Scene 1: A chapel in a funeral parlor. Mimic enters on the sneak. He reluctantly heads for the casket. Shine's spirit sees who has been watching his own dead body sees Mimic who can not see him. MIMIC Yo, Shine, son, I'm here. It's me Mimic. I know you don't like being alone, so I came early. I had to sneak in. These ass holes funeral parlor people only let you come at the hours they want. Yo, you got on my gold chain. I knew you stole it from me. You could keep it. Just don't let it get messed up or nothing. You know what I'm saying. Yo, last night was wack! You should've been here. I mean, you was here. Yo, Thug's mother came to pay her respects and your aunts, especially, your aunt Teresa wanted to kick her ass. Yo, it was mad crazy...But your mother stopped all the commotion. She said that Thug's mother didn't pull the trigger. And that anyone who came to pay her son his due respect was more than welcome at the wake. Yo, Thug's mother broke down crying like if it was her own son she lost. It was crazy... Did I tell you Thug is in jail? Yeah, man. He got busted in his shorty's house with the gun. He's locked up. Which is a good thing. I mean that was stupid what he did. Shooting you and shit. Remember when we used to played cops and robbers in the stairwell in the projects? Those were the days. We'd shoot one another and get right back up. Thug always wanted to be the criminal and get away with the crime. We used to execute him a lot... You don't shoot your peeps. You know what I'm saying? You don't do that shit. If you got beef with someone, you deal with it. You just don't pull the trigger first. I had a feeling selling drugs wasn't a good idea. Gotta learn to listen to my feelings more. I shoulda said no when you and Thug was trying to talk me into it. It wasn't like I really wanted to do it. I could've worked at the video store for cash. Just wanted to be with my peeps. Yo! Oh shit! Oh shit! Deja vu, son! I saw myself standing here talking to you and you was in a casket. That shit was mad real, kid. And I had this feeling like something freaky was going to happen. That's freaky right? I hate this gift I got. That's what my mom’s calls it ever since I told her one day that a kid wearing a red baseball cap was going to get hit by a car, and a kid got hit by car and guess what he was wearing? Guess niggah! A red baseball cap! (Swallows hard.) MIMIC If only there had been a sign of how things would turn out like the Bat signal calling Batman. Maybe there was, but the money sign in our eyes blinded us and shit. Things didn't turn out too good, did they? You're in a dead store. Thug's in jail and me... I'm getting the fuck out of the projects, yo. I'm moving downtown with Raindrop. Taking acting serious. She's been there for me through all of this... This is so fucked up, man. Things will never be the same without you around. This is so unfair, yo. I mean everybody deserves a second chance, right? I'm gonna have mines. Thug will some day have his, but you... You ain’t having one six feet under. I guess it doesn't matter 'cause if we'd do it all over again, we might end up doing the same thing. Right? Maybe not. Some shit been bugging me. I don’t understand why didn’t you leave. Why did you have to get in Thug’s face when you knew he had a gun? Thug says you knew. Why didn’t you tell me he had a gun? I don’t understand that shit either? I’m not blaming you, but if you knew you could’ve left and you’d still be here hanging with me. I had things under control, didn’t I? Didn’t I? Fuck, man... (Holds back tears.) MIMIC Oh, oh! I didn't tell you, but I just got a part in a movie with Robert DeNiro. Word! Serious. Guess what I'm playing if I get the part? Guess. Your friendly neighborhood drug dealer. I already got the experience. Dig it, I only got one line, but at least I get to speak you know? I say, "Yo, wha ju wan?" I already got it memorized and shit. I'm going to dedicate my performance to you because I was at the audition I thought about you and felt your presence. And when I win the Oscar I'm going to dedicate it to you, too. Remember I used to say I'd take you to the Oscar's when I got nominated. We was going to turn the mother out. (Acts as if he has the statue in his hand while given an acceptance speech.) To Shine, you would've loved him too, if you would've known him. That's bad, right? Then I'm gonna go over to Jennifer Lopez and give her a kiss. In the mouth! I'm gonna stick my tongue all the way down to her stomach to see what she had for lunch. Don't get jealous niggah, I'm doing it for you. I know how much you like her. Yo, talking about chicks. Jazmin came to your wake. She's thick yo. I saw her crying her eyes out and I put on the Mack on her. I sat next to her, gave her a tissue. Yo, I didn't know you were doing her? You didn't tell your boy. She told me, you and her would meet in the stairwell every night. No wonder you always had to leave your boys. She told me she didn't have the chance to tell you that she's pregnant. With your kid! You're not going to be one of those dead beat dads are you? Yo, she doesn't know how to tell your mother. I'm feeling her, too. 'Cause I told your moms about your music studio and how she can sell it and make money and she said she didn't want nothing to do with it. That it was mines to do what I whatever I wanted. So when I sell it I'm giving the money to Jazmin, so she can take care of Mini-Shine. Yo, would you mind if Jazmin becomes my woman? I'll act like the kid's father. Don't get upset, I see you turning colors. I'm kidding. You never knew how to take a joke. Did I tell you I went to visit Thug today in jail before coming here? He's bugging. The boy is flipping. He's stressing me out. Kept calling me. So I had to go see him. Do you know what he wants me to say to the police?... (Hears noise coming from the other room.) MIMIC Oh, man, they're opening the door for your viewing. There are a lot of people out there, so put your best face on. Yo, stay strong. I'll be there tomorrow for the burial. I ain't letting my boy leave without me saying goodbye. Save a spot up there for me 'cause I'll be joining you in a couple of years and yo, we'll raise hell in heaven like we did here on earth. Yo, I wish I just could turn back time. I'm serious yo. Like Superman did to save Lois Lane. Remember? He reversed the rotation of the earth. I'd give anything to go back to the days when we had to ask our moms for money to go to the movies. I'd give up my own life. I couldn't do that, cause then I wouldn't be here. I would gladly give up a leg, yo. Wait, then I couldn't play basketball. I know what! I would let my shoulder come out of the socket. Remember? We was playing handball, I took a swing at the ball and my shoulder popped out of the socket and my arm got stuck? Everybody thought I was waving at them. Then, fine ass Damaris came over and she thought I was going mental. Yo, she never talked to me again. It'll be ill to turn back time. (The lights go off and on.) What the hell was that? Yo, are you trying to scare me? It worked. Don't do that again. That's what I get for coming to a dead store. I thought they were letting people in. (Goes to door. Looks out.) There's some freaky shit going on. Everybody is gone! SCENE 2. Four hours earlier at the visiting room in a jail. Thug struts in looking afraid until he sees Mimic who's startled. THUG Hey motha-fucker! Ahhh! Give me some love. MIMIC (Mimic moves away form him.) Yo, the correction officers told me not to make contact with you. THUG Fuck those bitch ass C.O's, man. Shit. I run this place. MIMIC Yo, you've only been here two days and you're running things? THUG That's all a playah needs! You know what I'm saying? Look at my Jordans! Got them from a kid that came in yesterday and shit. I went up to him and thanked him for holding them for me. The punk ass niggah turned every color in the book. Then I took them from him. Bad. MIMIC They look small. THUG Fuck that shit. I'll use them for sandals and shit. I smell your fear, yo. MIMIC What? THUG I smell your fear. MIMIC Niggah what you smell is your own funk. Don't they let you take a bath up in here? THUG I ain't taking a bath with these booty hungry niggahs. Shit, no. MIMIC I thought you were running the joint? THUG I is, my brother. But there is some horny mothafuckers up in here. They're going to have to kill me to get to my boonky hole. MIMIC At least you don't got to worry about a crazy niggah with a gat spraying you down. THUG Yo, what are you saying? MIMIC I'm just saying yo, you can't be shot up in here. THUG Yeah, but you could be shanked in 50 different ways. You never know who's coming after you. Yo Mimic is my wifey taking care of my ride? MIMIC All I see is her brother burning rubber up and down the block. THUG How many times didn't I tell her to let nobody drive my Navigator. She's thick headed. She keeps hitting me up for money, but I'm dry. Yo, son, I need a favor. I want you to take care of my seed while I'm in here, know what I'm saying? MIMIC Yo, B. I can't be taking care of your kid. THUG You're the only one bringing in the cheese now. MIMIC Nah, bro. I stopped selling. THUG What? Yo, are you crazy, yo? You can't be giving up my corner like that. That corner was mad lucrative, know what I'm saying? MIMIC Yo, can't do it no more. THUG I better not hear that nobody else took over my corner 'cause I'm holding you responsible. MIMIC Whatever? THUG What is that supposed to mean? MIMIC Look where you at? We're talking in a visiting room in a jail. THUG If you do the crime get ready to do the time. MIMIC What about Shine, Yo? THUG He's doing time underground. You're the only free one for now, dog. MIMIC That was fucked up, yo. THUG What? MIMIC Shooting Shine. I don't understand why you had to do that shit. THUG There's nothing to understand. Forget about that. Got to think how I'm getting out of here. Need your help dog. Dig, you got to tell the police, that it was an accident. The gun went off by accident. MIMIC It wasn't an accident. THUG Yo, just tell the police we was clowning around like we always did. Then the trigger went off but I had a walkman on blasting Tupac into my ears and couldn't hear the gun go off. I didn't even know he was shot. MIMIC What about the blood all over the sidewalk? THUG Yo, I thought you was showing me how movies make shooting look real. I didn't know it was real blood. Yo, you've got to tell the police that 'cause I