A BAD DAY

by Richard Nathan

A social event is taking place.  Most of the people there are in their late teens or early twenties.  A BOY and a GIRL begin a conversation.

                                                            BOY
                                    Hi.

                                                            GIRL
                                    Hi.

                                                            BOY
                                    Nice day.

                                                            GIRL
                                    It might be.  You can never be sure.

                                                            BOY
                                    I mean... the weather... is comfortable.

                                                            GIRL
                                    It seems comfortable, sometimes.  You think 
                                    it really is?

                                                            BOY
                                    Sure.  I guess.  Don't you?

                                                            GIRL
                                    I try not to think about it.

                                                            BOY
                                    How is it here, at this place?

                                                            GIRL
                                    Like the weather.  It seems comfortable,
                                    sometimes.  But how do you know?   For
                                    sure?  I don't let my guard down.

                                                            BOY
                                    That's kind of sad, don't you think?

                                                            GIRL
                                    Whenever I've been happy, I've let my
                                    guard down, and then something awful
                                    always happened.  I don't let myself get
                                    too happy now, and, on the whole, I'm
                                    much happier as a result.  Odd, isn't it?

                                                            BOY
                                    I guess that's good... that  you're happier.

                                                            GIRL
                                    Except at night.  I don't know anyone who
                                    is happy in the middle of the night. 

                                                            BOY
                                    Why do you say that?

                                                            GIRL
                                    Maybe it's because no one ever really knows
                                    what's in the dark.  You can't.

                                                            BOY
                                    There are happy people.  They fall
                                    asleep.

                                                            GIRL
                                    Being asleep isn't the same as being happy. 
                                    How can you be happy if you're asleep? 
                                    You can't be anything.  But don't tell that to
                                    the doctors.  They want everyone to be
                                    asleep, but that just makes the doctors
                                    happy.

                                                            BOY
                                    Sometimes, when I'm dreaming, I dream
                                    I'm happy.

                                                            GIRL
                                    That's the saddest thing of all, when you
                                    dream you're happy, and you wake up,
                                    and all the happiness you dreamed about
                                    is gone.

                                                            BOY
                                    Maybe it's still there, if you look for it.

The Girl looks at the Boy for a moment, and then decides to take a chance.

                                                            GIRL
                                    You want to be my friend?  I don't have
                                    any friends.

                                                            BOY
                                    Oh!  Uh, ...  I'd like to, but... uh... I'm just here
                                    for the field trip, for my psych class, to see...
                                    Didn't they tell you?  We're just here for a few
                                    hours.  I thought you knew.  I'm just a student. 
                                    I'm really sorry...

The Girl is crushed, but won't admit it. 

                                                            GIRL
                                    Oh.  That's okay.  I'm a student too.

 
Awkward pause. 

Slow fade to black.