reunion

Scene One

(The scene opens with Sally, a teenage girl sitting on a curb with a park in the background. She is wearing jeans and a black hoodie with a band logo on it. She appears to be deep in thought, staring out into nothing and hugging her knees as if she were in need of security. Lila enters the scene, loudly talking on her cell-phone to her sister. She is wearing a tight jogging outfit with many clangy bracelets around her wrists. Her phone is the newest model of cell-phone.)

Lila: (to her sister) Yeah, I just found Sally. I dunno, in a couple hours. K. Love ya, bye. (hangs up then rushes to Sally for a hug) Hey, hun! Why you look so sad?

Sally: (doesn’t stand, causing the greeting hug to be awkward) I always look like this.

Lila: (sitting next to her on the curb) Well, it’s depressing to see you like that. Look happier!

Sally: (stands up and faces Lila. She rubs her own arms and shivers) I’m cold.

Lila: Aw. Poor Sally! (laughs)

Sally: Is Chloe coming?

Lila: I think so. I don’t really care if she is or not.

Sally: (slightly ashamed) I don’t care either. But Alyssa wants her here.

Lila: (growls in anger) Chloe is not my favourite person right now. I was talking to her on MSN yesterday and I had no choice, I had to block her. Have you ever met anyone who could talk about herself so much?

Sally: Well, she is a little self-centred. But it’s not her fault; it’s just the way she is.

Lila: (sighs in boredom) I guess so.

(Silence fills the air and it stays that way for a few seconds until Lila begins to tap her foot and hum “Changes” by Tupac.)

Lila: Do you know if something’s wrong with Alyssa? She sounded like she was crying on the phone.

Sally: (shrugs and shakes her head)

Lila: I wasn’t gonna come ‘cause I got work tomorrow. But I did ‘cause I love you guys so much. (smiles and lightly kicks Sally’s shoe)

Sally: Well, thanks for coming, Alyssa really needs us right now.

Lila: No problem… (stands up) I’m thirsty.

Sally: Me too.

Lila: Do you think they’ll be here soon?

Sally: Probably. They both live like down the street from here.

Lila: (jumps around impatiently then stares offstage to the left longingly) We could make it to the store and back in time, couldn’t we?

Sally: Doubt it.

Lila: (grabbing Sally’s arm and tugging for her to follow) C’mon. I’m so thirsty!

Sally: (groans and looks to the right end of the stage) Lila, they’re gonna be here in like two seconds.

Lila: (dragging her off of the left end of the stage) No worries. We’ll be back in a minute. (both exit)

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Scene Two

(Same setting about a minute later. Chloe enters from the right end of the stage and stands in front of the curb, looking around for her friends. She is wearing a black skirt that looks as though she’d taken it from a Halloween costume that was made out of polyester. Her tank top is black, a black zip-up sweater over it. She is wearing her eye makeup thick and black. Under her eye, there is a dark tear drawn in eyeliner.)

Chloe: (sighs to herself) I knew I’d be the first one here. How inconsiderate. They tell me to hurry, then they take their sweet time to meet me. Sometimes, I swear that I am the only one who cares about this friendship. (sits on the curb with a growl of annoyance) They don’t appreciate what a good friend I am. My friend calls and asks me to come to the park at one in the morning, I show up. I show up because I am a good person. Do the other two hurry to show up for Alyssa? Nope. And what about Alyssa? She said this was important, yet she’s not here yet. How rude. I could have been sleeping right now. (stands and begins to walk around the stage in an attempt to amuse herself) Where are they? “Best friends” my ass! They can’t possibly care about me if they take this long. I bet Lila and Sally wont even show up. They’re just like that. Lila would make up some excuse for not coming, like how she has work tomorrow or something. I have work tomorrow, and I’m still here! How lazy. And Sally. Sally’s probably with her boyfriend, the one she’s in love with. (scoffs) She’s not in love; she’s just imagining that she is. She wants to be in love so badly. Well, she’s not. I would know. I’m so in love with my boyfriend. I swear we’d die if we weren’t together. (sits back down on the curb and stays silent for a moment) I bet Sally’s boyfriend is fat. Poor girl. She could only ever get fat guys. (fidgets, irritated and impatient) Where the hell are they? Why must they always keep me waiting? (stands up and crosses her arms) I bet Alyssa told me to come to the wrong place. I bet they’re all at Sally’s house, sitting around making fun of me for not being there yet. Alyssa would do that. She’s always giving the wrong information. (whispers) Drugs. What a stoner. And it would have to be Sally’s house. Why doesn’t anyone ever come to my house? (growls and exits to the right end of the stage)

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Scene Three

(Same setting about a minute later. Roger enters from the right end of the stage, agitated and drunk. He’s wearing baggy jeans and a basketball jersey. He paces around the stage, unsure of where to go.)

