Jennifer enters the front door of her house, running through the living room and the kitchen to go upstairs. She barely sees anyone in those rooms; her main focus is to get upstairs as quickly as possible.
She enters her room and gets scared when she sees her 11-year-old sister, Maryette, laying on one of the bds in the room.
Jennifer: What are you doing here?
Maryette: *confused* This is also my room?
Jennifer: *annoyed* Don’t you have friends to hang out with?
Maryette: Don’t you have friends to hang with?
Jennifer: I do, so get out of here until I have to leave.
Maryette: This is also my room, and I’m hanging out in here.
Jennifer: *even more annoyed* You never even hang out in here!
Maryette: Well I am today!
The sisters start bickering loudly until their mother rushes to their room to see what the fighting was about.
Lydia: Hey, hey! What’s with all the yelling?
The girls try to tell their sides of the story, but Lydia isn’t having it.
Lydia: One at a time! *to Jennifer* What happened?
Jennifer: Mom, I’m trying to get ready to go to the pool place with Nicki, and Maryette is bothering me!
Maryette: You’re trying to kick me out of my own room!
Jennifer: You’re never in here and now all of a sudden you want to hang out?!
Lydia: That’s enough! *to Maryette* Give your sister ten minutes to get ready, and then you can come back in here.
Jennifer: Only 10 minutes?!
Lydia: *stern* I can make it 5 minutes; your choice.
Jennifer huffs and stomps to her closet to get ready, Maryette steps out of the room; Lydia is still standing in the room as she continues speaking to Jennifer.
Lydia: Pep, I just wanted to let you know that you’re going to have to postpone your band rehearsal on Monday…
Jennifer doesn’t respond back; she is busy putting her outfit together in the mirror.
Lydia: You can push it to Tuesday, but remember that on Monday we are having dinner together as a family, okay?
Jennifer’s cell phone rings. She takes it out of her pocket and flips it open. She pressed the buttons on the tiny keyboard and laughs to herself.
Lydia: Pep?
Jennifer: *annoyed* What?
Lydia: Did you hear what I said?
Jennifer: Yeah, mom; I got it. I gotta go meet Nicki at the pool place–
Jennifer runs out of the room once she grabs her jacket from her bed.
Jennifer: Bye mom!
Lydia walks out of the room and watches her daughter run down the stairs toward the front.
Lydia: Be back home by–
The front door slams shut.
Lydia: *defeated* Curfew.
…
LED lights surround the billiards place; Nicki and Jennifer enter the venue and walk up to the front counter. Shortly after, they get tokens in exchange for money and walk away towards the game area of the billiards place.
Jennifer: So, am I going to still be the reigning champion of air hockey?
Nicki: Pep, no one likes to play you in air hockey. You’re too competitive!
Jennifer: I’m competitive in a lot of things, I just so happen to be good in air hockey.
Nicki: Yeah, well I actually want to leave here still being friends with you tonight.
Jennifer runs up to the air hockey table and caresses one side of it with her arm.
Jennifer: Come on, just one game? We’re here anyway, we might as well play a game!
Nicki ponders the thoughts Jennifer bats her eyelashes. Nicki sighs.
Nicki: Fine, one game and I’m ending it if you get too competitive.
Jennifer rolls her eyes and puts two tokens in the machine. Jennifer scores a couple of times during the game, in which Nicki is about to give up.
Jennifer: *laughs* Come on Nic, don’t be a sore loser!
Before Jennifer picks up the hockey puck to play the next round, she notices someone walking into the billiards place. Her eyes widen, not paying attention to the point that Nicki scored.
Nicki: Score!
Jennifer doesn’t react to Nicki. She continues to watch the person who walked in; she notices right away it’s Danny Campbell. Nicki notices Jennifer’s lack of response to the scored point.
Nicki: Okay, I would’ve been more excited about the point if you actually paid attention to it. *turns around* What are you looking at?
Danny gets his tokens at the front counter and walks away, looking further into the venue. Jennifer waves her hands, trying to grab his attention. Nicki looks and finally notices Danny. She quickly turns around.
Jennifer: Danny! Over here!
Nicki: Are you insane?! What is he doing here?
Jennifer: I invited him to hang out tonight!
Nicki: *angry* Pep! This was supposed to be a girl’s night out–
Danny approaches the two girls and Nicki turns around to face Danny. Jennifer waves her hand hi and smiles.
Jennifer: Hey, Danny! Glad you could make it.
Danny: *nervous* Hey… Yeah, just came to see what was up and stuff.
Danny looks at Nicki, who literally has not said a thing since Danny got here.
Danny: Hey, Nicki.
Jennifer nudges Nicki to make her speak.
Nicki: Uhm, hi Danny.
An awkward silence is shared between the two. Jennifer looks at the two teens and tries to break the ice.
Jennifer: We were just playing some air hockey, but Nicki is a sore loser.
Nicki: *defensive* I am not! *to Danny* Pep’s a sore winner.
Danny: Pep?
Nicki: *off guard* Oh! I mean, Jennifer. Pep’s what we call her…
Danny nods and walks over to the air hockey table.
Jennifer: Since you don’t want to play with me…
Jennifer pushes Nicki to the air hockey table.
Jennifer: Why don’t you play a game with Danny?
Nicki: *nervous* Uhm, I…
Jennifer: It’ll even be my treat!
Jennifer inserts two coins into the air hockey table to start a game. Before Jennifer passes Nicki, Nicki grabs her to talk to her in a whisper.
Nicki: What in the world are you doing?
Jennifer: I’m giving you guys time to bond and get to know each other…
Nicki: But this isn’t what I wanted–
Jennifer throws the first serve at Danny, who serves it back and even gets it into her goal. Jennifer looks up, surprised.
Jennifer: You got me when I wasn’t paying attention.
Danny: I think you’re being the sore loser now, Pep.
Jennifer puts her game face on, she gets in position and starts to play a serious game of air hockey with Danny. It’s an intense one; the score keeops getting tied every other round. Nicki sits at the side, watch the two play the game along, feeling like the third wheel. After awhile, Jennifer doesn’t even act like Nicki is there; she’s so focused on this game that after the score being 9-9, Nicki walks away from the table, and toward the front door. Danny notices and doesn’t pay attention to the table. Jennifer scores the winning point, throwing her hands up in victory!
Jennifer: Woohoo! I won! I won! I am still the reigning champion!
Danny doesn’t celebrate along with Jennifer; instead, he puts down the paddle and runs after Nicki. Jennifer watches him leave the table and go towards the front door.
Jennifer: Hey! Where are you going?
Danny doesn’t answer, he exits the billiards place. Jennifer grabs her jacket from the chair and looks around; she finally notices that Nicki isn’t with her.
Jennifer: Nicki?
She looks around, trying to find her friend. She walks towards the exit of the billiards place, trying to find Nicki.
Jennifer: Nicki? Danny?
No one is outside by the time she gets out of there.
Letters From Liz. 