Beyond the Typical

A sequel of “My Not So Typical” – Years after high school, six seemingly typical adults reunite, each
carrying the weight of their past. Beneath their confident, quirky, or withdrawn exteriors lies a deep
story; one of hidden struggles and untold hardships from their teenage years. Through a series of
flashbacks, their once-misunderstood behaviors reveal the unseen battles they faced, shaped by
family pressure, personal insecurities, and silent trauma. As their stories unfold, the reunion becomes
more than just a nostalgic gathering – it’s a moment of reckoning with the past, leaving the question
of how much their hidden struggles continue to define them.
Characters:

Bia Bonnie Hon – The Glass Child/Middle Child, a Lola’s girl

Chloe Castillo – The lost individual, still uncertain of her life
Samantha Fernandez – the academically pressured
Venna: the black sheep in the family, always misunderstood, always the mistaker
Dave Maverick Castillo – the pressured heir and eldest in the family and boyfriend of Elysse
Ethan Luis Casida - Dave’s best friend
Elysse Celestina Lazaro – the artistically inclined but came from a family of lawyers and doctors
Career Counselor: Chloe’s human diary
Mary Ann & Yesha: Bia’s Eldest and Younger Sister, always the mama and daddy’s girl

Scene 1: The Reunion (Present Day)

Setting: A homie café with warm lights and soft chatter. Six friends—Bia, Chloe, Sam,
Elysse, Dave, Ethan—gather around a table after years apart. Everyone appears cheerful,
but unspoken tensions are evident in the way they glance at each other. The reunion
begins with light-hearted conversations. Everyone is catching up, exchanging
pleasantries, and reminiscing.
Dialogue:
Elysse: (smiling) It’s so great to see all of you after so long. Parang kahapon lang high
school students tayo
Ethan: (laughing) Yeah, we were all so different back then o baka akala lang natin
Chloe: (reflective) Or maybe we weren’t being real with each other

The group quiets down as they take in Chloe words. Each person starts to remember
their high school years—the conflicts, pressures, and unspoken struggles they carried
alone.

Flashback 1: Venna – The Black Sheep

Setting: High school hallway. Venna is walking to class with a rough, rebellious exterior.
She’s known as the “black sheep” of the group, always acting out, but no one truly
understands why.

Scene: On her way there, she bumps into Sam, who is carrying a pile of books.
Venna: (mocking) halos isuot mo nayang mga librong yan
Sam: (nervous) I have time for fun, Venna. But some of us actually care about our
future.
Venna: Hindi ka ba napapagod, puro yan nalang inaatupag mo magmula ng mag grade
11 tayo
Sam: Well, hindi kagaya mo. You’re wasting your time instead of actually studying.
Venna: My life is none of your business.
Sam: so as mine, whatever. You’re wasting my time. Kanina pa dapat ako nasa library.

Venna then puts her headphone and walk away, passing Sam.

Venna smirks but looks away, hiding the pain. She’s used to people seeing her as a
troublemaker, but it’s all a mask to hide her family’s dysfunction at home.

Internal Monologue Venna:

“Hindi ako papansin. I was acting out because no one cared enough to see me for who I
really was. Sa bahay, palagi nalang akong mali, si ate nalang lagi ang tama at pinupuri.

Flashback 2: Sam – The Academically Pressured

Setting: Sam’s home. Her room is filled with textbooks, awards, and certificates. Her
parents are pushing her hard to maintain her academic excellence, not knowing the toll
it’s taking on her.

Scene: Sam is studying late at night. She’s overwhelmed and on the verge of breaking
down. Her phone lights up with a text from Elysse.

Elysse (text message): Medyo di ko gets yung assignment, pwede paturo naman
Sam: Anong oras na, bukas nalang
Elysse: Okay see you

Sam’s Mom suddenly walks in her room.

Mom: Samantha, you should be studying and not with your phone! You can’t disappoint
me and your Dad. Ano nalang sasabihin ng mga tao.

