Nathan and Maxine

(Maxine and Nathan sit across from each other on the 2 couches. Both
seem uncomfortable. They keep finding themselves looking around,
chancing upon the other looking at them and then awkwardly looking
away. Both are nervous and both keep playing with their hands. Finally,
Nathan speaks. )
Nathan: So..how ya been?
Maxine: Fine..you?
Nathan: I've been&;#8230;decent. How's&;#8230;Kyle?
Maxine: I wouldn't know. We don't talk anymore.
Nathan: (tightly) Why not?
Maxine: Well&;#8230;why would we?
Nathan: I thought you two were all&;#8230; "buddy, buddy".
Maxine: No..we never really were. Hell&;#8230;all we had in common
was you.
Nathan: Yeah&;#8230;
(Long pause.)
Maxine: (softly) I'm sorry if this is awkward for you.
Nathan: &;#8230;.I wouldn't say it's exactly awkward&;#8230; It's
just really hard. I know you have no idea what it feels like.
Maxine: I know&;#8230;I'm sorry.
Nathan: I just don't understand how in one fucking night the two people
I love the most could just&;#8230;do that to me&;#8230;
(Maxine nods slightly.)
Nathan: Well..hey..come here..It'll be easier for me to talk to you
once this sort of distance is closed.
(Maxine gets up and sits beside him. She leans her head on his shoulder
and wraps her arms around his waist. He sighs, and very familiarly
begins fiddling with her hair, twisting it gently around his
fingers.)
Nathan: (softly) Why..did you do it?
Maxine: (reclines her head back so she can look right into his eyes)
The big reason?
(Nathan nods.)
Maxine: I was scared. It was too much for me to take at one time. I
wasn't expecting..it to be the way it was..
Nathan: What was it like&;#8230;that night?
Maxine: Weird..Really weird. Ironic too. Like five minutes before, he
started touching me, he talked about how he could never break us up
because we were "too cute together".
Nathan: (clenches jaw) Yeah&;#8230; I guess some people change their
minds about things sometimes&;#8230;
Maxine: Have you talked to him since?
Nathan: No..He came to my birthday party the Friday after..that
happened, screaming it was all your fault. I didn't want anyone to know
what exactly happened between us three, and when he showed up screaming
that, I got so pissed. After I screamed at him that it takes two to do
something like that, he started crying. He begged me to give him a way
to make it up to me. I told him one way he'd be able to begin to make
it up to me would be for him to write up a list of convictions for him
to follow and stick to. I told him to write ten convictions and then
call me so I could go over them with him and then help him stick to
them&;#8230;But he never called.
Maxine: (surprised) He never called?
Nathan: (clenches jaw) ..Never called.
(Keith enters.)
Keith: Hey guys. Sorry for bothering you, but there's something I
really need to bring to your attention.
(Keith sits down on couch opposite the both of them.)
Keith: Nathan, Maxine..Kyle's here. He's been outside hollering for
Nathan for a good 15 minutes. I don't know what's happened between the
three of you; I just know you all had something go terribly wrong and
that's why you aren't like you once were. I won't ask, but because of
your "falling out" with each other, I felt the need to make sure Kyle
didn't come in the house just yet. You'll most likely need to talk to
him Nathan, because he's really going nuts out there.
Nathan: What's he been screaming? We haven't even heard him.
Keith: "I'm sorry" has been the most reoccurring one. He's gone
completely hysterical, it sounded like. Bawling, yelling, kicking
things. Since you guys were up here, I was hoping you wouldn't hear
anything, and I'm glad you didn't.
Maxine: Is there any way you could calm him do-
(A huge crash is heard, like broken glass and Nathan runs out. Keith
and Maxine are left alone together.)
Keith: Max..what happened? I'm so confused. Nathan won't say a fucking
word to anyone; he's just been going around, like a zombie. He barely
talks to anyone. He barely eats. He goes around looking like he's about
to snap. I'm worried about him&;#8230;
Maxine: (sighs, and runs a hand through her hair) I cheated on him with
Kyle, Keith.
(Keith leans back and looks upwards.)
Keith: Oh..Jesus..
(Nathan comes back. Keith and Maxine both abruptly look up at
him.)
Nathan: Kyle's gone completely nuts. I went outside and he just went
nuts. Sobbing and grabbing my arms, telling me he was sorry, it wasn't
his fault. He's in the living room now. I told him to stay there and
not make a goddamn noise. He broke my fucking front window too with his
arm. He's bleeding everywhere. He's going to need some attention
soon.
(Nathan sits down next to Maxine and puts his arm around her.)
Keith: Are you sure that you should go down there and talk to him while
he's like this? Wouldn't it be better to call someone to come get
him?
Nathan: No, it's all right. I think I got it pretty much under control.
He must have heard from somebody that Maxine was here and that somehow
made him flip. I've known him for years and I've never seen him like
this. I'm afraid he might hurt himself..
Keith: I'll go downstairs and keep a watch on him. Get him a glass of
water or something to see if that'll make him calm down. Call me if you
need me.
(Maxine and Nathan nod to Keith as he leaves.)
(Maxine looks up at Nathan and smiles softly.)
Maxine: (whispers) Do you think he's going to be all right?
Nathan: (looks down) ..I really hope so.
Maxine: I'm sorry. I didn't want to cause anything like this.
Nathan: (looks away) You didn't make Kyle come here and act all crazy,
he did.
Maxine: Still&;#8230;I'm partly the cause of it.
Nathan: It doesn't matter now. Things are strange enough now as
is.
Maxine: Why?
Nathan: I feel so&;#8230;confused. When I look at you, all I want to
do is hold you forever and never let you go, yet, at the same time, I
really just can't forget what you did..
Maxine: (softly) I know&;#8230;I'm sorry&;#8230;(reaches out to
touch his hand)
(Nathan brushes her hand away, gets up slowly, and leaves.)
(Maxine begins to sob. Rocking back and forth, her head in her hands.
She begins muttering "I love you" over and over again underneath her
breath between sobs. She grabs a pillow and holds it to her chest. She
curls up on her side in the fetal position, the pillow clasped to her
chest, sobbing while repeating "I love you. I'm sorry. I love you. I'm
sorry.")