- 19 hours ago
Nine Missed Calls: I Learned to Love Her After She Left
Category
🎥
Short filmTranscript
00:00Miss Aria Vale, this is the NYPD. We're sorry.
00:04Your sister is dead.
00:06My phone lit up in the dark.
00:09The screen kept glowing beside my bed like a warning flare sinking underwater.
00:13But I was too exhausted to wake up.
00:16Too exhausted to save her.
00:19When I finally opened my eyes the next morning,
00:21sunlight was already crawling across the ceiling.
00:24My head pounded.
00:28I called back immediately.
00:30The voice on the other end wasn't my sister's.
00:32Miss Aria Vale?
00:34The black coffin disappearing beneath wet earth.
00:37My mother suddenly lunged at me.
00:39You killed her!
00:41It should have been you in that box!
00:44Everyone stared.
00:45Nobody moved.
00:48Two years blurred together like dirty water.
00:51Until Jax appeared.
00:52He became my anchor.
00:54His voice pulled me back from the edge.
00:56You're not alone anymore.
00:58The man I thought would save me.
01:00Red lipstick on a whiskey glass.
01:02His assistant laughed in the dark, resting her head on his shoulder.
01:06She doesn't need to know.
01:08Freezing rain.
01:09Esther's grave.
01:10The fruit knife pressed against my wrist.
01:13The steel trembled slightly in my hand.
01:16Tonight, they both finally got what they wanted.
01:19And by the time they realized who the real monster is, I'll already be dead.
01:26I looked at the name.
01:28The man who once saved my life is now ruining me.
01:32Two years ago, I met Jax outside of CBS at 2 a.m.
01:35I couldn't breathe.
01:37My panic attack hit so hard, my vision blurred.
01:40People walked around me like I was garbage left on the sidewalk.
01:43Then, a black umbrella appeared above my head.
01:46Hey.
01:46A man crouched in front of me.
01:48Sharp suit.
01:49Warm eyes.
01:50Expensive watch catching neon lights.
01:53He handed me a tissue.
01:54Pretty girls shouldn't cry.
01:56Hawaii waves crashing against our feet.
01:59Iceland ice caves glowing blue.
02:01His hand wrapped tightly around mine.
02:03Provence lavender fields stretching endlessly beneath golden sunlight.
02:07Ari.
02:08Jax dropping to one knee.
02:09A diamond ring sparkling between us.
02:12I'll stay beside you forever.
02:15Darkness.
02:16Muffled laughter downstairs.
02:18Glass clinking.
02:19I walked into the living room barefoot.
02:21The smell of bourbon hit first.
02:24Then I saw her.
02:25Long blonde hair spilling across Jax's chest.
02:28His assistant sitting in his lap.
02:30Her lipstick smeared across his jaw.
02:32One of his hands rested lazily on her waist.
02:35The woman gasped when she noticed me.
02:38Oh.
02:39Your fiancé's awake.
02:42Ignore her.
02:43She's not going anywhere.
02:47Then his assistant smiled at me and kissed him harder.
02:52My breathing turned uneven.
02:54My body shook violently.
02:56Jax moved before he could stop himself.
02:59His chair scraped sharply against the floor as he stood.
03:01I thought he was coming to me.
03:03The blonde woman said.
03:05You still care about her?
03:07Jax picked up his whiskey glass without looking at me.
03:10Eat your dinner.
03:11The front door was open.
03:13I froze.
03:14Something was wrong.
03:16I stepped inside slowly.
03:18Crash.
03:19Broken glass beneath my shoes.
03:22The living room looked like a hurricane had torn through it.
03:25And standing beside the fireplace was my mother.
03:28You're getting married?
03:30No!
03:31She hurled the frame straight at my head.
03:34This!
03:35This!
03:36I'm in a cabaret!
03:37You think you deserve a happy life?
03:40You killed Esther!
03:42You're the reason she's dead!
03:44You're getting married!
03:47This!
03:48No!
03:50Silence.
03:51My knees nearly gave out.
03:53My hands shook violently as I reached into my bag.
03:56I needed my meds.
03:58Now.
03:58The pill bottle slipped from my fingers.
04:01White tablets scattered across the floor.
04:05Then.
04:06A pair of leather shoes stepped into view.
