Brian's Bag

So far I have written the first draft of a few scenes



Scene 1



Radio alarm goes off with local London station broadcasting days depressing headlines. Brian, 12, stirs, gets out of his bed and sleepily goes into his father's room.



Brian: Wake up Dad



Dad: (groaning) Pass me me box Brian.



Brian: (passing small wooden box) There you go.



Dad: Thanks son (groans again. Opens box to reveal cannabis smoking paraphernalia)



Brian: No problem



Dad: You better get your brother up.



Brian returns to his room where 10 year old Morris is sleeping.



Brian (punching): Get up.



Morris: Get lost (rolls over)



Brian (repetitive punching): I said get up.



Morris screeches, leaps on Brian, scrap ensues.



Dad (stumbling into room): That's enough. Morris, get yourself dressed. Brian, get your swimming kit.



Boys exchange general insults as they go about following the instructions.



Brian: Where's my bag?



Morris: Up your a.



Brian: Shut up.



Walks to Dad's room.



Brian: I can't find my bag.



Dad (smoking): Where did you have it last?



Brian: Dunno. On the bus?



Dad: Did you leave it on the bus?



Brian: Dunno. Maybe.



Dad: Christ boy. What've I told you about looking after your stuff?



Brian: It weren't my fault. Those waners from St. Raphael's were gonna jack me. I had to leg it.



Dad (rising anger) Then get off the fng bus when you see them get on it. We can't afford to be paying out for new bags every fing other week. Take this and clear off to school (throws QPR duffel bag at Brian).



Scene 2



Brain and Morris step off the bus.



Morris: Nice bag



Brian: Shut up and get a move on.



Morris: You shut up. I can go to school on my own



Brian: Good. Get lost then (kicks Morris up the bm).



Brian turns and heads back up the road towards a newsagents where he meets a friend.



Brian: What happening?



Gabriel: Safe Bri. (they exchange a psuedo ghetto handshake) What's going on with the bag?



Brian: I lost mine on the bus. Come on.



They enter the newsagents where they are eyed suspiciously by the shopkeeper. After a few moments of furtive browsing, Gabriel pretends to trip and in trying to break his fall brings a magazine rack crashing to the ground.



Gabriel (faking): My leg!



Shopkeeper: What the hell has happened now?



Gabriel: I've broken my fking leg on your shabby floor.



Shopkeeper: It is not broken. My shop is broken.



Gabriel: I'm gonna sue your ars for this. My leg!



All the while, Brian is filling the bag with sweets and soft drinks.



Brian: Call an ambulance.



Shopkeeper: I will call the police.



Gabriel (rising): Wait. It's feeling better. Hallelujah - it's a miracle!



The boys leg it out of the shop shouting further praises to the heavens. The baffled shopkeeper attempts to give chase but struggles to negotiate the obstacles.



Scene 3



Brian and Gabriel walk through quiet school corridor.



Gabriel: Later Bri.



Brian: Safe (further psuedo ghetto handshakes)



Brian enters classroom and walks to desk.



Teacher: Your late, Hartigan.



Brian: I had to take my brother to school.



Teacher: Where is his school - Scotland?



Brain (audible whisper): Prick.



Teacher: Come here.



Brian ignores this instruction and smirks at his friends. Teacher approaches Brian's desk.



Teacher (rising anger): Are you deaf?



Brian: No.



Teacher: When I give you an instruction I expect you to follow it. And on top of that, when you come into class late, you come and apologise - you don't just swagger over to your desk muttering to yourself.



Brian: I don't mutter.



Teacher: Don't answer me back, boy. I'm waiting for you to apologise for being late.



Brian: No way.



Teacher: Alright, then you're on report for a week. Give me your planner.



Others in the class feign disbelief.



Brain: A week? For that? No way.



Teacher (holds out hand): Planner.



Brian: Clown.



He heads for the door. Teacher follows.



Teacher (furious). Give it to me now!



