Dust by Danielle Mohlman rights & inquiries: daniellemohlman@gmail.com CHARACTERS BOY 18 years old, white. WENDY 18 years old. LILY 17 years old. ISABEL 17 years old. THE MERMAIDS six to forty-six young women, 14 to 18 years old. They are the swim team – powerful and sometimes monstrous. BOY must be played by a white actor. The cast as a whole shouldn’t be more than 50% white. THE MERMAIDS are numbers simply because that's how BOY thinks of them. They are individuals, however, and roles should never be combined simply to take advantage of every line of dialogue. With a cast of six Mermaids, roles 7 through 10 should simply be removed from the script. With a cast of more than ten Mermaids, roles past 10 are non-speaking – but no less important. There is power in presence. In short, this play can be performed by ten to fifty actors. A slash (/) indicates that the next line of dialogue overlaps there. Dance is an integral part of this play's vocabulary. This play should always be moving – from the first bump of the lights to the absolute last breath. Mohlman – Dust – 1 Silhouettes of classroom desks in the darkness. Sharp light shift. Not a classroom, no. It's the bottom of a drained pool. With dozens and dozens of desks and no way to sit down. We hear the ticking of the classroom clock. And then we don't. A school bell rings and it is suspended in time. THE MERMAIDS emit a dangerous non-verbal siren call. They are his entire world. And then there's WENDY. God, Wendy. Everything is BOY and WENDY and turmoil. The inner turmoil of a first crush mixed with a guilt you can't quite name. BOY breaks through the siren call. BOY Wendy! It's anguish. BOY Wendy! There you are Jesus Shit Why was this unlocked? Shit shit WENDY BOY You have to leave WENDY No fuck stop Close the grate Get under the bleachers Hurry You can't be here Don't be a dick We have to hide BOY WENDY March 5, 2020 Mohlman – Dust – 2 No no you don't understand BOY WENDY I swear to god if you don't I mean shit are you trying to get us killed? BOY Wendy You have to Fucking shit She throws her hand over his mouth and pushes him into the corner. WENDY You have to stop You have to be quiet You have no idea what's going on out there No fucking clue So just stand here and be quiet Do you understand? He nods. WENDY Good She takes her hand off his mouth. WENDY Don't move I'll be back I promise Stop BOY Every time Boy calls "Stop," it's a reset of the world. A second chance. And a third. THE MERMAIDS move WENDY to her starting position each time. They don't touch Boy. It's dark and seductive. BOY We have to go back Back before I even met her Before the heartbreak and the pain and the gnawing in my brain March 5, 2020 Mohlman – Dust – 3 BOY (con’t) I was thirteen That's when I decided she had the kind of legs I could die between I couldn't get her out of my head No matter how hard I tried And I decided right then and there I could never live without her That I couldn’t breathe without screaming her name I was haunted by love songs Little notes on the radio telling me that one day Someday I would find her I would find my dream But my someday had already come Wendy Wendy Wendy stopped me in my tracks She wasn't the moon Those fucking songs love the moon She wasn't a summer day She wasn't some bullshit they try to feed you because it sounds nice with three chords No She wasn't a song at all THE MERMAIDS fold back into that first siren call. BOY She was the North Star And then the call disappears. WENDY Hi Hi BOY It's flight and anchor. It's that moment between childhood and adulthood. And yet it feels nothing like middle ground. It feels trapped. BOY I'm an idiot I forgot that Neverland is two stars over And paradise is technically A random building Or my house March 5, 2020 Mohlman – Dust – 4 BOY (con’t) Or school Or the mass of a hundred things at once Or the massive pressure that this world accumulates Paradise is deceiving Remember that for later Paradise is deceiving as fuck WENDY Nice house BOY What do you mean? WENDY You live here, right? What gave that away? BOY WENDY The stalking BOY What? WENDY I'm kidding You look BOY Yeah? WENDY Comfortable Like you belong here BOY I don't know about that We just moved in I know WENDY BOY March 5, 2020 Mohlman – Dust – 5 Careful What? WENDY BOY WENDY “Don’t talk to strangers?” I don’t know I can leave you alone BOY No I mean I figured I've never seen you around here before so Right WENDY BOY So WENDY I'm Wendy BOY Wendy I mean, Jesus Christ look at her Girls like her don't talk to guys like me Wendy WENDY You sure like saying my name, don't you? Yeah I guess I do Weird Sorry Shit BOY WENDY BOY March 5, 2020 Mohlman – Dust – 6 WENDY It’s not a big deal BOY Okay I spent minutes gazing into their eyes Last minutes we'll never get back Lost minutes All of them different A collection of minutes And girls And lives Until they weren't lives anymore Until they were nothing more than Nothing more than WENDY Why are you crying? BOY I'm not crying WENDY Okay BOY I'm perfect Everything's just perfect WENDY You're weird BOY You already said that WENDY Counting my words, huh? She wipes a tear from his cheek. WENDY Well I’m not the one crying BOY It’s stupid March 5, 2020 Mohlman – Dust – 7 No It’s not Are you sure you're okay? WENDY BOY Yes I'm sure I'm okay And then everything changes. How can one moment change everything? THE MERMAIDS pull him in. It's not a temporary showcase into his mind. Not anymore. Now it's violence and beauty. It's punctuation. It's certainty, it's long dead poets, it's a full body experience. It's the first time we understand why we're watching these people. 1 No, I know. I'm going / to make it work Hey, I know you're / sleeping but I'm going to be / late to dryland 3 5 7 I still think you're a total bitch for / not coming with me 8 I need to borrow your Algebra / notes from yesterday 10 Hey when / you see this 6 I know I turned the / paperwork in this week You're being / a total asshole 4 9 Let me know if you want / me to drive you today 4 Just tell me what part of the chem / lab you're going to do March 5, 2020 Mohlman – Dust – 8 3 I wanted to check in I wanted to check in to / see if we were still on for 1 The suits are so expensive, though I mean, all / that money for what? Nylon? WENDY One more set Come on, you got this No I don't want / to meet up 4 3 I mean, I like you There / It's out there Like five, / ten minutes tops I'll never / forgive you 5 7 8 I'm basically / running unopposed 9 I'm leaving in / like five minutes 8 I / wasn't here 10 I know / you're busy 5 But tell coach / for me, okay? 4 I just / don't, okay? And when it ends, we have more questions than answers. March 5, 2020 Mohlman – Dust – 9 BOY Here's another thing Before we get too deep She tastes like Coke and smells like lemons And lavender And all the Ls A complicated scent She describes me in my mind She says I taste like Everything in my dad's liquor cabinet And all the pills my mother swallows She says all of this Or I wish she would say it That's maybe more accurate She says it in a wish WENDY Where do you go to school? BOY I want to hold her forever WENDY We move around a lot Different cities, you mean? Countries Continents I speak like five languages BOY WENDY BOY Which ones? I forget You're messing with me WENDY BOY WENDY I am BOY I like when she messes with me March 5, 2020 Mohlman – Dust – 10 What grade are you in? Does that matter? WENDY BOY WENDY I don't know I just figured We might go to the same school Maybe I don't know I'm in eighth grade BOY WENDY Cool BOY Yeah? Me too You're really WENDY BOY WENDY What? BOY Elusive WENDY “Elusive” Huh Thank you BOY Elusive? Where the fuck did that come from? Of course she’s not elusive She’s right here And she’s Oh god She’s gorgeous March 5, 2020 Mohlman – Dust – 11 Do you have any siblings? Uh, yeah Two brothers Haven’t you seen them? BOY (con’t) WENDY BOY No Well, good Why? WENDY BOY WENDY Because I don't let them hang out with my friends BOY That seems a little Mean? That’s not – No Never mind Whatever They don't matter None of it matters They're just stupid boys WENDY BOY WENDY BOY Stupid boys and she chose me WENDY You want mean, just look at them They are everything you think of when you think of boys Only worse because they’re older BOY How is older worse? March 5, 2020 