Subtitles by explosiveskull akumenang.com
[eerie organ music]
[footsteps, lockers clanging]
[lock dial clicking]
[crickets chirping] [flagpole clanging]
[applause]
LUCE: So even though
it appears as if an evening like this
is meant to honor us for our academic achievements,
I instead ask my fellow classmates
to honor the generals that lead us.
Without our parents and our teachers,
we would be troops unprepared for the battles
that lay ahead of us.
We know the road won't be easy.
But with your love and your faith,
we can be certain we'll find a way.
So I hope it's not going too far out of line
to ask my classmates to rise...
and to take this opportunity to thank you...
our teachers...
and our parents...
for helping us become who we're meant to be.
[applause]
I hope you enjoyed that because tomorrow
we'll be back to driving you crazy.
[laughter]
It was incredible.
Here's my question: How do we clone this guy?
- [laughter] - How do we clone him?
Great job.
- Thank you. - WOMAN: Excuse me.
- Mr. and Mr. Edgar? - LUCE: Ms. Wilson!
Guys, this is Ms. Wilson,
my history and government teacher.
A pleasure.
We've heard so much about you.
- Have you? - Well, your class.
Luce can't stop talking about it.
Is that so?
Ms. Wilson's tough, but still one of my favorites.
Did you like my speech?
I did.
Ms. Wilson's always saying
we should speak our minds no matter the cost.
Amen to that.
Well, it's great to finally meet you.
You too.
Luce is, uh, one of our best.
He's an important example to the school.
We're very proud of him.
You should be.
[Amy chuckles]
Excuse me. Dan...
LUCE: I don't want to give another one.
Why? It makes sense they asked you.
You did a great job.
I literally just gave a speech.
The more public speaking you do,
the better it'll look for college.
You told them you'd do it, right?
What do you think?
[Amy chuckles]
So Ms. Wilson seems nice.
Stern...
- Don't you mean a bitch? - Peter!
When people say stern, they mean bitch. You meant bitch.
- You didn't want to say bitch - No, I said stern.
because you didn't want to be politically incorrect
- but you meant bitch. - No.
I know what stern means, thank you.
She is a bitch though.
AMY: Can we not denigrate a woman
who probably had to assume characteristics
- [snores] - [laughing] in order to attain
a leadership role?
Anyway, I thought you said it was your favorite class.
- I like the subject. - He liked the subject.
In spite of the bitch thing.
Okay, it's fine to criticize powerful women.
Just don't use the sexist language.
Strung together copy.
- PETER: Oh! Nice! - [Amy clicks tongue]
[Luce laughs]
[pop music blaring from headphones]
[keyboard clacking]
[knocking at door]
You should make it personal.
What?
The next speech they want you to give,
make it about you.
Okay. [chuckles]
And listen...
You're a really good public speaker
and you're an excellent debater.
But you have your own story to tell
and I think you should tell it.
It gives people something to grab onto.
Am I overstepping?
It's good advice. [chuckles]
Just want to be helpful.
You are.
I'm going to get back to work now.
Okay.
[both chuckle awkwardly]
Sorry for interrupting.
[indistinct conversations]
[school bell rings]
- [sighs] - ORLICKI: Whoa!
You're gonna lose a limb like that.
See my trig textbook? I stashed it here yesterday.
No, it's not here, Orlicki.
- Fuck me. - You do realize
everyone gets their own locker, right?
Mine's on the other side of the building,
- makes me late all the time. - Ah, shit! Orlicki!
Heard our boy here got asked to give another speech last night?
- Seriously? - Oh, motherfucking
Nelson Mandela over here!
I don't get why I never get asked.
'cause you're a C+ student.
The entire speech would be about porn and blunts.
ORLICKI: Ah! Fair enough.
BOTH: [in rhythm] Ah! Ah! Ah!
Oh, shit! Check it out!
Hey, yo, ladies!
- Stephanie Kim, what's good? - Let's go.
Why you staring at Luce, Stephanie?
I'm talking to you.
Not everyone likes your big mouth.
Your mama does.
She loves my big mouth.
Loves it all over that pussy!
Man, you're so gross!
Sorry, bro.
Hey yo, I'll see you all at practice.
[indistinct voice from video]
FEMALE STUDENT: A law is a law.
Pole-tests used to be law.
So was segregation. Red lining.
FEMALE STUDENT: That's not the same.
Explain why.
FEMALE STUDENT: It's just not.
Things were different back then.
Different how?
Well, like that was a different time.
Social norms were different.
People's expectations,
their attitudes...
MS. WILSON: Is this not important to you?
Well?
It is.
You might want to speak more clearly.
I can't hear you.
It is.
Keep in mind, that for her,
this knowledge is incidental but for you
it can be life or death.
So you might want to treat this material
with the seriousness it deserves, Mr. Meeks.
Which reminds me, I'm almost done
grading your assignments. I apologize,
it's taking me a little longer than usual but,
you'll have them back soon.
[♪♪♪]
- All right... - [school bell rings]
LUCE: Yo, Deshaun...
Yo, Deshaun!
Let's have a look in here. Okay...
- Let's see... - He-he! That feels funny!
Oh yeah?
- What about that? - [laughs]
Does that feel funny? [laughs]
Hey.
How do you feel about a weekend trip to Cornell?
- PETER: This weekend? - Yeah.
Maggie's sister said she'd make a call and get Luce some
one-on-one time with the professor.
This weekend we have the sip-and-see.
- Oh my God! - PETER: If you don't want to go,
you should have said, right?
Yeah, well, it's not that I don't want to go. I mean,
- I don't want to go, but... - No, you just hate babies.
AMY: I do not hate babies.
PETER: I mean, I love babies!
But you hate babies.
Well, I'm just shocked you're prioritizing
your ex's sip-and-see over your son's college education,
but hey, that's just me.
PETER: Okay. Punchline and point made.
[laughs]
Okay, fine. You're in charge of picking up
whatever someone brings to a sip-and-see.
Got it. Okay, see you at home.
AMY: See ya.
[phone ringing]
Hello?
Yes, this is Amy.
MAN: On your mark...
Set...
Go! [gunshot]
[hip hop beat]
[cheering]
[cheerleaders shout in rhythm]
[panting]
Yo!
- Mrs. Edgar. - Hi.
I appreciate you coming back down here.
Well, you have to make time for what's important.
Ain't that the truth.
- Kids are lucky to have you. - Thank you.
- Luce too. - Oh, we're lucky to have him.
We care a great deal about his success.
- Peter and I too. - Of course.
And I know context matters.
Please, sit.
Given Luce's background,
you and Peter must have faced quite a few challenges.
the language barrier, the culture shock.
He's a resilient kid.
He is. But it's also
a testament to your parenting.
Well, thank you.
We had a lot of support,
especially in the early days. I mean,
you don't pull a kid out of a war zone
and have him turn out like Luce without a lot of help.
I bet.
Which is why this is so difficult.
Difficult?
Last week, the class was given an assignment
to write in the voice of an historical figure.
