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Ruji Chapnik PlaywritingMonologue
BACKGROUND: The speaker is a gawky boy of about sixteen with aneccentric personal style. He is intelligent and perceptive beyond hisyears but exudes a clumsy naïveté in social matters. He has not quitemastered the art of vernacular in casual conversation, and his speechoccasionally lapses into a peculiar, prose-like style sprinkled withtechnical language that alienates others despite his efforts to connect.Offstage listener is implied but not shown. TEEN BOY:
(Hesitantly, with more than a hint of shame)
Okay, yeah,it’s true. The tapes are from his house, from the recording devices Iset up. Geez, I must sound so crazy right now. Let me just try toexplain:
(Pauses to gather thoughts)
First of all, it’s not like I’m gay oranything. I mean, I wouldn’t want to have
sex 
with him. Well, maybe Iwould, but only because it would help me solve the mystery. I still likegirls and stuff, though, and I don’t think I’d actually be turned on byhaving sex with him. It’s just kind of this intellectual thing. I’d do it forthe sake of science.He’s just really
weird 
. Well, no, he’s not weird, but that’s why he
is
weird – because there is nothing obviously weird about him. ToddBlake is the most normal kid I’ve ever met. Well, actually, that I’ve
 
ever observed; we’ve never spoken to each other. He’s in all thesesports and stuff, and he wears team merchandise all the time. I’venever gotten the sports thing, or even the videogame thing. I don’tsee why other guys are all into that stuff. It’s so trite. Maybe that’swhy I don’t fit in with guys my age. But I guess Todd finds things likethat important enough to paint his public identity in all those sillylogos.I met him in my gym class. That’s kind of a disappointment,because I already know he likes gym. Maybe if I had science or Englishwith him, I could find out more, like if he’s good at anything besidessports. I don’t even know if he’s smart or dumb or somewhere inbetween. Before class he always hangs out with the semi-popular kidson the bleachers, and it’s really hard for me to listen to theirconversations without being obvious about it. I’m pretty sure they talkabout sex a lot, just because most kids do, but they’re discreet aboutit. Todd’s friends are the clowny type who are always laughing aboutsomething or other, and some of them are in ASB. A lot of the guys atmy school are skaters and surfers. I don’t think Todd skates. He wearsskate shoes, but they’re not ripped up or anything.I first started thinking about, like… I first had the idea to find outmore about him when I went to this one school dance. Just so youknow, I never go to school dances, and I only went to this one to see if  Todd showed up. But anyway, at this dance, I see him with some girl
 
I’ve never seen before. She looks generic and stupid, one of those girlswith blond highlights and a pink Roxy sweater. They’re dancing allclose, and it’s really weird because I never knew Todd had a girlfriend.I mean, maybe she’s not his girlfriend, I don’t know. But then as I’mhanging around watching them, I’m wondering if they’re sexuallyactive. I really want to know. I still have no clue who the girl is, and Ihaven’t seen her since that dance.One of the big questions I have is,
Does Todd masturbate?
Ithink he must. You’d think that too, right? But here’s the thing: he’sreally Christian. I heard him say once that his dad is a deacon. He alsowears this cross around his neck. You’re probably wondering why I’m so fascinated with normal old Todd Blake in particular. This isn’t a
usual
thing for me, okay – I don’t just get obsessed with random people all the time. Todd is special because he’s this sort of symbol to me. Herepresents everything about human interaction that I don’t get. Ialways feel so awkward around kids my age, but Todd has this way of blending in seamlessly. He complements the conversations they’realready having without really starting anything new. I heard him saythe thing about his dad being a deacon when we were in the lockerroom. It was one of the only times, maybe
the
only time, that he’srevealed something personal about himself. Usually he talks aboutthings like TV or the World Cup, or he just gossips with his friends. But
of 00

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