BULLY Amina Henry
BULLY Amina Henry
1309 Lincoln Place #1L Brooklyn, NY 11213 (646) 643-4295
[email protected]
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BULLY Amina Henry
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Cast of Characters
Wren: mid 30s. Any ethnicity. An aerobics instructor. Simone: mid 30s. Any ethnicity. A shoe store clerk. Tanisha: mid 30s. Any ethnicity. A factory worker. Bree: mid 30s. Any ethnicity. A supermarket supe rmarket manager. Candace: mid 30s. Any ethnicity. An office administrator. Delilah: mid 30s. Any ethnicity. A lawyer.
Note about characters: Although ethnicity is not specified, it would be preferable if the cast were racially mixed. If the cast cannot be be mixed, I would prefer the roles to be cast with all women of color for personal and political reasons. That said, I think it’s quite possible – and desirable – to have a mixed cast that reflects the wonderful racial and ethnic diversity that characterizes the United States. Casting, in general, will have to be mindful as the actions in this play should not be construed as racially motivated.
Note about music: Although songs are suggested, directors and sound designers should feel free to experiment with other songs or pieces of o f music. These songs are more to give a general guideline for the tone and mood of various moments.
Setting: A small town in Ohio. A gym, a couple of apartments, a van, a car, the forest.
Time: Summer. Always.
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Scene One
Saturday. Lights up on the interior of WREN’s van. The back windows have been blacked out. WREN sits in the driver’s seat, SIMONE sits shotgun and TANISHA sits in the back; all three wear nondescript clothing and sunglasses. They drive for several minutes, music pumping loudly (“I Want Candy” by Bow Wow, “Hella Good” by No Doubt or “She Wolf” by Shakira could be interesting choices). Eventually WREN turns down the vo lume on the music.
TANISHA I’ve been looking forward to this all week. wee k. Literally. All week.
WREN Yeah.
SIMONE Yeah, I really need it. So tense. The bank is driving me crazy.
TANISHA So tense. My nails. The factory is driving me crazy. Cars, cars, cars –
WREN We all need it. See anyone yet?
All three are silent for a bit as they look out the front window of the van.
TANISHA What about her?
SIMONE
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No. Too – something. Also, she has a stroller...Her?
WREN No.
SIMONE I wanna do her.
WREN I say no. What do you think T?
TANISHA We can do better. Like her. Wren, what do you think?
SIMONE Ooh, I like her.
WREN No. Her. She’s the one. You got the pillowcase?
TANISHA Yeah, I got it. Stop the van. WREN stops the van and TANISHA and SIMONE jump out. After a moment or two, they return with a woman, shoving her in the back until she falls; the woman has a pillowcase on her head. She is not screaming. WREN turns up the van radio, then joins the others in the back. WREN, SIMONE and TANISHA beat the woman up, kicking, punching and pinching. This should take several sickening minutes. When they are satisfied, they shove the woman out of the van who may, or may not, have lost consciousness.
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WREN gets back into the driver’s seat. SIMONE sits in he r shotgun seat. WREN starts the car and they drive. She turns down the radio.
WREN She scratched me. Bitch drew blood.
SIMONE It’s weird when they don’t scream. Why do you think she didn’t scream?
WREN Who cares?
TANISHA Maybe she thought we’d kill her if she screamed.
SIMONE I’d scream.
WREN Yeah? Figures.
TANISHA It’s interesting how many of them don’t. It’s like, maybe in the back of their minds, way way back, they’re expecting it.
TANISHA lights a cigarette. SIMONE rolls down a window to release the smoke.
SIMONE
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You really should quit smoking T.
WREN It’s a disgusting habit and it fucking causes cancer.
TANISHA I can’t help it. Anyway, they say smoking suppresses your appetite. It keeps me thin.
WREN Whoever told you that is an asshole. I’ll drop you ladies off. Same time ne xt week?
SIMONE takes off her sunglasses.
SIMONE Yeah.
TANISHA Definitely.
TANISHA takes off her sunglasses.
WREN Okay. Excellent.
TANISHA tosses her cigarette out the window. A moment.
TANISHA How’s the kid, Simone?
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SIMONE Lila’s great. She’s really good, growing like a weed.
TANISHA Hard to believe she’s five now.
SIMONE I know. Pretty soon she’ll be a woman.
Scene Two
Monday. CANDACE’s apartment. It is an apartment of pinks with figurines of pigs spread around and a painting of a sunset on the wall, like the kind one finds on a motel wall. There is a television. BREE lies on CANDACE’s couch; she has clearly been beaten badly. She plays idly with a lighter, looking pensively at the flame. CANDACE enters with two cups of tea. She hands a cup to BREE and sits on the couch.
BREE Thanks Candace. You’re a good friend.
CANDACE Christ. I just can’t believe this happened. I mean, I can’t believe it. I mean, this is Ohio, for Christ’s sake, not South Central Los Angeles. This is a nice town. People move here toavoid things like this.
BREE (sipping) I really appreciate you letting me stay with you tonight.
CANDACE
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Of course. I mean, Jesus. You should have stayed in the hospital another night, though. The way they beat you. Your face.
BREE I’ll be okay. I hate hospitals. Being in a hospital makes me feel like such a…victim. Last time I was in a hospital my grandmother was dying. I just remember feeling so…helpless. You know? Hospitals are so helpless.
CANDACE What happened? Can you talk about it?
BREE I don’t know what to say. It was – I don’t know. I was just walking along and then suddenly I was thrown into a van. I didn’t have time to run. Pain. It hurt. A lot. I couldn’t scream. I just couldn’t. That would have made it –real – somehow. You know? Of course – it was real. It fucking happened. I’m in this – van – and I can’t get out and it’s in me, this – dark.
CANDACE They’ll catch them. They have to. People don’t just get away with stuff like that, abducting women and beating them up and stuff like that. The police will catch them and they’ll go to prison. Like on Law & Order: SVU.
BREE Maybe.
BREE starts playing with her lighter again.
CANDACE Definitely. There’s DNA testing and everything. You said you scratched one, right? All the information the police need is underneath your fingernails. They got prints of these guys right?
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BREE It was women. Three of them, I think. Three women.
CANDACE Women? Are you sure? That seems – How do you know?
BREE I’m sure. I could tell. The way they felt. The way they smelled. I could smell them. They were women. One of them smelled like baby powder, I think. And violets. Dirty violets.
CANDACE It doesn’t make any sense. Maybe it was some sort of gang thing? Like an initiation type of thing? I’ve seen documentaries – there was this whole series on PBS - of course, this is Ohio, not South Central LA, I’ve never heard of gangs in this city, but I guess, kids –
BREE I was happy.
CANDACE What? What do you mean?
BREE Right before it happened. I was happy, you know? I was walking around feeling – satisfied. It was such a beautiful day, that almost summer kind of day, and I’d just had lunch – egg salad, an apple, iced tea. I felt thin. Pretty. I was on my way to the park and I was having one of those “everything’s going to be okay” moments. Everything’s going to be just great. I wa s actually smiling a little just before they grabbed me.
CANDACE
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It wasn’t your fault, Bree. Being happy isn’t a crime, for God’s sake. I mean – Jesus.
BREE I know that. But I also know that it was my fault. Because I was happy.
