Untold Secrets – Bridgehampton High School (2014)

Jada Pinckney and Matthew Hostetter in Jada Pinckney’s “Untold Secrets.”

Untold Secrets by Jada Pinckney

Click here to watch “Untold Secrets” on YouTube

Place: Coffee shop (Poetry Slam)

There is a microphone in the center of the stage, a wooden stool and a bottle of water next to the stool. A shaped like counter is to the left of the stage and has a cash register, bags of coffee beans, coffee cups and a coffee maker on top of the counter

Background is the inside of a coffee shop.

(Voice over: Next up to win the grand prize of $1,000, we have Hazel from Brooklyn, NY reciting an original poem called “Untold Secrets.” Let’s snap it up for Hazel.) (Snapping sound effect)

(Hazel enters the stage. She is very nervous and walks up to the microphone, turns around, then she turns back around to make her first word of her poem)

Hazel: Standing… (barely getting her first word out)

(The shooter enters from the crowd with a black hoodie. His face can not be seen and he is holding a gun in his hand. He makes his way to the stage and shoots Hazel BANG! BANG! BANG! Hazel drops to the floor gasping for air)

Shooter: Die bitch! (in a loud voice)

(Three shots are fired and the shooter runs off the stage after he is finished with his last word. Hazel is still gasping for air on the ground and dies)

(The lights go dark and caution tape is brought in to be put around Hazel)

(The lights come back on and the shooter walks in as a detective this time on his phone)

Detective: Yea….I’m at the crime scene now. What? They couldn’t find the weapon? (looking out towards the crowd) He’s still out there? Listen, I don’t think I can do this job anymore. I’m way to nervous. My girlfriend is umm waiting for me to pick her up for movie night. No Sr. I’m not making up excuses. Ok I am. This would be my first time seeing a dead body. Okay… I’ll get right on it dad. I mean i’ll get right on it “boss.”

(The detective hangs up the phone and starts to speak to the audience, then walks over to the stool)

Detective: Pheew, this is going to be a hard one. I don’t think I can do this. It’s only my third day at work and he already has me doing work like this. I get that he’s my dad and wants me to solve this case so he can brag some more but damn I don’t think I can take this.

(The detective goes over and sits down on the wooden stool and starts drinking out of the water bottle near his feet)

Detective: (Spits out water) Eww, backwash. (Places water bottle back on the ground and gets up from the stool) I need to stop messing around and just get this over with. Let me go check out the body and see if can find anything. That would be a good place to start.

(The detective walks over to the body scared, holding his nose)

Detective: Ew she stinks already. It hasn’t even been that long for her to start smelling.

(The detective begins to gag)

Detective: Bleh, I don’t think I can follow through with this job. I just need to try and suck it up and find this weapon so I can leave.

(Takes a writing pad and pen out of back pocket and walks over to the body)

Detective: (Writing down everything he says) Ok. One, two, three bullet wounds to the chest (checks Hazel’s body and finds a wallet. The detective takes the wallet out of the girls pocket) One wallet with ten dollars (scratches out last sentence) actually one wallet with no money. (The detective puts the $10 in his pocket) A note, a piece of gum, and a picture of her and four other people. I’m guessing that was her family.

(Takes all the things he got from her pocket and puts them behind the stool)

Detective: I’ll just leave this stuff here. It’s all useless anyway. Now where could this weapon be?

(Continues to look around for the weapon)

Detective: Ugh, this case is such a bust. I’m never going to find the weapon.

(Walks over to the victim)

Detective: Maybe I can just plant a gun here and that would help me “solve the case”

(Rubs head and acts if he is thinking)

Detective: No, what am I thinking? I could lose my job. Not everyday you see a 19 year old working for a detective, let alone that detective being your dad. So where could this gun be?

(Hazel rises and brushes herself off and directs what she is saying towards the detective)

Hazel: Sir?

Detective: I can’t believe someone would kill this girl. She’s so boring and just a nobody.

Hazel: Excuse me? Hello? Can you hear me? (waving her hands in his face)

Detective: Ugh I don’t know why I took on this case, I just want to go to movie night with my girl already. She was suppose to be giving me a little “something, something.”

Hazel: Is he serious right now? (screaming and waving even more in his face) HELLO?! CAN YOU HEAR ME?

Detective: (Goes to sit back on the stool and pulls out his phone and starts texting and browses the web) Haha unfollow.

Hazel: Why would he walk past me just to go over there to go on his phone? I’m trying to say my poem and he’s doing that?

(Talking to herself)

Hazel: Ok, pull it together Hazel (Breaths in and out) Ok I got this. Stand…(interrupted by the detective)

(The detective beginnings to laugh extremely loud)

Detective: (Laughing loudly) Hahah he just slapped the crap out of this girl on the subway. People these days.

(The detective checks watch)

Detective: Oh shit, it’s almost 6:30. I’m going to be late to movie night.

Hazel: (looks over at the detective) Oh good, I think he has finally came to his senses. Can you please get off of the stage so I can recite my poem?

Detective: Now where should I begin to find at least a clue?

