THE FIRE WITHIN

THE BIG FIGHT.

MEDELA, now an 18 -year-old girl, is walking in the hallway with her best friend, JOVITA, a cheerful and outgoing girl. They are chatting and laughing, oblivious to the stares and whispers of their classmates.

JOVITA: So, what are you going to wear to the party tonight?

MEDELA: I don't know. Maybe that blue dress you gave me for my birthday.

JOVITA: Oh, yes! That would look great on you. You have such a nice figure, you know. You should show it off more.

MEDELA: (blushes) Thanks, Jovi. You're too kind.

JOVITA: No, I'm serious. You're beautiful, Medela. And smart. And funny. And sweet. You're the whole package. You could have any guy you want.

MEDELA: (shakes her head) No, I couldn't. You know I'm not interested in dating.

JOVITA: Why not? You're not still hung up on your dad, are you?

MEDELA: (looks away) No, of course not. I don't care about him. He abandoned me. He doesn't deserve my love.

JOVITA: (sighs) Medela, you can't keep holding on to that anger. It's not healthy. You have to let go of the past and move on with your life.

MEDELA: I have moved on, Jovi. I have you. You're my family. You're the only person who ever cared about me.

JOVITA: (smiles) Aw, Medela. You're so sweet. I love you too, you know. You're my best friend. But you need more than me. You need to open up to other people. You need to have some fun. You need to live a little.

MEDELA: (rolls her eyes) What do you mean, live a little? I'm living just fine.

JOVITA: No, you're not. You're surviving. You're not really living. You're not really happy.

MEDELA: (frowns) How do you know that? How do you know what makes me happy?

JOVITA: (grabs her hand) Trust me, Medela. I know you better than anyone. And I know what you need. You need to come to the party tonight. You need to meet some new people. You need to have some fun. You need to forget about your dad and your mom and your fire and your scars and your pain. You need to be a normal teenager for once.

MEDELA: (hesitates) I don't know, Jovi. I'm not sure if I'm ready for that.

JOVITA: (pulls her closer) Come on, Medela. Please. For me. For yourself. Just give it a try. What do you have to lose?

MEDELA: (looks into her eyes) Well...

JOVITA: (smiles) Well?

MEDELA: (smiles back) Okay. Okay, fine. I'll go to the party with you.

JOVITA: (squeals) Yay! You won't regret it, Medela. I promise. It's going to be the best night of your life.

They hug each other, then walk out of the school, unaware of the dark shadow that is following them.

INT. PARTY - NIGHT

MEDELA and JOVITA are sitting on the floor in a circle with a bunch of other TEENS, playing truth or dare. A bottle is spinning in the middle, and it stops at MEDELA.

Esther: Ooh, Medela, you're up. Truth or dare?

MEDELA: (nervously) Um, dare?

Esther: (grins) Okay, I dare you to... kiss Jovita's boyfriend!

The other TEENS cheer and whistle, while JOVITA and her BOYFRIEND look shocked and angry. MEDELA looks scared and guilty.

MEDELA: (stammers) What? No, I can't do that. That's not fair.

Esther: Come on, Medela. It's just a game. It's just a kiss. Don't be a chicken.

peter: Yeah, Medela. Don't be a chicken. Do it. Do it. Do it.

The other TEENS join in the chant, pressuring MEDELA to do the dare. MEDELA looks at JOVITA, hoping for her support, but JOVITA glares at her with betrayal and hurt.

JOVITA: (coldly) Go ahead, Medela. Do it. Kiss my boyfriend. See if I care.

MEDELA: (pleads) Jovi, please. Don't be like that. You know I don't want to do this. You know I would never hurt you.

JOVITA: (snorts) Yeah, right. You're such a liar. You're such a fake. You're such a backstabber.

MEDELA: (cries) No, Jovi. No, I'm not. You're my best friend. You're my family. I love you.

JOVITA: (shouts) Then prove it! Don't do the dare! Don't kiss my boyfriend!

