by Lydia R.

Diamond
illustrated by R. Gregory Christie

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&&% &&&
 SCENE I
SETTING: Stormi’s new home. There are unpacked boxes everywhere.
MOM holds Stormi’s backpack.

David
MOM: Stormi, hurry up.
STORMI (off stage): Coming, Mom.
Hannah MOM: You don’t want to be late on your first day.
STORMI (entering): No. Wouldn’t want that. (to AUDIENCE) I would
Stormi rather not go at all.
Giovanni Green
MOM: Honey, don’t frown. You’ve started at a new school before.
Mom
Marsha It’ll be OK.
Dad
STORMI: Yeah. (to AUDIENCE) OK like a book report due and you
haven’t read the book. OK like a trip to the dentist with five
cavities. OK like walking over hot coals with bare feet.
Joseph (MOM hands STORMI her backpack and exits.)
Ajitha

Mrs. Moon
Penelope

Class/Audience

SETTINGS: The stage is divided into three areas. (1) Stormi’s new
home. (2) Stormi’s new school: the classroom, Stormi’s locker, the
cafeteria. (3) Chicago, where Stormi’s old friends live. Each area
has a table and chairs and a computer.
&&' &&(
 SCENE II DAVID: Stop! Don’t say “no” again. It’ll be OK.
SETTINGS: In Stormi’s new school, STORMI is in the classroom. MOM stands MARSHA: Sure, we can e-mail.
near her. In Chicago, DAVID, PENELOPE, and MARSHA stand around a table.
PENELOPE: And telephone.
DAVID: And send letters.
PENELOPE: But it won’t be the same!
STORMI (to AUDIENCE): Hi. I’m Stormi Giovanni Green. I’m named after
STORMI (to AUDIENCE): That didn’t make
Nikki Giovanni, the famous poet. I am not a happy camper! See, Mom
me feel better.
and Dad move around a lot with their jobs, and since I’m the kid, I go
(In Chicago, DAVID and MARSHA exit. In
too. They’re college professors. Dad teaches philosophy. Philosophers
classroom, MRS. MOON enters.)
try to figure out how you know what’s true and what’s not true, and
why some things are right and some things are wrong. I only kind of STORMI: So, here I am, in homeroom, on the
understand. Mom teaches teachers how to teach. Oops, lost my train first day of school, keeping a low profile.
of thought. Mom says I’m distressed. . . . MRS. MOON: Welcome, Stormi.
MOM: No, Stormi, you’ve digressed. Please tell us about yourself.

(MOM exits.) STORMI (to CLASS): I’m Stormi

Giovanni. From Chicago.
STORMI: Digressed, right. Got off the topic. OK. I just moved here from
Chicago where I had great friends, played basketball, and was on the MRS. MOON: Please tell us about
speech team. Moving is for the birds. So this time, no new friends. In Chicago.
fact, no anything that I’ll just have to say goodbye to. From now on STORMI: It’s called the Windy City
it’s the Stormi Giovanni Club, and I’m the only member. When I told (pause) because it’s windy.
Marsha and Penelope I was moving they said: MRS. MOON: All right. Let’s welcome
MARSHA & PENELOPE: NOOO!!!! Stormi Giovanni, class. On the
STORMI: And I said, “Yes.” And they said: count of three. One, two, three . . .

MARSHA & PENELOPE: NOOO!!!! (MRS. MOON gestures for the class to speak.)

STORMI: And I said, “Yes.” And they said: CLASS: WELCOME, STORMI GIOVANNI!

MARSHA & PENELOPE: NOOO!!! (MRS. MOON exits classroom. STORMI sits
at classroom computer.)
STORMI: And David said:

&&) &&*
 STORMI: Well, I lived through homeroom. Things were OK HANNAH: We aren’t allowed to use school computers for e-mail.
until study hall, when I went online to check my e-mail. Mr. Morgan is very strict about that. (pause) A mechanical
(In Chicago, PENELOPE sits at computer and types.) pencil might be all right.

