**Please note that this script is still in development. More scenes will be added by the author as they are available.**

INT. ELEANOR'S APARTMENT - DECEMBER 30TH

ELEANOR sits on her bed and sighs, thinking about all the time they've wasted over the last year.

ELEANOR

Why are you like this? Why do you complain all the time about being isolated and then go off and push people away?

EXT. PUBLIC PARK, 3 YEARS EARLIER

ELEANOR and her late best friend SARA are catching up after not speaking for years.

ELEANOR

I'm sorry I spent so much time obsessing over our friendship and what could've been had I not fucked it all up.

Eleanor starts to get teary-eyed.

ELEANOR (CONT'D)

Even now I have no one. I was always bad at making friends, but then you came along, and I really appreciated it until the end. I'm so alone.

SARA comforts ELEANOR.

SARA

I do wanna be friends again. This time there's no room for pettiness, okay? I'm here for you, Eleanor.

ELEANOR

Thank you so much.

INT. ELEANOR'S APARTMENT - PRESENT

ELEANOR

No, it’s not over!

ELEANOR quickly gets up, grabs her phone, and listens to a new voicemail from her co-worker, ARI.

ARI (O.S.)

Hey, Eleanor! Remember that Christmas Eve work party I told you about? It was canceled because of the weather. Soooo I

was thinking of doing a New Year's party tomorrow night. I know you don’t ever go to my social events, but, y'know, I’m

just curious if you could come. You should, unless you have other plans. It’s at my place, 520 Kinder Road. That's walking distance to yours, right? Anyways, see ya!

ELEANOR puts her phone down and sighs.

ELEANOR

I should just go.

EXT. OUTSIDE ARI'S HOUSE - NIGHT

ELEANOR walks up to Ari's door and knocks on it. There is no answer, so she knocks again, waits a few seconds and turns around to leave.

Suddenly, the door opens. It’s ARI.

ARI

Oh…Eleanor, you came! Before everyone else too! Uh, come in!

The two enter ARI'S living room and sit on her couch. ARI notices ELEANOR'S blank face.

ARI (CONT'D)

You okay?

ELEANOR

Yeah, yeah. I'm fine.

ARI

I wasn't expecting you to come. I've never seen you at any other

social events.

ELEANOR

I haven’t partied since college.

ARI

Oh? How long ago was that?

ELEANOR

Like 2 years ago.

ARI

Oh really? Where did you go?

ELEANOR

Bickerton. It’s like two hours down from here.

ARI

Oh. Why?

ELEANOR

I don’t wanna talk about it.

ARI

That's fine. We don’t have to.

There is an awkward silence that lasts 10 excruciating seconds, until ELEANOR finally speaks.

ELEANOR

So…how are you doing?

ARI

I’m fine, I don’t know. I feel like there's nothing to say about me, but you; I know like virtually nothing about you.

ELEANOR

Well, there's nothing to say about me either.

ARI

Surely there's gotta be something.

ELEANOR

Why can’t I say the same for you?

ARI

I just said that because I feel like you know enough about me. You see me almost every day, Eleanor. But despite that, I don’t know YOU, like at all!

There's a knock on the door. ARI gets up to see who it is, leaving the room.

ARI (O.S.)

Oh hey, Mark! How’ve you been…

Close-up shot of ELEANOR'S face. Slow fade into later in the night, when everyone else is chatting. ELEANOR just sits there. She opens up her phone just as a woman around her age steps right in front of her.

STELLA

I like your sticker.

ELEANOR

Oh, huh, what?

ELEANOR turns her phone over to see a star sticker she placed there months ago.

ELEANOR (CONT'D)

The star?

STELLA

I made that, you know.

ELEANOR

What?

STELLA sits down next ELEANOR.

STELLA

Yeah, where did you get it?

ELEANOR

From a local store. They had a whole bin of stickers that were “special.” Now I understand what that meant.

STELLA

I assume it refers to all local artists.

ELEANOR

Yeah, but this is beautiful, too! I bought it because it looked really cool.

STELLA

Thank you.

ELEANOR

But can you prove that you made it? I need to know!

STELLA

Welp, I love drawing stars. Really. Because of my name.

ELEANOR gives her a curious look.

STELLA (CONT'D)

Stella.

ELEANOR

Eleanor.

ELEANOR goes to shake her hand. STELLA is confused.

STELLA

Oh, you’re shaking my hand. Okay. Nice to meet you.

They shake hands awkwardly.

ELEANOR

Sorry…that was weird.

STELLA

Nah you’re fine. Where was I? Oh yes! So I designed a bunch of stars in my free time, and I thought,

“Hey, these would make for cool sticker designs,” so I sold them online. Then just last month, I made a

deal with The Good Books to sell them there. That's where you got it, right?

ELEANOR

Yeah.

STELLA

Here, check out my site.

STELLA gets her phone and puts in a website  that shows the exact sticker ELEANOR has on her phone, front and center.

ELEANOR

That’s so cool.

STELLA

It’s even cooler to see my art out in the wild. So, Eleanor, what are you into?

ELEANOR

Stuff…I draw sometimes, but I’m shit compared to you.

STELLA

You don’t gotta compare your art to mine. Ellie. All I really do is draw stars… Okay and other things too.

But even if I were Da Vinci, there's no reason to bring yourself down over your art. It’s your art.

ELEANOR

I guess.

STELLA

Any other interests?

ELEANOR

Welp, besides drawing, which I don't do often, I watch movies and take walks. Boring, I know.

STELLA

It's not boring. What's your favorite movie?

