Post by mrfabulous on Jan 12, 2009 13:26:13 GMT -5
Too big for the already-instated writing thread, I decided to give this project its own thread for feedback, and for it to be posted in its entirety. To those I've already ask to read give feedback on, I've updated this slightly, so if you want to give it another shot, that'd be amazing.
To those that haven't read this, this is my biggest project to date. Running at nearly thirty pages, extra time granted for the music bits, this runs at about forty-five to fifty minutes.
I don't intend to edit this further - I consider it 'finished.' The story will be continued, canon or no.
This play contains themes of homosexuality, strong language, insinuated rape, and some crazy idealism. Proceed with caution.
All tracks by The Cambiata unless noted otherwise.
Tracklist:
1. All In All (Julie)*
2. The First Positivism
3.Sidestepping
4. Make Believe - Are You a Fox? -
5. Shards Of Pornography*
6. Hell's Kitchen*
7. All In All (Julie) (:55 - end)
8. Joga - Bjork
9. If Lilly Isn't Back By Sunset - Cinematic Sunrise
10. Purple*
11. Un'aria - The Sound Of Animals Fighting
12. Roswell*
* = listen to at www.myspace.com/cambiata
CAST:
Hayden Matthews, a sixteen-year-old boy who is easily influenced to follow in the footsteps of his new friend and one of the two main characters.
Seth Jameson, an eighteen-year-old boy who is apathetic to society, and is the other main character.
Mike Farpis, a journalist who catches Hayden in his darkest hour. Not as significant, but has a powerful monologue.
Two Friends of Hayden’s who possess no importance at all and end up betraying our two characters.
Ensemble of cast members who deliver lines from in the audience. These include a news reporter, bystanders, and a nurse, as well as others. They play a huge part in the very end.
(The house lights are not completely dimmed, for most of the action takes place off stage. Most of the action takes place offstage, and so to make sure everything catches what’s going on, a feed will be set up, leading into a projector, and cameras will catch the characters’ every move to be projected onto the screen. Lights up on a messy bedroom. The teenager’s haven. It belongs to sixteen-year-old Hayden Matthews, who leans on his wall for support, reading a letter. Cue track 1. It is only background noise, heard at a low volume the slowly draws up, coming from a stereo next to his bed. The floor is clean, for the most part. An outfit is strewn across the floor, possibly worn the day before. The walls are strewn with memories- photographs, signed paraphernalia, a CD rack filled, and more hidden around the room. A computer is set up on a desk, facing away from the audience, who shall be referred to from this point on as The Outside World. Hayden suddenly shoots up in his bed, turning down the music. ((Cue the words, “But to heal…)) He begins to shake, holding in what appears to be a meltdown. He starts mumbling to himself whatever comes to mind – what he could have said, what he wanted to say. He gets up, begins to pace. He somehow represses this upon another thought. The feeling subsides. His gaze fixates on anyone, anything in the Outside World. It has hit him. What, we don’t know yet.)
(Cue pause at 0:55.)
Hayden: (to no one) I can’t wake up.
(Lights down.)
VO: I’ve been looking for you…. I’ve been looking for you.
Voiceover: (Hayden) It hit me, in that moment, like a slap across the face. I couldn’t make any sense of it before. Why fate worked the way it did…. but it also made sense of what he meant. (A long beat) My name is Hayden Matthews, and…. for six months…. I lived. God damn it, I lived.
(Lights up once again. Hayden is sleeping, but no sooner wakes up, throwing off the blankets. He is in a shirt and boxers, and grabs a pair of pants on the floor to get ready for school. His routine begins. He puts on a CD. Cue track 2, he sings to himself, steadily getting louder, but then hushes again to make sure no one hears him. )
Hayden (VO): Six months ago, I was just another kid from the heart of suburbia in Maine. Nothing to me, just another kid, you know?
(Hayden walks off the stage, down the steps, and into the audience. He walks up the aisle, not regarding the Outside World at all. A boy gets up from the middle of the audience, and bumps into Hayden on accident.)
Hayden: Oh, sorry!
Boy: No worries.
(The boy walks, taking a left to walk in front of the audience and lies down at the edge of the other aisle. Other planted members, two more kids, from the audience stand up, placed at the end of the rows, and move into the aisle to confront Hayden.)
Kid 1: Hey, what’s up!
Hayden: Hey. (He recognizes the two, and smiles.)
Kid 2: We’re taking the shortcut to school! You coming?
Hayden: Ah, don’t worry about it. I’ll be fine. I’ve got what, twenty minutes?
Kid 2: Did you do the chem. Paper for that lab we did?
Hayden: Yeah, I’ll hand it in today.
Kid 1: Cool! Don’t be late, now!
Hayden: I won’t! Don’t worry about it!
(The two kids run past him, going into the far aisle, and making their way backstage. Hayden takes a right, turning again to go down the center-stage right aisle. He stops. Somebody is lying there, in his way. The same boy he bumped into earlier. Hayden stares down at the boy, who doesn’t seem to notice him. Music fades out.)
Hayden: Ah. You again?
Boy: So it would seem.
Hayden: What are you doing?
(A long beat.)
Boy: (indifferently) Paying attention.
(Another.)
Hayden: You should probably get to class.
Boy: I don’t go to school here.
Hayden: Well, where then?
Boy: (points up) What do you think that cloud looks like?
Hayden: (Looks up, surveying the sky, about to answer him) I…(snaps out of it, looks back down at the boy.) I don’t have time for this!
Boy: Yes you do.
Hayden: I have school in twenty minutes –
Boy: Since when should that stop you?
Hayden: Since - (A beat. He doesn’t have an answer. Hayden ponders such a question.)
Boy: Nothing should stop you from what you want to do. Nothing.
Hayden: (flustered) What - I don’t know what I want!
Boy: (Not affected) Do you want to look at the clouds with me? You’re more than welcome to. (Finally regarding Hayden’s feelings) Are you upset?
Hayden: Yes!
Boy: You shouldn’t be. You’re stressed already from all the responsibilities placed upon your shoulders.
Hayden: What’s that supposed to mean?
Boy: It means school and money and power isn’t the only way to happiness.
Hayden: And just what can I do about that?
Boy: Do what makes you happy. Does looking at the clouds make you happy?
Hayden: (Looks up at the ‘clouds’, the frustration draining out of his face.) …Yeah.
Boy: You could join me, then.
(A pause.)
Hayden: (VO) I thought he was high. Or crazy. High seemed more feasible. But, more importantly…I thought he was right. The clouds made me happy, so I accompanied him. (He starts to sit down next to him, laying back and stretching his body out to get comfortable. (Cue track 3.) You could tell it was spring because the girls were breaking out the short shorts. You could tell when it was spring when the never-ending pickup game of ultimate Frisbee took place in the park. When the pond behind the Key Bank melted, ending the skating season for the year. The grass is a sickening deep green. When the clouds slowly tilted over the ground, forming and dissipating, not stressed by wind or other phenomena. The only reason I could tell it was spring was because I had stopped to look around and notice all of this. Break my routine. Pay attention, if you will.
Hayden: I’m Hayden, by the way. Hayden Matthews.
Boy: I’m Seth.
Hayden: Pleasure.
Seth: Nonsense, it’s all mine.
Background music: All your faces kept ajar…
Hayden: (VO) So, that was it. I didn’t go to school that day. I just lay there with this Seth job, and took in the scenery, shot the breeze. It felt great, being able to relax. The consequences didn’t even cross my mind. As I would go on to learn, yesterday’s history, and tomorrow’s a mystery. Living in the moment was all I could seem to care about. I would be doing it more often, too.
(Seth suddenly gets up, starts to walk away.)
Hayden: Hey! Where are you going?
Seth: I don’t know. But I feel like doing something else.
Hayden: What about me?
Seth: What about you? (Stops, turns around) Don’t you have school?
Hayden: Oh, funny. I don’t want to go now.
Seth: Then do what you want to do. Who’s going to stop you?
Hayden: (Ignores the question) Are you going to come back tomorrow?
Seth: Depends.
(Walks slowly up the aisle, then turns at the far aisle, going towards stage right.)
Hayden: (cupping his hands to shout) Wait! What if I get in trouble?
Seth: (Doing the same) What have you got to lose?
(Seth sits down in one of the empty seat left by the two kids. He blends in.)
Hayden: What do I have to lose? (Thinks for a second before scoffing softly.) Depends on what I want to lose, I guess.
(Hayden takes a good look around. Cue VO.)
Hayden: (VO) The rest of the day blended together. It was beautiful out, I remember. Other bits and pieces still remain of what happened that first day, but other than my divine intervention, nothing else significant remained. (Hayden begins to wander among the different open passages, aimless in his manner, finding his way back to his room. Seth gets up again, following Hayden form a distance. Track fades out, lights up onstage.) I found myself back at my house… in my room.
BGM: (The last chorus of the song) They all wish they sang opera, like you do in the shower…
(Hayden collapses on the bed.)
Hayden: (VO cont’d) I couldn’t think, therefore I wasn’t. Existence took the backseat…and I slept.
(Hayden closes his eyes. Seth sits on the steps leading up to the stage from SL. Music down, all lights down. Seth moves to his next spot before the lights come up.)
(Lights up. Hayden awakes once again. It is now early evening. Hayden’s parents have not come home. He slowly gets up, but widens his eyes upon remembering what he’s done that day, and moves faster, pacing.)
Hayden: (VO) I couldn’t believe it. Had what happened today…actually happened? Had I really skipped school? I felt weird for some reason about it. Part of me felt bad, but another, bigger part wanted to do it all over again. And I would get my chance.
(Hayden exits his house, finding Seth sitting against the wall of the stage, facing the audience. He is busying himself with some menial interest.)
Hayden: What are you doing here?
(Seth stops, looking at Hayden before opening the other. He stretches.)
Seth: Waiting for you. God, you sleep like a log.
Hayden: Why’d you follow me?
Seth: Details.
Hayden: What?
Seth: Details. They don’t matter.
Hayden: What are you talking about?
Seth: See, that’s what makes people so upsetting. They want everything down to the T, or else its irrelevant. In reality, the actuality of the event happening is what matters. I mean, who, what, where, when, why, how – that’s just unnecessary stuff that gets people more worked up. (A beat.) But if you must know, I appreciated this morning. You’re the first person in this hellhole of a town to regard me like that.
Hayden: I didn’t exactly have much of a choice.
Seth: Oh, yes you did. You chose to stop. You chose to indulge yourself. Not me.
Hayden: True. (A beat.) Do you want to come in?
Seth: Sure.
(He gets up, follows Hayden onstage, and goes into his room with him.
Seth: Woah. I dig this place already. (Makes a beeline for his CD rack.) What do you have?
Hayden: Well, let’s see…
(Hayden pressed play on his stereo. Cue track 4.)
Seth: Shit! You listen to this? I like you already!
Hayden: Yeah, I love them. I just bought the new shit the other day, and I’ve been listening to it pretty much nonstop. This is off of a mix, though.
Seth: Cool. (Looks through CDs.) Oh, man. I love almost all of these exact bands.
Hayden: We’ll get along just fine then. (VO. The two pantomime.) When it came to music, Seth and I could have ruled the world. Most of our conversation revolved around the bands we loved, hated, wanted to hear – it never got old to us. (Music down.)
Hayden: (cont’d, speaking) So, you don’t go to school? (Seth shakes his head.) Why not?
