DESTINY By R.J. Smith BASED ON TRUE EVENTS Represented by: Julie Stern JS INTEGRITY MANAGEMENT [email protected] (917) 439-4189 FADE IN SUPER: “That which does not kill us makes us stronger.” Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche (1844-1900) FADE TO: EXT. MANHATTAN - NIGHT Shoppers frantically dash in and out of Macy’s as SANTA CLAUS rings a bell. SANTA CLAUS HO! HO! HO! Merry Christmas. Passersby drop coins into a red bucket at his feet. Santa reaches into his jacket, retrieves a pint of Mad Dog 20/20 and generously drinks from it. A 1978 Camaro moves slowly along 34th street. INT. CAMARO - SAME JOEY JACOBS, a sweet-faced typical 13 year old boy, stares out the car window at a boy carrying a large Christmas gift. JOEY Wow! This is great, Mom! Christmas is awesome! Joey’s mother, PATTY, 30, a white trash brunette, struggles to steer the car while lighting a cigarette with trembling hands. MOM Son of a bitch, I hate Christmas! Joey glances at his mother in disappointment. MOM (CONT’D) Ah, shit. Sorry kid. I’m not a mother. Look at me, I’m barely breathing. She pulls a crucifix chain from her neckline and loops it around Joey’s head. JOEY Mom, you do all right. (looking at chain) (MORE) 2. JOEY (CONT'D) You’re giving me this? Really? Super cool! MOM It was your Dad’s chain. He gave it to me and now I’m giving it to you. JOEY Sure wish I could remember him. MOM And don’t start asking me all those questions about who he is again. Joey stares back out the window. HOOKERS strut along the street illuminated by BLINKING Peep Show lights. JOEY Why, Mom? She sighs then glances at her son. MOM Why what? JOEY Why’d Dad leave us? MOM It’s not important. JOEY It is to me. Patty grabs a Salem pack from the console. MOM It’s Christmas, Joey, all right? Give me a fucking break. JOEY Who’s my father, Mommy? She crushes the empty pack of Salems - MOM Shit. - and throws it into the backseat, slamming her hand against the steering wheel. 3. JOEY What’s wrong? She ignores him and glances out the window. MOM Thank heavens. There’s a store right there. She pushes a few bills into Joey’s hand. MOM (CONT’D) Go get Mommy a pack, will ya? Joey glances at street kids standing by a Mini-Market. EXT. TIMES SQUARE STREET CORNER - NIGHT Joey steps from the car, slams the door, then bounces toward the Mini-Market. MARCO ALVAREZ, 15, a baby-faced tough Puerto Rican, wearing a Batman sweatshirt, takes an interest in Joey. MARCO Hey, Yo, whatcha doing, man? The Camaro fishtails away. JOEY Mom! Joey jolts back into the street and chases the car. A horn blares and a box truck heads straight for Joey. MARCO Hey, man, watch out! JOEY Mommy! Don’t leave me! Marco leaps and knocks Joey to safety seconds before the truck speeds by. Marco and Joey land hard on the snowy ground. MARCO I got you, man. You’re all right. JOEY My Mom! My Mom! 4. ANSON WILLIAMS, 15, a tough African-American thug, walks to Marco and pulls him to his feet. ANSON Marco, who’s the white boy? Marco reaches to Joey on the ground. MARCO (to Anson) It’s good, Anson. He’s one of us now. (to Joey) I got you, bro. Joey grabs Marco’s hand and stumbles to his feet. JOEY She left me! MARCO Hey, you got a name, YO? JOEY Joey. MARCO Well, Joey, it’s motherfucking cold out here. Let’s get some hot chocolate. ANSON God damn right! Now you’re talking! They walk to the Mini-Market and Joey glances over his shoulder. JOEY She’s not coming back, is she? ANSON Parents suck, man. MARCO (puts arms around Joey) You’re with us now. They walk into the Mini-Market and disappear. JOEY (V.O.) I knew at that moment nothing would ever be the same for me and that my life had descended into hell. 5. EXT. TIMES SQUARE - NIGHT It is New Years Eve and Times Square is packed with jubilant crowds awaiting the apple drop atop the Times Building. Joey, Anson and Marco walk along 42nd street teasing a group of HOOKERS. Anson leans in to Joey. ANSON This is how it’s done. Smooth as can be. He bumps into a DRUNKEN MAN and pickpockets his wallet. DRUNKEN MAN (to Anson) Hey, watch where you’re walking, will ya? The boys hurry off into the crowd. JOEY You just took that guy’s wallet and he didn’t feel a thing! MARCO You try it, Joe. Just bump into somebody and reach into their pocket. They’re so drunk they won’t even notice. ANSON (to Joey) Yeah, go ahead, give it a try. JOEY (to Anson) I wouldn’t be any good at it. ANSON Come on, what are you, a pussy? JOEY I ain’t no pussy. Joey glances to a VERY DRUNK MAN, pushes into him and reaches into his pocket grabbing his wallet. The man pats his pockets, realizes he’s been robbed and chases Joey before tripping to the pavement. 