Sam then hid her phone in her bag pouting

Sam: I’m sorry Mom, nag text lang si Elysse

Mom: Siguraduhin mong si Elysse yan and hindi kung sinong lalaki. Know your priorities.
Sam: yes Mom

Sam (Internal Monologue):

“I wanted to say no. I wanted to scream that I didn’t have time, that I was barely holding
it together myself. But that’s not who I was supposed to be. I was supposed to be the one
who had it all together.”

Scene Shift:
The next day, Sam helps Lia with her homework in the library. However, their
conversation is tense. Sam is impatient, and Elysse feels small under her intensity.

Elysse: (frustrated) Ano bang meron Sam, may nagbago sayo. You’re not the Samantha I
know way back junior high
Sam: (snaps) Nothing, just answer the practice sheet I gave you!

Internal Monologue (Sam):

“I didn’t mean to lash out, but I was suffocating. The pressure was too much.”

Flashback 3: Bia – The Invisible Middle Child

Setting: The canteen. Lia sits quietly at a table, often overlooked in the group dynamics.
She’s the “glass child,” always seen as neutral, the attention seeker at school but is
actually invisible at home

Lia (Internal Monologue):

“I have it all. But never my parents, the guy I like, my lola left me. I have no one.

Flashback 4: Chloe – The Uncertain One

Setting: High school classroom. Chloe sits at the back, disengaged and lost in thought.
she has no idea what path to take in life, and the pressure to figure it out weighs on her.

Scene:
Chloe is walking through the hallway when she sees a flyer for a career counseling
session. She’s about to walk away when Bia, her friend, stops her.

Bia: (cheerful) Hey, are you going to that session? Whatever, baka makatulong
Chloe: (shrugging) I doubt it. I don’t even know what I want. Si Kuya for sure Mom and
Dad will want him to pursue business, he has to manage to company after college.

Bia: (gently) Me, I want to pursue arts, just maybe Dave could see me. Palagi nalang si
Elysse.
Chloe: just give up already Bia, we are no longer in 10 th grade
Bia: Wala kang alam Chloe, so shut up!
Chloe (Internal Monologue):
“I didn’t want to admit it, but I envied everyone who seemed to have a plan. I felt like I
was falling behind, like I was stuck in one place while everyone else was moving
forward.”

Flashback 5: Elysse and Dave – The High School Sweethearts

Setting: The school courtyard. Anna and Leo, the perfect couple, are sitting together,
but their relationship is far from perfect. They’re both struggling with their own issues—
Dave with family pressure, and Anna with her self-esteem and parents conflict
Scene:
They’re arguing by the lockers. Elysse eels insecure about Dave’s growing distance, and
Dave feels trapped by his family’s expectations as the eldest.

Elysse: (frustrated) Ano bang problema Dave??? Nandito ka nga pero parang ang layo-
layo mo (TEARY EYES)
Dave: (sighs) It’s not about you, Elysse. Not now, utang na loob. Just go home
Elysse: (hurt) Pinagtatabuyan moko? I thought we were in this together.
Dave: (softly) Gusto kong mapag-isa

Flashback 6: Elysse – The Artist with Oppressive Expectations

Setting: Elysse’s home. Her parents are well-respected doctors, and they expect Elysse
to follow in their footsteps. But Ellyse’s passion lies in fine arts, a dream her parents
disapprove of.
Scene: Elysse is playing guitar in her room, but the peace is shattered when her mother
walks in.
Mom: (sternly) Anong ginagawa mo? You should be studying for your entrance exams.
Elysse: (defiantly) I don’t want to be a doctor, Mom. I want to be an artist.
Mom: (disapproving) You’re throwing your future away for a hobby. We won’t support
this foolishness.

