The Distance From Here

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The Distance From Here Page 4

by Neil LaBute


  DARRELL

  Yeah, and?

  GIRL

  Listen . . . do you like me at all?

  DARRELL

  You’re okay, yeah.

  GIRL

  Good. Great . . . cool.

  DARRELL

  ’S absolutely fantastic. You’re not careful, I’m gonna ask you to fucking homecoming . . . (smiles) Now, come on . . . who?

  GIRL

  —just . . . somebody.

  THE LIVING ROOM

  Same as before, but dinner has been cleared. Pushed aside, at least. Blankets on the couch. TV turned on.

  SHARI sits in a V-neck tee and undies, watching the tube. DARRELL just kicking off his shoes.

  DARRELL

  —fucking early, huh?

  SHARI

  Yeah.

  DARRELL

  Still here, though.

  SHARI

  Uh-huh. Car wouldn’t start. Rich said he’d look at it in the morning.

  DARRELL

  Great.

  SHARI

  —the, uhh, baby’s in your bed. Hope you don’t mind.

  DARRELL

  Nah.

  SHARI

  Your mom said it’d be okay.

  DARRELL

  Yeah. Sleep on the couch or whatever.

  (He moves toward the sofa and looks down at SHARI, who just slides a bit down to make room.)

  ’S that a problem?

  SHARI

  Well . . . umm, shit.

  DARRELL

  What?

  SHARI

  Cammie said I should sleep out here, you know, give the baby some space. He’s been kinda sick.

  DARRELL

  Oh.

  SHARI

  And they gotta work tomorrow.

  DARRELL

  Right.

  SHARI

  Yeah.

  DARRELL

  —umm, no, I’ll take a couple cushions, sleep in the kitchen.

  SHARI

  No, you don’t have to—

  DARRELL

  Fuck it, it’s sleep, right? All the same to me.

  SHARI

  Thanks.

  DARRELL

  ’S all right.

  SHARI

  That’s sweet, Darrell, thanks.

  DARRELL

  No prob’. I’ll just take ’em off the back there, okay? Leave you the bottom—

  SHARI

  I appreciate it. Don’t really wanna be in there with the baby, he puked up earlier.

  DARRELL

  Yeah, I can smell it—

  SHARI

  Sorry.

  DARRELL

  Don’t matter. I’ll be in the kitchen . . . smells worse in there!

  SHARI laughs lightly as DARRELL smiles at her.

  SHARI

  Have fun tonight?

  DARRELL

  ’S all right. Saw some guys I know, shit like that.

  SHARI

  Nice.

  DARRELL

  Yep. ’Kay, good night—

  He almost makes it to the door but SHARI speaks again.

  SHARI

  Darrell?

  DARRELL

  Yeah?

  SHARI

  I ever tell you . . . that I always liked you?

  DARRELL

  No.

  SHARI

  I mean, as kids. When we were all living together. Right after they got married.

  DARRELL

  Really?

  SHARI

  Yep, I always did. Thought you were really cute and everything, but, you know, brother and sister and all.

  DARRELL

  Step.

  SHARI

  True, but, I mean, supposed to be like it. Brother and sister. They wanted us to pretend like we were, right?

  DARRELL

  I guess.

  SHARI

  Anyway. I liked you. You were funny and kinda nice so I just liked you.

  DARRELL

  Huh.

  Silence as DARRELL slowly undresses in front of SHARI. Shirt and pants. He stands now in his briefs, looking at her.

  SHARI

  I told you that before, though, right?

  DARRELL

  No. You never did.

  SHARI

  Oh. Well . . . (BEAT) Come ’ere a second.

  SHARI motions and DARRELL sits. The baby begins to cry.

  DARRELL

  What?

  SHARI

  You’re filling out, huh?

  DARRELL

  Little.

  SHARI

  No, you definitely are. Definitely.

  DARRELL

  We do weights at school sometimes . . . Univesal Gym or whatnot.

  SHARI

  Looks good. Grown up—

  DARRELL

  Whatever.

  SHARI

  Look . . . you don’t have to sleep out there, on the linoleum. ’Cause this pulls out to, like, you know, a Queen.

