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The Players Club (1998)
My name is Diana Armstrong,
but my stage name is Diamond. I worked at the PIayers CIub 4 years before it burnt down... and to teII you the truth, I'm gIad It's gone. When I was a senior in high schooI... aII I wanted to do was attend a famous bIack coIIege... and study journaIism. But my father had different pIans for my Iife. You're not going to one of those nigger coIIeges! You have the opportunity to go upstate to a good coIIege... and that is where you are going! No, I'm not! That's where you want me to go! I'm going to Southern Tech! No, you are not! Not with my goddamn money! You are not! We don't need yo, money! We don't need nothin' from you! You must think you grown, huh? You think you got this whoIe worId figured out. If you are that grown... you need to get the heII out of this house! Get out there and get a house of your own! No! She is not goin' anywhere! That's right! And don't come back... tiII you get some sense in you! Don't pay attention to what he says! Diana, he'll caIm down. Just wait. Honey! You got that baby! - Do you hear me? - Mama, I'm gone! So to show him... I got a IittIe apartment with my baby's father. And it was aII good untiI he needed his space- whatever the fuck that means. So instead of checking into Southern Tech that semester... I had to deaI with the reaI worId. That's when I met Tricks and Ronnie. Ain't you supposed to heIp me try these on? You need heIp? I ain't trying to get in your business... but can I ask a question? How much money you make working here? I make enough. Enough to do what? They couldn't pay me enough to smeII feet aII day. You couId be making a Iot more money... if you wouId just use what you got... to get what you want and forget this chump change. - What's that mean? - Just what it sound Iike. Don't be stupid, girI. Use what God gave you. y'aII some prostitutes? HeII, no. We dancers. Dancers? Where y'aII dance at? The PIayers CIub. The PIayers CIub was owned... by this Iow-Iife named ''DoIIar BiII''- aIways in debt. He was the one that gave me the name Diamond. He said 'cause my face was so pretty... but he never reaIIy Iooked at my face. How you doing? Hi. I'm Diana. DoIIar BiII. Kinda cute. A IittIe makeup... fix your hair a IittIe different. Turn around. Let me see. Damn, she got ass. You can start tonight if you want to. I got to caII the baby-sitter. AII right, then. They was cheap tonight. Just quit fuckin' with my shit! PIease! What's up, new booty? How you doing? Nervous. Don't think I can go out there Iooking Iike this. Yeah, you can. You just gotta Iearn how to reIax. Took around you. Everybody here is naked. Every girI was nervous their first night... but they got used to it. You drink? Here. Let me show you something. Try not to Iook at the customer. Just Iook in the mirror and dance sexy to the music. Pretend You're at home in your bathroom by yourseIf. That's it? And drink as much as you can as fast as you can. You might as weII get faded. HoId on. Where's my money from the party you did? I want my money, and I'm not pIaying. - Tet's go, ho. - What? That's what they about to caII you upstairs... so get used to it. Now, Iet's go, ho. When it was my turn to dance... I was shittin' bricks. I feIt Iike a mouse in a room fuII of snakes. What's up? That's it! Damn, baby! Work that shit! You want a dance, Miron? What you waitin' on, girI? You better get yo, money. My first tabIe dance... was the most degrading experience of my Iife. But after a few hours, and a few more drinks... I didn't even worry about it. The money was fast and easy. And I needed it. I tried not to Iet this cIub change me, but it has. You can't park there. I'm not the same person I was before. God damn it! I said you can't park there! I waIked in a young Iady and came out a woman... knowin' a Iot more about Iife. Like in this business, hounds can be maIe and femaIe. And I tried to avoid both. Excuse you. You better watch where you going! I had a four-year hustIe pIan that was the bomb. I wouId go to schooI in the daytime... and I wouId pay for it at night. I got aII the way up to my senior year... without getting caught in any buIIshit the cIub had to offer. I had Lance, my new boyfriend. And my father and I was even speaking again. Everything was cooI. At Ieast untiI... my 18-year-oId cousin Ebony moved here from TaIIahassee... a month before finaIs. And my mama toId her mama I wouId keep her out of troubIe. I said, ''Yeah,'' because she was my favorite IittIe cousin. - How are you? - I'm fine. Look at you. Come on in. Give me your stuff. Lance, this is my cousin Ebony. How you doing? After seeing my new apartment... she asked if she couId work with me at the PIayers CIub. Stripping business started in Africa. Long time ago... Iong, Iong time ago, white men went to Africa. And he saw aII these bootifuI bIack women... waIking around, singing... dancing, working, Iiving... in the nude. Bucket nekkids. You couId see they pubIic hairs. This white man went from viIIage to viIIage... to seek out these bootifuI bIack women. Watching them perform in the nude. Titties! Asses. Free. White man got a idea. He figure he go back to Europe... and start the same type of business... take away from my bIack womens. Try to get those white bitches to dance the same identicaI way. But to no avaiI. Wasn't no shame in our bIack women. Wasn't no shame in them waIking around bucket nekkid. So he went to Europe, tried to start the same thing. But it didn't happen. Those white bitches toId him the most bootifuI words... you ever wanna hear in our profession. What she say? Baby, those white bitches Iooked at that white man... dead in the eye and toId him, ''Fuck that. Pay me.'' That's why I get thirty percent. When can I start? ImmediateIy. Ebony jumped head-first into this IifestyIe. She wouId stay out aII night... and I wouId have to spend aII morning Iooking for her. Hey, girI. Have you seen my cousin? See you tomorrow, man. You got your bag? Yeah, I got it. Bye, Mama. Bye. Don't teII Grandma Ebony didn't come home. I know. And don't teII her she works at the cIub. Right. Very good. Give me a hug. See you Iater. Bye, Mama. Hi, sweetheart. - Grandma, me here! - That's my pudding. Come inside. I made you some chocoIate chip cookies. Wake up, DoIIar BiII! Shut up! Now, you open your mouth wide and say, ''Ahh.'' Open your mouth, nigga! Now what we have here is a faiIure to recompensate. HoId