Crime and Punishment Page #2

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something impressive...

...it's important for a big sister to

create an embarrassing fuss over her.

Yeah. The more embarrassing,

the better.

Thank you. l know it's not gonna be fun

to walk the halls of Capeside.

lt wasn't exactly your favourite place.

Yeah, but l'm old, remember?

That was a long time ago.

-Things are different now.

-Not that different.

What, are there, like, ten black kids

in that school?

Eleven. And don't try to rewrite history.

l mean, l remember, you picked

me up from kindergarten...

...and complained the whole way home

about some smug idiots...

...who thought they were better

because you had the wrong jeans.

Okay, l admit it. l hated high school...

...but that's why l'm so glad

it's not like that for you.

You're talented,

and everybody at that school knows it.

They've known for years,

and today they're going to see proof...

...that Joey Potter is a force

to be reckoned with.

And l painted this so that we all can

remember the beacon of knowledge...

...that our teachers shine

on us every day.

ln closing, l would like

to thank Principal Green...

...and all of you for this opportunity...

...to impart my message of unity.

And now, the last of our

Capeside High murals.

l'd like to ask Joey Potter

to step up...

...and grace us with a few words

about her creation.

Well, Principal Green

said the mural should focus...

...on what unifies us as a school.

And if you think about it,

nothing really unifies us.

Even our mascot is divisive.

The Minuteman?

Right there, you've alienated

half the student population.

So the only thing

that l could think of...

...that unites us all,

that we all have in common...

...is that we all start off

in kindergarten thinking...

...that we can be anything

that we wanna be...

...and by the time we get here,

we've somehow lost that feeling.

We've all started to believe

whatever our parents...

...or our friends have told us we can

achieve and who we can be in life...

...and we've forgotten that possibility

we had when we were younger.

And that's what l think

we all have in common...

...and that's what the symbol

on my painting means.

Possibility.

l painted it because l thought we

could all use a daily reminder that...

...if you believe in yourself, even when

the odds seem stacked against you...

...anything's possible.

So l hope you like it.

Okay?

Excuse me.

Wait a minute. Joey.

Hey, wait up. You okay?

That's what l get for answering the call

to public service. Humiliation.

Nobody's humiliated, except

for the person who did this.

lt felt humiliating to me.

-Look, it was a silly prank.

-You don't know that.

You put your soul into that.

l don't blame you for being angry...

...but don't turn this into some sort of

personal attack on you.

Not to stick my nose in here,

but just to stick my nose in...

-...it was a personal attack.

-What?

There were three murals. Yours was

the only one that got touched.

-So?

-So someone didn't like...

...what Joey was trying to say

or someone just didn't like you.

Your logic leaves a lot to be desired.

We're in high school.

lt's a society unto its own...

...with a pecking order that makes

the caste system look forgiving.

Who knows what line you crossed

or offence you might have given?

-Paranoid much?

-There's a possibility...

...somebody out there hates

Joey just for being Joey.

The way she talks, dresses,

chews on her lower lip.

Look, l don't chew on my lower lip!

Okay, look, l'm just putting it out there.

Does anybody come to mind?

So we can gang up on him

and call him names?

Do me a favour, just stay out of this.

lt was an act of vandalism. Some idiot

trying to rage against the machine.

-That doesn't make sense.

-Heckle and Jeckle.

This is exactly what a girl needs

in the middle of a crisis.

And you know what? lt's not helping.

So thanks, but no thanks.

-Shouldn't we--?

-No. Let her go.

So have you heard any word on Joey?

She's pretty broken up about it.

Yeah, obviously.

l mean, who wouldn't be?

They'll catch the guy,

and you can have the last laugh.

-Huh?

-D.C. Throw the book at him.

Right. You know what? Actually, Jack,

l'm thinking about quitting my position.

On the disciplinary committee?

Andie, you're the senior-most

student representative.

That's below the saviour for mankind,

as far as colleges are concerned.

l know, but it's just taking up

way too much time.

And besides that, my schoolwork's

starting to slip.

The more l think about it,

the more uncomfortable l feel...

...about sitting in judgment of others.

What?

l'm just a little shocked.

Why?

lt's not like you

to bail on a commitment.

Come on, Jack. A lot of things aren't

like me, but l've done them anyway.

Can you set the table?

Yeah.

-Any room at the inn?

-Depends.

-On what?

-The length of the lecture...

...l'm gonna be forced to sit through.

No lectures, l promise.

Although, l do wanna say that l'm sorry

that what happened today happened.

The whole thing was lame

to begin with.

As if painting on a wall is going to make

the slightest bit of difference in school.

Maybe. Maybe not.

For some reason, l don't like

the sound of those ''maybes.''

Repaint the mural.

-What?

-Do it tonight.

Surprise that bastard

when he shows up.

l would rather shove red-hot needles

underneath my toenails, okay?

Come on. You're gonna

let some school prank...

...keep you from finishing something

you care about?

l finished it, Dawson, okay?

lt's not my fault that not everybody

got a chance to see it.

-l can't believe you're like this.

-Like what?

Defeated, dejected, demoralized.

l can't always be

your plucky little Joey.

l don't have this unlimited reserve

of goodwill and faith in humanity.

Sometimes, l am

going to be depressed.

lt's not about demeanour.

lt's about not being a victim.

lt took me a month

to do that, Dawson.

l had to conceive it and execute it, and

you can't just expect me to start over.

Why not?

For the same reason you haven't

shot a roll of film since January.

That's completely different.

-Really?

-Yes.

l chose to quit filmmaking.

That was a personal decision.

lt had nothing to do with the fact that

it was poorly received at the festival?

Truthfully? No.

Well...

...then how convenient for you.

What does that mean?

You have all of

these choices, Dawson.

You have all of these choices

that you just take for granted.

l mean, one day, you're a filmmaker,

and the next day, you're not.

And tomorrow, you could wake up and

decide you wanted to be a sculptor...

...or you wanted to just

backpack through Europe...

...or climb Mt. Everest,

and you can do that.

-You can't?

-No, l can't.

-Why not?

-l can't afford to waste the time...

...to go find myself and be artistic...

...and l can't afford to reject reality

and chase pipe dreams.

l can't do it because that's not my life.

That's your life.

-You know what l think this is about?

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