The Rainbow Experiment (2018) Movie Script
1
Ah.
- Ah.
- Yo, J.C., J.C., you and me?
Ah. Let's throw it.
- Hey, hey, hey.
- Ah.
Principal Williamson?
All right, we'll set up in here.
We'll set up in here.
Ike Nicholson,
Sila Dawson, with SEI.
- Oh.
- Thank you so much.
We can page you
if we need you, right?
Listen, also, I'd like any files
on the investigation
you've performed so far, please.
Wow, it's like a fuckin'
cop show in my own school.
Only these guys
are Department of Education,
partly teachers, partly cops,
like all teachers.
They're good
at asking questions.
You answer their questions.
You don't give them attitude.
That's the whole trick.
You don't give them anything.
The guy you didn't get to see speak,
that's Principal Williamson.
He's the top douchebag
around here.
He runs the place.
He's got everything
under control.
- Nobody's leaving!
- Calm down, please.
Shut the fuck up!
Shut up!
Put your gun down.
At the time of the flood,
they all went into the ark.
All of the animals by agreement.
It was the only time
the creatures of this world
ever agreed upon anything.
They really all did come.
But the Ichthyosaurs didn't.
Everybody said he should get
on board the ark,
but he was very busy just then.
Noah himself warned him
that the flood was coming,
but he quietly said,
"I don't believe it."
He was universally unpopular
when he drowned.
Ah yes, they all said
the Ichthyosaurus
won't be coming.
He was the oldest beast
of them all.
Well-qualified by his great experience,
he could say whether
something such as a flood
was or was not feasible.
It's quite possible
if a similar situation arises...
I shan't get on board either.
Excuse me.
I arrived at 9:00 a.m.
As soon as I got in,
I heard their voices.
And I heard that
there was a fire
on the fourth floor lab.
So I responded immediately.
There was orange powder
all over the room.
From the fire extinguishers.
Mm-hmm.
Um...
then a student told me
another student was on fire,
and he was brought
to the room across the hall.
So, I went to the room,
and there was
the English teacher,
Jamie Freeman,
and the school nurse, Mrs...
It's, uh, Karen Pitt.
- Yeah, Miss Pitt...
- Mm-hmm.
And they were administering
first aid to Matty.
He was...
His ear was melted off,
and there was
a hole in his shirt and...
Okay.
How is, how is Matty?
You did well.
Thank you.
Tell me about Miss Dhawan.
I was told she
was brought to the faculty room.
FDNY asked me
to bring her back to room 42.
She didn't want
to go back in there.
I get it.
All right. Thank you.
- Thank you.
- After you.
D-H-A-W-A-N.
What engine are you guys from?
- Engine 11.
- All right.
All right, take us
through what happened.
Uh, I set out four beakers.
There was a solution
of nitrate and water,
um, that I prepared
the night before.
- And how often do you...
- And then.
Do this experiment?
Um, it's, um,
it's pretty standard but, um...
Um, What happened then?
I turned the Bunsen burner on...
Are the students wearing
any sort of
safety equipment for this?
I wasn't planning on involving
any of the students
in the experiment.
Huh, plans.
That's the thing about plans.
They never go the way
you think they will.
How 'bout yourself?
Uh, yes, I had, um,
I had safety goggles on, yes.
And then you would take
and, uh, take the stick
and place it over the flame.
And a color would shoot out,
a different color
for each
of the different solutions.
Then, uh, the students were...
they were, they seemed
to like the experiment,
so they were asking
for more colors, more colors.
Uh, So I brought
four more beakers out
that I had prepared
also the night before.
I'd prepared everything
the night before.
And, um...
same thing, um,
but Matty and some of the kids
were being disruptive
so I asked Matty
to come up and...
Is that Matty Fairchild?
Yes, Matty Fairchild.
You asked a disruptive child
to come up?
He came and stood
right here, right next to me.
He took one of the sticks...
Excuse me, did you have
any safety equipment
for Matty?
No.
He took one of the sticks,
and he put it over
the Bunsen burner,
and then there was this huge,
like, fireball that came out,
like a white flame.
I think he let the stick fall.
Yeah.
Yes.
And then it seemed
like everything was on fire.
And, and then one of the,
one of the students brought me
one of the fire extinguishers,
and I couldn't,
I couldn't, I couldn't...
What do you think you're doing?
What's going on here?
- That's Erin Bennett.
- Oh Christ.
He's the teacher union rep.
He's been coming around here
a lot lately.
Mainly because of him.
He hates his guts.
Jess, there's an issue involving
an accident with a teacher,
teacher's union needs
to be here.
You guys all should know that.
- I didn't know, I'm sorry.
- All right, come on,
- Lisa, let's go.
- You've gotta be kidding?
No, I'm not kidding you.
Lisa, let's go.
You know, thank you, Jess,
for letting me know.
I appreciate that, all right.
Thank you for your time.
By the way, forgive me,
I forgot to introduce myself.
My name is Matty,
I'm the victim.
Yeah.
