Bang!

Characters

Jeremey…...…. A male high school student.

Sam………….. A female high school student Jeremey’s friend

SCENE: The scene takes place early in the morning in JEREMEY’s bedroom before school.
Inside JEREMEY’s bedroom there is a bed, desk, chair, television, and posters hanging on the
wall. On JEREMEY’s desk sits school papers, a laptop, books and JEREMEY’s cell phone. On
JEREMEY bed there are notebooks and papers spread out across the bed.
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AT RISE: Sam is laying on JEREMEY’s bed and JEREMEYis sitting at his desk they are working
on a homework assignment and listening to the news channel. The audience can hear the
television but only SAM and JEREMEY can see it. The news channel is discussing a school
shooting that occurred the week before.

Television News Cast: There have been eighteen individuals found dead so far in the massive
school shooting incident. Just yesterday we found out that second survivor died by suicide in a
week’s span. What are school officials and state officials doing now? Who is to blame? School
shootings have been a big part of society. In society deaths have been unstoppable. Marjory
Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida had 17 killed in February 2018., Umpqua
Community College, Roseburg Oregon, had 10 killed. October 2015 Sandy Hook Elementary
School, Newtown, Connecticut, December 2012 had 26 killed Stay and as our news station
uncovers the mystery of school shootings. You have been tuned in to WADB 21 and this is
breaking report.

SAM
Another one? That's too bad. I don't know what I would do if I went through a school
shooting…. Jeremey?

JEREMEY

What?

SAM
Did you hear me?

JEREMEY
I heard you. I am just working on a history assignment.

SAM
Your too busy working on history homework to pay attention to innocent lives being taken?

JEREMEY
I don’t know Sam... Maybe those lives weren’t that innocent in the first place.

SAM
What do you mean?

JEREMEY
I’m just saying did anyone ask those kids what they did to the shooter. He’s the victim.
SAM
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Victim! Those kids are the Victims.

JEREMEY
Ok Sam. That's what everyone tends to think.

SAM
Where are you going?

JEREMEY
I'm going to go grab my bag. I left it in the bathroom

(JEREMEY walks out of the room and slams the door. When the door slams, SAM’s
papers fall on the floor and she picks them up. While she is on the floor picking up the
papers she reaches under the bed and finds a piece of paper)

SAM
Ugg. Bitch…Oh My god…

(JEREMEY walks back in the room with his backpack and puts it in on the floor next to
his desk. While he is doing that, he starts putting books in his backpack)

Hey, Jeremey what is this?

JEREMEY
What do you mean?

SAM
I found this list under your bed... It looks... like a… Jeremey what is this?

JEREMEY
I don't know what your talking about. It’s probably my bio assignment.

SAM
Your bio assignment has you write down a bunch of people's names on it? I recognize this list
anywhere. You have…. Julie Smith…. Mr. Porter's… Josh Gullen…. And… my name on the
list. Why do you have my name on the list?

JEREMEY
I told you it was for school.
SAM
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For school? School? These are all the people you don’t like... Wait. Jeremey? Why is my name
on the list? If these are people you don’t like.

JEREMEY
I don’t know Sam.

SAM
You don’t know?

JEREMEY
What do you want me to say? You know these are people that I don’t like so why are you
asking me this?

SAM
Because I’m trying to figure out why my name. Out of all the people on the list... If I didn’t
know better this looks… looks... like a hit list.

JEREMEY
I know. I know.

SAM
If you know then why do you have a hit list under your bed?...

JEREMEY
Maybe we don't know the whole story...

SAM
What do you mean the whole story?

JEREMEY
I’m just saying do we really know what went through their heads. They were innocent people at
one point in their life …. After the problem was eliminated there weren't any more issues.

SAM
What do you mean? No more issues? Is this what the list is for?

JEREMEY
I’m not saying that. I’m just saying no one ever asked how they were doing?

