at my most beautiful

excerpt.

Summary:
Elise’s body is found in her dorm after committing suicide. Her ghost returns to the dorm room, explaining her reasons for killing herself ranging from a broken heart to school pressures. As she narrates the story of her life, she meet a few different influential characters all appearing by the girl who she could never forget.


scene:
When lights rise, the stage is empty. In the distance a soft and sad song is playing. Jess slowly walks on stage, doing a slow dance similar to a ballet. She dances all around the stage. She is in all white.

JESS
She danced on the edge of her dreams, tracing regrets with her fingertips painting tall tales with her toes wondering sadly had her heart been hers could she break it again?

She colored her wings with ink dressed the part, sang their songs learned their step, learned their speak but night always came; it’s always the same. Will she break again?

The shadows know her by name street lights, car fumes, and stop signs rusted concrete, full moons and taunting stars teasing whispers, short breaths, and lying girls:

Elise enters watching Jess incredulously. While Elise talks, Jess talks under her. Jess should talk rhythmically almost to the point of singing but not quite.

ELISE
But I guess some things, like anything good, can’t last. We were great for a really long time. Talking every night, talking about everything that we could. Finally admitting all the things we had never said before. How, yeah, maybe our relationship was a bit unhealthy and yeah maybe we were just pushing our luck hoping and begging a praying we’d work out in the end. And I guess I should’ve known that some people just don’t change. They don’t know how. But I didn’t want to. Jess had always been my saving grace. Behind the suicides, behind my crazy parents, behind the stupid boys, behind incomplete test, behind the blackouts. Behind the music, the symphony of us resounding in my head, behind everything I knew to be true (turning to Jess) there was you.

JESS
I’m not one for words. I’m no angel in disguise. I’ll never let you in first. I’ll never fall for your lies. I won’t say I love you. I promise not to ever care. I’ll dance on my own and I’ll always leave alone. Pass me no dress. Turn back in the tux. I won’t wait, heartbroken, for your fated return. Turn off the lights. I’m not coming home.. Don’t fall too soon and leave your bags by the door. I’m braver than most when it comes this. You’re smarter than this when it comes us. (Elise should talk longer than Jess. While Elise is finishing, Jess should go back to dancing and humming a slow but not sad song)

After Elise finishes, Jess reaches for her hand, trying to get Elise to join her dance. Elise refuses. After a few tries, Jess exits the stage.

ELISE
Thing is, Jess forgot to mention while we were pouring our hearts out to each other, that she was engaged. That’s right. Engaged. She didn’t try to sneak it in or anything. Actually she didn’t really even tell me. Facebook did. It’s a whole other level of messed up.

Blackout