Boo.
- What, it's over?
- Yeah.
That's it?
Well, these were the fo...
these were the four solvents
that you studied, right?
- Boo!
- The solutions.
Well, you wanna...
Those are the four that were
gonna be on your pop quiz.
Don't let me make it worse.
More colors.
More colors!
- Matty, Matty.
- More colors,
more colors, more colors,
more colors!
You wanna, you wanna
do this one more time?
Let's do it two more times!
Come on, guys.
I'm a Ryan beast
and I'll never stop...
Matty, get off.
I eat like a feast
'cause I'm at the top
Oh!
My name's Matty,
you can call me Maury...
Get off the table.
I'm your boy
and I only make porns
Get off the table.
Matty, Matty, get up here.
You're gonna help me with this.
Ooooh.
Come on, come on.
Matty, Matty, Matty...
Settle down, settle down.
Matty, get up here, come on.
- Do it, you're cool.
- Over here.
Oh, what are you afraid of?
All right, come over here.
All right, come on. Turn around.
- Stay right here.
- More colors, more colors.
Over here.
- Oh.
- Oh, come on.
I'm a failure, That's me.
Come on, Matty.
All right, we're gonna
do the same thing.
We have
a different salt solution.
Matty's gonna put it
over the flame
and we're gonna
identify what it is.
Matty come on, hurry up.
Matty, Matty, Matty...
Come on, Matty, come on.
Matty, Matty, Matty,
Matty, Matty, Matty!
And you have
my sincere apologies. I,
I realize that you...
Well, ye... yep, yes.
Yep, of course.
Yes, I...
No, of course you almost had
a heart attack.
Of course, I-I, I do.
Okay, okay, goodbye.
What did it say?
- I need to see what it says.
- It, it said...
Please, can you
pull it up, please.
I need to see what it says.
There.
There was a terrible accident
in a classroom,
and a student
is hospitalized as a result.
What did I ask you to do?
You wanted me
to call an ambulance.
You did that?
- Yeah, I-I called the ambulance.
- Okay, and then?
And you wanted me
to get Ana and Karen
to go with the kids
to the hospital, I...
And after that.
You wanted me
to email the parents.
The parents, the parents,
not all parents!
Is it... Do you see how
a parent could read that
- and think...
- Yes, yes, yes.
That it's their child? Are...
- I do, yes, sorry.
- I-I don't need you,
I don't need you to be sorry.
I need you to not make mistakes
like this,
because this is not
the first time.
Excuse me, do you know where
is Robert Coles High School?
What school?
Robert Coles.
Excuse me.
That's Toni.
What?
I'd have done anything for her.
Pot, pills, you name it.
But for that, she had Adam.
Just, um, don't take
them together, okay?
Thanks.
How are you feeling?
There's just so much going on.
I don't even, I don't know.
Well, you want some?
- Yeah.
- To help you out.
Dad, what're you doing here?
What is this? Who is this?
Hey, who is that?
Hey, yo, who are you?
Who is it? Is that a teacher?
- No, it...
- Is that a teacher?
- It... He's my friend.
- Is he a teacher here?
No, no, no, he's not a teacher.
What are you doing here?
Aren't you supposed
to be at the clinic?
I-I took...
I, um,
there's a big meeting today.
All the parents
have to be there.
Mom's gonna be there.
I'm-I'm dealing
with your mother,
but just tell me
what happened, what...
Deal with her? That's what
you say every time,
and then you start
shouting at each other.
All right, that's...
It, it'll be fine.
Tell me what happened.
Did you know this kid?
Is he a friend of yours?
Yes.
I'm, I'm sorry.
- You okay?
- Yeah.
- Are you okay?
- Yeah.
Come on, you can talk
to me, you know that.
What's wrong? What's wrong?
Mom told me that
you started drinking again.
I'm sorry.
No, I, uh, I-I took...
What, what, what...
What was that?
What did he give you?
- It's just Tylenol,
- No.
I had a headache.
This isn't Tylenol.
Dad, I gotta go.
I told you.
- Dad, no. I have to go.
- No.
- I have to go to class.
- Toni, listen,
Please just talk to me.
Just, just talk to me.
There's a passage
I got memorized
that seems appropriate
for the situation.
The world you see is just
a movie in your mind.
Nobody understands it.
Nobody listens.
They're all running around
like chickens
with heads cut off.
- Hey.
- Hey!
It's not your fault.
What's not my fault?
- What's wrong?
- Yesterday.
Yeah, I know.
Look, I gotta put
these trays out.
You're a flirt.
I can't help it.
You're lucky I love you.
Hi. I'm Ross.
They told me that you have
- something for me.
- Oh hi, I'm Anna.
Hi.
Excuse me.
Do you know where
is Robert Coles High School?
I've never heard of it.
I know how hard this is.
I get it.
So I'll just take
his things right, and, uh...
How the fuck do you get it?
What, what, what makes
you think you get it?
You get it, you really get
what the fuck
is going on with me right now?
