Play 289: You Can’t Wait Forever

CHARACTERS
OMAR, 17
CARLY, 17

CARLY
What did you do this weekend?

OMAR
Oh, not too much.

(Beat.)

CARLY
So you didn’t do anything?

OMAR
Nope.

(Beat.)

CARLY
You didn’t have a birthday party?

(Pause.)

OMAR
How did you hear?

CARLY
It doesn’t matter.

(Beat.)

OMAR
I’m sorry.

CARLY
Why didn’t you invite me?

OMAR
My parents wouldn’t let me invite many people.

CARLY
You think I’m going to buy that?

OMAR
It’s the truth.

CARLY
Even if it is, it still means you don’t think I’m a good enough friend to be one of the few.

OMAR
That’s not true.

CARLY
Then what does it mean?

(Pause.)

CARLY
Do I matter to you at all?

OMAR
Yes, you do.

CARLY
You have a funny way of showing it.

OMAR
Well so do you.

CARLY
What is that supposed to mean?

OMAR
It’s not like you care about me.

CARLY
Yes I do.

OMAR
If you’re such a good friend, then do you know when the last time you started a conversation with me?

(Beat.)

CARLY
I don’t remember specifically.

OMAR
I do.

(Beat.)

CARLY
When?

OMAR
When you asked me for money for lunch a week ago.

CARLY
That’s not the only time I’ve started a conversation with you in the last week.

OMAR
Name another.

(Beat.)

CARLY
I can’t think of any, but I’m sure I have at least a few times.

OMAR
You haven’t.

CARLY
You’re probably just forgetting.

OMAR
You know me, I notice these kinds of things.

(Pause.)

OMAR
I say hi to you every day in class you know.

CARLY
No you don’t.

OMAR
You never notice.

CARLY
I probably just don’t hear you.

OMAR
You haven’t heard me every single day?

(Beat.)

CARLY
You don’t talk too loud a lot of the time.

OMAR
It’s not like I’m whispering.

(Beat.)

And you always say hi to everyone else.

CARLY
That’s not true.

OMAR
You talk to them for minutes at a time and don’t give me the time of day. And then you turn around and tell me I’m one of your best friends?

(Pause.)

CARLY
I’m sorry.

(Pause.)

OMAR
You were right.

CARLY
What?

OMAR
I don’t care about you.

CARLY
But you said—

OMAR
I used to.

(Beat.)

I really did. Even when you treated me like I didn’t exist most of the time, I still did. I kept telling myself that you just didn’t hear me or something, and what you did wasn’t what mattered. I mean, if you kept telling me I was one of your best friends, then I was. But every time you didn’t say hi to me in the hallways, every time you walked off in the middle of my sentence, every time you put people you said you didn’t even care about before me, it killed me. And you know what? I got sick of it. So I don’t care anymore. If you don’t care, you can’t get let down.

(Long pause.)

CARLY
I’m really sorry.

(Beat.)

OMAR
I know.

CARLY
I didn’t mean to do any of it.

OMAR
I know you didn’t.

(Beat.)

You did though.

CARLY
You should’ve told me earlier, I would’ve stopped. I would’ve paid more attention to what I did to you. The last thing I want to do is hurt you. I would’ve changed.

(Beat.)

I will change.

OMAR
You’re just saying that because you feel guilty.

CARLY
No I’m not. I care about you.

OMAR
You’d just be doing it because you wanted to not feel bad about making me feel bad. You wouldn’t be doing it because you thought it was the right thing.

CARLY
So what?

OMAR
So it doesn’t mean anything.

CARLY
It has the same effect.

OMAR
It’s not the same.

(Beat.)

CARLY
Omar, I feel terrible.

OMAR
I’m sorry. I wasn’t trying to do that to you.

CARLY
No, don’t feel bad. This is all my fault.

(Beat.)

Please, just give me another chance? I promise, I’ll be a better friend.

(Pause.)

CARLY
Omar?

(Beat.)

OMAR
It’s too late.

CARLY
Why?

OMAR
I want to believe you, I really do.

CARLY
So do.

(Beat.)

OMAR
I can’t.

CARLY
Why?

OMAR
If you had done this a year ago, a few months ago even, it might’ve worked out.

CARLY
Why can’t it now?

OMAR
I couldn’t keep waiting for it to happen.

(Beat.)

I’ve moved on.

CARLY
You don’t have to believe me now. How could you? But give me time. I’ll prove myself to you.

(Beat.)

OMAR
No.

CARLY
Why?

OMAR
You had your chance. It’s gone now.

CARLY
But I didn’t know how you felt then.

OMAR
You could’ve asked.

(Pause.)

CARLY
I’m sorry.

OMAR
I know.

(Beat.)

I am too.

(Blackout.)