Ghetto Tears (eBook)

MONTAGE:

INT. RUN DOWN APARTMENT - DAY

Young Mia (5 or 6) in an empty, run down apartment watching people doing drugs.

INT. SMALL HOUSE - DAY

Young Mia (7 or 8) in a house full of people interacting with each other... she is watching sadly as young girls her age play together but look in her direction and smirk at her.

EXT. APARTMENT COMPLEX COURTYARD - EVENING

Young Mia (8 or 9) being physically disciplined by a man while a woman looks on.

INT. LUNCH ROOM - DAY

Young Mia (10 or 11) is a loner at school... eating at a table all by herself.

INT. SCHOOL AUDITORIUM - NIGHT

Older Mia (12 or 13) on stage receiving a trophy and looking into the audience but not seeing anyone there to support her.

INT. LOCAL DINER - NIGHT

High school aged Mia (15) sitting at a table with a woman and a man in a low budget diner... the man smiling at the woman while caressing Mia’s leg under the table.

INT. SCHOOL HALLWAY - DAY

High school aged Mia (15) walking down the hallway and getting taunted and teased by a group of girls... she is visibly upset as tears stream down her face.

INT. MIA’S ROOM - NIGHT

High school aged Mia (16) in her bed... visibly sad and withdrawn as a man zips up his pants, grabs his blue uniform jacket, and walks out of her room.

INT. APARTMENT - NIGHT

Mia (16), in the same apartment where she shot herself, is being yelled at by a man while a woman looks on... then she gets kicked out of the apartment... with the woman staying silent.

EXT. NEIGHBORHOOD STREET - LATE NIGHT

Mia (16)... wandering the streets... alone... crying...

INT. CLOSET - NIGHT BANG!!!

END FLASHBACK MONTAGE

EXT. CLOSET - NIGHT

A shrill scream of terror fills the apartment as LINDA DANIELS, 30’s, finds Mia’s lifeless and bloody body laying on the floor.

Instead of going to Mia, Linda rushes out of the room and out of the apartment into the courtyard screaming!

EXT. APARTMENT COMPLEX COURTYARD – MOMENTS LATER

LINDA

Help me! Oh my God! Somebody... Help!

Suddenly, several lights from different apartments turn on and people hurry out their doors to see Linda... a well put together woman with experience, hard experience, in her piercing brown eyes. She’s visibly shaking but is it because of what she saw or... something else?

LINDA (CONT’D)

It’s... Mia.

The courtyard is now full of people... men, women, and children alike... the perfect picture of a tight-knit community.

TINA PARKER, 40’s, not beautiful but not hideous either, rushes over to Linda with obvious motherly concern.

TINA

What about Mia, Linda?

LINDA

(Struggling)

She’s... dead.

KEVIN PARKER, late 40’s, a rugged, blue collar man’s man with secrets in his eyes, overhears the conversation and turns to the crowd.

KEVIN

Somebody call 911!

Kevin immediately rushes to Linda’s apartment. Tina ushers a reluctant Linda toward the apartment.

INT. CLOSET – MOMENTS LATER

Kevin kneels next to Mia’s still body, holding her wrist.

KEVIN (CONT’D)

She’s not dead. I can feel her pulse.

Tina gently nudges Linda toward the closet but Linda resists.

LINDA

(Sobbing)

I can’t... I... just... can’t.

TINA

Your baby girl needs you right now.

Linda unwillingly goes to Mia as Kevin moves out of her way. Linda takes Mia’s hand and immediately has a FLASHBACK to a time not too long ago.

INT. APARTMENT – NIGHT

The end of the encounter where Mia is being yelled at and kicked out of the apartment by a man is replaying. Except this time, we recognize LINDA as the woman who remained silent. As Mia exits the apartment, Linda looks on sadly and sheds a tear.

END FLASHBACK

INT. CLOSET – CONTINUOUS

Back in real time, Linda’s face is streaming with tears as she looks down at her daughter’s motionless body.

