Saturday, February 7, 2009

revisions to play

does this raise the stakes???
do you care if they're friends or not now?
PENELOPE is over at JUNE'S house. PENELOPE is sitting on the love seat facing the television, JUNE is on the couch parallel to the television. A coffee table fills up the space.
JUNE and PENELOPE are watching a children's movie.
[June's phone vibrates on the table. ]

PENELOPE
Who's that?

JUNE
[JUNE flips phone open. She rolls her eyes]
Annette...

PENELOPE
[Laughs] What does she want?

JUNE
[Exasperated sigh] Well on Facebook i put my status as bored. Before you said you could come over. She wants to hang out.

PENELOPE
Sucks for her.

JUNE
Should I tell her you're over?

PENELOPE
I don't care
[JUNE texts. The phone snaps shut rather loudly. Both girls continue watching the movie. JUNE'S phone goes off again]

PENELOPE
What'd she say?

JUNE
She's asking if she can come over.

PENELOPE
Pfft no! I don't understand how she doesn't get it that I don't want to be friends with her anymore.

JUNE'S MOM
[off stage]
I told you she knew you were together

JUNE
[half laughing] Mom!

JUNE'S MOM
What? I told you she would find out.
[JUNE'S house phone rings]

JUNE
Oh, God! It's her.

PENELOPE
No!

JUNE
Yeah.

PENELOPE
Don't answer it!

JUNE
But she'll know.

PENELOPE
So?

JUNE
Ugh. [to phone] Hello?

ANNETTE
[In her living room. The room is lavishly decorated, showing her family's love of luxury ANNETTE sits on a large couch in front of a large television]
Hey! What are you up to?

JUNE
Penelope is over.

ANNETTE
Oh. Can I come over?

JUNE
[Covers bottom of phone with hand] She wants to know if she can come over.

PENELOPE
No.

JUNE
[To phone] Uh...I don't think that's a good idea.

ANNETTE
Umm...why not?

JUNE
[looks to PENELOPE] Er...ah...Penelope doesn't want you to.

PENELOPE
Oh whatever you don't want her over just as much as me.

ANNETTE
Can I talk to her?

JUNE
Sure.[tries to give the phone to PENELOPE]

PENELOPE
No way! I am NOT talking to her. [ Backs away from phone, eyes wide]

JUNE
Oh come on just make up with her, your friendship won't be the same. That's how it was for me.
She hardly ever asks to do stuff now.

JUNE'S MOM
Yeah,June she only ever asks you to hang out if she's got something to show you.
[ANNETTE is trying to get someone's attention. Shouts Hello? Anyone there? Etc]

JUNE
[to phone] Uh..just a sec. She wont take the phone. [thrusts phone more forcefully at
PENELOPE]

PENELOPE
No.

JUNE
Just make up with her. It's not gonna be the same.

PENELOPE
NO! I'm done. I am so done with that girl and all her crap.

JUNE'S MOM
She is a weird one.

ANNETTE
Just let me talk to her. I promise I wont get mad or yell or anything. If she doesn't want to talk to me ever again all she has to do is say it. If she just says she doesn't want to talk to me and to leave her alone I'll leave her alone I swear.

JUNE
[covers phone again] She says you just have to tell her you don' want to talk to her and she'll leave you alone.

PENELOPE
If not talking to her for over a month doesn't make her see I don't want to talk to her nothing will.

JUNE
[to phone] She wont talk to you.

ANNETTE
Ya know I should just come over there. That way she can't hide from me. I mean, what's she so afraid of I promise I won't get mad.

JUNE
Uhh...[to PENELOPE] she's threatening to come over here.

PENELOPE
Seriously?

JUNE
YES!

JUNE'S MOM
She can't come over.

JUNE
Well duh, I don't want her to.
[ANNETTE trying to get attention again]

PENELOPE
So...

ANNETTE
[Pacing around room. She's fuming] Ya know what? I'm coming over there, I don't care. That way she can't hide from me.

JUNE
[to phone] No, don't I'll give her the phone.

PENELOPE
[Waving arms in front of body] Nuh uh.

JUNE
[once again covering phone] Just take the phone.

PENELOPE
You give me that phone and I'll just hang it up.

