Short Term 12 Monologues

A 20-something supervising staff member of a residential treatment facility navigates the troubled waters of that world alongside her co-worker and longtime boyfriend.

You being serious now? Well, it's easy. It's because you are the weirdest, most beautiful person that I've ever met in my whole entire life.

So, 3 years ago, right, we have this girl here named Liza Green. She's 17,older than everybody else on the unit at the time, and I don't mean this in a pervy way or anything, but she's real pretty.

All the guys on the unit want her but she won't give any of them the time of day because she was busy. She was always studying.

Really smart. So, two weeks before she turns 18 and leaves, we get this new intake. It's a 15 year old guy. He's really tough. He's really quiet. But, he's cool. He's just kind of like kicking back, checking out the scene. And I swear I didn't hear him say a word, the whole first week he was here. But, then one day, we were doing community meeting and we ask for announcements. And this guy raises his hand, and he looks directly at Liza Green, then he says, I know you don't know me. I just got here. But I just want to say that I've been watching you. I think you're the most interesting thing about this place, and I'm really sad I'm not going to get to know you before you leave.

I just wanted to tell you that.

It was so fuckin awkward I couldn't stand it. And then she left and never talked to him. The kids teased him for like a year about it.

No, he didn't give a shit. No, didn't even faze him. It was like, he knew somethin everybody else didn't.

Yeah, yeah. So, check this out. Grace and I are getting coffee at Ronnie's this morning. And we walk in, and who do we see sittin there alone at a table? Marcus! Buttoned-up his shirt. He's sippin on a cappuccino.

So, we're talking to him. We're catchin up. And he's telling us about his new job at the aquarium and his much he tales home in tips. And now, he's going to start applying for classes next semester.

Yeah. And it's weird 'coz I'm like, I have not heard Marcus talk this much ever, since I met him, like, what is the deal? Is he excited to see us? Is he nervous about somethin? And that's when I notice, there's another cappuccino on the table and an empty chair next to him. And then just like in the fuckin movies, bathroom door flings open, out walks Liza Green.

Then tell me. That's how this works. You talk to me about it so that I can take your hand and fucking walk through this shit with you. That is what I signed up for, Okay? But I cannot do that if you won't let me in.

You're sorry? Grace, are you serious? I've been waiting for you for a really long time and I wouldn't take a second of it back because I love you so goddamn much, okay? But I've been waiting for three years to as why is that you don't trust me. I've been waiting for three years for you to, just once, take the advice you give your kids every fucking five minutes and learn to talk about what's going on inside your head. You can't do that for me? Whatever it is, okay, just talk to me.

Please, you have to let me in your head once in a while or I'm just going to go nuts, Okay?