FADE IN:

IS THIS AN INTERVENTION?
A and B are old childhood friends. A still lives in the
same poor neighborhood they grew up in. B has moved out and
works a professional job. He is in town for the day and
meets up with A.
A and B are inside a car. B is driving, A is in the
passenger seat. They just passed a legal drug dispensary. A
asked B to make a stop, B continued to drive.
A
You really aint gonna stop?
B
That wasn’t in the plan.
A
Man, it wasn’t gonna take that long. You
could have rolled up. I would have been in
and out before you could put the car in
park.
B
And I’m just supposed to believe that.
With your turtle walking lazy ass.
A
It ain’t even—
B
Besides, I ain’t driving around with no
weed in my car.
A
You be trippin’. It’s legal now.
B
So? That don’t mean—
A
You know I smoke for my anxiety.
 B
(rolls his eyes and scoffs)
Anxiety? What you got to be anxious about?
You don’t pay no bills. You still living
at your mama’s house—
A
Mental illness is a real thing.
B
It’s a real thing you’re takin advantage
of. Smoking all the time and can’t hold a
real job. You got anything going on for
you right now?
A
I’m not trippin. I’m livin’ my life to the
fullest.
B
(mumbles)
The fullest in your mama’s basement
A
What is this? An intervention? We gon have
a heart to heart where you tell me how
drugs have ruined our friendship.
B
You lucky I still come thru.
A
That’s cause you a real one. You try to
escape the hood with that professional
shit, suit and tie and everything. But you
know that life be stuffy. It’s why you
keep coming back.
B
Or maybe I just come back to visit my mom
or something.

2
 A
If you missed your moms that much you
would have brought her out of the hood
B
Man, enough about me. You’re avoiding my
question. What have you got going on in
your life?
A
Same old, same old. Ain’t nothing new ever
happening here. You know how the system
works.
B
(red light. He makes eye
contact with A when speaking)
What system?
A
The hood system. You get born here; you
live your life here; you die here. There
is no escaping the hood.
B
I made it out.
A
You’re one of the lucky few.
(light turns green. J looks
back at the road and
continues driving)
Only a few of us ever make it out. The
rest of are just cycled through the
system.
B
You can’t believe that.

3
 A
You think we all stay in the hood because
we want to be here? Nobody really wants to
be here. We rather be working nine to five
cubical life instead of hustling in these
streets.
B
Then why don’t you?
A
The system ain’t made for us to succeed.
B
Did you forget that I’m one of you? I grew
up here too.
A
Yeah.
(Nods)
You did. Like I said, you’re one of the
lucky ones.
B
So… you just gonna blame this whole
“system” and write your grievances off—
A
That’s you made it out. Using big words
like that—
B
What else you gonna blame it on? Our
government? The president? Mrs. Mack from
preschool?
A
Life ain’t the same for you and me. It
ain’t never been the same.

4
 B
Life ain’t the same. I don’t walk around
with the trauma of the hood on my
shoulders 24/7. I couldn’t. If I did—
A
If you did, what?
B
(sighs and avoids looking
towards A)
I would have been stuck here like you.
Jaded on life with no ambition.

FADE OUT:

THE END