NARRATOR: Once upon a time life was simple. Evolutionarily speaking. Then things began to change.
[Shot of glacier falling into water.]
NARRATOR: The competition got tougher.
[Shot of battling animated dinosaurs.]
NARRATOR: There were winners and ... losers. The struggle continued.
[Picture of earth from space.] [Theme from "2001" begins.]
[Earth dissolves into a picture of a pizza hanging on wall in restaurant.]
NARRATOR: Then in fall of 1970, a new creature appeared - the likes of which has been never seen before.
[KEVIN steps into the scene, his profile centered in the pizza.]
NARRATOR: Noble, upright, virtuous. Ninth grade man. Master of all he surveyed.
[Shot of interior of pizza shop.]
NARRATOR: Which in this case was Woody's Pizza Barn where the elite went to meet.
[Shot of KEVIN carrying a pizza and pitcher of coke.]
NARRATOR: Yep, by the last week of summer I was feeling pretty good about myself. Life seemed to be full of promise, full of hope, full of...
[Shot of KEVIN setting the food down at the table where WINNIE and PAUL are waiting.]
PAUL: Patchy dry spots! I'm getting patchy dry spots.
[He touches his face.]
KEVIN: Relax, Paul. You're just having back-to-school jitters. By tomorrow you'll be fine.
PAUL: Sure. Only . . . What if something goes wrong? What if I wear the wrong clothes? What if I forget . . .
KEVIN: Paul!
PAUL: I got to go put up some ointment.
[PAUL leaves.]
[Shot of KEVIN watching PAUL leave off-screen. KEVIN's gaze settles on WINNIE off-screen, and he smiles.]
NARRATOR: Okay, not everyone shared my sense of well-being.
[Shot of KEVIN and WINNIE.]
NARRATOR: That was understandable. Not everyone had a steady girl like mine. Winnie Cooper. So long as we had each other, we had nothing to fear.
[Shot of WINNIE.]
WINNIE: I am scared.
KEVIN: What?
WINNIE: Who I am.
KEVIN: Winnie, stop worrying. Everybody's gonna like you.
WINNIE: That's easy for you to say. You're not starting in a new school. All the strange classrooms. The strange people.
[WINNIE looks sad. KEVIN sighs and shrugs.]
WINNIE: And you'll be so far away. You won't not forget about me, will you?
KEVIN: What?
WINNIE: Will you think about me?
KEVIN: Of course I'll think about you.
WINNIE: Think about me every hour on the hour. And I'll think about you.
KEVIN: Winnie...!
WINNIE: Promise? Every hour?
KEVIN: I promise.
[WINNIE snuggles closer and smiles.]
NARRATOR: Sure. I'd promise her the world.
Why not? I was ninth grade man. I was ready. For anything.
Cut to
TONY: This is mine.
[Shot of TONY, KEVIN and PAUL standing in front of the lockers.]
NARRATOR: Make that almost anything.
[KEVIN and PAUL are surprised to see TONY.]
KEVIN: Tony?
PAUL: Barbella?
[TONY smirks.]
TONY: Welcome back.
PAUL [to Kevin]: I thought he graduated...
TONY: I graduate every year.
PAUL: Oh.
TONY: And this [he points] is MY locker.
[Close up of TONY.]
NARRATOR: Great. Three minutes into the new year and the first base I see belongs on the wall of the post office. Still, I could handle this.
KEVIN [as if to an idiot]: Uh. No, I don't think so, Tony, you see, that's your locker.
[TONY looks over, intently.]
KEVIN: Over there. Remember?
TONY: Oh, yeah.
KEVIN: Yeah.
NARRATOR: There. Simple reasoning. Solid logic.
TONY: So I guess I got two now, huh? Lucky me.
KEVIN: Ya, but.
TONY: Do you think you could deal with that? But because if you can't, I'm gonna have to take your thumb and bend it back to your elbow.
NARRATOR: Seems that Tony had a logic of his own.
[KEVIN smiles disarmingly.]
KEVIN: Help yourself.
[TONY put some things in the locker, slam it, and leaves.]
