Vocal Agression

A scene where two teens are questioning their friendship and aren't afraid to get vocal about it.

Vocal Aggression

By: Jamie Todd

 

Ryan. Hey, can we talk a moment?

Jesse. Yea, give me a sec.

Ryan. No. I mean now, can we talk now.

Jesse. …Yea… Sure. What is it?

Ryan. Did you look at my song yet? The one I gave you two weeks ago. The one you promised 

that you would listen to�"dude, I even sent you a recording!

Jesse. The last few weeks have just been really busy, okay? I just haven’t gotten around to it yet.

Ryan. And yet you still find time to send me more chords to learn. Edits on old bridges, and lyric changes?

Jesse. What are you trying to say?

Ryan. Are you sure you just aren’t interested in my compositions.

Jesse. What? No! I’ve just been busy, that’s all!

Ryan. Well it’s not like you’d like them even if you did listen to them.

Jesse. What?

Ryan. I said, it’s not like you would like them even if you did listen to them.

Jesse. It’s not that I don’t like them, It’s just I don’t think they truly fit the band.

Ryan. Fit the band-? Jesse, it’s literally just me and you! Only occasionally do we bring in Devan to play the drums for us. What you

really mean is that you just don’t like my music! You can say that, don’t just give me those bull s**t excuses!

Jesse. You’re right! I don’t particularly like your music, they remind me too much of stories and epics instead of real songs!

Ryan. Yeah, compared to your repetitive, pointless, pity love songs! My lyrics actually have meaning!

Jesse. Oh so now you’re saying you don’t like my songs?

Ryan. Honestly, although you’re lyrics are bland, it’s the chords that you write that kill me. They’re so boring! It’s just ‘G’, ‘C’, ‘A’, and if you want to get really crazy an ‘Am’

Jesse. If you didn’t like anything I wrote, why did you just nod your head? Why didn’t you just tell me?

Ryan. Are you kidding me? On one of the first songs we ever worked on, I tried to adjust the strum pattern! And you what that got me? You called me stupid and we just ended up fighting for ten minutes before I just decided to drop it!

Jesse. That was only one time I ever did that!

Ryan. That was the only time ever was vocal about my opinions. Once as I saw that, I knew better than to confront you again.

Jesse. That was just one time! I just had a really specific way I wanted that song to go!

Ryan. But that’s you with every song! It’s like you just don’t value my input at all! Like my opinions are lesser than yours�"like I’m lesser than you.

Jesse. Are you kidding me? Whenever I do look at your songs, I can never play them! The chords are too complicated, and they never sound right when I play them! The only reason I make songs with simple chord progressions is because I’m not good enough to do anything else. Do you know how frustrating it is to never be as good as you-?

Ryan. Frustrating? If it’s so frustrating, then why try so hard to be better than I am? You don’t have to beat me at everything!

Jesse. But this is something I really want to do!

Ryan. Then why can’t we do this together! If we really are a band, then we should be a team, not the ‘Jesse and company show’!
(Pause)
And if you really do think that I’m so good at playing guitar, why is this the first I’m hearing of it? Huh? Why is that whenever the discussion of guitar playing comes up, you’re always the one laughing at me? That whenever I miss a strum, or my fingers miss a note, you get to lash out at me, but if I make even the smallest comment about you being off key or off tempo, it’s not true. Or I ‘just don’t know the first thing about music’, that my ‘horrible playing was the thing off key, not your God-Like voice.’ When will it stop being my fault? When will you understand that friends aren’t supposed to put each other down? I’ve done everything I can to just please you, and yet, it’s still not enough. I don’t know what else you want from me-

Jesse. I want you to shut up! This is a two way streak, Ryan. I am so sick of you always playing the victim! You act like I’m holding you back from greatness, but in reality I’m only holding you back from yourself! You are so scared of being your own person that you have to hide under someone bigger just to feel like you belong. You are no one. And you’re just lucky enough to find me, a someone, to take you in! And now that you finally got the balls to speak for yourself, you’re just going to blame it all on me! It was all my fault! Why blame yourself, when you can just blame someone who has been there for you through everything! I was there when Jessica broke your heart, I was there when your sister left for college, and I was there for you when your parents got a divorce and were fighting over which one of them could have you-

(Ryan punches Jesse)
(Jesse punches Ryan)

Ryan. I shouldn’t have hit you. I’m sorry. But just for the record, I’m done. 

Author's Note

This is a scene I had to write for my drama class, but I actually ended up really liking it. I was wondering if I could get some edits on it to perfect it.