Sincerely, Olivia

Olivia Jenkins murders her best friend, accidentally. This play is her suicide note.

Scene 1: The Documentary

(OLIVIA JENKINS stands center stage. A single light focuses on her.)

OLIVIA: Hey folks. If you are seeing this, I’m already dead. My name is Olivia Jenkins. This video is my confession and my goodbye. For Mrs. Castero’s life event project, my therapist suggested I tell the story of the death of my best friend, Lara McKenzie, to help me cope, or whatever. So here I am. Telling the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help me God. (pause) This is the story of how I murdered my best friend.

LIGHTS DOWN

Scene 2: Mount West High

(A bell rings. Mount West High: a normal, average high school. OLIVIA stands far stage left to tell her story.)

OLIVIA: It started May 3, the day of Mathew Gregory’s annual birthday party. It was one of those beer guzzling, bad decision making kind of bashes and every upperclassmen is required to attend, or have their ‘cool card’ suspended. Enter Lara McKenzie, my best friend since diapers.

(LARA MCKENZIE enters stage right carrying her books. She is the stereotypical high school popular girl.)

LARA: Olivia! Get over here!

(OLIVIA hurries over to LARA.)

LARA: Take my books.

(OLIVIA takes the book from LARA, but struggles a little to carry them. Enter SAMUEL MARTINEZ, LARA’s boyfriend. A dark, mysterious and complicated guy. He seems to emulate both douchiness and genuine goodness, which often conflict. SAM gives LARA a kiss. OLIVIA watches uncomfortably. The scene freezes.)

OLIVIA: Samuel Martinez. Sam. Lara’s boyfriend. Dark, mysterious, complicated and super hot guy. A dreamboat, right?

(Scene unfreezes.)

SAM: Hey babe, you free after school today?

LARA: Mhm. Mathew Gregory’s party right?

SAM: That’s right.

LARA: You’re coming right, Olivia?

SAM: You totally should.

OLIVIA: Yeah, definitely.

LARA: Good.

(The bell rings)

SAM: Alright I’ll see you at lunch. (He kisses LARA again)

(LARA struts off. Sam pauses for a moment to look at OLIVIA, who is trailing a little slower behind LARA)

SAM: You too. (Winks at her)

LARA: Hurry up Olivia!

OLIVIA: Coming!

(OLIVIA hurries after LARA)

LIGHTS DOWN

Scene 3: Mathew Gregory’s Party

(Stereotypical high school party: Music blasts loudly. It’s smokey and poorly lit. The party is extremely crowded and you can see people kissing and grinding in every direction you look. Enter LARA, the crowd dividing for her. Around her shoulders is SAM. He shoots dirty looks at some guys who whistle at LARA. LARA laughs and waves at her adoring fans then continues through, it collapsing behind her. OLIVIA gets stuck in this collapse as she struggles to keep up with LARA.)

OLIVIA: (Pushing through the crowd.) Oof. Sorry. Excuse me.

LARA: Olivia? Oh there you are. You look tense. Have a drink. (Hands her a drink.)

OLIVIA: Thanks.

LARA: Just have fun okay?

OLIVIA: Okay.

(LARA sashays away into the crowd. SAM stays behind, getting a drink.)

BOY 1: (Slapping OLIVIA’s butt. He’s quite drunk.) Hey babe.

OLIVIA: Hey!

BOY 1: You in a bad mood, sweetie?

OLIVIA: You’re drunk!

BOY 1: Don’t put up a fight beautiful. I know you want this. (He grabs her and brings her up against him. She struggles against him.)

SAM: Hey! (Tearing BOY 1 off of her) F**k off man!

BOY 1: Jeez don’t get so upset dude. (He teeters off.)

SAM: You okay?

OLIVIA: Yeah.

SAM: Why don’t you come outside? There’s less a******s out there.

OLIVIA: Okay.

(The crowd disappears as SAM and OLIVIA step outside. The music fades. They sit down on a bench.)

SAM: Nice night.

OLIVIA: Yeah… um, thanks for helping me, and stuff.

SAM: It’s my pleasure. (He slides closer)

OLIVIA: Where’s Lara? Is she alright?

SAM: I’m sure she’s fine. She can handle herself… It’s awful how she treats you.