CANDACE Honey, try to get some rest, you’re traumatized.
BREE Thanks again Candace. For being here. You really are a good friend. Let’s talk about something else. What – about you? Anything new happening with you?
CANDACE I’ve been okay. I mean, work is shit. I hate the women in my office, they’re such a clique, you know? I try to fit in, but I don’t know. Like, I send all-user emails telling everyone to have a great day. Nobody even acknowledges them. I baked chocolate chip cookies the other day and put them on the credenza so everyone could have some and then n obody ate them. Apparently everyone in my office has a wheat sensitivity. I felt so bad I took six cookies and ate them in the ladies bathroom above the toilet. Nothing I do feels right. I always feel like people are laughing at me.
BREE I know what you mean.
CANDACE Yeah, I mean, all I ever try to be is nice. Everyone should be nice but – the world today. God. Who’s raising these children today? Don’t manners count anymore? A little boy spit at me the other day on the sidewalk. Actually spit! On purpose! And his mother didn’t do anything! Not a thing! And then you turn on the news and it’s just a big fucking mess everywhere, people are just crazy. CANDACE sips her tea. After a moment:
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I’m so glad I have a gun.
BREE You have a gun? Why didn’t I know this? Where’d you get it?
CANDACE My father gave it to me. When I finally moved out of the house. My father’s pretty protective of me.
BREE But – I mean – where is it?
CANDACE Under my bed. So if any psycho rapist killers break in I can shoot them in the balls. That’s what Daddy said to do, he said, “Don’t ask questions, just shoot the bastard in the balls.” I take it out sometimes and look at it. I didn’t want to take it, but I feel safer having it now, I guess.
BREE What if you’re asleep when the psycho rapist killer breaks in? How’ll you get to your gun in time?
CANDACE Well – I’ve always been a light sleeper. And I always imagine psycho rapist killers as having big man feet. My floor boards creek, you know.
BREE What if it’s a woman? A psycho rapist killer woman with small woman feet?
CANDACE
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I don’t know. I guess she’ll kill me. CANDACE sips her tea a little unsteadily; BREE sips thoughtfully. Life’s a scary thing. Want some brandy for your tea?
BREE Please. CANDACE gets up and grabs a brandy bottle. She brings it to the couch and sits, pouring a healthy amount into each cup. Thanks.
BREE and CANDACE sip their brandy-laced tea.
CANDACE Why were you so happy?
BREE What?
CANDACE You said you were happy right before it happened. How come?
BREE Oh. Adam finally told me that he loves me.
CANDACE He did? That’s amazing!
BREE
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Yeah. Just before he went on his business trip. He said it and then I gave him a blowjob. He’ll be gone for most of the summer.
CANDACE Wow! This is big. Do you think you’ll get married?
BREE I don’t know. He didn’t propose or anything. He just said, “I love you.” Actually, he whispered it in my ear. I could hardly hear him. CANDACE Well, at least he said it. Even if he whispered it. He said it. That’s something.
BREE Yeah, it’s something. It doesn’t feel like it matters anymore though.
CANDACE Of course it matters. You’ve wanted him to say that for ages. I wish someone would say that to me. Does he know what happened?
BREE When I told him he didn’t know what to say.
CANDACE Well. What can you say?
BREE I kind of want to start smoking again.
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CANDACE Don’t do it.
BREE I’m just – I don’t know. Wanna go to class this week? I want to go.
CANDACE Wren’s wait list is always so long.
BREE We can get there earlier. I want to go, I’ve already missed two classes and I feel so fat.
CANDACE Last time it was so crowded I could hardly move. I hate working out next to people, I always wonder if they can smell me. Anyway, Bree, shouldn’t you rest? You’re all banged up.
BREE Let’s go together. It’ll be fun.
CANDACE Fun? Okay. Hey – want to watch some tv?
BREE Sure.
Candace gets up to turn on the television.
Scene Three
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Thursday. A dimly-lit aerobics room at a women’s g ym. Dance music plays. (“Barracuda” by Heart or “One Thing” by Amerie could be interesting choices.) WREN stands center wearing workout clothes and a headset. She faces an unseen mirror. All of the other women fill in behind her.
WREN (amplified) Okay, bitches, let’s go! March it out! March, march, march! The women do a warm-up routine, listening to the WREN’s commands. Legs up! Up! Up! Up! Side! Side! Side! Side! Back! Back! Back! Back! The women obey. Come on, you little piglets, mind over matter, move it! Jog in place! Jog! Jog! The women jog. Someone’s been eating chocolate chip cookies! Ice cream! Donuts! Potato chips! You can’t hide it from me, I can smell it! WREN suddenly looks at BREE who is clumsily making her way through the routine. She glares at her for a long moment. You! What’s your name?!
BREE Me? Uh – Bree?
WREN Move it, Swiss Cheese. Come on! Legs up! Up! Up! No pain, no fucking gain! Push ups! Give me ten, and none of that on your knees bullshit either! Now! The women drop and do push ups. Now up! Jumping jacks! Let’s go! The women do jumping jacks. Now let’s fight the monster! Come on! Here we go! Jab! Jab!... The women do an aggressive kickboxing exercise routine for the length of one song as WREN’s amplified voice continues to call out cues.
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Scene Four
Saturday. WREN’S van. WREN, TANISHA and SIMONE wear their sunglasses. SIMONE bites her nails.
WREN (to SIMONE) Stop biting your nails. That’s disgusting.
SIMONE takes her nails out of her mouth.
TANISHA Great class on Thursday.
WREN Thanks T.
SIMONE Yeah, my bones are aching still. Those bear crawls are brutal.
TANISHA And the Supermans! Fuck!
SIMONE Lila’s so excited about spending the weekend with her father – I hope he shows up this time. Last time when he didn’t come she cried for days, it was really awful. I took her out for ice cream, I bought her a dress…it just sucked.
WREN
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No pain, no gain.
SIMONE I hope Lila never has to worry about a weight problem, you know? I mean, she’s only a little girl, but I want her to have self esteem and everything.
WREN Don’t give her sugar.
SIMONE Oh, I don’t! I mean, mostly I don’t. Every once in awhile, as a treat, we’ll share a cookie, or ice cream, but –
WREN Cookies are poison – I think her.
TANISHA Cool. I’ll go.
WREN stops the van and TANISHA hops out with the pillowcase.
SIMONE What do you eat, Wren? You’ve got such an amazing fig –
WREN I eat meat.
SIMONE
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Oh. Okay.
TANISHA returns with a woman whose wails can be heard through the pillowcase. WREN and SIMONE climb into the back.
WREN Shut up!
WREN punches the woman in the gut. The woman is quiet.
TANISHA That was a good one! WREN I’m not fuckin’ around!
TANISHA kicks the woman in the gut too.
TANISHA Me, neither!
WREN Go, T! Yeah! Now you, go on!
SIMONE kicks the woman in the gut. WREN, TANISHA and SIMONE all giggle.
WREN Kick her again!
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SIMONE Maybe she’s had - ?!
WREN No. Again! She stinks! TANISHA kicks the woman again. The woman screams. Christ. Can’t you smell it? Again.
TANISHA (giggling) I don’t smell anything.
