Standing By

by Alan Eisenberg

  DRAKE

  Nothing much.

  DRAKE

  Look at that kid.

 

  (Gestures to Levi at the mirror.)

 

  What the heck is he doing? Ridiculous. What a rainbow rider.

  CHARLIE

  He’s just fixing his hair…

  DRAKE:

  (To Levi)

 

  Hey, what are ya doing? Fixing your hair for your boyfriend?

  (Messes up Levi’s hair.)

  Hey, what about that? Doesn’t look so gorgeous anymore, does it?

  (Levi starts to exit the bathroom. Drake stands in his way)

  DRAKE

  Hey, Princess, you’re not all done primping are you? You can’t go to the ball when your hair looks like that. Oh, my and your nails – you need a manicure, honey…

  LEVI

  Please get out of my way.

  DRAKE

  Or what, pretty princess? Are you going to call your Fairy Godmother?

  (To Charlie)

  Ha. Hey, come on man, let’s go.

  Drake Struts out of bathroom and Charlie hesitantly follows.

  Levi breathes heavily, clutches sink, and calms himself. Picks up bag then leaves.

  SCENE 6 – CLAIRE’S BEDROOM

  Claire discovered on bed. She is talking to the audience.

  CLAIRE

  Yeah, I’ve always been able to get good grades. I don’t know why, but I don’t have to work that hard. You would think this is great, but kids treat me different because of it.

  Kids first noticed I got all A’s in middle school. All of a sudden it mattered. Yeah, maybe I bragged a bit, but I didn’t know it would piss them off. Some of my best friends actually started to bully me. One time, I actually got a C in my math class on purpose, just so they’d stop giving me a hard time. I still hate to think about that.

  I don’t really understand why someone would be upset over something like what grades I get. I just want them to see through that to who I am inside.

  BRIT:

  (Enters)

  For the last time, will you turn your music down?!

  (Claire crosses and turns music off.)

  I’m trying to get my grad school application done and your freaking music so loud all the time and it’s driving me…

  (Realizes Claire actually turned off music.)

  CLAIRE

  (Sits back down on bed.)

  Happy?

  BRIT

  …Claire, are you okay?

  CLAIRE

  Yeah, I’m fine! Leave me alone.

  BRIT

  You know, you’ve always been a terrible liar.

  CLAIRE

  Seriously, stop. I don’t wanna talk about it.

  BRIT

  C’mon I’m not leaving until you tell me what’s wrong. Sorry if I offended you.

  CLAIRE

  …I’m invisible.

  BRIT

  What’s that supposed to mean?

  CLAIRE

  I try to have a conversation and my friends just ignore me. They call me names and make fun of me. I feel like such a loser!

  BRIT

  They make fun of you…to your face?

  CLAIRE

  I don’t know…maybe…Sometimes I feel like they don’t even care about me. I mean, am I not good enough for them? Am I too fat? Too ugly? Is my clothing not stylish enough? I’ve tried everything and they still don’t like me.

  BRIT

  Okay, well, don’t try to change for them. The problem is not you. You don’t need to change because they’ve already built up a wall against you. There’s no point in trying to appeal to them. You should try to hang out with different people. Is there anyone new you can talk to?

  CLAIRE

  Maybe? I mean, I’ve been hanging out with them since 6th grade so I feel like it’s too late to make new friends.

  BRIT

  That’s not true. It’s never too late. In fact, some of the shyest girls I know are the nicest. And you know what? There will be people who like you.

  CLAIRE

  You think so?

  BRIT

  Definitely, and in college, everyone’s new and on the same level. There will be people who like you because you’re you. You’re actually pretty cool.

  CLAIRE

  Thanks for everything, Brit.

  (They hug.)

  BRIT

  And don’t tell anyone we hugged. (Smiles at Claire then exits.)

  SCENE 7 – CHAT WITH MR. DUFFMAN

  Dressed out in gym uniforms, all other boys leave locker room. Ben comes out from behind the lockers, obviously avoiding being seen. Mr. Duffman enters.

  MR. DUFFMAN

  Hey, Ben. What are you doing? All the other guys are dressed; they already left.

  BEN

  Oh, I just… I waited until everyone left before I started changing.

  MR. DUFFMAN

  What? Why?

  (Ben doesn’t respond.)

 

  Are the other guys picking on you?

  (Ben nods, hesitantly.)

  Ben, you can’t just avoid the problem… Look, when I was in high school, there were these guys who would come and rough me up after school every day. They would stand outside my classroom and wait for me to come out. So, one day, I decided I wasn’t gonna take it anymore.

  BEN

  You stood up to them?

  MR. DUFFMAN

  (Sighs)

  No… I figured out that if I went out through the back door of the school, and took this long, winding route home, those guys wouldn’t find me, and I could avoid getting beaten up every day. So I did that for four years, and I graduated high school, unscathed…physically, at least.

  BEN

  So it worked! I could just…

  MR. DUFFMAN

  Well… Not really. You see, that walk home took half an hour every afternoon.