OLIVIA: Tell me about it.

SAM: Why do you put up with it?

OLIVIA: It’s better than being the scum of the school. Why do you date her?

SAM: She has her redeemable qualities.

OLIVIA: Yeah sure.

(There is a long moment of silence.)

OLIVIA: Nice weather--

(She is interrupted by SAM kissing her.)

OLIVIA: Wha--

SAM: I’ve got to go.

(He runs off. OLIVIA watches him go, completely in shock.)

LIGHTS DOWN

Scene 4: Mount West High

(The stage is dark except for a single light focused on OLIVIA center stage. )

OLIVIA: That kiss was the moment you could pinpoint as where it all went downhill. It was … transformative. (dreamily) I couldn’t get him out of my head. That night I dreamed of me and him. We danced in the moonlight. The next morning I doodled his name in my notebook. Something had happened, I was certain. (suddenly bitter) Unfortunately, lighting a fire is never as easy as putting it out.

(The bell rings. SAM runs up to OLIVIA and grabs her arm, in the swarm of high schoolers hurrying on their way to class.)

OLIVIA: (Jerking her arm away) Hey!

SAM: Sorry. (In a rush) Look, I just want to apologize for Friday. I was drunk. Not in my right mind. It didn’t mean anything okay? Let’s just forget it ever happened.

OLIVIA: (Hiding her hurt) Yeah, yeah. Of course.

SAM: Thanks. See you around.

(OLIVIA watches SAM run off to LARA, who is beckoning him to her. OLIVIA sighs. The hallway clears and the second bell rings.)

OLIVIA: See you around.  

Scene 5: Lara’s Bedroom

(OLIVIA stands lit by a single light on the side of the stage.)

OLIVIA: I felt bad. Awful. He wouldn’t leave my mind. He told me it meant nothing and yet I had felt something there. It was wishful thinking, I suppose, but love is blind, right? My guilt built up in me all week and desperate, I decided to turn to the one person I’ve been telling my secrets all my life.

(The lights focus on a bed, where LARA lays. Popcorn, games, nail polish and other girly sleepover things litter the floor around it. A nightstand with makeup and hair styling supplies sits just off to the side. OLIVIA sits down next to the bed.)

OLIVIA: Lara?

LARA: Yeah?

OLIVIA: I (She pauses, uncertain if this is wise.) I think I’m in love with someone--

LARA: What! Who?

OLIVIA: (Regretting ever saying anything) Nevermind… I shouldn’t have told you…

LARA: No! Tell me! I’m your best friend! You know you can trust me.

OLIVIA: It’s not that. I really don’t think--

LARA: Tell me!

OLIVIA: No.

LARA: Tell me!!

OLIVIA: No!

LARA: You have to tell me (screaming in her face) TELL ME!

OLIVIA: Sam kissed me!

LARA: (livid) You… b i t c h. How could you?

OLIVIA: I’m…. I’m sorry!

LARA: (Screaming in OLIVIA’s face) This is all your fault! A s**t like you doesn’t deserve Sam!

OLIVIA: Please…

LARA: I never even liked your stupid a*s! After everything I have done for you… EVERYTHING I HAVE DONE FOR YOU… this is how you repay me! By seducing my boyfriend--

OLIVIA: It wasn’t like that!

LARA: Don’t lie to me b***h! I will f*****g murder you, you, selfish f**k--

OLIVIA: Stop! (She grabs the scissors from the table behind her and stabs LARA)

(Lara groans and slumps to the floor. There is silence.)

OLIVIA: What have I done…

MRS. MCKENZIE: Girls? Is everything okay up there?

(OLIVIA scrambles to wipe off her fingerprints from the scissors then leave them on the floor. She shakily takes her phone and calls 9-1-1.)

MRS. MCKENZIE: I’m coming upstairs.

OLIVIA: Hello? Yes. (tears begin to pour from her eyes) My friend… she’s dead.

MRS. MCKENZIE: (approaching the door to the bedroom) Are you girls okay? I’m coming in.

(She opens the door and screams at the sight of her daughter slumped on the floor. OLIVIA hangs up on the phone and begins to sob, pulling her knees up to her chest. MRS. MCKENZIE runs to her daughter and shakes her.)