NARRATOR: After all, no sense letting one gorilla ruin my whole day.
[The bell rings.]
NARRATOR: I had places to go. Things to do. Lockers to find...
Fade to
[KEVIN opens a locker and smiles.]
[Shot from other side of open locker door. It is slapped shut, revealing BECKY SLATER. She glares at KEVIN.]
[Shot of surprised PAUL and KEVIN.]
NARRATOR: People to meet.
[BECKY glares at KEVIN.]
BECKY: THIS is MY locker.
[Shot of KEVIN in surprise.]
KEVIN [smiling]: Becky! Hi!
NARRATOR: Becky Slater. Once my Nemesis, but now just a good friend.
BECKY: I hate you, Kevin!
KEVIN: What? Why?
BECKY: As if you didn't know!
KEVIN: But...
BECKY: Don't play dumb with me, Kevin. You introduced us.
[She opens the locker for herself. PAUL and KEVIN turn.]
[Shot of KEVIN and PAUL walking slowly away toward camera, away from BECKY.]
NARRATOR: That answered that. With just one little question ...
KEVIN [to PAUL]: What is she talking about?
PAUL: Craig Hobson.
[BECKY perks up in background.]
PAUL: Didn't you hear? He dropped her. Everybody knows at school.
[BECKY slams her locker. KEVIN turns.]
BECKY [yelling]: This is your fault! [She walks up the hallway toward them.] [Smiling:] But I don't get mad, [She walks up, almost blocking camera.] -I get even!
[Shot from behind BECKY as she pushes her way between KEVIN and PAUL and walks off.)
[Shot of KEVIN and PAUL looking after her off-screen.]
NARRATOR: Kind a like having your own personal welcome wagon waiting at the door.
[KEVIN and PAUL look at each other in mild relief.]
Cut to
CLASS: I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America...
NARRATOR: Okay. Things are starting off a little bumpy. I wasn't worried.
[Shot of KEVIN.]
NARRATOR: I had more important things to do. Like think about Winnie.
[Shot of clock. It shows 7:58 a.m.]
KEVIN: ... and justice for all.
[The class sits down.]
NARRATOR: Yep, In just two minutes she'd be thinking about me.
[Close shot of KEVIN in profile.]
NARRATOR: Poor kid, all alone in a new school.
[KEVIN glances to side, then forward again.]
NARRATOR: I can only hope someone would be nice enough to say...
[KEVIN turns again in disbelief.] [Sound of harp or bells.]
[Shot of beautiful girl in profile, with KEVIN in foreground, looking at her. Later we will know: it is MADELINE.]
NARRATOR: Haw...
[Shot of KEVIN.]
[Close-up of MADELINE's face. She slowly turns her eyes toward KEVIN.]
NARRATOR: ...haw...
[Shot of KEVIN looking with awe.]
[Extreme close-up of MADELINE's lips, then eyes.]
[Extreme close-up of MADELINE brushing her hair over her ear with her hand.]
NARRATOR: Uhnuhnhunhuhh... .
[Close-up of MADELINE's pencil rolling off desk.]
[Shot of KEVIN watching the pencil.]
[Shot of KEVIN bending to get the pencil. As he is bent over, he surreptitiously looks over MADELINE's body.] [Twang of guitar.]
[The camera pans up MADELINE's legs to her face. She sits calmly in profile.]
NARRATOR: Gulp!
[Shot of KEVIN.]
KEVIN: Excuse me.
[MADELINE turns with a half-smile and leans a bit closer.]
[Shot of KEVIN.]
KEVIN: You are... dropped this.
[Shot of MADELINE looking on patiently.]
KEVIN: And I... hmm... eh...
[KEVIN is trying to find the right words.]
KEVIN: ... picked... picked it up.
[MADELINE slowly raises an eyebrow.]
KEVIN: For you.
[MADELINE nods almost imperceptibly, and smiles.]
MADELINE: Thank you - ...
KEVIN: KE - K - Kevin.
[Shot of MADELINE and KEVIN. She smiles and reaches for the pencil.]