Teacher grabs at the bag and after a brief tug of war Brian lets go. The teacher stumbles backwards and the bag falls to the ground. Its contents of stolen sweets and cans land on the floor. A side pocket also comes open, revealing his father's small wooden cannabis box. Brian freezes momentarily, before grabbing the bag and bolting out of the door.





Scene 4



Brian sits outside the head teacher's office looking nonplussed. The office door opens and the teacher walks out,



Teacher: You better go in.



Brian enters the office, where he is met by the head teacher and a police officer.



Head: How are you, Brian?



Brian: Alright



Head: Brian, this is PC Ian Campbell. Why do you think he is here?



Brian: Dunno.



Head (admonishing): Brian.



Brian (reluctant): Cos of the bag I s'pose.



PC Ian: Is the bag yours Brian?



Brian: Yep.



PC Ian: Do you support QPR?



Brian: That's right.



PC Ian: Who's your favourite player?



Brian: What?



Head: Who is your favourite QPR player Brian.



Brian: That guy, what's he called, Gallon or something.



Head: I thought you supported Arsenal?



Brian: I do, but I support QPR as well because my Dad supports them.



Head: Mr Benham says he has never seen you with that bag before.



Brian: I lost my other bag on the bus.



PC Ian: Where did the sweets come from Brian?



Brian: I bought them.



PC Ian: Where from?



Brian: Nibs



PC Ian: The newsagent?



Brian: That's right



PC Ian: The owner rang us this morning to say he had been the victim of shoplifting and vandalism by two boys from this school. Do you know anything about that.



Brian: No.



PC Ian: He says he has the incident on CCTV. We'll know more when we get a look at that.



Head: Did you have anything to do with the shoplifting Brian? It is better to tell us now if you did.



Brian: Why?



Head: Pardon?



Brian: Why would it be better to tell you now?



PC Ian: It would make things a lot easier for you.



Brian: It would make things a lot easier for you you mean.



Head (admonishing): Brian



PC Ian: Ok Brian. We know where you live and we know where you go to school. I'm sure we will be able to find you if we need to speak again.



Brian: Right (makes to leave) Can I have my bag back then?



Head: Yes, but we will be keeping the sweets and drinks in line with our healthy eating policy. You can have them back if I get a letter from your father explaining why you had so many in your bag.



Brian: Fine then.



Scene 5 Lunchtime



Brain and Gabriel sit behind a hedge on the school playing field. They assist each other in rolling a j, whilst cursing the wind.



Gabriel (lighting up) Benham's an idiot, man.



Brian: I fing hate him - and he hates me.



Gabriel (passing joint, which is then exchanged at appropriate intervals): What did the copper say?



Brian: Not much. Said he had CCTV of us in Nibs to try and get me to fess up.



Gabriel: Oh my days! Nibs wouldn't stretch to CCTV.



Brian: Innit.



Gabriel: What lesson you got now?



Brian (consulting planner): French. What about you.



Gabriel: Maths, man. Can you believe it?



Brian: I hate French but I hate maths even more.



Gabriel (joking and holding up j): If Brian smokes 3 of these, what is the probability he will be able to recite the alphabet in French this afternoon with no errors?



Brian: Shut up, man. You better hope it's not them similtaneous equations this afternnoon, bruv. This'll be you, 'Uh, I don't know about dem tings. I'm thinking about Big Mac and fries teacher man!' (he whips the j from Gabriel's mouth, takes a puff, and throws it back at Gabriel) Laters! (Brian runs off, pursued by Gabriel.)



Scene 6 The Bus



Brian boards the bus in a busy and unruly queue of pupils. It is the same driver as this morning, and, along with the other boys, Brian gives him the same bad attitude as in the morning.



Driver (irate) : Show me your pass.



Brian: You saw it this morning.



Driver: You have to show it every time you use the bus.



Brian (flashing pass cursilory) What? Your so stupid you can't even remember me?



Driver: What did you call me?