don't want to stay up in here for like ten years. MIMIC Yo, that wasn't what happened. THUG Yo who gives a fuck what really happened? I already got my asshole legal aid lawyer believing it. If he could believe it so can the stupid cops, the prosecutor and the dumb ass judge. MIMIC I don't know man, Shine is dead. THUG You can't be worrying about him, yo. You got to worry about you, if you know what I'm saying? MIMIC No, I don't know what you're saying. THUG If you don't tell the cops my story, then I'm going to snitch you out. MIMIC Yo, I got rid of all the drugs in my possession. Flushed them down the toilet partner. THUG You ain't reading me right, yo. I'm going to tell them, you was my accomplice. That we both made a move on Shine 'cause he was playing us. MIMIC Kid, that would be fucked up. THUG Wouldn't it. You be my roommate, yo. Wouldn't you like to be up in here for the next ten years? So get the story straight. Let's see how good an actor you are. You better give the performance of your life 'cause it depends on it! More important than that Oscar you keep dreaming about. I love you like a brother, but I ain't going to be the only one pulling time. Ya feel me? MIMIC Nobody told you to shoot no one. I ain't had nothing to do with it. THUG Maybe you did, maybe you didn't. MIMIC Shine was my best friend. I wouldn't do that to him. THUG Yo, B. I think I made myself clear. I want to walk and if I walk, you walk. But if I'm locked up like a fucking monkey, you'll be in the same cage with me. SCENE 3. Two days earlier. Thug enters. He’s talking on his cell phone. Scarface is on TV. THUG Yo, Mimic. It’s me Thug. Hello. Pick up the damn phone. Call me back asap. (He turns off phone.) Oh shit, oh shit, this is the scene when they're coming after Scarface. If he would've left he'd still be alive today. But you gotta respect him. Son, fought to the end. "Say hello to my little friend." (He takes out his gun.) Now, you say hello to my little friend. (Dials cell phone.) Mimic, man, pick it up, bro. I got to talk to you. It’s important. I’m thinking about leaving for a while till things chill a bit. Know what I’m saying? Things are getting too hot. But I got to talk to you about the corner before I go. (He hears a commotion coming from the street. He goes to the window.) What the hell is all that commotion out there? The Po-Po is all over the place like fucking roaches. Are they talking to my wifey? (He dials cell phone.) Precious is me! Don’t say my name. Don’t say my name. Don’t say my name!.. Didn’t I tell you not to say my name? Act like you’re talking to your mother... I know I ain’t your mother. Don’t be stressing me! Shake your head if the if the cops are looking for me. Fuck! Okay. I need you to start a commotion... So I could sneak out the back. Why do you gotta have an attitude for?... I’m about to tell you what to do if you stop running your mouth for a minute and give me a chance... Faint! Throw yourself on the ground. How come you can’t do it? What? Because you’re wearing your new Tommys. Bitch, I bought them Tommys for you. So I want to see your Tommy Hilfigger wearing ass hitting the ground... You better not hang up on me... Hello! Hello! Fuck! (Dials cell phone.) Yo, Mimic. Pick up the damn phone, man. I need your help, dog. They’re looking up here. Shit! Gotta to get the hell out of dodge. (Puts cell phone in pocket. There’s a loud bang on the door.) POLICE V.O. Police. Open up. THUG (Takes gun out.) They ain't gonna catch me alive. Going down in a blaze of glory like my man Tony Montana. (There's another knock on the door.) POLICE V.O. Open up! THUG Oh shit! Oh shit! POLICE V.O. We know you're in there. THUG What am I gonna do? What I gonna do? Fuck! (Looks at gun.) What Am I gonna do with this? (Thug tries to hide gun but can’t find a place. He puts it under the chair then throws himself face down on the floor, spread eagle.) Don't shoot! SCENE 4. A few hours earlier. Mimic is walking on the edge of a roof balancing himself. MIMIC If I just let myself go like a pigeon jumping into flight all this shit would be over. (Thug comes behind him grabs him as if to push him.) What the fuck? THUG (Laughs.) Look at your face. MIMIC What the fuck is wrong with you, man? THUG I see my boy standing on the edge of the roof, I think he wants to jump. Just wanted to give you a hand. MIMIC Fuck you, aight? THUG Yo, B. you got a blount? MIMIC Nah. THUG I need a buzz, this shit is stressing. MIMIC No shit, Sherlock! THUG Yo, yo, dig. The cops are going around asking lots questions and shit. Did they go to your house? MIMIC Not yet. THUG What do you mean not yet? MIMIC How long do you think is going to take them to find out the three of us were partners? THUG Hopefully, never. What are you going to tell them if they talk to you? MIMIC I don't know. THUG Tell me what you're going to tell them. MIMIC I said I don't know. Maybe I won't have to tell them nothing. THUG What you mean? MIMIC They got like ten witnesses, yo. Maybe they're saving me for last. Or they might think I might not talk. I don't know. I didn’t even know you had a gun. THUG Yo, I’m responsible for my boys. MIMIC Responsible? If I’d known you had a gun I would’ve stopped clocking right there. SHINE Shine was in on it. MIMIC That’s bullshit! Shine would’ve never kept a secret like that from me.. THUG Don’t believe me then! MIMIC I won’t. Why would Shine get into a fight with you knowing you were packing? THUG You know Shine. He never backed down from nobody. I can't wait until all this shit blows over. MIMIC Blows over? THUG Yo, man, this shit is cutting into our biznes. My cousin ain’t very happy. MIMIC How could you think about business? You killed somebody. THUG (Changing conversation.) What you doing in the roof, niggah? MIMIC Is the only place I can go to where I don't got people looking at me like I had something to do with Shine's death. THUG I know what you're saying. I get the same looks. MIMIC Motherfucker you killed him. My mother looks at me like she's ashamed of me. Shine's family looks at me like if I could've done something to stop it. When I get in the elevator people get out. I can't take this shit. THUG I'm going through the same shit. But I kind of like it. I shoulda killed me somebody a long time ago. MIMIC Motherfucker! (Mimic grabs Thug throwing him to the ground. He hits him. Thug gets away from him. They square off.) THUG What the fuck is wrong with you? MIMIC You killed our best friend. THUG It was his fault. MIMIC He didn't pull the trigger. THUG He shoulda told me he didn’t take the promotion. It's your fault too for not telling me about it. MIMIC Don't be blaming that shit on me. I didn't fucking know. THUG You should've known. MIMIC You know what? You're stupid. I shouldv'e known? What kind of shit is that? THUG So why are walking on the edge of the roof for? Maybe because you feel guilty! MIMIC You stupid fuck. THUG I might be stupid, but Shine’s death is on you, too. MIMIC Fuck you! (Mimic throws a punch at Thug but misses. Thug grabs him moving him to the edge of the roof.) THUG I'm throwing you off the fucking roof. (Mimic gets a better grab of him.) MIMIC Motherfucker, if you do, you are coming with me. SCENE 5. A few hours earlier at a theater. MIMIC I'm here to read for drug dealer number one. No, I don't got a picture with me. My girlfriend told me about the audition. She works for you...Raindrop!. She told me about it when I called her from the hospital because... No, no, I'm not sick... Contagious? Funny. None of that... My boy got shot... No, he didn't make it... It was just a stupid misunderstanding... My name? Mimic... No, just Mimic. Like Madonna. Tupac! Prince. Like that. Mimic! Yeah, I'm ready... The sides?... Oh, the script. I didn't know you called them sides. My bad. Got it right here. (Takes it out of back pocket.) You want me to read it? But I got it memorized... It's only one line... Yeah, this is my first audition... Read... Yeah, I'm ready. Who do I talk to?... To her? But she's all the way down there and... Read! Okay. Hey, what would you like?... That's it? (Starts to walk off but returns more determined.) Can I do it again?... I know you got mad people waiting, but... This line doesn't sound right... No, I ain't a writer, but... Is this a drug dealer from Harvard? I mean this drug dealer must have a P.H.D. because he don't sound like no drug dealer I know and I know a lot. Could I do it more realistic?... Oh, you're the writer?... No offense... You went to writing school in Jail?... Oh, Yale. I hear it's nice up there... I'll fix it this way. First drop the "hey." "Hey" is like "Hey, could please pass the mustard." I'd do it like this. "Yo, what you want, yo? (He flashes a big smile.) Do you want me to do it with a Spanish accent? No problem. I'm just trying to help. Okay, don't forget to call. Excuse me. Is that DeNiro out there? Oh, shit, yo, I love you, man. Seen all your movies. Even the sucky ones. DeNiro, remember this? You fucked my wife? Joey, you fucked my wife?... You talking to me? You talking to me?... Oh, you are talking to me? You want me to go? No problem. Bob, you and me got to talk, man! SCENE 6: A few hours earlier. SHINE Noooo… I said no… I ain’t leaving… I don’t want to leave. Do you understand english? Then I’ll tell you in Spanish. No quiero irme. I ain’t going nowhere… I said no. Are you hard of hearing? I like it here. You go. How do I know that you really are who you really say? You could be the other one. I don’t want to live with the other one… He punishes you. What do you mean I’ve already lived with the other one? The world belongs to him? Well if I been living with the other one, then I want to stay with him. (Quejandose) Why not? It’s your fault. Yeah, your fault. You made everything in the world right? So made made drugs, guns, and bullets. Good and evil. Everything! And since it was your fault that I was killed then you could let live a little longer… It’s the truth. You don’t want to hear the truth? … I’m not afraid of you. What are you going to do take my life? Too late!... I’m too young to go with you. I have all my life in front of me… No it ain’t too late. If you are all powerful then let me live. I ain’t asking for much. Let me live a few more years. Twenty years more… Ten! Five! Five! What’s five more years? Two. Two more… Please… I don’t want to die. I’ve never been on a plane. I’ve never been to a basketball game. I’ve never even been to the movies by