GREG keeps his arm around his friend and KENT doesn’t try to hold back now. He puts his head down and lets go. His shoulders heaving. Long, painful sobs.

At work.

Break room, empty at the moment. Quiet. A buzzer suddenly shatters the silence. Once. Twice.

After a moment, STEPH enters, followed by CARLY. It seems a little awkward between them but they try to smile and make small talk.

STEPH … is this ok? I mean …

CARLY It’s fine—it’s usually pretty quiet up here until day shift comes on./I mean, unless fucking Kent shows up.

STEPH Ok./ Oh yeah … that’d be great.

CARLY Anyway, better than you sitting out there in the lobby./ Waiting for …

STEPH Thanks./ Right.

CARLY So, what? He told you to meet him here, or …?/ That’s … ’cause he called me to say he was coming here to see me …

STEPH Yeah./ Oh.

CARLY Why would he do that? (STEPH shrugs.) Not that you know, but … it just seems strange to me.

STEPH I didn’t know if you’d be working … but I felt like I had to come. You know? He made it sound so … serious.

CARLY Plus, aren’t you supposed to get there first?/ I mean, if you ask somebody to meet you … at a place …? Isn’t that the way it works?

STEPH Right?!/ Usually. (Beat.) Listen, I don’t wanna re-hash any shit or … but I really am glad that we took the time to, you know, talk and stuff. The other day./ That made me feel better …

CARLY Me too./ Good.

STEPH I just felt like … whatever. Better.

CARLY I agree. (Beat.) Greg doesn’t, but hey!

STEPH I know! That guy would rather run, like, a thousand miles than shout at a person or, or, or … disappoint someone.

CARLY Exactly!

STEPH He’s always been that way./ He calls it “non-confrontational” or some shit …

CARLY Yup./ Convenient that they have a name for it … he probably thinks that makes it more “ok” if there’s a name for it./ I mean, it drives me a little bit crazy, you know?

STEPH No kidding./ Exactly! He thinks he’s, like, Gandhi or some shit. Or the black one who got … (Mimes a gunshot.) Martin Luther King.

CARLY Yes!

They both nod in agreement and then check the clock.

STEPH I dunno … maybe women are just more … passionate or whatever.

CARLY We can definitely yell louder, I know that.

STEPH … anybody could yell louder than Greg …

CARLY … even Gandhi.

STEPH Or Helen Keller.

CARLY Who?/ You mean that one blind girl?

STEPH Nobody./ … yup.

The door opens. GREG enters in a hurry and looks at them. Dropping his jacket and his bag on a nearby table.

GREG … hey. Sorry I’m late.

Silence. GREG re-groups and moves to each of them for a hug. Nothing big, but at least he seems sincere about it.

GREG I was trying to beat you here, Steph, but traffic out on the highway gets …/So, forgive me.