Scene: Mr. Shorofsky's Classroom


Dyrenforth:
Boys and girls!
Boys and girls!




I have some terrible news!
There's been a very bad accident


Last night while driving his parents car,
apparently intoxicated Mikey Garth drove
into a telephone pole.


Both Mikey and Danny Amatullo have been injured.




And I'm so sorry,
Nicole Chapman has been killed.

Emergency Waiting room

Reggie:
What difference does it make now!
She's dead!


Chris:
Did you find him?

Ian:
No. Nobody's seen Jesse since we heard.

Chris:
Did you check his house?


Ian:
Yeah. His landlady hasn't seen him
since he left for school this morning.

Reggie:
Then where is he?

Scene: Lydia Grant's Classroom


Lydia:
Up two three four and over two three four...
To the knees and up two three four



Over six seven eight...and over to the knees...



Look I know what you're feeling
I feel the same way too.
But today is a new day
You're still here
And I'm still here.
And regardless of what you think
We are going to have class today
So c'mon.
Put on that music and lets pick up this pace
Right now.


Jesse:
No dancing.

Lydia:
Come on Jesse.
It'll make you feel better.

Jesse:
No.

Lydia:
Look I'm not asking you to celebrate.
I'm just asking you to go back to work.
You've got to go on.
You've got to keep moving baby.

Jesse:
Maybe you do.

Scene: Classrooms


Dyrenforth:
Ladies and gentleman.
I'd like to take a few minutes to talk
about the terrible thing that has happened to us.
I think we need a moment to reflect on
Nicole Chapmans' death.




And to share the feelings we certainly
have in common at this time.
Sometimes facing the grief head on helps
us to get beyond it. I'd like to remind you that
your teachers here can be of enormous
comfort and Mrs. Keeson our psychologist
has an open door and very open heart.
If you need help dealing with your feelings
please seek us out.
Now let's share a moment of silence together.

Ian: <to camera>
You know it could have been any of us.
And it's so ironic it should be Nicole




Only she's not a doper. She never drank.
I don't even think she knew how to drive a car.
I've got a lot of friends who get wasted
and they all have their reasons.
But not Nicole. Never Nicole.
Well she did get into the car didn't she?
And she knew they'd been drinking.

Scene: School Cafeteria


Ian is reading from a newspaper
to Dusty & Chris.

Ian:
Males and females - 18-24. Must sing and dance and act.
Three o'clock Tuesday. Broadhurst theatre.




Chris:
Hey I'm not in the mood for any audition.

Dusty:
You gotta go. We both do.




Mickey:
Can I sit down?
I want to talk to you guys. I wanna tell you what happened.
Look I know you hate me.




Ian:
Hey? What do you want us to say?

Mickey:
You think I meant for it to happen?
It was snowing. I wasn't speeding or anything.
I just couldn't make the turn.
And Nicole was sitting in the middle...


Chris:
Mick - no details. All right?

Mickey:
I've got to tell somebody.

Dusty:
Not me.




Mickey:
Doesn't anyone wanna hear my side?
Look I had a few beers but I swear to God...
It didn't affect my driving.
So you do hate me?
You were my friends.
What am I supposed to do now?

Chris:
Mikey - don't push it all right?

Mickey:
You don't know what it feels like.

Scene: School Radio Station

Jesse has locked himself the DJ booth.
Ian is knocking on the glass trying
unsuccessfully to get his attention.

Ian:
Jesse! Jesse!

Lydia and Paul enter.





Lydia:
Ian what happened?

Ian:
He came in -
He pulled me out of the chair -
He ripped the headphones off me head.
He locked it.





Paul:
Jesse! Open up!

Lydia:
Jesse you can't do this!

Jesse: <on radio>
Did you like that sound Mikey?
Why don't you call in and we'll talk about it.
I'd love to hear from you. 555-1814
Got that? 555-1814.
Maybe you can brag to me about how macho you are and how you were chug a lugging.
I'd like to hear you tell me how many beers you can put away. You know like you did on Sunday night? How tough you are



Dyrenforth: <entering>
All right. Everyone who's not directly involved -out.
Shoo - go on shoo

Jesse:
And while we're waiting for Mickey to call in
and tell us how you can kill one of your friends
and walk away from it. Let's hear from Nicole Chapman again.


This time a song she performed to a standing ovation in
a School of the Arts production of City Streets.
Listen close Mickey.



Paul takes the key from Dyrenforth
and unlocks the booth.

Paul:
That's it.




Jesse:
Guess they didn't like the show.

Paul:
What are you doing Jesse?

Jesse:
I was listening to Nicole
I thought the kids might like it.


<to Ian> Sorry.

Ian:
It's all right man.



Ian goes back in his booth and Jesse leaves still upset.

Jesse:
Sorry I lost my cool.


Chris:
Jess - forget it man. Stay out of it.

Scene: Classroom

Mike:
I'm here because I belong to students against
driving drunk. And your friends here want to
start a chapter here at this school.
And that would be great. You could do a lot.
But I want to be straight with you.
It's not going to bring Nicole Chapman back.
It won't make anyone stop drinking and getting
behind the wheel of a car.
You have to do that. One by one.
My brother Lee was 17 when he and his friends
crashed into the side of a divider in the center
of the expressway. They were partying.
They killed themselves -
a guy and his wife in another car.
Afterwards I felt a lot like you do now.
Crying one day and the next pretending
nothing was wrong. But mostly I was angry.
I had a right to be angry. Not at the world.
Not at myself. But at my brother. Cos he was stupid
. He thought he was more powerful than death.
And nobody is. Not you. Not Nicole.
I heard how special she was.
How bright - talented.
But she made one mistake you just can't make.
She got into the car of a guy that was drunk.
She wasn't smart enough to say no - let's call someone.
Let's walk. Anything.
You don't have to be a genius to figure that out.
Fact is - if you don't wise up -
there are going to be a few more people in this
classroom lying out there in that expressway.
Life isn't forever because you're sixteen.
We all goto bars. And sometimes it's beer and wine.
And there is one screw up who wants to be cool
and drive himself home or drive you home.
But you gotta be smarter than that. Please.
There's nothing cool about being dead.

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