#mr fleming

VINCENT (sung): 

I wanted someone strong who could protect me. 

I let her anger fester and infect me. 

Her solution is a lie. 

No one here deserves to die except for me and the monster I created. 

Yeah! Yeah! 

Heads up, JD, I'm a dead boy walking! 

 ALL BUT VINCENT (chanted): 

 Hey yo Westerberg! 

VINCENT:  

Can't hide from me, 

I'm your dead boy walking! 

 ALL BUT VINCENT (chanted): 

Hey yo Westerberg! 

VINCENT: 

And there's your final bell, (school bell rings) 

It's one more dance and then farewell, 

Cheek to cheek in hell with a dead boy walkin'! 

(H MCNAMARA chanting with the cheering team behind him) 

H MCNAMARA 

Oh oh oh 

Come on, Westerberg! 

Oh oh oh 

Here we go, Here we go now! 

MR. FLEMING (spoken): 

Vincent! Jaclyn Dean told us you'd just committed suicide! 

VINCENT (spoken): 

Yeah, well, she's wrong about a lot of things. 

MR. FLEMING: 

I threw together a lovely tribute, especially given the short notice. 

VINCENT: 

Mr. Fleming, what's under the gym? 

MR. FLEMING: 

The boiler room? 

VINCENT: 

That's it! 

MR. FLEMING: 

Vincent, what's going on? 

VINCENT (sung): 

Got no time to talk 

I'm a dead boy walking! 

STUDENTS (chanted): 

Hey yo Westerberg! 

Tell me what's that sound? 

Here comes Westerberg 

Comin' to put you in the ground! 

Go go Westerberg! 

Give a great big yell! 

Westerberg will knock you out 

And send you straight to hell! 

(The boiler room. JD is planting a bomb. VINCENT enters)  

VINCENT (spoken): 

A Norwegian in the boiler room... just like your mom 

JD (spoken):  

And here I thought you lost your taste for faking suicides  

VINCENT (spoken): 

Step away from the bomb 

JD (spoken): 

This little thing? I'd hardly call this a bomb. 

This is just to set off the packs of thermals upstairs in the gym. 

Those are bombs. 

People are going to see the ashes of Westerberg 

And say there's a school that self-destructed not because society didn't care, 

But because that school was society. 

The only place Hunters and Martins can truly get along is in Heaven! 

VINCENT (sung): 

I wish your dad had been a little stronger. 

I wish he stayed around a little longer. 

I wish your mom were good! 

I wish grown-ups understood! 

I wish we met before they convinced you life is war! 

I wish you'd come with me— 

JD:

I wish I had more TNT! 

(WHAM! Vincent punches JD across her face. In shock, JD drops the gun) 

JD (spoken): 

Aah! Jesus! 

(JD and Vincent scramble for the gun) 

STUDENTS (chanted):  

Hey yo Westerberg! 

Tell me what's that sound? 

Here comes Westerberg 

Comin' to put you in the ground! 

Go go Westernberg! 

Give a great big yell! 

Westerberg will knock you out 

And send you straight to-!  

(BANG! They lock eyes. Someone just got shot.) 

JD (spoken): Was it good for you? Cos it kinda sucked for me... 

J.D. [Spoken] Think. Long and hard. Conjure him up in your mind. What would he say? What is his final statement to a cold, uncaring planet?

VINCENT (Writing) “Dear world… Believe it or not, I knew about fear; I knew the way loneliness stung. I hid behind smiles and crazy hot clothes; I learned to kiss girls with my tongue.”

J.D. That’s good.

VINCENT “But oh, the world, it held me down; it weighed like a concrete prom king crown.”

(Dead Hunter Chandler sits up. Only Vincent sees him)

H CHANDLER No one thinks a wealthy boy has feelings. No one gets his insecurity. I am more than credit cards and hair gel. No one sees the me inside of me. [Spoken] Jesus, you’re making me sound like Air Supply.

J.D. Keep going. This has to be good enough to fool the cops.

(Two Policemen, McCord and Milner, investigate the crime scene)

MCCORD Whoa! Is it murder?

MILNER No, look. Here’s a suicide note.

VINCENT, HUNTER, COPS “They couldn’t see past my rockstar mystique, They wouldn’t dare look in my eyes. But just underneath was a terrified boy who clings to his pillow and cries! My looks were just like prison bars; they’ve left me a myriad of scars.”

H CHANDLER “Myriad.” Nice.

(The COPS hand the suicide note to Principal Gowan)

VINCENT, HUNTER, COPS “No one thinks a wealthy boy substance. That’s the curse of popularity.”

(Gowan reads the note aloud)

PRINCIPAL GOWAN “I want more in life than handjobs.”

VINCENT, HUNTER, GOWAN, COPS “No one sees the me inside of me.”

(The COPS exit. GOWAN joins FLEMING, RIPPER and some FACULTY)

PRINCIPAL GOWAN [Spoken] Hunter Chandler is not your everyday suicide.

COACH RIPPER You should cancel classes.

PRINCIPAL GOWAN No way, Coach. I send the kids home before lunch and the switchboard’ll light up like a Christmas tree.

MR. FLEMING Our children are dying. I suggest we get everyone into the cafeteria and just talk. And feel. Together.

PRINCIPAL GOWAN Thank you, Mr. Fleming. Call me when the shuttle lands.

MR. FLEMING I’m telling you we all misjudged Hunter Chandler. This is the loveliest suicide note I’ve ever read.

MR. FLEMING & H CHANDLER “Box up my clothing for Goodwill and give the poor my Nordic track. Donate my car to crippled kids, or to those ghetto dads on crack! Donate my hats and my CDs, my shoes, my rings, my three TVs!”

H CHANDLER, FACULTY “No one thinks a wealthy boy has feelings; but I weep for all I failed to be. Maybe I can help the world by leaving; Maybe that the me inside of me.”

PRINCIPAL GOWAN Aw, hell. Long weekend for everybody!

(Teachers cheer, as do arriving students)

MR. FLEMING Not so fast, kids. They’re refueling the buses, which gives us a solid half-hour of healing. I’ve mimeographed copies of the suicide note so you can feel Hunter’s anguish.

H MCNAMARA I never knew about his pain.

MR. FLEMING Go on!

HIPSTER DORK His life had really left him sick.

MR. FLEMING Feel!

YOUNG REPUBLICAN Deep down he wasn’t cruel or vain -

MR. FLEMING Heal!

KIDS He didn’t mean to be dick!

MR. FLEMING Vincent, you’re very quiet. What’s on your mind.

VINCENT Uh, maybe Hunter realized that in order to be happy he had to give up his power. And the only way to do that was… death.

MR. FLEMING My God. Look what we’ve done. We’re breaking through! Hunter would be so proud of you!

KIDS And you! And you! And you! And you!

EVERYBODY No one thinks a wealthy boy can touch you…

NEW WAVE GUY Hunter touching me…

EVERYBODY But he made our life here not so dim. Hunter’s dead, but he will live inside me, and I’ll be the me inside of him…

H CHANDLER Holy crap! This is awesome!

EVERYBODY Hunter cried, our sins fell on his shoulders!

H CHANDLER Jesus Christ!

EVERYBODY Hunter died, so we could all be free!

H CHANDLER I’m bigger than Jane Lennon!

KIDS Hunter’s gone, but he will live forever!

MARTIN He’s the dove that sings outside my window!

STALKER GEEK He’s the twin from whom I’m separated!

SCENE KID He’s the horse I never got for Christmas!