Everybody Believes the Girl

A Stage Play by Nemo

This is an experimental short piece that's based on true events. I'm close to the victim, and if I can help bring his side of the story to light, I'll be able to live a little more peacefully.

Lights up on a bedroom. Clothes are strewn on the bed and floor. Decor including motivational sayings and book posters hang on the walls. In the room we have a boy, ELI, and a girl, SAMMY, both 20 years old. The following dialogue is interspersed between the voice-over paragraph below.

I never meant to really hurt anyone.

SAMMY and ELI stagger into the room, kissing. They're making their way to the bed and taking off clothes.

It just sort of happened. He hurt me, and I didn't like that. So I wanted to hurt him too.

Eli tenderly removes her shirt and kisses her neck.

I wanted to hit him where I knew he wouldn't come back easy. So I lied. I tucked every good memory of that relationship in the part of my mind that I rarely visit, and I created a Pandora's Box of lies.

SAMMY removes ELI's shirt and places her hands on his chest as they share a moment and kiss.

But the problem was, I didn't see it for what it was, at first. I just wanted to give a jab. Something personal, between me and him.

They get in the bed and under the covers. Still kissing, still tender.

I didn't realize that I was climbing a cliffside, and in order to keep myself safe I would have to keep on climbing even past where I became afraid. Past where I didn't want to go any further.

SAMMY: I'm nervous, Eli.

ELI immediately stops.

ELI: We can stop, Sam. It's okay.

Beat

SAMMY: No. No, I want to do this. I'm ready.

SAMMY kisses ELI and they continue.

I can't see the bottom anymore. Sometimes that doesn't matter to me, though. It's nice up here. The clouds are pretty, and they can be anything I decide. Clouds never decide that they're going to abandon you after promising you a future together.

The two of them are under the covers. We can hear some nervous giggling.

Everybody believes the girl.

ELI lifts the cover so we can see their faces.

ELI: I love you, Sammy

SAMMY: I love you too

So I cried rape.

Blackout