Flatbush Misdemeanors

You sat there and said

that there's always consequences to my actions,

yet you let my father take the rap for something you did.

hip-hop music

Bro, Drew is not that bad.

If you hang around bad people long enough,

bad shit is gonna happen.

Yo, y'all seen Zayna?

- -Oh, God. Uh...

I need help with--

What is he doing here?

- -Yo.

We couldn't find Zayna anywhere.

Let me know if you hear anything from the school.

Y-yeah, okay.

I-I'll talk to you later, man.

Hey, Zayna, you awake?

Zayna?

Zayna?

Uh, Z-zayna!

Okay. Dan! Get in here.

Dan! Zayna's not here. She's gone.

Are you sure? Did you look everywhere?

It's a one-bedroom, Dan.

I thought you stayed out here until she fell asleep.

I did. Maybe she went to school?

Why would she go to school without us?

We're all going to school.

What, we're just gonna walk her to school

like her chaperones?

Like, what was even the plan here?

Okay, I-I don't know what the plan was, Dan.

Okay. Well, I wasn't sure either.

What was I thinking,

telling her she could stay with us?

Can you text her? Do you have her cell?

No. Faculty shouldn't have a student's number.

Okay. I mean, that feels like an arbitrary line

-at this point. - Dan.

Jess, don't panic. That'll make me panic.

-This is all my fault. - How?

What if she left in the middle of the night

and she's, like, lying dead in a ditch somewhere?

No, no. Jess, Zayna was so upset

when she showed up last night, and by the end of the night,

she was calmly watching TV, okay?

You helped, all right?

-Okay? -

She's gonna be at school by the time we get there.

I promise.

She's not here, but it's still early.

This is bad. I should tell Principal Douglass

and just suffer the consequences.

No, Jess, Jess, don't risk your job.

Plus, that would raise a million issues for Zayna

if she was reported missing and she's not.

Look, she probably just decided to skip my class.

She skips science a lot.

And yet you've been giving her "A"s.

Okay, let's find Zayna.

That's way more serious than me grading wrong.

Look, a lot of kids skip the morning classes

and just show up by third period

when attendance is taken.

That's why I love first and second period.

The calm before the storm. Let's wait until third period.

Okay. Okay.

We'll wait until third. Just text me when she shows up.

Of course. It'll be okay.

What are you doing?

I was gonna hold your hand reassuringly.

-Don't. - Okay.

We can't let anyone think we're involved.

That violates so many rules.

Right.

I mean, the Zayna stuff is way more serious

than us hanging out, but I do hear you

in terms of, like, priorities or whatever.

-Okay. -Sorry about the hand-holding.

I'll--

-Third period. - Mm-hmm.

All right, I don't believe in the--

in laws or the system by any means whatsoever.

I try not to obey them at any time.

That's what I believe in not believing in.

Yo, you ever watch stuck porn?

Nah.

Dude, this 39-year-old stepmom

doing her laundry gets stuck.

Then in comes in her 37-year-old stepson.

I didn't know I was paying all of you

to lime around and chat.

Yeah, I'll tell you later.

Hey, Miss Sherri, you got my money?

What money?

The money for my paintings, the ones that sold.

But what trouble is this?

So after I sit here now, make a whole set of doubles,

macaroni pie, and callaloo,

and then I had to gather up the strength

to sell your paintings in my shop,

meanwhile, you outside playing with your little prick,

and now you wanna turn around and ask me for money?

Ooh, God! Ha! This man real mad, boy.

You can't take the money for something I made.

That's mine. Like, what are you laughing at?

All right, partner. So what happened to my meat?

Your meat?

I don't know. Ask your doctor.

What you asking me about what happened to your meat for?

What the fuck?

So the-the food from my kitchen,

it just, what, grew legs and walked away?

Okay, you're talking about that meat.

I don't--bro, I don't know what happened to it.

Here why. 'Cause you see,

when I was making the food for your people

for your big man ting event so, right,

I realized we didn't have no goat, oxtail, nothing.

And your fast self already thief from me once,

so why should I believe you?

Mm!

Bro, I stopped after that one time

that you caught me, and even then,

I already paid you back. You know that.

I haven't taken from you since. I wouldn't do that.

-I promise. Like, I'm-- -Okay. Well, watch now.

Is either you, Dishes,

or some jumby ghost thiefing from the shop,

so one of all of ya better talk quick.

You think I did it?

Toussaint, you have nine children.

- Damn. -You know what I say?

I say I does wonder how he does feed all them pickney

with the little money I pay you.

-Toussaint? - Uh-huh.

That's your real name?

He was the Haitian Malcolm X.

What happened to you?

Hey, Principal Douglass. You wanted to...see me?

Yeah. I wouldn't say wanted to.

More like need to. Have a seat, Dan.

Um, I'll-I'll stand if that's okay.

I just--I wanna keep the blood flowing.

So what's up?

Zayna didn't come home last night.

And it's been brought to my attention

that she wasn't in your classroom this morning either,

so we're just trying to put together what happened.

What...did you hear happened?

What can you tell me happened, Dan?

Okay. Yeah.

Zayna showed up at Jess' last night

because she felt unsafe at home,

so Jess let her stay at her place.

The fuck is you talking about?

I brought you in here

to just see what the buzz was amongst the students.

Oh, my God, that was why I hesitated for a second.

You remember that?

I paused, hoping it would fill the space.

It's weird that you would just volunteer such damning info.

I read that wrong.

Ms. Barreto, is what he's saying--is that true?

I'm sorry, but yeah.

Zayna was pretty determined not to go home,

and I only wanted what's best for her.

How you know what's best for my family, bitch?

Mr. Hill, there's no need to yell and cuss.

One of the two will suffice.

How you know what's best for my family, bitch?

Yeah, it was late at night when she randomly showed up,

and I thought it'd be safer if she stayed with me.

Safer? Shorty, if your crib so safe, then where she at?

I don't know.

When I woke up this morning, she was gone.

And you didn't think to mention that

-when you got to work? - Don't blame Jess.

I'm the one who convinced her to wait until third period.

Yo, these your employees?

Like, what kind of school you runnin' here?

I do not make the hiring decisions.

I gotta work with what they send me.

- -Dan, did you and Ms. Barreto

-conspire to keep Zayna? -No, no.

-If you did... - We did not.

...then you are both responsible

for harboring a minor

without the consent of her legal guardian.

These are really serious words you're saying.

No one conspired.

That takes way too much planning.

We just talked after, okay?

Zayna showed up at Jess' house--

to my understanding, this is the stuff that happened--

because she felt unsafe with Drew--Mr. Hill.

Yo, it's taking everything in my body

to stay calm right now because I know where I'm at

and I'd be wrong if I slapped the fuck out this nigga.

But if somebody don't find my niece real soon,