by Evan Placey
DIANE. We’re not going to do that.
TAYLOR. According to Cosmo, sixty per cent of men think they weren’t ready to have sex when they did.
DIANE. Please put your phone away.
DESTINY. We’re doing a poll, hands up, boys.
DIANE. No, we’re doing this lesson. We’re. So we’ve established that saying no is not consenting. Any questions?
GRACE. Yeah but a girl doesn’t have to say no, to not consent.
BRANDON. Well, then how do you know?
RHYS. Yeah? What do you mean they don’t have to say no but it’s still the same?
AMANDA. You can just tell sometimes that she’s not in to it.
GRACE. Not being in to it isn’t the same as not consenting. We’ve all had times we’re not that in to it but for the sake of the other person.
LIAM. Have you felt that way with me?
GRACE. It was just… an example.
AMANDA. It’s like grooming, right, the person doesn’t say no necessarily but they’re not consenting because they’re not in a position to consent.
LIAM. You think sometimes I’m having sex with you and you’re not in to it.
BRANDON. How do you decide if she’s not in a position to consent?
GRACE. It wasn’t you, per se.
RHYS. What does per se mean?
TAYLOR. If a guy is buying a girl gifts, offering advice or understanding, giving attention, using their reputation or taking her on holidays or trips. That’s grooming.
NSPCC website.
DIANE. Can you put your phone away please?
TAYLOR. It’s for educational purposes.
KAYLA. That’s not grooming, that’s just a relationship.
DESTINY. You best bet any man be buying me gifts and holidays, and giving me attention.
DIANE. I think we’re getting slightly off-topic.
NATHAN. Can I just say again that by saying a guy buying a girl gifts we’re not being very inclusive in this discussion.
KAYLA. There’s a girl yeah, not saying who, but she’s at this school and she gets a pack of cigarettes for each blow job she gives.
DIANE. This isn’t a forum for speaking about other students.
KAYLA. I didn’t say who it was.
DIANE. Especially not a place for spreading rumours.
KAYLA. It’s true, swear down.
DIANE. Can we stick to the topic?
KAYLA. Cos if the throat herpes doesn’t kill her the lung cancer will, you see what I’m saying?
DIANE. No, I don’t. And I don’t see what –
KAYLA. ’S called intersectionality that. When the herpes meets the lung cancer.
NATHAN. That’s not what intersectionality is.
KAYLA. Shut up, man. You all think I’m making stuff up but it’s true. Don’t know why I bother.
RHYS. Miss, this is like proper worrying me now. Like how do you know if you’re doing the groom thing. Like all them things Taylor just read out, like kinda what I do with my girlfriend. So how do I know if I’m like grooming her?
DIANE. You would know, alright. Now what we’re talking about today
RHYS. Read ’em out again
TAYLOR. Buying a girl gifts.
DIANE. I’m leading this class, Taylor
TAYLOR. Offering advice
DIANE takes phone off her.
DIANE. I told you to put your phone away.
TAYLOR. Can I have it back, miss?
DIANE. No.
TAYLOR. That’s my property.
DIANE. It’s school property now.
TAYLOR. That’s assault. You just assaulted me. Just came up and touched me. Not allowed to do that, miss.
KAYLA. It’s true, miss.
Beat. They all watch her.
DIANE. Get out.
TAYLOR. What?
DIANE. Take your phone. And get out.
Everyone. Get out. Just go to class.
AMANDA. But the bell hasn’t rung yet, miss.
DIANE. Did you not hear me? I am the teacher! I am… the adult here and I am telling you to leave.
The STUDENTS all leave. DIANE’s alone.
FREDDIE appears at her classroom door eating a biscuit. He breaks the top off and licks the middle.
But of course he’s not there. He’s in fact at her front door.
Scene Seven
Outside DIANE’s house.
FREDDIE tosses the biscuit into a bush. Rings the bell. PETE answers the door.
PETE. Yes?
Hello?
