PLEASE NOTE, THIS HAS THEMES OF DIVORCE, BULLYING, AND SELF-HARM. READER DISCRETION IS ADVISED!

Context: When your parents divorced, one of your bullies at school seemed to take immense delight in it. He made sure you never forgot, only relenting when you begged him to stop. You've done your best to heal over the summer, but know you'll have to face him again. And, there he is, but... something appears to have happened to him. What could have humbled him so?

Setting: School

Tags:[M4A][Bully Speaker][Bullied Listener][Reverse Comfort][Supportive][Opening Up][Somewhat Forgiving][CW: Bullying/Divorce/Self-Harm]

Usage: You may tweak or record this script. Gender flipping is OK! Please credit me if you use this script in any of your projects. If you would like to use this script for a paywalled recording, please note:

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[Scene opens in the lunchroom at school]

[SFX: Lunchroom chaos]

[You are making your way through the gladiatorial pit of the lunchroom, looking for an empty table when you spot a familiar face. He’s sat alone, looking defeated]

[SFX: Some mean snickering and the Speaker getting hit by their lunch trays as they pass by]

“Nngh! Mmh… Yeah, no, I really love my ex-friends smacking me with their lunch trays like it’s a Troy Hate-based parade. Love that for me.”

[...]

[He looks up at you as you approach, eyes sad and almost dead]

“...What do you want, Beaker? Come over to mock me after the ‘big news’ broke?”

[Pause]

[He scoffs weakly]

“Sure you hadn’t heard anything. It’s only just the biggest fuck you that Karma has ever delivered. Yeah, remember the thing I used to torture you over?”

[...]

“Yeah, your parents splitting. And, tada, the universe answered, in kind, by my Mom discovering my Dad in bed with the fucking pool cleaner. Isn’t that perfect? We love that for you, I’m sure. Cute little Beaker who spills beakers full of fucking unknown chemistry liquids on the shoes of their unfortunate lab partner. So sweet that they came to check on their bully, good for fucking you. Take that high road, send me a postcard, and I’ll just be burning in Hell!”

[...]

[He glares at you with enough hate that it makes you nervous]

“Do… not feed me that “I’m so sorry you’re going through this” bullshit. You aren’t this good! You CANNOT be this good! No one is that good, no matter how cute and sweet and funny they are, do you hear me?!”

[SFX: Some of the lunchroom chaos quieting]

[...]

“... Just fuck off, already. I don’t need you hovering around me like a concerned, nerdy hummingbird. I went too far, you told me you wished I’d vanish from your life, we know where we stand. Now, seriously-!”

[Pause?]

[He pales]

“What do you mean why am I wearing long sleeves in Summer? It feels cold to me, alright?! We don’t all have the ability to be a heat sponge that turns into a cuddle pillow, Beaker.”

[...]

“...I’m fine. Now, will you please just leave me alone?”

[Pause]

“Thank you.”

[SFX: The lunchroom chaos rising in volume before gradually fading away]

[Scene transitions to the boys' locker room after school]

[SFX: The locker room door opening and a cart rolling in]

[Like every week, you roll in a cleaning cart to assist you in cleaning up the locker rooms. As you mosey in, you hear someone muttering to themselves:]

“-am I so stupid!? I knew this was coming, and I took it out on them, and now I can’t even be a man, look them in the eye, and apologize for, NNH! Being such a bastard!”

[He hisses in pain and you jump]

[...]

“...Fucking… damnit! Almost run out of room on my arm, FUCK! You’re an idiot, Troy, a FUCKING idiot! You’re on the swim team, Coach is gonna see, and it’s over! No scholarship, no… anything…”

[He yelps quietly again and, this time, you hurry toward the voice and come face to face with… your bully]

[Pause!]

“B-Beaker, I…! W-What the fuck are you doing in the locker room this late?!”

[...]

“Oh, of course, you help clean sometimes, of course! Of all the fucking times…!

[You glance down at his hand and see a blade glinting from it]

[...?]

“Huh? The… blade? Oh, shit! No, I… It’s not what it looks like!”

[Pause]

[He looks at you, both panicked and defeated, and lets out a sigh]

“...Good job. You caught me cutting. Do you feel vindicated, now? Do you feel… satisfied that the asshole that made you suffer so much has been reduced to being this pathetic?!”

[...]

[Tears well in his eyes and he drops the blade]

[SFX: The blade clattering to the ground]

“...please don’t tell on me!”

[He sinks to his knees, sobbing]

“P-Please! Please, I’ve already ruined my parents’ fucking marriage! I-If they find out, it’s just going to make things a million times worse! You can punish me however else way you want, just keep it to yourself, O-OK?!”

[...]

[SFX: The Listener approaching the Speaker carefully]

“W-What are you doing? S-Stop, get away!”

[You sit by him on the ground and push the blade further away. For a moment, you just sit with him until his breathing calms]

“W-Why are you just sitting with me? W-What do you want…? Please, I… Just tell me… I’m so tired…”

[Pause?]

“Can you… bandage me up?”

[He sighs]

“...I guess.”

[SFX: The Listener unzipping their backpack, pulling out a first-aid kit, and bandaging him up]

“... Thanks.”

[Pause]

“...I guess it’s kind of ironic, isn’t it? Me spouting off when your parents got divorced… I said so many nasty things, until you cried, until… until you begged me to stop. I’m… I’m so sorry… I think I knew, even then, that my parents wouldn’t last, but it never gave me a right to… to torture you like that… I’m so sorry…”

[...]

[He sniffles quietly]

“No, I get that we’re not there yet… Wouldn’t blame you if we never got there, or if you’d even want that…”

[...?]

“Why do I… cut? I… I don’t know… I hate myself, everything feels like it’s out of control, all my fault, but no one will tell me that to my face… I just want to be in control of… something, fucking anything! If I inflict the pain, it’s pain I can control, and that’s… comforting…”

[Pause]

“You won’t tell anyone…? U-Under what condition?”

[Pause]

[He sniffles again, looking at you in disbelief]

“I-I call the hotline t-to see if they can help me discreetly. N-No! I’m… I’m too scared, they’ll report me, they’ll tell my parents, and then they’ll just hate me even more!”

[Pause]

“I-It’ll be worse if they find out on their own…”

[He groans, rubbing his forehead]

“... I hate how smart you are, I really do. B-But I don’t think I can… I’m… fuck, this is so pathetic, but I-I’m too scared…”

[Pause]

“R-Really…? You’d… you’d hold my hand while I talked to them?”

[His voice hitches and he begins to sob again]

“...Why? You… have no reason to be nice to me… I was awful to you, and the world is making me pay for it. Don’t you want to enjoy this?”

[Pause]

“...Right now, I’m not Troy the bully to you…? Right now, I’m Troy, a human being that needs love and support, and that’s the Troy you’re focusing on…”

[Pause]

[He nods to himself and sucks in a deep breath through his nose]

“... OK. H-Hand me my phone, please. Front pocket of my backpack.”

[SFX: Backpack zippers and some rustling]

“Alright… G-Got the number…?”

[Pause]

“...H-Here goes.”

[SFX: Him dialing the number and the phone ringing]

[You sit next to him and take his hand. He’s shaking. It’s faint, but you can hear the operator answer the line]

[Pause]

[With another shaky breath, Troy manages to get out:]

“H-Hi, um… I-I think I need help…”

[The End]

Note: Help is available. You are loved, valued, and valid. Please take care of yourselves <3

Second Note: If this makes people uncomfortable, please DM me and I'll be happy to take it down.