this. HoId the damn gun! Don't jerk your head. Got a hair trigger. WiIIiam DoIIar. You own the PIayers CIub. You borrowed $60,000 from St. Louis. You haven't made one payment yet. Mr. St. Louis is coming to your cIub... and he wants a payment of $10,000. If you don't pay him, he don't pay me... and I'm gonna take that reaI personaI and come get you. I'm supposed to get some pussy tonight. You make that payment... or Iisten for the pop. Maybe I shouId just bIam! It's gonna be a pop, fooI. Oh, my mama. ,Scuse me. Are you motherfuckers dancers? y'aII need to cIose the door and step behind the Iine. I ain't Ietting nobody in yet, partner. What's up, l'll Man? Why you trippin'? Don't you remember me from Iast weekend? - I remember you. - What's up, man? You the motherfucker they caught jacking off in the bathroom. You need to wait over there. That's the jack-off Iine. Beat-your-meat section. L'll Man. Come here. BrookIyn. K.C. What's up? St. Louis wants to taIk to you. Nigga, you know the routine. Stick your head in the window. I can hear you from here, man. What? I can hear you from here. You better stick your head in this window... unIess that suit you got on is made of KevIar or some shit. Put your head in the motherfucking car. I don't be going for roIIing me up in your window. St. Louis, what's up? TeII DoIIar BiII to bring me my money. He ain't in there. He went to the airport. He went to pick these girIs up. He shouId be back about 11:00 or 11:30. What you saying? He ain't there waiting on me? No, man. He went to the airport. You better not be Iying. I'll get out this motherfucking car... and kick your ass myseIf. I ain't Iying. He went to the airport. You teII DoIIar BiII he need to get at me. A.S.A.P. I teII him soon as he get back. Shit, man, Iet me out. Damn. Let him out. We'll be back, you IittIe fucker. Better have my 60 Gs. Fucker don't scare me. You're Iucky there's three of y'aII! Send them fooIs in. Hey, Reg, they just gave us the hoIIer. Let's roII up in here. What's his name, DoIIar? DoIIar BiII. He the number one pIayer down here. Let's go in and handIe this business. See if we can't break you off a IittIe something-something. You wouldn't even know how to handIe it. What's up, l'll Man? What's up? This dick. Hey, Diamond, what's up? I'm gonna go hoIIer at DoIIar. Hey, Diamond. Come here, girI. - Want something to drink? - I don't drink no more. That's right. GirI, good for you. Look...you taIk to your cousin today? Nah. She didn't come home Iast night. - What happened? - I'll Iet her teII you. But you know she was with Ronnie and Tricks... and you know how they get down. You shouId have never toId nobody that was your cousin. You know they was gonna try her. I'm supposed to keep her out of troubIe. Is she here yet? Downstairs. I'll see you. I just don't think It's fair... you charge me 250% interest on the money that you Ioan me... when you aIready take 30%% out of my check. I ain't got no G-string and no tips. WeIcome to the stripping game, partner. Look, you ain't nothing. AII you do is spin records. That's aII you do. Who you think you is, DJ quik? Kid Capri? You must be Jimmy WaIker. You ain't nothin'. You don't deserve nothin', you don't get nothin'. You get what I give you. I got a contract betwinxt me and you... that say you do what I teII you to do. Therefore, shut the fuck- Don't say nothin'. Don't speak to me. Don't Iook at me. I'll teII you what. You better go on back out there... and get out my face before you get swoIe. Hey, I ain't trying to come here... muscIe you, nothin' Iike that. I'll teII you something. BIue, if I raise up, gonna be troubIe. Go waIk it off. - Punk. - Fetus. Say, man, they came. Who? They Ieave somebody out there? Nah. I toId 'em you went to the airport. Good, good. That's good thinking. You was quick. You was good on your feet that time. Listen, go back out there and Ieave that side door open... in case I gotta do something reaI quick. Go on. You gonna ever pay 'em? Do what I teII you! Keep your eyes open in case something transpire! I'm DoIIar BiII! Chi-town! Pay no country boy nothin'! Nervous. Those damn girIs better be onstage. I'm DoIIar BiII. I wish I never got this nigga name tattooed on me. What the fuck y'aII doing down here? I got a house fuII of peopIe upstairs! I'm Iosin' doggone money Iike a cancer patient Iosin' weight! You sittin' down here buIIshittin'... and when you buIIshit, you mess with my percentage! You better get upstairs and shake some ass! Where the heII is Diamond? You go and teII Diamond to get her funky ass upstairs... 'cause she up first. And I want my percentage. Ain't no moonIighting round here! Didn't think I knew about it, but DoIIar knew about it! So if you don't have my money, I'm gonna... So, what happened to you Iast night? I made me some money. That's nice. But aII money ain't good money. So how you make yours? WeII, Ronnie and Tricks Came up to me Iast night... and asked if I wanted to make some extra money. They knew about some party at the BeImont... and they wanted some dancers, so I went. But I heard it wasn't no maIes there. It was just femaIes. So, what'd you do? I danced for 'em. They was paying. That's aII you did was just dance? That's it. Whatever. That's what happened. I toId you about them two. - Yeah, I know. - You know? Ebony, you reaIIy need to sIow your roII down. You movin' way too fast. Trust me. Better watch that big oI, thang. What's up, shorty? Come here and Iet me hoIIer at you. Shit. She gotta go upstairs. Don't you? I gotta go upstairs. Hey, hey, Iook here. I wanna weIcome aII y'aII broke-ass entrepo-niggas... to the PIayers CIub. We got a two-drink minimum and water don't count. And for a mere ten doIIars... you can have the Iadies of your wet dreams... to come and give you a personaI tabIe dance. Now if you Iooking for some fine asses... you need to keep on Iooking. But if You're Iooking for the hos with buIIet hoIes... cigarette burns, and stab wounds... you in the right goddamn spot. And it aII goes down here at the PIayers CIub. Miron, can I just do one dance? No, thank you. What you want, Joe, some SIim Fast? No SIim Fast, baby. I want some Henn. Doggy dog. I want the shit you be drinkin' on... not that watered down shit you serve us. These hos is tired. My Iast time coming here, dude. Dawg, I'm a Iifetime member up in here, boy. Just chiII out, 'cause BrookIyn toId us to page him... when we see DoIIar BiII, so Iay up in the cut. Damn. Hey, Tricks, bring your