Summer Gone - Act 2, Scene 1

New Rules for the Pool; Adam and Michele make an announcement

THE SCENE OPENS IN FRONT OF A LARGE FENCE WITH A BIG WOODEN SIGN ATTACHED TO IT. THE FENCE IS MEANT TO BE IN FRONT OF A SWIMMING POOL. THE SOUNDS OF SPLASHING AND CHILDREN LAUGHING CAN BE HEARD IN THE BACKGROUND. THE SIGN HAS BEEN PAINTED WHITE AND HAS BIG RED LETTERS HAND-PAINTED ON. THE SIGN READS:

POOL RULES:

1. NO RUNNING OR ROUGH PLAY ALLOWED

2. NO DIVING ALLOWED

3. NO FOOD OR DRINK ALLOWED IN OR AROUND THE POOL

4. NO PERSON UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF ALCOHOL MAY USE THE POOL

5. OPEN TO RESIDENTS ONLY

6. NO ANIMALS ALLOWED IN THE POOL

7. BASKETBALL SHORTS, JEANS, SWEATERS, AND ALL TYPES OF NON-SWIMMING ATTIRE ARE NOT ALLOWED IN THE POOL

8. THE MAXIMUM NUMBER OF SWIMMERS ALLOWED IN THE POOL AT ONCE IS 12

9. THE POOL IS OPEN FROM 10AM TO 6PM

10. DO NOT DISTRACT THE LIFEGUARD WHILE THEY ARE ON DUTY

TRAVIS, KYLE, JOHN, AMBER, AND JULIE ARE SITTING ON A PARK BENCH NEAR THE FENCE TO THE POOL. TRAVIS AND KYLE ARE READING THE SIGN; AMBER AND JULIE ARE QUIETLY TALKING TO EACH OTHER. BOBBY AND MIKE WALK UP HOLDING SOME GROCERY BAGS. BOBBY DROPS HIS BAGS TO THE GROUND AND WALKS UP TO THE SIGN.

BOBBY: What the hell is this?! [AMBER AND JULIE QUIET AS BOBBY READS THE SIGN] No food or drinks near the pool. Residents only? Did anyone see them put this up?

KYLE: Nah man, it was already up when we got here.

BOBBY [READING]: Son of a b***h...Travis! Dude, this is literally all the s**t you did last year.

[John and Kyle start laughing loudly]

AMBER: What? What, I don’t get it?

JOHN: It’s nothing, just...last year, Travis raised hell here.

TRAVIS: No, no, that’s not true, don’t put it all on me, man. It was everybody.

KYLE: It was mostly you dude. [John starts laughing again].

JOHN[to Amber]:  There was this lifeguard here named Sonya. And everyday he’d jump in and sink down pretending to drown so that she’d have to dive in and drag him out.

AMBER: How’d he do that?

TRAVIS: Ugh, it’s easy, you just blow out all the air in your lungs and you end up sinking like a stone. It hurts after a little bit, but she always jumped in before anything happened.

[MIKE JOINS BOBBY NEAR THE SIGN AND THEY BOTH START READING IT]

JOHN: Not that one time.

TRAVIS: Yeah, that could’ve gone bad.

JULIE: Why, what happened?

KYLE: He was s**t-faced and fell into the pool fully clothed.

AMBER [LAUGHING]: Oh my god, are you serious?

TRAVIS: Yeah, haha. I had a hoodie and jeans on. Still had my sneakers on too. She figured I was faking again and didn’t jump in. That time sucked; I really did almost drown.

MIKE [TO BOBBY]: Why would they have no animals on here?

BOBBY: Cause he jumped into the pool with my dog and it pissed in there.

MIKE: Ugh, really? When was that?

TRAVIS: That was one of the last times we went. You might’ve been working; you started working near the end of Summer, right? [MIKE NODS. TRAVIS LOOKS TO AMBER AND JULIE] But these guys are just trying to act innocent, they were there with me everyday. The thing with the dog was John’s idea! [TRAVIS POINTS TO JOHN AND HE STARTS LAUGHING AGAIN]

JOHN: Yeah, but I didn’t think you’d actually do it.