[Sound of electrical buzzing noise as MADELINE grabs the pencil.]
NARRATOR: Fact!! Lead conducts electricity.
[Stronger electrical noises. Pause.]
[Close-up of their hands holding the pencil between them.]
[Shot of KEVIN and MADELINE pulling apart.]
[Shot of MADELINE sitting, looking forward. KEVIN is in background. She appears to be waiting for KEVIN to speak.]
[KEVIN turns back to his desk.]
[MADELINE wants to continue the conversation. She glances at KEVIN in preparation.]
MADELINE: I wonder whether you could help me.
[Shot from front of desks as she leans over, looking at a paper. KEVIN leans over, and is lost, looking at her hair.]
MADELINE: Is this class at the other side of the quad?
[She coolly looks at the paper. KEVIN is still looking at her hair, dreamily.]
KEVIN: Uh...
[KEVIN looks at her schedule. MADELINE turns her head to face him and smiles.]
KEVIN [brighter]: Yeah. Ya, just down to the left.
[KEVIN turns back. They are inches apart. KEVIN is a little surprised.]
MADELINE: Thank you
[She smiles and sits back, out of shot.]
KEVIN [low voice]: You bet. [He smiles and keeps looking her way.)
[The bell rings. Shot of clock showing 8:02 a.m.]
[Shot of MADELINE and KEVIN.]
KEVIN: Darn it.
NARRATOR: Okay. So I dropped the ball.
[Shot of MADELINE walking toward door. She glances over her shoulder toward Kevin as she exits.]
NARRATOR: Just being hospitable. Winnie would understand.
[PAUL cuts in front of camera.]
PAUL [to Kevin]: I don't understand this.
KEVIN: Huh...?
PAUL: My schedule! Look what they gave me. Chemistry!
KEVIN: So, what's wrong with that!?
PAUL: Are you kidding? Don't you know what happens if I get into chemicals? I am allergic to soap!
KEVIN: Paul...
PAUL: I knew this year would be a disaster. What did you get?
KEVIN: Uh. Let me see.
PAUL: I bet you got something neat. Like astronomy. Or physics.
NARRATOR: Sure, something neat. Like, say...
Cut to
NARRATOR: Industrial arts?? Shop? It was encouraging to know that the board of education had such confidence in my intellectual prowess.
[Shot of KEVIN walking through shop, then leaning on a machine.]
STUDENT: Hey, hey. Don't stand next to that machine!
[KEVIN jerks back.]
KEVIN: What? Why?
STUDENT: (Noise) That baby ate Ray Spike's index fingers. It's kind of a shrine. You are new here, aren't you?
KEVIN: Yeah. But by mistake.
STUDENT: Ha. That's what they all say...
KEVIN: No really! See there's been a mistake on my schedule.
[KEVIN pulls out his schedule and approaches the student. The student snatches it from KEVIN.]
NARRATOR: If it had been a blueprint, this kid might have been able to read it.
[The student flips the paper around, looking at it.]
NARRATOR: But since it was in English, it was pretty obvious, this kid didn't have a clue.
KEVIN: Is there a teacher here?
STUDENT: Ah, yeah, Nestor. But you don't wanna talk to Nestor.
[Shot of KEVIN thinking and looking around.]
NARRATOR: Of course I did. After all he was a teacher, an employee of the public school system.
KEVIN: Where is he?
STUDENT: Over there! [He indicates with his thumb.]
[KEVIN sees old MR. NESTOR in midst of a group of students. He is preparing to lift a band-saw to show his strength.]
[KEVIN joins the circle of students.]
[Shot of MR. NESTOR grabbing and straining to lift equipment.]
MR. NESTOR: Awright. Let's go. I got it. It's up. It's clear. [Editor's remark: a weight lifting expression]
[Students clap.]
NESTOR: Awright, buttheads! Back to it. [The students go back.]
KEVIN: Uh, Mr. Nestor?
MR. NESTOR: Yo.
KEVIN: Hi. I am Kevin Arnold.
MR. NESTOR: That's so?
