Wearing Their Skin

INT. DINING ROOM. AUGUST TWENTY-EIGHTH, SIX THIRTY PM

EATING NOISES, SCRAPING PLATES.

Everyone is sitting at the dinner table awkwardly staring at WILLOW as she puts peanut butter and jelly on her chicken. WILLOW looks up at everyone and turns to ASPEN, HADES, and STYX.

WILLOW
How was your first day of senior year? Is it as freeing as it sounds?

ASPEN
To be honest, it's kind of scary. I mean..I'm graduating early so I'm technically still a Junior

HADES is on his phone. JUPITER snaps her fingers in his face and motions for him to put the phone down. He rolls his eyes and complies.

HADES
The sooner I get out, the better.

STYX is wearing her hair in front of her face.

JUPITER
Styx, get the hair out of your face. It's family time, you should contribute.

STYX ignores JUPITER and stabs at her chicken with a fork.

LUCA
Well, Lilith and I's first day of high school ever was stupendous!

LILITH
Speak for yourself, sis. I was called "Fresh Meat" by a bunch of Junior boys. I also learned there's this twisted game called DeVirgin.

STYX's tenses.

LUCA
Oh my god, guess what else? A senior boy actually talked to me! He was super cute!

LILITH
Who?

LUCA
Charlie Stanfield. [looks off dreamily]

STYX's head snaps up and hair reveals a black eye

STYX
Stay away from him.

Everyone looks shocked. VENUS covers her mouth.

JOURNEY
Oh my fucking god. What the hell happened?

LUNA gets up to get an ice pack out of the freezer, she rushes it over to her sister.

LILITH
Who did that to you?

HADES
Charlie. [looks directly at LUCA]

LUCA
Charlie would never do that, he's super sweet and caring. He hates violence.

STYX
Alright, listen here. You haven't even known for a full day.

LUCA
But it feels like I've known him forever!

STYX looks at LUCA like the meme "when someone says something stupid"

STYX
Charlie is not who you think he is. He starts out like that to manipulate you to think he's such a good guy until he takes you to a party, drugs you, rapes you and then gaslights you until you can't think straight enough to tell the cops. By the time you get your story straight, you're pregnant and he forces you to get an abortion and you get beaten every single day. [sobbing]

Everyone's jaw drops, HADES wraps an arm around his sister. LUNA drags VESPER and VENUS away.

So, stay the fuck away from him, Luca. He will ruin your life without a bat of his eye.

LUCA looks as if she's about to protest. STYX storms off stage right, MERCURY, and HADES follow her.

LILITH
Get that "save the world" look out of your eyes, right now. Stop trying to see the best in people, some people are just evil. That's all there is to it.

LILITH gracefully glides away.

JOURNEY is holding her head and rubbing her temples.

JOURNEY
You are forbidden to talk to this boy, no dating, no speaking, no looking, no texting, nothing. I don't want him in your life. That's final. [gives her a look]

LUCA
This is so unfair! She's probably being overdramatic! Jupiter, help me! [she looks over to JUPITER]

JUPITER
Go to your room, right now. [fuming]

LUCA
I hate you all. [storms away]

JOURNEY
[Throws napkin on the table] So much for a nice family dinner. [leaves the room.]

STYX IS SOBBING LOUDLY IN THE BACKGROUND.

WILLOW looks stunned, AZLYN is shaking and JUPITER is clenching her fists. ASPEN begins to clean everything up.

WILLOW
Aspen, I'll clean up. Go check on your sister. Bring her favorite book and a tub of ice cream.

ASPEN grabs the ice cream and heads upstairs.

Okay. Family meeting at ten. I'm not impressed. C'mon Azlyn, let's set up the living room for the meeting.

WILLOW and AZLYN exit stage right.