The Reality of a Teenager
Claira Shultz has had a most complicated life... her older brother, the only real friend she has, left for college, her parents got a divorce last year, her mom has a new boyfriend, and on top of all of that she caught her boyfriend sleeping with her one and only best friend Miley.
CLAIRA
[slamming the door shut as she walks in from school]
Aaaahhhhgggg! I hate my life!
CHARLIE
Vroom! Vroom!
Claira’s little brother charlie comes speeding down the hallway in his toy race car.
CLAIRA
[charlie runs into claira]
OWWWWW!
CHARLIE
Sorry, I didn’t mean to, I-
CLARIA
Just shut up and leave me alone!
Claira stomps down the hallway to her room.
FREDDIE
[coming out of the office]
Hey, what’s goin’ on?
CHARLIE
[still pretending to be a race car]
Vroom! Claira’s angry. Ernest (claira’s boyfriend) probably was stupid to her.
Freddie (Claira’s older brother) walks down the hall towards Clairas’ room and as he gets closer he hears Claira yelling.


CLAIRA
[shouting into the phone]
You stupid slut! What makes you think I’m going to forgive you?! I caught you sleeping with my boyfriend you freak! All I know is that this is a lesson well learned... "best friend" is just a 10 letter word for "lying skank!"
Claira slams the phone on the hook as Freddie walks in.
FREDDIE
Hey, what’s been goin’ on with you today? Actually what’s been goin’ on with yo lately cause you’ve been like this since Saturday...
CLAIRA
She slept with him! That stupid ho slept with Ernest!
FREDDIE
[trying to be funny]
Who’s ho?
CLAIRA
[breathing heavily]
You know what I mean...(pause) and Miley’s the ho.
FREDDIE
[laughing]
Well if she’s a "ho" then isn’t Ernest one too?!
CLAIRA
Yeah I guess...(pause) aaggghhh! My life just sucks.
FREDDIE
Hey, every teenagers life sucks.
CLAIRA
So?!

FREDDIE
Sooo... I know where you’re coming from.


CLAIRA
No you don’t! You have a perfect life! You’re good-looking, smart, and you had two parents growing up. I had to go through that AWFUL divorce, my grades suck, and on top of that I just got my heart broken!
FREDDIE
Oh come on we’ve-
CLAIRA
I know it may sound crazy, Freddie... but I just feel absolutely alone.
FREDDIE
What are you talking about? I’m always gonna be here for you... well, only for the next couple of hours... but I’m always a phone call away.
[Claira giggles and smiles]
FREDDIE
Awww... there’s that pretty smile I’ve been waiting to see.
[Freddie hugs Claira]
FREDDIE
So have you talked to Ernest yet?
[Clairas’ phone rings and plays "I’m bringin’ sexy back"]
CLAIRA
[Claira stares at her phone ready to burst out in tears]
It’s him.
FREDDIE
Him who?
CLAIRA
Ernest. What do I say?
FREDDIE
I can’t tell you what to say... that’s something you need to figure out on your own. But I can tell you be strong and make sure to get everything out.
[ Freddie walks out of Clairas’ room]
CLAIRA
[picks up the phone]
Hello?
ERNEST
Hey Claira. How are you?
CLAIRA
I’ll live. And you?
ERNEST
[depressed]
I feel like a piece of crap...
CLAIRA
You should.
ERNEST
I know. I feel horrible about what I did and I’m REALLY sorry.
CLAIRA
You should be.
ERNEST
I just got really caught up in the moment... and... and... you know... stuff happened. Can you please find it in your heart to forgive me?
CLAIRA
Well here’s the thing... my heart got ripped out, stomped on, torn apart, thrown down the garbage disposal, went down the drain to the sowers, where alligators ate what was left of it. So, I really don’t think I could find ANYTHING in my heart right now, especially forgiveness.
ERNEST
Jeeze Claira. I said I was sorry...
CLAIRA
Sorry can’t fix my heart.
ERNEST
I still love you though... and I still wanna be with you.
CLAIRA
Well then you shouldn’t have did what you did because I don’t think I can ever trust you again.
ERNEST
What do you mean?
CLAIRA
It’s over.
ERNEST
I’m soo sorry Claira! I wish I wasn’t so stupid! I love you sooooo much! I can’t live with out you.. But I hope you find someone who treats you better than I did...[Ernest takes a deep breathe realizing he would never get her back..] Bye Claira...(pause) i love you.