KEVIN: Yeah. I wanna speak with you about my schedule.
MR. NESTOR: Schedule? Ha?
KEVIN: Yes, Sir. About this class.
MR. NESTOR: This class? Ha?
KEVIN [shouting]: Well, I think, possibly, there's been a mistake.
MR. NESTOR: Mistake. Ha?
[They look at each other, expectantly.]
NARRATOR: Okay. So far, so good. So far as I can tell.
KEVIN: Yeah, well. The fact is that I am not very good in Industrial Arts.
[MR. NESTOR is looking at an off-camera student with a power tool.]
KEVIN: I think I'd be better at something like, uh, chemistry, or, uh...
MR. NESTOR [to off-screen student]: Martha! Your eyes, [pointing to his eyeglasses] watch your eyes! Bullethead.
MR. NESTOR [to Kevin]: Oh, where were we?
KEVIN: Well, as silly as it sounds, uh, I think they've got the wrong Arnold.
MR. NESTOR: Wrong Arnold. Ha?
KEVIN: Uh, right. So...
[MR. NESTOR looks at a student sitting next to them.]
MR. NESTOR [to this student]: Burber! Not the screwdriver, the chisel. Idiot!
MR. NESTOR [to Kevin]: So, you want out? [Putting his hands on his hips:] Is that it?
KEVIN: Kind a. I mean if that would be all right with you.
MR. NESTOR [nodding]: Okay. I'll let you out.
NARRATOR: There. Finally!
MR. NESTOR: There is one thing though. [He starts to kneel and raise his arm.] You gotta arm wrestle me for it!
NARRATOR: Uh-huh. Things were starting off with a bang. And it wasn't even lunch yet.
Cut to
NARRATOR: If misery loves company, ...
[Shot of KEVIN looking at PAUL.]
PAUL: I'll tell you, Kev, this is great!
NARRATOR: I was hanging out with the wrong guy.
PAUL: Chemistry is such a fascinating science.
[Shot of PAUL.]
PAUL: The wonder of water. The mystery of fire.
[KEVIN looks bored as he picks up a fish stick.]
NARRATOR: Aha. Not to mention the remains of Ray Spike's finger!
PAUL: If fact, even that seemingly ordinary fish stick is in reality a miraculous lattice work...
KEVIN: Paul!
PAUL: Huh?
KEVIN: Will you cut it out? I am going to try to eat here.
PAUL: Well, sorry.
[KEVIN sighs and tosses his fish stick down.]
KEVIN: I need a locker.
PAUL: Well, there's got to be an empty one somewhere.
KEVIN: I know... May be I can share yours?
PAUL: Mine?
KEVIN: Yes, sure. Why not?
PAUL: Oh, well, I guess I can make some room...
KEVIN: Great!
PAUL: ... in the back, in the corner. Exactly, how long are you going to be staying?
KEVIN: Oh, never mind.
PAUL: Come on, Kev. It's not so bad. Things will work out.
KEVIN: Yeah, it's easy for you.
NARRATOR: Still, maybe Paul had a point. The day was only half over.
[KEVIN holds up a half-full milk container.]
NARRATOR: May it was the matter of seeing the glass half full...
[Shot of a girl's hand taking the milk container from KEVIN.]
NARRATOR: ..or half empty...
[Shot of girl's hand pouring the milk on KEVIN's tray.]
[Shot of BECKY. She shakes the container and hands it back to KEVIN.]
NARRATOR: ... or completely empty.
[Shot of BECKY.]
BECKY: I hate men!
[BECKY turns and walks off.]
[KEVIN and PAUL look at each other.]
MRS. FALCINELLA [V/O]: Répétez après moi! Bonjour la classe!
Cut to
[Shot of students.]
CLASS: Bonjour Madame!
MRS. FALCINELLA: Bonjour la classe!
CLASS: Bonjour Madame!
[Shot of KEVIN.]
NARRATOR: Now, here was something hopefull for me. Shop was foreign for me. French was simply a language I didn't understand
[Shot of MRS. FALCINELLA.]