04:09Jax.
04:09He didn't help me.
04:11He only stared at the pills.
04:15Then slowly let the bottle fall from his hand.
04:18It rolled away into darkness.
04:22Since learning the truth about Esther.
04:25He had never looked at me with love again.
04:28Only hunger.
04:30Hunger to watch me suffer.
04:33Maya invited me out to dinner to take my mind off things.
04:36You look awful.
04:37I forced a tiny smile and stabbed at my salad.
04:41Then the doors opened.
04:43And everything stopped.
04:45Jax walked in.
04:46Holding another woman's hand.
04:48The blonde assistant.
04:49He guided her to the table gently.
04:51Pulled out her chair.
04:52Brushed his fingers against her shoulder.
04:56Bring us the 45 Roman A. Conte.
04:58Nothing but the best for my favorite girl.
05:00Jax.
05:01Stop.
05:02What if somebody sees?
05:04Maya.
05:06He leaned closer.
05:08Tucked her hair behind her ear.
05:10That's when I saw it.
05:11A diamond ring sparkling on her finger.
05:14My stomach dropped.
05:16That's the ring Jax and I chose together.
05:19I finally realized he was punishing me.
05:21But why?
05:23Then Jax looked up.
05:25Straight at me.
05:26No guilt.
05:26Only amusement.
05:28He slowly lifted his wine glass toward me.
05:31A mock toast.
05:33Maya slammed her fork down.
05:36Oh hell no.
05:37She grabbed my wrist and pulled me toward the exit.
05:40As we passed their table her bag suddenly slipped.
05:45You were on nine I'm wanting this.
05:49Oops.
05:56Oh don't worry.
05:57This place is for happy couples anyway.
06:03Why are you still with him?
06:06I opened my mouth.
06:08Nothing came out.
06:09Because how could I explain this?
06:11Jax wasn't the reason I stayed.
06:13I stayed because without him I had nobody left.
06:17No sister.
06:19No mother.
06:21No home.
06:23The house was dark when I got home.
06:25Jax sat alone on the sofa.
06:27Drunk.
06:28Tie loose.
06:29Eyes unfocused.
06:31I stopped in the doorway.
06:33Then he laughed quietly.
06:34A broken sound.
06:35Esther.
06:36My entire body froze.
06:38It's been so long since I thought about you.
06:41But then.
06:42A bitter smile.
06:44I met someone who looks exactly like you.
06:50I'm finally going to marry you Esther.
06:53The room tilted sideways.
06:55He wasn't talking to me.
06:57He never was.
06:58I stumbled into his study.
07:00Boxes crashed open beneath shaking hands.
07:03Books scattered everywhere.
07:05Paper flew across the floor.
07:07I found it.
07:08A high school yearbook.
07:10I flipped through pages frantically.
07:12My breathing turned sharp and uneven.
07:14And then.
07:16There.
07:16Young Jax smiling beside a girl in uniform.
07:20My sister.
07:21Esther.
07:22On the back of the photograph is written.
07:24They weren't strangers.
07:26They were lovers.
07:28Everything suddenly made sense.
07:30Why he chose me.
07:31Why he looked at me with hatred after Esther died.
07:34Jack staggered in.
07:36Trying to snatch the photograph from my hand.
07:38He was clearly still drunk.
07:40Why?
07:41Why wasn't it you who died?
07:45Is that what you want?
07:46Fine.
07:47I grabbed the fruit knife from the kitchen counter.
07:50Then I'll give her back to you.
07:53Jack shot to his feet.
07:55Aria.
07:57A life for a life.
07:59Isn't that what you wanted?
08:01Aria.
08:02Stop.
08:02Stop.
08:06Aria.
08:07Tight shot on a speedometer hitting 90.
08:10I slammed the brakes at the cemetery gates.
08:12I climbed the stone steps.
08:16I stood before Esther's grave.
08:20Tick.
08:21Tick.
08:23The blade sliced my wrist.
08:26I curled into a ball too terrified to breathe.
08:30Don't be scared, little moon.
08:32I am here.
08:37I lay face down in the snow, my consciousness fading.
08:41When I woke up in the hospital, her eyes were bloodshot.
08:46If you leave, if you leave, what happens to me?
08:51I looked down at my wrist.
