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Meant To Be Us Final Script
Meant To Be Us Final Script
CHARACTERS
SCENES
Scene 2 Assigned
Scene 9 Confession
SETTING 1: Lennie is in her room with the legs of cousins around her.
They’re talking while there’s karaoke playing downstairs throughout
the entire scene.
LENNIE
I just don’t know what I’m doing anymore. Life right now just feels
like multiple car crashes in one week.
COLI
It doesn’t get easier (laughs). Did you tell your dad yet?
MAEVE
Yeah, how did it go?
LENNIE
He was weirdly fine about it. I didn’t really know how he was gonna
react, but it was good. I’m just glad he knows now. Just to get it
over with.
COREEN
OK, that was good Coreen. I mean you could’ve done a little bit
better…
MR. JACKSON
(Yelling from the other room) Get ready for bed, you need to wake up
early for school tomorrow.
(COREEN groans.)
Scene 2: Assigned
TEACHER
(In a muffled voice.) Alright, y’all. We’re starting with a project.
I’m setting up partners—(class groans.)
You all are so dramatic. (Class laughs.) Anyway, you will have the
assignment of outlining sources and putting them into categories…
TEACHER
And Lennie and Coreen, you both will be a pair. Alright, folks. Now
get with your partners and start working. Lennie, get off your phone.
COREEN
Hi. Should I sit with you?
LENNIE
Sure.
COREEN
Alright, so what if we split up the documents. I can do—
LENNIE
Ah right. Yeah sorry, little tired right now heh.
(COREEN laughs.)
COREEN
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I gotchu. Don’t worry about it. I almost fell asleep when the teacher
was talking.
LENNIE
This is due Wednesday, apparently. Um, want to go somewhere to finish
it off, after school maybe?
COREEN
Yeah, let’s do that.
LENNIE
Bleachers? Tomorrow after school.
COREEN
Sounds good to me.
SETTING: Lennie and Coreen are on the bleachers. Papers are spread
out and laptops and phones placed everywhere.
LENNIE
She’s reaaaally cute.
OTIS
You should ask her out, dude!!
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Lennie
And she’s reaaaally smart too.
OTIS
Ask her ouuuuut.
LENNIE
And really funny, and we’ve been hanging out a bit—
OTIS
(Practically yelling) Ask her out if you like her so much!
LENNIE
No, I can’t. My dad would probably disown me right then and there, it
would be a mess.
OTIS
Okay, Miss Drama. Let the pining begin, I guess.
LENNIE
Hey! That’s not fair!
MR. JACKSON
You’ve been hanging out with Lennie a lot lately.
COREEN
Yeah, I guess.
MR. JACKSON
I’m just saying, you need time to study by yourself. You can’t focus
when you’re studying with other people. And Lennie doesn’t seem to be
especially the best person to be around anyway—
COREEN
(Interrupts) You don’t know that.
MR. JACKSON
I do. I know me, and I know you.
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SETTING 2: Coreen and her dad are talking at the dinner table.
MR. TRAN
I hope you aren’t seeing that girl. She is bad.
LENNIE
Ba, you’ve barely talked to her. You don’t even know her.
MR. TRAN
I know enough.
LENNIE
Well, we aren’t going out. We’re just friends.
MR. TRAN
Even friends not good too.
LENNIE
God, I knew you would get this way.
COREEN
Okay, focus!
LENNIE
What if I don’t want to?
COREEN
Well then, it can’t be my fault that you don’t pass this class.
LENNIE
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LENNIE
Who said you can have a chip?
COREEN
I did.
LENNIE
Of course you did.
COREEN
What is that supposed to mean?
LENNIE
I said it as it is: of course, you did.
COREEN
(Voiceover monologue) I mean, there’s no chance she’ll like me right?
Like this is obviously one-sided and I’m just being an idiot for not
taking the hint that she just wants to be friends. But like, how does
she flirt? Is it normal to call your friends “baby”? Am I
overanalyzing this?
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(COREEN pauses.)
Just tell her or something. You are so annoying right now, Coreen. I
know, oh god. OK. Wait no, this is fine. Just tell her, and you know
what, she’s gonna say she likes me too. We have something, she can’t
deny that, I can’t be the only one feeling it. Yeah, nothing will go
wrong. Nope. I…
(COREEN pauses.)
(COREEN pauses.)
MR. JACKSON
Coreen, what’s going on in there? Are you talking to someone right
now?
COREEN
No, dad! (Thinks about what to say) Uh, just thinking out loud
working on this math homework!
Scene 9: Confession
(COREEN arrives first, and sits on the silver seat. Her legs
bounce rigorously. She hears steps; LENNIE sits down next to her.)
LENNIE
Hello…(notice Coreen has her mind on something.)...You alright?
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COREEN
(Nervous staccato) Yep. Totally fine.
LENNIE
You are a bad liar.
COREEN
I know.
I like you.
LENNIE
Okay. (Smiles, cheekily)
COREEN
(Looks at Lennie, looks away and cringes) Ugh, gross.
LENNIE
What?
COREEN
You make me sick.
LENNIE
Are you sure it’s not your nervous energy making you sick?
COREEN
Touché.
