Shame and Torment
A script I wrote in high school about depression.
The events depicted in this script are serious and may be too much for some readers.
Please read with caution, and know that there are people that can help with tough times.
SCENE 1:
(Lights are out, Students are standing in middle of stage,
Sibling, Mom, Dad, Crush and Friend are all yelling
over-top one other, repeating the words below. One student steps out from behind the other. Students are dressed exactly the same. )
Sibling: You should have stopped me. (Repeat until alarm)
Mom & Dad: You’re the reason he’s dead. (Repeat until alarm)
Crush: You didn’t care about me. (Repeat until alarm)
Friend: I’m gone because of you. (Repeat until alarm)
(Alarm clock, everyone goes silent, lights up on Student)
Students: Torture is the worst thing in life, and it’s my mind doing
it. You can’t fight it, and it consumes you. Day in and day
out, all of it - full of pain.
Hope: It isn’t all bad, you had family, love, friendship.
What about all that?
Students: All of that? You mean the loss, the heartbreak and
the guilt that followed it? Each day I’m reminded of
my failure and what I should have done differently.
Torment: You’re the reason it happened. You were there
for it all, and you messed up. You made the wrong
choices, and now you have to live with them. Forever.
Students: But why are you here? Why me?! Please, just leave
me alone.
Torment: I’m here so you never forget it. You deserve to
be in pain for everything you did. Even as a child you
couldn’t do anything right. You just sat there and let
him leave.
Students: I was only twelve, I didn’t know any better!
Torment: What happened to him was your fault.
SCENE 2:
(Set change to Living Room, Sibling Enters)
Torment: That night was like every other night for you,
wasn’t it?
Student 2: There wasn’t anything out of the ordinary.
Student 1: How was I supposed to know?
Shame: Maybe when he walked in, and the first thing
that came out of his mouth was -
Sibling: You know I love you right?
Shame: And you just brushed it off with a -
Students: I’m not an idiot you know.
Sibling: I know that kiddo, that’s because I keep you in check.
You wouldn’t be able to find your head if I wasn’t here
to help out.
Students: (Sarcastically) Oh yeah, my super popular big brother
is totally my saviour and I couldn’t function without him.
(Seriously) What do you want?
Torment: He wanted to be stupid -
Sibling: I’m heading out with the car to a party. A bunch of
friends need someone to be the boring parent of the
group and I drew the short straw.
Students: And where do I come in?
Sibling: I told mom and dad that I was heading over to a
friend’s place to study. I need you to cover for me and
play along.
Students: What’s in it for me?
Sibling: I’ll take you to the next baseball game I go to. Maybe
even buy you a hat.
Students: Deal!
Shame: You should have said no.
Sibling: Twelve year old siblings always fall for that. And that -
(Students and Sibling hug) Is why I love you.
(Sibling Exits)
Students: Love you too, numskull!
Torment: The last thing you called him was a numskull.
How ironic.
Students: How could I have known?! He was sober. He knew
what he was doing. It was the other one, the drunk driver
that hit him off the bridge.
Hope: Exactly. You couldn’t have known. You loved him and he
knew that. He wouldn’t blame you and no one else does.
It was out of your control.
Shame: He left because you didn’t stop him. He died
because all you thought of were damned sports tickets.
If you’d kept him home he would still be around. But no,
You just let him go.
Torment: Instead, you let your brother die.
Student 1: I couldn’t stop him!
Student 2: It wasn’t my fault.
Shame: How about what came next?
SCENE 3:
(Mom and Dad Enter)
Mom: Darling, we need to talk.
Dad: We’ve been talking a lot about it, and we think it’s time
you knew.
Students: Knew what? What’s wrong?
Mom: Your father and I are getting a divorce.
Student 2: What do you mean?
Student 1: Does this mean we’re moving?
Dad: Oh no, no. You’ll be staying with me. No need for a new
school, you won’t be leaving your friends. Your mom will
see you whenever she wants, she just won’t live here.
Students: Why is she leaving? Aren’t we a family? Why does
she have to go?
Torment: Are you kidding? You stopped being a family after you
killed your brother. After you broke your parents’ hearts.
Hope: It’ll be okay. We can get through this.
Shame: Why are you so pathetic?!
Dad: It’s been a tough year for us since your brother passed
away. We’ve tried to make it work, but it hasn’t helped.
Your mom and I fight -
Student 1: You don’t think I can hear you guys? You two are
always screaming, always mad.
Student 2: People fight, so what? What can I do to make things
right again?
Mom: This isn’t something you can fix honey. Your dad and I,
we just aren’t right for each other anymore.
Hope: That doesn’t mean you aren’t right for them. You’re still
their child and they love you.
Torment: (turns on Student 1) They don’t love you! If they really
did love you, they wouldn’t be doing this.
Student 1: I’ll clean more, I’ll do my homework.
Dad: You don’t need to -
Student 1: I don’t need an allowance, or a new stereo or anything.
Dad: Please -
Student 1: I’ll be more like him if I have to -
Mom: Enough! You have no right to bring him up like that.
Student 1: No right? He was my brother! I talked to him before
he left, and I let him go. I could have stopped him. He’s
dead because of me!
Torment: You drove them apart. You’re the reason they separated.
Hope: No! That isn’t true!
Shame: Are you serious? Can’t you see? You’re nothing but
a screw up. You’ll never be as good as your brother was.
Student 1: Don’t you think I get that? They fought because he
was gone. They left each other because I didn’t stop
him. Are you happy with yourself? Are you finished
with tormenting me?
Torment: Not even close. You’ve only felt the loss in your
life. It’s time for the first and only love you ever had.
Students: Please, no-
SCENE 4:
(Set change to Hallway)
Shame: (In a mocking tone) It was like any other typical
love story. You were 14, minding your own business, all
deep in thought when you got bumped in the hallway.