PENELOPE: Dear Stormi, I miss you so much. Fifth grade is STORMI: I have a yellow #2 pencil.
definitely better than fourth. Everyone says hi. Write to me HANNAH (examining Stormi’s pencil and frowning): No, thanks.
about your new friends. Love, Penelope. (handing pencil back) So, you’re the new girl?
(In Chicago, PENELOPE exits. In classroom, HANNAH enters and STORMI: I guess so.
stands behind STORMI. Pens stick out of Hannah’s hair, from HANNAH: What brings you here?
behind her ears, and hang on a string around her neck.)
STORMI: I don’t want to talk about it.
STORMI (typing): Dear Penelope, FYI, I won’t be making
HANNAH: OK. (pause) My friends Ajitha and Joseph and
friends. Love, Stormi G.
I sit together at lunch. If you want, tomorrow you can—
HANNAH (tapping STORMI on the shoulder): Do you have a pen?
STORMI: I always bring a book.
Maybe a roller ball or a ballpoint? Black or blue is best. I don’t
HANNAH: Oh. Don’t let Mr. Morgan see you on e-mail—
really go in for the funky colors, you know, the greens and pinks.
it’s a guaranteed detention.
STORMI: Oh, I’ll look.
STORMI: Thanks. Gotta go.
(STORMI searches through her backpack.)

SCENE III
SETTINGS: STORMI is in her new home. In Chicago, MARSHA is at
the computer with DAVID looking over her shoulder.

STORMI (to audience): Well, I made it through my first day. There’s

never much homework on the first day so I read a story in my
creative writing class and made book covers. Marsha taught me
this really cool way to make covers out of the funny papers.
I finished and decided to check e-mail. I can go online for an
hour after homework as long as Mom checks it first.

&&+ &&,
 MARSHA (typing): Dear Stormi, Lunch was a drag without you. But DAD: Make any new friends?
David told us a stupid joke and before we knew it we were laughing STORMI: No.
anyway. Oh, wait, David wants to say hi.
DAD: Could you try to make just one new friend? For me?
DAVID (typing): Hey, what do you call a cross between a television and
STORMI: You should make your own friends, Dad.
a pizza? A really bad idea. You can do it with any two things. Funny,
DAD (laughs): Could you try to make just one friend for you, then?
huh? Get it? (MARSHA pokes DAVID’s shoulder.)
STORMI: I make no promises. Could you try to raise my allowance?
MARSHA (typing): Me again. Isn’t that the silliest thing? I bet you’re
making lots of new friends. OK. Later, Alligator.
(MARSHA and DAVID exit.)
STORMI (typing): Hey guys. I miss you. School is OK. (to AUDIENCE) OK
like you forget your permission slip and miss the field trip. OK
like your dad’s playoff game’s on TV the same night as the “to
be continued” episode of your favorite show. OK like vegetarian
meatloaf. (typing) Not much to write about. Bye.
(STORMI shuts off computer and sits on the floor, legs crossed, looking
sad and lonely.)
STORMI: In my old house there was this little room under the stairs.
Probably a closet, but it sloped down so there really wasn’t enough
room in it for anything. I hung a flashlight in there, and put a rug on
the floor and made some pillows. I would go there anytime I was
sad, or even just needed to think. Here I just have my room.
(DAD enters.) DAD: I make no promises, Pumpkin.
DAD: How was school? (DAD starts to leave.)
STORMI: OK I guess, Dad. (to AUDIENCE) OK like . . . DAD: Take a look at the bay window in the living room. I thought
never mind . . . you get it. It was not OK. we could hang a curtain from the ceiling and let that be your
own private space.
STORMI: Thanks, Dad. I’ll look at it.
(DAD exits.)

&&- &&.
 SCENE IV
STORMI: I wasn’t. I was just—
SETTINGS: STORMI S ’ locker in the hallway of her new school. Later,
the school cafeteria. HANNAH: Whatever. I wanted you to meet Joseph. He talks
to himself too.
STORMI: Hi.
JOSEPH: Hi. This is Ajitha. Ajitha, Stormi Giovanni.
AJITHA: After the poet?
STORMI (surprised): Yeah.
AJITHA: Are you having a hard time with your locker?
STORMI: We didn’t have locks at my old school.
AJITHA: You don’t have to lock it. I put tape on the side
of mine to keep it open. Like this.
(AJITHA shows STORMI.)
STORMI: Cool. Hannah, did you find a pen?
HANNAH: I got a couple of interesting ones.
JOSEPH: Hannah collects pens.
HANNAH: I’m looking for the perfect pen.
STORMI: Why?
HANNAH: When I was little my grandpa gave me this old silver
fountain pen. I wasn’t supposed to take it out of the house, but
STORMI (to AUDIENCE while removing things from her backpack): The
I did, and I lost it. I keep thinking I’ll find something almost as
second day was worse than the first. I lost the little piece of paper
cool. It’s my passion.
that had my locker number on it, and I had to go to the office to get
STORMI: That’s cool. I have a friend who collects unicorns.
a new one. Then I had to dump everything out of my backpack to
find the other little piece of paper that had the combination on it. JOSEPH: Next period is lunch if you want. . . .
Then I had to figure out how to make the combination lock work. STORMI: I have a book.
(HANNAH, JOSEPH, and AJITHA enter.) (STORMI exits.)
HANNAH: Do you always talk to yourself?

