1

HEROES
Gabriel Bergmoser
2

HEROES
© Gabriel Bergmoser 2017

AUSTRALIAN SCRIPT CENTRE

This playscript is published and distributed by the Australian Script Centre, trading as AustralianPlays.org.
The Australian Script Centre, a national not-for-profit organisation, has been selectively collecting
outstanding Australian playscripts since 1979 and is home to a comprehensive and extraordinary
catalogue of production-ready plays.

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

This work is protected by Australian and international copyright law. You have a legal obligation to obtain
permission before making copies of this script or performing the play. Contact details for further information
are provided below.

MAKING COPIES
Your script purchase entitles you to print the script once only. Beyond this single use, you may not copy
or print more than 10% of this script without permission, even if you are covered by a Copyright Agency
Limited (CAL) statutory licence. Additional copies may be made with the purchase of a Copy Licence from
AustralianPlays.org.

COPYRIGHT ADVICE
For detailed information on copyright issues, please contact the Australian Copyright Council.

PRODUCTION RIGHTS
Before producing or performing any play you must obtain the permission of the relevant rightsholder. Fees
will vary according to the nature and scale of the proposed production. They are set at the discretion
of the relevant rightsholder (usually the playwright or their agent). As a general guide, AustralianPlays.
org recommends 10% of gross box office receipts or $100 per performance, whichever is greater, as the
minimum fee for amateur production. Your production enquiry for this play may be submitted through the
AustralianPlays.org website.

PERMISSIONS FOR SOUND RECORDINGS & MUSIC

Some playscripts will require specific published sheet music or sound recordings for which performing
rights may need to be separately licensed. Producers are advised to contact the Australasian Performing
Rights Association (APRA) for more information on music licensing requirements.

NOTE ON THE SCRIPT

This is an unedited manuscript as provided to us by the playwright. We distribute it in good faith; however
it may contain layout inconsistencies or typographic errors.

Australian Script Centre Inc, trading as AustralianPlays.org

77 Salamanca Place, Hobart, Tasmania Australia
[email protected]
+61 3 6223 4675
ABN 63439456892
3

Cast

Nick

Jake
4

A living room. Nick, mid-twenties, neatly dressed, stands, surveying everything.

Couch, armchair, coffee table, bottle of scotch. He moves over and, with a
frown, adjusts the bottle. Then he opens it and moves it slightly. He pauses, then
hurries out. After a moment he returns with two glasses. He places them either
side of the bottle and takes a step back. He frowns, then stacks them and moves
them to the right of the bottle. He considers the set up, then goes to readjust it
as a knock on the door interrupts him. He straightens up, surprised, looks
towards it, then takes a deep breath. He adopts a laidback smile, then walks
over and opens the door. Jake, same age, scruffier in a t-shirt and ripped jeans,
enters.

Jake: Okay, we need to talk. Seriously.

Beat. Something crosses Nick’s face.

Nick: What?

Jake: Scotch, dude. I hate scotch.

Nick: You gotta acquire the taste.

Jake: That sound suspiciously like bullshit.

Nick: Scotch is all I’ve got.

Jake: Well obviously I’ll drink it, I just won’t be happy about it.

Nick: It’s free booze. You’ll be ecstatic about it.

Jake: Privately maybe. I’ll still complain.

Nick: Fair.

Jake walks in and slumps down on the couch. He picks up the scotch and swigs.
Nick watches, amused.

Nick: I’ve got glasses.

Jake: Oh, so you do.

He swigs again.

Nick: How are you man?

5

Jake: Buggered. That fucking gig last night…

He shakes his head.

Jake: Man, I’m fine with fans buying us drinks, but shit, there should be a limit.

Nick: You could say no.

Jake: Hey man, don’t be a dick. They come support us, we gotta be good to
them.

Nick: By letting them hand over their hard earned to get us drunk?

Jake: Hey, they take photos, boast about it down the line, sell our worst exploits
to the tabloids. They get the juicy stuff, we get the hangovers.

Nick: Well in your case we’re just lucky there are no tabloids sniffing around.

Jake: Might change after yesterday.

Beat.

Nick: Yeah. Maybe.

Jake: How’d you pull up?

Nick: Went straight home. Had to finish off those songs today.

Jake: And?

Nick: They’re getting there.

Jake: Cool, looking forward to hearing them. Actually, I’ve got a new one I
came up with this morning. No lyrics yet, but the tune is fucking sick.

Nick: Well, get back to me when it’s finished.

Jake: You got your guitar? I wanna show you the riff.

Nick: It’s fine.

Beat. Jake looks steadily at Nick.

6

Jake: Damn man. Back in the day you used to love getting pissed and playing
songs. I thought that was what we were doing tonight?

Nick: Not tonight.

Jake: Aw man. I’d have love to just jam. How often are we gonna get the
chance once we sign?

Nick: We haven’t decided if we’re gonna sign yet.

Jake: As if we won’t. Clyde’s a big deal man. We’d be stupid not to.

Nick: Maybe.

Beat.

Jake: What’s that supposed to mean?

Nick: Nothing. Sorry. I mean, yeah, of course we’ll probably sign.

Jake: Probably.

Nick: Just have to discuss it a bit more. Between us all.

Jake: So why isn’t everyone else here?

Nick: Just thought you and I could hang out. One on one. Like, y’know, back in
the day.

Jake: But we can’t jam. So what are we doing, just talking?

Nick: Yeah, why not?

Beat.

Jake: Okay. I can give it a shot.

