Glitter Punch

Lucy Burke

• Publisher: Nick Hern Books
• Year: 2018
• eBook ISBN: 9781788500180
• Topic: Literature
• Subtopic: British Drama
• Index: Literature

A gritty, coming-of-age drama about first love.

Critically acclaimed during its run at the 2017 Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Lucy Burke's Glitter Punch – set in Greater Manchester – charts a troubling new relationship between mysterious John and sixteen-year-old Molly, a love that will change their lives forever.

Glitter Punch was performed as part of the 2018 VAULT Festival, London, where it was the winner of a People's Choice Award.

MOLLY, sixteen, stands centre stage with two Aldi carrier bags full of her belongings.

MOLLY. This diary belongs to Molly Shannon Davies

Age sixteen

07867374952

[email protected]

snapchat mollybaby.2000

insta mollybaby.2000

If found return to 39A Welford Street, Salford, England

And do not, I repeat do not, fucking read.

…

MOLLY. It’s my first day at college. I’m in the smoking area, there’s a chill in the air because it might only be the beginning of September but it’s the north of England so let’s face it there’s always a fucking chill.

JOHN. You got a light?

MOLLY. Some lad with a shitty rolly in his mouth is staring at my freshly lit cigarette and my lighter and I think, that’s a stupid question because I obviously do. I hand him the lighter and don’t say owt because it’s only eight forty-five and I ain’t gonna interact with anyone before midday voluntarily.

JOHN. Thanks

MOLLY. He looks how I feel, which is tired and like he wants to be anywhere else but here. Here being college, here being Salford, here being awake at 8.45 a.m. I inhale and the smoke warms my insides and my vision clears a bit and I have this feeling that I want to look at the guy again. There’s this look in his eye that tells me he’s even further away from being here than I am and I look at his shoes and they’re all fancy like actual shoe-shoes and not Reebok Classics like mine. And it might be early but I’m half a cigarette into the day and fuck me he’s all handsome and frowny and even though he must be a mentalist to think it’s okay to wear proper shoes in this area, I still think we might get on and I want to tell him that. But I’m nowt special like, I’m just Molly and I’m shit with words and that and my tits are too small so I just say

Alright

JOHN. Good morning

MOLLY. Now I’m no Sherlock but what with that voice and those shoes it’s pretty clear that this kid definitely isn’t from Salford. So I say

Good morning

In a voice like his all posh like. And he says

Nothing.

Rude.

And I think back to what Mum said about how chuffed she is that I’m the first of the Davies family to get into college and how proud she was this morning and that, proper glowing like one of those pictures of Mary in the RE books at primary and I love Mum, I do even though she’s a bit of a shit sometimes but well I’m a bit of a shit sometimes cos well we’re human int we. And I think about how she made me do some gay-arse pinky promise to give college a go and make friends and that and I look at the kid again and I feel something deep inside me that’s like, like preventing me from not looking at him and I say again

Good morning

This time in my own voice like and then well I’m getting a bit pissed off now cos he’s still being a rude fuck and I’ve finished my cigarette and it’s cold and I want to go in and I remember it’s eight forty-five which is too early when

JOHN. John.

MOLLY. Molly. What form are you?

JOHN. B15, I’m –

MOLLY. Me too!

JOHN. Smoking’s bad for you you know?

MOLLY. Loads of things are bad for you. Where you from?

JOHN. London. Place called Chiswick

MOLLY. Then why you in the arse-end of Manchester now?

JOHN. That’s a long story

MOLLY. Condense it to ten minutes and I’m interested

JOHN. Fuck it. My dad passed away. Start of this year. I went into a bit of a. I wasn’t very well for a while. Had to get away. Was looking for… Moved… Ended up here

MOLLY. Sorry. About your dad and that. And that you ended up here

JOHN. It’s alright. It’s not your fault

MOLLY. My dad fucked off two years ago. He’s not dead like. Just not. Here I guess. He ain’t around

JOHN. Sorry

MOLLY. Not your fault. Life innit. I’m going in, I’m cold. See you

JOHN. Oh. Maybe I can borrow your lighter tomorrow?

MOLLY. Maybe.

And I go in and I think, well that was fucking odd.

But my heart is doing this thing where it feels like it’s way too big for my chest and it’s thumping so hard I think it might actually shoot up my throat, fall right out of my mouth, land at my feet and melt into mush on the ground and all I’ll be able to do is watch it just like I’m watching this kid John now, out the window, taking a drag and inhaling deeply as if the weight of the world is on his shoulders and it’s all he can do to keep smoking, keep breathing in and out. In and out. In and out.

…

MOLLY. I’m making a habit of getting to college fifteen minutes early every day which is a miracle for me cos I love sleep and I hate people. Usually. I used to crave my first cig of the day but this weird thing’s happened where I feel like I’m actually just craving this time with John and the cigarette’s just collateral.

JOHN. How was your weekend?

MOLLY. Quiet. Usual.

It wasn’t, I had a blazing row with Mum and slept in the bus shelter Saturday night but I int gonna tell him that.

How was yours? Your weekend?

JOHN. I went to see my dad

MOLLY. The dead one?

JOHN. Yeah. The dead one

MOLLY. How was that?

JOHN. Well it was nice to have someone to talk to –

MOLLY. Fuck off John I talk to you every day

JOHN. Was nice to have someone to talk to who didn’t interrupt every bloody second

MOLLY. Every bloody second.

Can I. Can I come over? To your house? I’ll er, I’ll bring you some cigs if you want. Proper ones so you don’t have to roll

JOHN. I like to have som...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Contents
• Welcome (back) to VAULT
• Original Production
• Characters
• Glitter Punch
• About the Author
• Copyright and Performing Rights Information