MALCOLM thinks - Damn, why can't I perfect this shot?
(MALCOLM shoots and it goes in. He goes and grabs the ball.)
MALCOLM thinks - My game could be so much better if I just focus a little on...
BUCK - Got room enough for two?
(MALCOLM turns around.)
MALCOLM - Its a free country.
(MALCOLM steps aside as BUCK puts his bag down an takes off his sweat pants. He has on shorts underneath and he takes his own ball out of his bag.)
BUCK - How long you been here?
MALCOLM - Not too long. Just shootin' around.
BUCK - Yeah.
(BUCK shoots.)
MALCOLM - What you been up to? How's your ankle?
BUCK - Getting stronger. I been on the track running a little bit.
MALCOLM - Oh yeah? Good.
(MALCOLM shoots.)
BUCK - Negro, you don't think its good. When I'm at full speed, you sit.
MALCOLM - Well let me kick you there then.
(They stop and look at one another. Then both bust out laughing.)
BUCK - Shut up man.
MALCOLM - So what's been up?
BUCK - Man, I don't know. Stressed.
MALCOLM - School?
BUCK - Naw. Shit with my girl.
MALCOLM - Oh, same ol same ol.
BUCK - Actually, not this time. I think we're done.
MALCOLM - Bullshit.
BUCK - Serious man. We're through.
MALCOLM - Are you serious?
(MALCOM grabs his ball and stops shooting.)
MALCOLM - What happened?
BUCK - You know...
(BUCK grabs his ball.)
BUCK - ... I don't know. It's just...
(silence)
BUCK - I'm not ready man.
MALCOLM - What! Dude, are you crazy?
(BUCK shoots and starts to play again.)
MALCOLM - Naw hold up man. What are you talking about?
(BUCK stops again.)
BUCK - This whole marriage thing. I'm not ready. I don't understand June and I think its best if we end it now. She was really not feeling some of the things that I was saying and I don't know what she wants. You're damned if you do and you're damned if you don't when it comes to her. I'm just like...
(He shoots.)
BUCK - ...I just need to get my ankle patched up so I can play this season out.
MALCOLM - Play this season out? I thought June was the love of your life.
BUCK - I thought so too. Apparantly not. Those feelings weren't reciprocated.
MALCOLM - Damn!
BUCK - But at least I found out now. Ya know?
MALCOLM - Well yeah, that's true. At least you found out before you made a real investment. Like a house or some kids.
BUCK - I'm just too young. That's all. I'm too young to be thinking about marriage or hooking up on that level. I just need to be a student. I'm still in college got dammit.
(MALCOLM laughs.)
MALCOLM - Yeah, I understand.
(They both start shooting again.)
MALCOLM - So you think you gonna chill on the dating scene for a while? Take it easy and just sit back in the cut while you get over it?
BUCK - Hell naw. I aint goin' out like no punk. She can sit around and cry over me if she wants to. Not the kid.
MALCOLM - What you sayin'?
BUCK - I already got my next hook up lined up. I aint wastin' no time and this time, I aint with no immature college student!
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MIRI and his frat brothers BRANDON and CALVIN are in CALVIN's room with the baby MIGIRI.
BRANDON - I still can't believe you're actually sittig here holding a baby. Are we growing up bros?
CALVIN - Hell no! I'm still trying to party and have fun.
MIRI - Play that funky music white boy huh?
CALVIN - Shut up!
(BRANDON laughs.)
CALVIN - That would be funny but I've heard that all my life since high school. Old joke.
BRANDON - They ever call you Eminem?
CALVIN - Always. Not funny either.
(They all laugh. The baby cries and MIRI picks him up.)
MIRI - Aww, shhhhhh.
BRANDON - Were we too loud?
MIRI - Naw, he just acts up when Gina isn't around. She's out hanging with her sorors.
CALVIN - So he prefers to be with his mommy?
MIRI - No, it isn't that so much. It's moreso a maternal thing and children. And a step further with male children. You should see it in the motherland.