  DARRELL

  What, sleep here? Umm—

  SHARI

  Yes. We could just set it up and—

  DARRELL

  —nah, I should just—

  SHARI

  I’m gonna be running back and forth all night, anyway.

  DARRELL

  Yeah?

  SHARI

  I mean, listen to ’em! Fuck—

  DARRELL

  I guess.

  SHARI

  Just a lot more cozy, that’s all I’m saying.

  DARRELL

  True.

  SHARI

  Be like when we were younger, times we’d do blanket forts and shit. We can pretend it’s like one ’a those—

  DARRELL

  Oh, man, come on!

  SHARI

  Seriously.

  DARRELL

  That’s funny, I remember that—

  SHARI

  With that big flowered comforter out on the porch, ’member? And the dog, that little spaniel thing would come tearing in there and knocking shit over, stepping on our sandwiches and all—

  DARRELL

  Yeah. (laughs) That was funny—

  CAMMIE appears from a hallway, yawning and a bit cross. Long T-shirt on with a tear in it near the belly.

  CAMMIE

  —fucking crying, huh?

  SHARI

  Yeah.

  CAMMIE

  Think you can maybe . . .?

  SHARI

  Just gonna. Go back in, sorry.

  CAMMIE

  Coming right through the wall, you know.

  SHARI

  I’ll get ’em, you guys sleep.

  CAMMIE nods and lights up a smoke. Inhales deeply then looks over at DARRELL, who quickly stands.

  CAMMIE

  Hey. Fuck you still up for?

  DARRELL

  Just got in.

  CAMMIE

  Oh. Didn’t know. I mean, standing in your undies there—

  DARRELL

  Yeah, gonna hit the sack.

  SHARI

  We were just talking and stuff.

  CAMMIE

  ’Bout what?

  SHARI

  You know, when we were kids. Shit like that.

  CAMMIE

  Uh-huh.

  SHARI

  When we played together, over in that one house, downtown?

  CAMMIE

  I remember.

  DARRELL

  We made a tent on the porch. Shari was telling me about it.

  CAMMIE

  On the porch?

  DARRELL

  With that flowered throw ’a yours, the big scratchy one off your bed.

  CAMMIE

  —I don’t recall that. Flowered? No—

  DARRELL

  We did it, though, a couple times.

  SHARI

  On the back porch.

  CAMMIE

  Hmmm. I dunno . . . maybe I was at work or something.

  DARRELL

  Whatever.
No big deal.

  CAMMIE takes another puff, motions to SHARI about the crying.

  SHARI

  I’m going. (BEAT) Hey, Cammie, I was thinking that Darrell could maybe—

  CAMMIE

  You’re set in the kitchen, right?

  DARRELL

  Ummm—

  CAMMIE

  You got the cushions there, so—

  DARRELL

  —’s fine. Yep.

  CAMMIE

  Great.

  DARRELL

  Whatever.

  CAMMIE

  Good, get going, then. And don’t eat everything, neither. Leave some milk.

  DARRELL

  ’Kay. (BEAT) I was just gonna have some more ’a that salmon, if it’s all right—

  CAMMIE

  Smart ass.

  She goes off to bed. SHARI and DARRELL look at one another.

  SHARI

  You can sneak back out later, I mean, if you want.

  DARRELL

  I’ll think about it—

  SHARI

  Good. ’S a Queen-size, so you know—

  DARRELL

  Yeah. ’Night.

  SHARI

  ’Night.

  DARRELL wanders off with his cushions. The baby cries.

  THE EMPTY LOT

  Big slab of blacktop forced up against the back corner of a building. Several ash cans around. A place near school where kids gather to smoke. Empty now.

  DARRELL and TIM stand nearby with cigs, puffing away in silence. DARRELL yawns.

  DARRELL

  —fucking bell, huh?

  TIM

  Yeah.

  DARRELL

  ’Nother couple minutes, sitting in fucking science! Double helix can just lick me, ya know?

  TIM

  Right. You do the homework?

  DARRELL

  Tim, think about what you just said—

  TIM

  Oh.

