All About New Year's Eve
by Kimura (with some help from Kouri)
A/N: For those of you who haven't read a radio script before, SFX means sound effects. Things in italics are stage directions. A beat is a pause.
Characters:
Amber - 25, generally a peacemaker, the host of the party
Kat - 24, rather opinionated and loud-mouthed; very loyal to her friends
Dylan - 24, the joker, plays off Kat without romantic attachment
Nicole - 25, overconfident, bit overbearing, wants everything to be perfect
Trevor - 25, athletic, intelligent, handsome, but lets others tell him what to do
Setting: Amber's apartment on New Year's Eve
Scene 1
[SFX: begin song #1, which fades out and plays through the entire scene softly]
Kat: So, when are the “lovebirds” going to show up?
Dylan: They’ve been married two years and you still call them “lovebirds”?
Amber: (dreamily) I hope when I get married my husband and I will be considered “lovebirds” for a long time . . . (trails off, then comes back to reality) But until then, Nikki and Trevor should be here any minute.
Kat: When was the last time we had the pleasure of each other’s company?
Amber: Probably for Trevor’s birthday party.
Dylan: You know, it was hard to tell if that party was for Trevor or his wife.
Kat: Yeah, she sure does steal the spotlight.
Amber: (sighs, a little exasperated) Guys, don’t pick on Nicole behind her back.
Kat: But Amber, you don’t let me do it to her face, so if I don’t do it behind her back, that leaves everything out. (beat) That’s unacceptable.
Amber: Kat, just be nice tonight. We don’t need to start off the new year on the wrong foot.
[SFX: patting on back/head/shoulder]
Dylan: (as if to a dog) Yeah, down girl!
[SFX: smack on arm]
Kat: Dylan, like you’re much better!
[SFX: knocking, door creaking open]
Nicole: (sing-song like) Hellooo? Anybody home?
Amber: Nicole! Trevor! Come on in!
[SFX: exchange of hellos and pleasantries between characters]
Nicole: So, how long until the new year?
Amber: (a little excited) Only five hours.
Trevor: What are we going to do until then?
Kat: Sing “Kumbaya.” What do you think? We’ll get plastered.
Amber: Speaking of which, who wants a drink?
[SFX: affirmation from everyone]
Amber: (going off mic) Be right back!
Kat: You know, there’s no extra charge for sitting down, you two.
Dylan: (amiably) Being around you is charge enough, Kat my dear.
Amber: (coming back on mic) Here are your drinks. (Pause)
Nicole: So, what have you guys been up to since July?
Kat: Nothing exciting. My life sucks, as usual. My computer has short-circuited itself again, which means I can’t write up those (drippingly sarcastic) wonderful employee evaluations I do so look forward to doing each year.
Trevor: So, you were promoted?
Kat: Yeah. Probably the only thing that went right this whole damn year.
Nicole: What about you, Dylan?
Dylan: Same old, same old. Still hacking -- I mean programming away at Duotech.
Amber: (sweetly, teasingly) No special lady in your life, Dyl?
Dylan: Miss Right hasn’t found me yet. Though I’d settle for Miss Right Now.
[SFX: Amber, Kat, Nicole and Trevor laugh.]
Dylan: Anyway, Mr. And Mrs. College Sweethearts, I think it’s your turn to tell us what you’ve been up to.
Nicole: (starts talking sort of quickly) Well, we’ve just had our hands full with remodeling the kitchen. Trevor was such a big help -- even while still handling the studio. And --
Amber: Oh, Trevor, would take some pictures tonight? [SFX: Kat and Dylan groan.] We need some new ones of our group.
Trevor: Sure, no problem.
Nicole: (jumping right back in) The kitchen is just fantastic now. I can’t wait until my mother comes and I can really cook up something special for her. She keeps asking when we’re going to make her a grandmother. (giggles, but there is an uncomfortable silence from everyone else)
Amber: (breaking the momentarily heavy mood) So, how about a card game?
Kat: Which one?
Dylan: Fubar!
Kat: What the hell is fubar?
Dylan: It’s a noisy Australian card game. You’ll love it. You’re loud. Okay, see first we each need to draw a card . . .
[SFX: Dylan trails off as music fades up]