Episode 42

We join OCTAVIA who is at ASHANTE's house. MAX is there too.

ASHANTE - I just can't believe it. That is so crazy.

OCTAVIA - Yeah. I don't believe it either.

MAX - Are you sure that Donte is that close to graduation?

ASHANTE - He has to be. I mean, look at how long it has been since I graduated. How many classes can he possibly have left?

MAX - Yeah, that's true. You are mad old.

ASHANTE - Shut the hell up!

(MAX and ASHANTE laugh. OCTAVIA doesn't.)

MAX - Sorry girl.

(OCTAVIA wipes her eyes.)

OCTAVIA - I really like Donte. I really do. But I am such an ambitious person. How can I be with someone that seems to have no drive at all?

ASHANTE - Is there a reason he hasn't gotten out of Ahpla yet?

(silence)

OCTAVIA - Well actually, yes there is a reason. But it is very personal.

ASHANTE - Oh. Well you don't have to tell us.

OCTAVIA - Just promise me that it stays in this room.

ASHANTE - Sure.

MAX - Of course.

OCTAVIA - Okay. Well, Donte is dyslexic. So he has a learning disability.

(silence)

ASHANTE - Wow, that shines a whole new light on the situation.

MAX - Yeah...really.

OCTAVIA - It did for me when he told me as well. And I have to commend him on how far he has already gotten in life. Just getting into a good college was a struggle for Donte.

MAX - I imagine.

ASHANTE - Well maybe that explains it then.

OCTAVIA - But that is the problem. It doesn't explain it. Even with his disability, he could be out of here. He can still graduate.

ASHANTE - Are you sure?

OCTAVIA - I am positive. I know what his classes are. I have tried to help him all semester. He can graduate now. He just has to want to. He has to push himself.

ASHANTE - Why doesn't he?

OCTAVIA - Because he gave up. He gave up at the end and I can't deal with that.

MAX - But everybody isn't like you Octavia. School comes easy to you.

OCTAVIA - You don't have to be me. You just have to try. Have some kind of drive. Have some determination. That's all. I would much rather Donte try hard and fail then to fail because he didn't try at all.

ASHANTE - That makes sense.

MAX - Yeah.

ASHANTE - So what happened when you told him you were leaving?

OCTAVIA - He tried to stop me. I saw a side of Donte I didn't think he had.

ASHANTE - What was that?

OCTAVIA - Well...he seemed so sad.

ASHANTE - Sad? I can't see that either.

MAX - I thought that nigga would bring out some wood on you!

ASHANTE Now that would be the Donte that I know! Ha ha ha ha.

OCTAVIA - Oh please, shut up.

ASHANTE - Did he say anything as you left?

OCTAVIA - He kept saying that I just don't understand. You just don't understand. Please don't leave, you just don't understand.

MAX - That is sad.

OCTAVIA - Yeah, but understand what? It breaks my heart, but understand what?

(OCTAVIA starts to cry.)

ASHANTE - It'll be okay girl. Maybe it is better this way.

(MAX's pager goes off.)

MAX - Damn.

ASHANTE - What's up?

MAX - My dad is close to campus. He is coming to visit. I gotta run.

ASHANTE - Tell him I said hello.

MAX - Go in my place and tell him yourself!

ASHANTE - Whatever!

MAX - Take care Tavia.

OCTAVIA - Thanks.

(MAX hugs OCTAVIA and ASHANTE and leaves.)

MAX thinks - I feel so bad for Octavia. I always thought that they were a crazy looking couple though.

(MAX gets outside and starts to walk toward her dorm.)

MAX thinks - I would love for things to work out, but I have to admit. I kind of feel Octavia on her reasons. I mean come on bruh, be about some direction in your life.

(MAX sees her dorm and looks for her father's car. She doesn't see it.)

MAX thinks - Having a purpose is an attractive quality in a man. Know what you want and go get it. I mean, damn. I don't understand that brother at all.

(MAX sits on the wall in front of the dorm and waits for her father.)

MAX thinks - If I were Octavia, I would do the sam...hey, there's Wil.

MAX - Wil!

(WIL comes over.)

WIL - What's up Max?

(They hug.)

WIL - What you doin' out here?

MAX - Just chillin. Meeting that special brother.

WIL - Oh well excuse me!

MAX - Ha ha ha ha, just kidding. My dad is meeting me here. I guess he is special.

WIL - I hear it. You silly girl.

MAX - Hey man, let me ask you something. Personal.

WIL - Yes the rumor is true, I eat out all night like IHOP.

MAX - Yeah, and I heard you are floppy like a stack of pancakes!

WIL - Ooooh! Low blow!

(They laugh.)

WIL - Seriously, what you gotta ask me?

MAX - Between me and you.

WIL - Aight cool.

MAX - I'm serious Wil.

WIL - Aight cool, me and you.

