She'll bring you to your knees (sayyemen) wrote in stepfurtproject, @ 2020-08-26 20:12:00 |
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Entry tags: | lorraine dufresne (sayamen) |
[Lorraine's a teenager, crying at the kitchen table as her mom rubs her back.
"What happened?"
"Ron--" She wipes her tears away.
"What did he do?"
Cut to her with Ron in the bedroom.
"Angel, how much for a dance?"
"Ew, come on, don't make that a thing," she laughs, coming over to kiss him.
"It's hot." He whips out some cash and slips it into her top.
She pulls it out, "come on, you're my boyfriend, not my client. That's not sexy to me."
"It is to me." He whispers, running his hand up her thigh with another bill.
She gets up. "Not cool, Ron."
"So what, you can strip for the world but not your boyfriend? That's fucked up. I stayed for everything, I'm done."
"Are you serious right now?"
"Hell yeah, I'm serious. I'm done. My family's been saying you were trash this whole time and I can finally get why they said that. I'll find another girl in a fucking hour. Watch me." He picks up his phone and texts another girl.
"Ronny, stop it!"
Cut to her at the table.
"Please tell me you left then." Her mom begs.
"Yeah, that's when I left." Lorraine nods, lying.
Cut to Ron's house, they're both yelling over each other. Lorraine's saying something along the lines as "Almost three years?? None of this matters? All the shit your family put me through and I've never stopped. I care about you, don't shut me out!" but it's hard to hear her over his voice shouting "Do you ever stop talking? Listen to me. This was never serious for me. You really think I'd settle down with someone-" The girl walks in and they stop yelling. He kisses the other girl and Lorraine runs out.
-----
Lorraine's at her mom's table. Time passed, but she's still in tears.
"What happened with Kenny?"
"We broke up," she sniffles.
"What? Last week you said he proposed? What happened?"
Cut to Lorraine coming home in the morning, wiping the makeup off her face with a wipe. She drops her heels by the door.
"Baby, I'm home."
No response. She climbs the stairs to their bedroom only to find Kenny in the throws of passion with Angelina from the church.
"Angelina? She was so nice!" Her mom exclaims.
"No, she's not." Lorraine sobs.
Cut back to the scene.
Lorraine's in shock. He looks over at her and the couple in bed get off of each other.
"You're back early." He says, a little too casual.
"What the fuck????" She shouts, tears already coming out of her eyes.
Instead of remorse, he seems upset.
"Can you not take the moral high-ground right now? You're literally wearing lingerie right now after dancing on a stranger."
"That's a job, why- why are you doing this? You said you wanted to marry me. Last week." She thinks she sounds calm, but she's clearly hysterical.
"Things changed." He shrugs, "I was at the sermon today while you were getting ready to go to the club and they said something that hit home. Love shouldn't feel like I'm settling. It shouldn't feel like knowing your future wife is naked and drunk in a room full of strangers. It should feel natural. It should make sense. Angelina was right in front of me this whole time and... I love her. So if you hate me, fine. But you were the one who taught me how important that was."
Cut to her at the table.
"And that's when you left?"
"Yeah, I came right home." She nods, lying. Cut to the scene, she's crying and yelling at him, he's yelling over her too. "How could you do this to me? Did you want me to walk in on you two? This was malicious, Kenny! You're supposed to love me. You hardly even know her" Her voice is drowned out by his words "If you're so mad, you can go! Angelina's the one I'm picking. Honestly, I'm sorry it took me this long to figure it out, but this is the reason. Look at yourself right now." The two keep at it for a minute or so, Lorraine's breaking down more and more and Kenny's yelling more and more until Angelina slips on a robe and walks Lorraine out. "I'm sorry you found out this way. I'll talk to him. You know how he gets." After that Lorraine runs off.
---
Lorraine's at the table. Same deal, tears, mom, back rub.
"What happened, Lo..." Her mom says, clearly not ready to hear the story.
"Mark- he..." She starts.
Cut to Mark and Lorraine in their home. She comes in from the club exhausted and drops the money bag on the living room floor and collapses on the couch. Mark comes out of their bedroom.
