Election Page #17

LARRY:

But, Mr. M. -

WALT:

Fouch, that's enough! End of story.

INT. MILLARD HIGH GYMNASIUM -- DAY

AN ASSEMBLY - The students are taking their seats on the bleachers.

ON THE FLOOR:

are all the candidates: three for secretary, two for treasurer, one

for vice-president, two for president.

PAUL AND TRACY sit side-by-side. Paul seems a little overwhelmed by

the whole thing. Tracy leans over and offers her hand.

TRACY:

Paul, I just want you to know that no

matter how this turns out, you've run a

wonderful campaign. It's been fun

competing with you.

PAUL:

Yeah, you too, Tracy. I'm just glad

it's over.

TRACY:

Yeah.

CLOSE ON PAUL:

PAUL (VO)

You know, I don't understand why

everybody bad-mouthed Tracy all the

time. She was always super- nice to me.

JIM approaches the microphone

JIM:

If we could get started. People! Once

the winners are announced, we can all go

home, okay?

The students quiet down

JIM (CONT'D)

Some contests are so well fought that

is seems unfair for someone to win and

someone to lose. I think that's the

case with all the candidates you see

before you today. All of them are

highly qualified and embody the, uh, the

integrity we expect from our school

leadership.

OS TRACY - Jim's voice momentarily recedes.

TRACY (VO)

Act surprised. Walk slowly to the

podium. Be modest. Thank them for this

incredible honor.

JIM:

That said, the whole point of an

election is to choose winners, and that

you have done. We'll begin with

president.

JIM pulls a folded paper from his back pocket

JIM (CONT'D)

Let me add that this was an

extraordinarily close race. It's my

pleasure to announce the next president

of Millard High School.

Tracy just can't wait. Smiling, she STANDS UP.

JIM:

Paul Metzier!

The crowd breaks into applause -- and laughter

ON TRACY - AS she sits, her smile belies her horror and humiliation

Paul begins his acceptance speech. We cut alternately to a thrilled

Lisa; a stunned Tracy, tears forming at the corners of her eyes; and

to JIM, who watches the events with shifty eyes, his mouth dry and

tasting of metal.

PAUL:

Geez, you guys, thanks a lot. I mean,

wow, thanks. I promise to do my best

and really do a good job and be a good

president. And I want to thank Lisa

Flanagan for being a super campaign

manager. And I just want to say that I

think Tracy would have made a great

president too and that she really

deserves a big hand.

The auditorium erupts into applause and whistles, and JIM takes the

microphone again.

JIM:

And now, for vice-president.

EXT. COCO'S BAKERY/RESTAURANT DUSK

In the growing darkness, the restaurant radiates its distinctive

orange glow. The parking lot is nearly empty.

INT. COCO'S BAKERY/RESTAURANT DUSK

JIM sits alone at a booth by the window, finishing a slice of berry

pie. He gets the attention of a WAITRESS and holds up his coffee cup.

JIM:

Could I get a...?

As JIM gets his warm-up, in walk the Metziers: Paul, Dick and Jo. JIM

notices them as they wait to be seated. He wishes he were

invisible.

As a PERKY HOSTESS leads the family to a table, Paul spots Jim. Here

it comes.

PAUL:

Wow! Mr. McAllister! This is so wild.

We came to celebrate my victory, and I

can't believe it. Here, these are my

parents.

JIM stands up awkwardly.

DICK METZLER:

(extending his

hand)

Hi. Dick Metzier. My wife --

PAUL:

This is great.

JIM:

(extending his

hand)

JIM McAllister.

JO METZLER:

(extending her

hand)

JO Metzier. You know, Paul just thinks

the world of you. Oh, if you could just

hear him...

DICK:

Yeah, say, apparently you've really

come behind him, really helped him out

there with the student council thing and

all.

PAUL:

I never would have ran if it wasn't for

Mr. M.

JIM:

Paul doesn't need any of my help. He's

going places. You should be very proud.

JO:

We are

DICK:

Having a problem with your eye there?

JO:

Dick.

JIM:

Just a bee sting.

DICK:

You ought to get that looked at. Shot

of cortisone or something.

JIM:

Thanks, I'll be fine.

DICK:

Anyway, we're awful sorry about what

went on with our other one, you know,

our Tammy.

JO:

We were mortified...

JIM:

Oh, she's not a bad girl. She'll come

around.

JO:

... but we've had some good talks, and

I think we're sorting things out. We're

starting her at Sacred Heart in the

fall.

JIM:

Good school.

DICK:

Say, you're all alone, why don't you

join us?

PAUL:

Yeah!

JIM:

Oh, no. No. I'm just finishing up

here, and I've got to get home.

PAUL:

(to his parents)

Why don't you guys go sit down, okay?

I'll catch up in a minute? I want to

talk to Mr. M. about some important

stuff.

DICK:

All right. Well, sure nice to meet

you.

JO:

So nice

JIM:

You bet.

The Metziers go, and- Paul slides in across from Jim.

PAUL:

So, Mr. M, I was starting to think

about ideas for next year. I was

thinking it would be cool to have, like

a carnival. With rides. And, you know,

it could be for, like. Muscular

Dystrophy.

JIM tries to smile and seem attentive, but we sense his profound

fatigue and his profound sadness.

PAUL (CONT'D)

And on Halloween we could have a

haunted house. But a really good

haunted house, not like those cheesy bad

ones. You know, more like the radio

station ones. This one would be really

scary. And for Homecoming -- well, you

know how last year's theme was -

JIM:

Paul... Paul.... We'll have plenty of

time to get into all this later. A

whole year, in fact. Right now I just

need to finish my pie and get home.

PAUL:

Oh, okay. Yeah, sorry.

The wind out of his sails, Paul gets up and is about to go when

PAUL (CONT'D)

Just one more thing. So, Mr. M., uh,

do you think Tracy's going to be okay?

I saw her face after the assembly, and I

think she's taking it pretty hard.

JIM:

Don't worry about Tracy. She'll be

fine.

INT. TRACY'S BEDROOMNIGHT

CLOSE ON TRACY -

her face drained and pallid, her eyes red and bleary: she is exhausted

from crying.

TRACY:

One vote... one vote

She falls again headlong again into the throes of despair. Her mouth

contorts into a rictus of agony, and there issues an almost feral cry

of pain. Her anguish grows convulsive.

Barbara Flick comes in and sits on the bed. She's carrying a

PRESCRIPTION BOTTLE and a glass of milk.

BARBARA:

Why don't you take a couple of my

pills, darling? You'll feel better.

Tracy takes the pills and sips the milk weakly. Her mother kisses her.

BARBARA (CONT'D)

Don ' t worry. .. don ' t worry. . .

sshhhhh... that's it, baby... that's it,

darling. Everything's going to be fine.

She lays Tracy on the bed, and Tracy begins to quiet. Barbara kisses

her again and rises to leave. At the door she pauses to add a few

final words of comfort.

BARBARA (CONT'D)

Maybe you needed more posters, honey.

Or if you'd taken my suggestions about

your speech. I don't know. We'll figure

it out.

EXT. MCAILISTER HOME NIGHT

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