  DARRELL

  You?

  TIM

  Yeah, my sister helped me out—

  TIM pulls a wrinkled page out of his textbook as evidence. DARRELL nods.

  DARRELL

  Cool. (BEAT) Can I copy it?

  TIM

  Sure. I’m not, like, for certain that it’s right or nothing.

  DARRELL

  Gives a shit?

  TIM

  That’s what I figured. Something to have ’case she calls on me—

  DARRELL

  Absolutely.

  DARRELL grabs TIM’s homework from his hand, pushing TIM away when he tries to get it back. Studying it, DARRELL snags one of TIM’s notebooks off the pavement and starts to scribble down figures.

  TIM

  Change a coupla answers, though, make it too obvious—

  DARRELL

  Way ahead of you, dude.

  TIM

  ’Kay.

  DARRELL

  Always way the fuck out there in front ’a you, Timmie.

  TIM

  Don’t call me that, man.

  DARRELL

  Whatever. Just want you to know that I’m on to you, ’ever you try and pull that covert shit ’a yours.

  TIM

  What?

  DARRELL

  “What?” you know fuckin’ what.

  TIM

  —no.

  DARRELL

  Yesterday. (BEAT) The mall.

  TIM

  I dunno, what? Serious.

  DARRELL

  Fuck you, lie right to my face.

  TIM

  Darrell, what?

  DARRELL

  Ahh, Jenn, maybe. You fucking saw her, I know you did.

  TIM

  I did not . . . (BEAT) . . . She say something?

  DARRELL

  Nice fucking pal I got.

  TIM

  Hey . . . she asked me not to. The hell am I gonna do?

  DARRELL

  Ummm, maybe not be a total butthole and keep shit from me. (BEAT) I hate that, more than any thing on this fucking earth. Lies and such.

  TIM

  —sorry. Put me in a bind.

  DARRELL

  Yeah, well, don’t do that shit again. I mean it—

  TIM

  ’Kay.

  DARRELL punches TIM on the arm, hard, and TIM takes it. They share an uneasy smile.

  DARRELL

  Listen . . . you got, like, twenty bucks or whatnot I can borrow? Gotta get Jenn a present, perfume ’a some kind. Something. Birthday’s tomorrow—

  TIM

  Nah. Really?

  DARRELL

  Yeah. (BEAT) Nothing?

  TIM

  Uh-uh. Mom cut off my fucking allowance . . . I spray painted some shit in the family room. Sorry.

  DARRELL

  Great. (BEAT) What about work, they do pay you, right, or you just like hanging out with those chop suey motherfuckers?

  TIM

  I get, like, a check next week—

  DARRELL

  Too late! Birthday’s on Friday. (BEAT) Fuck!

  TIM doesn’t answer and DARRELL impatiently waves him off, going back to copying the work. TIM begins to examine his jeans. Tries to lighten things up.

  TIM

  Look—

  DARRELL

  What?

  TIM

  —found a coupla welts on my legs, showering this morning. Fucking ants!

  DARRELL

  Uh-oh, lemme feel your head—

  DARRELL starts to wrestle with TIM, trying to get a hand on his forehead.

  TIM

  Knock it off, faggot! You fucker!! Don’t call me that!!!

  DARRELL

  Hey, come on! I can feel it, Timmie, you’re going bonkers!! Whoooah!!!

  The fighting increases until DARRELL connects with a hard slap to TIM’s face. Suddenly the game is serious. DARRELL goes at TIM again, who hits him with a solid shot to the chest. DARRELL staggers back from the blow.

  TIM

  Shit, sorry!

  DARRELL

  Dick!!

  TIM

  Well—

  DARRELL

  Use a fucking fist! I was just playing, you prick . . . (BEAT) That’s illegal in wrestling, you know, closed hand?!

  TIM nods at this, solemnly accepting the rebuke. DARRELL uses the opportunity to jump TIM and bring him to the ground. They battle each other as JENN enters.

  JENN

  —hey.

  DARRELL

  Shit. (BEAT) Hi, Jenn, what’s up?

