Opening Scene

EXT. STREET – DAY

Late afternoon, on a fall day in October, JOSE and DANIEL are walking down the middle of a quiet suburban street: there are houses, lawns, and parked cars. The setting is generic and forgettable. There are no cars driving down the street.

Both José and Daniel are wearing backpacks and casual clothes. They appear to be coming from school. Daniel's gate is slow and confident – a saunter. José is awkward and quicker than Daniel's, so he is usually a step or two ahead of his friend.

There is no music, but the street is not silent - we hear the WHITE NOISE of a city: distant traffic, muffled animal calls, faint voices.

JOSE
(nervous)
So did you get the, uh, the stuff?

Daniel doesn't answer immediately, not out of rudeness, but because he answers questions in the leisurely way he does everything – slowly and calmly. José is clearly more high-strung than his friend and always speaks quickly after Daniel.

DANIEL
(nonchalantly)
Yeah, yeah.

JOSE
Are you sure it's good stuff?