Mohlman – Dust – 12 Forget it WENDY BOY Okay She tells me to forget it, it’s forgotten She tells me to jump off the roof of my house? Or stand in the middle of the street until a car hits me? I’m in I’m in One hundred percent Anyway, they’re not like you WENDY BOY Not like me? We just met She doesn't know me yet What's your mom like? WENDY Okay that’s actually a really weird question BOY Is it? Kind of Yeah WENDY BOY She's right But isn't that the kind of thing you ask new friends? Do you have any siblings? And what’s your mom like? Did she actually want you? Is she happy with that choice? And while we're at it Will you love me for the rest of my life? I mean, I just need WENDY Did she ever tell you that you could do anything you wanted to do? Be anybody you wanted to be? March 5, 2020 Mohlman – Dust – 13 Um Who? BOY WENDY Your mom No BOY WENDY Oh She says that to my brothers all the time “Go! Be whoever you want to be Follow your dreams I’ll catch you I’m here” BOY That’s, um I think she’s old fashioned “Old fashioned?” What does that even mean? Forget it What? No Forget it You’ll think it’s stupid I promise I won’t WENDY BOY WENDY BOY WENDY BOY WENDY Fine She has different standards for boys and girls I'm supposed to be like her Like a mother March 5, 2020 Mohlman – Dust – 14 WENDY (con’t) Like everyone's mother Calm and pure Nurturing and "good" But, like, not like a mother because god forbid I get pregnant God forbid I get “in trouble” like that Where are you going and who’s going to be there and where are their parents? I want to meet their parents And don’t forget to say please and thank you Don’t forget to use Mr. and Mrs. And be home by nine And you better not be kissing anyone there And it’s just a crush and it’s not love It’s never love And if you live Don’t you ever live But if you live I need to know Every Single Detail BOY You're thirteen WENDY So? BOY It's just a lot It's a lot to think about That's all WENDY She's suspicious of me Because I'm a girl Because I'm like her BOY That's weird It's not weird I mean I don't know It's WENDY BOY March 5, 2020 Mohlman – Dust – 15 BOY (con’t) Stupid Yeah Whatever WENDY Do you think everything's stupid or weird? BOY No WENDY It's okay if you do It's okay if you think the things you think, you know? BOY Yeah WENDY All of it is okay BOY So WENDY So BOY You're kind of intense For thirteen WENDY Do you want me to leave you alone? BOY No I can leave you alone if you want WENDY BOY I never want her to leave me alone again A hum. Of bodies, of voices. I can be intense I can be whatever I want to be WENDY March 5, 2020 Mohlman – Dust – 16 BOY Yeah Yeah you can WENDY You do actually live around here, right? BOY Like Um On this block? WENDY On this block In this neighborhood However you want to define "here" BOY You're so weird WENDY I'm not We've been over this I’m “elusive” BOY Yeah That’s my house Right there You got me WENDY And this is me I guess we'll be seeing a lot of each other BOY Yeah I guess so I'm cool with that if you are WENDY I am So cool with that The hum ends. March 5, 2020 Mohlman – Dust – 17 Eighth grade was Well, it was different with her She was in most of my classes Algebra English History Chemistry She was intense BOY WENDY Hey do you want to sit with me at lunch? BOY Yeah Yeah, I know She's / not a threat, though Sixty dollars for a swimsuit I / mean who decided that? 6 1 LILY You can't / hurt me And it's late, but / fuck it I had to say something 3 5 I just have to / deal with something first Okay Okay not a huge deal I know I mean Yeah WENDY BOY 6 I / know March 5, 2020 Mohlman – Dust – 18 Just leave / me alone, okay? I'm / kidding 4 7 8 Hang on, you didn't notice / I was gone for a full day? 1 I'm going to the / grocery store on my way home God, / you're so sensitive 7 WENDY Because I feel like you're turning this into a huge deal BOY I'm not I won't I mean Just pick a table I'll find you WENDY 10 I just / need to talk No, I know I'm / early I want to get some laps in 9 1 Don't tell / Mom I'll be home soon 8 Remind me not to get / kidnapped or killed or something And there's / no one here I just couldn't / sleep, that's all 10 9 March 5, 2020 Mohlman – Dust – 19 I’ll find you Promise? WENDY BOY WENDY Yeah BOY And things went on like that For a whole year And then we were in high school None of our classes the same I feel like my time is running out WENDY What do you mean? BOY Like you're going to pack up and move any second That's ridiculous You used to move all the time WENDY BOY WENDY Well, I'm done moving BOY I don't believe you WENDY Then believe my parents They promised This is my home now Whether you like it or not I like it I know you do I'm not moving Not until college BOY WENDY March 5, 2020 Mohlman – Dust – 20 BOY Don't go to college Don't be a dick I'm definitely going to college She didn't move She didn't leave my side Let me see your schedule WENDY BOY WENDY BOY Why? WENDY Just She pulls the piece of paper out of his hoodie pocket. WENDY They put me in Honors English BOY You should be in Honors English WENDY I should be in class with you Making fun of our teachers BOY You'd be bored WENDY And aren't you? I was distracted BOY WENDY Distracted BOY Don't change your schedule for me March 5, 2020 Mohlman – Dust – 21 I will You know I will WENDY BOY Don't do it Your mom will kill you WENDY So she'll kill me BOY You won't learn anything in my classes You're too smart for those classes WENDY BOY We'll see WENDY You'll catch up Next year BOY Next year never came Well, it came But it was all the same Still Every day we would eat lunch together Sloshing through mystery meat And packed lunches And traded snacks WENDY I am not eating this oatmeal bullshit BOY Bullshit? It's a cookie Don't even WENDY BOY It's good for you March 5, 2020 Mohlman – Dust – 22 It's disgusting And it's not fucking good for me Just because you want my WENDY BOY I don't want anything WENDY Mm hmm Cookies shouldn't taste like She makes a gagging sound. Whatever this gross shit is WENDY BOY Oatmeal? WENDY Yeah Oatmeal is a perfectly normal food BOY WENDY Then you eat it BOY I'm not hungry WENDY Oh my god you hate it too BOY She made fun of my lunch like once a week at least It was never mean Not her But sometimes I wondered I mean in the back of my head Was I boring her Year after year? WENDY catches ISABEL's eye. March 5, 2020 Mohlman – Dust – 23 She's cute I guess WENDY BOY WENDY Do you think I should – ? BOY I brought chocolate chip this time Oh fuck yeah Gimme that WENDY BOY You're insane Your mom makes the best cookies WENDY BOY I know WENDY You're so lucky, man BOY She made that school for me She kept me safe She was everything A barricade around my soul No one was getting in No one but her And before I knew it, we were seniors Finally And I realized what I had was not your typical Best friend maybe more Sweaty palm Will she ever look at me crush Because I had loved her since the day we met And I knew I was too late I mean, probably, right? Because the Wendy I knew now was different She was an athlete She was a genius March 5, 2020 Mohlman – Dust – 24 BOY (con’t) Well, not a genius But And she was still weird Vulnerable Accessible You know, perfect She carried around a needle and thread Like some sort of self-sufficient emergency kit I mean, come on You've torn your – Do you want me to fix it? WENDY He sees the pocket of his hoodie is torn. BOY Yeah Sure Could you? He hands her his jacket. She sews. But her eyes never really leave ISABEL's location. 