MRS. FALCINELLA: Class, this year we will try something new. From now on we are only going to speak en français. Ce bien? [Gestures.]
[Shot of class.]
CLASS [low voice]: Oh ...
MRS. FALCINELLA: Who would like to go first? Guillomme?
[Shot of KEVIN watching GUILLOMME stand up.]
MRS. FALCINELLA: Comment-allez vous aujourd'hui? (= "How are you today?")
[GUILLOMME pauses in thought.]
GUILLOMME: Verrer-soccerre? (Makes no sense.)
[The class giggles as MRS. FALCINELLA looks on.]
[GUILLOMME sits down.]
NARRATOR: Aha, things were getting back to normal.
[Shot KEVIN smiling.]
NARRATOR: And I wasn't going to miss my one o'clock 'think of Winnie' promise..
[The clock in the classroom shows 12:57. We see MADELINE behind KEVIN's left shoulder.]
MRS. FALCINELLA: Mademoiselle? Dites-moi votre nom! S'Ill vous
plait? (= "Young lady, tell me your name, please.")
[Shot of KEVIN sitting and smiling as the girl stands up a couple desks away behind KEVIN.]
MADELINE: Je m'appelle Madeleine. (= "My name is Madeline.")
[KEVIN is surprised to hear her voice and turns around to look at MADELINE.] [Twangy guitar music starts.]
MRS. FALCINELLA: C'est excellent, Mademoiselle. (= "That's excellent, Miss.")
MADELINE: Merci beaucoup. (= "Thank you very much.")
[Shot of KEVIN in foreground looking at MADELINE in background.]
MRS. FALCINELLA: Dites-nous où habitiez-vous l'année dernière? (= "Tell us where you lived last year!")
MADELINE:Alors, j'ai habité à Lyon, à la midi de la France. J'aime beaucoup voyager avec mon père. (= "Well, I have lived in Lyon, in the middle of France. I really love to travel with my father.")
[KEVIN turns forward in his desk. MADELINE is still standing in the background.]
NARRATOR: And suddenly I understood why French was the language of diplomacy, of poetry, of romance..
[KEVIN turns toward MADELINE, puts his eyes on her again and stands up.] [Swell of music.]
NARRATOR: .. of amore.. [Editor's remark: "Amore" is not French but Italian.]
[A halo of light comes up behind KEVIN.]
NARRATOR: Suddenly I understood every single word..
[A halo of light glows behind MADELINE as she turns to KEVIN. She speaks directly to him.] ["French countryside " organ music starts.]
MADELINE: J'ai attendu toute ma vie pour toi.
[Subtitle: I've waited for you all my life.]
KEVIN: Voulez-vous de beurre?
[Subtitle: Do you want some butter?]
MADELINE: A l'instant je t'ai vu, je n'ai su qu'il etait personne d'autre.
[Subtitle: The moment I saw you I knew there was no one else.]
KEVIN: Voulez-vous de beurre?
[Subtitle: Do you want some butter?]
MADELINE: Mon coeur est toute pleine de toi.
[Subtitle: You fill my heart.] [MADELINE fingers her heart necklace.]
MADELINE: J'ai en pensé à toi. (Very unclear pronunciation)
[Subtitle: .. You haunt my mind.]
KEVIN: Voulez-vous de beurre?
[Subtitle: Do you want some butter?]
NARRATOR: Hey, that was the only thing I knew in French.
MADELINE: Kevin! (With a French accent)
KEVIN: Madeline! (With an American accent) [Music ends.]
MRS. FALCINELLA: Kevin!!
[KEVIN turns around as the class laughs.]
MRS. FALCINELLA: En français, s'il vous plait!
[The class laughs.]
[KEVIN looks at MADELINE. MADELINE smiles toward KEVIN as she sits down.]
[The bell rings. KEVIN looks at the clock showing 1.03 p.m.]
NARRATOR: Darn it!
[The class starts to leave.]
NARRATOR: This much was clear - in any language.
Cut to
NARRATOR: I needed help. I had to take action, seek answers.
[Shot of KEVIN appearing through glass. He knocks at the glass part of the door.]