SAM
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Wait. Do you think nobody is there for you? I am your best friend. I have known you for five
years now.
JEREMEY
You’re my friend. Not my best friend. If you were my best friend, you would be here 24/7.

SAM
I know that these are all people that you don’t like. Mr. Porter the one who used to yell at you
each time you came in late for class… Josh Gullen he used to bully you in middle school. Him
and his buddies used to take your lunch and dump your head in the toilet. And Julie-

JEREMEY
My first love...

SAM
Why do you have your first love on this list? Why, Jerr. Because why…

JEREMEY
She hurt me. Just like everyone else did.

SAM
What do you mean?

JEREMEY
It all started when we were in Mr. Potter's science class. When I would sit down in class Julie
would look over at me and smile and do that thing girls do with their hair. I remember I was
working on a lab by myself and her partner Jenna happened to be gone that day. So, she comes
up to me and asks if she could be my partner. And I was thinking this cute girl in my science
class wants to be my partner. How can I refuse?

SAM
Ok? So, what happened after that?

JEREMEY
So, we are working, and as we were talking, we start talking about movies and I found out that
she loves superhero movies too. So, I knew the Marvel movie was coming out and I asked her if
she would like to go out with me and she said yes. So, we went to the movies. And we went on a
date after that, and after that, and after that.

SAM
What does this have to do with anything?
 5

JEREMEY
Let me finish. After we been going on dates for so long, I asked her to be my girlfriend at our
spring dance and she said yes. She was my first kiss, my first girlfriend, my first time. And then
out of the blue one night after we had been dating for two years, she said she doesn’t love me.
She said she doesn't love me anymore and that I changed. and I tried to ask her what happened.
But she just ignored me until finally… finally... she told me…She told me that she was seeing
another guy... A college guy. And they have been seeing each other for nearly three months.
Three months out of the time we have been together. And I asked her why? Why did she want to
leave now? And she said his better. He is better at kissing, being a boyfriend, and even sex. And
that hurt... it really hurt…. it felt like someone reached inside of me and pulled my heart right out
of my chest… And what made matters worse was that after she told me that he pulled up and she
got into his car and left me standing there. Wondering why?

SAM
That was the beginning of high school Jeremey. We are almost done. Once you leave here
nobody is gonna care anymore.

JEREMEY
I’ll care. You want me to bottle this all up. I tried that! I used to go to bed each night scared.
Scared out of my fucking mind because of what was gonna happen the next day. I used to beg
my parents to skip school... You know something... three months ago. I tried to kill myself…

SAM
You never told me…

JEREMEY
You haven't been around in a while.

SAM
I text you

JEREMEY
You ignored me

SAM
I’m been busy! Jeez Jeremey! I’m not one of those kids! I’m your friend.

JEREMEY
I’m sorry. Sam... It's not all your fault.
 6

SAM
Then what is it?

JEREMEY
I got diagnosed with PTSD... Mild Depression... and Anxiety. But then, after I got diagnosed, I
got to thinking. Why should I have to worry if I am gonna live the next day. This wasn’t my fault
in the beginning. All of this happened to me because of everyone else. If I just eliminate the
problem, then I’ll be fine.

SAM
You won’t be fine though. What happens when you take all those innocent lives-

JEREMEY
There not innocent. They hurt me. Did you not hear anything I said?

SAM
I’m trying to help you. I’m on your side! What happens after you take their lives? Did you think
about that? Once you take those lives the police will arrest you and then you will spend the rest
of your life in prison. Is that where you want to end up? But I can help you. If you let me.

JEREMEY
I don’t need help anymore. I tried asking for help, but nobody listened...my parents didn’t even
listen... no one cared. For Christ’s sake, you didn’t even care.

SAM
What do you mean I didn’t care? You never asked me for help. Don’t you think I would have
helped you if I knew?

