CHARACTERS
Chelsie: 18 years old young woman. Well dressed in a very conservative way. She is very religious.
Alyssa: 19 years old young Goth woman. Many piercings and dressed completely in black.
Taylor: 18 year male. Friend of Chelsie. Short brown hair.
Narrator: Older male. Dressed in a suit.
SETTING
This play takes place in a small coffee shop in the middle of the city. The table is set for two people.

[Spotlight comes up on just the narrator.]
Narrator: I remember back when I was still just a kid….I was so judgemental of people around me. Everything seemed to bother me…Until One day. The day my life changed forever. The way I chose to look at the world around me evolved. I remember this one memory. One day I was minding my own business just drinking a coffee in the local coffee shop and I encountered these two girls who found each other on a college website and found out they had some things in common. They decided to meet up to see if they would be a good match as roommates. [Pause] So now, as you all know, memories are not always accurate so this is to the best of my imagination.
[Spotlights goes out.]
[Lights come up the setting]
[Alyssa is slumped in her chair (stage right) at the table as she waits for Chelsie to arrive. She is looking around with an unpleasant face. Her arms are crossed and her foot is tapping on the floor. Shortly after, Chelsie walks in.]
Alyssa: Chelsie, over here!
Chelsie: You’re Alyssa?
[Chelsie sits down on stage left chair.]
Alyssa: Ya…I am… [Pause] I am kinda nervous. I have never met up with someone for something like this before.
Chelsie:
Alyssa: Want a coffee or something? I already ordered a mocha.
Chelsie: No, thanks. I ...uh… I think I will just get a hot chocolate. [Leaves stage right to go order]
[Alyssa rolls eyes and reaches into her pocket and pulls out a lighter]
Chelsie: [Re-enters] Hey, sorry about that.
Alyssa: Its fine…So what is it with you not getting coffee? Don’t like it? I mean, hot chocolate, really? It’s a coffee shop for God’s sake.
Chelsie: [Tenses up for a second] Drinking coffee is against my religious standards.
Alyssa: Oh… that’s odd…
Chelsie: Ya I guess…Lots of people think so. [Notices the lighter that Alyssa is playing with] But what about you? I mean you probably have enough energy from drugs that you don’t need energy.
Alyssa: Excuse you… [Rolls eyes and puts lighter away in her pocket] So what religion are you?
Chelsie: LDS…
Alyssa: …What?
Chelsie: LDS…Latter Day Saints… [Sighs] …Mormon.
Alyssa: Oh you mean you’re a polygamist?
Chelsie: [Rolls eyes and sighs deeply] No. That is a different, older branch of the church.
Alyssa: …Oh… So you’re not gonna have multiple husbands?
Chelsie: No I most certainly am not!
[Long awkward pause. Both girls look around in hopes to find something else to talk about]
[Lights go dim on setting and spotlight comes up on narrator who entered stage right.]
Narrator: Now, as you have noticed, these girls seem to be pretty rude to each other right from the beginning. [Sigh] These girls reminded me a lot of myself when I was their age. I remember talking to people like that when I was young. It never got me anywhere…
[Spotlight goes out on narrator and lights come up the setting.]
Chelsie: So…
Alyssa: Ya…So?
Chelsie: So on a hopefully happier note…um… On your college profile you mentioned you like music?
Alyssa: Ya.
Chelsie: Well what kind?
Alyssa: Screamo, Indie, Rock, Metal, electronic, techno….
Chelsie: [Smiles awkwardly, unsurprised] Figured.
Alyssa: But also country…sometimes. (Said hesitantly)
Chelsie: Really? I didn’t see that coming.
Alyssa: Ya. So…uh…what about you?
Chelsie: [Takes a second to think] Well I like… Country, Oldies, Acoustic, and church music.
Alyssa: Of course.
Chelsie: Well ya. [Small giggle, awkward] I do like dubstep…
Alyssa: Dubstep? You? Your church allows that? Isn’t it…we…ya know…kinda sac religious?
Chelsie: Ha Ha. It barely has any words so there is no harm. Besides, my church doesn’t control me. I just believe very strongly in it.
Alyssa: Oh ok…I guess… [Pause] Wanna share guilty pleasure songs?
Chelsie: Sure. You mean like Barnie?
Alyssa: Barney…Seriously? (Said with attitude)
Chelsie: No, I just said that as a joke…. [Pause awkwardly]
Alyssa: Oh… [Bites lip]
Chelsie: Ya. Guess it wasn’t funny.
Alyssa: It’s ok. I just didn’t know if you were serious.
Chelsie: Definitely not. I do like Kesha, though.
Alyssa: Really? I like One Direction. (Said shyly) I love my boy bands.
[Girls sit and laugh together for a minute. They reminisce in the memories of all their old favorite boy bands. They quietly sing Backstreet Boys and N’Sync to themselves while doing subtly doing the dance moves.]
Chelsie: Wow. You are just a bundle of surprises.
Alyssa: Ya I guess. I like having my secrets. (Said mysteriously.)
Chelsie: What have you got to hide?
Alyssa: What? [Sighs] I know…You think I am just some depressed kid who comes from an abusive home-
Chelsie: -What-
Alyssa: -And to cover up my pain, I resort to drugs…
Chelsie: Well what am I supposed to think? You’re dressed in all black. Black represents sadness and depression. Chains represent feeling like you’re a prisoner. You have piercings, so maybe you don’t feel comfortable in your own skin. The skin that God gave you.