myself. Never! My mother is going to stay alone. I’m her only child. I didn’t even give her a grandchild. She was always asking me for one. But I was waiting to have money so I could give him what I never had. She needs me. I know this is kill her. She always protected me. I used to hide under her dress when I was scared. I’d like to do it now… Give me a second chance. Please for my mother. I’m begging you. If you give it to me I promise not to ever get involved int eh drug game again. I swear to God. I shouldn’t be swearing to you. I know you don’t like it… It’s unfair! The other day this guy got shot 15 times and he didn’t die. I got shot once. Once! It ain’t fair that I died and he didn’t. You ain’t giving me a second chance are you? It’s okay. I’ll go up after the burial. Okay? SCENE 7: Five minutes earlier. Mimic is sitting on a garbage can at a street corner reading Hamlet. SHINE Yo, yo, what up? What are you doing? MIMIC Reading Hamlet. SHINE Eating an omelette? MIMIC Hamlet, the play by Shakespeare! SHINE Oh. I knew that. Just messing with your ass. MIMIC Raindrop wants to do a scene from it for acting class. We're gonna go see it on Broadway. You want to come? SHINE I'm busy. MIMIC Yo, I haven't told you when it's gonna be. SHINE Whenever it is, I'm busy. Yo, I can't understand that thou and thus, yonder shit. Yo, you must be the only drug dealer in New York that readeth Shakespeare while he clocketh. MIMIC I'm special like that! (They laugh.) Where you been, yo? SHINE You know! Around. MIMIC It's mad crazy out here. We ran out of merchandize two hours ago. SHINE Serious, yo? MIMIC Yeah, man. SHINE Damn! Where Thug at? MIMIC He went to get a refill. He be mad at you, yo. SHINE Thug always mad at something. MIMIC That’s true, but he’s in rare form today, starting fights with everybody. SHINE I’m not afraid of him. MIMIC He's jealous of all the money you be pulling down. You know that? SHINE Yo, I can't help if I'm good at what I do. He better not start nothing with me today. I'm in no mood. MIMIC I hear you but don't start nothing. SHINE I'm not starting nothing, but if he starts it I'm finishing it. MIMIC I hear you. SHINE What’s up with you? It looks like something is bugging you. Spit it out. MIMIC Everything is okay. SHINE You’re talking to your boy. I know you better than you know yourself. Remember, I was the first you told you wanted to be an actor. When you told Thug, he just laughed, but I took you seriously. So spit it out, son. MIMIC (Takes out book.) It's this soliloquy. I don’t get it. What kind of actor am I going to be if I don’t understand what I read? Maybe Thug is right. I belong here, not there. SHINE Thug don’t know what he’s talking about. MIMIC But I should understand it. SHINE Should? Let’s work it out, son. MIMIC See, Hamlet is saying "To be or not to be, that is the question." I read the shit but I don't get it. I mean you either are or you're not. You know what I'm saying? How could you be and not be? I think Shakespeare was on some good drugs when he wrote this shit. SHINE Yo, maybe he's talking about making a choice, right? Like when we asked you to sell drugs. You wasn't too sure. You didn't know what you wanted to do. To be a drug dealer or not to be a drug dealer. That was the question - for you. MIMIC Yeah, yeah. I can go with that. That makes sense. Make the connection to my own life. Thanks B. SHINE Hey, Baby Boy, I'm here for you. MIMIC You know I'm taking you to the Oscars with me, right? SHINE Can't wait! (Thug enters in a bad mood carrying a bag with drugs which he gives to Mimic, who inspects it and puts it in the garbage can.) THUG "Bout time mothafucker. Mimic told you about how busy it's been? SHINE He told me. MIMIC (Cutting Shine off.) Yo, all the crackheads was asking for you. THUG Yeah, what's that 'bout? SHINE What? THUG Why all the heads asking for you? SHINE I don't know, yo. THUG We in this together. Same org, same corner. SHINE I give better counts. THUG How's that gonna be when we get the merchandize in bags? SHINE I give my good customers a freebee after they buy ten from me. MIMIC How you keep count? SHINE That's why G-O-D gave me a mind for? MIMIC You keep it in that big old head of yours? Look at that head, Thug. It looks like a watermelon. If you shake it, you'll hear the seeds rattle. SHINE When I do business, I'm like blockbuster, you buy ten you get one free. THUG You're throwing money away, son. SHINE How many bags you sell a day? THUG A lot. SHINE How many 'bout? I tell you how many I sell. 120. THUG Bullshit! SHINE Serious. THUG I don't believe you. You believe him Mimic? MIMIC Yo, most of the heads asked for Shine, right? SHINE What you sell? THUG Yo, I ain't telling you. SHINE You sell like thirty? Forty max, Right? THUG Yo, it ain't none of your fucking business what I sell. SHINE If you was doing so good, you wouldn't be ashamed of telling how much you sold. THUG Fuck you aight? SHINE Why fuck me? I'm the one doing business. MIMIC Who cares? I sell like ten a day and do you see me bitching? Just drop it, okay? THUG You better listen to Mimic, yo. SHINE I'm tired of his ass scaring business away thinking he's a gangster and shit. I don't like him roughing up our customers. (Thug approaches Shine coming up to his face. They face off.) THUG I am a gangster. SHINE A gang of one, that's what you are. THUG That's right. What? SHINE Punk! Mimic, this ass beat down Louie? Louie don't bother nobody. He just wants to smoke his shit and be left alone. This testicle beats him up for five dollars. MIMIC (To unseen customer.) Yo, this ain’t a good time. Come back later. THUG Where you was? SHINE I don't got to answer to you. THUG Yo, Mimic, I don't like niggahs that do shit behind your back. SHINE If you got something to say, spit it out, son. THUG Someone from the uptown crew told me you was meeting with my cousin. MIMIC What? SHINE So! MIMIC Why didn’t you tell me? THUG Why are you going behind my back for? SHINE I didn't think it was your business, yo. THUG Now you think you are all high and mighty because you sell more than me? Ghost is my cousin. Everything got to go through me first. SHINE That's not what he said. MIMIC Yo, Shine. Shut up! SHINE Nah, nah, It's about time he hears the truth. Ghost said the only reason he keeps you around is because of me. THUG He said that? SHINE That's right, yo. He said you was a G.E.D. dropout that can't even sell drugs. Even Mickey Dees wouldn't hire your ass. MIMIC You happy now? SHINE Fuck him, yo. MIMIC Asshole! THUG Fuck Ghost, and fuck you! (He takes out a gun.) MIMIC Where you get that gun from? Put it way before someone calls the police. THUG You are taking my position in the organization, man. SHINE Yo, son, you better take a chill pill. MIMIC Come on. Put the gun away. We’re all friends. THUG You took my job. I was supposed to be the one that moved up in the organization. MEEEE! You're looking to get smoked. SHINE Fuck you, man. Put the gun down so I could whip your ass. THUG Mimic, I-ma cap your boy if he don't shut his mouth. MIMIC Shine, let's get out of here. Why didn't you tell me about your meeting with Ghost? Ah? Fucking asshole! (Mimic puts his arm around Shine and begins to walk him off. As they are about to exit Shine pushes Mimic to the ground charging Thug.) SHINE Fuck him, yo. I ain't letting no one scare me out of my place. Yo, niggah, if you’re man enough, shoot! (As Shine moves towards Thug. Thug and Mimic freeze. Flashback: Shine talks to an unseen Ghost.) SHINE What up, Ghost? You asked to see me? Did I do something wrong? (relaxes) Cool! When Snakes told me you wanted to see me I started freaking... The corner? The corner is aight! Biznes is good. But you know that. You get the money. (Laughs nervously.) I'm sorry. There's nothing funny. I'm just nervous... If you ask, I'll stop being nervous for you... I'm glad you've been hearing good things about me. I'm trying my bestess. (Laughs.) I don't mean to laugh. My best. So what do you want?... I appreciate that. It's good when your boss is happy with your performance... Complaints? I don't got any complaints. Everything is cool. I mean we're selling drugs, this isn't a hospital or nothing. Now that I think about it I got one little, kind of insignificant complaint... Nah, it's not important. Distribution is wack. When we out of merchandize we have to waste time picking it up... This is how I'd fix the situation. You should find out how many sells each corner made daily, then have deliveries to replenish the corner... I know you don't want the dealers to have too much merchandize on them in case they get busted. You got a point but that the way the system is today, some corners had more than they need while others got less... You like my idea? You want me to be in charge of it... Yeah, I know what that means? I could never quit. I'd know too much about the organization... Till death do us part. I thank you for the offer, but no thanks. Selling drugs is a temporary evil. I have dreams of legit business. I'm already building a recording studio. And doing a talent search... I'd be turning down a "G" a day with full force protection... Two body guards! You're making this very hard. You know what? I appreciate the offer but no can't do... Mimic?... What about Mimic?... Yeah, yeah, he's getting his stuff together... Yeah, he's still taking acting class... You don't like actors selling your crack? I could understand that. But he's doing good. Don't get me wrong he don't want to be Scarface or nothing unless is in a film but he's down... Thug? Thug is Thug. You know how he is. He's your cousin... Don't get rid of him. I mean, I'm not trying to tell you how to run your bisuness but Thug lives for corner clocking. I know he's losing customers but I more than make up for it. I'll tell him to chill a bit... Yeah, aight, I'll be responsible for him. I really don't want to do that but if that's the only way. I'll take care of it. Okay, thanks for everything... Louie, my cousing? I haven't seen him in a couple of weeks. I hope he's stopped using... What? Did Thug really do that?... He gave him a beat down for five dollars... No, Nobody told me anything. That's crazy... Yeah, keep him on. Keep him! I'll deal with it. (Back to real time. Thug is pointing the gun at Shine.) SHINE PUT THE GUN AWAY! (Thug shoots him. The stage goes dark. Red lights flash on and off as an ambulance is heard.) MIMIC What the fuck did you do? THUG The gun went off! MIMIC