MAX - Okay. So on the real, what is up with your boy Donte? Why doesn't he get up out this piece?

(silence)

WIL - I don't...

MAX - Don't lie to me Wil.

WIL - I aint no ivy! Quit hazing me!

(They laugh.)

MAX - Seriously, he has Octavia crying and breaking up with him because he has no drive. What's the deal with that?

(silence)

MAX - Well?

WIL - Listen, this is confidential.

(MAX leans closer.)

MAX - What?

(silence)

MAX - What?

WIL - Well, Donte dropped one class right at the end of the semester. He dropped it so he could stay at Ahpla with Octavia. He could have graduated, but he wanted to be here with her.

MAX - What!

MR. SVENSON - Hey baby girl! Daddy is here!

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JUNE has just visited DERRICK unexpectedly. She knocks on his door.

DERRICK thinks - I hope this aint Caryn coming back with no attitude!

(DERRICK opens the door.)

DERRICK thinks - Oh shit!

DERRICK - June? What are you...

JUNE - Can I come in Derrick? I really would like to talk.

DERRICK - Uh...sure, come on in.

DERRICK thinks - Thank you God!

(As JUNE walks in, DERRICK reaches to hug her. She stops walking and awkwardly hugs him back. DERRICK closes the door behind her.)

DERRICK - June it's uh...good to see you.

JUNE - You too Derrick. Did I catch you at a bad time?

DERRICK - Oh no, I was just...uh...chillin.

JUNE - Oh okay.

(JUNE sits down.)

JUNE - How you doing?

DERRICK - I can't complain. Living life ya know?

JUNE - Yeah.

DERRICK - How have you been girl?

JUNE - I've been maintaining.

DERRICK - Just maintaining?

JUNE - Things aren't bad. I just have a few things on my mind right now.

DERRICK - Really? What's the matter?

JUNE - I need to talk. I always found it easy to talk to you.

DERRICK - No doubt. I always got your back.

(JUNE smiles and looks away.)

DERRICK thinks - Damn she looks good!

JUNE - Well I know you hate it when I always used to bring up AKA, so I hope you don't mind...

DERRICK - June, we can talk about whatever you want.

(silence)

JUNE - Really?

DERRICK - Fo sho. Now tell me what's wrong.

(JUNE smiles.)

JUNE - Well, I have run into some issues with Mona.

DERRICK - Mona? Which one is that?

JUNE - The one who is always causing all the controversy.

DERRICK - Oh okay. What's up with her?

JUNE - What's up is that I want to beat her ass.

DERRICK - What! That isn't even like you. I can see PJ doing that, but not you.

JUNE - I know, and you are right. You're absolutely right. And that is why I have let so many things slide when it came to her up to this point.

DERRICK - Really?

JUNE - Heck yeah. The girl was nothing but trouble from the start and I just kept brushing it off. But now things are gonna be different.

DERRICK - What do you plan to do?

JUNE - Well first of all, I'm gonna...

(There is a knock on the door.)

DERRICK thinks - Oh shit! Please God don't let this be Caryn!

DERRICK - Excuse me for a second.

JUNE - Go right ahead.

DERRICK - Don't lose that thought though. I want to know what you want to do to Mona.

(DERRICK gets up to get the door. JUNE watches as he goes to open it.)

DERRICK thinks - Please not be Caryn! Please not be Caryn!

(DERRICK slowly opens the door.)

LOWELL - Good, I was hoping that you were here!

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Theresa is sitting in the Callis Student Union reading lounge. She is waiting for her appointment to show up.

THERESA thinks - This book is so damn boring. I don't even know why I brought it with me!

(THERESA looks around the room. She doesn't recognize any of the other students who are either reading or having quiet conversations. She looks at her watch.)

THERESA thinks - Well let me at least pretend to be reading to look somewhat intelligent. Hee hee.

(THERESA starts to read her novel when someone walks up to where she is sitting. She looks up.)

THERESA - Well hello. Punctual as usual.

JASON - Theresa, what is this about?

THERESA - What is what about? Sit down Jason.

JASON - Don't play games with me Theresa. Why did you call me and ask me for an urgent emergency meeting?

THERESA - If you sit down, maybe I will tell you.

(JASON pulls up a chair.)

THERESA - So how have you been?

JASON - Get to the point.

THERESA - Ooooh touchy.

(JASON starts to get up.)

THERESA - No Jason wait!

(JASON stops.)

THERESA - I'm sorry. Please, sit down. I will get serious. I really do have something very important that I would like to talk to you about.

(JASON slowly sits back down.)

JASON - What's up?

THERESA - If you can just bear with me, I would like to tell you a few things that you may not know about me. You may wonder what this has to do with anything, but hopefully I can tie it together for you in the end.

JASON - I'm all ears.

THERESA - I don't know if you know this already, but I am an only child.

