A Year in the Stars and Rain by Jared Mallard

This Play is the copyright of the Author and must NOT be Performed without the Author's PRIOR consent

SCENE 1: SPRING, PART ONE
(A man, Adult Stan, 40's, older version of main character stands on the end of the stage.)
ADULT STAN
I read once that there's no love like your first. Before I was anyone else's, I was hers. First loves can hit you at any time. It swallows you up, brings butterflies to the gut and tingles to the head. It's all consuming. It's awful, terrifying ...and beautiful. (Beat) I'm just glad it can only happen once.
(The past. A high school cafeteria. A young boy, Stan, sits by himself, reading. Shawn and his team of bullies enter. Shawn throws a wrapper at him.)
ANDY
Nice catch nerd!
(Shawn gets up and walks towards him.)
SHAWN
I see all your friends decided to join you again today.
GRACE
I think he has more friends than yesterday.
ANNIE
Wearing the same shirt too.
BETHANY
Do you own more than one shirt?
SHAWN
I doubt it.
ANNIE
His mother is a waitress.

BETHANY
And his father left them.

GRACE
Boo-hoo.

ANNIE
So sad.

(Stan goes to get up, but Shawn pushes him back down. As this happens, the gang gets up to surround Stan. Enter Chloe, 13, quirky. She takes a seat where the gang had been.)

SHAWN
I didn’t say you could leave.

STAN
Shawn please.

(Grace notices the new girl sitting in “their seat”)

GRACE
Hey, that’s out table!

BETHANY
You can’t sit there!

CHLOE
I gotta sit somewhere.

SHAWN
Perhaps you don’t understand how this works, but that’s our table. It has been since the beginning.

CHLOE
The beginning of what? Time?

SHAWN
Move!

CHLOE
I’m just sitting man.

(Shawn goes to grab her shoulder. She quickly, like a ninja, twists his hand and bends him to her will)

SHAWN
Ouch! Ouch!

CHLOE
Call off your dogs.

SHAWN
NO!

CHLOE
Call em off!

SHAWN
Guys, back off.

CHLOE
Now, I’m going to sit down, and you and your goon squad are going to leave. Got it!
(Silence)
CHLOE
Got it!
SHAWN
Yes!
(She lets him go.)
SHAWN
You just signed your death wish new girl. Right?
GRACE
Right!
ANNIE
Death wish!
CHLOE
What's all of you deals? You just follow him like some obedient lap dogs?
(Shawn's team all look at one another, conflicted.)
CHLOE
Like you?
(She points at Bethany.)
CHLOE
I bet you're good at something, but you're too afraid to try because you would look stupid in front of him. Am I right?
BETHANY
Whatever.
CHLOE
You should do what it is you love. And you two.
(She points at Andy and Grace)
CHLOE
I can tell by the way you're sitting that you have a crush on each other, but you're probably too afraid to date because it would anger Alpha Dog here.
ANDY
Who her?
GRACE
Him?
(Awkward, bashful, clearly they like each other.)
CHLOE
And you.
(Points at Annie.)
CHLOE
You're the saddest because I actually think you like Alpha Dog and he doesn't even notice you.
(Silence. She hit a nerve.)
SHAWN
You're so lucky we're in school right now, new girl.
(Shawn and his team leave. Chloe yells at him offstage.)
CHLOE
Bye-Bye! I envy everyone you have never met!
(A Beat)
CHLOE
Hey! You!
STAN
Me?
CHLOE
Wanna come sit next to me?
(Stan gets up and sits with her.)
CHLOE
You gotta name?
STAN
Stan.
CHLOE
Chloe.
(They shake hands. Enter Adult Stan. To the audience.)
ADULT STAN
It happens by accident, in a heartbeat, in a single flashing moment.
(Back to present)
CHLOE
So you're like the popular kid right?
STAN
I...Ummm...
CHLOE
Dude, chill. I know. You're a loser. Like me. They call you names to huh? I used to keep track.
STAN
Track of what?
(She takes out a decorated binder.)
CHLOE
I call this the "Social Pariah Diaries". I keep track of all the interesting things people called me at my old school. I have them in alphabetical order.
(She opens it.)

CHLOE
"Animal, Beast, Caveman, Dirtbag, Freak, Greeniac...I like that one, because I'm vegetarian,...Hillbilly, Hippie, Lard Face, Mutant, Neanderthal...you get the picture."
STAN
You're new?
CHLOE
New?
STAN
To the school?
CHLOE
Finish your sentences man. Yes, I am a new student to Harwich High.
STAN
Thanks.
CHLOE
For what?
STAN
You know.
CHLOE
Dude, you need to learn how to say more than a few words at a time.
STAN
Thank you for stopping those guys.
CHLOE
See? A full sentence with a subject and a predicate. I'm so proud of you. What are you reading?
(Stan hides his book.)
CHLOE
Really? What are you a toddler? Let me see.
(She grabs it from him.)
CHLOE
"Lord of the Rings." Is it good?
STAN
It's my favorite book.
CHLOE
Sounds interesting.
(She flips through it, and puts book in her bag)


STAN
Hey?
CHLOE
Oh stop your whining, you already read it.
STAN
How do you know?
CHLOE
For one, you said it was your "favorite" book. How would you know that if you didn't already read it? For another, there's like a hundred dog eared pages and highlights in here. Don't worry. I'm a fast reader.
STAN
How did you do that?
CHLOE
Do what?
STAN
That thing you did to Shawn.
CHLOE
What? This?
(She takes his arm and twists it around, bending him to her will.)
STAN
Ow, ow, ow.
CHLOE
It's easy really. You just have to know the pressure points and basic joint manipulation. You just find the right angle, and there. (She twists again, Stan screams in pain) My father was in the military. He taught me a bunch of stuff. Oh sorry.
(She lets him go.)
CHLOE
You try it on me.
STAN
I can't.
CHLOE
Why? Because I'm a girl? It's 2020 dude. Take my arm.(He takes her arm and follows instructions) Now, twist the wrist and bend the arm back. See? Ow. Ow, ow. You got it. Nice!
STAN
Are you going to be here tomorrow?
CHLOE
At school? Yeah dude. I kind of have to.