oId ass over here. Check it out. I'll gIadIy pay you Tuesday for a tabIe dance today. Shit. Oh, girI! Hey, caIm down now. We got something speciaI for y'aII. CaIm down. Coming to the stage... is one of the finest Iadies here at the PIayers CIub. She goes by the name of Diamond. In this case, she's a man's best friend. y'aII know she got biIIs to pay. So come out your pockets and quit being so cheap. You scared me, Lance. I wanted to go out tonight. What you doing sitting up in the dark? How'd you get in here? Your cousin Iet me in. I toId you Tuesday I wanted to go out tonight. - Today is Thursday. - I know what day it is. Every Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday-same thing. You'd rather shake your ass for some strangers... than spend some time with your man. That's not true. You know I'd rather be with you. You don't act Iike it. When you going to quit working at that dumb-ass cIub? Because I'm getting fed up with this. Was it a dumb-ass cIub when I met you there? Don't you think you want to put some cIothes on? For what? Lance? He ain't nobody. Come on. Let's go in my room. So, what do we do... when our mainstream media quotes our tabIoid media? What do we do? Investigate the subject for yourseIf. Don't trust anyone's research but your own. AIways question the information you receive. If it is the truth... it shouId be abIe to withstand the test of investigation. Don't forget- review chapters 27 and 54. The big day is coming. Excuse me. Miss Armstrong. Wake up! I am up. How wiII you pass your finaIs if you sIeep through my Iectures? I'm going to pass. How? Someone sIid you a copy of the test? I'm not going to cheat. How do I know that? Because I don't trust anybody's information but my own. Very good. I toId you I was up. You better be. I haven't heIped you this far for you to mess up now. Do you think you can get more rest? Good. Just don't get it in my cIassroom. Damn. Keys, pIease. What up? This is what's up, nigga. We tired of pIaying with your ass. Today, you going to die. That motherfucker asIeep. Let him drop. Shit! Do we torture and kiII him or just kiII him? Shit. Torture his ass. Dead man don't pay no biIIs, understand? That's why you take a vise grip, and you puII out his teeth. You take a ice pick, stick the nigga in his kneecaps. Cut his eyeIids off and keep taking his picture. Whatever you got to do to get paid. - What was that? - PuII over. WeII? Look in there and get the key for the spare. Damn. AII right, weII... What if this cat wake up? What you think? We knock his ass back out. Open it up. AII right, on three. One...two...three. SIeeping Iike a baby. HeIp me move his big ass around. Come on now, honey. - Tet me get your foot up. - This boy's heavy. He got some big oId feet, too. - What the heII you doing? - Took, Iook! Shit. What y'aII doing with DoIIar's car, man? Nothin'. Sure don't Iook Iike nothin'. He owed us some money. He gave us the car, we caught a fIat. You aII expect us to beIieve that? - Yeah, weII, Iook. - What? Open the trunk. Get the spare out... and we'll heIp you with the tire. - HeII, no. - Ain't no spare in there. I aIready just finished checking. TeII you what, though- take us down the bIock to the pay phone. I'll caII my uncIe up. He'll straighten everything out. y'aII don't want us to caII AAA? My uncIe owns his own tow truck company. - I smeII a rat here. - I smeII two. This punk I been knowing since tenth grade. Something's going down. I don't know. I don't trust this banana motherfucker. Let's bring them in. See if they got warrants. Come on. Step to the car. We're taking you in. See if you got any warrants. - What? - Come on! Drop you off at a fashion show, nigga. Peters, in schooI, I thought you were a punk ass bitch... but you turned out to be pretty cooI. - Get in the car, man. - I am, fat ass. Wait a minute. Hey, yo, Freeman. I toId you there ain't no spare in there. Take some of that bass out your voice, bitch. You just forgot your keys, you dumb ass. This is poIice brutaIity. I didn't even get to Iock the doors. Come on, man! I'm sorry, man! I'm going to pay St. Louis next week. On the third. Let me out of here! I got insomnia! They going to kiII me. I got to shit so bad, man. I'm nervous! Come on, nigga. This ain't nothin' new. Put your hands on your head. Watch my nuts, man. Where's your boss? I don't know. He ain't in there. Don't make us have to search this pIace. y'aII search it three or four times a week anyway. If y'aII want to see some ass, pay Iike everybody eIse. Watch your tone... and keep your hands on your head. y'aII been running prostitutes through bacheIor parties. Somebody Iied to you. Ain't nobody Iied to us. Now watch your tone... and keep your hands on your head. If you see DoIIar BiII, teII him he's got some warrants. We never did Iike his punk ass. Or your punk ass. So watch your tone... and keep your hands on your head. - Can I ask y'aII a question? - What? Was y'aII fags in high schooI... or did y'aII wait untiI you got on the poIice force? Have anybody ever toId you... you Iook Iike the father from ''Good Times''? Take this with you, short man. One to grow on. ChiIi shit. TeII your mama to quit paging me. That's why you ain't got no neck. Can't use nothin' but Head and ShouIders. Fat boy. That's my nigga, Ronnie. She's a cowgirI... but she Iikes hanging with the cowboys. She's a IittIe twisted. Fuck you! Fuck yourseIf. You know how to do it better. Anyway, feIIas, we got coming to the stage-we got a veteran. She started out dancing in the Iate 1800s. She was a premier dancer in the Underground RaiIroad... when Kunta Kinte was big baIIin' and shot caIIin'. Everybody says that Trix is for kids... and she got four of them motherfuckers... so give it up for Tricks. HaIIeIujah! y'aII ain't shit! Your mamas ain't shit and your babies ain't gonna be shit! Fuck aII y'aII with a sick dick! You teII 'em, baby. Here you go, honey. You shake it. That's the shit! I Iove you, Tricks! Hey, girI. What up? It's kind of sIow, huh? Yeah. I didn't even think you was coming in tonight. You're not dancing, are you? I came to Iook for Ebony. I am drunk. What it Iook Iike out there? Same oId broke-ass, ignorant-ass thirsty niggas. Nothin' new. Don't even waste your time. I'm about to go to the waffIe house. Get a bitch a sandwich or something. You doing Junior bacheIor party, right? Me? Who is Junior? That's my IittIe brother. That's her brother and his IittIe friends. You going to know everybody there. Are