2 Who is it? ISABEL You know her 2 Come on, you have to tell me No, you have to guess That's the hint: you know her That could be a million people I don't care. ISABEL 2 ISABEL 2 You're awful March 5, 2020 Mohlman – Dust – 25 I'm not You liiiiiiiiiiike her ISABEL 2 ISABEL Of course I do BOY I feel like we never hang out anymore I saw you yesterday I miss doing homework together WENDY BOY WENDY That was fun for you? BOY I mean I see you every day Won't you get sick of me? WENDY BOY Never Good answer I couldn't stop thinking about her I really hate school You're just having a hard time WENDY BOY WENDY BOY I just really want it to be over WENDY It'll be over soon March 5, 2020 Mohlman – Dust – 26 BOY Right WENDY follows ISABEL with her eyes as she walks by the pair. WENDY Okay, I'm done She hands the hoodie back to him. BOY Thanks WENDY Anytime Really BOY Thanks WENDY Hey It's not all bad BOY Right WENDY Trust me She takes off. BOY It's not just me right? Watching her holding my shadow Sending a spark though everything she touches Sending a spark through me We hear a heartbeat. Or percussive tapping on lockers. Or a bass drum. Something incessant, unnerving, unforgettable. Unforgivable. BOY It's gotta be weird I never take it off Not even in the summer But she never mentions it That's what makes her different March 5, 2020 Mohlman – Dust – 27 BOY (con’t) She gets it She gets that it's a part of me I scrub the sleeves with soap dispensers from the boys' bathroom You can't trust a shadow to a machine And there's something about a fabric that carries every scent THE MERMAIDS have been swarming around ISABEL and when they stop, she's on the floor picking up books, papers, her binder. ISABEL Fuck WENDY Hey ISABEL Hey WENDY You dropped your ISABEL I know So stupid WENDY It's okay It happens It happens to the best of us ISABEL I'm going to be late ISABEL reaches for a book, but WENDY catches her wrist. Any excuse to touch. WENDY What are you doing later? Um Because if you're free we could I don't know ISABEL WENDY March 5, 2020 Mohlman – Dust – 28 I have homework We all have homework ISABEL WENDY ISABEL I just I don't WENDY I'm not asking you / to ISABEL Oh god Stupid WENDY No, fuck Um I'm new at this I just meant ISABEL Oh WENDY A movie? Or something else Ice cream? It doesn't have to be ISABEL No, I want it I want it to be BOY Even now I can smell her Every stitch lingers with her scent Why do I have to smell her? Why does every moment have to start and end with Wendy? LILY Are you okay? Yeah BOY March 5, 2020 Mohlman – Dust – 29 BOY (con’t) Yeah I'm fine LILY Okay Because if you need someone to talk to I mean If you need a friend BOY I have enough friends LILY No one can ever have enough friends BOY Well, I do Right Okay It’s just that you look really LILY BOY I said I'm Fine Okay, it’s / just Leave me alone! LILY BOY An eruption. If it feels like everyone is talking at once, good. It should. It should be overwhelming. 3 Are you / going off campus for lunch? Don't be / mad, but I / know 2 6 March 5, 2020 Mohlman – Dust – 30 No, you / wouldn't even notice I / mean 8 10 7 It's a / stupid party, but 2 I got sent / to the principal's office again today I'm getting / bananas They're easy to hide 1 ISABEL Hey, do you want / to hang out later? Well, can / I come with you? 3 6 I / know 9 No, / nothing's wrong 7 I might / stay here until everyone leaves It's stupid It's / totally not my fault 2 ISABEL We could just drive We / could drive anywhere 3 About / what? 7 I might / make myself indispensable I'm / kidding 8 March 5, 2020 Mohlman – Dust – 31 I'm / okay No one / really listens 9 10 3 God, it's / not a big deal I can 2 And I / can explain, but ISABEL I have a / car now and 1 Let me know / if you want anything else If you need anything else LILY You can't touch / me You can't have me WENDY Keep up, ladies You can do this 3 No / no 6 Are you / going to the swim meet later? 7 Is that / the right word? Except about / the notes I really need those Not / like you I'm / okay 8 10 9 March 5, 2020 Mohlman – Dust – 32 She doesn't / get home until six, so Just anywhere / you want to go 1 ISABEL 3 I can / get over it 2 I'd rather / tell you at home I mean, / I'm on the team You're not / here so He's not yours anymore 6 7 10 And I just / really want to be heard, you know? 8 I'll give / them back at swim Not a big deal You / know that 6 2 No, you're / being a total dick 1 I might / be able to cook you something ISABEL It's nothing I probably / got it at dryland 6 Ri / ght? 8 Ugh, I hope / he doesn't try to sit with us at lunch again I'm / okay 9 March 5, 2020 Mohlman – Dust – 33 He / y How did / you get my number? 3 2 1 Hey do you / know if they're hiring at the restaurant I'll do anything 6 I'm / nervous 7 I mean, / it's your fault 9 I'm / okay I just want / to be seen 10 1 I just need / the money I'm a hard worker, I promise I bruise easily Don't / worry about me ISABEL 6 Okay maybe / not nervous, but I'm kind of 7 It's your / fault for not coming with me 9 I just want / to do some laps 8 It's a / huge deal I really / want to be seen What time's / practice today? 10 3 March 5, 2020 Mohlman – Dust – 34 2 Delete / it ISABEL Can we talk / about something else? 6 We're voting / and Well, what if they don't vote for me? 7 And he / looks so lonely BOY cuts them off, like a conductor. BOY That's better A breath. BOY It's a scary thing to realize That the person you're supposed to love forever has been in front of you this whole time Our atoms collided in the universe Dropping me here And her there And now that I know the feeling I don't ever want to let it go I'm making up for lost time But I don't feel stressed or rushed or any of the other things you feel when you're late I feel incredible Invincible Indestructible WENDY I'll see you after school Where are you going? Class You should go too Wendy, wait BOY WENDY BOY March 5, 2020 Mohlman – Dust – 35 I'm gonna be late Wait, what about lunch? WENDY BOY WENDY I have to go 1 Can I borrow your chemistry homework? I’m not done with it yet I was going to finish it at lun / ch WENDY 2 Did you do the Frankenstein / reading? WENDY I’ve already read that book a million ti / mes 2 Of course you / have WENDY Hey, don’t be ma / d 2 I’m not mad Why would I be / mad? 6 Hey, Wendy Grab this / corner WENDY Hold / on 6 I can never get these posters / straight WENDY You're running for class presi / dent? She's going to be / incredible 5 March 5, 2020 Mohlman – Dust – 36 Did you tell m / e? Of course I told / you WENDY 6 5 You'll vote for her, / right? WENDY Of course I will Do you need me to endorse / you? 6 Are you kidding? You’re kidding, right? BOY She was busy And I guess I should have been okay with that But it was just They don't prepare you for that kind of thing There's no class you can take No guidance counselor pamphlet you can read So Your Best Friend Won’t Talk To You So Your Best Friend Won’t Love You Back So Your Best Friend Has Time For Everyone But Her Best Friend It was as upside down as you could get It was It was Wendy I can't I need to go to the library I totally for / got WENDY BOY This'll only take a sec / ond WENDY I'll text you when I'm done I just BOY She’d pretty much stopped texting me back We never walked to school anymore March 5, 2020 Mohlman – Dust – 37 BOY (con’t) I stopped seeing her in the cafeteria And she never talked to me I mean, in the hallway, sure A couple of words Sometimes three I started counting “I can’t” That was her favorite “I can’t” And sometimes “Sorry, I can’t” I mean She was the captain of the swim team What was I supposed to do? Make new friends? I have a meet after school I'll be there WENDY BOY WENDY You don't have to BOY No I'll be there I'll always be there Okay Okay, cool WENDY BOY I'm too good to her I am Anyone else would’ve given up by now But what would I do without her? Are you going to Homecoming? WENDY Am I going to Homecoming? Really? March 5, 2020 Mohlman – Dust – 38 BOY It's stupid, I know WENDY It sounds like a nightmare The gym is rancid enough as it is Now they want to have a dance there BOY It’s tradition Well tradition is bullshit I was thinking I might go WENDY BOY WENDY Really BOY Yeah See what all the fuss is about LILY climbs on a cafeteria table. LILY I am sick and tired of the bullshit this school gets away with These leering eyes – I’m talking about you Mr. Fucking Perfect Mr. Fucking Calculus Mr. Let Me Fucking Learn – Fuck you fuck you fuck you ISABEL Lily! LILY I have been waiting a long time to do this Lily, just What? ISABEL LILY March 5, 2020 Mohlman – Dust – 39 ISABEL I don’t know if you should be up there You don’t know? LILY ISABEL People are staring LILY That’s kind of the point, Iz People are finally staring Hey! Don’t walk away from me I’m not finished In class just now, you told me my skirt was too distracting Is it too distracting now, you fucking pig? Is it too distracting all the way up here? ISABEL Lily What? They might suspend you LILY ISABEL LILY I don’t fucking care ISABEL They might suspend you from the team LILY Oh ISABEL I mean, if Coach sees Or, I don’t know, even if Coach hears about it Shit Yeah LILY ISABEL March 5, 2020 Mohlman – Dust – 40 I don’t want to care I don’t want to care about that LILY ISABEL Yeah, I don’t want to care either But you have a killer breaststroke / and LILY What the fuck are you looking at, shithead? Were they recording us? ISABEL LILY I don’t know ISABEL You can’t get suspended No one can swim like you LILY What about Wendy? ISABEL No one Can swim like you LILY We’re all minors Chew on that, dickhead ISABEL Lily LILY Okay, I’m done She raises her arms in mock surrender. ISABEL Thank you The following is a symphony. It's only words, but it's polyphonic, it's poetic, it's a million thoughts in harmony. 