"(Lawn Sprinkler Pulsing)" "Ugh." "Hey, Mr. McAllister." "Not wasting any time, areyou, Tracy?" "You know what they say about the early bird." "Yeah, I do." "Good luck there, Tracy." "Thanks, Mr. M. I'll seeyou in class." "Yup, mm-hmm." "Tracy:" "None ofthis would've happened if Mr. McAllister hadn't meddled the way he did." "He should'vejust accepted things as they are, instead oftrying to interfere with destiny." "You see, you can't interfere with destiny." "That's why it's destiny." "And ifyou try to interfere, the same thing's just gonna happen anyway, and you'll just suffer." "Jim:" "It's hard to remember how the whole thing started, the whole election mess." "What I do remember is that I loved myjob." "I was a teacher, an educator, and I couldn't imagine doing anything else." "Boy:" "Mr. McAllister." "Mr. M!" "Quit daydreaming." "Get back to work." "Jim:" "The students knew it wasn'tjust ajob for me." "I got involved." "Put down the cards, boys!" "This game is over!" "Jim:" "And I cared." "Come on, Wolverines!" "Defense!" "Let's go!" "Jim:" "And I think I made a difference." "I knew I touched the students' lives during their diffiicult young adultyears." "And I took that responsibility seriously." "In the 1 2 years I taught U.S. history, civics, and current events at Carver," "I was voted Teacher ofthe Year 3 times." "A school record." "Teaching was all I'd everwanted to do." "Standing in front of a roomful ofyoung people, trying to get them excited about the world, trying to make them think, preparing them for the tough moral and ethical decisions that they'd face as adults, that's how I wanted to spend my life." "So is this a moral situation or an ethical situation?" "What's the difference between morals and ethics anyway?" "Anybody?" "Derek." "Yeah." "Ethics is like when you do what society tells you is right to do." "And morals..." "Yeah, yeah, you're on the right track." "Can anybody help him out?" "Michelle." "Morals are like..." "lessons." "You know, like the moral ofa story." "It's whatyou learn from a story or a fable." "Or a life experience." "Good." "And ethics?" "Um, ethics is how you use the morals thatyou learn from the story?" "Yeah, OK, but I thinkwe're missing something key here." "What are we missing?" "Tracy." "Ethics are rules ofconduct" "Jim:" "Tracy Flick." "Tracy Flick." "I'd seen a lot of ambitious students come and go over theyears, but Tracy Flick, she was a special case." "Tracy:" "Some people say I'm an overachiever, but I think they'rejustjealous." "My mom always tells me I'm different." "You know, special." "And ifyou look at all the things" "I've accomplished so far," "I thinkyou'd have to agree." "Here I am as Hodel in FiddlerOn The Roof." "[ding] Matchmaker, matchmaker, I'll bring the veil [ding] [ding]You bring the groom [ding]" "Tracy:" "And here I am on KCHS, our student-run TV station." "The littering must stop." "Tracy Flick reporting." "Tracy:" "But it was in the S.G.A., the Student Government Association, where I made my biggest mark." "I never missed a single meeting." "And I volunteered for every committee, as long as I could lead it." "I agree with Ashley!" "I thinkwe should rent the barrels ahead oftime because what happened last time was a travesty." "It was ridiculous, and I think it really reflected poorly on all ofus." "Jim:" "Now Tracy Flick was poised to win the presidency ofthe student body." "And so far, she was running unopposed." "Determined by a culture at a certain time in history." "Jim:" "Oh, there's one more thing about Tracy" "I thinkyou should know." "Her pussy gets so wet you can't believe it." "(Softly) Don't tell me that." "Don't tell me that." "I don't want to know that." "Jim:" "A few months before the election, she'd gotten herself in a little trouble with my best friend Dave Novotny." "[ding] Foxy[ding]" "Jim:" "Dave came to Carver theyear after I did, and we hit it offright away." "Dave was one ofthose guys who taught because they neverwanted to leave high school in the fiirst place." "But basically, he was a good guy." "Ourwives became best friends, too." "And when Dave and Linda's son Darryl was born, they asked us to be his godparents." "Tracy:" "You probably think the worst, that Mr. Novotnywas taking horrible advantage ofone ofhis students." "But it wasn't like that at all." "Our relationship was based on mutual respect and admiration." "I mean, during my sophomoreyear in geometry, it was strictly professional between us." "I mean, nothing." "It wasn't until junioryear when we worked together on theyearbook that things got kind ofserious." "One night he took us editors out to celebrate after a deadline." "Eventually, Dave and I were left alone, and we got to talking." "Not like teacher and student, but like 2 adults." "You know, Tracy," "I notice that you don't seem to have any close friends at Carver." "You seem to be kind ofa loner." "No, I'm not." "I'm just real busy." "Oh, no." "I know, I know it's not by choice." "I just mean that, that, well... being the kind ofperson you are, it must be really diffiicult foryou to fiind somebody you could talk to." "What doyou mean?" "What kind ofperson am I?" "Tracy, you know, I've been watching you for going on... 3 years now, and I thinkyou are one ofthe most talented, hard-working, sensitive, attractive, brilliant students I" "No." "Human beings I have ever met." "Thankyou." "And I know that sometimes people likeyou have to pay a price for their greatness." "And that price is loneliness." "I don't know." "maybe I'm wrong, but... itjust seems to me like you might need a friend." "Tracy:" "Since I grew up without a dad, you might assume, psychologically," "I was looking for a father fiigure." "But that had nothing to do with it at all." "It wasjust that Dave was so strong, and he made me feel so safe and protected." "It was the fiirst time somebody ever saw the real me, the me that nobody else knows." "OK, here." "Get down." "Get down." "[ding]You're once [ding] [ding]Twice [ding]" "[ding]Three times a lady[ding] [ding]And I loveyou [ding]" "[ding]Yes, you're once [ding] [ding]Twice [ding]" "[ding]Three times a lady[ding]" "(Slurp) [ding]And I loveyou [ding]" "(Gulp) [ding] I love [ding] [ding]You [ding]" "Tracy:" "When I think back on my relationship with Mr. Novotny, what I miss most is our talks." "You did it in your house?" "In your own house?" "OK, I know it seems crazy, but..." "Jim, what I'm trying to tell you is that..." "Tracy and I... are totally, totally... in love." " In love?" " Yeah." "It's serious." "She inspires me in ways that Linda never has." "She even wants to read my novel." "Butyou haven't written your novel." "That's the whole point!" "I--I've got the whole thing right here!" "I just need to get it out there." "And Tracywants me to write it so she can read it." "It's beautiful." "Dave..." "I'm just saying this as your friend." "Whatyou're doing is really, reallywrong, and you've gotta stop." "The lineyou've crossed is..." "It's immoral, and it's illegal." "Jim, come on." "I don't need a lecture on ethics." "I'm not talking about ethics." "I'm talking