Is that what they
tell you to say?
They tell you to say, oh,
the father's gonna come in,
just to make him
feel like you know
what he's going
through right now.
Just make him feel like, uh,
everything's gonna be fine.
His face is, like, gone. It's...
He's not...
Was he scared?
I don't know.
Did he say any,
he didn't say anything?
No, but he sq...
he definitely squeezed my hand.
I could feel him.
He was there.
You don't know
what happened at all, huh?
I'm so sorry.
Here you go.
I can't, I can't.
I'm like, oh,
I can't let that happen.
Good morning.
How we doing today?
Who, Tomas?
Yeah, 'cause it's all...
I know yesterday was
a really, uh, was a really...
rough day for everyone, okay.
But I'm happy to see your faces.
I think it's good
for us to be together.
Ah, Miss Green.
She knows her shit,
and she always casts me
as the lead in her plays.
I mean, I was right next to him.
I literally saw it hit him.
It was, it was like a fireball.
I didn't know what to do.
It was, it was terrifying.
Alex is always right next to me.
He's a real go-getter.
Half Italian, half Cuban.
He wants to be an actor.
He wants to be me.
He's the understudy.
Like one second,
everything was fine,
and then the next second,
there was just chaos.
It-it, I mean, it just
happened, you know, and...
That's Rod.
He wants to be deep.
There is no why. It just did.
Paul.
Only Chris knows Paul.
You think she, like,
mixed up the chemicals
- or something the second time?
- I don't know,
She didn't mix up the chemicals.
So then why would it be,
why would it be different?
Julia. She's captain
of the volleyball team.
She's a member of the Chinese
and National Honor Society,
and she's been playing violin
for ten years.
One day she'll be president
of the United States,
you mark my words.
How come it
didn't happen to her?
I don't know.
It was just an accident, guys.
And Karla.
I wish I had
an answer, I don't...
Joe.
It couldn't have just
happened like
if he dropped the stick
in or something...
And Kid. Kid loves his music
more than words.
And Toni more than his music.
- Well, I mean...
- Could it, I mean...
It happened when he,
when he held it out.
No, he held it out.
That's how it happened.
I saw it.
He didn't drop it.
As soon as he pulled it up,
that's when it happened.
However,
she's still responsible.
This is, this was her class,
you know.
How 'bout you, J.C.?
What do you...
do you have anything to say?
Whatever.
Whatever?
Matty was your best friend.
Is your best friend.
J.C.'s a good guy.
He looks tough and like
he doesn't care, but he does.
And he always feels guilty.
He feels guilty when his dad
beats the shit out of him.
He feels guilty that
he didn't stop me that day,
or any day, really.
J.C. can never stop me
from doin' shit.
How 'bout you, Lawrence?
I-I have to, I have to think.
You have to think?
I have to think.
I can't speak.
Smart ass Lawrence.
You can't overlook Lawrence.
I saw my best friend
go up in flames,
so you're gonna ask me
how I feel?
You're really asking me
how I'm affected
by my friend's death?
He's not dead!
He can die.
He can die!
- He can die...
- He's not dead though!
The whole point of this
is to talk about our feelings,
not to blame people.
Well, maybe if Lawrence
would stop blaming people
all the time, acting like
he's better than us!
Better than you, okay.
I am not better than you...
Yeah, you're not, shut up!
- Calm down,
- Lawrence,
I see your point.
His life as he knew it is,
is not gonna be the same.
I know what
you all think, right,
that it,
it could've been you, right.
You were all in the class,
you were all doing
the experiment.
You all think
it could've been you, right?
Yeah.
Toni, are you okay?
She's not okay.
Hey, I just, I don't really
wanna talk about this, okay?
I'm sorry.
We were just in front of a fire.
We just saw our friend
get burnt in a fire.
I-I was, I was in a panic.
You know,
the right word is shock.
A lot of people are shocked
under surprise circumstances.
It's common for a person
to be shocked
when a child
under their supervision
is suddenly on fire.
I mean, in your opinion
then, did Miss Dhawan
do anything out of the ordinary
or was it by the book?
Eh, I mean, she could've
set it up differently, sure.
How?
Jason Phillips.
The bad ass amongst teachers.
When I grow up,
I wanna be just like him.
He knows everything,
and he can do anything
better than everybody else.
Because methanol has
a very low boiling point
any spark can, can set it off.
As far as we know though,
Miss Dhawan didn't use
any methanol.
Well,
I can't imagine anything else
reacting the way that it did.
But I, I could be wrong.
He's never wrong.
I can't, I can't say that I...
I can't say that
it wasn't working.
I don't know. I don't remember.
Okay, do you remember saying,
"I burned a kid,"
or "Oh, my God,
I set a kid on fire?"
It could have happened
to anyone.
Goggles, if there's
an explosion and flame,
goggles aren't really
gonna do much of anything
against a fire,
although I'm sure
after all the VOs and the NOVs,
everything will be brought up
to standard.
Little late for Matty,
don't you think?
Phew!
