Love You To Death

A fourteen year old Zacky is standing outside of an emptying school, looking up the stairs, he’s obviously looking and waiting for someone.

MATT: Yo Zacky! Come on man, we’re gonna miss the school bus.

Zacky’s best friends Matt and Jimmy are running down the school steps.

JIMMY: Freedom! That actually killed.

ZACKY: I’m waiting for Alice.

JIMMY: Where is she?

ZACKY: Don’t know. We said we’d wait here.

MATT: Well she isn’t here…lets go.

ZACKY: No dude, I said I’d wait.

MATT: But we’ll miss the bus-

ZACKY: And?

JIMMY: He’s expecting us to fly home I see?

ZACKY: It’s called walking.

MATT: Why walk, when we can get a bus?

ZACKY: I’m waiting for Alice-

MATT: What if she’s already gone, and we’re standing here like idiots waiting?

ZACKY: We always wait for Alice.

JIMMY: Who had final period with her?

ZACKY: No one, she’s in advanced English.

MATT: Actually, I’ve not seen her all day.

JIMMY: Me neither, well, besides lunch.

ZACKY: She got all A’s last year and you’re wondering why none of us have classes with her?

JIMMY: Good point.

MATT: Oh come on. Lets just go.

ZACKY: Fine, you go. I’m waiting for Alice.

MATT: See ya.

Jimmy sits on the steps.

MATT: Dude, what are you doing?

JIMMY: Waiting for Alice.

Zacky sits next to him.

MATT: Oh I get it. Fine.

Matt sits next to Jimmy.

ZACKY: What are you doing?

MATT: Well I don’t know about you, but I’m waiting for Alice.

The three boys are all looking ahead of them, Zacky smiling at how loyal his best friends are.

Thirty minutes later, they’re still outside the school. It’s completely deserted, all students have gone home, all the school busses have left and the majority of the teachers have driven off in their cars.

The boys are messing around, like boys do. Play fighting, laughing and joking.

The end of detention bell rings and within mere minutes the double school doors swing open.

ALICE: Hello world! How I’ve missed you!

MATT: Finally!

Alice looks down.

ALICE: Why are you still here?

MATT: We had to wait for you.

ZACKY: We wanted to wait for you.

ALICE: Walking down the steps to join them. You didn’t have to. I told Brian I had detention and said not to wait.

They start walking home.

ALICE: Where is Brian anyways?

JIMMY: He had a doctor’s appointment.

MATT: On the first day back?

ZACKY: Lucky!

MATT: So, wait. We didn’t have to wait for you?

ALICE: Nope. Told Brian to let you know.

MATT: I’ll kill him.

ALICE: Why?

MATT: Hello…we’re walking!

JIMMY: Like it’ll hurt!

MATT: You can’t talk, you’re legs are long. Mine are short! Twice as much work for me!

ALICE: And you’re taller than me. Stop moaning about it!

ZACKY: Why did you get detention?

JIMMY: You got detention!?

ALICE: Keep up Jimmy!

MATT: On the first day? High five!

Alice and Matt high five.

JIMMY: Damn girl! That’s gotta be a record!

ZACKY: Why did you get detention?

ALICE: Oh I don’t know. My art teacher was pissed it me because I said I didn’t wanna paint the fucking fruit-

ZACKY: You actually said that?

ALICE: Yeah. What’s the point of painting fruit?! Why do I even need to know how to paint fruit? When am I ever gonna use that in real life?! Waste of fucking time!

JIMMY: Ohhh somone’s on a period.

ALICE: Actually, that was last week-

MATT & JIMMY: Ewww.

Alice and Zacky laugh at them.

ZACKY: What’s the plan for tonight?

JIMMY: Brian has something to show us.

ZACKY: Not more music?

ALICE: He’s just got a brand new guitar; let him play with his toy.

MATT: He said it shouldn’t take too long.

JIMMY: Then we’re off to the park.

ALICE: Why?

JIMMY: To celebrate getting through the first day of school, alive!

ALICE: I barely did!

JIMMY: Laughing. You’ve got double reason to celebrate.

ZACKY: I’m not getting as wasted as last time.

JIMMY: Pussy!

They laugh at Zacky.

ALICE: Oh God, that was so funny. You couldn’t even stand!

ZACKY: You told me it was water-

ALICE: Vodka tastes nothing like water!

ZACKY: I was too drunk to realise.

MATT: Your mom went nuts!

ALICE: I could hear her down the street!

ZACKY: Alright, let’s forget about the time Zacky got drunk-

JIMMY: You couldn’t even stand up!

They carry on walking home, still making fun of each other and making plans for that evening. Jimmy was the first to reach home, then Matt, leaving Zacky to walk past his own house to walk Alice to her front door.

The two are on her porch.

ALICE: You didn’t have to come all this way to bring me home Zacky.

ZACKY: It’s an extra couple of minutes, and besides we were talking.

ALICE: Okay, well thanks for waiting for me. See you tomorrow on the bus?

Alice is about to walk inside.

ZACKY: Wait, you not coming out with us tonight?

ALICE: I better not. I’m late home from school on the first day. Lauren’s home from work any time soon, and mom will be home within the hour. I’ve gotta get dinner on the stove and I’ve not done the laundry she asked me to do. Plus I got homework.

ZACKY: Aww come on Alice, it won’t be the same without you.

ALICE: I’ll come on Friday-

ZACKY: Friday?

ALICE: To celebrate getting through the first week!

MATT: Yo Zacky! You in a coma?

ZACKY: Huh?!

JIMMY: Oh it does speak!

ZACKY: Oh sorry.

MATT: You gonna stand there all day or are you going to actually help!?

Zacky has been snapped from his day dream by the rest of the band and the A7X roadies setting up for their set as the warm up act.

ZACKY: Oh yeah. Sorry.

BRIAN: You okay, dude?

Zacky begins to help Brian set up his amps with the leads into the sound desk and starts to set the levels.

ZACKY: Yeah, yeah. I’m fine.

BRIAN: You heard anything from Alice?

JIMMY: Don’t be stupid Gates. She’s too busy fucking!

ZACKY: Don’t talk about her like that.

JIMMY: Throwing his hands up in surrender. Ohh…someone’s having a period!

ZACKY: Yeah! Your mom!

JIMMY: Dropping his hands. Honestly Zacky? That’s the best come back you got? You’ve got nothing better than ‘your mom’?!

Zacky continues to set the levels.

JIMMY: Damn, Alice has really got a lot to answer to-

MATT: Hey Rev – catch!

Matt pretends to throw one of Jimmy’s symbols across the stage, Frisbee style.

JIMMY: Backing up. Go on then!

MATT: Laughing. Go long!

Matt doesn’t throw the symbol, but instead jogs over to Jimmy. They busy themselves setting up Jimmy’s massive kit.

BRIAN: So only Zacky can hear him. Have you heard from her?

ZACKY: Only to say she was there safe.

BRIAN: That was months ago! Have you called her since? Zacky shakes his head. Why not?

ZACKY: She’s probably busy. She’s not called me-

BRIAN: She’s probably thinking the same thing.

ZACKY: Maybe.

BRIAN: We’ve got Sunday off, why don’t you give her a call then?

ZACKY: Yeah. I might do.