about morals." "What's the difference?" "Jim:" "I guess I don't have to tell you how this all turned out." "(Clears Throat)" "Tracy's mom... she doesn't understand." "No." "I'd say she doesn't." "Fact is, I have never seen a mother so upset." "(Sighs)" "All right." "I know what Tracy told her mother, what her mother told me." "I need to hear this from you because I have a legal responsibility here." "Let me askyou this." "Did you cross the line with this girl?" "I di" "W-We..." "We're in love." "Linda:" "Your novel?" "!" "Areyou fucking kidding me?" "Linda..." "Jim:" "After Dave got fiired," "Linda kicked him out ofthe house and filled for divorce." "He ended up moving back to Milwaukee to live with his parents." "He's lucky he's not injail." "Linda!" "And ethics are the basis of" "(Class Bell Rings)" "OK." "We'll pick up here next time." "Would it be possible for me to retake the test we tookyesterday?" "The testyesterday?" "You wanna retake it?" "Yeah." "I had to work the night before, and I didn't have enough time to study." "Oh, yeah?" "Tracy:" "Now that I have more life experience," "I feel sorry for Mr. McAllister." "I mean, anyone who's stuck in the same little room, wearing the same stupid clothes, same exact same things year afteryear for his whole life, while his students go on to good colleges and move to big cities and do great things" "and make loads ofmoney, he's gotta be at least a littlejealous." "I noticed it was a little low foryou." "Tracy:" "It's like my mom says:" "The weak are always trying to sabotage the strong." "One thing that's important to know about me is that I'm an only child, so my mom is really devoted to me." "And I love her so much." "She wants me to do all the things that she wanted to do in life but couldn't." "Mom used to be a stewardess for Northwest, and now she works as a paralegal." "She likes to write letters to successful women like Elizabeth Dole and Connie Chung and ask them how they got to be where they are and what advice do they have for me," "Tracy, her daughter." "9 times out of 1 0, they sayyou have to hold ontoyour dreams no matterwhat." "The pressures women face mean you have to work twice as hard, and you can't let anything or anyone stand in yourway." "Hey!" "Hey!" "One per person!" "Put those back!" "Eat me." "Tracy:" "Butyou know, winning isn't everything." "Win or lose, ethical conduct is the most important thing." "Just ask Mr. McAllister." "Mr. McAllister!" "Mr. McAllister, wait up!" "Mr. McAllister, don't go!" "I got all my signatures." "There's 1 58, way more than I need." "Hey, that's super." "Here they are." "Oh, you canjust put them in my box, and I'll take a look at them tomorrow." "Could you approve them now because I'd really like to kick offmy campaign right away, you know, in the morning." "Right." "Yeah, yeah." "Those look good to me." "Aren'tyou supposed to keep them?" "No." "That's fline." "I thoughtyou were supposed to keep them." "Yeah, right, fline, OK." "Thanks for everything." "You bet." "I can't wait to start campaigning." "What's that?" "I can't wait to start campaigning." "Oh." "Well, it should be easy foryou." "So far, no competition." "Yeah, butyou know, Coca-Cola's by far the world's number one soft drink, and they spend more money than anybody on advertising." "I guess that's how come they stay number one." "Yeah." "OK." "Well, good luck there, Tracy." "You know, Mr. M... when I win the presidency, that means you and I are gonna be spending a lot oftime together, and I for one would really like that time to be... harmonious and productive." "Wouldn'tyou?" "Sure." "OK." "That's what I thought." "I wasjust checking." "Yeah." "Good luck there, Tracy." "OK." "Jim:" "I don't blame Tracy forwhat happened with Dave." "How could I?" "Dave was an adult, more than twice her age." "Sure, she got on my nerves once in a while, but I admired Tracy." "I really did." "Thank God for Diane." "She was my best friend." "My source oflove and strength." "Oh, sure, we'd had our share ofbumpy times, but we'd always seen them through." "After 9 years ofmarriage, we were closer than ever." "Anything wrong?" "No." "No." "Just, you know, school." "Tracy:" "When I win the presidency, we're gonna be spending a lot oftime together." "Lots and lots and lots oftime." "President and advisor." "Harmonious and productive." "Close and special." "You...and I." "Woman:" "Hey, P.J ." "Man:" "What areyou doing here in the boys' locker room?" "I've come to see the star quarterback before the big game." "But what ifCoach Henderson walks in?" "Oh, that's OK." "I took care ofhim." "So, uh, whatyou reading?" "I'm just reviewing my playbook." "I have a playwe can practice." "You be quarterback." "I'll be tight end." "(Coughs)" "(Woman Grunting)" "Tracy:" "You know, Coca-Cola is by far the world's number one soft drink." "Paul." "Aah!" "Aah!" "Aaahhh!" "Aah!" "Paul:" "I was so mad at God when I broke my leg at Shadow Ridge over Christmas break." "Why?" "!" "The doctors told me I'd have to quit sports for at least a couple ofyears, ifnot forever, which meant no fiirst-string quarterback in the fall." "It was like the end ofmy life." "When I got back to school, everybodywas so supportive, and they all wanted to sign my cast and everything, but I still couldn't shake the feeling that now my life had no purpose." "What did God want from me?" "Why did I exist?" "Sometimes you can search everywhere for answers." "Then one day, destinyjust walks up and taps you on the shoulder." "I know because it happened to me." "Jim:" "Paul, can I speak toyou for a minute?" "Paul:" "Mr. McAllister changed my life." "And no matterwhat they say he did or did not do," "I believe he is a good man." "Paul, I knowyou've been pretty down sinceyour accident." "Yeah." "I wanted to play football again so bad" "I could taste it, and maybe go on to the playoffs and" "I know." "I understand disappointment." "I really do." "Yeah." "Now, I personally think you have a very bright future ahead ofyou." "And I'm not talking about the fleeting glory ofsports." "What doyou mean?" "Let me giveyou a clue." "You're a natural-born leader." "You're one ofthe most popular students at Carver." "You're honest, you're straightforward, and you don't crack under pressure, as we all saw in an amazing fourth quarter against Westside." "All the kids look up toyou." "Now, what does that spell?" "Student... council... president." "Who, me?" "Oh, no." "I..." "I don't know anything about that stuff, Mr. M." "I mean, besides, that's Tracy Flick's thing." "She's always working so hard." "Yeah." "She's a real go-getter, all right." "And she's super nice." "Yeah, yeah, but one person assured ofvictory kind ofundermines the whole idea ofdemocracy, don'tyou think?" "But, Mr. M" "I mean, that'd be more like a dictatorship like we studied." "But, Mr. M, there's" "Paul, what's your favorite fruit?" "Pears." "Pears." "Good." "OK." "Let's say" "Oh, no, wait." "Apples." "Apples." "Fine." "Let's say all you ever knew were apples." "Apples, apples, more apples." "You might think apples were pretty good, even ifyou got a rotten