JEREMEY
You did know Sam! Don’t you remember? Earlier this year at the homecoming dance I tried
asking you for help. Do you remember what you said? You said leave me alone Jeremey I’m
busy-

SAM
I was drunk. I wasn’t in the right state of mind. You can’t just blame me for that.

JEREMEY
Friends are supposed to be there for one another no matter what? Do you even know what those
guys did to me that night...Of course, you don’t because you didn’t really care-
 7

SAM
I do care! I care a lot-

JEREMEY
Prove it then! On that night those guys followed me into the bathroom and dumped my head in
the toilet. Over and over again. And when I told them I would tell a fucking teacher they beat the
crap out of me until I bled... So don’t tell me you cared. Don’t tell me for one second you cared!

SAM
I’m sorry... I really am. I know I could’ve listened to you. I could have helped and I didn’t. ok.
I’m sorry… I let you down… I know that now. But if you continue through with this, your life
it’s just gonna get worse. You think it's gonna get better buts it not. Once you do this it’s over.

JEREMEY
How do you know it will get better? It hasn’t before? So why not

SAM
Because... my sister at age thirteen tried to kill herself... and then we got her counseling and she
got better. Jeremy. It got better for her and it can get better for you if you just let me help you.
I’ll be your side everyday if you let me.

JEREMEY
It’s been a long time since I had someone to talk to. Since I had someone who would listen to
me.

SAM
And you don’t have to wait a long time anymore. I’ll listen to you every day.

JEREMEY
But what will happen next?

SAM
(notification on phone goes off. JEREMEY walks over to his desk and picks up his phone)

What is it? Jeremey is everything ok?

JEREMEY
I’m a meme...

SAM
What do you mean?
 8

JEREMEY
I’m a meme. These kids from homeroom made a meme out of me (shows her the phone) See
what I’m saying! How will things ever stop if stuff like this keeps happening…

SAM
Jeremey! Just give it time, things will die down in a few days.

JEREMEY
This post has thirty likes already...

SAM
Ignore them don’t look at it. They will stop. Trust me...

JEREMEY
They won’t. Don’t you see it's a circle! And I'm always the center! (Throws phone across the
room) The center of everyone’s shit.

SAM
High Schoolers are immature. They do stupid shit all the time to get people upset. If we let them,
they will win.

JEREMEY
And if I take care of it. I win… I played this game long enough.

SAM
Haven’t you been listening to anything I have been saying to you. It can get better. It’s going to
get better if you listen to me!

JEREMEY
Can you help me every time I get my head dumped in the toilet? Or every time I get yelled at by
a teacher? Or how about now when people make a meme out of me and think it’s a joke.

SAM
Well... I...

JEREMEY
No, you can’t. You can’t help me. I have to help myself. And the only way I’m going to do that
is to finish what I started.
 9

SAM
You don’t mean-

JEREMEY
I think you know what I mean Sam.

(JEREMEY walks over to desk reaches in desk and pulls out a gun)

SAM
You don’t know. What you are saying? Think about what you are doing right now.

JEREMEY
I thought long enough.

SAM
Have you? Is it really worth throwing your whole life away? You have the opportunity to make
a difference and do what's right. How will you get that if you take people's lives away?

JEREMEY
My life has been taken away! I haven't gotten to live a normal life since I was in elementary
school!.... What about my life? What about my happiness?

SAM
You can have happiness you can have that happy ending.

(Bus horn in the background letting SAM and JEREMEY know time to go for school)

JEREMEY
We have to go. We are going to be late for school...

(SAM rushes over to block the doorway)

SAM
Wait! Jeremey don’t go it's not safe

(JEREMEY grabs his backpack)

JEREMEY
That’s the bus. Move out of my way Sam
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SAM
We can skip school. We need to talk!

(Bus horn in background again)

JEREMEY
I have done enough talking. I will hurt you if you don’t move in three-

SAM
Please wait!

JEREMEY
Two-

(Bus Horn more impatient again in background)

JEREMEY
One…

BLACKOUT. END PLAY