCH - EVENING Nina and Patrick are sitting on a park bench. NINA So...I’m pretty sure this isn’t a first date conversation but I just thought that you should know. I come with a lot of baggage. I have a hard time trusting people. I have a few scars too - emotional and physical. But, I’ve been working on them. It took a lot of therapy sessions, but I’m here, ready for love. PATRICK Well. Thank you for telling me that. I’m sure it was hard. Patrick pauses. PATRICK We’ve all got baggage that we’ve got to work through and....and your scars are reminders of how far you’ve come. Also, I’m ready for love too. She puts her head on his shoulder. FADES TO BLACK INT. BATHROOM - DAY She’s spraying some perfume on to herself. NINA Patrick and I are celebrating our 1st anniversary. We’re having a picnic to celebrate. FADE TO BLACK INT. BATHROOM - DAY Nina is pacing the bathroom. She looks worried. Her phone rings. She turns off the alarm and looks at the pregnancy test on the counter. NINA Oh my God! I’m pregnant. She grabs the phone excitedly as she walks out. NINA Babe, can you hear me? We’re having a baby!! FADE TO BLACK INT. LIVING ROOM - DAY Nina is carrying a cardboard box and walking around the empty room. She rubs her baby bump. She smiles and then looks at the camera before closing the front door behind her. FADE TO BLACK GO BACK TO [[START]] OR [[THE END]]

INT. LIVING ROOM - DAY Nina is sitting on the couch typing furiously. The words “*She felt weak*” and “and *guilty*” and “*like the shell of a person she used to be*” float on the screen. INT. LIVING ROOM - DAY Nina is walking around the living room. NINA Oh wow! Okay. That’s exciting. I’m glad you love the book. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Yes! Of course. Book tours sound amazing. Yes! Absolutely. Thank you so much, Derek. You just made my day. Nina ends the phone call and sits down on the couch. She picks up a book with her name on it. She looks at it in excitement then excitedly jumps up and down a little bit. FADE TO BLACK INT. STAGE - EVENING Nina is standing at a podium, reading from a book. A crowd of women watches with the utmost concentration. Some of the women in the crowd seemed to have cried a little bit. NINA That moment was important. It was the realization that waking up every day was a choice that she was going to have to make. She had hidden within the walls of her room for a while now. But, she was finally ready. A new chapter awaited her. She looks up at the crowd. NINA Thank you, everybody. That’s all for today. The crowd gives her a standing ovation. She smiles and walks off the stage. INT. BOOK STORE - AFTERNOON Nina is at a table, signing books and a line of people queue up in front of her. There is a pile of hardbound books that are beside her. A woman bends a little over the table and watches Nina. NINA Who do I make it out to? MICHELLE Could you make it out to Michelle? Nina writes in the book. NINA Dear Michelle. Life has its ups and downs but don't forget to breathe a little and remember that you're going to be okay. Love, Nina. Nina then closes the book. FADE TO BLACK GO BACK TO [[START]] OR [[THE END]]