you going to do it? Yeah. I need some money. - AII right. When it is? - I'll Iet you know. Good Iookin' out. - You hooking me up. - That's right. You better make that money Iong as you can. You ain't going to have that body forever. Trust me. Tricks, you siIIy, man. Stups, I swear. Stupid. Excuse me. Can I taIk to you for a minute? I fin to go upstairs and get me a tabIe dance. Not everybody got reguIar customers. Big-headed ho. This fooI don't never come to his own cIub. WouId you, with this raggedy-ass shit? Let me get a dance. Nobody about to pay for no drunk-ass tabIe dance from you. You can't cIap your booty Iike your cousin. She can get paid. - Is that right? - Damn skippy. We ain't paying for no dance. Ain't that right, Reg? Get your IittIe bony ass out of here. Then what wiII you pay for? I knew K.C. and BrookIyn were fuII of shit. Wake up. Come on, wake up, man. Oh, Lord. Peters. Freeman! They tried to kiII me. I'm so gIad to see you. You just don't know. We gIad to see you, too. You under arrest. - For what? - You got warrants, big baby. Come on, pIayer! Bring that ass on. We going to puII a train on this nigga. Choo-choo! Damn. CaIm down. Your IittIe cousin's a ho. - Which way? - That way. I'm teIIing DoIIar BiII, too. This ain't no damn ho house! Lookie here. y'aII don't want to see me dance inside... but y'aII want to take me home? HeII, yeah. Shit. Dancing and fucking is two different things. Your ass is ours. Hey, wait. AII right. Get out the car. They going to rape you. Ain't nobody going to rape nobody. You better get away from this car. Let her out the car first. Who you think you is, Super-Save-A-Ho? It's cooI, Diamond. I'll be right back. No, It's not. Get out. Get out now. Damn. You better get away from this car. Just because she ain't aII stuck-up Iike you. Let me out. What? I thought you was going with us. Naw, I can't. She said Iet her out. Let her out before I caII the poIice. OId cock-bIocking-ass bitch. - Damn! - Get out! - Trick. - Hurry up. Get your G-string ass out of here. Get out! Fuck these hos, man. For aII that money... We'll get that ass next time. I'm trying to. Look at you. No, you don't. Wait a minute. Let me taIk to you. Look at you. God, what is wrong with you? Why'd you try to Ieave the cIub with them fooIs? They just wanted me to dance. They can see you dance inside. Look at you. You aII drunk and shit. You was going to Iet them run a train on you? You overreacting as usuaI, Diamond. I'm overreacting? No, you trippin'. How am I supposed to watch you with you Ieaving the cIub? Watch me? Wait a minute. You supposed to be watching me? Who toId you to watch me? Was it my mama? She toId me to make sure you stay out of troubIe here... and I toId her I wouId. For you and my mama's information... I don't need nobody watching me. I'm grown. I been watching myseIf for a Iong fuckin' time now... and if I want to make some extra money on the side... that's my business, not yours. It's your business. You right. But what you trying to do, make a career of this? Maybe. Everybody can't go to coIIege. Some of us got to use what we got to get what we want. Oh, pIease. Don't give me none of them Ronnie ho quotes. Just stay professionaI. You onIy been here 3 weeks... and you aIready getting sucked up- - Sucked up? - Yes. You aIready caught up, so what's the difference? I know what happened between you and Ronnie. They toId me. I'm fin to go back inside. Don't have to worry about me. I'll find a ride home. Make the money. Don't Iet it make you. He crazy. So, what's up? What eIse you want to see? He want to see you go down. How much? Six hundred. No probIem. Make sure you give them their money's worth. Drunk bitch. Why don't you put that crossword puzzIe away... and come on upstairs earIy? You wish. I'm back. I didn't feeI Iike working tonight. Is Ebony working at that cIub with you? No. Who toId you that? JamaI. He toId me she was dancing with you. You caII that dancing? She come by the cIub sometimes, but she don't work there. You caII that work? Don't start with me tonight, Daddy. Dang! Excuses, excuses. I hope you don't have that girI working in that cIub with you. It's bad enough you doing it. My sister wouId have a fit. I can hear her mouth now. WeII, Mama, I wish the next time... you voIunteer my house to your sister's kids... you ask me first. Excuse me, Miss Thing. I thought she was your favorite cousin. Look, Diana, sometimes famiIy has to heIp famiIy. Just Iike you dropping JamaI off here every other night. Just keep her away from that bar. I don't want to hear nothin' about her being in that bar. I can't stop her from doing what she want to do. You better find a way. Look... I know what your cousin probabIy been teIIing you about me. This ain't the same thing. I worked with these peopIe before... and you my protege... so I know you'll bIow their fucking minds. So what's up, rookie? You trying to get money or what? What you waiting on? The PIayers CIub? Don't get me wrong. It's cooI getting those trick-ass niggas... to pay you ten doIIars to see you dance naked... but me and you both know... sometimes you got to work too hard for that ten doIIars. They be wanting you to do too much. ''Bend over.'' ''Spread your Iegs.'' ''Stick your butt out.'' ''Come on, back end bounce for me.'' Nigga, what? AII of that for ten doIIars? You can stick it out at the PIayers CIub if you want. You going to mess around and be just Iike Diamond's ass. Four years going to be done passed you by... and you going to be riding around in a Honda Accord. You scary as heII. You bony. You probabIy onIy going to make enough money... to buy yourseIf a Honda Civic. I'm going to teII you the truth... because I'm tired of fucking around with you. In this business, CIosed Iegs don't get fed... and It's as simpIe as that. It's men up there, right? No women? Look, I'm not trying to turn you out. I'm just trying to turn you on to some game. Hey, baby, how you doing? Great. I can't compIain. The wife's stiII a pain in the ass, though. I,ve cIeared everything with DoIIar BiII. Tricks is here, but the boys been waiting on you aII night. Good. I hope they brought some money with them... because I brought a new moneymaker with me. Where we changing? Right upstairs. Come in. Come in, girI. Yes, that's right. Show me the money, baby. I'm gIad Tricks brought the right outfit. GirI, what the fuck is this shit? It's the party. No shit. They the poIice. I ain't fin to dance in front of them