Some students picked FDR at the start of the Great Depression
or even Fidel Castro
at the Bay of Pigs.
The goal was to get them to think outside of the box.
Want to make sure you understand where I'm coming from.
Please.
[♪♪♪]
- [shower water running] - [indistinct voices]
[exhales]
Who is this Frantz Fanon?
He was a pan-African revolutionary.
He argued that violence was a necessary cleansing force,
that it was needed to free colonized people
from their rulers.
- You-you teach this? - I don't.
Look,
I won't pretend to know what it's like
for Luce to confront certain aspects of who he is
and it's not within my purview
to say what a boy who spent his first 10 years in...
Eritrea.
Right.
What that might have been like,
what kind of adjustments he must have made
in order to fit in here.
And I don't know
- the details of his treatment... - I'm sure you've heard
he went through years of recovery
- and he showed no signs of... - I-I didn't mean to imply...
I just want to be clear that whatever
violence he both suffered and inflicted during that time
was dealt with, it's been processed.
Of course.
But with the climate around school security
the way it is right now, you can understand my concern.
Yes.
Which is why I felt
I needed to search his locker.
- I'm sorry? - Amy...
He wrote a paper.
A paper in which he describes
his belief that the solution to a political problem
is to gun down those with whom you disagree.
Right. But he was assuming a character.
The assignment called for this and you...
I found this in his locker.
- No. - Amy.
No, I'm sorry.
I respect my son's privacy.
Now, he wrote a paper that scared you. Fine.
That's between you and him.
But I won't, I will not violate
his right to the privacy he's owed.
They're fireworks.
Illegal and very dangerous fireworks.
They could put a hole in the wall, let alone...
Where are you going with this?
Right now I'm the only one who knows about them,
but what if someone else were to find them?
If someone who didn't know Luce the way you and I do
were to stumble on this within the context of his background
having written this...
Take them.
Talk to him.
Who he is is too important to this school
for him to fuck it up.
He can't fuck it up.
Talk to him, please.
I will.
ORLICKI: You're the one who keeps talking about Stephanie.
- COREY: I'm not! - The fuck is wrong with you?
Shut it! Get off me!
COREY: You should have kept your mouth shut, little shit.
ORLICKI: I told you!
Yo, what the hell! Come on!
- He told everybody! - Fuck you!
[indistinct shouting]
If this gets out, it's on your two.
- Both of you! - COACH: Yo!
- Everything okay? - Everything's fine, coach.
Luce, my office.
Sure thing.
AMY: You read the whole thing?
Yeah.
Okay, yeah, kids get taken with ideas.
Look, he probably stumbled
across Frantz Fanon on the internet
and went overboard.
I read the Communist Manifesto when I was an undergrad
and called people comrade for a month.
Yeah, well, I think he's a little too smart for that.
Not too smart to have explosives in his locker.
- They're fireworks. - Illegal fireworks
- Still... - that have explosive capacity,
I Googled this, of a shotgun blast.
They're fireworks.
It's not shocking.
That is shocking.
Okay, so what?
- So what? - What? What, our...
teenage soon-to-be valedictorian son is,
- secretly a radical? - No.
- A terrorist? - No.
- No. Of course not. - What then?
I don't know. It's just something's going on
and I want to be in front of it.
- [keys jangling] - Oh shit.
PETER: Amy, what the fuck?
- Hey! - Hey.
How was school?
What's going on?
Nothing.
How was school? How was practice?
[indistinct]
Psy.
- Have you eaten? - Not yet.
Oh good, because your dad picked up curry.
Sweet!
[coughs]
[slight chuckles]
Okay, put your stuff down so we can eat.
- Cool. - Great.
- Don't start without me. - We won't.
Hey...
- What was that? - I don't want him to know
- we've gone through his things. - We didn't.
Or make it seem we went behind his back to his teachers.
- Amy... - Come on, Pete.
How many years did it take us to get him here?
How many nights did I crawl underneath that bed
because he was too scared to sleep in it?
What we've built. That trust.
I won't risk it. I won't.
[♪♪♪]
[rag squeaks on mirror]
MS. WILSON: I got everything ready.
Yes, I'll be by to talk with the doctors tomorrow
and we'll be all set.
Rose...
Rose, I told you already, okay?
Okay. I'll see you soon.
I love you too.
[sprinkler whirring outside]
[cutlery clinks]
[sighs]
Okay, so who told you?
- Told us what? - You clearly know.
What do we know?
LUCE: You don't... You don't know?
What is it that you think we do or do not know, honey?
Um...
Coach Reeves offered me Captain.
- Wow! - Whoa.
Oh my God! That's amazing!
Yeah! It's dope.
Says I'll be good example
for certain teammates. But between track
and debate prep, plus the extra shit Wilson has us doing...
What, how do you mean?
Nothing. It's just...
You really don't like her, do you?
It's complicated.
Try me.
Okay. You remember Stephanie Kim, right?
- Sort of... - Not a clue.
She came over one time last...
- AMY: Go on. - Anyway.
There were rumors going around about her
after this party a few weeks ago.
- What kind of rumors? - Oh, people were drinking
and no one really knows what happened, but, um...
Stephanie got kind of messed up.
Something happened with some guys.
Then Wilson got involved
and no one really could prove anything
but she kept using Stephanie as like an example.
turning her into a victim.
- How? - Well,
we'll be talking about women in Middle East or something
and she singles her out, says some shit like,
"We all know firsthand how important it is for women
to have the courage to stand up, to fight."
AMY: I don't understand.
It's not exactly singling her out.
It's how she says it.
Like everyone's a symbol to her.
Stephanie, Deshaun, we all exist
to confirm the world is the way she sees it.
AMY: So does she do that kind of thing with you?
[scoffs] Are you kidding?
I'm a fucking poster boy.
Black kid who overcame his tragic past,
the example why America works. It's bullshit.
So you don't like her labeling you?
I don't like tokenism.
What's the difference between punishing someone
for being a stereotype and rewarding them if they're not?
One of the two comes with benefits.
What you'd call a benefit,
I'd call a responsibility I didn't ask for.
Okay, what about responsibility to tell the truth?
- What? - Peter...
So, one of the
benefits you get is benefit of the doubt.
- A chance to explain yourself. - Explain myself?
- AMY: Enough. - Whereas another student
might not. So...
You have anything you want to tell us?
- AMY: Peter, stop. - About what?
Ask your mom.
Finish your food.
[sighs]
[eerie, airy music]
[inaudible]
[keyboard clacking]
[click]
[birds chirping]
[door opens]
[car horn honks]
[flagpole clanging]
Knock knock.
- Hey! - We've been summoned.
[knocking on door]
Honey...
[door opens]
Prosecutor Edgar,
take it easy on me today. How are you all doing?
Ms. Wilson, so glad you could join us.
Luce was hoping to get some help building his next case.
I figure you and Principal Dan are the all stars.
We're going to nationals again this year, right?
- 100 percent. - Boom!
That's why this one's my thoroughbred.
Okay, let's have it.
Ms. Wilson...
