Zero to 0

By
Maddy Gross

Ella
Scott
Susan
Ariana
Kelsey
Jess
Rachel
Danielle
COLD OPEN- INT. CIRCUS- DAY
A chubby young girl around aged 11 stands in the center of a
circus ring wearing an ill-fitting purple dress. The
ringleader wildly gestures at her, then, dramatically,
lowers a candy bar inside her open mouth like a lion tamer
doing a trick. Its a BUTTERCUP, a shitty Reeses knock-off
that this girl clearly wants to bite down on- you can see
how hard shes trying not to give in to the temptation.
The crowd chants rhythmically: "Ellie Belly!" *clap, clap,
clap-clap-clap*. As "Ellie Belly"s frustration grows, the
crowds chants fade out and into...
FADE TO:

INT. DRESSING ROOM- DAY

...Ellas mother SUSAN, a walking Anthropologie ad, calling
to her from outside the dressing room. Susan is well put
together but would never call herself that, as shes too
much of a "free spirit", albeit a suburban one.

Ella, the same 11 year old girl from earlier, stares at

herself in the mirror in shock and horror. We hear her
narration as she grabs her stomach in disgust.
ELLA (V.O.)
Ugh. Now I want a Buttercup.
Ella scans her own body up and down and pinches at the fat
on her face, arms, stomach, and thighs. Outside the dressing
room, her mother is pounding on the door but speaking
calmly, like she isnt totally making a scene in this
dressing room.
SUSAN
Ellie Belly! Hurry up, mommy has to
meet with a client!

Back in the dressing room, Ella re-composes herself and

stuffs her frustration down while changing back into her own
clothes.
ELLA
Coming, mom!
As Ella pulls back on a loose t-shirt and pink sweatpants
and walks out of the dressing room, she narrates:

(CONTINUED)
CONTINUED: 2.

ELLA (V.O.)
Cmon, cmon, Ella, ask her. Shes
a life coach. Shell understand
wanting to change yourself.

As she steps out of the dressing room, all the lights in the
dressing room flicker off except one, casting a spotlight on
Ella. She nervously gulps, then:
ELLA
Mom, can I go to fat camp?

Then, a brief montage of Ella repeatedly asking Susan that

same question over and over as Ella ages. As she ages, she
gets various awkward haircuts, has braces put on and taken
off, gets glasses, has varying degrees of acne, and most
importantly, slowly keeps putting on weight. Its clear that
she was never the coolest girl in school.
The last scene of the montage shows Ella asking the same
question one last time. She is now 17 years old and growing
out of her awkward phase, though is still overweight.

This time she asks the fat camp question to her father
SCOTT. Scott is a just-barely-pudgy man in his late 40s. His
large glasses only make him look even more related to Ella.
Scott doesnt even look up from his home office desk when
Ella asks, but says:

SCOTT
Sure.
ELLA (V.O.)
Bingo!

ELLA
Sooo I can tell mom youre on
board?
Scott snaps his head up at the mention of his wife. He turns
to talk to Ella, but shes already sprinted off to bring the
news to her mom.
SCOTT
Youll tell her what now?

INT. PARTY- NIGHT

TEXT: THREE MONTHS LATER
FADE IN ON:

(CONTINUED)
CONTINUED: 3.

Ella is at an absolute rager of a party: the disco lights

are flashing, the bass is bumping, the solo cups are
plentiful, and every single person in attendance is
overweight. Someone runs by with a lampshade on his head. A
group struggles to lift a partygoer into a kegstand.

The DJ stops the music for a moment. A PARTY GUEST speaks

up.
PARTY GUEST
You guys, I heard alcohol is
fattening...
A beat of audience silence. They watch him with
anticipation.
PARTY GUEST
...so drink up, bitches!
The crowd goes fucking nuts. Everyone is having fun except
Ella, who stands in a corner watching everyone dance and
anxiously checks her armpits for sweat stains. Blink and
shes back to...

CUT TO:

INT. BLACK SUBARU- DAY

Ella is sitting in the back seat of her fathers 95 black

Subaru sedan. Scott grips the wheel as he drives anxiously,
clearly rushing it. Susan sits up front listening to a
guided meditation. We see what it was that triggered Ellas
daydream: a text conversation with someone named Ariana.
Thus far, it has read:

ARIANA (TEXT)
Are u there yet?
ELLA
Not yet. Place looks meadery.
ARIANA
Fat camp lets u drink??
This last text is what set off Ellas flight of fancy. She
starts typing, then deletes it, then does that a couple more
times before just responding:
ELLA
Sorry, meant murdery. Autocorrect.

(CONTINUED)
CONTINUED: 4.

ELLA (V.O.)
Tell her you miss her, dammit!
Shes your best friend. Your only
friend. Emotions arent weird.

