Just An Excuse

[AlexYamil]

INT. HOUSE PARTY - NIGHT

A very FASHIONABLE TEENAGE BOY leans against a wall talking
with a very pretty teenage girl. They laugh.

His hand pulls open her shirt a bit and he takes a peek down
it.

INT. HOUSE PARTY - COUCH - NIGHT

DRAKE is sitting on the couch leaning forwards. He is
glaring at the Fashionable Teenager.

Two boys and two girls are also sitting on the couch and on
adjacent chairs. Drake points out the Fashionable Teenager.

DRAKE
Ain't that something?

The boy sitting to his left, ROGER, quickly glances at him.

ROGER
Ain't what something?

DRAKE
That faggot over there. Doesn't
that piss you off?

ROGER
The fact that he's gay? No, because
I'm not a homophobe.

DRAKE
No, fool. I mean, look at him. Look
at what he's doing.

Drake points at the Fashionable Teenager.

CUT TO:

INT. HOUSE PARTY - NIGHT

The Fashionable Teenager caresses the teenage girl.

CUT TO:

INT. HOUSE PARTY - COUCH - NIGHT

Roger nods.

ROGER
What about it?

DRAKE
I mean, doesn't it piss you off
that just because he's gay he gets
away with touching girls all the
time?

ROGER
I never really thought about it.

DRAKE
Just think, if you decided to walk
over to her and start caressing her
the way he is doing, what do you
think would happen?

Roger takes a beat to think. His expression is fear.

DRAKE
Exactly. God only knows what would
happen. But just because he's gay,
he can do whatever he wants. I bet
that girl has even changed in front
of him, with him watching. Not with
him turned around, but with him
watching. And I bet the entire time
he was sitting there pulling a
"Chuck and Larry" all grossed out
by her boobs yet he wouldn't stop
touching them. Ain't that
something?

Drake reaches down for the soda that is in between his legs.
He takes a sip and puts it back down.

DRAKE
I tell you, if I was to turn gay
just to be able touch girls, people
would see it as just an excuse.
They wouldn't let me touch them.
They would know deep down in the
back of their brain that the only
reason I was gay was so I could get
close to them. Women are psychic
like that. Trust me.

ROGER
So you think he's not really gay?

DRAKE
I think he's just a good actor,
that's all. If I were making a
movie, I'd cast him.

Drake faces a petite girl sitting in one of the chairs,
JULIE.

DRAKE
Tell me, Julie. Would you let him
feel you up or see you in the nude?

Julie gets shy.

DRAKE
He already has, hasn't he?

JULIE
I trusted him. He told me he was
gay and we were hanging out one day
and we went to my house and I
wanted to change my clothes. I felt
comfortable around him because I
felt that he wasn't going to try
any moves on me or anything. He
just sat there quietly. He just sat
there and watched me change with a
smile on his face. Nothing seemed
out of the ordinary. There was no
bulge. I looked down to be certain
that there was no bulge. He came
off as gay to me. I trusted him.

Drake smiles at Julie.

DRAKE
Thank you for sharing that tragic
experience. I bet he was wearing
jeans wasn't he? Men can always
hide in jeans, darling. That proves
my point that he is straight but
putting on an amazing act.

A blonde girl, SARA, sitting to the right of Drake chimes
in.

SARA
What if he's bi?

Roger and Drake curiously look over to Sara.

DRAKE
Bi?

SARA
Yeah. Maybe he likes guys but he
still has something for girls.
Maybe he likes guys more than girls
so people just assume he's gay. Or
by the way he's dressed. People are
known to assume lots of things.

Sara takes a sip from her soda.

SARA
And maybe he's just curious. He
doesn't know what he wants. The
story of many a teenager's life. He
could be exploring his options.

DRAKE
Exploring his options? You know how
ridiculous that sounds? You're
either gay or straight, there's no
in between.

SARA
And who are you to judge? Who are
you to say that that's how things
go?* I believe that a man or a
woman can like either a man or a
woman, or both. Whichever takes
their fancy. No one should be
judged because they'd rather be
with someone of the same sex as
opposed to someone of the opposite
sex.

DRAKE
This is where you tell me you're a
lesbian, isn't it?

 

[AlexYamil]

Sara smiles lightly and takes a sip of her soda. She faces
Drake with a knowledgeable smile.

SARA
No. This is where I tell you that I
am a teenager and know damn well
how teenagers work. But here's a
thought for you: Maybe you're the
one who's actually confused. You
may be in denial. So you point out
everyone else's faults to hide your
own. Maybe you have a very strict
father who would strangle you if he
found out that his son was a...
(leans in to his ear,
whispers)
...faggot?

Drake bolts up out of his seat.

DRAKE
Oh no, lady. I'm not of them
queers.

SARA
Maybe not, but you're definitely a
homophobe. Whether you choose to
admit it or not. You hate
homosexuals. You have no reason to
hate them. So you use their
homosexuality, bisexuality, or
curiosity and their ability to do
things that you cannot as just an
excuse for hating them. You were
probably brought up in a
semi-religious setting, you know,
the kind of family that doesn't
believe in going to church every
Sunday but when they need an reason
for a belief they cite the Bible
and their religion as the reason.
(mocking)
"Blacks and Jews are bad because
the Bible says so, son."
(reverts to normal voice)
So you were brought up in this home
where they taught you that being
gay was wrong and against your
religion and the Bible and all that
good stuff. Never once did you defy
your parents' teachings and ask the
questions that needed answering. So
you live this sheltered lifestyle
where you put on this tough persona
to hide the fact that deep down
inside the little child you once
were is just begging for a hug
denied to him. It's time you got
that hug, my friend.

Sara points at the Fashionable Teenager.

SARA
And that's where you're gonna get
it. Be a child and enjoy life...and
be a teenager and explore it.

FADE TO BLACK