Roger: (slurs to himself) K. I’m gonna go home, lie down, and forget about this. (stops, shakes his head, then turns around and walks to the right end of the stage) No! I hafta go back. She’s gonna tell. I know she’s gonna tell. (stops again and begins to pull at his hair, pouting with frustration) Oh, God! She’s gonna tell! (starts walking to the right end again) I’ll make her not tell. (stops) How am I gonna do that? Oh, damnit! I really screwed up this time! (starts to the left end of the stage) I hafta go home. I hafta sleep. I’m way too drunk to handle this. Stupid low alcohol tolerance! You always get me into trouble! (stops again and stamps his feet in a temper tantrum before pacing around again) I can’t go home! My girlfriend’ll find me there! She’s gonna call me, I know it. She’ll call and she’ll know I was with that other girl and she’ll hate me! (trips over his feet and falls to the ground. He crawls over to the curb, sits on it, and pulls out his cell-phone) What time is it anyway? 1:30. A.M? This hasta be wrong, it was only 10:00 p.m. a few minutes ago. (hides his head in his hands, still gripping the phone) I’m so drunk. That’s it! I quit! No more drinking for me! (looks around the stage with a hopeless, drunken gaze and  looks as though he is about to cry) What am I gonna do? This is so bad. Maybe she’ll never find out. (shakes his head to himself) No, I can’t keep this from her. (suddenly disturbed) Wait. Why do I care? It isn’t like she’s the first girl I’ve ever cheated on. (stares down at his feet with a pause) I don’t wanna hurt her though… Wow. Since when do I care about hurting her? (buries his head in his hands again and groans) I can’t deal with this right now. (stands up a little too fast and makes himself dizzy) Crap. I’m gonna throw up. Ok, what to do? If I go home, then she’s gonna call me. She has a sixth sense for these things. She’s a freak. She always knows when I’m home. (looks around, worried and unsure of what to do)

(His cell-phone begins to ring with “Gin and Juice” by Snoop Dogg as a ring tone and he jumps, startled. He checks his caller ID cautiously, then almost cries to find that it is his girlfriend calling)

Roger: Damnit! She found me! Stupid cell-phone! How could you betray me like this? (cautiously picks up then attempts to act as normal as possible, not as agitated as he was moments earlier) Hey, baby. Yeah, I was just thinking about you. (walks off the left end of the stage, talking to his girlfriend on the phone)

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Scene Four

(Same setting a few minutes later. Sally and Lila enter from the left end of the stage. Lila has a diet coke in one hand, her cell-phone in the other as she talks to her boyfriend on the phone. Sally carries a bottle of water. Chloe enters from the right end of the stage, also on her cell-phone, talking to Alyssa. All three see each other and wave silently, while still talking to those who are on the phone. Sally sits back on the curb in the middle of the stage and waits for her friends to finish their conversations.)

Lila: (laughing loudly to her boyfriend) You’re hilarious!

Chloe: (to Alyssa, irritated) They just showed up. We’ll be there in a minute. (hangs up and stares at Lila evilly, annoyed that her friend is still on the phone)

(Lila goes off to the side, having a quiet conversation with her boyfriend. Sally and Chloe nod to each other as a greeting)

Chloe: God, does she ever get off the phone?

Sally: Leave her alone. She’s talking to her new boyfriend. Apparently, he’s really nice.

Chloe: (unconvinced and under her breath) Yeah, nice like the last one.

Sally: You should have more faith in people. Maybe he really is a nice guy.

Chloe: (shakes her head and continues to glare at Lila) Whatever.

Lila: (cutely) Ok, I love you. Bye. (hangs up with a glowing grin. She stares across the stage at Chloe for a moment before running to her for a hug) Chloe! I haven’t seen you in months! (touches her hair) You changed your hair.

Chloe: Yeah, doesn’t it look good?

Lila: (unconvincingly) Yeah, it’s hot.

Sally: (to Chloe) Was that Alyssa on the phone?

Chloe: (nodding and sitting on the curb next to Sally) Yeah, now she wants us to come to her house. (shakes her head in disapproval) And where were you guys? I was waiting here for like an hour!

Sally: Don’t exaggerate.

Lila: We just went to the store for like five minutes. Relax.

