Home >> Programs >> Write Now! >> Kids ' Scenes >> Hard Time

Featured Scenes

"HARD TIME"
By A.L.

JOHNATHON

My home boys call me Lil Downer. When I was twelve years old, I got in a fist fight with a guy on the street.

(He walks down a street and SEES a GUY writing on the wall. Lil Downer goes to see who he is and notices it's LIL PUPPET, an enemy, so Lil Downer hits him up)

LIL DOWNER

Ay -- Ese -- where you from?

LIL PUPPET

Where the hell you from?

LIL DOWNER

This is my hood -- Ese

LIL PUPPET

So what --?

(But Lil Puppet knows he's in trouble and takes off running. Lil Downer chases him until he catches up with Lil Puppet, and trips him. Lil Puppet falls to the ground. Lil Downer kicks him when he's down. Then steps back.)

LIL DOWNER

Get up, Ese. Defend yourself

( Lil Puppet scrambles up and takes a swing at Lil Downer. Lil Downer hits Lil Puppet hard dead to the chin. Lil Puppet falls back down. Lil Downer kicks him, again and again.)

LIL DOWNER

This is my barrio, Cheese cake. You're not welcome here.

LIL PUPPET

Stop. Stop. Por favor. Stop.

JOHNATHON

I musta kicked him for over five minutes. He was still on the ground thirty minutes later when I was arrested. The police took me to the station down in Hollenback. They charged me with battery assault with a deadly weapon. My enemy looked bad. He suffered a broken nose and a fractured jaw. He said I used a gun. But we both knew it was from me kicking him with lots of anger. That time, I got one year for what I did. I thought doing a year in camp would make me change my ways, but it didn't. I wanted to change while I was at camp. When I found out my girlfriend Lily was pregnant. Then it turned out to be a false alarm . . . I was upset, but I forgave and forgot. Two months later I found out my brother got killed . . . That's when I went crazy. I didn't want to believe he was really dead. My brother's been gone for about five years now. I've been in and out of jail ever since. I'm doing three months right now for a violation. But you know what I finally figured out? I still got enemies -- but they don't matter to me no more. I'm gettin' tired of this gang life. Maybe my brother's helpin' me out here -- Johnathon crosses himself as if to say "Rest In Peace".

JOHNATHON

But, there's gotta be more to life than banging - ain' there?