Someone's head
is gonna roll over this.
That could be yours,
could be someone else's.
Any experiment is dangerous.
Right.
So, how can we do our jobs
if we don't do
these experiments?
I mean, it's like gym class.
Gym class is dangerous.
You know,
we can't do our jobs if...
We can't do any experiments.
I mean,
I mean, how much chemistry
do you guys know?
I know enough to know
that kids don't usually burst
into flame during gym class.
Look, something happened,
you know. Accidents happen.
Would you say that
this is Miss Dhawan's fault?
That, that this
accident occurred
because she was not careful?
Tha... look, I...
If she...
You're not on trial.
I know, but I feel... Look,
this is a fellow teacher.
I mean, it's one of my students.
It's really hard.
I don't know how she's gonna
live with herself, all right.
I don't know how she's
gonna be able
to get through her days.
I mean, you make
a mistake like this
- All right.
- It's not easy
to be a teacher
these days, okay.
Yes, all right.
Thank you, Mr. Phillips.
We'll be in...
Will you be in later
in case we have questions, or...
Yeah, sure.
- Okay, thanks.
- Thank you.
It's not easy to be
a teacher, my ass.
Why is it not easy
to be a teacher?
You just have to tell us
what the fuck to do.
And we're all the same,
makes us easier to teach.
Teaches us to be just like them.
Eat, sleep, make money
for someone else, and die.
Eat, sleep, make money
for someone else, and die!
Hi.
I have to go to the hospital,
so I wanted to...
I didn't know what
to do with this, so...
- Yeah, sure.
- Figured I'd put it,
I didn't really
know that he was, um...
I didn't know
he was so into art.
It's really beautiful, isn't it?
Yeah, I guess. I don't know,
I don't know what it...
I don't know what it is?
What is it?
Ah, come on.
It's pretty obvious isn't it?
Mr. Prasec says it's not art
unless it has the potential
to be a disaster.
It looks like kinda burnt here.
- He didn't get...
- Everybody was supposed
to do this?
Was he working on,
like, a tree, uh,
a tree thing?
He's really into,
like, myths and symbols.
We talked about it
a lot actually.
You and him talked
about it a lot?
A really special kid.
Yeah, that's Matty.
Yeah.
You must've seen him in
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.
He was really good in that.
I, uh, no, I cou...
You know, I couldn't actually,
unfortunately was not able
to see him in that.
- I work a lot, um, nights.
- Oh, yeah.
- Yeah, lots of long hours...
- He was really good.
- I heard he was really good.
- Yeah.
How is Matty?
I'm going to actually take this.
Oh, sure.
If that's...
Thanks.
That ticker tape, oh,
just flick, flick it that way.
It's got those spikes.
Good morning everyone.
Can I have
your attention, please.
As you are all aware,
Miss Dhawan is
on a leave of absence.
While she is away,
we have secured a substitute.
Her name is Alis Willmore.
If you'd like to maybe
introduce yourselves to her,
uh, that would be a great way
to start this meeting.
Hi, I'm Anna.
Hi, Anna.
Nice to meet you.
Oh, yeah.
Nice to meet you.
Anna's the school counselor.
I'm the school counselor, yeah.
Oh, great.
John Peters, security.
- Hi.
- Hi.
Uh, Peter, I'm new here,
I'm actually teaching
American History.
Oh, great.
Nice to meet you.
Nice to meet you.
I'm Jamie Freeman.
English. Welcome.
Thank you.
- Oh, this is, uh...
- Tomas.
Uh, Tomas, he's the art teacher.
- Oh, hi.
- Hi.
I'm Alis.
Nice to meet you.
Nice to meet you too.
I'm Karen, the school nurse.
- Hi.
- Hi, would you like a cookie?
Oh, I'm okay, thank you.
I'll have a cookie.
Okay, everyone
is welcome to cookies.
Not all at once.
How you doing,
Coach Randall, Phys Ed.
I'm Adam, uh,
teaching a dead language
to kids with no attention span.
- It's an uphill battle.
- Nice.
You in the union?
- I'm sorry?
- Are you in the union?
Um, no.
Jason Phillips, also science.
She's not.
- I'm, I mean I can join...
- Figures.
If that's...
- Oh, my God, lighten up!
- That's not the point.
Yeah, I'll take this in stride.
- Of all days, of all days.
- All right, no problem.
- Thank you.
- Yeah.
- Your job's not on the line.
- Thank you again.
Again, I appreciate you
welcoming Miss Willmore.
- Thanks, Jess.
- That's the second course.
- I'm having trouble...
- Thanks.
Got your class list here.
You might wanna go
through these kids.
There's some goodies
and some baddies.
Alex Imparato, he's a nice kid.
Tom Smith is, uh, so-so.
In this street?
This street, thanks.
Thanks. Happy new year.
Uh, Karla Smart is anything but.
Uh, Joe's nice,
and Toni McKenna's nice.
Ray, just stay away
from Ray at all costs.
You know, avoid him
in the hallways.