Seth: I didn’t want to.
Hayden: What about your parents?
Seth: What do they matter?
Hayden: Well, wouldn’t they be mad about you not going to school?
Seth: They don’t care.
Hayden: I see. (A beat.) So what brought about this little revelation?
Seth: Well. (Pause. He speaks slowly) I daydreamed a lot in school. I mean, who didn’t? I was always looking outside whenever I was in school, and I saw the world coexist with the reality I perceived every single day. It was really surreal. And I said to myself, (points up) ‘That’s what I could be doing. That’s what I should be doing.’ You know? So I stopped going to school. Nobody noticed I had gone. I literally blended in with the walls there. I didn’t really know anyone. (Hayden’s VO breaks in: ‘That explains why I didn’t recognize him.’) And I’ve been living like this ever since. How I want to.
Seth: The way I see it, life teaches you everything you need to know. Sure, in school, you can analyze books, write papers, learn mathematical skills – education seems ideal for financial success. But life, true success, fate, emotion, nature - those should be our teachers. Of course, life itself is too subjective to really give a shit about. So everybody makes money, building up this sickening sense of materialism we pass onto each other. That wasn’t me, you know? Societal and educational benefactors are only details in the long run. For achieving the life you want to live – that’s true success to me. (A short beat.)
(Hayden takes this.)
Hayden: (VO) This is how I came to know Seth. Free spirited, unbound from the chains of the world around him…alone.
(Hayden skips to the next track. Cue Track 4. He starts to sing to himself, but stops himself once he realizes Seth is watching him.)
Seth: Why’d you stop?
Hayden: Because…
Seth: Are you scared someone will hear you?
Hayden: (Catches Seth’s drift.) Kind of...
Seth: Start the song over. I want to hear you sing.
Hayden: I’ve never really sung in front of people before.
Seth: Pick another song. Come on.
(Hayden skips the song. Cue track 5. He’s nervous, but sings the part anyway.)
Lyrics: Had a girl, who I treated like the wind…
(He continues with the song, going up until, “before we began.” before Seth pauses the music. Hayden does not notice.)
Hayden: (notices he’s by himself, and stops singing. He is upset.) The hell you do that for!
Seth: (ignoring Hayden’s distress) You’re really good.
Hayden: What was that for! It’s not funny!
Seth: Nor was I intending to be funny. You did something that scared you. And a good outcome was the result.
Hayden: No way, I suck.
Seth: No you don’t. If you can’t respect your own opinion, then respect someone else’s.
Hayden: How do you know so much?
Seth: I don’t. (Starts to exit offstage.) Life does. I’m just its relay.
(He walks offstage, the same way he came, to the very back of the audience. Hayden starts to stop him, but decides to let him go.)
Hayden: (VO) A little pompous, sure. OK, really, wicked pompous. But he was right in his own way, and it really caught on with me like a cold. (Lights down. End scene.) Seth was someone I could listen to forever. (Every chance I got, I would be hanging out with Seth.
(Hayden changes outfits to dimmed lights. The two kids from the first scene get up, and start to make their way to Hayden’s house by taking the back root of the auditorium. Once they arrive, Hayden more quickly throws on his shirt, and heads out with them. While this is happening, Hayden’s VO is heard.)
Hayden: (VO) I began to get caught up in the grandeur lifestyle. Too materialistic to be bohemian, but too free-willed to be anything at the same time – this was it for me. This was Cloud Nine. Everything was smooth sailing for me for a few weeks. And that is where things got horribly real.
(Lights up. Hayden is changing as Seth waits below the stage.)
Seth: C’mon! Let’s go!
Hayden: (pulling on a shirt) Yeah, yeah, I’m coming!
Seth: Don’t forget that iPod of yours.
Hayden: (grabbing a device off of his desk) Yup!
(Hayden bolts down the steps, meeting Seth in the audience.)
Seth: So, what’s this band you want me to listen to?
Hayden: You’re going to love this. Check this out.
(Seth takes the earphones to Hayden’s iPod. Cue track 6.)
Seth: Wow, this is really good. (He takes out the earphones. The music is suddenly cut off, as if it were paused.)
Hayden: I saw them a few months ago before they broke up, and they played that song. Really cool stuff. So, what do you want to do today?
Seth: I dunno.
Hayden: Let’s go look at the clouds.
Seth: Eh, I’ll pass.
Hayden: Why not? It was so cool the first time!
Seth: (getting uncomfortable) Maybe later.
(A beat.)
Hayden: What’s wrong?
Seth: Nothing.
Hayden: Are you sure?
Seth: Yes…
Hayden: All right then.
(A beat. The two start walking again, but Seth starts to tail behind.)
Hayden: (VO) Now I’m there, looking behind me thinking, “What could be wrong with him? Everything’s been fine up till now, hasn’t it?” (speaks) Is something bothering you?
Seth: Listen, I – I gotta go.
Hayden: Wait! Where are you going?
Seth: I don’t know. Look, I’ll see you around, all right?
Hayden: But what about –
Seth: Don’t. Follow me.
(Seth walks back to the empty seat from the first scene, obviously upset. Hayden, confused, walks back to the house.)
Hayden (VO): I didn’t see him for a while after that. But I began to change. For better or worse, I couldn’t decide.
(Lights down.)
Hayden: (VO) Now, when I say I changed, I meant it. I started skipping school prominently. Nothing like that mattered to me anymore. It was as if…the Hayden I used to know was fighting for contention with this new Hayden…and I didn’t care which side won. I was too busy having fun.
(Lights up. The room is messier. It hasn’t been cleaned in a while. Hayden looks through a pile of clothes, pulling out a shirt and putting it on. The two kids from before get up from where they were seated in the first scene, messing around.)
Kid 1: God, Hayden’s always following that Seth guy around.
Kid 2: What a fuckin’ loser.
Kid 1: I kind of miss him.
Kid 2: Hayden?
Kid 1: Yeah.
Kid 2: Me too.
Kid 1: I haven’t seen him for a few days though.
Kid 2: At all?
Kid 1: Not with Hayden, anyway. He’s back by himself.
Kid 2: Maybe this whole phase thing is over.
Kid 1: We can only hope.
(They show up at Hayden’s house, entering his room and walking up on the stage.)
Hayden: Hey, guys! Come on in! (pulls on a shirt, talking as he goes.) So, my mom started yelling at me today about my GPA. It’s a 3.2 now, and she flips a shit! I slip in the slightest, and she reads me the fuckin’ riot act!
Kid 1: You also haven’t been to school in two weeks.
Kid 2: Yeah, dude. What the hell happened?
Hayden: Seth happened, man. He’s shown me the light.
Kid 1: More like fucked you over.
Hayden: Societal standards are bullshit, and you know it.
Kid 2: Hey, no need to get defensive.
Kid 1: We’re just worried is all.
Hayden: What are you so worried about?!
Kid 2: You’re burning one of the only bridges you have!
Kid 1: And for what!
Hayden: So I can LIVE.
Kid 1: It’s not worth it. Please, just trust us.
Kid 2: We’re your friends, we care about you.
(A beat.)
Hayden: If you really want me to, I’ll show up tomorrow.
Kid 2: Show up, he says.
Kid 1: It’s a start, anyway.
Kid 2: We’ve got a test you know.
Hayden: For what!
Kid 2: Some test, I don’t remember.
Kid 1: Didn’t it count for, like…a really large percent of our grade?
Hayden: Well, it can wait, can’t it!
(Seth gets up from a seat, walks into Hayden’s room, and looks through his music.)
Seth: I never expected someone like Hayden. I didn’t expect him to sit down. I never expected him to agree. I never expected anything. I didn’t make anything up of what I told him. I could relate to him – but I couldn’t at the same time. He was just so caught up in the shit that I couldn’t stand. He was a great kid, I just couldn’t see past that little illusion he had set up for himself. And that’s why I left. Plain and simple.
(Seth puts a CD into his stereo, pressing play. Cue track 1, from where we left off in the beginning. “As the red sun sets!” Seth starts mouthing the words as Hayden and his two friends starts messing around in the aisles.)
Seth: (VO) Well, here I was, back in Hayden’s bedroom, cranking his music. That was our only true connection so far, other than the lifestyle. It’s a shame he had to piggyback and just f**k**g copy and paste what I had to say into his mind, such a shame. Oh well, at least his music taste is good.
(Hayden and his two acquaintances go to a party, taking place near the back of the auditorium. There, a group of kids sitting dear there gather, gripping plastic cups. Everyone is obviously quite drunk, and when thing one and two proceed to as well, Hayden passes on the chance. Eventually, police sirens are heard, and the group scatters in a panic. Hayden makes his way back to his room, seeing Seth sitting there.)
Hayden: (slightly alarmed tone) What brings you here?
(A beat.)
Hayden: Oh, right. I forgot -
Seth: I wanted to see you.
(A beat. Hayden isn’t expecting that response.)
Hayden: Didn't mean you had to break in.
Seth: I'm sorry.
Hayden: It's fine. Where have you been?
Seth: I got bored.
Hayden: Bored?
Seth: Well, disgusted. Pitiful.
Hayden: Of what?
Seth: Of you, Hayden! I got sick of your little persistence to follow in my footsteps. It made me sick, how you took everything in like a little f**k**g sponge. You can’t even apply what I say properly. You either go all the way or don’t go at all.
(Hayden’s face changes from hurt to anger.)
Hayden: (VO) Oh, no he didn’t.
Hayden: OK, you know what? I'm sorry I'm not the great person like you pass yourself off to be, but like it or not, this is who I am! Sure, things look great from your point of view, but that doesn't mean you can just go around, looking down on people like me. Have you ANY sense of decency, or did it die with your logic?!
(Seth is silent, stunned)
Hayden: (cont’d) I mean, I don’t get it, man! Why are you so d**ned resentful? What the hell have I done to you? Huh? Why do you resent the actuality of this life so much that you go messing with my head and thinking its wrong? How am I supposed to feel? I mean I’ve been skipping SCHOOL in case you haven’t noticed! I’ve been failing tests that shift my stance in my high school career, because of YOUR notions! Maybe I was happy with where I was at in life. Maybe your idea is so great, but you know what? It isn’t the only way! Everyone has their own view of life, and it’s our DUTY as people to accept each other’s views and learn to understand it. And now I don’t think what you call life is such a good idea, but you know, I respect it, at least…a-and, you know, I'm sick of your preachy shit, so don’t look down on me when you have no one to blame but yourself!
(Silence. A beat. Hayden sighs, a guilty look on his face.)
Hayden: (cont'd) I'm sorry, you didn't need that.
(Freeze. Lights dim. Spotlight on Seth.)
Seth: The day finally came. Someone called me out on my judgment. Normally I wouldn't care, but this - this was a convincing argument on his part. And then I felt sorry...and then it hit me - I influenced him. I fucked him up. It made me realize, that every day, people influence each other, spread their personal truths. That's why there's so much conflict in this world. The ideals of a man, the mere power of thought itself - is both a gift and a curse. I decided that I would be different - he didn't need my ideas. He had his own. I had influenced him, and then I took them back. But, I truly believe, that from the ashes of anger...compassion will arise. (We unpause. Lights back up. To Hayden) it's fine. You're right. I'm sorry. And I'll make it up to you, one way or another. Truce?
(A beat.)
Hayden: Yeah. OK
(More silence.)
Hayden: What were you listening to?