9 I did the / reading already March 5, 2020 Mohlman – Dust – 41 He tried / something again No, I'll be / there I just need to know what time it is Delete / it 5 3 2 4 I can handle / gross 1 I might need to / skip practice today Something came up 6 Dude, I just sent / you like a five paragraph text Where are you? 8 He's / so 10 Anyway / this is stupid 4 Fuck / face Why don't / you believe me? 3 1 I want to tell you / why, but I'm scared you won't understand ISABEL Anything / else? 5 But it said / "See me after class" Hello? Are / you seeing these texts? 7 9 I / read fast March 5, 2020 Mohlman – Dust – 42 Overdramatic / or whatever No stop / I'll be there 10 3 2 Delete / it 1 I'm / scared ISABEL Oh god I / don't want to talk about it 5 I mean, it's like / leering Like when you look at the word "leering" it's that Just I / don't know Did you / turn off your phone? I don't even / have a word for it 6 7 8 10 But seriously / if you see this text 3 I'm / fine 1 I'm / scared I don't know / if I can 5 2 You're / being a total asshole 6 I have / news Big news March 5, 2020 Mohlman – Dust – 43 7 Stop being a / bitch and text me back Please 4 It's fucked / up Gross / He's so gross Stop / it I'm / scared 8 2 1 ISABEL Seriously, I / love you I love that you're worried about me 7 I take / it back 5 I / know 6 Don't be / a dick We have to / be careful, okay? I'm fine Breakups / are fucking stupid I'm / fine 1 ISABEL 3 5 It's / fine 7 I take it / all back 8 Dude, you know / I turn my phone off fourth period March 5, 2020 Mohlman – Dust – 44 9 And, I don't / know, it's a good book One more lap That's it WENDY 2 Please tell me / you're not wearing that to school ISABEL I mean I'm / not fine but LILY You can't own me You / can't know me 6 Have you / done the reading? 7 Fu / ck It's / fine I'm / fine Jesus 5 3 1 Last time Mom / caught me cooking, she broke my arm I mean, I / know that but 6 8 I actually / like that class 9 Didn't even / feel like homework 10 I could really / use a friend right now 6 I'm spending the / night at a friend's tonight Don't wait up March 5, 2020 Mohlman – Dust – 45 It's / fine Oh god / don't be so morbid 5 3 1 It's really / hard for her to love me ISABEL Thank / you And now I / have this ugggggggh You don't even / have to be nice 8 10 4 I love this / shirt 7 Fu / ck Serious / ly 9 2 You look like / you're in second grade 10 There's no way / I'm reading all of this That's all I've been out / sick for one day I'm not dying I don't want / to be taken seriously 3 4 1 She says / that all the time 7 Fu / ck March 5, 2020 Mohlman – Dust – 46 Relax, Mom I'll / take out the trash tonight 8 9 I'm still waiting / to hear back from my first choice 2 No guy is going to / take you seriously in that 10 I mean, even / if you were a total bitch to me ISABEL Thank you / for worrying 1 Did you do / the history homework? It's one / day It's not a big deal Who told / you that? I need help / with it I had a rough night 8 ISABEL 1 4 Fuck, I left my / resistance bands at home Hang on That / dumbass? I love / you too 6 8 9 I mean, I got / into my backup school 2 I already / bought my swimsuit ISABEL I / don't care March 5, 2020 Mohlman – Dust – 47 No, it's / not okay I don't / feel like it 4 7 10 It would be / better than this overwhelming silence ISABEL I / don't care No, I'll / be there 7 6 I mean I don't / want to fucking work with her 9 I got into / all of my backup schools 5 You're being a / total bitch lately Ughhh / hhhhhhhh 6 4 I'm wasting / valuable practice time 2 I have like / three at home ISABEL I / don't care 8 No, I / really do 9 But, I don't / know, I want to be optimistic 4 Really? You / don't mind? 1 No, I don't / mean I couldn't sleep I mean March 5, 2020 Mohlman – Dust – 48 You can't / kill me You can't defeat me LILY 4 Thank you I / owe you one Seriously 6 She's such / a bitch 7 No, I've / been kind of 2 Do you need / to borrow one? Forget / it 1 ISABEL I'll get / over it 4 You're such / a whore 6 We have student / council after school I'm going to have to skip practice 8 Moooo / ooom 7 In a funk? Does / anyone even say that anymore? 4 Oh my god / I'm kidding 1 Hey does your / Dad need any help in his office? Or I / won't but ISABEL March 5, 2020 Mohlman – Dust – 49 Hey, fuck off I'm / at every single practice 6 3 I'm not trying / to be fun I'm trying to be 7 I'm back / I'm alive 8 I'll be / home soon 9 I'm trying / something new Je / sus 4 2 I mean, it / probably won't fit you, but 3 Forget / it 1 Would it be okay / if I brought my sister with me to work? It'll be / okay Eventually ISABEL 5 "Lashing out"? Are / you my mom? WENDY Sixteen, seventeen, eighteen 2 I wouldn't want / you to stretch it out 4 What is it / Shark Week or something? Take a fucking Advil and lighten up March 5, 2020 Mohlman – Dust – 50 It's not / a big deal Yeah, you / can stop worrying 6 7 2 You'll be at / the meet tonight, right? 1 Just this / one time ISABEL I just wish / I didn't have to see her every day It's / not 6 3 I'll see you / at practice 1 She'll be / quiet, I promise 4 Mom said you're / picking me up after school today Oh god / finally 7 8 I / promise 9 That glass / half full bullshit 5 It's so / stupid Calm / down 6 3 Sorry I never / called you back 2 You're sure you / can get off work early this time? March 5, 2020 Mohlman – Dust – 51 She'll be / good But / seriously 1 ISABEL WENDY Lift those knees Lift those knees! 2 I know I / know, but last time you said 5 I'm so / stupid ISABEL I'll get / over it 1 She stood up / in front of the whole class? 4 I have swim, / though, so it won't be until later 6 No, / fuck off 9 I already / called her 10 Hey I guess / you didn't see this last night No, people / are stupid Not you Ok / ay 3 2 ISABEL Hey, do you / need a ride tonight? 2 No, okay / I believe you March 5, 2020 Mohlman – Dust – 52 Fuck / yeah No, I'm / actually sorry 1 3 6 This school / is counting on me 7 I mean, did you / see her in her suit? She looked like she was dressing up for Halloween or some shit 8 No / no no 10 Not a / big deal I could / drive you if you want ISABEL 1 That's fucking / badass 3 I've / just been 6 Yeah, I know / it's just class president But it's the only thing I have 9 Well, I thought / her birthday was yesterday 2 Okay don't tell / anyone I told you this But the locker room smells so bad right now and all signs point to 1 I know I / know I'll tell her Nothing happened / to my arm Totally not / a big deal ISABEL 10 March 5, 2020 Mohlman – Dust – 53 Who / cares? It was / so embarrassing 9 7 8 I really / do promise 5 Hey, I'm / going to be late again 2 Oh god don't / make me say it You totally know who I'm talking about 1 But / still ISABEL I don't know / what you're talking about 4 It's dumb, / but 6 So / just 7 I mean, this is / swim team Not discount day at the YMCA, you know? 10 I'll see / you at the pool 9 I'm not calling / her two days in a row That's crazy 8 Trash, / got it It's the / last time I promise 5 4 I'm kind of / looking forward to it March 5, 2020 Mohlman – Dust – 54 Seeing you, I mean 3 I've really / been in my head lately ISABEL I'm / okay I fucking / love that 1 3 That's / all 6 Leave me / alone 9 Who fucking / cares? Hey WENDY ISABEL Hey WENDY Are we still on for later ISABEL Yeah Great Cool WENDY ISABEL Unless you don’t wa / nt to No I always want to Okay, great Because it’s I don’t know I mean you talk to so many girls WENDY ISABEL March 5, 2020 Mohlman – Dust – 55 WENDY Iz I mean, it’s hard to tell ISABEL WENDY Iz, no WENDY kisses her. WENDY I don’t ever want to be hard to tell ISABEL Okay WENDY I’m serious I’m serious about you, okay? The other girls, they’re my team But you’re ISABEL I know WENDY You’re everything ISABEL Not everything WENDY You’re