Lee Gambin: King of Bangor

PRINCESS: How can you say that?

KING: You’re lucky to be one of the survivors. I could of killed you off. You could have been yet another casualty of the Black Prom as I so profoundly coined it.

PRINCESS: (slight taunting) What are you working on now Stevey? More sad unfortunates who get their revenge on their tormentors? It’s such a bankable plot device.

KING: It’s more than a device sweetheart, it’s what I know.

Princess’s taunting slowly morphs into flirtation:

PRINCESS: Was it really that intense for you? High school? Was it such an ordeal?

KING: Yes. In many ways I was Carrie.

PRINCESS: Oh come on, I don’t buy that.

KING: I only wish I had her power. (motioning to his typewriter) This ain’t too good a substitute.

PRINCESS: It’s monstrous and horrible and unforgivable, what she did.

KING: They all deserved it.

PRINCETON: Mr. King, Arnie doesn’t deserve the same fate.

KING: Arnie has the power too Dennis and her name is Christine.

PRINCESS: Christine? Who’s Christine?

Princeton Xes over to Princess:

PRINCETON: Arnie and I were driving home one day from school ya see and he spotted this piece of junk in a lot near by and he, well, he fell in love.

PRINCESS: Oh good Jesus who would love Arnie Cuntingham?

KING: Christine. That’s who.

PRINCETON: Did you know that Arnie has one amazing talent Norma? Something only a few people know. Something that really pisses his parents off because they want him to focus on his studies so he can get into law or medicine or something important—

PRINCESS: Managing to repulse everyone that comes into contact with him is hardly a talent Dennis.

KING: Cars. Arnie can do wonders with cars. Fix ’em up, dress ’em up then rev ’em up…

PRINCETON: He’s a master mechanic. And Christine was the perfect project. It was love at first sight.

KING: (typing, reading) This story is a love triangle. It is about Arnie Cunningham, Leigh Cabbott and Christine a 1958 red Plymouth Fury.

PRINCETON: Arnie is my best friend and I wanna look out for him that’s all.

KING: Let him do what he wants Guilder. Back off.

PRINCETON: But don’t you see? It’s damaging. He’s obsessed with this thing and its fucked. It’s not good for him, it really fuckin’ isn’t.

KING: How do you know what’s good or not good for him Guilder? You’ve had it easy you’re whole life; you’ve had yourself an easy fucking run pal.

PRINCETON: You don’t know me well enough to say that.

KING: What are you talking about? You’re my meaningless creation. And I know the kind of kid you are Dennis all too very well. And depressingly I know the kind of sorry ass kid Arnie is as well. He’s suffered from day one. And you know that. If you say you’re his best friend than you should know that. You’ve got your athleticism and charms, smarts and good looks and everyone can tell that you’re a good kid just from lookin’ at you but as soon as they see pimple faced ugly Arnie Cuntingham they see a born loser. A sucker. Someone who really needs to be put out of his misery sooner than later. Someone destined for failure.

PRINCETON: He’s not a loser.

KING: Come on Dennis, even as his best friend, deep down you see nothing great in the horizon for him. But now he has this car and that makes him feel less of a loser. So let him keep it. Don’t get in between him and Christine.

PRINCETON: Well I don’t think I can. I want to, but I can’t.

KING: You can’t interfere with what goes on between ’em Dennis. Let him go. He belongs to her now. To that red ’58 Plymouth Fury.

PRINCETON: You’re not so much a great help Mr. King.

KING: I never promised to be.

PRINCESS: (once again as if talking to a police man) I remember the day after the shower incident and I was in study hall with Christine Hargensen and Helen Shyres and some of the other girls, I can’t clearly remember who was there, but, I do remember Carrie coming down the hall. Her hair parted in the middle wet with grease and her shoulders slumped…

PRINCETON: / PRINCESS:

Arnie’s no longer / …her arms tightly

the Arnie I know. He’s starting / gripping her

to wear these threads that just / second hand books

aren’t him; its as if in Christine’s / that I just know

transformation from junk heap / she had to hide

to a classic beauty of an / from her nut job

automobile, Arnie too has changed. / of a mother…

KING: (to Queenie) Hey you remember that girl that I told you about from my old high school, the one that kind of inspired the look and demeanor and what not for Carrie…?

QUEENIE: (not even looking up from paper work) Mmm?

KING: Real back water thing. More dirt poor than me.

QUEENIE: Yes I remember. She had that mother that was obsessed with buying lottery tickets.

KING: (impressed with Queenie) Ha! Like an elephant. (he kisses her head) Lottery obsessions quickly became religious fanaticism.

PRINCESS: (continuing) So anyway, we all stared at her, hating her, because the stupid bitch got us all detention for a week for the incident in the shower room and Chris Hargensen had been suspended and not allowed to attend— (choking) attend the senior prom.

KING: Well she shot herself.

QUEENIE: (now all ears) Who did?

KING: That girl. The weirdo no body liked. She grew up to be even more miserable. I heard it from one of the dads down at the Little Leagues that she shot herself in the guts. Poor little fool.

PRINCESS: (continuing) When Carrie walked past us, Chris told her to eat shit and the window behind us shattered. In one mighty blow it just cracked and shattered. I think Helen cut her arm from it. She was leaning on the ledge. Carrie darted off down the hall like the nervous little shit she was.

PRINCETON: Buddy Repperton’s body was found completely massacred. His arms were broken, his legs were brutally sliced up, his face was an unrecognizable mess. It was the result of a hit and run. But I ain’t too sure if the car did a runner straight away. Not with that damage done. The police report said it was a malicious attack. As if the car repeatedly rammed itself into Buddy…

PRINCESS: (in a painful daze) I saw Frieda Jason’s neck twist and snap when she went flying into the gymnasium’s wall—

PRINCETON: Buddy Repperton was Arnie’s number one enemy. He was mean to him from day one.

PRINCESS: I saw Rhonda Wilson and George Dawson fry in a shot of electricity; their skin burning and cooking, blistering and turning black…

PRINCETON: Every thing changed when he bought Christine.

Princess stands behind King

PRINCESS: Stephen, you gave her those powers and it cost every one their lives…

PRINCETON: Christine can’t be destroyed. She’s doing everything she can for Arnie. I fear the worst for Leigh Cabbott.

KING: (I know the truth of the matter) You wanna fuck Leigh Cabbott.

PRINCETON: (defensive) Leigh Cabbott is Arnie’s girl.

KING: (truth) Christine is Arnie’s girl.

PRINCESS: Your writing is like Carrie White’s telekinesis Stephen. It’s your gift.

PRINCETON: But it can destroy a whole town.

Queenie grabs a near by pad and reads the notes:

QUEENIE: “Firestarter”?

KING: Uhh yeah, umm, it’s about a little pigtailed girl called Charlie McGee, who can’t really control her ‘talent’.

QUEENIE: Pyrokinesis?

King smiles at her, as if she got the joke:

QUEENIE: Just a stab in the dark.

KING: She’s the result of a secret government agency’s drug testing. I haven’t fleshed it out yet; but I’m on my way… just give me time…