Crowned | A Play by Meena Malik – Part 2

Scenes 1 & 2 | Scenes 3 & 4 | Scenes 5 & 6 | Scenes 7, 8 & 9

Scene Three,  Filling out the Application.

Part One:  Falling Asleep.

[In Fatima’s room, Fatima doing her homework.]

Fatima:  So, the integral of 12x^3+42x-10 is….2, no, is….is…..is so boring.  I don’t want to do anymore calculus right now.  I’ll just work on my history report.  [Reaches into backpack, shuffling through papers]  Where did it go?  [Pulls out the report and the Prom Queen App falls out.  Bends down to pick it up.]  Ouch!  [gets papercut]  What’s this?  Oh, the application, I forgot about you.  Hm.  [gets up and falls back on bed]  I dunno, do I want to apply?  Ugh, why is this so difficult!!  Prom Queen is….it’s so…it’s lame, and maybe even a little wrong, but…it’s not THAT lame.  And I would hate to be Prom Queen, I would refuse….but it would be special…and I do want that you know, something special for a change [in a different, breathy voice] “Prom Queen.”  I mean…it sounds so wonderful…almost, [yawning] almost like a dream come true [Falls asleep]

Part Two:  Dream Sequence.

[On a stage at the Prom Dance.  This whole scene is a sequence of events and is mostly improvisation. Top Swordfish starts talking first and then the lighting comes into play.  Fatima is walking from one side of the stage to the other on a red carpet.  Fatima waving as she walks, twirling and skipping and jumping.  Voices offstage are saying “Fatima,” “Fatima you look so beautiful,” “Fatima, what a perfect Prom Queen,” “the sweetest girl in school, Fatima,” “Fatima is so awesome, I wish I could be just like her,” “Fatima is the perfect girl,” “Fatima, Fatima.”  Voices fade.]

Top Swordfish:  Now, it’s the moment that all of you Swordfishies have been waiting for, the crowning of your 2011 Marina Bay High PROM QUEEN.  Can I get a drum roll please?  [Audience has to pound feet]   I’d like to announce our Prom Queen–Fatima!!!

Mom:  [Mom’s voice coming in] Fatima! Fatima!

[Fatima is escorted by the Prom and is fanning her face with her hands and crying.  She comes up and is crowned and given flowers and balloons and teddy bears.]

Part Three:  Write it Out.

Mom:  [yelling from offstage]  Fatima! Fatima!

[Fatima wakes up, looking confused, saying quietly “Mom? Mom?”]

Dinner will be done soon, come down in a little bit!

Fatima:  Okay Mom!  Whoa, I guess I fell asleep doing my project.  Ugh,  history, as soon as I touch the book I fall asleep!! [Gets up and starts stretching.  Pacing.] Prom Queen Fatima.  Hmph.  I don’t know, I want to be Queen so bad, gut I just don’t know!  Is it right?  Is it wrong?  Can I win the title?  Forget about the crown, can I even make Prom court?  Do I want to do this to myself, put myself  out there and in this position?  But being Queen—the act of being crowned itself, just that, would be so sweet.  Prom Queen Fatima.  Prom Queen Fatima!  It has a nice ring to it, [picking up a stuffed animal]  doesn’t it, Mr. Fluffy-Pants?  What do you think?  Do you think I should go fir it?  [throws stuffed animal aside]  Jehan thinks I should…Samina thinks it’s a bad idea. [falls back onto the bed and is rolling around]  Well, Mr. Fluffy-Pants…[picking up application] I think Jehan is right. I think it’s time to fill out the application.  Let’s see…[reading out application] School activities, hobbies, favorite subject, plans after high school, aspirations. Seems simple enough.  I’ll show Jehan and Samina and even everyone else at school—I am Fatima Ibrahim, and I am your 2010-2011 Marina Bay High Prom Queen! [writing on application.]

Mom: Fatima!  Dinner!

Fatima:  Coming! [to herself] Just in time, I’m finished.  I’ll turn this in tomorrow and just wait for Prom Court announcements on Friday! [getting up and addressing herself/her Mom] …and it’s Queen Fatima to you!

Scene Four, An Important Day at School.

Part One:  Announcing Prom Court.

[Bell rings.]

Samina: Fatima! Assalamu alaykum!  Dude, this is the second time this week you are tardy!

Top Swordfish:  Hullo happy Swordfishies!  <<This is the one and only Top Swordfish with your morning announcements!  I hope you’re as excited as me!>>  It’s finally Friday!  Thank God it’s Friday! <<I have a very special announcement for all of your today—PROM COURT ANNOUNCEMENT!!  That’s right, you heard me.>>

Fatima: Walaykum assalam. I know, I’m exhausted.  And I have so much left to figure out for the Prom decorations!   I’m gonna work on them during lunch, can you help me?