MEDELA: (sobs) But they won't let me. They'll make fun of me. They'll hate me.

JOVITA: (scoffs) Who cares what they think? They're not your friends. They're not your family. They don't love you.

MEDELA: (whispers) But you do, right? You do love me, right?

JOVITA: (pauses, then sighs) Of course I do, Medela. Of course I love you. But you have to choose. You have to choose between me and them. You have to choose between our friendship and this stupid game.

MEDELA: (looks at her, then at the BOYFRIEND, then at the TEENS.

( the whole crowd kept on yelling her name so she had no other option than to kiss him. jovita got really upset and she left the party).

MEDELA'S BEDROOM - (NIGHT)

MEDELA is lying on her bed, holding her phone to her ear, trying to call JOVITA. She looks desperate and lonely.

MEDELA: (voice-over) Come on, Jovi. Please pick up. Please talk to me. Please forgive me.

The phone rings several times, then goes to voicemail.

JOVITA: (voice-over) Hi, this is Jovita. I'm not available right now, so leave a message and I'll get back to you. Maybe.

MEDELA: (voice-over) Jovi, it's me. Medela. I know you're probably still mad at me, and I don't blame you. I did a terrible thing. I kissed your boyfriend. I betrayed your trust. I ruined our friendship. And I'm so sorry. I'm so, so sorry.

She pauses, then continues.

MEDELA: (voice-over) But Jovi, please. Please don't shut me out. Please don't ignore me. Please don't hate me. You're my best friend. You're my family. You're the only person who ever cared about me. You're the only person who ever loved me.

She starts to cry.

MEDELA: (voice-over) Jovi, I need you. I need you more than ever. I'm so alone, Jovi. I'm so alone. My dad is gone. He left me. He doesn't want me. He doesn't love me.

before she could say another word jovita picked up the call.

MEDELA: (voice-over) Jovi, they're not lies. They're the truth. I made a mistake. A big mistake. A terrible mistake. But it was just a mistake. It didn't mean anything. It was just a stupid game. A stupid dare. A stupid kiss.

JOVITA: (frowns) A stupid kiss? Is that what you call it? A stupid kiss? Do you have any idea how much that kiss hurt me? Do you have any idea how much that kiss broke me? Do you have any idea how much that kiss betrayed me?

MEDELA: (voice-over) Jovi, I do. I do have an idea. I know how you feel. I know how much you loved him. I know how much you trusted me. I know how much you valued our friendship.

JOVITA: (snorts) No, you don't. You don't know anything. You don't know what love is. You don't know what trust is. You don't know what friendship is. You don't know what loyalty is. You don't know what respect is. You don't know what anything is.

MEDELA: (voice-over) Jovi, that's not true. That's not fair. You're being harsh. You're being cruel. You're being unreasonable.

JOVITA: (shouts) Unreasonable? Unreasonable? I'm being unreasonable? You're the one who's being unreasonable. You're the one who's being selfish. You're the one who's being disloyal. You're the one who's being disrespectful. You're the one who's being unforgivable.

MEDELA: (voice-over) Jovi, please. Please don't say that. Please don't mean that. Please don't do this. Please don't end this. Please don't throw away our friendship. Please don't throw away our family.

JOVITA: (pauses, then sighs) Medela, listen. I'm sorry. I'm sorry for yelling at you. I'm sorry for hurting you. I'm sorry for being mean to you. But I can't help it. I can't help how I feel. I can't help what I think. I can't help what I want.

MEDELA: (voice-over) What do you want, Jovi? What do you want from me?

JOVITA: (softly) I want you to leave me alone, Medela. I want you to stop calling me. I want you to stop texting me. I want you to stop emailing me. I want you to stop bothering me. I want you to stop pretending that we're still friends. I want you to stop pretending that we're still family. I want you to stop pretending that you still love me.

