SCENE TWO

MAYA: The other day at dinner, my mom asked me if I believe in fate. At the time, the question

seemed silly. I don’t believe that every occurrence is predetermined for a particular reason or that

there is some divine being that has a plan for every individual. But then I realized the alternative

- that we are all completely responsible for our own stories. That each decision we make has a

direct impact on our future, whether for better or for worse. I want to believe that, I really do, but

come on. The idea that you have direct control over your fate sounds so nice, doesn’t it? That we

can just turn around any time we want and take the wheel from destiny and BOOM- live the life

we want to live. Every morning you wake up, get dressed, go to school, switch classes, go home,

and go to sleep, all under the mistaken impression that you have control over any of this. You are

going from your Geometry class to your French class because an unseen adult pushed a button

and caused a bell to ring- you have absolutely no say in the matter. Even in adult life once you

have no parents or teachers telling you to wash the dishes or apply to college, the control is still

an illusion. You need to find a job, an apartment, maybe you’ll choose to get a dog or maybe you

won’t- you still won’t really, truly be in control. There will always be relatives to visit and taxes

to file and forms to fill out and life to live. Of course you can always be like some- hike into the

Alaskan wilderness and live off the land, fight bears and forage for berries or whatever to make

yourself think that you are in charge of your life. You’ll end up dead of starvation or

hypothermia and for what? Having proved your point? No, we might not have control over our

destinies but I think the best thing to do is just sit back and let what will be, be. If nothing that I

do will make a difference, than why do anything, right? Sometimes it’s just easiest to stay as still

as possible and make the least amount of noise.

SCENE THREE

MOM FROM OFFSTAGE: Maya, time for school.

Maya picks up backpack and kids come in from all sides to indicate that she is now at school.

PRINCIPAL enters with ELI and approaches MAYA

PRINCIPAL: Maya! Good to see you. Do you know Eli?

MAYA shakes her head

PRINCIPAL: He’s new to this school, I was hoping you could show him around. Show him the

usual things- the gym, the auditorium. I’ll write you a note excusing you from class.

MAYA: Sure that sounds good. ​To Eli​ Welcome to Westbrook.

ELI: Thank you.

PRINCIPAL: I’ll leave you to it. ​Exits.

MAYA: So, where are you transferring from?

ELI: Oh, you wouldn’t know it. It’s a tiny private school a couple of miles north called St.

Michael’s.

MAYA: I guess this is gonna be a big adjustment then. We’ve got a ton of kids.

ELI: Well, i’m excited for a fresh start.

MAYA: Well if there’s any place for one of those it’s here. It’s kind of annoying actually.

ELI: What do you mean?

MAYA: I don’t know. All of these kids, it’s easy to get kind of left behind. You can take as

many extracurriculars as you want, but it doesn’t change the fact that you’re still just one kid in a

school of thousands.
ELI: I dunno, I kinda disagree.

MAYA:​ gives him a curious look​. Why’s that?

ELI: I’m pretty sure that even when you’re a small part of something big, you can still make a

ton of huge impacts on people.

MAYA: ​laughs​. You’re pretty optimistic aren’t you.

ELI: I guess you could say that.

MAYA: Well, after a few weeks here you might change your mind. Come on, I’ll show you the

library.

A girl who has been reading in the background looks up and recognizes Eli. She walks over to

them.

MAYA: To check out a book you gotta give the librarian you student ID. Do you have one yet?

ELI: No not yet.

ANNA: Sorry, are you Eli Finley?

ELI: Yeah, that’s me.

ANNA: You’re that kid from St. Michael’ aren’t you? The one who sent that kid to the hospital.

MAYA: What?

ANNA: My friend who goes there told me all about it. She said that he pushed her friend down

two flights of stairs and almost killed him.

ELI: That’s not what happened at all let me explain.

MAYA: I’m sorry but I think I have to get to class. It was nice meeting you, Eli.

MAYA EXITS
ELI AND ANNA FREEZE, ANNA LOOKING ACCUSING AND ELI DEFENSIVE AND

SCARED.