[ Claira hangs up the phone]

CLAIRA
I love you too.
[Claira walks out of the room and gives Freddie a big hug]
FREDDIE
See it wasn’t sooo bad... at least you’re not crying anymore.
CLAIRA
[still holding Freddie tightly]
Thank you.
[Charlie comes walking in from outside]
FREDDIE
Hey, where’s your race car?

CHARLIE
It went swimming.
FREDDIE
[confused]
Swimming?
CHARLIE
Yeahhh... I was pretending there was an explosion behind me, so I had to leap out of my car... butttt... I guess I didn’t think it through because my car kept going straight into the pool. So now im pretending it’s a ship at the bottom of the ocean.
[Claira and Freddie laughed]
FREDDIE
I guess I’m going to have to retrieve your "car/ship" for you huh?
CHARLIE
[with a big smile on his face]
Yes, please.
[Freddie goes outside to get Charlie’s car. Meanwhile Claira starts making dinner. When she’s finished everyone sits down at the dinner table ready to eat. (About 3 hours has pasted).]
CHARLIE
I’m soooooooooo HUNGRY! Why would you make something that took like two and a half hours to make?!?!?
CLAIRA
[giggles]
I wanted it to be perfect.
FREDDIE
Well it’s very tasty but where’s Mom?
CLAIRA
Out with her new boyfriend.
FREDDIE
Does she miss dinner a lot?
CLAIRA
She misses a lot of things. She’s not really around that much anymore.
FREDDIE
You should talk to her about that.
CLAIRA
Ehh... all she does is tweak...(pause) most of the time it’s about Dad...
FREDDIE
Hey, well at least you can have parties all the time and get away with it!
[Claira and Charlie laugh]
The phone rings and Claira answers it.
CLAIRA
[still giggling]
Hello?
It’s Ernests’ father, Mr. Peltro.
MR. PELTRO
May I speak to Claira Shultz?
CLAIRA
This is...
MR. PELTRO
[depressed, weeping]
Claira I think you should know Ernest was in a car accident and-
CLAIRA
Is he okay?! What happened?!
MR. PELTRO
Well he was drinking and he crashed into a tree and-
CLAIRA
Well is he okay?!?!

MR. PELTRO
[starts to cry]
He hit the tree with a head on collision and... (as Mr. Peltro describes the accident claira thinks to her self...)
CLAIRA

(voice over)
"Please God tell me he didn’t die. I love him and I didn’t even get to tell him I DO forgive him. Oh God... PLEASE God!"
MR. PELTRO
[unsure if Claira is still listening]
...Claira ?
CLAIRA
[tears at the tips of her eye lashes]
Yes...
MR. PELTRO
He didn’t make it...
CLAIRA
[bursts out screaming and crying all at once]
NOOOO! He could’ve! I love him! We were supposed to grow old together! And be happy!
MR. PELTRO
[depressed by her out burst]
I’m sorry Claira... but-
[Claira hangs up the phone and runs into her room. A few minutes later Freddie walks in...]
FREDDIE
Hey, why did you run off like that?
[Claira looks at him with constant tears running down her cheeks]
CLAIRA
He’s dead.

Claira starts to explain to Freddie what happened. As they were talking the doorbell rings. Freddie answers it... it’s Mr. Peltro.. Ernests’ father.
FREDDIE
Hello Mr. Peltro. I just heard about your son and I’m very sorry about your loss.
MR PELTRO
Thank you for that, but I didn’t get to tell Claira that Ernest left this note with her name on it and I just thought I should bring it over... my wife and I didn’t read it with thought it might be something personal between them..
FREDDIE
Well she is kind of distraught right now, so it might be best if I give it to her.

Mr. Peltro hands the note to Freddie and walks away with a single tear going down his right cheek. Freddie walks into Claira’s room and gives her the note.
FREDDIE
It’s from Ernest.
[ Claira yanks it from Freddies hand]
CLAIRA
I need to be alone for a minute.
FREDDIE
Okay. But I’ll be right outside the door.
[Claira opens the note and begins to read...]
" Dear Claira,
I can’t even begin to describe how much I love you. You have always been the one for me. I made the mistake of taking you for granted and I shouldn’t have. I sat here thinking after I was done talking to you... ‘how am I going to live without you?’ and I realized that I can’t. To be honest... I don’t want to.
Claira. You are my Juliet and I am your Romeo. If I can’t live with you... then I guess I won’t live...
I will love you forever
Love,
Ernest"
[Freddie walks in]
FREDDIE
Are you okay?
CLAIRA
[with one single tear running down her right cheek]
He killed himself because of me...