BRANDON - I've always said I wanted to go to Africa.
CALVIN - I've always said I wanted to go to Ireland.
(They all laugh again.)
BRANDON - Is parenting different over there?
MIRI - Oh absolutely. I mean, its not like I traveled all over the continent and can do a research paper. But there are many different cultures and they just do things different . I think it fosters better relations between parents and children. Builds strong families.
BRANDON - Wow, I hear it.
MIRI - For example. I was in a place where one little boy had the scars on his face. You know how you've seen it on tv.
BRANDON - Oh yeah.
MIRI - So, they do that to the child as a baby. Sort of like circumcision. And if you saw it done, thank God I didn't, but if you saw it done, you would think that was the cruelest thing in the world to do to a child.
BRANDON - Uh huh.
MIRI - But at the same time, if you told that same parent that you had hired a baby sitter to watch their son while they both go to work, they'd think you were crazy. If you told them that you go to work every day and you and your wife leave your child alone with a stranger or even a different family member, they would think you were the cruelest person in the world.
BRANDON - Yeah but what if you have to work? You have to make an income to provide for your family.
MIRI - I'm just tellin' you what the culture is.
CALVIN - That's interesting.
MIRI - Isn't it?
(He puts the baby back down after he quiets.)
MIRI - But thank God Gina is so good with him. I almost had to beg her just to go hang out with her sorors. She hates to leave him.
BRANDON - Oh yeah?
MIRI - Bruh, its crazy. She loves this boy so much, I'm like... can Miri get some love at all?
(BRANDON and CALVIN laugh.)
MIRI - She is so intent on this little man. He is definitely gonna be a momma's boy.
(MIRI kisses his head and strokes his hair. The baby shifts in his chair.)
BRANDON - Well that's good.
CALVIN - Yeah.
(BRANDON's cell phone rings and the baby starts to wake up again.)
MIRI - Oh, can yall put your phones on vibrate? He has something funny about telephone rings. He doesn't seem to like it or something.
BRANDON - Oh cool.
(BRANDON answers quickly without checking the display. He tip toes out of the room.)
BRANDON - Hello.
BRENDON - Hey man, you busy?
BRANDON - Naw, wassup.
BRENDON - I gotta talk to you about something big. Real big!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BUCK and MALCOLM are shooting baskets.
BUCK - I already got my next hook up lined up. I aint wastin' no time and this time, I aint with no immature college student!
MALCOLM - What is you talking about?
BUCK - Nothing.
MALCOLM - You got another girl already?
BUCK - Naw, nevermind.
(They both start to shoot again.)
BUCK - Hey, didn't you guys have two boys on line? Did they finish?
MALCOLM - Naw, we had complications with them. They had to stop.
BUCK - Word? What happened?
MALCOLM - Grades. You know how it is. Both them fools.
BUCK - Oh I know that's right. Damn man, sorry to hear that.
MALCOLM - It's all good, I didn't like either one of them fools anyway.
(BUCK laughs.)
BUCK - I know the feeling.
(silence)
BUCK thinks - Okay, I'm gonna regret this...
BUCK - Yo bruh, you know I'm having a birthday party in three weeks. You tryin' to come?
MALCOLM - That's what's up! When?
BUCK - Its in three weeks. We gonna use our frat house.
MALCOLM - Oh cool! That should be off the hook!
BUCK - I hope so.
MALCOLM - You gonna bring your new girl to the joint, since you're talking about having a new flame?
(BUCK laughs as he shoots.)
MALCOLM - I just wanna see her. Because if she looks anything like June, nigga watch your back! Because June is fine!
BUCK - Can we talk about something else?
MALCOLM - Oh sorry, my bad.
BUCK - Its all good playa. I just aint used to talking about not being with June. I mean, its been so long and... well you know.
MALCOLM - I know.
BUCK - So any new situation, it'sjust like I'm not jumping too fast in, just seeing.