&'% &'&
 AJITHA: That was audacious. (pause) Rude and bold. JOSEPH: What are you reading?
HANNAH: She’s OK. STORMI: A Wrinkle in Time.
JOSEPH: It would be hard to start a new school. AJITHA: That book is quite scintillating.
AJITHA: That’s no reason to be rude. We were only trying to be HANNAH: Don’t mind her. She likes to use big
hospitable and gregarious. words. She’s not trying to make you feel stupid.
JOSEPH: I was just trying to be nice. STORMI (to AJITHA): Do you write stories?
(They sit at a table in the school cafeteria and begin eating lunch. (AJITHA pulls out a dictionary.)
STORMI enters.) AJITHA: I try to learn a new word every day.
STORMI (to AUDIENCE): Lunch at a new school is the worst. There’s this (reading from dictionary) Scintillate: to sparkle, gleam.
awful time when you have your tray and you have to figure out JOSEPH: A Wrinkle in Time is sparkly?
where to sit. A book can really help. I sit alone and act like I’m
HANNAH: You can sit here and read if you want to.
reading. I have to act because it’s hard to read in all of that noise.
(STORMI sits.)
But today my plan didn’t work. The cafeteria was packed.
JOSEPH: I thought I would try out for the play.
AJITHA: Stormi, you can sit with us.
HANNAH: If you do, I will too.
(STORMI tries to look like she’s reading
but is drawn into the conversation.)
HANNAH: It’s The Wizard of Oz, right?
STORMI: We did that at my old school.
I wanted to be the Lion so badly, but
I was too small for the suit. I ended
up designing the set.
AJITHA: I could enjoy that.
JOSEPH: I want to be the Scarecrow.
( JOSEPH does a funny scarecrow
imitation, with limp knees and
wobbly head movements.)

&'' &'(
 STORMI (to AUDIENCE): Lunch was almost as much fun as listening
to David’s lame jokes would have been. So, I’ve been thinking.
You know how it is when you hurt your finger? Like maybe the
pointing finger on the hand you write with. (STORMI holds up
finger and YZbdchigViZh.) All of a sudden you notice all of these
things you do with that finger. It hurts to put on a glove. It hurts
to sharpen your pencil. It hurts to tie your shoe. And you think,
I sure will be happy when this finger is better. Then one day you
notice that it’s better. You almost can’t remember when it stopped
hurting. You just didn’t notice. It’s the same with moving. You can’t
know when you will stop missing the last place so much it hurts,
but you can’t stop tying your shoes either. Hey, that sounds a
little philosophical. My father would be proud.
STORMI (typing): Hey, guys. I’m sorry I haven’t had much to tell you.
(HANNAH steps forward.) It’s silly, but I thought I would feel better if I didn’t make friends. I
HANNAH: Look at this. felt worse and I think people thought I was mean. Anyway, I’ve met
STORMI (pointing to AUDIENCE): I’m talking. some pretty interesting people. David, you’d like Joseph. He has this
(HANNAH notices AUDIENCE for the first time.) funny sense of humor and likes to act in plays. There’s this really odd
girl who I think is my favorite. She collects pens. Like your unicorns,
HANNAH: Oh. Hi.
Penelope. . . . And Ajitha uses all of these big words, but she isn’t stuck
AUDIENCE: Hi. up or anything. (to AUDIENCE) So, I’ve decided to let other members
HANNAH: Look. (She holds up a pen.) A limited edition, 2001 into the Stormi Giovanni Club. Really, it’s better that way I think.
four-color, ballpoint gel ink pen, a rare and beautiful thing. . . .
(STORMI sits at the school computer.)

&') &'*