Across The Line Page #5

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Wait.

John. What about John?

Is he okay?

I don't know.

His mom won't let me see him.

The papers are

saying you did it.

Jayme, you know I

would never do that.

I'll go get your mom.

Hey boy.

So how you doin'?

I'm okay.

Just sore.

I just wanna go home.

I tell you boy when I find them,

it's gonna be a problem,

you hear me?

Carter, you

stop it.

No. You're

my brother

and no one's gonna make no punk of you.

You hear me?

You're still on

the same bullshit?

Oh my baby, my baby, my baby.

Hi mom.

Hey Carter.

Dad.

Oh we were so worried honey.

Sweet Jesus. Thank god.

You look good, son.

You need anything, huh?

No mama.

- Can we get you anything?

- I'm fine, mom.

The doctor should be in soon.

And it was perhaps

man's devotion to humans

The poor ladies who now sat on

the beach were flushing...

Look, I don't remember much.

I just remember looking down

and seeing John lying

there on the ground.

Dwight already told the police

that you weren't involved.

Okay. He already

took responsibility

for his part in this mess.

It's not that simple.

Your son was involved

in the fight.

Yeah but our son

didn't do anything.

They attacked him.

Are you gonna charge

that other boy

with assaulting my son?

Mr. Slaughter, that other boy,

he may not live.

So you're gonna charge my son?

Maybe you should

talk to a lawyer.

Miss Downey?

Miss Downey?

I want to talk to you

about what happened.

I was a student at Cole

Harbour High in '89

when the first race

riot took place.

It was brutal.

And the other day,

we had such a sickening reminder

that nothing's really

seemed to change.

Still North Preston

and Eastern Passage.

Poor black and poor white

fighting for scraps

from the big table.

You guys really think there's

nothing worth talking about?

What's it gonna change?

The cops went right for us.

They weren't even looking

at the white kids.

We're always the target.

You're not a victim.

Slavery happened.

Get over it.

You know what? I'll show you

how to get over it at lunch.

Okay. Let's take a breath. Okay.

Will you just shut up!

Just shut up.

You're all so caught up in

skin colour and for what?

He's black, she's white.

I don't gotta look any further?

Is that it?

Race is everything?

I mean who decided that?

Look at where it's gotten us.

We need to change the rules and

start thinking for ourselves

'cause if we keep down this road

we are gonna be so f***ed!

Says the half-breed.

The sky seemed to darken.

The white crests of

the waves died away

to leave a creeping

wrinkled skin of water.

The wind dropped.

The sea birds fell silent.

What came next was a strange

heaping up of the water

into a mound which grew

and grew and became...

Get out!

Miss Doucet, I just

came to check on...

You're not welcome here.

Do you understand?

But I didn't do anything, okay?

Those boys from Preston,

they were gonna

f*** him up, okay?

The doctor says his short-term

memory may be all messed up.

He may have to use a cane

for the rest of his life

and you left him there.

You know, that in there?

I don't blame anybody but you.

But he's my best friend.

And that makes me sick.

It makes me sick to

think what I did

that my beautiful boy would want

someone like you as a friend.

Okay Miss Doucet. Come on.

Don't come back here.

F*** you.

So how come I ain't

heard from you?

Busy.

Ah. So you're dropping me?

Look...

I'm proud of you.

It's family over everything,

right boy?

Man, don't you see how you're

damaging this family? Huh?

Man, look at pop.

All he wants is the

best for you, man.

And you still act

like you don't care.

No. You're acting like I

got a billion choices.

I ain't you, Mattie.

What?

I gotta get a trade

so I can kill myself

for them white people

just so I can get by? Huh?

Man, I don't think you

realize how everything you do

sticks with us, man.

You mean you?

I can't have you in

my life anymore, C.

You want to be a pimp,

go ahead, be a pimp.

I don't want nothing

to do with it.

Why is that? Huh?

'Cause I'm not gonna

kiss Mr. NHL's ass

like pops and everybody up home?

Guess you gotta get that, right?

Mattie.

Mattie.

Okay.

All right.

Be like that.

F*** you man.

Yo f*** you!

Yeah f*** this!

Hey Len.

Hey.

How you feeling?

Good. Good.

You know, I won't be able to

play for a couple weeks but...

Yeah. I was, uh, I was

talking to your dad so...

Hey, we hear anything

back from that scout yet?

Well that's what I

wanted to talk about.

Not gonna happen.

Okay. Okay cool.

There's other teams

though, right?

Um, that's the thing, Mattie.

Nobody wants you.

Well... I don't understand.

Swarming that kid in Preston?

All over social media.

It's a mess.

Yeah, but I didn't do anything.

You were there.

Character.

No team wants to be

tied to a player

involved in a mess like this.

You do realize.

You have a criminal record,

you can't cross the border.

You know that, right?

Yeah but I didn't do anything.

I mean, I was jumped too.

No one cares about that sh*t?

I'm sorry.

Like you said,

it's different for me, right?

Listen,

don't worry about the fridge.

Hey.

Hey.

How'd you know I was here?

I called your house.

Mom said you were here.

It's cold.

Skates?

Oh yeah.

Skating with an NHL star?

I'll be dining out on

this story for years.

Yeah well you need

to slow your roll.

Apparently I'm damaged goods

now because of the fight.

My agent said no NHL

team will take me.

A**hole.

So no lesson?

Seriously?

Everything isn't a

f***ing joke, Jayme.

I did everything right!

Everything.

I worked twice as hard.

I was twice as good.

I did two hundred percent

and still they get to

take my dream from me?

You done now?

Great.

Get your skates on.

Get out of your head.

Come skate.

Dream's still here.

Just gotta take it.

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