First, find out who the cast is here. Now, sit back and relax. Shh...the lights are dimming.

Narrator: (voiceover) In every school, there are stories to tell. In every life, there are stories to tell. And then there's Rinaldo's life.

(Curtains part. Rinaldo stands center stage, all alone.)

Rinaldo lives a bit of everyone's lives during the school year. In the summertime, however, he stands alone, waiting.

(Flashbacks begin. Enter Group of girls. Throughout the play, students and faculty trickle in and out of the scene.)

Katie: Argh! I can't wait until I get a car! My mom is always late!
Steph: Hey, at least she picks you up within an hour, Katie. My parents are still at work, so unless I can grab a ride from someone, I won't make it home till 5:30.
Deb: Well, my car broke down when I tried to get here this morning, so I guess I'm carless for a while.
Katie: Oh no! Did you get to school okay?
Deb: Yeah, Officer Mambo gave me a ride. I don't know what I'm going to do about my car, though. I hope it's nothing too expensive. My $5.85-an-hour job won't even pay for a pair of fuzzy dice. (Deb moves away to talk to someone else.)
Carmen: Hi Dan! (Dan enters with a duffel bag.)
Dan: Carmen! Coach Watt is looking for you. You're playing in the match on Saturday, right?
Carmen: Yeah. Against that wiener school. (Steph, Katie, and Dan all mutter "wiener school" to themselves. Carmen laughs.) We totally killed them last time! (Carmen and Dan exit.)
Steph: Hey, I'm going to walk over to the library down the street. Maybe I can find someone who can take me home.
Katie: Okay. See ya tomorrow.
Steph: Bye! (Steph exits.)
(Katie exits, leaving her books behind and greeting Mrs. Jockey and Ms. Pulver, who enter.)

Mrs. J: Hello, Katherine! (turns to Ms. P) So I couldn't believe my eyes! One of my students, cheating right in front of me! You'd think it would be difficult to cheat on an oral exam, but apparently, it can be done!
Ms. P: That's a shame. On the bright side, at least no one tried to cheat on a blood test. (pauses) Sorry, a little medical humor--my dad used it on his patients all the time. He said it was to relieve their "blood test anxiety." Well, I had a great class today. I talked to my students about torques, and I could tell they were really listening. I think they expect a quiz tomorrow.
Mrs. J: Are you giving one?
Ms. P: No, tomorrow is lab day. Anyway, I have some more examples to show them. (pauses) When is that staff meeting tomorrow?
Mrs. J: Sharon told me they canceled it.
Ms. P: Oh. Well, I've got to get a move on. I have hall duty in the morning.
(they exit school as Group of boys enters)

Gabe: The after-school tutoring isn't helping!
Jim: Well, sure, if you're only going to stay for 20 minutes!
Gabe: I still can't get number 22. I need you to show me how to use this equation. (Gabe looks around and tears off part of Katie's bookcover.)
Book: Ouch!
Gabe: Sorry. (shows Jim the problem)
Jim: Um. We haven't done that yet.
Chris: (laughs)
Gabe: What?
Jim: That's from section 6.4. We just did 6.3 today.
Gabe: Oh, God, I've been doing the wrong page! (slams book in disgust)
Chris: Hey, at least you have less to do tomorrow. She always assigns evens.
Jim: What's your average in there?
Gabe: Unnh...71.
Jim: Whoa.
Gabe: Why, what do you have?
Jim: I'd rather not say.
Chris: It's like a 97 or something.
Jim: I like the number seven. (exits in a hurry)
Gabe: I hate this! I try so hard in math, but it just doesn't stay in my head.
Chris: That's how Latin is for me. I can't remember how to spell the words. Man, there's this girl in my class--she has straight 100s. I don't even think she has to study! I wonder if she studies in secret! Like, her parents say, 'What are you doing in your room, Sharie?' Then she's like, 'Oh, nothing!' but is really studying like crazy!
Gabe: Uh...yeah. I need to upgrade my brain. (bangs head lightly against the wall)
Wall: Ouch!
Gabe: Sorry.
Chris: Yeah, I need a new computer, too. (both exit)
(The soccer team runs through on their way around the school. Several of them toss water bottles at Rinaldo.)