No, he's all right,
he's all right.
Meghan, uh, is a beautiful girl.
This is helpful.
- Okay.
- What?
No, this is the faculty room,
- we can say whatever we want.
- I know.
Let me find the Tylenol.
Oh, geez, just take three,
or how many, four is good.
You can change it,
you can change it.
Hey, I'm gonna have
to ask you to leave.
I've got the big meeting
coming up.
I've gotta clear everything out.
Oh, sure, yeah.
I'm done anyway.
Oh, yeah? You okay?
Yeah.
What you drinking there,
something strong?
What is it, tea?
Tea.
Love tea.
Are you...
I mean, you have
an English accent.
Oh, right.
Well. I am, uh...
I am from London.
I moved over a few years ago.
And you?
Oh, I've never,
I've never been to London, no.
That's not really what I meant.
Well, I don't know.
Yeah, we can, sure.
- We can?
- Get a coffee,
you know, it's all good.
Isn't that, you've been...
- No, I'm...
- staring at me, I was...
Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.
My mistake.
You have a good, um...
- You have a good afternoon.
- It was just...
It was just a misunderstanding.
Okay.
- Do you got enough?
- Yeah, thanks.
- Yeah?
- Yeah.
All right, um, great.
You helped out
that kid yesterday, right?
How's he doin'? Is...
is he gonna make it, or...
Um... I don't know.
Everything's gonna be okay.
Everything's gonna
be fine, you know.
No, it's not.
That's just something
that people say.
Like, that they don't
mean it, do they, right?
I really don't understand
why, like, everything...
Nothing, nothing's
gonna be okay, right.
I mean, nothing's
gonna be okay for the kid.
Nothing's gonna be okay
for his family.
Nothing's gonna be okay for me.
I'm tired of people saying
things are gonna be all right.
I don't like having,
living in this place
where we're not really relating,
do you know what I'm saying?
Everyone's talking
to each other,
and they're trying
to talk to each other,
but they're not really talking
to each other.
I don't wanna do anything
that's superficial stuff
with people, tell me
everything's gonna be all right,
people change.
People don't fucking change!
- Yeah, they do change.
- No, they don't!
- People change.
- They just stay the same.
You have to accept them
or just...
Why would you
just say that to me
when you don't even know, right?
Why would you say that...
I could've done
something different
when I don't... I think
that I couldn't have done
something different,
and I'm sorry that I didn't,
and I tried to do it,
and that's the only thing
that I can go on at this point.
I tried to do what I...
I tried to do what I could,
and that was all
I could do at that moment.
Not, not now. Not now.
Sorry.
That was a lot
in a short amount of time.
You're good to go.
I'm right down the,
right down the hall.
If you need anything, you can
interrupt my class at any time.
I would welcome that.
Good to know.
What are you doing here?
And why aren't you in Chicago?
Hello, I'm lookin' for,
uh, the principal, Jefferson,
No Williamson,
Jessie Williamson.
Principal Williamson?
Yes.
Uh, hi, I'm Sebastian Summer.
I'm the guy that
they sent from Central.
- We talked on the phone.
- Oh, right, yes, Sebastian.
- Oh, you remembered me?
- Yes, on the phone. Right.
- That makes me feel so good.
- Yes, please.
I'm not much,
but I'm all I think about.
How you doin', man?
I've been better.
I know. Here,
let's shake hands again.
It's gonna be all right.
It's gonna be all right.
Have a seat, please.
This ain't gonna work.
- Okay.
- So I have a solution.
I don't like any of the chairs
in, in our system.
They're all sort of built
to encourage too much comfort.
You know, my philosophy is
not too tight, not too loose.
So I'm gonna sit on my yoga mat.
- Okay.
- Okay,
Don't worry.
It's not a big deal.
Oh, that.
Does that sound more
like Jingle Bells,
or does it sound more like
a technique
for raising ghosts up
from, like,
an underworld ghost river?
Uh...
- the ghost river?
- Yes baby,
that's what I'm talkin' about.
I live pretty far away.
Uh, last stop on the 3 train.
- It's a trek.
- Wow, that's really far.
Yeah, I get to
school late most of the time.
I try to get on time,
but I'm not motivated
to come to school but,
you know, who is?
- Sure, like, you're not even...
- You're not motivated?
- Yes.
- Who are you?
I...
- Who are you looking for?
- Where's Jess?
- Jess?
- Uh, he's the principal.
Who are you?
He, um...
Uh, he moved down the hall,
another office for today.
Why'd he move down the hall?
He, he's just been
temporarily relocated.
Why are you sitting
in his chair?
That's where the principal sits.
Well, Jess is still
the principal.
He's in a temporary location.
I expect that the, uh, secretary
or maybe security
could direct you
to his... present location.
I study Shamanism.
Don't worry. I'm not here to,
you know, do any magic
or anything.
You're un...
you're unzipped. Just, sorry.
That's okay.
Thank you. Thank...
Good lookin' out as they say.
All right, this is
my Grateful Dead tie.