FREDDIE. I, uh… sorry, wrong house.
PETE. Who are you looking for?
FREDDIE. ’S alright, mate. Sorry to’ve. (Goes to leave.)
PETE. I know who you are.
Pause.
FREDDIE. Tell her I… I dropped the uh… the allegation. Tell her I stopped by and.
PETE. Why did you do it?
FREDDIE. Just leave it, mate.
PETE. I’m about to give my six-year-old daughter a bath. I just fed her her tea and I’m about to give her a bath.
I don’t know how you got this address. But this is my home. This is our lives. You and your generation just think you can… and it scares me, the world I’m bringing up my daughter in. Where you just click, send, say without a second thought. Without thinking through the intention or the consequences.
FREDDIE. You can save your little speech for your daughter, mate.
PETE. I’m trying to help you.
FREDDIE. You know fuck-all about my life.
PETE. I know your parents are dead. I know your brother has shady business dealings. And I don’t want you to –
FREDDIE. That’s you, is it? Leave my brother be.
PETE. Diane obviously tried to help you once. And I’m just trying to do the same.
FREDDIE. Help me? Help me? Threatening my brother?
PETE. No one’s. What he’s doing, if he’s doing things dishonestly, is no one’s fault but his own, Freddie.
FREDDIE. Stop saying my name like you know me. You pretend you never heard my name or my brother’s.
PETE. It’s maybe too late for him, Freddie. But maybe not for you. And that’s why I’m trying to give you advice, because I know that despite what you’ve done, for reasons that are difficult for me to fathom, Diane cares about you.
FREDDIE spits. It lands at PETE’s feet.
FREDDIE. Fuck your charity. You lay off my brother or I go back to the police, tell them what she done.
PETE. Your brother is responsible for his own actions.
FREDDIE. Won’t just be your wife, yeah. Neighbourhood find out she’s a paedo, people’ll be egging your house, smashin’ shit through your windows. Your daughter’ll be scared to leave the house.
You pick up that phone right now, tell whoever you need to tell to leave my brother alone.
PETE. That’s not how it works.
FREDDIE. Do it or I’ll, right now. Detectives sitting by the phone just waiting for me to change my mind again.
PETE. Then you’ll force me to look into your dad.
FREDDIE. You think I care? The bastard’s dead.
PETE. And he hasn’t submitted a tax return for the last decade. That rusty box you’re living in, they’ll take it. The TV, the fridge, the couch, your bed. Everything. I haven’t brought it to anyone’s attention because I don’t want to make things any harder for you than they already are.
FREDDIE. You know where I’m from, we don’t hide behind some fucking paper, we roll up our sleeves if we’ve got a problem.
PETE. Well. I have more dignity than that. And so should you. I have morals.
FREDDIE. You think your wife has morals? When she was moaning as she forced my head between her legs? Do you? When I was nibbling on that little birthmark she’s got inside her thigh, the one that looks like a clover? She didn’t even want me to wear a condom. Wanted to really make sure she could feel my teenage dick inside her, she said.
Your daughter’s six, you said? Have a good hard look at her in the ba
th. Make sure she doesn’t look like me.
All makes sense now. Dusty old suit-and-tie man provides the roof, and the supper, and the holidays to Center Parcs. But needs to get young boys to fulfill the part you can’t get up to.
PETE. With the exception of people like my wife, people for the most part don’t care about people like you. Because they see you for what you are. A burden.
Goodbye, Freddie. Don’t say I didn’t try to help you.
FREDDIE spits in PETE’s face.
FREDDIE. The DNA might help with the paternity test.
Scene Eight
PETE and DIANE’s house. Night.
PETE. Where’ve you been?
DIANE. Sorry. I didn’t mean to worry you. (Kisses him lightly on the lips.)
PETE. Have you been drinking? Jesus, Diane.
DIANE. Relax, Pete, it’s one night.
PETE. Who were you drinking with?
DIANE. Myself.
PETE. Your phone was off.