Alyssa: [She takes a second to think of what to say in response] Well you are covered head to toe…I could potentially say the same thing about you. You’re not comfortable in your skin so you feel the need to cover up entirely.
Chelsie: Look, this isn’t about me. We were talking about you.
Alyssa: Ya. So what if we were?
Chelsie: So don’t turn it around and make it all my fault. Besides… You are the one who brought it up.
Alyssa: Did not. You are the one judging me.
Chelsie: You judged me first.
Alyssa: Did not!
Chelsie: Yes you did…with the whole polygamist thing.
Alyssa: That was not judging you. [Looks around suspiciously.] It was a legit question.
Chelsie: [Shakes her head as if to snap out of it.] Whatever. It’s over.
Alyssa: Ya.
Waitress: [Enters with a hot chocolate.] Your drink mam.
Chelsie: Thank you.
[Waitress leaves. Both girls take a sip of their drinks.]
Alyssa: So…. If we are going to room together then we need to establish a decoration theme.
Chelsie: True. Do you have any ideas?
Alyssa: Ya… (Chelsie begins her line under her breath.) I do.
Chelsie: Probably not good ones. (Said under her breath interrupting Alyssa.)
Alyssa: What was that?
Chelsie: Oh…Nothing.
Alyssa: Hmmm…Ok. Well I was thinking bright neon colors.
Chelsie: Really, you sure you don’t want all black with skulls?
Alyssa: Ha. Very funny. But yes I am sure…You are just all about stereotyping aren’t you?
Chelsie: No I am not. You just fit a lot of stereotypes.
Alyssa: I do not. [Sigh]
Chelsie: Anyways…keep going.
Alyssa: Well that’s basically it. The other ideas I have are just fine tuned stuff like how to arrange the furniture.
Chelsie: Oh ok. Well I was thinking we could have different shades of purple.
Alyssa: OMG! We are not going to have a purple room.
Chelsie: Why Not- [Chelsie raises her hands and accidently hits over the hot chocolate.]
Alyssa: Oh here let me help.
Chelsie: I got it, it’s fine.
Alyssa: I am not gonna poison you… (Said sarcastically.)
Chelsie: Yes I know. It’s ok. Really.
Alyssa: Here. It’s all over your shirt. Go into the bathroom and change into this. [Takes off her jacket and gives it to Chelsie.]
Chelsie: I don’t know.
Alyssa: Oh go on.
[Chelsie exits. Meanwhile Alyssa reaches into her bag and pulls out a magazine ‘Teen Goth’ and begins to flip through it. She is looking for new tattoo ideas. She finds a picture of tattoo of a cross with a skull popping out of it. She shows the picture to the audience.]
Alyssa: This would be perfect for Chelsie Don’t ya think? (Said to audience.)
[Chelsie re-enters wearing the jacket.]
Alyssa: Nice look.
Chelsie: Ya maybe for you. I don’t like it as much. It makes me feel…well… Different…
Alyssa: What do you mean Different?
Chelsie: Well it makes me feel unexplainably sad.
Alyssa: Sad? You don’t seem sad.
Chelsie: Well it makes me feel awkward more than anything else.
Alyssa: Why? It’s just clothing.
Chelsie: I don’t know. [Shrugs shoulders]
Alyssa: Oh well, it won’t come to life and kill you. If it does I will come to the rescue and protect you.
Chelsie: Ha-ha. Thanks Alyssa.
Alyssa: Can I be honest with you about something?
Chelsie: Sure.
Alyssa: Well… [Sigh] I was judging you earlier.
Chelsie: Ya… I was too. I am sorry.
Alyssa: I am sorry too. It was immature of me.
Chelsie: We were both in the wrong. Let’s start over. Hi I am Chelsie. [Reaches out her hand for a hand shake.]
Alyssa: Hi Chelsie. I am Alyssa.
[Girls begin to laugh together and all of a sudden a man walks in.]
Alyssa: Oh my god! [She turns her face away and puts her hand up to hide her face.]
Chelsie: What-
Taylor: Hey Chelsie!
Chelsie: Hey dude! This is my new friend Alyssa. Alyssa this is my friend Taylor.
[Alyssa tucks her hair behind her face as she faces forward again. She smiles awkwardly.]
Taylor: Hello Alyssa.
Alyssa: Hey Tay…
Chelsie: Tay…Its Tayl-
Alyssa: Ya we know each other.
Chelsie: Really?
Alyssa: Ex-Boyfriend [Points to Taylor.]
Taylor: Ex-Girlfriend [Points to Alyssa.]
Chelsie: Whoa, I REALLY didn’t see that one coming.
Alyssa: Ya we dated a few years ago.
Taylor: Ya this is the girl I was telling you about.
Chelsie: Oh. Ok Small world isn’t it.
Alyssa: Ya it really is.
Taylor: Hey you two wanna catch a movie…It’s on me.
Chelsie: Sure…Tay … (Said in a playful manner.)
Alyssa: Ya I agree. [Links arms with Chelsie and the three friends walk out of the coffee shop.]
[Lights go out on setting and spotlight comes up on narrator.]
Narrator: Such a sweet ending isn’t it? I get chills every time I retell that story…From all the tension in a situation that can be resolved in the end. Well, isn’t that how any good story ends? We would hope so. [Pauses and smiles.] Ever since that day I have not been the same person. I went from a boy to a man. I learned a very important lesson that day. “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” I know that’s something you hear from your parents every day, but it’s true. It can make your life and the lives of those around you so much better. Letting people be who they are and accepting them for it will be what causes world peace. One small step can change the world.
[Lights go out.]