Starring:
Mo McKynzie as Marisol Montgomery
Cody Smith as Aaron
Akanimo Effang as The Host
Director & Sound Designer: Nathan Gabriel
Writer, Creator, & Producer: Jade Madison Scott
Script Supervisor: Virginia Wilson
Theme Composer: Sterlyn Termine
Show Art: Julia Patrick
Special Thanks To Exsnos & Altitude12 for use of their song "Thing"
Introduction
HOST
WGC Productions presents—
MARISOL
Small Victories!
HOST
Marisol, come on. That’s my one part.
MARISOL
Too bad.
HOST
Man.
MARISOL
Now for the rest of you all, you only have to look out for strong language and references to drug abuse and suicide. It’s pretty, uh, it’s pretty simple that way. Yeah. Okay, who’s playing my music?
(Small Victories Theme Song Fades In)
Ext. Aaron's Stoop- Midnight
The crickets chirp. The street is pretty empty. The thump of bass heavy rap can be heard behind Aaron's door.
MARISOL
(Internal; Hyping herself up)
Just pop in. Just pop in to say hi. Talk to Aaron. Pop out. I don’t have to do anything I don’t want to do. I don’t have to drink anything. Don’t have to smoke anything. Just pop in, say hi, pop out. Pop in. Say hi. Pop out. Pop in—
(Marisol gives three solid raps on Aaron’s solid wooden door.)
AARON
(distant)
Naw, nigga. Stop playing….No, you stop playing. Wait. Wait, let me get the door.
(Aaron opens the door and sound spills out.)
MARISOL
Hey.
AARON
Hey. Yo, Marisol, you look so good.
MARISOL
I, uh, can I—
AARON
Oh, yeah. Yeah, come on in.
INT. Aaron's Living Room
Exsnos & Altitude12's "Thing" Thrums. There is plenty of animated conversation. Marisol and Aaron struggle to be heard.
AARON
Welcome to Casa de Aaron, Momma—
MARISOL
Don’t call me that.
AARON
Right, sorry. Hey, can I get you a beer? I got a real nice kitchen now. I’m glad I can finally show it off to someone who can appreciate it.
MARISOL
Uh, no, I, uh, I’m not thirsty.
AARON
What?
MARISOL
I’m good.
AARON
Okay, but can we go to the kitchen? I can barely hear you.
MARISOL
What?
AARON
Just follow me!
(The two walk towards the kitchen. The noise fades to a low murmur.)
MARISOL
(Internal)
This is….this is so...it’s so—
(A nearby group laughs and Marisol laughs along. The music fades out and the high-pitched dreamy ring fades in.)
MARISOL (CONT'D)
Oh my God, it’s so good. Everyone is just here and dancing and having so much fun. God, just look. Someone’s doing a line off the coffee table! Holy fuck it looks so...man, I could ask. Just slide over and I just—
(The music is pure ecstasy as Marisol imagines doing a line.)
MARISOL (CONT'D)
Ooooh, I would feel so motherfucking good. Baby, I could do some real damage. Some real fucking—
AARON
Marisol!
(The high-pitched ring abruptly cuts. The party can be heard again.)
AARON (CONT'D)
How are you? I’ve been asking you for, like, a whole minute. Thought you were having a stroke or some shit.
MARISOL
Oh, I’m, I’m, I’m good. Hey, Aaron, you got anything for me?
AARON
Haven’t even asked me how I am, and you’re already trying to score. What happened to your manners?
MARISOL
Look—
AARON
Nah, nigga, I’m fuckin’ with you. Yeah, of course I could sell you something, but, you know, try to enjoy the regular party favors first. Relax. You look stressed.
MARISOL
Yeah, I mean I kind of am. It’s been like a month since—
AARON
Oh, shit, I’m such an asshole I forgot.
MARISOL
What?
AARON
It’s been a month since Sam killed himself. I mean, the anniversary for it anyway.
MARISOL
I….um—
AARON
That’s...that’s what you were about to say, right? You’re kind of stressed ’cause you’ve been thinking about your brother right? I mean, it’s the third year since he’s died. Still probably pretty heavy.
MARISOL
Oh...yeah. Yeah, and our birthday is coming up in, like, four days, so I’m just...I want something to take the edge off—
AARON
Which is why you want whatever I have to give you.
MARISOL
Life without Sam is….Aaron, I’m really drowning here.
AARON
Yeah. Yeah, okay. I got something you might like upstairs.
MARISOL
Thanks, you’re the best.
AARON
I know.
(The two walk out of the kitchen and up the stairs which are relatively nearby. The noise fades again as Marisol speaks.)
MARISOL
(Internal)
I….look, I know it doesn’t look great. I mean, but a bump is just a bump. Like a little social bump. It’s not like I’m gonna do it alone, that’d be fucked up. I mean, what’s cocaine between friends? Just one little thing that doesn’t have to mean anything. I won’t even, you know, like I just need a little hit. Just to feel a little….a little happy, you know. I mean this time of the year, our birthday, it’s a rough time of year for me. I wasn’t lying, it really is just like drowning. Listen, you’ll see. I’m just gonna...I’m gonna just buy some, do a bump in the bathroom, and I’ll feel better and normal and then I’ll be right back on the wagon, okay? It’ll be like nothing even happened, okay?
(Aaron opens the door to his room.)
AARON
Come right on in.
Int. Aaron's Bedroom
They enter the room and Aaron closes the door behind them.
MARISOL
So, I was thinking that instead of my usual six grams, I think, you know like four would be fine. I think that would be fine.
AARON
Why? You tryin’ to cut back?
MARISOL
No. No, I just want to, you know, just don’t want to over do it. Don’t need to go crazy.
