WHAT HAPPENS NEXT (excerpt) by Margot Connolly

What Happens Next

Margot Connolly

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT

by Margot Connolly

Agent:

Beth Blickers—APA

3 Columbus Circle, 23rd Floor

New York, NY 10019

bblickers@apa-agency.com

© Margot Connolly

margotconnolly 316@gmail.com

www.writemargotwrite.weebly.com

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Margot Connolly

What Happens Next

Character List JER, female. 17 years old.

WILLA, female. 16 years old.

TALIA, female. 17 years old.

MS. PERETZ, female. 37 years old.

MS. GITANO, female. 63 years old.

Shadow Students, 1-7

silhouettes in the hallway, heard but never seen

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Scene One

It smells here now.

(A classroom. Nice, neat - the back wall has a window starting from waist-height of slightly frosted glass looking out toward the hallway. The window has a hairline crack through it, culminating in the bottom corner with a small hole, patched with a sheet of

plastic and tidy strips of packing tape. A whiteboard. A television, hanging in the corner over the teacher’s desk, screen blank. The doors to a supply closet off to one side, firmly shut. Sitting at one of the tables is JER. Using her backpack as a pillow, she’s

messing around on her phone. In the hallway behind the window, we can see and hear the shadows of other students, the before school rush.)

It doesn’t -

Like paint or -

Oh that well that yeah but not -

ONE

THREE

ONE

TWO

ONE

Like fumes or whatever it’s giving me a headache -

Hey! Hi, oh my god, hi, it feels like -

THREE

Hey long time no -

FOUR

Hey yeah it’s been -

FIVE

What’d you do? Over the -

THREE

FOUR

What, you want an essay, ‘what I did on my’ -

On your what? Your summer vacation?

FIVE

Whatever I didn’t -

FOUR

THREE

No, no, come on, I just meant - I missed you.

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FOUR

Uh whatever we texted this morning and last night and -

Did you do the DBQ? The -

SIX

FIVE

Mm, I think so? I mean, I did it like, a while ago but I’m pretty sure I -

I can’t get my locker open I think it’s -

THREE

Right left right not -

FOUR

Oh, right -

THREE

Don’t slam that my head is -

ONE

I thought there’d be more -

THREE

FOUR Yeah, right? I mean last week they like came to my house, like all the way up the driveway even

FIVE

My mom said they wouldn’t let them near the school, said it’d be a security risk at least and probably -

FOUR

No way if you drive up McKibben to get here there’s a line of people like a mile long with signs and balloons and shit, so weird, they’re probably all over there or

SIX

I never did it. The DBQ. Do you think Mr. Carver will -

No way. He wouldn’t.

SEVEN

FIVE

They can’t anyway, none of them can, it wouldn’t -

They could, they -

SIX

SEVEN

They’re not going to. Like Mr. Carver couldn’t get away with coming down on you after Ms. Kimura got -

ONE

I forgot how fucking loud everyone is here, Jesus -

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Do you want to go to the nurse -

TWO

ONE

Why would I go to the nurse there’s nothing she could -

For your head I mean. Your headache.

TWO

THREE

I lost my sweatshirt do you think if I went to lost and found it’d be -

Good luck, I bet they took it for -

FOUR

FIVE

My mom said they were talking about having a picnic or something, like a welcome back picnic, like can you -

ONE

I don’t even want to be here. I don’t even know if I’ll stay. If I -

FIVE

And I was like ‘how you gonna end the picnic with like a fucking fireworks show’ and she just -

Well I mean it’s kinda -

SIX

FIVE

It’s fucking true though it isn’t like a celebration or whatever, it’s not like hurray three cheers for school it’s like -

But still, she didn’t mean -

FOUR

FIVE

Yeah I mean I felt bad later. But like. A picnic?

(Sudden hush.)

Hey Mr. Carver

TWO

Hey

FOUR

Morning

FIVE

Yeah, hey.

SIX

THREE

Mr. Carver? Um I think I maybe might have lost my sweatshirt do you think if I went to lost and found it’d be there or do you think -

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Hey.

Hey, Jer.

(The noise gets louder, less distinct as the door opens. WILLA, backpack on back, enters. Sees JER sitting at desk. Closes the door behind her.)

(JER doesn’t look up.)

Hey.

Oh, hey. Sorry - hey.

(Finishes something on her phone. Looks up.)

Hey. Good to -

WILLA

We can hug. It’s okay.

JER

(They hug, briefly but not awkwardly. WILLA looks around the room. JER sits back down. Back on the phone.)

It looks the same in here.

WILLA

JER

WILLA

JER Yep. Little bit of tape, fresh coat of paint, that’s all it takes apparently. Good as new. Whatcha think, should they slap a coat on me, see if it does anything?