Seth: Another one of your mixes. Do you make these? (Hayden nods) Well, you have to let me borrow it. I really like this.
Hayden: Yeah, sure.
Seth: Go to the next track, would you? I’ve had that song on repeat for an hour now.
(Hayden skips ahead to the next song before lying on his bed. Cue track 7. The two are silent for a long moment, just listening to the song.)
Seth: Hayden?
Hayden: Hmm?
Seth: Where’d you learn to sing?
Hayden: I didn’t. No one taught me. I just kind of sing, you know? But there’ll always be one memory of why I sing. When I was born…like, the first memory I remember…the earliest…is when I was a baby. It was night, and I couldn’t sleep. And I start crying, because all babies do that. My parents were still sleeping, so no one heard me. But then, my head started ringing. It was this song. I’ll always remember that song, because it was just so soothing, and it put me to sleep. I remember seeing my parents coming in to find me quiet, eyes heavy.
Seth: Do you know which song it was?
Hayden: No. But, through my music, I’ve always been searching.
Seth: That’s cool. It’s like a personal quest.
Hayden: You could say that. (A pause.) Hey, I thought you didn’t want the details.
Seth: But those details were important to you. You can’t let go of them, they’re a part of who you are. I make an exception for such a case.
Hayden: (relief) That’s good.
(Another pause. Hayden looks at Seth, walking slowly, but hesitating.)
Hayden: Do you mind if I ask you a question?
Seth: Of course, go ahead.
Hayden: If you were so against the mindset I was in when you left, then why did you come back?
Seth: That’s a good question. But if I had to answer, I would say that it was because you listened to me that day. You…considered what I had to say, and you seemed to have applied it to your own life. That’s why I came back. I mean, obviously, you’re having some conflict over this. And I want to help you now, however I can.
Hayden: You’re not going to leave again?
Seth: Nope.
Hayden: I see. (A beat.) Did it ever get lonely, just floating through life without making any personal connections?
Seth: Why does that matter to you?
(Hayden gets up to sit next to Seth, making the conversation more intimate.)
Hayden: Come on. You’ve had to have at least one girlfriend at some point.
Seth: Surprise, surprise.
Hayden: Are you kidding me?
Seth: I said I wasn’t popular in school.
Hayden: Well, you should’ve been! I mean, you’re like, the coolest person ever! You have this mind for intellectualism that is just unbelievable, and you… (A pause. Hayden looks over to see Seth looking over at him.)
Seth: You really think so?
Hayden: Yeah!
Seth: God, that’s…that’s really nice.
Hayden: Well…it’s true.
Seth: (Genuinely flattered.) Thank you.
Hayden: (VO) What happens next, I have no idea why I did. But, I can guarantee you. It wasn’t an accident, and it certainly wasn’t an impulse.
Hayden: You’re welcome…
(Hayden leans in, kissing Seth quickly on the mouth before drawing back, fully comprehending what he did. Music down.)
Hayden: Oh, shit.
Seth: What did you do that for?
Hayden: I don’t know…
(Hayden slowly paces across the room, thinking.)
Seth: Did you like it?
(A beat. Hayden grips his head.)
Seth: (Firmly) Hayden.
Hayden: (Hesitating) Y-yes. I mean, I don’t know, I -
Seth: Well, that explains it.
Hayden: But I’m not gay!
Seth: You don’t have to be.
Hayden: Seth, this isn’t something that just happens!
Seth: What, just because someone told you you’re gay if a man kisses you? I call bullshit.
Hayden: What do you mean?! Are you listening to yourself?
Seth: Details, Hayden…. details. Just go with it. See what happens. I promise, if it doesn’t work out, we can still be friends.
Hayden: Promise?
Seth: (Softly) Mmhmm.
(A pause. Hayden brushes Seth off. He sighs, before slowly speaking.)
Hayden: Look. I’ve…I’ve never done this before, obviously…but I’m willing to try. Just…promise me we’ll go slowly, all right?
Seth: Of course.
(Seth reaches out to touch Hayden, but he slinks away. He persists still, but Hayden retreats to his bed.)
Hayden: Don’t. (Seth sighs. Point taken.)
Hayden: I’m sorry. It’s just… It makes me uncomfortable, being touched like that. I really don’t understand what’s going on.
Seth: Well, that makes two of us. Want to talk about it?
(Hayden nods. The two sit on the foot Hayden’s bed, and begin to pantomime talking. Cue VO, Cue track 8.)
Seth: (To the audience) I was never one to think too hard. But this whole with Hayden – I’d never been so scared before. What did we have? What was it? I was peeling back the layers – relationship, friendship, companionship – down to the primitive natural feeling of being wanted by someone. And….it was scary. This wasn’t normal to them. But then it hit me….details. How irrelevant they were.
Hayden: (VO) Nothing had ever made me feel so vulnerable, so insecure. And yet, the stranger sitting next to me was feeling the exact same thing. We talked into the night, growing comfortable with each other. We learned about each other, in order to understand ourselves not just as so-called lovers, but as two people coexisting with each other in such an unusual fashion. (Lights dim slowly to show the pass of time.) And then…. and then...
(The two lean in, reluctant.)
Hayden: So…what do we do now?
Seth: You lean in, silly.
(The two kiss, now a little more comfortable with the situation. They pull away after a considerable amount of time, and lay together on Hayden’s bed, cuddling/sthingying as they fall asleep. Take your pick. Lights down.)
Hayden: (VO) Seth and I started to get closer and closer, hanging out like old times. We mostly just sat around and listened to music…
(Lights up to Hayden and Seth.)
Hayden: (VO)…eventually, we’d talk about whatever came to mind….
Hayden: Do you have that mix for me?
Seth: Yeah, I’ll leave it here.
(Hayden and Seth sit on the bed, talking happily in pantomime.)
Hayden: (VO) …but of course, that would get old after a while…
(Hayden and Seth start kissing, Seth straddling Hayden and pushing him back to the wall. Hayden bumps his head with a loud thud.)
Hayden: OW!
(Seth rolls off, laughing and gripping his stomach, trying to get out some kind of apology.)
Hayden: (VO) …and then we’d go out.
(Cue track 10. Hayden and Seth begin to change and get ready to go out.)
Hayden: So, you ready?
Seth: Absolutely.
Hayden: Let’s get lost.
(Hayden and Seth exit into the audience, walking up the immediate aisle, hand in hand. All of a sudden, a man stands up, preferably behind them, mouthing along with the song. “THATTA GIRL! Out past curfew tonight!”, and staring at the two, pointing, and sitting back down. Another stands up; “She had leather hands that any man would crawl to…” Music slightly down.)
Hayden: God, what a beautiful night.
Seth: So, tell me more about this song.
Hayden: Which one?
Seth: Your song.
Hayden: I couldn’t really. There’s not much else I remember of it. Just this…one line. Over and over.
Seth: You know it?
(Push all the livid out...push all the livid out…)
Hayden: No. I can’t remember anything about it.
Seth: Don’t worry, it’ll come to you.
(A beat. The two continue walking.)
Hayden: Do you think they notice?
Seth: what do you mean?
Hayden: Well. There are just some people…
Seth: Who don’t matter.
Hayden: I’m not as strong as you, Seth. You know that.
Seth: I know…I’m sorry. It’s really easy to get carried away. I mean, we live in a world where absolutely no one is wrong. But is anyone right to compensate?
(A beat.)
Hayden: No. Not unless proven. But I’m in no mood to think about that. (A beat.) You know I love you, right?
(Seth, nervous, tries to keep his composition.)
Seth: There’s a thought.
Hayden: I mean…it never occurred to me until now. But, I already respect you, your opinion, and I sure as hell respect your music taste. But respect turned into caring, caring to compassion, and compassion to true, developing feelings. I don’t know how love works, but those are my thoughts concerning us.
(A beat.)
Seth: Damn, kid. That was deep. And, you know… if that’s how love works, then I guess I love you too. Now, listen…
(They stop, looking at each other. Seth smiles and leans and kisses Hayden, parting just as quickly and pulling him into a close hug, Seth facing the camera angle on him.)
Seth: I don’t deserve you. Nobody does.
(Seth looks up, pausing and seeing a couple of guys get up, walking by and eyeing the two before walking by them, leaning against the lower wall of the stage. These two could be Hayden’s friends from earlier.)
Seth: But I’ll be damned if I lose you.
(He pulls away, a lingering look between the two, and they continue walking. The guys starts walking once again, lingering behind the two. Music up.)
Lyrics: It dries…
Hayden: But it makes me scared.
Seth: What for?
Hayden: Sometimes I think this is just some cruel joke. Like, it’s just a really, really good dream and I could wake up any second.
(Seth stops, staring at Hayden. Music down.)
Seth: I want to tell you something, and I want you to remember it, OK?
(A pause.)
Seth: Just -
(The same figure walks up quickly.)
Thug 1: OI!
(Startled, they look behind to find the guy standing there. He walks hurriedly to catch up to them.)
Thug 1: Either of you got a light?
Seth: No, sor-
(Cue song back up at 4:10. Thug 2 sitting immediately next to him in the crowd grabs Seth, standing up. Thug deals a blow to Seth’s gut, and the other thug lets go, letting Seth double over in pain.)
Hayden: Seth!
(Thug 2 intercepts Hayden’s path, and he cowers back.)
Thug 2: Don’t even think about it kid.
Seth: What do you want?
Thug 1: Oh, you’ll find out. But first, we’re playing a little game. I’ll give you two ten seconds to run before we hunt you down have a little fun with you, starting now.
(He counts boisterously as the next bit happens.)
Seth: (Heavy breathing) Hayden, run.
Hayden: I’m not leaving you-
Seth: Hayden. I’ll catch up with you later. Just GO!
(Hayden lingers, “3, 2, 1…” but runs anyway.)
Thug: TIME’S UP!
Lyrics: You’re the same! No we’re the same!
(The two thugs proceed to beat Seth down, before ‘helping’ Seth out of his clothes, stripping him to his boxers and ‘helping’ him out the back auditorium. Hayden, still shaken from the incident, curls up on his bed, defeated. Lights dimmed.)
Hayden: (VO) That would be the last time I saw him as he was…as I knew him.
(Lights up as Hayden peeks from his viewpoint. The coast is clear, so he sits up. He paces for a few seconds before exiting his room, walking to the front of the stage. He picks up a remote control from a lounge chair, and points the remote towards the audience. Cue newsroom theme music. An anchorman stands up.)
Anchorman: Good evening, and welcome to the eleven o’ clock news. Our top story this evening: An alleged hate crime was reported no more than two hours ago, against eighteen-year-old Seth Jameson. Police reports indicate that the boy was raped before being beaten – almost to death. We go now to the scene, where more information on the attack resides.
(A newswoman stands up with a microphone. Hayden is shocked.)
Newswoman: Thanks, Tom. At about 9 PM, sixteen-year-old Seth Jameson was found mortally wounded, his clothes strewn about the scene. Officials say the attack was a hate crime, the boy being an open homosexual.
(An older man, who had claimed the body, stands up, next to her. Hayden watches in disbelief.)
Newswoman: (cont’d) This man, George Rooney, came outside of his home just shortly after the assault occurred, having heard the commotion, and found the boy. Sir, tell us what you saw.
George: Well, I – I found him lying on the ground, and I had recognized him, 'cause –um – he was always with this other kid I had seen one time, a boy, an-and they were holding hands and all that stuff. They seemed like a nice couple’ a kids. And there was blood all around him, so I called 911.