MEDELA: (voice-over) Jovi, no. No, you don't. You don't want that. You don't mean that. You don't really want me to leave you alone. You don't really want me to stop calling you. You don't really want me to stop texting you. You don't really want me to stop emailing you. You don't really want me to stop bothering you. You don't really want me to stop pretending that we're still friends. You don't really want me to stop pretending that we're still family. You don't really want me to stop pretending that I still love you.

JOVITA: (firmly) Yes, I do. Yes, I do. Yes, I do. Yes, I do. Yes, I do. Yes, I do. Yes, I do. Yes, I do. Yes, I do. Yes, I do. Yes, I do. Yes, I do. Yes, I do. Yes, I do.

MEDELA: (voice-over) Jovi, why? Why are you doing this? Why are you pushing me away? Why are you cutting me off? Why are you breaking my heart?

JOVITA: (sadly) Because you broke mine, Medela. Because you broke mine.

She hangs up the phone, then turns off the TV, then lies down on the couch, then closes her eyes, then cries herself to sleep.

the net day INT. SCHOOL - DAY

MEDELA is walking in the hallway, looking for JOVITA. She sees her at her locker, surrounded by her friends. She approaches her, hoping to talk to her.

MEDELA: (nervously) Jovi, hey. Can I talk to you for a minute?

JOVITA: (coldly) No, you can't.

MEDELA: (pleads) Jovi, please. Please don't ignore me. Please don't hate me. Please give me a chance to explain.

JOVITA: (snorts) Explain what? How you kissed my boyfriend? How you betrayed my trust? How you ruined our friendship?

MEDELA: (sobs) Jovi, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. It was a mistake. A stupid mistake. I didn't mean to hurt you. I didn't mean to lose you.

JOVITA: (shakes her head) Save it, Medela. I don't want to hear it. I don't want to see you. I don't want to know you. You're dead to me.

MEDELA: (cries) Jovi, no. No, don't say that. Don't do that. You're my best friend. You're my family. You're the only person who ever loved me.

JOVITA: (shouts) Well, I don't love you anymore. I don't love you at all. You're nothing to me. You're worse than nothing. You're a traitor. You're a liar. You're a b***h.

She slams her locker and walks away, leaving MEDELA alone and heartbroken. MEDELA looks around and sees HENRY, JOVITA's boyfriend, standing nearby. She runs to him, hoping for his help.

MEDELA: (desperately) Henry, Henry, please. Please help me. Please talk to Jovi. Please tell her I'm sorry. Please tell her I love her. Please tell her I want her back.

HENRY: (disgusted) Get away from me, Medela. Don't touch me. Don't talk to me. Don't beg me. You're pathetic. You're disgusting. You're a slut.

MEDELA: (stammers) Henry, what? What are you saying? Why are you being so mean?

HENRY: (angrily) Why am I being so mean? Are you kidding me? You kissed me, Medela. You kissed me in front of everyone. You kissed me in front of Jovi. You kissed me behind her back. You kissed me when you knew that you could just decline.

MEDELA: ( feeling sad)Henry are you really saying this, we all knew that it was just a game there is no need to be so realistic about it, I only did it because I didn't want them to laugh at me

HENRY: well you have learned your lesson today next time you value your friendship with jovita.

MEDELA: please just help me talk to her, I'm so sorry for my inappropriate action, that now I regret everything and I'm really sorry and ready to become a better friend to her.

HENRY: you know what med!, just give her time she would get over it I'm sure of that.

Few hours later school was already over, med had gone home to her house, she was seen in her room holding a picture of her mom crying and talking to her.

Medela sat on her bed, clutching a picture of her mom. She traced the outline of her mom's face with her finger, feeling the tears well up in her eyes. She wished she could hear her mom's voice again, telling her stories and singing her lullabies. She wished she could hug her mom again, feeling her warmth and love.

But her mom was gone. She had died in a fire that had destroyed their home. Medela had barely escaped with her life, but she had lost everything else. Her mom, her toys, her clothes, her memories.