everything to me They sit in this moment that’s not quite “I love you” but close enough and maybe better. Fingers touching sleeves and skin and wrists, all of it innocent and playful and full of crushes admitted and secrets shared. WENDY Um And then that beautiful moment is broken. WENDY Is that why your freestyle was off today? March 5, 2020 Mohlman – Dust – 56 What? ISABEL WENDY Am I the reason your freestyle was slow? ISABEL It wasn’t even that slow WENDY You were two seconds behind your best Two seconds? Who cares about two seconds? ISABEL WENDY I do I need us to win I need this team to win ISABEL Jesus WENDY You seem distracted ISABEL And aren’t you? No So I don’t know You need to clear your head Are you serious? WENDY ISABEL WENDY Yes ISABEL Are you trying to break up with me? WENDY No March 5, 2020 Mohlman – Dust – 57 ISABEL Are you sure? And then WHAM! Just like that, WENDY’s rallying The Mermaids before a meet. WENDY We’re stronger than them THE MERMAIDS We are! We’re faster than them WENDY THE MERMAIDS We are! WENDY We’re smarter than them THE MERMAIDS We are! WENDY We’re going to go out there and tear their heads off Whose house? Our house! THE MERMAIDS WENDY Whose house? THE MERMAIDS Our house! WENDY Whose house? Our house! THE MERMAIDS WENDY & THE MERMAIDS Our house! Our house! It's BOY who silences everything. A total reset, like before. March 5, 2020 Mohlman – Dust – 58 Stop I'll see you after school BOY WENDY BOY Where are you going? WENDY I gotta run I don't want to be late BOY For what? WENDY Class Skip it BOY WENDY Are you crazy? BOY Hey, hold on WENDY What? I don't like that girl Who? Isabel? BOY WENDY BOY Yeah She follows you around like a shadow She's my girlfriend She’s holding you back WENDY BOY March 5, 2020 Mohlman – Dust – 59 Are you kidding? She makes me feel like I'm flying WENDY BOY I don't like her WENDY I don't care BOY Stop WENDY I'll see you after school BOY Where are you going? I gotta run I don't want to be late WENDY She catches ISABEL's eye across the sea of Mermaids. BOY notices. Stop BOY WENDY I'll see you after school BOY Where are you going? WENDY Don't worry about me You worry too much BOY I can't help it You're everything WENDY Me? Without you, my world stops spinning March 5, 2020 Mohlman – Dust – 60 BOY Of course, she didn't say that But imagine if she did How different things would've turned out How happy we'd be Instead, I'm buckled down with a love So deep So painful So spectrally consummate So all-consuming That if I wrote about it in English class Even just a couple words I would be A+ college bound over the fucking moon Because this is a love so big I can't even tell if she's real or my own concoction All I know is I wanted her to spend her life with me And that's exactly what she did I got my wish I got my only wish And there's another thing The scholars call it A sweet mocking mouth WENDY I want ISABEL What? Nothing WENDY ISABEL What? WENDY You'll laugh To say she's holding her hand would be inaccurate. She's playing with her hand. No, her hand is hers. I won't laugh This is just ISABEL WENDY March 5, 2020 Mohlman – Dust – 61 ISABEL Yeah? WENDY Perfect She does laugh, but it's pure joy. ISABEL No it's not WENDY Oh my god I told you you would laugh Hey ISABEL WENDY Don't be mean They're all smiles, both of them. ISABEL Hey WENDY You're an idiot ISABEL Yeah, your idiot Mine WENDY WENDY kisses her. ISABEL Mine ISABEL kisses Wendy. WENDY Mine Eyes gaze, foreheads touching. There's nothing that can destroy this singular joy. Until there is. March 5, 2020 Mohlman – Dust – 62 We see a breakup – almost a dance. We see fragments. We hear pieces. I can't ISABEL WENDY What? ISABEL I can't What? It's just WENDY ISABEL WENDY No ISABEL It doesn't No I still WENDY ISABEL WENDY No ISABEL folds into THE MERMAIDS. No WENDY THE MERMAIDS whisper their refrain. No THE MERMAIDS WENDY No THE MERMAIDS No March 5, 2020 Mohlman – Dust – 63 WENDY No It's rhythmic. THE MERMAIDS No no no no No no no no No no no no No no no no No no no no The whispered rhythm repeats and repeats. That sweet mocking mouth That kiss that can never be taken BOY The "no"s continue THE MERMAIDS No no no no No no no no WENDY passes herself and is passed down the line of Mermaids. Kissing, touching a cheek, hands in hair, hands on hips, and mouths and mouths and mouths and anything to forget ISABEL. Even just for a second. And it only took her entire life But I took it BOY He takes her. The "no"s end in an inhale. WENDY Please Please don't do this You're better than this I'm not BOY March 5, 2020 Mohlman – Dust – 64 A swift dance move that feels like a scream, but looks like a kiss. And then it looks like so much more. They are clinging to every moment they spent together. He's remembering a forgotten love. A one sided love. A pushed down to the darkest corner love. There are some things you can never erase. Like that sweet mocking mouth. BOY I have to show you something What is it? It's nothing WENDY BOY WENDY Nothing? Then why are you showing me? BOY I mean, it's something WENDY Okay Something, then BOY And I immediately regret it Because it's every secret I've never told A knife A deconstructed clock A crocodile skin It was so stupid I'm so stupid WENDY Well are you going to show me or not? BOY I'm warming up to it WENDY Okay You might not like it BOY March 5, 2020 Mohlman – Dust – 65 So don't show me I'm nervous WENDY BOY WENDY Come on, we're friends You don't have to be nervous around me BOY Why did she always know exactly what to say? Why did she say anything at all? We could have stayed frozen in that perfect moment Before she knew WENDY What is this place? BOY Women can be so stupid sometimes It's the equipment shed WENDY Oh BOY Home of the Pirates Mm Argh! WENDY BOY WENDY I don't see what the big deal is BOY No one goes in here Like, ever I basically own the place Weird thing to own WENDY March 5, 2020 Mohlman – Dust – 66 There's more inside The thing I want to show you It's inside I'm such an idiot What BOY WENDY BOY I think she might finish the thought I mean, there are a million possible words That can follow that one silencing syllable WENDY What BOY It echoes in my ears My brain is filled with endless moments of torture But this one is the worst WENDY What BOY Looking back, I don't hate her I don't blame her I shouldn't have brought her there It was so stupid WENDY What is this? BOY And then I watched her explore And for a moment everything was perfect Because she was in my world And she was silent And she was terrified And it was too good Too good to be true Too good for me She ran her fingers over the hilt of every knife She examined each gun with an appraiser's eye And then carefully Carefully March 5, 2020 Mohlman – Dust – 67 BOY (con’t) Placed them exactly where she found them I had forgotten how meticulous she was I had forgotten how precise she had become And then she saw the animals Don't touch them WENDY Why? BOY I'm not exactly sure They hung off rusted exercise equipment Heavier than the barbells and free weights You'd think I'd start with something small Like mice But birds were the easiest to catch And there were so many birds Swallows, jays, crows More crows than anything else because they reminded me of her It smells like hell WENDY BOY You get used to it Then there were the animals I traveled to kill Things that lived in swamps and forests Solo road trips when she was at swim practice Late nights when my dad was too drunk to care No one wanted them alive They were dangerous They were powerful And so was I When she was done surveying the room She gave me this look This look that changed everything I wasn't human anymore This is Shit WENDY BOY WENDY This is like March 5, 2020 Mohlman – Dust – 68 Shit Shit BOY WENDY Stop BOY Shit Shit Shit You're not going to tell anyone about this, right? I WENDY BOY I showed it to you because I thought you'd get it You're the smartest person I know I thought you would understand This is I shouldn't have showed you WENDY BOY WENDY You're BOY Fuck WENDY What do you want me to say? Say you understand me BOY WENDY I don't BOY It doesn't have to be true Just say it Please March 5, 2020 Mohlman – Dust – 69 I don't think Fuck WENDY BOY What? WENDY Do you know what this looks like? Do you know how this makes you look? I shouldn't have brought you