A. B. VEE.

Written by

Tina Duong
FADE IN:

INT. HIGH SCHOOL - AUDITORIUM - NIGHT

SUPER: “FALL 2010.”

The stage displays a “RYDELL HIGH” sign in front of a vintage

painted backdrop.

High schoolers dressed in 1950s attire are scattered all over

the stage.

Front and center is VINH “VEE” NGUYEN (17) singing along to

the chorus with the CAST. She’s smiling widely, giving it her
all.

A man barges in. He’s fuming. The actors get slightly

distracted. Vee locks eyes with him. This is DANH (40s).

The drama teacher MRS. ALLEN (50s) looks back at him and
towards Vee.

The song finishes. The stage goes black. Mrs. Allen quickly
rushes to the stage and takes the mic.

MRS. ALLEN
Alright! We’ll be, erm, taking a
quick intermission!

Vee rushes out from back stage. Danh stares her down.

DANH
You said you’d be done at 9.

VEE
It’s running later than I thought!
We’re almost done, Ba.

DANH
(in Vietnamese; subtitles)
I don’t care. We’re going right
now. It’s night and I left your mom
closing alone in the store.

Audience and cast members glance at them nervously. Vee is

embarrassed, but Danh could care less.

VEE
(hushed tone)
I can’t just leave in the middle of
the show!
 2.

DANH
(full volume)
I don’t care about whatever this
is! We’re going now!

VEE
I can get a ride from someone after
the show!

DANH
(in Vietnamese; subtitles)
You said this was a school thing
and you’re just here playing with
your friends!

VEE
We’re not playing! It’s a PLAY.

Danh is about to snap. Vee cowers slightly.

DANH
I’m going to start the car, and if
I don’t see you there in ten
minutes, I will come back in and we
are going.

Danh storms out of the auditorium. Vee looks in the direction

of her cast mates all poking their heads out from behind the
curtains.

Vee walks over to them.

BACK STAGE

The cast stares at her expectingly. Vee continues to look

down while gathering her things.

MRS. ALLEN
Is everything okay?

VEE
I can’t finish the show. I’m so
sorry, you guys.

The cast cries out in protest and confusion.

MRS. ALLEN
The play will be fine, Jenna’s your
understudy.

JENNA (17) does a too energetic fist pump.

 3.

JENNA
Yes! Alright, Jenna your time has
finally come.

VEE
Here.

Vee takes off her Pink Ladies jacket and hands it to Jenna.

VEE (CONT'D)
You’re gonna do great, Jenna. Break
a leg.

Jenna eagerly slips it on.

JENNA
Thanks Vee!

MRS. ALLEN
What’s going on here, Vee?

All eyes are on her. This is her chance. Vee begins to tear
up.

VEE
We just had, um, a family emergency
come up.
(voice cracking)
I can’t talk about it. I’ve gotta
go, I’m so sorry for everything!

Vee runs out from the curtains.

EXT. HIGH SCHOOL - NIGHT

Vee wipes her staged tears and clears her throat. Her
expression is stoic as she approaches the car.

EXT. NGUYEN’S NAIL SALON - NIGHT

The two file out of the car in silence. Danh holds in a

silent anger and Vee’s response is silent defiance.

Danh throws the door open and the BELL RINGS.

INT. NGUYEN'S NAIL SALON - NIGHT

Rows and rows of brightly colored nail polishes line the

shelves on the wall behind a check-out counter.

A Buddhist shrine sits beside it.

 4.

Cushy chairs with basins at the bottom, line the opposite

wall.

The neon open sign is off.

HOANG (40s) looks up startled as she sweeps the floor.

HOANG
You scared me!

Hoang reads the room instantly.

HOANG (CONT'D)
Iah, what’s wrong with you two?

Neither answer. Vee grabs the broom from her hand and begins
to sweep. This is an ever present bomb that Hoang just relit.

DANH
(in Vietnamese; subtitles)
She wasn’t doing school stuff. She
was out this late just playing with
her friends.

VEE
For the last time, I wasn’t
playing! It’s. A. Play.

HOANG
What is that?

VEE
It’s, uh, it’s like a... We sing
and go on stage and, uh, pretend to
be people.

Vee stumbles through her crude translation. Her parents are

unconvinced nonetheless.

HOANG
(in Vietnamese; subtitles)
That just sounds like playing, but
I thought you said this was a
school thing.

VEE
This is a school thing! It looks
good on college applications.

DANH
(in Vietnamese; subtitles)
If you wanted to be on stage and do
something for college you should’ve
learned piano like I said.
 5.

VEE
That’s cliche! Every other Asian
kid plays the piano.

DANH
And all the other Asian kids are
getting into good colleges. What do
you have?

VEE
Why are you acting like I’m a
complete failure?

DANH
(in Vietnamese; subtitles)
You got almost all B’s last year!
And you want to be out here wasting
time on school night? Brandon Le’s
already applied to Harvard! To be a
Lawyer! Tiffany Dao is going to be
a pharmacist! What are you going to
be, huh?

Both Danh and Vee’s faces are heating up with anger.

VEE
I’m still figuring it out! I’m
sorry that I’m not freaking
Tiffany!

DANH
(in Vietnamese; subtitles)
You better watch your tone, you are
talking to your father. If I talked
like that to your grandpa, he
would’ve thrown me out on the
street.

VEE
Oh, I bet you wanna throw me out!

Danh is fuming.