(Hazel throws up hands as a gesture of giving up, turns around to leave and sees the body)

Hazel: I give up. This man is either deaf or…

(Hazel walks over by the caution tape)

Hazel: (Scared and not able to get out any of her words) Is that….ME?! No it cant be! I’m not dead, I’m alive. I’m at the… Oh my gosh. I’M DEAD!

(Pacing back and forth)

Hazel: Wait. How did this happen? When did this happen? Who did this to me? Everything is so vague. I was about to recite my poem and then BANG, BANG…BANG.

(While repeating each bang slower she starts to sit on the ground with her head in her hands)

Hazel: (Lifts her head and looking into the crowd) I know who killed me.

Detective: (looking around, examining the body) Welp nothing over here for the last gazillion time. I’m so close to giving up. There’s no use. I’m a disgrace to my family and my dad is going to be so disappointed. I told him not to tell anyone, but he had to brag about his “only child.”

Hazel: Sir?! Hello!! I know who killed me! (in a worried voice) The gun is over there behind that counter! He dropped it when he was running away!

(Phone rings. It’s the detective’s girlfriend. The detective answers the phone)

Detective: Hey buttercup. Yes baby I’m almost finished….I promise I won’t be late for picking you up for movie night…What did I tell you about watching the news? It’s not good for you….MY NAME IS ON THE NEWS?…That’s awesome! Yea I still can’t find it. Ill tell you about it later. I shouldn’t be talking about it over the phone….Also can you pick up some popcorn and candy? That movie theater food is so expensive. Ugh ok, what do you want?…..Ok I’m on it buttercup….I love you too.

(The detective hangs up the phone)

Detective: Where the hell could this weapon be? I’m starting to get extremely frustrated. I need to leave by 7 to be on time and its already 6:35. This piece of shit job, if it wasn’t for my dad pushing me into this I would’ve never taken the job. I rather be stuck with paper work then having to do this for him. He should be down here doing this not me. I’m only 19 for christ sake. I don’t want to disappoint my dad though, but I might have too…

(The detective continues to look for the weapon)

Hazel: (following the detective while waving her hands in his face) Can you hear me?

(Hazel waits for a response)

Detective: I give up. There’s no point anymore. I’m never going to find that weapon and I’m going to lose my job. I feel terrible that this girl’s case isn’t going to be solved either. Better luck next time I guess. My dad is going to be so pissed.

Hazel: I give up too. I’m dead, he can’t hear me, so what help am I? The gun is laying right over there behind the counter. I can’t believe that guy was stupid enough to drop it and I can’t believe this guy is stupid enough not to find it.

(Walks over to the stool to gather his things. The note from the girls pocket catches his eye)

Detective: Oh I forgot I found these things from her pocket.

(Picking up the wallet)

Detective: Looks like she had a whole bunch of brothers and sisters. So sad they lost their sister. I wish I wasn’t the only child. Growing up was so boring.

(The detective picks up the note and unfolds it)

Detective: This seems to be a poem. I guess the one she was going to read for the poetry slam. It reads…

(The detective starts to read the poem, but then Hazel jumps in and finishes it)

Detective: Standing here pouring my heart out… (continues to look at the paper but stops reading)

(Hazel takes over, spotlight on Hazel)

Hazel: …wanting someone to hear my cry.

Scream and shout

I know its almost time for one of us to die.

Will it be me I ask?

All I know is that i’m tired of wearing this mask.

I want to break free,

someone to come and lift me up and fill me with glee.

Tired of hearing my brothers and sisters cry at night.

They need these winnings as much as I do.

My mother is a piece of shit,

but I have to hang in there for them.

I told them I would never quit.

Death is upon me.

There’s no turning back.

When I go to heaven I know I will be free.

Free from all this pain, i’m not up for all of these games.

I can see it now. Being shot.

Bang, bang, bang.

Straight in the chest.

The man who killed me is one of the best.

He sleeps by my mother at night, upon her breast.

He tried to touch me in some kind of way.

I could hear his words “I only want to play.”

My brothers and sisters would sit there and watch.

I scream “Mama come save me.”

She was too busy on some cocaine spree.

Always saying she’s shopping with her friends…you see.

Scars up and down my body.

No make up…to cover up

what he has left behind after his blowup.

I’m sick and tired of…the tears rolling down the side of my cheek

only because he wants to get a sneak peek.

The man who killed me is one of the best.

He sleeps by my mother at night, upon her breast.

(Hazel stops saying her poem and drops her head at the microphone)

(Spotlight turns to the detective. The detective takes out his phone and calls his boss)

Detective: Hey dad…I mean hey “boss.” I think I solved the case. No I didn’t find the weapon, but I found something better. This girl’s poem tells it all. Do we have any information about her family? Ok, ill be right over with the evidence.

(The detective hangs up the phone)

Detective: (speaking to the crowd) Why couldn’t I have found this a long time ago?

(The detective exits the stage running with the poem, picture and gum in his hand)

(Spotlight turns back to Hazel and she continues her poem)

Do you know who he is now?

Like I said he’s one of the best.

He’s my stepdad and they just made the arrest.

(Lights go dim and Hazel exits the stage)