MRS. MCKENZIE: Lara? Lara!? Wake up! (crying) Wake up right now! Please! Please…

(She hunches over her daughter and cries. We hear sirens in the distance.)

LIGHTS DOWN

Scene 6: The Police Station

(OLIVIA sits a table with an police officer. He is attempting to be friendly. OLIVIA is closed off, uncooperative.)

OFFICER: Tell me again, you are sure you saw nothing?

OLIVIA: Well I left her in bed and went to the bathroom. When I came back… I don’t know. Everything is dark.

OFFICER: Clearly you are in shock. Your parents tell me that you and Lara were best friends, almost inseparable. I’m going to refer you to a therapist. This is tough to go through, especially for a teenager. Hopefully he can help you cope and maybe recover some memories from that night.

(OLIVIA nods, her head down. The police officer stares at her for a moment, with a look of pity.)

OFFICER: You’re free to go.

(OLIVIA stands up and walks out, muttering a thank you as she goes. Her parents are waiting for her outside. They give her a hug and comfort her as they walk off stage.)

Scene 7: The Funeral

OLIVIA: Newsflash, when you are the quiet girl in the back, nobody thinks you capable of murdering your best friend. Heck, I don’t think the notion ever even crossed anyone’s mind. That night in a panic, I tried to remove all the evidence against me best I could, then called 9-1-1 with my fabricated story. I was certain they wouldn’t believe me. Turns out I’m better liar than I thought. Despite having gotten away with it though, the guilt still ate at me like a parasite.

(A group of mourners enter in black. A priest stands at the front of the group.)

PRIEST: Lara McKenzie. A lovely girl, taken away too early. Her death is still a mystery, the murderer still not held accountable. During this hard time, we must support her family, and her best friend Olivia Jenkins, who witnessed this despicable act. Let us pray. (All the mourners bow their heads) Dear heavenly father, bless Lara and her family, (angrily) and damn Olivia, who murdered her in cold blood.

(The mourners’ heads snap towards OLIVIA and they began to chant. They surround her.)

MOURNERS: Murderer. Murderer. Murderer… (gradually louder, cont.)

OLIVIA: No! Please! Stop!

(LARA rises from out of her coffin and steps towards OLIVIA. The group, now silent, part for her.)

LARA: (Passive aggressively.) Wow. In first grade you stole my Pink Princess pencil case. In fourth grade you told Mrs. Palinsky that I pushed a kid. Middle school, you went behind my back and told Timothy Wang that you liked him, when you KNEW that I liked him. Then you seduced my boyfriend and kissed him and now… your all time low. You murdered me.

OLIVIA: It was an accident!

LARA: I think I know what this is all about. You. Are. Jealous. You could never be as popular as me, as pretty as me, as rich as me. So you tried to sabotage me from the beginning. And look where it got you. Revenge is a dish best served cold. Thankfully, you get pretty cold when you’re dead. Just you wait, b***h. I’m about to f**k up your life. (Smiling) Have fun.

(She waves her fingers, smiling cynically, and climbs back into her coffin. OLIVIA falls to the floor sobbing. She is prostrate on the ground, covering her ears. The mourners continue to chant as they move back to their original places. Suddenly, the lights flicker. Everything is back to normal. OLIVIA had hallucinated the whole thing.)

PRIEST: Amen.

MOURNERS: Amen.

(The group slowly wanders out. MRS. JENKINS approaches OLIVIA, as OLIVIA begins to sit up, wiping tears from her eyes and shaking.)

MRS. JENKINS: You okay, honey?

OLIVIA: I think I’m going crazy.

MRS. JENKINS: You’re distraught. I know this is difficult. This is difficult for all of us.

OLIVIA: But Mom--

MRS. JENKINS: Let’s go home, Olivia.

(She puts her arm around OLIVIA’s shoulder and they walk out. OLIVIA glances back at the coffin nervously, just before exiting the stage. LARA sits up and puts her head on the edge of the coffin, smiling at OLIVIA. She waves goodbye. OLIVIA looks away and hurries out quickly.)

Scene 8: The Therapist

(The lights focus on a small therapist’s office with two plush chairs. In one sits MR. GREEN, the therapist. OLIVIA enters through the door.)

MR. GREEN: Welcome, Ms. Jenkins. Have a seat.