Of course. Let's, uh, let's hear what you got.
- What are you doing? - Jesus, Pete!
Doesn't it make sense just to get rid of them?
They're so dangerous.
We hang on to them
until we get to the bottom of this.
They'll be safe here.
What?
LUCE: My argument
is premised on two court cases:
Goss v. Lopez, 1975,
and New Jersey v. T.L.O., 1985.
In Goss, an Ohio school suspended nine students
for delinquent behavior,
but the Supreme Court found
that depriving students of their right to an education
without due process
is a violation of their civil rights.
Ms. Wilson, do you agree with that?
I'm sorry?
LUCE: Do you agree that those kids
were deprived of their civil rights?
I don't know the specifics of the case but
- the principal... - Principal makes sense, right?
Education is a civil right.
Everyone should have civil rights.
- Right. - In the second case
a student is accused of smoking in the school bathroom,
but there's no proof.
The charge is premised on a teacher's suspicion.
So the principal searched her purse and found cigarettes
and marijuana-related paraphernalia.
Do you agree with that?
What did the court say?
The court found that students
have a reduced expectation of privacy in schools.
It makes sense.
Does it?
A school is a unique social institution.
It's populated by people who aren't adults
in the eyes of the law. People who have to be here.
- Students. - Yes.
Students are half people.
LENA: Luce,
is there a specific question you have
that Ms. Wilson might be able to address?
Totally.
Thanks Ms. Tennyson.
Um, basically my question
that I hope Ms. Wilson can help me with
is around this idea of reduced expectation
versus the affirmation by the court of student civil rights.
Like what are the criteria for evaluating
what's a violation of privacy?
Is privacy a civil right?
LUCE: I think so.
Maybe the law isn't so sure.
If I went through your desk without you knowing,
would you feel like your privacy was violated?
Yes, I would.
So?
Feelings aren't a legal argument.
In the New Jersey case, the teacher assumed
the girl was guilty because of her feelings.
That's called reasonable suspicion.
It's all the police need to search your car.
LUCE: So it's about what's reasonable.
That's what courts are for.
Really it's just about people though, right?
Whether they conform to what we think they are.
It's not that simple.
Nothing ever is.
[school bell rings]
Thank you so much for your help, Ms. Wilson.
This was, this was great, right?
Any time.
God, that kid is something else, isn't he?
[indistinct conversations]
[school bell rings]
All right, people, phones away.
I see you, Sasha.
And you too, Stephanie Kim.
- All right. - CHEERLEADERS: It's show time!
You fucked up. And bro,
you can't just go slamming Orlicki against a locker.
He's out there telling everybody.
It's nothing half the school didn't already know.
Besides, I talked to Stephanie.
You two still talk?
Not really, but someone had to resolve this
- before it blows up. - Is she gonna be cool?
- Yeah. - Is she gonna be cool?
Everything's going to be cool, man.
Just squash the beef with Orlicki, all right?
- Corey! - All right, man. Whatever.
Yo! Deshaun's one bold-ass nigga.
COREY: Since Wilson got him tossed off the team,
he's been messed up.
I'll catch you later, man.
- Yo. - Yeah.
[phone chimes]
MS. WILSON: We agreed on this.
If you live with me, you have to be responsible for...
All I ask is if you're staying on top of your medication.
I know what the doctor said, Rosemary.
It doesn't mean I'm comfortable with it.
MS. WILSON: Out of everyone in this family,
I've been there for you time and time again.
I resent that.
- [knocks on door] - Hey.
I gotta go, Rose. We'll talk tonight.
- Everything okay? - Everything's fine.
Family stuff?
Personal business, yes.
Gotcha.
Um, thanks for your guidance this morning.
It really helped make my case.
I'm glad.
You wanted to see me?
I wanted to talk to you about your assignment, Luce.
What about it?
I assumed you spoke to your mother...
I haven't gotten it back yet. How could I talk my mom of it?
Well, I'll just say, uh...
After reading it, I have some concerns
for some of the arguments you made.
Well they aren't mine.
Excuse me?
The arguments, they're Frantz Fanon's.
I realize that.
The assignment was to write in his voice.
You really think I believe that stuff?
Well, I don't know.
If I didn't know you, Luce, it would be reasonable for me
to read that assignment and conclude...
But you do know me.
Look, um,
I'm sorry if I scared you.
I just wanted to do a good job.
You did do a good job.
I mean, I get it.
- Get what? - Well, I get
how someone who learned how to shoot a gun before driving a car
writing something like that
might make someone freaked out.
I just hope you know me better than that, Ms. Wilson.
I like to think that I do, Luce.
Anything else you wanted to talk to me about?
No.
Tell your mom I'd like her to call me.
Why?
Because I want to speak with her.
What about? I mean,
I guess it's about me unless you guys are friends or something.
Please have her call me, Luce.
Thank you for stopping in.
Of course.
Hey, Ms. Wilson...
What's your favorite holiday?
- Excuse me? - What's your favorite holiday?
I don't know. Christmas maybe.
Mine is Independence Day.
[♪♪♪]
Before I came here,
I didn't know a single holiday and
I remember my mom trying to explain what they were.
It's a hard concept to grasp if you've never of it,
but,
once I learned them all, my favorite, hands down,
has always been Independence Day.
Why is that?
I like what it represents.
Freedom,
strength,
individuality.
Also I love the fireworks. The lights.
Poof!
Luce, I'd like to remind you that you're still a student here
and I am your teacher.
And regardless of what you may view as some sort of injustice
- What are you talking about? - ...or unfair,
just remember how things are organized around here.
Totally. I'll see you around.
- The financials from Cusack. - Thanks, Beth.
Quarter end payments went out, right?
- Yes. - [cell phone vibrating]
Yeah?
Ms. Wilson. How are you?
Why is she calling you?
Well, last I checked I'm one of two parents.
Yeah, but she was communicating with me
and now she's calling you?
Well, we're both available to talk about our son.
This woman has some kind of vendetta against Luce.
- Vendetta? Really? - Yeah.
She has some thing with him and now,
now she's trying to divide and conquer.
Nice word choice.
What she did with Stephanie Kim
and what she's trying to do now with Luce,
this woman holds different kids to different standards based...
Did you see or hear what she did to that girl?
- I've heard enough to know. - From Luce, yeah.
Yes, from our son, who has always been honest with us.
Except about having illegal fireworks in his locker.
He didn't lie about that.
- Is that so? - Not telling us
and lying are two different things.
And what if there's a pattern here?
- A pattern? - Yeah.
The paper, the fireworks, the threat...
Peter...
- We have to be at least open to - Absolutely not.
the possibility that our son is capable of...
Of what? Capable of what?
Tell me you know he's a good kid, Pete.
Tell me if shit hits the fan,
we aren't about to abandon our son.
- We're not going to abandon him. - Our black son to a system
that already wants to shit all over him.
It's our job to protect him, to have his back.
That's part of it. It's our job
- to do what's right. - By him.
To do what's right by him.
[keys jangling]
- Luce! - Yeah?
