Forced Laughter
By: L.A. Mullins
Setting:
-abandoned classroom
-three or four desks
-whiteboard w/working markers
Summary:
Two people who hate each other, and for good reason too, are stuck in
an abandoned classroom by their friends to work out their differences.
Cast:
Atlas: male, 16 or 17, rude, rebellious, mysterious
BEGIN SCRIPT
enter Emmaline
sits at a desk
EMMALINE: (confused) huh… wait, what…
enter Atlas from the opposite side
ATLAS: (tired) uhh…
EMMALINE
whips her head to ATLAS and once she sees him a gasp in recognition is
quickly followed with a stony glare as she gets up and attempts to leave
but finds she cannot because of someone on the other side not allowing
her to leave. At this information EMMALINE screams in frustration.
Atlas: Well, babe, seems like we are in a bit of a bind. You’re
just gonna have to stick this out with me.
ATLAS flashes her a toothy grin as EMMALINE groans in frustration and bangs on the door to get the individual’s attention.
Friend 1: (offstage and exasperated) Emmaline, this has gone on
too long. You need to work this out and we are quite fine with
just waiting here against these doors.
EMMALINE sighs and sits down making ATLAS smirk at her anger
ATLAS: (being purposefully annoying) Soooo……
EMMALINE: (cutting him off) Shut up. Just shut up.
ATLAS: (mockingly) You didn’t say the magic word.
EMMALINE: Fu-
ATLAS looks at EMMALINE pointedly when she begins to speak
Forget, I was gonna say forget you.
ATLAS: (fake disappointment) Awwwww, I thought the princess was
gonna say a swear word.
ATLAS gets up to leave but finds he also cannot leave. He growls at this realization.
FRIEND 2: (from the other side, offstage) Nope, you aren’t getting out until you guys can tolerate each other.
ATLAS AND EMMALINE: NOT GONNA HAPPEN!
ATLAS
slinks over to the desk and slams himself angrily into his desk as
EMMALINE delicately perches herself on top of a desk, suddenly becoming
very interested in everything but ATLAS. This includes playing with her
hair, her nails, and her clothes. ATLAS looks over at her and when
EMMALINE looks up he shoots his head away to glare angrily at the
audience.
ATLAS:
(aside) How do you even talk to girls like her? So great… (catches
himself) I mean… gross, yeah, she’s gross, just look at her. Her hair is
just great- I mean, weird. Ugh, whatever, I don’t get why they put us
in here together. She would sooner stab a-a-ummm- puppy. Yeah, she’d
sooner stab a puppy than talk to me. I don’t get it, what happened
wasn’t my fault, she should’ve-
EMMALINE cuts off his internal monologue
EMMALINE: (civilly) Do you wanna talk? I mean… we can’t leave until we figure this out.
ATLAS: (rudely) Actually, (spits out word) princess, I’m quite content to sit here all day.
ATLAS slams his feet up arrogantly on the desk and puts his hands behind his head.
So… you can talk all you want… but I’m never gonna listen to you. I don’t need to along-
EMMALINE:
(cuts him off) Stop it. Just stop it. Don’t you get it? You and I have
to figure this all out to leave. I have stuff that I have to do too.
EMMALINE fades off as a condescending, almost evil smirk lands on ATLAS’ face.
ATLAS: Oh, what, like bailing your drunk dad out of my dad’s jail-
EMMALINE jumps up and slaps ATLAS
EMMALINE: SHUT UP! I hate you… so much. I feel like I don’t even know you anymore. What happened to the guy I used to…
EMMALINE walks away to the other side of the stage turning away from ATLAS with her arms crossed and her head down.
(almost muttering) too far, this time you went too far, Atlas.
ATLAS looks nervous and guilty
ATLAS: I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to say that.
ATLAS starts walking to EMMALINE
EMMALINE:
(softly and sadly) You always say the most terrible things. Why do you
do that? I get that you never actually liked me but that doesn’t mean
you can be so… so…
ATLAS
finally gets to EMMALINE and turns her around to face him as he looks
at her tenderly. He holds her cautiously and tenderly.
ATLAS: You’re wrong, love. I care so much. Almost too much.
