Somewhere in the Middle

Characters: Mr. G., English teacher, 32

Bridget, A student, 13

Stacy, Bridget’s friend, 13

Scene: Classroom in School

At Rise: Lights come on Mr. G

Telling the class about a new assignment

MR. G.

This is a creative writing assignment, a personal essay.

BRIDGET

(Raises hand)

Aren’t you going to like, tell us what to write about?

MR. G.

No this is supposed to be personal, I want you to be free to write what you think and feel without guidelines.

BRIDGET

(a little unsure)

Okay…

(Small break, Bridget starts writing, then scribbles something out)

MR. G.

NO! Bridget! STOP!

BRIDGET

(Alarmed)

What?

MR. G.

You can’t cross things out! That’s an idea! An idea can’t be abandoned, an idea must be PERSUED!

BRIDGET

What, are you turning my English paper into a life lesson now?

MR. G.

It’s like writing, life is like writing

BRIDGET

(Waves pencil in air)

You can erase writing!

MR. G.

(Pulls pencil out of Bridget’s hand and chucks off stage pulls out pen)

Not with a pencil with a PEN! You can’t erase life!

BRIDGET

Life’s not like writing it’s not as simple as putting pen to paper, its applying logic and knowing when and why and thinking! Thinking about everything!

MR. G.

But what if you cover your page with um with… whatever it is, it should be YOU, it’s writing outside the lines, it’s not caring about when or where but WHY! It’s saying yes to everything and no to nothing and…

BRIDGET

It’s not that simple.

MR. G.

YES! , well I mean no it’s not that simple its LIFE!

Bridget

No! It’s not life it’s my ESSAY!

MR. G.

But you can treat it like life!

BRIDGET

If life is writing then life is pushing so hard the tip breaks, I’d like to write something powerful but my tip is breaking and I CAN’T DO IT!

(Pause)

(Startling Mr. G.)

And expectations, why is everyone always expecting so much from me, it’s too much!

MR. G.

I’m only expecting your best

BRIDGET

(Rolls her eyes at Mr. G. turns to her fiend as he walks away)

Geez! English is horrible, this paper, and then there’s Mr. G. who’s always trying to turn simple things like crossing out an idea into a life lesson!

STACY

Oh I know! He can be so agh, and it makes me so agh! And it just makes me wanna go AGH!!

BRIDGET

Okay Stacy slow down your gonna kill yourself! And maybe he has a point with the whole “writing is life!” thing.

STACY

Ya ,and I have to work on this thing now, I have soccer tonight, so don’t over think it, okay? You over think way to many things that don’t need to be over thunk.

BRIDGET

Thunk isn’t a word Stacy

STACY

Oh, well, I gotta work on this, you should too.

BRIDGET

fine

(later in class)

(Bridget Discreetly crossing something out)

MR. G.

I THOUGHT I TOLD YOU NOT TO DO THAT!

BRIDGET

But it made no sense!

Mr. G.

Don’t you get it? Making no sense is great, perfect even!

BRIDGET

But how can you give me a good grade if you can’t understand what I’m trying to say?!

MR. G.

It’s not about the grade but on a bigger scale! It’s about how leaving something, even the tiniest little thing, can result in something HUGE!

BRIDGET

Mr. G, will you just calm down! I was crossing out ONE thing, ONE thing not “something HUGE”!

MR. G.

That’s NOT THE POINT!

BRIDGET

If that’s not the point than what is?

MR. G.

Listen, I have “crossed out” way to many ideas in my life, I just don’t want you to make the same mistake.

BRIDGET

Mr. G., come on! It’s not like I’m going to drop out or anything! I’m not doing something LIFE CHANGING!

MR. G.

But you are! You’re eliminating a potentially great idea!

BRIDGET

Do you seriously think that writing my personal essay on pencils is a “GREAT” idea!?

MR. G.

Not at that stage but you could develop it a little more and get something amazing!

BRIDGET

Okay some of my idea have potential but come on, pencils!?

MR. G.

It could be something!

BRIDGET

So you want me to use EVERY thing I have!? That’s gonna be really hard to do! I have like 15 ideas here.

MR. G.

I’m just trying to tell you to keep your options open.

(Bridget starts writing again, ignoring him, he walks away)

(Stacy turns to Bridget)

STACY

Hey, Bee, How do you spell “schizophrenic”

BRIDGET

(sighs)

s-c-h-i-z-o, hey wait a minute why do you need to know how to spell schizophrenic?

STACY

Well part of this is about my friends

BRIDGET

Hey! I am NOT schizophrenic!

STACY

Come on! You always say you’re open minded when you happen to be the least open minded person in the ENTIRE world

BRIDGET

I think maybe I just over think things a little too much…

STACY

Well Bee, you do always seem to think an awful lot…

BRIDGET

But I have to think about things or else nothing will go as planned and that would be horrible!

STACY

(thinking)

Well… can you help me with this word now?

BRIDGET

Ya, fine, here

(writes the word down on a piece of paper and gives it to her)

STACY

Is that really how you spell it, s-c-h-i-z-o-p-h-r-e-n-i-c?

BRIDGET

Ya

STACY

That is messed up…

BRIDGET

Ya well there are a lot of messed up things in the world… LIKE THIS PAPER! AGH!

STACY

(right out of the blue)

You know you could give him a chance, he’s really just trying to help.

BRIDGET

Who?

STACY

Come on, you know who I’m talking about

BRIDGET

Ya… but hey why are YOU giving ME advice

STACY

Well, I may not know that much but I know people and he really isn’t trying to make your life miserable

BRIDGET

Well, maybe I could give him a second chance… I mean he has always tried to help…

STACY

Ya, and I mean what harm could it do? As it is you’re probably already failing for fighting with the teacher all the time.

BRIDGET

You know you’re really not that great about making people feel better.

STACY

(joking)

I know I really should work on that!

(Next Day in Class)

BRIDGET

(walks up to Mr. G.’s desk gives him her paper)

Here

MR. G.

Pencils?

BRIDGET

Pencils

Curtain