The Grateful Dead tie is
for one kinda conversation,
and this is my Thunderbird tie.
I didn't know what kinda
conversation we were gonna have,
but I can tell
this is gonna be more
of a Thunderbird conversation,
- so that's, that's good.
- Yeah, I think so.
Don't worry about me.
I'm here for one reason
and one reason only.
I've been a principal
for six years.
The superintendent called me up,
the chancellor called me up.
Okay? These people know me well.
I'm only here for one thing,
and that is to get your back.
I'm a brother principal, baby.
- Great.
- What's happening?
- Oh, Miss Williamson.
- Who are those people
in Jess' office?
Um, oh, we, we had an accident.
Those are the investigators...
Did Jess do something wrong?
- No, no, no, no.
- Is he okay?
No, he didn't do...
They, they just have,
they have to do
a report, that's all.
You have the parents
coming at what time?
- Three.
- Three?
Yeah, yeah.
They're all coming.
All right, so we have some time.
Here's what I wanna say to you.
Ninety percent of
what's goin' on with the kids
isn't about the kids,
it's what adults are projecting
on the kids, okay?
Parents in America
who feel that their children
are entitled
to all kinds of things,
whether it's private
or public or whatever, okay?
Children themselves that think
that they should be getting
everything they want
when they want it.
And if they don't get it,
it's somebody's fault.
How do your parents
feel about you
being late to school every day?
They don't care.
I get good grades,
so they don't really
bother me too much.
'Cause you're top of the class.
Top of the school.
Top of the school.
Do you do well
in Miss Dhawan's class?
Yeah, it's not much work.
Okay, so you're the brain,
J.C. tries, Matty's the clown,
Matty's the actor,
- Matty's the... He's the leader.
- No, no. He's the...
I mean like, we're all
pretty much leaders.
You're in New York City,
public education,
1.1 million kids,
in America, at a time
when public education
is under attack.
You're living at a time
when the country's
in total upheaval,
and you're a principal
in the very midst of it.
You're a warrior.
Why did he have
to leave his office?
Why don't you sit down?
Is it nice where they have him?
Like, is it...
I guess so. I mean,
he's the principal, so...
Yeah, he's the principal.
I-I got a kid who's in the ICU,
burns over half of his body.
I've got SEI talking
to everybody in this school.
I've got a thousand parents
coming that got an email
that said a kid had been burned.
So they all think
it could be theirs.
Now, I've gotta meet them
in an hour and a half
and let them know what happened.
Even if it's not their kid,
which they know by now,
they know that something could
easily happen in this school
that could get
their kid in the hospital.
All right, are you worried
that they might just throw
- your ass out on the corner?
- Yeah, absolutely, yes.
Okay.
I failed. I...
What if they fire me?
Well,
she's so insecure, you know.
Do you get the feeling she wants
the students to like her?
Yeah, I mean,
she does it all wrong, you know.
Like, you don't say,
this is fun, guys, you know,
before you do a fun experiment,
you know.
She's not cool.
No, she's not cool.
They don't fire you
over something like this.
Yeah, there you go.
Sit up. Shit.
You can't be lookin'
like some guy
who's been completely deflated.
Matter of fact...
let's change seats.
Maybe I should sit
on the yoga mat.
Come on, baby. Let's switch.
Your husband, he's, um...
No, no, no. He's really
not my husband technically.
I mean, the divorce isn't final,
but he probably
wouldn't like it if...
Okay, well,
would you like to sit down?
Okay.
Can I get you anything?
Thank you, yes. Water.
Yeah, yeah. Uh, one sec.
Has the UFT been in touch?
Yeah.
Okay, what's their problem?
Lots of things.
Ever since the evaluations,
they've been up my ass.
Yeah, I heard about that.
How'd that go for you?
You introduced
your own teacher evaluation
at a time when teachers are
getting tons of evaluations
rained down upon them
like drone strikes.
All right, maybe it wasn't
the best idea, I don't know.
Hey, it's an innocent,
honest mistake.
Don't ever do that again.
I just don't think I have them
on my side right now, so...
You don't have them
on your side.
You know what? Join the club.
Public education, man.
It's nobody's fault
and everybody's responsibility.
And everybody's gonna be
happy, joyful, and free
as long as everybody
covers their ass.
Now, did you look
at her curriculum?
Yes, of course
I looked at her curriculum.
Did you look
at her lesson plans?
Yes, I looked
at her lesson plans.
Are you in a relationship
with this teacher?
Absolutely not!
Okay, then you have nothing
- to worry about.
- She was getting harassed
by students though.
I called them in... as you do.
One of the kids
was Matty Fairchild.
That's dicey.
He had a little
weird thing with Miss D.
What?
- Miss D?
- Yeah.
Yeah, is that what you guys...
Miss Dhawan.
Yeah, yeah. Th-Th-That's...
that's what,
that's what,
that's what we call her.
Matty was who called her that.
It sounds like a,
- it's like a nickname.
- Yeah, I mean,
he didn't like her very much.