LENNIE
12
I’ll be right back. (Stands up and runs off under the bleachers, but
COREEN is unaware where she’s going.)
COREEN
Right now??
LENNIE
(Underneath the bleachers, muffled) I like you too.
(BOTH laugh.)
COREEN
(Flicks LENNIE’s forehead) Get back up here, idiot.
SETTING: At the park, Lennie and Otis arrive, waiting for Coreen.
LENNIE
I really like her (laughs).
OTIS
Then there should be nothing to worry about. No matter what your dad
thinks. He’ll be happy if you’re happy.
LENNIE
You don’t know that.
OTIS
I don’t. But I know that even if it’s not gonna happen immediately,
he’s gonna fold eventually.
LENNIE
13
It was hard enough to build up the confidence to tell him I’m queer.
I went as far as searching up “Buddhism support gay people?”
OTIS
And it went alright! This should be no different.
LENNIE
Otis, “I don’t need to search up “do Asian people like Black people”
to know the answer. My dad’s a massive raci—
COREEN
(Elongated greeting) Hi, my name's Coreen!
OTIS
Otis! Heard a lot about you (looks over at Lennie, cheekily. LENNIE
rolls her eyes).
SETTING: Screen simultaneously shows Lennie and her dad in the living
room, and Coreen barging into her room with her dad behind her.
SETTING: Lennie on the bathroom floor in the Tran house, and Coreen
in her own bedroom wrapped in a blanket burrito. They are thinking
aloud, one after the other.
LENNIE
—Cist asshole. I shouldn’t have said anything.
COREEN
I should’ve just said nothing.
LENNIE
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COREEN
How do I get out of this?
LENNIE
It’s like I’m looking for every way to fuck up my life.
COREEN
(Stammering) I’ve never done something like this.
LENNIE
Every single time. (Pauses. Then takes out her phone to text Coreen.)
(LENNIE walks in, looks around for Coreen. She doesn’t see
her. Pulls out her phone and texts Coreen.)
COREEN
(Blankly) What, Lennie?
LENNIE
Coreen? (Looks around) Where are you?
COREEN
What do you want, Lennie?
LENNIE
(offendly puzzled) “What do you want?” ??? Are we not gonna talk
about it? Was it not obvious?
COREEN
My dad doesn’t want me hanging around you anymore.
(Silence.)
Isn’t that what you wanted? To know what was going on? I told you. We
can’t be together.
LENNIE
First off, I’m processing, give me a sec. Second of all, are you
actually gonna let him tell you what to do?
COREEN
He knows what’s best for me. I have made it this far because of my
dad. I owe it to him to focus on school, not on some…person.
Especially…(reluctant) someone like you.
LENNIE
What does that even mean? And anyway, You owe him nothing—
COREEN
(Interrupts) My grades have been going down. I haven’t been paying
attention in class. I’ve been slacking.
(Silence.)
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LENNIE
But are you happy?
(Silence.)
So what, your grades are going down. So what, we’ve been spending
time together, and you can’t do your homework in time. So what,
you’ve been thinking about some Asian girl. Were you even OK before I
met you?
(Silence.)
COREEN
(Jokingly) You’re giving yourself a lot of credit here.
LENNIE
(Matter-of-factly) Am I wrong then? That I make you happy? Because
you, you make me so happy.
COREEN
Tell me that to my face.
(Silence.)
LENNIE
(Jokingly) Should’ve been up here in the first place.
COREEN
Are you?
(Silence.)
LENNIE
I’ve already decided that this is for me. That it’s my choice. OUR
choice.
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COREEN
My dad has worked hard to make sure I can be the best I can be. I was
the best.
LENNIE
But did he make sure you were the best you can be for yourself?
COREEN
For my future. My future self. My present self just needs to pull
through. I am not relevant right now.
LENNIE
Well, that is apathetic at best.
(Pause.)
Listen, my dad has taken care of me after my mom had to leave the
country. My dad, he could barely do it, without my mom. Not just
because being a single parent is hard, but also just missing my mom.
He didn’t have to say it, but I knew it. The point is, I’m calling BS
on my dad. If he genuinely thinks that I should leave you just
because you’re Black, after all he’s had to go through without my
mom? I’ve come to think that is entirely hypocritical.
COREEN
When did you get so insightful?
LENNIE
I try.
(Pause.)
COREEN
I get it. My dad, he had to lose my mom too. But you don’t
understand, he has done everything for me. Picked me up after meets
and clubs, made me food, made sure I was focusing and persevering
through everything I put my mind to—
LENNIE
I’m on your mind.
COREEN
I knew you were gonna say that.You get what I’m saying. He has
sacrificed his time and focus for me when he has his own stuff going
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on. I owe it all to him, all that I’ve been able to get, it’s all
thanks to him.
LENNIE
Sorry to make this about me again, but hello? I didn’t start liking
you because you’re smart. I mean, definitely a plus—
COREEN
That’s only because I can help you with homework.
LENNIE
True, but also because you’re just a cool person. You’re sweet, and
funny, and genuine. You are beyond all that you’ve been able to
achieve.
COREEN
Ew.
LENNIE
I know.
COREEN
So, what now? You’re not giving me an easy decision here.
LENNIE
(Cheesily) I think we should—