LIGHTS CUT OUT

CLOCK REWINDS AND MAYA GOES TO SLEEP AND WAKES UP

SCENE FOUR

MOM FROM OFFSTAGE: Maya, time for school.

Maya picks up backpack and kids come in from all sides to indicate that she is now at school.

PRINCIPAL enters with ELI and approaches MAYA

PRINCIPAL: Maya! Good to see you. Do you know Eli?

MAYA shakes her head

PRINCIPAL: He’s new to this school, I was hoping you could show him around. Show him the

usual things- the gym, the auditorium. I’ll write you a note excusing you from class.

MAYA: Sure that sounds good. ​To Eli​ Welcome to Westbrook.

ELI: Thank you.

PRINCIPAL: I’ll leave you to it. ​Exits.

MAYA: So, where are you transferring from?

ELI: Oh, you wouldn’t know it. It’s a tiny private school a couple of miles north called St.

Michael’s.

MAYA: I guess this is gonna be a big adjustment then. We’ve got a ton of kids.

ELI: Well, i’m excited for a fresh start.

MAYA: I guess if there’s any place for one of those it’s here. It’s kind of annoying actually.
ELI: What do you mean?

MAYA: I don’t know. All of these kids, it’s easy to get kind of left behind. You can take as

many extracurriculars as you want, but it doesn’t change the fact that you’re still just one kid in a

school of thousands.

ELI: I dunno, I kinda disagree.

MAYA:​ frowns at him.​ You do?

ELI: I’m pretty sure that even when you’re a small part of something big, you can still make a

ton of huge impacts on people.

MAYA: ​laughs.​ You’re pretty optimistic aren’t you.

ELI: I guess you could say that.

MAYA: Well save it. I can’t handle that much sugar this early in the morning. I’ll show you the

library and then I’ve got a math test.

The girl walk over to Eli

ANNA: Sorry, are you Eli Finley?

ELI: Yeah, that’s me.

ANNA: You’re that kid from St. Michael’ aren’t you? The one who sent that kid to the hospital.

MAYA: What?

ANNA: My friend who goes there told me all about it. She said that he pushed her friend down

two flights of stairs and almost killed him.

ELI: That’s not what happened at all let me explain.

MAYA: Did he actually do that?

ANNA: That’s what my friend said. Apparently he got expelled. Wait, is he transferring here?
MAYA: Yeah, Mrs. Nicholson told me to give him a tour.

ANNA: Hold up, I’ve gotta text my friend.​ Pulls out phone

ELI: Please don’t. I can’t have anyone at my old school knowing I’m here.

MAYA: Shouldn’t you have thought of that before you pushed him?

ELI: That’s not the whole story. Would you let me explain?

MAYA: I dunno, she seems pretty convinced.

ANNA: I’m telling you, it happened. ​Sends text​. Done.

ELI: You don’t understand. No one from St. Michaels was supposed to find out. When I left,

someone put a note in my locker saying that they would tell everyone at my new school what

happened and get me kicked out again.

ANNA: Sorry, but I already sent the text. And anyways, people were probably gonna find out

any ways.

ELI: I’m sorry, I have to leave

ELI EXITS. MAYA AND ANNA FREEZE. LIGHTS CUT OUT.

LIGHTS CHANGE

MAYA in her room

MAYA: I’ve always said that individual people can’t make a difference in each other’s lives and

I still believe that, I do, but there was something about the look on Eli’s face when those girls

were talking to him that I can’t get out of my head. Eli was wrong for attacking that kid. Can

people change? Landing someone in the hospital for ​any r​ eason should be enough to make

someone a bad person. Even so, maybe if I had stood up for him he might have felt like he could
stay at school. I can’t tell whether that’s a good thing or a bad thing. Anyways, there’s no

guarantee that if I had spoken up it would have made a difference.

CLOCK TURNS BACK AGAIN

MOM FROM OFFSTAGE: Maya, time for school.

Maya picks up backpack and kids come in from all sides to indicate that she is now at school.

PRINCIPAL enters with ELI and approaches MAYA

PRINCIPAL: Maya! Good to see you. Do you know Eli?

