Play 258: And Nothing

CHARACTERS
RYAN, early 30s
ROSE, early 30s

ROSE
It’s been too long.

RYAN
It has.

(Pause.)

ROSE
What happened?

RYAN
Don’t.

ROSE
Why?

RYAN
Just...

(Beat.)

Don’t.

(Beat.)

You know why.

ROSE
I don’t.

RYAN
How couldn’t you?

(Pause.)

ROSE
We were so—

RYAN
Don’t.

ROSE
But it’s true.

RYAN
It was true.

(Pause.)

ROSE
What happened?

RYAN
Time.

(Beat.)

Life.

(Pause.)

ROSE
Maybe we could—

RYAN
No.

ROSE
You didn’t let me finish.

RYAN
You don’t have to.

ROSE
But—

RYAN
We can’t.

ROSE
Why?

RYAN
Because we can’t.

(Beat.)

ROSE
Why?

RYAN
We had our chance.

(Beat.)

ROSE
And?

(Beat.)

RYAN
And nothing. That’s it.

(Long pause.)

ROSE
Do you want to?

RYAN
I told you we can’t.

ROSE
That’s not what I asked.

(Beat.)

RYAN
I don’t know.

(Pause.)

ROSE
Remember when—

RYAN
Don’t.

(Pause.)

ROSE
You’re right.

(Beat.)

RYAN
I know.

(Blackout.)

Play 257: The Only Thing Stranger Than Fiction…

CHARACTERS
ANDY, 17
WILL, 17

(They sit at a table, Will is reading some papers. He finishes them and puts them down.)

(Beat.)

ANDY
So?

(Beat.)

WILL
It’s okay.

ANDY
Okay?

WILL
Yeah.

(Beat.)

ANDY
What?

WILL
What?

ANDY
You’re not saying something.

WILL
It’s just…

ANDY
What?

WILL
It seems a little (beat.) unrealistic.

ANDY
What does?

WILL
Well (beat.) the story.

ANDY
The whole thing?

(Beat.)

WILL
Yeah.

ANDY
How is it unrealistic?

WILL
I don’t know. (beat.) I just didn’t buy it.

ANDY
What do you mean you didn’t buy it?

WILL
It’s kind of self-explanatory.

ANDY
No, that’s not what I meant. (beat.) It’s real.

WILL
What?

ANDY
It happened.

WILL
The story?

ANDY
Yeah.

WILL
Really?

ANDY
Yeah.

(Beat.)

WILL
Oh.

(Pause.)

ANDY
It seems unrealistic?

(Beat.)

WILL
A little.

ANDY
Damn.

WILL
Sorry.

ANDY
Don’t worry about it.

(Pause.)

It’s kind of funny, if you think about it.

WILL
Yeah.

(Beat.)

ANDY
Guess I should rewrite it though.

WILL
Probably.

ANDY
What part of the story should I change?

(Beat.)

WILL
Honestly?

ANDY
Yeah.

(Beat.)

WILL
Everything.

(Blackout.)

Play 256: Your Turn

CHARACTERS
1, m
2, m

(They are sitting at a small table. There is a revolver on the table.)

1
Your turn.

(Pause.)

I said your turn.

2
I heard you.

1
So?

(Beat.)

You scared?

2
What the fuck do you think?

(1 laughs.)

(Pause.)

1
Well?

2
Just give me some time.

1
You’ve taken enough.

2
I just need a second.

1
Come on.

2
Sorry if I’m not taking this too lightly.

1
It’s just a game.

2
I could die.

1
You could.

(Beat.)

It’s your turn.

(Pause.)

2
What if I want out?

1
It’s too late.

2
No it’s not.

1
I already went.

2
So?

1
You can’t stop now.

2
Why can’t I?

1
It’s your turn.

(Pause.)

2
What if—

1
Shut up and pick up the gun.

(Beat.)

(2 picks up the gun.)

(Pause.)

1
What are you waiting for?

(2 slowly puts the gun to his head, his hand’s shaking.)

(Beat.)

(He closes his eyes, and pulls the trigger, there is a click—it doesn’t fire. 2 sighs loudly.)

1
See? No big deal.

(1 picks up the gun, puts it to his head, and pulls the trigger. It doesn’t fire.)

(1 smiles.)

1
Your turn.

2
Fuck.

1
What?

(Beat.)

2
3 are used up.

1
3 are left.

(Beat.)

It’s—

2
I know.

(Blackout.)

Play 255: Some Time in Silence

CHARACTERS
ADAM, early 20s
KEN, early 20s

ADAM
Could you leave me alone for a bit?

KEN
Why?

ADAM
Does it matter?

KEN
I’m just curious.

(Beat.)

ADAM
I need some time to myself.

(Beat.)

KEN
I have a lot of work I need to do.

ADAM
Can’t you do it somewhere else?

KEN
It’d be hard.