here This is dangerous All these animals And the knives and the guns BOY WENDY BOY It was a mistake I can't What? WENDY BOY WENDY This BOY Don't, Wendy WENDY I can't be God I can't be what you want me to be I can't be that person for you What are you saying? What are you saying? What are you Fuck Wendy BOY March 5, 2020 Mohlman – Dust – 70 WENDY We can't be friends BOY I made a mistake WENDY We can't be friends I mean Jesus Christ BOY Stop Reset. What do you want me to say? WENDY BOY Say we can fix this That we can go back in time and make it all different WENDY We can't BOY We can I know we can We still have time What are you talking about? WENDY BOY Stop Reset. What do you want me to say? WENDY BOY Say you love me WENDY No March 5, 2020 Mohlman – Dust – 71 Say you love me, please BOY WENDY No BOY Wendy WENDY ... BOY ... Where did my friend go? WENDY There’s no going back. But he will try. His next “stop” is quieter, sadder. BOY Stop What do you want me to say? Say you understand me WENDY BOY WENDY I don't BOY It doesn't have to be true Just say it Please I can’t I’m sorry I can’t WENDY And then she leaves. BOY I always thought transformation would feel more dramatic With physical pain March 5, 2020 Mohlman – Dust – 72 BOY (con’t) And altered body parts I thought people would notice That people would stare at me in the hallway Because my arm no longer looked like an arm Or my hand was no longer a hand Instead, they just walked past me Like I wasn’t even there THE MERMAIDS are like the opposing forces on a magnet. They cannot stay away fast enough. And still, they swallow him whole. LILY enters, wistful and dangerous. BOY And then there was Lily And she was incredible And beautiful And sweet Not like Wendy Lily cared about me She paid attention LILY and BOY are drawn to each other. They are a reprise of the dance he and Wendy shared. THE MERMAIDS score it with movement and sound. BOY She listened to me Through all the noise She was new Or I just didn’t notice her Does it really matter? She was new to me WENDY Okay, but it sucks that they fucked up your schedule I mean They kind of had to LILY WENDY They could've just given you a free period In the middle of the day? LILY March 5, 2020 Mohlman – Dust – 73 This is what I get for speaking up Hey Don’t do that What? LILY (con’t) WENDY LILY WENDY You’re too hard on yourself None of this is your fault The guy’s a dick LILY Thanks Why did she have to be so nice? BOY WENDY There should be more than one calculus class LILY At this school? WENDY Or they should have fired him LILY Yeah, well he didn’t touch me So he technically didn’t commit a crime BOY Keep your hands to yourself It just sucks You love all this math shit It’s not shit WENDY LILY WENDY I’m just trying to make you feel better March 5, 2020 Mohlman – Dust – 74 It’s not working Great LILY WENDY LILY Okay, maybe it’s working a little WENDY At least we have the same English class now LILY And none of the same reading It’s like I’m stuck in a loop of Mary Shelley novels And now I’ll never pass this Stupid Fucking Pointless AP exam God relax My mom's gonna kill me WENDY LILY WENDY Jesus Christ, no one's gonna kill you We'll get your schedule fixed It'll be like it never happened LILY Okay We'll go at lunch WENDY LILY Okay Yeah Thanks BOY She was poisoning her March 5, 2020 Mohlman – Dust – 75 WENDY That's so weird that they put you in wood shop Did you ask for that? LILY No WENDY I didn't even know we had a wood shop That feels so LILY Ancient Yeah I couldn't even tell you where it is WENDY BOY I can All heads turn to BOY. I'll walk you there I don't know if that's such / a – BOY WENDY BOY I said I'll walk you there Lily LILY Okay She smelled like lemons And lavender All the Ls BOY LILY Why are you crying? BOY I'm not crying March 5, 2020 Mohlman – Dust – 76 BOY (con’t) Sawdust, maybe I don't cry LILY Okay BOY I don't THE MERMAIDS are almost whispers. They might laugh, suppressing it as it comes out. They might avoid eye contact, in the way that still feels like staring. They might not notice him at all. 5 Did you see / him? He’s such an / idiot 6 2 I heard he / cried 10 Oh my / god 9 That’s so / embarrassing Oh my god look at him I mean It's kind of cute when guys cry Really? 8 LILY BOY LILY Yeah I mean it's weird Weird? BOY March 5, 2020 Mohlman – Dust – 77 6 I can’t believe Wendy was nice to him for / so long Wendy’s nice to / everyone 3 1 I mean there was always something a little weird / about him, right? 7 Yeah He’s / pathetic 2 Don’t say that LILY Yeah, weird Or I don't know Vulnerable or whatever? It makes you more BOY What? LILY Real BOY Oh Oh okay The Mermaid voices begin to take up more space. 4 Have you seen him / with her? With Lily? It’s / so sad The whole team’s talking / about it Are you / jealous? 5 9 10 March 5, 2020 Mohlman – Dust – 78 7 Oh my / god 2 She's so / smart 1 She’s so / pretty 8 I have no idea what she sees in him What are you making? LILY BOY A plank LILY Is that a supposed to be a joke? BOY No What? Um Shit LILY I’m sorry I didn’t mean BOY I mean, it was supposed to be a Forget it It's overwhelming. Idi / ot 8 10 Los / er 3 Waste of / space 4 Waste of / time March 5, 2020 Mohlman – Dust – 79 Waste of / life Waste of / life 1 2 6 Waste of / life 5 Give / up Get / out Go / away 8 4 7 No one / wants you 9 No one / wants you No one / wants you 1 BOY cuts them off. He is their conductor once again. BOY I cry all the time Really? Yes LILY BOY LILY Cool BOY Really? Yeah LILY And that one word changes everything. March 5, 2020 Mohlman – Dust – 80 She was incredible I'll see you at lunch? BOY LILY BOY Yeah, sure That sounds good Who am I kidding? It's great It's phenomenal I'll save you a seat LILY BOY Okay Or we could LILY What? BOY We could walk over together LILY Sure Let's do that BOY She was I don't even know how to describe it She was everything that Wendy wasn't Kind and sweet and smart and loud But nice and quiet when it mattered and Confusing but open An absolute mystery But at the same time, exactly who I thought she was Uncomplicated, unburdened, unobtrusive, understanding What did I do to deserve this girl? LILY You should come over to my house after school My parents won't be home March 5, 2020 Mohlman – Dust – 81 Okay We could watch a movie BOY LILY BOY I went to her house a lot We never watched movies LILY Why don't we ever hang out at your house? BOY My house is stupid LILY Oh, come on I’m serious BOY LILY But I want to meet your parents I want to see your room I want to know everything about you BOY My parents are idiots Everyone's parents are idiots My parents are especially awful LILY BOY LILY I don’t believe you BOY Trust me, you don't want to meet them LILY You've had dinner at my house a million times My parents know your allergies BOY I don't have any allergies March 5, 2020 Mohlman – Dust – 82 They know your middle name They know everything about you LILY BOY I said I don't want you to come over I don't know why you're making such a big deal out of this LILY I'm not making a big deal out / of it Fuck you, Lily I said no BOY LILY Okay Okay BOY Let me say something Because I feel like I haven't been able to say this yet I have a list of every reason why A list as long as my arm You evaded me You ignored me You avoided me You created a hole the size of your body in my heart And I will never let you live that down You sized me up You spit me out You created a monster where your friend once stood I am not finished Sit down You didn't learn You didn't listen You didn't care You didn't call Because you would have known You would have been able to stop me You were a slut You were mine You were mine You were mine And fuck March 5, 2020 Mohlman – Dust – 83 I can't do this anymore LILY BOY Oh fuck you LILY Are you listening to me? BOY I'm listening You don't want anything to do with me Too bad LILY What the fuck? BOY You can't escape LILY Watch me BOY You can't leave LILY Fuck you She pushes through into the grasp of The Mermaids. Lily! Stop following me BOY LILY BOY You're making a big mistake LILY Get out of my way BOY You're going to wake up tomorrow wishing you could come crawling back And I'll be done I'll be over you So let me give you one last chance March 5, 2020 Mohlman – Dust – 84 Come back No BOY (con’t) LILY BOY Come home with me You can meet my parents You can do whatever you want We're done Lily LILY BOY LILY I never want to see your face again BOY It's a small school I don't care I don't have any other friends LILY BOY LILY That's not my problem Not anymore BOY Some schools have killer football teams We have swim They're monsters They're machines They practice twice a day Dry land in the morning 6AM And in the pool after school Sometimes til sunset Muscles aching Sleep deprived They spent hours by the pool And so did I March 5, 2020 Mohlman – Dust – 85 WENDY runs the team through a series of dry land exercises. They pair up for underhand medicine ball tosses with a 12 pound ball. WENDY Come on You got this 3 It's too early WENDY Do I hear someone giving up over there? 