At the school bus stop, lights up on EVE, a first-generation Korean-American from a very religious Protestant Christian family. She wears a subtle cross necklace. EVE stands near the bus stop sign mentally preparing herself for the coming school day, muttering to herself about how exhausted she is. Eve is tired, but not cranky. 

CAITLYN, a 16-year-old anxious but passionate art and literature enthusiast, arrives at the bus stop where EVE stands. She is panting. Sprinting is not her thing.

Eve: Congrats! You’re 8 minutes early.

Caitlyn: Now, you don’t have to hold the bus for me.

Eve: Yup.

Caitlyn: I’m surprised I made it this early. I slept through my alarm.

Eve: Don’t you have 2 alarms?

Caitlyn: I have 5. And I hit the snooze button each time.

Eve: How’d you even make it here?

Caitlyn: I just brushed my teeth, put on clothes, and bolted out the door. Didn’t even make coffee. / Oh shoot, I forgot my headphones.

Eve: You should try matcha instead. You’ll shake less. I could use some, you know, Rachel’s homework kept me up until 2am.

Caitlyn: She better not give us a pop quiz.

Eve: I’d cry.

Caitlyn: At least some of her homework assignments are actually nice to do like drawing the figurative language. 

Eve: It would be easier for me to appreciate them if she didn’t also make us read two chapters on top of that.

Caitlyn: That’s fair. I guess, they just click with me. 

Eve: Yeah, because you’re actually a good artist. I can’t draw for my life.

Caitlyn: Everyone thinks they can’t draw, but they just need to find their style. Ever heard of Keith Haring?

EVE positions her hands to imitate a Keith Haring figure.

Eve: You mean this guy?

Caitlyn: Yeah, those shapes weren’t hard to make. It’s what he did with them.

A beat. CAITLYN starts rummaging through her bag. After a few seconds, she fishes out a beat up, but cute, journal, decorated by herself. She opens the book and shows EVE.

Caitlyn: Here’s Jordan. 

EVE looks in awe of CAITLYN’s drawings. EVE is intrigued by CAITLYN’s interpretation of Jordan Baker. 

Eve: Oh my God, Jordan Baker’s beautiful.

Caitlyn: I don’t why, but I just wanted her to be Asian.

Eve: I think that’s so cool! I’d like to read a book with a Korean protagonist. Why do the curriculum makers of sophomore English force us to read books written exclusively by dead white men?

Caitlyn: You should write it.

Eve: If my parents would let me take time off my doctor-lawyer career to do it.

Caitlyn: And here’s Nick Carraway, but like, if he was competing on Ru Paul’s Drag Race.

Eve: I love that. He’s outside his mansion sashaying to his Rolls-Royce.

Caitlyn: Thank you! He’s a gay icon, but half the class missed that he’s definitely not straight.

Eve: I mean I noticed it, but -

Caitlyn: The day you get your Korean protagonist, I’ll get my gay protagonist.

Eve: I hate the copy I got. The words are really small, and the pagination doesn’t match the school copies. 

Caitlyn: Oh, here! You can borrow mine.

Eve: Are you sure?

Caitlyn: Of course, I’ll use my sister’s, and plus, you can’t write an essay if you don’t know the page numbers.

CAITLYN grabs her copy from her backpack and hands it to EVE. It is marked up and dog-eared. EVE begins gently leafing through the pages, looking at CAITLYN’s sketches or notes in the margins. CAITLYN gets slightly flustered.

Caitlyn: Oh, sorry. Ignore my marginalia. I just, like, get bored, sometimes.

EVE stops and looks up at CAITLYN. EVE smiles, enjoying the moment.

Caitlyn: What?

Eve: You’re so cute.

CAITLYN’s face lights up.

Eve: Like how you call annotations “marginalia.” I love that. And even the face you’re making now. It’s just cute. (A beat.) Oh, um, did you do the third part of the homework in here?

Caitlyn: Um, remind me what the third part was.

Eve: It was that thing about religion and Christianity in the novel. She was saying that Fitzgerald was a devout Catholic and told us to find any references to God or a presence of God in the novel.

Caitlyn: Definitely did not do that. Oh well, too late now.

Eve: Star student. If it makes you feel any better, I didn’t find any.