And her dad. He had left them long before the fire. He had said he was going to find a better job, a better life. He had promised to come back for them, but he never did. He never called, he never wrote, he never cared. He had abandoned them, just like everyone else.

Medela felt alone in the world. She had no family, no friends, no home. She lived in a foster home, where she shared a room with three other girls who didn't like her. They teased her, they bullied her, they stole her things. They called her names, like "orphan", "freak", "loser".

Medela hated them. She hated her dad. She hated the fire. She hated life.

She looked at the picture of her mom again, and whispered, "Mom, why did you leave me? Why did you have to die? Why did life have to be so unfair to us? I miss you so much, Mom. I love you so much. Please, come back to me. Please, make everything better. Please, Mom. Please."

Medela sobbed into her pillow, holding the picture of her mom close to her chest. She wished she could talk to her mom, tell her everything that had happened. She wished her mom could comfort her, advise her, console her.

But her mom was silent. She was only a picture, a reminder of what Medela had lost.

Medela felt a surge of anger and frustration. She threw the picture across the room, making it land on the floor with a thud. She screamed, "Mom, why don't you answer me? Why don't you help me? Why don't you care?"

She regretted her words as soon as she said them. She knew her mom cared. She knew her mom loved her. She knew her mom was gone.

She got up from her bed, and ran to pick up the picture. She cradled it in her hands, and apologized, "Mom, I'm sorry. I didn't mean it. I'm just so upset. I'm just so hurt. I'm just so alone."

She looked at her mom's smiling face, and felt a pang of guilt. She had done something wrong. She had betrayed her best friend. She had kissed her boyfriend.

It was a stupid game. A dare. A challenge. A mistake. She didn't like him. She didn't want him. She only wanted to have some fun. To forget her pain. To feel something.

But she had hurt her friend. Her only friend. Jovita. The one who had been there for her. The one who had understood her. The one who had accepted her.

Medela had tried to explain. To apologize. To make things right. But Jovita wouldn't listen. She wouldn't talk. She wouldn't forgive.

She hated Medela. She hated her boyfriend. She hated the game. She hated life.

Medela wished she could take it back. She wished she could undo it. She wished she could fix it.

But she couldn't. She had ruined everything. She had lost everything.

She cried bitterly, and wished that the day would come to an end. She wished that she could sleep and never wake up. She wished that she could join her mom in heaven. She wished that she could be happy again.

she wanted to be happy again, but nothing seemed to be working out for her, all her friends despised her because of her silly mistake. she just wanted to be free and live a normal life like everyother person, she felt like she was carrying a burden upon herself.

Medela stared at the phone in her hand, feeling a surge of anger and pain. She had finally tracked down the number of her father, the man who had abandoned her and her mother when she was just a little girl. The man who had never called, never visited, never cared. The man who had left them to fend for themselves in a cruel world.

She had so many things to say to him, so many questions to ask. But most of all, she wanted to tell him how much she hated him. How much he had hurt her, How much he had made her cry.

She pressed the call button and waited for the ringing to stop. She hoped he would answer. She hoped he would recognize her voice. She hoped he would feel something.

"Hello?" A deep, unfamiliar voice answered.

"Dad?" Medela said, her voice trembling.

There was a pause. Then, a gasp.

"Medela? Is that you?"

"Yes, it's me. Do you remember me? Do you remember your daughter?"

"Of course I remember you, Medela. I've thought about you every day. I've missed you so much."

Medela felt a pang of disbelief and disgust. How dare he lie to her? How dare he pretend to care?

"Missed me? You've missed me? You've never called me, never sent me a letter, never showed up at my birthday, never came to see me graduate from elementary school nor high school now I'm in college, you never did anything for me. You've never been a father to me. You've never been anything to me."

"Medela, please, let me explain. I know I've made mistakes. I know I've hurt you and your mother. But I had my reasons. I had to leave. I had to protect you."