HOANG
Okay, that’s enough. Both of you!

Hoang’s attempts at peacemaking go ignored.

DANH
Do you know how lucky you are?

VEE
How can I forget when you’re
constantly reminding me?!
 6.

DANH
Raise your voice at me one more
time.

VEE
I’m only yelling because you’re
yelling! You won’t listen to me!

Danh bites his tongue and heads for the door. Vee screams,
hot tears threatening to pour over. She slumps down on the
couch. Hoang sits beside her.

VEE (CONT'D)
Why does he do this every time!

HOANG
We just want you to have a good
future, that’s all.

VEE
And does he not trust me to make
that decision myself?

HOANG
It’s just, we both don’t want you
to waste your future.

VEE
And me choosing my own future is a
waste?

Hoang’s lack of response is an answer in itself. Vee

straightens up.

VEE (CONT'D)
I’m gonna start sweeping in the,
uh, backroom.

Hoang sighs and stares back and forth from her husband
smoking outside to Vee in the back. A scene once volatile
seconds ago is now eerily silent. This is routine.

DISSOLVE TO:

INT. VEE’S BEDROOM - NIGHT

Vee enters her room and lays down face-first on the bed.

DANH (O.S.)
You better make sure your homework
is done!
 7.

Vee fumes silently and gets back up. She makes her way
towards her computer.

Fueled by anger and rebellion, she gets an idea.

The light of the screen illuminates over her face as she

smirks with defiance.

The screen reads: “Juilliard”

“Thank you for your application!”

Vee sits back proud. Until what she’s done sinks in.

INT. HIGH SCHOOL - CLASS ROOM - DAY

Paint chipping off the walls, mismatched desks galore, the

ever present smell of Cafeteria grease. Welcome to public
school.

Vee runs up to CATALINA “LINA” KIM (18) and ARYA SAYED (17)
in a frantic scurry.

VEE
(out of breath)
I did it.

ARYA
Did what?

VEE
I applied to Juilliard.

LINA
Oh my gosh! I’m so proud of you!

ARYA
You f-ed up. Your parents are gonna
kill you when they find out.

VEE
Give a good eulogy and please make
sure I’m really dead before you
bury me. That’s the second worst
thing that could happen after my
parents finding out and MURDERING
me.

ARYA
It’ll be tasteful, I promise.

Arya touches her heart sincerely.

 8.

LINA
I don’t get what the big deal is?

The pair look at Lina.

LINA (CONT'D)
(annoyed)
What?

VEE
I mean look at your parents and
then look at mine.

ARYA
Yeah, our parents are straight up
FOBs.

VEE
And your parents are A.B.C’s.
Actually, they’re A.B.K’s, but we
all just say A.B.C. because it’s
easier. Because then it’s like you
have A.B.C., A.B.J., A.B.K. you get
it.

Lina stares at them like they’re speaking a foreign language.

LINA
I...don’t get it. You’re literally
just spelling at me.

ARYA
FOBs? Fresh off the boat. Our
parents are first gen.

LINA
But your parents are A.B.C’s,
American-born Chinese, well A.B.K’s
so American-born Korean
technically. They’re fully
assimilated into America and so are
you.

LINA (CONT'D)
Hey! That doesn’t make me any less
Korean!

ARYA
We’re not saying it does! We’re
just saying that your parents would
have different...ways and values
than ours. Which is why you don’t
see what the big deal is.
 9.

LINA
I’m just trying to say, I think Vee
should be able to make her own
decisions about, I don’t know, HER
own life?

ARYA
(laughs dramatically)
Oh you sweet, silly girl, it
doesn’t work like that.

VEE
No child of immigrants does
anything without their parents
approval.

ARYA
They’ve conditioned us to need
their approval for everything. Over
years of guilt-trips and wearing
down our self esteem.

Vee nods in solidarity. Lina looks back and forth from her
friends with concern in her eyes.

LINA
Are you two okay?

ARYA
What are you going to do if you get
in?

A lightbulb goes off in Vee’s head. She begins to smile like

a maniac.

LINA
I don’t like that smile.

VEE
I’m freaking out over nothing! I
obviously won’t decline if I get
in, but it’s not like I’m actually
gonna get in! It’s JUILLIARD! The
most prestigious acting school in
the country. There’s no way I’m
gonna get in. Problem solved.

DISSOLVE TO:
 10.

INT. VEE'S BEDROOM - DAY

The floor of her bedroom is covered in half wrapped Christmas

gifts and shopping bags. This is an unsubtle way to say, it’s
winter now.

Vee is absentmindedly online shopping when an e-mail

notification from “JUILLIARD ADMISSIONS” pops up.

She opens her e-mail.

“Congratulations! You have been selected to audition...”

Vee’s eyes widen and she jumps up and down excitedly,

withholding her screams.

Her face immediately drops.

VEE
Oh crap.

INT. HIGH SCHOOL - CLASS ROOM - DAY

Someone knocks on the door rapidly and loudly. Mrs. Allen

looks up annoyed.

MRS. ALLEN
It’s open!

Vee rushes in and stands helplessly in front of the teacher.

VEE
You remember how you said if we
ever needed help with anything to
come to you?

MRS. ALLEN
Yes? What’s the problem, Vee?

Mrs. Allen laughs at Vee’s overdramatic tendencies.

VEE
I need your help in tricking my
parents so I don’t have to throw
all my dreams away.

Mrs. Allen blinks in surprise, not expecting that response.