Fragments Of His Being

ACT I - SCENE II

ACT I

SCENE II

[Setting: At the basketball court, just a walk away from the local high school. It's evening time, and the sun is beginning to retreat behind the clouds.]

QUINN: (Walks on stage alone, tossing a ball up and down in his hands.)

QUINN: (Walks about the empty courtyard.)

QUINN: (Smiles, before making for a basket.)

[The ball flies through the air, hitting the rusty ring that was missing its basket before it bounced back to QUINN. The sound of the ball rolling halfway through the court was the only sound that filled the void.]

QUINN: (Turns at the sound of the court's gates rattling.)

QUINN: Hello? (Frowns.)

QUINN: (Turns away after a while.)

QUINN: If someone is out there just come out. We can share the basketball if you want. You don't have to hide.

Nothing.

QUINN: (Rolls eyes as he continues to move around the court and make throws.)

[QUINN wondered if someone was there, or if his mind was fooling him. He'd been jumpy for the past week. His mind becoming more and more preoccupied with the small dark-haired boy he'd spot watching him and his mates.]

QUINN: (Turns at the sound of the rattling gates.) If someone's there, just come out.

[QUINN was beginning to wonder if it was the wind, but it couldn't be. It was late in the summer and even the tree leaves weren't moving.]

QUINN: If you're not coming out, I'll come get you.

[At QUINN's words a boy — the boy who'd always observed them walked from behind the bushes and just stood behind the gates with wide eyes. QUINN could tell he was afraid by the way he was shaking.]

QUINN: You're quite the peeping tom—

BOY: (Cutting QUINN off.) No!

QUINN: (Raises brow in surprise.)

[The boy looked small and squirmy, but his voice was deep and loud.]

QUINN: What do you mean no? I see you looking at me and my friends every other day. Of course, you're a peeping Tom. (Lets out a small laugh.)

BOY: (Stays quiet.)

QUINN: Why didn't you just walk into the court to play with us?

BOY: (Shrugs before holding on the gate's railings with his pale lean fingers.)

QUINN: (Sighs.) You don't plan to say anything, do you?

BOY: (Nods.)

[As QUINN continued to play on the court he noticed that the boy had made to sit on the stairs by the gate. He wasn't sure how he felt about being watched, so he just continued tossing the ball around. KARL and the rest were spending the afternoon downtown, and QUINN hadn't been able to join them, so he was all alone.]

QUINN: (Holds on to battered ball.)

QUINN: (To the boy.) Can I at least get your name?

BOY: CODY.

QUINN: (repeating after the boy.) CODY.

QUINN: (smiles.)

[It was a soft sounding common name, and it did suit its holder.]

QUINN: So, see you around then — CODY.

[QUINN heads for the gate, and CODY gets up from the stairs so that QUINN could pass. It was the closest they'd been to each other, and QUINN realized the boy wasn't as small as he'd made him out to be — he was still smallish in size, but height wise QUINN guessed that he had to be about 5'8.]

CODY: Your name?

QUINN: (Stops in tracks.) What?

CODY: W—What's your name?

[The boy's deep voice seemed to have become softer.]

QUINN: Oh, it's Quinn.

CODY: Queen?

QUINN: No, QUINN.

CODY: Oh...

Pause.

CODY: (Continues) Is it short for anything?

QUINN: (Says rather too firmly) QUINN — Just call me QUINN.

[QUINN was short for QUINCY, and QUINN hated his full name with a burning passion.]

CODY: Okay...

Silence.

QUINN: (Beginning to walk away before pausing.) You live around here, right?

CODY: Yeah, I moved in with my mum a while back.

QUINN:

[So, I was right, QUINN thought to himself.]

QUINN: Ah, okay. If you ever need someone to show you around, you know where to find me.

CODY: (Smiles as he pushes his fringe out of his eyes.) Thank you.

QUINN: (Smiles before turning and walking away with the basketball dirtied with clay dust in his hands.)

Curtains fall.