Shut up. You been anywhere else?

WILLA

JER

Nah. Figured - have to go somewhere, so. Might as well start here. Bite the bullet, huh? Joke.

Sorry.

No, right.

It’s good to see you.

(Pause.)

Yeah? Me? Really?

JER

Shut up.

WILLA

WILLA

JER Whatever, its not like I went anywhere. Just - been here. At home. Not like you - I mean, where’d you even -

WILLA

Oh, well - we - I mean my parents were pretty freaked, about the reporters and - so we didn’t even stay for like any of the - you know. They didn’t. You know. We went to my nana’s for a

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while. Just to. Um. And they like took my phone so I wouldn’t - yeah. So. Missed you. Have you seen anybody?

JER

I get to see the Dream Team in the paper front page, above the fold every morning - that’s what I want first thing in the morning, Talia Nussbaum and Quinn Harper and Manny Gonzalez staring mindlessly up at me, like I don’t get enough of that shit at school -

WILLA Oh. I - no, I meant, um, since - I mean, did you like really - talk to anybody. In person. Since.

After.

JER Mostly stayed home the whole time. Played Call of Duty and Bioshock and Doom and shit, target practice in the backyard, you know me. Joke.

Yeah, I get it -

WILLA

JER

My parents took everything like that and locked it in the attic or something. Anything they thought would upset me or. I basically watched Bambi for two weeks. But I don’t know that anyone was like - hanging out really.

WILLA

I heard they had meetings. Like, the whole time school was closed.

Who? The Dream Team?

JER

WILLA

Maybe you shouldn’t call them that anymore.

Why not?

Who had meetings, then?

JER

(Pause.)

WILLA Um, Quinn and Manny and Talia and - all of them. And like, a bunch of other people. Like almost everyone is what I heard? Or like, you know, not everyone, but. A lot of people. The like - you know. Usual suspects. That’s what it seemed like from TV. You didn’t - see it?

What part of Bambi don’t you get -

JER

WILLA Or I mean - I didn’t get to really see that much either, just like once when my parents went grocery shopping and I - I don’t know. I heard Talia had the meetings at her house because her parents have that basement, you know, with the pool table and couches so -

I’ve never been.

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WILLA Yeah you have, we went there once for a cast party in middle school, you remember? After Bye Bye Birdie. They’re up in like, the development, so I mean, it’s pretty nice. Big, you know. I mean, not that - whatever. Just. I heard they met there. They didn’t - ask you?

JER I don’t know. Maybe. Maybe my parents didn’t - I don’t know. It’s not like those guys have ever asked me to do anything before now so I don’t know why -

WILLA

I mean I didn’t - I think they’re still happening? Like if you want we could go together or - it’s not like they asked me asked me, just I saw some stuff on Snapchat so. Maybe since you’re not on Snapchat they -

JER

I mean I don’t care they didn’t ask me. I wouldn’t have gone anyway.

Really?

WILLA

JER Yeah. I mean, the plan is just - for everything to get back to normal, right? That’s what everyone keeps saying, get back to normal, routine, whatever. So. Normally the Dream Team doesn’t - just, people like Talia Nussbaum don’t ask me to hang out in her basement like plotting the overthrow of the government or whatever, so. It’s fine.

WILLA Yeah, okay. But still - I mean, if you wanted to -

I don’t. So whatever.

JER

Sure. Whatever.

Saw Mr. Carver in the hallway.

WILLA

Yeah?

(JER goes back to the phone.)

JER

Did you hear - I don’t know. I heard -

WILLA

I heard that too. Fucked.

JER

Yeah.

You really watched Bambi?

WILLA

(Pause.)

JER Just once. I was desperate. It actually was like a pretty okay movie. But then the hunter

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showed up and my mom made my dad turn it off. You know shit’s bad when Bambi’s on the censor list.

(The door opens again. TANYA PERETZ, their

teacher, enters. Stops short.)

Jer. Willa. What a - hi.

MS. PERETZ

Hey, Ms. Peretz.

WILLA

(JER raises a hand, still looking at her phone.)

MS. PERETZ What are you all - I mean not that I’m not pleased to - sorry, wait, come here first, let me -

(She hugs WILLA, who hugs back. JER raises a hand,

awkwardly, like a high five.)

Hey, guys. Welcome back - or - it’s good to see you.

Yeah, Ms. Peretz. Good to see you too.

WILLA

Yeah.

JER

MS. PERETZ You know Ms. Gitano and Mr. Drescher are having an assembly in the cafeteria soon?

I’m good.

Not sure it’s optional, Jer.

JER

MS. PERETZ

WILLA But like - they can’t squeeze everyone into the cafeteria. We won’t fit.