Ella starts typing a text that says "by the way, I miss
you", right as Ariana texts her back:
ARIANA
Ooh! New headshots just came in,
gotta call my manager, ttyl El <3

ELLA (V.O.)
She says "ttyl" now?
Ella deletes her text before sending it and sinks further
down into her seat. SCOTT notices how nervous his daughter
seems and tries to break the silence- and the tension.
SCOTT
Geez, if the place is anything like
this-

He gestures to the vaguely eerie woods outside along the

mountain path. A crushed can or cigarette butt dots the
landscape every mile or so. There seems to be more trash
than people out here.
SCOTT (CONTD)
-its really gonna be-
SUSAN
Rustic?

The car runs over something too sudden and uneven to be a

speed bump. Ella looks out her window and turns to see a
dead RACCOON. It was clearly already dead when her father
hit it. Ella looks away and continues looking out the
window, more numb to it than anything. She looks out the
window like Jim looks at the camera in The Office.

SCOTT
Shitty. I was gonna say shitty.
ELLA and SUSAN both look at Scott, annoyed but defeated. A
beat. Ella goes back to looking out the window.

ELLA
You get what you pay for.
SUSAN
Ella! You should be grateful!

(CONTINUED)
CONTINUED: 5.

ELLA
I am, I am. Sorry. Im just...
Ella trails off. Its clear her blunt sense of humor has got
her into trouble before- mostly because she delivers jokes
with such little confidence that it just comes off as
awkward. Beat. Susan picks the conversation back up.
SUSAN
...nervous? I know you are, El.
Its natural to feel anxious in an
unfamiliar place. Just inhale for
four counts, exhale for eight, and
give yourself a mantra to repeat.
SCOTT
Whats a mantra?
ELLA
I dont know, whats a mantra with
you?

No one laughs at the joke. She sighs and continues.

ELLA (CONTD)
What would I even say to myself?
SUSAN
I dont know, give yourself a
concrete goal or something to look
forward to you. You can be most
successful if you know what youre
working for.

Something clicks in Ellas head.

ELLA (V.O.)
Alright. Work for something. Work
for something that matters to you.
Alright...

The Subaru bumps again, this time twice. Ella looks out the
window. TWO dead raccoons.
ELLA (V.O.)
If I cant get myself skinny and
normal enough to actually make
friends by the end of the summer-
The car slows a bit as it drives up a gravel path to the
gate of the summer camp. A wooden sign with neat red letters
reads: BALANCE LAKE. Ella glances at the raccoons out the
back window.

(CONTINUED)
CONTINUED: 6.

ELLA (V.O.)
(offhandedly)
-I should probably kill myself.
CUT TO BLACK.

ACT 1

EXT. CAMP ENTRANCE- DAY

Ella stares at the red BALANCE LAKE sign intently as the

Subaru rolls past it. The buildings about a hundred yards
away are wooden, cabin-like buildings that look like maybe
they used to be painted red- a damn century ago. To call
this place "dilapidated" is an understatement.

However, the building closest to them, only ten yards out,

looks suspiciously new. In fact, it looks more like a quaint
suburban house that got dropped here by accident. This
building is clearly upkept better than the rest.

Out of the house bounds a young woman so short, slender, and

muscular, she almost looks like a tiny pitbull. Shes small
but physically terrifying. She approaches the car, posture
like a Marine, and motions for SCOTT to roll his window
down. He doesnt notice her. PITBULL GIRL knocks on the
window. SCOTT jumps, but doesnt roll the window down.

SCOTT
(more to himself than the
woman)
WHY would you do that. Why would
you do that. Why. This is not a
good introduc-
SUSAN reaches across her husband and rolls his window down
as Scott continues to react poorly to the sudden noise and
frighteningly powerful-looking PITBULL GIRL. SUSAN addresses
her with a bright smile, covering for Scotts anxiety.
SUSAN
Hi! Were the Kirkpatricks! Sorry
if may be running a little-

PITBULL GIRL
-Late? I know. And sir?
Pitbull shifts her gaze back to Scott, who is still
breathing shallowly, and annoyingly loudly.

(CONTINUED)
CONTINUED: 7.

PITBULL GIRL
Get it together. Now wheres...
She looks around to the back seat of the car and makes eye
contact with Ella. She barks at her like a sergeant giving
orders.

PITBULL GIRL
...Ella Kirkpatrick! Are you ready
for day one of your quest to
fitness at Balance Lake?

Ella looks at this woman who just set her overbearing family
straight so fast in awe. This is the kind of confidence Ella
always wished she had. It terrifies her as much as it amazes
her. Beat.

