Finding Out | Teen Ink

Finding Out

April 6, 2017
By EmilyGrace12, Orlando, Florida
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EmilyGrace12, Orlando, Florida
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Scene: Two young adults sitting in a busy coffee shop, one reading quietly while the other types furiously at a laptop.
AMY [slamming her laptop shut with a groan of frustration] : I’m never going to able to finish this!  Matt!  Are you even listening to me?!
MATT [looking up from a book in his hands] : Yes, Amy, I heard you quite clearly.  You do know that you had four weeks to write that essay, right?
AMY [scoffs] : I know!  Never mind that.  Listen, I have to get my birth certificate from his parents for this school thing.  Will you come with me?
MATT: Is that even a question?  I am your best friend after all, and your parents love me.
AMY [grinning] : Great, we’ll drive out to my parents’ place the day after tomorrow.
MATT: I’m assuming I’m driving?
AMY: You assume correct.
 

Scene: Matt sitting at a desk in his room in his apartment that is shared with Amy.
[Matt’s phone rings, the caller ID reads DAD]
MATT [answering the phone] : Hey Dad, what’s up?
MATT’S DAD [over the phone] : Hi!  Not too much, I was just calling to ask what you are doing this weekend.
MATT: I’m driving out with Amy to her parents’ house in a couple of days.
MATT’S DAD: What for?
MATT: She has to get her birth certificate for a school thing.
MATT’S DAD [suddenly sounding anxious] : Matt, I don’t think you should go with her.
MATT [frowning and sitting forward] : Why, what’s wrong?
MATT’S DAD [laughing nervously] :  Nothing! Everything’s fine, listen, I really have to go…. Bye![Matt’s phone beeps to signify that his dad hung up, Matt looks at his phone with a bewildered expression.]
[Matt walks out of his room into the living room where Amy is dancing to a speaker blasting music and cooking dinner]
MATT: So I just had the weirdest conversation with my father.
AMY [turning the speaker down] : Really, how so?
MATT [sitting down at a bar stool and sliding his phone across the counter] :   He called and asked what I was doing this weekend, so I told him that I was driving with you out to your parents’ house.
AMY [humming in understanding] :  That sounds pretty normal, what’s weird about that?
MATT [shaking his head] :  No, that’s when it got weird, after I told him what we were doing, he asked why we were going out there so I told him that you had to get your birth certificate.  Once I told him that he got all weird and started laughing like he does when he’s nervous, and then told me I shouldn’t go out there with you.
AMY [turning away from the stove to look at Matt] :  Why not?
MATT: I have no idea, I asked him what was wrong and he said that everything was fine.  Then he hung up.
AMY [fixing Matt with a glare] :  You’re still going with me though, right?  I really don’t want to be by myself in a car for five hours.
MATT [nodding] :  Of course I’m still going.
AMY [smiling and turning back towards the stove] :  Good.
MATT [smirking] :  Besides, I have to drive because we all know that if you were driving you would be too busy dancing to the radio to pay attention to the road.
AMY [whipping around and throwing a dish rag at Matt] : Hey!  I reject that statement.
[A few seconds of silence before Amy speaks again.]
AMY [mumbling] : You’re right.
[The scene ends with Matt and Amy laughing.]

Scene: it is a day later, one day before they are set to drive out to her parents’ house.  Matt and Amy are both sitting in the same coffee shop that we first saw them in.  Amy is stacking sugar packets and Matt is counting how many she cans tack before they fall over.
MATT [watching the tower of sugar packets topple over] : And twenty-eight, that’s a new record.
AMY [grinning at Matt] : I bet I can get it even higher before we leave.
[She resumes tacking sugar packets with a determined expression]
MATT [laughing at his friend’s antics] :  You know what, I bet you can.
[Matt’s phone rings, making them both jump, resulting in Amy’s sugar packet tower falling down again.]
AMY [making a face in the direction of Matt’s phone] : Really? I was so close to beating it!  Who is it anyways?
MATT: It’s my dad again, I hope this phone call isn’t as weird as the last one.
[Amy gives up on stacking the sugar packets and looks curiously at Matt as he answers the phone.]
MATT: Hey Dad, what’s –
MATT’S DAD [cutting Matt off mid-sentence] : Matt I really don’t think you should go with Amy this weekend.
MATT [looking at Amy with confusion on his face] : Dad, I have to go with her, I already promised her I would.
AMY [whispering] : What is going on?
MATT [covering the speaker on his phone and whispering back] : I don’t know.
MATT’S DAD:  Matt, Amy is fine on her own, she can go by herself.
MATT: Dad, I’m going with her.  She doesn’t want to be in a car by herself for five hours and I want to go with her.
MATT’S DAD [sighing] : Fine, but don’t be mad at me and your mother when you get there.
M ATT [very confused] :  Dad, what is going on?
MATT’S DAD: Nothing, bye Matt.MATT: Bye, Dad.
[He hangs up the phone and looks at Amy with a confused expression.]
MATT:  That conversation was even weirder than the last one.
AMY:  Why, what did he say?
MATT:  He told me I shouldn’t go with you, and when I told him I was definitely going, he told me not to be mad at him and my mom when we got there.
AMY [tilting her head to the side] :  That is really weird, usually your dad is pretty laid back about everything.
MATT:  I know, that’s why this is so weird.

