Two new updates! Wow!

Well, technically they're new. I made these 2 as a part of my playwrighting elective at camp. As you can see, they're quite different from my usual writing style as these have been made for theatre purposes.

But the emotions in it? Always personal.

United In Pain

A group of teenagers wander into the park at mid-day. They proceed to take crazy pictures at the playground. However, one boy stays back and decides to sit at the park bench.

A girl walks into the park and sits under a willow tree, within viewing distance from where the boy sits.

Boy: There they go. So noisy, so cheerful, so happy, so… typical of everyone my age. There’s Josh now, being all boss-like and telling everyone where to sit for their pictures. Isn’t that Ansom sitting next to Janet? Always acting like Janet’s best friend but it’s all too obvious that he’s smitten with her girl-next-door ways. And where’s Jasmine? I know she wouldn’t miss me at all but I do like to hope otherwise.

Girl: Would he ever know? Would he even care if he knew? Why can’t he pick up all the hints I’ve been dropping? Maybe he did pick them up but he doesn’t feel the same way as I do?

Boy: I just want to be there with them now, doing stupid, irrational things. So why can’t I? Why am I not running to the playground, jumping on top of that pile that they’ve formed on top of Jason? No wait, I know. Yes, it’s always been there. Yes, a wall.

Girl: It’s said that there’s no point crying over spilt milk. What’s done is done. But what if done, has not been done? Can I cry then? Should I cry that I’ve never told him, or be glad that I never gave him the chance to turn me down?

Boy: This isn’t the first time you know. I’ve been making new friends from a new school ever since primary school. I’m already in university now. So that’s like… four ‘friendship initiations’. Four times that I’ve looked for friendly faces that would accept me into their clique. And each time, that wall is there.

Girl: But he’s the sweetest thing I’ll ever know. Who else would humor me when all I want to do is to sulk all day? Who else would coach me, encourage me and coax me with math? Who else would brighten my day with a smile?

Boy: It blocks me. It restricts me. It keeps me to myself. I try to socialize, I try to do things a friend does. I hold the door for the girls and I trash-talk with the guys. But why does it seem so fake? Why do they laugh when I don’t see what’s so funny? Why do they run and scream when all I want to do is roll my eyes and snigger?

Girl: And he’s oh so popular. The prettier girls try to get him go to classes with them together but I’m usually faster than them most of the time. But I see that flash of annoyance now. He quickly hides it with a shining smile but oh I see it. He prefers their attention over mine.

Boy: I guess it’s me. Not anyone else, not what God has done, not by fate but me. I say it’s a wall but I know it’s me. My mannerisms, my ways, my quirks and my idiosyncrasies. It’s me as a person, the whole package. I’m the odd piece that would never fit into the whole puzzle.

Girl: And I thought telling him about how I feel would make him focus more on me. Pretty myself up for the big moment I did. Make-up, lip gloss, the whole works. But when I saw him cuddling up to Stephanie this morning…

Boy: So I guess I should go home now, turn on the computer and write a blog entry about how normal today was and how fine I am. Living on with the façade of normalcy. But I’m not normal. There’s something wrong with me but I just can’t seem to change. How can I change when I don’t know what’s there to change? Nothing to do but to move on with life I guess.

Girl: So I should move on I guess. There are other fishes in the sea, so the saying goes. Maybe I should go for that shark, maybe that swordfish. Forget the sweet dolphin I know and move on.

Their eyes meet briefly and they walk off.

No one can

A: After all that we have shared, how could you do this to me?

B: Well, what did you expect? I only wanted to help you.

A: Help me? You nearly caused my death!

B: How would I know that telling everyone your secret would nearly kill you? I just wanted you to be helped!

A: I don’t need your help!

B: Are you sure? I’m pretty sure when you came crying to me you were all, “Oh B, help me, help me!.”

A: That… that was different then! I needed a listening ear, someone to hear me out. Not someone to act out on what I said!

B: Trust me, I had the best of intentions for you. I wanted to make sure that problem of yours was solved.

A: It’s not a problem! I just wanted you to hear about it and maybe give me a bit of advice, talk to me about and at the end we’d have a good laugh. Not storm out of your room and went God knows where!

B: I went to Reverend Goodwill. He of all people would know what to do.

A: Sure, go to the reverend who’s a bloody fanatic of all things good and pure. But to people who he thinks is ‘unclean’ and of not good heart, oh boy are they going to suffer.

B: What reverend did was of good intention. He wanted everyone to help you, to share in your suffering and alleviate you from your sin. I’m sure he did not mean for everyone to be disgusted by your… your problem.

A: Well he thought wrong. If I did not run out of town the very second I saw the first light of a torch over the hill next to my house, I’d be breathing dust and eating maggots right now.

B: Then at least be glad you’re alive! Do not blame me for what I did to try and help you. Please understand I did it from the bottom of my heart to help you.

A: You can’t help me. No one can.