Top Swordfish:  Today is the day of the Prom Court Announcement!

Samina:  I don’t want to help, I can’t.  Are you sure you’re feeling okay?  You look kinda…pale and clammy.

Fatima:  Oh….I’m just stressed out—I’m drowning under all the work I have to do.  I’m trying to stay afloat.

Samina:  That stinks…but fine, I’ll definitely be there at lunch!  But look at the bright side, it’s Friday! Thank Allah it’s Jumuah!  It’ll be 6^th period before we know it!

Fatima:  Yeah, great.  Just 6 periods to go.

Random kid:  Hey, shut it will you!  It’s the Prom Court Announcement!

Top Swordfish: It’s time to announce the lucky few who made it into Prom Court!  It is my pleasure to announce the contenders for Prom King—Senior Class President Derek Nichols, Chris “The Tank” Robinson, by the way great season Quarterback!, and the last lucky man…YOURS TRULY. The Top Swordfish himself.  [pause]  Just kidding, it’s not me.  I sure got you guys on that one huh? It’s Mr. Water Polo, Connor Daveys.  Your princesses are Head Cheerleader Kendra Perkins, Stacey William the School Secretary, and the wild card nominee, none other than the Volunteer Chair Fatima Ibrahim!

[Kids in class cheering, congratulating Fatima.]

<<Congratulations to our 2010-2011 Prom Court princes and princesses! This should make for an interesting running for the crown this year!  Now we just have to wait one more week to find out who wins!  Prom is next Saturday!  Tickets are still being sold, hurry up and buy them!  And more importantly hurry up and ask that special someone to Prom, before someone else asks!! While we’re on this topic, I’ve got another special announcement! DeAnna Thomas?  DeAnna, are you listening?  DeAnna, make your way to the Quad at break, someone has something very important to ask you. This is Top Swordfish signing off the air.  The weekend’s almost here!  As you countdown the periods throughout the day, just remember—just keep swimming, just keep swimming.  Peace out, Fishies.>>

Samina:  [loud whispering] Fatima!  I can’t believe you.

Fatima:  Look, Samina, I can explain….

[Samina turns away and crosses her arms]

Teacher:  Wow!  Congratulations Fatima Ibrahim!  [Class cheering, Jehan can be heard loudly cheering.] I had no idea you were running!  Alright, on to page 495 [Samina slams book down on her desk.  Bell rings.]…Remember to work on your projects over the weekend!

[Kids start exiting.  Samina is putting stuff away furiously and Fatima is just sitting there looking at her.]

Fatima:  Listen to me, I can explain.  It’s not what it looks like—

Samina:  No!  We already talked about this, I thought you weren’t going through with this!  I can’t believe you, I really can’t believe this whole thing!  How could you get sucked into the running for Prom Queen?  You. YOU. Out of all people, my best friend.  You, Fatima?  I…I…thought I knew you…I….I…–

Jehan:  [coming up to Fatima]  Wow!  I’m so excited, I told you, you got this!  I can’t wait to hear your name announced as Queen at Prom! [Samina grabs stuff and storms off stage] Woah, what is wrong with her?  Sam… [Chuckling.]  Oh, I get it.  No need to tell me.  She’s just hating.  [Cutting Fatima off from defending Sam and making an excuse for her.]  Okay, gotta get to class!  See ya later, Cuz the Prin-cess!

Fatima:  [Sitting at desk with head in her hands.]  Oh no.  What did I get myself into?

Part Two:   Connor and Jehan Overheard.

[Sitting in the SBG classroom, cutting decorations furiously and in a panic and talking on the phone.]

Fatima:  [Hangs up phone.] Oh, that stupid DJ!! As if I didn’t have enough to deal with already!  And Samina’s mad at me now.  She said she would be here to help me! I really need her!  I wish she didn’t get so mad at me today.  Me and Samina fighting on top of everything else is just really pushing me to the edge.  I hate dealing with all of this stuff! And I have all of the decorations to do!  Okay, [looking around for something]  Let me just finish designing this part. [pause]  And where is Samina?  Can I even hope that she’ll show up?

[Fatima can hear a guy (Connor) talking with Jehan.  Audience can only see shadows, dimly lit up on the other side of the stage.  Fatima continues working.]

Jehan:  Connor! Hey!  How are you doing?

Connor:  I’m doing great, Jehan, how are you?

Jehan:  Wonderful!  As always!  How did your game go yesterday?

Connor:  Excellent! We killed the East Side Lephrachauns.

Jehan:  How many goals did you score this time?