SIMONE Me neither…
WREN Kick her again, dammit! From the side! Work those hamstrings!
TANISHA and SIMONE kick the woman again, both of them doing low side kicks; the woman stops screaming and the body is still. There is a long pause.
SIMONE Shit. Shit. Should we look?
SIMONE bites her nails. Throughout the following section, she continues to bite her nails and spit pieces around the van.
TANISHA
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Yeah, let’s look. Take the pillowcase off.
SIMONE takes the pillowcase off.
SIMONE Shit. I know her. I recognize her.
WREN Yeah?
SIMONE She goes to the gym, she takes the classes. Don’t you recognize her Tanisha?
TANISHA Oh. Yeah. She stands in the back. Why didn’t you say something before?
SIMONE I didn’t recognize her before, I was changing the radio station when you guys picked her, I didn’t see that –
TANISHA Yeah, it’s that woman who stands in the back. Funny how different she looks up close. I think I’ve only ever seen her through the mirror. No, wait, I’ve seen her in the locker room too, sometimes, yeah –
WREN It doesn’t matter. Does it?
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TANISHA Umm – no?
SIMONE No. I don’t know. I guess not. There is a moment of silence. WREN suddenly kicks the woman in the gut again. Wait! I know her. It matters. We know her. I know her name and everything.
WREN Really? What’s her name?
SIMONE Delilah. I think.
WREN Stupid name.
SIMONE Yeah, well. Yeah.
TANISHA I don’t know anyone but you in that class.
SIMONE We talked once. In the locker room.
TANISHA Really? What did you talk about?
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SIMONE I – don’t remember. She said – oh, she said something about trying the grapefruit diet.
WREN Stupid, crash diets don’t work. – STOP BITING your nails, dammit! Who do you think is going to have to clean up that dead skin? It’s GROSS!
SIMONE takes her fingers away from her mouth. TANISHA lights a cigarette.
SIMONE Sorry.
WREN Put out that cigarette! Please!
TANISHA Sorry.
WREN We’re done. Let’s get her out. SIMONE and TANISHA grab the woman. WREN opens the back door of the van and the woman is put out. WREN shuts the doors and goes to the driver’s seat. TANISHA and SIMONE take their seats. You ladies gonna be in class tomorrow? I’ve got a new playlist.
TANISHA Of course, I wouldn’t miss it.
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WREN Simone?
SIMONE I’ll be there.
Scene Five
Wednesday. BREE’s apartment. There are candles on the floor, some lit, some not. BREE sits in her pajamas on the couch, playing with her lighter. She is surrounded by pillows and a blanket.
After a moment, BREE reaches for her IPOD with rests on an end table. She turns it on and music play. (“Explicit Rotative Movement” by Cell, “Crucify” by Emma Hewitt or “Insomnia” by Faithless could be interesting choices.)
BREE pulls the pillowcase off her pillow and places it on her head. She does a series of slow movements while seated on the couch, moving her hands, arms and feet to the music.
BREE does her meditative Noh dance for several minutes. She may repeat the song several times.
Scene Six
Thursday. Kickboxing class at the gym. Music plays. (“Hard” by Rihanna, “Work” by Ciara or “Give It Up To Me” by Shakira could be interesting choices.) SIMONE, TANISHA, DELILAH, and CANDACE all shadow box. BREE removes the pillowcase from her head and joins the others. The women shadow box silently for several moments, then WREN speaks. WREN may circulate around the class, checking out people’s forms.
WREN (amplified) Planks!
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The women all stretch out into planks. What the fuck are we doing here people? Getting it together. Getting. In. Shape. Forget about your stupid families and your stupid jobs and your stupid lives. Here, in this class, you belong to me. You got that? YOU BELONG TO ME. No modifications. No breaks. I’m going to strengthen your cores if it’s the last thing I fucking d o. If you can’t give 100% then you can get the fuck out, go fuck around on the elliptical machine! Now up! The women stand back up. Everybody up! March! Get those legs up. Come on, cottage cheese, move it, move it! Do I look like I’m playing with you? You too, thunder thighs! – Front kick. Side kick. Round house. Back. Now jab. Jab. Jab. Jab. Upper cut. Upper cut. Jab. Jab. Jab. Jab. Come on, you’re almost done, quit fuckin’ around! It’s all in the mind ladies, mind over matter, MIND OVER MATTER! Squat! I said – fucking – squat! Kick, kick, jab, jab, squat! Kick, kick, jab, jab, squat! Don’t stop, don’t ever stop, come on! Fight the monster! Fight the monster! The women continue with their kicks, jabs and squats for several sweaty minutes. The music fades out. Okay, that’s it for today!
The women all stop, exhausted, and grab for their towels, water bottles, etc., starting to head out. BREE walks past SIMONE, then pauses and looks at her closely. She sniffs.
BREE Hey. Excuse me. Have we met?
SIMONE No, I don’t think so…I mean, I take class every week.
BREE But we haven’t met outside of class? Funny, you seem really familiar…
SIMONE No, I don’t think we have. Excuse me!
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SIMONE walks away quickly. CANDACE walks up to BREE.
CANDACE Wren is so tough! I don’t know why we come to this class every week to be abused! We should switch to yoga or something. You want to get lunch, like sushi, maybe? Sushi’s healthy, right?
BREE Did you see that woman’s face? They both look over at DELILAH who has been drinking from her water bottle. They got her too.
CANDACE Her face.
BREE Yeah. I’m gonna talk to her.
CANDACE Well – do you want me to wait for you?
BREE No, you go on ahead. I’ll call you later. CANDACE walks off and BREE goes over to DELILAH. Hi. Can I talk to you for a minute? What’s your name?
DELILAH Talk to me about what? Delilah. You’re Bree, right? “Move it, Swiss cheese!”
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BREE …Yeah. Listen, it happened to me too. A few weeks ago.
DELILAH Okay.
BREE So can we talk?
DELILAH About what? There’s nothing to talk about. I’m just trying to move on, you know?
BREE You didn’t see them?
DELILAH No, my face was covered. Did you? See them?
BREE Did you smell them? What did they smell like?
DELILAH What?
BREE Never mind…I just think I might…know something.
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DELILAH Know what? You know who did it? Have you talked to the police?
BREE No, I haven’t talked to the police. Not yet. I don’t know for sure who it is yet but –
DELILAH Yeah, well, what can the police do anyway with no evidence? There’s no evidence. And it already happened. They can’t make it un-happen. Even if they catch those bitches, it won’t change anything.
BREE Bitches?
DELILAH It’s just another fucking – the police have more important things to focus on than –
BREE Bitches? So you know that they were women?
DELILAH They had women’s voices. And – yeah, it was women.
BREE Were you - ?
DELILAH What?
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BREE Happy? Right before it happened?
DELILAH … I guess so. I hadn’t thought about it, but – yeah. I was just walking along, and, yeah, I was happy that day.
BREE Listen, I think I know who they are. At least one of them. If I was gonna do something, would you want to – do it with me?
DELILAH What are you gonna do? Call the police? What’ll you say? Who is it?
BREE No, I’m not calling the police. I want to do something else. Are you in?
DELILAH In? I don’t know.