oId-ass white foIk. Hey, Ebony, you trippin'. Them white foIks got green money. Get dressed, aII right? AII right, you white motherfuckers. AII eyes on me. If I catch you Iooking at anything eIse... I'm going to beat your ass Iike a runaway sIave. Start the music. Get it in there! I ain't taking nothin' off... untiI you motherfuckers give me some more money. Stop the goddamn music. What the fuck are you doing? Didn't I say aII eyes on me? Yes, ma'am. Bring your ass over here. You think you speciaI? No, ma'am. You think you better than everybody up in here? No, ma'am. I get it. Because you a IowIife pig, you too good to watch me. No, ma'am. Every time I come into this motherfucking pIace... you are the same one starting probIems. So you know what that means, don't you? Yes, ma'am. Yeah. Assume the fucking position. Yes, ma'am! Oh, my God. Oh, boy. You better sound off, too. Say it Ioud! I'm bIack, and I'm proud! Yeah. Say it Ioud! I'm bIack, and I'm proud! One more time for Rodney King. Say it Ioud! I'm bIack, and I'm proud! You Iucky It's BIack History month... or it wouId,ve been a Iot worse. Who eIse wants some? Me! Me! Me! AII right, then. Bye. AII right, girI. I'm tired of it, Lance! I'm tired! Everybody and they mama got something to say about my job! That shouId be teIIing you something! TeIIing me what? They know what's best for me and JamaI? I'm not taIking about JamaI. I'm your man, so I know what's best for you. What? Don't nobody know what's best for me. My damn daddy don't even know what's best for me! GirI, you got my homies cIowning me and shit! Man, they can see you anytime they want! So what? I'm trying to go to schooI. I don't give a fuck about your homeboys. I'm tired of arguing about this. What you gonna do? Why you keep asking me what I'm gonna do? Just what it sound Iike. What you gonna do? Either you stop stripping, or I'm gone. Bye. That's true. You know what I'm saying? AII right. What you think? I think I need a smaIIer size. What you think? WeII, Iet me see. Yeah, that's her. She works at the PIayers CIub. Maybe we'll go one size smaIIer. Here is your receipt. Good Iuck with your finaI exams. Thank you. Next. Your name is Diamond, huh? Word on the street is that you out there... dancing butt naked at the PIayers CIub. Me and my boys was wondering... if you couId break us off a IittIe Iunch tabIe dance. She ain't nothin' but a IittIe strip ho anyway. Come on, BrookIyn, this ain't funny. This ain't right, man. This is coId, man. Come on. y'aII petty. y'aII trippin', man. He gonna pay y'aII. My neck is hurtin'. Right here. You want me to bIow your goddamn head off? Man, no. Look, I swear, man. He got arrested today by Freeman and Peters. Tricks went to go get him about 45 minutes ago. Man, speed this motherfucker up. Go around one more time. Man! Man, come on! I swear on everything I Iove, man. He's not in there. I swear to God! Motherfucker, stop! Come on! I want you to Iisten to me, L'll Man... and I want you to Iisten to me reaI good. You teII bIack-ass he better not make me... get out this goddamn car. Do you understand what I'm saying to you? Yes, sir. - BrookIyn. - What up, boss? Do something to make me feeI better. I thought you'd never ask. What you gonna do to make him feeI better? Come on. I don't owe you the money. I toId you we'd be back. We out. That's what you get for not Ietting us in, you IittIe punk. Man, fuck, y'aII! Look at him. He Iook Iike RudoIph. Say, man. St. Louis and them, they just Ieft. Look what BrookIyn done to my nose. Diz-amn. BIue came Iate, man. He had a meeting with them peopIe from V103. Shit been crazy around here. Stay here and keep your eyes on the front door. I got a situation. Keep your eyes open. Hey, you shouId hurry up and pay him... before somebody get hurt. Let us in or what? Go home. Get it, get it! Get on that ass, come on! Where my tits at? Put some tits in this ass. Come on, Doodie Brown, Doodie Brown. Get your butt off the stage! Get off the stage, man! Come here, man. You ain't coming here no more. Now get out of here! Did you teII him that I caIIed? OK. I'll caII back. Damn. Can y'aII spray something? It stink up in here. It's probabIy you. What's up, Diamond? I'm sick of this pIace. What happened? Me and Lance broke up this morning. Why you trippin'? You can't keep no nigga working here. Why is that? Don't nobody want to turn a ho into a housewife. I'm not caIIing you a ho. It's not about what you are. It's about what they think you are- what they friends and they mamas think- and you know everybody got something to say. That's what I'm taIking about. Everybody got something to say. PeopIe in schooI got something to say. My famiIy got something to say. Ebony's out of controI. I don't know what to do. Where is Ebony? I don't know. She didn't want to come in tonight. Don't quit schooI, aII right? You finish your schooIin' and graduate. They're gonna be kissing your ass when You're through. Fuck what everybody got to say. You gonna be aII right? Yeah, I'll be aII right. Excuse me. Ask Ebony if she's stiII gonna do... Junior's bacheIor party for me. Bitch. It's starting to smeII Iike aqua boogie... up in this motherfucker. Straight fish and chips. I don't know whether to spin a record... or break out the tartar sauce. We're gonna take a pause for the cause. The Iadies are gonna go air out them asses... and put them G-strings on ice, aII right? KibbIes and tits, kibbIes and tits. Booty number one... booty number two... booty number three. Here we go. Broke niggas with money. - y'aII cannot park here. - We know. I got Luke and some of his friends in the Iimo. They want to know if they can attend your cIub tonight. I don't care what you do. You roII up here trying to sound aII proper... but you stiII got to pay. You gonna make us pay? HeII, yeah. I don't care who in the back. You can't park here. You can't get in free. Now what? How much, big man? Ten doIIars pIus a two-drink minimum. And don't be gettin' smart. Rich-ass motherfuckers. y'aII aIways trying to get something-I hate you niggas. Damn, it was reaIIy Luke. - What's up, Luke? - What's up, man? - ''Me So Horny,'' too. - You Iook horny. Luke and the Too LittIe Crew. y'aII don't taIk shit, don't fuck with the girIs... and don't Iet 'em see aII that goId in your mouth. The hair on your chest Iook Iike taco meat. It's aII right, though. You don't scare me, God damn it. Move your damn car. Oh, shit. We got Luke in the house. What's up, big boy? We'll get some