Week 5: Post Execution

[disclosures]

[After a while, like maybe three or four hours after the execution, Rebecca's looking for Evan. She doesn't seem like she's been crying or anything along those lines. But she does seem tired. Almost like she hasn't been sleeping that well.

She'll start by knocking on his door.]

Evan? Are you there?

Comments

[selfinserting]

[He thinks about it for a moment.]

What, um, what's been the worst date you were ever on?

[disclosures]

That's all of them. But that one where the guy called our relationship feces is definitely up there.

[That wasn't a date, Rebecca.]

[selfinserting]

[He blinks in surprise.]

...Whoever he was, he sounds like, like a jerk.

[disclosures]

He was. I still liked him, but that was a huge mistake.

Okay, your turn. Truth or dare?

[selfinserting]

I hope you, um, find someone better.

[A beat.]

Truth.

[disclosures]

What was your best date?

[selfinserting]

...Oh, um.

[He thinks about that for a moment.]

The, um, the girl I'm seeing back home... Her name is Zoe. We met because, um, we were both in the school's jazz band. She played guitar in it, and a while after we started dating, I went to her house and she, um, played me a few of her favorite songs. It was... really cool to see something she was, um, so passionate about.

[disclosures]

[She gives a small smile.]

Music's really satisfying, isn't it? It's one of my favorite things in the world. [Though she can't sing and can't play any instruments.] I'm glad you got to see her like that.

[selfinserting]

Yeah. She's... amazing at it, too. I wish you could hear the way she plays.

[disclosures]

Zoe, right? I'd love to hear her someday.

[selfinserting]

Yeah. You'd like her, I think.

[Oh, but—]

Truth or dare?

[disclosures]

Let's go with dare this time.

[selfinserting]

Okay. Um... I dare you to try and lick your elbow?

[He's not very good at this.]

[disclosures]

Weird choice.

[She squints at him, but she does take her arm and try to get her tongue on it. Very obviously, she can't do it. Because it's impossible.]

[selfinserting]

I thought that was, like, a common dare? I-I've never played this before...

[disclosures]

I think it's usually more along the lines of "confess to the person you like" or "pour a bucket of ice water over yourself"?

[It's pretty clear she's not used to this sort of thing either.]

[selfinserting]

B-But both of those are really mean things to ask someone, aren't they?

[disclosures]

"Write a letter to your crush?" How's that one?

I haven't been to that many parties... that didn't involve keg stands and college.

[selfinserting]

I've... never been to a party like that before.

[A thoughtful look.]

I think I'd like to, though? I mean, mostly the college part. I, um... It's just my mom and I, so we don't really have enough money to pay much after high school, but... It'd be nice if I could try.

[disclosures]

Hmm... Yeah, that does make it tougher. But if you can write a really good essay and get a bunch of scholarships that helps. Good grades are great. If you have any extra curriculars colleges love seeing those.

You can take loans, but a lot of those companies are predatory and force inflation while you're actually in school. Have you done your FAFSA yet?

You're a high school... sen... sophomore? I don't remember.

[selfinserting]

...I do, um, have an extracurricular, but it - seems kind of wrong to use it on a college application.

[But he doesn't voice quite why yet.]

No, I haven't done the FAFSA. I'm, um, I'm thinking of taking a gap year so I can work somewhere and save up for community college. Oh, but, I'm a senior.

[disclosures]

You said you did band, didn't you? That's... do you have a moral dilemma about band?

[She's just kind of squinting at him. That made no sense to her.]

Oh, a gap year. I had a classmate that did that. I have no idea what happened to them. But if you're worried about money, working is a good option. What are you thinking of doing?

[selfinserting]

No, no, it's not band that I'm talking about.

[He shrugs.]

Nothing, um, nothing too big. I've never had a job, so I'd probably start in retail or something else where it's easy to get hired without, without a lot of experience.

[disclosures]

You can still put band on your list, even if you don't want to put the other one there. Whatever it is.

Retail is good, you don't usually have to take a test for it. Like a food handler's permit- I think you have to pay for that license too.

[selfinserting]

...Yeah, that's a good point. You think they wouldn't mind if I'm not, not too good at it?

[He nods.]

There's, um, there's a pottery barn like a few blocks away from my house. I could try that.