BREE How have you been feeling? Because ever since it happened I’ve been pretty angry. Like I could break something. Like I could kick a dog. You know? I’m so angry I could kick a sweet, cute, innocent dog while he was napping. And I like dogs, more or less. It’s fucked up what they did. Every night I drink a tumbler of whiskey so I can fall asleep and then I have the most wretched dreams. I started smoking again. I just – I have to do something. I used to be – but everything’s so dark now, you know? And I feel so fucking alone. I used to be – and now I’m alone.
DELILAH
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You’re not alone. Let’s talk tonight. I’ll give you my number.
Scene Seven
Saturday. WREN’S van. WREN and SIMONE wait in the van for TANISHA. SIMONE plays nervously with the van radio, flipping through stations.
WREN Stop that. Can’t you just pick something?
SIMONE I don’t know what I want to listen to. SIMONE leaves the radio on a station playing a sappy love song. They listen for a moment, then WREN turns off the radio. Do you – I mean, are you – dating someone?
WREN Dating? Someone? Sure.
SIMONE You never talk about that kind of stuff. Who is it? Tell me about him. Is he cute?
WREN It doesn’t matter. It’s no one special, just a someone.
SIMONE Why don’t you ever tell me things? We’re friends aren’t we?
WREN
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I tell you things.
SIMONE Yeah, but –
WREN I tell you what matters. Dates don’t matter. Not to me.
SIMONE Yeah, but – where did you meet? Do you think – I mean –
WREN We’re just fucking, okay? Sex is good essence. That’s all? It doesn’t mean anything? You know?
SIMONE I wouldn’t mind dating someone. It’s so hard with Lila and everything, being alone.
WREN Yeah?
SIMONE Well, it’s lonely sometimes.
WREN Lonely? I never get lonely.
SIMONE Haven’t you ever been in love?
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WREN No.
SIMONE Not ever. Wait, weren’t you married?
WREN Yeah. He was a total FUCKING ASSHOLE. I don’t want to talk abou t it, okay?!
SIMONE (after a pause) Okay…Sometimes I just want to be held.
WREN I don’t care about that stuff. I could give a shit.
SIMONE What do you care about?
WREN This. Having fun.
SIMONE But don’t you want to have kids and stuff? White picket fence? The American Dream?
WREN No. I want to maintain my goal weight.
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SIMONE You have a great body, Wren.
WREN I know.
SIMONE I wish I could lose another ten pounds. After the baby, my body never –
WREN You’re a late night snacker, I can tell just by looking at you. Where the fuck is T? SIMONE pulls a lipstick out of her bag and applies it. You look disgusting. Take that shit off.
SIMONE What? You don’t like my lipstick?
WREN Oh forget it, just fucking forget it…sometimes everything makes me sick. I could kill someone, you know? I really could.
SIMONE No you couldn’t. Not really.
WREN Really.
SIMONE
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I think, deep down, you’re really sensitive. I think you’re – nice – deep down.
WREN No. I’m not. Fuck nice. TANISHA enters the van. What took you so long?
TANISHA My nails were wet, I was drying them in the freezer. Did you know that you can dry your nails faster by putting them in the freezer? Something about the cold.
SIMONE Really? I always put them under a hair dryer.
WREN Jesus Christ.
TANISHA Do you like them?
SIMONE I do, that’s a great color.
TANISHA Yeah, hopefully my girlfriend likes them. Tonight I’m taking her out tonight for her birthday.
WREN They look stupid.
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%$WREN picks up a large water bottle and takes a long drink. I hope you ladies are drinking enough water. She continues drinking as SIMONE and TANISHA chat.
SIMONE Is she admitting that she’s your girlfriend now?
TANISHA Well, she’s still married, if that’s what you mean.
SIMONE Do you think she’ll ever leave her husband for you?
TANISHA I don’t know. With the kids and everything. I just try to take what I can get. It helps just being able to think about her at the factory. Cars, cars, cars but then there’s her. You know?
WREN Disgusting. What you need to be thinking about is endurance. My next class is gonna be fierce.
SIMONE Listen, I thought maybe…that woman from the class…Swiss Cheese…I thought she…
TANISHA What?
SIMONE Nothing. Never mind.
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WREN I have to pee.
TANISHA Take my key.
WREN takes TANISHA’s house key and gets out of the van, leaving SIMONE and TANISHA alone.
SIMONE Wren is so crazy. Don’t you think she’s a little scary?
TANISHA She’s great.
SIMONE Yeah, but –
TANISHA I’m kind of in love with her. Don’t tell okay?
SIMONE Okay, but her body isn’t that great, she’s actually too skinny –
TANISHA She’s beautiful.
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SIMONE You think she has an eating disorder or something?
TANISHA I don’t know. I don’t care. I kind of want to be her.
SIMONE Me too. Kind of.
TANISHA lights a cigarette. SIMONE begins to bite he r nails. They wait.
Scene Eight Sunday. BREE’s apartment; there are candles, some lit, some not. DELILAH and BREE sit on the couch, eating a box of donuts and drinking whiskey. BREE plays with her lighter; she may light a few more candles. They are both a little drunk.
BREE So much for exercise class.
DELILAH March! March! You think we could really catch them? Like, really?
BREE Yeah. We can’t do it in the locker room. We’ll follow that woman when she goes to her car. We have to – we have to – do you know anything about tying knots?
DELILAH Are we going to tie her up?
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BREE Yeah, we’ll tie her up and – we’ll just – we’ll –
DELILAH Slap her?
BREE Yeah! And we’ll pluck out her hair strand by strand. Let’s drink to that!
BREE and DELILAH drink.
DELILAH I’m so glad we’re becoming friends. I’ve never had a lot of friends. So much pressure. My career. All this shit. There are never enough hours in the day, there’s always something pulling at me, some responsibility, it’s no fun, and then it happens, some fucking thing, and then you realize that you’re life, the life you worked so hard for, doesn’t mean anything, all the effort is fucking pointless and it’s not fun –
BREE Right – all of the pain – it’s so boring. I told you before that I’ve never felt so alone. I mean, I’ve been lonely, sure, but when something like this happens to you, you realize – look, we’ll do it together. We’ll be friends and we’ll do it together and afterwards maybe I’ll be able to go back to work. I haven’t been able to work, you know.
DELILAH What do you do all day?
BREE I go to the gym. I jog. I cycle. I watch tv. And I take the classes, of course.
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DELILAH You’re not alone in this, Bree, it happened to me too.
BREE I know.
DELILAH So…where will we take her?
BREE There’s a place I know. It’s kind of isolated.
DELILAH But really, after we catch them all, then what?
BREE We’ll just hurt them. The same way they hurt us.
DELILAH The same way? Are you really sure that that’s what you want to do? It could get – ugly. You know?
BREE It’s already ugly. Don’t you feel ugly? Are you – do you not want to?
DELILAH I didn’t say that. I want to. It’s just that – things could get out of control. You know? Like crazy out of control. We could get arrested.
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BREE I don’t care. I have to do this. I go to bed afraid. I wake up afraid. I’m afraid to breathe. Most of the time I wish I was so small nobody could see me. I’ve been bulimic since I was twelve. You know that feeling of just wanting to fit in? And I never – it’s like I’m ashamed of taking up any space. In the world.
DELILAH Right. But maybe we should just report them.
BREE We have a right to get even.