Connor: [can hear the smile in his voice]  Uh…It was 6.

Jehan:  [laughing flirtatiously] Of course, I expect nothing less from the Captain.  Hey!  So all of this Prom stuff is coming up!  You’re going with your girlfriend, huh?

Connor:  I know, I’m so excited!  This is supposed to be THE highlight of senior year, right?  Yeah, I’m going with her of course.  So, who are you going with?

Jehan:  My date is my business, you’ll find out soon enough.  So, you’re up for Prom King!  Captain and star of the water polo team gives you a great shot at winning.

Connor:  You really think I have a chance at winning Prom King?  Jason talked me into applying, and now I’m on court!   I didn’t think it would happen, but now that’s it’s happened, I’m taking it a little more seriously and realizing that it might be a big deal.  Don’t tell anyone, but maybe I want it now that I’m in the running.

Jehan:  Great, because I think it’s looking good for you!  It would cap off your senior experience!  I wonder who Prom Queen will be, what do you think?

Connor:  Yeah, I I’ve been wondering about that too!  Well, one thing for sure, my girlfriend isn’t running…sooo…who will the lucky Queen be?

Jehan:  You mean, YOUR lucky Queen.

Connnor:  Hey! Watch it, you’ll get me in trouble!  You know, especially with Fatima in the race now, it should be really interesting to see who wins!

Jehan:  Yeah, I know. I think she can win.  It’ll be the perfect underdog story.  She’s really great, you know.  She’s a good person.

Connor:  She is a nice girl.  I hope she wins, it’ll be a refreshing change.  But hey, I gotta go to my locker and I’m running late to a club meeting, but I’ll see  you around.  And thanks—

Jehan:  –for what?

Connor: For putting some confidence in me!

Jehan: Yeah, well, just looking out for the interests of everyone.  You winning King will make all the little boys dream of being the Water Polo Captain, slash Prom King, the Water Polo team needs the underclassmen to join the team!

Connor: [laughing] Yeah, yeah, surrrrre…see ya!

Jehan: Bye.

Part Three:  Jehan Lends a Helping Hand.

[Jehan enters Fatima’s half of the stage.]

Jehan: Fatima! You’re in here?!  Why are you spending your lunch ALONE, and working too!

Fatima:  Well, that’s just what I do…I’m always working.  But I’m not supposed to be alone, Samina was supposed to be helping me, she told she was gonna meet me here, [Jehan smirks, Fatima trying to cover up for Samina] but…maybe something came up and she couldn’t.

Jehan:  You don’t think it has anything to do with you making court, do you?

Fatima:  What do you mean?

Jehan:  I mean, don’t you think that everyone wants it?  Maybe she’s….maybe she’s just jealous that she can’t run because enough people don’t know her in the school.  It’s because she’s just an art geek.

Fatima:  No, Samina doesn’t want to be Prom Queen!  She thinks it’s wrong.

Jehan: Fatima, let me tell you something. Everyone wants to be Prom Queen.  Everyone, even if they don’t admit it.  And what do you mean by she thinks it’s “wrong?”

Fatima:  Well…she thinks that it’s…degrading and stupid.  She thinks that it’s against who we are and what we stand for.  We’re finishing up our four years here, and there’s no reason to sell out.  And….and….I think she thinks it’s compromising….like…compromising what Islam says.

Jehan:  Ugh, you know what, I’m tired of hearing what we CAN’T do.  I can’t eat this, and I can’t wear this, I can’t go to this place, I can’t have these friends, I can’t drink this, I can’t be with anyone, I can’t I can’t I can’t I can’t!  I’m tired of everything being haram.  It’s just a bunch of restrictions.

Fatima:  Come on, that’s not true…

Jehan:  It’s not true?  Are you kidding me?

Fatima:  Well it’s not completely true, and you’re saying it the wrong way. There’s a balance.  We’re not supposed to do some stuff because it’s better for us, Allah knows what’s best for us since He is the One that created us–

Jehan:  You know what, let’s switch the topic, I don’t want to talk about this.  I think Sam is jealous of you.  She’s mad at you, and now, she’s blowing you off.  There’s a reason she’s not here helping you, it’s because this small Prom Queen running is more important to her than your friendship.  [Pause, Fatima looks hurt and distraught, she stops cutting completely and the paper hanging limp.]  Well, what can I do to help you?  Put me to work.

Fatima:  [Shuffling around for something] Here, can you start gluing these?  [They work in silence for a short time.] Thanks so much for helping me, I’m really swamped and your help means a lot.

Jehan:  We’re blood Fatima, cousins always got each other’s back.  Speaking of being swamped, have you started your history project yet?  I’m still trying to decide my topic!

[Lights fade and bell rings.]