"Protect me? From what? From yourself? You're the one who put us in danger.

Medela choked on the last word, feeling a fresh wave of grief. She remembered the night of the fire, the night that changed everything. She remembered the smell of smoke, the sound of sirens, the sight of flames. She remembered her mother's screams, her mother's face, her mother's body. She remembered how she had escaped, but her mother hadn't. She remembered how she had lost everything.

"Medela, I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry about your mom. I loved her, you know. I loved her more than anything. I loved you too. I still do. I wish I could have been there for you. I wish I could have saved her. I wish I could have done things differently."

Medela felt a surge of rage. She hated his apologies, his excuses, his wishes. She hated his voice, his words, his lies. She hated him.

"Sorry? You're sorry? That's all you have to say? After all these years, after all the pain, after all the loss, you're sorry? That's not enough, dad. That's not nearly enough. You can't just say sorry and expect me to forgive you. You can't just call yourself my dad and expect me to love you. You don't deserve my forgiveness. You don't deserve my love. You don't deserve anything."

"Medela, please, don't say that. Don't hate me. I know I've failed you, but I'm still your father. I'm still your family. You're still my daughter. You're still my family. We still have each other. We can still start over. We can still be happy."

Medela felt a bitter laugh escape her lips. He was delusional. He was pathetic. He was hopeless.

"Happy? You think we can be happy? You think we can start over? You think we have each other? We have nothing, dad. Nothing. You've ruined everything. You've ruined my life. You've ruined mom's life. You've ruined Jovita's life."

Medela thought of her best friend, Jovita. The only person who had been there for her after the fire. The only person who had understood her, supported her, loved her. The only person who had made her smile, laugh, hope. The only person who had made her happy.

But she had lost her too. She had lost her because of her own stupid mistake. She had lost her because of her own selfish desire.

She remembered the day she had kissed her boyfriend , the day she had ruined their friendship. She remembered Jovita's shock, Jovita's anger, Jovita's rejection. She remembered how Jovita had pushed her away, how Jovita had slapped her, how Jovita had called her a freak. She remembered how Jovita had walked out of her life, how Jovita had never looked back, how Jovita had never spoken to her again.

She remembered how she had cried, how she had begged, how she had apologized. She remembered how she had tried to fix things, how she had tried to make up, how she had tried to get her back. She remembered how she had failed, how she had been ignored, how she had been hated.

She remembered how she had been alone, how she had been broken, how she had been hopeless.

"Jovita? What do you mean, Jovita? What did you do to her?"

Medela heard the confusion and concern in her father's voice. She felt a pang of regret. She wished she hadn't mentioned Jovita. She wished she hadn't brought her into this. She wished she could protect her from him.

But it was too late. She had already said too much. She had already exposed her secret. She had already opened her wound.

"Jovita was my best friend. She was my only friend. She was more than a friend. But I lost her. I lost her because of you. I lost her because of me. I lost her because I was stupid. I was stupid enough to have kissed her boyfriend . She hated me. She hated me for being different. She hated me for being a bad friend.

Medela felt a sob escape her throat. She felt the tears stream down her face. She felt the pain in her chest. She felt the emptiness in her soul.

She waited for her father's response. She waited for his judgment. She waited for his rejection.

But there was none. There was only silence. A long, deafening silence.

Medela wondered what he was thinking. She wondered what he was feeling. She wondered if he was still there.

She checked the phone. The call was still on. He was still listening.

She decided to end it. She decided to end everything.

She took a deep breath and said the final words.

"I hate you, dad. I hate you more than anything. I hate you more than life itself. I wish you were dead. I wish I was dead. Goodbye."

She hung up the phone and threw it across the room. She collapsed on the bed and buried her face in the pillow. She screamed and cried and wished for the end.

She didn't hear the phone ring again. She didn't hear her father's voice. She didn't hear his apology. She didn't hear his love.

She didn't hear anything at all.