Call an ambulance! Shine don't close your eyes. SHINE Don't tell my mother, Mimic. Don't tell my mother. Don't tell her. SCENE 8: Shine and Thug are hanging in the corner dealing. There's tension in the air. SHINE Ten dollars! Chill! There's enough for everybody. Make a line! I said make a line. Yo, Thug, Mia have to get some from your stash. I'm running out. What's up Pops? I got your escape right here. Take trip to the land of never mind. Where everything is forgotten and the high is the only reality. I should've been a poet, maybe I make it into a rap song. (Raps.) Welcome to the land of never mind. Where gold and dreams is all you find. Where all the words are always kind. Uhu! With this drug of mine. Boy! THUG You talk a lot of shit! SHINE (To unseen costumer.) Yo, yo, Face, what the hell you doing here again? Where are you getting all this money? I know you ain't rich. Stop stealing from your mother. No, I ain't selling you shit. You need to go to drug rehab, son. This shit is supposed to be only recreational. Don’t be looking at Thug. Bye! I said bye! Yo, Face, say no to drugs. THUG Yo, when is Mimic coming back? SHINE Don't ask me. THUG Forget it, then. Don't talk to me I'm here to make money. SHINE You don't have to worry about that. (To costumer.) What up, Clingon? What are you doing down here? You're like fifteen blocks from where you usually cop. Oh shit! Funny Bags? Thanks for telling me. Later. Clingon, say no to drugs. Yo, Thug. THUG Wasn't you not going to talk to me? SHINE True that, but dig this. Funny Bags was just shot. THUG Funny Bags from uptown? SHINE Is there any other Funny Bags. THUG There's downtown Funny Bags. East side Funny Bags. Bronx Funny Bags. Harlem Funny Bags. SHINE That's some popular ass name. Peep this. They wanted to rob him but Bags refused to be a vic and they pulled out a shotgun, and blew his head off his neck. That shit went rolling down the street. THUG He's dead. Too bad. More custies for me. More money. SHINE Is that all you think about? THUG I never liked that kid anyway. Good for his ass. SHINE Yo, that's three dealers dead this week, yo. Dealing with 5-O is bad enough but with a crew of robbers that's another thing. THUG Yo, nothing is going to happen to us. Nobody's messing with Ghost's shit. SHINE Yo, what about Black? He was robbed last week. THUG Yeah, but he didn't get killed. SHINE He still worked for Ghost. Your cousin doesn't give a shit about us. It ain't his ass ending up deep sixed. THUG Yo, don't be getting scared on me. SHINE I don't feel like dying over this shit. Yo, I'm closing shop. THUG Where are you going? SHINE Home kid. I’m not going to be a vic. THUG Yo, they ain't coming here. SHINE I'm bouncing. Later. THUG We got protection. SHINE I don't see Ghost's guards around here. THUG (Takes out gun.) I ain't letting nobody take my hard earned cash. SHINE Oh shit! THUG Let one of them motherfuckers come around here. I'm gonna catch me a body or two. SHINE Let me see that. THUG Yo, you ever hold a real gun before? SHINE Yeah--nah. THUG Okay, but don't point it at me. Point it down. SHINE Wow, this is heavy. Cool. (Inadvertently points gun at Thug.) THUG Watch out! You're pointing it at me. SHINE My bad. THUG Give it to me! SHINE I won’t do it again! THUG You better not! (Thug goes to unseen customer. Shine looks at gun then at Thug.) SHINE Freeze bitch! THUG What the hell you doing? (Thug tries to hide behind the garbage can from Shine who’s laughing.) SHINE What’s the matter? THUG You better put that gun down or I’m going to shove it down your ass. SHINE (Points gun to the ground.) Here, yo. (When Thug comes out from behind the garbage can shine points the gun at him.) Here! (Thug runs away again.) THUG Put it on the ground. I said put it on the ground! SHINE Aight! Dag. Don’t blow a gasket. (Shine lays gun on the ground while still laughing. Thug runs over pushing him out of the way before taking gun.) THUG I should put some lead in your ass to see how you like it. SHINE Wait till I tell Mimic we got protection. THUG You can’t tell Mimic, yo. SHINE Why not? THUG You know how Mimic been shitting bricks with all the robberies. That's why he doesn't want to deal at night. SHINE Just want to make him feel safe. THUG You know how Mimic is. He's going to look at the gun like something bad. And he'll make a big deal out of it. It's better if he doesn't know. SHINE You right. THUG We ain't telling Mimic, right. Word is bond. SHINE You got my word. (They shake hands.) THUG Are you gonna let a gang run you out your corner? SHINE Hellz no. THUG Yo, I'm protecting my boys. You know what I'm saying. Anybody that comes after yall, got to go through me first. SCENE 9. Two weeks earlier. Shine is selling in the street corner. SHINE How did the birthday party go? I bet she was surprised. How old is she now? Six? Getting big, ah? Aight! See you around. Yo don’t let your kid see you doing this shit. Later! Pa, say no to drugs. (Looks at watch.) I can’t believe this shit. (His cell phone rings.) Hey, Boo... Nah, they ain't back yet... Don’t you think I know they’re two hours late?… All I know is that Mimic took Thug to see a play or something. They’re probably chilling having a good time while I got to hold the fort down for them. I'll be there. I'll ring you up and you come to the stairwell. Aight?... They are finally coming down the street. I can’t leave till I give them a rundown. I ain’t hanging up. They made me wait for them now they got to wait for me. I’ll be there. Damn girl it ain’t been that long. You know I miss you, too. (Mimic and Thug, who’s carrying a potato chip bag and laughing at Mimic, enter. Mimic goes to give Shine a five but shine ignores him.) THUG Don't ever ask me to go with you again. MIMIC You don't have to worry about that. Why did you have to act like my sister's two year old? THUG I don't know what you're talking about. MIMIC I take you downtown and you act like you've never been out of the projects, niggah. You know what you are? A project hillbilly. THUG At least I know my place. MIMIC What the fuck is that suppose to mean? THUG You from the projects and you go downtown to hang with actors and shit. Look around. You belong here. MIMIC Yo, I belong where I say I belong, dog. Nobody is cutting me down. Especially, not you. THUG They only let you hang with them because you got money and their broke ass don't. That's the only reason. MIMIC I can't wait when the day finally comes that you become a human being. Eating potato chips and peanuts in the theater. We weren't at a baseball game, dumb ass. You know how much noise cracking peanuts open makes in a theater? THUG At least I didn't have to listen to that stupid play. MIMIC This is what I get for trying to open your little close mind. There's a big world out there. This ain't all there is, ya feel me? THUG You worries 'bout you, I worries 'bout me. (He throws bag on the ground.) MIMIC Pick that shit up. This is our block. THUG I don't work for the sanitation department. SHINE (To Mimic.) Yo, man, what took you so long? THUG He wanted to go to eat with the actors, especially that crazy chick Raindrop with purple hair. Yo, the chick has a piercing through her nose and her eye lid. Her cheek. I bet she got one down there, too. Do she? MIMIC She's mad nice. SHINE Yo, Mimic, you knew I was waiting for you to get back. I got things to do, too. And it’s been dead out here like if all of a sudden all the crackheads are rehabbing and shit. MIMIC My bad. The cast wanted to eat. They invited me. I couldn't say no. They're all in my acting class. THUG Dig this, Shine. They went to eat in this rat hole with no real food. I ask for a burger and when I bit into it I almost threw up. What kind of meat was that? MIMIC I've told you a hundred times it wasn't meat. It's tofu. THUG You hear that Shine? The motherfuckers eat toe-food. It tasted like toe jam. MIMIC How do you know how toe jam taste like? Don't tell me you be eating toe jam. THUG Then this idiot foots the bill. Then his girlfriend, Raindrop, was all over his shit. She sat on his lap the whole time. Feeding him. She'd put some toe-food in her mouth and fed him like a bird. I don't know, that whole scene was wack. I wanted to throw up. SHINE It's just a different scene that's all. THUG I'm glad I'm back here at the projects where everything is normal. MIMIC Do you get scared when you’re not in the projects? SHINE So how was the play? THUG That's another thing. I thought this motha was taking me to see The Lion King. That's why I went, right. MIMIC I told you the name of the play was The Lion Is King. But you don't listen. THUG So we go through this basement and come out in this yard, then go through another basement. I swear I musta seen a hundred rats. And guess what. We're the only two idiots in the audience. In the play there are these people in cheap ass lion costumes with rifles hunting people. What kind of retardaness is that? Oh yeah, and one of them shoved a plastic rifle on my face. I grabbed it from him and was 'bout to shove it up his ass if it wasn't that Mimic stopped me. That play was so dumb they should've killed the writer. MIMIC The play is too deep for you to understand. THUG It's too bad for me to understand. It'll never become a movie, video or DVD. MIMIC The play talks about how man is making lions extinct. And the writer is asking the question how would man like it if they were the one hunted down. THUG That's stupid 'cause that'll never happen. MIMIC It does happen. We hunt ourselves down. THUG Are we going extinct? Are we going extinct? Ah? Ah? Ah? No! There are more people in the world today than ever. SHINE It could happen though. The play sounds cool. THUG You two are whack. SHINE Yo, I'm out. Shift's been up. MIMIC I'll make it up to you next time. SHINE No problem. THUG Don't let him take you to see the Lion is King. (Thug goes to slap Shine five but Shine ignores him and opens up his cell as he exits.) You see that? MIMIC You always do that to him. THUG Yeah, but nobody does that to Thuggy. MIMIC Thuggy? Man, your name is Rogelio. THUG Don't be saying my name out loud. You're gonna mess up my rep. MIMIC You don't got a rep to protect, ROGELIO! THUG Not since I've been hanging with you. Yo, if I ever see you acting in a play like that, I'll go on the stage and drag your ass off it myself and beat you down like there's no tomorrow. The Lion Is King. MIMIC Are you going to keep talking about this? THUG I wanted