  JENN

  Nothing. Figured you guys’d be here . . . didn’t know you’d be making out.

  (DARRELL laughs this off and quickly stands, brushing himself off. TIM remains where he is, then rises slowly.)

  Hey, Tim.

  TIM

  Jenn. How you doing?

  JENN

  You know.

  TIM

  Yeah.

  DARRELL

  He sure does. He knows a fucking ton . . . ’course he never tells me. Like about yesterday, for instance.

  JENN fires a look directly at TIM; DARRELL catches it before she turns back.

  JENN

  —what?

  TIM

  Darrell . . . (to JENN) I didn’t say shit—

  DARRELL

  Nah, don’t worry, Jenn, he lied his ass off for ya.

  JENN

  Whatever.

  DARRELL

  Yeah, which I don’t understand, since he says he dislikes ya so much . . . (BEAT) Hey, did you call Tim “stupid” or something?

  JENN

  What?!

  TIM

  Aww, fuck!

  TIM quickly gathers his books and starts to move away.

  DARRELL

  Tim, I’m kidding! Get over here!!

  TIM

  I gotta take a pee. See ya in class—

  JENN

  ’Bye, Tim. Still got detention later?

  TIM

  See ya, Jenn.
Yeah. Uh-huh.

  DARRELL waves and TIM walks off. JENN turns back to DARRELL.

  JENN

  Fuck you gotta be so shitty for, huh?

  DARRELL

  Hey, you’re the one who said it.

  JENN

  God! Talking at some party last month, drunk as hell . . . can’t you just be nice? Your own fucking friend. You know?

  DARRELL

  Whatever. (BEAT) The fuck you do that for yesterday? Blow

  me off—

  JENN

  Dunno.

  DARRELL

  I’m asking so I’m interested. (BEAT) Come on, I missed you.

  JENN

  —yeah? How much?

  DARRELL

  This much.

  DARRELL grabs the crotch of his jeans and makes a face. JENN laughs a bit, hits at him.

  JENN

  So, I guess that says we’re just, like, back together, huh? I mean, way you’re acting suddenly—

  DARRELL

  What?

  JENN

  The hell was all that shit on Monday, “what?”

  DARRELL

  Nothing. I was pissed—

  JENN

  Yeah, I got that! (BEAT) The dude’s in my homeroom, okay, asked me a question, not my fucking number. All right?

  DARRELL

  No, it’s not all right, you know I hate that shit! Other guys and shit—

  JENN

  Wasn’t about a guy! Je-sus—

  DARRELL

  Well, fuck I know what goes on being my back . . . everybody sneaking around.

  JENN

  A little trust, maybe. Try that.

  (They stare at one another a moment. JENN lightens up first.)

  Fuck . . . whatever.

  DARRELL

  ’S not.

  JENN

  Then stop with the . . . you know, not every guy around is try’na get in my pants.

  DARRELL

  —yeah. (smiles) Maybe.

  JENN

  You gotta ease back on the jealous shit a little, ’kay, ’cause I’m tired ’a breaking up, like, every three days.

  DARRELL

  Come on. Don’t worry ’bout it. (tries to hug her) ’S okay if you wanna hang with friends—

  JENN

  Yeah, well, don’t be such a dick about it, then . . . (BEAT) I don’t know about you sometimes, I really don’t. Fucking green eyed monster—

  DARRELL

  Okay, okay, ’s my fault.

  (Another bell rings loudly.)

  Fuck! We doing something this weekend?

  JENN

  I guess. Sure.

  DARRELL

  Got any money?

  JENN

  Couple bucks, that’s it.

  DARRELL

  Shit.

  JENN

  Might get a little tomorrow. My, ahh, birthday—

  DARRELL

  Don’t worry, I’m getting ya one, two things!

  JENN

  ’S not what I meant!

  DARRELL

  Bullshit!! (they kiss) I’ll call ya—

  JENN

  When?

  DARRELL

  Dunno.

  JENN

  You get the car?

  DARRELL

  Uh-huh. Think so—

  JENN

  Great, see ya later, then. (BEAT) Hey, can you pick me up some cigs?

 

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