Silence.

Jake: (Deliberately stilted) How… was… your… day?

Nick gives him the finger.

7

Nick: Oi. Don’t be a dick.

He pours himself a glass of scotch and drinks. Jake watches. Nick grimaces
slightly.

Jake: Grimace. Saw that. Point proven. Scotch tastes like battery acid.

Nick: It’s got a burn. Means its strong. That’s good.

Jake: You know that really nice spirits aren’t meant to burn at all? The best
vodkas in the world taste like spring water.

Nick: What would you know about the best vodkas in the world?

Jake: Nothing. But Bill does. The bar manager at work.

Nick: Yeah, Bill sounds like a real aficionado.

Jake: So you realise that if it burns you’re drinking shit stuff right? Which
means you enjoy bad alcohol.

Nick: Yeah, well I’ll change my ways when I can afford this mythical good
stuff.

Jake: We’ll be able to when we sign.

Nick: What, you think we’re gonna be millionaires overnight?

Jake shrugs.

Jake: Why not? We’re good. We’d be represented by a big label. We’re a
signature away from the bigtime.

Nick: I admire your optimism.

Jake: I’m bewildered by your pessimism. Dude, have you seen our fans? Have
you seen the way they lose their shit at every packed out bar? They know we’re
stars. Clyde will show the rest of the world. I don’t know why you’re even
hesitating for a second.

Beat. Nick considers him.

8

Nick: Well, okay. So say you’re a chef.

Jake: But I’m not.

Nick: But say you are.

Jake: Then I’d be lying.

Beat. Nick gives Jake a withering look. Jake grins.

Nick: May I?

Jake: Please.

Nick: Say you’re a Chef. And you’ve got a reputation for really good soufflés.
So anyway, one night you’re in the kitchen, and you’ve got a soufflé cooking,
and suddenly the waiter runs in and is like ‘Dude-‘

Jake: Chef.

Nick: What?

Jake: Waiters call the chef ‘chef’. Otherwise they get yelled at.

Beat.

Nick: The waiter says ‘dude, the Queen of England is here and she’s demanding
a soufflé right now. And if she gets one then she’ll pronounce to all the land that
you make the best souffles.’

Jake: Well that’s just not how Queens work.

Nick: Irrelevant Jake. It’s an analogy. Anyway, you’re the chef and you have a
choice. Do you hand over an undercooked soufflé, or do you wait until it’s
ready?

Jake: You wait. Otherwise the Queen gets a shit soufflé.

Nick: Exactly.

Beat.
9

Jake: So just to clarify, in this analogy… the Queen is Clyde and we’re the chef.
Or the soufflé. Or both?

Nick: Sure.

Jake: Shit analogy mate.

Nick: How so?

Jake: Well it would be like Clyde demanding we hand over a half finished song
instead of all the great ones we already have. The Chef has proved himself
already. He’s got a great product. The Queen needs to understand that soufflés
take time. But we’ve already got good songs and a great band to sing them.

Nick: Okay, maybe it wasn’t a perfect analogy.

Jake: It was a downright shit analogy.

Nick: But what I mean is… well, it’s less about the music. It’s more about being
sure that we are ready for this. As a band.

Beat. Jake considers Nick.

Jake: If you’re saying what I think you’re saying, it’s really fucking average.

Nick: What do you think I’m saying?

Jake: I think you’re saying that you personally have the right to decide whether
the rest of us are ‘ready’ for fame.

Nick: No-

Jake: As if you can make these choices for us. As if this band is a dictatorship.

Beat. Jake stands.

Jake: You know how often chances like this come along? That the biggest
fucking label in the country wants to sign us? And here we are, this shitty little
garage rock band, used to playing the dingiest bars in the city, and we’re being
handed the big time on a silver platter. This is what every single one of us has
dreamed of. This is that moment we weren’t sure would ever come. What the
fuck gives you the right to decide for the rest of us whether we’re ready for
that?
10

Silence.

Nick: We’re a band. Not a solo artist.

Jake: Yeah. We are. And I know for the fact that Dave and Neil are jumping up
and down at the idea that we might get signed. Which leaves you as the only
obstacle. And you can’t even present a cogent reason.

Beat. Nick stares at Jake, stone faced.

Jake: I can’t believe this shit. I can’t fucking believe this. You know how this
comes across? Like a fucking power trip. Sure, Nick, you started the band. You
brought us all together. But you have to understand that if you um and ah on
this you could be ruining everyone else’s chance, and for what? What does ‘not
ready’ even mean? Our music is as good as it’s ever been, our playing is
fucking spot on, what the hell could ‘not ready’ mean?

Nick: It’s not about the music.

Jake: So what then?

Nick: How many stars do you see who get snapped up young, before they know
who they are, and end up going off the rails? Before they’re level headed
enough to make clear decisions?

Jake laughs.

Jake: Oh come the fuck on Nick. We’re not sixteen. We’re in our mid-twenties,
we’re at exactly the right age to-

Nick: It’s not about age.

Jake: So what is it about?

Nick watches Jake, considering.

Nick: You don’t hit a certain age and suddenly become an adult, Jake.

Jake: What are you talking about?

Nick: Maturity means self awareness. Self-awareness means not making bad
decisions.
11

Jake: If you’ve got a point, you might as well come to it.

Beat.

Nick: Tell me about Rosie Banks.

Jake stares at Nick.

Jake: What the fuck-

Nick: Go on.

Jake: What do you think is going on here?