to see Uncle Scar, Mufasa, and little Simba. SCENE 10: Lights shift. A week earlier. Thug and Mimic are hanging on the street corner. THUG Yo, son, my pockets are thick. Corner clocking is the shiznits, yo. Who ever said crime didn't pay, never committed a crime, son. I got cheese everywhere. Even coming out of my ears, yo. MIMIC That's wax mothafucker. THUG (As he counts a wad of money.) Mo money! Mo Money! Mo, mo money. MIMIC Are you going to let the everybody know how much money you got. THUG Fuck the world. Donald Trump let’s the world know. The Microsoft guy let’s them know. Every movie star Is always showing off what they got. Why can’t I do it? Mimic Because they didn’t make their money selling crack in a street corner. THUG Money is money. It’s all green dead presidents. This Jackson here was probably touched by a president of the United States, and now it’s going in my pocket. Maybe if you start putting more time in and quit that acting shit it’ll be in your pocket one day. (A sharp, short police siren is heard.) MIMIC Shit, the cops. THUG Fuck them, yo. Are you talking to me? You watching me? No, no. I’m watching you. MIMIC Shut the fuck up, man. THUG You’re going to whip my what? Take off your badge and say that to my face. MIMIC Do you have a death wish? THUG Nah, man, they can’t come to my place of business and tell me what to do. MIMIC Okay, you really lost it. I am now moving away from you. THUG (to police) Why don’t you go back to Long Island? What the fuck you doing in New York City? Go back to the dunes and shit… Come back I don’t care. My door is always open. That’s right leave! Drive that piece of shit car out of here. (to Mimic) You saw that? They left. Punk mothafuckers. Fucking white boys coming to New York and think they can run shit. MIMIC You are fucking crazy! You know they are going to be watching us right? THUG Fuck them, yo. Yo, you see how Shine is so nice to the crack heads. THUG Yo, what's up with Shine? You see how he be nice to the crackheads? MIMIC Shine likes to talk to everybody. THUG We're selling drugs not working for Mcdonalds. We don't have to smile at those low lifes. I know why he's doing it. So they can come back to him. He's trying to play us, son. MIMIC Shine ain't like that, yo. THUG You should keep an eye on him. MIMIC Stop being so paranoid, son. THUG I don't like what he's doing. MIMIC (Mimics him.) I don't like what's he’s doing. THUG Don't start mimicking me. MIMIC Don't start mimicking me. THUG Stop that shit. MIMIC Stop that shit. THUG Stop Mimic. MIMIC Stop Mimic. (Thug walks away from Mimic angrily. Mimic mimics his behavior in an exxagerated manner.) THUG Stop the shit! MIMIC Stop the shit! I'll stop if you cut the shit with Shine. We are all in this together. Aight? Aight? THUG I don't know about that, man. (Shine enters with three bottle of beers.) MIMIC Sh! (Shine walks pass Thug who has a hand out for a beer, giving Mimic one first, he then gives one to Thug.) THUG Yo, I said wanted a forty. SHINE We're making money so I bought some Heines. Move up in the world. THUG You think you're better than me? SHINE Where did that shit come from? Man, drink your beer and shut up. MIMIC You know what I'ma do with my money? First, I'm going to see every Broadway show there is. Then I'm going to buy every play ever written. Then, I'm going to go to a good acting college, like Yale. It's expensive, too! And then I'm hiring Robert Deniro to be my acting coach. 'Cause I want to win an acadamy award. THUG Yo, yo, I'm going to buy my baby mom some rock ice, bling, bling, then we're buying us some Tommy's. Not that bootleg Tommy Shine likes to wear. Then I'm buying my baby girl mad barbie dolls, yo. SHINE Not me, I ain't spending my money. THUG You cheap. SHINE I'm saving it, yo. For my recording studio. THUG Recording what? SHINE Studio stupid. I'm going to be a mogul like Diddy. THUG All the talent is taken, yo. SHINE I'm discovering me some new talent, yo. There are a lot of brothers out there that need a break. And I'm giving them that break. THUG You're going to break your legs that's what you're going to break. MIMIC Let the man's dream alone, yo. THUG It's like my moms always dreaming of hitting the numbers and never do. SHINE Yo, I talked to my super and he's renting me two rooms in the basement. I'm gonna clean them up and begin to buy recording equipment. THUG I don't know why you want to do something else when you got the best job there is. SHINE Yo, clocking is temporary, son. I going ligit. THUG Not me, yo. You be poor mothafucker while I be driving my Lincoln Navigator, son. Don't be asking me for no ride either. I-ma be living large, kid. I'm going to move up in my cousin's organization, be his right hand man. Move all the way to the tippy top. KnowwhatI'msaying? SHINE If that's what you want, hey, I'll go visit you in jail or in the morgue. THUG Yo, don't be wishing me no bad luck. SHINE Yo, you know how everybody in the hood who wanted to be Scarface ended up. THUG Yo, yo, my cousin is looking out for me. SHINE (Shine takes out money and starts counting it.) Money is a tool. THUG What the hell are you talking about? SHINE Money is like a hammer, plyers. A saw. THUG The boy has lost it. SHINE Don't you remember Mr. Birnbaum's Economics class? He said money is a tool. THUG I got the best z's in that class. MIMIC My moms says money is the root of all evil. THUG Not having money is the root of all evil. SHINE You both wrong. Money is to be used, son. You can't be scared of it and you can't love it. It's like a nail holding a painting up on the wall. THUG I don't care what you say. I love my money. MIMIC Damn, Shine, you got a lot of money there. Lookithere, Thug. THUG That ain't shit, yo. I-ma going to be making more than that. SHINE In your dreams. In just a month I'm out selling soldiers that was out here for years, yo. I'm the man. Don't be jealous, son. Papa will teach you the tricks of the trade. THUG You ain’t got nothing to teach me. MIMIC See, I don't care if ya sell more than me. Because I know that I ain't gifted at selling drugs. THUG Yo, my cousin told me yesterday, for you to get your shit together or he was dropping your ass. MIMIC Yo, I ain't got time to be out here all day. I'm late for my acting class. THUG What? You're acting that guy? MIMIC What guy? THUG What you ma call it? Uh! The guy that wrote in english that nobody understands. MIMIC Shakespeare? THUG Yeah, him. MIMIC No. I'm doing a contemporary playwright. THUG Look at my boy with ten dollar words and 3 dollar pants. MIMIC I'm out! THUG Yo, you can't be out now. MIMIC Shine is here. SHINE Nah, I going to see my boo. MIMIC Boo who? SHINE I don't kiss and tell son. THUG It's probably some chicken head. SHINE I'm going to let that one go, son. MIMIC Don't let me find out you're doing a bird. Nah, nah. I'm just joking. I'm bouncing. (He shakes Thug's hand and partially hugs him.) THUG Are we going to meet later at the spot? I’ll bring the blunts. MIMIC I’ll bring the covassier. SHINE I got the hydro. MIMIC I’m bouncing. SHINE Yeah, aight. Yo later. (He goes to shake Thug's hand, but Thug turns him down.) THUG Leave a message! SHINE See, If I snuff him, they gonna say I was wrong. MIMIC Let's be out. (Mimic and Shine exit. Thug finishes drinking his beer. He goes up to a person.) THUG What you want yo? Speak up, mothafucker! Pay up first niggah. (He takes the money, then goes to the garbage can, taking out a vial out of a bag which he hands over. Goes over to another person.) THUG Yo, what you want? Who you asking for? Shine? You see Shine around here? Fuck Shine. I'm the man. Buy from me. Then get out of my face before I put my foot... Fool asking for Shine. Shit. Yo, yo Louie, you owe me three dollars. I said get over here, Louie. Don’t make me chase you down if you know what’s good for you. Now, where's my money? I...I...I... Speak clear motherfucker. Where's my money? All right, you go home, get your food stamps trade them at the store and bring me my money... Sh! I don't care if your baby is hungry. You want crack, you got to pay. Or I'll get a gun and clock your ass. You better be back in less than an hour. Stupid ass crackheads trying to get over on me. Yo, how many? SCENE11: Two weeks earlier. Shine and Mimic are in the corner selling drugs. This scene is kind of layback. Mimic looks around before selling he’s very careful. SHINE: Mimic. (He points with his lips to a customer. Mimic looks around carefully not to be seen.) MIMIC What you want? (Mimic goes to garbage can getting a bag giving it to customer.) This is crazy, man. SHINE I know. MIMIC We’re out here in a street corner selling drugs and act like nobody can see us. (Shine laughs.) What you laughing at? SHINE Yo, you’re still selling drugs like if nobody’s suppose to know you’re selling. MIMIC This shit is hard, bro. People are ringing my buzzer, knocking on my door at all times of the night. SHINE I know. My mother asked me yesterday why am I suddenly so popular? MIMIC My mother, too. SHINE What did you tell her? MIMIC What am I gonna tell her? I had a total mental freeze. What did you tell yours? SHINE I acted like I didn’t hear her. MIMIC My moms almost found my stash yesterday, son. She was doing laundry and picked up the jeans I had my stash in. When she was about to go into the pockets I told her that they wasn’t dirty yet. She held them up looking at them up and down. Yo, my heart was beating at the speed of light, son. SHINE I’m glad you wasn’t busted ‘cause she would’ve called my mother and both our asses would be up shits creek. MIMIC I know. SHINE Hold up. Getting a phone call. (Answers phone.) What’s up?