(He sits back down in his seat.)
Newswoman: What’s baffled police is that there haven’t been any cases of prolific homophobia in the town’s history. So, the question is, why now? We asked the townspeople what they thought of this situation.
(A few people, asked for their opinion on the murder, stand.)
Bystander 1: I don’t exactly understand the whole ‘gay’ thing, but I don’t mind it either. It, I mean, uh – it hasn’t been really the subject of conversation, I personally don’t really want anything…(continues to speak)
Bystander 2: I can’t believe this happened! Homosexuals have a right to live! They’re human, just like the rest of us…! (They continue to speak.)
Bystander 3: It’s just strange, really. I have a few gay friends, and we’re all shocked to find this happen. I mean, you think it wouldn’t happen in a place like this… (Continues to speak.)
(The newswoman gives a few more unnecessary details towards Seth’s killing. The words jumble together, along with a distorted audio track of the perpetrator’s words. Hayden cannot take it. He is disgusted with the misconstruing of the event. He cannot think, his immediate desire to end this now far from being achieved in this state of mind. The climax of the moment reaches as Hayden reaches his limit.)
Hayden: (suddenly) NO!
(The sudden outburst hushes the people standing, and causes them to slowly sit back down. Hayden’s fists clench as storms back to his room, collapsing against his dresser, choking on sobs as the recoil of the events have caught up to him. He curls up in a ball, sitting on the floor and continues to cry. The lights flicker as Hayden’s sobs fade out.)
Hayden: (VO) This wasn’t happening. This couldn’t be happening. It was. I didn’t know what to do with myself. I couldn’t go visit the hospital. I couldn’t go out at all, not with all this on the front page.
(House lights are brought up to a dim. It’s another day. Cue track 12. A journalist stands up, walking towards the front of the stage. Hayden unknowingly goes downstairs.)
Journalist: Excuse me.
(Hayden shoots his head up. He is a mess, but he goes to see whom it is.)
Hayden: Who are you?
Journalist: Mike Farpis, local paper. I wanted to ask a few questions regarding the incident last night.
Hayden: (retorting quickly) No comment.
Journalist: Please, just five minutes!
Hayden: (more firmly) No comment. I refuse to have my words twisted.
Journalist: I’m not a tabloid journalist! It’s my job not to screw anything up!
Hayden: Oh, that’s right! You don’t twist words, you cut them out put in your own! I see how this is!
Journalist: Don’t you want your voice heard against all this speculation? Do you know what people are saying about -?
Hayden: (interrupting, annoyed) Fine, then. Fine. What do you want?
Journalist: Um, well – (flips a few pages in his notepad) could you please explain to me your recollection of last night?
(A pause.)
Hayden: Well…. Seth and I were walking down the sidewalk, it was about…. 9 PM. He was going to tell me something. That’s when this guy showed up. Says he wants a light.
Journalist: Was that when the confrontation started?
Hayden: Yeah, him and another guy. He asked us for a light, and when we said no, that’s when it happened.
Journalist: Nothing about homosexuality? No…slurs?
Hayden: No. Why?
Journalist: Well, the police are calling it a hate crime.
Hayden: Hate crime, yeah. I heard about that. I think its bullshit. It’s not true.
Journalist: How do you mean?
Hayden: Because Seth wasn’t gay. And neither am I.
Journalist: Then why are there eyewitness accounts of people seeing you with another boy, holding hands and acting really, REALLY-
Hayden: (interrupting) Because I found solace in him! We needed each other; it was temporary, nothing more! You know, that’s the thing that pisses me off the most. People associate any acts of homosexuality as the person being gay. I don’t know what I am, and until I come out and say, “You know, I know a little bit more abut myself than I did before, and I’m FAIRLY CERTAIN that I’m gay,” I’m not gay! Curious by your standards, maybe, but I’m not gay. I don’t know anything yet!
Journalist: (writes something.) Uh huh. And what about Seth?
Hayden: Funny you should ask that. Seth…god, Seth…Seth wasn’t a victim. He was a martyr. He didn’t want to get caught up in the financial success that this town prides itself upon. He didn’t want to do anything except what he wanted to. And that wouldn’t cut it, it seemed. So he was killed because he lived the life he wanted to.
(Haydn proceeds to pace, pantomiming his explanation as the journalist just listens. He gets himself worked up.)
Hayden: (VO) I spent the next five minutes spewing up everything Seth had taught me up to this point; America’s sickening sense of materialism, the basic philosophies of life – everything. I didn’t think of anything else to say. I couldn’t, you know? Of all the things I could’ve said to make this a little better…I was desperate for an answer myself. So I made one up.
(A beat.)
Journalist: You know no one is going to accept that, right? No one’s going to believe -
Hayden: (VO) That’s when I lost it.
Hayden: Well, what the fuck do you want from me! Huh! What the FUCK can I say! I don’t know what he felt for me! I don’t know shit anymore! All this is f**k**g me over, and I don’t know what to do! All I know is that I’m a desperate poor fuck and I don’t what to do! Write THAT down, why don’t you! Write THAT down!
(He storms back to his room, leaving the journalist to retreat back to his seat, startled. However, he is stopped as Hayden begins singing. No music. Just his voice. This would track 9 in the compilation. “In this room, the hours of love…” The journalist proceeds to write in his notepad. When Hayden finishes, he turns on his stereo. Cut track 11 again. It plays softly right now. Hayden begins to cry again. Music up.)
Hayden: (VO, Distressed) And now look. All this stuff I had pushed to the side to live out this façade with Seth had to be answered now. Maybe if I had gone to see him at the hospital – no. He was the cause. If I had not sat down to look at the f**k**g clouds with him, none of this shit would have happened. NONE of it! Wait…whom the fuck was I kidding? What the fuck was I trying to prove?
(Hayden lies on his bed. Lights dim. Bring track 11 up again. The journalist stands up to read the now-finished follow up article.)
Journalist: Hayden Matthews, the confused, insecure, unstable young man who got caught up in the life of notorious burnout Seth Jameson, was in hysterics when I met him today. His disheveled, awkward figure met me outside his house, where he proceeded to ask for no comment. After some convincing, he proceeded to give his side of the argument. After a short cooperation, he began to blame the attack on Seth’s societal stance; vomiting the essence of every single thing Seth had let him in on, down to the T. However, one thing he was right about was the so-called ‘love’ between the two. Their friendship, courtship, relationship, whatever it was – it was no secret to the people of the town. However, Hayden denounces being a homosexual, despite his advances on the boy. He explained to me that love goes beyond what they had. For, you see, no one is gay or straight or bisexual. They are only bound to whom they choose to care for, for gender is only a minor detail in the long run. They had no one except each other in the end. They cherished each other, and someone sought to end something so sacred as true love – and that, my friends, is the true agony of the situation. Mike Farpis, local journalist.
Hayden: (VO) I wanted to see him after all. No matter what had happened, I just felt like I wouldn’t be able to deal with this unless I went to him.
(Cue spotlight on Seth in Hayden’s bed, a nurse at his side. Lights down on Hayden’s side. He’s sleeping, but is awakened. His voice is weak from all the outside elements inside him. Bring down track.)
Seth: Leave us…
(He is ignored.)
Nurse: Mr. Matthews, we’ve been expecting you. As you can see, Seth’s in critical condition, so please make this visit brief. I’d also like to speak with you quickly when you’re finished.
Hayden: O-of course.
Nurse: I’ll be right outside. (She stands on the stairs nearest to the bed.)
Seth: Jesus, Hayden, you really have lost it. I must have fucked you over big time.
Hayden: (pathetic) Understatement of the year.
Seth: Now, don’t be brash…
Hayden: I don’t know what to think anymore. You didn’t see the article did you?
Seth: …I did.
Hayden: What did it say?!
Seth: I’d rather you read it for yourself.
Hayden: Seth, don’t do this…
Seth: But where would the fun be in telling you?
Hayden: Seth, just stop it! (Seth remains quiet.) You owe me! Remember? So knock it off.
(A beat.)
Hayden: Fine, be that way. (A beat.) How you holding up?
Seth: I’m comfortable.
Hayden: Shit, Seth…!
Seth: The matter is not if. It’s when.
Hayden: Don’t DO this to me… (He tears up.)
Lyrics: (second bridge) What if the soil caught flame…
Seth: Don’t you dare cry in front of me…I couldn’t take it. Be brave for me. You’ll be OK.
(Long beat. The nurse reenters.)
Seth: Hayden…
Nurse: Mr. Matthews? Your time is up.
(A pause. Hayden and Seth stare at each other for a long second before he picks his head up)
Hayden: Yeah.
Nurse: Now, before you go…(the nurse provides an envelope) This letter was composed by word by Seth, word for word. He said to read it when you get home.
Hayden: OK.
(He takes the letter reluctantly, then heads down the stairs, walking back to his house as he opens the letter, unable to wait. Seth reads the letter in a VO.)
Seth (VO): All right…Hayden. Just read the article about you. God, what happened to you? You used to be so sure of yourself…I mean, you must have been before you met me. I don’t know if what you used to believe and what I believe is right, but listen carefully. I’m only going to say this once. I never told you to believe everything I said, but if that’s the case, then you didn’t learn a thing. Whatever the cause brought upon me – a hate crime, a mugging, whatever – they’re just details. Details in the long run don’t matter. What matters right now is I’m in the hospital. And as for us…I don’t know if we were supposed to happen. But what I said to you, last night – I meant that. You can take that however you wish, but do not dwell. You will find someone, boy or girl.
(Lights back up on Hayden. He works himself up once again, pacing as the VO happens. Just then, the planted members – all of them – stand up and begin to recite the last section of the song. “Push all the livid out.” They start to move into the aisles file over onto the stage, and begin to circle around him, still saying “Push all the livid out.” Hayden reads the end of the letter, dropping the parcel. Lights up as the extras place themselves onstage. Music down to a low hum, as Hayden begins to act as he does in the beginning. After this, Hayden falls to his knees, and sees an envelope on the ground. He picks it up, getting up himself, leaning against the wall to read the letter. This is where the retrospect ends.)
Hayden: I…I can’t wake up! (His voice rises) I CAN’T WAKE UP! I CAN’T WAKE UUUUUUP!
(In a rage, Hayden begins to destroy his room. Posters, papers are ripped to shreds, CDs strewn across the room, Clothes destroyed, glass shattered – the downfall of everything he once stood for, in a vain attempt to burn the last bridge he has left – his music. His stereo remains untouched, which continues to play. It’s at this point the planted members start to wander backstage.
(The planted members that surrounded Hayden now exit offstage slowly, except Seth, who whispers the lyrics into his ear. Music down to hearable. Cue audio track of a patient, coding. Doctors are heard rushing in, speaking hurriedly as they attempt to save the patient. This becomes louder than the song. As the intensity courses through the song and fades out, Hayden falls to his knees, drained of all the insecurities and confusion that has plagued him for too long. Track down. Seth recoils slowly. Spotlights on Hayden and Seth.)
Seth: I never thought I’d get a chance to say this, but… the other night, what I was going to say was…I love you. And…
(Silence for Hayden’s final line.)
Hayden: Thank you.
(Flatline. Seth’s spotlight disappears. The final seconds of the song are played on repeat, brought up as the flat line comes down.)
Lyrics: Push all the livid out…
(He smiles. End song. Cue VO.)
Seth: (VO): Never wake up. Ever.