Brian moves down the bus calling 'Drive the bus, stupid'. The driver is prevented from pursuing the matter further by the unruly surge of the other boys boarding the bus.



During the journey, further chaotic boisterous behaviour is in evidence, including jumping on seats, throwing stuff around, pressing the stopping bell at will. At the back of the bus, 3 boys from from St Raphaels sit looking in surly disgust at their numerous rivals.



Brian (pointing) Raph's boys!



Brian's schoolmates turn towards the 3 boys and begin chanting 'Raph's boy's, Raph's boys.'



Leading schoolmate (leading baying boys): What you got to say now blood?



Raph's boy 1: I got nuttin' to say to shit like you.



Leading schoolmate and others, including Brian and Gabriel, begin to pile in to Raph's boys. Before any serious beatings can be administered, Raph's boy 2 produces a knife and makes to stab the leading schoolmate, narrowly missing.



Leading schoolmate: Blade!



Brian and all his schoolmates scarper to the other end of the bus where they shout various hysterical versions of 'Open the door, man' to the driver whilst kicking the glass.



Driver (enraged) 'I will call the police. You will all be locked up, you fing lowlife.'



Leading schoolboy pulls the emergency lever and the door opens. The boys scatter in all directions, but the driver closes the door again, trapping Brian's bag, just at the moment the knife wielding St. Raph's boys reach the doorway.



Driver: You bastard scum. I have cctv!'



Raph's boy 2: Pull the lever, man.



Raph's boy 3 does so. Brian pulls free his bag and sprints off with the St. Raph's boys in pursuit. After sprinting for some time through a high rise estate, Brian stops on a stairwell and leans against a wall sucking in the air. After half a minute he has recovered enough to continue on his way. He checks that the direction he intends to take is clear and begins walking briskly.



Raph's boy 2 (emerging from an alcove with the knife): What you got to say now big man?



Brain turns to run the other way, from where the other 2 Raphs boys emerge to block his path. He is trapped. The three boys push him about a bit, laughing and insulting him.



Raphs boy 1 (grabbing Brian's bag): Brentford! Oh my days! He supports Brentford!  (much mirth ensues from other boys).



Brian: Give it back to me.



Raph's boy 2: Or what, man. I don't see your mates round here backing you up.



Brian: I said give it back, it's my Dad's.



Raph's boy 3: Then your Dad's a fing pssy for supporting that sht.



Brian: And all you Raph's boys are pssies all your life.



The 3 Raph's boys then begin violently punching and kicking Brian. Raph's boy 2 pulls out his knife and makes to stab Brian. Brian avoids the first stab of the knife, grabs his bag out of Raph's boy 1's hand, swings it into the head of Raph's boy 2 who falls to the ground, giving Brian an escape route which he bolts through with the other 2 Raph's boys in pursuit. Brian runs through the estate and out onto  a busy high road where he jumps onto another bus just as the door is closing. The Raph's boys come tearing down the road, banging on the side of the bus. Brian blows them kisses as the bus pulls away.



Scene 7 Back home



Brian walks up his road to his front door and enters the hallway.



Dad (pained voice): That you Brian?



Brian: Yeah.



Dad: Come in here.



Brian goes into the front room. Dad is slumped in a chair watching daytime TV.



Dad: Have you got me bag Brian?



Brian: Yeah. I'll get it.



He brings it in from the hallway. Dad rifles through it before pulling out the hash box.



Dad: Jesus Christ. Where's me stash?



Brian (eyes on floor): I smoked some of it.



Dad: You little fcker. I've been in fcking agony for hours waiting for you to come home. I can't even fcking move. Jesus Christ (begins weeping). There's £20 in the pot. Take it Kearly's and get us an eighth will you.



Brian gets the money and returns to the front room



Brian: I'm sorry, Dad.



Dad (embarrassed weeping): No, I'm sorry son.



Brian goes into the hallway. He throws the bag in the corner, walks out the door and back up the street.



The End