EMMALINE looks at him quizzically
EMMALINE: Cared. Past tense. And if you did care you wouldn’t be bringing that up.
ATLAS looks taken aback
ATLAS: (covering up his shock) Then don’t make it so easy, babe.
EMMALINE: (sharply) Don’t call me that.
ATLAS: Why not… babe?
EMMALINE
huffs as ATLAS smirks making EMMALINE shove past him and sits at a
desk. ATLAS walks to the desk nearest her and sits down while tugging
her hair. He leans towards her.
ATLAS: (sensually) Come on, sweetheart. You used to love this.
ATLAS twirls EMMALINE’s hair
You used to be my good girl gone bad. What happened?
EMMALINE flicks her hair in ATLAS’ face making him shoot back as she stands up
EMMALINE: (sardonically) You decided one girl wasn’t enough.
EMMALINE smirks as she moves desks. ATLAS grimaces but covers it up with a quick shrug and a mischievous smile.
ATLAS: (patronizingly) Oh, bite me, sweetheart.
EMMALINE: (fake sweetness) Wouldn’t you love that?
EMMALINE
winks as the characters dissolve into silence. ATLAS looks annoyed but
fades into tender admiration as his gaze shifts over to EMMALINE.
ATLAS:
(soliloquy) She was always enough. I just wasn’t right for her. When I
brought her home to dinner (smiles) my dad made it his mission to tell
me I wasn’t good enough (frowns). She was sitting at the table, talking
to my mom about school and college. My dad asked me to step in the
kitchen. He made me make him a drink, looked me straight in the eye and
said “to break her heart, she deserves better.” Apparently, I’m supposed
to be a police officer and I wouldn’t be able to offer her everything
that she deserves.
ATLAS looks over at EMMALINE whose boredom has lead her to doodling on the whiteboard, he sighs as he looks over at her.
So
I did. I broke her heart. I still watch her… sometimes. She never
smiles for real anymore. She’s cold. She’s frozen. She used to be so
sweet and gentle to everyone that came near to her. But, now she’s just
gone cold. No one’s heard her laugh in a long while… not since I… since I
slept with Breanna.
ATLAS’ voice fades out as he looks at EMMALINE with a sad smile. He begins to pick at his hair and clothes to pass time.
EMMALINE: (still facing the board) Who was she?
EMMALINE turns to face ATLAS with an emotionless face. ATLAS looked up confused and in shock.
ATLAS: Wait-what?
EMMALINE: Who was she? A family friend? A flavor of the week? You’ve had a lot of those lately.
ATLAS grimaces but is quick to move his facial expressions from sadness to anger to complete apathy.
ATLAS: (blankly) A means to an end.
EMMALINE: (utterly shocked) What?
ATLAS: (laughs sadistically) You think I liked you. I wanted to see how long it would take me to get into your-
ATLAS is cut off by EMMALINE punching him in the face making him fall straight to the ground.
ATLAS: (as he sits up) God, you dumb bi-
EMMALINE:
(coldly) No. You’re not gonna cuss at me. You’re gonna get up and sit
in that chair while I talk sense into our friends.
She walks to the door on stage right
EMMALINE: Please let us out. We aren’t gonna get over this soon.
She fades out but continues to mimic a very intense conversation as Atlas does his soliloquy.
ATLAS:
(soliloquy) God, I’m a terrible person. She was so… happy. So amazing.
Then I wrecked her. But… but it’s for her own good. I can’t give her
what she needs.
ATLAS looks at her tenderly as she continues to argue.
You know, they say for some people, their first love is the only one they get.
looks at audience
That’s me. All I’ll ever know is that I love her and I won’t ever love anyone as much as I loved her.
Looks back at her but finds that she has already left after finally winning the argument.
I loved her, but I lost her.
ATLAS
notices the “drawing” on the board that turns out to be a letter from
EMMALINE, as the audience hears EMMALINE reading the note.
EMMALINE:
(from offstage) I thought I loved you. Past tense. But for some reason I
still love you. Present tense. I’m sorry I wasn’t enough. I’m sorry you
never liked me. I’m just sorry. I’m so sorry.
ATLAS sat down sadly and puts his head down on the desk in defeat.
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