Play 5: I Hate it When People Do Things Like This

CHARACTERS
BEN, male, 16
BOY, around 16
GIRL, around 16
BOY 2, around 16

(They sit around a table in a crowded cafeteria. A few other teenagers sit around the table all talking, but it’s very difficult to discern what they are talking about as so many different conversations are going on.)

BEN
Do you have any idea what I’m talking about?

GIRL
I think so.

BEN
I Just hate that feeling you get when you’re talking to a group of people but none of them is paying any attention. It’s just depressing when no one is listening to what you’re saying, makes you feel like they don’t care at all.

(she turns her head away from him and joins in on one of the other conversations going on at the table. He doesn’t seem to notice.)

BEN
And you never know, cause maybe they just don’t hear you, I tend to mutter sometimes; or maybe they do hear me and just don’t care about what I’m—

(He notices she's not listening and his voice trails off.)

Are you listening?

(Pause.)

(mutters to himself)
Goddamn it. No, how perfect. I’m trying to explain how I hate it when people don’t listen and no one’s listening.

BOY
I’m Am.

BEN
Oh, sorry, I hadn’t noticed.

BOY
No problem, I hate it when that happens too.

BEN
Really?

BOY
Yeah.

BEN
And you weren’t bored by or didn’t care about all that?

BOY
Nope.

BEN
Man, you have no idea how much that means to—

(BOY turns his head and joins in the conversation the girl had previously.)

(BEN stops in mid-sentence.)

(Pause.)

(He sighs, and looks around. He sees everyone else is engaged in one conversation or another.)

(Pause.)

BEN
I’m gonna go. See you guys later.

BOY 2
Cya
(He says it without looking up, and after saying it immediately resumes his conversation)

(BEN walks offstage, casting one last glance over his shoulder before exiting.)

(Lights down.)