CAST OF CHARACTERS:
EMILY: Speaks 664 words.
TANNER: Speaks 578 words.
TAYLOR: Speaks 453 words.
LANE: Speaks 415 words.
LINDA: Speaks 435 words. A mother.
LISA: Speaks 271 words. A mother.
NANA: Speaks 249 words. A grandmother.
GIGI: Speaks 105 words. An aunt.
Excerpt:
SCENE ONE: OUTSIDE OF THE SCHOOL
Taylor and Lane are sitting on a bench waiting for Tanner and Emily.
TAYLOR
Seen Emily or Tanner?
LANE
Not a sign of them… they must be running late.
TAYLOR
I hope we don’t miss them… I want to talk to Tanner about the history exam.
LANE
Tanner? I thought he hated history.
TAYLOR
He does. He’s been doing really bad in that class. That’s why I want to talk to him. He aced the test today!
LANE
He got an A? Tanner??
TAYLOR
Nobody can believe it!
Emily enters from behind and walks toward them, smiling. She overhears them talking about Tanner so she stops and listens. They don’t see her.
LANE
He must have really studied.
TAYLOR
Tanner?? No way.
LANE
Then how did he get an A?
TAYLOR
Yeah… that’s what I want to know! I heard Mr. Tomlinson make a comment that makes me think he doesn’t believe it, either.
LANE
(shocked)
You don’t think he cheated?!
TAYLOR
How else could he get an A on a history test? That test was hard! I got a B-! Now…I saw him in the library yesterday writing on little cards. They looked small enough that he could slip them up his sleeves…
LANE
No!
TAYLOR
I can’t prove it… but think about it. Tanner really needs his grades to come up in that class… and then he gets an A on the test?? It seems obvious to me…
Emily reacts rather shocked.
LANE
Hey…there’s Olivia. Isn’t she in your history class?
TAYLOR
Yeah. I wonder how she did. Hey! Olivia! Wait up! I want to talk to you!
She runs off and Lane follows her. They don’t even see Emily. Tanner enters from the other side.
TANNER
Emily…where are Taylor and Lane going?
EMILY
Off to spread rumors!
TANNER
What?
EMILY
How did you do on your history test?
TANNER
Oh man! I can’t believe it! I got an A!
EMILY
So I heard.
TANNER
How did you hear that?
EMILY
It’s probably all over the school by now.
TANNER
What?
EMILY
I just heard Taylor telling Lane all about it.
TANNER
All about my A?
EMILY
Yeah… she thinks you cheated.
TANNER
(laughs)
Yeah…I think Mr. Tomlinson thinks that, too. He made a comment about me getting an A and I think maybe Taylor must have heard him. I really needed that A. That is going to help my average a lot!
EMILY
You studied hard for that test, didn’t you?
TANNER
Oh yeah! Big time! More than I ever have, I think. You know how I hate history.
EMILY
And you didn’t write little note cards and hide them up your sleeve so you could cheat?
TANNER
What? Why would you say that?
EMILY
That’s what Taylor thinks.
TANNER
She seriously thinks I cheated?
EMILY
She saw you writing note cards in the library.
TANNER
Oh! I was writing my lines for the play. There are some that are hard for me, and I don’t want to have to hold the script, so I just wrote a few of them on small cards that I can hold in my hand. It’s just till I can get them down.
EMILY
So, Taylor and Lane are going around spreading rumors that you cheated on your history test and it isn’t true!
TANNER
Of course it isn’t. I wouldn’t do that.
EMILY
And they should know that. They have known you for how many years??
TANNER
Whatever. It’s not true, so there’s nothing to worry about.
EMILY
Just your reputation!!
TANNER
My reputation? Chill Emily. You have to admit…this IS hard for people to believe. I can’t believe it myself!
EMILY
I can’t believe you are taking this so lightly! You’re all …‘whatever’… and meanwhile the whole school is going to think you cheated.
TANNER
Well, here they come. I guess we can ask them how many people think I cheated.
Taylor and Lane enter
LANE
You guys are late. What took you so long?
EMILY
I guess we really needed to be quicker today, didn’t we? That way you wouldn’t have time to run all over the school spreading your vicious rumor!
LANE
What? Vicious rumor?
TAYLOR
What are you talking about?
EMILY
Don’t play innocent. I heard you. Then you ran off to tell Olivia. Who knows how many others have heard your little story?
LANE
You’re freaking me out, Emily!
EMILY
You are supposed to be our friends! Well, some friends! My brother is not a cheat! Just because he gets an A on a test, you go and assume that he cheated!
TAYLOR
Oh that!
EMILY
Yeah! That!
TAYLOR
That doesn’t mean anything.
TANNER
See, Emily?
EMILY
No! I won’t accept that. You can’t just go around spouting lies and think that it’s no big deal!
TAYLOR
Now wait a minute!
EMILY
You could be destroying his reputation in this school!
TAYLOR
You’re taking this too far!
EMILY
You already took it too far when you started telling lies! I’m done with you!
TAYLOR
You’re crazy!
LANE
You’ve really flipped this time, Emily. Let’s go, Taylor!
TAYLOR
I can’t wait to get out of here!
They exit.
TANNER
(Being sarcastic)
Well… that went well, don’t you think?
EMILY
I just wonder how much damage has already been done.
TANNER
I think you might have just made it worse than it was.
Lisa enters
LISA
Here you are! I’ve been waiting in the car! Why are you standing here?
TANNER
I’m sorry, Mom. We had a little problem. I think we lost track of time.
LISA
What kind of problem?
EMILY
The worst kind. Betrayal. Taylor and Lane are spreading rumors about Tanner.
TANNER
That’s just what YOU think.
LISA
What kind of rumors?
EMILY
They are telling everyone that Tanner cheated on his history test.
TANNER
You don’t really know how many people they told…
LISA
Why would they think you cheated?
TANNER
I got an A.
LISA
You got an A???!!
TANNER
Yeah… can you believe that?
EMILY
And they think he cheated. But he studied really hard and he earned that grade! Now the whole school is going to think he’s a cheat, because of their lies!
LISA
They can’t do that!
EMILY
That’s what I said!
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