America Page #3

- Spotters, are you ready?

- Ready!

- Fish, you can fall now.

- Falling.

- Fall.

- Go on.

- Yeah!

- Yeah, Fish!

Good job.

I trusted you, right?

People shouldn't hurt each other

or kill each other, not even ants.

- Shut up, Fish!

- No, you shut up!

Okay, okay, cool it. All

right, who's next? Who's next?

- I'll go.

- Me.

- You done?

- Yeah.

I was in this foster home

once, with this other kid,

we ate what the families left

on their plates. It was gross!

Yeah. I've been in some

pretty bad places, too.

Of course, when the Earth runs out

of water, there won't be any food.

- We'll just waste away.

- You're weird.

So are you.

Look at your hands.

Big as my whole face!

You know what they say about

guys with big hands, right?

Big gloves!

- I like you.

- What?

- I said I like you.

- Why?

I don't know why.

One of life's mysteries.

- Son of a b*tch!

- America, what's wrong?

- There's glass in my bed.

- Glass?

- Yeah, glass!

- America...

I should get the nurse.

No, I don't want the nurse.

I'm no snitch.

- I wonder who did it.

- I know who.

- I know who did it.

- Marshall?

America, you mustn't kill him.

- You mustn't never kill nobody.

- I know, Fish. Not even ants.

Not even ants.

Come on in. Hey. You're early.

- What's wrong?

- I'm sick of this place, okay?

I want to get out of here!

- Where would you go?

- Home.

And where is home?

- I'm bad! So do it!

- Where is she?

- Why do you care?

- Is she ever coming back?

- Just shut up!

- I'm bad!

Reggie said if I was

bad, you'd send me home!

So do it! Send me home!

Hey, I know it's not so great

being here, I totally get it.

- Let me help you.

- I don't want any help.

- I know. But everybody needs help.

- I just want to get out!

Okay! I hear you,

you want to get out.

Let's talk about how you

get out of here, okay?

Take a breath. Come, sit.

Come on, sit, talk to

me. Tell me what's wrong.

Bad dream. Dreamed

there was a monster.

- Did it get you?

- No, it got Mama.

- Is she ever coming back?

- You're my baby. I love you.

I love you so much. You

know that, don't you?

I can't take this anymore.

I just can't.

Excuse me! Hello,

chore list is up! Hello!

Chore list up for

the week! Listen up!

Billy, you are dusting.

Don, you are mopping.

Carla, you are sweeping.

Lyle, you are doing laundry.

Marshall, you have trash.

Let me see. Joe,

you're washing dishes.

Fish, you are sweeping.

America, you are doing laundry.

Bob, you are washing dishes.

- Brooklyn.

- What the heck are you doing here?

You're not supposed to be

in here. Get out of here!

- I need to talk to you.

- Need to? Can't you see I'm busy, man?

Okay, so when are you not

busy? When can we talk? When?

Look, meet me here at

Go. Get out of here.

Brooklyn, get the soup, man!

Yeah, yeah.

- What are you doing here? Get out!

- Let him do it.

- I don't wanna get in trouble.

- Do what?

- Never mind, Shoelaces.

- He want me to brand him.

You do it.

You scared?

No.

Both shoulders.

- You're crazy.

- Look who's talking.

- You stoned?

- Just one little pill.

Make sure you get

it good and hot.

- Here?

- Yeah.

You ready for the other one?

I'm keeping the lighter.

Let's go hit that car.

Come on, Brook!

Let's go, America.

Let's beat it.

So I'll see you after

group. All right?

Nice. It's nice to see

you smile for a change.

- Hey.

- Hey.

Nice one! You like basketball?

It's okay. I'm not

very good at it.

Well, two in a row, better

than me on a good day.

Brennan has the ball. It's

at the three-point line.

She looks, she shoots!

Off the rim! You

got a favorite team?

- Pistons.

- Detroit Pistons.

Good choice. I like them.

- Watch them on TV?

- Went to a game once.

- No kidding?

- Yeah. Reggie took me.

Yeah!

It's my favorite thing to do.

Couple friends, stadium

full of people cheering,

- get a hot dog...

- Yeah, and a beer.

You had a beer?

Little one on one,

what do you say?

What do you think?

Yeah? Wanna take it up?

Before we start, I just

want you to see one thing.

Look at that! Look at that!

Yo, we done? America?

You hiding?

Yeah. I like it down

here. It's nice and quiet.

- Want some gum?

- No, thanks.

Missing out on a lot.

Have you ever seen that

IMAX about Mount Everest?

No.

It's so high up.

It's all snow and ice.

It's higher than any

place in the whole world.

- Sounds beautiful.

- It is.

You don't know where the

clouds start and the snow stops.

Yeah, but you have to

worry about that frostbite.

Turn your skin all

black, start to fall off.

Next thing you know, your whole

nose is gone just like that!

Want it?

- Give me a fresh piece.

- Come on. Don't be a baby.

You have a sexy mouth.

- Give it back.

- No, you're not getting it back.

Give it!

What's this?

- It's cut and stitch.

- What?

I used to cut myself and then

stitch it with a needle and thread.

Wait a minute. Weren't you the one

crying, begging me to never hurt myself?

I told you. I

don't do it anymore.

- Goes up your whole arm.

- My legs too, my belly.

I liked to feel the pain on

the outside, not the inside.

That's what Dr. B says.

When you cut open your skin,

you see life running out.

I've done worse.

What?

I've done something so bad

that I can never tell anybody.

I'm not anybody. It's

me. Come on, tell me.

- I can't... I can't tell you.

- Tell me.

Tell me!

I know you probably don't want to

hear this, but I'd be better off dead.

Don't say that! Don't

you ever say that!

You're just a

jerk! I hate you!

- Wait! Come back!

- I don't want to see you again!

Liza, wait. Come...

What do you want?

- Where'd you get that?

- Why, you want some?

I thought you

were getting clean.

What happened? What

happened to you, Lyle, Mom?

You got me out here in the middle

of the night to ask me what happened?

You know. You were there.

We got separated. It's

over. Done. Forget it.

Now let's get this straight.

You and me, we ain't brothers, we

ain't associates, we ain't nothing.

You got that?

Why'd you show up then,

if we ain't nothing?

Can you tell me

about your brothers?

After the cops came

I never saw them again.

- Separated, different foster home?

- Yeah, in and out for 3 stupid years.

- Must have been horrible.

- I kept telling them the numbers.

- Mrs. Harper's phone number?

- Yeah, Mrs. Harper.

You got lost in the

system, but you're back

You a man now!

We've been looking for you.

You know what they said?

"You got lost in the system. "

- But you're back! You're back! Reggie!

- Yeah.

- Here he is. He's back.

- Yeah, there he is. Look at you, boy.

Oh, no! You a man now!

You got to go

back to her, right?

- You got to go back to Mrs. Harper's?

- Yeah.

And then, when you were 16, you ran away. I

don't really understand that part, America.

All you wanted was to get back there,

and then after you were there, you left.

Can you tell me why? Would

you like to see her, America?

- She's probably dead now anyway.

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