Any particular reason?
No, I mean, he was always
upset at her because of...
her getting a friend
of mine into trouble.
She, she talked about J.C.
Is this another...
- Another student.
- Classmate, okay.
Yeah.
It's a good friend of ours.
Talked about him getting
in trouble with his dad,
and that was not cool, you know.
- J.C. got in trouble...
- He didn't want them
- to know, man!
- with his dad.
- What the fuck?
- His dad, yeah.
And Miss Dhawan talked about it?
- Yeah, um...
- And that's
a problem because?
You don't wanna get
in trouble with J.C.'s dad.
Is he violent?
Oh, like, you know.
And Miss Dhawan
brought it up to the school?
Yeah, I mean,
she sort of noticed the...
the... we sort of all, yeah.
When was this?
You have
to move your sits bones.
Move, move your butt cheeks
so that you are
on your sits bones.
This is where we constantly
screw up in meditation as well.
You need to be sitting
so that you can,
you know, hold your seat,
be uplifted.
Take a nice breath.
Not too tight, not too loose.
Breathing in...
I absorb
all the deep, dark, ugly,
black shit that's about
to happen from the parents.
Breathing out...
I let it all go.
Breathing in...
I take in all the deep,
dark, black,
oily, thick shit
from the parents.
Breathing out...
I let it go.
That look on your face
is a little scary.
Try to relax your face muscles.
Yes, relax.
Look at those wrinkles disappear.
Ah, you look five years younger.
That easy, huh?
Now, you were left alone
to handle all of that
by yourself...
you might,
you might make a mistake.
I'm here to make sure
that you are good on that.
You know what you need to do?
You need to be out there
talkin' to your custodians.
'Cause if lights go out
like that, that's some shit.
You know?
I don't know what's happening
in this school.
- You're in charge...
- Jess.
Of the custodians.
Amy. Oh, my God, what?
I woke up and you
weren't there and then
I came here and then...
- Hello.
- they told me they wanted me
to wait, but it wasn't
even your office.
- This isn't your office.
- Wait, what happened?
- Wait, wait, Amy.
- Babe, I'm so sorry.
- Jesus Christ.
- Amy, what are you doing here?
Sorry that this is your office.
Amy,
what happened? What...
Are you in trouble?
In a minute,
he'll be gone, okay?
- And this office is...
- Hey, uh, Jess.
Is it all right if I
just leave my stuff here?
Yeah, of course, of course.
- Hello there.
- Just, could you just
- sit down for me.
- She said they called,
- called you my husband.
- Sit down, just come.
I'll give you some privacy.
Don't worry.
Everything's all right.
I gotta take my shoes.
Otherwise, somebody's gonna
look at me like I'm crazy.
Ah, deadbeats, man.
Yo, J.C., I heard you wanted
to play in the game
That's great
but that's too bad
You should join
the legendary circle eight
Yo, Joe, you think
you're going to circle around
But your boys are runnin' it
all into the ground
Yo, wait, guys, you forgot
about my home boy Rod
In the summer,
he has a nice little bod
Mary had a little lamb
Mary had a little lamb
Mary had a little lamb
Whose fleece was white
as snow
All right!
Yo, J.C., man
- You are out of your mind
- Why you tellin' me?
Maybe it's because
you are legally blind
- Settle down, please.
- J.C., J.C., J.C.
He's blind.
Hey, guys, get down here.
He can't hear you, he's blind.
You give me life.
He gives me life.
All right, guys.
Hey, guys, guys,
enough.
Paul, do I need
to throw you out of class?
Give me that. Give me that.
I do not wanna be throwing
anyone out of class.
We don't have that much time.
Please, eyes up here.
Eyes up here.
J.C., Matty.
Matty, Matty, settle down.
- What are you doin'?
- Oh!
It tastes gross.
It tastes gross.
Do I need
to separate the three of you?
In case you were wondering.
Enough, settle down.
I am giving you
till the count of three.
One.
Two.
Three.
Don't drink the Kool-Aid.
I got so wet, Miss D.
When the head game
is too strong.
Matty!
Enough, all right, enough.
Enough. Enough!
Guys, up here right now.
Or I swear to God,
you are all gonna fail.
What was the lesson plan
that you guys had last week?
There was none!
Yes, there was. Enough.
Could you grab me a glove?
Step back,
right now. I'm serious.
Step back right now.
Oh!
Uh-oh,
the gas is on. Uh-oh!
J.C., take your
sunglasses off right now.
- I'm blind.
- Take your sunglasses off
- right now.
- He's blind, legally.
I'm trying to feel
my way around the room.
- I'm legally blind.
- Pay attention.
There are four different
elements, correct?
We're gonna see
four different colors, correct?
What is this experiment called?
Do I need a lawyer?
No, you don't need a lawyer.
Just be open
and honest with them
- about what happened.
- J.C. needs a lawyer.
Paul.
J.C., put your phone
away, please.
Why is Lawrence
near the end here?
