Department of Theatre and Film

THE LAST TIME

By Melissa Faybik 

INT. BEDROOM, RUN DOWN HOUSE, COLLEGE TOWN- NIGHT, FALL

The room is cluttered with sheet music, books, music magazines, guitar, tennis shoes and other guy's clothes.

LYDIA, a young woman with brown hair, stylish jeans, and nice black top rests on the bed. There are tears in her eyes.

A young man, ERIC, sits at his desk. Dressed in tight jeans and tight hooded sweatshirt, he has dark, messy hair and a lip ring. 

Completely absorbed in what he's doing, Eric methodically snorts three lines of cocaine. As he slips his kit back into his desk drawer, Lydia brushes away her tears.

Eric walks to the bed, stands over Lydia, and puts out his hand.

                    ERIC
Let's go to the party, babe.

Lydia takes his hand, smiles at him and follows him out of the room.

INT. COLLEGE CLASSROOM-DAY, THE FALL BEFORE

Eric, looking more clean cut, sits at his desk, concentrating on filling in notes on a sheet of composition music paper.

Lydia, with shorter hair and a fresh, open expression on her face enters the classroom, sees an empty desk next to Eric and takes it. She watches him for a moment.

                    LYDIA
What are you working on?

Eric looks up, noticing her for the first time.

                    Eric
Just a piece for my composition class.

                    LYDIA
What do you play?

                    ERIC
This is for piano, but I play guitar as well.

Eric does not look at Lydia during his responses, but continues to work on his piece.

                    LYDIA
Wow, I wish I could compose like that, I mean I've done some things of course, but I bet that class is really hard.

Eric nods.

                    LYDIA (continuous)
I'm a music education major, so we don't have to take that class, are you a performance major? One of my friend's is and I know she had to take that class.

Eric nods again.

                    LYDIA-CONTINUOUS
I'm Lydia by the way, and yes, I will keep talking to you until class starts.

Eric keeps his head down.

                    ERIC
I'm Eric, and I'm going to keep working until class starts.

                    LYDIA
OK, but see the thing is, I've always found you intriguing- or at least what you say in class intriguing-and when I saw the seat open next to you I figured today was as good a day as any to talk to you. You know, find out if you're really as interesting as you seem.

Eric stops working and just looks at Lydia. He seems torn between annoyance and amusement, but settles for amusement.

                    ERIC
It's only the second week of class, I couldn't have said anything that interesting.

                    LYDIA
You have and we also had class together last semester-"The History of Jazz." There were like 25 of us in the class, 8:30 in the morning-

                    ERIC
You sat next to that Sara girl...you guys always got in trouble for talking during class.

                    LYDIA
I know, that seems so middle school, but that was us.

                    ERIC
And you've been what? Stalking me since then?

                    LYDIA
Well now, "stalking" is a strong word-like I said I was intrigued by you, but don't get too excited, you have to keep my interest now that I'm actually getting to know you.

                    ERIC
Mh, that's a lot of pressure.

                    LYDIA
Yea, I just want to see what's going on behind that hair and lip ring.

                    ERIC
Wow, are you always this way with people?...

You can find the complete  script of The Last Time by downloading the pdf version of this issue of THE PROJECTOR.