The

Superstition Superstition By Ricky Diaz

Characters:

Wade (15-18): Teenage boy. Best friend of Lennox. Lennox (15-18): Teenage boy. Best friend of Wade. Setting: Wades bedroom. Time: Present

Lights fade up on WADEs bedroom. The sound of a light thunderstorm can be heard outside. WADE is fast asleep on his bed. LENNOX enters the room agitatedly. LENNOX (Walking over to WADEs bed) Wade? Wade. What the hell, man? What are you doing? WADE (Waking up) Hmm? Whats going on? LENNOX Whats the matter with you? You were supposed to come pick me up for the movie an hour ago! WADE (Becoming more alert) What? What time is it? LENNOX Its 9:30. WADE Oh damn, man. Im sorry, Lennox. LENNOX Whatever, its fine. We can still make the late show, but we have to leave right now. WADE Yeah, let me just grab my jacket. LENNOX Well hurry up. WADE gets out of the bed and walks over to his jacket thatis draped over the chair at his desk. LENNOX waits impatiently. After he puts on his jacket, WADE reaches under his desk and grabs an umbrella. Wait, what are you doing? WADE Its raining, so Im grabbing an umbrella. LENNOX Dont open that in here!

 WADE Why not? LENNOX (Snatching the umbrella away from WADE)

Its bad luck. WADE Dont tell me you believe in all that crap. LENNOX You dont? WADE (Scoffing) No. Why would I? LENNOX Because its real. WADE Cmon man. Youre messing with me, right? LENNOX No. I dont screw around with kind of stuff. WADE So you believe it all of it? Black cats, broken mirrors... LENNOX Yeah, and walking under ladder, accepting an empty wallet, picking up a tails up penny, and you never ever open an umbrella in the house. WADE At least you dont believe in step on a crack... LENNOX glares at WADE angrily. Oh crap, man. Im-- LENNOX Yeah, way to bring up a personal subject. WADE Im sorry, I forgot, but you cant possibly think that was your fault.

LENNOX Cant I? The day my mom crashed her car was the day I stepped on that huge crack in the parking lot. WADE Thats just a coincidence. LENNOX Pretty big coincidence. WADE Youve got to be kidding. LENNOX Ive never been more serious about anything in my life. WADE Okay, Im sorry. My bad, man. [Beat.] Hows she doing by the way? LENNOX Shes doing better. WADE Thats good... Beat of uncomfortable silence. Wow Lennox, I never would have pegged you as the kind of person that believes in-- LENNOX Shut up. WADE I was just saying-- LENNOX (More frightened than angry) Seriously Wade, stop. You dont know what youre doing. WADE What am I doing? LENNOX Just dont say the S-word.

 WADE The S-word? Yeah. Whats the S-word? LENNOX WADE

LENNOX If I told you what the S-word it was, that would defeat the purpose of calling it the S- word. WADE Dude, youre acting crazy. Youre actually kind of freaking me out. LENNOX I told you, I dont screw around with this stuff! WADE This is ridiculous! This stuff isnt real! LENNOX I never used to think so either, until... WADE (Sarcastically) Until what Lennox? LENNOX Until it happened. WADE Wow thats vague. LENNOX It was horrible. WADE You are one for the theatrics, arent you? LENNOX This isnt a joke, Wade! This seriously messed me up! WADE What messed you up? [Beat.] Just tell me, man.

 LENNOX When I was like seven or eight, my brother used to play a lot of practical jokes on me. I would just roll with them and pretend to be tough. One day, all his buddies came over and they were talking about the curse. WADE A curse? LENNOX Yeah, sounds sketchy, right? But they said if you say the S-word three times on a stormy summer night, the ghost of Stevie Wonder will appear before you! WADE I love Stevie Wonder. Whats so bad about that? LENNOX He plays his greatest! WADE Okay... LENNOX All night long. WADE looks at LENNOX confusedly. And he wont let you get any sleep. And he doesnt leave until he is summoned by someone else. WADE Really Lennox? LENNOX Its true. My brother made me do it and its true! WADE So, you expect me to believe that you were haunted by the ghost of Stevie Wonder when you were seven? Beat. LENNOX Yes. Long pause.

 WADE Okay, there are just a few problems with this "curse". LENNOX Like what? WADE Well for starters, Stevie Wonders not dead. LENNOX Hes not? WADE No. LENNOX Well, maybe his soul just leaves his body for a while. Maybe its a demon that takes on the appearance of Stevie Wonder. I dont know! But its real! WADE And you have to say the S-word three times, but only on a stormy summer night, much like this one? LENNOX Yeah. WADE And Stevie Wonder appears... like Beelteguise? LENNOX Right. WADE How dumb do you think I am? LENNOX I dont know, how dumb are you? WADE Not dumb enough to believe this. LENNOX Im telling you the truth! Why dont you believe me? WADE Because this doesnt make any sense!

 LENNOX WADE So whats the S-word then? LENNOX I cant say it! WADE Is it Stevie Wonder? LENNOX No, weve said Stevie Wonder like twelve times already. WADE Is it one of his songs? LENNOX Stop. WADE It is, isnt it? Which one? "Signed, Sealed, Delivered"? LENNOX Please. WADE "Superwoman"? LENNOX Wade, Im begging you, man! WADE "Superstition"? LENNOX suddenly becomes very tense. Thats it! Its supersti-- LENNOX punches WADE in the shoulder. Ow! What the hell was that for?!

Life doesnt make sense!

 LENNOX I asked you to stop! Im not playing around with this. Not again. WADE This isnt real, Lennox. Youre putting on a hell of a show, though. You almost had me. You can stop now. LENNOX Im not joking! Its called The Superstition Superstition. Look it up if you dont believe me! Just dont say that word anymore. WADE But you just said it twice. LENNOX is slightly caught off-guard. LENNOX Well, it doesnt count when youre saying the name of the curse. WADE Really? LENNOX Yes, really! I didnt write the rules, Wade! WADE It seems like you are. LENNOX I cannot believe my best friend doesnt believe me! WADE I know youre pulling my chain. LENNOX Im not. WADE Lennox, things like that dont happen. [Beat.] And Im going to prove it to you. LENNOX No, dont. WADE Nothings going to happen.

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LENNOX It already happened! You werent there! He was-- WADE It was probably just your brother playing a trick on you. LENNOX No it wasnt! Seriously, I-- WADE Im going to do this. LENNOX Please dont! I thought you were my friend! WADE I am your friend! Im trying to help you! LENNOX This isnt helping me at all! Its giving me a heart attack! WADE Superstition! LENNOX I cant be a part of this! Forget the movie, forget you, forget all of this! Im out of here! LENNOX frantically exits. WADE Lennox! Come back, man! Stevie Wonder is not going to appear? nothing is going to happen! [Beat.] Lennox! WADE takes a few steps towards the door. He stops. Superstition. Pause. WADE does a quick scan of the room. He walk over to his bed and glances behind it. While his back is turned, LENNOX creeps into the room silently, dressed as Stevie Wonder. (Turning back towards the door) I knew it. No Stevie Wonder--

 LENNOX Ahhhhhh! Ahhhhhh! WADE

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WADE stumbles back, trips over his bed, tumbles across it, and falls off on the other side. LENNOX takes off his costume. LENNOX (Laughing hysterically) That was too easy! Oh man! Thatll teach you to be late to pick me up. LENNOX exits still laughing uncontrollably. Lights fade to black. END OF PLAY