AARON
First for everything.
MARISOL
Yeah.
AARON
So, how are we doing it this time? You got the cash on you? You wanna send me it directly?
MARISOL
Uh, Aaron, actually, I got fired from my job again so money is a little tight right now so—
AARON
How tight?
MARISOL
I’m broke.
AARON
Nigga—
MARISOL
But I was thinking that, you know, you and me, we could work out an arrangement.
AARON
Arrangement? Marisol, you tryin’ suck my dick for coke?
MARISOL
What?
AARON
Oh!
MARISOL
Nigga, the fuck you talking about?
AARON
I thought you meant, like, an “arrangement”.
MARISOL/AARON
No, you bitchass motherfucking—/Hey, that’s not cool, Marisol—
MARISOL
I’ve got a girlfriend, you fucking asshole.
AARON
I mean, that hasn’t stopped us before, so—
MARISOL
Fuck you. That was a mistake.
AARON
Fine. Fine, I was wrong. My bad.
MARISOL
Yeah, your bad.
AARON
Then what did you mean?
MARISOL
I was thinking I could do you a non-sexual favor. Like, teach you how to bake a blueberry pie or make a Beef Wellington.
AARON
Marisol, this might surprise you, but this is a business and, would you believe it, money is an important part of the entrepreneurial process. See, the people who run me my shit need that money, which means I need that money, which means you need that money.
MARISOL
Then I’ll owe you one. I mean, come on, you know me. I’ll get a new job at some high brow restaurant and I’ll pay you back whatever I owe you.
AARON
What about Nina? She has a fuckton of money, right?
MARISOL
No. I’m not using her money.
AARON
Why not? Don’t you use her money for everything anyway?
MARISOL
Bitch—
AARON
Cool it with all this calling me out my name behavior.
MARISOL
Nina’s money is Nina’s money. I don’t need it.
(Beat)
AARON
Alright, but it’s only ’cause I like you.
MARISOL
Thank—
AARON
Close your eyes.
MARISOL
What?
AARON
I got to grab it and I don’t want you to see where I keep all my stuff.
MARISOL
I’m not a fucking junkie I can see—
AARON
Close your eyes now, Marisol.
MARISOL
Fine.
(Aaron ruffles around his room)
MARISOL (CONT'D)
How’s your dad?
AARON
Good. He’s retiring this year.
MARISOL
Aww, the schools will lose a good teacher when he leaves.
AARON
Yeah. I’m thinking about taking him on a trip to Europe or Mexico or something now that I can actually kind of afford it.
MARISOL
Go to Paris. Nina says that Paris is one of the prettiest places she’s ever been to. Plus it’ll be like a whole flex. Like I’m Black. I travel. What?
AARON
Yeah, maybe. How is the princess anyway?
MARISOL
She’s good. Painting. Living.
AARON
God, I wish I had her life.
MARISOL
Yeah.
(The rustling stops)
AARON
Open up.
MARISOL
That doesn’t look like four grams.
AARON
It’s two.
MARISOL
Two grams? What am I supposed to do with this?
AARON
Pace yourself.
MARISOL
Aaron—
AARON
Aht, you’re broke. You’re lucky I’m giving you anything at all. So, just shut up and say thank you, alright?
(Pause)
MARISOL
How am I supposed to shut up and say thank you at the same time?
AARON
(Laughing)
Asshole.
MARISOL
Give—
AARON
Wait, it’s gonna be three hundred.
MARISOL
Is it laced with gold?
AARON
Well, I can always take it back if you don’t want—
MARISOL
No. No, I want. I want.
AARON
Great, I need all the money by Friday.
MARISOL
Friday?
AARON
Yeah. Why? That a problem?
MARISOL
Yeah, I’m fucking broke and that’s four days away.
AARON
So, no coke then—
MARISOL
No! No. Look, I’ll get it to you by Friday.
AARON
I love it when we agree.
MARISOL
Yeah. You know Friday's my birthday. Maybe I’ll see if Mommy is getting me cash this year, been awhile since I used a Oujia board. Hey, I can ring up Sam too. It’ll be a family affair—
AARON
Yo, this ain’t a fucking joke. If you can’t pay me—
MARISOL
Relax, you’ll get your money. Maybe. I’ll figure it out. Yeah. Yeah. I can do that. Three hundred, I can do that.
AARON
You’re gonna have to.
MARISOL
Or what, you’ll break my kneecaps?
AARON
No, but I do know where you live, so...here.
(Marisol snatches the small bag of coke, holds it to her nose, and deeply inhales.)
MARISOL
Fuck, this smells so good!
AARON
Bathroom is down the stairs to the right.
MARISOL
Thanks.
AARON
And Marisol, we should...you should stick around, okay? Have fun.
MARISOL
Yeah. Yeah, maybe.
(Marisol opens the door and runs down the stairs. Small Victories Theme Fades In.)
Closing
HOST
You have just listened to Small Victories. Starring Morgen McKynzie as Marisol
MORGEN
Pop in. Say hi. Say hi. Pop Out. Pop in. Say hi. Pop out.
HOST
Cody Smith as Aaron
AARON
I thought you meant, like, an arrangement.
HOST
Script Supervisor, Virginia Wilson. Composer, Sterlyn Termine. Director and Sound Designer, Nathan Gabriel. Writer, Creator and Producer, Jade Madison Scott. And Akanimo Effang as The Host. Small Victories is supported by listeners like you. You can support us by subscribing to our Patreon and purchasing our merchandise from our store. Links to both can be found at www.wgcproductions.com. Please follow us @withgoodco on Instagram and Twitter to stay up-to-date.