ELLA (V.O.)
Is this fear or love?
Pitbull Girl opens the car door and, gently but firmly,
grabs Ella by the arm. Scott looks at Susan with wide eyes
and, in a move of panic, opens the trunk for her. Ella walks
around back to the trunk and grabs her duffel bag. When she
turns back around, she comes face to face, nearly nose to
nose, with Pitbull Girl.
PITBULL GIRL
I said are you ready, Kirkpatrick?!

ELLA (V.O.)
Its fear.
ELLA
Yeah... maam.

PITBULL GIRL
"Yeah, maam"?
Ella stares back with the same goofy panicked eyes as her
father had earlier. Beat.
PITBULL GIRL
(smiling, but only slightly)
Thats a new one. Youre funny.

Though Ellas smile is slight, too, its clear that getting

any sort of approval, especially from a near-stranger,
totally lights her up. She doesnt even notice that shes
being dragged away from her parents car by her arm quite
briskly. In the b.g., her parents yell their goodbyes:

(CONTINUED)
CONTINUED: 8.

SUSAN
Have fun! Be safe!
SCOTT
Dont try drugs!

SUSAN
Remember to stay hydrated!
SCOTT
Seriously, even if it gets you
skinny, NO HEROIN!
SUSAN
We love you so much Ellie Belly!
SCOTT
Not ANY type of opiates!
They continue yelling; Susan about how much she loves her
daughter and how proud she is, Scott about the various drugs
he hopes his daughter doesnt do.

Ella looks back once, waves meekly, and returns her

attention to the Pitbull Girl, who has been rattling off
rules of the camp the whole time. Ella is too overwhelmed to
really pay attention to ANY of the three adults currently
talking at her.

As Ella follows this new woman and her parents voices fade
out, she begins to DAYDREAM.
DISSOLVE TO:

INT. BOOT CAMP- DAY

Pitbull is yelling at Ella and a bunch of other teenagers
dressed in military uniforms. They all look extremely fit.
Ella takes notice of this, and looks down to see she is
wearing the tight purple dress from when she was 11.
Then, with a "poof", the purple dress transforms into a
costume of a bunch of grapes. This is more of a daymare than
a daydream. While the group does jumping jacks to the sound
of Pitbull barking orders, she approaches Ella.

PITBULL GIRL
Kirkpatrick! Is this the summer you
lose that jelly?

(CONTINUED)
CONTINUED: 9.

ELLA
(sheepishly)
Pun intended?
PITBULL GIRL
Drop and give me your phone,
because well take it now and--
Pitbull Girls voice slowly back into what shes saying in
reality. Spaced-out Ella comes back to Earth just in time to
hear...

DISSOLVE TO:

EXT. BALANCE LAKE- DAY

PITBULL GIRL
...and we will give it back only
for an hour a day, if I decide you
earned it.
ELLA
Sorry, what?
PITBULL GIRL
Your phone. At Balance Lake, we
want to keep the focus on your
fitness...

This terrifies the shit out of Ella, causing her to zone

out, again. No phone means no Ariana, which means no
friends.
ELLA (V.O.)
Fuck.
Pitbull Girl continues rattling off rules and schedules of
the camp without Ella listening. It almost sounds like the
Charlie Brown adults: "wah, wah wah, wah wah wah wah."

PITBULL GIRL
...and then wed normally be at
lunch already, but today youre
meeting your bunkmates first.

ELLA
Theyre already here?
PITBULL GIRL
You mean "on time"? Yes,
Kirkpatrick. Or should I say,
"yeah, maam."

(CONTINUED)
CONTINUED: 10.

Ella looks even more scared now. Its noticeable.

ELLA (V.O.)
Double-triple-fuck.
Off Ellas obvious fear:

PITBULL GIRL
That was a joke.
ELLA
(forced, but actually trying)
Ha-ha.
They continue walking as they come up on what would have
been a nice cabin... 20 years ago. It has the same chipped
red paint as the first building we saw.

ELLA
By the way, um, whats your n-
PITBULL GIRL
-Name?

For what must be the third time in ten minutes, Ella stares
back in sheer terror. Pitbull Girl extends a strong hand to
shake.
PITBULL GIRL (CONTD)
Im Kelsey. Auner. Head counselor.
ELLA
Well, Im "Auner"-ed to meet you.
Pitbull Kelsey keeps walking and doesnt react.

ELLA (CONTD)
(sheepish)
Get it? Like honor?
KELSEY
(forced)
Ha-ha.
Kelsey keeps speed-walking ahead. Ella, struggling with her
duffel bag, lags behind, panting slightly.

ELLA (V.O.)
(sarcastic)
Thank G-d Im good at first
impressions.

CUT TO:
 11.

EXT. BUNK- DAY

Kelsey heads straight into the bunk ahead of Ella. As Ella
approaches the bunk, she sees it has two entrances: an open
front door, in front of which stand two chatting girls, and
a closed side door. Ella ducks toward the side entrance and
struggles up the wooden steps to the bunk with her clearly
over-packed duffel bag.

