DAYTIME INTERIOR - HANNAH'S BEDROOM
HANNAH: Don't want you to go back to Japan, Miko. I don't know what I'm going to do without you.
Miko puts down her homework and sits up on the bed
MIKO: I don't want to go, Hannah. I think ... I think I love you.
MIKO and HANNAH kiss - hesitantly at first, but with growing passion.
FADE
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"No! No, no, no, no, no!"
The two schoolgirls broke apart from their rather uncomfortable kiss.
"What does the script say?"
Todd gestured at the clipboard in his hand. Hearing no answer from the actresses, he continued.
"Miko and Hannah kiss with growing passion. Passion. The clue is in the word. I want to see passion, not some lame mommy-kiss."
Todd settled down on a fluffy bean-bag in the corner of the film set.
"This is the moment where the film changes. We've gone through the emotional trauma, the separation, the friendship, the trust. Now you're being ripped apart, and in one final throw of the dice, you guys have a night of passion. Sex, right? Well, we think it's sex. We have this kiss - this passionate kiss - then it's lights down, fade out, next scene the airport and it all goes nuke. OK, so we're not making porn, no groaning and groping, but - you know - we need to put sex on the screen for the punters and hope the censors don't notice. So you need to be sexy. You can be sexy, right? I don't have to recast?"
Ellie and Kai looked at each other nervously.
"Sure, we can be sexy," Kai said, "it's kind of hard coming at it like this..."
"It's been a long day," Ellie added, "I dunno about Kai, but I'm kinda bushed."
Todd grimaced.
"I suppose you have a point. OK, listen up. I'll clear the set. You guys spend a bit of time talking about how you're going to conjure up this magic passion of yours, we'll see you in the morning. Minimum crew. Bit of heat. And we'll finish up with this scene."
He stood and turned to the studio.
"OK everyone. We're done for the day. Becky, we need to talk about tomorrow's schedule."
Todd strode off into the darkness, leaving Ellie and Kai sitting in the teenager's bedroom, dressed in their schoolgirl uniforms of blue and red plaid skirts, thick white stockings and white blouses. One-by-one the lights grew dim, the studio grew quiet. Ellie leaned over to the bedside light and clicked it on.
"I can't believe it, I used to have a room just like this when I was fifteen."
"Me too," Kai added. "I guess all American girls do."
They looked around the set, taking in the details, the posters of singers and models.
"It's a bit cotton candy," Kai ventured, "bright pink and ... that green. I hope I was a bit more tasteful. I did wear my hair in bunches though. And I bet you were all blonde pigtails and lip-gloss"
"I was very girlie," Ellie admitted, "a real girl's girl. And the pigtails are cute!"
She flicked her blonde pigtails in Kai's direction, then caught the girl's glance.
"Oh, not like that. Not like this, I mean, not a girls-girl into girls."
Kai laughed.
"I was, a bit. I had a crush on a girl. We didn't really have a thing, not like this. But there were a couple of moments."
"So you can do passion - with a girl?" Ellie asked.
Kai looked down at her feet.
"Yeah, I know how that feels."
Ellie sat up on the bed, pulling her long legs towards her, her schoolgirl skirt dropping down, exposing her thighs above her white stockings.
"Did you, like, do it? Have sex?"
Kai laughed, embarrassed.
"God no, not sex. We stayed over a few times, one time I thought something was going to happen."
"What did you do?"
"Nothing, just ignored it. We kind of drifted apart after that."
Ellie pouted.
"That's kinda sad, really."
"Yeah, it was. I could have gotten involved, but, you know - one thing and another, it never happened. This was when we were back in Japan. She was really cute, this all-American girl hanging out with this American-Japanese schoolgirl."
"What happened after?"
"My parents decided to move back to Ohio. Didn't see her again."
"At least you know what it's like to fancy a girl."
Ellie laughed nervously to cover the moment.
"This kiss. How are we going to make it happen?"
Kai looked at the script.
"It says 'passion', right, so what's a passionate kiss?"
Ellie thought for a moment.
"Open mouth, right? It's not like - mwah, mwah - tongues?"
Kai made a face.
"I guess. Not at first, right. First it's a friend kiss, but it hangs around a bit long, and then we get the passion."
"And the lights go down, and we go at it!"
Kai breathed out.
"Mom'll go crazy if she sees it. I'm not telling her, and they're back in Japan now anyway. I'll edit the DVD for her."
Ellie shrugged.
"It's a living, right? It's not porn, and we're both over eighteen."
"Dressed as if we're fourteen though."
"True. Kai, do you remember how Todd wanted us on the bed?"
The Japanese girl looked at the bed.
"I'm there, I'm holding homework. You're just looking at me. He said, oh yes, hit me with the pillow, and we'll tussle a little, then lines and kiss."
"With passion."
Kai sat up at the head of the bed, holding a book, her legs tucked up beneath her. She flicked through the pages.
"I'm reading, reading, reading, reading."
Ellie sat near her friend, on the edge of the bed.
"I'm a bit sulky, bit sad. I pick up the pillow, bat you with it a bit."
She took up the pillow and threw it at Kai, sending her book flying.
"Probably not that much..."
Ellie shrugged.
"I'm being passionate, right?"
Kai laughed.
"OK".
The Japanese teenager poked Ellie with her foot. Ellie grabbed it, and pulled it towards her. Kai slipped down the bed, her skirt riding up high, exposing her panties, the white a startling contrast against her darker skin.
"Too much! Todd'll have a fit!"
"Todd'll get a rocket on."
The girls laughed in their embarrassment. Kai pulled on her skirt to cover her panties.
"OK, you pull my leg, and try not to pull down my stockings or show the world my muff, and I sit up."
Kai sat up, her right leg curling around Ellie's body.
"We've very close, aren't we?"
"I think that's the idea. What's your line?"
"It's you first."
Ellie grinned.
"OK, yeah. Don't want you to go back to Japan, Miko. I don't know what I'm going to do without you."
"I don't want to go, Hannah. I think ... I think I love you."
"And now we kiss," Ellie said.
"Passionately," added Kai.
Ellie turned towards Kai, wrapping her arms around the Japanese girl, pulling her towards her. Their noses bumped briefly. Kai giggled.
"I like the nose rubbing, we can start like that."
The two girls leant towards each other, rubbing their noses softly, feeling each others breath on their face, gazing into each others eyes.