Caitlyn: Oh awesome, I’ll just say that. Why would Rachel even assign us that if there were no references in the book?

Eve: The book isn’t even about religion at all.

Caitlyn: Religion is weird, sometimes.

Eve: Yeah, I go to church because my family wants me to go. The pastor makes good banana bread, but I don’t know if I really believe in that stuff anymore.

Caitlyn: What do you mean?

Eve: Like why are all women supposed to be punished with painful childbirth because Eve from Genesis eats the apple that she was tricked into eating? If you’re hungry and a talking snake offers you an apple, any reasonable person would eat the apple!

Caitlyn: That’s why childbirth is painful?

Eve: Yes. And my pastor’s wife was a doctor, and she loved it, but she threw it away because her family wanted her to marry a pastor and be the perfect Christian wife, who cooks and cleans for her husband. She’s miserable. I don’t want that.

Caitlyn: See, this is why I am atheist. I went to a church once. It was weird. No one should tell me how to be myself.

Eve: I can't because my family would disown me, and I don’t even know what it means to be myself.

Caitlyn: Find yourself!

Eve: How?

Caitlyn: Try new things. See what you like.

Eve: Like what? I’m so busy. I can barely juggle school with family stuff.

Caitlyn: What makes you happy?

Eve: Talking to you.

Caitlyn: Maybe we should do that more often.

Eve: Let’s ditch school.

Caitlyn: Ok, Ms. Spontaneous, what’s your plan?

EVE puts her hands on CAITLYN’S shoulders in a friendly shake of annoyance. She sighs.

Eve: If only.

EVE still has her hands on CAITLYN. Their faces are close. CAITLYN seizes the moment. She kisses EVE. EVE kisses back for a moment until suddenly pulling away.

Eve: What was that?

Caitlyn: I’m sorry.

Eve: You’re confused.

Caitlyn: I didn’t mean for --

Eve: What were you thinking?

Caitlyn: I don’t know… I guess… I think I just might have…

Eve: I’m not the way you are.

Caitlyn: What do you mean?

Eve: You know, I’m not… like --

Caitlyn: Gay?

Eve: You’re the coolest person I know, but that’s not me. I can’t support that.

Caitlyn: What do you mean “can’t support?”

Eve: I guess…

Caitlyn: … because of God?

EVE nods her head. CAITLYN is in shock.

Caitlyn: But you called me cute and everything. What was the point of that? To humiliate me?

Eve: Not at all!

Caitlyn: Then why did you say it?

Eve: I don’t know. You were just cute. But I’m straight.

Caitlyn: So you don’t like girls.

Eve: No.

Caitlyn: No as in no, you do not like girls or no as in negating the statement that you do not like girls?

Eve: The first option.

Caitlyn: Huh, I guess I didn’t think you would be so anti-gay. I mean you knew. We talked about this. 

Eve: I mean I don’t know. Maybe it’s different for you, but my parents think it’s a sin, and I just don’t know if it’s --

Caitlyn: Do you think I’m a sinner?

Eve: That’s not what I meant!

Caitlyn: So then what did you mean? Am I the serpent that tricks you into eating the apple? Do I lead you to temptation?!

Eve: No!! I liked kissing you!

Caitlyn: Wait, what?

Eve: I’m sorry. 

Caitlyn: Just explain to me what’s happening.

Eve: I don’t know.

Caitlyn: Well then talk to me about it.

Eve: No, not right now.

Caitlyn: Why?

Eve: I can’t deal with it, and I have too much to figure out.

Caitlyn: Eve, please!

Eve: I can’t!

EVE takes out headphones from her backpack. They are, unfortunately, tangled.

Eve: Shoot.

CAITLYN is now furious.

Caitlyn: What’s going on? Why aren’t you talking to me?!

Eve: I’M NOT LOSING EVERYTHING I HAVE FOR YOU!

Caitlyn: What?

Eve: Do you think my parents will ever love me or accept me as their daughter if I was a dyke? -- Sorry, I didn’t mean to use that word! Sorry.

Silence.

Eve: Caitlyn, please say something.

Caitlyn: I can’t -- That’s how you feel?

Eve: I am so sorry. I didn’t mean it. I’ve never say that word. I don’t use it.

Caitlyn: Then, why did you say it? Why did it even cross your mind?

