First Drop

written by

Keegan Muller
Logline: A group of friends’ first trip to a major amusement
park is threatened when one of them develops cold feet about
riding the biggest roller coaster, forcing the others to help
him face his fear and discover the thrill of the ride.

Characters:

Liam: (16) The nervous one. Anxious but ultimately wants to

have fun.

Maya: (16) The enthusiastic and supportive one. Encouraging

and a bit of a daredevil.

Ethan: (17) The jokester. Tries to lighten the mood with

humor, sometimes insensitive.

Noah: (16) The level-headed one. Offers logical advice and a

calming presence.

Caleb: (17) The thrill-seeker. Obsessed with roller coasters

and adrenaline.

Setting: A large, vibrant amusement park.

Scene 1:

EXT. AMUSEMENT PARK ENTRANCE - DAY

The five friends stand before the towering gates of

"Thrilltopia," the entrance music booming. Liam looks pale.

MAYA (Eyes wide with excitement) We are here! Thrilltopia,

baby! I've been waiting for this day forever!

CALEB (Bouncing on his heels) Let's go, let’s go, let’s go!
I’ve already mapped out our route to hit all the big coasters
first. Fury 325 is calling my name!

ETHAN (Pokes Liam's arm) You look like you're about to throw
up. You okay, Liam?

LIAM (Swallowing hard) Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. Just... a lot of

people.

NOAH (Calmly) It's okay to be a little overwhelmed. Just

stick with us, and we'll take it one ride at a time.

MAYA Exactly! Think of all the funnel cake we can eat! And
the games! And...Leviathan!
 2.

Caleb starts pulling them through the entrance. Liam lags

behind, staring up at the towering roller coaster in the
distance.

Scene 2:

EXT. VARIOUS ATTRACTIONS - DAY

The friends spend the next few hours exploring the park. We
see snippets of them: Playing carnival games (Ethan cheats).

Eating oversized turkey legs (Maya attempts to juggle them).

Riding a spinning teacup ride (Liam looks green).

Walking down the busy central street, surrounded by costumed

characters.

Scene 3:

EXT. FURY 325 - DAY

The group arrives at the foot of Fury 325. The line is long,
but the screams echoing from the riders send shivers down
Liam’s spine. The coaster cars roar past, nearly vertical.

CALEB (Grinning maniacally) This is it! The big one! Seven

inversions, a hundred-foot drop, speeds over 80 miles per
hour! Who’s ready?

Maya raises her hand, eyes gleaming. Ethan shrugs, looking

confident. Noah nods, but his face betrays a hint of
apprehension. Liam is frozen, staring at Fury 325 with a
mixture of terror and fascination.

LIAM (Voice barely a whisper) I... I don’t know about this.

ETHAN (Laughing) What? You scared, Liam? Don't tell me Mr.

cool and collected is afraid of heights!

MAYA (Elbowing Ethan) Hey! Don't be a jerk, Ethan. It's okay

to be nervous, Liam. It looks pretty intense.

NOAH Yeah, no pressure. If you don't want to ride, we can do

something else.

CALEB (Disappointed) But... Fury 325! We’ve been talking

about this for weeks! Come on, Liam, it’ll be epic!
 3.

LIAM (Panicked) I just... I can't. I didn't realize it would

be this... high. And fast. And... upside down! What if the
harness breaks? What if I get sick? What if I...

Liam is cut off by a sudden wave of nausea. He stumbles back,

clutching his stomach.

MAYA (Concerned) Liam, are you okay? Maybe you should sit
down.

LIAM I think I just need some air.

He walks away from the group, towards a bench a little

distance away.

Scene 4:

EXT. BENCH NEAR FURY 325 - DAY

Liam sits on the bench, head in his hands. Maya approaches

him.

MAYA Hey. You okay?

LIAM (Miserably) I’m such a loser. I ruined everything. You

guys were so excited, and I’m just... scared.

MAYA You're not a loser. Everyone gets scared sometimes. It's

a huge roller coaster!

LIAM But I wanted to do this. I wanted to be brave.

MAYA Hey, wanting to be brave is the first step. What exactly

are you afraid of?

LIAM (Sighs) Everything! The height, the speed, the loops...

the feeling of losing control. I hate that feeling.

MAYA I get it. But you know what? That feeling of losing
control can also be... exhilarating. It's like you're flying!

LIAM (Skeptical) Flying into a metal beam at 80 miles per

hour.

MAYA (Laughs) Okay, maybe not exactly like that. But think
about it. You're strapped in. The engineers have designed
this thing to be safe. Millions of people have ridden it
before. And the feeling you get afterwards... that rush of
adrenaline... it’s incredible.
 4.

LIAM (Looks at Fury 325) I don't know, Maya. It just looks...

impossible.

MAYA How about this? We don’t have to ride Fury 325 right
now. But let’s try a smaller coaster. Something not quite as
intense. Just to get you used to the feeling. And if you
still hate it, we’ll do something else. No pressure, okay?

LIAM (Hesitantly) A smaller coaster?

MAYA Yeah! There’s the Jurassic Coaster over by Frontier

Land. It’s still fun, but not nearly as scary.

LIAM (Takes a deep breath) Okay. Okay, I’ll try. But if I

scream, you’re not allowed to laugh.

MAYA (Smiling) Deal.

Scene 5:

EXT. JURASSIC COASTER - DAY

The friends are now in line for the Jurassic Coaster, a

wooden coaster that is significantly smaller than Fury 325.
Liam still looks nervous, but he’s holding his own.

ETHAN (Teasingly) Look at Liam! He looks like he's about to

cry!

NOAH (Glares at Ethan) Leave him alone, Ethan.

CALEB (Patting Liam on the back) You got this, dude! It's way
more fun than it looks!

The ride operators beckon them forward. They buckle into the
coaster car.

Scene 6:

EXT. JURASSIC COASTER - DAY

We see the Jurassic Coaster climbing the first hill. Liam

closes his eyes, bracing himself. The coaster plunges down
the hill. Liam screams... then starts to laugh. The coaster
winds through the track, dipping and turning. Liam’s laughter
grows louder, mixed with the screams of the other riders.

Scene 7:
 5.

EXT. JURASSIC COASTER EXIT - DAY

The Jurassic Coaster comes to a stop. Liam stumbles out of

the car, grinning from ear to ear.

LIAM (Breathlessly) That... that was amazing!

MAYA (Beaming) I told you!

ETHAN (Impressed) Whoa, Liam! You actually looked like you

were enjoying it!

NOAH See? I knew you could do it.

CALEB Alright! Now are you ready for Fury 325?

Liam looks at Fury 325 in the distance, now with a glint of

excitement in his eye.

LIAM (Grinning) Yes! I would love to ride Fury 325!

MAYA (Laughing) That’s the spirit! Let’s go conquer this

park!

The friends run off towards their next adventure, Liam now
leading the way, his fear replaced with a newfound sense of
confidence and the thrill of the ride.

FADE OUT.