08:53The blood was staining the white marble of her headstone.
08:58My vision started to tunnel.
09:02If I hadn't missed those nine calls, if I had just picked up.
09:07Blood slid down my wrist in thin red lines.
09:10Drip, drip, drip.
09:12Drip, drip.
09:13Then I heard footsteps.
09:14Slow.
09:15Heavy.
09:16Getting closer.
09:18I looked up.
09:19A man stood there holding white lilies.
09:23Jesus Christ.
09:24The second he saw my wrist, his face drained of color.
09:30Stay with me.
09:31Stay with me.
09:32Okay?
09:33Okay?
09:36His hands were shaking.
09:37He cursed under his breath, then suddenly lifted me into his arms.
09:44The world tilted, and then I saw it.
09:48My sister, laughing in our tiny kitchen.
09:52He said one day he'll marry me.
09:54My breathing stopped.
09:55I stared at him.
09:57Are you...
09:59Are you Liam?
10:01His body froze.
10:03The man holding me was Esther's boyfriend.
10:08The ER smelled like bleach and burnt coffee.
10:13I sat in the plastic chair while the nurse wrapped fresh bandages around my wrist.
10:20My phone kept vibrating beside me.
10:23Jacks.
10:23Jacks.
10:24Jacks.
10:2512 missed calls.
10:28Then 13.
10:29Liam came back from the payment desk holding a paper cup of water.
10:40You should drink something.
10:42I took the cup but didn't move.
10:44My phone buzzed again.
10:47Liam glanced at the screen.
10:51You're not answering him.
10:53I shook my head.
10:57He lifted his hands slightly, like he wanted to touch my hair, then stopped himself.
11:03Finally, he exhaled quietly.
11:06Aria.
11:09Esther left some things with me.
11:11She said they were important.
11:14I think you should see them.
11:16I stared down at the blood seeping faintly through my bandage.
11:22Okay.
11:23Liam came downstairs holding an old metal box with both hands.
11:31She loved this thing.
11:36She never let me open it.
11:39She called it her treasure box.
11:43Then he looked at me.
11:46But I think it belongs to you now.
11:49Under the warm overhead light, I slowly lifted the lid.
11:53Inside was a mess of tiny things.
11:56Cheap things.
11:58Old things.
11:59A crayon drawing I made when I was six.
12:02Esther in a giant princess dress with a crooked gold crown.
12:06A plastic butterfly hair clip from a dollar store.
12:10I remembered forcing her to wear the matching one with me.
12:13A friendship bracelet I made when I was ten.
12:16Bright ugly string.
12:18Tiny plastic stars.
12:20Liam stared at it.
12:22She kept this for twelve years.
12:24Movie tickets.
12:26Birthday notes.
12:27Candy wrappers.
12:28Every tiny piece of me she'd ever touched.
12:32I couldn't breathe anymore.
12:34Tears crashed down my face before I even realized I was crying.
12:38These aren't treasures.
12:40They're just junk.
12:43But Esther had kept every single one.
12:47Like I was something worth saving.
12:50Liam dropped me off at a hotel just before midnight.
12:54Before leaving, he hesitated.
12:57If you need anything, call me.
13:00I nodded.
13:10The second the door closed, my phone started vibrating again.
13:14Jacks.
13:15I turned the phone face down.
13:17Then I opened Esther's diary.
13:20My hands shook as I flipped the first page.
13:24Mom looked at me today like I was something rotten.
13:28She said girls like me only bring shame.
13:32But Little Moon still smiled at me.
13:35My breathing slowed.
13:37Page after page.
13:41The childhood.
13:43The screaming.
13:44The bruises.
13:45The nights we hid together under blankets pretending we lived somewhere else.
13:50She's the only good thing in my life.
13:53Esther.
13:54Tears blurred the ink.
13:55Then I reached the final pages.
13:58I met Liam.
14:00For the first time, I thought maybe I could have a home.
14:04But Mom found out.
14:06She called me a whore in front of everyone.
14:10She said if I didn't leave him, she'd marry Aria off to that old man instead.
14:16The ink near the bottom was smeared badly.
14:19Like tears had fallen directly onto the page.
14:23I can't do this anymore.
14:25I'm sorry.
14:27That was the last entry.