Scene: Matt and Amy are in a car on the road, Matt is behind the steering wheel and Amy is belting tout the song on the radio.
AMY: Come on Matt, sing along!
MATT [glancing over at Amy] : I don’t sing.
AMY [rolling her eyes] :  Suit yourself.
[Amy finishes out the rest of the song before turning the radio down and turning towards Matt.]
AMY:  How much longer until we get there?
MATT [looking at the GPS] :  About an hour.
AMY [groaning and throwing her arms out dramatically] :  It’s so LONG!
MATT:  I think you’ll be fine.
AMY [continuing with her theatrics] :  How ever shall I pass the time?!
MATT [playing along] : I don’t know Amy, how?
AMY [smiling widely] :  More singing!
MATT [laughing] :  Of course!  What else would you do?
AMY [leaning forward to turn the radio up] :  That, my friend, is the million dollar question.

Scene:  They are still both in the car, but Matt drives into a gated neighborhood. 
MATT [pulling up to the gates and rolling down his window to talk to the guard] :  We’re here to see the Smiths.
GUARD [nodding] :  They said they’d be expecting you, drive right in.
MATT: Thanks.
[Matt begins driving down a long road to the Smith’s house.]
AMY:  I hate having such a common last name, it’s so…. boring.
MATT [smirking] : The great Amelia Smith is too amazing for such a boring last name?
AMY [sticking her tongue out at the use of her full name before putting her hands on her hips and lifting her chin in the air] :  Obviously, Matthew.
[Matt makes a face at his full name before laughing and continuing to drive.]
MATT [pulling into the driveway of a large house] :  We’re here.
[They both get out of the car and walk up the steps to the front porch before Matt rings the doorbell.]
[The doors open a woman who looks like an older version of Amy steps out.]
AMY’S MOM:  Amy!  Matt!  You both are here earlier than we thought you would be!
AMY:  Well yeah, we would have been later, but someone insisted we leave early. [She elbows Matt lightly in the side.]
MATT [rubbing the back of his neck like he does when he’s nervous he made the wrong decision and smiling sheepishly] :  You know me, always liking to be punctual.
AMY’S MOM [sensing Matt’s nervousness and easing it with a light hand on his shoulder] :  No worries dear, if anything, you guys got here at just the right time.  We were just about to have dinner.  Did you eat on the way?
[Matt and Amy both shake their heads in sync with each other.]
AMY’S MOM: Let’s fix that!
AMY [whispering to Matt] :  That’s why I told you not to stop, I knew they’d feed us.
[They are ushered inside and the door closes behind them.]