- Got a minute? - You said you'd do this my way.
- PETER: Yeah. - What's up?
Did you threaten your teacher?
- Honey... - Excuse me?
You heard me.
Did I threaten...?
Ms. Wilson called.
Ms. Wilson said I threatened her?
Did you?
- What did she say? - She said...
Never mind what she said. What did you do?
She asked me to come and see her.
And?
I thanked her for helping me with my debate case.
- She helped you? - Yeah, her and Principal Dan.
Why would I threaten her?
What did she want to talk to you about?
A paper. We had a misunderstanding.
I apologized for it.
You say anything about the 4th of July?
- What? - Honey...
- About fireworks? - How is that a threat?
Did you or did you not say something about the 4th of July?
I said the 4th of July was my favorite holiday.
Why would you say that?
I thought we were having a conversation.
She says I threatened her?
I need you to be straight with me for a second.
- When am I not? - Hey!
Sure.
So is there anything you want to tell us?
- No. - You sure about that?
Am I sure about what? Jesus, if you guys
- want to ask me... - Why did you have
illegal fireworks in your locker?
- LUCE: What? - Why did you have
illegal fireworks in your locker?
- I didn't. - Luce, don't lie to me.
- I'm not. - Luce!
How would you know what's in my locker?
- Harriet told us. - Harriet has a lot to say.
Never mind what she said. Did you or didn't you?
- Not that I know of. - Oh, you know what?
- Fuck this. - We share lockers.
The guys on the team share lockers.
Half my shit is in Orlicki's, half his shit is in mine.
I don't know what 90% of the crap at the bottom is,
- let alone who it belongs to. - So...
So not everything in my locker belongs to me.
Okay, good.
That's good.
Now, you understand
why it's important to know
not only what's in your locker, but who it belongs to.
- Yes. - Right?
You can't blindly trust people to...
Okay. You seriously buy this shit?
Seriously?
So someone just happens to leave a bag of illegal fireworks
in your locker and you have no idea?
And then this teacher, who you don't like,
unjustifiably searches your locker and finds them.
You're just an unlucky victim
- of circumstance, right? - It's the truth.
That doesn't sound like the truth to me.
That sounds like bullshit.
You believe me?
We can figure this out.
[sighs]
[heavy beat]
[hip hop beat]
[eerie music]
[hip hop beat]
ORLICKI: I didn't tell anyone about Stephanie or the party.
Corey should calm the fuck down.
I talked to him, everything's fine.
Yeah, tell that to the bruise on my fucking neck.
You gotta understand where he's coming from.
Your dad went to Dartmouth.
Your granddad went to Dartmouth.
Your dog could probably get into Dartmouth.
[laughter]
Corey doesn't have that.
A whiff of something up with him and he's the next Deshaun.
Can't be walking around at night smelling high, bro.
You seriously think someone's gonna stop you?
I'm not interested in being the next Deshaun either.
You're not like Deshaun.
We're both black, Orlicki.
Yeah, but he's like black-black.
Then what am I?
You're Luce.
[laid-back hip hop music plays]
[out-of-tune strum]
[both chuckle]
What are you doing?
Where were you?
I went for a run. What do you want?
I just wanted to apologize
for before.
- Your father... - ...thinks I'm a liar?
No, he-he's confused. We both are.
Confused about what?
I told you the kind of person Wilson is.
You don't conform to what she wants
and suddenly you're the enemy.
Look...
I know it can seem unfair how much people expect of you.
You don't, though.
You can't.
And sometimes I'm working so hard
to keep this all together,
- it feels like it'll all just... - What?
- Just what? - I can't be perfect.
No one expects you to be perfect.
Wilson does.
Believe it or not, she's just trying to protect you.
She's trying to protect her idea of me.
Same as you and him.
That's not fair.
Unfair doesn't make it untrue.
[cell phone chimes]
Luce...
I have to get up early for practice in the morning.
Good night, Amy.
[airy music]
Hey, Luce, it's Stephanie.
I fucking hate it.
Wilson said I was an example of a woman suffering in silence.
So everyone is gossiping again.
You were probably right for us to take a break.
I just wish we could talk like we used to.
Bye.
[birds chirping]
[TV blares in background]
You look different.
New weave.
What kind?
- Indian. - Oh!
- Thank you. - Here you go.
MS. WILSON: What do they have you taking now?
Clozapine.
Makes me sweat like the devil.
Harriet,
what is this?
That's Greek yogurt.
Just taste it.
All right.
Oh, it's good-No!
[laughter]
You looked so...
[muzak playing]
Ah! Now this what I call breakfast.
Shut your mouth. Since when you ever turn down some bacon?
[laughter]
I know we ate this our whole lives but,
this instant shit's made of poison.
I don't know how we made it through.
- [Rose laughing] - Rose?
[both laughing]
Ms. Wilson?
- You know Harriet? - Ms. Wilson's my teacher.
Oh! Ain't the world
- tiny and great! - I just came here
to pick up snacks for the fundraiser.
This young man was just telling me
about something called paleo.
It's a diet, how the cavemen ate.
Cavemen didn't live long, Luce.
Well, I bet they went out
- with great abs. - [both laugh]
Ain't he the cutest?
- [Rosemary laughs] - Ms. Wilson,
Rosemary should come to our Culture Month Gala at school.
I'm giving a speech.
- Oh! Is that right? - Yeah.
I don't normally get to go places,
so that would be a treat for me.
She should come. Right, Ms. Wilson?
We'll talk about it.
Cool.
It was nice meeting you, Rosemary.
ROSE: Mm-hm!
And, um, I hope you can make it.
Me too!
- Bye. - Bye.
What kind of black name is Luce?
WOMAN: Hey, Pete.
Pete, you want to give him a whirl?
Hey! Who is that? Who is that?
[Pete makes cooing sounds]
Thank you. I'm really glad you guys could make it.
[Pete makes cooing sounds]
[baby giggles]
How you doing? [baby coos]
[baby laughs]
How many times do I have to tell you no?
You have to start talking to a little kid.
It's a fucking car wash. What are you arguing about?
What the hell's he doing here?
COACH: Come on, man, look. No team events.
- It's a... - This has been explained to you.
Bro, I'm not arguing with you over no car wash.
- What's your problem? - It's a fundraiser for the team.
Coach Reeves, it's my fault. I invited Deshaun.
I didn't realize it violated
the terms of his agreement with the school.
Do you mind if we talk about an assignment real quick
before he goes?
As long as it's quick.
Cool. Thanks, Coach. Come on, bro.
- Sorry about that. - No, fuck his bitch ass, man.
That nigga always undermining with me, bro, from day one.
Well we're getting killed on these distance events
without you, bro. Corey can't run for shit
unless there's pussy waiting at the finish line.
[both chuckle]
Don't know. If it's anything like his sister's pussy,
- that shit got stains on it. - [laughs]
So I've heard.
What's going on with you and Mike Jeffs?
I've been seeing you hanging with him and his boys.
I didn't know you all were tight like that.
I don't know. It ain't like future Nobel Laureates and shit.