OLIVIA: (She sits.) Olivia. Thanks.

MR. GREEN: From what your parents have told me, this must be a tough time for you.

OLIVIA: Yeah.

MR. GREEN: I’m going to ask you a few questions. Just try to answer as honestly as possible. Remember, everything in this room is confidential, except unless you are in danger or I am asked to testify in court. Okay?

OLIVIA: Okay.

MR. GREEN: First, what was your relationship like with Lara?

OLIVIA: Good. We’ve been best friends since we were tiny.

MR. GREEN: Right. I’m going to have to ask you to talk about in her the past tense. I know it may be difficult, but you need to accept her death.

OLIVIA: Oh. Um, we had been best friends since we were tiny?

MR. GREEN: Good. Many arguments?

OLIVIA: Not really. The occasional one over boys and such, but we were just normal teenage girls.

MR. GREEN: Do you blame yourself at all for her death?

OLIVIA: (pause) Yeah.

MR. GREEN: In what ways?

OLIVIA: I… I guess… it was because I was there. I thought… maybe if I hadn’t gone to the bathroom at that exact moment, I could’ve prevented it. Maybe the murderer would have taken me instead of her.

MR. GREEN: And you would have preferred that?

OLIVIA: No. But sometimes I see her, jeering at me. Like I’m the one at fault here.

MR. GREEN: Now, Ms. Jenkins--

OLIVIA: Olivia.

MR. GREEN: Right. You are just imagining her. Clearly this haunts you. You’re troubled.

OLIVIA: I guess.

MR. GREEN: When I talked to your homeroom teacher Mrs. Castero she told me you have a ‘Life Event’ Project coming up.

OLIVIA: Okay?

MR. GREEN: Do you know how to work a video camera?

OLIVIA: Yeah…

MR. GREEN: I want you go around and interview your fellow students, family, friends… It will be good for you. Help separate fantasy from reality.

OLIVIA: I really don’t think I need--

MR. GREEN: You absolutely do. Now our time is up so I’ll see you next week. Get on that.

OLIVIA: Okay?

MR. GREEN: Toodles.

(Olivia leaves the office. MRS. JENKINS is waiting outside of the door.)

MRS. JENKINS: How was it?

OLIVIA: (sarcastically) Fantastic.

Scene 9: Jenkins’ Kitchen

(Lights come up on the Jenkins’ Home. It’s a quaint little establishment. MRS. JENKINS is preparing dinner. OLIVIA is sitting at the kitchen table doing her homework on a laptop. She sighs and buries her head in her hands.)

MRS. JENKINS: Tough time with the homework?

OLIVIA: I just don’t know who I’m supposed to interview for the whole video thing. He was so vague about it.

MRS. JENKINS: Well think about who was close to Lara, or who knew her. How about Mrs. Castero? Or… Lara’s boyfriend? Maybe even some people who just hardly knew her.

OLIVIA: I guess. (She sighs and closes her laptop.) Do you have a camera I can use?

MRS. JENKINS: I don’t, but your father has one. He should be home very soon. Ask him then.

OLIVIA: Alright.

MRS. JENKINS: Olivia… (hesitant to ask) do you have any other friends?

OLIVIA: Um. Yeah.

MRS. JENKINS: Honey, really. Who do you hang out with at school? I know you don’t go out at all after school. It’s not healthy. You can’t shut yourself up like this.

OLIVIA: I’m fine Mom. I’ve got… uh…

(MRS. JENKINS sits down next to OLIVIA and holds her hands.)

MRS. JENKINS: I need you to be honest with me.

OLIVIA: Fine! I don’t have any friends! I spend my lunches all alone in the library. No one will talk to me unless it’s to tell me that they are ‘so sorry for your loss’. I’m just a big pity party!

MRS. JENKINS: Oh sweetie--

OLIVIA: And it’s not like I even had any real friends before anyways! Lara didn’t really like me, she just kept me around as an accessory.

MRS. JENKINS: That’s not true--

OLIVIA: (Stands up, upset.) How would you know?

(They are interrupted by DAD, who comes in through the door.)

DAD: How are my favorite women in the world--

(He sees their faces and stops. It’s obvious they were mid argument.)