MALCOLM - Yeah.
(MALCOLM holds his ball and puts it on the floor and steps his foot on it.)
MALCOLM - Yo, let's get a game of twenty one. You take out.
BUCK - Oooh, look at the time. I gotta run.
(BUCK laughs.)
MALCOLM - Oh man see how you are? Afraid I'm gonna whip your cripple ass?
BUCK - No not at all, its just that I have a meeting that I almost forgot about, messin' around with you!
(They both laugh.)
MALCOLM - Aight cool.
BUCK - So I'll see you at practice.
MALCOLM - Right.
(BUCK goes to gather his things.)
MALCOLM - So whats the new girl's name?
BUCK - She aint a new girl. Like I said, I aint trying to rush...
MALCOLM - Yeah yeah yeah, I heard all that. So what's her name?
BUCK - Bye Mal.
MALCOLM - Dammit! You're gonna tell me Buck!! I'm gonna find out!
(BUCK kicks open the door to leave.)
BUCK - Don't forget my birtthday!
MALCOLM - Oh belive me, I will be there!
(BUCK smiles as he walks out. He wipes the sweat off his forehead with his sleeve.)
BUCK thinks - That fool.
(BUCK reaches into his bag and pulls out his cell phone. He dials.)
GINGER - Hello?
BUCK - Hey I'm just leaving the gym now. You ready?
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ADA, TAMMI, LAUREL and MIYA were told by the ladies of Zeta Phi Beta sorority to choose one person to be excluded from the pledge activities and to be prepared to continue with three. They are now trying to figure out what to do.
MIYA - What the hell? One of us has to leave?
LAUREL - Sounds like it.
ADA - Are they serious?
LAUREL - Seems like it.
TAMMI - But can they do that? Why would they make us make a choice like that? Can they do that?
LAUREL - Seems like it.
MIYA - Seems like it seems like it. Can you say anything else?
(LAUREL looks at MIYA but doesn't say anything.)
TAMMI - Look yall, what are we gonna do?
(TAMMI looks back at the closed bedroom door where the Zetas went.)
TAMMI - They're gonna come back in a few... so what are we gonna do?
ADA - Wait wait, what if this is a test? I don't think we're supposed to choose one of us to leave. Line should be one for all and all for one.
LAUREL - Yeah right! You heard what they said. We gotta choose!
ADA - I don't know.
LAUREL - Well we aint got time to wait for you to know and we aint got time to be messin' around.
MIYA - Hey, you aint gotta talk to her that way.
LAUREL - I'm just keepin' it real.
MIYA - Keepin' it real? You the one who nobody knows! You should be the one to leave!
LAUREL - What! They know me okay! And you the one that aint even in college! You're the joke!
TAMMI - Hey hey hey! Quiet down, they can probably hear you!
(Everyone looks back at the door, then gets immediately quiet as they look back at each other.)
ADA - I think this is a trick. You guys never heard of sorority women saying that they are always there for each other? I think they're testing us.
LAUREL - They aint testing shit. They aint trying to bring in no dead weight or extra people. That's what this is about.
MIYA - I don't know Ada. I just don't know.
TAMMI - Well what are we gonna do?
LAUREL - Yeah, we're waisting time!
(silence)
LAUREL - We need a way to choose one of us to leave. And we need to choose right now.
MIYA - What! Who made you ring leader?
LAUREL - Nobody else is doin' it.
MIYA - So you gonna step up to the plate and cut me out huh?
(LAUREL smiles.)
MIYA - Oh hell naw you aint!
ADA - Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!
(They look back at the door again.)
(silence)
ADA - I think we'd made a big mistake to cut someone out. We need to stand strong and tell them that we all love one another and don't wish to see any one of us leave.
LAUREL - Are you crazy? We're in no position to tell them how to run their organization. How we gonna...tell them anything?
(LAUREL stresses the words "tell them")
TAMMI - So then lets choose.
