Fragments Of His Being

ACT I - SCENE VI

ACT I

SCENE VI

[Setting: In a little convenience store located at the center of the small town. Like everything else in the town and its neighborhood, it was old, rundown, and badly managed. QUINN walks in to get a snack, but he spots CODY at a nearby aisle looking through the small comic section the place had.]

QUINN: (Walks over to CODY.)

QUINN: (To CODY.) Hey!

CODY: (Eyes grow wide as he turns, but he visibly relaxes when he sees QUINN.)

CODY: Oh, hey.

QUINN: (Looks over Cody's shoulder.) What are you doing?

CODY: I'm just looking around.

QUINN: You like comics?

CODY: Yeah...

QUINN: (Smiles.) I came here to grab a pack of biscuits and a Pepsi. It's rather hot outside. Do you want anything?

CODY: (Turns to look at QUINN with a frown.) Do I want what?

QUINN: Do you want a can of Pepsi or anything for that matter? I'll be paying, so don't worry.

CODY: (Looks away as his face turns red.) Don't worry about it.

QUINN: Come on now, don't hurt my feelings by rejecting my offer. (Laughs a little bit.)

[Cody could feel his face burning up. He was wondering why QUINN was being so nice. Was that what friends did? QUINN did say they were friends.]

CODY: Can I have Pepsi?

QUINN: Sure, I'll get that for you. (Walks away.)

[A few minutes later QUINN and CODY met at the counter, and QUINN ended up paying for the snacks as well as the short comic CODY had brought along with him. They walked out of the convenience store together, standing by the walls as the squinted due to the burning heat.]

QUINN: Here. (Hands Pepsi to CODY.)

CODY: (Takes bag.) Thank you.

QUINN: (Shrugs.) It's no problem.

[The boys stayed by the wall together, talking lightly as they both drank from their cans of soft drink. Their words were laced into short sentences and far between, but neither of them felt like the atmosphere was awkward. It felt comfortable in an odd refreshing way.]

QUINN: I should be leaving soon. I'm supposed to help my mother move somethings down to the apartment lobby. Do you live around here?

CODY: (Looks up at QUINN with wide eyes) Yeah, I do. (looks down at the now empty can of Pepsi in his hands.)

QUINN: Great, do you want to walk back together.

CODY: (Shakes head.) No.

QUINN: Why not?

CODY: (Stays silent.)

QUINN: (Sighs.)

QUINN: Okay then, see you later I guess.

CODY: (Looks up and smiles at QUINN a bit as he watches the larger boy walk away.)

[A fond smile was still on CODY's face after QUINN left.]

CODY: (Turns the can of empty Pepsi in his hands one last time before crushing it and tossing it into the nearby trash can.)

CODY: (Bites his bottom lip as he feels his jean pocket for the paperback comic he'd folded and put there.)

[There'd been a high chance that CODY might have taken it out of the shelves and found a way to slip through the door without being unnoticed, but QUINN had come around and paid for it.

A smile danced on CODY's face at that. QUINN had not been the huge bully he'd thought him to be just from appearances. He seemed rather nice—good willed—and a tad overbearing, like a mother would be.]

CODY: (Sighs as he runs a hand through his dark shoulder length hair.)

[CODY did want to cut it—well, at least make it look presentable, but he rarely had money of his own to do anything, and he wasn't the best at using scissors.]

CODY's smile widened a bit before he makes to exist the stage.

Curtains fall.