ELLA (V.O.)
Okay. Go time. Eyes on the prize.
Be normal, get skinny, make
friends. Be normal, get skinny,
make--

Suddenly, the side door opens; a chubby blonde girl with

blunt BANGS and the build of a football player is sneaking
out the side with something tucked under her shirt. Ella and
Bangs make eye contact. Both look equally spooked.
BANGS
Who are you?
ELLA
Im Ella, nice to meet-

As Ella meekly extends a hand, Bangs pushes past her and

runs down the stairs. She then takes the item out from under
her shirt: a ziploc bag full of fun-size Buttercups, the
same candy Ella was imaginarily taunted with in the cold
open. Bangs puts the baggie under a rock and puts various
twigs and grass around it to diguise its location even more.
Still squatting down, she looks up at Ella and points at
her.
BANGS
Snitches get stitches. Remember
that.

Bangs starts walking off toward the front entrance. Ella has
a brief and weird daydream.
CUT TO:

EXT. ALLEYWAY- NIGHT

ELLA, suddenly in a trenchcoat and fedora, is standing in an
alleyway, holding a photo of the ziploc bag and candy. Think
"Deep Throat" parody.

Suddenly, out of the darkness, a hand appears and puts a

pistol to the back of Ellas head.

(CONTINUED)
CONTINUED: 12.

ELLA
Im not a cop.
PERSON WITH GUN
Yes, but...

The person with the gun steps out from the shadows. Its
BANGS, dressed in a similar trenchoat, fedora, and
sunglasses.
BANGS
...you know too much.
As she shoots, instead of a "bang", the gunshot is replaced
with BANGS o.s. speaking the words, "Jess, by the way." Ella
snaps back to reality in time to see...

CUT TO:

EXT. BUNK- DAY

JESS/Bangs walking away. Ella readjusts to real life
briefly. Jess is still walking away, so much yell back to
Ella.
ELLA
What?

JESS
I said my names Jess, by the way!
Ella stands in confused silence before she feels a tug on
her duffel bag- its KELSEY. She hoists the bag out of
Ellas hands.

KELSEY
Kirkpatrick, get inside. Were
having fun.
CUT TO:

INT. BUNK- DAY

Jess, six other teenage girls, Kelsey, and two young women
in their early twenties sit in a circle in the center of
the bunk. They are all wearing athletic clothing and are
surrounded by bunk beds and suitcases and duffel bags in
various states of unpacked-ness. Ellas bed is the only one
empty: a bottom bunk beneath an unmade bed with a small pile
of clothes on it. Kelsey motions Ella over.

(CONTINUED)
CONTINUED: 13.

KELSEY
We were just doing an ice breaker.
Beccas suggestion. Becca, explain.

Becca is a curly-haired, bright-eyed woman. If labradoodles

were people, theyd be Becca.
BECCA
Yep! Just say your name, age, and
what brings you to Balance Lake!
Everyone looks at Ella expecting her to speak, but Ella just
looks around the room expecting someone else to speak.
Awkward beat. Becca tries to break the tension.

BECCA (CONTD)
Ill go first. Hi, Im Becca, Im
22, and I work here! Now...
Becca gestures at Ella, motioning that its her turn, but
Ella still doesnt get it.

Suddenly, Ella realizes everyone is looking at her.

Suddenly, she imagines standing at a podium on top of the
bunk bed as the other campers gather round holding mics and
cameras. As Ella talks into the mic, it squeaks a little.

ELLA
Hi, uh, Im Ella, Im seventeen,
and, uhh...
The imaginary podium disappears, and it turns out everyone
is only sort of paying attention to Ella.
ELLA (CONTD)
and, uh, I finally asked my dad if
I could come instead of my mom.

Everyone looks at Ella in confusion.

ELLA (V.O.)
And that was the exact moment I
knew Id fucked up.

From here, she narrates to summarize each campers ice

breaker. We zoom to each campers face as she introduces
them, as if were seeing them through her eyes while they
talk to her inaudibly.
ELLA (V.O., CONTD)
In the next 10 minutes I met...
A short brunette girl as round as her glasses waving
over-enthusiastically.

(CONTINUED)
CONTINUED: 14.

ELLA (V.O.)
Danielle, 16, human encyclopedia,
forced to come here by her
parents...

Next, a girl who looks like she could be a plus-size model-

including the photoshoot-ready hair and makeup she somehow
has on the first day of fat camp.
ELLA (V.O.)
Lana, 17, hurts my self-esteem just
by existing, forced to come here by
her parents...
Next, a shy girl with curly hair and a nose stud.
ELLA (V.O.)
Nia, 16, mysterious quiet cool
girl, forced to come here by her
parents...
Next, the large-looming Jess, whom weve already met.