one once in a while." "But then one day... there's an orange." "And nowyou can make a decision." "Doyou want an apple or doyou want an orange?" "That's democracy." "I also like bananas." "(Class Bell Rings)" "Exactly." "Good." "So what doyou say?" "Maybe it's time to give a little something back." "How's that?" "I think that's..." "No.Just a little higher." "A little higher." "Is this OK?" "Eric, you can't put tape on the outside ofthe poster." "It goes on the back ofthe poster." "You betterjust take the whole thing down and redo it." "[ding]Aaah-a-a-aaaah [ding]" "Who putyou up to this?" "Oh, hi, Tracy." "Who putyou up to this?" "What doyou mean?" "Youjust woke up this morning and suddenly decided to run for president?" "No." "Um, no, I just thought that, uh" "Thought what?" "Well, I was talking to Mr. McAllister about my leg and how I still want to do something for the school and" "So Mr. McAllister asked you to run." "Well, um, I talked to him and everything, but hejust said that he thought it would be a good idea and how there's all different kinds offruits and, uh..." "It's nothing againstyou, Tracy." "I mean, you're the best." "Uh, I just thought, uh..." "OK." "You're on, Mr. Popular." "Tracy:" "You might think it upset me that Paul Metzler had decided to run against me, but nothing could be further from the truth." "He was no competition for me." "It was like apples and oranges." "(Loud Stamping)" "I had to work a little harder, that's all." "You see, I believe in the voters." "They understand that elections aren'tjust popularity contests." "(Clunk)" "They know this countrywas built by peoplejust like me who workvery hard and don't have everything handed to them on a silver spoon." "Not like some rich kids who everybody likes because their fathers own Metzler Cement and give them trucks on their 1 6th birthday and throw them big parties all the time." "No." "They don't ever have to work for anything." "They think they canjust, all ofa sudden, one day out ofthe blue waltz right in with no qualifiications whatsoever and try to take away what other people have worked for very, very hard their entire lives!" "No!" "Didn't bother me at all!" "(Stereo Playing Rock Music)" "Paul." "Paul power." "Paul..." "Paul for president." "Paul for president." "Promise." "Progress." "Peanut." "[ding]There's a place I know [ding] [ding]Whereyou can look down [ding]" "[ding]The air makes you feel light [ding] [ding]The air makes you feel right [ding]" "What?" "I told you." "I can't." "Itjust doesn't feel right anymore." "But I loveyou." "I said no." "(Knock On Door)" "Hey, Tammy, guess what happened today." "Don'tyou fucking knock?" "Yeah." "Oh, hi, Lisa." "Get out, Paul!" "Listen." "So Mr. McAllister, he calls me in, and he tells me" "I gotta go." "You dumb shit!" "What'd I do?" "Tammy:" "It's not like I'm a lesbian or anything." "I'm attracted to the person." "It'sjust that all the people I've ever been attracted to happen to be girls." "Lisa, wait!" "Stop!" "What?" "Whereyou going?" "I'm not likeyou, OK?" "What doyou mean?" "I'm not a dyke." "And we're not in love." "We werejust... experimenting." "(Engine Starts)" "Tammy:" "How can something that seemed so true turn out to be such a lie?" "Lisa and I were destined to be together." "Ofall the people in the planet who had ever lived, somehow we'd found each other." "It was like a miracle." "We had so much fun together, like the time we ate a bunch ofasparagus to see how long it takes beforeyour pee smells funny." "(Ding)" "It was very scientifiic." "For me, it was 1 1 minutes." "For her, it was 1 7." "Every day I found a new way to tell Lisa how much I loved her." ""Ifyoudiedrightnow," "I would throwmyselfunder one ofmy dad's cement trucks andgetpouredintoyourtomb. "" "But itjust seemed like the closerwe got, the more she pulled away." "Areyou crazy?" "What?" "These are private." "These are for us." "So?" "But other people can see them, too." "I don't care." "Well, I do." "Tammy:" "What did I do to make her change?" "What's wrong with me?" "Sometimes when I'm sad," "I sit and watch the power station." "They say ifyou lie between 2 ofthe main wires, your bodyjust evaporates." "You become a gas." "I wonderwhat that would feel like." "I don't know why, but Lisa decided she wanted to hurt me." "And she knew exactlywhat to do." "Paul:" "I sure was surprised the day Lisa Flanagan asked me for a ride home and ended up blowing me." "I've wanted this for so long." "I mean, life is so weird." "First, Lisa has a big flight with my sister, and the next thing you know, she's my girlfriend." "Since Lisa knew all about public relations and stuff, she offered to help me with my campaign." "We made a great team." "It seemed so natural, the two ofus together." "It was like a miracle." "My leg wasn't bugging me too much and the weatherwas so nice." "And every day after school" "Lisa and I would go to her house to fuck and have a hot tub." "Tammy:" "Ifthat's the way theywanted it, then that's the way it was gonna be." "But I wasn't going down without a flight." "(Jingling)" "Paul:" "Tammy?" "Tammy, what areyou doing?" "You're the advisor." "You should stop her." "She's not qualifiied." "She'sjust a sophomore." "Did you know that?" "Calm down, Tracy." "Just calm down." "We can't both run, can we?" "I mean, we're brother and sister." "Can we?" "It's a conflict ofinterest, and Paul was fiirst." "Anybodywho gets signatures in on time can run, and she got in just under the wire." "These are a bunch ofburnouts." "And what's this one?" "It's illegible." "I can't even read that." "That's Tim..." "Cobsa." "She's doing this to get back at me." "Forwhat?" "I mean, atyou." "Forwhat?" "Tim Cobsa?" "Tim Cobsa?" "Who's he?" "I've never even heard ofhim." "Look, why don't we just forget about Tammy?" "We'll have the assembly tomorrow." "Everybody can make their speeches, and I'm sure everything's gonna bejust fline." "Jim:" "Hey!" "Whee!" "Diane:" "Jim, don't." "You're scaring him." "Nah." "He likes it." "Not that much." "Jim:" "Around that time," "Diane and I were hanging out a lot at Linda Novotny's house, giving her our love and support and helping her make it through a diffiicult time." "(Baby Crying)" "Diane reallywanted to have kids, and so did I, but it seemed like there was always a reason to wait:" "She had to fiinish nursing school," "I had to get my master's, we needed a new house, we needed more money." "Finally, wejust decided to go for it." "You gonna do it?" "You gonna do it?" "Jim:" "And for over a year, we hadn't had any luck." "Come on." "Do it." "Do it." "Fill me up." "Come on." "Fill me up." "Fill me up." "(Groaning)" "OK." "Goodjob." "Linda:" "Say,Jim?" "(Baby Cries)" "Jim, can you get this?" "I can't." "Oh, yeah, sure." "Just put it on the table." "All right." "(Pop)" "Jim:" "Without Dave around," "Linda needed a lot ofhelp around the house." "Where doyou want it, here?" "No." "More this way." "Here?" "Uh, yeah." "That's good." "Jim:" "I had always liked Linda, but we'd never had a chance to spend any time alone together." "Oughta warm you up a little bit." "Now with