Alright, so here's the intro part of the scene. The two characters are not in the book, but their function in this is to give a background of what's going on during the time of this scene in the neighborhood. The formatting is a little messed up, but I hope it's easy to read.
In order to really understand what's going on, you should have read the novel by Angie Thomas or watched the movie. This intro is around 1100 words.
The Hate U Give
A scene of Angie Thomas’s novel
Characters
Uncle Carlos - Officer in his thirties, Starr’s uncle, black
Brian Cruise - Officer in his forties,white
Tyler - Probationary Deputy, 19 years old, white
Harry - Overweight desk-officer in his late fifties, black
Mal - Officer, close friend of Harry and Carlos, black
George - Chief Officer of the station, white
Setting
The scene takes place in a police station close to Garden Heights. It is a break room with two
tables and chairs, a sofa, a vending and a coffee machine and a board with nonsense and jokes
written on it, on the left wall. The room is clean and well taken care of, the coffee machine is
constantly making brewing noises and the air ventilation making a steady whirring noise.
The lights come up on the break room of the police station. Harry sits at the left table
and unpacks a lunchbox. Mal enters with his holster in the right hand and a backpack in
the other one. He tosses both on an empty chair and sits down next to Harry.
Mal. Hey Harry. How you doing?
Harry. She forgot those boiled eggs again. I told her I couldn’t manage to go through another
whole day without them boiled eggs. As soon as I sit down at that desk and have to deal
with all them cases of all them thugs killing each other over a gram of crack I just start
thinking ‘bout them eggs. They the only thing keeping me straight through the morning.
Mal. Just eat your damn cheese sandwich.
Harry. Sure I will. Still boiled eggs would be better. Giving me energy for all this jumble
going on.
Mal. Oh don’t get me started. Just got out of Garden Heights. The place is chaos. People
going crazy.
Harry. I told her: “Don’t you forget them boiled eggs”. Next thing you know I sit here and
ain’t got no boiled eggs.
Mal. Figured them people would pay respect to motherfucking tanks rolling through their
neighborhood. Ought to keep ‘em down. But these people can’t be tamed. Come one tank
in their street they run off to the next one. Need to drop some bombs until they keep it
down.
Harry. I tell you if these people just took their time to get some good lunch and dinner each
day they would keep their cool. Instead of going out and crashing windows.
Mal. Naw… naw. Lots of them can’t even afford planning two meals ahead.
Harry. How would you know? How long has it been that you lived down there?
Mal. Trust me, I see some of that kind every day on routine patrol. They got nothing but a
shopping cart full of old clothes. That’s all they got. You don’t be thinking about having
two nice meals a day when all your stuff is right in front of you in a cart in the streets.
Harry. That’s why I stay in this office. I need my meals and my boiled eggs.
Mal. Doesn’t come often you see someone born in Garden Heights become a police man.
Carlos and I are the only ones so far. That’s what we are proud of.
Harry. That’s what you proud of? I say it’s a reason to be ashamed. Says everything about
your origins. How can you be proud of that?
Mal. I ain’t proud of Garden Heights. I’m proud ‘cuz I made it out of there.
Harry. You don’t make any sense. Man you can’t be proud of losing your origins. That’s a
shame.
Mal. I tell you I am goddamn proud of it. Don’t ever wanna live there again.
Harry. See, that’s where you are wrong. Gotta stick to your roots. What about Carlos, is he
proud of letting the whole district down, too?
Mal. We don’t let anyone down. In fact we are trying to make their lives better. Not for them
thugs though. Got one locked up for eighteen years yesterday. But everyone else should
be thankful we patrolling there. Even for the tanks. It’s been much quieter since they
started using the tanks. These monstrosities rumble through the street and ain’t no one
trying to crash a window. Tanks don’t have windows. You can’t turn them over. You
can’t burn them. All you can do is retreat. I say it’s better to move back than to get tear
gas in your face. Hell, if I could I would drive one of them tanks. You have all the power
when you drive one of them tanks. I would be the most powerful man in the street. No one
can stop a rolling tank.
Harry. What you need a tank for? You a police man.
Mal. See, in a tank you can’t get shot. Every time I see another guy shot dead I think myself,
‘What if this was me? Or what if this was someone I know?’ You ever lost someone you
knew?
Harry. Yeah, old Barton. That was thirteen years ago. Was just pulling over some guy in a
car and asked for his papers. Instead of them papers that guy pulls out a gun and shoots
him on the spot. Down in Garden Heights. That district never changes. Left a wife and
two sons. Last time I checked they still lived down there.
Mal. I heard Carlos’s niece was with this young boy. You know, that boy who was shot by
Cruise. She’s the witness.
Harry. Yeah I heard so, too.
Mal. I hope Carlos can keep his cool around this guy. He gets heated up real quick when it
comes to his family. You know he raised this girl for years when her Daddy was in
prison? Suppose he feels like a father to her. Imagine your girl getting in a shooting with
some guy you work with. Haven’t seen Cruise since the incident. Have you?
Harry. Yeah, he started working two days ago. Pretty sure Carlos didn’t get a chance to meet
him yet.
Mal. Can’t tell what Carlos gonna say. Last time he seemed pretty upset. Just like the people
in the streets. Can’t tell what side I’m on. If I see a suspicious guy reaching for something
in his car no one can tell what I do. That’s what I need a tank for. Couldn’t care less if
someone pulls a gun on me when I’m in my tank. Cruise didn’t have no tank though.
Harry. Yeah and never will. No one of us. We will have to deal with all that danger in person
for ever. That’s why I’m in this office. Speaking of that, I got to get going. See you Mal.
He starts for the door. Tyler and Cruise enter. They seem preoccupied in a conversation
and don’t really take notice of Harry passing them on his way out.
...