ELLA (V.O.)
Jess, 17, terrifying, forced to
come here by her parents...
Next, a blonde girl who must be the lowest possible BMI to
be considered overweight; none of the other campers think
she needs to be here.
ELLA (V.O.)
And Kim, 16, baffling that shes
even here, yet still, forced to
come here by her parents. The good
news is, this is probably a new
record for how long its taken me
to alienate myself. Awesome.
Everyone in the bunk stares at Ella a little judgmentally,
but resumes unpacking in their bunk area. Ella moves to
unpack but comes face to face with Jess. Jess puffs up her
chest a bit, but you can see in her eyes that shes nervous.
JESS
Youre not gonna be a tattle tale,
are you?
ELLA
I swear, I would never.

(CONTINUED)
CONTINUED: 15.

JESS
Good.
The two unpack in tense silence. Jess notices how much
clothing Ella is putting on her shelves- most of it doesnt
look like its athletic gear.

JESS
What, are you moving here?
ELLA
Oh, this? I just... its not really
that much, I just enjoy looking
cute while I--
JESS
Youre gonna sweat like a pig every
day here! "Look cute" for what?
Were all fat.
Jess resumes unpacking. Ella thinks for a moment. Then:
ELLA
What if theres a cute guy?
JESS
Wow. "A" cute guy. High
expectations. But youre not wrong.
I mean, it IS fat camp.

The other counselor, a sprightly blonde recent college grad,

hears this and speaks up.
BLONDE
Hey! Dont call it "fat camp"!

DANIELLE
Then what do we call it, Rachel?
The counselor RACHEL stares back blankly. She doesnt have
an answer.
CUT TO:

EXT. DINING HALL- DAY

The girls bunk is lined up by the flagpole just outside the

DINING HALL, a big, rickety looking building surrounded by
gravel. Kelsey is standing in front of the girls as if she
is about to speak, but instead, she paces silently, looking
down at her watch every so often. Ella is also on edge.

(CONTINUED)
CONTINUED: 16.

ELLA (V.O.)
After so many consecutive bad first
impressions, the last thing I
wanted was to meet new people.
We hear gravel crunching as a large group of people approach
the dining hall- its the BOYS. Kelsey looks up angrily, but
all the girl campers whip their heads around to look,
especially Ella.

ELLA (V.O.)
But G-d hates me, and sent me seven
more people to meet and/or
disappoint.

Now we see what this looks like through the girls eyes, but
specifically Ella. Cue slo-mo sequence of close-ups of each
camper and counselor as they approach the girls, set to
Marvin Gayes "Lets Get It On". All the boys are wearing
shitty athletic clothing- nothing sexy.

ELLA (V.O.)
These... are the boys.
DISSOLVE TO:

INT. DINING HALL- DAY

"Lets Get It On" continues to play. The campers are getting
tiny, colorless portions for lunch, as well as picking up
"calorie counting journals", as Ella continues narrating the
boys. Zoom to each boys face like before when meeting the
girls, as if were seeing through Ellas eyes again.
Two men with the bodies of Greek gods, one with dark curly
hair and one with Backstreet Boy blonde hair, walk at the
head of the line.

ELLA (V.O.)
First, the counselors. Josh and
Micah... swoon.
Lana leans over to Ella as she stares at the counselors too.

LANA
(whispers)
If either of them asks, Im already
eighteen.

Ella shakes this off and first focuses on Josh, the blonde,
a man who looks like he should be an action movie star
rather than a fat camp counselor.

(CONTINUED)
CONTINUED: 17.

ELLA (V.O.)
Rumor has it Josh is only here
cause an injurys kept him out of
the MLB. Which means hes the
"brooding" type of hot.

Then, Ella focuses on Micah, who walks with the posture of a

soldier and the smile of Lando Calrissian.
ELLA (V.O.)
Micahs Air Force, but his real
passion is keeping Americas youth
healthy- essentially, hes Michelle
Obama if she could fly. And hes
hot. But so is Michelle Obama.
Whatever.

A boy who looks like Pauly Ds "big boned" cousin spoons

piles of rice onto his plate as his counselor scowls.
ELLA (V.O.)
Then, weve got Anthony, who says
"Im Italian, I gotta eat" every
time someone tells him to take less
food...
Next, an abnormally tiny chubby ginger boy. He looks like a
little cherub.

ELLA (V.O.)
Lewis, who is 15 in real life but 5
in everyone elses eyes...
Next, a "sensitive musician type" with floppy hair.

ELLA (V.O.)
Adam, who could potentially be cute
if he wasnt so pretentious...
Next, a somewhat bug-eyed boy who moves almost like a
muppet. Everything about his physicality is awkward.
ELLA (V.O.)
And Carl, who--
The sexy music stops with an abrupt record scratch as Ella
and the other campers watch Carl reach into a trash can,
pull someone elses discarded lunch out, and plop it onto
his own plate. He waddles over to the long wooden dining
hall table and sits down, either unaware or unbothered by
what everyone just saw him do.

