Lights! Camera - ; Tyrus

Scene 1

Mr Roberts: So you're telling me this.. idea you have is going to change the world? *gestures to paper*

Andrew: *laughs nervously* well I wouldn't say change the world but yes *sits up straight* I would say it could change at least one person's life. That's the goal; to change one person, for the better. Make them feel something, make love visible within their eyes.

Mr Roberts: Thats great kid. Except for the fact that this idea... isn't original

-Act 1, Scene 2 of "The Big Idea™"

Written and directed by Cyrus Goodman

Cyrus P.O.V

Eye Contact.

So much eye contact as I enter the Starbucks. Its busy for a Thursday night, but I guess New York is always busy. I've been here for five years and I still can't get around the hustle and bustle of this place. Sometimes it becomes to much. Sometimes, always.

I can never forget the first time I locked myself in the Universities boys bathroom, craning my back over the sink, my heart pounding, my eyes brimming with tears.

I didn't belong there. Not then. Not for what felt like forever.

But here I am. Five years in New York. Eye contact.

Nick waves me over from a booth in the back. I shuffle by teenagers with dark eye shadow and day old NYU freshman, already stressing over their first papers. I want to go over there and help them, but Nicks waving doesn't stop, and I hate making a scene.

"Hey." I greet him. The second I sit down a tall woman wearing a short skirt and waitress apron smiles blindingly and makes her way to the table. Nick eyes her, making a whole show of it, but she smartly ignores it.

"Cyrus!" She exclaims and I'm suddenly felt with the need to scrape my memory for recognition of her.

"Hi." I say back awkwardly, not making eye-contact.

The woman sighs, still smiling, "you probably don't remember me. I'm Kira, from Jefferson, way back in middle school." And light bulb goes off in my head, a flicker of remembrance, then a spark.

Ah yes, Kira. God knows what her last name was, but I remember her very... clearly now.

"Oh yes! Hey, how have you been?" I say through gritted teeth. So clearly I remember her, with him.

"Oh you know, finishing up college, still in touch with some of the guys who went to Grant. It was so crazy without you. You missed out, man." Her eyes are already silently wishing to be somewhere else. The feeling is mutual.

"Well, SAVA just opened up their new program and I had to try it out." I partly lie, that was some of it. Honest.

"Ah, for a second it was because of T-"

I sit up straight and cut her off, "you know I think I'll just get a black coffee, no cream, no sugar, warm but not too hot. And, ah give me one of your pastries, whatever one, I don't care. And Nick-" I look at him with crazed, fast eyes, "-do you want anything? No? Well okay then! That'll be all thank you!" Then I shove the menu right over Kira's cleavage, forcing her away.

Eye contact, so much eye contact.

I duck my head as Nick puts a hand on my shoulder. "Are you okay Cy?"

I shove it off, "I'm fine." I spit, then stop, inhale. I'm cool. "I just really need to get to work on this. Give me the stats."

Nick hurriedly gets his laptop out and pulls up graphs and emails. Another waitress shows up with my order and I down the coffee in one chug. Dammit, I asked for it warm. The pastry doesn't help my frantic thoughts or burnt tongue either.