JUNE
You better not.

PENELOPE
[sighs] Fine. [Takes phone holding it arms length away in front of her body. Looks at it, fingers grazing the OFF button. .Looks up at JUNE ,who raises her eyebrows]

ANNETTE
HELLO?

JUNE
[talking loud and leaning toward the phone] She's holding the phone if you take she'll hear you
[ANNETTE laughs obnoxiously loud at something on her tv. She's making comments about it to her dad]

ANNETTE
June?

JUNE
Hang on, [grabs phone from PENELOPE] Yeah?

ANNETTE
Just tell her I just need to hear her say it and I'll leave her alone.
[JUNE presses the speaker phone button]
Seriously i just need to hear her say it and I'll never talk to her again. I wont get mad or yell or anything.

PENELOPE
[with complete control] Okay, I don't want to talk to you anymore. Leave me alone

ANNETTE
Why? [the tension in her voice is very evident]

PENELOPE
Because I'm done with you. [still in complete control]

ANNETTE
Why?

PENELOPE
Because.

ANNETTE
[heavy breathing] What the HELL did I ever do to you?

PENELOPE
Plenty of stuff.

ANNETTE
[yelling] Like what?

PENELOPE
Well for starters you said you wouldn't get mad or yell but here we are.

ANNETTE
I don't understand what the hell I ever did to you. You're the one that-

ANNETTE'S DAD
Will you calm down? Watch your temper.

PENELOPE
[Listing on her fingers]
I believe you told me you felt bad for me 'cause its like I don't have a mom, even though she just lives in Texas. Umm... you assume I was jealous of you on multiple occasions. I never got to say more than two words on the way home from school. You were always talking about yourself .You always made my birthday parties about you. You-

ANNETTE
What the hell are you talking about?

PENELOPE
You threw Sammy's shoes in my front yard because you don't like her and you had to make a big scene when she showed up...

ANNETTE
UGGHH! [to phone] Ya know what? To hell with both of you! [hangs up phone and slams it down]

JUNE
[looks at PENELOPE in disbelief] I didn't even do anything.

PENELOPE
That's Annette.

JUNE
So much for not yelling

PENELOPE
And not getting mad

JUNE'S MOM
She's a weird one
[JUNE'S phone vibrates. She picks it up and her eyes scan the small screen]

JUNE
Its Annette...

PENELOPE
What'd she say?

JUNE
She said " I'm sorry I told you to go to hell, I say things I don't mean when I get mad"

PENELOPE
Like i haven't heard that one before

JUNE
What should I say back?

PENELOPE
I don't care

JUNE
'Kay...[buttons click as she texts]. I swear she's not depressed she's bipolar

PENELOPE
That's for sure. I don't think she'll ever get it through her head that I don't want to be friends anymore

JUNE
[JUNE'S phone goes off again. She opens it and reads the message] She wants to know if there's anything she can do to have you forgive her.

PENELOPE
Uh..no.

JUNE
I'll just tell her you wont tell me

JUNE'S MOM
June's pretty good at staying neutral in things like this.

PENELOPE
Yeah. It's not fair of Annette to make you be in the middle of this. This is between me and her.

JUNE
Yeah

PENELOPE
The way I see it you at least got a break when you guys got in a fight freshman year. I had to deal with her the whole time.

JUNE
True but I had to deal with her in elementary school.

PENELOPE
But I was friends with her in kindergarten. We go back a few years longer.

JUNE
But like I said you got a break.

PENELOPE
That's true. You can just handle more craziness than me I guess.
[JUNE'S phone goes off again.]

JUNE
She says she's sorry and she'll leave us alone now

PENELOPE
Yeah....right

3 comments:

  1. I have seriously dealt with the same kind of situation in my life so the dialogue is really realistic. Good job :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. I like it. There is lots of emotion in the lines.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I can sense the tension with all the build up. Realistic dialogue, but the end sort of leaves me hanging.

    I'm intrigued what happens next? Will she keep bothering them? Will she finally leave those two alone?

    Also, I'm interested about the Mom. Is she eavesdropping? Doing laundry? She's an interesting character, but I don't get to really understand who she is, besides her irritation towards Annette.

    Otherwise, great storyline!

    ReplyDelete