Chloe: Well, you didn’t have to wait…
Sally: (stand up and starts towards the right end of the stage) Lets go, Alyssa’s waiting.

Chloe: Let her wait, I wanna have a smoke. (takes out a pack of cigarettes)

Sally: Smoke on the way.

Lila: (Sitting next to Chloe) No, lets just stay here a little bit longer. My feet hurt from walking so much.

Sally: It’s not like we just walked a mile, the store’s right there! (points to the left end of the stage)

Chloe: Just wait!

Sally: (appears to be frustrated) Alyssa needs us. We should be there right now.

Chloe: (speaking to both girls) Do you know why she wanted to see us?

Lila: No. She just called and said to meet her here.

Chloe: Honestly, I was shocked. I haven’t talked to her for like three months.

Lila: I saw her last week. But we only talked for a minute. I was with my new guy… (blushes proudly)

Chloe: (taking a drag of her smoke and acting like she’s interested) Oh. What’s his name?

Lila: (sighs with a dreamy look) You guys know him. You’ll never guess who he is! (takes a sip of her diet-coke and spits out the aftertaste with a sickened expression)

Chloe: (disgusted) That’s a really bad habit. (takes a drag of her cigarette)

Sally: Can we go now?

Chloe: Just hold on! (to Lila) Who is it?

Lila: Ok…Remember in grade three? We all liked that one guy because he was so adorable!

Sally: (narrowing her eyes in disgust) Please tell me you aren’t talking about-

Chloe: Roger? You’re going out with Roger?

Lila: (nods proudly) Yeah for like a month now. He’s so hot.

Chloe: Not really. So not my taste.

Lila: (shoving Chloe playfully) You know you were in love with him in the third grade. We like had a club, remember?

Sally: Well, we’re not young and stupid anymore. He’s such an idiot.

Lila: No, he’s not! You just have to get to know him. He’s so great.

Chloe: (bursting into laughter) Sally! Remember the square dance in grade four?

Sally: (turning her back to her friends, embarrassed) Vaguely.

Lila: What square dance?

Chloe: (laughing) Our class did this square dancing thing in front of the whole school. Roger was Sally’s partner, and when we were performing, he tripped her! It was so funny!

Sally: It wasn’t that funny.

Lila: (excitedly) Oh, I remember now! (laughs at Sally) You’re skirt went up over your head!

Sally: (angered) Really. It wasn’t that funny.

Chloe: (trying to contain her laughter) What about you, Sally? How’s your boyfriend?

Lila: Yeah, what’s his name again? John?

Sally: (coldly) Jimmy.

Chloe: (mockingly) Still in love?

Sally: (trying to hide how sensitive she is to the subject) We don’t talk anymore.

Chloe: I told you! I told you this would happen. You weren’t in love, you were just lonely or something. Sally, you can’t cling onto every guy that bothers to talk to you. I know they’re few and far between but you just hafta be patient.
Lila: (shoving Chloe) Shut up. (gets up and goes over to comfort Sally) You ok, hun? What happened?

Sally: (breaks away from her, not wanting to be touched) Nothing. I’m fine. It was just a stupid thing, I don’t want to talk about it.

Chloe: Did you break up with him? Was it ‘cause he was fat? (pauses and shakes her head as if this were silly) Oh, I’m sorry. He broke up with you didn’t he?

Lila: (punches Chloe in the arm with force, meaning to hurt her) Shut up!

Sally: (offended) He wasn’t fat.

Chloe: Honey. (gives Sally a hug that is received uncomfortably) It’s ok to admit it. He was fat. You went out with a fat guy. We don’t care, you can tell us.

Lila: Have you ever even met him?

Chloe: No, of course not. I just assumed…

Lila: (defensively) What are you saying? That she can’t get a skinny guy?

Chloe: (takes a moment to consider her answer) Well…

Lila: (shocked) Are you calling her fat?

Chloe: Of course not! (to Sally) You know you’re not fat. It’s good to have a little meat on you.

Lila: (genuinely angry and looking as though she is about to punch Chloe in the face) Shut up!

Sally: Can we please go now?

Chloe: (throwing what is left of her cigarette to the ground) Fine. If we must.

Lila: (to Chloe) I swear, hun. I love you, but if you say one more thing, I’m gonna kick your ass.

(All three start toward the right end of the stage until Sally stops and stares at her friends with a glum and scared expression)

Chloe: What’s wrong with you? I thought you wanted to go now.

Sally: Wait. I hafta tell you guys something. I didn’t want to at first because I didn’t think it was my place to say.