[Shot of back of chair behind the desk.]
A male voice: Come in.
[KEVIN enters. There is a sign on the desk Mrs. Dalla Betta.]
NARRATOR: Yup, this is what I needed. A man of wisdom, a man of vision. A man...
[The chair swivels around to reveal Coach CUTLIP wearing a red baseball cap with a white K and holding a book in his hands. ]
NARRATOR: ... who taught gym.
MR. CUTLIP: Ah, Arnold. [He puts the book down.]
KEVIN [puzzled]: Mr. Cutlip?
MR. CUTLIP [friendly]: What can I do for you?
KEVIN: I uh... I came to see the guidance counselor. Is he in?
MR. CUTLIP: Mrs. Dalla Beta [he taps nameplate on desk] is the regular guidance man. I'm just filling in. Temporarily 'til December. Can it wait?
KEVIN: Uh, well ... umm...
MR. CUTLIP: Relax, Arnold. Take a load off. Have a seat.
[KEVIN sits down.]
MR. CUTLIP: Right. I understand your hesitation. You're thinking, Ed Cutlip, a crack physical education instructor. What's a man of action like him doing in a swivel chair? Am I right?
KEVIN: Uh-oh.
MR. CUTLIP: Unusual? May be. Unexpected? Certainly. But think of it this way, Arnold, there might be more in this old bean [taps his temple, with sound effect] than meets the eye. May be I can even help.
NARRATOR: The way he said it, for one moment, I actually wondered if he could help.
[MR. CUTLIP puts his hand on a goblet of peanuts.]
MR. CUTLIP: Peanut?
KEVIN: No. No, thanks.
MR. CUTLIP: Come on, son. What is it?
KEVIN: It's ninth grade.
MR. CUTLIP [low voice]: Aha.
[MR. CUTLIP puts on glasses and takes notes.]
KEVIN: It's not turning out the way I thought it would. I do not have a locker. And my classes are all wrong and ...
MR. CUTLIP: I see!
KEVIN: You do?
MR. CUTLIP: It's a complex problem. But there's a simple solution.
KEVIN: There is?
NARRATOR: May be I had him wrong. May be there was more to Ed Cutlip than met the eye.
KEVIN: So, what do we do now?
MR. CUTLIP [takes out his whistle and says loudly]: Laps!
[MR. CUTLIP blows his whistle. KEVIN sits upright.]
Cut to
NARRATOR: Well, think of it this way. Every cloud has a silver lining. The way this day was going, I was probably better off being alone.
[Long shot of KEVIN running alone, then a herd of girls in Physical Education uniforms trots onto the track behind him. KEVIN looks over his shoulder as he runs.]
NARRATOR: And suddenly I knew what Custer felt like.
[Closer shot of BECKY running.]
[Shot of BECKY running equal with KEVIN, while the group is stopped, watching.]
NARRATOR: Great Sitting Bull himself. And she was gaining on me. Instinctively I knew. This was a challenge, a test - and I was up to it.
[Various shot of them running. BECKY takes the lead.]
NARRATOR: Sure, it was dumb. But at that moment, all I knew was: I had to win! I pulled up even. I pulled ahead.
[Shot of girls cheering.]
[Image changes to slow-motion.]
NARRATOR: As we rounded that final turn, I felt like I had wings. Sure, may be, I couldn't find a locker. Maybe I was stuck in shop. But I was gonna beat this girl. I was gonna win this race.
[KEVIN crosses the finish line first, still in slo-mo.]
NARRATOR: This was going to be a massacre.
[Theme from "2001" plays as Kevin jumps up and down in victory, with his arms up.]
NARRATOR: Hey. No hard feelings, hah "Slates"?
[He goes over to BECKY. She looks angry and punches him in his stomach. Image resumes normal speed. He falls down on his back and holds his belly in pain.]
[Shot of BECKY and the girls smiling and giggling as they turn to leave.]
NARRATOR: And that about did it.
[Long shot of KEVIN lying on track. The girls are walking away in the background.]
NARRATOR: The perfect end to a perfect day.