Nick: I’m hoping you can tell me.

Jake: She’s a fan. Someone who was unlucky enough to have missed MySpace
being a thing.

Nick: Yeah. She’s a kid.

Jake: What’s your point?

Beat.

Nick: Do you know how old Rosie is?

Jake: Judging by your line of questioning, I think you think I know exactly how
old Rosie is.

Nick: Judging by that reply, you do know exactly how old Rosie is.

Beat.

Jake: I have no idea how old Rosie is. She comes to all our underage gigs. She
comments on every new track posted on Facebook. She hashtags us on every
Instagram post. She’s a big fan.

Nick: Verges on obsessed.

Jake: Good for her.

12

Nick: Is it?

Jake: Okay, right about now I should be doing one of two things. Either
punching you out or leaving. But before I do either I’m gonna give you the
chance to be upfront and tell me exactly what the fuck you’re trying to imply?

Beat.

Nick: I’m not trying to imply anything, Jake. I’m trying to figure something out.

He pours himself another glass of scotch and takes a seat. Jake watches him.

Nick: When we first started getting fans, it was weird. Like, I kind of felt
apologetic about it, in a weird way. Couldn’t even bring myself to say the word
fan for ages. Then we had more and more, people who’d been in bars when
we’d played, kids whose older siblings had bought our EPs. I mean, how are
you meant to react? You’ve been doing this for ages, trying to get better, trying
to get noticed, then one day you realise that there are all these people who think
you’re the best, who see you almost like a celebrity. And you know that you’re
still working bars and trying to make ends meet and have no idea what the fuck
you’re doing. But you have that weird conflict of knowing that to some people,
you’re a big deal. To some people, you’re a hero.

He drinks.

Nick: And then maybe you start to think about the perks. The girls. Girls who
you don’t have to win over because they already think you’re the best. And
man, when you were the awkward weirdo in school, that has a certain
temptation. I can see that. But here’s the thing. The more people that love you,
the more people that think you’re the best, the more you start to think you can
get away with anything. And the more you start to think that maybe, just maybe,
you can do things you always wanted to but pretended you didn’t. Because
nobody will cut down the people they idolise, right? And if that idol takes an
interest, then who are they to question whether it’s wrong?

Jake: That’s enough.

Nick: If you’re naïve enough, maybe you don’t question it at all. But then, that’s
the thing about self awareness Jake. If you’re a self aware adult you don’t do
those wrong things. You don’t make choices that take advantage of the
innocent. Because that’s the responsibility that comes with being an adult.

Jake: Are you done?

13

Nick peruses Jake.

Nick: I want you to be honest with me. Are you sleeping with Rosie Banks?

Jake: How could you ask me something like that?

Nick: Are you?

Jake laughs.

Jake: How about you tell me where you got such a fucked up idea from?

Nick: How about you tell me if it’s true.

Beat. They stare at each other.

Jake: Obviously I’m going to say it isn’t.

Nick: Is that the truth?

Jake: You’re asking that question which says to me you have a reason to think it
isn’t. So why don’t you tell me what that reason is so I can explain myself?

Beat.

Nick: You’re friends on Facebook.

Jake: Lock me up. I’m friends with plenty of fans.

Nick: She likes every post of yours.

Jake: Yeah. She’s a fan.

Nick: Recently she’s been Tweeting almost nonstop about how much she
‘wishes the world could accept this’. About how much she ‘knows what is
going on is special, even if others wouldn’t believe her’.

Jake: Sounds like you’re the one stalking her.

Beat. Nick takes out his phone. He starts texting something.

Jake: What are you…

14

Jake’s phone buzzes in his pocket. Frowning, he takes it out. He checks the
messages. Nick puts his phone away.

Nick: I wasn’t gonna give you my phone. Not gonna let you destroy the
evidence.

Jake stares at whatever he has been sent.

Jake: You’re talking like I’m a criminal.

Nick: Prove to me that you’re not.

Jake: Where did you get these?

Nick: Someone sent them to me. Someone concerned about what is going on.

Beat.

Jake: I know that the first thing people say in situations like this is that it’s not
what it looks like, but it’s not what it looks like.

Nick: So what is it?

Beat.

Jake: We’re friends.

Nick: She’s fifteen.

Jake: I told her I’d teach her how to play guitar. She’s talented.

Nick: That’s what music teachers are for.

Jake: What, I can’t teach?

Nick: Why her?

Jake: She’s cool. She’s interesting. I want to see her get better.

Nick: And what, she can only do that with you?

He taps his phone.

15

Nick: Those pictures look a lot closer than student and teacher Jake.

Beat.

Jake: Did you have someone follow me?

Nick laughs.

Nick: Don’t be ridiculous.

Jake: Then what? Someone decided to send you pictures of me having coffee
with a fan?

Nick: I’m pretty sure they made that decision when they saw you holding her
hand. And when it clicked that she was a teenager.

Jake: Doesn’t explain why they decided to send them to you.

Nick: It’s my band. They thought I could do something about it. That’s what
I’m doing.

Beat. Jake watches Nick, trying to think.

Jake: So what are you doing about it, Nick?

Nick: Talking to you.

Jake: Okay. You’ve talked to me. I’ve told you it’s all innocent. Does that put
an end to things?

Nick: It would. If I thought you were innocent.

Jake laughs.

Jake: Come on man. How long have you known me? What the hell kind of
person do you think I am?

Nick: I don’t know. I was hoping you could clear that up.

Jake: Well what am I supposed to do short of denying it?

