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| In Long Beach County jail a boy, dressed in a navy blue jump suit is led by a guard through a hallway into a room. Seated at a table is a woman wearing a suit, she looks to be in her late 30s to 40s, with dark hair just past her shoulders. She's shuffling through the papers and files spread all over the table.
Looking up, she sees Justin and stands up. The guard takes the handcuffs off him. Sounding friendly but professional, �Justin. Good too see you again sweetie, I�m just sorry it had to be on these conditions.� Lynne says and smiles. Justin�s surprised when Lynne gives him a quick hug. Justin sits down and Lynn joins him. "You okay? They treating you alright?� She says and smiles. �Yea, fine. Where's my brother?� Justin says. �Ah ...� Lynne looks at the files in his hands, �Trey is over 18, Trey stole a car, Trey had a gun in his pants and an ounce of pot in his jacket and a couple of priors. I'm guessing that right now Trey is looking at 3 to 5 years. But Trey's not my concern. This is your first time in lockup. I would assume you don't plan on coming back. Your grades are ... not great, suspended twice for fighting, truancy three times ...� She pauses and looks up in surprise at Justin. �Your test scores ... 98th percentile on your SAT ones. Justin� 98th percentile?� She smiles. �If you start going to class ... are you thinking about going to college? You�re a senior this year, just like my daughter.� Justin gave her a small smile, he knows he�ll never make it out of Long Beach, he�ll never amount to anything. He�d be lucky to stay off the streets and out of Juvie long enough to even graduate. �Have you given any thought at all to your future?� Lynne frowns when she gets no reaction out of him. Future? The only future he was planning was for tomorrow, going to work maybe, that house party- until it�s broken up by the police. �So you have a daughter?� He opts to avoid any personal questions about himself. Lynn sighs, she�s not getting anywhere with him. �Two actually, my oldest is 16, Britney. I think she�d really like a guy like you. As long as you stayed out of trouble that is.� She�s been Justin�s case worker before, he has a few priors for fighting and whatnot. But she knows he�s a good guy, with a good heart, but trouble seems to follow him everywhere. He wasn�t handed much in life, not a large house, a nice car, or even a safe place to grow up and a loving family. She had tried to convince him to let her find him a family to adopt him, but he knew as well as she did that no one wanted a brand new teenager. Justin stared at his dry fingers folded on the table. �Yea, maybe I�ll meet her one day.� �I can plea this down to a misdemeanor, petty fine, probation. But know this: stealing a car �cause your big brother told you to - its stupid, and its weak. Now those are two things you can't afford to be anymore.� �Two more things.� Her eyes soften and she gives him a sympathetic look, it seems this kid just can�t catch a break, or keep himself outta trouble. �You wanna change that?� Justin's avoiding eye contact. �Then you have to get over the fact that life dealt you a bad hand. I get it.� Justin wants to roll his eyes but he doesn�t. How can this rich-ass lawyer in 200 dollar shoes know what its like for him? �And look at you now.� He regrets his words immediately, she�s just trying to help. He offers Lynne a quick half grin. Lynne remains serious. �Smart kid like you. You gotta have a plan. Some kind of a dream?� Justin looks Lynne in the eyes. �Yeah, right.� He says quietly. �Where I'm from having a dream doesn't make you smart. Knowing it won't come true, that does.� � As Justin stepped onto the sidewalk outside the jail the low California sun pierced his eyes. He�s wearing his own clothes now, blue jeans and a grey hoodie with a black collard jacket over. He�s glad to have gotten out of there, he didn�t get much sleep during his three nights in Juvie. It�s too cold, and noisy, not that it�s much different from home. �My office will contact you to remind you the date for your hearing.� Lynne says. �I'll remember. Thank you so much for everything Lynne.� An old beat up car squeals around the corner, drives up on the sidewalk a bit, then comes to a stop in front of them. A woman gets out with frizzy blond hair. She's dressed pretty messy, her shirt hanging off her shoulder, an oversized, stained sweater half hanging over her. She starts yelling. �Unbelievable! What kinda family I got, huh? What the HELL did I do to deserve this family? You want to tell me that?� �Mrs. Timberlake? I'm Lynne Spears. I'm Justin's attorney.� �You should have left him there. Just like his Dad's doing. Just like his brother's gonna.� Justin and Lynne look at each other, Justin looking nervous, Lynne�s looking worried. �Let's go Justin.� She yells. �Now, Justin!� Lynn gets back in the car. �I know you probably already have it but here�s my card. My home number, you know, if you need something, anything, if things get to be too much, call me.