DAD: Well you know what, I hear my office calling me. Call me down for dinner--

OLIVIA: No it’s fine Dad. Do you have a video camera I can use for my project?

(He looks at MRS. JENKINS for permission. She nods defeatedly.)

DAD: Sure thing, kiddo. I’ll grab it for you.

(He goes off stage momentarily and comes back holding an old 90’s camcorder.)

OLIVIA: What the hell is that?

MRS. JENKINS: (Warning) Olivia...

OLIVIA: (rolling her eyes) Sorry.

DAD: This beauty is what I used to record you when you were a kid.

OLIVIA: It’s enormous!

DAD: Sure, but it was great back then. You know, there might be some old tapes still in here…

(He opens it up and pulls out a VHS tape.)

DAD: Yes! Let me go grab my old TV!

(He runs off stage again and returns with a little portable TV. He inserts the VHS into it and it begins to play. OLIVIA watches in fascination. MRS. JENKINS is wiping tears from her eyes. You can hear a mother crying, then a newborn screaming. There are joyful voices. You hear a mother coaxing her child into saying her first few words. A toddler babbling. Then, you hear two girls goofing around.)

OLIVIA: Wait. Can you rewind it?

(DAD nods and rewinds the film a little bit. You hear the two little girls again.)

OLIVIA: Is that… me and Lara?

(She looks at MRS. JENKINS, who nods sadly. The scene freezes. OLIVIA approaches the audience.)

OLIVIA: We looked… so happy. Two little seven year olds against the world. So innocent. I trusted her with all my heart… and she trusted me. I wish we could go back to those days but… we can’t. I killed her. (pause) Now, she won’t get to see her own little girls be innocent and young. She won’t even get to have little girls. She always did want to be a mom. I’ve robbed her of that. It doesn’t matter what anyone says. I am the reason she is no longer here. I am the reason that Lara is gone. That Lara is… dead. (pause) I wish that I could have at least seen the Lara I remember… the Lara I loved, one more time. Instead of the monster that took her place. Oh Lara… whatever happened to you?

LIGHTS DOWN.

Scene 10: Mrs. Castero’s Classroom

(Lights up on MRS. CASTERO’s classroom. We see her sitting at her desk, grading papers. OLIVIA knocks on the door to the classroom. She has with her the camcorder.)

MRS. CASTERO: Come in! (OLIVIA enters) Hi there Olivia. What can I do for you?

OLIVIA: I was wondering if I could interview you for my project.

MRS. CASTERO: Sure thing! Let me just clear off my desk a little.

(She gathers up her papers and puts them away. OLIVIA turns on the camera and brings it up to her eye.)

OLIVIA: Ok, first of all, from your perspective, what was Lara McKenzie like?

MRS. CASTERO: (Hesitant) Oh, well… she was a very social butterfly. It seemed that her classmates absolutely adored her. She was good with her school work. Always turned it on time and such. It was these kind of creative projects that she loved the most. I could always tell how much she put into them.

OLIVIA: (Scene freezes. She puts her camera down and addresses the audience.) How much time I put into them. Group project or not, I always did the dirty work for her.

(She puts her camera back up to her eye and the scene continues.)

MRS. CASTERO: Overall, I think it was a true loss. I would have loved to really have gotten to know her before she died. I feel as if we--

OLIVIA: (muttering quietly) No you wouldn’t.

MRS. CASTERO: Pardon me?

OLIVIA: Sorry, nothing. Next question. How has Lara’s death affected your students?

MRS. CASTERO: Well I think it’s been devastating for all of us. To see a young life with so much potential just snatched away. I think it’s instilled this view of urgency in some of the student's’ minds. Life really is short. Lara probably didn’t do everything she wanted to in life. Such a loss. Such a shame.

OLIVIA: Okay. That’s it. Thanks Mrs. Castero. (OLIVIA begins packing up her things.)

MRS. CASTERO: Of course, dear. Anytime. Now wait a minute, don’t leave just yet. (Pointing to a chair) Have a seat.

(OLIVIA takes the chair and sits down in front of MRS. CASTERO’s desk. She is slightly nervous about what she has to say.)

MRS. CASTERO: I know this has been a tough time for you, Olivia. You always have a friend in Room 136 though. Don’t be afraid to come talk to me. When I was a little younger than you, my brother died from cancer. He was like a best friend to me. I know how devastating these things can be. I know that you will want to close yourself off from the world and hide away in grief. Speaking of which, do you have any friends?

