EXT. BEACH - DAY

MARIE, a pretty 20 year old, rollerblades with grace along the pavement bordering a pristine, white sandy beach.  MARK, a ruggedly handsome 25 year old, flies past her on rollerblades.

                                  MARK                                               

                             Come on, slowcoach!

Marie shrieks with laughter before racing to catch up with Mark who is well ahead of her.  They fly past families and couples lying on the beach.  A few people are swimming in the clear blue water.  

Mark and Marie continue to skate further down the pavement lining the beach, but start to slow their pace.

MARIE

                              Do you always come down here?

MARK

                              I used to.  I haven't been here 

                              in quite a while.

Mark looks ahead again then turns and begins to skate backwards.

MARK (cont'd)

                              Don't you just love it?

Marie laughs again before turning to skate backwards.  She has difficulty for a few minutes.  Mark skates much farther ahead of her so she turns round to skate forwards again.

Mark laughs.

MARK (cont'd)

                              Is that all you've got?

Marie's eyes grow wide and she reaches forward with both arms waving.

MARIE

                              Watch out!

Suddenly, a tall, well built GUY, in his late twenties, runs full tilt into Mark in an attempt to catch a football flying towards them both.

Mark goes flying across the pavement and lands hard on his knees.  He braces himself against the pavement with his hands and cries out in pain.  The guy falls over into the pavement just short of where Mark is now kneeling.

GUY

                               Watch where the hell you're 

                               going, buddy.

He jumps up and runs back to his friends across the beach, the football in hand.

Marie skates quickly over to Mark, yelling as she does so.

MARIE

                              JERK!

She kneels down next to Mark who is now sitting on the pavement his hands and knees covered in dirt, blood, scratches and deep scrapes.

MARIE (cont'd)

                              Hold still.

Marie grabs a bandana from her back pocket, spits onto it and begins to clean the dirt and gravel from Mark's grazed knees.  Mark gasps several times and blows on his bloody palms.  Marie then takes one of Marks hands and moves in to kiss it better.  Mark abruptly pulls his hand back.

MARK

                               Don't!

Marie sits back, confusion in her eyes.  Mark won't give her eye contact.

MARK (cont'd)

                               I'll do it.

Mark grabs the bandana from her hands, spits on it and begins to clean up the blood and dirt on his hands.

(written while listening to 'Something in the Way' by Best Coast)