"You're late."
"I know, we had a hold up at the thing." She pouts, rolling over so her voice won't be muffled into the couch.
"The thing?"
"The club, Kevin called everyone down for an emergency meeting when we closed this morning. He's building something called a Dream Room and started talking about tablets for the Displaced but for locals. I don't know, it sounded stupid."
"Are you lying to me? You come home the same time every time."
"I told you there was a meeting." She props herself up, "Mark, trust me please. You're the only man in my life."
"I called you. Like 27 times. Something could have happened. I was worried."
"I'm sorry I made you worry." She gets off the couch and goes to hug him but he pushes her away.
"Where's your phone?"He asks, clearly working himself into a tizzy.
"In my bag, why? I didn't hear your calls, I guess the ringer was off."
He goes to the bag and dumps it out.
"Mark! What are you doing?!" She cries out.
"I can't trust you." He says, "Where is it?" He says, this time with considerably more anger in his voice. It wasn't in the bag.
Cut to the kitchen table.
"Please tell me you walked out then." Her mom pleads with her.
"Yeah of course I did." She pouts, nodding, lying. Cut to the house again.
"I don't see it, I guess I left it in the locker. Stop this, you're scaring me" she pleads, "I didn't do anything." Nervous tears well in her eyes.
He takes her by the arm and leads them outside, bringing them to the car. "Get in," he says, his voice was like that of a stranger. No love or trust present. He's livid, he just wants his proof. She gets into the car, for the first time afraid of him. He speeds to the club and parks in front, coming around to get her, again taking her by the arm. She leads them inside and goes to her locker then gets out the phone, handing it to him.
"There" she cries, he's a lunatic, she sees that now.
His face falls, guilt fills his face as he realizes she was telling the truth. He lost it. His grip loosens and she yanks her arm away.
"I can't do this anymore, Mark. You don't trust me at all. The phone calls, the drive-bys, the questions every day. This isn't how it's supposed to be. I'm going to my mom's. I can't be with you anymore."
Cut back to the table. Her mom shakes her head, this is too much.
"And all this came out of nowhere?"
"No, he's always been clingy. He'd always get anxious and call, or text, or drive by... but I didn't think anything of it. He's always been really honest about his jealousy with me."
Her mom holds Lorraine's head in her hands.
"Look, you've had your share of bad boyfriends, but if someone starts checking up on you you leave. End of story. This could have ended really bad for you. I can't lose you."
"I'm sorry." She buries her face into her mom and cries some more.
---
Lorraine's at the table alone, crying. Her mom walks in.
"Lorraine... please tell me this isn't about Josh."
"It is. We broke up."
Her mom takes a deep breath and sits next to her, assuming her usual position.
"Okay, tell me what happened."
"Well, you know he's been depressed for a while. That's why I left the first time, but he's been getting better. We both have. But to tell you the story fully, you have to know, the first time I left wasn't just because we both needed space. He was drinking a lot and getting really angry because of his depression and the people at his country club got in his head."
Cut to Josh and Lorraine. His writing room is a mess, bottles of alcohol line the floor. The two are arguing over his drinking habits.
"Josh, talk to me. Please. Don't shut me out. What's the issue?"
He's shouting already, "You want to know what my issue is? You. You're my issue. All you do is take. One year and I haven't finished one book. All I've done is get drunk with you and pay your bills! You're the only one winning here! You're the only one getting anything! Look at me. I've gained weight, I can't go a fucking day without a drink and you don't bat an eyelash because it all suits you fine."
"Josh, I-" Before she can finish her thought he starts up again.
"No, I'm sick and tired of it. You know, I went to the country club the other day. They were talking about you. You see, I'd say it was a coincidence if it was one other man, but it was three other men. Three multi-millionaires all sitting there talking about how you dated them, promised them the world, and yet nobody knows where you are now. So what am I, another cash cow? Did you look me up and track me down?"
"That's not how it happened with them!" She yells back.
"And you pursued me. For weeks. You kept trying and you were all too eager to move in. All too eager to say yes when I offered to help with the bills. You quit your job the next day."
