Girl Crush

© 2005 Desiree Burch

Desiree & Marta sit on opposite ends of a table, back to back. Marta holds a hand mirror to her face and looks at herself. She adjusts hair, she rubs her lips together, She looks at the difference sides of her face. She looks at her other hand. She makes a gesture with it. She makes a funny face gesture, etc. The actions are random but they should be deliberate and repeatable.

M: I don’t really look at myself this closely in public.

D: But you do onstage. It’s kind of mesmerizing.

M: Thanks.

D: I think I have a girl crush on you.

M: I’ve never been with a girl.

D: That’s okay. I like how graceful you are. I want to be like that. You’re really kind and you always seem to take such an interest in people and the world around you. It fascinates me.

M: Well thank you. [Pause]

D: And I like how you didn’t try to compliment me back, just now. It shows a lot of security.

M: Well actually, that’s only because you didn’t write anything for me to say about you. If I may, I would love to say that… [compliments Desiree]

D: [not listening, and repeating until M finishes] La, la la la la la la la la…[Then, right as M finishes] Thanks![Pause] Whatcha doing over there?

M: [Says what she is doing]

D: [Tries to repeat, simultaneously and as closely as possible, what Marta says. Pause. Desiree then picks up another hand mirror and looks at herself while aligning it with the reflection of M] One of my favorite things about my best friend from high school was the way she looked at herself in the mirror. She had this posing thing that she did every time. I don’t know if I have a pose too. I have never really looked that hard. I always watched as she put her face on to go out. I admired it. One time I masturbated in her room while she was putting her make up on.

M: God, that’s weird.

D: Yeah! Adolescence, huh! I mean, it wasn’t to her. It was just at the same time.

M: Still.

D: She had that dark hair and pale skin thing going on too, like you. She always smelled really good. Like you.

M: Desiree, you’re not going to make a flesh dree out of me or something?

D: No! Come on! I love my own skin. I am a very vain person.

M: You just seem confident.

D: Well, I’m really vain.

M: Yeah, I’m really vain too.

D: Yeah ?!

M: Yeah/No. [Depending on which is true]

D: Do you want to try this new lotion I have? It’s Mango.

M: Okay.

Desiree squirts a gob of lotion into Marta’s hands and rubs it into both her and Marta’s hands and forearms.

D: If I were in middle school, I would want us to be friends.

M: What about now?

D: I don’t require that kind of affirmation anymore.

CURTAIN

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