"Finally Bobby's ses are done," I plopped down on the couch tiredly, "Gosh, who knew ag would be so tiresome."

  "I swear sometimes you sound like an old man." Steve quipped with a smile.

  "I am an old soul, don'tcha know?" I retorted.

  "Tomorrow Amy's ses will be done as well, then we begin the post-produ," Steve said versationally.

  "Won't we hem for dubbing?" I asked.

  "For a few hours at most. It's a short film, and the total length shouldn't exceed 40 to 45 minutes. If it does, I'll have to cut some ses. Don't want to make it too long."

  "How would I know? Until now I was doing ag practiot making a short film." I gri him.

  "Smartass," He grinned and put a bunovie tapes on the coffee table for me to see.

  I picked one particur movie out.

  He checked my choice of the movie and shook his head, "Sorry buddy, we ot do that movie, it's not for you. Remember what happe time when your mother found us practig [The Godfather] ses?"

  I shivered mentally at that reminder. Kathy wasn't very happy to know I was trying to be a young Michael Corleoill, I held my ground, "But I've already watched [Pulp Fi] and I want to practice the Big Kahuna Burger Se!"

  Steve gaped at me open-mouthed. "Why 't you do something like [Home Alone] or [Forrest Gump]?" He asked dejectedly after getting over his initial shock.

  "Because [Home Alone] requires no ag talent and for [Forrest Gump] I'll have to fake the voice which is very role-specific," I expined my logic emphatically.

  He sighed in resignation, "Just don't tell your mother whes back or she'll kill me."

  I pumped my fist in silent celebration and snatched the tape to put it in the VCR pyer. We had this little game going where we would pick up a se from a movie and I would practice it by the performances of great actors. I have already practiced many great ses of actors like Al Pao, Robert De Niro, Jaicholson, Tom Hanks, etbsp;

  Now I am trying a se of Samuel L. Ja from Pulp Fi. It was arguably the best and the fu se in the movie. Then again, the movie is a cssi its ey.

  (Break)

  "Does-he-look-like-a-bitch?" I asked authoritatively.

  "No." Steve groaned out in character.

  "Then why did you try to fuck him like a bitch?"

  "I didn't"

  "Yes, you did. Yes, you did Brett. You tried to fuck him and Mr. Walce doesn't like to be fucked by anybody except Mrs. Walce." I straightened up slightly as I looked Steve in the eye. "You ever read the Bible, Brett?"

  "Yes," Steve answered meekly.

  "There's a passage I got memorized,..."

  Just as I was doing the Bible verse, Mum walked in. I didn't stop the dialogue aed the whole passage and in the end, I raised a Nerf gun and made a few bnk shots at Steve.

  Only then did I see a defeated expression on Steve's fad a furious-looking Kathy.

  "Please tell me you're not practig lines from [Pulp Fi]," Kathy said, her tone eerily calm.

  "We aren't?" I answered unvingly.

  "Ba-babe I-I expin." Steve stammered as he got up and raised his hands defensively.

  "That you've got loads to do, love."

  (Break)

  September began with a new academic year at elementary school. Only this time, it was an Ameri school and the enviro was simir, yet different to what I was used to in the UK.

  Oing front, things were going great. Shooting of the short home film we made had been pleted on time. All that was left was the post-produ, which Steve would do over the time as he had to finish the script of [Wonder Boys] as well. He was a little behind on the schedule because of the short film which we had mutually decided to call 'Sex Education'.

  Amy and Bobby had promised to redub the parts with unclear sound at a ter date, so Steve wasn't in a hurry to finish it.

  I was anxious though because I wao see my performance as soon as possible, but Steve ft-out refused to show me any of the clips before pleting his work on [Wonder Boys].

  were of course my music lessons. Steve had pitched this eborate pn for my future career development. I had patiently deed the dance lessons. Maybe iure. For now, this is too much too soon. I'd hardly have any time left for myself if I did everything acc to his pn.

  ving him wasn't difficult as he easily ceded that it was my decision. His only argument was stuff like musid dance were easier to learn the younger you started.

  I had to give it to him, but rushing things is not the answer.