"Those other guys never paid for anything for me. You didn't either, I thought you were broke for two years. Remember???"
"So I guess I'm the first sucker?"
"You already know that's not true. I supported you while you wrote, I worked 2 jobs and I didn't mind. I love you, Josh, and if all your money disappeared today, I'd still be here."
"So you just want to sit around cleaning up after a pudgy drunk failed writer for the rest of your life?"
"You can't seriously see yourself that way. You're the most brilliant man I ever met. That's why I fell in love with you. But if you think this is about money, stop paying. I'll call Kevin and get my job back."
"I think it's for the best." He says, pouring himself another glass of alcohol. "I've got writing to do." He takes a swig, "Maybe you should stay with your mom a while while we figure things out."
Cut to the kitchen.
"And so I did, he needed the space... I think we both did. But you know I was still visiting him every day. I thought we were going to make it. Love was always enough for us before. But last week I came in and he wasn't angry or drunk or anything. I felt like I was getting my old Josh back. I was so wrong."
Cut to his place again. It's clean, he's well dressed. His book is finished.
"Baby, what's the occasion?" Lorraine says in a sing-songy voice as she sweeps across the room and kisses him.
"I finished the book."
She's shocked, excited, as if it were her own book. "Can I read it?!"
He hands her a copy. "I don't think you'll like the ending. Just, finish it first before you come back."
Cut to the kitchen.
"He wrote us into the book. At the end of the book he leaves my character for his high school sweetheart. So when I finished it I went to his place, I went to ask him what it's about. But she answered the door." Lorraine sobs. "What if I really was the reason he kept drinking? He's so much better now." She snorts a sniffle and her mom hugs her while she ugly cries into her shirt.
-----
Lorraine, kitchen table, cry, mom, pat.
Cut to Curtis at the strip club shouting at her, tossing his money at her face.
------
Lo, table, kitchen, cry, mom hug.
"Baby no. Not again. Four years??? No."
She nods crying. "He-" Cut to Vince telling her she can't go to the college his family owns for free anymore because they don't like her. Cut to her quitting the job at the club. Cut to her living the domestic life with Vince at his home. Cut to her sitting down with him at dinner.
"So, Vince, I don't know if you're thinking what I'm thinking, but... I could do this forever. Just you and me.... together."
He winces, "I love you, Lorraine. I really do... but you're my girlfriend. Not like a wife girlfriend. Like a hot girl. One to go on vacations with, one to fuck around, try every crazy thing I ever wanted to do with. Someone to get this shit out of my system with so when I do meet the right woman for me. The right woman... who fits in my family, who doesn't use the wrong fork at a fancy dinner party or recognize my friend's dad from a strip club... I'll be ready to treat her right. This was fun. I wouldn't have actually even thought to get with you if I didn't hear such great things from the other guys at the country club. That's 4 guys who all agreed that you're the perfect starter girl. You've converted drunks, cheaters, you name it. That's a service you should really charge for. I think you'd make a hell of a lot more than your pocket change stripping. And you know what. Consider me another very satisfied customer because I'm ready to settle down. Thank you."
Cut to her again at the table, ugly sobbing into her mom.
---
Lorraine's at the table, sitting with Alfie
.
"Mom.... We have something to tell you... we broke up." She says.
Her mom ugly cries into her shirt.
---
Lorraine's at the table looking numb.
"So, how's Mr. Stark."
And then she burst into tears.
"Mommy, after everything."
"Oh no."
Clips of her getting chased by the Hulk, waiting for Tony for days in the patrol room to make sure he comes back safe from DC, trying to pick Tony up at the party, dangling from the air as he flies with her "no hands" style, getting ditched the next day at the party, sitting at his desk filing months worth of paperwork, bringing him food, taking him in, cleaning up after his fights with Cap, cleaning up after the rent party, him brushing by her at the door without even saying goodbye, getting saved from the mall fire by his drone, going to "encourage" him at his last job, him asking her to run away with him at the bar, and finally this entire scene.
"And so now you're done with him, right? No more Tony?"
She nods, "yeah, I'm done with him."
Cut to this]