Eve: I don’t know. I’m sorry. Please don’t tell anyone.

Caitlyn: Are you serious? That’s what you care about? Your reputation? Do you ever wonder why no one else hangs out with you? You truly terrify me! How do you have no regard for anyone else!? 

Eve: Please stop yelling.

Caitlyn: Are you sick in the head? Eve, this isn’t the first time something like this has happened! How do you not get it?

Eve: Believe me, I feel awful. I’m sorry.

Caitlyn: You can’t keep doing this. The world doesn’t revolve around you. Open your eyes. You only care about what other people think about you. What about the fact that you’re hurting me? 

Eve: I’m not trying to! Don’t you get it? I’m sorry! You don’t know what it’s like to be me, to live in my house. You don’t know how hard it is to be a child of immigrant parents--

Caitlyn: What does this have to do with our conversation?

Eve: My point is I know the world doesn’t revolve around me. My family had to adjust and give up so much of ourselves to even be able to make it here. I’m sorry for what I said, but be accurate. Don’t tell me to open my eyes. 

A beat.

Caitlyn: You said you liked it, why couldn’t we have just kissed? No one had to know. I never asked you to throw everything away.

Eve: You didn’t, but I don’t have a choice.  It would have been some stressful thing, constantly hiding and making sure no one knew. I’m not joking when I mention being disowned by my family.

Caitlyn: You know, I’m sorry that I even bothered telling you about my sexuality. It was very personal. I really regret it.

Eve: I really didn’t mean to be cruel. I’m truly sorry for what I did.

Caitlyn: I liked you, Eve. I really did.

Eve: I cared about you and still care about you, even when I mess up.

Caitlyn: I guess I want to understand. Why do you do this? Not even just to me, but to yourself. Aren't you miserable constantly trying to make everybody else happy?

Eve: It’s what I’ve done my whole life. It’s what I’m used to and what I’m good at.

Caitlyn: That’s sad.

Eve: What?

Caitlyn: Yeah, constantly doing something that makes you feel sh*tty because you’re too cowardly to try something different is sad. Don’t you feel stuck?

Eve: I feel secure. Things are fine the way they are. 

Caitlyn: How can you live your life not willing to change anything, especially when you’re not happy?

Eve: I don’t know how to be happy. I’ve tried my entire life. I don’t even think I’ve ever truly felt happy.

Caitlyn: Then, you have to make a change. You can’t just pretend everything is fine.

Eve: I’m not sure if you’re one to talk.

Caitlyn: Look, I’m trying to help you. Take my advice or don’t.

Eve: Give me something to work with. Everything you said is much easier said than done.

Caitlyn: Alright, start with stop pretending things are fine. Acknowledge what sucks and then try to change things little by little.

Eve: Okay, It sucks that I said a nasty thing to you and I don’t know how to make it better.

Caitlyn: Boom. Solution. Get a time machine and never say it in the first place.

Eve: It sucks that I feel like I lost my best friend. 

Caitlyn: I think the fact that I got rejected sucks.

Eve: I’m sorry.

Silence

Caitlyn: What if your family wasn’t putting this pressure on you, then what?

Eve: What do you mean?

Caitlyn: You know, you and me?

Eve: Yeah, probably.

Caitlyn: So you think we would be dating?

Eve: I mean, yes.

A beat. The moment sinks in.

Caitlyn: So, what now?

Eve: I’m sorry, I don’t think we can date or anything right now. 

Caitlyn: Okay.

Eve: It’s too much.

Caitlyn: What about, like, later?

Eve: I don't want to decide anything. I just want to stop feeling sh*tty and figure things out first.

Caitlyn: Oh.

Eve: I don’t know how long that’ll take.

Caitlyn: Until then, do you still want to hang out and have sleepovers?

Eve: Yeah, I’d really like that, actually.

Caitlyn: Me too.

Eve: Why don’t you come over after school today and we can do Gatsby homework and talk about more things that suck?

Caitlyn: Yeah, we can start with a late bus.

In the distance, the sound of a bus approaching.

Caitlyn: Of course, it comes as soon as I complain about it.

Eve: Another thing that sucks.

The girls put on their backpacks. The sound of brakes and a bus door opening. Lights fade to black.