STAN
Where are you from?
CHLOE
A farm.
STAN
A farm?
CHLOE
Yeah, my father got sick from the military and when he came home we decided to buy a farm and live off the land. It was all very hippy and awful. You think your chores are bad? You should try farm chores. Milking cows, mucking goat stalls...
STAN
Why did you move back to the city?
(She finds the lie)
CHLOE
My...umm...mother got sick and we needed to be closer to the hospital.
STAN
I'm sorry.
CHLOE
What about you? What are your parental units like?
STAN
It's just me and my mom now.
CHLOE
Did your dad split?
(Stan is uncomfortable)
CHLOE
I have zero filter man, but if it's too much to chat about, I understand.
STAN
Yeah, dad split.
CHLOE
Sorry man.
STAN
Thanks.
CHLOE
Is your mom cool though? Like does she take good care of you?
STAN
My mom is amazing.

CHLOE
Aren't parents weird when it comes to their kids?
STAN
What do you mean?
CHLOE
Like, my mom, ever since I was born, does the exact same thing to me every time I leave the house. She breaks into song singing, "You are my sunshine." Like we could be in the most public place and she'll just break into song..."You are my sunshine, my only sunshine." I'll just bury my head and run away.
STAN
You think that's bad. My mom calls me "Special Star."
CHLOE
Okay, dude, that's pretty bad.
STAN
Look, you don't have to pretend to be nice and sit with me and be my friend.
CHLOE
It's complicated.
STAN
What is?
CHLOE
Friendship, but don't worry, you don't have to do it alone. You have me.
(The bell rings. Interrupting them.)
CHLOE
I gotta jet to class. I'll see ya around, "Special Star."
(She extends her hand. Stan shakes it. When they touch, the lights change and Stan looks at the audience)
ADULT STAN
She showed up during the last week of school, right before the summer. I thought it was weird that someone would come to school right before the end of the year, but that's her. That's Chloe.







SCENE 2: SPRING, PART TWO
(A bus stop. Stan stands there with another kid, Julie. She sits with her legs crossed and is doodling in her book. He is avoiding her. She looks at him, and sneakily doodles something.)
STAN
Julie, can you please not draw me?
(He goes to look at her sketchbook, but she hisses at him like a cat. Enter Chloe.)
CHLOE
Hi!
STAN
Hi.
CHLOE
Is this your bus stop?
STAN
Yeah, is it yours?
CHLOE
Nope.
(Chloe goes to Julie)
CHLOE
Hi there. What's your name?
(Julie looks up at her. Hisses again.)
CHLOE
What are you drawing?
(She hides the book.)
CHLOE
I love the strong silent vibe you got going on. It really works for you. You have the perfect complexion for it and I really like your hair. I'm Chloe!
(She extends her hand. She does not shake it back.)
STAN
Don't talk to her. She's weird and probably the only person at the school who is a bigger loser than me.
CHLOE
Then she needs a friend more than anyone.
(Chloe goes and sits next to her.)

CHLOE
Can you show me what you're drawing?
(Julie hides the sketchbook.)
CHLOE
I like to sketch too, but I'm not very good. Here look.
(She takes out a sketchbook from her backpack. Offers it to her.)
CHLOE
Like I said, I'm not very good.
(Julie points at one.)
CHLOE
You like that one? Here (She rips it out) you can have it. It was nice meeting you. If you ever want someone to sit with at lunch, just come find us okay?
(Chloe returns to Stan.)
STAN
I don't want Julie Jacobi sitting next to me at lunch.
CHLOE
One time my mother gave a homeless man a ten-dollar bill. My Aunt, who's horrendous, got mad at her and told her that he was just probably going to use the money to buy drugs. My mother said something that really stuck with me, she said, "What he does with the money speaks to his character, not giving him the money speaks to mine." I always liked that.
STAN
But she always just gets mad at me and hisses.
CHLOE
Compassion is a full-time job, my man. Did you know that not having seatbelts in school buses is considered a safety feature? Crazy right? It's called compartmentalization. The seats are designed to keep kids close together, like eggs in a carton.
STAN
Don't take this the wrong way, but you're kinda weird.
CHLOE
That's the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me.
STAN
I brought you the other two volumes of Lord of The Rings.
(He hands her the books.)
CHLOE
I don't want those.
STAN
Why?
CHLOE
They are not dog-eared or highlighted.
STAN
So?
CHLOE
I just want to read your favorite book.
STAN
You're so different.
CHLOE
Different and weird. You have great social skills, which is why…I kinda like you.
STAN
You like me?
CHLOE
Look, the bus is here.
ADULT STAN
I was amazed by her. Everything she did made my heart beat a little faster. Made my fingers tingle. She was confident in every way and the way she dealt with bullies was almost like a superpower.
(They get on the bus and walk by all the bullies.)

SHAWN
You're weird.
CHLOE
I sure am.
GRACE
You're a nerd!
CHLOE
Totally!
BETHANY
Your clothes don't match.
CHLOE
Duh.
ANDY
I'm having a party and you're not invited!
CHLOE
Thank goodness.