honeys in here, Luke. Hey, Reg. Hey, dawg. - There go Luke. - So? Don't come in here on me Iike that. You scared me haIf to damn death. Luke here. - Tuke who? - ''Me So Horny.'' The rapper? You know what that mean. Got money, money. AII right, girIs! y'aII know what that mean! There's money upstairs. Come on. Let's get it. Big money. VaniIIa, you want to do my brother's bacheIor party? It's about to be off the hook. Who, Junior? HeII, no. You better get somebody eIse to do it. Hey, y'aII, wait up. Look at aII that ass stampedin'! They aII greedy. Dunk the booty! That's it. That's it. ''Me So Horny''! You so damn fat. You get your fat ass up off me. Thank you. Damn, baby. Forget you, punk. I don't even Iike your stuff. I wouldn't buy a bootIeg from your mama, punk. I got me a good woman here. You be a reaI woman next time Iike this. Come on, breast feed me, baby. You want to go in there, don't you? Nah. I'm aII right with you. Hey, Professor, what's up, man? Miron, I gotta go. Why you Ieavin'? Oh, my God. What's the matter, baby girI? Stop. Don't touch me. Come on. Didn't we start off as friends? So you'd think we'd be cIoser than that. Get back. You need to stop fighting me, Diamond. I'm not one of these trick-ass niggas. I'm not gonna chase you. Stop. Come on, now. - Took... - WouId you stop? I run this motherfucker... and anything in here I want, I get. - That incIudes you, Diamond. - GirI, move back. You either gonna give it to me, or I'm gonna take it... just Iike I did Iast time. You know I don't even get down Iike that. I don't think you understand, dawg. That's the Mr. Doodoo Brown man, himseIf. I don't care about no Luke. I make my money just Iike that fooI make his. That nigga got more hos and more money than your ass... so I'm gonna go hoIIer at him. You better not go-Hey! CIyde! Worse than them femaIes. Wait, wait, wait. Now where you goin'? I'm just trying to say what's up to Luke. He's trying to reIax. No autographs. HoId up. I don't want no motherfuckin' autograph. I want them hos. First of aII, I buy that fooI's records aII the time. He can speak to me. Let me hoIIer at you for a minute! You gonna have to step back. Luke is busy. Get your hands off of me. He ain't tryin' to meet nobody. We just came here to reIax and have a good time. That's aII. We don't want no troubIe. Look here, nigga. I know y'aII don't want no motherfucking troubIe. I shouId kick your IittIe ass, nigga. Punk-ass Miami niggas. Fuck y'aII niggas, man. Yeah, very, very impressive. Miami styIe, baby. HoIyfieId, you go. What's up? What's up? Yeah, boy! Drop that weapon! Reggie! I'm gonna bust your head! Get the fuck out of my way! Somebody caII the poIice. They shootin' upstairs! What's up, Tricks? Look at my business. They done fucked up the church's money. Good evening. I'm Diana Armstrong... and we're Iive in front of the PIayers CIub... where fooIs have once again shot up another party. Shot up the pIace. You know that's right. You know there's aIways somebody on the side... ''I seen the whoIe thing. ''Wasn't nobody but BiIIy EarI and them actin' crazy.'' Look here. Get on in there. There you go. Bag and everything. Thank you for waIking me. Yeah, I was thinking, though... that maybe I couId taIk to you, as opposed... to screaming over the music aII the time. I couId get your number or something? What? You aIways said to say what I feeI, right? So I feeI Iike you shouId give me your phone number. I can't give you my number, BIue. Yeah, weII, why not? I just broke up with my boyfriend. You know how that can go. We might get back together. I ain't trippin'. But you couId give me yours. Right here is the home number right at the top... the pager's right there, and if Ray-Ray answers... teII him to go ahead and put you through. - AII right? - AII right. Peace. So this is your apartment. What do you want? - Can I come in? - HeII, no! Don't come to my house again. I'm gonna caII the poIice. Why? I aIways make sure you get home safe. Oh, my God. PIease, pIease! I need time, pIease! Diamond, just Iet me in! I spent a Iot of money with you... and you act Iike I don't even exist! I need to come in! Diamond, pIease, Iet me in! Don't Ieave me Iike this! PIease. Somebody pho- No, baby, no! Let me go! Be cooI. Look, Diamond. Be cooI, aII right? Let me go! Wait a minute. Just caIm down. I can expIain everything. It ain't what you think. I think you were fucking my cousin in my house! Just caIm down. I can expIain everything. I want you out of my house! I came over here to make up with you. I ain't going nowhere untiI you taIk to me. Just taIk to me! I came over, Ebony opened up the door... and she said she had a crook in her neck... and I said I was gonna heIp her work it out. - Diana, be cooI! - Get out! Open up the door, bitch. I'm sorry. You're not sorry. Shut up. You aIways with somebody's man. Open up the door. You know what? I ain't even mad at you, 'cause you a ho. I knew you was a ho before you moved up here. I shouldn't have never Iet you Iive in my house. And I shouId never have brought Lance around you anyway. That was my fauIt. Why, Ebony? Why? You know what? The onIy reason why I hurt so much... is because I thought you was my famiIy. I thought you Ioved me, but I guess you don't. I'm sorry. I'll be at my mom's tiII I find a new pIace to stay. Bitch, you think I was gonna Iet you get away with that? Get your shit and get the fuck out of my house! Sometimes bIood ain't no thicker than water... and sometimes famiIy wiII bring you down quicker than strangers. AII this drama. FinaIs was right around the corner. That's a rowdy pIace where you work. I haven't seen you in my cIass aII week. Is there a probIem? I had a IittIe bit of a famiIy probIem. I had to cIear my mind. But I'm just a IittIe jeaIous. The professor did a bit of research of his own. It seems you made every one of your other cIasses. Every one except mine. You reaIIy hate your job, don't you? How you know I hate my job? The expression on your face when I waIked in. I may as weII have been your dad or something. You were out of there. - I'm sorry. - Don't be. I understand. I taIked to a good friend of mine over at B.E.T. You shouId give him a caII and see what he's got for you. Wow, Professor. Thank you. I reaIIy appreciate it. Everything You've done for me. Don't mention it. Just come back and see me sometime. - First, I gotta pass. - You better pass. See you tomorrow, right? In cIass. Thank you. Yo, Junior. Your party is wack. Know what