Dave out ofthe picture," "I began to see what an incredibly sensitive and giving person she was." "We got to be kind oflike buddies." "I even took her to the mall one time while her carwas in the shop." "What doyou think?" "You look great." "I can't afford this stuffright now." "Ah, come on." "You've had a hard year." "You're cooped up all the time with the kid." "Let go." "Live a little." "You sure?" "Yeah." "So what doyou think?" "Should we get a room?" "Should we get a what?" "That's not funny." "(Music Soundtrack Slows To A Halt)" "(Door Slams)" "How'd it go?" "Fine." "You know... just went to Westerly's." "Did you guys have fun?" "Um... yeah." "No, I mean...you know." "What?" "Well, Linda's great, but she can be a little bit much sometimes." "Yeah." "Oh, God." "Oh,just like that." "Yeah." "Fill me up." "Fill me up." "Oh...yeah." "Fill me up." "Oh, God." "Just like that." "Oh, yeah." "Fill me up." "Diane:" "God." "Oh, God!" "Oh, God.Just like that." "Do it,Jim." "Fuck me." "Do it,Jim." "Just like that." "Do it,Jim." "Fill me up." "Just like that." "Do it, Mr. M." "Do it." "Fuck me, Mr. M. Fuck me!" "Fuck me hard, Mr. McAllister." "Harder!" "Harder!" "Fuck me, Mr. McAllister." "Fuck me hard!" "Harder!" "Fuck me!" "Please!" "Jim:" "So like I was saying, things were going prettywell in my life." "That is, until things started going all haywire with that damn election." "Boy, Haltingly:" "I love Carver High." "And I will be a dedicated vice president." "A vote forJerry Slavin is a vote for good government." "And even ifI can't really stand up foryou, I will." "(Laughter)" "Thankyou." "(Applause)" "Thankyou,Jerry." "Thankyou and good luck." "Again,Jerry is running unopposed forvice president." "So, we'll move on now to the presidential race with 3 candidates running." "The fiirst, in alphabetical order, is Tracy Flick." "Tracy?" "Poet Henry David Thoreau once wrote," ""I cannot make my days longer, so I strive to make them better."" "With this election, we here at Carver also have an opportunity to make our high school days better." "During this campaign, I've spoken with many ofyou aboutyour many concerns." "I spoke with Eliza Ramirez, a freshman who said she feels alienated from her own home room." "I spoke with sophomore Reggie Banks who said his motherworks in the cafeteria and can't afford to buy him enough spiral notebooks for his classes." "Eat me!" "Eat me raw!" "(Laughter)" "All right, now." "Hey, ifyou can't be adults and give these candidates the courtesy they deserve, then you don't deserve to be called adults but children because that's what children are, and you'll be treated like children." "So let's all listen up, huh?" "Tracy:" "I care about Carver, and I care about each and every one ofyou." "And together, we can all make a difference." "When you castyourvote forTracy Flick next week, you won'tjust be voting for me." "You'll be voting foryourself and for every other student here at Carver." "Our days might not be any longer, but they can sure be better." "Thankyou." "(Applause)" "The--The next candidate for student body president is Paul Metzler." "Paul?" "(Raucous Cheering)" "Woofwoofwoofwoof woofwoofwoofwoof!" "." " Whoo!" " Hey, Paul!" "Paul!" "(Girls Screaming)" "(Monotone) "As many ofyou know," "I broke my leg pretty bad this year, and the experience has made me reevaluate what I want to do with my life, and that is help people." "When you think about it, a school is more than a school." "It's our second home, where we spend all our time and grow as individuals in the community." "But is our school everything it could be?" "I want our school to reach its true potential." "That's why I'm running for president." "I know what it is to flight hard and win, like when we almost went to State last fall and I threw the fourth quarter pass against Westside for the touchdown that won the game by 3 points." "I won't letyou down like I didn't then, and I promise we can all score a winning touchdown together." "Vote Paul Metzler for president." "Thankyou."" "(Silence)" "(Applause)" "OK, Paul." "The fiinal candidate for student council president is another one ofthe Metzler clan, sophomore Tammy Metzler." "Tammy." "(Light Applause)" "(Boy Retches)" "(Laughter)" "(Hissing And Whistling)" "(Jeering)" "(Booing)" "Ha ha ha ha!" "People!" "People!" "(Murmuring)" "Who cares about this stupid election?" "(Murmuring,Jeering Stop)" "We all know it doesn't matter who gets elected president ofCarver." "Doyou really think it's gonna change anything around here, make one single person smarter or happier or nicer?" "The only person it does matter to is the one who gets elected." "The same pathetic charade happens everyyear, and everyone makes the same pathetic promises just so they could put it on their transcripts to get into college." "So vote for me because I don't even wanna go to college, and I don't care." "And as president, I won't do anything." "The only promise I will make is that, ifelected," "I will immediately dismantle the student government so that none ofus will ever have to sit through one ofthese stupid assemblies again!" "(Loud Cheering)" "Whoo!" "Yeah!" "Tammy!" "Tammy!" "Tammy!" "Tammy!" "Tammy!" "Tammy!" "Tammy!" "Tammy!" "Tammy!" "Tammy!" "Or don't vote for me!" "Who cares?" "!" "Don't vote at all!" "(Cheering)" "Close the door." "I tell you, that little bitch made a fool out ofus." "I want her out ofthis election." "I mean, getting everybody all riled up like that." "She is washed up, you understand me?" "She's fiinished." "Well, we can't throw her out ofthe election just because we don't like her speech." "That's not what student government is about." "Yeah, yeah, whatever." "Look, all I know is she's a troublemaker, she's on my list." "All we need to do is send a message." "So maybe, uh, we should just suspend her." "That's it. 3 days, she's suspended for 3 days." "Tammy:" "Being suspended is like getting a paid vacation." "Why do they think it's a punishment?" "It's likeyour dog pees on the carpet and you give him a treat." "Then you get in trouble for skipping school." "It's so stupid." "Hendricks told me, "One more time"" "and I'd be expelled." "Sounded good to me." "(Whistle Blows)" "(Bell Tolls)" "Oh, hi, Tammy." "What doyou want?" "Well, I went to all your teachers and gotyour assignments foryou." "I--I just thought, you know, last timeyou got suspended you fell so far behind, and I just didn't want to see that happen again." "Thanks, Paul." "Thanks a lot." "Sure." "You bet." "Now could you leave me alone?" "Oh, yeah." "Um," "Tammy, there'sjust one other thing." "You know all this election stuff, 'cause everybody's saying it's reallyweird thatyou're running against me and everything, and it is kind ofweird." "You haven't really told me whyyou're doing it and you didn't tell me in advance, but that's OK." "I respectyour privacy, it'sjust..." "I wantyou to know that no matterwho wins, you or me, there's no hard feelings." "We're still brother and sister, OK, even though you're adopted, 'cause I hopeyou feel the same." "Tracy:" "What happened at the speeches was an