(Crush bumps into Student)
You get onto a knee to help clean their things up and
you both reach for the same book. Your hands touch,
you meet each other’s eyes, and all they say is -
Crushes: Hey.
Shame: And all you can muster up is a -
Students: Hey.
Crushes: I - I’m sorry I bumped into you.
Students: No it’s fine, really. Honestly, I should have been
paying more attention.
Crushes: More attention to what?
Students: Well, more attention to you.
Crushes: (Flustered) I - I should get to class.
Students: Will I see you around?
Crushes: (Pauses) If you pay enough attention.
(Crushes smile and Exit)
Student 1: They stole my heart right then and there.
Student 2: I met them in the hallway all the time after that.
Students: Sometimes we’d talk about the day. But sometimes
we just -
(Crush Enters)
Payed attention.
Shame: They consumed your life, that’s what they did.
Student 1: (defensive) It wasn’t like that.
Student 2: We fell for each other.
Hope: You mean like your first dance, that slow song
and the moment was just perfect?
Student 2: (happily remembering) Or our first date
when I gave her flowers. She loved them.
Hope: (smiling) And we won’t forget that night under the tree,
little fireflies moving through the branches.
Crushes: I wish it could be like this forever. Just you and me,
here.
Students: I’d like that.
Crushes: Thank you.
Students: For what?
Crushes: For paying attention.
(Student and Crush kiss)
Shame: But that’s just it, you didn’t. You didn’t pay
attention to how they felt or what they needed. Your
constant complaining about your brother and how -
Students: He died....
Student 1: And it was my fault.
Shame: Or your parents and how -
Students: They split up...
Student 1: because of me.
Shame: You needed people to pity you. But who wants
someone that is constantly whimpering like a wounded
dog? You drove them away.
Hope: Don’t forget how happy you two were. Even through the
pain, joy came too. The time you had with them was
special.
Shame: You don’t deserve to be happy after everything you’ve done.
(Crush Exits)
Students: I thought they understood me. I trusted them and tried
to be open.
Torment: You threw your pain onto them. All your faults and
flaws. You’re so messed up, no one could love you.
Hope: No more of this, please.
Shame: You let them down. And they aren’t the only one.
Students: Anything but this -
Shame: You also let down the one friend that ever
stuck around.
SCENE 5:
(Set change to Dirty Living Room)
Friend: I’m here for you, you know.
Students: What am I going to do now that they’re gone?
Friend: You could spend more time with me. I mean, if you
want to.
Students: All I want right now is them back.
Friend: Oh. Well, yeah -
Students: Like what can I do? I lost the only one that cared
about me. They were the only person I cared about.
Friend: What about me?
Students: You don’t count, you’re just a friend.
Friend: I have feelings too you know.
Students: But what I’m feeling is worse. I’m alone and in pain.
Friend: And how do you know that’s not what I’m feeling too?
Torment: Can you believe this? He’s too worried about himself
to think about your pain, your feelings.
Students: You always have to make everything about you, don’t
you? If you love attention so much, jump off a bridge.
That’d help.
Friend: That’s been on my mind lately.
Students: Then what are you waiting for? A going away party?
Friend: A friend to talk me out of it...
Students: Well there aren’t any around here.
Friend: I get that now.
Hope: Stop! You're hurting and lashing out.
Student 2: Hey wait! I’m sorry, I’m just having trouble right now.
What’s going on?
Friend: I don’t know. It’s hard to explain. I…. I’ve just been
struggling a lot with things at home..
(Students group back up, Friend Exits)
Shame: You pushed your only friend away. Pushed them
over the edge. Literally.
Hope: They didn’t know!
Shame: What didn’t they know?
Hope: That they were serious…
Torture: So what?! You don’t tell someone to kill themselves.
It isn’t right. They may even go through with it because
of you.
Student 1: I wish I could take it back -
Shame: But you can’t, can you?! You told your friend to
die, and they did it.
Student 1: I’m sorry!
Torture: It isn’t us you should be asking for forgiveness.
SCENE 6:
(Clear set)
Students: I didn’t mean to ignore you, I - I was just so caught
up in everything that was happening. I’m so sorry…
Sibling: (Sibling Enters, tattered clothing and bloody) Hey there,
Kiddo. Miss me?
Students: Please let it end, I’ll do anything.
Sibling: Something you could have done, was save me. But
you failed at that. All you wanted were sport tickets, and
a stupid hat. Well here - (Throws baseball hat) At least I
keep my word.
Students: I don’t want a hat. I just want to be a family again.
Mom: (Mom and Dad Enters) You mean the family that you
drove apart? The people that were there for you and you
just messed everything up for us?
Students: I didn’t mean to drive you two apart, I should have been
a better child.
Crush: You should have been better at a lot of things. Under-
standing other people, not trying to make them pity you -
Friend: Actually caring about your friends. At least the ones
you don’t make commit suicide. But we’re just friends, we
don’t count. Isn’t that right?
Students: I didn’t mean it like that!
Shame: It doesn’t matter how you meant it. What you did
caused these things to happen. Your choices in life, what
you say and what you do, can save or ruin lives. You just
chose to ruin them all.
Students: I’m sorry!
(Everyone begins to get louder,
Characters move closer to the student)
Sibling: You should have stopped me. (Repeat until alarm)
Mom & Dad: You’re the reason he’s dead. (Repeat until alarm)
Crush: You didn’t care about me. (Repeat until alarm)
Friend: I’m gone because of you. (Repeat until alarm)
(Alarm clock, everyone goes silent,
lights out except on Student)
Students: Torture is the worst thing in life - and it’s my mind doing it.
(Lights out)
END