TEN THINGS I HATE ABOUT YOU
written by Karen McCullah Lutz & Kirsten Smith
based on 'Taming of the Shrew" by William Shakespeare
Revision November 12, 1997
PADUA HIGH SCHOOL - DAY
Welcome to Padua High School,, your typical urban-suburban
high school in Portland, Oregon. Smarties, Skids, Preppies,
Granolas. Loners, Lovers, the In and the Out Crowd rub sleep
out of their eyes and head for the main building.
PADUA HIGH PARKING LOT - DAY
KAT STRATFORD, eighteen, pretty -- but trying hard not to be
-- in a baggy granny dress and glasses, balances a cup of
coffee and a backpack as she climbs out of her battered,
baby blue '75 Dodge Dart.
A stray SKATEBOARD clips her, causing her to stumble and
spill her coffee, as well as the contents of her backpack.
The young RIDER dashes over to help, trembling when he sees
who his board has hit.
RIDER
Hey -- sorry.
Cowering in fear, he attempts to scoop up her scattered
belongings.
KAT
Leave it
He persists.
KAT (continuing)
I said, leave it!
She grabs his skateboard and uses it to SHOVE him against a
car, skateboard tip to his throat. He whimpers pitifully
and she lets him go. A path clears for her as she marches
through a pack of fearful students and SLAMS open the door,
entering school.
INT. GIRLS' ROOM - DAY
BIANCA STRATFORD, a beautiful sophomore, stands facing the
mirror, applying lipstick. Her less extraordinary, but
still cute friend, CHASTITY stands next to her.
BIANCA
Did you change your hair?
CHASTITY
No.
BIANCA
You might wanna think about it
Leave the girls' room and enter the hallway.
HALLWAY - DAY- CONTINUOUS
Bianca is immediately greeted by an admiring crowd, both
boys
and girls alike.
BOY
(adoring)
Hey, Bianca.
GIRL
Awesome shoes.
The greetings continue as Chastity remains wordless and
unaddressed by her side. Bianca smiles proudly,
acknowledging her fans.
GUIDANCE COUNSELOR'S OFFICE - DAY
CAMERON JAMES, a clean-cut, easy-going senior with an open,
farm-boy face, sits facing Miss Perky, an impossibly cheery
guidance counselor.
MISS PERKY
I'm sure you won't find Padua any
different than your old school. Same
little asswipe mother-fuckers
everywhere.
Her plastic smile never leaves her face. Cameron fidgets in
his chair uncomfortably.
MISS PERKY
(continuing)
Any questions?
CAMERON
I don't think so, ma'am
MISS PERKY
Then go forth. Scoot I've got
deviants to see.
Cameron rises to leave and makes eye contact with PATRICK
VERONA, a sullen-looking bad ass senior who waits outside Ms
Perky's door. His slouch and smirk let us know how cool he
is.
Miss Perky looks down at her file and up at Patrick
MISS PERKY
(continuing)
Patrick Verona. I see we're making our
visits a weekly ritual.
She gives him a withering glance. He answers with a charming
smile.
PATRICK
I missed you.
MISS PERKY
It says here you exposed yourself to a
group of freshmen girls.
PATRICK
It was a bratwurst. I was eating
lunch.
MISS PERKY
With the teeth of your zipper?
She motions for Patrick to enter her office and Cameron
shuffles out the door, bumping into MICHAEL ECKMAN, a lanky,
brainy senior who will either end up a politician or game
show host.
MICHAEL
You the new guy?
CAMERON
So they tell me...
MICHAEL
C'mon. I'm supposed to give you the
tour.
They head out of the office
MICHAEL
(continuing)
So -- which Dakota you from?
CAMERON
North, actually. How'd you ?
MICHAEL
I was kidding. People actually live
there?
CAMERON
Yeah. A couple. We're outnumbered by
the cows, though.
MICHAEL
How many people were in your old
school?
CAMERON
Thirty-two.
MICHAEL
Get out!
CAMERON
How many people go here?
MICHAEL
Couple thousand. Most of them evil
INT. HALLWAY - DAY- CONTINUOUS
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