Planning the Senior Party

April 17, 2011, 7:30pm

Will Friedman and Chloe Gold are in Friedman’s rooms at New Ridgemont High putting the final touches on their plans for the Senior Party. They are sitting on the floor, flanking a large piece of posterboard on which they’ve sketched a layout for the party’s furnishings and decor.

Will: When does Laurie start painting?

Chloe: This week. She told me she needs a few more supplies.

Will: The idea of a wraparound mural was inspired, Chloe: a permanent homage to our first graduating class. People will see it at every varsity game; every time they walk into PE.

Chloe: [Performs a seated bow] Thank you. They more than deserve it. Laurie came up with an incredible design and is good enough to pull it off.

Will: The fact that it’ll be ready before the party is amazing. I can’t wait to see the looks on their faces.

Chloe: Laurie got Anna and Marissa to help her out.

Will: [Studying the posterboard] The only thing is, I’m starting to wonder if our gym is big enough for this thing. We’ve got over a hundred seniors.

Chloe: It’s the largest indoor space we have, once you retract the bleachers. We’ll make it work.

Will: I’m not sure how. [Points at the sketch] Once you add the DJ setup, food and drinks tables, and all the folding tables and chairs for people to sit, there’s no room left for a dance floor.

Chloe: What about this? [Takes her pencil and reworks the sketch] The gym is a rectangle, right? In fact, it’s almost a square. Instead of the east wall, put the DJ setup in the center. Place the tables and folding chairs around the perimeter, and have the food and drinks tables in the hall just outside the doors. People won’t be lining up inside the gym, and it leaves a big, empty ring around the DJs for dancing.

Will: Those are swinging doors, and they’re heavy. With a bunch of kids balancing drinks and plates piled up with food, I see accidents happening.

Chloe: Have the custodians take the doors off the hinges before the event.

Will: [Eyes lighting up] Yes! That might actually work! [Stretches and looks at his watch] God, I’m tired. We’ve been at this for almost two hours, and I’ve been here since six in the morning. I owe the Governor a report on the college admissions data, and I’ve been replying to panicky, last minute messages from the Oakland and Berkeley Principals.

Chloe: [Slides over to him and hooks her arm through his] I know you’ve been busy as hell. I’ve barely seen you in, like, a month.

Will: The end of the Spring semester is hectic at any school, but here it’s a whole different level of crazy. Closing out our first year and getting two new schools ready has me spread thin, even with you guys helping. Without you, it would be completely impossible of course. You were right to insist that I let you work with me on the expansions.

Chloe: I take it the college admissions numbers are good?

Will: Stratospheric. We’ve got a dozen graduates going to Ivies, equally as many going to SLACs like Swarthmore and Amherst, and about twenty-five going to Stanford, Berkeley, or Cal Tech.

Chloe: That’s wonderful!!

Will: And here’s something that’ll make you really happy. Kevin’s graduating with a Journeyman’s and doing a special Masters in advanced auto-mechanics and engineering over the summer. I’ve hired him as a full time auto-shop teacher, starting in the Fall!

Chloe: [Puts her hands over her mouth] Omigod! We get to keep Kevin?! That is so exciting!

Will: Kevin’s dad wants to retire, so he’s hired Marty to run the repair and auto-body business. Every Senior is doing something terrific after graduating.

Chloe: It’s the best PR New Ridgemont High could possibly have!

Will: It is indeed. Our students are succeeding beyond anyone’s wildest dreams.

The two get up and stretch after sitting so long on the floor. Chloe goes to the fridge, takes out a bottle of Chablis, and pours herself half a glass. Pours a generous measure of Scotch for Will from the bottle on his desk. Will cracks the window and lights a cigarette. Chloe hands him the Scotch, and the two settle themselves contentedly into armchairs.

Chloe: So, I heard that Sal had a certain “chat” with you, and it wasn’t pleasant.

Will: [Lets out a heavy sigh] Yeah. [Suddenly confused] Wait, how do you know that?

Chloe: Tom told me.

Will: [Slaps his forehead] Of course…Sal mentioned that Tom was talking to you.

Chloe: He took me to Chasen’s, Zuma, the whole deal. Trying to soften me up. I saw through it immediately of course. It was just so completely out of character.

Will: How did it go?

