NICK: Where’d you get that?

LILY: Same place I get my weed and my Adderall. (fondly) I love my dad.

CHORUS: I love you when you dance / When you freestyle in trance / So pure, such an expression

Frankie turns and sees Phoenix.

PHOENIX: You came!

FRANKIE: I did! (looking around) Not sure I’m feeling this party.

PHOENIX: Yeah, I just saw someone mixing DayQuil and rum. (beat) That won’t end well. (then) You want to get out of here?

Frankie nods gratefully and they begin walking.

CHORUS: Let’s grease the wheel and be free / Let’s discuss things in confidence / Let’s be outspoken, let’s be ridiculous¹ / Let’s solve the world’s problems

They’ve arrived at a playground.

PHOENIX: So when are you going to let me read some more of your writing?

1 “I love working with and being in partnership with other alpha women. When two people are fighting for who’s going to give more, that’s my definition of love.”

FRANKIE: (secretly delighted) I mean...whenever. I just—I get self-conscious sharing it. The only person I ever really show my stuff to is my brother Nick.

PHOENIX: Are you close with your whole family?

FRANKIE: (weighing her response) Well. It’s complicated. (decisive) I’m adopted. And people act like my parents are heroes or something just for wanting me. My mom always says she “doesn’t see color.” But sometimes I wish she did. Is that weird? It’s kind of hard to explain.

PHOENIX: Is your brother adopted too?

FRANKIE: Oh, have you not seen Captain America? (chuckling) No. Nick is the homegrown hero. But after my mom had him she couldn’t get pregnant again so my parents went to Catholic Family Services and I’ve been fucking up their lives ever since!

PHOENIX: Good times. Well, I have this theory that happy families only exist in orange juice commercials and Utah.

FRANKIE: (chuckling) What’s your situation?

PHOENIX: I live with my mom. Haven’t seen my dad in a minute. And I have one sister. She has a lot of medical issues, so that kind of sets the tone for everything else. I help my mom take care of her most of the time.

FRANKIE: That’s definitely not an orange juice commercial.

PHOENIX: Nope.