Rushmore Page #5

INT. CLASSROOM - DAY

Miss Cross' classroom. The walls are lined with fish tanks

that glow blue and make bubbling sounds. There are maps and

pictures everywhere. A model of a 747 hangs from the

ceiling. A record player plays the Vienna Boys' Choir at a

low volume.

There is only one Kid in the room. He is taking a test. Miss

Cross sits at her desk grading papers.

Max cracks open the door.

MAX:

Miss Cross?

Miss Cross and the kid look back at Max. Miss Cross holds

her finger to her lips and gets up. As she walks past the

kid, she puts her hand on the top of his head. She goes to

Max at the door. She whispers:

MISS CROSS:

He's taking a make-up test.

MAX:

These guys have tests?

MISS CROSS:

Of course.

MAX:

I thought they just did coloring and stuff.

MISS CROSS:

Oh, no. They're good readers.

MAX:

I'm Max Fischer. We met the other day.

MISS CROSS:

I know who you are. How are you?

MAX:

Fine, thank you.

Max just stands there.

MISS CROSS:

You want to help me feed the fish?

MAX:

Yes, please.

Max follows her from tank to tank as she shakes out fish

food. They continue to whisper to each other:

MAX:

I thought I would just let you know, as per our conversation

the other day -

MISS CROSS:

Latin?

MAX:

Right. The Romance Languages. I gave a little speech -

MISS CROSS:

I heard about this.

MAX:

You did?

MISS CROSS:

Uh-huh. I understand you made a very convincing argument.

MAX:

I thought you'd be pleased to hear they're going to continue

the Latin program.

She looks at Max. She sets down the fish food and shakes his

hand.

MISS CROSS:

I'm very impressed.

MAX:

Thank you very much.

Max picks up the can of fish food and shakes some into one

of the aquariums.

MAX:

You need an assistant?

MISS CROSS:

(smiles) Do we get to have assistants around here?

MAX:

I doubt it. I'm on scholarship, though. Academic

scholarship. So sometimes, I get to do odd jobs.

(pause)

How did you decide to teach at Rushmore?

MISS CROSS:

My husband went here.

Max drops the can of fish food into the tank. He quickly

fishes it out.

He picks some little bits of fish food out of the water and

throws them away. Pause.

MAX:

I didn't know you were married.

MISS CROSS:

Well, he's dead now. So I'm not actually married.

MAX:

When did he die?

MISS CROSS:

Last year.

Max nods. Silence.

MAX:

My mother's dead.

MISS CROSS:

Oh. I'm sorry to hear that.

MAX:

She died when I was seven. (raising an eyebrow)

So we both have dead people in our families.

They look at each other for a minute.

MAX:

Now what's going on in here?

Max kneels down and looks into one of the fish tanks. There

are a hundred little seahorses swimming around in it.

MISS CROSS:

Those were just born.

A look of wonder comes across Max's face. He stares into the

blue water.

MAX:

You really love fish, don't you?

Miss Cross nods. Max puts his fingers to the glass.

MAX:

How much do these cost?

INT. BLUME INTERNATIONAL CONCRETE - DAY

Mr. Blume's office. HE is talking on the telephone. Max sits

in a chair across from him.

MR BLUME:

I don't want any alloys. I want steel.

(pause)

I don't give a rat's ass if he did. (pause) Steel, Harry.

He hangs up.

MR BLUME:

You change your mind? You want the job?

MAX:

No. But I've got an idea. And need some money.

Mr. Blume's secretary buzzes him on the speakerphone.

SECRETARY:

Mr. Blume, they're ready for you in Hydraulics.

MR BLUME:

Come with me. Let's hear your idea.

INT. FACTORY - DAY

Max, Mr. Blume, and a big foreman named Ernie race across

the factory in a souped-up golf cart. They're squeezed

together with Max in the middle.

MAX:

Rushmore deserves an aquarium. A first class aquarium where

scientists can lecture, and students can study marine life

in their natural -

MR BLUME:

I don't know. What do you think, Ernie?

ERNIE:

(skeptical) An aquarium?

MAX:

A huge aquarium. An entire building.

MR BLUME:

What kind of fish?

INT. FACTORY - DAY

Mr. Blume and Max, wearing hard hats, stand on a scaffolding

overlooking a huge cat of bubbling concrete.

MAX:

(shouting)

Electric eels. Barracudas. Stingrays. Hammerheads. Piranhas.

MR BLUME:

Piranhas?

MAX:

That's right. Piranhas. I talked to a man in South America.

MR BLUME:

Really. So you might have piranhas.

MAX:

We will have piranhas.

INT. MR BLUME'S OFFICE - DAY

Back in Mr. Blume's office. They're seated as before. Max is

still wearing his hard hat.

MR BLUME:

What does Guggenheim say?

MAX:

Nothing. I felt I should go to you first.

MR BLUME:

Why?

MAX:

Because at this moment I feel our best strategy is to keep a

low profile. The more preparation I can do, the stronger our

case will be when we go to the administration.

Long pause.

MR BLUME:

How much do you want?

MAX:

$35.000 for the initial plans.

Max holds Mr. Blume's gaze. Mr. Blume picks up a pen.

MR BLUME:

I'll give you $2500.

Max nods. Mr. Blume writes out a check, tears it off, and

hands it to Max. Max sticks it in his pocket like it is a

five-dollar bill.

RESEARCH MONTAGE:

All of the following events occur during school hours.

Max strides across the quadrangle with a determined

expression. He's got an armload of books on marine life.

Max watches a Jacques Cousteau film on 16mm in an empty

classroom. Dirk runs the projector.

Max visits a marine research facility and talks with a

Scientist. Max holds up a fish at the edge of a pool. A

killer whale jumps out of the water and takes it in its

teeth.

Max flies over Rushmore in a chopper with Mr. Blume. He

shouts out details of the landscape and Mr. Blume nods

enthusiastically. They are both eating sandwiches.

They set down on the soccer field. Kids come running out to

meet them. Max waves to them as he jumps out of the chopper.

He looks back to Mr. Blume and gives him a thumbs-up. Mr.

Blume smiles and waves as the chopper takes off.

Max walks with a young Architect among the trees between the

gym and the baseball diamond. They look at some blueprints.

Max pulls up third base and slides it over a few feet.

Max points to some beautiful fish in an aquarium in a pet

shop. The pet shop Owner reaches in with a little net.

Max pokes his head into Miss Cross's classroom. He holds up

two plastic baggies full of water with tropical fish

swimming around inside them.

Kids gather all around them as they put the new fish into

the aquariums. Max smiles mysteriously.

MAX:

You need any help grading papers or anything?

INSERT BOOK REPORT:

The title is 'Young Ben Franklin'. Miss Cross writes

Magnificent! Keep up the good work! And draws two stars

across the top of the page with a red pen.

INT. MISS CROSS'S CLASSROOM - DAY

Max is staring at Miss Cross in a strange from a desk

opposite hers in the empty classroom. She looks up at him.

He continues to stare at her as if she were a statue.

Miss Cross rubs her eyes and sighs. She sets down her red

pen. She looks back at Max. He is still staring at her.

MISS CROSS:

Max?

Max looks quickly down to his papers.

MAX:

Uh-huh?

MISS CROSS:

Can I ask you something?

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