(Spotlight down.)
Seth: (VO) Seth.
END
To those that haven't read this, this is my biggest project to date. Running at nearly thirty pages, extra time granted for the music bits, this runs at about forty-five to fifty minutes.
I don't intend to edit this further - I consider it 'finished.' The story will be continued, canon or no.
This play contains themes of homosexuality, strong language, insinuated rape, and some crazy idealism. Proceed with caution.
All tracks by The Cambiata unless noted otherwise.
Tracklist:
1. All In All (Julie)*
2. The First Positivism
3.Sidestepping
4. Make Believe - Are You a Fox? -
5. Shards Of Pornography*
6. Hell's Kitchen*
7. All In All (Julie) (:55 - end)
8. Joga - Bjork
9. If Lilly Isn't Back By Sunset - Cinematic Sunrise
10. Purple*
11. Un'aria - The Sound Of Animals Fighting
12. Roswell*
* = listen to at www.myspace.com/cambiata
Stranger’s Sonata
Inspired by
The Cambiata
Written By
Ricky Clarke
Inspired by
The Cambiata
Written By
Ricky Clarke
CAST:
Hayden Matthews, a sixteen-year-old boy who is easily influenced to follow in the footsteps of his new friend and one of the two main characters.
Seth Jameson, an eighteen-year-old boy who is apathetic to society, and is the other main character.
Mike Farpis, a journalist who catches Hayden in his darkest hour. Not as significant, but has a powerful monologue.
Two Friends of Hayden’s who possess no importance at all and end up betraying our two characters.
Ensemble of cast members who deliver lines from in the audience. These include a news reporter, bystanders, and a nurse, as well as others. They play a huge part in the very end.
(The house lights are not completely dimmed, for most of the action takes place off stage. Most of the action takes place offstage, and so to make sure everything catches what’s going on, a feed will be set up, leading into a projector, and cameras will catch the characters’ every move to be projected onto the screen. Lights up on a messy bedroom. The teenager’s haven. It belongs to sixteen-year-old Hayden Matthews, who leans on his wall for support, reading a letter. Cue track 1. It is only background noise, heard at a low volume the slowly draws up, coming from a stereo next to his bed. The floor is clean, for the most part. An outfit is strewn across the floor, possibly worn the day before. The walls are strewn with memories- photographs, signed paraphernalia, a CD rack filled, and more hidden around the room. A computer is set up on a desk, facing away from the audience, who shall be referred to from this point on as The Outside World. Hayden suddenly shoots up in his bed, turning down the music. ((Cue the words, “But to heal…)) He begins to shake, holding in what appears to be a meltdown. He starts mumbling to himself whatever comes to mind – what he could have said, what he wanted to say. He gets up, begins to pace. He somehow represses this upon another thought. The feeling subsides. His gaze fixates on anyone, anything in the Outside World. It has hit him. What, we don’t know yet.)
(Cue pause at 0:55.)
Hayden: (to no one) I can’t wake up.
(Lights down.)
VO: I’ve been looking for you…. I’ve been looking for you.
Voiceover: (Hayden) It hit me, in that moment, like a slap across the face. I couldn’t make any sense of it before. Why fate worked the way it did…. but it also made sense of what he meant. (A long beat) My name is Hayden Matthews, and…. for six months…. I lived. God damn it, I lived.
(Lights up once again. Hayden is sleeping, but no sooner wakes up, throwing off the blankets. He is in a shirt and boxers, and grabs a pair of pants on the floor to get ready for school. His routine begins. He puts on a CD. Cue track 2, he sings to himself, steadily getting louder, but then hushes again to make sure no one hears him. )
Hayden (VO): Six months ago, I was just another kid from the heart of suburbia in Maine. Nothing to me, just another kid, you know?
(Hayden walks off the stage, down the steps, and into the audience. He walks up the aisle, not regarding the Outside World at all. A boy gets up from the middle of the audience, and bumps into Hayden on accident.)
Hayden: Oh, sorry!
Boy: No worries.
(The boy walks, taking a left to walk in front of the audience and lies down at the edge of the other aisle. Other planted members, two more kids, from the audience stand up, placed at the end of the rows, and move into the aisle to confront Hayden.)
Kid 1: Hey, what’s up!
Hayden: Hey. (He recognizes the two, and smiles.)
Kid 2: We’re taking the shortcut to school! You coming?
Hayden: Ah, don’t worry about it. I’ll be fine. I’ve got what, twenty minutes?
Kid 2: Did you do the chem. Paper for that lab we did?
Hayden: Yeah, I’ll hand it in today.
Kid 1: Cool! Don’t be late, now!
Hayden: I won’t! Don’t worry about it!
(The two kids run past him, going into the far aisle, and making their way backstage. Hayden takes a right, turning again to go down the center-stage right aisle. He stops. Somebody is lying there, in his way. The same boy he bumped into earlier. Hayden stares down at the boy, who doesn’t seem to notice him. Music fades out.)
Hayden: Ah. You again?
Boy: So it would seem.
Hayden: What are you doing?
(A long beat.)
Boy: (indifferently) Paying attention.
(Another.)
Hayden: You should probably get to class.
Boy: I don’t go to school here.
Hayden: Well, where then?
Boy: (points up) What do you think that cloud looks like?
Hayden: (Looks up, surveying the sky, about to answer him) I…(snaps out of it, looks back down at the boy.) I don’t have time for this!
Boy: Yes you do.
Hayden: I have school in twenty minutes –
Boy: Since when should that stop you?
Hayden: Since - (A beat. He doesn’t have an answer. Hayden ponders such a question.)
Boy: Nothing should stop you from what you want to do. Nothing.
Hayden: (flustered) What - I don’t know what I want!
Boy: (Not affected) Do you want to look at the clouds with me? You’re more than welcome to. (Finally regarding Hayden’s feelings) Are you upset?
Hayden: Yes!
Boy: You shouldn’t be. You’re stressed already from all the responsibilities placed upon your shoulders.
Hayden: What’s that supposed to mean?
Boy: It means school and money and power isn’t the only way to happiness.
Hayden: And just what can I do about that?
Boy: Do what makes you happy. Does looking at the clouds make you happy?
Hayden: (Looks up at the ‘clouds’, the frustration draining out of his face.) …Yeah.
Boy: You could join me, then.
(A pause.)
Hayden: (VO) I thought he was high. Or crazy. High seemed more feasible. But, more importantly…I thought he was right. The clouds made me happy, so I accompanied him. (He starts to sit down next to him, laying back and stretching his body out to get comfortable. (Cue track 3.) You could tell it was spring because the girls were breaking out the short shorts. You could tell when it was spring when the never-ending pickup game of ultimate Frisbee took place in the park. When the pond behind the Key Bank melted, ending the skating season for the year. The grass is a sickening deep green. When the clouds slowly tilted over the ground, forming and dissipating, not stressed by wind or other phenomena. The only reason I could tell it was spring was because I had stopped to look around and notice all of this. Break my routine. Pay attention, if you will.
Hayden: I’m Hayden, by the way. Hayden Matthews.
Boy: I’m Seth.
Hayden: Pleasure.
Seth: Nonsense, it’s all mine.
Background music: All your faces kept ajar…
Hayden: (VO) So, that was it. I didn’t go to school that day. I just lay there with this Seth job, and took in the scenery, shot the breeze. It felt great, being able to relax. The consequences didn’t even cross my mind. As I would go on to learn, yesterday’s history, and tomorrow’s a mystery. Living in the moment was all I could seem to care about. I would be doing it more often, too.
(Seth suddenly gets up, starts to walk away.)
Hayden: Hey! Where are you going?
Seth: I don’t know. But I feel like doing something else.
Hayden: What about me?
Seth: What about you? (Stops, turns around) Don’t you have school?
Hayden: Oh, funny. I don’t want to go now.
Seth: Then do what you want to do. Who’s going to stop you?
Hayden: (Ignores the question) Are you going to come back tomorrow?
Seth: Depends.
(Walks slowly up the aisle, then turns at the far aisle, going towards stage right.)
Hayden: (cupping his hands to shout) Wait! What if I get in trouble?
Seth: (Doing the same) What have you got to lose?
(Seth sits down in one of the empty seat left by the two kids. He blends in.)
Hayden: What do I have to lose? (Thinks for a second before scoffing softly.) Depends on what I want to lose, I guess.
(Hayden takes a good look around. Cue VO.)
Hayden: (VO) The rest of the day blended together. It was beautiful out, I remember. Other bits and pieces still remain of what happened that first day, but other than my divine intervention, nothing else significant remained. (Hayden begins to wander among the different open passages, aimless in his manner, finding his way back to his room. Seth gets up again, following Hayden form a distance. Track fades out, lights up onstage.) I found myself back at my house… in my room.
BGM: (The last chorus of the song) They all wish they sang opera, like you do in the shower…
(Hayden collapses on the bed.)
Hayden: (VO cont’d) I couldn’t think, therefore I wasn’t. Existence took the backseat…and I slept.
(Hayden closes his eyes. Seth sits on the steps leading up to the stage from SL. Music down, all lights down. Seth moves to his next spot before the lights come up.)
(Lights up. Hayden awakes once again. It is now early evening. Hayden’s parents have not come home. He slowly gets up, but widens his eyes upon remembering what he’s done that day, and moves faster, pacing.)
Hayden: (VO) I couldn’t believe it. Had what happened today…actually happened? Had I really skipped school? I felt weird for some reason about it. Part of me felt bad, but another, bigger part wanted to do it all over again. And I would get my chance.
(Hayden exits his house, finding Seth sitting against the wall of the stage, facing the audience. He is busying himself with some menial interest.)
Hayden: What are you doing here?
(Seth stops, looking at Hayden before opening the other. He stretches.)
Seth: Waiting for you. God, you sleep like a log.
Hayden: Why’d you follow me?
Seth: Details.
Hayden: What?
Seth: Details. They don’t matter.
Hayden: What are you talking about?
Seth: See, that’s what makes people so upsetting. They want everything down to the T, or else its irrelevant. In reality, the actuality of the event happening is what matters. I mean, who, what, where, when, why, how – that’s just unnecessary stuff that gets people more worked up. (A beat.) But if you must know, I appreciated this morning. You’re the first person in this hellhole of a town to regard me like that.
Hayden: I didn’t exactly have much of a choice.
Seth: Oh, yes you did. You chose to stop. You chose to indulge yourself. Not me.
Hayden: True. (A beat.) Do you want to come in?
Seth: Sure.
(He gets up, follows Hayden onstage, and goes into his room with him.
Seth: Woah. I dig this place already. (Makes a beeline for his CD rack.) What do you have?
Hayden: Well, let’s see…
(Hayden pressed play on his stereo. Cue track 4.)
Seth: Shit! You listen to this? I like you already!
Hayden: Yeah, I love them. I just bought the new shit the other day, and I’ve been listening to it pretty much nonstop. This is off of a mix, though.
Seth: Cool. (Looks through CDs.) Oh, man. I love almost all of these exact bands.
Hayden: We’ll get along just fine then. (VO. The two pantomime.) When it came to music, Seth and I could have ruled the world. Most of our conversation revolved around the bands we loved, hated, wanted to hear – it never got old to us. (Music down.)
Hayden: (cont’d, speaking) So, you don’t go to school? (Seth shakes his head.) Why not?
Seth: I didn’t want to.
Hayden: What about your parents?
Seth: What do they matter?
