4WILL, I
WILL is standing on stage by himself. Physically, it is obvious he is young. 13 years old. He is fit.
Both characters are defined, age-wise, by their physicality. They change a bit each scene. It is not dramatic. They are kids.
WILL: You know what I like? I like jumping off of stuff! Yea! You know, just finding obscurely high objects, climbing to the top and flinging yourself into the air, something grabs a fistful of your stomach and yanks you toward the ground; it's that SIC kinda tug that pulls you harder than one of Robbie Carwell's wedgies. And for a split second you aren't and can't be touched by anything…anyone. Weightless…calm. (beat) But that moment disappears and is replaced with the ground, ha that cold, hard smack in the face telling you that those moments when you are totally alone are rare-r than you think.
(Shakes off this "deep" moment.)
It's like this one time when I found this boulder in the woods. Me and Jake and Robbie and Mitt were running from some of the older guys. You know the ones, the ones that no one wants and they have to wait till they're 18. Those bitter bitches. Ha, see Mitt had this colony of spiders that he had been collecting since three Families ago. And he took this one particularly feisty batch of little black ones and put them in the older guys' pillow cases. HA…oh god…ha classic…anyways. We had finally ditched them. And ran right into this boulder. And like literally, Robbie hit that rock face first, blind mother-fucker! Ha, well the second I saw this rock…I was in love! At least 35 if not 40 feet high. It took like an hour and a half just to climb the bitch! But I got to the top…slipped around a little, but totally conquerin' the terrain… Jake yelled at me to get down, Robbie was yellin' about his nose and Mitt just kinda stared at me. I ignored it all…I was above it all. I was king of it all. All of 'em. Right down to the dinky black spiders layin' eggs in the older guys' ears. King… (beat) and like every awesomely nasty king, I took my fall. I didn't even jump that time, just let the ground kinda hug me…yea… (beat) I broke my leg that day.
Ha…Good day!
HOPE: Willie?!
WILL: Oh, God.
HOPE: Willie?!
WILL: It's Will!
HOPE: What are you doin' out here?
WILL: Nothin'
HOPE: Who you are talking to?
WILL: No one…
HOPE: Right…Well, dinner is ready. They told me to come get you…
WILL: No, they didn't.
HOPE: What?
WILL: They didn't do anything. You volunteered.
HOPE: I did not!
WILL: Did too!
HOPE: No, I didn't! Shut up!
WILL: Yes, you did, you were just tryin to get near me.
HOPE: No, I'm not!
WILL: OH Jesus! Yes, huh! You do it all the time…
HOPE: ...So? Look, what are you doing out here by yourself anyways?
WILL: I like being by myself. It's…peaceful!
HOPE: I hate being by myself…it's terribly boring. (she sits)
WILL: You can't take a hint can you?
HOPE: What do you mean?
WILL: Exactly. (stands)
HOPE: Oh, good, are we going to dinner now?
WILL: We are not goin anywhere! Will you get your own life, please!
HOPE: But dinn…
WILL: JUST GO! (beat) Look, you go without me, I'm not hungry…(beat) I'll see you later.
HOPE: I'll save you a roll.
WILL: …Thanks. (exits)
HOPE: (Sighs. Shakes her head) I do NOT follow him…No! I just worry about him… He's actually a really nice boy. All the other girls think he's mean and stupid – 'cause he gets hurt all the time. If he was smart he wouldn't always be jumping off of stuff…at least, that's what the other girls say. I think that he's a free spirit! And he's troubled too! He's been here longer than I have. I've only been here for 10 years, on and off, some of the other three with families…but he - he's been here all 13 years of his life. And now nobody will take him home. They don't want teenage orphans, especially boy teenage orphans! They all want cute baby girls. I've come to accept that. I-I'll just leave when I'm legal. Survive on my own, I'm smart enough. I know he is too…
BLACKOUT
This play will be completed in three scenes, in three installments