A Party Scene

Two girls on a couch, two guys upstairs, a guy alone in the bathroom with tears running down his face, a cluster of friends sitting around a fire in the back, the basement full of smoke from odd little 'machines,' the kitchen is packed: crowd buzzing, music loud.
We open on our party scene.

The two girls have been talking for hours and hours. They've only just met tonight, but something about it all just feels right. One in a scene band with tattoos and scars, a piercing larger than her ear. The other in honors choir, a 4.0 GPA, volunteers at Sunday school every weekend, and works on Monday nights. How would they know they had so much in common? More than comic books and one Frank Sinatra CD. They both had a secret no one else knew. Maybe it was time to let someone else in. To finally let some light go through.

Two boys upstairs. They drink each other in. It's the first time they've been alone in ages. One asks, "Are you okay?"

"I will be. One night, when I can stay."

They've been a secret for over a year. Waiting and waiting for someone to hear them. To understand how they feel and accept who they are. But no one's ever come close so far. So they hide in the dark. For a few hours, they love themselves, can love each other out loud. They don't know when the next time will be, but for now it's here at this party scene.

A guy in the bathroom, shaking and crying. He can't control it anymore. He knows he's slowly losing his grip. Reality is slipping away from him and he knows he can't go home. Everything is blurry from behind his tears. The music makes the door shake, but he realizes someone is there. Someone is yelling and asking him to open the door. That his mom is worried sick and dad isn't home anymore. That one sentence changes the tears in his eyes, he's no longer angry and sad, but filled with utter joy. He opens the door and finds his sister with bruise across her face. She's there to tell him dad is gone and mom is going to be okay.

Outside on the deck a little fire comes to life. The music softer out here than inside. Five old friends finally meet again. They talk about the past and dream of the future. They all know something's different. That it's been far too long. That all of them are older and they've grown far apart. It's nice to remember what they once had before, but nothing is the same this time. They all have new lives and new friends and lovers. All of them realize now they've moved on.

All of these people feel alone in this house. Alone with each other, their own stories the most important one. There's those in the basement, those in halls, some in the kitchen, others against the walls. And each of them feel just the same as the other. Alone at this party with their story at the center.