Lila: What are you talking about?

Sally: Maybe I should tell you what happened before we get to Alyssa’s. I dunno if she could handle going through the whole story again. Maybe it would be easier if you guys knew before we get there.

Chloe: (feeling betrayed) You said you didn’t know what happened. You lied to us!

Sally: I’m sorry. It’s only sinking in right now what happened. It’s kind of hard to take in.

Lila: What happened, hun?

Sally: (staring down at the ground) Alyssa called me and she was crying. When I went to her house, there were beer bottles all over the table and she looks so messed up. She wasn’t like very drunk or anything, just emotionally messed up. She wasn’t crying anymore. It was weird. She even laughed when she told me the story. I thought she was going crazy.

Chloe: Ok, we don’t care. Why was she crying?

Sally: She took the bus home from work with this guy and she invited him over. She’s not stupid, she usually doesn’t do stuff like that. (to Lila) You know how safe she is. She’s always warning us about going downtown alone and stuff. Anyways, she knew this guy. We even know this guy. We’ve all known him since the first grade. That’s why this is so hard to believe. I grew up with this kid. I learned how to read in the same class as this kid.

Chloe: Get to the point. We don’t have all night here. I have work in a few hours.

Sally: He invited himself in and they had a couple drinks. Alyssa thought it was fine, they could catch up on old times. I guess she gave him the wrong impression or something, because he tried to get her into her bedroom. When she said “no”, he forced her to…(coughs uncomfortably) you know…

Lila: He raped her?

Chloe: Who was it? I’ll castrate him. Just tell me who it was.

Sally: (pauses and stares at Lila in apology) Roger.

Lila: My Roger?

Sally: I’m so sorry.

Chloe: I always knew that you’d go out with a rapist.

Sally: (to Chloe) Seriously, stop talking.

(Roger enters from the left end of the stage, still drunk and staggering. He looks determined, yet still confused as he walks towards to right end of the stage, unaware of the girls’ presence)

Roger: (to himself) Ok. I hafta handle this tonight. I’ll just explain to her, we don’t hafta tell Lila right now. I will tell her in my own time. Yeah, that’ll work. She’ll understand. I can do this. Everything will be fine. (stops and notices the girls)

Chloe: (grinding her teeth as she stares at him as though she is about to charge) You malicious bastard!

Sally: (holding her back) C’mon, lets go to Alyssa’s. I think she’s waiting for us to call the police. She told me she didn’t want to do it alone.

Chloe: Fine. At least in prison he can drop the soap and get what he deserves. (exits the scene to the right end of the stage)

Sally: (to Lila) Let’s go.

Lila: Just wait a minute. (stares at Roger, hurt.)

Sally: Ok. (waits at the edge of the stage, not wanting to leave Lila alone with Roger)

Roger: (slurring) I take it you know.

Lila: (nods) Yup.

Roger: (tries to hug her) I’m so sorry! I was so drunk. I didn’t mean to.

Lila: (pulls away) You didn’t mean to? Oh, that’s a great excuse! You deserve to be thrown in jail.

Roger: That’s a little harsh.

Lila: Trust me, you deserve a lot worse.

Roger: Damn, you take cheating seriously. I just had sex with another girl, no need to call the cops.

Lila: You raped her, I see that as a need to call the cops.

Roger: (almost unable to process the word “rape”) Wait. What? Rape?

Lila: Yeah. I know what you did.

Roger: I didn’t rape anyone. I was drunk and she wanted me. Honestly, can you blame her?

Lila: Roger, when a girl says “no”, she means “no”! It’s not a secret code for “I want you now”.

Roger: I don’t think she said “no”.

Lila: You don’t think?

Roger: I dunno! I had a lot to drink, ok?

Lila: And that’s an excuse?

Roger: No! (pauses, frustrated) I swear, I didn’t rape her. It was mutual. If it wasn’t, then…I was really drunk. I still am a little.

Sally: (coughs to be noticed then tilts her head to the right end of the stage)

Lila: I can’t talk to you right now. I don’t even wanna look at you.

Roger: Lila, I’m sorry-

Lila: I don’t care. I don’t wanna talk to you. I’m gonna go to Alyssa’s house now and I’m gonna stay with her when she calls the police.

Roger: I didn’t rape her.

Lila: (gives him a cold, yet longingly sad glare then walks off the right end of the stage with Sally)

Roger: (stares after her sadly then turns to walk off of the left end of the stage) I’m never drinking again. (exits)
                   
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