Outcasts Unite

(The lights come on USC, once again, as AUSTIN inserts himself into the scene. He sits down beside MRS. CRISP, who is also sitting.)

MRS. CRISP: I talked to the doctor, sweetie. You know, the nice lady you met today?

(AUSTIN nods slowly, his stare still blank, but indicating somehow that he is at least somewhat engaged in what she is saying.)

MRS. CRISP: She told me some things, very very important things about you that neither of us knew about you before. You see, you’re not like all the other boys and girls. You have something called autism, and it’s going to make your life a lot different than the lives of everybody else. (She pauses, stifling tears and searching for the right words.) You know how all the other boys and girls talk to each other? And you’re not very good at it?

(Again, AUSTIN nods slowly.)

MRS. CRISP: This … autism is the reason behind that. It won’t go away, and it won’t get any better. It’s a part of who you are.

AUSTIN: (He stutters, but speaks clearly, possibly for the first time.) S-so, … I’m stupid?

(MRS. CRISP finally loses her composure. She cries.)

MRS. CRISP: No, Austin. You’re smart. You’re very very smart. But around other people, you won’t be able to be, well, normal.

(The scene freezes, and AUSTIN walks back downstage, talking to the audience once more.)

AUSTIN: Easy for her to say, right? After all, she’s not the one who has to live with this for the rest of her life. Me? I intended to do whatever it would take to prove her wrong. (The lights slowly come on US as AUSTIN slowly walks back there as he continues to talk, inserting himself once again into a scene.) Of course, for me, being “normal” proved to be a lot harder than I expected. (People with backpacks come on and offstage, bumping into AUSTIN on purpose in a pugnacious manner.) See? This is how I was treated every year at school, just because I was different. The more I tried to be just like everybody else, the worse it got.

(Another PEER wearing a backpack purposely bumps into AUSTIN, harder this time.)

PEER 1: Watch where I’m going, dummy!

(He struts offstage, while AUSTIN has another meltdown. Two more PEERS come walking across the stage in the other direction, mocking him and laughing at him. Once they are gone, AUSTIN faces the audience again.)

AUSTIN: And that was me on a good day! Back then, I didn’t seem to have ANY friends. And it’s not like I knew how to make any.

SAM: (Offstage.) Hi Austin!

AUSTIN: Well, there was one: Samantha Gardner or Sam as I liked to call her. She was a girl who was nice to me even when everyone else saw me as a freak. You could probably say that she liked me. You could probably even say that I liked her back. After all, when you have only one person who actually treats you like a human being, that person tends to become, well, special.

(Enter SAM, SR.)

SAM: Are you okay? I saw those guys making fun of you again.

AUSTIN: (Still stuttering a little bit.) Y-yeah, I’m fine…

SAM: Okay, that’s good. (Awkward silence, as PEER 2 and PEER 3 enter SR.) Um, I have to go to class now.