Scene Two
Narrator: (voiceover) Rinaldo always gets trash thrown at him. It's his reason for existing. It's why he's here. In fact, it's why I'm here. Let's move on. Hello, everyone? Move on, move on.
(group of students, including Marian and Brad, enter, some exit the school immediately, others remain)
Marian: I swear you get detention on purpose, Brad.
Brad: Well, no. It's just that I'm always running late in the mornings. I only get detentions from my first period teacher.
Marian: Not a morning person, are you?
Brad: Morning? Heck, I'm not even an afternoon person. I don't get why school starts so early. It can't be good for us. Think of all those sleepy people driving around on the roads. (sighs) So what were you in for?
Marian: Talking back to one of my teachers. I was really upset about the grade he gave me, so I kind of went berserk. (looks around) I didn't really realize so many people get detention.
Brad: It depends. In a way, Friday is the best day to take your detention. Most people want to be out of school by 2:30, so not many people choose to stay on Fridays. I like it 'cause I can get a lot of my weekend homework out of the way. Then, I don't have to drag my textbooks home. It's like benching 50 with your shoulders.
Marian: No kidding. Sometimes, I think our backpacks could be classified as lethal weapons. Look, I've got all this junk! (moves closer to Rinaldo) I gotta toss some of this stuff. (starts sorting through the papers) Oh, no. I almost forgot about the visit to the nursing home next Tuesday! (keeps that paper) Hm. Scratch paper, scratch paper...picture day form! Wow, this is from September! (tosses that at Rinaldo and continues sorting as spotlight moves to members of the thespians)

Aditya: (spoken dramatically) "By the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes!" (looks terrified, then cackles evilly)
Boron: Oh boy. Give it up, Aditya.
Aditya: (prances around Boron) I'm a moth! I'm a moth!
Boron: A moth.
Aditya: Yes. But not just any moth...a Death's-Head moth! I can fly backwards!
Boron: I'd want to be a luna moth. I think being endangered would give a new zing to my life.
Aditya: I see you've given this a lot of thought. (drapes arm around Boron) So, Boron, my boy, are you ready for opening night?
Boron: Well, the lighting head wants to try out a different spotlight for each major character, but we'll do that in dress rehearsal. And we're going to try a sequence that'll look like shadows of a sun moving across the sky. It looks pretty cool!
Aditya: I'm missing a debate trip for this! Why hasn't anyone figured out a way for a person to be in two places at once yet?
Boron: You got me. But I bet you could make a bundle if you knew how to do it.
Aditya: You know, it would mean that writers would lose a lot of plot lines. How many TV shows or movies have you seen where the character has to be at a party and with a sick relative at the same time? Then, you wouldn't see the hilarious measures he or she would attempt in order to please everyone! Or what about movies where there's a look-alike or long-lost twin running around? That's like a screenwriting staple.
Boron: What a scary thought.
Aditya: You're just humoring me. Hey, there's my brother. You want a ride?
Boron: Sure. Lead the way. (they exit and spotlight returns to Marian and Brad. No more students enter, Marian and Brad will be the last to leave.)

Marian: ...old candy wrappers, ugh, here's that history quiz I failed...a notebook. Wow, this isn't even my notebook!
Brad: I'm beginning to wonder if there's a point to this.
Marian: Chemistry notes. I sure could have used these last week. Hey, it's a note my ex wrote me! (reads) 'Want to go see "Vatican Panty Raids" on Saturday? I heard it's great. My cousin called it 'the next Titanic.' We can grab a bite at Marco's before we go.' (shudders) "Vatican Panty Raids" was such a weird movie.
Brad: Yeah, my girlfriend and I went to see that, too.
Marian: Adele?
Brad: Right. We were just friends, then, though. It wasn't until that class trip to Houston that everything changed for us.
Marian: Aw, that's sweet. You guys make such a cute couple.
Brad: Thanks. I don't know how I didn't notice how perfect she was sooner. I mean, we have a lot of the same bizarre hobbies: watching movies with strange titles, looking up stuff in computer encyclopedias, and window shopping in office supply stores. Hey, I'm going to see if I can get her some of those paper reinforcements that come in different colors. You want to help?
Marian: Oh, Adele would love those! Sure, I'll help! (they exit, flashbacks end)

Narrator: (voiceover) And through this all, Rinaldo just sits and listens. He knows the happy days and the tragic days of those who wait after school with him. More often than not, each person is a fusion of the happy and the sad, as there is more than one side to every story and more than one side to every person. But enough talk! Life narrates itself, and I must complete my part of the tale.
(Narrator steps out on the stage and begins buffing the floor. He is a custodian. He picks up some of the trash around Rinaldo and throws it inside.)
Narrator: Day in and day out, there's always the trash, eh, Rinaldo?
Rinaldo: Well, you know what they say...c'est la vie...that's life.
Narrator: "They?" Huh. "They" sure do say a lot of things, don't they? Look at me, I'm talking to a trash can.
Rinaldo: Call me Ishmael. (pauses) Kidding. Just kidding. You know, that Katie never came back to get her stuff.

(Curtains)