Foreign Exchange

CAST
Halima: 16 year old girl from Darfur,
Lindsay: 17 year old girl, h.s. senior
Chelsea: 17 year old girl, h.s. senior, Lindsay's BFF
Rory:17 year old boy, Lindsay's love interest
Skyler:17 year old boy, Rory's BFF

(Cafeteria at an affluent North Shore high school)

(Lindsay and Halima walk up to a table where Chelsea, Rory, and Skyler are sitting and chatting. Halima is straggling behind.)

LINDSAY
OH MY GOD You guys have got to meet (she turns) .. .where did she go?

HALIMA
I am here.

LINDSAY
Halima, silly (she pulls Halima forward) Guys, this is Halima. She's staying with us. She's like, from Darfur.

RORY
Cool. Where's that?

HALIMA
(Halima and Lindsay sit )
Sudan....

RORY
Cool. Where's that?

SKYLER
That's that place George Clooney is so pissed off about.. . (punches Rory in the arm) Dumbass.

(Everyone nods knowingly.)

RORY
That's heavy.

CHELSEA
(speaking loudly)
SO HOW DO YOU LIKE AMERICA?

HALIMA
It's so peaceful and wonderful. Lindsay's family is very kind.

CHELSEA
(losing interest in Halima)
OH MY GOD Linds. Seriously. I so have to tell you something.

LINDSAY
WHAT?

CHELSEA
SERIOUSLY.

LINDSAY
WHAT?

CHELSEA
UNBELIEVABLE!

SKYLER
TELL HER ALREADY JEEZ (To Halima) They can go on like this forever.

CHELSEA
(rolls her eyes)
My mom is being a total dick. She said no to the Vera Wang for homecoming.

LINDSAY
God What is her problem?

CHELSEA
Seriously. My dad hooks up with the Peapod delivery chick and I'm stuck with the head case. My life is over.

HALIMA
Peapod? What is this?

LINDSAY
You can like order food on the web and it's . . uh .. delivered to your house? Remember how my mom said you just have to cook, you don't have to like go to the store? That's because we get the FOOD DEE-LIV-ERRRD.

HALIMA
Food brought to your home? That is a dream. My mother would love this. She is very sad and tired from taking care of my younger brothers and sisters. It is very hard to feed everyone since my father was killed three years ago. When I left them at the camp, my mother was about to have another child.

RORY
So you have a step dad then now? I hate my step dad.

HALIMA
I don't know what you mean. Step dad?

LINDSAY
It means your mom has a new husband.

HALIMA
No she does not.

RORY
Ooooh. Love child . . suh-wheet (High fives Skyler)

HALIMA
She was raped. The soldiers . . .

CHELSEA
(Interrupts, puts up hand)
I. AM. EATING. So Halima what kind of things did you guys do for fun in Darfur?

HALIMA
Fun? My people are experiencing complete annihilation. That's not much fun.

CHELSEA
Work with me here. What's your class schedule like?

HALIMA
(pulls out her schedule)
English, American History, Popular Culture, Feng Shui, the Foundation of Foundation and something called Tai Chi?

CHELSEA
Awesome. You, me and Linds will have third period together. It will rock, right Lindsay? Lindsay?

(Lindsay and Rory are making out. Lindsay makes garbled noises in attempt to answer Chelsea.)

CHELSEA
You are such a slut. God!

LINDSAY
(Breaks away from Rory)
Whatever.

CHELSEA
WHATEVER?

LINDSAY
WHATEVER!

CHELSEA
Hater

SKYLER
Save the drama for Myspace ladies

HALIMA
(Consfused and annoyed, she changes the subject.)
I read that some schools in Chicago do not have enough books? Is this true?

LINDSAY
(laughting hysterically)
That is so funny Halima, did you read the Onion? That's a fake paper. Those stories aren't true.

HALIMA
The Onion? I do not think it was this onion?

LINDSAY
Well, I'm sorry. But that doesn't make any sense.

HALIMA
But not everyone has a beautiful home and school in Chicago, no?

CHELSEA
Earth to Halima. This isn't Chicago, this is uh, Winnetka?

SKYLER
What is this like, Nightline? Halima, you will figure it all out soon enough. Shit this pup (grabs Rory's arm) transferred from Evanston it was like holy culture shock, batman!

RORY
No shit dude. Hey Halima, you're kinda hot.

HALIMA
I am cold today. I washed Lindsay's clothes and couldn't wash my sweater because Lindsay said our clothes can't touch.

RORY
No, I mean you're looking good. Come on I'll walk you to Tai Chi. (Rory and Halima get up and start to walk away) Wanna go to homecoming?

LINDSAY
OH. MY. GOD I thought he was going to ask me to homecoming. What a bitch!

CHELSEA
That's what I thought. She is like really skinny though. Right Skyler?

SKYLER
I'm late for curling practice. (He gets up)

LINDSAY
Yeah, like scary skinny maybe. She does not even look good.

CHELSEA
Yeah like hello, Nicole Richie called, she says she wants her eating disorder back.

(girls crack up laughing and leave the table)

LINDSAY
I'd kill for those thighs, though.

CHELSEA
Me too.

(Blackout)