14:29Seven days later, my sister jumped.
14:33For a long time, I stopped thinking about Esther.
14:36Because thinking about her hurt too much.
14:39That night, I fell asleep with her diary against my chest.
14:43And I dreamed of her.
14:46We were kids again.
14:48Running through tall grass under the summer sun.
14:52She turned back laughing.
14:55Faster little moon.
14:57The wind lifted her hair.
14:58For one perfect second.
15:04She was alive again.
15:06Warm.
15:07Real.
15:10Be happy.
15:11Okay?
15:15I woke up crying.
15:17Morning light poured through the curtains so bright it hurt my eyes.
15:20The pillow beneath my face was soaked.
15:23I curled into myself and closed my eyes again.
15:26In the dream, Esther touched my head gently.
15:34A sob climbed up my throat.
15:36I buried my face deeper into the pillow.
15:40Thank God longing makes no sound.
15:45Because if it did, I think it would have killed me too.
15:50When I finally turned my phone back on, the screen exploded with notifications.
15:56Missed calls, texts, voicemails.
15:59Only one person I called back.
16:01Maya answered instantly.
16:03Oh my God, Aria.
16:04Jax is losing his mind.
16:06He called everyone.
16:07He almost reported you missing.
16:09I stared out the hotel window.
16:12I'm okay.
16:15Then I hung up and called Liam.
16:20I want to go home.
16:22He arrived 20 minutes later.
16:28The drive was quiet.
16:30Soft piano music played through the speakers, while city lights blurred past the windows.
16:38You okay?
16:39I nodded.
16:45Did Esther call you that night?
16:51Yeah.
16:53His voice crapped slightly.
16:55I couldn't save her either.
16:58I stared at him.
17:01Liam swallowed hard.
17:03Aria.
17:04She wasn't calling to blame you.
17:07She was saying goodbye.
17:09And your sister wanted you to live more than anyone.
17:12Then he opened the car door for me.
17:15Jax was sitting on the couch.
17:18The second he saw me, he stood up so fast, the whiskey glass hit the floor.
17:24Aria.
17:25He crossed the room in seconds and pulled me into his arms so tightly.
17:28Thank God.
17:30I think you're alive.
17:31I thought you were dead.
17:36His cold eyes in the study.
17:38You don't deserve happiness.
17:40I pushed him away hard.
17:42He froze when he saw the bandages on my wrist.
17:48I looked straight at him.
17:52I'm ending the engagement.
17:55Then he laughed once.
17:58It's done.
17:59You don't mean that.
18:02I almost died with him, Jax.
18:05And the only thing I felt was relief.
18:09He stared at me like I'd stabbed him.
18:11Aria.
18:13Please.
18:14For two years.
18:16I thought you saved me.
18:20But you were just another person teaching me I should have died instead of my sister.
18:24That's not true.
18:26Then why did you keep hurting me after you found out who Esther was?
18:31When I walked past him, I walked past him toward the stairs.
18:36I hadn't been back home in two years.
18:41My mother opened the door.
18:46She looked older.
18:48Smaller, somehow.
18:51So you didn't die after all.
18:54Her eyes dropped to the bandages on my wrist.
19:00What a shame.
19:03I lifted my arm calmly.
19:06Almost dead.
19:10Before she could speak, I took Esther's diary out of my bag and placed it on the table.
19:27My mother froze.
19:28I looked at her for the first time in years without fear.
19:32That's hers.
19:34Mom.
19:36Esther and I were real people.
19:39Not dolls you could control.
19:42That's hers.
19:46That's hers.
19:46Well, the situation changed.
19:47I opened the diary, pages filled with shaky handwriting.
19:51Tear stains.
19:52Smudged ink.
19:55Mom slapped me today because I smiled too much.
20:08Little Moon hid bread in my backpack so I wouldn't go hungry.
20:22I'm tired.
20:25My mother grabbed the diary with trembling hands.
20:29No! She was always sensitive, weak, dramatic.
20:35She was your daughter.
20:39And you kept breaking her until there was nothing left.
20:43You lost us slowly, year after year.
20:47Then I turned to leave.
20:49Behind me, something shattered.
20:53My mother had collapsed to the floor, clutching the diary to her chest.
20:58Maya showed up carrying a metal bat.