unconscionable travesty." "That little bitch Tammy Metzler wanted to make a fool out ofme." "Well, it wasn't gonna work." "Ifall those students who cheered forTammy Metzler only knew how hard I worked for Carver, like all the late nights I spend at theyearbook offiice just to give them their stinking memories." "One ofmy duties was to clean up the group photos." "It was a cinch with our new software." "People are so ungrateful." "[ding]Ahh-a-a-aah, aaah-a-a-aaah [ding]" "(Rock Music Playing)" "Aaagh!" "Aaagh!" "Aaagh!" "(Panting)" "(Tires Screech)" "(Engine Starting)" "Jim:" "The day before the election was when things started to get really complicated." "There's your culprit." "Linda had asked me to stop by on myway to school to help her out with a little plumbing problem." "Did you know Dave's a bed-wetter?" "No." "No, I--I didn't know that." "All his life." "He's tried everything." "Is that still running clear?" "Yeah." "Better let it run for a while." "OK." "Oh, wait." "Here." "This one's clean." "I guess you better get to work, huh?" "You're gonna be late." "Yeah." "(Whispering) Thankyou,Jim." "Jim:" "It was something thatjust happened." "Neither ofus expected it." "Neither ofus planned it." "But once we started, we knew there was no turning back." "It was a miracle." "Oh,Jim." "Hey, take me to that motel, likeyou wanted." "Now?" "Um, come by after school." "I'll leave Darryl with a sitter." "Oh. 3:25." "OK, 3:25." "(Engine Starts)" "Jim:" "What had blossomed between Linda and me was too real, too powerful to deny." "For the fiirst time in years," "I felt free and alive." "Woman:" "Hiya,Jim." "(Speaking In Italian)" "It's not fair, it'sjust not fair." "I just don't think somebody would do something like that on purpose." "It must be some sort ofmistake, like a maintenance thing." "Jim, where the hell haveyou been?" "Nowhere." "I--I don't have any classes till second period." "Well, I tried you at home, and we've got a situation here." "If Paul loses this election tomorrow, there has to be another one with posters." "Somebody tore down their posters." "Those posters cost us a lot ofmoney, and there's no time to make any more." "All right, we'll get to the bottom ofit." "We still have some extra ones, don't we?" "Maybe we couldjust use those." "It was Tammy." "That's who it was." "Oh, no." "Hey, like I said, shejust wouldn't do something like that." "Well, that speech that she gave, you know, it was pretty" "It was out there." "But we'll get to the bottom ofit." "I wantyou two to go back," "I wantyou to focus on your studies." "Mr. McAllisterwill handle the whole thing." "Right,Jim?" "What's that?" "Oh, yeah." "Sure, yeah, you bet." "Tracy." "Tracy, come on in." "Close the door behind you." "Have a seat." "I guess you know whyyou're here." "Ifit's about the posters," "I think it's awful." "I think it's a travesty." "Travesty, huh?" "Well, that's interesting, because I thinkyou did it." "What?" "Areyou accusing me?" "You're not serious." "Mr. McAllister, we've worked together on the S.G.A. for 3 solid years." "Besides, my own best banner was torn down." "Did I do that, too?" "Wereyou orwereyou not working in the Looking Glass Offiice over the weekend?" "I was." "So?" "Mr. Paterno let me in." "As you know, with my many responsibilities," "I often have to come in on the weekend." "And I have permission to do so." "But I left very early, around 6:30." "6:30. 6:30?" "How doyou know what time the posters were torn down?" "I don't." "I just know that theywere there when I left." "I'm giving you helpful information, that's all." "You know, instead ofwasting your time interrogating me," "we should be out there trying to fiigure out who did this." "OK, Tracy." "Who doyou think did it?" "Whom should we interrogate?" "Well, I don't know." "You know, it could have been anybody." "There's a lot ofsubversive elements here at Carver, like RickThiessen or Kevin Speck and those burnouts." "Orwhat about Tammy Metzler?" "I mean, herwhole thing is being anti-this and anti-that." "Tracy, you're a very intelligent girl." "You have a lot of admirable qualities." "But one day maybeyou'll learn that being smart and doing whateveryou need to do to get ahead and, yes, stepping on other people to get there, well, there's a whole lot more to life than that." "And, in the end, you're only cheating yourself." "Why areyou lecturing me?" "This isn't the time or the place to get into it." "But there is, forjust one example, a certain former colleague ofmine who made a very big mistake, a life mistake." "Now, I think the lesson here is that, old oryoung, we all make mistakes." "And we have to learn that our actions, all ofthem, can carry serious consequences." "Mm-hmm." "I don't know whatyou're referring to, but maybe ifcertain older, wiser people hadn't acted like such little babies and gotten so mushy, then everything would be OK." "I agree, and I also think that certain young and naive people need to thank their lucky stars and be very, very grateful the entire school didn't fiind out about certain indiscretions that could've ruined their reputations" "and their chances to win certain elections." "And I think certain older people, likeyou and your colleague, shouldn't be letching after their students, especiallywhen some ofthem can't even get their own wives pregnant, and they certainly shouldn't be making slanderous accusations," "especiallywhen certain young, naive people's mothers are paralegal secretaries at the city's biggest law fiirm and have won many successful lawsuits." "And ifyou want to keep questioning me like this," "I won't continue without my attorney present." "(Knock On Door)" "You wanted to see me, Mr. McAllister?" "Just wait outside, Tammy." "OK, but is this about the posters?" "Possibly." "Please, just wait outside." "OK, because I know who did it." "So, I'll just be outside." "Don't go anywhere, Tracy." "Tammy, come on in here." "This ought to be good." "So, what doyou have to tell me, Tammy?" "Well, this is hard for me, but I think it's important to be honest, don'tyou?" "Yeah." "What is it, Tammy?" "I did it." "I'm the one who tore down Paul's posters." "I did it." "When did you do it?" "I don't know-- Yesterday, Sunday." "How'd you get into the school?" "Doorwas open." "Which door?" "I don't know." "All I know is I did it." "Well, I don't believeyou." "I have proof." "[ding]Aaah-a-a-aaah [ding] [ding]Aaah-a-a-aaaah [ding]" "[ding]Aaah-a-a-a-aaaah [ding]" "Tracy?" "Yes?" "Looks like today's your lucky day." "You're offthe hook." "Tammy here has confessed." "I told you." "I told you." "You're gonna pay for my poster!" "OK, easy, now, now, quit whileyou're ahead, will you, Tracy?" "Just run along." "Back to class." "Jim:" "The rest of the daywas unbearable." "I kept smelling Linda on my clothes and my fiingers, and I just couldn't wait to get out ofthere." "I wanted everything to be perfect that afternoon at the motel." "So I decided to give myself a little time to prepare during eighth period." "Pop quiz, everybody." "(Class Groans)" "Putyour stuffaway." "Come on, no whining." "Ifyou've doneyour reading, this