  BEN

  So? You didn’t get beat up. Problem solved.

  MR. DUFFMAN

  Well, a while ago, I did the math… Because I avoided those bullies, I lost a total of nine days of my life. Nine whole days were wasted. Nine days that I’ll never get back… I really regret that, you know? I wish I had reached out to someone instead of just throwing that time away.

  Ben considers.

  MR. DUFFMAN

  So, come on, tell me what’s going on.

  BEN

  It’s just… a few of the guys like to, you know, hassle me after class.

  MR. DUFFMAN

  Would you feel comfortable telling me who?

  (Ben shakes head no.)

  Alright, well, I guess I don’t blame you. I wouldn’t rat out anyone when I was in High School either. Would you feel more comfortable if I stayed in the locker room, and kept an eye on things? That way, if any of the guys try to mess with you, I can intervene.

  BEN

  Yeah… yeah, that’d be cool.

  MR. DUFFMAN

  Alright. How about you go get dressed? I’ll write you a pass to your next class.

  BEN

  Thanks, Mr. Duffman.

  MR. DUFFMAN

  No problem, Ben. Oh, and that story I told you. Let’s just keep that between you and me.

 

  He exits. Ben stands up to get dressed. He lets out a sigh, and stands up a little straighter.

  SCENE 7.5 – SCHOOL HALLWAY

  Ms. Bayer is walking in the hallway and Mrs. Elliott enters from the opposite side.

  MRS. ELLIOT

  Hi Patty.

  MS. BAYER

  Hi Mary. How is everything?

  MRS. ELLIOT

  That Parkview incident is putting a lot of pressure on us here. You did read the email and follow up I sent.

  MS. BAYER

  I did. I saw the reports on the news as well. Just terrible and certainly making the schools look bad. Like we don’t have enough other things to do here and we nee
d to know if a child is being bullied.

  MRS. ELLIOT

  Well, parents do entrust us with their children for 7 hours a day. And I certainly want to try to stop a situation like what happened at Parkview from happening here. Although I admit it’s hard. Just keep a watch and let the other teachers know as well will you?

  MS. BAYER

  Of course, Mary. I will certainly try.

  Both characters exit.

  SCENE 7 – CLAIRE’S TABLE

  Claire walks into lunch room, looks around and sees Staci and Jennifer with their backs turned towards her, sees Ronnie and Hayley, and goes over to sit with them.

  RONNIE

  I just sent in my last application last night. I’m so glad I’m done.

  (as Claire approaches)

  RONNIE

  Oh, hi, Claire!

  CLAIRE

  Hey, is it okay if I sit with you guys?

  RONNIE

  Yeah, no problem!

  HAYLEY

  Hey, look at us. Sitting at lunch together, just like 6th grade!

  CLAIRE

  Yeah.

  RONNIE

  We were just talking about college applications. Have you sent all of yours in yet?

  CLAIRE

  Actually, I just found out I got into Northwestern.

  RONNIE

  That’s awesome! Hayley got in there, too!

  CLAIRE

  Really?

  HAYLEY

  Yeah, I definitely think I’m gonna go there next year.

  CLAIRE

  Me, too. It’s my top choice.

  RONNIE

  Oh, we’re thinking about getting together to hang out this weekend. Would you want to join us?

  CLAIRE

  Umm… sure, that’d be great.

  SCENE 8 – BATHROOM

  Levi is washing his hands. Drake enters with Charlie.

  DRAKE

  Hey, lady. What are you doing in the guys’ bathroom?

  Levi ignores him. Begins to walk out.

  DRAKE

  Hey, I’m talking to you!

  LEVI

  Just leave me alone, Drake.

 

  (Drake throws a punch and misses. Levi counters with a stomach punch. Charlie intervenes)

  CHARLIE

  Hey, man, chill out. You’re taking this too far. Why do you have a problem with him?

  DRAKE

  He’s a faggot. Do I need an excuse?

  LEVI

  Yeah, I’m gay. So what? There’s nothing wrong with that. My sexuality is none of your business. You’re just ignorant. Grow up, Drake.

  CHARLIE

  It’s not like he’s hitting on you Drake. Why do you have a problem with him?

  DRAKE

  Whatever, fags. Why don’t you two get a room? (Storms out.)

  LEVI

  (To Charlie) Like I ever would hit on him? Thanks, Charlie.

  CHARLIE

  Hey, no problem.

  (Smiles. Exits.)

  CHARLIE

  I just want to stay below the radar, you know. There’s lots of guys who just think its fun to pick on someone else. I don’t talk about it, but it happened to me a lot in elementary school. I guess it happens to lots of guys and we just don’t talk about it. After that, when we moved and I started a new school, I told myself to just stay low and not make waves.

  But it gets to me and I can’t just sit and watch it happen. Hey, I know how that guy feels getting picked on.