DELILAH Well, I have a question for you. It’s kind of personal. Were you bullied a lot in school? Did someone hurt you before?
BREE Of course, all the time, I hurt every day…
DELILAH Me too. But I’ve never hurt someone before. I’ve wanted to. I mean who hasn’t? But to actually draw blood from someone – it’s crazy, isn’t it? Little boys. Have you ever noticed how violent little boys are? I have twin brothers. They drew blood sometimes. They loved each other, but they drew blood.
BREE We have to draw blood. It’s the only thing that makes sense to me now. Something happened to me in that van. I broke up with my boyfriend Adam. He told me he loves me and I broke up with
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him. He’s on a trip. He’s not here, he’s never here for the important stuff so I b roke up with him, even though I think I loved him.
DELILAH I don’t believe in boyfriends. Too intimate.
BREE I told him what happened and he didn’t understand, he didn’t know the right things to say.
DELILAH They never do.
BREE He asked me what I was wearing when it happened. He asked me if I could have screamed louder. Fought back. Like it was my fault. Like I asked for it. I told him I didn’t deserve to be interrogated by him. And then I broke up with him.
DELILAH He sounds like an asshole. I’ve known a lot of assholes.
BREE He isn’t. Not really. He’s just a regular guy. That’s the thing. I’ve got all of this stuff going on inside of me, I have all of this pain and struggle and pushing through it and he’s just regular. Look, I have to do this.
DELILAH Okay. We’ll do it. And if it gets out of control –
BREE
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It gets out of control…Listen, my friend Candace has a gun.
DELILAH (after a pause) What do you want to do with a gun?
BREE I don’t know.
DELILAH Will she give it to us – your friend?
BREE She has to.
DELILAH Yeah, but – is she cool?
BREE Candace? She’s alright.
DELILAH Can she handle this? It’s going to be a lot to handle, I think.
BREE I’ll talk to her. She’ll be fine. She’s tough er than she looks.
DELILAH Yeah, I guess most of us are. But this is big. All of this – it’s big.
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BREE But you’re in, right?
DELILAH I’m in. Fuck it, I’m in. These donuts are good.
BREE Yeah, they are.
BREE and DELILAH chew on their donuts.
DELILAH I used to get teased a lot in high school. I’m not sure why, I guess there was just something about me. I was really shy, I didn’t know how to talk to people, or how to dress, I was on the honor roll. My mother was gone a lot so I had to figure out some stuff on my own. “Delilah is a dyke cunt fuck fat bitch suck it.” I remember that one. It was written in the last stall of the third floor girls’ bathroom. I used to go to that stall on purpose, just to look at it. I don’t know why because it always made me feel like shit. And I never did anything. I never said anything. I just carried that label around. “Dyke cunt fuck fat bitch suck it.” That was me until I graduated. I’d sit at home watching Saturday Night Live and eating pints of ice cream. Forget about the prom. I never even had a date until I got to college.
BREE Christ.
DELILAH Well, it wasn’t all bad. I had some nice teachers. And I played the flute in the orchestra. I liked playing the flute.
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BREE Are you still in contact with the people you went to high school with?
DELILAH Not really. Just on FaceBook. A lot of the kids I knew are fat now.
BREE What about you? What did you say you do for a living again?
DELILAH I’m a lawyer.
BREE So you’re a successful lawyer. That probably feels really good, huh? They’re fat now and you’re a lawyer. Let’s drink to that.
BREE takes a drink.
DELILAH Well, I still spend a lot of Saturday nights watching Saturday Night Live and eating ice cream by myself. Frozen yogurt now. But yes, I’m a lawyer. I was able to buy my mother a condo. And I have a lot of sex. Usually on Mondays. There’s a guy I met on the internet. So – yeah. Where do you work?
BREE At a supermarket. As a manager, not a checkout girl. I mean, before I stopped going to work. It doesn’t matter. All I did was make orders on the phone and make sure people clocked out for breaks. Who the fuck cares, right? I thought it was important work, but really – who the fuck cares?
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DELILAH I care.
BREE We should order a pizza.
Scene Nine
Thursday. The aerobics room before class. WREN walks in followed by SIMONE; they a re early.
SIMONE Maybe we’re doing the wrong thing.
WREN Who the fuck cares? Are you turning into one of those stupid bitches who care?
SIMONE No, I just –
WREN Come on. This isn’t the last ten minutes of some television show.
SIMONE What do you mean?
WREN I mean we can do whatever we want. Because it feels good. Because it’s fucking fun? It doesn’t have to mean anything more than that.
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SIMONE Yeah, but –
TANISHA enters the room.
TANISHA Hey ladies.
WREN (to TANISHA) You fucking smell like cigarettes. (to SIMONE) Listen, I would do it without you both. You know? I don’t give a fuck. You want out?
TANISHA What’s going on?
SIMONE I didn’t say I want out…
TANISHA You want out?
WREN Look, who the fuck cares if they find out? These bitches. What are they going to do? They’re not going to do anything .
SIMONE Yeah, but, we could get into so much trouble –
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WREN No, listen to me. These women – they don’t want to cause any trouble. Trust me. They’re too afraid to stick up for themselves. And even if they did, I’ve never backed away from a fight in my life. Not like you, piggy.
WREN pokes SIMONE.
SIMONE Stop that.
WREN Pig. Piggy.
SIMONE Why do you – act like this?
WREN Why not, piggy? Why the fuck not?
SIMONE We’re women, we’re not – not –
WREN What? Not what, piglet?
SIMONE Stop that! I don’t know. I just – I don’t know.
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TANISHA Come on, cut it out, the others’ll be here soon.
WREN I can feel it in you, piggy. You wanna stop, don’t you? Well you can’t. We’re not stopping, not ever.
SIMONE We can’t keep doing this. Back me up, Tanisha! They know, I can feel it. What are we going to do if they tell? They’ll tell. I have a daughter to think about.
TANISHA Come on, they’re coming…
The others enter the room for class. WREN, SIMONE and TANISHA break apart from each other. BREE purposely stands next to SIMONE.
BREE Hey.
SIMONE Oh. Hey…
WREN turns on music. (“Warrior” by Scandal, “ When I Grow Up” by The Pussycat Dolls or “Fergalicious” by Fergie could be interesting choices.)
WREN Stretch it out!
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The women stretch. WREN puts on her microphone.
BREE Your perfume. It’s distinctive.
SIMONE Oh. Thank you.
BREE I don’t think I’ve smelled anything like it before, not exactly like it.
SIMONE I make my own actually…it’s just, umm, alcohol and violet leaves…a little lavender…
BREE You have a scratch. On your arm.
SIMONE Oh, yeah, well. Yeah.
BREE How’d it happen? It’s pretty deep.
SIMONE Oh, you know…I don’t know…my daughter may have…I have a little girl…
BREE Yes, yes, little girls can be vicious.
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SIMONE No, I mean – probably she accidentally scratched me.
BREE Yes, accidents can happen.
WREN (amplified voice) Okay, bitches, let’s get this class started! March it out! WREN turns up the music. March! March! March! The women march. There is a tension in the room. WREN begins to lead the women in a rigorous opening routine. Mountain climbers! Let’s go! The women begin a series of mountain climbers.