� Lynne says genuinely and hands Justin her card. �Take care of yourself.� �Let's go!� Justin hears her scream from the car and cringes. �All right!� He takes Lynne�s card and flashes her a quick smile of thanks. � At the Timberlake residence, Lynn pours herself a drink as Justin stands across the room watching her. Her boyfriend, A.J., sits watching TV. The house is sort of open concept so they're all in the same room but it's a kitchen and a living room, not a very big place. The furniture is pretty mismatched and old. �I can't do this anymore, Justin. I can't.� Lynn says, more upset than angry. �I'm sorry, Mom.� Justin pleads, confused. �I want you out of my house.� Justin�s eyes widen. �I want you out!� �But m-mom, where am I gonna go?� �You heard your mother, man. Get your stuff and get out.� A.J. says without even looking away from the TV. Justin turns to him and glares. �Hey, this isn't your house, "MAN."� A.J. gets up. �Oh, you're a tough guy now?� �A.J. don't. Justin just get out.� Lynn intervenes. �Why don't you worry about your own kids, A.J.? Instead of free loading off my Mom?� Justin growls, getting in his face. Well that did it, A.J. punches Justin in the face, twice. �Hey!� Lynn�s attempt to stop them is weak, she�s use to this. A.J. throws Justin into the wall and Lynn just turns away, lighting a cigarette. � Justin zips up his backpack and leaves his house, letting the broken screen door slam. He gets on his bike and rides away. He finds a pay phone on a busy street. Justin dials a number, �Hey, can I crash with you tonight ... all right.� He says disappointed. Justin makes a number of other calls but it seems like its no use, no one wants an unexpected house guest for who knows how long. What the fuck am I going to do know? He slams the receiver down then hits the side of the phone several times. He pauses and runs his hands over his face then searches his pockets and pulls out a crumpled business card. Sandy Cohen. He stares at it. He might as well give it a shot, because he doesn�t feel like sleeping on a park bench tonight. He makes the call. ... Justin sits on a low stone wall, looking at the graffiti on nearby buildings when an expensive black car pulls up in front of him. The tinted window is rolled down to reveal Lynne sitting behind the wheel. With Justin's bike bungee corded in the trunk of the car they drive off. He watches the passing scenery noticing the slow change from the lower class looking streets to the view from along the coast. Justin looks out the window and sees teens playing on the beach, walking with surfboards as the sun sets. This is how the other half lives, relaxing at the beach, no problems, no worries. He wonders what that�s like. He looks away. It doesn�t matter because he�ll never have that, he�ll never live like this, it�s not in the cards for him. �This is a nice car. I didn't know your kind of lawyer made money.� �No, we don't.� She smiles, �But my husband does.� By this time it's dark out as they drive through the security station at the front of the gated community where Lynn lives. They pull up the driveway to an enormous and very beautiful house. Justin�s never seen a house this large in his life, he didn't think she was this wealthy. They unbuckle and go to get out but Lynn pauses. �Um, you know, why don't you wait here for a minute? I'll be back.� Lynn automatically pulls the keys out of the ignition then remembers Justin in the car beside him. Justin rolls his eyes a little, �It's no fun if the key's in the car.� He says slightly amused. Does she think he�s going to steal her car. Lynne puts the key back in the ignition and gets out leaving Justin in the car. � In the kitchen of the Spears home Lynne and her husband, Dave, talk. �You brought him home? This is not a stray puppy, Lynn!� He scolds her irrational behavior. �I know that, Dave.� �It was only a matter of time before you started bringing home felons.� �Justin�s not a felon.� �Did you not meet him in jail?� �Yes ... technically. But it wasn't for a felony, I mean it was, but it won't be when I'm done." �You're endangering our home. Did you even think of our girls?� �It's only for the weekend, just till child services opens on Monday.� �What if this is all a scam? What if he's just using you to case the house?� �He's not a criminal mastermind. He's a kid who has no one and nowhere to go.� �He sleeps in the pool house.� Dave says and walks away. � Lynne shows Justin to the pool house, which looks more like a loft than a storage area. It's furnished and has light wood floors and the walls are all floor length windows. It's big and very nice. �So this is where you're going to be staying. And this is my husband, Dave.� �Hello Justin, welcome to our home.� He sounds polite but formal, cold, like forced friendliness. �Thank you, thanks very much.� He says and looks around. �Are you sure this is okay? I mean-� �Yes of coarse sweetie. We'll see you in the morning. Make yourself comfortable.� Lynne says and everyone leaves Justin alone in the pool house. |