Rushmore Page #7

MAX:

No I'm not. I'm just trying to figure out why you brought

this gentleman to my play. And my dinner, which was

invitation only.

John reaches in front of Max for the butter. Max grabs his

spoon and swats John on the back of the hand.

MAX:

Would you like me to pass you the butter?

Max hands John the butter.

MISS CROSS:

What's wrong with you?

MAX:

(raising his voice)

What's wrong with YOU?

Max is making a scene. People all over the restaurant are

watching. Max stares at Miss Cross.

MAX:

You hurt my feelings. This night was important to me.

MISS CROSS:

How did I hurt your feelings?

MAX:

I wrote a hit play!

(pause)

And I'm in love with you.

John looks to Miss Cross. She doesn't know what to say. Max

looks drunk and dejected.

MAX:

How do you like that, Curly?

EXT. PLAYGROUND - DAY

Miss Cross and her pupils are out on the playground painting

pictures. Each kid has an easel.

Miss Cross sees Mr. Blume standing under a tree at the edge

of the playground. He is wearing sunglasses and smoking a

cigarette. He moves slightly behind the tree. She stares at

him.

He waves. She waves back. He comes over.

MR BLUME:

Hi.

MISS CROSS:

Were you hiding over there?

Mr. Blume shrugs. He points at one of the paintings.

MR BLUME:

What's that?

The artist looks up at Mr. Blume. He is a small boy with

jet- black curly hair and piercing eyes.

ARTIST:

(makes a swimming gesture) It's a little swimming snake.

Mr. Blume nods.

MISS CROSS:

What can I do for you, Mr. Blume?

Mr. Blume turns to Miss Cross and takes off his sunglasses.

Silence.

MR BLUME:

Max wants to see you.

MISS CROSS:

What for?

MR BLUME:

To apologize, I guess.

MISS CROSS:

He sent you here?

MR BLUME:

Yeah.

She frowns and studies Mr. Blume for a minute.

MISS CROSS:

Are you his messenger?

MR BLUME:

No. He's my friend.

(pause)

You were right. I shouldn't have let him drink.

Miss Cross nods. Silence.

MISS CROSS:

I don't think I should see Max anymore.

MR BLUME:

He's not going to like the sound of that.

MISS CROSS:

I know. But I think I let him get too attached.

Mr. Blume nods. Miss Cross looks uncertain.

MISS CROSS:

Don't you think?

MR BLUME:

(shrugs)

I don't know. You did your best.

Miss Cross smiles sadly to Mr. Blume. He puts his hands in

his pockets.

MISS CROSS:

Tell him I'm sorry.

MR BLUME:

OK.

They look at each other for a long minute. Miss Cross tucks

a strand of hair behind her ear. Mr. Blume says quietly:

MR BLUME:

What's your first name?

MISS CROSS:

Rosemary. What's yours?

MR BLUME:

Herman.

Silence.

MR BLUME:

Oh, yeah. He wrote you a letter.

He hands her a letter in a sealed envelope. She takes it.

MISS CROSS:

Thanks.

They stand there in silence for another minute.

MR BLUME:

OK. So long, Rosemary.

MISS CROSS:

(smiles)

Bye, Herman.

Mr. Blume starts to go. He stops He looks back to Miss

Cross.

MR BLUME:

Should we meet somewhere?

She hesitates.

MR BLUME:

To talk about Max.

MISS CROSS:

Yeah. I don't know.

(pause)

Maybe.

Mr. Blume nods. He turns away and walks off. She watches him

go. She looks at the envelope.

INSERT LETTER WRITTEN IN CALLIGRAPHY ON CRISP STATIONERY:

Max reads in voice-over.

Dear Miss Cross,

I would like to take this opportunity to formally apologize

for the events of the night of the twenty-third. I am not

accustomed to drinking alcohol. Please do me the service of

coming to the unveiling of a new venture I have undertaken.