Travis [to Bobby]: Dude, I’m really sorry. I didn’t think anything like this would happen.

BOBBY: Eh, don’t worry about it I guess. But we might be fucked out of the pool. It says residents only now.

TRAVIS: Well hey man, we can try. If they throw us out, then they throw us out, alright. Don’t worry about it.

THE OTHERS LOOK TOWARD STAGE-LEFT AS TWO MORE PEOPLE WALK UP--ADAM AND MICHELE. THEY’RE BOTH WEARING CLOTHES OVER THEIR SWIMWEAR AND HAVE GROCERY BAGS IN THEIR HANDS. ADAM HAS A TOWEL OVER HIS SHOULDER. THEY DROP THEIR BAGS AND ADAM SHAKES HANDS WITH ALL THE GUYS. MICHELE WAVES EXCITEDLY TO EVERYONE AND SITS ON TOP THE PICNIC TABLE IN A VERY HAPPY, EXCITED MOOD.

ADAM: How’s everything going guys?

KYLE: Never better man, yourself?

ADAM: It’s going great! [to Amber and Julie] You guys are new, have we ever met?

JOHN: Oh s**t, sorry about that. Yeah, this is Adam and his girlfriend Michele. Those two over there are Bobby and Mike [points to Bobby and Mike].

JULIE[timidly waves to them]: Hi…

JOHN: This is Amber and her friend Julie. [Everyone mutters hellos and how’s it goings]

TRAVIS[sitting down]: Hey Amber, did you ever give my number to your manager.

AMBER[looking to John in a panicky smile]: Uhh...I don’t uhh…

JOHN[to Amber]: Don’t worry about it. [to Travis] Dude, don’t be an a*****e.

TRAVIS[thrown back, surprised]: What?! What’d I say?

JOHN: You know what you’re doing man, knock it off.

TRAVIS: Wow dude, I asked a question. I can’t ask a question?

[ADAM TAKES MICHELE’S HAND AND HELPS HER OFF THE TABLE. THEY MOVE IN FRONT OF EVERYONE ELSE]

ADAM: Hey guys, we wanted to come and tell you all something.

JOHN[To Travis]: Just stop dude [TURNS AND FACES ADAM AND MICHELE. TRAVIS THROWS HIS HANDS UP IN A QUESTIONING MANNER, AS IF TO SAY “WHATEVER”]

ADAM: So our six month anniversary was yesterday, and to celebrate, well…

Michele [jumping]: He proposed!!!

[THE GROUP IS SURPRISED AND QUIET FOR A SECOND. KYLE BREAKS THE SILENCE AND GIVES MICHELE AND ADAM A HUG]

KYLE: That’s awesome guys! Congratulations!

[JOHN AND BOBBY GO TO ADAM AND GIVE QUICK HUGS, EACH SAYING CONGRATULATIONS, AND AMBER AND JULIE GO TO LOOK AT THE RING. TRAVIS AND MIKE ARE WAITING IN BACK: MIKE WITH A NONCHALANT LOOK AND TRAVIS LOOKING VERY CONFUSED. MICHELE IS SHOWING THE RING OFF TO EVERYONE]

KYLE [to Adam]: How’d you do it?

ADAM: We were at her parents house.

JOHN: Oh, you proposed in front of them?

ADAM: No, no, we were in her room.

MICHELE: Yeah, they don’t know yet.

[BOBBY LOOKS AROUND THE BAGS FOR A MOMENT AND OPENS A FEW OF THEM]

BOBBY: Oh d****t, I gotta run back to the house and grab the burgers. I’ll be right back. [STARTS TO WALK AWAY]

TRAVIS: I’ll go with you. [AS HE WALKS BY ADAM AND MICHELE, HE TURNS TO THEM FOR A MOMENT] Uh...congrats guys. That’s awesome.

[BOBBY AND TRAVIS WALK OFF STAGE]