Chloe: Better than your conversation with Sal from what I understand. I got a little pissed at first, but Tom was really sensible. He said he understood my position and that he only took a different one because he’s more — how did he put it? — “Risk averse.” [Laughs]

Will: Sal was angry with me, and I lashed out at him. It’s been kind of cold between us ever since. [Looks crestfallen]

Chloe: Funnily enough, our discussion brought Tom and me closer together. It was like some pressure valve had been released. Things felt softer afterwards; the most tender we’ve been with one another since we were children.

Will: I am regularly reminded of the ways in which you kids are more advanced than we are. Something happens when you get older, and it isn’t good.

Chloe: [Softly] “When you grow up, your heart dies.”

Will: [Bitterly] How else could we be doing this to you? Treating your entire generation like a bunch of criminals; worse, like animals. [He spits out the last word as if it’s poison]

Chloe: [Straightens up and looks him in the eye] You aren’t doing anything except working yourself to exhaustion trying to help us. Ditto for every single adult in this school and in our community.

Will: [Shakes his head as if dispelling something] You’re right of course.

Chloe: Tom said something funny to me while we were talking. When he realized that he and I were having essentially the same conversation as the one you and Sal had he said, “You and Friedman must share a soul or something.”

Will: Were they really that close?

Chloe: Tom said almost word-for-word.

Will: Wow.

Chloe: I know. Weirder things, right?

Will: So Tom didn’t push, huh? Sal shoved so hard, I could have fallen out the window. It got my back up, and everything deteriorated from there.

Chloe: [Slowly] He started out pretty aggressively, but I told him that you and I talked on the beach last semester, and it really heightened my sense of urgency; convinced me that we had to go full throttle or we wouldn’t get another chance.

Will: Oh, so you told him.

Chloe: I didn’t tell him anything beyond what I just said. There was no need. The trust we have is fundamental. Even when we’re angry at each other, there’s a point past which we simply won’t go.

Will: I wouldn’t have minded if you did tell him. Do you think he would have believed it?

Chloe: [Thoughtfully] I’m not sure. He could have gone either way: completely bought it or thought we’d both gone nuts. With his quirky, conspiratorial mind, it’s impossible to tell. I didn’t want to risk it, and as things went, what I said was more than enough. He backed off immediately.

Will: I wish I could be as confident as you. The exchange with Sal really shook me up. I’ve been questioning myself a lot.

Chloe: I had the benefit of a little dress rehearsal with Mitch, remember?

Will: I’m not following.

Chloe: [Laughs] You helped me through it, silly!

Will: [Pleadingly] Middle-age memory!

Chloe: It was during that same night; on the drive to Zuma. I was upset that Mitch hadn’t told me about his then-new girlfriend. 

Will: I remember now. He’d been nursing a crush, and you thought you’d been leading him on.

Chloe: Do you recall what you told me?

Will: I’m afraid not.

Chloe: I was beating myself up for always hugging him and kissing him, and you said, “That’s just who you are. It’s a lovely quality.”

Will remains silent.

Chloe: And then you said I’d been a great friend to him.

Will: Which you were and continue to be.

Chloe: Well, you’ve been a great friend to all of us. It’s just who you are, and it may be the only thing that saves us from these evil people. What was it you said during Stage Night? “We’re suffering from a serious compassion deficit.”

Will: Yes.

Chloe: The only chance we have is uncompromising love for each other and for every kid in this country. Because what we’re facing is nothing less than undiluted hate. For whatever reason, a significant number of people in the US hate their own children. Enough for politicians to take up their cause.

Will: [Shudders] You’re reminding me of that Priss Pruitt documentary I was in, “The Rise and Fall of the American Teenager.” And the convo Bret and John did on Charlie Rose, where Bret made that point explicitly. He said this is happening because Baby Boomers and Gen Xers are embittered over their lost youth and are taking it out on their children.

Chloe: I saw the documentary — it was terrifying — but I haven’t seen the Charlie Rose convo. It’s as plausible a theory as any, though. Still, it’s complete madness. Why become parents if you hate kids?

Will: I mean, this has been my life’s work since, well…you know…but watching it unfold in real time has been surreal. I’ve almost been hiding in here. It’s easier to forget what’s going on when I don’t leave the school, even though the only reason for New Ridgemont High is what’s going on in the state and the country.

Chloe: Well, never mind! We’ll beat these bastards, and we’ll do it in style! New Ridgemont High style! [Raises her glass]

Will: [Leans over and clinks his glass against hers] That we will, my dear! L’chaim!