OLIVIA: Yeah. Plenty.

MRS. CASTERO: Talk gets around the teachers lounge, and I’ve heard that you’ve been spending your lunches alone in the library.

OLIVIA: (sighs) Okay fine. You caught me. I’m a friendless pity party who spends all their time alone.

MRS. CASTERO: I’m just trying to help, Olivia.

OLIVIA: Yeah well so is everyone else. But guess what? I don’t need your help. I don’t need anybody’s help. (Stands up.) Thank you for your time, Mrs. Castero.

(OLIVIA exits the room. LIGHTS DOWN)

Scene 11: Therapist Office

(OLIVIA and MR. GREEN are sitting together in his office. OLIVIA clearly does not want to be there.)

MR. GREEN: How’s the video project coming along?

OLIVIA: Fine.

MR. GREEN: Have you gotten any interviews yet?

OLIVIA: I interviewed my homeroom teacher.

MR. GREEN: Awesome! That’s good progress for the first week. I’m sure you’ll get more as you start getting a hang of it. Now, your mother brought some concern to my attention. How is your friend situation at school?

OLIVIA: For f***s sake! Won’t anyone leave me alone with the whole friend thing! I’m fine!

MR. GREEN: Olivia, everybody needs friends, acquaintances you spend time with at least. But it seems like you are closing yourself off from the world.

OLIVIA: Well the world doesn’t understand.

MR. GREEN: Understand what?

OLIVIA: Me! What I’m going through! To them I’m just some sad specimen to stare at. Might as well put me in a zoo.

MR. GREEN: Surely you had other friends before Lara’s death who are willing to keep you company.

OLIVIA: Nope. We were a duo and nothing else.

MR. GREEN: Well Olivia, I really recommend that you find some people, to at least sit with at lunch. Start to branch out. Make new friends. Lara’s gone, she’s not going to be upset with you for finding some new friends.

OLIVIA: I guess.

(A timer rings.)

MR. GREEN: Well, that’s our time. Keep working on that video. And for your parents’ sake, get yourself some friends. Toodles.

OLIVIA: Toodles.

(OLIVIA leaves the office, her head hung low. She goes up to a hooded girl.)

OLIVIA: (Halfheartedly) Hey want to be friends? No, I didn’t think so.

(She begins to walk away when the hooded girl turns around. It’s LARA.)

LARA: Oh you poor thing. You were so much happier when I was alive, weren’t you? Too bad you killed me.

OLIVIA: Lara, you’re dead. Leave me alone!

LARA: Yeah alone, seriously. You can’t even get yourself any friends. Was I really the only one willing to put up with you?

OLIVIA: Please. Leave me alone.

LARA: (thinking) Mmmm… no. I always did tell myself that I would have so much fun after I died, haunting whoever was responsible. Really, it is quite fun. Maybe you should just put yourself out of your misery and join me.

OLIVIA: I’m not going to kill myself.

LARA: Really. Like you have anything to offer the world. You’re just a waste of space.

OLIVIA: Go away.

LARA: A waste of oxygen.

OLIVIA: Go away!

LARA: People who actually contribute to the world need that oxygen, Olivia.

OLIVIA: GO AWAY!

LARA: Hmph. Fine. But I’ll be back.

(She walks off stage. OLIVIA runs off tearful in the other direction and runs into MRS. JENKINS.)

MRS. JENKINS: Olivia! I’m so sorry I’m late! Are you alright dear?

OLIVIA: (crying) She won’t… leave… Why won’t she leave me!?

(MRS. JENKINS takes OLIVIA into her arms and tries to calm her down.)

MRS. JENKINS: Shhh… you’re going to be alright.

OLIVIA: (just sniffling now) I’m being haunted Mom. I’ve done an awful thing and she’s punishing me for it.

MRS. JENKINS: Honey… let’s go home. You can stay home from school tomorrow.

(They walk off stage, MRS. JENKINS comforting OLIVIA.)

Author's Note

This is still a work in progress, it needs a lot more. I'm going to revise scenes 1-7 to flesh them out and make them longer. All criticism is greatly appreciated!