Scene Ten
Saturday. BREE, CANDACE and DELILAH are in CANDACE’S living room, drinking whiskey and eating donuts.
CANDACE I can’t believe you guys brought these over. They’re so good! But, really, you shouldn’t have, I’m totally on a diet, I’ve been trying to lose ten pounds for eight months…did I tell you that I was thinking of taking a yoga class? I’m totally going to start doing yoga.
BREE Delilah and I wanted to talk to you about something, Candace. We were thinking of – going after the women who did it.
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CANDACE The women who –
DELILAH Hurt us. Yeah. We want to go after them.
CANDACE What are you talking about?
BREE Can we borrow your gun? We have a plan.
CANDACE You want to borrow my gun?
BREE We’re just going to ask them why they did it. We’re going to find them and ask them.
DELILAH Yeah, we just want to find out why.
BREE We won’t shoot the gun. We just want to use it for – for –
DELILAH I’m a lawyer. I can’t commit a crime but – intimidation – I can do.
CANDACE
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No way. I can’t let you borrow my gun. That’s crazy! It’s my gun. My father gave it to me –
BREE We just want to borrow it. Why can’t we borrow it? We’ll give it back.
CANDACE It’s a gun, Bree, it’s not like a lipstick or something! Did you go and talk to that crisis counselor I mentioned?
DELILAH I thought you said she was cool. I knew she wouldn’t agree to it.
BREE Candace, you’re my friend right?
CANDACE Well…yes…of course I’m your friend…
BREE I’m your friend too. Your best friend. And if you asked me to borrow my gun so that you could do something that would make you able to sleep at night, I’d give it to you.
CANDACE But this is different –
BREE How is it different? If there was a psycho killer after you, I’d protect you because you’re my friend and I love you. I’d do anything for you.
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DELILAH We’re nearly out of whiskey.
CANDACE What’s happened to you Bree? I’ve never seen you like this, you’ve always been the sweetest person in the world.
BREE I’m still sweet.
CANDACE Yeah, but, you’re so angry! I know you’re still upset about what happened to you, and you have every right to be upset, but – you have to find a way to forgive them and move on. Not for them. For yourself. This rage – it’s eating you up inside. Like Satan. Or something. You have to accept what happened. I’ve been thinking of starting to go to church again and –
BREE Don’t. Just stop right there. I don’t accept what they did to me. And as my friend neither should you.
DELILAH I used to go to church with my grandmother sometimes. I didn’t get much out of it. All I remember about it is sitting around in clothes that didn’t fit quite right and being hungry. I was always hungry during the service. I’m hungry now. We should order Chinese food.
BREE We should order a pizza.
CANDACE
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I feel like you’re trying to bully me, you’re ganging up on me and –
BREE Do you accept what happened to me? Because if you do, we can’t be friends. I really mean that Candace.
CANDACE I don’t accept it, I just think – well why cause any more trouble?
BREE I didn’t start this. They started the trouble. And like I said, I just want to ask them a few questions. I need to know why. Afterwards if I still feel like shit, I’ll take your suggestions. I’ll go to yoga. I’ll go to Church. I’ll go to a therapist. All of it. But I need to do this first.
BREE suddenly drops to the floor and starts doing push ups. CANDACE and DELILAH continue drinking.
DELILAH (to BREE) Let’s just do it without her. We don’t need her gun, we can use something else like – a bat or a knife or something – a spear or a maybe a broken beer bottle –
CANDACE Who are you? Bree is my friend –
DELILAH She’s my friend too –
CANDACE And you just come along and –
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BREE Are you in or out Candace? In or out? In or out?
CANDACE Okay, you can borrow it! But I’m coming with you.
BREE Thank you. Go get it.
After a pause CANDACE exits to retrieve her gun.
Scene Eleven
Thursday. After class. In the parking lot of the gym. SIMONE sits in her front seat, talking o n her cell phone and eating from a bag of chips.
SIMONE Honey, I’ll be home soon, I don’t want you to give the babysitter a hard time. No, I’m not bringing ice cream home, we talked about that. Do you want me to bring home some apples? Apples are good and they’re nutritious too. Can you spell nutritious? Yeah, that’s right, n-u-t-r-it-i…. BREE, DELILAH and CANDACE approach the car. BREE points the gun at SIMONE. Sweetie…I have to go…I’ll be home soon. I love you. SIMONE hangs up her phone. BREE, DELILAH and CANDACE all get in the car.
DELILAH Drive.
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SIMONE starts the car and begins to drive. A sappy love song plays loudly from the radio for a few moments. BREE turns off the radio.
BREE Call them.
SIMONE Who?
DELILAH You know who. The others.
SIMONE What others? I don’t know what you’re talking about.
BREE Don’t fuck with me, I could kill you.
CANDACE We’re so sorry about this!
SIMONE I’m a mother, I have a little girl –
CANDACE You wouldn’t really kill her, would you?
BREE
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Shut up, Candace! (to SIMONE) Call them!
SIMONE Okay! But they might not come. They work, they’re busy –
BREE Call them. Right. Now.
SIMONE hits a button on her cell phone.
Scene Twelve
Thursday. A clearing in the woods. Early evening. SIMONE has been tied to a tree; SIMONE is crying. BREE, DELILAH and CANDACE stand around her.
DELILAH Why’d you do it? You hurt me. Why did you do that? You told me that I stink!
SIMONE Please. Please!
BREE You answer her! Why?!
SIMONE Please! My little girl! I have a daughter!
BREE
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Don’t talk to me about your fucking daughter! You’re awful! Do you know I don’t sleep anymore? All I do is think and think and think. Because of you! I’m somebody’s daughter! You explain it to me – why?! What was it about me?
SIMONE Don’t hurt me.
DELILAH You’re pathetic. Everything about you is pathetic.
DELILAH spits at SIMONE.
BREE How do you pick your targets, you bitch?!
WREN and TANISHA enter the clearing in the woods; BREE points the gun at them.
WREN Well, well ,well, it’s Swiss Cheese. What now, Swiss Cheese? Are we having a party? BREE You.
SIMONE I’m sorry, they made me call, I don’t want to die!
TANISHA Shit.
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BREE Tie them up, Delilah. Candace, help her.
CANDACE Me? I can’t, this is –
BREE Do it! It begins to rain. Fuck! Come on Candace, help her. CANDACE helps DELILAH tie the women up while BREE watches; this may take some time. TANISHA is tied to the tree with SIMONE. WREN is tied up on the ground. As they’re tied up, BREE kicks dirt at them and curses. You bitches. How does it feel? You’re the victims now, aren’t you? How does it feel?! Are you scared? You should be scared!
CANDACE Bree?
WREN Is this going to take long? I have someplace to be in an hour.
BREE I want to know – all of us want to know – why’d you do it?
DELILAH You first.
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DELILAH kicks dirt at SIMONE.
SIMONE (wailing) I don’t know…
BREE Shut up! Jesus! Idiot! What about you? Why’d you do it?
TANISHA I don’t know. Bonding. I like being a part of a group, I guess?
BREE You like being part of a fucking group?!
TANISHA You think you’re the only person who ever got her ass kicked? I grew up in Nebraska okay?!
WREN We were just having a little fun.
