Lulu in LA LA Land by Elisabeth Wolf

already gone.
    Lulu plunks down beside Jenna.
    LULU
    (talking in her speedy way)
    Hey, maybe you can show me how to use your phone another time? Ya know, I can use it to tell people about important things.

    CUT!! This is a moment I’ve gotta break in on. Sorry, but look: I’ve NEVER had any interest in a cell phone before. I mean, I’m ONLY (almost) eleven! But, all of a sudden, what I do want is for the Pop Girls to be my friends, especially Jenna. It feels mucho important because she could teach me stuff that could help me be a better me! We could team up to rescue dogs or Mr. Garza’s business or zillions of other people and animals and trees and plants and water that need saving. Now, back to: ACTION!!
    Watson trudges sleepily out of the powder room, where he’d been napping.
    JENNA
    (looks at the pug)
    You have a cat too?
    LULU
    (laughing out loud)
    Geez peas, that’s just Watson in his cat costume. Funny right?
    JENNA
    (now laughing)
    WAY weird.
    LULU
    Sophia and I sewed it. The hard part was the getting the whiskers to stay on. Look.
    Lulu scoops up Watson and shows the brown elastic band that loops under the pug’s ears.
    Jenna bends in to see.
    JENNA
    Why’d you guys wanna dress him like a cat?
    LULU
    Puggy acts like a cat. He only wants to lie around all day and not be bothered. So, one day we decided we’d dress him like one.
    JENNA
    K. That’s weird AND funny. So, I’m gonna put his picture up on Instagram. Watch.
    Jenna pulls out her sparkly purple-cased iPhone, sets it to camera, and takes a picture of the puggy-kitty. She explains to Lulu how to post it. Immediately, likes ping into her phone. Everyone who follows Jenna’s Instagram sees the picture of pug as cat and likes it.
    Jenna and Lulu sit with their heads together and watch the responses come in.
    JENNA
    See! You could take a picture of your friend’s food truck or whatever and, if you have a lot of followers, ya know, friends who also are on Instagram, they’d know about it.
    LULU
    Alexis showed me how to take a picture on her phone. I can do that!
    JENNA
    (looking at her phone, freezes)
    Uh oh. Big thumbs down from Jade. Uh oh, megatime. I better wait outside for my ride.
    Jenna stands and grabs her purse and phone. Lulu stands and picks up her pug as cat.
    LULU
    Can I ask you one really, mucho fast question?
    Jenna leaps toward the front door.
    LULU
    Why do you have to do what the other Pop Girls do?
    JENNA
    (spins around to face Lulu)
    Because!
    (pause)
    Why do you always do everything with Sophia?
    LULU
    We do, I mean, did tons of stuff together, but no one was the boss. We were just friends and no one was in charge.
    JENNA
    News flash: I’m A POP GIRL! That’s OUR way. They’re MY friends!!
    LULU
    (softly—mostly to herself)
    But I’m your friend too.
    LULU’S POINT OF VIEW AS SHE WATCHES JENNA run toward her mother’s car pulling up the driveway.

SCENE 19: SWIMMING UPSTREAM
    EXTERIOR—CROSSWINDS, FRIDAY LUNCH
    LULU
    Hey, guys.
    Lulu squeezes into a spot at the end of Pop Girl Island. The girls shift their bodies away from her.
    LULU
    I met with Mr. Ling to show him the final plan for beach cleanup.
    JADE
    Why waste time doing that?
    LULU
    (slightly confused)
    Oh, I just, ummm. Well, he’s interested in how many people are coming and how many pounds of trash I expect we’ll pick up.
    JADE
    Did you guys see the Teen People story about Emma Gorgeese and Brad Hanssome?
    JANA
    Totally! She’s not nearly cute enough for him. He’s way hot!
    JADE
    My father works for, like, his recording studio, and my iTunes account automatically downloads anything by Brad.
    LULU
    You have your own iTunes?
    JANA
    Don’t you?
    Pop Girls giggle.
    JADE
    (way snobby voice)
    Everyone downloads music. And tweets, Snapchats, Facebooks, IMs, Instagrams, and texts. It’s called communicating. It’s for sure more interesting than photo science or whatever you were