You don't have to be a Nobel Laureate
to know that Mike Jeffs is bad news, bro.
Why you getting mixed up with those guys?
What the fuck? Chill out, all right? I'm good.
Damn, my pants too low, too?
I gotta hike them up if I want to make something of myself?
Na, my nigga, don't come over here and try to patronize me.
Come on, man.
I don't know if you've been busy distracted
with Wilson and the rest of these fake-ass motherfuckers
sucking your dick 24/7 but my shit is done, bro.
It's finished.
As a matter of fact, how many time we smoke together, Luce?
How many times you come to my crib and blaze?
Yo, Wilson finds weed in my locker and now I'm off the team.
That's my scholarship gone.
Why me and not you, my nigga?
Answer the question. Why me and not you?
- I don't know. - You don't know.
You know what the fuck I'm talking about.
It's because they want you to win.
Otherwise, all their little up by your own bootstraps bullshit,
it don't apply.
But then again, why am I trippin'?
Gotta have at least one Obama, right?
I didn't ask for this, man.
Oh, you didn't ask for this.
Word. So, what, you want to trade or something?
Yeah.
Yeah, I didn't think so.
Deshaun...
I want to make this right.
[glass shattering]
Ro?
Oh, God.
[crunching underfoot]
Hey.
- No, no... - Shhh.
I was...
I was walking and I was trying to make it there and then...
the food, the food was...
Shhh!
- I'll clean it. I'll clean up. - You're okay.
- I'll clean it up. - Shhh.
Breathe. Breathe.
[Ms. Wilson exhales]
[TV on in background]
[door opens and closes]
Hey! Sorry I'm late.
No. Please, sit.
They screwed up the order. I asked for cappuccinos
and they gave us Frappuccinos.
- I like these more. - Oh, you do?
Can't make it to the dinner without at least three of them.
- Okay. - [both laugh awkwardly]
- Thank you. - No, thank you for, um,
meeting me. This must be a little weird.
It is.
Okay. Um, yeah, well I guess I was hoping
you could help me with something to do with Luce.
We don't really talk a lot anymore.
- Oh, you don't? - Not since we broke up.
What?
You didn't know we broke up?
I didn't know you dated.
Oh.
Um, for how long?
Um... Mrs. Edgar,
I don't feel comfortable
- telling you about me and Luce. - Yeah, of course.
Because I don't know why you want to know.
- Okay. Let me explain myself. - Yeah.
- This is about Harriet Wilson. - What?
I need to know what she did to you.
Because Luce told us
that when she found out what happened at the party...
Luce swore he wouldn't tell what happened at the party.
I thought he didn't know what happened.
I should go.
No, wait. Stephanie, please.
Listen to me.
I just want to know the truth, Okay?
Now, if Ms. Wilson made you feel like whatever happened
should be some kind of a political statement,
then that's wrong of her.
As women what we need to do is support each other.
Do you understand?
I'm not sure.
I want to support you.
You deserve to be supported.
Okay.
But for me to do that I need to know what happened.
It's easy to say that.
But once you know something, you can't un-know it.
I want to know, no matter what.
Please.
[crickets chirping]
[engine cuts]
Harriet, please...
I'm sorry. I can't think of any other way to resolve this.
You suffer from a condition, Ro.
And it's clear my home is no longer an ideal environment.
You sound like one of them doctors
she about to dump me with again.
- I'm not dumping you. - Oh really?
That's what it feels like, Harriet!
- [whimpers] - Come on, now.
Don't make a scene. Don't make a scene.
Harriet!
- Ro... - It's fine.
It's fine, it's fine...
It's fine!
Harriet! [whimpering]
Orlicki had a party.
I was drunk.
I had gone with two friends. All three of us were drunk.
Please don't tell anyone this, it's embarrassing.
No, no, this is between us. I promise.
People kept having shots of stuff that tasted like syrup
and I just kept drinking it because it was easy
but I got dizzy.
I lost my friends.
Orlicki found me and told me to go lie down in the basement.
It was dark.
I couldn't see.
I felt my way over to the couch
but there were people there.
Next, someone said we should play the Santa Claus game.
What's that?
It's this stupid game that guys play
where a girl gets passed around from lap to lap
and depending on how far she lets them go
or how much they like you sitting on them,
they rate you from one to three.
Ho ho hos.
My God, that can't be real.
There are worse games.
Anyway,
they started passing me around.
I kept thinking, "God,
what if I throw up right now?
How embarrassing would that be?"
When they started, they were laughing.
But the longer it went on...
And it felt like it went on forever.
All I could hear was breathing.
Breathing,
and counting.
One, two,
two,
three...
One, two...
At some point
I definitely said
I wanted them to stop.
But maybe it sounded like I was joking
or maybe it was just something I said to myself in my head...
There were hands everywhere.
It was like they were swallowing me.
And sometimes in their laps
I could feel... [sniffles]
Oh! [sniffling]
Oh.
Gross. [nervous chuckle]
Um.
When I woke up, Luce was there.
He said he found them and told them to stop.
[laughs nervously]
And he stayed with me the rest of the night.
Is it possible that...?
Was Luce one of the guys?
He wouldn't do that.
- But he... - He just wouldn't.
What happened with Ms. Wilson?
There were a lot of rumors.
It was at the same time
Deshaun Meeks got kicked off the team
because Wilson found weed in his locker.
She searched Deshaun's locker?
And called the cops.
I didn't want that. What would I say?
I couldn't remember anything
and I definitely didn't tell everyone I was drunk.
What did Luce say?
He said I was right not to tell.
Because he was protecting his friends.
Because he was protecting me.
He didn't want me to do anything I didn't want to do.
Why did you two break up?
I don't know.
I miss him.
He's the best boyfriend I ever had.
[sniffles]
Stephanie...
I'm really sorry for what happened.
Don't be.
[chuckles]
Everything is fine now.
[inaudible]
[tense droning]
[keys jangle]
- Hey! - Hey.
Where were you?
Emergency patient.
Oh, really?
[kiss]
- Karen seems good. - Yeah, she is.
They're happy.
The baby fidgets.
Mm-hm. I think that's just a baby thing.
[Amy giggles]
Are you drunk?
[Peter chuckles]
So you don't think it's that baby in particular.
How would I know?
I mean, I don't know, so...
how would I know?
Yeah.
PETER: Right?
Mm, yeah, I guess you wouldn't.
PETER: No.
AMY: You know, it's not Luce's fault
you were denied diaper changing privileges.
No. [chuckles]
Thanks.
Look, we made a choice.
I'm okay with that as long as you recognize it cost us.
Which means?
I did want something different once.
Ten years and you're trapped.
Your words.
Well, you said it. You wanted something different.
- I did, yeah. - Like what?
Look, I'm proud of our son.
Okay, I love him. I love him
more than I'll ever understand, okay?
But we spent years with him in therapy
and rehabilitation.
Our friends couldn't understand
why we didn't just have a kid of our own.