DIANE. I lost it with my students today and I just needed.
But I’m home now.
She goes to her laptop, opens it.
PETE. Why don’t you leave that and come to bed?
DIANE. I’ve got schoolwork.
PETE. I’ve been waiting up for you all night. (Touches her.) Come on, Diane. Come upstairs.
DIANE (pushes his arm off). I’m not in the mood, Pete.
PETE. No, you’re only in the mood for your laptop, right?
You know I thought if I could be more like, if I could – so I…
But I can’t, can I, Diane?
SluttyMILFs, NaughtyMoms, DicksinDetention.com
Is that what turns you on? Some skaterboy giving some woman anal over a kitchen counter instead of. You’d rather that than…
DIANE. Than what?
PETE. Than me?
DIANE. You fucking feel threatened by some stupid video on the internet?
PETE. Don’t you swear at me.
DIANE. You’re being ridiculous.
PETE. Am I?
DIANE. Look at me, I’m a whale. I’m sorry if carrying a twotonne sack in my stomach doesn’t exactly put me in the mood.
PETE. But that doesn’t put you off some kid with a twelve-inch cock cumming in some mother’s hair!
DIANE. Maybe it makes me feel desired! Maybe it’s the idea, however fake, however staged, that despite my stretch marks and an arse that’s gone saggy, some young stud might still want to just take me and have his way with me. What’s wrong with that? Tell me you don’t fantasise about some younger girl, younger than me
PETE. Did you have sex with him?
Pause.
DIANE. No.
Pause.
PETE. He came here today. To the house.
He dropped the allegation.
DIANE. That’s… that’s good news, that’s a relief. I’m so relieved.
How come he’s dropping it?
PETE. Because it’s a lie, right?
DIANE. Yes. But. Why has he decided?
PETE. Perhaps he came to his senses.
DIANE. Is that what he said?
PETE. I shut down his brother’s business. And told him his house would be next.
DIANE. You what? Are you serious?
PETE. Yes.
DIANE. What did you do that for?
PETE. You told me to take care of it.
DIANE. I didn’t tell you to – what does his brother have to do with this? I don’t even know his brother.
PETE. I fixed it didn’t I?
DIANE. And his house? Christ, Pete.
PETE. You told me to.
DIANE. I told you to – I didn’t mean –
PETE. Why are you protecting him?
DIANE. I’m not.
PETE. I thought you’d be happy.
DIANE. I… am.
I’m sorry. It’s the pregnancy. It’s making me…
Why are we even fighting?
PETE. How did he know about your birthmark?
DIANE. What?
He suddenly puts his hand on her inner thigh.
PETE. That one. He described it.
I put my job on the line to make this go away.
Pause. She moves away from him.
DIANE. I didn’t have sex with him.
I let him touch me though.
PETE. When was this?
DIANE. I don’t remember exactly.
PETE. Diane.
DIANE. You and I had gone on a few dates by then.
He cries silently.
I didn’t say the other day because I didn’t want to hurt you.
Pause. PETE wipes tears away.
Will you please say something?
PETE. And the other stuff? The… I can’t even –
How do you know you weren’t… that the reason you helped him and…
Did you want to? Were you attracted to him?
When you mentioned him the other day, I was picturing this man. This wrestler or something. And then he came and he was, even seven years on. A kid. He just looked like this feral lost kid.
He spat in my face.
DIANE. What?
PETE. He spat on the porch. And then he spat in my face.
DIANE. Oh my god. What did you do?
PETE. I said goodbye and I shut the door.
DIANE. You didn’t…?
PETE. What?
DIANE. I don’t know.
PETE. What?
DIANE. I don’t know. You just let him spit on you.
PETE. I didn’t let him.
DIANE. You let him get away with that.
PETE. What was I supposed to do?
DIANE. I don’t know. Spit back. Hit him or something?
PETE. Is that what you would have wanted?
DIANE. It sounds like he deserved it.
PETE. Messed him up a bit. Showed him what’s what. Left him with something to show for it. That what I should have done?