DELILAH Fun? I had to get stitches. I couldn’t go to work.
WREN Don’t get your panties all in a twist. Relax. We didn’t kill you, did we? It was fun. Like now. Isn’t this fun?
CANDACE
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I’m not having fun.
SIMONE Me neither.
BREE Quiet! Everyone just shut up!
CANDACE Well, what are we going to do now? They told you what you wanted to know, Bree. We should let them go. Shouldn’t we? Before things get any worse? What if someone passes by? We’ll just let them go and we’ll all just – we’ll just –
BREE No. Nobody’s going anywhere yet. We’re just getting started. Nobody’s going anywhere until I understand. I don’t understand. Do you Delilah? Understand?
DELILAH No.
CANDACE Give me back my gun. It’s my gun and I want it back.
BREE No.
CANDACE This has gone far enough Bree. Give it to me.
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CANDACE attempts to take the gun away. The women scuffle.
BREE (shoving CANDACE away) Candace, I’m sorry, but if you don’t move I’ll shoot you. In the face. Now just relax.
CANDACE You’d shoot me? I’m your friend.
BREE Listen, I’ll give it back to you later. Okay? You can go if you want to, but I’m staying here and I’m holding on to your gun.
CANDACE But what are you going to do with it?
BREE I’m thinking. Maybe I’ll pistol whip them. And then shove the gun up one of their asses. Maybe I’ll make them do things, fucked up things. Maybe I’ll shoot their toenails.
CANDACE I feel like I don’t even know who you are.
WREN This is exciting.
BREE Was it all your idea?
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WREN Of course. All mine.
TANISHA I helped.
DELILAH You said I stink. Ever since it happened I take two showers a day. Smell me, do I stink?
BREE You don’t stink.
WREN Yes you do.
BREE No, you don’t. How did all this – start?
WREN Personal training sessions at the bargain price of ninety dollars an hour, cheaper if you schedule a session with a friend. After a few weeks you won’t even recognize yourself.
TANISHA She’s the best.
WREN
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Exercise doesn’t have to be boring. It felt good to do it. I enjoyed every minute of it, do you hear me, EVERY FUCKING MINUTE – I have to pee. Should I just go here, in front of you all?
CANDACE No! That’s disgusting! Please, just the thought of it makes me feel sick! We’re not animals! Bree, you know I’m squeamish about – about – things –
BREE Okay! You guys stay here and don’t let them escape. We’ll be back.
BREE grabs WREN and the two walk away from the clearing.
Scene Twelve
Thursday. In the woods, away from the others. WREN is squatting in a bush, peeing; BREE watches while keeping the gun pointed at her. WREN pees for a long time. It’s raining.
WREN Ah, that’s much better, Swiss Cheese, thanks.
BREE I’m Bree. My name is Bree.
WREN Brie. Cottage. Swiss. Cheddar. You’re a fucking cheese.
BREE I don’t need you to like me. You don’t mean anything to me.
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WREN pulls up her pants and stands.
WREN Liar.
BREE I’m not.
WREN You may not know you’re lying but you are. Of course you want me to like you. That’s how French fry bitches like you operate.
BREE What makes you so different from me? WREN begins to stretch. She continues to stretch throughout the rest of the scene. I just don’t understand. Why’d you do it? I need to know. I mean, I really like your classes. I do. They’re hard – I can barely get through them but – I want to forgive you. Can you understand that? I want to get past this. My life is – everything is different. It hurt so much! And I don’t even know myself anymore. I had a life before. I’ve never been an extreme kind of person. This whole thing is extreme. I started going to the gym because I wanted to feel better about myself. You’re a fitness instructor, you’re supposed to be a role model. You’re like this – animal!
WREN Yeah, a beast. And you know what? I feel great.
BREE Tell me why. Did something happen to make you this way? You’re damaged. Did somebody break you? WREN giggles and shrugs. She continues to stretch. Talking to you makes me sick.
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WREN No, sugar makes you sick. You really are an idiot. Also, you talk too much. Most people talk too much. BREE You’re jealous. You –
WREN You’re boring. Jealous of what? Of you? What a fucking joke. I love looking in the mirror. So what’s it gonna be, birthday cake? You gonna do something with that gun or what?
BREE You’re – wretched.
WREN I’m honest. And guess what? I’m a fast runner.
WREN suddenly runs away. BREE, after a moment, chases after her.
Scene Thirteen
Thursday. Night. In the woods. SIMONE and TANISHA have been gagged; SIMONE may be crying silently. CANDACE and DELILAH stand over TANISHA. It’s still raining.
DELILAH It’s so much better now that we can’t hear their ugly voices, don’t you think? (to TANISHA) I hate your voice. DELILAH punches TANISHA. You know what? This is fun.
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CANDACE Stop it! Why’d you do that?
DELILAH I felt like it. (to TANISHA) You understand, don’t you? You know what that’s like, don’t you, you freak? You fucking dyke bitch? You get it, don’t you, you cunt?
CANDACE We’re not like them! I mean, we brought them here to this place. But Bree is my best friend and –
DELILAH She’s my friend too –
CANDACE She’s a good woman. And even though I don’t know you very well, I think you’re probably a nice person too. We’re not like them. I was raised in the church, I went to church every week, I memorized –
DELILAH So you’re a good girl. I’m a good girl too. What does that have to do with anything?
CANDACE You want to know something? I never got enough food as a kid. My mother was afraid I’d get fat. She was so fat! She’s still fat. So she made sure I wouldn’t get fat by giving me really small portions. Half an apple, half a box of raisins, lettuce leaves. “A lady is never full,’ she said. And it was true. I was never, ever full and I believed her when she said that that’s the way it was supposed to be. I ate my cucumber salad and never complained, even though I was always hungry, I always wanted more chicken. My mother used to take the chicken off the bone and shred it for me into little pieces, even when I got to high school. I just wanted to suck the meat from inside the bone. I remember dreaming about it. I became obsessed with tea because it was
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the only thing I was given an unlimited supply of. With no sugar, of course. All the different flavors kept me sane. Peppermint, orange pekoe, earl gray, lemongrass, almond, dandelion, chamomile, green.
DELILAH That’s wild.
CANDACE …My mother is a bitch. I loved her, I love her, but she’s a bitch.
DELILAH You do it. You punch her.
CANDACE I can’t.
DELILAH Of course you can. It’ll make you feel better.
CANDACE I’ve never hurt anyone before in my life. I don’t hurt people.
DELILAH Do it. Go on. Give it a try. CANDACE gives TANISHA a light slap across the face. Go on. A little harder. You can do it. CANDACE gives TANISHA a hard slap. There you go, good girl. How do you feel? Do you feel better?
'(
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CANDACE I don’t know.
DELILAH Go on. Do it again.
After a pause, CANDACE suddenly kicks TANISHA in the gut.
CANDACE Do you eat wheat, you bitch?! Because I don’t believe you when you say you have a wheat allergy! She punches her. When I bake cookies to share with everyone, you better fucking eat t hem! She kicks her. Another thing! Fuck tea! You hear that mother? Fuck tea! She slaps her and punches her in the head. All you do is laugh at me! Talk about me behind my back! I don’t need you to fucking like me! But you could be polite! Know what else? You’re an asshole! You’re all fucking assholes! CANDACE bursts into tears. She looks as if she might fall and DELILAH catches her.
