Catfish

This is a work in progress. Any and all critiques are welcome! Ruth, the nerdy 14 year old pariah of Basset High, couldn’t be happier that not one, but two boys are giving her attention, even if it's only on the dating site HeartChat. Fred, a gentle soul away at college, and Dave, an artsy, suave upperclassman from the city. They’re the first friends she’s had in a while and the only people she’s even known to be interested in her romantically. What she doesn’t know is that neither of them are who they seem. The real faces behind the profile pictures could spell disaster for her life, ruining any hopes of leaving high school in one piece and perhaps something far worse.  When Francesca, 15, and her friends discover Ruth’s dating profile, they make a fake account to get her hooked and then never respond, leaving her heartbroken. But as she learns more about Ruth, Francesca is the one who becomes enamored, building a relationship under the guise of “Fred.” Her burgeoning understanding of her queerness and her growing interest in the school’s number one outcast puts her at great risk of being left in the dust by her cool friends, who can make her life a living hell like they have to Ruth since elementary school.  David, 31, is bored. His writing career has yet to take off, he’s stuck in a town of phonies and preps teaching English to kids who don’t give a damn about anything but social media and their parents’ money. Not to mention his wife is an unimaginative dullard. So when he finds one of his more engaged students, Ruth, on HeartChat, he’s intrigued and aims to help the poor reject by talking to her. However, he knows he can’t approach her as himself, so he disguises himself as “Dave.” However, he slowly becomes drawn to her, the first “real” girl he’s ever met, even though he knows pursuing a student openly could cost him his job… and his freedom.