Jules

scene 1

(Two teenage boys are sitting in a waiting room. They seem to be complete opposites in appearance. One boy (William) is dressed in dark clothes and slouched in his seat with an angry look on his face. The other (Julian) is in bright clothes with a happy, if not vacant, expression. He’s sitting strangely in his chair, with his back on the seat and his legs sticking up.)

Will: (silent for a moment then quietly) Hey…Jules, quit sitting like that. People are staring at us.

Julian: So? Let ‘em stare. I’m comfortable like this.

Will: (turning his head away) Whatever.

Julian: (silence for another moment as Julian rights himself in the seat) What’d you do in school today?

Will: Nothing.

Julian: That’s a big surprise…

Will: Don’t be all condescending. At least I’m in school.

Julian: (mock singing) Not for long.

Will: Shut up… (more silence) Why are we here anyway?

Julian: Cause your uncle told us to come.

Will: Well then why are we listening to him?

Julian: Cause he gives you food?

(pause)

Will: Well I’m sick of this; we’ve been waiting over an hour! (starts to get up) I’m outta here…

Julian: (still sitting and in a calm and serious voice.) I think you’re just scared.

Will: (turning back, very angry) What’d you say?!

Julian: I said: I think you’re just scared. You know what this is; it’s a psychiatrists office and you would rather be anywhere in the world other than here right now. I think you’re afraid of what you’re going to find out about yourself in that room. (points to the doctor’s door then suddenly drops his serious demeanor and adopts a wide smile) But…I could be wrong.

Will: Of course you’re wrong! And what’s will you being all…(searching for the right word) philosophical and crap?

Julian: (ignoring Will’s question) The doctor’s coming.

Will: Huh? (he turns to look at the door and, sure enough, it opens revealing a smiling woman of around 40)

Melissa: You must be William; it’s nice to meet you. My name is Melissa. Why don’t you come on in?

Will: What about Jules?

Melissa: (looking quizzical) Who?

Will: Julian. Can he come? (turns to look at Julian but he is no longer sitting there he exited as they were talking) (to himself) Huh…guess he went to the bathroom. (louder: to Melissa) Never mind.

Scene 2

(In Melissa’s office. Lighting is dim, but the room and furniture are all warm colors, and it is rather cluttered with various objects. There is a desk and the side of it is a large couch. Melissa is sitting behind the desk and Will is sitting stiffly on the couch.)

Melissa: You don’t have to be so polite. Relax or lay down; that’s what the couch is for. (Will slouches back a bit and he now looks more comfortable)

(there is a long pause as they both study each other)

Melissa: Do you know why you’re here, Will?

Will: Nope.

Melissa: Well, why don’t you tell me why you think you’re here.

William: No, that’s ok. Why don’t you just tell me why I’m here?

Melissa: (avoiding the question) So, who’s Julian?

Will: Jules? He’s my best friend. He’s kinda weird but it doesn’t bother me too much.

Melissa: Is there any reason he’s here with you today?

Will: I dunno. He goes everywhere I go. We’re always together.

Melissa: Always?

Will: Well…not at school…and now that I think about it, I’ve never been to his house or met his parents.

Melissa: How long have you known each other?

Will: (contemplating) Uhh…well…it was right after my parents died…so about two years?

Melissa: I’m sorry to hear about your parents. How did they pass?

Will: (opens his mouth to answer but snaps it back shut as his face hardens) Why do you care? What’s with all these questions anyway? I don’t think I ever asked you to butt into my life.

Melissa: (expecting this) You’re right. Why don’t you ask me some questions?

Will: No. I don’t want to. Why would I care about you? (getting up) I’m leaving.

Melissa: (serious now) I’ll tell you why you’re here. But you won’t like it.

Will: (stops and turns around but remains standing) So? Tell me.

Melissa: Julian isn’t real.

Will: Excuse me?

Melissa: Julian is not real. He’s a friend you made up to cope with your loss.

Will: (laughing) Riiiight. And I’m a vampire. (mocking) Cope with my loss? You’ve gotta be kidding me. I’m glad they’re dead. (laughs again but it sounds forced)

Melissa: William, this is no laughing matter. You’re uncle is very worried about you. You hole yourself up in your room with an imaginary person and talk to yourself for hours. You even talk to a dead line on the phone!

Will: (indignant) That’s not true! My uncle met Jules! You’re just making this crap up to screw with my head! How can a person I’ve been best friends with for two years not be real?!

Melissa: Didn’t you ever wonder why he didn’t go to school, or why you never met his parents? HE. DOES. NOT. EXIST. I know this is coming as a great shock, but you need to understand. You’re worrying your uncle sick. I know you’ve been very troubled since your parents’ death, but it’s time to let that go. Let Julian go. He’s only a reminder.

Will: NO! JULES IS REAL! (losing it) He helped me! (close to tears) He…helped me so much…after they died… (suddenly recovering his anger he begins throwing anything near him into the floor, smashing several objects) This is stupid! Quit lying to me! I can’t take this…I’m leaving!

Melissa: William. Julian isn’t coming back.

Will: Of course he is! He’s probably out there right now waiting for me!

Melissa: What did he say to you before you came in here?

Will: (realization finally dawning on him. There is a pause before he answers meekly) He…said…He said I was afraid. (stronger) I was afraid of what I was going to find out. (quietly, now very subdued) Jules…NO! He IS real! He is! HE IS! He…he HAS TO BE!

Melissa: I’m sorry, William. He isn’t. Do I need you to go out to the waiting room and ask the other patients if they saw Julian or not?

Will: NO! Why would I believe them?! I told you, you’re just messin’ with my head! You probably already convinced them to lie to me or something!

Melissa: Do you have any pictures of Julian?

Will: Sure. They’re right here in my wallet. (reaches into his pants and pulls out his wallet.) See…? (his voice trails off as he stares at the pictures. They are of Will and no one else. He sits back down on the couch. Quietly he speaks again.) I’m sorry about your stuff.

Melissa: That’s alright, I’ve had worse. How are you feeling?

Will: Weird. Really weird. (laughing) I guess all those times Jules was sitting funny, people were really staring at me.

(End. Lights dim as Will and Melissa continue a silent conversation.)

A/N: So I wrote this for my Theatre III class. This is actually the revised version as the first one, the ending was VERY abrupt. And I know it still kind of is…but I like it more this way than the other way. One reason I cut it off there was because I wanted it really obvious how Will’s emotions could change with the drop of a hat.

I know it’s short. It was only supposed to be 8 minutes long. But if anyone would like me to make a whole story/play out of this I’d be happy to. I kind of like Will and Jules. So let me know…review…please. My first play type thing.