6. VERY DRUNK MAN Hey, you punk! Gimme back my wallet! Joey sprints into the crowd and bumps into a Molly Ringwald look-a-like, JENNA, 16. VERY DRUNK MAN (V.O.) (CONT’D) Somebody grab that kid! Jenna smiles and for a moment Joey is frozen in her stare. JENNA You better get out of here and quick! Joey scrams through the crowd. JOEY (V.O.) Injustice is where this story begins. In the background, the new year arrives and everyone cheers. INT. SUBWAY CAR - SAME Anson divvies up the cash from the stolen wallets as Marco teases Joey. MARCO You looked like you were gonna shit your pants. JOEY I was not! MARCO Was too! ANSON (to Joey) Whitebread, I think if that guy didn’t fall on his face he would have chased you to Brooklyn. They laugh. MARCO Don’t worry Jo-Jo, you’ll get the hang of it. Anson hands Joey a twenty dollar bill. 7. ANSON Here’s your share. They walk through the subway car harassing passengers. INT. APARTMENT - LIVING ROOM - SAME It’s a flop house. Beat up Super Hero posters line the dirty walls. Duct tape runs along a broken window. Marco and Anson bounce through the door then collapse onto a raggedy couch. Marco pulls out a book of matches and lights a candle. Joey enters the apartment and closes the door. MARCO (to Joey) You can stay here with us. JOEY You guys live here? ANSON Yeah, man. Welcome to the playboy mansion. MARCO Motherfucking right. Can’t beat the price neither. JOEY It’s cool. Like a tree-house or something. Marco and Anson laugh. ANSON (to Joey) I saw you looking at the girl in the square, man. MARCO (to Joey) Yeah. Comic girl was staring you up and down like a piece of raw meat. JOEY (interested) You guys know her? 8. ANSON Hell, yeah. We know all the kids in Timeville, man! Her Dad owns that comic book store on Forty Eighth Street. JOEY You gonna hook me up with her? ANSON (puts arm around Joey) Sure man. EXT. A DARK STREET - NIGHT Super: 8 Years Later A liquor store’s lighted sign is very bright. It’s the only business open on this very dark, quiet street. An alarm rings. Suddenly the doors burst open and an older Joey emerges gripping a gun. Marco follows holding a brown bag, they run like hell from the store. The LIQUOR STORE OWNER exits the store. LIQUOR STORE OWNER Help, Help! They robbed me! MARCO See you later cock sucker! Joey and Marco dash down the street and disappear. Sirens wail in the distance, getting louder. INT. APARTMENT - LIVING ROOM - SAME Joey and Marco burst into the room breathing heavily and sweating profusely. Marco’s baby face now reveals a large scar on its cheek. MARCO That fucker! We shudda put holes in his ass. Joey, aged by the streets, dumps cash from the bag onto a cracked coffee table. 9. JOEY Man, Marco, this is peanuts. Marco places a beat-up .38 revolver next to the cash. MARCO What’s that? Three hundred dead presidents? Marco and Joey sit on the couch and stare at one another. MARCO (CONT’D) Want to count it? Joey counts the bills and throws them back on the table. JOEY Fuck, not even two hundred bucks. MARCO Wanna go smoke? JOEY Yeah. They bounce to the window and climb out. EXT. APARTMENT BUILDING FIRE ESCAPE - NIGHT Joey and Marco scurry up a fire escape to the roof. EXT. APARTMENT BUILDING ROOF - SAME Joey and Marco sit on a roof ledge smoking a joint. In the background lies the Manhattan skyline. JOEY Did you see that fucker’s face when you pulled the piece? MARCO I thought Gordo was gonna drop dead on the potato chips. Who needs a pussy father like that, huh? We should have shot his ass! JOEY Nah, we’re not killers, Marco. MARCO Yeah, but we’re just a heartbeat away from murder. (MORE) 10. MARCO (CONT'D) Look what happened to Anson, doing five years in Attica for burglary. Silence, and then Joey gets angry. MARCO (CONT’D) What is it, bro? What’s wrong? JOEY Everything, Marco.