For Deanna's Eyes Only!

SCENE 1

1

[A teenage girl’s bedroom. Jonathan sits on the bed reading a diary. He shakes

his head, turns a page, continues reading. Deanna enters and stops short. She

stares in disbelief as Jonathan goes on reading, totally oblivious to her
Presence.]

2

DEANNA: [Indignantly.] What do you think you’re doing?

3

JONATHAN: [Startled.] Ah! [Slams the diary shut.]

4

DEANNA: What are you doing?

5

JONATHAN:Nothing!

6

DEANNA: You’re reading my diary!

7

JONATHAN: [As if he’s confused.] Diary?

8

DEANNA: [Pointing.] That! Right there! In your hands!

9

[Jonathan looks down at his hands and reacts as if he is shocked to see
something in them.]

10

DEANNA: Oh, cut it out. You know what you were doing.

11

JONATHAN: I wasn’t reading it.

12

DEANNA: I stood here and watched you. I’ve told you a million times to stay
away from my things. Why are you even in my room?

13

JONATHAN: Doing you a favor.

14

DEANNA: Snooping through my private things? That’s your idea of a favor?

15

JONATHAN: I wasn’t snooping. I was cleaning up after you. Mom told me to
straighten up the family room, and most of the mess was yours. If this diary is
so private, why’d you leave it on the couch?

16

DEANNA: So to put my stuff away, you had to read my diary?

17

JONATHAN: No. I didn’t even want to read it. But you gave me the impression
that you wanted me to, so…

18

DEANNA: [In total disbelief.] What? I gave you the impression that I—are you
Crazy?

19

JONATHAN: Well, I figured from what you wrote on the cover…

20

DEANNA: I didn’t write “For everybody’s eyes—especially Jonathan’s!” I wrote
“FOR DEANNA’S EYES ONLY!” That somehow gave you the impression that I
wanted you to read it?

21

JONATHAN: Well, if you write something like that on the cover and then leave
it lying around, what do you expect?

22

DEANNA: I expect people to mind their own business.

23

JONATHAN: Oh, that’s like putting a plate of brownies out on a table and then
getting mad when someone eats one. If you really wanted to keep your writing
secret, you’d bury it in the middle of some half-used-up notebook where nobody
but you would even think to look.

24

DEANNA: So it’s my fault you violated my privacy?

25

JONATHAN: It was kind of like false advertising.

26

DEANNA: False advertising?

27

JONATHAN: Sure. When you use phrases like “DO NOT OPEN—OR ELSE!” the
reader is going to expect something riveting. Not complaints about the school
cafeteria.

28

DEANNA: What?

29

JONATHAN: I’m just saying that with a title like that, the reader’s going to
expect some drama—or at the very least, an embarrassing story.

30

[From offstage Deanna’s mother calls her to leave for volleyball practice.]

31

DEANNA: [To Jonathan.] This isn’t over! [Deanna exits, taking the diary with
her. Jonathan shrugs and exits after her.]

SCENE 2

32

[Family room. Jonathan is watching TV. Deanna enters with the diary and sits
on the couch opposite Jonathan.]

33

DEANNA: O.K., let me hear it.

34

JONATHAN: Hear what?

35

DEANNA:[Amazed.] The apology you owe me for reading my diary!

36

JONATHAN: Oh that. I was kind of a sneak to read it behind your back.

37

DEANNA: Yeah, you were.

38

JONATHAN: You want to know the real reason I started reading it?

39

DEANNA: O.K., why did you?

40

JONATHAN: Well, lately, it’s like I’ve been invisible to you.

41

DEANNA: What are you talking about? We do stuff all the time.

42

JONATHAN: We used to do stuff all the time. Have you even read your own
diary?

43

DEANNA: Well, no. I’ve just been writing in it.

44

JONATHAN: About your friends. And school. And Jeremy.

45

DEANNA: And?

46

JONATHAN: And that’s it. I’m not in it anywhere. Take a look. You won’t even
find my name.

47

DEANNA: [Looks down at the diary in her hands.] I guess I have been busy.
But that still doesn’t give you the right to read my private diary.

48

JONATHAN: I know. And I am sorry, but I just had to find out if you were mad
at me.

49

DEANNA:[Sighs.] I’m not mad at you; I’ve just been preoccupied. I’ve been
so busy with my first year of high school, trying to keep up and fit in. [Pauses
for a moment.] But if you promise not to read my diary anymore, I promise to
do something with you at least once a week from now on.

50

JONATHAN: O.K., sounds good to me. [Pauses.] But you may want to keep
your diary in your room, just in case. [Both exit the stage.]