Rushmore Page #12

Dr. Guggenheim motions to the envelope. Max nods.

MAX:

Good. I just wanted to inform you about what's going on.

Dr. Guggenheim stares at Max with contempt.

DR. GUGGENHEIM

I never took you for an informer, Max.

MAX:

(frowns)

What's that suppose to mean?

Silence. Max reaches out to take the envelope. Dr.

Guggenheim slams his hand on it and leans across the table

at Max.

DR. GUGGENHEIM

(fiercely) She resigned this morning.

Before I even got your little snapshots. So your latest

attempt at sabotage has backfired.

MAX:

(pause) But she's one of the best teachers you've got.

(yelling) How could you let her resign?

DR. GUGGENHEIM

Why are you trying to get her fired?

MAX:

You stupid old fool! I'm trying to win her back!

Dr. Guggenheim starts coughing and turning red. He knocks

the envelope off the table and the pictures spill out all

over the floor.

INSERT PHOTOGRAPHS ON THE FLOOR:

They're of Mr. Blume and Miss Cross kissing in the window of

a Chinese restaurant.

INT. MISS CROSS' CLASSROOM. DAY

A crew of MOVERS is rolling one of Miss Cross' aquarium out

of the classroom on a dolly as Max comes to the door. Miss

Cross is on the other side of the classroom taking down a

map from the wall. Her books and papers are stacked in

boxes.

Max watches her in silence for a minute before saying:

MAX:

Miss Cross?

She turns around to look at Max. Silence.

MISS CROSS:

Hi, Max.

MAX:

You need any help?

MISS CROSS:

No. I have it.

She pricks her finger and holds it to her mouth.

MISS CROSS:

Dammit.

Max starts to go in the room to help her.

MAX:

Here. Let me see.

MISS CROSS:

No. Please, don't come in here. Look. I'm sorry I hurt you.

I'm sorry I love your friend instead of you. But just.

Please, Max.

Miss Cross has tears in her eyes. Max goes slowly toward

her.

MAX:

You honestly believe you love Blume instead of me?

MISS CROSS:

Yes.

MAX:

You'll forgive me if I won't take your word for that.

MISS CROSS:

Stop. If you don't stop with that ping-pong talk, I'm going

to lose it. Do you understand me?

Max takes Miss Cross' hand and kisses it. She pulls her and

away. Max tries to embrace her. They struggle and Miss Cross

overpowers Max. She holds his arms behind his back.

MAX:

Let me go!

Max struggles some more. Miss Cross pushes him hard across

the room. Max smashes into some chairs and knocks over a

desk. He yells at her:

MAX:

I got kicked out because of you!

MISS CROSS:

You got kicked out because -

MAX:

Rushmore was my life. Now you are!

MISS CROSS:

That's bullshit!

Silence.

MISS CROSS:

What do you really think is going to happen between us? You

think we're going to have sex?

Max looks shocked.

MAX:

That's kind of a cheap way to put it, don't you think?

MISS CROSS:

(pause)Not if you've never f***ed before, it isn't.

MAX:

(stunned) Oh, my God.

MISS CROSS:

How would you put it to your friends? Do you want to finger

me? Or maybe I could give you a hand job in the back of a

Jaguar. Would that put an end to all of this?

Miss Cross moves towards Max with her hand outstretched. Max

retreats backwards, banging into desks and chairs. Miss

Cross stops.

MISS CROSS:

Please. Get out of my room.

Max walks out of the room and stands in the doorway.

Miss Cross turns away and goes back to taking down her maps

from the wall. Max watches her for a minute.

Max leaves.

EXT. QUADRANLGE. DAY

Max comes out the door of the lower school in a daze. Magnus

Buchan is sitting on a bench eating some candy. He is

wearing the uniform of the Green Beret. He sees Max and

laughs.

MAGNUS:

Fischer, ya spotty f***er!

MAX:

Hello, Magnus.

MAGNUS:

Got any hand jobs lately?

MAX:

No, I haven't.

Dirk appears with some of his friends.

MAGNUS:

Hey, Dirk! Look who's here. Your stepfather! Waitin' for

your mum so he can get a piece.

Dirk is very embarrassed. He frowns and looks at the ground.

Max stares at Magnus with bitter contempt.

MAX:

Your mind is as warped as your ear, Buchan.

MAGNUS:

(standing up)

Don't get nasty, brother.

Max breaks into a sprint straight at Magnus.

Magnus draws back and nails Max in the cheek. Max goes down

but gets right back up. They throw a flurry of punches at

each other's faces. Some kids come running over to watch.

Max tackles Magnus around the legs. Magnus throws a hard

punch straight down at the top of Max's head. Max goes limp

and collapses to the ground.

CUT TO:

Max's eyes opening. He is lying his back in a pile of

leaves. A bunch of little kids have circled around him.

Max's nose bleeds profusely. One of his eyes is swollen

shut. He's got several smaller cuts all over his face. His

shirt is torn more or less in half. He looks up at Dirk

standing over him. He lifts up his hand to Dirk.

MAX:

We got him, Dirk. We got him.

But Dirk does not take Max's hand. He turns away.

EXT. CEMENTARY. DAY

Mr. Blume spots Max sitting Indian-style at the foot of his

mother's grave on a cold grey day. The simple epitaph reads:

Eloise Fischer, beloved wife of Bert and mother of Max.

Written below it says: the paths of glory lead but to the

grave. Mr. Blume approaches warily.

MR. BLUME

Max?

Max looks up. There is quite a sadness about him and his

voice has lost all feeling of possibility.

MAX:

Hi, Mr. Blume.

Mr. Blume stands there in silence.

MR. BLUME

You wanted to meet?

MAX:

When?

MR. BLUME

Right now. You said you wanted to meet to put an end to this

nonsense.

MAX:

Oh. Yeah. I was going to try and have that oak tree fall on

you.

Max jerks him thumb over his shoulder. Mr. Blume looks at a

massive oak tree hanging precariously by the roots.

MR. BLUME

That big one? That would have really pancaked me.

(pause)

What stopped you?

MAX:

(shrugs)

What's the use? She loves you.

Max gets up. They look at each other in silence.

MAX:

So long Mr. Blume.

Max starts to walk away. Mr. Blume calls after him.

MR. BLUME

She's my Rushmore, Max.

MAX:

(without stopping)

Yeah, I know. She was mine, too.

Max leaves the cemetery. Mr. Blume stands alone. He goes

over to the tree and taps it. It comes crashing down.

TITLE:

November.

THANKSGIVING MONTAGE:

Max walks down the street with his lunch in a brown paper

bag. He goes into the barbershop. He nods hello to his

father and puts on a white barber's jacket. He has a blank,

hollow expression on his face.

Max gives an old man a haircut while the old man reads the

paper. Max gives another old man a shave. Man combs another

old man's hair and holds up a mirror so he can see the back.

Dirk rides past the barbershop on his little French

three-speed. He circles back and looks at Max take the trash

out to the dumpster. Max doesn't see him. Dirk pedals away.

Margaret knocks on the front door of the Fischers' house.

Mr. Fischer opens the door. He and Margaret talk for a

minute. Mr. Fischer shakes his sadly. Margaret nods.

Mr. Fischer closes the door as Margaret walks out to the

sidewalk. She looks back at the house. Max is sitting on the

window, staring off into space. Margaret hesitates. She goes

across the yard to the window.

She taps on the glass. Max looks out to her. She waves to

him. Max closes the curtains.

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