should be an easy one." "Jim:" "I'd have exactly 48 minutes to make all the arrangements." "Ifyou fiinish early, just sit quietly and checkyourwork." "I'll be right back." "(Tires Screech)" "OK, everybody." "Pass 'em forward." "Stephanie, put your pen down." "Stop." "(Bell Rings)" "All right, seeyou all on Wednesday." "Don't forget to vote tomorrow." "(Doorbell Rings)" "(Whistles)" "(Doorbell Rings)" "Linda." "Linda." "Linda!" "Linda!" "Linda." "(Bee Buzzes)" "Ow!" "Ow.Jesus." "Oh, fuck." "Linda On Machine:" "Hi." "You've reached the Novotnys." "We're not around, but we'll call you back real soon." "Have a nice day." "(Beep)" "Hey, Linda, it's me." "Areyou there?" "Pick up." "Um, OK, well, it's, uh, it's 4:32, and, uh, I came by at 3:25, like we said, and, uh, I waited there, but, um," "you weren't there, so, so now" "I'm at--at the place that we talked about, suite 246, and I'm here." "Everything's all set, so, uh, hopeyou get here soon." "OK." "Bye-bye." "I don't get it." "I just don't get it." "Whatyou have against your mother and me, againstyour brother Paul, is completely beyond me." "Your mother's extremely upset, she's at the end ofher rope." "Your behavior keeps getting crazier and crazier and wilder and wilder." "Who knows what the hell else you're doing out there that we don't even know about." "Wejust had a long conversation with Walt Hendricks." "Just got offthe phone with him at his home." "You know he doesn't wantyou back at Carver." "He's fed up with you." "Fed up, and I don't blame him." " Dick, Dick." " What?" "Tammy, your father and I have been talking, and we've come to a decision that we" "You're going to Immaculate Heart." "That's whereyou belong." "Maybe the nuns will be able to straighten you out." "Is that funny?" "You think it's funny?" "(Baby Coughing)" "(Cooing)" "(Soft Crying)" "OK." "Tracy:" "Dear LordJesus," "I do not often speakwith You and ask for things, but now I really must insist that You help me win the election tomorrow, because I deserve it and Paul Metzler doesn't, as You well know." "I realize that it was Your divine hand that disqualifiied Tammy Metzler, and now I'm asking that You go that one last mile and make sure to put me in offiice where I belong so that I may carry out Yourwill on Earth" "as it is in heaven." "Amen." "Tammy:" "Dear God," "I know I don't believe in You, but since I'll be starting Catholic school soon," "I thought I should at least practice." "Let's see, what do I want?" "I want Lisa to realize what a bitch she is and feel really bad and apologize for how she hurt me and know how much I still love her." "In spite ofeverything, I still want Paul to win the election tomorrow, not that cunt Tracy." "Oh, and I also want a really expensive pair ofleather pants, and someday I want to be really good friends with Madonna." "Love, Tammy." "Paul:" "Dear God, thankyou for all Your blessings." "You've given me so many things, like good health, nice parents, a nice truck, and what I'm told is a large penis, and I'm very grateful." "But I sure am worried about Tammy." "In my heart I still can't believe she tore down my posters, but sometimes she does get so weird and angry." "Please help her be a happier person because she's so smart and sensitive and I love her so much." "Also, I'm nervous about the election tomorrow and I guess I want to win and all, but I know that's totally up to You." "You'll decide who the best person is and I'll accept it, and forgive me for my sins, whatever they may be." "Amen." "Jim:" "Linda never came home that night." "I know, because I spent 1 0 hours waiting outside her house." "(Groaning)" "Oh, God." "Tracy:" "On election day, my mom and I got up really early, and togetherwe customized 480 cupcakes." "Good morning, Mr. M." "Looks likeyou could use a cupcake." "Hey, what happened toyour eye?" "Areyou OK?" "" Mr. McAllister," "Mr. McAllister, somebody tore down my posters." "It's not fair, it's not fair." "Can I have an 'A'?" "Can I have a recommendation?" "Can I, can I?"" "Fuck them." "(Ring)" "Linda On Machine:" "Hi." "You've reached the Novotnys." "We're not around, but we'll call you back real soon." "Have a nice day." "(Beep)" "Why did you do that?" "I trusted you completely." "And you ruined my life, doyou know that?" "Doyou realize that?" "Huh?" "Doyou?" "You ruined Diane's life-- You ruined my life, is that whatyou wanted?" "I'm sorry--I'm sorry, I'm just--I'm going nuts here, and I really thinkwe should talk." "It'sJim." "I loveyou." "Attention, everyone." "We have an important announcement from our principal, Dr. Hendricks." "(Coughs)" "Good morning, students." "It, uh, behooves me to inform you ofan important change in today's election." "Effective this morning sophomore Tammy Metzler has been" " Metzler has been determined ineligible, I repeat, ineligible for S.G.A. president." "All other candidates are eligible." "You may, uh, vote for any ofthose, but not Tammy Metzler." "Tracy:" "When the time came to cast ourvotes," "I stood in line just like everyone else." "Hi, Tracy." "Tracy Enid Flick." "I know." "Thankyou." "Ready, Phil?" "Phil:" "Yeah, ready." "Thanks, Phil." "Oh, hey, Tracy." "Hi, Paul." "Isn't this exciting?" "Mm-hmm." "Well, good luck." "Thanks, Paul." "You, too." "Oh, thanks!" "Paul:" "It's so weird." "Do people alwaysjust vote for themselves?" "'Cause looking at my own name on the ballot" "I just..." "I don't know," "I just felt like it's not right to vote foryourself." "(Door Opens)" "Ok, Mr. M." "All right." "So... let's start counting." "OK, well, as the election committee chairman," "I'll do the fiirst count." "And then you can do the second count, you know, for the 2 independent counts." "Fine." "So doyour count." "Start with president, and I'll be right back." "You have the key, Mr. McAllister." "Right." "Areyou OK, Mr. McAllister?" "Yeah." "What happened toyour eye?" "I'm fline!" "It'sjust a bee sting." "A simple little everyday bee sting." "Some people can get stung, it's no big deal." "Me--I swell up." "There's not much time left until eighth period." "I have other things going on, too, you know." "Yeah." "OK." "We know." "All right." "I'll be right back." "Answering Machine:" "Hi." "You've reached the Novotnys." "We're not around, but we'll call you back real soon." "Have a nice day." "(Beep)" "Uh, it's me again." "I'm sorry for all the messages, but, uh..." "Linda, ifI could just hearyourvoice." "Ifyou'd only acknowledge that I" "(Phone Is Picked Up)" "Linda:" "What doyou want,Jim?" "You're there." "Yeah, I'm here." "Linda, I loveyou." "(Linda Sighs)" "Don't say that." "You know it's not true." "It's the only true thing I know anymore." "We made a mistake." "Let's not make it worse." "A mistake?" "That was no mistake!" "I was lonely." "You took advantage." "Me?" "!" "I took advantage ofyou?" "You hugged me!" "You kissed me!" "You're the one who" "(Linda Hangs Up)" "Hey, Mr. M, big day, huh?" "Not now, Paul." "What haveyou got?" "Well, I'm not supposed to tell." "Not until you've counted, too." "We're each supposed to make an independent count." "You're kidding, right?" "Well, I