And so while they fell away doing
what normal fucking people do,
we worked our asses off to give him a life,
at the expense of our own. So to pretend that
that didn't cost us anything
- is bullshit. - I wasn't pretending.
You are! Amy.
You are.
You want so desperately for him
to be what you want him to be, you're ignoring
what's right in front of you.
What he is, is
- our son. - Right.
And nothing's going to change that.
Right.
So...
fuck this.
Fuck you.
[♪♪♪]
[sighs]
I came here
to America,
to this school,
and I found myself.
When I first met my mother, she couldn't pronounce my name.
She tried over and over to get the emphasis
on the syllables correct, but...
she just couldn't.
So my father suggested that they rename me.
They picked Luce,
and, uh...
[breath trembles]
I thought about that when I was figuring out
what to say to you all tonight.
And I realized how lucky I am to be an American.
Because here I got the chance to start over.
To redefine myself.
Here we can be who we choose. Here...
[somber low strings]
- [heavy breathing] - [bed knocking]
[knocking continues]
[sighs]
Remember that fish we got him for his birthday?
- Dennis. - Yeah, that's right.
Yeah. Poor Dennis.
Yeah. The way he just pulled him out
and threw him across the room like that.
Like a piece of deli meat.
"I just wanted to see him fly, mom."
We didn't screw up, did we?
No.
Everything's fine.
[♪♪♪]
[Peter and Amy talking indistinctly]
[cell phone chimes]
[typing]
[phone clicks off]
[school bell rings]
So, what does it mean to speak in code?
Well, it tells you about a particular group.
The necessity to have a shared vocabulary.
- [door opens] - LUCE: Sorry.
To have common struggles in a society.
You see, language is a bond.
It's how we tell each other apart, but more importantly,
it's how we stick together.
- [knock at door] - Excuse me, Ms. Wilson,
I need you to come with me please.
Right now.
[murmuring]
[commotion grows louder]
ROSE: Where's my sister?
She works here. She is here.
- Rosemary! - Where's my sister?
Rosemary! I'm right here. I'm right here.
Now come on, let's go home.
- You don't want me at home. - That's not true.
You won't... You're ashamed of me.
I am not.
[stuttering] You hate me.
- Don't talk nonsense, Ro. - You hate me.
Shh. Look at me.
DAN: Hey, hey! Put those phones away.
You're embarrassed. You're embarrassed!
- You're embarrassed! - Stop this!
Stop it right now, Rose!
She's embarrassed! She's embarrassed of me!
You're embarrassed of me!
I am your black nigger bitch sister!
This your blood. Not these white folk.
I am your blood. You can't get rid of blood.
You can't run from blood! I am your sister! You...
COP: Hey!
- She's-she's sick officers. - Don't run!
Relax! Calm down!
Relax.
Get off of me! Get off of me!
- Calm down. - Get off of me!
Relax or you'll be tased.
- MS. WILSON: Calm down. - Get off of me!
I'm going to tase you!
- Calm down! Please! - Relax!
Please.
- [taser crackles] - [screaming]
No!
ROSE: Harriet, Harriet... Harriet!
Calm down!
Can you cover her up?
Can you please just cover her up?
DAN: Put the phones down. Get back to class now.
Give me your phone. Come on!
I want every single phone in this hallway
in my office right now.
Every cell phone!
[police siren wails]
[footsteps recede]
GIRL: My God! I've never seen anything like it in my entire life.
It was insane.
Who knew that Ms. Wilson's family was so fucked up?
I am your black, nigger...
- This was today? - Yeah, it's crazy, huh?
AMY: Oh my God!
- AMY: Oh, come on. - PETER: Oh, fuck.
Where's Harriet?
Um, I think she spent most of the day
at the police station with her sister.
Just goes to show you.
What?
Nothing, it's just...
You never really know what's going on with people.
Like, in life. Outside of what you know.
I shouldn't have said she was a bitch.
Well, I think I owe you an apology, Luce.
- For what? - Really.
You've never given me any reason to doubt your integrity.
You should know we got your back.
- No matter what? - No matter what. Asshole.
Put your phones down, get back to class now.
[crickets chirping]
[gears engage]
[dog barking]
[sighs]
[lock clicks]
[knock at door]
Who is it?
I need to talk to you about Luce.
Harriet, if you Googled "model student"
Luce Edgar's picture would come up on the computer
and now you're telling me that this kid, graffiti-ed your home?
It's not just the graffiti, Dan.
No, he also wrote an upsetting paper.
- He argued violence... - A paper
that you no longer have a copy of.
I gave it to his mother.
An upsetting paper where it sounds
like he did exactly what the assignment asked him to do.
I know the difference between miscommunication
and provocation. I can tell the difference between them.
Isn't there a chance, just maybe,
that what he wrote just went over your head?
I don't mean that as a dig.
Come on, I think you're brilliant.
I think you're articulate, you're a great teacher,
but you know, we all misread signals from time to time.
There's an allegation of sexual assault.
A student came to me and said
Luce sexually assaulted her at a party.
[exhales]
- Which student? - Dan...
You're talking about a crime now.
I'm not gonna ruin a kid's life because you come here
with some unsubstantiated accusations and hunches.
Then let me prove it.
[water bubbling]
Hey, what's up?
I didn't buy it before but maybe you're right, maybe
she has some kind of weird vendetta thing for Luce.
Okay, hold on.
She doesn't get what she wants out of you
so then she comes to me.
Then when that doesn't work she goes to Dan.
She's having a personal crisis, she's taking it out on our son.
Just let me handle it. Just let me.
- Okay. - Okay. Bye.
What are you doing home?
Hey! I, uh,
just needed to pick up a few things before practice.
- You see Dan's email? - Yeah.
I'm not sure what it's about.
I guess we'll just wait and see.
Guess so.
I'm, um, I'm taking your advice you know.
About what?
The speech.
I'm making it more personal. I think you'll be proud.
I'm sure I will be.
So, um,
I'll see you at the meeting.
- Six o'clock sharp. - Great.
Why didn't you tell me you talked to Stephanie?
You didn't think she would tell me?
I don't think either of us have been great
at keeping each other in the loop, Luce.
What are you trying to prove?
What are you trying to hide?
I'm not trying to hide anything.
That's not the impression I got from Stephanie.
- What did she say? - You tell me.
You're the one that talked to her.
- Stop it. - Stop what?
- This game. - What game?
- What did you do to that girl? - What, you think I...?
Never mind what I think. What did you do to her?
- I did the right thing. - By lying?
She threatened to kill herself. Ms. Wilson kept pushing...
By protecting the people who hurt her?
I wanted her to get better.
Then why didn't you ask for help?
- She was better. - I think you're lying.
- I'm not lying. - Tell me the truth.
- I'm telling you the truth. - Stop lying to me.
- I'm not lying. - Tell me the fucking truth!
Why did you write that paper?
What if I told you it's what I believed?
You believe in
hurting people to make a point?
You wouldn't know. You never read it, right?
[exhales]
Luce...
I feel like...
you're all waiting for me to confirm this thing...
that no one wants to say aloud.