  I read about these guys in Canada who wore pink shirts to school, because some bullies were picking on a kid for wearing a pink shirt. In fact they brought a box of pinks shirts and lots of the kids wore pink shirts the next day. Well, that stopped the bullying of that kid.

  I thought that was pretty cool that they made a difference. I just don’t know if I want attention like that. Will it really make a difference here anyway?

  Charlie walks off set as the lights dim.

  SCENE 9 – CASSIE’S LOCKER

  (Cassie is onstage at her locker. Mr. Duffman enters; Ben enters same side moments later)

  BEN

  Coach, wait up.

 

  DUFFMAN

  Hey, Ben. How’s it going?

  BEN

  It’s going a little better. Coach – Mr. Duffman… thanks for the talk the other day. It did really help.

  DUFFMAN

  Anytime, Ben. Anytime.

  (Duffman exits. Ben begins to exit the way he came. Levi enters. Ben nods to Levi. Both exit opposite ways)

  Cassie walks to her locker after the bell rings. All other students rush around then exit. Cassie is left alone in the hallway. She opens her locker then takes her phone out and begins to read a text.

  MS. BAYER

  Cassie, I warned you last time. I’m going to have to take your phone away. You can come by after class to pick it up.

  Cassie hands phone over silently. Ms. Bayer walks away and Cassie slams her locker shut. Lights go down.

  SCENE 10 – MS. BAYER’S CLASSROOM

  Ms. Bayer walks into classroom with Cassie’s phone. Students are being rowdy and loud.

  MS. BAYER

  Alright, everyone. Sit down. We’ll start in just a minute.

  (Looks around classroom and sees Cassie’s empty seat.)

  Has anyone seen Cassie? She was just in the hall…

  (No students respond. She looks around her desk. Sighs.)

  I forgot to print out the worksheets. Class, open your books to the last chapter we covered in class. I’ll be right back.

  (Exits.)

  DRAKE

  (Walks up to Ms. Bayer’s desk.)

  Hey, guys, look at this! Ms. Bayer left a phone on her desk.

  (Opens phone and reads messages.)

  Oh, man! These are brutal! Check this out.

  (Walks to Sam, who chuckles.)

  No one will ever love you. No one even likes you. You’re disgusting. Go back to where you came from. We don’t want you here.

  SAM

  Man, that’s harsh.(Laughs.)

  DRAKE

  Wait, these ones are even better.

  You’re a waste of space. Looking at you makes me sick. Go kill yourself.

  Other students laugh, while a few look uncomfortable.

  RONNIE

  (Annoyed throughout the whole scene)

  Ugh, you guys are disgusting!

  (Exits)

  SCENE 11 – CASSIE AND RONNIE

  Cassie is in a bathroom stall, holding a razor, crying, and preparing to end her life. Claire is in the bathroom and hears her crying. Claire washes her hands, looks toward the stall, but doesn’t say anything. Ronnie walks in,

  CLAIRE

  Hey, Ronnie!

  RONNIE

  Oh, hi, Claire.

  (Claire smiles then exits. Ronnie walks toward a sink then hears crying. She walks into the stall next to Cassie’s.)

  Hey…hey, are you okay?

  CASSIE

  (Sniffles)

 

  I’m fine!

  RONNIE

  Cassie? Missed you in class. What’s wrong?

  CASSIE

  Don’t worry about me…I just….I don’t belong here.

  RONNIE

  What are you talking about, Cassie?

  CASSIE

  Nobody wants me here.

  RONNIE

  That can’t be true.

  (No response. Realizes she is referring to the texts)

  I know some kids can be jerks. I know they can say some really hurtful things. And sometimes when you hear those things, it’s hard not to believe them. But you can’t. You can’t let them get to you. You deserve better than that. They just, they don’t get it. But not everyone here is like them… you’ll see.

  CASSIE

  You know, I always envied those girls in the halls, the ones that travel in packs, the ones that are never alone…

  RONNIE
/>   (lets out a soft chuckle, shakes head)

  No, they’re always alone…Hey, do you wanna…talk sometime? I don’t know. You sit near me in math, and you seem like a pretty cool person.

  CASSIE

  You’re not just saying that?

  RONNIE

  No. Seriously, if you need someone to talk to, even just to vent to, I’m around.

  Cassie drops the razorblade to the ground between the stalls. Ronnie sees it and picks it up.

  CASSIE

  (almost in a whisper, still crying)

  Thank you.

  Lights dim as other cast members come onto the stage. Cassie and Ronnie join them.

  CLOSING SEQUENCE

  Mr. Duffman

  I want everyone to have self-confidence.

 

  Brit

  I want to be there when my friends need me.

 

  Ms. Bayer

  I want everyone to realize that “different” does not mean “wrong.”

 

  Claire

  I want to break down the wall between bully and victim.

 

  Ronnie

  I want to save lives.

 

  Sam

  I want to stop the bullying.

 

  Ben

  I want to move on.

 

  Mrs. Elliot

  I want to help the one in ten children who are teased, pushed, hit, or otherwise tormented at school every day.