EXT. APARTMENT COMPLEX COURTYARD – MOMENTS LATER

Blaring sirens overpower the loud chatter of the concerned neighbors as emergency vehicles arrive in the courtyard.

A POLICE OFFICER races to the center of the crowd.

POLICE OFFICER

Heard on the scanner that a woman has been shot. Where is she?

BROOKE HILL, 50’s, a beautiful, kind soul, steps forward.

BROOKE

She’s just a girl, Officer... a young girl. Her apartment is this way.

Brooke leads the Officer toward the Daniels’ apartment.

EXT. CLOSET – MOMENTS LATER

The Officer enters the room and sees Linda holding Mia’s hand. As he scans the scene he sees the gun next to Mia. He approaches Linda.

POLICE OFFICER

Ma’am, I’m Officer King and I’m sorry but I have to ask you a few questions.

Linda doesn’t respond audibly... she just nods.

POLICE OFFICER (CONT’D)

What is your relationship to the victim?

LINDA

My daughter.

POLICE OFFICER

Is that your gun?

Linda looks at the gun and shakes her head.

LINDA

My husband’s.

POLICE OFFICER

Did you discover the victim?

Linda nods.

POLICE OFFICER (CONT’D)

Was there any sign of forced entry into the apartment when you arrived?

Linda shakes her head.

POLICE OFFICER (CONT’D)

This appears to be self-inflicted. Do you know of any reason why your daughter would do this?

Linda’s demeanor immediately changes. She becomes tense and begins to weep and shake her head as the EMT’s enter the room.

INT. VAN – NIGHT

SHANNON PRICE, 30’s, a sophisticated but no nonsense kinda gal listens to the police scanner from the passenger seat. She tries to hide her physical beauty behind non-prescription glasses but that’s like trying to dim the brightness of her soul.

SHANNON

(To the driver)

Did you hear that? Something’s happening in your neighborhood.

The driver, DAVID RICHARDS, 40’s, large and burly like a bear... and hairy like one too... shoots back a very telling response.

DAVID

Something’s always happening in my neighborhood.

EXT. APARTMENT COMPLEX COURTYARD – MOMENTS LATER

The crowd in the courtyard has grown as more people from the neighborhood have arrived to see what’s going on.

Indistinct chatter... neighbor talking to neighbor wearing real looks of concern. Feels like a loving, tight-knit community. The crowd parts as a CHANNEL 9 NEWS VAN drives into the courtyard.

David and Shannon exit the van and spring right into action. Shannon, microphone in hand, approaches the crowd as David follows behind her with his TV camera.

MIKE MURPHY, still dressed in his MAILMAN uniform sees David and crosses to him... or better yet, waddles to him as his short, stubby legs can only carry his equally stocky body so fast. Luckily for Mike mail is no longer delivered on foot.

MIKE

If you’re looking for news to report... the Reynolds kid shot herself.

Shannon jumps in... Shoves the microphone into Mike’s face.

SHANNON

Excuse me, Sir. Did you say, “Kid”?

MIKE

Yes, Ma’am. A high school girl.

SHANNON

Do we know why she may have done this?

Mike scans the crowd, shakes his head in sadness.

MIKE

She always seemed so... happy. Our community is close. Can’t believe nobody saw this coming.

SHANNON

And what is your name, Sir.

MIKE

No comment.

Shannon and David peer at Mike curiously, then at each other as Mike sadly slides away.

Shannon moves into position in front of David and gives him the signal to begin rolling the filming.

SHANNON

This is Shannon Price, News 9, reporting from the 103rd block of Vermont where a shooting involving a teen aged girl has been reported.

Another neighbor, CONSTANCE HARPER, probably 50’s but trying her best to prove 50 is the new 30, approaches Shannon.

SHANNON (CONT’D)

Ma’am, can you tell us what...