thought those were the rules," "Mr. McAllister." "Ifthey've changed in anyway, I can" "Larry, we're not electing the fucking pope here." "Just tell me who won." "It's a squeaker, Mr. M." "I've got Tracy by a vote." "Just one vote." "Mr. M?" "All right." "OK." "Well, guess I better do my count." "Yay!" "Yay!" "Yay!" "Jim:" "I was at the end of my count when it happened." "I'd come up with exactly the same numbers as Larry:" "256 to 257." "Tracy had won the election by a single vote." "(Sighs)" "I was about to announce my tallywhen... the sight ofTracy at that moment affected me in a way I can't fully explain." "Part ofit was that she was spying." "But mostly it was her face." "Who knew how high she would climb in life?" "How many people would suffer because ofher?" "I had to stop her... now." "(Coughs)" "Larry?" "Yeah?" "I thinkwe have a problem." "253, 254, and 255." "Yep, I get the same as you,Jim." "Looks like Paul's our next president." "Larry:" "No way!" "I-I-It doesn't make sense." "Well, sorry, Larry, but my fiigures work out exactly the same as Mr. McAllister's." "I get, uh, 256 for Paul, 255 forTracy." "And 290 disregards, right?" "Ifyou say so." "MostlyTammy fans, ifyou can believe it." "See?" "It doesn't add up." "There were 801 ballots, but 803 people voted." "Well, there must be 2 votes missing." "Check the register." "He's right. 2 people must have pocketed their ballots." "Usually there's more." "But theywere there." "I counted 803 votes." "It happens, Larry." "People make mistakes." "I didn't make a mistake." "Everyvote was there when you sat down." "Easy, Falch." "I don't like whereyou're going." "I'm sorry, Dr. Hendricks, but everyvote was accounted for." "Falch, that's enough." "End ofstory." "(Trumpet Fanfare)" "Paul?" "I just want to letyou know that no matterwhat happens and how this turns out, you've run a really great campaign." "Good luck." "Well, thanks, Tracy." "You, too." "I'm just glad it's over." "Jim:" "Ifwe canjust get started." "People." "People." "As soon as the winners are announced, we can all go home, OK?" "Some contests are... are so well-fought that it seems unfair for someone to win... (Thinks) Act surprised." "Walk slowly to the podium." "Be modest." "Thank them for this incredible honor." "They're all highly qualifiied and embody the, uh, integrity that we expect from the school leadership." "That said, the whole point ofan election is to chose a winner, and thatyou have done." "We'll begin with president." "I'djust like to add that this was an extraordinarily close race." "It is my pleasure to announce the next president ofGeorge Washington Carver High School..." "Paul Metzler." "(Cheers And Applause)" "Jeez, you guys, thanks." "Wow!" "Thanks." "I promise to do my best and do a really goodjob and be a good president." "I just want to thank, uh, Lisa Flanagan for being a super campaign manager." "I'd also like to say... (Inaudible)" "It's Mr. M." "Yes, over there." "Yeah, come on." "Paul:" "Wow, Mr. M. This is so wild." "We werejust here, uh, you know, celebrating myvictory, and you're here." "This is incredible." "This is great." "Well, these are my parents." "Hi, Dick Metzler." "Jim McAllister." "Jo Metzler." " How doyou do?" "Paul just thinks the world ofyou." "I mean, you should hear him." "He goes on and on and on." "Yeah, apparently you've really come behind him, really helped him out with that student council thing and all." "Oh, well--well, Paul doesn't need any help from me." "He's--He's going places." "You should be very proud." "Jo:" "Oh, we are." "Hey, look, you're all alone." "Why don'tyou come over andjoin us?" "Dick:" "Yeah." "Yeah, come on." "Oh, I'm just fiinishing up here." "I've gotta get home." "Oh, well, uh, why don'tyou guys go sit down, and, uh... you know, I'll catch up with you in a minute." "I'm going to talk to Mr. M about some important stuff, all right?" "Dick:" "All right." "That sounds great." " Hey, sure nice to meetyou." " Great to meetyou." " Pleasure." " So nice, and thankyou." "Jim:" "You bet." "So, Mr. M, I was starting to think about, you know, some ideas forwhat we could do." "I was thinking it would be cool to have a carnival." "You know, with rides and stuff." "And it could be for, like, muscular dystrophy." "And then on Halloween, a haunted house." "You know, a really good haunted house, not those cheesy bad ones." "You know, I mean, this one would be super-scary." "And then for homecoming, well, you know how lastyear's theme was " Heaven On Earth"?" "Well, this year" "Paul, we'll have plenty of time to talk about this later." "A wholeyear, in fact." "But right now, I'djust..." "I need to fiinish my pie, go on home." "Yeah, OK." "Sorry." "Uh, Mr. M, just one more thing." "So, uh, doyou think Tracy's gonna be OK?" "I mean, I saw her face after the assembly." "It looked like she was taking it pretty hard." "Don't worry about Tracy." "She'll be fline." "Oh, sweetheart." "Oh, baby." "Baby." "Oh, baby." "Take one ofmy pills." "You'll feel better." "Here." "Come on, baby." "Come on." "Lie down." "Lie down." "That's a good girl." "Lie down." "Good girl." "That's--That's it." "That's it, baby." "That's it, honey." "Maybeyou needed more posters, honey." "Or ifyou'djust taken my suggestions aboutyour speech." "I don't know." "We'll fiigure it out." "Diane." "I--I made a mistake and I..." "Did you want the same room?" "Yeah, OK." "(Coins Drop)" "[ding] It's a beautiful day[ding]" "Jim:" "The next day, I woke up resolved to get my life back on track." "The way I saw it, Diane's kicking me out ofthe house had been a good thing, a wake-up call." "It wasn't a setback." "It was an opportunity." "I fiigured wejust needed a little time to work things out." "The election was behind me, and the worst was over." "After all, what harm had really been done?" "Nobodywas dead." "Jim?" "(Whistles)Jim?" "!" "Yeah." "Walt wants to seeyou." "OK, thanks." "You r-- rang?" "Mr. McAllister," "I hopeyou can help us clear something up." "(Woman).Yo?" " Pierdo." ".Tu?" " Pierdes." ".El, ella, usted?" "Pierde." ".Nosotros?" "Pierdemos." "Gracias." "Teacher:" "Se[n~]orPresidente." "Quieren verte enla ofiicina." "Huh?" "(Knock On Door)" "Dr. Hendricks?" "Uh, come on in, son." "We have something... hard we have to tell you." "Is it about Tammy?" "It's about the election." "Jim:" "After Paul got the bad news," "Walt asked for a few minutes alone with me." "It was very simple, really." "I offered my resignation, and he accepted." "Very quietly, it was all over forJim McAllister at Carver High." "Suddenly everyone knew who I was-- that corrupt teacher who had tried to crush the dreams ofan innocent girl." "Overnight, all the good things I had ever done in my life evaporated." "Soon the wire services picked up on the story." "It was the kind ofabsurd news item people E-mail each other or post on the bulletin board at work." "To top it all off, Diane had started divorce proceedings." "She was completely unforgiving about the thing with Linda." "In the end, she took almost everything, including the house." "I got the car." "Then one day," "I realized