Hayden: Well, wouldn’t they be mad about you not going to school?
Seth: They don’t care.
Hayden: I see. (A beat.) So what brought about this little revelation?
Seth: Well. (Pause. He speaks slowly) I daydreamed a lot in school. I mean, who didn’t? I was always looking outside whenever I was in school, and I saw the world coexist with the reality I perceived every single day. It was really surreal. And I said to myself, (points up) ‘That’s what I could be doing. That’s what I should be doing.’ You know? So I stopped going to school. Nobody noticed I had gone. I literally blended in with the walls there. I didn’t really know anyone. (Hayden’s VO breaks in: ‘That explains why I didn’t recognize him.’) And I’ve been living like this ever since. How I want to.
Seth: The way I see it, life teaches you everything you need to know. Sure, in school, you can analyze books, write papers, learn mathematical skills – education seems ideal for financial success. But life, true success, fate, emotion, nature - those should be our teachers. Of course, life itself is too subjective to really give a shit about. So everybody makes money, building up this sickening sense of materialism we pass onto each other. That wasn’t me, you know? Societal and educational benefactors are only details in the long run. For achieving the life you want to live – that’s true success to me. (A short beat.)
(Hayden takes this.)
Hayden: (VO) This is how I came to know Seth. Free spirited, unbound from the chains of the world around him…alone.
(Hayden skips to the next track. Cue Track 4. He starts to sing to himself, but stops himself once he realizes Seth is watching him.)
Seth: Why’d you stop?
Hayden: Because…
Seth: Are you scared someone will hear you?
Hayden: (Catches Seth’s drift.) Kind of...
Seth: Start the song over. I want to hear you sing.
Hayden: I’ve never really sung in front of people before.
Seth: Pick another song. Come on.
(Hayden skips the song. Cue track 5. He’s nervous, but sings the part anyway.)
Lyrics: Had a girl, who I treated like the wind…
(He continues with the song, going up until, “before we began.” before Seth pauses the music. Hayden does not notice.)
Hayden: (notices he’s by himself, and stops singing. He is upset.) The hell you do that for!
Seth: (ignoring Hayden’s distress) You’re really good.
Hayden: What was that for! It’s not funny!
Seth: Nor was I intending to be funny. You did something that scared you. And a good outcome was the result.
Hayden: No way, I suck.
Seth: No you don’t. If you can’t respect your own opinion, then respect someone else’s.
Hayden: How do you know so much?
Seth: I don’t. (Starts to exit offstage.) Life does. I’m just its relay.
(He walks offstage, the same way he came, to the very back of the audience. Hayden starts to stop him, but decides to let him go.)
Hayden: (VO) A little pompous, sure. OK, really, wicked pompous. But he was right in his own way, and it really caught on with me like a cold. (Lights down. End scene.) Seth was someone I could listen to forever. (Every chance I got, I would be hanging out with Seth.
(Hayden changes outfits to dimmed lights. The two kids from the first scene get up, and start to make their way to Hayden’s house by taking the back root of the auditorium. Once they arrive, Hayden more quickly throws on his shirt, and heads out with them. While this is happening, Hayden’s VO is heard.)
Hayden: (VO) I began to get caught up in the grandeur lifestyle. Too materialistic to be bohemian, but too free-willed to be anything at the same time – this was it for me. This was Cloud Nine. Everything was smooth sailing for me for a few weeks. And that is where things got horribly real.
(Lights up. Hayden is changing as Seth waits below the stage.)
Seth: C’mon! Let’s go!
Hayden: (pulling on a shirt) Yeah, yeah, I’m coming!
Seth: Don’t forget that iPod of yours.
Hayden: (grabbing a device off of his desk) Yup!
(Hayden bolts down the steps, meeting Seth in the audience.)
Seth: So, what’s this band you want me to listen to?
Hayden: You’re going to love this. Check this out.
(Seth takes the earphones to Hayden’s iPod. Cue track 6.)
Seth: Wow, this is really good. (He takes out the earphones. The music is suddenly cut off, as if it were paused.)
Hayden: I saw them a few months ago before they broke up, and they played that song. Really cool stuff. So, what do you want to do today?
Seth: I dunno.
Hayden: Let’s go look at the clouds.
Seth: Eh, I’ll pass.
Hayden: Why not? It was so cool the first time!
Seth: (getting uncomfortable) Maybe later.
(A beat.)
Hayden: What’s wrong?
Seth: Nothing.
Hayden: Are you sure?
Seth: Yes…
Hayden: All right then.
(A beat. The two start walking again, but Seth starts to tail behind.)
Hayden: (VO) Now I’m there, looking behind me thinking, “What could be wrong with him? Everything’s been fine up till now, hasn’t it?” (speaks) Is something bothering you?
Seth: Listen, I – I gotta go.
Hayden: Wait! Where are you going?
Seth: I don’t know. Look, I’ll see you around, all right?
Hayden: But what about –
Seth: Don’t. Follow me.
(Seth walks back to the empty seat from the first scene, obviously upset. Hayden, confused, walks back to the house.)
Hayden (VO): I didn’t see him for a while after that. But I began to change. For better or worse, I couldn’t decide.
(Lights down.)
Hayden: (VO) Now, when I say I changed, I meant it. I started skipping school prominently. Nothing like that mattered to me anymore. It was as if…the Hayden I used to know was fighting for contention with this new Hayden…and I didn’t care which side won. I was too busy having fun.
(Lights up. The room is messier. It hasn’t been cleaned in a while. Hayden looks through a pile of clothes, pulling out a shirt and putting it on. The two kids from before get up from where they were seated in the first scene, messing around.)
Kid 1: God, Hayden’s always following that Seth guy around.
Kid 2: What a fuckin’ loser.
Kid 1: I kind of miss him.
Kid 2: Hayden?
Kid 1: Yeah.
Kid 2: Me too.
Kid 1: I haven’t seen him for a few days though.
Kid 2: At all?
Kid 1: Not with Hayden, anyway. He’s back by himself.
Kid 2: Maybe this whole phase thing is over.
Kid 1: We can only hope.
(They show up at Hayden’s house, entering his room and walking up on the stage.)
Hayden: Hey, guys! Come on in! (pulls on a shirt, talking as he goes.) So, my mom started yelling at me today about my GPA. It’s a 3.2 now, and she flips a shit! I slip in the slightest, and she reads me the fuckin’ riot act!
Kid 1: You also haven’t been to school in two weeks.
Kid 2: Yeah, dude. What the hell happened?
Hayden: Seth happened, man. He’s shown me the light.
Kid 1: More like fucked you over.
Hayden: Societal standards are bullshit, and you know it.
Kid 2: Hey, no need to get defensive.
Kid 1: We’re just worried is all.
Hayden: What are you so worried about?!
Kid 2: You’re burning one of the only bridges you have!
Kid 1: And for what!
Hayden: So I can LIVE.
Kid 1: It’s not worth it. Please, just trust us.
Kid 2: We’re your friends, we care about you.
(A beat.)
Hayden: If you really want me to, I’ll show up tomorrow.
Kid 2: Show up, he says.
Kid 1: It’s a start, anyway.
Kid 2: We’ve got a test you know.
Hayden: For what!
Kid 2: Some test, I don’t remember.
Kid 1: Didn’t it count for, like…a really large percent of our grade?
Hayden: Well, it can wait, can’t it!
(Seth gets up from a seat, walks into Hayden’s room, and looks through his music.)
Seth: I never expected someone like Hayden. I didn’t expect him to sit down. I never expected him to agree. I never expected anything. I didn’t make anything up of what I told him. I could relate to him – but I couldn’t at the same time. He was just so caught up in the shit that I couldn’t stand. He was a great kid, I just couldn’t see past that little illusion he had set up for himself. And that’s why I left. Plain and simple.
(Seth puts a CD into his stereo, pressing play. Cue track 1, from where we left off in the beginning. “As the red sun sets!” Seth starts mouthing the words as Hayden and his two friends starts messing around in the aisles.)
Seth: (VO) Well, here I was, back in Hayden’s bedroom, cranking his music. That was our only true connection so far, other than the lifestyle. It’s a shame he had to piggyback and just f**k**g copy and paste what I had to say into his mind, such a shame. Oh well, at least his music taste is good.
(Hayden and his two acquaintances go to a party, taking place near the back of the auditorium. There, a group of kids sitting dear there gather, gripping plastic cups. Everyone is obviously quite drunk, and when thing one and two proceed to as well, Hayden passes on the chance. Eventually, police sirens are heard, and the group scatters in a panic. Hayden makes his way back to his room, seeing Seth sitting there.)
Hayden: (slightly alarmed tone) What brings you here?
(A beat.)
Hayden: Oh, right. I forgot -
Seth: I wanted to see you.
(A beat. Hayden isn’t expecting that response.)
Hayden: Didn't mean you had to break in.
Seth: I'm sorry.
Hayden: It's fine. Where have you been?
Seth: I got bored.
Hayden: Bored?
Seth: Well, disgusted. Pitiful.
Hayden: Of what?
Seth: Of you, Hayden! I got sick of your little persistence to follow in my footsteps. It made me sick, how you took everything in like a little f**k**g sponge. You can’t even apply what I say properly. You either go all the way or don’t go at all.
(Hayden’s face changes from hurt to anger.)
Hayden: (VO) Oh, no he didn’t.
Hayden: OK, you know what? I'm sorry I'm not the great person like you pass yourself off to be, but like it or not, this is who I am! Sure, things look great from your point of view, but that doesn't mean you can just go around, looking down on people like me. Have you ANY sense of decency, or did it die with your logic?!
(Seth is silent, stunned)
Hayden: (cont’d) I mean, I don’t get it, man! Why are you so d**ned resentful? What the hell have I done to you? Huh? Why do you resent the actuality of this life so much that you go messing with my head and thinking its wrong? How am I supposed to feel? I mean I’ve been skipping SCHOOL in case you haven’t noticed! I’ve been failing tests that shift my stance in my high school career, because of YOUR notions! Maybe I was happy with where I was at in life. Maybe your idea is so great, but you know what? It isn’t the only way! Everyone has their own view of life, and it’s our DUTY as people to accept each other’s views and learn to understand it. And now I don’t think what you call life is such a good idea, but you know, I respect it, at least…a-and, you know, I'm sick of your preachy shit, so don’t look down on me when you have no one to blame but yourself!
(Silence. A beat. Hayden sighs, a guilty look on his face.)
Hayden: (cont'd) I'm sorry, you didn't need that.
(Freeze. Lights dim. Spotlight on Seth.)
Seth: The day finally came. Someone called me out on my judgment. Normally I wouldn't care, but this - this was a convincing argument on his part. And then I felt sorry...and then it hit me - I influenced him. I fucked him up. It made me realize, that every day, people influence each other, spread their personal truths. That's why there's so much conflict in this world. The ideals of a man, the mere power of thought itself - is both a gift and a curse. I decided that I would be different - he didn't need my ideas. He had his own. I had influenced him, and then I took them back. But, I truly believe, that from the ashes of anger...compassion will arise. (We unpause. Lights back up. To Hayden) it's fine. You're right. I'm sorry. And I'll make it up to you, one way or another. Truce?
(A beat.)
Hayden: Yeah. OK
(More silence.)
Hayden: What were you listening to?
Seth: Another one of your mixes. Do you make these? (Hayden nods) Well, you have to let me borrow it. I really like this.
