Drama. 10 males, 2 females. 90-100 minutes. Multiple suggested settings.

Premiered at The Haverford School and was a semifinalist in the International Student Playscript Competition (connected with the UK's National Student Drama Festival).

A week before Labor Day. Teenage CHARLIE discovers that his parents have abandoned him and left town to look for work. Since the ice cream factory closed, the town has teetered on the brink of collapse. HUGO, just younger than Charlie and a recent arrival in town who has become Charlie's best friend, is with Charlie when TICKER, a younger boy with a talent for finding trouble, arrives with trouble right behind him; the PREPS from the local boarding school are after him.

Ticker disappears and returns with reinforcements—GENE, Charlie's age and Ticker's cousin; TRACE, Gene's twin sister; EMMA, Trace's friend, and SIGGY, Charlie's age and a refugee from Bosnia who lives with his aunt and uncle and doesn't speak. They scatter the preps, but not before WALKER, their leader, challenges Charlie to a showdown the next day—they plan to renew the "war" they fight every summer. Emma exchanges interested greetings with Nelson, a prep, before the preps make their exit. The town kids too must get home, and Charlie, still hoping his parents will return, waits alone on the street.

As the preps get ready for soccer practice the next day, Morris bullies Andrews, while Nelson, talking to Walker, starts to fall for Emma. Charlie and the rest of the town boys show up at Ticker's. Worried that Charlie will be sent to a boys home, the townies devise a plan to keep the adults from finding out Charlie's on his own. They decide to use the abandoned ice cream factory as a hideout.

Later that day, the townies secure the factory and then win the showdown with the preps. They capture MORRIS and cut the buttons off his clothing. This, Charlie tells Morris, is how the annual war will be fought. Morris runs away, swearing revenge.

Charlie (Blake Elmquist, bottom left) pulls out a knife to cut off Morris' (Chris Nordsiek, center) buttons while the other town boys hold Morris still and cover his mouth.

Hugo protests that the war favors the preps, who have more money to spend on clothes; the town kids only have their school-mandated dress clothes to wear, and school is less than a week away. But Hugo is overruled. The town kids create a war chest of buttons and thread to patch themselves up, and the girls—the boys won't let them fight—become the doctors.

As Charlie buys food with his last few dollars from GENE'S FATHER, who runs the local grocery, Emma and Nelson meet. Nelson asks her out to McGregor's, the best restaurant in town. She agrees, and they kiss before she exits.

The townies reassemble at the factory. Hugo informs the others that the Prep is taking over the town, buying up real estate as people go bankrupt. The townies decide that winning the war will be their contribution to defending the town.

Nearly a week passes. It's Labor Day, the day before school begins, and the townies return to HQ (the factory) with the spoils of war: shirts, buttons, etc. They have adopted a system of sneaking food for Charlie's meals, with each taking a meal. Hugo arrives to tell the others he can't bring Charlie's lunch; his alcoholic father is home. Charlie throws Hugo out of HQ after they argue.

Later, the preps ambush Hugo, cut up his clothing and force him to lead them to HQ. Charlie is alone, and they cut his buttons. Walker is ready to leave, but Morris leads a mutiny and steals the war chest. Charlie tells Hugo he wants nothing to do with him ever again, but the damage is done: Charlie has nothing to wear for school tomorrow and will certainly be found out.

The townies return to HQ; Hugo has rounded them up and then run off. Charlie wants to find the war chest, so he persuades HUGO'S FATHER, a janitor at the Prep, to let him accompany him that evening. Charlie puts up with the preps'—led by Morris now—abuse and learns the location of the war chest. Later, Emma meets Nelson, who shows off a switchblade he plans to use in the war. Emma dumps Nelson for no other reason than that he's a prep. Charlie plans a late night raid to get the war chest back, and to make sure no one loses any more buttons, Charlie, Gene, Ticker and Siggy go (no girls allowed)—after a big argument—in their underwear.

Charlie leads the raid, but the preps have moved the war chest. Hugo arrives at the last moment to turn failure into success, but the preps capture him. Nelson, still angry at being dumped, pulls out his switchblade. Walker tries to take it away from him. While they struggle, Hugo escapes. Andrews and Morris go after him. The HALL MASTER, who hears the noise, catches Walker red-handed holding the knife. Andrews and Morris return with Hugo's clothing—ostensibly, they have caught him and stripped him completely—to find the Hall Master holding the knife and wanting an explanation.

Midnight. The townies return triumphantly to HQ. Hugo returns and reconciles with Charlie.

At the Prep the next day, Walker is expelled, and Morris, fearful of losing his financial aid, informs on Hugo. Nelson keeps silent about the knife. A the public school, Hugo is pulled out of class. Rather than see Hugo punished, Charlie gives himself up and takes the rap for Hugo. Charlie, about to go to a boys home, meets up with Walker, who is on his way home after his expulsion. The two reconcile as the play ends, congratulating each other on a "good war" amidst rumors that the ice cream factory is reopening.