And I'm trying so hard
not to be that.
But after a while you can't help but think that maybe
- you're fighting a losing battle. - What do you mean?
I mean
it's like I only get to be a saint or a monster.
That's not true. We always accepted you
for whoever you are.
I don't believe you, Amy.
And I feel like I'm suffocating. Like I can't breathe.
That's why I'm here, to help you and to protect you.
What if you're part of what I need protecting from?
[cell phone chimes]
I'm gonna be late, um...
I'll see you at the meeting.
[door opens and closes]
[sobs]
I promise it'll be as painless as possible.
We'll be just down the hall.
When the time comes, I'll escort you in and
you just tell them what you told me.
And then that's it, you're done.
Luce will be there?
I can have him step out when it's time for you to speak.
What about his mom?
She'll be there.
Yes.
Hey, hey, hey!
You're brave.
It's because you show courage today, that
someone else doesn't suffer like you did tomorrow.
You understand?
Good.
[exhales]
CHEERLEADER: Five, six, seven, eight.
Parade rest.
[heavy electronic beat]
♪ What? ♪
♪ It's your time! ♪
♪ One! Two! ♪
♪ Yes, we can! ♪
♪ Hey! Hey! ♪
♪ What? ♪
CHEERLEADER: A-ten hut!
Two, three, four... boom!
DAN: Hey, guys. Come on in.
How you doing, Amy?
How you doing, Peter? Good to see you.
- Hey, Dan. - Dan.
- You all right? - Been better.
- How's the clinic? - Busy. Always busy.
- Busy is good. - Yeah.
Busy is always good. [laughs]
Here she is.
Harriet Wilson.
You know Peter and Amy Edgar.
- Good to see you, Amy. Peter. - Good to see you, too.
Good to see you.
So we're just, uh, missing the man of the hour here.
He should be along here.
Ah-ha!
- Hey! - Hey. Sorry, sorry.
- I lost track of time. - Lost track at the track.
- Sounds like the Luce I know. - [chuckles]
- How are you? - I'm great, Principal Towson.
- How are you? - Principal Towson.
Notice he's all formal now that he's a senior.
Getting ready for college, right?
- That's right. - Smart man. Smart man.
Have a seat, guys. Come on, sit down.
[sighs]
- So... - I'd like to...
[crosstalk]
Go ahead. You first.
Well, I guess first things first.
There have been a series of miscommunications
and I think rather than try to hash all that out,
it's probably more productive to just acknowledge
some tension has developed between Luce and me.
MS. WILSON: It happens.
Signals get crossed and we have to find
a way to untangle the knots,
even if we're not sure how those knots got there in first place.
LUCE: Definitely. And, um.
Um, I just want to apologize
for making you feel disrespected.
I've taken on a lot this semester,
and not that that's an excuse, it's not but...
I haven't been my best self lately and I'm sorry for that.
- Thank you, Luce. - You're welcome.
This is going really well, I think, so far.
Let's talk about the threat.
Oh, I'm sorry for that too, Ms. Wilson.
Sorry?
Are you admitting it now?
Like I was saying, uh,
given the stress I've been under,
I'm sure what I said sounded a bit...
No, no, no. I'm sorry, but this isn't about some
stress-induced problem of tone.
This is about one person
suggesting violence against another.
- Excuse me? - You weren't there, Mr. Edgar.
There are interactions that must be experienced
in order to appreciate their intent.
Respectfully,
I think you should choose your words more carefully.
- My son has just apologized. - Has he?
I-I think in the interest of moving forward, Harriet,
it would be helpful for you to acknowledge Luce did in fact
- apologize. - Where were you last night?
- LUCE: What? - My home was vandalized.
Uh, just a second...
I want to know where you were between
when school let out and I got back to my house.
- I was out. - Where?
Is my son being accused of a crime?
He sure as hell is about to be.
Because if he is,
if he is being accused of a crime,
I want a lawyer.
It's fine. I didn't do anything.
This woman's sister,
this woman's sister has just gone through a very public
- mental breakdown. - All right.
How do you know she's not responsible?
- My sister wouldn't do that. - Neither would my son.
All right, okay.
Everybody just... Luce,
Can you help us out here?
Can you tell us where you were after school yesterday?
- I don't want to say. - Where were you?
- With friends. - MS. WILSON: Who?
See, he's lying, Dan.
Harriet!
Principal Towson, I can explain where I was
but I do not want to get people in trouble.
I respect your discretion, but,
Luce, your mom, your dad, Ms. Wilson,
we're all just trying to pin down what's going on here, okay?
And if you know anything, if you could help us with that,
it's-it's only going to help you.
It's embarrassing for me.
[scoffs] You gotta be kidding.
Harriet.
DAN: Go ahead, Luce.
Please don't tell anyone I'm showing you this.
It's a violation of trust.
Yeah! What up?
[exhales]
- [hip hop music plays] - [indistinct conversations]
[laughter]
[phone clicks off]
I don't want them to get in trouble.
DAN: No one's gonna get in trouble.
All right, you guys are good kids.
- We all know that. - This is bullshit.
Hey, Harriet. Excuse me.
Harriet!
Steph...
I think that's a really good choice for you.
I know it wasn't on your original list but I...
You told her to come to me.
- LUCE: I'm sorry? - You told her what to say.
Dan, what is she talking about?
DAN: Please, explain, Harriet.
I think Ms. Wilson's just been through a lot.
Between what's happened with her sister's breakdown
and someone vandalizing her house.
She's confused.
Right, Ms. Wilson? You're confused.
Luce, I'm going to need you to step out for a moment.
LUCE: I thought this meeting was to get together
and figure things out.
I need to speak with your parents
and Principal Towson alone. Please.
- Sure. - AMY: No.
He can stay.
Whatever you have to say to us,
you can say in front of him.
Your son brought illegal fireworks onto school property.
- DAN: Excuse me? - I searches Luce's locker
and I found illegal fireworks.
Why didn't you tell me this, Harriet?
AMY: Well, hold on. The kids share lockers, right?
Well, it makes sense that given the kind of student Luce is
someone would think his was the safe hiding place.
The fireworks could have belonged to anyone.
LUCE: I've learned my lesson.
I'm going to change my combination
and we won't share lockers anymore.
Okay. Harriet, where are the fireworks now?
Amy?
Yes?
Where are they?
- AMY: What do you mean? - I gave them to you.
I don't know what she's talking about.
MS. WILSON: What?
Nope. She called me
and she claimed she found these fireworks.
She claimed my son threatened her.
- Amy! - And then she drags us
down here in front of you, Dan, and threatens
legal action against my son
for a crime he clearly didn't commit.
I mean, I'm sorry but are we done here?
Can my son go back to being the student he was
before this woman decided to go after him
on some kind of insane witch hunt?
No, Peter...
I think
we're done here, Harriet.
No, no, no. Dan...
Yeah, Harriet.
We're done. We are done.
Amy, Peter, thank you for coming.
I'm very sorry about this. I will make it up to you.
I promise. Luce, thank you.