… It’s Thug. MIMIC Ask him when he’s coming? SHINE Mimic wants to know when you’re getting here… He said to stop shitting bricks… He’s laughing. MIMIC Tell him I said fuck you. SHINE Here, you tell him. MIMIC I don’t want to talk to him. SHINE Mimic said to tell you fuck you… He’s laughing… Aight got to go. (Closes phone.) He’ll be here in a minute. MIMIC I don’t believe this shit. He got us involve in this shit and he ain’t here. Where is he? SHINE Spending his money. Looking at some gold chains in the jewelry store. MIMIC Great! Now he’s gonna advertise he’s a drug dealer. SHINE Yo, when did you get a cell phone? SHINE A couple of days ago. MIMIC And Thug got your digits and I didn’t? When was you going to tell me? SHINE I forgot to tell you. Here! (Gives Mimic business card.) MIMIC What the fuck is this? You got a business card, too? SHINE Yo, bitnez! MIMIC Yo, I don’t know man. This might’ve been a mistake. You know selling drugs. I just don’t feel right about it. SHINE I don’t know Mimic. I mean there are benefits. MIMIC Maybe I’m fucking blind but I don’t see them. SHINE Chicks, babes, honies. MIMIC I ain’t going out with a Crackhead. SHINE I ain’t talking about a Crackhead, yo. You’re starting to dress better and chicks started checking you out. Today I was coming down in the elevator and guess who was in it? Guess? MIMIC How the fuck would I know? SHINE Destiny. That’s right boy. And she looked at me. MIMIC What’s so special about that? SHINE Son, she’s never looked at me before and we’ve lived in the same building since we was born. And you know what she said? I like your shirt. She liked my shirt. Shit, I’m buying ten like this one. You know I’ve had a crush on her since third grade. MIMIC So she finally talks to you ‘cause you’re selling drugs. SHINE Nah, she’s not like that. She asked me what was I doing. Did I have a job or something ‘cause I was looking prosperous. She used the word prosperous, yo. She’s smart. MIMIC And you told her the truth. SHINE Hell, no. Her brother is doing 30 years in the slammer for drugs. She hates drugs. So dig this. And when we parted ways I said to her, “see you later.” And you know what she said? MIMIC How the fuck would I know that? SHINE She said, “okay.” She said okay, son. MIMIC So when is the wedding? SHINE Wedding? I ain’t have my first kiss, yet. MIMIC I was kidding. You ain’t got a sense of humor. SHINE Yo, didn’t you go downtown to sign up for that acting class? MIMIC I didn’t sign up for it. SHINE Why not? I mean you want to be an actor, right? MIMIC Before signing up for a class you could sit on one and see if you liked it. SHINE And what? The teacher is a prick? MIMIC Nah, you know. SHINE I don’t know. MIMIC It’s just a dream. You know. SHINE So make it real. I thought we was gonna go to the Academy Awards together? MIMIC The whole shit is weird. There was this girl with purple hair, son. Purple hair! With like three piercings. And she was acting a scene out and she was really good. Her name was something like Raindrop. Raindrop. That’s a crazy name. Then they had the whole class do an exercise called the mirror exercise right. You’re giving a partner and one leads making faces or movements right and the other has to do the same thing.That shit was easy cause I’m used to mimicking people. And guess what. I was paired with the crazy purple hair Raindrop. She’s making all these faces and I’m making them too. She put her face really close to mine. I swear bro, like our lips almost touched. And we put our hands out like this. (Stretches arms out, palms up.) But our hands couldn’t touch. Like I was feeling her energy. We was laughing. And when we finished she said I was good. Then a pretty boy came over and she got all happy and she hugged him and kissed him and left with him. SHINE You like her! You like her! MIMIC She’s so different from all the girls in the hood. She’s so free. SHINE Yo, Mimic you got to go back to class. Ever since I’ve known you, you wanted to be an actor. You got to try it dude. MIMIC I don’t know. SHINE You better get your ass to class. That’s all I’m saying. Hold up. Got a call. Who the fuck is this?… Precious!… Thug gave you my phone… Damn! MIMIC She got your phone number, too? SHINE Thug ain’t here… Diapers? (To Mimic) Baby Thugerina needs diapers. MIMIC Shit, Big Thug needs diapers. SHINE (To phone) Why don’t you wait till he gets here and I tell him to call you. I’m not an answering machine… Okay, I’ll tell him. (Closes phone.) Precious is a pain in the ass, kid. She wants Thug to buy her some Baby Fat jeans. Those two deserve each other. What was we talking about before being rudely interrupted? MIMIC Nothing. SCENE 12: Two weeks earlier. Mimic and Shine enter. They are stressed especially Mimic. MIMIC Yo, I'm stressing B! SHINE Just chill. MIMIC That shit in the train was close. Thank God nothing happened. SHINE Thug is still talking to his mother. (Noticing Mimic's stress.) Yo you need to relax. MIMIC You right. You right. (Mimic starts doing breathing and movement exercises for actors.) SHINE What the hell are you doing? MIMIC Relaxation exercise for actors. I saw it on TV. SHINE Yeah, but now you're stressing me. Niggah, we're in the street. MIMIC Join me then. Take a deep breath in and... SHINE Get the fuck out of here. (Thug enters.) THUG What's up with him? SHINE I think he's a palm tree or something. THUG Earth to Mimic. What the hell was that? MIMIC You wouldn't understand. THUG Yo, dig, my moms wanted me to go to the supermarket. She be bugging. (Thug puts a bag of drugs in the garbage can.) MIMIC Did anyone see us? SHINE I don't think so. THUG Nobody saw us. MIMIC Yo, I don't want my mother to find out. SHINE Neither do I. THUG Nobody wants that. SHINE Yo, wasn't that fucked up when the police came in the train. MIMIC I almost shit in my pants. THUG I smelled it too. MIMIC I said almost. SHINE Especially when Thug kept staring at them. MIMIC Yeah, why did you do that? THUG They was staring at me. MIMIC Are you SOS? THUG SOS? MIMIC Stuck on stupid. We had illegal drugs in our possession and you're challenging them. The po-po don't need much to crack our skulls open. THUG I ain't taking nothing from nobody, po-po or no po-po. SHINE I'm just glad nothing jumped off. THUG You think they are looking for crack. SHINE They don't look cracked out. THUG (Calling out.) Yo, yo. MIMIC What you doing? They might be undercover po-po. They look and act like crack heads. THUG I've seen him around the block for a long time. MIMIC He could still be undercover. SHINE Thug, Mimic is right. THUG Okay, what about that cat over there? SHINE + MIMIC Under cover. THUG Yo, not everybody in our neighborhood is undercover. MIMIC How do you know they're not? SHINE He got a point. THUG So let me get this straight. The old church ladies, the Korean cleaners people, the Arab store people, the greasy Chinese restaurant people, the Dominicans in the resturant, the winos in the street, the fine big booty birds and all the brothers in the basketball courts is undercover. SHINE We're not saying that. MIMIC Shit, I'm saying it. All undercover! D.T.! All of them! THUG You is scared! MIMIC Yes, I am! THUG Yo, shine didn't I tell he'd chicken out. Shoulda left him out. MIMIC Really? Well, then, goodbye. Have a nice career selling drugs. SHINE Wait! Come on man. We just got to be careful. THUG So how are we supposed to sell drugs if we can't let nobody know we're selling? MIMIC Don't look at me. THUG Yo, I'm here to make money. You wit' me? MIMIC Louie, what's popping? SHINE What's up coz? MIMIC I didn't know Louie was your cousin. SHINE Dealing? MIMIC Us? Nah! THUG Who told you? MIMIC You got a nose for dealers. THUG You better not be undercover? SHINE He ain't D.T.. I didn't know you was on the pipe! THUG What you want then?... Mimic get him a dime. MIMIC Why me? THUG You're closer to the stash. MIMIC (Moves away from garbage can.) Now, you're closer. THUG What the hell are you laughing at Louie?... Yeah, today is our first day dealing, so what? You better stop laughing at us, stupid crack head. SHINE Don't talk to my cousin like that. THUG He's laughing at us. (Goes to garbage can retriving a vile from the bag.) Ten dollars! SHINE Don't worry about it, Louie. It's on the house. THUG What? SHINE Just pass the word that we got the best stuff around. Say hello to aunt Teresa for me. Don't forget to pass the word. THUG What the hell was that about? I don't give freebees. SHINE Yo, it's an investment. Louie will tell everybody. Word of mouth best advertisement. THUG All I know is that there ain't no money in my pocket. MIMIC Ain't you afraid that Louie tell your family that you're dealing? SHINE He smokes the shit! MIMIC Oh shit! I thought that was her. SHINE Who? MIMIC My next door neighbor Ms. Jones. She's been eyeballing us the whole time. SHINE She's coming this way. THUG Just tell her to mind her damn business. MIMIC Hi, Ms. Jones. I'm just hanging with my friends... No, we ain't up to no trouble.... Yes, I know that the streets are trouble. I'll be going up stairs in a little while... Yeah, my mother is home, cooking I hope... I'll stay out of trouble. Bye. I'm fucked, she's going to tell my mother. SHINE Chill, she didn't say nothing. THUG I didn't like she was looking at me. Like she was giving me the evil eye. If something bad happens to me, I'm going to beat her down. MIMIC How did you make this about you. It's about me! See, this is a sign for worse things to come. I should quit right now. THUG But this is our first day. SHINE We should at least sell what we got. THUG Yeah, man, Ghost got a no return policy. MIMIC AIGHT! Damn! There goes somebody. THUG YO-YO! Scene 11. A day earlier. Same street corner. Mimic and Shine enter rapping the words of a popular violent rap song. MIMIC Where is he at? SHINE I told him to buy a forty not to brew the mothafucker. (Thug enters drinking from a forty ounce beer.) MIMIC Yo, niggah pass that shit. SHINE He's hogging it up like always. THUG What's the blood clot, mon? MIMIC Now, he's Jamaican. THUG Yo, I know once I pass it to ya thirsty niggahs, I won't be getting it back. MIMIC Just pass the shit, yo. Damn! THUG Here, yo. MIMIC Look, at this shit, he done drank half of it. THUG Stop busting a nut. SHINE You're holding the bottle now, drink some and pass it. MIMIC We paid for it three ways, now if I drink my third, you ain't gonna have enough but to wet your lips. THUG Are you still crying? MIMIC Next time, I'm getting first sips. THUG + SHINE DRINK! (Mimic drinks.) SHINE Yo, niggah, you ain't leaving nothing for me? MIMIC Here. (Gives bottle to Shine.) THUG Yo, Shine, save me a sip. SHINE Get the fuck out of here, you begging ass mothafucker. THUG Bet! You is stingy. MIMIC Mothatfucker you drank most of it. THUG Yo, yo, Mimic, you know why they call Shine, Shine? 