JER Well they’re not going to try and shove us all in the study hall, are they? Or the atrium or the -

MS. PERETZ No one is - no one is getting shoved anywhere. They’re just having everyone go to the cafeteria.

WILLA But like - I don’t know if I can actually - with all those people, I mean we’ll be - that just doesn’t feel like -

MS. PERETZ

It’ll be by grade, I think. Not everyone at once. They just want to - welcome everyone back.

Give everyone the ground rules.

JER Why? Are the ground rules different now?

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MS. PERETZ Not the rules, just - they want everyone on the same page. About how things are going to go.

So we all can - play our part.

I’m good.

JER

Jer.

MS. PERETZ

WILLA

When does eleventh grade meet?

MS. PERETZ Maybe ten minutes. The seniors came early - but then it’ll be you guys. So you can stay a little longer, but then I’ve gotta kick you out, okay, Jer?

(JER gives a thumbs up, other hand on the phone.)

What about you, Willa? How are you?

WILLA Oh. Okay. Yeah. I mean - you know. Okay. I guess I - okay.

MS. PERETZ Yeah. It’s okay not to be okay, you know.

JER Did they have an assembly for all the grown ups too? Give you like a glossary of terms along with those new ground rules?

MS. PERETZ

Of course. We’ve been back - you know, we’ve been here a couple days. Getting everything settled.

WILLA Oh. Yeah, duh, I guess that - yeah. But yeah, I mean - I just got back? From my nana’s? She’s like an hour from here up in Delta so we just, um - yeah.

Bet it was nice to get away.

MS. PERETZ

WILLA Yeah, I guess. She’s like - not one hundred percent with it, you know, so like she kept calling me Rachel which like - I don’t even know a Rachel? But it was fine.

JER Hey, what a coincidence, my nana calls me Rachel too. Joke.

Really? You call that a joke?

WILLA

(JER flips her the bird.)

MS. PERETZ Hey, teacher sitting here. Watch it. What did you do, Jer? Keep busy?

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I guess.

JER

MS. PERETZ You know when classes start you’re gonna have to put the phone away.

JER You think? I don’t know. I bet they won’t confiscate anyone’s phone for like the rest of the year, at least. Plus my mom wants hourly texts. Just to check in.

MS. PERETZ I think people will be able to tell the difference between check in texts and - Clash of Clans?

Hey, nice, Ms. P. Good eye.

JER

(A locker slams in the hallway. All of them jump. JER’s phone skids away, off the table. Ms. PERETZ jostles something - a stack of papers go flying. WILLA ducks down to the floor.)

MS. PERETZ Oh shit - shoot, I mean - sorry, guys, I didn’t - sorry, I was just -

(She scrambles on the floor, picking things up. WILLA

joins her. JER slams on the phone harder than ever.)

Sorry, Willa, you don’t have to - I’m so sorry, I wasn’t -

(She’s having trouble pulling everything back

together.)

I’m sorry it just - startled me so -

Yeah, I - sorry. I.

(A moment.)

WILLA

JER Hey careful, Ms. P. Principal Drescher hears you cussing like that, you’ll get a demerit.

(Another moment. Then MS. PERETZ lets out a small laugh. WILLA does too. JER looks up from game, a small grin. For a moment, like they’re going to be able to brush it off, or like they’re going to talk about it. But the classroom door opens - not a slam or anything, but it feels shocking. The space feels violated. Anyone could be on the other side of the door. JER loses the phone. WILLA drops down to the ground, MS. PERETZ drops the things she managed to pick up. MS. GITANO, the vice principal, stands in the doorway. Looks at them all.)

MS. GITANO Hey - hi there, guys. Hey.

(She doesn’t know what to do - apologize?

Acknowledge?)

Sorry about - didn’t mean to startle you!

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You didn’t. We’re fine.

JER

Um. Yeah.

WILLA

(MS. PERETZ nods. Stoops down to scoop up her papers again.)

MS. GITANO Just doing one last sweep - the assembly for the juniors starts soon. Want to make sure everyone gets there on time.

WILLA Yeah. Um. Right. We - in the cafeteria, right?

MS. GITANO You got it! It shouldn’t take long. Just a chance for us all to - see each other. Get on the same page. Right?

Right. Great.

JER

WILLA

Um. Maybe we should head to the cafeteria, Jer.

Yeah. Sure.

We’ll, um - see you later, Ms. P.

JER

WILLA

MS. PERETZ Yes, of course, we’ll - and I’ll be at the assembly, too, so I can - and we’ll all - you know, everyone together, we’ll all -

Yeah, Ms. P. Cool.

WILLA

MS. GITANO I’ll see you guys there. Just going to finish up that sweep!

(They exit. MS. PERETZ and MS. GITANO, alone.)

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