Scene: Matt, Amy, and her parents are all in the kitchen.  Matt is helping Amy’s mom with the dishes from dinner and Amy and her dad are talking about the Broadway show her dad and mom saw when they went to visit Amy and Matt in the city a week before.
AMY’S MOM [taking some wet dishes out of Matt’s arms so she can dry them] :  So, Amy, you never really said, why you came down here.  What’s up?
AMY [turning towards her mom] :  I need my birth certificate.
MATT [nodding in agreement] :  She needs it for a school thing.
[Amy’s mom and dad share a look before her dad nods and goes upstairs to grab it.]
AMY [turning towards Matt and whispering] :  I wonder what that was about.
MATT [whispering back] :  Me too, that was a little strange.
[Amy’s dad comes back into the room with a large envelope that he hands silently to Amy.]
[Matt comes to stand over Amy’s shoulder as she begins to open the envelope.]
AMY [addressing her parents] :  Why are you both acting so weird?
[Amy finally opens the envelope fully and pulls a large piece of paper out.]
[Amy and Matt both gasp when they read what it says.]
AMY [an incredulous expression on her face] :  I’m adopted?!
MATT [wearing the exact same expression] :  She’s adopted?!
AMY’S MOM:  Yes, you are, but that’s not it.
AMY:  There’s more?!  Mom, there can’t be more, that’s a pretty big thing.
AMY’S MOM:  Did you read who it says your birth-parents are?
[Amy looks over the paper before gasping and putting a hand over her mouth.]
MATT [worried about his best friend] :  What?  What is it?
[Amy just shakes her head and shoves the paper into Matt’s hands.]
AMY:  Read who it says my birth-parents are.
[Matt looks at the paper and his eyes widen when he sees his parent’s names on the paper.]

Scene:  Matt and Amy are in the car heading back.  They are sitting in a stunned silence.
MATT: So…..
AMY:  What do we do now?
MATT:  I think the first thing we should do is go home.  I need to talk to my parents.
AMY:  Do you want me to come?
MATT:  It’s probably not a bad idea… they might be able to explain why they did what they did.
AMY:  Good point, when do you want to do that?
MATT:  I think they’re going to be in town next weekend, we could do it then?
AMY:  Sounds good.
MATT:  Alright, it’s a plan.
[They both turn to face the front of the car and Amy leans over and turns the radio on.]

Scene:  Matt and Amy are sitting in their kitchen in their apartment.  Matt has his phone in his hand.
MATT:  I’m going to call my dad and make sure that they are going to be in town.
AMY:  Okay, are you going to mention anything about the fact that we now know that we are apparently brother and sister?
MATT:  That is still a shock hearing you say that, and I don’t know.  Do you think I should?
AMY:  I think at least mentioning it before we meet up with them to talk about it is a good idea.
MATT:  You have a point, I’ll mention it.
[Matt picks up his phone and calls his dad.]
MATT’S DAD:  Hello?
MATT [looking over at Amy and nodding] :  Dad, hey!
MATT’S DAD:  What’s up?
MATT:  I just wanted to know if you’ll be in town next weekend.
MATT’S DAD:  We will, but why?MATT:  Amy and I wanted to meet up with you guys, we have something we want to talk to you about.
MATT’S DAD:  And what is that?
MATT [looks at Amy and sees her making a “go-on” gesture with her hands] :  About the fact that Amy and I are siblings.
MATT’S DAD [sputtering] :  How did you learn that?
MATT:  We both saw her birth certificate when we went to get it.
MATT’S DAD:  Yes, we will meet up with you guys.  At your apartment?
MATT [directing the question towards Amy] : Here?
AMY:  No, coffee shop.
MATT [nodding and talking to his dad again] :  No, we’ll meet you at the coffee shop.
MATT’S DAD:  We’ll meet you there.  Bye Matt.
MATT: Bye.

Scene:  Matt, Amy, and Matt’s parents are sitting in the same coffee shop that we first saw the characters in.
MATT:  Okay, so can you please explain that again?
AMY:  Yeah, just so that we can be certain we have it all right.
MATT’S MOM:  Well, Amy, you were born not that long after Matt, and we didn’t think we would be able to raise two young children at the same time.
MATT’S DAD:  So, we put Amy up for adoption, we didn’t know you two would go on to become best friends.
MATT’S MOM:  It was quite a shock for us when Matt came home from school going on and on about his new friend Amy. 
MATT’S DAD:   When Matt finally showed us a picture from school of the two of you together, we had to suppress our shock.
MATT and AMY [speaking at the same time] :  Okay, that kind of makes sense.
MATT:  Well know there’s a reason we do that all the time.
[They all laugh.]

[Matt and Amy are in their apartment, Amy is on her laptop at the kitchen island and Matt is cooking dinner.]
AMY:  So know the hard part is over, what do we do?
MATT [shrugging] :  Tell our friends?
AMY [laughing] :  You know, it’s funny, our friends always told us that we close enough to be siblings.
MATT [turning and smiling at Amy] :  Now we can tell them that they were right!
AMY [still laughing] :  That we can big brother, that we can.



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