MAYA shakes her head

PRINCIPAL: He’s new to this school, I was hoping you could show him around. Show him the

usual things- the gym, the auditorium. I’ll write you a note excusing you from class.

MAYA: Sure that sounds good. ​To Eli​ Welcome to Westbrook.

ELI: Thank you.

PRINCIPAL: I’ll leave you to it. ​Exits.

MAYA: So, where are you transferring from?

MAYA: I guess this is gonna be a big adjustment then. We’ve got a ton of kids.

ELI: Well, i’m excited for a fresh start.

MAYA: Well if there’s any place for one of those it’s here. It’s kind of annoying actually.

ELI: What do you mean?

MAYA: I don’t know. All of these kids, it’s easy to get kind of left behind. You can take as

many extracurriculars as you want, but it doesn’t change the fact that you’re still just one kid in a

school of thousands.

ELI: I dunno, I kinda disagree.

MAYA:​ gives him a curious look​. Why’s that?

ELI: I’m pretty sure that even when you’re a small part of something big, you can still make a

ton of huge impacts on people.

MAYA: I don’t buy it. Explain it to me.

ELI: Have you ever heard of the butterfly effect?

MAYA: I don’t think so.

ELI: The name comes from this theory saying that a tiny butterfly flapping its wings can be

enough to start a chain reaction that can cause something big, like a hurricane or a tornado.

MAYA: What does that have to do with a big school?

ELI: Well, the theory extends to people, too. My parents, for example, met cause my mom’s

train was late and she had to ride the bus, which my dad happened to be on. What if the train

operator ​hadn’t ​been late that day and my mom didn’t have to ride the bus. I probably wouldn’t

exist and everything that I’ve ever done would be erased.

MAYA: I think I understand. But what about negative impacts? What if something tiny you dos

ends up causing the end of the world?

ELI: That’s true too, which is why you have to be extra careful.

A girl who has been reading in the background looks up and recognizes Eli. She walks over to

them.

ANNA: Sorry, are you Eli Finley?

ELI: Yeah, that’s me.

ANNA: You’re that kid from St. Michael’ aren’t you? The one who sent that kid to the hospital.

MAYA: What?
ANNA: My friend who goes there told me all about it. She said that he pushed her friend down

two flights of stairs and almost killed him.

ELI: That’s not what happened at all let me explain.

ANNA: I don’t think there’s anything to explain, it seems pretty straight forward if you ask me.

MAYA: Hold up, let him talk.

ELI: Everyone blames me for what happened to Connor and yes, it’s true, I pushed him down the

stairs. But it was self-defence. He had been bullying me for months, pushing me into lockers,

stealing my lunch, tormenting me at every chance he got. The school wouldn’t believe me and

neither would anyone else. Finally, I snapped. He came up to me at lunch, calling me names. He

said some awful things and I was so, so angry and I just pushed him. Next thing I knew, he was

lying at the bottom of the stairs and security was coming. I didn’t mean to hurt him, I just wanted

him to stop.

Long pause

ANNA: Oh.

MAYA: That’s awful, I’m sorry.

ELI: Afterwards, everyone at school hated me. I started receiving death threats and my parents

decided it was best to move me to a new school.

MAYA: Well, your secret is safe with me.

ANNA: And me too. I’m really sorry about that, it sucks.

ELI: Thank you for listening to me. No one’s done that in a while.

MAYA: Any time. I sit at the courtyard during lunch, you should swing by.

ELI: I think I’ll take you up on that.

MAYA: Great. Now I think we should probably finish the tour.

ANNA: Nah, you’ve got a test, I can do the rest.

MAYA: Thanks.

ANNA: No problem. ​To Eli.​ Alright so the gym is pretty normal, the coach has an anger issue

though, so watch out for him. ​They exit together as Anna gives the tour.

MAYA: While we might not have total control of our final destination, the little things we do

along the way can make a big difference. So, instead of sitting still and making the least amount

of noise, stand up, speak out, and change the world.

BUTTERFLY DANCEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE