CASTING SIDE — DREW
(19 | slick, dangerous, magnetic — charm like a blade. Audition cut: Drew’s beats, with brief Micky cues.)
EXT. PAYPHONE — DAY
The payphone crouches under a flickering light. A cluster of BOYS loiter nearby, laughing too loud. They hush as Micky approaches. DREW steps forward—grin easy, movement practiced. He watches her cross like he’s been waiting for the exact rhythm of her steps.
DREW
(smooth, testing)
“You lost, lil’ mama?”
Micky freezes — not from fear, but because the air around him snaps electric. She sizes him up older than her years.
YOUNG MICKY
(cool, clipped)
“No. I know where I’m going.”
Drew leans an elbow on the payphone, charm turned up. He studies her like he’s cataloguing what he can take.
DREW
(grinning, cocky)
“Ain’t often I see a girl brave enough to come to a spot like this alone. You got a name, or you just trouble in short skirts?”
Micky’s smile is small and sharp.
YOUNG MICKY
(defiant, playful)
“Name’s Micky. I don’t do ‘trouble’ — trouble finds me.”
Boys snicker. Drew’s smile widens — bait, and he likes bait.
DREW
(low, flirt)
“All right, Micky. You got fire. I like that. You ever ride with someone who actually knows how to keep up?”
Micky’s chest tightens — possibility and dread braided together.
DREW
(leaning in, voice a whisper)
“Come on. One ride. I’ll show you Houston different. No chaperones. No rules.”
Micky hesitates — looks back once, then at Drew. She sets the limit.
YOUNG MICKY
(breathing, decision)
“Two blocks. That’s it. You pull any stunt, I walk.”
DREW
(purring, claim)
“Two blocks is all I need.”
He scribbles a number on a napkin, presses it into her hand like a small theft. She tucks it into her sleeve.
DREW
(casual, dangerous)
“You look good. Don’t let them tell you who to be.”
Micky gives a brittle, halfway-to-brave smile.
YOUNG MICKY
(soft, defiant)
“I know who I am.”
Drew watches her walk away — satisfied, already imagining the next play. His grin moves from flirt to possession as he calls after her, half promise, half threat.
DREW
(soft, almost to himself)
“Be careful out there, lil’ mama. This city don’t forgive soft hearts.”