DELILAH Okay. Okay. Just relax.
CANDACE Why don’t people like me?
DELILAH
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I like you.
CANDACE You do?
DELILAH Yeah. I do.
Scene Fourteen
Thursday. Late night. Another part of the woods. BREE and WREN stand in front of each other; BREE is breathing heavily. They stand silently in front of each other for several moments. It’s still raining.
WREN Faster, Swiss Cheese. You need to be faster.
BREE You’re crazy. Something in you is really wrong.
WREN Catch me if you can. Come on, faster!
WREN takes off again and BREE chases her. Eventually WREN pauses and allows BREE to catch up to her. They face each other again.
BREE Stop. Just stop.
BULLY Amina Henry
(+
WREN What would you do if I ran away again, right now? Would you shoot me? Because you certainly can’t catch me. You’re too slow.
BREE Do you want me to shoot you?
WREN Do you know what you need to do? Plyometrics. Short quick bursts of exercise. Interval training. Jogging is a waste of time. Like on the treadmill and stuff? Ridiculous. You see, jogging isn’t natural. Children and animals don’t jog. You see? Have you ever watched a little kid? The little beasties don’t jog.
BREE Shut up.
WREN You want to kill me don’t you? I wonder if you’ve got the nerve to try. If I were you, in your position, I’d do it. I’d just pull the fucking trigger.
BREE You might not.
WREN I would. I’d just fucking pull the trigger. Are you afraid of getting in trouble or something? Fear is bullshit. It doesn’t mean anything.
BREE What are you? Seriously, have you always been this way? You’re a – bully.
BULLY Amina Henry
("
WREN laughs.
WREN You’ll spend your whole life trying to figure it out. While you get fat. Listen, what if I try to take the gun away? Would you fight me? Or would you just let me take it? I think you’re a pussy.
WREN attempts to take the gun from BREE and the women struggle for several moments. BREE drops the gun. They fight; the fight should be pretty, like a choreographed aerobics routine. At a certain point, BREE retrieves the gun. WREN attempts to take it. The gun goes off and WREN falls; she’s been shot in the arm.
BREE Fuck! Why’d you do that?! You did that!
WREN No…you did it. She laughs a little. You – bully. You shot me. WREN wipes blood on her face. Look at me. Aren’t I beautiful? Don’t you wish – you were me?
BREE Oh my God. No.
WREN Come on. How does it feel to push past your limits, you beast?
BREE I’m not! You did this, this is your fault! I’ll get – help. Someone will come and we’ll all be saved –
BULLY Amina Henry
(#
BREE drops to her knees next to WREN.
WREN Not here. Not me.
BREE It was an accident –
WREN My arm – I’m bleeding –
BREE Oh my God –
WREN Ow. This hurts.
BREE Come on, let me –
WREN No, this shit isn’t real. None of this shit is real. Bliss, baby. I see something. Like a red sea. So much water – You know what? I’m all blissed out. Endorphins are a beautiful thing. What a rush. WREN gives BREE a rough kiss and then stands. Mmm, tastes good. You’re alright, Swiss Cheese, Me and you, let’s do this.
BREE Me and you?
BULLY Amina Henry
($
WREN Don’t fuck this up. We’re gonna ride this out to the finish line. Come on, let’s go.
WREN runs off, trailing blood from her shot arm.
BREE No. Wait! Come back! BREE gives a strangled cry. I’m cry. I’m tired. I’m destroyed. What does it all…mean? BREE stands up. Okay. Okay. Bree you can do this. Move your feet. Move. Do it now. After a moment, BREE runs off after WREN.
Scene Fifteen
The forest. The next morning. SIMONE weeps; she and TANISHA have had the gags taken from their mouths and they’ve been untied. DELILAH and CANDACE sit near them. They have all been waiting for hours. The rain has stopped.
SIMONE I’m so ashamed. I don’t know why I did it. My daughter – I’m so ashamed.
TANISHA March! March! Cars! Cars! All this waiting is bullshit.
DELILAH The rain’s stopped. Do you hear h ear that? Birds. They sound like flutes. DELILAH stands. I’m cold.
BULLY Amina Henry
(%
DELILAH runs in place.
CANDACE They’ve been gone a long time. Hours. What should we do? They’re lost. Should we look for them?
SIMONE I’m scared of these woods. Creepy crawly things –
TANISHA Maybe we should all go home. TANISHA stands. My legs are cramped. TANISHA runs in place. After a long moment, SIMONE gets up and runs in place. CANDACE stands after a moment and runs in place. DELILAH switches to jumping jacks and the others follow suit. DELILAH switches to push ups and the others follow suit. DELILAH stands stands and lightly throws a punch at TANISHA who bobs and weaves to avoid being hit. DELILAH and TANISHA shadow box. CANDACE shadow boxes with SIMONE, throwing punches while SIMONE bobs and weaves. The movements of the women become more frenzied and strange. At a certain point, DELILAH makes contact with TANISHA’S face, giving her a bloody nose; the women continue to fight. CANDACE punches SIMONE, connecting with her eye. The women fight. Then:
SIMONE Wait! Stop! Can’t we just stop?!
DELILAH Fine. We’ll stop. I’m hungry. Anybody else e lse hungry? Let’s just leave.
CANDACE
BULLY Amina Henry
(&
We can’t just leave them out here! We have to – I don’t know –
TANISHA I’m starving. We should go to a diner.
DELILAH That sounds amazing. My treat.
CANDACE No, we can’t just leave them out here! Can we? They’re lost! It feels so – unkind – to just leave them out here -
SIMONE I’m not a bad person, okay? I’m really nice.
DELILAH It doesn’t matter, Candace.
CANDACE Of course it matters! They’re our friends!
DELILAH (to CANDACE) But they left us. We’ve us. We’ve been waiting for hours. It’s rude. One of them could have called, they both have cell phones don’t they? For all we know they could have gone home.
SIMONE It is rude. is rude.
BULLY Amina Henry
('
DELILAH (to TANISHA) You’re crying.
TANISHA TANISHA touches her face and is surprised to discover tears. Am I? Oh, I guess I am. I never cry. I guess it’s just tension. I feel better. She smiles. You’re really pretty. Are we eating?
CANDACE But, what if they’re dead?! What if one of them killed the other one? Or they killed each other? There’ll be an investigation, they’ll do forensics, we’ll all have to testify and end up on American Justice or something like that –
DELILAH We’ll worry about it after breakfast okay? Maybe we can call the police. Yeah, that’s what we’ll do. We’ll have breakfast and call the police.
CANDACE And say what exactly?
SIMONE We’ll tell them that they – got lost?
TANISHA Yeah, we were just out here having fun and they got lost.
SIMONE
BULLY Amina Henry
I haven’t had pancakes in a long time.
TANISHA Or muffins.
SIMONE Or home fries.
DELILAH We’ll get a round of mimosas.
TANISHA I fucking love mimosas.
DELILAH Me too! And bloody marys!
TANISHA Me too!
CANDACE I hate bloody marys.
SIMONE Oh me too! Do you like bellinis though? Are you coming?
CANDACE I do like bellinis. But what about my gun? Bree has my gun.
((