- Good night, Principal Towson. - Thank you.
All right, Ms. Wilson...
Dan,
Stephanie Kim was in my office.
- Just don't say anything. - No, Dan...
We're going to talk tomorrow. okay?
- It's okay, we'll talk tomorrow. - No.
[♪♪♪]
AMY: I can heat up leftovers if anyone wants.
PETER: No, I'm good.
- Is he mad at me? - No, he's fine.
He's just...
Are you hungry?
I should probably get to my speech.
Okay. Well, can't wait to hear it.
Thanks, Amy. Good night.
[footsteps recede]
[crackling]
[explosion]
[fire alarm blares]
[pan sizzling]
Whoa! That smells good.
I'm capable of a certain level of domesticity.
[Luce chuckles]
Want some breakfast?
No, thanks.
And the man period continues unabated.
Can I get a ride to school?
You want me to drive you?
Yeah, why not?
Okay.
[fire engine siren blares]
[♪♪♪]
I wonder what happened.
LUCE: I guess I'll let you know if school gets canceled.
[indistinct police radio chatter]
This is an impossible situation.
If you hadn't of hidden those fireworks, Harriet...
I've given this school everything, Dan.
For 15 years I've
given everything I have to these kids.
They're my life.
And you know I'm not a liar. You know it.
We'll start with a leave of absence.
There will be an investigation.
Then, Harriet, I have to tell you this school
can't stand behind you.
[Amy whimpers]
No, no, no!
[Amy sobs]
The fire marshal's sending the kids home.
[Amy panting] What?
- Was anyone hurt? - PETER: Mm-mm. No.
Good. That's good.
I think we have an obligation here.
What does that mean?
Harriet's going to lose her job.
There was a fire.
People might have been hurt.
No one was.
Could have been Luce. Amy.
He was with us all night, Pete.
- So if you're accusing... - Really?
No, if you're accusing him,
just think carefully about who's side you're on.
- Jesus... - We both wanted this.
No, I wanted a family.
I wanted something simple and sane and normal.
Our lives didn't have to be a political fucking statement.
I didn't want...
Him?
Oh, I think there has to be...
some kind of limit.
AMY: A limit to what? Tell me.
To how much I love him?
To how hard I've worked?
To ensure he had a chance at life, at success?
No, Pete, I disagree.
There is no limit to that
and some random accident at school...
- PETER: Ah, fuck, Amy! - Listen to me!
Some random accident at school is not going to change that.
So just tell me...
who's side you're on.
Our side, Amy.
AMY: Ours.
My family's.
Thank you.
[cell phone rings]
- Hey. - AMY: Luce! Where are you?
I'm leaving school. The fire was in Ms. Wilson's classroom.
I feel bad. I want to do
something nice for her.
Come home first. I can pick you up.
I will in just a little.
Luce, wait.
Love you.
[♪♪♪]
[knocking on door]
[door opens]
You gotta be joking.
Deshaun and I got the team
to chip in for flowers.
Deshaun? Hm.
What?
Nothing.
[flowers fall to ground]
I'm allergic.
This is not okay, Luce.
I just want to talk.
Well, this is not okay.
That's awful.
You ever been called that?
No.
No wonder you're always
so pleased with yourself.
What does that mean?
You're mad people put you in a box.
- You put me in a box. - I protected you.
But not Deshaun.
After you busted him,
you had that meeting with me and Corey
and all the other black runners on the squad.
And you said it is your solemn duty
to never be stereotypes.
Look at Luce.
Be like Luce.
Yes.
And I remember them all looking at me.
They weren't jealous.
They were just trying to figure it out.
How do I get that?
And all I can think about was Deshaun.
All he had was that athletic scholarship
and you took it from him.
You took it from him because he wasn't me.
- Yes. - Why?
Because for every Deshaun Meeks I don't come down on,
there's a Luce Edgar I can't lift out.
That's bullshit.
Why do we have to be perfect to be accepted?
Boy, that's our life!
No, you're so desperate for approval
that you'll eat your own just to get it.
- Whose approval? - Who do you think?
Everyone who made you feel like being black wasn't good enough.
But I don't need their approval. I'm not going to be
somebody's symbol just to make them feel better.
You still don't get it.
You don't get it.
It's not just about you and it's not about me.
America put you in a box.
And it's tight and it's dirty and you can't move.
But guess what? Too bad.
We're all in there together, whether you like it or not.
And only so much light gets in that box, Luce.
Some people get it, and some people don't.
But it's not on you to decide who gets it and who doesn't.
You're damn right it's on you!
It's on you.
After all, who did you use to
do your little errands while you were busy establishing alibis?
[Luce whimpers]
It's not the same thing.
Hm!
You got a lot to learn, little man.
Now you get the fuck out of my house.
Get out of my house!
[door opens and closes]
[insects chirping]
[low airy music]
[birds chirping]
Shit! Shit!
[children's voices playing]
[basketballs bouncing]
[music grows tense]
[heavy moaning]
[moaning continues]
[door opens]
[items clattering]
[door opens]
[door closes]
[footsteps approach]
Hey.
[items clattering]
Are you hiding Christmas presents?
That's where you used to hide my Christmas presents.
You were always so surprised.
I'm good at acting surprised.
[Luce gasps]
[Luce chuckles]
[zipper unzips]
Here.
LUCE: Remember Dennis?
AMY: Yeah.
Of course I remember Dennis.
I thought we could try again.
Thanks...
Mom.
You have your whole future ahead of you.
Full of potential.
Hope you're right.
I know I'm right, honey.
I know.
[sniffles]
[weeps]
[applause]
Hi, everyone.
I want thank Principal Towson for giving me this opportunity.
It means a lot to be able to talk with each of you
about my story,
which I'm told is pretty unique,
even though I still feel pretty regular.
I'm lucky enough to have two amazing parents
who when they saw my picture
at seven years old weren't scared.
Or if they were they did a good job of hiding it because
the parents I grew up with were nothing but loving and brave.
AUDIENCE: Aww!
I came here to America,
to this school,
and I found myself.
When I first met my mother, she couldn't pronounce my name.
She tried over and over to get the emphasis
on the syllables correct, but she just couldn't
so my father suggested that they rename me.
They picked Luce, which means light.
Because my mom always said that
there was a little beam of light shone inside me.
If only they could sweep the darkness
of those first seven years away.
I thought of that as I was figuring out
what to say to you all tonight.
And I realized how lucky I am to be an American.
Because here I got the chance to start over.
Here we get to be who we are and still be accepted
despite our flaws.
Here we get to tell our own story.
This is mine.
[low airy music]
When they first told me my new name,
I was still just learning English,
so I took it to be the word "loose,"
- L-O-O-S-E, - [audience laughs]
which is defined as something detachable,
not easily fixed in place, or pinned down...
[airy music continues]
[inaudible]
- [crickets chirping] - [flagpole clanging]
[panting]
[panting increases]
[music intensifies]
[panting intensifies]
[grunts]
[music stops]
[low electronic beat]
Subtitles by explosiveskull akumenang.com