  I reached the after putting my bag in pce.

  "Hey, mate." I bumped fists with my first Ameri friend my age, Evan.

  "It's 'dude'. Not mate." Evan rolled his eyes irritated.

  "I'll call you mate, Lil dude," I smirked back at him with a heavy ey at.

  "For the st time, we are the same age," He almost shouted in frustration.

  I cackled maniacally. I loved riling him up. Evan Spader was a small boy with brown hair and brown eyes. He was a cute kid, but most of all he was the oddball because he liked reading and sketg in a er. I had kinda forced myself into this friendship.

  He ically banged his head on the desk as our homeroom teacher walked in and called out, "Troy, stop teasing Evan."

  "Yes, Ms. Lorraine," I answered dutifully with an angelic smile on my face. She was a sucker for my smile, so why not use it properly?

  Evan gave me the stink eye. He kly what I was doing.

  "Troy, what are you doing tomorrow?" Evan asked me in a whisper as the teacher was taking the roll call.

  "Nothing much. Dad will drive me to my music lesson." I answered nontly, "What about you?"

  He looked down nervously and spoke slowly, "My Mom asked me to invite you home."

  "Why?" I asked.

  "She wants to make sure…" He trailed off and mumbled something i.

  "What?" I cupped my ear and dramatically said, "I didn't hear you."

  "She just wants to meet you to see if you are an imaginary friend." He finished relutly.

  I couldn't help myself and ughed out loud at his admission.

  "Troy Armitage!" Ms. Lorraine shouted at me.

  "Here." I smoothly answered and ighe scathing look she was throwing at me.

  Evan hid his fa his hands in embarrassment, "Hey mate," I pushed his hands away, "Sorry fhing. I don't miing her but I'll have to ask Dad when he es to pick me up."

  Both of Evan's parents are wyers so they didn't have much time to spend with him. Most of the time, his nanny picked him up from school, so I never met his parents. He had met both Kathy and Steve, however.

  "My lesson will start at 9 and st till 11. When do you wao e?"

  "At 3?" He asked with uainty.

  "Sure mate," I answered cheerfully.

  (Break)

  It took Steve three weeks after the school began to finish with the script of [Wonder Boys]. Now he could finally begin with the finishing of [Sex Ed]. Finally, I could review the work we shot. As the full movie was shot on a digital camera, we had to go the digital editing route. Luckily, puters and software were advanced enough for the same.

  "Troy! We will be te if you don't hurry up." Steve shouted from the living room.

  "ing!" I shouted back as I fixed my hair and quickly made my way to Steve.

  "I 't believe I am letting you e along," Steve said in a disbelieving voice.

  I smiled like an angel, "How you say no to your most favorite son?"

  Steve rolled his eyes but didn't say anything else as he took my tiny hand in his own giant one and trotted outside towards the car. He turowards me and asked, "Would you even uand what is going on?"

  I opehe car door and sat shotgun. "I may not," I agreed holy, "but I would love to learn, and what better opportunity than an experimental short film that may not even be released?"

  Even if I am a reinated person, I am not a movie genius and I have to accept the fact that I will struggle to uand even the basics when I begin w in the industry.

  We drove in sileo our destination which just happeo be a small indepe film studio run by a friend of Steve's, Hal. Hal was kind enough to lend us his editing room to finish our work with the movie.

  Luckily, they didn't have an uping movie for a few months so we were free to use the studio.

  "The first task iing a film," Steve expined, "is to select all the ses that are to be used for the final movie. That is essentially the director's cut without removing the unnecessary ses."

  I nodded along, showing my uanding.

  "After assembling all the ses together our movie es to a certaih," Steve tinued. "Most directors and producers have a time limit in mind within which they wish to plete the film. To qualify for a film festival, a short film has to be limited to 45 mihat would be oal for this film."

  I mutely observed the process without making any ent as he went to work expining everything to me like he would an intern. That's probably the best quality of Steve, he doesn't treat me like a child. Most of the time at least. While Kathy tries to follow the principle as well, my appearance doesn't help her much.

