(Genre: Short Play/Short Dialogue Practice(?), (please don’t take this personally (because it’s truly NOT..(and pertaining to that, the names are randomly selected)), thanks!))
Meanwhile, during a text message conversation..
Bob: Stop deflecting.
Max: You’re not even listening!
Bob: But you need someone to be aggressive with you to become motivated to help yourself!
Max: Yet it doesn’t help me more clearly understand what you’re trying to say when you’re getting mad over nothing. And speaking in general, getting shouted at doesn’t help me understand important lessons more clearly since the loud noise just feels to increase my anxiety.
Bob: No, it’s what you need to hear. And you literally take zero responsibility.. You don’t try to better yourself at all.. and you never help me out in return.
Max: No, I’ve been a nice guy, I’ve driven to your performances, I don’t give you constant advice that’s unasked for. I have—
Bob: Dude the advice I give is literally what you need to be telling yourself! And since you’re not, I am being of service to you by reminding you what you need to remember for self-improvement!
Max: I have been bettering myself! I work out, I have been eating more fruits and vegetables, I show up to a job that others depend on that helps distribute packages while also applying for more work..! You really need to stop!
Bob: And you need to actually do it while spending less time blaming others for your bad choices. Give me your mom’s number.
Max: I’m not blaming anyone! I am doing my best to take responsibility within my highly influenced life circumstances!
Bob: Stop excusing your bad choices on how you’ve been influenced.
Max: I’m not! I literally just made a brief point!
Bob: Give me your mom’s number.
Max: Bob, you are not my drill instructor!
Bob: Max, give me your mom’s phone number, now!
Max: Wow, that one time when I said that you just help me out for your “ego”, you got so offended while forgetting how you’ve so often completely ignored my requests to receive LESS arrogant feedback about what you perceive as everything “wrong” with me that’s my own “fault” that you “need” to “fix”. While the reality is that you continually fail to witness how much of a jerk you truly come across as! You literally threatened to “kill me” if I didn’t keep taking these psychiatric prescriptions that make me more emotionally dysregulated and make me feel as if I’m degenerating into the physical state of a vegetable!
Bob: Well, if you don’t give me your mom’s number, I’m blocking you, because there’s nothing more that I can do to help. So that’s why I’m going to ask her what needs to be done.
Max: I’m already getting treatment! It’s just with less of the same prescriptions that haven’t been helping!
Bob: Well it doesn’t seem to be working and I didn’t mean it like that when I said “I’ll kill you”.. It was just to try to express frustration within myself for not knowing how to exactly help you.
Max: That’s not how it came across though!
Bob: So let it go then.
Max: Seriously?
Bob: Max, give me your mom’s number.
Max: You didn’t even try to listen to what I just—
Bob: Give me your mom’s number, or I’m blocking you.
Max: Man I wish I was more tech-savvy because I would love to have sent you that voice message for you to hear how you sounded!
Bob: Let’s go, give me your mom’s number.
Max: I will not.
Bob: Max, stop being manipulative, give me your mom’s number, now!
Max: You have it so backwards..
Bob: I’ll start counting down, and if you don’t give it to me when I get to zero, I’m blocking you..
Max: Like I already—
Bob: 10, 9, 8–
Max pauses before replying as Bob counts down..
Bob: 7, 6, 5, 4–
Max: You really need to stop.
Bob: 3, 2, 1..
Max: Max, you are not my drill instructor.
Bob: … Zero.
Max: Wow.. You’re like.. so “cool” man..
Bob: Bye bye bud.
Bob blocks Max, and then, Max messages someone else named James..
Max: Hey man I just got blocked by someone. You don’t know him, and I haven’t been reaching out because I didn’t want to bother you either.
James: Oh damn I’m sorry to hear that.
Max: It’s whatever.
James: Right, and not that you did anything “wrong”, but you did reach out to him, so keep in mind that he also has the right to say his opinion.
Max: Yeah I know.
James: Mhmm.
Max: I literally wrote the guy a freakin gratitude letter at one point..! I don’t know..!?
James: Yeah I’m sorry man. That sounds rough.
Max: It’s all good man. It is whatever it happens to become as of now.
James: Right.
Zach Dana Writing 