I'm saying? Yo, pop this in. We ain't watchin' no more pornos! Shit. Hey, I ain't seen this one. You getting married tomorrow, man? WeII, sit your ass down. This is my party. Now this gots to be the hos. Hey, where the hos at? AII you had to do was ask me. I'd have paid some hos. What's up, y'aII? What's up with the strippers? They gettin' restIess. Oh, sweetie, no, you can't stay up. Mommy's not going to work. So, you heard about Diana's other boyfriend? No, I didn't. What happened? Don't worry about it. I ask the questions here. Whatever. So what do you do at the PIayers CIub? I DJ. You DJ. I spin aII the records- That a gun, and... ...in the cIub to make sure everybody is happy. That's aII you do is pIay records? Yes, sir. What? Man. Where are you taking my IittIe girI tonight? - Your IittIe girI? - Yes. Right. Your IittIe girI. I was thinking maybe I'd take her out to eat. Maybe we'll go for a movie or something. You're pretty good at what You're doing. Out to eat and then a movie. Where eIse? I think that's about it. Just to the movies and right back home, Mr. Armstrong. CaII me Jimmy. CaII you Jimmy. I'll caII you Jimmy if that's what you want. I wiII caII you Jimmy, Mr. Armstrong. You sure y'aII aren't going out to the Mozi-Wozi? The Mozi-Wozi? Don't pIay dumb, boy. You know what the moteI is. Aw, man. The moteI? No. For what? I'm not even sIeepy. I'm weII rested. Hey, BIue, Iet me teII you straight up. Whatever you do to my IittIe daughter... I'm gonna do to you. Damn, baby, It's about time. - Where Ronnie? - She in the room. You must be one of the new ones. What's your name? How you doin', Ebony? I'm Junior. I'm the one that's getting married tomorrow. You gots to be nice to me. Come on in. That's her. Damn. Let me hit some of that. Hey, now! HoId up. This is my party. Respect the bitches. One of the hos is here. He a fooI. What's up there, shorty? Ready to finish what we started at the PIayers CIub? N- O, motherfucker. Can't you hear? Who you taIkin' to? - You. - Come on. HoId up, what's happening? You hoId up. She got to get changed. It'll be a minute. Fuck them hos. Tight-shorts-wearing trick. Damn, girI, they some hounds. TeII me about it. But you gonna do cooI. They been askin' about you aII night. Where the rest of the girIs at? I don't keep track of them other hos. If they say they comin', they comin'. Fuck 'em. What? You gonna dance with me, right? What'll I Iook Iike? Them my peopIes. I'm not dancin'. You know that white girI VaniIIa from the cIub? She's comin'. She better hurry, 'cause I ain't fin to dance by myseIf. There's some baIIers out there. They ready to pay you. What you need to be tryin' to do... is get your money before them other bitches get here. But you ain't dancin' with me. I'm not gettin' no money for this neither. Ronnie, I feeI funny goin' out there by myseIf. Look, you gonna be aII right. I'm gonna be right there with you. Ain't nothin' gonna happen that you don't wanna happen. Man, hurry up! Wait a goddamn minute! She gettin' dressed! Do me this one favor, OK? Haven't I aIways Iooked out for you? And don't be worried about them other hos... 'cause they wouId not be worried about you. You got a joint? Have the rest of this drink. You ready? Give me another drink and ten minutes. Ten minutes? I'm gonna caIm these fooIs down and fix you another drink. I'm coming back in here in ten minutes. You need to get on the phone and caII some more girIs. What you need to do is get out here and make this money... and grow the fuck up. Act Iike you ain't never seen no pussy before. What you tryin' to do, scare the bitch off? There you go. Keep the change. Here we go. AII right. Thank you. Why did we come here? Why are you so jittery? What did my father do to you? Aw, man, your daddy. You know what? As a matter of fact, I probabIy need to get you home. WouId you stop Iookin' at your cIock? - HeIIo. - Diana, I'm sorry. What do you want? Why you keep caIIin' me? I ain't got nothin' to say to you. PIease! - Who's that? - Ebony. She keep caIIin' me tryin' to apoIogize. A month of her is enough. You gotta watch your famiIy sometimes... harder than your friends and enemies. - TeII me about it. - It's so stupid. Diana, don't hang up. - PIease heIp me. - HeIp you do what? Come and get me. I'm at Junior's party, and I'm the onIy girI here. So, what? I'm at the Oakwood MoteI by the airport, room 306. Can you come pick me up, pIease? Naw. I'm busy right now. OK. If you can... If you can, Come pick me up, pIease. Yeah, whatever. So, that was her again? ''Come get me in the hoteI.'' She somethin'. Is she at the hoteI? I don't know. You never know with her. My head coId. You know how it get too coId and freeze your brain? Brain freezin'. Dang, this is good. Go on, get Ronnie to go downstairs with you. AII right. Hey, Ronnie? Why don't you come to the car with me right quick? - For what? - To show you somethin'. You don't have nothin' to show me. ReaIIy, huh? What you caII this? Looky here, Iooky here. SmeII that. That's that bankhead bud right there. You hit this, you'll be Iike... Let me go check on Ebony reaI quick. She ain't even ready to dance yet. Come on, she ain't drunk. Move your ass on. Make that booty fIap for me. Got to be hip every day. - What's happenin'? - What's up, man? She'll Iet you fuck. Is that right? Me and CIyde ran a train on her two weeks ago. You shouId go in there and see what's happenin'. You about to get married tomorrow, right? What you waitin' on? For her to dance? Go in and see what's happenin'. Strap it on, you know? I know, huh? I don't have no rubbers, though. Shut up! What's up? Why y'aII Ieavin'? What's wrong? Niggas ran out of beer or somethin'? Let's raise. We gotta go do that thing. Reggie, why y'aII Ieavin'? Ask Junior. TeII Ebony we understand ''no'' do mean ''no.'' - Tet's go. - You aII right? Junior! Open the door! What's up, sis? Thanks for the party. Where's Ebony? She sIeeping. AsIeep? No, no. Oh, my God! What did you do to her? What's wrong with you? - What you trippin' for? - You crazy! - This ain't my fauIt. - Get off me! You fucked up! Go get your stuff! Shoot, man. - What are you doing? - This ain't my fauIt! Come on, hurry up! Let's go! Where's my tapes? Fuck them tapes! Let's go! HeIIo? I knew she wasn't gonna be here. Oh, my God! Just hoId her head up. Oh, my God. Get me something, pIease. Here you go. Right here. CaII somebody, pIease! HeIp me! What happened to you? Why? HeIIo. We got an emergency up here in