[Shot from above of KEVIN lying down with his eyes closed.]
MADELINE [V/O]: Kevin?
[Shot of MADELINE looking down at him, the sun in her back.]
KEVIN: Madeline?
NARRATOR: She'd seen the whole thing, the whole humiliating episode! It was pretty clear that she'd come over to laugh at me.
[KEVIN sits up and MADELINE kneels down.]
MADELINE: I just came over to thank you...
KEVIN: Huh?
MADELINE: ... for being nice to me. You don't know how hard it is to be the new girl at school.
[The syndicated versions including Nickelodeon do not have the following final part:]
[Shot of KEVIN. MADELINE moves in and gives him a gentle kiss on his lips.]
[Shot of MADELINE. She sighs and smiles a little self-conciously. She stands up and jogs back to girls.]
[KEVIN sits on the dirt track watching her trot off.]
NARRATOR: And then it happened. Something inside of me snapped.
Cut to
[Shot of double-door opening toward camera. KEVIN emerges into the hallway. He is dirty, and his clothes are rumpled. He has a determined look on his face as he quickly walks up the hallway.]
[PAUL sees KEVIN pass by.]
PAUL: Kev?
[KEVIN keeps walking.]
KEVIN: Later!
NARRATOR: I had enough. I've been pushed too far. And I knew what I had to do.
[Shot from KEVIN's perspective of TONY at his locker. The camera "walks" toward TONY.]
KEVIN [V/O]: Hey, Barbella...
[Shot of TONY turning and frowning.]
[Close-up of KEVIN, standing near TONY.]
KEVIN: ... I want my locker back.
[Shot of TONY looking at KEVIN.]
KEVIN: NOW! [Gestures.]
[TONY smiles.]
[KEVIN gets a worried expression, and glances toward his thumb.]
Fade to
NARRATOR: Ninth grade man. Noble, upright, virtuous. I went into my last year of Junior High thinking I knew all the answers. And suddenly all I had was questions. [KEVIN flexes his hand.] Plus a dislocated thumb.
[KEVIN looks through the window of the Pizza Barn.]
NARRATOR: It's funny. I remember the time when I knew who I was. But that was eight hours ago. Suddenly I felt on the outside, looking in, looking for...
[KEVIN looks through the window of a pizza place and discovers WINNIE sitting alone at a table.]
NARRATOR: ...Winnie.
[WINNIE smiles and waves at KEVIN. He smiles and waves back, enters.]
[Shot of WINNIE as KEVIN sits down next to her.]
[The jukebox in the background which stands against wall is playing on "Be My Baby".]
WINNIE: Hi. [She smiles.]
KEVIN: Hi.
WINNIE: How was your day? [She smiles.]
[Shot of KEVIN.]
NARRATOR: I wanted to tell her everything, every bit of it. All the setbacks, all the screw-ups.
KEVIN: Fine.
[Shot of WINNIE smiling.]
NARRATOR: Heck. I knew she'd understand.
KEVIN: How about yours?
WINNIE: Okay. [The music: "Be my baby" plays louder.]
[KEVIN reaches his arm out to hold WINNIE as she leans over to KEVIN. WINNIE rests her head on his shoulder and closes her eyes.]
[Shot of WINNIE and KEVIN together at the table with jukebox behind. Kids occasionally go through scene.]
NARRATOR: After all when you are 14, you can always put words into life. All I know was: I felt home again.
[A pink skirt and white top just enters the frame and pauses at the edge of the table.]
[KEVIN looks up at her with some trepidation.]
[MADELINE cut across the camera, out of the frame.]
[KEVIN glances after her, them looks forward somberly.]
[MADELINE walks to the corner of the jukebox and leans against it. She looks over her shoulder at KEVIN and WINNIE.)
[WINNIE opens her eyes.]
WINNIE: You don't know how hard it is to be the new girl at school.
[KEVIN looks at WINNIE as she closes her eyes.]
[MADELINE turns back to the jukebox.]
[KEVIN resumes looking forward, somberly.] [Music swells.]
Picture Fades, Music continues to