MIYA - Well how the hell do we do that?
(silence)
TAMMI - Okay, here do this...
(TAMMI reaches into her purse quickly and pulls out a napkin. She then grabs a pen.)
TAMMI - Everybody tear a piece of this and write down a number on it between one and twenty one. The one person who has their number farthest from the other three has to leave.
MIYA - Huh?
TAMMI - Like if three of use choose twelve, thirteen and fourten and one person chooses six. The six leaves.
LAUREL - Good idea.
MIYA - Oh I get it. Give me a piece.
(They all take a piece and turn around as they write numbers down. They then turn back and look at one another.)
MIYA - Okay, who goes first.
LAUREL - I will.
(She opens hers and shows it.)
LAUREL - Three. My line number based on yall short people.
ADA - I wrote five.
MIYA - Wow, I wrote three also.
(Everyone looks at TAMMI.)
ADA - Tam, what number did you write?
(silence)
TAMMI - My birthday. Eleven.
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CALVIN pulls his cell phone off his hip in order to turn it to vibrate. He then dials it.
GWEN - Hey, can I call you back?
CALVIN thinks - Damn!
CALVIN - Yeah. You gonna call me this time?
GWEN - I promise I will. I just am in a meeting and it just got real intense. But I'll call you back.
CALVIN - Okay well...
(CLICK)
CALVIN - Damn.
(He puts his cell phone back on his hip.)
(silence)
MIRI - What's wrong?
CALVIN - Nothing. I'm cool.
MIRI - Cal, what's wrong?
(silence)
CALVIN - It's this girl Gwen. But its nothing.
MIRI - You sure you don't wanna get it off your chest bruh?
CALVIN - Yeah, I'm sure. Its no big deal.
MIRI - Okay.
CALVIN - So what's the plan for the wedding?
MIRI - Well...
(MIRI smiles.)
MIRI - Its an African inspired wedding. Everything to the clothes, to the ceremony. We lighting the unity candle and the Kwanzaa candles.
CALVIN - Cool.
MIRI - Gonna jump the broom and everything.
CALVIN - Cool. Is it a big wedding?
MIRI - Kinda. I have six groomsmen and a best man. My five line brothers, Gina's brother and my brother is best man. Gina has some of her sorors from her home chapter. And I think PJ is in it. And her cousin.
CALVIN - Cool, I can't wait.
MIRI - Me neither man. My family will be complete.
CALVIN - Must be nice.
MIRI - Yeah. You don't know man. Sometimes at night, I get up. Cuz you know I never sleep well anyway.
CALVIN - You don't?
MIRI - Naw. Writers and poets don't sleep. Too many thoughts and ideas. So sometimes I'll get up to write something down and I'll just look at Gina and Migiri. And I can just stare at them sleeping. And I can literally stare all night long. Its amazing.
CALVIN - That's cool.
MIRI - Nothing like that feeling in the world. I don't even tell Gina about it.
CALVIN - Why not?
MIRI - Cuz then her crazy butt would be trying to get up at four in the morning so she could see!
(They both laugh.)
CALVIN - That's cool though.
MIRI - Yeah.
CALVIN - You're a lucky guy.
MIRI - Blessed.
CALVIN - Yeah, that too.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The ladies of Zeta Phi Beta are in the bedroom talking. They are about to go out and get the results.
KIM - So yall think they fell for it?
SHARONDA - Of course. You did.
LEAH - Yeah, I did too when it was me out there. And I was about to leave up out this camp!
(They quietly smile and laugh.)
KIM - Well thats good. I tried.
ASHLEY - So far so good. You're doing a great job.
KIM - Thanks. Hey, anybody seen Denice? I'm surprised she isn't here.
ASHLEY - I don't know. Let me call her.
(ASHLEY pulls out her cell phone and dials.)
DENICE - Hey.
ASHLEY - Hey wassup, where you at?
DENICE - Right down the street. I'm coming up.
ASHLEY - Oh okay good. See ya in a few.
