Rushmore Page #8

Mr. Blume walks over to Max. He looks very sad. He kneels

down beside Max. He starts helping him pick up the trash off

the floor and put it in the trashcan.

TITLE:

October.

INT. GROVER CLEVELAND HIGH SCHOOL - DAY

Grover Cleveland is a public high school with two thousand

five hundred students.

Max sits in a front row of a math classroom. He is dressed

in his Rushmore uniform, with coat and tie, but his clothes

are wrinkled and his head has been shaved like a marine's.

His eyes have dark circles around them. He has a little

stack of index cards in his hand.

The teacher, Mrs. Whitney, stands at the front of the room.

She is about fifty with a horn-rimmed glasses and a slight

English accent. She has a bemused expression on her face.

MRS WHITNEY:

We have a new student with us today. His name's Max Fischer

and he's actually asked to say a few words to the class.

Max? You want to take it away?

MAX:

(standing up)

Sure. Thanks very much. I just wanted to introduce myself.

Max looks quickly at his notecards.

MAX:

I'm Max Fischer. I'm a former student of Rushmore Academy,

which I recently got expelled from.

Max flips to the next notecard.

MAX:

This is my first time in a public school. And I know you

probably think I was born with a silverspoon in my mouth.

But I'm no elitist. I think you've got some great

facilities, and I'm really looking forward to making the

best of it over here at Grover Cleveland.

Max sighs deeply. He rubs his eyes. His Classmates have no

idea what to make of him. However, one Asian girl in the

back row is smiling faintly. She has short-cropped hair. The

spine of one of her book covers says Margaret Yang.

MAX:

One footnote:
I noticed you don't have a fencing team. I'm

going to start one up. Let me know if you'd like to join.

Thanks.

INT. GROVER CLEVELAND HIGH SCHOOL - DAY

The wide halls of Grover Cleveland High School are lined

with orange lockers. A banner stretched down the wall says

'Murder the Mustangs'. A bustling throng of high schoolers

rush to class.

Max walks slowly, alone, down the middle of the hall. A

blonde cheerleader-type Girl asks him:

GIRL:

Why are you so dressed up?

Max looks down at his clothes. Max looks back to the girl.

MAX:

Are you insane?

The girl walks off. Margaret Yang catches up to Max.

MARGARET:

Max?

MAX:

Yes?

MARGARET:

Hi. I'm Margaret Yang. I'm in Mrs. Whitney's class. I just

wanted to tell you I liked your speech. I don't think I've

ever heard of anyone asking to give a speech in class

before.

MAX:

How unfortunate.

MARGARET:

The silver spoon remark might rub some people the wrong way.

But I think I know how you meant it.

MAX:

Glad to hear it. Goodbye, Miss Chang.

Max ducks into the men's room. Margaret walks quietly away.

INT. GYMNASIUM - DAY

A tiny figure dressed all in white stands alone at the far

end of the huge gymnasium with a fencing oil. He lunges,

parries, and thrusts.

The basketball team suddenly floods dribbling into the

gymnasium, throwing passes and taking free throws. Max stops

fencing as they take over the room. He watches them in

silence. He shakes his head. He walks off the court.

INT. HALLWAY - DAY

Max puts a quarter in a pay phone. He is still wearing his

fencing costume.

MAX:

Janet. Max Fischer. Is he in?

EXT. RUSHMORE - DAY

Mr. Blume answers on his cellular phone as he gets out of

his car and walks across the lawn at Rushmore.

We intercut the two of them.

MR BLUME:

Hey, Max. How's it going over there?

MAX:

Terrible. Tell me something. When you talk to Miss Cross the

other

day, did you get the feeling-

The hall monitor Mr. Holstead comes down the hall toward

Max. He is a big, sturdy man about fifty years old. He wears

a striped tie and his sleeves rolled up.

MR HOLSTEAD:

(loudly) Do you have a telephone pass?

Max holds up his hand for Mr. Holstead to wait a minute. He

covers his ear so he can hear Mr. Blume.

Mr. Blume is looking in the windows of different classrooms.

Kids look out at him curiously.

MR BLUME:

I got to tell you, Max. I don't know what you see in her. I

don't think she's right for you.

MAX:

What's that supposed to mean?

Mr. Blume sees Miss Cross inside teaching her class. He

stares at her in a glance. He whispers:

MR BLUME:

Well, she's not that beautiful. She's not that interesting.

I mean, sure, there's something about her. But I see you

with someone-

MAX:

Look, Mr. Blume. Your comments are valuable, but let's get

to the point. Will she see me again? Yes or no?

MR BLUME:

(pause)

No.

MAX:

I'm going to go see her. Hang on.

Max looks to Mr. Holstead.

MAX:

I'm talking on the telephone.

Mr. Holstead reaches over and hangs up the phone.

MAX:

Come on, man. That's rude.

INT. GROVER CLEVELAND HIGH SCHOOL - DAY

Mrs. Whitney watches from her classroom window at:

Max opens a red metal door on to the empty concrete

courtyard. He looks left and right. He sneaks across the

courtyard to the bike racks, quickly unlocks his bike, and

rides away.

EXT. RUSHMORE - DAY

Max rides full speed through the gates on to the Rushmore

campus. He flips one leg off his bike and glides in toward

the bike racks standing on one pedal.

Max locks up his bike and walks across the lawn.

MAGNUS:

You better beat it, laddie.

Max looks up at Magnus Buchan sitting in a tree smoking a

cigarette, hacking at a branch with a pocketknife.

MAX:

I hope you fall out of that tree and get stick in the ass,

Buchan.

MAGNUS:

You know, I've watched you, Fischer. Showboat, always

talking, picking a kid like Dirk cause his mother's a great

piece and then getting nowhere. Like everything you do. Big

show. No results.

MAX:

And what do you call getting a hand job from Mrs. Calloway

in her Jaguar?

MAGNUS:

A bloody lie.

MAX:

You think I got kicked out for just the aquarium? Nah. That

ain't it. It was the hand job. And I'll tell you another

thing. It was worth it. So eat your heard out, mick. I got

business to attend to.

EXT. PARKING LOT - DAY

Miss Cross comes out the door of the lower school with a

basket of books and papers. She stops in front of her wagon

and digs in her bag for the keys.

MAX:

Or do you want me to go?

MISS CROSS:

(looks around, sighs)

You can talk to me.

Miss Cross goes over to him. She stops a few feet away and

they stand there in silence.

MAX:

I'm sorry I embarrassed you at dinner.

MISS CROSS:

That's OK.

MAX:

No, it's not. And please apologize to what's his name for

me.

MISS CROSS:

I will. Are you OK?

MAX:

I'm fine. But I miss Rushmore. I miss the seasons. And

watching the leaves change.

MISS CROSS:

But it's only three blocks away.

MAX:

I know. I miss seeing you.

MISS CROSS:

(pause)

I miss you, too.

Max looks off into the trees. A squirrel leaps from one

branch to another. Max smiles and shakes his head. A

crashing noise is heard from the roof of the planetarium.

Someone ducks for cover, but Max and Miss Cross don't see

him.

Max reaches into his backpack and says mysteriously:

MAX:

By the way, what time does the library close? I got an

overdue book to turn in.

Max takes out the Jacques Cousteau library book and hands it

to Miss Cross. She looks at it and starts to say something

but she stops. She opens the book and looks at it in

silence.

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