'Cause of his yellow ass teeth. SHINE Is he snapping on me? MIMIC Yeap! THUG His teeth are so yellow, his tongue wear sun glasses. MIMIC You tongue wear sunglasses! You're going to stand there and take that? SHINE Stop instigating, cause obviously, the boy doesn't know who he is messing with. I'm the champ of snaps. THUG Yeah, right! Your teeth are so yellow, you spit butter. When you drink water it turns to lemonade, that's how yellow your teeth are. MIMIC + THUG Lemonade, that cool, refreshing drink. MIMIC Are you going to stand there and take that? SHINE Of course not. I'm just waiting for the boy to run out of steam. THUG Yo, I got a thousand of them. I'm ready for your ass this time. Your teeth are so yellow, crows fly down and pick at them thinking they are corn. MIMIC That's corny. THUG Yo, Mimic, his teeth are so yellow he looks like he was blowing the Simpsons. He went to church on Sunday and everybody said "I see the light." SHINE Son, you got so many teeth missing, it looks like your tongue is in jail. You’re so stupid, you tripped over a cordless phone. You were so ugly at birth, your parents named you Shit Happens. Niggah your breath smells so bad, when you talk on the phone people hang up. MIMIC Damn! People hang up. SHINE I hang up on him all the time. I know you do, too, Mimic. Admit it! MIMIC I‘m not saying. SHINE The kid’s breath is kicking! THUG That one was good. But not as good as your mom’s was last night. SHINE Did I hear him right? MIMIC No mother jokes, aight? SHINE Nah, nah. He opened the door. THUG That’s right. I’m taking it to the next level. SHINE Yo, son, Mimic is right, let's get off moms, because I just got off yours. THUG Your mother is so stupid it takes her two hours to make minute rice. SHINE That snap is older than the crust in yo mama's underwear and staler than your breath. THUG Hey, you can't talk about my mom's cause I ain't got one. My dad and me just use yours. SHINE Speakin' of yo mama, when I was doing her doggy style last night, I realized which side of the family you get your looks from. MIMIC That one hurt! Okay my peeps, time for you to stop this shit. SHINE I could go on for ever. But I'll stop if Thuggy had enough. THUG I'm still here. SHINE Let's get ready for round two, then. THUG Yo, Mimic, who won the first round? I did right? SHINE That's bullshit, niggah. Be real, Mimic. MIMIC It was a tie, aight? Let's get off the mother jokes. SHINE I don't know what you're worried about? All you have to do is laugh. MIMIC Every time we do this someone ends with their feelings hurt and then they want to fight. SHINE That's Thug, not me. THUG That's bullshit! Let's get it on. SHINE Take your first shot. THUG Your momma is so old, she was a waitress at the last supper. Jesus would you like some water? SHINE Your mother is so old her social security is 1. 1. Niggah THUG Your momma is so fat, the last time she wore a Malcom X jacket a helicopter landed on her. It's true I saw it. Donald Trump came out and shit. SHINE Your momma is so fat when she rubs her thighs together, I swear I smell bacon. Extra crispy! THUG Your momma is so fat when she walks backwards she bleeps. SHINE Your momma is so fat her blood type is ragu. That’s one fat lady. You’ve seen her right, Mimic? You know you want to laugh. No comebacks? Come on, son. I think he's out for the count. 1, 2... THUG Your mother is so stupid she thinks Taco Bell is a telephone company. SHINE Your momma is so stupid, she took a knife to a drive by shooting. THUG Hello Taco Bell. No long distance. SHINE Your momma is so stupid, she sits on the tv and watches the couch. THUG You want to talk to Shine? SHINE You bald headed momma is so stupid she bought a glass door with a peep hole. You really got to be stupid to do that. She’s so stupid she tried to put M&M’s in alphabetical order. MIMIC Yo, I'm stopping this bout. SHINE Nah, I ain't ready to stop. MIMIC Come on, Shine, he's had enough. SHINE His mother is so ugly she entered an ugly contest and they said sorry no professionals. Yo momma's house is so dirty, she has to wipe her feet before she goes outside. Is he dead yet, nah I see him breathing. Yo, momma's is so poor, her doormat doesn't say welcome, it says welfare. Your momma is so short you can see her feet in her driver's license. Your momma' is so poor she goes to KFC and licks other people's fingers. Yeap, he's still breathing. Did I talk about his stupid mother yet? MIMIC Yeah, man, stop it. SHINE Wait, wait, let me put him out of his misery. Your momma's so stupid she went to the Gap to get her teeth fixed. And now for the knockout punch. You hairy, bald headed momma is so stupid she had you! That's a lesson to you, son, for the next time you think you can take me on. Snapping on me and shit. I'm the best. I got skillz. What's my name? I said, boy, what's my name? Shine is my name, snapping is my game. Boy, my mouth is faster than a semi-automatic. THUG FUCK YOU! SHINE What's the matter? The baby wants to cry. THUG Fuck off, yo. SHINE Why are you fronting, son? THUG Yo, Mimic, me and this niggah are 'bout to throw down. On the real. SHINE Let's motivate, son. MIMIC Are you motha's going to cut the shit. I hate all this drama. SHINE Punk. THUG You want some of me? SHINE Let's get it on, biatch! MIMIC Here we go. (Thug and Shine start moving around each other before throwing punches. Then they grab one another and wrestle. Mimic jumps in the middle.) MIMIC Break it up. Ya a bunch of assholes. Break it up. (As he try pulling them apart Mimic's shoulder pops out of the socket. He screams moving away from them.) SHINE What happened, son? MIMIC Get away from me. Just finish killing each other. This happens to me for being the peace maker. THUG Yo, you thought we was fighting for real? SHINE This is my boy. THUG We was playing with your ass. MIMIC You both can go to hell. SHINE Yo, Mimic, did you pull your arm out your socket? Let me put it back in place. THUG Just pull the sucker. MIMIC You touch my arm, I'll kill you both ten times. SHINE Yo, Mimic, you aight? MIMIC Nah. Yo, my arm is aight, but I'm tired of having no c.r.e.a.m. THUG (Sings.) Cash Rules Everything Around Me. Cream get the money. Dollar, dollar bill, yaaaaaaa! MIMIC He's your boy. SHINE Your boy! MIMIC The truth is we so poor, we can't afford to pay attention. The real deal is that we're so poor, it took all our money to buy a forty. And I'm thirsting for more. YouknowwhatI'msaying? SHINE I could use some victory sips myself. THUG Let's pull a lick, yo. MIMIC Get the fuck out of here. SHINE Yo, son, you got brain damage? THUG Yo, we go to the bodega, Mimic and you start a commotion and I grab three forties and put them under my shirt and walk out. MIMIC Yo, don't your mother swipe her benefit card there? THUG You, snapping, yo? MIMIC Nah, it's the truth. My moms does it, yo. And Shine's moms, too. They know them in there. SHINE And they know us. THUG Yo, that's why it'll be easy, yo. We'll blind side them, they won't expect it. MIMIC Nah, I ain't down with that. I don't want my moms to go berserk on me. She's still mad at me for getting arrested for jumping the turnstile. SHINE Yo, we need some cheese, yo. 'Cause I want to catch a buzz. THUG Yo, Yo. I got another idea. (Pause.) MIMIC We ain't robbing a bank. THUG No, no, yo. Listen, listen. Yall know my cousin, right? SHINE + MIMIC Ghost? THUG Yeah, he could set us up with a corner. MIMIC Oh, niggah, please. THUG I'm serious, yo. MIMIC I don't know if I want to sell drugs, man. THUG The bills come rolling in like a bank, yo. MIMIC Yo, Shine what do you think? No, right? SHINE I could bankroll my music studio. MIMIC You'd do it? SHINE What do we have to lose, Yo? I mean, we ain't got nothing now. It'll be just for a little while. THUG So are we down or what? MIMIC Nah, man, count me out. THUG Ah, come on. You can buy all the clothes you want. MIMIC It ain't 'bout clothes, yo. SHINE You would be able to afford acting school. And you could go to Broadway plays, yo. MIMIC But my heart ain't in it. To be a dealer, you got to put on a mean mug all the time. You can't smile. You got to look like you're in an important club that everybody wants to join but they can't. I don't see myself as a dealer. SHINE Look at it like you're practicing a part in a movie, yo. THUG Yeah, yo. So when you do Scarface, the musical, you'd know how to act the part. MIMIC Scarface the musical? SHINE 'Cause I won't clock if you don't. THUG One for all. SHINE And all for one. THUG + SHINE The three amigos. SHINE So are you in? THUG Do I call my cousin or what? MIMIC To hell with it. Got nothing to lose. Call your cousin. THUG You got a quarter? MIMIC No, niggah. (Mimics him.) You got a quarter? SHINE Yo, you know we poor. MIMIC Call him collect. SHINE You can't call a drug dealer collect. MIMIC Ghost is his cousin. THUG We're not calling him collect. Let's go see him. MIMIC Yo, he lives over forty blocks from here. I ain't walking up there, yo. THUG Let's take the train, then. MIMIC We ain't got money for the train. THUG We'll hop the train, yo. MIMIC I don't want to get busted again, yo. I ain't pay the last fine. They'll put me in jail for a couple of days, and my moms will hit the ceiling and bounce of the walls. THUG That's if you get busted, yo. Can't do the time if you don't get busted for the crime. MIMIC I can't risk it, yo. THUG You are making me mad, yo. Acting like a punk. MIMIC Get mad. I don't care. THUG Stop acting like a biatch. MIMIC You better step off. SHINE Cut it out. Yo, Mimic, if you don't want to go into it, we don't have to. THUG What? I thought we was going in? SHINE You can't force nobody. THUG This is bullshit. MIMIC Yo, I'm in. Aight? Let's go. THUG Train or walk? MIMIC Whatever? THUG Let's flag down a cabby and when we get there we run out. MIMIC Let's get it over with. SHINE There's one. MIMIC Yo, Taxi! (Mimic raises his hand and the shoulder pops out of his socket. His arm points straight up.) My shoulder popped out. THUG Yo, let's get in the cab. MIMIC I can't get in a cab like this. THUG Damn man. Let's take the train, then. MIMIC And have all these people look at me. Nah. I got to go home and have my moms fix it. (The lights go off for a second.) What the hell was that? Like the lights was turned off. THUG Niggah, it's day time, hello. It was a dark cloud that crossed in front of the sun. MIMIC What dark cloud? There ain't a cloud in the sky. THUG There, son. MIMIC You're seeing things. THUG Man, you're blind. MIMIC Yo, shine you see a cloud? SHINE Nah. THUG Then it was a plane. MIMIC Did you see or hear an airplane? THUG Then it was a big bird. MIMIC Big Bird? Niggah, you better stop watching Sesame Street. Big Bird! SHINE Maybe it was one of those dinosaurs birds. THUG Like an Archaeopteryx. A Pterosaur? Pterodactyl! (They stare at him surprised.) SHINE Niggah, you better stop watching Jurassic Park. MIMIC He's burnt out three cd's