Play 36: Hung-Over Inspiration

CHARACTERS
BEN, 16
INSPIRATION, male, early twenties

(Ben is sitting in his bed reading. The room is lit by a lamp to the side of the bed.)

(Inspiration enters through a door to the side.)

INSPIRATION
Guess who?

(He flicks on the light switch.)

BEN
Hey, where the fuck you been?

(He puts his book down on the bed and sits up.)

(Inspiration walks over to the side of the bed.)

INSPIRATION
Oh, just busy.

(Pause.)

BEN
Bullshit.

INSPIRATION
Come on, I just had some stuff to do.

BEN
What, like fucking bathe in a pool of whiskey? You smell like shit.

(Pause.)

INSPIRATION
Yeah, sorry.

BEN
Whatever man, just it would’ve been nice if you had gotten here earlier.

INSPIRATION
Sorry. I’ll try to next time. Already got the scene written?

BEN
Yeah.

INSPIRATION
How it come out?

BEN
Don’t ask.

(Pause.)

INSPIRATION
So uhh, you think I could get some aspirin? My head hurts like hell.

BEN
Goddamn it.

INSPIRATION
It’s cool if you don’t get me any.

BEN
(With a trace of anger.)
No, it’s fine. I’ll get it.

(He walks out through the door. Inspiration goes and sits down on the bed. He picks up the book Ben had been reading and looks at it.)

(A few seconds later, Ben enters with a bottle of aspirin, and Inspiration hastily puts the book back down.)

BEN
Here you go.

(he hands him the bottle of aspirin.)

INSPIRATION
Thanks.

(Beat.)

Think I could get a cup of water to swallow it with?

BEN
(coldly)
fine.

(He walks out again and returns with a cup of water.)

BEN
Here.

INSPIRATION
Thanks a lot man.

(He swallows the pills, and puts the cup down on the ground.)

BEN
No problem.

INSPIRATION
Anyways, thanks for the aspirin and everything, but I really should be going.

BEN
Okay.

(Inspiration gets up and walks out the door.)

BEN
(yelling after him.)
Hey, wait a minute! You didn’t fucking even give me one idea!

(Inspiration returns.)

INSPIRATION
Oh, sorry. Let me think…

(Pause.)

Umm, someone’s father died?

BEN
That’s it?

INSPIRATION
(rapidly.)
Yeah, good isn’t it? Anyways, gotta go!

(He rushes back out of the door.)

BEN
(To himself.)
Fucking idiot.

(He goes back to his bed and picks up his book.)

BEN
Hey, what the….

(He starts searching around.)

Where the fuck is my bookmark?

(Beat.)

Hey, get back here you asshole!

(He runs out the door.)

(Blackout.)