DENICE - K.
ASHLEY - Hey, how you feelin'?
DENICE - Better.
ASHLEY - Good! Okay see ya.
DENICE - Ok.
(As ASHLEY hangs up, LEAH's phone rings.)
ASHLEY - She's on her way over.
KIM - Oh cool.
LEAH - Hello?
ROBBIE - We need to talk.
LEAH - About what?
ROBBIE - What do you think?
LEAH - Look, I aint got time okay? Especially now.
ROBBIE - Make time.
LEAH - Excuse me?
ROBBIE - I need to talk to you. I know you're with your sorors and you can't talk right now.
(LEAH looks around at her sorors.)
LEAH - You got that right.
ROBBIE - So step into the hall.
LEAH - How do you know where...
ROBBIE - Come outside.
LEAH - I'm not in my room ya know.
ROBBIE - I know who's room you're in. I followed her here so I knew you'd have to be inside.. Now come outside.
LEAH - You followed...
(silence)
(CLICK)
LEAH thinks - Dammit.
LEAH - Sorors, I'll be right back.
ASHLEY - You leaving?
KIM - Where you going? We can't go out there yet.
LEAH - I know but... I just gotta go real quick.
KIM - Leah, if you go out now... I mean, we haven't let them sit long enough.
LEAH - I'm sorry... but I just have to...
(They hear the front door open and close.)
SHARONDA - Somebody just opened the door.
LEAH - That's probably Denise. She's here.
KIM - Oh good! Now you can leave. Act like you're going to check who it is and you can casually walk out.
LEAH - Thanks Kim. I'll be back.
KIM - Okay.
(LEAH hurries as she opens the bedroom door. She only sees MIYA, LAUREL and ADA in the three chairs.)
LEAH - Where's the other one!
ADA - Um... we picked numbers and she...
LEAH - Where is Tammi!
MIYA - She left.
LEAH - She what!
MIYA - You all told us to get down to three and to sit in these chairs. She's out. So she just left.
LEAH - She left! Yall let her leave!
LAUREL - Well Kim told us to...
LEAH - Oh my gosh!
(LEAH rushes to the door and hurries into the hallway.)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BRANDON - So what's so big that you gotta talk to me about?
(BRENDON takes a breath before he speaks.)
BRENDON - I've been on line for KKPsi.
(silence)
BRENDON - For a little over two weeks now.
(silence)
BRANDON - What... you think I didn't know?
BRENDON - How did you know?
BRANDON - Come on man. You don't hide things well.
BRENDON - Yeah. I guess not.
BRANDON - I was just waiting for the time that you were gonna admit it to me.
BRENDON - Well I'm sorry man. I just couldn't before.
BRANDON - I see.
BRENDON - But its not because of what you think. I didn't want to say anything because I knew how bad it would make you feel and I didn't want to hurt you.
BRANDON - Oh brother! Somebody get me a violin!
BRENDON - I'm serious!
BRANDON - Yeah, but whats the end result? You went on and did your thing without me.
BRENDON - Well this isn't about that right now. Right now, I need some advice.
BRANDON - Advice?
(BRANDON laughs.)
BRANDON - So now that you need something, now that you need me, you call me for advice and admit to me that you've been lying to me for two weeks.
BRENDON - Come on man, let it go.
BRANDON - Why should I? You played me. So let's see how it feels to get played back.
BRENDON - Will you grow up? Shit! Now listen, I got a problem that I need your advice on!
BRANDON - You seem to make all other decisions by yourself. Handle this one on your own.
BRENDON - I can't! I don't know what to do!
(silence)
BRANDON thinks - Damn!
(silence)
BRENDON - Brandon, are you gonna help me or not. I got a big decision to make here and I don't know what to do.
(silence)
BRENDON - Brandon...
BRANDON thinks - This is so wrong!
BRANDON - Just follow your heart Bren. You'll be alright.
(BRANDON hangs up on his brother.)
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