already. THUG So if it wasn't a cloud, a plane or a bird? What was it then? Ah? Ah? SHINE Maybe it was a sign. (Mimic is lit up by a special light putting him in another dimension.) THUG Like a stop sign? SHINE No. Maybe it means that if we go into business with your cousin something bad could happen to us. THUG Nothing is going to happen if we sell drugs, except we're going to have cream in our pockets. SHINE Yo, yo, you don't know that. All signs are bad. It's like a red traffic light. It says you better stop or you're going to crash. THUG I don't believe that, man. That's only one sign. SHINE What about Mimic's shoulder? THUG Okay two, but everybody knows two strikes don't get you out. SHINE It does in softball. THUG I'm talking baseball niggah. Mimic what the hell you doing over there? MIMIC Deja vu! THUG Deja what the hell are you talking about? MIMIC Vu niggah. DEJA VU. Don't tell me you don't know what that is. THUG ...I know... It's... It's you know... a drink you get in a bar. MIMIC NO! SHINE It's like how can I put it. It like you're going through something for the first time but it feels like you lived it before. THUG That never happened to me. MIMIC Well, it just happened to me, aight. But it was like a deja vu in the future. THUG How could you live something before it happens? MIMIC Look, I don't question it. I'm just the vessel. THUG So now my boy is a fortune teller. SHINE So what did you see, son? MIMIC The first thing I saw was the moment when the three of us agree to sell drugs and take a taxi to Ghost's house. THUG That just happened. SHINE No shit Sherlock. Go on Mimic. MIMIC Then I was transported into the future. BANG! The three of us was clocking and we was making lots of cream. THUG That's what I was talking about. And you said all signs was bad. MIMIC And you killed Shine. Shot him dead right there. THUG You is crazy. You know that? SHINE Yo, what are you doing killing me, yo? THUG You ain't dead. SHINE Yeah, I don't like the fact that you are killing me in Mimic's deja vu. THUG You probably deserved it. What did the fool do? SHINE Why did the fool kill me? MIMIC It's a little fuzzy. But his ass ended up in jail, though. THUG Get the fuck out of here. I'm never going to jail. MIMIC There's one more thing. When I went to see you at the funeral parlor, lights went off then back on by themselves. SHINE Like just now! MIMIC Then I promised that I'd let my shoulder pop out of its socket if I could turn back time like Superman. (Mimic and Shine look at his stuck arm. They scream.) THUG What the hell are you girls screaming at? SHINE His arm is out of the socket! Just like in the deja vu. THUG He can't turn back time. He ain't no Superman. SHINE It could happen yo, like in Terminator. MIMIC Yeap. Uhu! SHINE That niggah came from the future to the present and shit. Yo that could be mad real. THUG Mimic don't got that kind of power. SHINE Yo, Mimic is mad sensitive. MIMIC That's right, son. My mother can see what's going to happen in the future. She says sometimes the future comes to you in weird ways. THUG And sometimes it comes in caca like what's coming out of the two of you mouths. SHINE Yo, yo. Remember when Mimic predicted we was going to get suspended from school. THUG Niggah, I could've told you that. We set fire to the school. SHINE But you didn't say nothing and Mimic did. He got a gift. MIMIC What I'm saying though, maybe a portal opened up for me and I went into the future. THUG The portal in your ass. That's what opened up. MIMIC I know what I saw. I looked around. Hung out. Checked out the chicks. Then came back for my peeps with the 411. Yo, Thug, in about a year your sister gonna be fly! THUG You better not look at my sister if you know what’s good for you. SHINE I believe you went into the future, son. THUG Yo, he's pulling your leg. How could he go into the future if he was standing here the whole time? SHINE It's mental. You wouldn't understand. MIMIC Educate the boy. THUG Okay, okay. If you can see the future what am I thinking. MIMIC That's easy. Something stupid. THUG You got me. You was lucky on that one. Okay, okay. What am I gonna do now? MIMIC (Chants something unintelligible.) Something really, really, stupid. THUG (Kicks Mimic on the ass.) You didn't see that coming. MIMIC Boy, if you touch me again, I predict death by my two goddamn hands. THUG You ain't no fortune teller. Yo, Shine, you don’t really believe in that, right? SHINE I respect it, yo. You never know. I was thinking. Maybe Mimic turned back time and we're living in it. Wouldn't that be freaky? THUG You mean to tell me that Shine came back to life after I killed him? SHINE I knew you killed me. You admitted it. Call the police. THUG You guys are cookoo for Coco Puffs, I swear. MIMIC There was something else. Shine you dog. SHINE What? What? MIMIC You was banging Jazmin. SHINE Jazmin? She doesn't give me the time of day. THUG She's thick, yo. You should hit on that or I will. SHINE I don't know. THUG I thought you believed in that deja vu thing. SHINE Jazmin, ah? MIMIC And you left her pregnant. And she became my woman. Stop turning colors. I didn't hit on her. SHINE You better not! That girl is going to be mines. She’s having my mini-me. MIMIC Oh, and I got a part in a movie with De Niro. THUG Yo, did you see something good for me? MIMIC Yeah, you went to jail. THUG Go to hell. MIMIC Yo, the deja vu is the third sign. (Mimic's shoulder pops back into place.) Yo, it never popped back by itself. I ain't clocking! SHINE Me either yo. MIMIC First it was my shoulder popping out, then the sun going off, then deja vu and now my shoulder popping back. That's four signs. Four! I'm out! THUG I don't believe this. Nothing is gonna happen to us, jo. MIMIC You have to read the signs, son. SHINE They’re there like the bat signal. THUG So we are just gonna keep being poor? MIMIC Yo, my boy is the manager in a video store. He offered me a job. It ain't that much but it'll keep cream in my pocket until I become a movie star. THUG I could see you punking out but not us, right Shine? SHINE Yo, I ain't letting you kill me. I'm putting an application in that new record shop they're opening down block. THUG You're getting a job just because of a deja vu? You mugs are stupidstitious. MIMIC You have to respect the signs. SHINE Yo, Thug they have a help wanted sign over at the Korean sneaker store. You should apply for the job. THUG What? Nah, man. Not me. MIMIC You should go for it, son. You'll get sneakers in discount. Could set up your peeps with mad savings. SHINE Word! You know how much you love sneakers. THUG Man! I don't know man. Damn son! What about my Lincoln Navigator? Nobody gets rich selling sneakers. SHINE Yo, one day you could end up owning the store, yo. You never know. You can call it "THUGS." MIMIC Or Thuggys." MIMIC + SHINE ROGELIO’S! THUG (Pause.) I want to clock with my peeps. 'Cause you got to have backup when you clock. And I don't trust no one but you two. I don't even trust my cousin. Are you sure you ain't down? Last chance. Damn. (They shake their heads no.) MIMIC Yo, let’s get out of here and go see the Jackie Chan movie. THUG But we ain't got no cream, yo. MIMIC Let's ask our moms for some. SHINE And we can buy a huge popcorn and extra large huge soda and share it. MIMIC Let's go see Jackie Chang kick some ass. (Shine tickles Mimic. As they start to imitate a kung fu fight. They stop fighting and start to exit. But Thug stops looking in the direction of his cousin’s house.) THUG Yo, my cousin's crib is that way. (Shine and Mimic look in the direction Thug has pointed to.) MIMIC And my Mom's house is this way. (Mimic and Shine begin start to walk towards their mother’s home then stop and look at Thug who's just standing looking in the other direction.) MIMIC Are you coming or what?... THUG Yo, I'm out. SHINE Yo, son, didn't you hear Mimic's deja vu? THUG I don't believe in that shit. Ya momma's boyz do what ya got to. I ma’ do mines. MIMIC Thug. We know what's going to happen to you if you go down that road. SHINE It's destiny, son. THUG Hey, ya two ain't coming. Our destinies changed. Didn’t you Back To The Future? If you change one thing in the past, it changes the future. MIMIC That’s true. But yours can change for the worse. You could even end up dead. THUG Or maybe not! But I know one thing for sure, If ya don’t come, Mimic you won’t get your movie with DeNiro! MIMIC Or maybe I’ll get a part where I don’t have to be a drug dealer. THUG And Shine won’t get Destiny. She ain’t going out with no store clerk. And forget about your recording studio. SHINE Hey, if Destiny is meant to be, it’ll happen. And I’ll make my recording happen no matter what. THUG Ya so stupid! Look around. We live in the ghetto. The only people living large is the dealers. Everybody else is broke. Always borrowing. Hoping they hit the lottery or that a Brinks truck crashes in front of their building. I don’t want to be a dream killer, but yo, ya really think ya gonna make it? How long it gonna take ya? I want what’s coming to me now, dogs. I can’t wait twenty years to get what’s coming to me. There is a lot of bullets out here with no names on them flying around. You never know when one is going to bust your head open. Tomorrow might not come. MIMIC You’re right about that, yo. But I’ve got to listen to my feelings. And they’re not just talking to me. They’re screaming at me that this is wrong. The Déjà vu was as clear as day. I know you don’t believe I turned back time. I don’t think I believe it myself. But if it happened, then we’re getting a second chance. And you can’t turn your back on second chances. You can’t! SHINE You better listen to Mimic, yo. THUG I’m out! (Thug exits.) MIMIC THUG! THUG! Fuck man! I'm going after him. SHINE Let him go, man (Hold Mimic back.) MIMIC He's so fucking hard headed. SHINE He wouldn't be Thug if he wasn't. MIMIC I've never been wrong about my predictions. SHINE Yo... I know. That's why I ain't clocking. You ain't got to tell me things two twice. Come on. Mimic what are you going to do? (PAUSE) MIMIC Let’s go ask our Moms for some money to go to the movies. (Shine begins to do karate moves to Mimic who at first doesn't respond, then he begins to defend himself without much enthusiasm. Then he not only defends himself, but begins to attack. As the lights fade they begins to exits towards their mother's house, Mimic takes one more look looking for Thug before exiting. BLACKOUT END OF PLAY