Nick: Explain it.

16

Jake: I have. It’s nothing. Whatever you think you see in that photo, it means
nothing.

Nick: Does she feel that way?

Jake: How the hell should I know?

Nick: Don’t bullshit me Jake. I’m putting two and two together here and it’s not
coming up with a great answer for you.

Beat.

Nick: Why didn’t you tell me?

Jake: Jesus Nick, do you tell me every time you take a shit? Not everything I do
is your business.

Nick: It is when it reflects on the band.

Jake: How does me teaching a kid to play guitar reflect on the band?

Nick: It doesn’t, provided you were only teaching.

Jake: I’ve told you I was.

Beat.

Jake: Okay. Say I can’t convince you. Say I can’t hand you the incontrovertible
evidence you need to let this go. What then?

Nick: What would you do in my position Jake?

Jake: I’d trust my friend.

Nick: A friend who might be sleeping with a teenager?

Jake: Well I’m not.

Nick: Prove it.

Beat.
17

Jake: You don’t trust me.

Nick: Not right now.

Jake stares at him, thinking.

Jake: Right. I guess that’s that then.

Nick: What do you mean?

Jake: I’ve got nothing to give you apart from my word.

Nick: You’re promising me you didn’t touch her.

Jake: Doesn’t matter if I am or I’m not. You don’t believe me.

Nick: A promise doesn’t mean much Jake. Not in a case like this. You would
never admit it.

Jake: So whether I did it or not, you’ll think I did.

Silence. Jake laughs quietly.

Jake: How long have we known each other? Almost ten years now. School and
the band and everything else. I mean, Jesus, back when we were kids I’d tell
you everything. You were the only person I could tell everything to. And I
trusted you, always. I didn’t want to join the band. You promised me it would
be worthwhile, and it has been. I never doubted you once. Why can’t you
extend me that same trust? We’re friends. You know me.

Nick: Yeah. I know you Jake. I see you after every gig, talking to the girls,
lapping up their attention, taking them home. I know what you’re like. What
you’ve always been like. See Jake, you talk about being about to tell me
anything. So tell me. Be honest with me. Because whatever you’re doing, it
affects more than just you.

Beat. They look at each other.

Jake: What if I told you I love her?

Nick: You’re in love with a child.

Jake: She’s not a child! She’s smart, Nick. Smarter than you or I. Mature.
18

Nick: All her tweets imply otherwise. Don’t try and justify this shit man. You’re
committing-

Jake: Don’t. Don’t say that.

Beat.

Nick: You’re taking advantage of a teenage girl. That’s what you’re doing.
She’s not capable of consenting.

Jake laughs quietly.

Jake: You patronising cunt. Alright, fine. You want to pull out the consent card?
Come into the present. Flip the genders. If you were fifteen and there was a
female singer you idolised who wanted to fuck you, you sure as hell wouldn’t
be traumatised by it. You’d still be boasting about it today.

Nick: Doesn’t make it right.

Jake: Doesn’t it? No harm no foul.

Nick: No harm? Jake-

Jake: Look me in the eye and tell me, Nick. Tell me if some movie star you
jerked off to came to you and said let’s go, right now, would you have felt taken
advantage of? Or would you have felt really fucking lucky?

Nick: This is different.

Jake: No, it isn’t. It’s not different at all. What, because she’s a girl she’s more
vulnerable? You don’t know her.

Beat.

Nick: Okay. Fine. You want to insist you’re doing nothing wrong, be my guest.
That doesn’t change the fact that you’re breaking the law.

Jake: And that doesn’t change the fact that I’m innocent.

Nick: You admitted it.

Jake: No, I didn’t. All that was hypothetical. I’m admitting nothing.
19

Beat.

Nick: I’m not recording this, Jake. I’m not trying to entrap you. I need you to
understand what you’re doing.

Jake: And I need you to understand that I’m not doing it.

Nick: Jake-

Jake: You have no evidence. Nothing outside the circumstantial. You’ve got
some misconstrued photos and a suspicion. That’s it. So unless you can give me
something more concrete, you might as well drop this.

Nick: I spoke to her, Jake.

Beat.

Jake: You spoke to her.

Nick: Before the last underage gig. Messaged her on Facebook, asked to have
coffee. She was more than happy to. Until I asked her about you. Shit, Nick,
you say she’s not a kid? You should have seen her. She was terrified.

Jake: Because you were interrogating her.

Nick: Because I made the gravity of the situation clear. Because I pointed out to
her that she was a victim. Because I told her that whatever you might say,
there’s no love here. Just you using a child.

Jake: She’s not a fucking child.

Nick: She sure as hell seemed like one when she was crying in my arms.

Jake: Congratulations, you’ve had just as much inappropriate contact with her
as me.

Nick: Don’t. Don’t do that. You might not have admitted it, but she has. And if
she goes to the police, you can kiss our record deal goodbye.

Beat. Jake stares at Nick. Then he starts to laugh.

Jake: Of course.
20

Nick: What?

Jake: Fuck you’re a piece of work Nick. You really are. This has nothing to do
with you preaching morality at me or trying to defend Rosie’s innocence. This
has everything to do with you being scared of losing the deal.

Nick: What, are the two concerns mutually exclusive? You being a fucking
creep could destroy the rest of our careers. So yeah, I’m concerned about that.
But that doesn’t change the fact that what you’re doing is sick.

Beat. Jake looks down at his phone, thinking.