3 No WENDY You could run laps Laps would be fun 3 I'm just tired WENDY We're all tired 3 Not like this WENDY Running would wake you up real fast I like seeing her like this BOY Another dry land practice. Medicine ball sit-ups this time. They throw the ball to a partner as they come up from a sit-up. They're fucking powerful. WENDY Just a few more 2 My fucking uterus WENDY Do you need to sit out? March 5, 2020 Mohlman – Dust – 86 2 No Jesus Christ Fuck WENDY Stop talking 2 I'm trying WENDY Okay, now switch They switch places with their partners. 2 Holy shit Is your period slowing you down? WENDY 2 It's fine I'm fine WENDY I’d hate to cut you from tomorrow's meet 2 I'm okay WENDY You're sure? 2 I'm good I'm great BOY These girls are disgusting and terrifying and would probably eat me alive Another dry land practice. Planks. WENDY Come on You've got this March 5, 2020 Mohlman – Dust – 87 1 Holy shit WENDY Come on Ten more seconds 1 Jesus Christ WENDY You can do this 1 Holy fuck WENDY I know you can do this Another ten Come on 1 Arrrrrrrrrgh WENDY And up 1 Fuck yeah They would destroy me BOY 1 Fuck yeah I fucking did that They would fucking destroy me BOY Another dry land practice. Push ups. Fifteen Sixteen Seventeen WENDY March 5, 2020 Mohlman – Dust – 88 Lily? Oh my god BOY LILY BOY Lily, I need to talk to you LILY You need to leave But I love you Do you hear yourself? You're insane Lily BOY LILY BOY LILY Go away BOY But LILY I don't ever want to see you again I was serious about that BOY If you shut your eyes and squeeze You might see a shapeless pool of mermaids Swim caps and goggles Androgynous and powerful Ready to snap you in half Their wailing cries will keep you up at night Seeping into your dreams Teeth thrashing, soul sucking nightmares Arms and legs and You don't want to mess with these bitches WENDY Hey March 5, 2020 Mohlman – Dust – 89 Hi What are you doing here? BOY WENDY BOY Um There's no law against Being by the pool I didn't say there was I can be here That's all I'm saying Listen Breakups are hard I know But Can't you see you're hurting her? WENDY BOY WENDY BOY I'm not doing anything wrong Just Go do something fun Go to a movie Be a kid for once Yeah Maybe I will She didn't love you, you know WENDY BOY WENDY BOY You don't know what you're talking about WENDY She needs space March 5, 2020 Mohlman – Dust – 90 She doesn't know what she needs She doesn't want you here BOY WENDY BOY She never said that WENDY Are you okay? I'm fine You know Never mind What? BOY WENDY BOY WENDY What you're doing It's harassment, I think It's probably stalking BOY It's not I checked WENDY You checked? BOY Yeah WENDY You really checked? Do you know how you sound right now? She wants me here You want me here BOY WENDY You need to leave March 5, 2020 Mohlman – Dust – 91 BOY Stop Reset. WENDY You know Never mind BOY What? Why don't we hang out anymore? I never see you WENDY BOY You know why WENDY I don't BOY I'm with Lily now We're happy WENDY I miss you BOY Stop Reset. You know Never mind What? WENDY BOY WENDY I have to go BOY Wait March 5, 2020 Mohlman – Dust – 92 I can't keep doing this WENDY She leaves. BOY is surrounded by the rest of THE MERMAIDS. An exhale. In unison, they look up. BOY The high dive I almost forgot to tell you about the high dive Freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly That's the rest of the team's drug But Wendy My Wendy She lives and dies by the ten meter plummet Most begin their descent with their back to their fate But not her She faces every moment head on Contorting her body with grace Her twists and turns are astonishing Magnetic Incredible She's someone else up there Someone I don't recognize And then her hands touch the surface And the water takes over ISABEL And she wakes up BOY Yes LILY Surrounded by miles and miles of nothing These three share a ragged, terrifying breath. Inhale, exhale. Eye contact that will kill you. Inhale. And on the exhale, BOY It's timeless – literally Four seconds separate her feet leaving the plank and her body breaking the water Four seconds between sky and sea But in that time She flies I always thought she'd die in the water March 5, 2020 Mohlman – Dust – 93 BOY (con’t) That's how these things happen, right? We're killed by the thing we love the most? But I found her on the other end of a barrel And I'm starting to reconsider that terrifying, beautiful thesis She was on the floor, gun to her head, last words stuck in a silent scream Second thoughts and never minds crushed by what already is No one should have to see that No one should have to watch their best friend die WENDY Don't move I'll be back I promise BOY You know that place between sleep and awake The place where you can still remember dreaming? That's where I'll always love you That's where I'll be waiting I won't just hurt you, / princess 2 4 I had dreams too, / you bitch 1 You're a waste / of space 5 Don't scream WENDY Aren't you forgetting who else was there? BOY Wendy ISABEL You're nothing / without me 6 I'm going to be remembered / for this LILY I should have raped you when I had the chance March 5, 2020 Mohlman – Dust – 94 WENDY Don't you remember what really happened? What are you do / ing? BOY WENDY Let me refresh your memory You were always a breath away Not just swim meets and practice Classrooms, locker rooms, outside my house I couldn't escape you This isn't funny, / Wendy BOY WENDY Other than swim, I was nobody But you made me unforgettable Everyone knew who I was because of you Janitors stopped me in the hallway asking if I was okay That's not normal You're being ridiculous BOY WENDY You were everywhere Breathing my air Touching my hair Too close Too fast Too much They called you a "fan" Enthusiasm and school spirit and testosterone and Fuck BOY You're not thinking straight WENDY Someone should have stopped you BOY You're being really emotional right now March 5, 2020 Mohlman – Dust – 95 Someone should have protected us You don't mean that Wendy, you don't mean that WENDY BOY WENDY Do you know what our principal said when I told him about your equipment shed? "We'll take a look at it later" They didn't touch it BOY WENDY I know They forgot Or they didn't care Not enough warning signs I was "overreacting" They loved to tell me how much I was overreacting you fucking monster I tried to stay home from school But even that wasn't safe because you lived next door Thoughts and prayers and thoughts and prayers and The whole time you had a gun And we knew about it I mean Jesus Christ how many more warning signs does it take? THE MERMAIDS surround BOY and repeat the last words he spoke to them. It starts out as something that can be heard, something that can be deciphered. But before long, everyone's speaking at once. 6 begins speaking and, like an avalanche, she collects voices until the shrill dissonance of teenage women becomes unbearable. As soon as 6 has finished her last line, she starts over as 5 joins in – and then ISABEL and 8 and 4 and on and on until everyone is speaking all at once. Each Mermaid repeats their two- to fiveline refrain over and over until WENDY conducts them to do otherwise. This will feel like it goes on forever, but BOY deserves every moment of torture that these voices deliver. 