Play 224: Finally

CHARACTERS
RICK, 25
GEOFF, 27

(Geoff is sitting at a table in a kitchen of a small apartment reading a newspaper. There is an empty plate with traces of food on it, and a mostly drunken glass of orange juice in front of him. Geoff walks in from another room of the apartment and sits down at the table.)

GEOFF
Morning.

RICK
(Without looking up from the newspaper.)
Hey.

GEOFF
What’s up?

RICK
Just reading.

GEOFF
Cool.

(Beat.)

What’re you up to today?

RICK
(Still not looking up.)
Nothing.

GEOFF
You’re talkative.

RICK
Reading.

GEOFF
Sorry.

RICK
It’s okay.

(Beat.)

GEOFF
So you’re not doing anything?

(Rick looks up.)

RICK
(Slightly annoyed.)
No.

(He goes back to reading.)

(Pause.)

GEOFF
Man, I’m fucking tired.

(Beat, Rick doesn’t respond.)

GEOFF
Did the construction wake you up to?

(Beat.)

Rick?

(Beat, Rick exhales slowly.)

RICK
No.

GEOFF
Lucky.

(Pause.)

GEOFF
Anyways, I think I’m going to head out.

RICK
Okay.

(Geoff gets up, and walks over to the counter of the kitchen to get some things. He noisily picks up several items and puts them in his pockets. Rick looks up from the newspaper in annoyance at the noise, then goes back to reading.)

GEOFF
I’m out.

RICK
Bye.

GEOFF
See you later.

RICK
Yeah.

(Geoff exits.)

(Rick looks up at the door he just left from, takes a deep breath, exhales slowly, takes a sip from the glass of orange juice, and smiles. He goes back to reading the newspaper.)

(Blackout.)

Play 223: You Know It’s a Great Movie When…

CHARACTERS
VINCENT, 17
DAN, 17

(They sit on a couch watching TV. The credits to a movie are rolling.)

(Long pause, they sit staring at the TV in silence.)

VINCENT
Wow.

DAN
Yeah.

(Pause.)

(Vincent picks up a remote and turns the TV off, making the room very dark as there were no lights on besides that of the TV.)

(Pause.)

VINCENT
That was really good.

DAN
Yeah.

(Beat.)

It really was.

VINCENT
Yeah.

(Beat.)

Shit.

DAN
I know.

VINCENT
That was fucking intense.

DAN
Very.

(Beat.)

And that last scene.

VINCENT
I know.

DAN
Fuck.

VINCENT
Yeah.

(Beat.)

VINCENT
Yeah.

(Beat.)

Wow.

(Pause.)

(Vincent takes a deep breath, and exhales slowly.)

(Beat.)

DAN
What now?

VINCENT
I don’t know.

(Beat.)

It kind of threw me into a deep thought.

(Beat.)

DAN
Me too.

(Beat.)

DAN
Wow.

VINCENT
I know.

(Blackout.)

Play 222: It Really Really Is

CHARACTERS
VINCENT, 17
WILL, 17

(They are sitting watching TV.)

(Beat.)

VINCENT
Did I hear that right?

WILL
I think so.

(Beat.)

VINCENT
I can’t believe he said that.

WILL
I know.

(Beat.)

VINCENT
That is easily one of the dumbest things I’ve ever heard.

WILL
Me too.

(Beat.)

VINCENT
You can’t read newspapers if you can’t read.

WILL
Holy shit.

VINCENT
I know.

(Beat.)

WILL
Know what’s depressing?

VINCENT
What?

WILL
He’s the fucking president.

VINCENT
It is.

(Beat.)

WILL
He’s the fucking president, and he said you can’t read newspapers if you can’t read.

VINCENT
Know what’s the really depressing part?

WILL
What?

VINCENT
It honestly doesn’t surprise me that much.

(Beat.)

WILL
Me neither.

(Beat.)

Wow.

VINCENT
What?

WILL
That is depressing.

VINCENT
It really is.

(Blackout.)

Play 221: Names

CHARACTERS
BEN, 17
DANIELLE, 17

BEN
I don’t?

DANIELLE
Nope.

(Beat.)

BEN
How don’t I?

DANIELLE
I don’t know.

(Beat.)

You just don’t.

(Beat.)

BEN
You know, when people say that I always find it weird.

DANIELLE
That you don’t look like a Ben?

BEN
Yeah, but I mean just when someone says anyone doesn’t look like their name.

DANIELLE
Why?

BEN
It’s completely based on past experience.

DANIELLE
How?

BEN
I just don’t look like a Ben to you because the other Ben’s you’ve known don’t look like me. Maybe I’m the one who looks like a Ben and they’re the ones who don’t fit their names.

(Beat.)

Or maybe I don't look like one, but, it doesn't really matter which one it is.

(Beat.)

DANIELLE
I disagree.

BEN
Whatever.

(Beat.)

DANIELLE
But names have their own feelings, and sometimes people’s appearances don’t fit them.

BEN
I still think it’s mostly based on who you know.

DANIELLE
Suit yourself.

(Beat.)

BEN
I guess some names have a certain vibe, but not many.

(Pause.)

DANIELLE
Do I look like a Danielle?

(Beat, he looks at her with a pensive look.)

BEN
Definitely.

DANIELLE
(Sarcastically.)
So you mean the other Danielles you’ve known look like me?