Jake: I remember the day these photos were taken. Rosie and I had only just
started seeing each other. I felt weird about it then, but the more time I spent
with her the more it felt… okay. The more I realised how much I actually liked
her. Yeah, it was a strange day. But a good one. Just over two months ago now.

Silence. Jake nods.

Jake: That’s right. Two months.

Beat.

Jake: So someone, someone you’re understandably not naming, saw this and
was concerned. Fair enough. Could have said something to me instead of taking
a photo, but hey, I get it. So they took a photo and sent it to you instead of the
cops. Also a bit strange, but again, it makes sense. Better to let you handle it
before dragging the police in on something that could be innocent. Because the
moment they get involved, we’re tarred forever. If this was what this person
thought it was, then yeah, they probably did the smart thing.

Beat.

Jake: Two months. You’ve held on to this for two months. What you’re
accusing me of today, you knew about that whole time and never said a word.
All the while poor Rosie was being taken advantage of. All the while that
teenage girl was being abused and you said nothing at all. Until the record deal
happened.

Beat.
21

Jake: If what you say I’ve been doing comes out and we’re a nothing band, it
won’t matter. A blink and you’ll miss it news story. If that. If we’re big and it
comes out, then yeah, the stakes are much higher. Anyone can see the risk of
that. And the only thing I can really do, the only slight bit of damage control I
can do, is leave the band. Cut myself out so that my friends can preach
innocence.

Beat.

Jake: So, here we stand. You won’t believe that I haven’t done it. Which means
that what you want here isn’t an explanation or refutation, what you want is an
outcome, and there is only one outcome that will satisfy you, and that is me
leaving the band. But of course, you have no real evidence, especially if Rosie
doesn’t come forward. Which means that I would be well within my rights to
say fuck you, I’m staying. If I do that, what will you do next?

Nick watches him, wary.

Jake: Then you’ll go to the police, right?

Silence.

Jake: This isn’t a confrontation. This is blackmail.

Nick: Don’t be ridiculous.

Jake: Your move Nick, not mine. This is blackmail. And the thing you claim to
have on me only has the power to make me do what you want if our futures are
at stake. Which means you held on to this until you knew you could use it.
Which means you’ve wanted me out of the band for a long time. Which means
you don’t give two shits about Rosie. Or at least, you do so far as you can use
her to get what you want.

Beat.

Jake: How are you any better than me, exactly?

Nick: I’m not fucking a child.

Jake: But you’re still taking advantage of her.

Nick: Don’t put this back on me. I’m not the one who broke the law.
22

Jake: How long have you wanted me gone, Nick?

Nick: Don’t change the subject.

Jake: What made you decide to drive me out?

Nick: Jake, this isn’t–

Jake: Was it the moment I started writing better songs than you?

Silence.

Nick: What?

Jake: It was always your band. Your baby. You brought me in because you
needed a lead singer, but it was always your words coming out of my mouth. I
gave the angelic tones you your beautiful lyrics. Until I didn’t. Until I found I
had my own stuff to say. And until we started to realise that the audience
screamed the loudest at my songs.

Beat.

Jake: We’ve never addressed it. But let’s face it, it’s been a big elephant in the
room for a long time. At a certain point, it stopped being your band, didn’t it?

Nick: Shut up.

Jake: But fuck, what happens to a band that loses its most popular member?

Nick: Shut the fuck up Jake.

Jake: Looks a lot better for you if he’s embroiled in a sex scandal, right?

Beat.

Nick: Right. It does.

He laughs bitterly.

Nick: And shit, you set me up well. Because you just couldn’t keep it in your
pants. I always knew bringing you into the band was a risk. You were a time
bomb. And now you’re gonna go off oh so very spectacularly.
23

Jake: You are a spiteful motherfucker. You know that, right?

Nick: And you’re a sick creep. What’s worse?

Beat.

Nick: Fine, Jake. I can be honest about my shortcomings. You’ve taken my

baby. I want it back. I’m not proud of this. But if it means you’re gone, then I’ll
sleep just fine.

Jake: And what makes you think I’ll go?

Beat.

Nick: You don’t have a choice.

Jake: I do, actually.

Nick: You said it yourself. This is blackmail. Try to stay and-

Jake: And you’ll have to explain to the police why you knew about this for two
months and said nothing.

Beat.

Jake: There’ll be an investigation. Those photos will be looked into. Won’t be

hard to work out the dates they were taken. You’ll have to give up your source,
and they sure as hell aren’t going to want any trouble, so they won’t deny that
they were taken two months ago, and that they sent them to you and washed
their hands of the whole thing. I might look bad, sure, but if this thing goes
public in any way, do you think you won’t be dragged down with me? Two of
us. Half the band. We’re all finished.

Silence.

Nick: You’d fuck over the rest of us.

Jake: I’d fuck over you. Dave and Neil will be collateral damage. Not the way I
wanted it to be but hey, you’re the one going to the police, not me.

He leans forward.
24

Jake: I’m going nowhere. Which means the only person here with a choice is
you. You’re holding a grenade in a tiny room Nick. Whoever you throw it at,
you’re gonna get caught in the blast.

Beat.

Jake: So. Here’s your best option. Take my word when I say nothing happened.
Turn a blind eye to what you think is going on. And let me carry the rest of you
to success.

Silence. Nick stares at Jake, trying to think, trying to hold at bay the rage and
hatred that threatens to tear him apart. Jake smiles.

Jake: Well?

Nick: I always hated you.

Beat. Jake seems taken aback by this.