Hayden: Yeah, sure.
Seth: Go to the next track, would you? I’ve had that song on repeat for an hour now.
(Hayden skips ahead to the next song before lying on his bed. Cue track 7. The two are silent for a long moment, just listening to the song.)
Seth: Hayden?
Hayden: Hmm?
Seth: Where’d you learn to sing?
Hayden: I didn’t. No one taught me. I just kind of sing, you know? But there’ll always be one memory of why I sing. When I was born…like, the first memory I remember…the earliest…is when I was a baby. It was night, and I couldn’t sleep. And I start crying, because all babies do that. My parents were still sleeping, so no one heard me. But then, my head started ringing. It was this song. I’ll always remember that song, because it was just so soothing, and it put me to sleep. I remember seeing my parents coming in to find me quiet, eyes heavy.
Seth: Do you know which song it was?
Hayden: No. But, through my music, I’ve always been searching.
Seth: That’s cool. It’s like a personal quest.
Hayden: You could say that. (A pause.) Hey, I thought you didn’t want the details.
Seth: But those details were important to you. You can’t let go of them, they’re a part of who you are. I make an exception for such a case.
Hayden: (relief) That’s good.
(Another pause. Hayden looks at Seth, walking slowly, but hesitating.)
Hayden: Do you mind if I ask you a question?
Seth: Of course, go ahead.
Hayden: If you were so against the mindset I was in when you left, then why did you come back?
Seth: That’s a good question. But if I had to answer, I would say that it was because you listened to me that day. You…considered what I had to say, and you seemed to have applied it to your own life. That’s why I came back. I mean, obviously, you’re having some conflict over this. And I want to help you now, however I can.
Hayden: You’re not going to leave again?
Seth: Nope.
Hayden: I see. (A beat.) Did it ever get lonely, just floating through life without making any personal connections?
Seth: Why does that matter to you?
(Hayden gets up to sit next to Seth, making the conversation more intimate.)
Hayden: Come on. You’ve had to have at least one girlfriend at some point.
Seth: Surprise, surprise.
Hayden: Are you kidding me?
Seth: I said I wasn’t popular in school.
Hayden: Well, you should’ve been! I mean, you’re like, the coolest person ever! You have this mind for intellectualism that is just unbelievable, and you… (A pause. Hayden looks over to see Seth looking over at him.)
Seth: You really think so?
Hayden: Yeah!
Seth: God, that’s…that’s really nice.
Hayden: Well…it’s true.
Seth: (Genuinely flattered.) Thank you.
Hayden: (VO) What happens next, I have no idea why I did. But, I can guarantee you. It wasn’t an accident, and it certainly wasn’t an impulse.
Hayden: You’re welcome…
(Hayden leans in, kissing Seth quickly on the mouth before drawing back, fully comprehending what he did. Music down.)
Hayden: Oh, shit.
Seth: What did you do that for?
Hayden: I don’t know…
(Hayden slowly paces across the room, thinking.)
Seth: Did you like it?
(A beat. Hayden grips his head.)
Seth: (Firmly) Hayden.
Hayden: (Hesitating) Y-yes. I mean, I don’t know, I -
Seth: Well, that explains it.
Hayden: But I’m not gay!
Seth: You don’t have to be.
Hayden: Seth, this isn’t something that just happens!
Seth: What, just because someone told you you’re gay if a man kisses you? I call bullshit.
Hayden: What do you mean?! Are you listening to yourself?
Seth: Details, Hayden…. details. Just go with it. See what happens. I promise, if it doesn’t work out, we can still be friends.
Hayden: Promise?
Seth: (Softly) Mmhmm.
(A pause. Hayden brushes Seth off. He sighs, before slowly speaking.)
Hayden: Look. I’ve…I’ve never done this before, obviously…but I’m willing to try. Just…promise me we’ll go slowly, all right?
Seth: Of course.
(Seth reaches out to touch Hayden, but he slinks away. He persists still, but Hayden retreats to his bed.)
Hayden: Don’t. (Seth sighs. Point taken.)
Hayden: I’m sorry. It’s just… It makes me uncomfortable, being touched like that. I really don’t understand what’s going on.
Seth: Well, that makes two of us. Want to talk about it?
(Hayden nods. The two sit on the foot Hayden’s bed, and begin to pantomime talking. Cue VO, Cue track 8.)
Seth: (To the audience) I was never one to think too hard. But this whole with Hayden – I’d never been so scared before. What did we have? What was it? I was peeling back the layers – relationship, friendship, companionship – down to the primitive natural feeling of being wanted by someone. And….it was scary. This wasn’t normal to them. But then it hit me….details. How irrelevant they were.
Hayden: (VO) Nothing had ever made me feel so vulnerable, so insecure. And yet, the stranger sitting next to me was feeling the exact same thing. We talked into the night, growing comfortable with each other. We learned about each other, in order to understand ourselves not just as so-called lovers, but as two people coexisting with each other in such an unusual fashion. (Lights dim slowly to show the pass of time.) And then…. and then...
(The two lean in, reluctant.)
Hayden: So…what do we do now?
Seth: You lean in, silly.
(The two kiss, now a little more comfortable with the situation. They pull away after a considerable amount of time, and lay together on Hayden’s bed, cuddling/sthingying as they fall asleep. Take your pick. Lights down.)
Hayden: (VO) Seth and I started to get closer and closer, hanging out like old times. We mostly just sat around and listened to music…
(Lights up to Hayden and Seth.)
Hayden: (VO)…eventually, we’d talk about whatever came to mind….
Hayden: Do you have that mix for me?
Seth: Yeah, I’ll leave it here.
(Hayden and Seth sit on the bed, talking happily in pantomime.)
Hayden: (VO) …but of course, that would get old after a while…
(Hayden and Seth start kissing, Seth straddling Hayden and pushing him back to the wall. Hayden bumps his head with a loud thud.)
Hayden: OW!
(Seth rolls off, laughing and gripping his stomach, trying to get out some kind of apology.)
Hayden: (VO) …and then we’d go out.
(Cue track 10. Hayden and Seth begin to change and get ready to go out.)
Hayden: So, you ready?
Seth: Absolutely.
Hayden: Let’s get lost.
(Hayden and Seth exit into the audience, walking up the immediate aisle, hand in hand. All of a sudden, a man stands up, preferably behind them, mouthing along with the song. “THATTA GIRL! Out past curfew tonight!”, and staring at the two, pointing, and sitting back down. Another stands up; “She had leather hands that any man would crawl to…” Music slightly down.)
Hayden: God, what a beautiful night.
Seth: So, tell me more about this song.
Hayden: Which one?
Seth: Your song.
Hayden: I couldn’t really. There’s not much else I remember of it. Just this…one line. Over and over.
Seth: You know it?
(Push all the livid out...push all the livid out…)
Hayden: No. I can’t remember anything about it.
Seth: Don’t worry, it’ll come to you.
(A beat. The two continue walking.)
Hayden: Do you think they notice?
Seth: what do you mean?
Hayden: Well. There are just some people…
Seth: Who don’t matter.
Hayden: I’m not as strong as you, Seth. You know that.
Seth: I know…I’m sorry. It’s really easy to get carried away. I mean, we live in a world where absolutely no one is wrong. But is anyone right to compensate?
(A beat.)
Hayden: No. Not unless proven. But I’m in no mood to think about that. (A beat.) You know I love you, right?
(Seth, nervous, tries to keep his composition.)
Seth: There’s a thought.
Hayden: I mean…it never occurred to me until now. But, I already respect you, your opinion, and I sure as hell respect your music taste. But respect turned into caring, caring to compassion, and compassion to true, developing feelings. I don’t know how love works, but those are my thoughts concerning us.
(A beat.)
Seth: Damn, kid. That was deep. And, you know… if that’s how love works, then I guess I love you too. Now, listen…
(They stop, looking at each other. Seth smiles and leans and kisses Hayden, parting just as quickly and pulling him into a close hug, Seth facing the camera angle on him.)
Seth: I don’t deserve you. Nobody does.
(Seth looks up, pausing and seeing a couple of guys get up, walking by and eyeing the two before walking by them, leaning against the lower wall of the stage. These two could be Hayden’s friends from earlier.)
Seth: But I’ll be damned if I lose you.
(He pulls away, a lingering look between the two, and they continue walking. The guys starts walking once again, lingering behind the two. Music up.)
Lyrics: It dries…
Hayden: But it makes me scared.
Seth: What for?
Hayden: Sometimes I think this is just some cruel joke. Like, it’s just a really, really good dream and I could wake up any second.
(Seth stops, staring at Hayden. Music down.)
Seth: I want to tell you something, and I want you to remember it, OK?
(A pause.)
Seth: Just -
(The same figure walks up quickly.)
Thug 1: OI!
(Startled, they look behind to find the guy standing there. He walks hurriedly to catch up to them.)
Thug 1: Either of you got a light?
Seth: No, sor-
(Cue song back up at 4:10. Thug 2 sitting immediately next to him in the crowd grabs Seth, standing up. Thug deals a blow to Seth’s gut, and the other thug lets go, letting Seth double over in pain.)
Hayden: Seth!
(Thug 2 intercepts Hayden’s path, and he cowers back.)
Thug 2: Don’t even think about it kid.
Seth: What do you want?
Thug 1: Oh, you’ll find out. But first, we’re playing a little game. I’ll give you two ten seconds to run before we hunt you down have a little fun with you, starting now.
(He counts boisterously as the next bit happens.)
Seth: (Heavy breathing) Hayden, run.
Hayden: I’m not leaving you-
Seth: Hayden. I’ll catch up with you later. Just GO!
(Hayden lingers, “3, 2, 1…” but runs anyway.)
Thug: TIME’S UP!
Lyrics: You’re the same! No we’re the same!
(The two thugs proceed to beat Seth down, before ‘helping’ Seth out of his clothes, stripping him to his boxers and ‘helping’ him out the back auditorium. Hayden, still shaken from the incident, curls up on his bed, defeated. Lights dimmed.)
Hayden: (VO) That would be the last time I saw him as he was…as I knew him.
(Lights up as Hayden peeks from his viewpoint. The coast is clear, so he sits up. He paces for a few seconds before exiting his room, walking to the front of the stage. He picks up a remote control from a lounge chair, and points the remote towards the audience. Cue newsroom theme music. An anchorman stands up.)
Anchorman: Good evening, and welcome to the eleven o’ clock news. Our top story this evening: An alleged hate crime was reported no more than two hours ago, against eighteen-year-old Seth Jameson. Police reports indicate that the boy was raped before being beaten – almost to death. We go now to the scene, where more information on the attack resides.
(A newswoman stands up with a microphone. Hayden is shocked.)
Newswoman: Thanks, Tom. At about 9 PM, sixteen-year-old Seth Jameson was found mortally wounded, his clothes strewn about the scene. Officials say the attack was a hate crime, the boy being an open homosexual.
(An older man, who had claimed the body, stands up, next to her. Hayden watches in disbelief.)
Newswoman: (cont’d) This man, George Rooney, came outside of his home just shortly after the assault occurred, having heard the commotion, and found the boy. Sir, tell us what you saw.
George: Well, I – I found him lying on the ground, and I had recognized him, 'cause –um – he was always with this other kid I had seen one time, a boy, an-and they were holding hands and all that stuff. They seemed like a nice couple’ a kids. And there was blood all around him, so I called 911.
(He sits back down in his seat.)
