Teens Ashley and Mark find themselves having an accidental first date.

(Warning: Using this scene without permission is illegal, as is reproducing it on a website or in print in any way.)

(Two teens, MARK and ASHLEY, at a coffee shop with their laptops and books.)

MARK: And that is how you lower carbon emissions in a Third World city to be named later twenty-five percent by 2040 [or an appropriate year for your production]. Boom.

ASHLEY: Well, if you had money and people who would actually do it.

MARK: Yeah. There's that.

ASHLEY: But boom.

MARK: If we get less than an A...

ASHLEY: We are so getting an A.

MARK: We should definitely be partners again.

ASHLEY: Definitely.

MARK: When?

(Verbalizing his interior monologue to the audience:)

What was that?

ASHLEY: Well, whenever we need partners again, I guess.

(Verbalizing her own:)

"Whenever"? That's a total blow-off.

MARK: (Verbalizing:) Talk about the project.

ASHLEY: (Verbalizing:) Say something nice.

MARK: (Verbalizing:) You're good at talking about the project.

(To Ashley:)

The—what do you call the guys who pour the drinks?

ASHLEY: Baristas?

MARK: Yeah, the baristas are good here.

ASHLEY: Yeah.

MARK: (Verbalizing:) Project! Not baristas. Project!

ASHLEY: (Verbalizing:) "Yeah"? Seriously? Come on, Ashley!

(Beat. To Mark:)

I love the baristas here.

MARK: I learned a lot about the Third World.

ASHLEY: I love the Third World.

(Verbalizing:)

What?! Are you insane?!

MARK: (Verbalizing:) Save this save this save this.

(To Ashley:)

Selfie?

ASHLEY: (Verbalizing:) Oh no—what do I do?!

(To Mark:)

Heck yeah, selfie!

(Until noted, the conversation shifts back to the characters' interior monologues.)

MARK: Why did I say that?

ASHLEY: I can't believe I just said yes.

MARK: She's going to know.

ASHLEY: He's going to know.

MARK: OK. Breathe.

ASHLEY: (Reassuring herself:) You're good, Ashley. You're all right.

MARK: Think of something else.

ASHLEY: What does my mom say? "Redirect your energy."

MARK: Wait—did she just smile at me?

ASHLEY: He does this weird thing when he's thinking.

MARK: Of course she smiled. We just finished the project.

ASHLEY: He puts his lips together and crinkles his nose and looks like a baboon. It's kind of adorable.

MARK: That was so not a "project is finished" smile.

ASHLEY: I think he likes me too.

MARK: I think she likes me too.

ASHLEY & MARK: (Beat.) This is our first date!

MARK: And I'm wearing my aunt shirt!

ASHLEY: My face—there's a—

MARK: My great-aunt has no taste in shirts.

ASHLEY: Let's not call it a zit. Let's call it a "temporary imperfection."

MARK: I love her to death, but I've never met anyone with so much tacky stuff.

ASHLEY: A really imperfect imperfection.

MARK: I shouldn't pick out my clothes until I open my eyes all the way.

ASHLEY: If we use my phone, I could Photoshop [edit] that—

MARK: If I take it, I can Photoshop [edit] this shirt out.

ASHLEY & MARK: (To each other:) I'll take it.

ASHLEY: (To Mark:) I think my phone has a better camera.

MARK: (To Ashley:) They're both about the same, and I...

(He waves his phone in the air to indicate that it's already out. Beat. Both are again in their heads until otherwise noted.)

ASHLEY & MARK: I'm blowing it.

MARK: This is so gonna be my Waterford. Wait—that's my mom's china. Napoleon. Waterloo. Crap—I'm pretty sure I wrote Waterford on the test.

ASHLEY: Feasible, narcolepsy, eaglet—sixth grade spelling bee words, go away. (Pronounced barra-mun-dee:) Barramundi.

(Ashley immediately covers her mouth, as if to keep any more spelling bee words from escaping.)

MARK: At least I'm gonna get an A on this project.

ASHLEY: Crocodiles kill their prey by grabbing it in their jaws and twisting around and around, dragging it under the water and drowning it.

MARK: And an A+ for ruining our first date.

ASHLEY: It's called a death roll.

MARK: Probably our last date.

ASHLEY: It seems slow and painful—

MARK: I need to be bold.

ASHLEY: —and horrible beyond all imagining.

MARK: Here goes nothing.

ASHLEY: I am my own crocodile.

MARK: Charge!

(To Ashley:)

Maybe...

ASHLEY: (To Mark:) Yes...?

MARK: (To Ashley:) I know we both want to selfie really bad.

ASHLEY: (Back in her head:) Where's he going with this...?

MARK: (To Ashley:) But if we do it before we present, we might jinx it.

ASHLEY: Jinx it?

(Verbalizing:)

That totally works!

MARK: (Verbalizing:) Please don't hate me.

ASHLEY: (To Mark:) Yeah. I think that makes sense.

ASHLEY: (Verbalizing:) He's perfect!          MARK: (Verbalizing:) She's perfect!