6 I'm going to be remembered for this I'll be on the news But people will forget about you I guarantee it March 5, 2020 Mohlman – Dust – 96 Don't scream Don't make a sound If you scream, I will kill you I will kill you I swear to God 5 ISABEL You're nothing without me And now you're nothing The world will be a better place without you I guarantee it 8 You were a disappointment for a long time No one's going to be disappointed when I'm through with you 4 I had dreams too, you bitch I dreamt I'd never have to see you again Fuck you Fuck you Fuck you 3 7 It's all your fault I wouldn't have done this if it wasn't for you If it wasn't for all of you 1 You're a waste of space A waste of time A waste A waste A waste 10 Don't move Don't make a sound I will destroy you I will make you wish you were never here 2 I won't just hurt you, princess I will destroy you So go ahead – make me mad March 5, 2020 Mohlman – Dust – 97 Last chance you bitch Give me a reason to stop One reason 9 LILY I should have raped you when I had the chance You fucking slut When he is at the point of breaking, BOY tries to reset the world. It's worked out for him so well before. BOY Stop Stop Stop stop stop stop You want them to stop? WENDY WENDY raises her arms straight up in the air. THE MERMAIDS repeat the gesture in unison, bringing their speech down to a whisper. Slowly – so slowly – they all lower their arms from this straight over their heads gesture into the crooked arms of surrender. Don't shoot. They all stop talking. It's the quietest they've ever been. BOY What are you doing? WENDY Hi, Peter BOY, in relief, moves toward WENDY to check on her. But before he gets close, a wall of sound and bodies stops him. The Mermaids are echoing his name in their last moment of life. A whisper, a scream, a plea, a question. Every voice different, every voice heard. Peter ISABEL 1 Peter March 5, 2020 Mohlman – Dust – 98 Peter Peter 2 3 4 Peter 5 Peter Peter Peter 6 7 8 Peter 9 Peter Peter Peter 10 LILY BOY I can't do this anymore WENDY Coward BOY You're not real Oh, I’m very real WENDY BOY It's all your fault You could have stopped me You shell WENDY March 5, 2020 Mohlman – Dust – 99 You vile no name monster You're blaming me for all of this? You're a shadow You're nothing Say it again I dare you WENDY (con’t) BOY You could have stop / ped me They scream the word he loves the most. THE MERMAIDS Stop! BOY Shit shit shit shit shit shit shit WENDY This has nothing to do with me You would have done it whether I loved you or not You would still have blood on your hands And your clothes, and your skin I was everything you wanted I paid attention to you I was your friend I defended you Even when it hurt Even when you were horrible I never turned anyone against you and I had so many opportunities So don’t for one second try to blame anyone other than yourself The siren song from the very first moment of the play returns, seductive and deceptive and captivating Peter. As the song is sung, individuals break away and speak to him directly before folding back into the music. You cornered me 6 5 I called you a freak 4 I was a better swimmer than her March 5, 2020 Mohlman – Dust –100 I ran I ran 1 ISABEL 3 I was already at the pool When you fired the first shot 7 You didn't like the way I looked at you 2 You didn't like the way I talked to you 9 You didn't like me Because I wasn't her 8 I wasn't her I wasn't her I was in the way LILY 10 5 I screamed 4 I couldn't speak LILY There were no words left You tried to force me I resisted I never resisted Not once ISABEL 6 10 I was going to pay for what I did March 5, 2020 Mohlman – Dust –101 But I had no idea what that was 8 3 I was just in the wrong place / at the wrong time 1 I was just in the wrong place / at the wrong time WENDY I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time And then you shot me BOY No THE MERMAIDS quickly line up in order of complete destruction. 1 to 10 or whatever the highest number happens to be. Then ISABEL. Then LILY. Leaving WENDY on the end. WENDY You can spin whatever story you want You can lie to my face I don't care But know this: I watched you I tried to save you for god’s sake And I saw all those girls lying dead on the ground Under the bleachers On the starting blocks In the pool I knew every single one of them And as I looked at their lifeless bodies – Lives you took – I saw names and families I saw memories and dreams And all you saw was a body count You wanted me to leave You asked me to leave and what was I supposed to do? Forget everything I saw? Go live my life like it was normal? Like it was normal to see that? How was I supposed to leave after something like that? But BOY A collective whisper. March 5, 2020 Mohlman – Dust –102 THE MERMAIDS Peter BOY But I love you WENDY No First you tried to choke me You grabbed me by the neck and forced your cock into my mouth Does that sound like love? And when I cried and refused When I looked at the lifeless eyes of the girls I've known my whole life Girls who shared classes with me Who laughed with me Swam with me Saw me in the hallway Hung out by my locker Girls that I’d die for Every single one of them gone And here I was crying, begging you not to shoot Does that sound like love? Or maybe what you're remembering is the moment you realized I couldn't move When you slammed my head on the cold tile And moved my hair aside So I could feel the warm gun on my terrified temple In these stories the gun is always cold But not today You warmed it up for me You fucking warmed it up Does that sound like love? It's violence. It's payback. It's everyone against him. WENDY I grew up in that moment What a waste BOY I'm so sorry WENDY You're worthless BOY I can fix this March 5, 2020 Mohlman – Dust –103 WENDY You're worthless and in five minutes – Ten tops – Your name will echo off every news channel Every radio station Newspaper headlines will scream, memorializing you in shit Parents will crumble at the mention of your Ordinary Empty Name I didn't know any of them They didn't let me BOY WENDY Are you trying to make me feel sorry for you? BOY I'll go to jail WENDY That's what you're thinking about right now? BOY Please I'll never survive that It'll destroy me WENDY It’ll destroy you if you're lucky Even now they're out there spinning their own story about you The news will call you a "lovesick teen" A quiet kid with good grades Someone who kept to himself until he was provoked Bullied Ground down to a powder I never kept to myself BOY WENDY They'll spin you faster and faster until you can’t see straight You're not a murderer You're "troubled" And handsome You’re smart March 5, 2020 Mohlman – Dust –104 WENDY (con’t) And misunderstood They won’t say about your shed or your guns or the animals Or the stalking Or the thick binder the school kept for every complaint these women lodged against you BOY Girls We hear the ticking of the classroom clock. Time moves forward. WENDY You think they’ll call us “girls?” You think they'll care about the truth at a time like this? BOY Please I'll change I promise WENDY Shouts of your name will echo until another boy who looks just like you takes down his own school You'll live forever on the lips of violence and grief Every single one of these women will continue to pull at their families Their parents will hide Their grandparents will scream These girls won't graduate high school They won't even finish today And it will feel like that forever Every single day will be covered in Why her? Why did this Troubled Handsome Boy Kill my daughter? Children are supposed to outlive their parents They're supposed to grow up Move out Live to disappoint them another day And now Because of you Every single one of them will be remembered as perfect March 5, 2020 Mohlman – Dust –105 BOY No They were horrible WENDY Keep telling yourself that What about my parents? BOY WENDY What about your parents? BOY Will they be okay? WENDY Of course they'll be okay Do you really think they actually care about you? Your mom gave up on you a long time ago Your dad hasn't been home for weeks That's not true BOY WENDY You're an embarrassment without the gun and the news and the body count Do you actually think they're going to finally love you now? Do you think you have that kind of power? The Mermaids circle, closer and closer. WENDY There's no denying it, Peter To die will be an awfully big adventure They attack, drowning him in their bodies. WENDY Whose house? Our house Whose house? THE MERMAIDS WENDY March 5, 2020 Mohlman – Dust –106 THE MERMAIDS Our house WENDY Whose house? THE MERMAIDS Our house Our house Our house Somewhere, outside of his mind, a gun goes off. END OF PLAY March 5, 2020