Newswoman: What’s baffled police is that there haven’t been any cases of prolific homophobia in the town’s history. So, the question is, why now? We asked the townspeople what they thought of this situation.
(A few people, asked for their opinion on the murder, stand.)
Bystander 1: I don’t exactly understand the whole ‘gay’ thing, but I don’t mind it either. It, I mean, uh – it hasn’t been really the subject of conversation, I personally don’t really want anything…(continues to speak)
Bystander 2: I can’t believe this happened! Homosexuals have a right to live! They’re human, just like the rest of us…! (They continue to speak.)
Bystander 3: It’s just strange, really. I have a few gay friends, and we’re all shocked to find this happen. I mean, you think it wouldn’t happen in a place like this… (Continues to speak.)
(The newswoman gives a few more unnecessary details towards Seth’s killing. The words jumble together, along with a distorted audio track of the perpetrator’s words. Hayden cannot take it. He is disgusted with the misconstruing of the event. He cannot think, his immediate desire to end this now far from being achieved in this state of mind. The climax of the moment reaches as Hayden reaches his limit.)
Hayden: (suddenly) NO!
(The sudden outburst hushes the people standing, and causes them to slowly sit back down. Hayden’s fists clench as storms back to his room, collapsing against his dresser, choking on sobs as the recoil of the events have caught up to him. He curls up in a ball, sitting on the floor and continues to cry. The lights flicker as Hayden’s sobs fade out.)
Hayden: (VO) This wasn’t happening. This couldn’t be happening. It was. I didn’t know what to do with myself. I couldn’t go visit the hospital. I couldn’t go out at all, not with all this on the front page.
(House lights are brought up to a dim. It’s another day. Cue track 12. A journalist stands up, walking towards the front of the stage. Hayden unknowingly goes downstairs.)
Journalist: Excuse me.
(Hayden shoots his head up. He is a mess, but he goes to see whom it is.)
Hayden: Who are you?
Journalist: Mike Farpis, local paper. I wanted to ask a few questions regarding the incident last night.
Hayden: (retorting quickly) No comment.
Journalist: Please, just five minutes!
Hayden: (more firmly) No comment. I refuse to have my words twisted.
Journalist: I’m not a tabloid journalist! It’s my job not to screw anything up!
Hayden: Oh, that’s right! You don’t twist words, you cut them out put in your own! I see how this is!
Journalist: Don’t you want your voice heard against all this speculation? Do you know what people are saying about -?
Hayden: (interrupting, annoyed) Fine, then. Fine. What do you want?
Journalist: Um, well – (flips a few pages in his notepad) could you please explain to me your recollection of last night?
(A pause.)
Hayden: Well…. Seth and I were walking down the sidewalk, it was about…. 9 PM. He was going to tell me something. That’s when this guy showed up. Says he wants a light.
Journalist: Was that when the confrontation started?
Hayden: Yeah, him and another guy. He asked us for a light, and when we said no, that’s when it happened.
Journalist: Nothing about homosexuality? No…slurs?
Hayden: No. Why?
Journalist: Well, the police are calling it a hate crime.
Hayden: Hate crime, yeah. I heard about that. I think its bullshit. It’s not true.
Journalist: How do you mean?
Hayden: Because Seth wasn’t gay. And neither am I.
Journalist: Then why are there eyewitness accounts of people seeing you with another boy, holding hands and acting really, REALLY-
Hayden: (interrupting) Because I found solace in him! We needed each other; it was temporary, nothing more! You know, that’s the thing that pisses me off the most. People associate any acts of homosexuality as the person being gay. I don’t know what I am, and until I come out and say, “You know, I know a little bit more abut myself than I did before, and I’m FAIRLY CERTAIN that I’m gay,” I’m not gay! Curious by your standards, maybe, but I’m not gay. I don’t know anything yet!
Journalist: (writes something.) Uh huh. And what about Seth?
Hayden: Funny you should ask that. Seth…god, Seth…Seth wasn’t a victim. He was a martyr. He didn’t want to get caught up in the financial success that this town prides itself upon. He didn’t want to do anything except what he wanted to. And that wouldn’t cut it, it seemed. So he was killed because he lived the life he wanted to.
(Haydn proceeds to pace, pantomiming his explanation as the journalist just listens. He gets himself worked up.)
Hayden: (VO) I spent the next five minutes spewing up everything Seth had taught me up to this point; America’s sickening sense of materialism, the basic philosophies of life – everything. I didn’t think of anything else to say. I couldn’t, you know? Of all the things I could’ve said to make this a little better…I was desperate for an answer myself. So I made one up.
(A beat.)
Journalist: You know no one is going to accept that, right? No one’s going to believe -
Hayden: (VO) That’s when I lost it.
Hayden: Well, what the fuck do you want from me! Huh! What the FUCK can I say! I don’t know what he felt for me! I don’t know shit anymore! All this is f**k**g me over, and I don’t know what to do! All I know is that I’m a desperate poor fuck and I don’t what to do! Write THAT down, why don’t you! Write THAT down!
(He storms back to his room, leaving the journalist to retreat back to his seat, startled. However, he is stopped as Hayden begins singing. No music. Just his voice. This would track 9 in the compilation. “In this room, the hours of love…” The journalist proceeds to write in his notepad. When Hayden finishes, he turns on his stereo. Cut track 11 again. It plays softly right now. Hayden begins to cry again. Music up.)
Hayden: (VO, Distressed) And now look. All this stuff I had pushed to the side to live out this façade with Seth had to be answered now. Maybe if I had gone to see him at the hospital – no. He was the cause. If I had not sat down to look at the f**k**g clouds with him, none of this shit would have happened. NONE of it! Wait…whom the fuck was I kidding? What the fuck was I trying to prove?
(Hayden lies on his bed. Lights dim. Bring track 11 up again. The journalist stands up to read the now-finished follow up article.)
Journalist: Hayden Matthews, the confused, insecure, unstable young man who got caught up in the life of notorious burnout Seth Jameson, was in hysterics when I met him today. His disheveled, awkward figure met me outside his house, where he proceeded to ask for no comment. After some convincing, he proceeded to give his side of the argument. After a short cooperation, he began to blame the attack on Seth’s societal stance; vomiting the essence of every single thing Seth had let him in on, down to the T. However, one thing he was right about was the so-called ‘love’ between the two. Their friendship, courtship, relationship, whatever it was – it was no secret to the people of the town. However, Hayden denounces being a homosexual, despite his advances on the boy. He explained to me that love goes beyond what they had. For, you see, no one is gay or straight or bisexual. They are only bound to whom they choose to care for, for gender is only a minor detail in the long run. They had no one except each other in the end. They cherished each other, and someone sought to end something so sacred as true love – and that, my friends, is the true agony of the situation. Mike Farpis, local journalist.
Hayden: (VO) I wanted to see him after all. No matter what had happened, I just felt like I wouldn’t be able to deal with this unless I went to him.
(Cue spotlight on Seth in Hayden’s bed, a nurse at his side. Lights down on Hayden’s side. He’s sleeping, but is awakened. His voice is weak from all the outside elements inside him. Bring down track.)
Seth: Leave us…
(He is ignored.)
Nurse: Mr. Matthews, we’ve been expecting you. As you can see, Seth’s in critical condition, so please make this visit brief. I’d also like to speak with you quickly when you’re finished.
Hayden: O-of course.
Nurse: I’ll be right outside. (She stands on the stairs nearest to the bed.)
Seth: Jesus, Hayden, you really have lost it. I must have fucked you over big time.
Hayden: (pathetic) Understatement of the year.
Seth: Now, don’t be brash…
Hayden: I don’t know what to think anymore. You didn’t see the article did you?
Seth: …I did.
Hayden: What did it say?!
Seth: I’d rather you read it for yourself.
Hayden: Seth, don’t do this…
Seth: But where would the fun be in telling you?
Hayden: Seth, just stop it! (Seth remains quiet.) You owe me! Remember? So knock it off.
(A beat.)
Hayden: Fine, be that way. (A beat.) How you holding up?
Seth: I’m comfortable.
Hayden: Shit, Seth…!
Seth: The matter is not if. It’s when.
Hayden: Don’t DO this to me… (He tears up.)
Lyrics: (second bridge) What if the soil caught flame…
Seth: Don’t you dare cry in front of me…I couldn’t take it. Be brave for me. You’ll be OK.
(Long beat. The nurse reenters.)
Seth: Hayden…
Nurse: Mr. Matthews? Your time is up.
(A pause. Hayden and Seth stare at each other for a long second before he picks his head up)
Hayden: Yeah.
Nurse: Now, before you go…(the nurse provides an envelope) This letter was composed by word by Seth, word for word. He said to read it when you get home.
Hayden: OK.
(He takes the letter reluctantly, then heads down the stairs, walking back to his house as he opens the letter, unable to wait. Seth reads the letter in a VO.)
Seth (VO): All right…Hayden. Just read the article about you. God, what happened to you? You used to be so sure of yourself…I mean, you must have been before you met me. I don’t know if what you used to believe and what I believe is right, but listen carefully. I’m only going to say this once. I never told you to believe everything I said, but if that’s the case, then you didn’t learn a thing. Whatever the cause brought upon me – a hate crime, a mugging, whatever – they’re just details. Details in the long run don’t matter. What matters right now is I’m in the hospital. And as for us…I don’t know if we were supposed to happen. But what I said to you, last night – I meant that. You can take that however you wish, but do not dwell. You will find someone, boy or girl.
(Lights back up on Hayden. He works himself up once again, pacing as the VO happens. Just then, the planted members – all of them – stand up and begin to recite the last section of the song. “Push all the livid out.” They start to move into the aisles file over onto the stage, and begin to circle around him, still saying “Push all the livid out.” Hayden reads the end of the letter, dropping the parcel. Lights up as the extras place themselves onstage. Music down to a low hum, as Hayden begins to act as he does in the beginning. After this, Hayden falls to his knees, and sees an envelope on the ground. He picks it up, getting up himself, leaning against the wall to read the letter. This is where the retrospect ends.)
Hayden: I…I can’t wake up! (His voice rises) I CAN’T WAKE UP! I CAN’T WAKE UUUUUUP!
(In a rage, Hayden begins to destroy his room. Posters, papers are ripped to shreds, CDs strewn across the room, Clothes destroyed, glass shattered – the downfall of everything he once stood for, in a vain attempt to burn the last bridge he has left – his music. His stereo remains untouched, which continues to play. It’s at this point the planted members start to wander backstage.
(The planted members that surrounded Hayden now exit offstage slowly, except Seth, who whispers the lyrics into his ear. Music down to hearable. Cue audio track of a patient, coding. Doctors are heard rushing in, speaking hurriedly as they attempt to save the patient. This becomes louder than the song. As the intensity courses through the song and fades out, Hayden falls to his knees, drained of all the insecurities and confusion that has plagued him for too long. Track down. Seth recoils slowly. Spotlights on Hayden and Seth.)
Seth: I never thought I’d get a chance to say this, but… the other night, what I was going to say was…I love you. And…
(Silence for Hayden’s final line.)
Hayden: Thank you.
(Flatline. Seth’s spotlight disappears. The final seconds of the song are played on repeat, brought up as the flat line comes down.)
Lyrics: Push all the livid out…
(He smiles. End song. Cue VO.)
Seth: (VO): Never wake up. Ever.
(Spotlight down.)
Seth: (VO) Seth.
END
