Summer Gone - Act 1, Scene 3

Travis meets with Bobby in the park

Act 1, Scene 3

[SCENE OPENS ON IN FRONT OF A HANDBALL COURT IN A PARK. A BOY [Bobby] IS STANDING ALONE IN THE ORANGE LIGHT OF A STREET LAMP. HE’S WEARING EXPENSIVE, SKATER-TYPE CLOTHES.

TRAVIS SLOWLY WALKS OVER, HANDS IN HIS POCKETS. HIS SHOULDERS ARE HUNCHED AND HE IS MUMBLING SOMETHING TO HIMSELF. HIS BODY IS STILL TENSE FROM THE CONFRONTATION WITH HIS MOTHER]

BOBBY: Hey dude, what’s up?

[They shake hands]

TRAVIS [visibly upset]: Hey man.

BOBBY: Is everything alright man? You look a little pissed about something.

TRAVIS: Eh, it’s nothing. I just had it out with my Mom again. Have you been waiting long?

BOBBY: Not really; just a few minutes. Is it cool if we hang out here a bit though? My Dad’s on the phone with my Mom back at the apartment.

TRAVIS [shrugs]: Yeah, no problem.

BOBBY: So what was it about?

TRAVIS: Huh?

BOBBY: What were you guys fighting about?

TRAVIS: Uh, nothing really, just the same old s**t. She keeps getting on me to get a job.

BOBBY: Yeah, um...some of us have actually been meaning to talk to you about that...

TRAVIS: What?

BOBBY: It’s just that...I don’t know dude...you’re always borrowing money or asking for rides and s**t.

TRAVIS [raising his voice]: What? What are you talking about; I take the f****n’ bus everywhere?

BOBBY: No, not all the time man.

TRAVIS[turning around and walking in tense circles]: C’mon man, I get it at home non-stop, now it’s coming from you guys?

BOBBY: It’s just become kind of a hassle. I mean, you’re gonna be 17 soon, shouldn’t you be looking for summer work anyway? You had that cleaning job last year at the Rec Center, right?

[TRAVIS BENDS DOWN AND PICKS UP A HANDBALL OFF THE GROUND. HE STARTS PASSING IT TO BOBBY AND THEY PASS IT BACK AND FORTH AS THEY TALK]

TRAVIS: No way dude, I’m not doing that again.

BOBBY: Why not?

TRAVIS: I told you what happened, didn’t I? [Bobby shakes his head “No” and Travis starts to smile] Oh, dude, I’m on my last week, right. They have me cleaning the baseboard of the gym with a damn toothbrush. You remember how the gym is right next to the entrance to the showers? Well, I’m on my hands and knees scrubbing at the baseboard when the gym doors fly open and these two old women come running in, butt naked.

BOBBY [laughing]: What? [Travis shakes his head “Yes”] How old were they?

TRAVIS: Old, dude. Really old and really naked. I saw f****n’ everything.

BOBBY [squirming]: Oh man, what the hell’d they do that for?

TRAVIS: So I guess one of their friends had had an accident in the shower. Just straight-up s**t right there in the public shower. They came running into the gym looking for someone and didn’t realize they were still naked.

BOBBY: Ugh, dude. Did you have to clean the shower too?

TRAVIS: F**k no dude! I never went in. I just left and quit since it was the last week anyways. But this kid I’d been working with, Jim, he told me later that the floor of the shower was literally brown and muddy with old lady s**t.

BOBBY: Oh man, that’s disgusting.

TRAVIS: Yeah, so I’m not doing that job again.

BOBBY: No, I hear you man, makes sense. But you gotta do something.

TRAVIS: What about you; why aren’t you looking for anything?

BOBBY: My mom doesn’t want me working. She said to take the Summer and cool off or some s**t.

TRAVIS: Gotcha. Do you know if the school’s gonna let you back in the Fall?

BOBBY: Who knows dude. I swear, I’ve f****n’ had it with her. She acts like I’m a psycho or something. I made a paper gun in a class - to hear it from her, you’d think I shot up the place.

TRAVIS: Well...you also pointed it at Mr. Roberts and said “Bang Bang”...

BOBBY [pauses throwing the ball and looks offended]: C’mon man, I was obviously joking.

TRAVIS: I know dude, but they’re sensitive about that s**t now.

BOBBY [continues throwing]: I still can’t believe they expelled me right before the end of the year.

TRAVIS: Are you gonna pass though?

BOBBY: Yeah. My Dad found a tutor for the last few weeks. I’ll be a senior next year wherever I end up.

TRAVIS: That’s good at least, man.

BOBBY: Yup.

[SOME KIDS IN HOODIES WITH THE HOODS UP WALK PAST THEM]

BOBBY: Anyways...uh, hey, you’re coming to my house tomorrow, right?

TRAVIS: I’ll be there man, but I don’t know if I’ll be able to bring anything.

BOBBY [rolling his eyes]: You need a job dude. Anything, just something so that you’re not always borrowing s**t.

TRAVIS: C’mon man, that’s not really fair, I’ve always paid you back.

BOBBY: That’s not the point.

TRAVIS: Alright, fine man. I’m gonna start looking for something tomorrow. Just something for the Summer though. I barely passed this year - I can’t go to school and work too.

BOBBY: Mike does it.

TRAVIS: Yeah, and Mike has a car too.

[THE KIDS IN HOODIES WALK NEAR THEM AGAIN. BOBBY STARES AT THEM ALARMED. ONE OF THEM NOTICES BOBBY STARING AND STOPS]

KID 1: What’s up man, you got a problem or somethin’?

BOBBY: Huh? [HE DROPS THE HANDBALL]

KID 2 [MOCKING]: HUH??

[THE TWO KIDS START TO CROWD BOBBY. BOBBY LOOKS AROUND NERVOUSLY AS TRAVIS SLINKS BEHIND WITH HIS HANDS IN HIS POCKETS]

KID 1: I’m sayin’, mind your f****n’ business else you’ll have a problem, hear me?

BOBBY [looking down]: I hear you man, I’m sorry.

[KID 2 LAUGHS AT BOBBY AND HITS KID 1 IN THE ARM AND THEY WALK AWAY. BOBBY HOLDS HIS HANDS IN FISTS WITH HIS JAW CLENCHED, STILL STARING AT THE GROUND. AFTER A MOMENT, TRAVIS WALKS BACK]

TRAVIS: Uh...you alright man?

BOBBY [Not looking at him, talking to himself]: F*****g a******s! Stupid pieces of s**t, just f****n’ wait! Try that s**t again, watch what f****n’ happens. [He looks up and sees Travis] I...I think I’m gonna head home man. Tonight’s probably not a good night, you know?

TRAVIS: Oh, uh, alright dude. Are we still on for tomorrow?

BOBBY: Yeah, just come over around three.

TRAVIS: I will man. My mom might give me a problem about it but I’ll be there.

BOBBY: Sure. No problem.

[TRAVIS TURNS AROUND AND PICKS UP THE HANDBALL. BOBBY WALKS AWAY ANGRILY BUT TRAVIS DOESN’T SEE HIM LEAVE]

TRAVIS: By the way, is Adam really gonna be there…?

[TRAVIS STOPS TALKING, LOOKS AROUND FOR BOBBY, SHRUGS AND WALKS BACK IN THE DIRECTION HE CAME, TOSSING THE HANDBALL TO THE SIDE]

Curtain.

End of Act 1, Scene 3

End of Act 1.