Elysse Mom will confiscate Elysse guitar

Elysse: Ma, please wag mong kunin mo sakin

Mom: Alam mo pinayagan lang kitang mag gitara at kumanta but I have no idea that
you have that to pursue in the future. Hindi ka nalang dapat namin pinayagan ng Dad
mo.
Elysse: pero ma, this is my life. Yes you are my parents pero hindi ko gusto yung
ipinipilit niyo. Palagi niyo nalang mas inuuna ang sasabihin ng mga amigo niyo, mas
importante pa sila kesa sakin na anak niyo

Elysse will get slapped by her Mom

Mom: Anak lang kita! Susundin mo ang gusto ko whether you like it or not!

Elysse’s Mom will exit the room. Elysse will cry on her knees. She gets her phone and
tried to call Dave for how many times. Texted him. She needs him, but no response at all.
She cried herself to sleep.

Elysse (Internal Monologue):

“I felt like I was trapped. I couldn’t live up to their expectations, but I didn’t know how to
live for myself either.

Scene: Bia being the incast at school but outcast of the family
Setting: At her room, finishing her project when her phone suddenly vibrated. A group
chat of their family.

Yesha (eldest): Ma, I got accepted in UP! Nakita mo na ba?

Mom: I’m so proud of you my future iska!
Dad: ill treat you to dinner later honey
Mary: Congrats Sis, slay ka talaga
Bia: congratulations, Ate
Mary: me too Dad, buy me a new make up set I got the highest in the exams today!
Mom: ang galling naman ng baby girl namin
Dad: keep up the good work
Mom: how about you, Bia
Bia: I’m still working on our last project sa school wala pa pong grades
Mary: Dad punta tayo sa mall later ha
Yesha: sama ako of course let’s celebrate
Mom: Makakatanggi ba kami ng dad niyo, basta kayong dalawa.
Mary: yehey, btw Ate Bia, pa proofread ako ng essay ko later. For sure hindi ka naman
sasama samin kasi diba sabi mo may tatapusin pa kayong project
Yesha: Nice Mary, sabi ko naman sayo kay Bia ka nalang magpaturo kasi I’m busy of
course sasama ako sa mall.

Bia will turn off her phone, face palming. Few secs after she will get something below her
bed. A picture of her late grandmother. She will hold to her chest.

Bia: (crying) Lola, I miss you. Ang daya mo naman, iniwan mo agad ako. Now I’m all
alone, I have no one.

Bia Internal Monologue: I never felt I was part of the family, it was only Lola who sees
me. On family gatherings, they would always shower Ate and Mary praises whereas me,
I’m just simply existing yet I’m invisible to their eyes. It was only Dave who then noticed
me, he made me feel that people can actually see me. I though he liked me, I was just
craving for attention, for care, for love. Is this how it feels to be in an opaque glass. I was
never the favorite, I was never a priority, I was no one to someone. I have no one.

Scene: The Next Day at School

Dave was walking along with Ethan, they are chit chatting.

Ethan: hang in there bro, I think normal lang na I- pressure ka ng parents mo. Sino ba
naman kasi ang magmamana sa business niyo, alanga naman ako!
Dave: Hindi ko na alam, nakakasakal. Just because I’m the eldest, dad and mom wants
me to stop playing basketball and focus on my studies.
Ethan: yun lang, kailangan mong pumili, alam na ba to ni Elyse?

Elysse suddenly barged in.

Elysse: may dapat ba akong malaman?

Ethan: Sigi, pre mauna muna ako.
Dave: sigi bro
Elysse: where have you been, I keep texting and calling you yesterday
Dave: may inasikaso lang
Elysse: may problema ba?
Dave: anong ginagawa mo rito
Elysse: bakit parang ayaw mong nandito ako?
Dave: that’s not what I meant
Elysse: may iba na ba?
Dave: anong klaseng tanong yan???
Elysse; No, Dave. Napapansin ko these past few days ang hirap mong hagilapin
Dave: I’m just busy, magkita nalang tayo mamaya
Elysse: no, let’s talk
Dave: wag ngayon

Dave turn its way back and walk past Elyse leaving her.

Elysse: tayo nga pero parang ang layo-layo mo. Parang naglagay ka ng magtaas na
pader sa ating dalawa

Transition (Fade)