Nick: Always. Through school, and after. Oh sure, I hung around you. You
were cool. Even if people then didn’t see it. But fuck, you were such an
arrogant, selfish cunt. Always looked down your nose at everyone else. Always
had that little smirk like you knew you were better than them.

He laughs quietly.

Nick: I guess it was true. Everything just came so fucking easy to you. You
never had to work. I slaved to get as good as I was. And you just picked up the
guitar and started singing and everyone swooned. And sure, I felt like I had to
ask you to be in the band, but I was so relieved when you said no at first. Not
that I expected anything else. I was fine to have around you, to make you feel
better about yourself, but you never wanted to actually sink to my level. But the
band, that was gonna be my chance. That was gonna be me proving myself as
better. Proving at all my hard work paid off. But then we couldn’t find a singer
and…

He exhales.

Nick: And here you are. Taking away what’s mine. Taking away the one thing I
had to my name, the one thing that came from me and me alone. Because you
just couldn’t stand to see me doing well. You had to make my victory yours.

Jake: You think I wrote good songs to spite you?

25

Beat.

Jake: I thought you had changed. I thought at some point you shifted and
became this bitter, twisted up prick. I’ve gotta admit, it kind of stings to know
that’s just who you’ve always been.

Nick: It’s not who I’ve always been, you fucking cunt. It’s who you made me.

Jake watches him steadily.

Jake: You can choose how you react to any situation, Nick. You always had a
choice. You were jealous of me, you let it turn you into this. That’s no-one’s
fault but yours.

Nick: At least I’ll know I’m not a fucking paedophile. I’ll have that over you.

A heavy silence hangs in the air.

Jake: I told you–

Nick: You’ve already won, Jake. You can stop pretending. Stop evading.
Whatever you say, I will never be as bad as you. Never.

Jake looks at him, almost pitying.

Jake: I’m not a bad person, Nick.

Nick laughs loudly.

Jake: I’m just human. That’s all. That’s why I can’t leave the band. You say all
this stuff as if I never had my own ambitions. As if I arbitrarily picked up the
guitar one day. I am this close to getting everything I’ve ever wanted. We both
are. You’re going to ruin that.

Nick: It won’t be what I want.

Jake: What you want doesn’t matter anymore.

Beat. Jake watches Nick, thinking.

Jake: You know, I try, Nick. I try to empathise with you. With your spite and
jealousy and bullshit. But honestly, I can’t. because I know the other side.
26

Because I know the stuff you ignore because it’s inconvenient to your idea of
me as some fucking bad guy. You think you’re the only person to be crippled by
insecurity? You think you’re the only one who worries that he’s not good
enough? Fucking hell man, that doesn’t make you special. That makes you a
musician. Do you think I’m any different? Wait, no, sorry. My mistake. I am
different. Because your insecurities are all tied up in other people being better
than you. Who gives a shit? There will always be someone better than you. The
best artists in the world can name at least five people they feel inferior to. At
least. Why get tied up in it? That doesn’t make you special, it makes you
immature.

Beat.

Jake: I am every bit as insecure and self-doubting as you are. But I don’t look at
other singers and say ‘fuck that guy, I think he’s better than me’. Because I
don’t care about bettering anyone. I care about being the best I can be at what I
do. At my own, personal style of music. The only thing I’m insecure about, the
only valid concern, is whether I am good enough. That’s the only thing worth
worrying about because let’s face it, that’s a big enough thing to grapple with
without fretting over your rivals. The moment you decide that what you want to
do with your life is create, you’re on the back foot. Because when all is said and
done, you either make it or you don’t. There’s no amount of qualifications that
will make you right for the job. Your qualifications are whether or not people
like what you do enough to pay for it. That’s it. And how much of a fucking
dice roll is that? It relies on so many factors. It relies on you being to people’s
taste, it relies on people caring about what you have to say and you
understanding your audience and you balancing what people want from you
with what you want. It’s an almost impossible task. And that fact alone just
makes us even more self-doubting.

Beat.

Jake: There’s a reason so many people give up. Because it’s easier, right? It’s
easier than suffering through all those years of rejection and doubts about you
being good enough. It’s better than hitting twenty five and looking at your
friends with their real jobs making real career moves while you still barely
manage to scrape together enough hours at a shitty bar to make rent. But if you
care enough, if you believe in yourself enough, you persist. And then, one day,
this magical thing happens and someone notices. Then someone else and
someone else and suddenly, like you said before, you’re a hero.

He drinks.
27

Jake: Everyone says you shouldn’t worry about validation. But fuck man,
validation is the only thing that makes what we do worthwhile. Validation
makes all those years of failure and rejection worthwhile. And when you get a
taste of that drug, it unbalances your world. Rosie… Rose thinks I’m the best.
Rosie sees me the way I want to be seen. The way I always dreamed someone
would see me. A hero. A God. And she’s not the only one. I see the way they
look at me. I see it and it makes me feel more alive than I ever have. It makes
me feel like I’m finally on the path to where I always dreamed of being.

Beat.

Jake: But you see it too, don’t you? You see the eyes on me, and you can’t stand
it. Well Nick, you’re going to have to. Because after everything, I will not give
up what I have. Never. I’ve worked too hard, sacrificed too much, to drop it
now because you’re jealous. I will fight tooth and nail to hold on to this and if
you try to take it away from me, I will not hesitate to destroy you. In whatever
way I can, using whatever weapon I have.

Beat.