  Like when we annouhat I would be joining Steve in post-produ after school for a few hours every day, she wasn't happy. Steve vinced her somehow. I don't know what he said, but he vinced her.

  It took Steve nearly two hours to put the ses together and then he finally pyed the first directorial cut.

  The plot was very simple, yet good enough. It was the story of a small boy named Mark, pyed by yours truly. Mark's parents are both corporate workers with little time in their lives for their children. They go to work early and e back te. Sometimes they don't even stay for the weekend.

  In the whole movie there is no appearance of the parents, just their voices that were pyed by Steve and Kathy. They have an older daughter Jenny, pyed by Amy, who is a college student. Although her college (UCLA) is nearby, she prefers to stay on campus, away from babysitting her brother, who is o.

  One day, Mark called Jenny and sobbed as he told her that he suspected that their father was abusing their mother. Hearing this, Jenny came home and asked him why he thought so. He told her that he heard painful noises from their room at night whehought he was asleep.

  Jenny is embarrassed by the revetion but doesn't tell her brother the real reason for it. She gives him a very sored version of the talk about love and how it's not abuse and he will uand when he grows up. However, Jenny realizes how lonely his brother is as he has no friends at school.

  Another plotline is the involvement of Bobby's character, Dyn, who is a typical 16-year-old jo high school who is horny most of the time. Dyn lives on the floor below Mark's and his parents are good friends of Mark's parents'. Thus he was given the responsibility of being Mark's babysitter.

  In one se, Mark finds a in Dyn's wallet and asks about it. Dyn being the responsible adult (almost) rolls the on a banana and then ically goes on about how it goes up a 'pussy cat' belonging to a 'female dog'.

  One day when Jenny is home to check up on her brother, Mark asks him about her breasts, expining that Dyn told him how girls' breasts were filled with milk that is pumped through a pumping mae monthly. How it leaks sometimes and thus women even have to wear diapers so that it won't leak.

  Jenny is fbbergasted by the description but still expins to Mark about ctation aruation. She is worried about this Dyn character and decides to do a surprise visit one day to check up on his brother and Dyheir parents are away. Also to chastise Dyn about destroying Mark's innoce.

  Then there is one i where Dyn tries to touch Mark but Mark, feeling unfortable, runs back to his apartment. Dyn didn't follow him as he was hesitant to do anything else.

  Dyn was talking to a friend on the phone about how he wao fuck a pussy so badly but his girlfriend refused as she wears a chastity ring. Just then there's a kno the door with Steve's voice asking Dyn to go to Mark's pce today as Mark's parents had to go to a weekend lun party and had prepared food for Dyn and Mark.

  Dy over to find Mark doing his homework. He suggested pying some games while eating snacks instead. Mark was a little hesitant but he had known Dyn for years so he didn't think much about it. They pyed chutes and dders and had potato chips with Coke.

  That's when Dyn pulls Mark towards him pyfully and drenched him in coke. Mark was angry and shouted at Dyn. Dyn says that it was just a joke and then jokingly spills Coke on himself as well, saying, "There, now we're both wet."

  Theakes them to the bathroom and after getting out of their clothes, they are under running water when Dyn tries f himself upon Mark. Mark shouted but was silenced by a rge hand over his mouth. Luckily, just then Jenny es in and smashes Dyn's head in.

  After g and soling his brother, Jenny calls first the police, and then their parents.

  A few days ter, Jenny expins that what Dyn did was a crime and he would go to a Juvie where he would probably receive the same treatment he was giving Mark.

  She apologizes that she should have expio Mark all about sex so he could differentiate good touch from bad touch. They had arranged weekly therapy sessions for Mark so he could uand why what Mark did was wrong and how to get over it to stop it from developing into something severe like PTSD.

  Then it es back to the clip of Mark saying, "Hello Big people!"

  From that point on, it was essentially a monologue with detailed knowledge of sex. The best part was that the whole se was improvised and I didn't even take meaningless pauses while delivering.

  From what I am seeing, it seems to be scripted.

  When that se ended, it showed a final se of Jenny, where she talks about the differeween a good toud a bad toud how to differentiate between them. What to do while fag sexual harassment and helplihey tact.

  With that, the movie ended.