ADAM
Please.

KEN
I could just leave you alone in here and go in my room.

ADAM
That wouldn’t really help.

KEN
Why not?

ADAM
Look (beat.) I’m asking you for a favor, could you just do it?

KEN
Why is it so important to you?

ADAM
A lot’s going through my head right now and I need some time in silence to sort it all out. I just need a few hours.

(Pause.)

KEN
I still don’t get why I can’t just go in the other room.

(Beat.)

ADAM
I really need this Ken.

KEN
But if I—

ADAM
Can’t you not be so goddamn selfish for once and just do this for me?

(Long pause.)

ADAM
I’m sorry.

(Pause.)

My mother died.

KEN
Shit.

ADAM
Yeah.

KEN
I’m really sorry man.

ADAM
Thanks.

(Pause.)

KEN
You know, I have something I think I could go do for a few hours.

ADAM
Yeah?

KEN
Yeah.

(Beat.)

ADAM
Thanks.

(Blackout.)

Play 254: You Could Come

CHARACTERS
JEREMY, early 20s
NORA, early 20s

JEREMY
When?

NORA
Soon.

(Pause.)

You could come.

JEREMY
I can’t.

NORA
Why not?

JEREMY
Are you joking?

NORA
No.

JEREMY
It’s asking too much.

NORA
How?

JEREMY
I finally have a stable job.

NORA
You could find another.

JEREMY
Maybe.

NORA
Isn’t it worth the risk?

(Beat.)

JEREMY
What about my friends?

NORA
You’d make new ones.

(Pause.)

Please?

JEREMY
Nora—

NORA
I really want you to come Jeremy.

JEREMY
I do too.

(Beat.)

NORA
So you will?

(Pause.)

JEREMY
I can’t.

NORA
But—

JEREMY
I can’t.

(Pause.)

NORA
I love you.

(Beat.)

JEREMY
I love you too.

(Long pause.)

How soon do you have to leave?

NORA
I’m not sure exactly when. A couple weeks at most.

(Blackout.)

Play 253: Here I Am Talking About Honesty and…

CHARACTERS
1, m
2, f

1
Oh?

2
(laughing)
Yeah, it’s been an odd day.

(Beat.)

This other thing happened too.

(Beat.)

1
Yeah?

2
Yeah. So today, this woman at work turned to me and she said…

(Beat.)

Are you listening?

(Beat.)

1
What?

2
It’s nothing.

(Pause.)

2
So this woman.

(Beat.)

1
Yeah.

2
She says to me.

1
Yeah.

(Beat.)

2
She says, if you aren’t paying attention to this, and are just staring off and muttering “yeah”s—

1
Yeah?

2
Then I’m going to cut off your fucking penis.

(Beat.)

1
What?

(Pause.)

2
I have something I need to tell you.

1
What?

2
It’s something I’ve been hiding from you.

1
Yeah?

(Beat.)

2
So here it is.

1
Okay.

2
I’ve been lying to you about my job.

(Beat.)

You want to hear what I really do for a living?

1
What?

2
I’m a stripper. (beat.) No, I lied. Here I am talking about honesty and telling the truth and I’m still lying, what’s wrong with me?

(Pause.)

I’m a hooker.

(Beat.)

1
Yeah.

2
Yeah, while I said I was out at the office, I was really out there selling my body for money. (beat.) and coke too, how could I forget, I do love my blow.

1
Oh?

(Long pause.)

2
You’re a real asshole, you know that?

(Beat.)

1
What?

(Pause.)

2
Nothing.

(Pause.)

1
Okay.

(Blackout.)

Play 252: You Go First

CHARACTERS
KEVIN, 16
JULIA, 16

KEVIN
Hey I—

JULIA
There’s something—

(Beat.)

JULIA
Sorry, you go first.

KEVIN
There’s something I want to ask you.

JULIA
Go ahead.

KEVIN
Well, I was wondering…

(Beat.)

JULIA
What?

(Beat.)

KEVIN
Nevermind, you can go first.

JULIA
Okay.

(Beat, she smiles.)

So something good finally happened.

KEVIN
Yeah?

JULIA
Yeah.

(Beat.)

KEVIN
What?

JULIA
Well you know Josh?

KEVIN
I don’t think so.

JULIA
The guy I’ve had a crush on since last year.

KEVIN
Oh. (beat.) yeah.

JULIA
Well he asked me out yesterday!

KEVIN
That’s (beat.) great!

JULIA
I know! I’m going to see him tonight, I’m so excited.

KEVIN
I’m happy for you.

JULIA
Thanks.

(Pause.)

JULIA
So, what were you saying?

(Beat.)

KEVIN
I forget.

JULIA
You said you were going to ask me something?

(Beat.)

KEVIN
I can’t remember. (beat.) I don’t think it was anything important.

JULIA
Okay.

(Blackout.)