Jake: That’s it, Nick. My cards are on the table. So I’m giving you this one
chance, this once last chance, to shake my hand, apologise, and let all of this go.
To forget tonight and sign that contract. You know what happens if you try to
push this. You know how this ends. But I care about my future more than my
pride. The question is whether or not you feel the same.

Silence. They stare at each other.

Jake: Please, Nick. Let it go.

Nick watches him, frowning. Then, slowly, he starts to laugh.

Nick: You don’t really get it, do you? You really think you can steamroll me
like you do everyone else in your life. You look at me and you still see that
awkward, dweeby kid you went to school with, the one who was too scared to
ever say no to you. Somewhere along the line you missed the memo that I grew
up.

Jake: Did you? The memo I’m getting right now says otherwise.

Nick: I will not be another one of your lackeys. I won’t. It’s time that somebody
cut you down and showed you what happens when you think that you’re better
than everyone.
28

Jake: You’re not listening to me.

Nick: I’m done listening to you. I’ve listened to you ten years too long.

Jake: Nick, stop.

Nick: You’re a great salesman, Jake. You really came close to convincing me
that selling you out would look bad. But when all is said and done, you’re the
one who did the crime. You’re the one who fucked up. I might have to dodge
some awkward questions about how long it took for me to come forward, but
that’s nothing on you. My crimes pale in comparison to yours. Mine is a sin of
omission. Nothing else.

Jake: Nick.

Nick: So no, Jake. My response is fuck you. I am going to make what you’ve
done very clear.

He takes out his phone.

Jake: I don’t think you get how this works. The police-

Nick laughs.

Nick: I’m not going to the fucking police

Beat. Jake looks thrown.

Jake: What?

Nick: It’s not the law you’re scared of. It’s not the law that will take away what
you want. I’m calling the band. I’m gonna tell Dave and Neil.

Jake: I wouldn’t do that.

Nick: Don’t you fucking threaten me. Don’t try it, Jake. You’re all out of
ammunition. You might be able to wriggle your way out of a conviction in a
court of law, but you can’t be a part of a band that doesn’t want you. You can’t
force your presence on all three of us.

Jake: So what, you’re going to tell them I fucked Rosie?

29

Nick: That’s exactly what I’m going to tell them.

Jake: Even though I didn’t do it.

Nick: Drop the bullshit. We both know the truth.

Jake: Do we?

Nick: You as good as admitted it.

Jake: Did I?

Nick: It doesn’t matter. You know how these things work, Jake. The barest
suggestion of you having done this will be enough. They will always look at
you and wonder, what if? What if you did? Even if by some miracle you
convince them you’re innocent after I tell them what Rosie told me, they will
wonder. And sooner or later, that wondering will tear the band apart.

Jake: You’re right. It will.

Nick: Even if you are innocent, it doesn’t matter. People will believe it. And
when they see those photos-

Jake: Look at those photos again.

Beat.

Nick: What?

Jake: Look at them again. Before you make the call.

Nick: Why?

Jake: I think you should.

Nick stares at Jake, thinking, trying to figure out his intention. Jake remains
impassive. Slowly, Nick’s eyes move to his phone. He opens up the photo and
looks at it.

Nick: Well? What am I looking at?

Jake: Me and Rosie. Corner table in a café. Leaning close. I’m holding her
hand.
30

Nick: Yeah.

Jake: What does it look like?

Nick: It looks like you’re a couple.

Jake: Does it? Or does it look like I’m comforting her?

Silence. A flicker of confusion crosses Nick’s face.

Nick: What?

Jake: Does it?

Nick looks at the photo.

Nick: No, it–

Jake: If somebody showed you that photo and said that was an older guy
comforting an upset younger girl, would you believe it?

Beat.

Jake: That context would change the perspective, wouldn’t it?

Nick: It doesn’t matter. That’s not the context anyone will get. It’ll be you–

Jake: And you’ll give the context. Based on your conjecture and ideas. What if
somebody else gives a different context. Someone who was actually there?

Nick laughs.

Nick: Come on. No-one will believe you.

Jake: I wasn’t talking about me.

Silence.

Nick: Rosie won’t lie. She told me she wouldn’t.

Jake: Is that what she told you? What else did she tell you? What were the
specific words? ‘I believe he loves me. We have a connection. You’re wrong
31

about him. No, you’re lying. Oh my God, what if you’re right? Oh, Nick, what
am I going to do? I feel so used?’

Silence.

Jake: Is that roughly what she said? Or is that exactly what she said?

Nick stares at Jake, thinking.

Nick: She told you what she said.

Jake: No. I told her what to say.

Beat. Nick shakes his head.

Nick: Okay, come on. You’re bluffing.

Jake: Am I?

His voice is hard and cold. Nick stares at him.

Jake: Did she stick to the script and play it perfectly? Exactly like we rehearsed?

Nick: That doesn’t make any sense. You’re bluffing. You’re just exposing what
you did-

Jake: Nick, you have not been listening to me. I’ve been honest from the start. I
never touched her.

Beat.

Jake: And I never would. She’s a teenager. A smart teenager, sure, but she’s a
teenager. And she’s a fan. That would just be fucking weird. And for what it’s
worth, she has absolutely no interest in doing anything with me. When I gave
her those lines, she laughed and said it was kind of gross to even think about.

He smiles.

Jake: I always thought I was a bit of a looker, but I guess she’s the expert.

Nick: No. you’re lying. You’re trying to turn this on me.

