American History X Page #7

DANNY:

Uhhh...yeah.

DEREK:

Get a clue, you dumbshit. Hey! Look

at me! Don't be a d*ckhead. Sweeney

cares about you.

SETH:

(smiling)

Sweeney does? Since when?

DANNY:

Was that him on the phone?

DEREK:

Yep. So wise up. You hear me?

SETH:

Sweeney's a f***in' n*gger on a power

trip, Vinyard. That's what he was

like when we were there and that's how

he is now. It'll never change either.

A n*gger is a n*gger.

Derek stares at Seth, ready to beat the f*** out of him.

Suddenly, Doris starts in with a COUGHING ATTACK. Derek

quickly fills a glass of water and goes in there.

INT. LIVING ROOM - THE PINK BLANKET

She coughs incessantly. Derek sits down beside her,

hands her the water, and caresses her head. The others

stare at her in the background.

DORIS:

Just put me out of my mercy.

DEREK:

You'll be okay. You want me to pick

you up any more medicine?

Together they look at all the bottles and laugh. Derek

checks out the couch.

DEREK:

Jesus. I can't believe I ever let it

get this bad.

DORIS:

It's not that uncomfortable.

DANNY:

Are you gonna to live or what, Mom?

DORIS:

I need a cigarette.

DEREK:

My ass. You smoke two packs a day.

That's why you're spittin' phlegm.

Doris coughs once again and spits green into her napkin.

SETH:

(astonished)

Jesus, Mrs. Vinyard. I think a lung

just came up.

Everybody laughs -- including Doris. Derek tenderly puts

his hand on his mother's cheek.

DORIS:

I'm high as a kite.

DANNY:

You got any more?

DORIS:

Daniel? I know you got homework.

DANNY:

I'm goin' in a second. Relax.

SETH:

(interjecting to Derek)

Hey. I'm gonna re-wipe and we're out

of here.

Seth laughs as he walks down the hall.

DAVINA:

You're a pig.

DORIS:

I don't like him in this house.

DEREK:

I knew.

DAVINA:

He ' s a f***in ' loser, Nazi scumbag.

DANNY:

No he's not.

DEREK:

Yes he is. Open your eyes.

Danny looks at Derek and smiles.

DANNY:

Whatever, dude. I'm gonna go power

that sh*t and I'll see you later.

He pats his brother on the shoulder and walks off.

DEREK:

Not at Cammeron's you won't see me.

DANNY:

(turning back)

Come on, Der! It's gonna be f***in'--

DEREK:

Forget it, Danny! It ain't gonna

happen for you tonight.

Danny walks off, frustrated. He crosses Seth's path,

gets shoved into the wall, and reacts like it's an

everyday occurrence. Seth moves out the side window and

climbs out.

SETH:

Hurry up. I'm starving.

DAVINA:

What else is new?

Derek nods, looks at his mother and kisses her on the

forehead.

DEREK:

I'll see ya.

DORIS:

Okay. Be careful.

DEREK:

I will.

Derek follows Seth out the SIDE WINDOW and goes down the

alley.

INT. APARTMENT - TIGHT ON DORIS

She thinks to herself and closes her eyes.

EXT. SIDE STREET - SETH'S TRUCK

Derek looks at the oblivious cops and drops into the

passenger's seat. Seth starts the engine and drives

away. As the truck disappears, we pick up on a WHITE

SOUPED UP JEEP CHEROKEE turning the corner. Tinted

windows, it cruises past the apartment complex.

INT. DANNY'S BEDROOM - A DESK

CUT TO:

Danny's attention is everywhere except on his homework.

DANNY:

This sucks.

He walks back out of his bedroom.

INT. HALLWAY/LIVING ROOM - DANNY'S POV

He watches Davina complete her homework on the couch.

Doris, on the sofa opposite, tries to sleep.

DANNY:

Hey.

DAVINA:

Hey what?

DANNY:

Come here.

DAVINA:

What!?

DANNY:

Come here for a second!

The scholar sets her homework aside and impatiently

follows him down the hall.

INT. BEDROOM - TWO SINGLE BEDS

She sits on the edge of DANNY'S bed. Danny hands her his

assignment instructions.

DAVINA:

I got sh*t to do, Dan.

DANNY:

Just read it.

She sighs and begins to read it out loud.

DAVINA:

"American History X? Take home paper

as assigned by Principal Robert

Sweeney?"

(to Danny)

Why is he giving you homework? What

happened to Murray?

DANNY:

A**hole turned me in.

DAVINA:

Why?

DANNY:

Just read.

DAVINA:

"Describe in detail your opinion of

-the historical event that took place

in the early morning of October 4th,

1993." What's that?

DANNY:

The night Derek wasted those guys.

Davina takes a moment.

DAVINA:

Sweeney gave you this?

DANNY:

Yep.

DAVINA:

(continuing her reading)

"Before and after...how has this event

helped or hurt your present

perspective concerning life in

contemporary America. Use the

standard five paragraph format, blab

blab blah--this'll be good for you..

DANNY:

Nooo...it'll be good for you.

She stares at him for a good three seconds.

DAVINA:

Eat me, Dan.

DANNY:

Come on! Dick Nixon's playin' at

Cammeron's tonight. You owe me.

DAVINA:

I'm not doing your homework for you!

I gotta spreadsheet due!

DANNY:

Goddammit!

Davina walks to the door and looks back to her brother.

DAVINA:

What's the matter with you? You wanna

be a f***in' loser your whole life?

Not receiving a response, she walks out the door.

DANNY:

A**hole Sweeney.

He slowly begins to strike the computer keys. The screen

reads "People look at me and they see my brother. That's

the way things have gone since the murder of our father,"

TIGHT ON DANNY. The frustated kid sits and thinks to himself.

himself.

QUICK CUT TO:

EXT. ESTABLISHING SHOT - NIGHT - FLASHBACK

THE BROAD EXPANSE OF AN EMPTY, DIMLY LIT PARKING LOT. In

the distant corner we see a few parked cars and a group

of skins gathering.

DANNY (V/O)

It was lunacy after he left us. All

the time. Derek believed in

Cammeron...he was angry...that

combination gave them bodies. White

punks...sick of gettin' their asses

kicked by black and mexican gangs at

school.

TIGHT ON DANNY LEANING AGAINST AN ADJACENT CAR.

Seven skins, including Seth and Curtis, smoke and wait.

DANNY'S POV. Danny looks to his left and sees Derek with

Cammeron, who sits in the driver's seat of the BRONCO.

Stacey leans in from the backseat.

STACEY:

I hope you kill that f***er.

Derek looks back at her and straight to Cameron.

CAMMERON:

He might have a gun.

DEREK:

Are you going in or not?

CAMMERON:

You know I got the cops on me. If I

come up on one of those cameras I'm a

dead man.

Derek stares at the older man, who appears nervous.

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