(CONTINUED)
CONTINUED: 18.

ELLA (V.O.)
Whew, thank G-d Im not the
weirdest kid in the room anymore.
ANTHONY
So, anyone else get friggin
kidnapped to get here?
Everyone elses hands shoot up. Ella raises hers weakly.
DANIELLE
Thats odd, you told us you got
here by asking your dad instead of
your mom.
ELLA
Danielle...

DANIELLE
Which is quite an anomaly, since
the rest of us were sent here
nonconsensually.

Everyones heads snap and turn toward Ella. She imagines a

neon sign lowering from the ceiling right above her head
reading "OUTCAST" as the campers stare at her. Then, a neon
arrow lowers, pointing straight down at her. Then, both
lights begin flashing.

ELLA (V.O.)
At least it cant get worse.
CUT TO:

EXT. DINING HALL- DAY

As the campers filter out of the dining hall to head to
their first workouts, Jess catches up with Ella and
physically pulls her back by the shirt collar. As Ella is
being pulled:
ELLA (V.O.)
Its getting worse.
JESS
Hey. Shelves. I got an idea.
ELLA
(cowering)
I dont have any money!

(CONTINUED)
CONTINUED: 19.

JESS
This isnt about that, dumbass.

Jess grabs Ella firmly but gently by the shoulders and the
two stop walking.
JESS (CONTD)
You saw what I got, youre already
an accomplice, so do me a favor:
let me hide my stock in your
overpacked shit.
ELLA
I- I really dont think Kelsey
would-

JESS
Kelsey wouldnt know, okay? If
youd let me finish: you let me do
this, I give you a cut.

ELLA
...How much?
JESS
Thirty.

Ella, very into this idea, imagines making a calendar with

one Buttercup taped to each day. She wakes up smiling, looks
at her calendar, eats a Buttercup as she crosses out the
day, and hops out of bed smiling and skipping off. Real-life
Ella looks conflicted.

ELLA
Can I think about it?
JESS
Youve got til free hour.

CUT TO:

INT. CAMP GYM- DAY

The only building other than Kelseys "cabin" that is even

remotely modern is this gym. It looks like your average
university fitness center.
A montage as Ella and the other campers complete their first
workouts, this time coached by Micah. As time goes on, more
and more campers in the b.g. begin to slack off (except, of
course, Kim) or just sit down entirely. Throughout this,
Ella gives herself a pep-talk:

(CONTINUED)
CONTINUED: 20.

ELLA (V.O.)
Okay. Youre not the worst at this.
Youre actually not the worst at
this. Think: youll be a good
little fat camper, you wont make
waves, theyll have no reason to
search you. Plus youll totally
work it off during the day. 30
Buttercups is only enough to make
you gain, like, 2 pounds... right?

In the last part of the montage, Ella is running on a

treadmill. Micah approaches her.
MICAH
Hey, good job keeping it up out
here. Your names Ella, right?

Ella, starstruck, stops running and falls off the treadmill.

She hops right back up, still grinning a stupidly huge grin.
ELLA
Yep, thats me!

ELLA (V.O.)
Wow, I really am invincible.
CUT TO:

EXT. GYM- DAY

The campers, done with their first gym session, walk out
exhausted and drenched in sweat. Ella bounds over to Jess
and taps her on the shoulder excitedly

ELLA
Good news, Im ready to hide the
chocolate!

Counselor Rachel hears this and turns around.

RACHEL
What chocolate?!
Jess and Rachel both glare at Ella angrily. She stands
there, horrified, as a flashing neon sign pops out of the
trees above her that says, "BUSTED".
FADE TO BLACK.
 21.

ACT 2

INT. INTERROGATION ROOM- ???

Ella is handcuffed to a metal chair in a windowless
cell-like room, dark except one spotlight on her. A figure
in a trenchcoat interrogates her.

TRENCHCOAT
(tapping night stick against
own hand repeatedly)
And thats all the info you have on
the chocolates location?

ELLA
I already told you everything I
know!
CUT TO:

INT. KELSEYS OFFICE- DAY

Out of Ellas daydream and back into reality. Ella sits in a
plastic chair, directly across from Kelsey sitting at her
desk.

ELLA
Its under the rock by the girls
bunk. Thats all there is. Sorry.

KELSEY
(sternly)
For what?
ELLA
(trailing off)
Just... generally, sorry.
KELSEY
Kirkpatrick, while I appreciate
your cooperation, your actions
carry consequences...

Ella winces as if shes about to be executed by guillotine.