21:01Not a joke-sized one, either.
21:03If he stops you, I'm swinging.
21:05Jack sat downstairs on the couch, like a ghost waiting for a sentence.
21:10I packed upstairs while Maya stood at the staircase, gripping the bat with both hands and glaring at him like
21:16a prison guard.
21:30Two suitcases.
21:31That was all my life fit into.
21:33When I came downstairs, Jack's finally looked up.
21:36His eyes followed me everywhere.
21:38Like if he blinked, I'd disappear again.
21:42On the coffee table sat a framed photo.
21:44Me and him, laughing on a beach in Hawaii.
21:47I picked it up.
21:51Then quietly opened the drawer beside it and took out scissors.
21:57Jack stood immediately.
22:02Aria.
22:03I brought the blades down toward the photo, but his hand caught the scissors first.
22:08The sharp edge sliced into his palm.
22:10Blood welled instantly.
22:12Say one thing.
22:14Maya lifted the bat.
22:15Do you really have to do this?
22:17But Jack's only looked at me.
22:26Wasn't I just Esther's replacement?
22:35His voice cracked.
22:37At first, maybe.
22:40I didn't answer.
22:44I ripped the frame away and cut the photo into pieces.
22:49Tiny scraps fluttered to the floor.
22:54Then I grabbed my suitcases and walked to the door.
23:01No home.
23:02No fiancé.
23:04No family.
23:07But for the first time in years,
23:10I wasn't scared anymore.
23:14Because even after death,
23:17my sister was still the one saving me.
23:20And if Esther wanted her little moon to live happily,
23:24then I would.
23:26I would live harder than anyone.
23:30Two weeks later, my mother texted me.
23:32Come home.
23:33Please.
23:35The house was dark when I opened the door.
23:37I followed the sound to Esther's bedroom.
23:40And froze.
23:41My mother sat on the floor, surrounded by photos.
23:44Esther's diary lay open beside her.
23:47An old video played on repeat from her TV.
23:50We're eating snacks.
23:51Young Esther laughing.
23:53Little moon, stop stealing my fries!
23:56My mother clutched one of Esther's childhood dresses against her chest.
24:00Her hair was a mess.
24:01Eyes swollen raw.
24:04I had two daughters.
24:06Her voice shook violently.
24:08And I killed them both.
24:10She started crying harder.
24:13I didn't know I was destroying you.
24:17I thought I was protecting you.
24:19You girls had no father.
24:21No future.
24:23I just...
24:23I wanted you to survive.
24:26And she looked at me, terrified.
24:28But why, why did you always look so scared of me?
24:31The room went silent.
24:32Because for the first time in her life, she finally understood.
24:37Children don't fear monsters by accident.
24:40Your condition is much more stable now.
24:43One more treatment cycle and we can start reducing the medication.
24:46My psychiatrist smiled at me across the desk.
24:48Area.
24:49She said gently.
24:50Living means learning how to move forward.
24:53Outside the office window, spring sunlight spilled across the hospital garden.
24:58Then I saw Jax, pale, too thin, like someone life had hollowed out.
25:04Second he saw me, he walked over fast.
25:09After you left...
25:10His voice was rough.
25:11I started drinking every night just to sleep.
25:15But nobody makes soup like you.
25:19I thought I loved Esthers.
25:21But I was wrong.
25:24What I fell in love with...
25:27Was you, Aria.
25:29I felt nothing.
25:30No anger.
25:31No satisfaction.
25:33Just tired.
25:34Maybe this is God punishing me.
25:36He whispered.
25:37I can't sleep anymore.
25:40I drink all day.
25:42I lost my job.
25:44And whose punishment was Esther?
25:46He went silent.
25:50Hours later, I sat alone in the park.
25:52My phone buzzed.
25:53Unknown number.
25:54A photo message.
25:55The picture I'd cut apart, carefully taped back together.
25:59I stared at it for two seconds.
26:01Then deleted it.
26:03Blocked the number.
26:04Two little girls ran past me holding ice cream cones.
26:07Can you help me with homework later?
26:09Only if you finish before our show starts.
26:12Their laughter drifted farther and farther away.
26:17And this time, I finally let it go.
26:21Hello.
26:21details about erm...
Comments