it was time to get out ofOmaha and move on." "Paul:" "Senioryearwas great." "Sure, I didn't get to play ball or be president, but I got elected homecoming king and prom king." "I got into Nebraska, like I wanted, and early rushed PhiDelts." "And at the end oftheyear, me and my buddies threw a bitchin' Mexican party down at the cement plant." "Shit, that was a good party." "The only really bad thing about senioryearwas Lisa." "Right before Christmas, she dumped me." "One minute, she's totally in love with me, and then boom, she goes after my football buddy Randy." "Sometimes I wonder what would have happened ifI had actuallywon the election." "Maybe mywhole life would be different." "Like I might never have gone to Yosemite with Greg and Travis." "Or maybe I'd be dead." "[ding]Alleluia [ding]" "Tammy:" "Catholic school was great." "I mean, the teachers kind ofsucked, and theywere supposedly way more strict." "Butyou could get away with murder." "The best thing about Immaculate Heart was meetingJennifer." "[ding]JenniferJuniper[ding] [ding] Lives up on the hill [ding] [ding]JenniferJuniper[ding] [ding] Sitting very still [ding]" "[ding] Is she sleeping [ding]" "Tammy:" "Jennifer and I are soul mates and we're never, ever, ever going to be apart." "[ding]JenniferJuniper[ding]" "Order!" "Order." "Order!" "Tracy:" "Senioryearwas very productive for me." "Let's vote on this issue." "On top ofa very successful student council year," "I was in the top seventh percentile ofmy graduating class." "Opposed?" "And I got into Georgetown, like I wanted, with scholarships." "Approved." "But sometimes I got lonely, and I'd think about Dave." "I missed our talks." "Maybe it could have worked out between us." "I don't know." "I wonderwhat he's doing now." "Maybe he fiinally fiinished his novel." "Butyou know, even with all my myriad accomplishments and bright future, somehow I just didn't feel the wayyou're supposed to feel." "Everybody else seemed so happy, planning big parties and signing each other's yearbooks." "Hardly anybody signed mine." "You'd think as student body president," "I'd be the one surrounded by friends." "But it wasn't like that at all." "Man:" "Brittany Blake Fillmore." "Tracy:" "As far as Mr. McAllisterwas concerned, you might be surprised, but I hardly thought about him at all anymore." "Besides, nobody had heard from him in a long time." "It was almost like he'd never existed in the fiirst place." "Man:" "Tracy Enid Flick." "Tracy:" "When I got to Georgetown," "I thought I'd fiinally be among people who were like me." "You know, smarter, more ambitious people." "I was sure that fiinally I'd make some true friends." "(All Talking At Once)" "Excuse me!" "Would you please be quiet?" "!" "Tracy:" "It wasn't like that at all." "A lot ofthem werejust spoiled little rich kids who didn't know how lucky they had it." "That's OK." "I've come to accept that very few people are truly destined to be special, and we're solo fliers." "I guess it really is like Dave said," ""Ifyou're gonna be great, you've got to be lonely."" "(Loud Talking)" "Jim:" "What happens to a man when he loses everything?" "Everything he's worked for." "Everything he believes in." "Driven from his home, cast out ofsociety, how can he survive?" "Where can he go?" "Right this way." "Jim:" "New York City." "For centuries, people have come to New York seeking refuge from their troubled lives." "Now I am one ofthem." "Besides, I'd always dreamed ofliving in New York." "All that excitement and culture." "Living in the city brings surprises all the time." "Once in a while, I even bump into former students ofmine from Carver." "Oh, sure, my apartment's a little smaller than what I was used to back in Omaha, and the rent's pretty darn steep, but it's got a lot ofcharacter." "And I'm cozy enough." "Besides, it's great not needing a car." "And I get a lot ofreading done on the subway." "Some days I even walk to work." "Thejob market is pretty tight in New York, but after hunting around for a while," "I fiinally landed a position in the education department at the Museum of Natural History." "That's right." "I'm teaching again." "When a school brings its students to the museum on a fileid trip, there's a staffof both volunteer docents and trained educators like myself... who pick up where the classwork leaves off." "And I've started seeing someone new." "Her name isJillian." "She works at the museum, too, in Signs and Signage." "She's really different from Diane, and, I don't know," "I've never met anyone quite like her." "Shejust got out of a long relationship, too, so we're trying to take it slow." "You might ask ifI ever saw Tracy Flick again." "Well, I did." "Just once." "I was down in Washington for a museum educator's conference, and I stayed an extra day to do some sightseeing." "After an inspiring morning on the Mall," "I was on myway to the Holocaust Museum when..." "I'll never know ifshe saw me." "Probably not." "But in that moment, all the bad memories, all the things I'd ever wanted to say to her, it all came flooding back." "My fiirst impulse was to run over there, pound on herwindow, and demand that she admit she tore down those posters and lied and cheated herway into winning that election." "But, instead, I just stood there." "And I suddenly realized I wasn't angry at her anymore." "I just felt sorry for her." "I mean, when I think about my new life and all the exciting things I'm doing, and then I think about what her life must be like-- probably still getting up at 5:00 in the morning" "to pursue her pathetic little dreams-- itjust makes me sad." "I mean where is she really trying to get to anyway?" "What is she doing in that limo?" "Who the fuck does she think she is?" "!" "(Tires Screech)" "Man:" "Hey, you!" "Hey!" "You asshole!" "Jim:" "But that's all ancient history now." "I've got a whole new life." "I mean, that's what's great about America." "You can always start over." "So would that make this an igneous rock or a sedimentary rock?" "What's the difference between igneous and sedimentary anyway?" "Jim:" "Anybody?" "[ding] I want to know how love began [ding] [ding] I want to go to school again [ding] [ding] Ifyou'll be [ding] [ding]The teacher[ding]" "[ding] Long before the school bells chime [ding] [ding] I'll be there ahead oftime [ding] [ding]Just to see my teacher[ding] [ding] Start right from the fiirst ofit [ding]" "[ding] Don't miss a thing [ding] [ding] I want to get [ding] [ding]All the facts, then I'll know what to do [ding] [ding]When we graduate, I'll hold you tight [ding]" "[ding]Then you'll know you taught me right [ding] [ding]Teacher, teacher, I'm in love with you [ding]" "[ding] Ifyou'll be [ding] [ding]The teacher[ding]" "[ding] Ifyou'll be [ding] [ding]The teacher[ding] [ding] Start right from the fiirst ofit [ding] [ding] Don't miss a thing [ding] [ding] I want to get [ding]" "[ding]All the facts, then I'll know what to do [ding] [ding]When we graduate, I'll hold you tight [ding] [ding]Then you'll know you taught me right [ding]" "[ding]Teacher, teacher[ding] [ding] I'm in love with you [ding]"