JASON - Yeah, I did know that.

THERESA - Good. Well that is the foundation of this whole thing. I am an only child and grew up pretty much on my own. I have a lot of cousins but they are all a lot older than I am. So we didn't really play or do anything together growing up.

JASON - Uh huh.

THERESA - When I was in high school, I was really shy. I didn't get into much. I didn't cheerlead, I didn't do the high school band or anything. I was almost a nerd.

(JASON tries to hide his smile.)

THERESA - Oh...you can laugh. It won't hurt my feelings. Ha ha ha, I was in bad shape.

JASON - Go ahead.

THERESA - So anyway, I graduate from high school and I remember watching my other classmates. They were all huddled together, crying, hugging each other. They were exchanging phone numbers and addresses to keep in contact while in college. And although I got a few people to sign my yearbook, I didn't get anyone to say, hey let's keep in touch.

(THERESA pauses as she looks away. JASON is wondering if she is getting emotional and where this story is going in the first place.)

THERESA - So anyhow, I get to Ahpla. And the environment here is very different than what I am used to. My high school was mostly white. This school is all black. My roommate freshman year was a party animal. So we didn't click. She was out all the damn time and never studied. We barely spoke when passing. Her ass isn't even here anymore.

JASON - Really?

THERESA - Yeah, she was out on her ass after the first year. I don't know if it was her parents when they saw her grades or the university. But the point is, she wasn't a friend.

JASON - Uh huh.

THERESA - So then, I saw a flier for the undergraduate student assembly. They were having something in this building as a matter of fact. And they needed volunteers. So I decided, what the heck. Maybe I can help out. So I came to a meeting by myself. When I got there, it was cool because people were so friendly, and I knew that they didn't know me.

JASON - Uh huh.

THERESA - So then we sit down for the meeting and I sit next to Willie.

JASON thinks - I knew this would have something to do with my girl!

THERESA - She was already on the committee and had an office. She spoke well and people seemed to like and respect her. She was real cool. So after the meeting, we exchanged numbers. Go figure, I didn't even exchange numbers with the people that I went to high school with for four years and here I am hooking up with a friend after one meeting.

JASON - Yeah, go figure.

JASON thinks - Where the hell is this story going?

THERESA - So Willie and I become real cool. Like real cool.

JASON - Wait, let me interrupt you for a second. Is this some kind of...I want to get you back so I'm gonna tell you how foul your girlfriend Willie is?

(silence)

THERESA - Let me assure you that this is not why you are here. Okay, let me clear that point real quick. I cannot lie and say that I was not upset when you two hooked up. But to be honest, I had it coming. I acted like a spoiled child. I had you first and if I had acted right, we may still be together. So I cannot blame Willie for that. And I can let go and let bygones be bygones. For real.

(silence)

JASON - To be honest Theresa...

THERESA thinks - Oh shit.

JASON - ...I am glad you said that. If that is the way that you feel, then I commend you. I wasn't feeling like coming here but now I am glad that I did.

THERESA - Thanks! Thanks a lot Jason!

JASON - Your welcome.

THERESA - I really am happy for the two of you.

(They smile.)

JASON - So continue with your story.

THERESA - Oh yeah, where was I?

JASON - Uh...oh...you were just saying how you and Willie hooked up.

THERESA - Oh yeah. So me and Willie become friends and it was so different for me because like I said, I have never really experienced that before.

JASON - Uh huh.

THERESA - She is like my only friend at Ahpla. And then she pledges Delta.

JASON - Okay.

THERESA - And that was real weird because the only friend that I had was now gone because she was on line. I never got to talk to her. And if I saw her on campus, she couldn't speak to me. I remember one time I saw her in the basement of the library. I brought her some food and met her there. That was the one time we got to speak.

JASON - That's funny.

THERESA - So then she crossed and I wanted to keep my distance from her and her sorors. You know, I wanted her to enjoy her new sisterhood and I didn't want to continually get in the way.

JASON - Uh huh.

THERESA - But she kept calling me and trying to hang out. I was telling her that I would understand if she wanted to hang with her sorors. But she was a true blue friend...or should I say a true red friend.

JASON - Ha ha ha ha, that was so corny.

(THERESA playfully slaps JASON's leg.)

THERESA - Shut up!

JASON - Ha ha ha, just kidding.

THERESA - So then you and I dated, and then you and her dated. No big deal. But the point is this..I need a favor from you.

JASON - What does that have to do with the story you told me?

THERESA - Well it all ties in. See, since me and Willie have had this recent falling out, we haven't spoken. And I need to be able to speak to her, for my own sanity I guess. She is like the only friend I have Jason, for real.

JASON - So what do you want me to do?

THERESA - I need for you to help me get back in good with Willie because...

(silence)

JASON - Because what?

(silence)

THERESA - ...because I want to be on the next Delta line.