Burning Sands Page #6

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We gotta go, dawg.

Z, you breathing heavy. You all right?

I'm fine.

Everybody good? Square, you good?

- You holding up?

- I'm good.

- Don't be scared.

- Shut up.

- Hey.

- F*** you, man.

- What you...?

- Ain't talking to you.

Shh.

Let's get this ass-whooping going, guys.

Pick it up.

What are y'all doing?

Squat!

I don't wanna see any ass

on the f***ing floor. Do you hear me?

- Yes, big brother.

- Yes, sir.

On your feet.

- Greet your big brothers.

- Greetings, big brother.

Pain is the mind-killer. A little evil

that disseminates from the inside out.

We must learn to face and control it.

Hey, quit, number 4.

Move forward 'til I say stop.

Move.

Let's go, mutts.

Turn around.

Don't remove

your motherfucking blindfold, mutt.

Turn the f*** around!

Y'all think this sh*t is a game?

"If there is no struggle,

there is no progress.

Those who profess to favor freedom

and yet depreciate agitation,

they want rain

without thunder and lightning.

They want the ocean

"without the awful roar

of its many waters."

I hope they're done with us for tonight.

Look at crack baby eating

chicken wings like it's crack and sh*t.

Leave him alone.

Man, he's hungry.

Yo, I'll bet you ain't had

no chicken wings in your life.

Just Sushi and sh*t.

Yo, wait, wait.

You'll get a bucket of Sushi for $9.99?

- What you trying to say, frank?

- I'm saying you ain't no real nigga, bro.

Yo, both of y'all just shut

the hell up. All right? We need to...

We need to be focused.

Man, shut the f*** up, man.

And tell me something

I don't know, nigga.

Call me a nigga in that tone

of voice again, bro, or any one of us...

Don't touch me.

Get that hand out my face.

- Get out.

- No, no, no. Come on.

- Yo, what's up?

- Yo, z, z, z.

Ain't nobody scared of you, nigga.

Ain't nobody scared of your sh*t.

- Hey, yo, yo, yo.

- F*** you.

What the f*** you doing?

Supposed to wait in the f***ing car

till the brothers call you. You know that.

What's wrong with number 4?

He's having trouble breathing

going on two days now, sir.

Bro, you good?

Can't breathe.

Can't breathe.

Yo, we done with y'all for the night.

Number 3...

Take him to big brother Malcolm's.

- I'll take him.

- Shut up.

My orders are for number 3 to take him.

- You hear me?

- All right.

Yo, man, we been here

for over three hours, man.

Brother Malcolm should be done

with his shift soon.

I can't wait to be in a residency at a...

Big hospital like this.

Look, man, don't talk.

Just concentrate on breathing, all right?

Hmm.

What?

Well...

- Nigga, I didn't know you cared.

- Nigga, please.

You love me, nigga. Just say it.

Nigga, I hate you, all right?

- Ow. Stop. Don't make me laugh.

- Then breathe. Breathe.

- I'm trying, if you'd shut up.

- Hey, pass the preparation h

for them hemorrhoids, all right?

Oh, f***.

- Oh, sh*t.

- Let's bounce. Follow my car.

- All right.

- Yo...

Are you comfortable, bro?

- Am I comfortable?

- Nigga, you good?

Yes, nigga, I'm good. I got this.

All right. We out, man.

- That nigga scared the sh*t out of me.

- Came in like Batman, nigga, from nowhere.

Mm-hm.

Yeah, you've got a fractured rib.

It's the swelling in that area

that makes it hard to breathe.

What does that mean?

There's no way to put a cast

on a fractured rib. It's vulnerable.

Rest and it'll heal on its own

in about... six weeks.

What about hell night, man?

I seen this a dozen times.

You gonna be fine.

All right? I got painkillers

to get you through.

Just stay away from blows to the ribs,

or you'll end up on the operating table.

I'll talk to Fernander.

Now, let me get those painkillers for you.

Damn.

This is Rochon.

Leave a message after the beep.

Hey.

It's z.

I just wanted to...

- Is she in there?

- Yeah.

Go on, then. Go get your woman back.

I'll come with you, man. I got you, bro.

- All right, man.

- Come on, let's go.

- Wait. Hold on, hold on, hold on.

- What?

Let's roll, man.

Bro, you sure?

Look at her.

- I don't wanna ruin it.

- Right, I dig you. We out.

Let's go.

- Let's roll.

- Come on.

I think we should talk to Dean Richardson.

What? You wanna quit now?

Dude, are you...?

Are you not aware of what it's like

for a guy like me?

What are you talking about?

You're the smartest dude I know.

Look, this place your parents got

for you...

After graduation, it'll be straight.

You don't...

You don't need a fraternity.

What's my name?

- What are you talking about?

- You call me square...

But what's my real name?

That's what I thought.

But after hell night...

Ain't nobody gonna mistake me

for a square.

I'm not pledging for what I can get

after school...

I'm pledging for what I can get now.

I'll be a brother,

and I'll have earned my respect.

So, you go talk to the Dean alone.

You hear me?

I do.

It's Ernest.

Mm?

My real name is Ernest.

Ernest.

Late papers arriving at my office tonight

after 8 P.M.

Will be docked a half grade.

Every day after that,

they will be docked a whole grade.

Come on.

We're in business.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Zurich.

Did you hear me?

- Zurich?

- Yes.

I heard you.

What's up?

Do you have a paper for me?

Okay.

Come in.

Hey.

Sit down.

So, how's it going?

It's tough, doc.

About to lose my mind.

It's like the minute night falls,

I get sick to my stomach, you know?

Look, I would not have recommended you

if I didn't think you had what it takes

to be a part of my fraternity.

And there is a proud...

Proud tradition of my frat,

and hopefully...

This will be yours soon.

Yes, sir.

I'm glad you came by to see me.

Now, you could come by any time,

but today, you don't wanna keep

your line brothers waiting.

Look, you don't know how it is, doc.

I am not that old that I've forgotten.

Humiliation builds humility,

and one more night is not gonna kill you.

This I know.

That is when pledging was above ground.

It's not how it is anymore.

After hazing became illegal,

it went underground, and...

Look, with all due respect,

Dean Richardson, I just...

I don't think you understand

that we need a change and we need it now,

because the lives of our students

and the honor of this fraternity

is at stake.

So, you know, we c...

You thought you was just gonna walk

into my frat, Zurich?

You come in here and tell me

I don't know something?

- That I don't understand?

- No, sir. That's not at all what...

Look, you are merely facing

what other men have met.

- You know your poems?

- Yes, sir.

On your feet. Give me see it through.

"When you're up against trouble,

meet it face to face."

Lift your chin and say short is pain

for me and take a brace.

"When it's vain to try and dodge it,

do the best that you can do."

"You may fail and may conquer.

- "See it through."

- See it through!

Now get out my office

and cross them burning sands,

and I will see you on the other side.

- Hey, yo, z not with you, man?

- No.

I barely made it here from practice.

He got... he got that paper due.

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