KELSEY (CONTD)
So Ill be withholding your phone
this free hour. You and your...
accomplice. But next time you try
to go and break my laws...
Kelsey gets way up in Ellas face.

(CONTINUED)
CONTINUED: 22.

KELSEY (CONTD)
...just remember why you came here.
Ella stares off as she contemplates this, feeling guilty.
CUT TO:

EXT. SOCCER FIELD- AFTERNOON

Becca and Josh are supervising as the campers play ultimate
frisbee. Unfortunately, no one actually knows how to play
it, so every time ANYONE catches the frisbee, everyone stops
moving and breaks off into side conversations; they only
move when the frisbee is in the air, but everyone seems to
be moving pretty randomly.

Upon seeing Ella put a pinny on and join the game:

ANTHONY
Well, well, well, look what-
ELLA
-look what the fat dragged in?
People actually laugh at her joke. Ella looks surprised that
it worked. The frisbee is thrown, the campers re-shuffle
themselves, and then freeze again.

CARL
I heard you were abducted!
ADAM
Something like that.

Frisbee moves, they move, freeze.

LANA
Whats Kelsey like one-on-one? El
Diablo?

KIM
She seems like she waterboards
kids.
LEWIS
Whats waterboarding?
DANIELLE
Waterboarding: noun. A form of
tor--

(CONTINUED)
CONTINUED: 23.

ANTHONY
Shh!
Frisbee, move, freeze.
LEWIS
Can we go waterboarding?
ANTHONY
For you, kid? Any time.

LANA
Shut up, Anthony. Let Ella tell us.
Ella imagines everyone swarming her like the press, same as
earlier, but this time she looks excited to be standing at
the podium. As shes about to open her mouth, JESS walks
onto the field, returning from her own disciplinary meeting
with Kelsey. Everyone flocks over to Jess instead. Ella
stands alone at the podium as the mic feeds back.
CUT TO:

INT. DINING HALL- EVENING

All the campers are eating similarly bland looking food. The
counselors, however, are getting their food from a window in
the dining hall, and their food looks significantly better-
and less healthy. All the campers stare at their
juicy-looking burgers longingly and silently. Finally, Nia
breaks the silence:
NIA
I would kill a man for Five Guys
right now.
A few light giggles from the table. More kids begin to speak
up.

KIM
Id kill for a burrito bowl.
ADAM
Same.

ELLA
Id kill for a PB&J.
CARL
Id kill for just peanut butter.

(CONTINUED)
CONTINUED: 24.

ANTHONY
Id kill for my moms garlic bread.
JESS
Ohhhh, dont even bring UP garlic
bread right now.

More giggles.
LEWIS
I just want my mom.

Awkward silence for a moment while Ella internally thinks,

ELLA (V.O.)
So does Anthony.

JESS
So does Anthony.
The table errupts in laughter. Ella looks at Jess in awe-
shes more happy to meet people with her sense of humor than
annoyed to have her moment stolen.

RACHEL
Guys! That better be the sound of
you enjoying filling out your
calorie diaries.

Everyone around Ella groans, but reluctantly gets up and

walks back over to the serving table to check the nutrition
info posted over each dish. Ella is too spaced out to get
up.
ELLA (V.O.)
And thats when I realized- maybe
when I hide in my head, Jess hides
in her... uh, anger fortress, or
something. Okay, ignoring how lame
that sounds, the point is we might
not be too different. Maybe we
could even be- dare I dream it-
frie--
Before Ella can think "friends", Jess grabs her by the back
of the collar again.

ELLA (V.O.)
Shes gotta stop doing that!
JESS
Yo. El. Outside.

(CONTINUED)
CONTINUED: 25.

ELLA (V.O.)
Did she just call me El?
Jess drags Ella outside by the ear.
CUT TO:

EXT. DINING HALL- DAY

Jess and Ella sit on a rickety wooden picnic table out by
the side of the dining hall. When they both sit down in the
middle, the thing starts to buckle, so they each scoot to
opposite ends of the table. They have their conversation
with very little eye contact and from four feet away.
JESS
Heard you told her about the rock.
ELLA
Jess, I promise, I didnt mean to-
JESS
(smirking)
You only told her about the rock.
ELLA
...yes?

Ella winces again, expecting the worst.

JESS
Holy fucking, shit, El...
Jess gets up off the table and Ellas side sinks down a
little, so Ella jumps up too, mostly out of fight-or-flight
nervousness. Ella looks terrified, but Jess embraces her.
Ella, still surprised, slowly relaxes into it.
JESS (CONTD)
You saved my ass. She thinks she
won, shell lay off now. She wont
suspect a thing.
ELLA
(still being hugged)
Suspect what?
CUT TO:
 26.

