5
RUTH ( shakes head ): nothing . MIA ( looks into Ruth ’ s eyes ): Don ’ t shut me out , please Ruth .
RUTH ( sighs ): My mom , the school … they ’ re all right — that no one will ever love me . ( Looks away )
MIA : That ’ s not true — RUTH : But it is ! I should of realized the moment it happened ! MIA : When what happened ? RUTH : The kiss . MIA : What do you mean ? ( Sad tone ) I … thought you didn ’ t like anyone … RUTH : It was Eighth grade … before you transferred here for high school . I liked Jenny . MIA ( turns back to Ruth , surprised ): You mean …
RUTH : Yes — Jake ’ s girlfriend , cheerleader , thousands of followers on social media , most popular girl in the school — I liked her before she turned into all that . We walked home from school together , always alone . We had been secretly dating for a while — no one would have ever guessed . Until one day when we kissed , as usual , only this time we weren ’ t alone . Jake saw . I was ready to pull back and explain , but instead I found myself shoved to the ground by Jenny . She was yelling something about how I had assaulted her . She threw herself into Jake ’ s huge arms — being as he is the star football player — and began crying . It wasn ' t long before the two were dating . I couldn ’ t believe what a good actor she was ! ( sighs , shakes head )… Soon the entire school found out — that ’ s when the name calling , the locker messages , and lack of friends , kicked in . That ’ s when I stopped trying to hide . I figured it was pointless now that everyone knew . Even when new kids came to the school , they found out on their first day and began to avoid me like everyone else . You were the first one who didn ’ t care about what they said . ( Pauses ) But Mia , is it because you didn ’ t believe them , or didn ’ t care that I was … what I am ?
MIA : I didn ’ t care about any of it . I didn ’ t believe them or not believe them — but I knew they were jerks for using gay as a bad word . And jerks are always the ones who hate the cool people . That ’ s why you were the only one I wanted to eat lunch with my first day .
( Pause , both looking at each other )
RUTH : Mia , I ’ m gonna lose you someday — high school wont last forever . I ’ m afraid that suddenly , I ’ m gonna wake up … realize you ’ re gone … and be lost in the dark .