MORNING – DAY 1

SCENE ONE: School playground. Morning Recess.

Students are gathered in groups talking. JOHNNY, TIFFANY and JORGE are laughing in a group. ALEJANDRO walks by them – alone.

JOHNNY: There’s the new kid. Should we ask him if he wants to play tag with us.

TIFFANY: (sarcastically) Only if you want to play alone. (She nudges Jorge).

JORGE: Yea, he looks like a real loser.

JOHNNY: He looks just like you…you a loser too?

TIFFANY: (agreeing) Now that you mention it.

JORGE: He doesn’t look like me. You guys are such jerks.

(AMANDA approaches. She is a fast talker.)

AMANDA: (really fast) ‘K, I’ve been eavesdropping and you guys are really not demonstrating any of the friendship qualities that I, as a Girl Scout, have learned and practice. Qualities that we, as Americans should always exemplify.

JOHNNY: What?

JORGE: I have no idea what half of those words mean.

AMANDA: (rolling her eyes) You guys know nothing about friendship.

TIFFANY: Oh and you do…Miss I am smarter and better than anybody else because my dad’s a doctor and yours hasn’t even been to college.

AMANDA: I am not like that – I am smarter and better than you because I have a higher IQ than everyone in our class – except for Natalia, except she doesn’t count…

(Tiffany says her lines as Amanda keeps talking.)

TIFFANY: Why doesn’t Natalia count?

AMANDA: (never stopping) …and because I have a wonderful sense of fairness and fashion that no amount of money can buy. This I do not get from my father – this I get from my mother who grew up on a small farm in Iowa.

JOHNNY: Do you have a point here because the bell’s going to ring and I’m not going to have gotten out any of that energy that always seem to get my name on the board.

(Jorge nudges Johnny.)

AMANDA: Well, you guys were talking about not wanting to play with Alejandro because he looks like a loser and you were calling each other jerks and losers etc. None of this displays very friend-like behavior. Besides, since you think Alejandro is a loser and you think each other are losers…you should all get along find. (Amanda walks away).

JORGE: That girl has some serious issues.

TIFFANY: And she just doesn’t get it. Alejandro may be fine and all but he doesn’t even get us. I mean it’s not just like he doesn’t speak English…I mean a lot of our friends’ parents don’t speak much English or have great jobs or anything but at least they’ve been to malls and In-n-Out and know what video games are and stuff.

JORGE: Exactly, I mean, my parents speak Spanish – I didn’t even speak English until school, but it’s different…he’s so…

AMANDA: New.

JOHNNY: Not sure I agree guys…

(The BELL rings.)

JORGE: Ah man.

The scene fades out as they walk to class.

AFTER RECESS – CLASSROOM

TEACHER (MRS BEAN): We are going to work on our Social Studies projects. Please get out your material and break into your groups. Amanda, Johnny, Jorge and Tiffany, Alejandro will be joining your group. Please fill him in on the project and let him know how he can help.

Tiffany and Jorge exchange glances as they move into a group.

AMANDA: Hi, I’m Amanda, this is Jorge, Tiffany, and Johnny. We’re doing a project on contributions of Native Americans throughout history and how these contributions effect us. I’m doing the Togobban.

JORGE: I’m doing the Kayak and the snowshoes.

ALEJANDRO: I will do Lacrosse.

TIFFANY: Native American contributions…not French contributions.

AMANDA: Hey, you speak English.

ALEJANDRO : Some. Lacrosse was Iroquois.

JORGE: You’re wacked.

JOHNNY: Alejandro, I don’t think you understand the project…Native American (says really slow).

TIFFANY: Mrs. Bean, Alejandro won’t listen. He’s going to ruin the project.

(Mrs. Bean comes over.)

ALEJANDRO: I try to help. My mother is an archeologist and she is working on indigious sports for Americas.

MRS. BEAN: That’s wonderful, Alejandro, maybe she can come in and speak to our class for your group.

LATER – LUNCH RECESS.

Amanda is hanging out with Alejandro and Johnny and Jorge approach.

JOHNNY: Your mom’s really an archeologist.

JORGE: What’s an archeologist.

AMANDA: She studies old people and cultures and digs up artifacts – old stuff.

ALEJANDRO: She works for Universadid de Mexico. We are here for her to do research.

JOHNNY: So teach me about Lacrosse.

TIFFANY: You guys want to play tag.

JOHNNY: Alejandro you want to play.

TIFFANY: No, I mean you guys – our old group.

Johnny and Jorge look at Amanda and then Alejandro.

JOHNNY: Nah, we’re going to learn about Lacrosse.

Johnny, Amanda, Jorge and Alejandro walk away leaving Tiffany looking stunned.