When it Rains Gasoline is a dark piece about the reality of being a high school student in the world today.
There are some kids who don't fit in; some kids who have been abused so badly that rage seems to be their
only way out. Paul is one of these kids. The following monologue is done as a direct address to the audience.
I get along with pretty much all the kids. I know there are a lot of girls that really like me, they're just shy. I'm
kinda' shy too. I know what they're going through. I don't expect them to jump out and tell me how they feel,
especially with Chris and... Well, you know. This one group of girls... Really popular gilrs, invited me to a
party. I got all dressed up. I was the only boy there. We played a game where they giggled and dared each
other to kiss me. None did... I'm sure they were just shy. I... I can really get people to laugh when I do
things sometimes. I'm... I'm not really sure what those things are. I mean, I get up from eating lunch and a
whole group of kids at the next table starts to laugh. I've thought about becoming a comedian... Especially
since I'm so good at making people laugh. Chris and Angus and... I don't like making those guys laugh. Not
really. Sometimes they're... I... It's not fun to make them laugh, they... (A painful pregnant pause.)
Sometimes I wish that their little hearts would just freeze. I have fantasies about that. Sometimes in my dreams
I see people like Chris choking on something. He's motioning for me to help him. He wants me to give him the
Hiemlick maneuver or something, but I just stand there. I watch him fall to his knees holding his throat... His
face turning blue. For some reason blood starts to come out of his nose and ears. His eyes pop out and blood
starts to come from there too. The whole time I know I can save him, but I don't do anything. I watch him
die. He's lying there not moving, not doing anything. Suddenly his skin splits open. I expect to see muscles
and bones, but... Instead, maggots and spiders and worms start to crawl out of his ravaged body. Then I
know what he was... Nothing. He wasn't worth anything to anyone but insects and maggots. Sometiems I
think about ending it. It would be so easy to make a statement, to show the world that people like me aren't
going to take it anymore. Put a gun to his head... Pull the trigger... See if I'm right about his insides.