I hope you will attend, if possible. I remain, your friend,

Max Fischer.

EXT. VACANT LOT - DAY

A crowd of fifty Kids in uniform has gathered around the

vacant lot beside the baseball field. Max stands with his

architect, smiling for the yearbook photographer. They are

holding a banner that says 'Cousteau-Blume Marine

Observatory Fund-raiser'. Max has on a hard hat. There are

two pick-up trucks and a porta-can at the back of the vacant

lot.

Max digs into the ground with a gold shovel. The shovel has

a ribbon around it. Flashbulbs go off. Everyone claps. Max

waves Dirk over.

MAX:

Did you see her?

DIRK:

She's not here.

MAX:

Well, see if she's in her classroom.

The Contractor walks over to Max.

CONTRACTOR:

Should we go ahead and take care of this tree?

MAX:

Let's wait a few minutes.

Coach Beck goes over to Max. He is six four and wears a John

Newcombe mustache and an Adidas warm-up. He is frowning.

COACH BECK:

What's going on here, Maxie?

MAX:

Coach Beck. Good to see you. This is where they're building

the new aquarium. I'm in charge of the committee, if you can

believe it.

COACH BECK:

This is the baseball diamond.

MAX:

I believe it's being relocated a few feet over.

COACH BECK:

(frowns)

I should've been informed about that.

Coach Beck walks off. Max answers some questions for the

School Reporters.

REPORTER:

Is it true the aquarium will have piranhas?

MAX:

(smiles) Where'd you hear that?

REPORTER:

My source indicated that it was a possibility.

MAX:

Yes, it's true. Excuse me, George.

Dirk has returned.

MAX:

What's the story?

DIRK:

(a little wary)

She has a substitute teacher today.

MAX:

Why?

DIRK:

She probably got sick.

MAX:

(looks away)

You know she's not sick. Give me the phone.

Max dials on a cellular phone.

MAX:

Hi, Janet. It's Max Fischer.

Is Mr. Blume there?

(pause)

Well, where is he?

(pause)

Goddammit, he's supposed to be here.

Let me know if you find him, please.

Max hangs up. He looks off and says in a steely voice:

MAX:

I'm going anyway.

Max goes over to the contractor.

MAX:

Chop it down, Mr. Chandler! We've got an aquarium to build.

Max talks to another reporter.

MAX:

I don't give a sh*t about barracudas. But f*** it. I'm

building it anyway.

The sound of power saws fills the air as Dr. Guggenheim

appears at the edge of the lot with Coach Beck and a

Security Guard with a walkie-talkie. DR Guggenheim screams:

DR GUGGENHEIM:

Max!

DR. Guggenheim sees the chopped-down trees and mangles

baseball field as he strides on to the lot.

MAX:

Nice to see you, Dr. Gugg-

DR GUGGENHEIM:

Max!

(seizing Max by the arm)

What do you think you're doing?

MAX:

(pause)

We're having a fund-raiser for-

DR GUGGENHEIM:

Shut those damn things off!

They turn off the power saws.

DR GUGGENHEIM:

Tell me this isn't happening.

MAX:

Dr. Guggenheim, I'd rather not have this conversation in

front of the crew.

EXT. QUADRANGLE - DAY

Dirk waits nervously on the steps in front of DR.

Guggenheim's office. He holds a hamster in his hands.

He gets up and goes to the windows. He looks inside.

Max is sitting in a little chair in the middle of the room

with his hard hat on. DR. Guggenheim and several other

faculty members sit around him. DR. Guggenheim is screaming

at him across his desk. Max is crying.

Dirk looks scared.

INT. HALLWAY - DAY

Max kneels on the floor in the hallway, emptying out his

locker. Papers and trash are scattered all around him. There

is a trashcan beside him. He is throwing away his books, one

at a time.

Mr. Blume opens the door at the end of the hallway. Max

looks up at him. Silence. Max looks up back to his locker

and starts throwing his books in the trash again.

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