room- - What's the room number? - I don't know! It's room 306. It's-It's room 306. We need ambuIances and paramedics or somethin'. I'm so sorry. I didn't know. PIease caII somebody. PIease heIp me. I'm so sorry. Send security or somebody. I don't care. Oh, my God. Just hoId on. I swear you gonna be OK. BIue! He made me burn my nose- You know you can't park there, girI. And, BIue, you about to get fired. Don't keep worryin' about it. DoIIar say he gonna take care of it. Man, I'm not worried. This here's gonna be my aIibi. I,ve been here aII night. That's right. If anybody- Oh, shit. What? Ebony got raped at Junior's party tonight... and you Ieft her there, didn't you? I don't know what You're taIkin' about. Everybody Ieave the dressing room, pIease. Everybody outta the fuckin' dressin' room, pIease! I'm out of here. This bitch is crazy. See you Iater, girI. CaII me tomorrow. How you doin'? Stand outside and make sure don't nobody come in. You and your daddy. I'm gonna kick your motherfuckin' ass. Naw. After I kick your ass... I just might do you how Junior did Ebony. You know, diamonds are a girI's best friend. Stupid freak! Ain't no baIIs there, bitch. CouId,ve fooIed me! BIue, move away from that door. Can't do that, DoIIar. The heII you mean, you can't do it? I can't do it. I'm gonna put something in your ass! Why don't I just bust a cap in yours? He got a gun. y'aII get back. This nigga's iII. XL, ain't got nothin' to do with y'aII. Just give me some room. I was thinkin' the same thing. I'll be upstairs. XL, wait! You're scarin' my baby. I'm scarin' you, too, huh? PitifuI ass. Look at you. You ain't so big now. Look at me. Big, bad DoIIar BiII. You got change, nigga? Come on, bitch! Come on! It's bitches Iike you that make it hard for women Iike me! That's for Ebony! That's for me! Let's go. HeII, no! Diamond, your ass is fired! Fuck you, DoIIar! I hope you never make another penny in this motherfucker. I quit. What? I don't need your services, either! And if I have to come back, DoIIar... It's gonna be troubIe, troubIe Chi-town! Don't cry, baby. Shoot, man. It wasn't my fauIt. She was askin' for it, man. They're in there? Look at this here! XL! L'll Man! I got her. Baby, you get some water and paper toweIs. Put her right here. You gonna be aII right, Ronnie? GirI, it Iook Iike you got your ass whipped! Don't you worry about nothin'. Diamond and BIue is through. I'm gonna make sure they is through! Man, did you at Ieast pinch the bitch? OK, Iadies, make a hoIe. Move it! L'll Man, shut the fuck up. Look at this here. Ronnie and Tricks... just the two Iadies we,ve been Iooking for. Come on. Come on, girIs. Let's go, baby. You see what they did to them? Yeah. Hands behind your back. That's it. Why they bein' prohibited? This is a rape charge! UnIess you want to go down as the number one suspect... you better puII your nose out of this business! Come on, girI. I just asked you a doggone- Don't be runnin' up on me! What's wrong with you? I'll bIow your ass aII the way back to Chicago. - I asked you a question! - Shut up! Who he taIkin' to Iike that? He taIkin' to your ass. Who the fuck you taIkin' to Iike that? You don't taIk to me Iike that! Hey, Ronnie! We gotta caII Mama! You goddamn right! I'm suin' both of y'aII! You ain't got no doggone warrant! You ain't got nothin'! You ugIy motherfucker! You know goddamned weII, Freeman, you wrong, man! AII the pussy I hooked your ass up with! You better wear your buIIetproof vest aII day! AII motherfuckin' day! You, too, you fat motherfucker! Let me see you again! Baby, I'll be down there! Don't worry about nothin'. MagiIIa GoriIIa, MagiIIa GoriIIa God damn it! Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Do somethin'! Do somethin'! And there's DoIIar BiII. What you want us to do, Saint? Go get him? Naw. PuII up in front of the buiIding. I want to get him myseIf. Get him yourseIf? Yeah, man. Get him myseIf. Then It's on. You know, Tina... I never reaIIy got a chance to say that I'm sorry... and to thank you. ReaIIy. You ain't Iike the other bitches! Tina, I'm thinkin' about quittin' this business! Just goin' back to Chi-town, start aII over. 'cause it ain't the same no more. Used to be honor among motherfuckin' thieves. Now everybody's crazy. You can't trust no motherfucker. But you aIways been there. I ain't done nothin' to nobody! Nothin'! If anybody here don't want to get murdered... get the fuck out! Go, man! Move! You hear somethin'? HeIp me! Get on outta here! Get down! Move outta here! God damn it! Let me outta here! Move, man! Shit! Come on, man! Come on, man! Gimme to the fifteenth to pay! It's time to hear that pop. Let me teII you somethin'! Good job, Reggie. Fuck that fooI. Stop the car. BrookIyn... do something to make me feeI better. I'm gonna do something to make you feeI great. I Ioved the PIayers CIub for providing a way... for some of the girIs to reach their goaIs in Iife. But I hated the PIayers CIub... for aII the girIs it destroyed in the process. Why don't you just wait? We been here five minutes aIready. I need a bigger size. Excuse me! Can I get some service? - Need a bigger size? - It's about time. You took so Iong I don't know what I want no more. I couId not put up with your job. I couldn't put up with yours, either. What cIub y'aII work at? CIub Sugar Daddy. How you put up with your job? Easy, Miss Thing. We just usin' what we got to get what we want. Go, girI! If that's aII y'aII got, you don't want too much. You caII me when You're ready. Hey, Ebony, I'm gonna take these. I'm sorry I can't make your graduation. It's OK. Fat Boy won't Iet me Ieave. I'll caII you tonight. You might not be doin' none of that tonight. You might be a IittIe tied up. You need a baby-sitter? I'll be over here. I know what I want now. Make that money, girI. Don't Iet it make you. Ebony moved back to TaIIahassee with her mother... and, BIue, he's a top DJ at V103. We're stiII together. After Ronnie and Tricks were reIeased from jaiI... they started workin' at CIub Sugar Daddy's. Junior's now serving time for Ebony's rape. He never did get married. Reggie and CIyde were Iast seen at the Freaknik in AtIanta. As for BrookIyn and K.C... they're stiII working for St. Louis... and St. Louis is stiII runnin' the South. Peters and Freeman are stiII harassing peopIe... aII day, every day... whiIe L'll Man is managing a strip cIub back in Chicago. DoIIar BiII was never heard from again. |
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