Real Genius Page #6

CHRIS:

(with a proletariat accent)

Ice turned out real good, Ick.

ICK:

Yeah, it worked., didn't it?

CHRIS:

What did you use?

ICK:

(teasing)

Oh, sure, I tell you then you tell somebody else, and the next thing you know we're in the middle of another ice age.

CHRIS:

(yelling down the hall)

Come on, people. Nobody's skating.

A STUDENT (O.C.)

Just 'cause you're a slack, Kinsley.

CHRIS:

Moles and trolls.

MITCH:

What?

CHRIS:

Moles and trolls. Work, work, work, work. I plan this for weeks. I go to a lot of trouble and all they want to do is study. I'm hurt. I know that's it's not like me but I'm sorry. I'm starting to get discouraged, people. We had nobody at the mutant hamster races, one entry in the Madame Curie look-alike contest, and he was disqualified later. Why do I even bother?

Chris skates off.

MITCH:

(to Ick)

How does he do it?

ICK:

Well, I'm not an expert, but I think he puts one foot in front of the other and pushes.

MITCH:

Not skating. The horsing around. The never studying. I know he's smart. but nobody's that smart.

ICK:

I don't know how smart he is. Before he even came here he invented a solar battery, which laid the groundwork for the system that provides the energy for Amarillo, at half the cost. He'd be a millionaire today if he been smart enough to make them pay for it. How he pulls the grades, I don't know.

Just then, ROARING down the hall, face down on a sled, comes JORDANS COCHRAN. She is an advanced engineering student with great theoretical and mechanical skill who can never seem to pitched energy of a hyper-kinetic kindergarten class. She crashes at Mitch's feet. He reaches down to help her.

MITCH:

You okay?

JORDAN:

No, not emotionally, no I'm not. I'm disappointed... not terribly, but still, it should have gone much, further, much faster. It's okay, though, I know what the problem is, that's simple, it's obviously the drag coefficient, I'll just have to re-design the blades. I can do that, that's easy. I can do that here; but I have to cut then after they're designed, that takes tools, that takes time. How long is this stuff going to last, do you know?

ICK:

Maybe another half an hour.

JORDAN:

That's great, that's good. I can do that, no problem, lots of time.

(to Mitch)

What's your name?

MITCH:

Mitch

JORDAN:

Thanks for the help. See you.

And in a flash she is gone.

MITCH:

Your welcome.

(to Ick)

Who was that?

ICK:

That? that was...

Jordan rushes back.

JORDAN:

(to Mitch)

I'm Jordan, I realized I'd forgotten to tell you my name, it's Jordan. I heard there was going to be someone new this term, are you a freshman?

MITCH:

Yes.

JORDAN:

Do you have a bed?

MITCH:

Yeah.

JORDAN:

Oh, I was going to make you one if you needed it but you don't so that's okay. Well, I gotta go, I'll see you later, probably. See you Ick, see you Mitch.

As she races off, KENT enters carrying several binders.

KENT:

What's all this suppose to be?

CHRIS:

This? This is new kind of shovel.

Mitch finds this very funny and reacts accordingly by laughing.

Kent can't stand to be laughed at.

KENT:

(Dumping the binders into Mitch's hands)

This should keep you busy for awhile. This, plus your regular class load should turn your brains to mush in a month.

MITCH:

Aw! Kent, we were going to name you King of the Winter Carnival.

KENT:

Ha ha.

(to Ick)

I suppose you're in on this, too. Did you make this stuff?

ICK:

I'm not saying.

KENT:

Who's going to clean it up?

ICK:

Don't have to. It's going to go from solid form directly to gas.

KENT:

(impressed by this fairly uncommon phenomenon)

Really? What is it?

ICK:

I'm not saying. But I can tell you that it's fairly rare, and very unstable.

KENT:

You're all a bunch of degenerates.

CHRIS:

We are? What about that time I caught you naked with a bowl of Jello?

KENT:

(flustered)

I...you... I was hot and I was hungry. And anyway...Look, Kinsley, you're not number one anymore.

CHRIS:

Number one what?

KENT:

(pointing to Mitch)

Mighty mouse, here, beat your placement scores by over twenty points.

CHRIS:

Really? I guess you think you're pretty hot stuff?

MITCH:

(uncomfortable, unsure if this is real)

Well...no, I mean

CHRIS:

Hey! Maybe you are smarter than me, but, can you do this?

Chris pushes himself off backwards and slides along the ice in an attempt at a fancy figure skating move. Just as he's about to finish he crashes to the floor at the precise moment that the floor turns into a cloud of rising gas. Chris disappears in the cloud.

ICK:

(excited)

It worked!

MITCH:

That's neat.

ICK:

(teasing)

Now if we can just keep it from exploding.

Kent runs away.

CHRIS:

(from inside the growing cloud)

Hey, Ick. Is it okay to breathe this stuff?

(beat)

Ick?

(beat)

Ick?

The cloud fills the screen.

INT. CHRIS AND MITCH'S ROOM-THE NEXT MORNING

Perfect morning light streams through the window, making even this dump look beautiful. Chris is asleep in a strange position on his bed, proving that even asleep he is eccentric. We Pan across the room to Mitch. He has obviously fallen asleep while reading the binders that Kent had given him the night before. We HEAR the sound of the door opening, followed by some heavy footsteps. This causes Mitch to wake up. it takes him a second to realize where he is. He sits up.

MITCH'S POV

Again we catch just a glimpse of that same mysterious figure opening the closet door. He is holding a "McDonald's" bag. He closes the door behind him.

ANGLE ON MITCH:

To say the least, he's thrown by this strange intrusion.

MITCH:

Hello?

He waits a beat, listening. Nothing happens so he gets up and crosses to the closet, looks inside.

OVER MITCH'S SHOULDER INTO CLOSET

There's nothing in there but clothes. Mitch pushes the garments aside and finds just a wall.

ANGLE ON MITCH:

He shakes his head. This is getting frustrating. He exits the room.

INT. BATHROOM

Mitch crosses to the urinal. Just as he is about to relieve himself, the door opens. Jordan enters. This is an experience Mitch has never before and as a result he is one uncomfortable fifteen-year-old.

JORDAN:

Hi, good morning, I thought I saw you come in here, you must be an earlier riser, we met last night, I'm Jordan, remember? I had a sled with me, I made you a sweater.

She holds out a sweater. He leans into the urinal, trying to hide himself the best he can.

MITCH:

Last night?

JORDAN:

yeah, it's just something I do with my hands while I'm reading. I hope I got the size right, I'm pretty sure I did, I have a brother so I use him as a sizing comparison, and I have a pretty good eye for that sort of thing, so I just went ahead and made you one because I was, you know, up. Peeing?

MITCH:

Yeah.

JORDAN:

I never sleep. I don't know why. It drove my roommate nuts. I mean really nuts, they had to take her away in an ambulance and everything, she's okay now thought but she had to be transfer to an easier school but I don't know if that part has anything to do with being my fault, but still, anyway, if you ever want any help studying at night or just let me know, okay, 'cause I'm just a couple of doors down from you guys and I'm usually up and I wouldn't mind, okay?

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