ELEANOR

Uhm...

ELEANOR starts to slightly smile.

ELEANOR (CONT'D)

What's the least pretentious thing I can say right now?

ELEANOR chuckles, and so does STELLA.

STELLA

I don't think you can outdo me in that department.

A beep goes off on STELLA'S watch, and she gets a nervous look on her face.

STELLA (CONT'D)

Shit, I have to go.

ELEANOR

Wait what?

Many people are crowded around the TV. The New Year's ball is about to drop, adding a whole lot more noise to the house.

PARTY GOERS

10....9....8....7....6...

STELLA

ASK ARI FOR MY NUMBER!

Stella runs off.

PARTY GOERS (CONT'D)

5....4....3....2....1

ELEANOR

WHAT?

PARTY GOERS (CONT'D)

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

INT. ELEANOR'S APARTMENT - NIGHT 

ELEANOR is in her bed, completely crashed out from the night before, when she starts dreaming. DREAM Eleanor and STELLA are together in a crowded stadium, but for some reason, which is unclear to her, a man comes up to them. 

DREAM MAN (TO STELLA) 

Nice girlfriend you've got there. Would be better if she smiled more. 

STELLA hesitates for a second. 

STELLA 

Yeah… I don’t even really know her that well, honestly. 

Various people crowd around them, saying things. 

ARI 

I think I work with her. 

WALT 

Oh yeah, I thought we were becoming friends, but then she just ghosted me. 

SARA 

We went to school together, then she left my side for some dumb reason... 

ELEANOR tries to say something, but her mouth disappears. She feels around her face, and it's completely gone, replaced with an ever-fading question mark. She tries to grab STELLA as she turns away into a swarm of other people, but she turns into a bunch of stickers. The stickers overwhelm ELEANOR as she struggles to escape. She falls as her surroundings change to her room at night, and it’s the early morning of January 2nd, 2 am. 

INT. ELEANOR'S TINY LIVING ROOM - NIGHT

Eleanor, finding it impossible to sleep, sits on her couch and contemplates what she just dreamed. 

ELEANOR (MUMBLING) 

You’re not gonna miss your shot. You've missed many shots, but something about this one is different. I have to find her. I don't know what it is, maybe fate, maybe- oh dear, I have a crush on you, Stella. 

ELEANOR crashes down on her couch. 

INT. ELEANOR'S APARTMENT - MORNING 

ELEANOR frantically calls her friend, ARI, who picks up. 

ARI (O.S.) 

Eleanor! What's up? 

ELEANOR 

Oh......nothing, butt dial, sorry. 

ARI (O.S.)

Oh. Okay. 

ELEANOR

So. I’ll see you at work tomorrow. Thanks for the New Year’s party, by the way. 

ARI (O.S.) 

You're welcome. Looked like you had a good time! I saw you with my friend, well, friend of a friend, Stella. 

ELEANOR 

Oh really? I don't uh......bye. 

ELEANOR hangs up and sighs. 

FADE IN: FANTASY SEQUENCE OF ELEANOR TRAPPED INSIDE A SMALL GLASS BOX 

INT. GROCERY STORE - DAY 

ELEANOR is in a long line when she sees one of the designs STELLA showed her at the New Year's party, on a pin, which distracts her as the line moves up. 

GROCERY STORE PERSON 

Um, dude, could you move up? 

ELEANOR

Sorry.

INT. LOCAL BOOKSTORE - DAY

ELEANOR is looking at STELLA'S designs on the front counter of the bookstore. 

CASHIER 

They're great, right? 

ELEANOR fails to respond. 

CASHIER (CONT’D)

Right?

ELEANOR 

Yeah. They're from a local artist, right? 

CASHIER 

Yep, Stella Octangula. Okay. I don't think Octangula is her last name, but it’s like her street name or whatever. 

ELEANOR 

Does she have a website or anything like that? 

CASHIER 

I dunno. My coworker told me. 

There is an air of silence. 

CASHIER (CONT'D) 

So....are you gonna buy something or what? 

ELEANOR grabs some of STELLA'S pins and stickers. 

ELEANOR 

Yeah, I'll get these. 

CASHIER 

That'll be 10 dollars. 

INT. ELEANOR'S TINY LIVING ROOM  - NIGHT

ELEANOR sits on her couch, watching the scene from "A Streetcar Named Desire," where Marlon Brando screams "STELLA!" ELEANOR then puts her newly bought pins on her work bag and sighs. 

ELEANOR 

I'm gonna find you, Stella. I just have some obstacles in my way. (She takes a moment and breathes) Is that creepy? I'm not trying to stalk her. Who the fuck am I even talking to? God. I'm so desperate. 520- something thousand minutes wasted, and it's all my fault. 

FADE IN: FANTASY SEQUENCE OF ELEANOR TRAPPED INSIDE A SMALL GLASS BOX THAT IS CRACKING.

About this script: I Am Not Alone is a film about a socially inept woman named Eleanor who moves to a new city at the start of a new year to jumpstart her adult life. Working as a waitress and store clerk, she isolates from the world around her, avoiding social interactions entirely out of her own extreme social anxiety. A whole year is spent on time she considers wasted, avoiding making friends and minimising social interaction. She spends the last night of the year lying in bed alone, when she is given a boost of motivation from remembering the last interaction she had with her late best friend, the last friend she’d ever have. Eleanor gets up and listens to a voicemail from her co-worker, Ari, who informs her of a New Year's Eve party happening that night, and she rushes out the door.  Thus begins her journey of self discovery and social connection.