BEN
Pretty much.

(Blackout.)

Play 220: Why Would I?

CHARACTER
BILLY, 17
ERIC, 17
DAVE, 18

(Billy and Eric are sitting at a table in a school cafeteria eating lunch.)

BILLY
That’s cool.

(Beat.)

What’s it about?

ERIC
It’s about a conspiracy plot around the Kennedy assassination.

BILLY
That’s cool.

ERIC
Yeah, and a lot of the characters are fictitious, but a bunch are real too. Like Lee Harvey Oswald, or this dude Guy Bannister.

(Beat.)

Or Kennedy, obviously.

BILLY
Know what’s weird?

ERIC
What?

BILLY
Apparently he had six fingers on his left hand.

ERIC
Kennedy?

BILLY
Yeah.

ERIC
Really?

BILLY
Yeah.

(Dave walks over to their table with some food in hand.)

ERIC
Are you sure?

BILLY
One-hundred percent.

(Dave sits down next to them.)

ERIC
Wow, that is strange.

DAVE
What is?

ERIC
Billy says JFK had six fingers on his left hand.

BILLY
Yup.

DAVE
Strange.

BILLY
Yeah.

(Beat.)

DAVE
I wonder why I’ve never heard of it.

ERIC
Yeah.

BILLY
I guess it’s not talked about much.

DAVE
Then how did you hear of it?

BILLY
I did a research paper on him in 8th grade, it was in one of the random books I used for it.

(Eric looks down at his watc.)

ERIC
Shit.

BILLY
What?

ERIC
I gotta get some work done before lunch ends.

BILLY
Okay.

ERIC
See you guys later.

(He exits.)

(Beat.)

DAVE
Did you make that up?

BILLY
What?

DAVE
You know, the Kennedy thing.

BILLY
Why would I?

DAVE
I guess you have a point.

(Beat.)

Doesn’t mean you didn’t make it up though.

(Beat.)

BILLY
True.

(Blackout.)

Play 219: Dead Ideas

CHARACTERS
VINCENT, 17
MAN 1
MAN 2
MAN 3

(Vincent runs on stage with an intense look on his face.)

VINCENT
(Muttering to himself.)
Where are they…

(His eyes dart around, scanning the stage.)

(Beat.)

(Man 1 walks on stage from the opposite side. He is wearing a white shirt with the word “Idea” written in black letters across it.)

(Vincent notices him, and immediately starts running towards them.)

(Vincent runs after Man 1, but he runs offstage.)

VINCENT
(Muttering to himself.)
Goddamn it!

(Beat, Man 2 enters, in an identical shirt.)

(To Man 2.)
You!

(Man 2 turns to face him.)

(Beat.)

(Man 2 starts running.)

(Vincent runs after him and after chasing him for some time, tackles him. They grapple, but eventually, Man 2 manages to break free and runs offstage.)

VINCENT
(Lying on the ground, yelling after him.)
Get back here!

(Man 2 exits.)

(Vincent gets back to his feet.)

(Man 3 enters, also in the same shirt. He doesn’t seem to notice Vincent.)

(Vincent walks quietly and slowly behind Man 3 as Man 3 walks across the stage. He still doesn’t seem to notice Vincent.)

(Vincent creeps behind Man 3, and slowly reaches around his neck, then starts to strangle him. Man 3 struggles violently and tries to break away but can’t, and eventually he goes limp.)

VINCENT
Yes!

(He lets go, and the man falls to the ground.)

(Vincent starts dancing around the stage.)

VINCENT
I have an idea, I have an idea!

(Beat.)

(A look of horror comes across his face.)

Oh shit…

(Beat, he pauses pensively.)

What am I supposed to do with a dead idea?

(Beat.)

Fuck!

(He rushes over to the body.)

(He looks around nervously, and then starts dragging the body offstage.)

VINCENT
(Muttering to himself.)
Fuck, fuck, fuck…

(He exits, dragging the body behind him.)

(Blackout.)

Play 218: Words I Can’t Pull Off

CHARACTERS
VINCENT, 17
AARON, 17

(They are sitting watching TV.)

VINCENT
You know what I’ve noticed?

AARON
What?

VINCENT
There’s some words that, as a white person, I cannot pull off at all.

AARON
Like what?

VINCENT
Baby.

AARON
True.

(Beat.)

What else?

VINCENT
Ain’t.

AARON
Yeah.

VINCENT
Or word.

AARON
Well yeah, of course.

VINCENT
I know it’s obvious, I’m just saying.

(Beat.)

Or son.

AARON
What?

VINCENT
Son.

AARON
How can’t you pull that off?

VINCENT
Well, not in its normal meaning. But like, as in “You know it son!”

AARON
Oh, yeah.

(Beat.)

You definitely cannot pull that off.

VINCENT
Yeah.

(Beat.)

Know what word like no one can pull off though, I mean not just white people?

AARON
What?

VINCENT
Gangsta.

(Aaron cringes.)

VINCENT
I know.

AARON
I can’t believe you said that.

VINCENT
It was just to make a point.

AARON
Still.

(Beat.)

It’s just sad.

VINCENT
I know.

(Beat.)

Not even gangstas can pull off “gangsta.”

AARON
True.

(Beat.)

And Vincent?

VINCENT
Yeah?

AARON
Never say that word again.

(Beat.)

Ever.

(Blackout.)