DIANE. He spat in your face. So yes.
PETE. And then I’d be just like him. Is that what you would like?
DIANE. I just don’t want him to think that you’re soft and he can do what he wants.
PETE. Is that what you think?
DIANE. I just want to make sure everything’s alright.
PETE. You asked me to take care of things and I did.
DIANE. Fine. Yes. Sorry. I’m exhausted. We’re both exhausted. Let’s not – Pete?
She goes to him. Hugs him. They stand there hugging for a long time.
Then there’s a shift.
And he begins kissing her. Begins to undo her blouse.
Pete.
He takes off his shirt. Begins savagely pulling at her clothes. Kissing her body.
Pete, not tonight.
He takes off his belt.
Pete.
He pushes her down. With her pregnant belly she can’t move very well.
Pete!
PETE. That’s what you said you wanted, isn’t it? For someone to just take you and have their way with you.
DIANE. Stop it, Pete.
PETE. It’s what you said.
DIANE. Pete, enough.
He’s been continually removing his clothes, and removing some of hers.
PETE. The kind of guy who messes someone up.
DIANE. Get off me, Pete. I can’t move.
I said get off of me!
She manages to get him off, breaking something in the process.
PETE. Or is it only fifteen-year-old dick you like doing this to you.
She slaps him.
Both of them are breathless. Sit/lean against furniture.
The phone rings. PETE exits. But the phone continues ringing. No one answers it.
Scene Nine
A bar.
MARY’s sat with an empty bottle of wine, and very little remaining in the wine glass in front of her. She spots DIANE enter the bar.
MARY. Diane! Diane!
DIANE. I see you. You can stop wavin
g.
MARY. Oh god, Diane.
DIANE. Did you drink all of this?
MARY. Is it bad? Of course it’s bad. Oh god. What did they say to you?
DIANE. They’re going to call you. Ask you to come in tomorrow.
MARY. Will she be there?
DIANE. No, of course she won’t be there.
MARY. God, so when do I get to see her?
DIANE. You don’t, Mary.
MARY. No. Is she alright?
DIANE. None of us has seen her, Mary.
MARY. And what will happen to him?
DIANE. That’s a police matter. Tomorrow is just about the internal investigation, about you. To determine if there’s been professional misconduct.
MARY. Yes. Okay. Oh god, Diane. Oh god, you know?
DIANE. I do yes.
MARY. So what did she say?
DIANE. She wasn’t there, Mary. It was just me, the Head, and the Chair of the Governors.
MARY. Do you want some wine? Oh no you’re –
So what did they say? They’ve told me so little. Just the, you know, the crux of things.
DIANE. I don’t know that I can really say, Mary. That’s what tomorrow’s for.
I shouldn’t even really be here.
MARY. Oh god, what’s going to happen to her?
DIANE. Did you really not know, Mary? What he was doing to her?
MARY. She said her friend, her friend – Portia.
DIANE. I need advice. So I have this friend… And it never occurred to you it was actually Georgia talking about herself? That she was Portia?
MARY. When you say it like that, it sounds, it sounds obvious, but it wasn’t. The way she. Oh god, Diane.
DIANE. Even if you thought it was her friend, you didn’t think to report it?
MARY. She said the boyfriend was fifteen.
DIANE. He was.
MARY. And I just never thought, if he was the same age, that it could be that he could be…
DIANE. Abusing her?
MARY. Oh god, please don’t use that word, is that what they’re, is that what she’s saying he was doing?
DIANE. From what I gather Georgia is still protecting him, says he loves her.
MARY. I could’ve helped. But I didn’t know, Diane.
DIANE. I shouldn’t be doing this, Mary, but you should know, for tomorrow. It’s not just about not reporting. It’s about. Did they tell you how her mother found out? About their relationship?
MARY. They said there was a diary. Her mother looked through her diary.
DIANE. That was after.
She came home, went into her daughter’s bedroom in the basement.