32

Jake: I’m not trying. This was turned on you before you invited me tonight. If
you go to the band, or if you go to the police, the first thing will be that
someone will talk to Rosie. Someone will want to hear what she has to say.
What do you think she’ll say, Nick? Who do you think will be the bad guy? I
mean, sure, those photos look bad. So do those Tweets. But context is
everything. Was she Tweeting about you and coming to me for comfort?
Circumstantial evidence points wherever a testimony wants it to go. And no
testimony will be stronger than hers.

Nick: No. She wouldn’t do that.

Jake: How do you know? You never take the time to get to know your fans.

Nick: You’re bluffing.

Jake: Maybe. Take the risk and find out. It all depends on what kind of a person
you think I really am.

Silence.

Nick: If this is true. You used her. You manipulated her to fuck me over.

Jake: Maybe. I feel like I was pretty upfront with her. And I feel like I gave you
plenty of chances to trust me tonight. To let this go. I’ll admit it, she was a
nuclear option in case tonight went badly. Tonight did go very badly.

Nick: Why would you tell her to tell me those things about you?

Jake: She only was to tell you if you came to her before you asked me about the
photos. Oh yeah, by the way, I put Jen up to that.

Nick shakes his head, horrified, trying to find a way out.

Jake: I suspected you wanted me out, Nick. I couldn’t risk continuing if I didn’t
know for sure. I really hoped you wouldn’t treat it this way. I really hoped you
would trust me and be my friend.

Beat.

Jake: But let’s face it, nobody wants things to go this way. It’s ugly. So maybe
we ought to find a more diplomatic solution.

Nick: Like what?

33

Jake: There’s only one.

Beat.

Nick: No.

Jake: I’m sorry. This isn’t a negotiation.

Nick: You can’t kick me out of my own band.

Jake: Considering my reasons? I very much can.

Beat. Nick closes his eyes. Takes a deep breath.

Nick: Please.

Beat.

Nick: Please, Jake. Please don’t do this. It’s all I’ve got. It’s all I’ve worked for
the last few years. If you take this away I have nothing.

He approaches Jake, who does not move.

Nick: Jake, please. Please.

Still no response. Nick takes Jake’s hand; a desperate, pathetic gesture.

Nick: Mate, don’t do this. Don’t do this to me.

Jake: You’ve done this to yourself Nick.

Nick stares at him. He’s searching for something to say, anything that might
end this nightmare. But there’s nothing. He closes his eyes, breathes, then walks
over and slumps down on the couch.

Nick: How?

Jake: What?

Nick: How did you convince her?

Jake smiles.
34

Jake: I promised her guitar lessons.

Nick laughs, a desperate, strangled sound.

Nick: That was it? That was all it took?

Jake: That’s the thing about fans, Nick. Let them feel like they can be a bit
closer to you than anyone else, and they’re putty in your hands. They’ll do
whatever you want. Promise them that you can teach them some of what you
know? Man, she would do whatever I wanted.

Beat.

Jake: I’m sorry it had to go this way Nick. But you need to understand, I had to
protect myself. I thought I was being paranoid. I’m glad I wasn’t.

He makes for the door.

Jake: I hoped for the best from you. I really did.

He reaches the door. Nick’s phone rings. Jake pauses, looking back as Nick,
blank faced, answers it.

Nick: Hello?

Nick sits up straight, wide eyed.

Nick: Whoa, who, Dave, slow down, relax. What are you telling me?

Jake turns fully, frowning, watching with curiosity.

Nick: That can’t be right. Just yesterday he was saying…

Nick closes his eyes. His shoulders slump.

Nick: And the name?

Nick nods.

Nick: No. No, Dave, it’s not true. I’ll try to smooth this over. I’ll try… I don’t
know. Don’t worry, okay? We’re too good. The label wants us. This is all just a
misunderstanding.
35

Beat.

Nick: Don’t say that. Don’t. Come on man, don’t you trust me?

Beat.

Nick: I’m gonna deal with it, okay? I promise.

He hangs up and lowers the phone, staring into space.

Jake: What was that?

Nick leans forward and, with shaking hands, pours himself a glass of scotch.

Nick: Clyde retracted the deal.

Jake takes a step forward, horrified.

Jake: What?

Nick: He emailed all of us. Dave was the first to see it.

Jake: What the fuck was his reason? He gave us a week!

Nick: Looks like circumstances changed when a fifteen year old girl came to
him and told him that we had both been trying to use her to fuck over the other
one. That we’d asked her to lie about things. Although I’ll point out that wasn’t
me.

He drinks.

Jake: No. no, Rosie wouldn’t do that.

Nick: She did that.

Jake: Why?

He takes out his phone with fumbling hands and starts dialling a number.

Nick: Apparently she showed him messages. Things that proved it. From both
our numbers. Or at least proved it enough for him.
36

Nick looks blankly at Jake, who has put the phone to his ear.

Nick: So, how you feeling about this big plan of yours now?

Jake: Shut the fuck up – Rosie! Rosie it’s Jake, hey, what the –

Silence. Jake shakes his head.

Jake: Hey, no, come on – no, don’t! Rosie!

She has hung up. He lets out a furious scream and throws his phone at the
ground.

Jake: Fuck! That fucking little cunt!

Nick: Why? Why did she do it?

Jake screams again, slams his fists against the wall, then, breathing heavily,
strides over, snatches up the scotch and slumps down next to Nick. He drinks,
then slams down the bottle.

Jake: Because I never gave her those guitar lessons.

Silence. The two of them stare into space. Lights down.

The End