INT. BUNK- EVENING

While all the other campers are texting away on their phones
during free hour, Jess walks Ella to the laundry shed, pulls
a duffel bag out from under some empty laundry bags, and
unzips it. The bag is absolutely stuffed to the brim with
fun-size Buttercups. Ella stares in awe.
ELLA
Wait, you were only gonna give me
thirty of these?!

JESS
Jesus fucking Christ, you really
are a dumbass. Thirty percent, El,
Im cutting you thirty percent.

ELLA (V.O.)
She called me El again.
ELLA
Of what?

JESS
The money.
Ella stares back in confusion.
JESS (CONTD)
Were gonna sell em to these
desperate jackasses. You think Im
eating this shit? At fat camp? Hell
no.
Ella picks up a Buttercup and flips it over, examining its
calorie content. She looks upset when she reads it.
ELLA (V.O.)
Ugh, she does have a point. Hey,
wait a second...

ELLA
Why are you actually trying to lose
weight if you dont wanna be here?
Jess snatches the Buttercup out of Ellas hand and puts it
back in the duffel, then re-hides the bag. Jess speaks
without looking up.
JESS
I hate this place, but I dont love
being fat either. I got goals, too.

(CONTINUED)
CONTINUED: 27.

Jess grabs Ellas hand and drags her out of the laundry
shed. For just a moment, "Lets Get It On" plays again, but
only very briefly.
ELLA (V.O.)
Huh, weird.
Ella shrugs it off and keeps walking.
FADE TO:

INT. BUNK- NIGHT

The girls are all showering and getting ready for bed.
Campers walk around the bunk in various states of undress.
As Danielle and Lana pass each other going to and from the
bathroom, Danielle stops Lana.
DANIELLE
Hey!! Your abdomen posesses the
same- !!!!

Danielle excitedly gestures toward Lanas stretch marks.

Its true, they do both have them.
LANA
Oh, stretch marks? I hate mine, but
hey, twinsies, I guess.

Nia stands up and lifts up the hem of her shirt to reveal

stretch marks, too.
NIA
Triplets?

Kim lifts her shirt as well. Despite being less heavy than
the other campers, she has them too.
KIM
Quadruplets.
Becca, overhearing this, exchanges a glance with Rachel, but
then stands up and lifts the bottom of her shirt as well.
Though Beccas silhouette is slim, her stomach still has
flaps of skin left over from previous obesity- and, lo and
behold, she also has stretch marks.
BECCA
I dont know what comes after that,
but--

(CONTINUED)
CONTINUED: 28.

All the campers turn over or sit up in their beds to hear

this- this is the first time a counselor has really talked
to them other than to give orders.

BECCA
I have em too. I actually used to
be a hundred pounds heavier, but
three years ago I came to Balance
Lake, and, well, I know its
cheesy, but the rest is history.
Everyone stares in awe. Ella imagines everyone jumping up to
applaud her, but really, Danielle is the only one clapping,
oblivious to the fact that no one else is applauding with
her. Then, they hear clapping coming from the bathroom, too.
Becca storms into the bathroom and comes back out holding
Carl by the ear. Carl lifts his shirt all the way up to show
off his stretch marks.
CARL
Sextuplets!!!

As Becca drags him out of the bunk:

CARL (O.S.)
Our toilets were all clogged!

Ella turns back over in her bed and looks at the picture of
her and Ariana as 11 year old kids sitting on a curb
together. She smiles.
ELLA (V.O.)
Right on track. Be normal, get
skinny, make friends. Be normal,
get skinny, make--
Kelsey barges into the bunk with a bin filled with a few
envelopes.

KELSEY
Mails here!
Kelsey reads off the names of campers who have mail, then
pauses at a rather large purple envelope and squints at the
writing.
KELSEY (CONTD)
This ones for... Ellie Belly?
All the campers turn and look at Ella and try (and fail) to
stifle their giggles. Ella is immediately knocked off her
high horse. She closes her eyes tightly and forces herself
to think of something else, anything else other than the
feeling of isolation again.

(CONTINUED)
CONTINUED: 29.

ELLA (V.O.)
(speeding up as she panics)
Sell chocolate, gain favor, make
friends. Sell chocolate, gain
favor, make friends.

CUT TO:

EXT. ALLEYWAY- NIGHT

Now, the giggling is coming from overjoyed fat campers being

showered in fun-size Buttercups. Ella and Jess, in mobster
trenchcoat outfits like earlier, lean out the roof of a
limousine and toss the candy to the campers.
ELLA (V.O.)
Theyre gonna love me, they just...
dont know it yet. Besides,
everybody loves their friendly
neighborhood dealer, right?
Ella, even imaginarily, looks like she might not believe
what she just said. She looks over at Jess, who is still
smiling and throwing Buttercups like its her favorite
activity in the world. Ella stares a little too long.
ELLA (V.O.)
Right?

CUT TO BLACK.