I-I thought Johnson
came after Caraballo.
There's no logic
to it like that.
They just, they call in
everybody that was there,
and they try to get
to the bottom
of what happened, that's all.
There's the logic to it.
They bring in the person
who did it last.
You tryin'
to say somethin', Paul?
No, I'm not.
What are you tryin' to say?
I'm not saying anything. You're
the one that keeps talking.
- Get the fuck outta my face.
- Language, guys!
Someone's getting
pretty fuckin' defensive.
'Cause you keep fuckin' talkin'.
Man, go back to Mexico.
- Shut the fuck up.
- Oh!
Come on.
Stop it.
You are not...
I'm gonna fuckin' kill you!
Like you killed Matty!
Guys, that's enough.
Paul, calm down!
J.C.!
Guys, stop it!
Stop it, stop it.
Stop it right now.
- Get off of me.
- Stop it.
Stop, please.
Cut it out. Stop it.
Stop, calm down.
Enough.
Enough! Please, enough.
Is that a man tree?
What?
Half man, half tree.
A man tree.
A man that grows into a tree?
He wants to save the world,
so he lets a tree grow in him.
You know, fire can destroy him.
Not the man tree,
'cause he's not human.
In his world,
fire does not exist.
It's cool.
You want it?
- Yeah.
- Yeah? It's yours.
Thank you.
Hey.
Always I find a coin.
- Always.
- You're getting rich.
- So, uh, how much is it?
- Every day.
14.50.
- Oh, shit.
- 14.50.
Do you have money because I,
I must have left it
in the hotel, shit.
What hotel are you staying at?
Uh, some hotel
close to the station.
Okay.
Anyway, I checked out.
I thought... Beautiful.
Thank you.
- Nice.
- Thank you, thank you.
- Thanks.
- You know...
I thought I could stay
at your place.
Oh, no, that's not
gonna be possible.
Why is it impossible, why?
What's going on with your,
uh, with your new joint?
I opened it.
Great. That's great.
No, it's not.
- No?
- I got out.
The whole nightclub
business is shit.
The truth is,
I, I trusted those men,
bad men, wrong men to trust.
Now, I'm in a bit of a hole.
Okay, so I can stay
at your place, huh?
No, I told you
I've got a girlfriend.
- It's not gonna work.
- You, you,
you have a girlfriend?
- Yeah.
- You have a girlfriend?
That changes everything.
Is she, is she hot?
Yeah, look, I'm gonna
call you later, okay?
You'll call me later when?
- You don't have my...
- Hey, hey!
- Hey!
- Wait, relax, wait...
- Get back here!
- Wait.
Calm down, please...
Oh, fuck off.
Get out of the way!
Okay, okay.
That motherfucker, I'm...
Okay, okay.
It's none of your
fucking business.
It is. He is my brother.
What is his name?
- What?
- What is his name?
- Adam.
- Adam what?
Adam Kazantzoglou.
- I'm gonna kill him.
- Why?
I'm gonna kill
your fuckin' brother.
What did he do?
He's selling drugs
to my daughter!
- She is 16 years old!
- Selling drugs?
- Selling drugs?
- Yes!
Shit. Okay, okay.
Be quiet. Okay.
Sixteen!
You want a cigarette?
You want a cigarette?
Get the fuck... No, I don't want
a fucking cigarette.
It's okay. He left.
He is gone now.
- He is my brother.
- I'm gonna kill
your fuckin' brother. I'm gonna
kill your fucking brother.
Okay, you are right.
I will kill him too.
Shit!
I'm gonna kill him.
I'm gonna kill him.
I'm gonna stop this.
He's selling drugs. I...
We have to tell the headmaster
what's happening in his school.
We have to stop this.
He's your brother?
He's your brother?
Hello?
Are you talkin' to me or...
Yeah, hi.
Hey.
Do... Are you
looking for someone?
Do you need something?
Um, so you're like a shrink.
Uh, well, I don't really like
to call it that.
You help people.
Oh, I try to.
That's the goal.
I wanna help people too.
- Yeah?
- Yeah.
Working in the cafeteria?
Yeah, right.
I just do that to save up
to go to school to be like you.
I knew Matty.
How's he doin'?
He wanted to be an actor.
- He did?
- Yeah.
He, uh, was friends
with, um, Adam,
who works with me
in the cafeteria.
Um, he goes to acting school,
so they kinda hit it off,
and they had, like,
their own thing.
'Cause you know how actors are.
They have like their...
And they're just, um...
Adam actually...
well, he gave, um...
I gotta go back to work, so...
You, you're not gonna wake...
Olga, lis-listen to me.
Please, just listen
to me for a second.
- I know that this is hard...
- Ross.
But we really need
to go in there,
and we really need
some answers right now.
- Ross.
- Okay?
- Olga, please.
- We need to be with our son.
- I know we need to... I know.
- We need...
- Don't you wanna know?
- something that...
- I just, they're running late...
- Why?
Why? Do you think we're
gonna figure out why tonight?
Do you think we're gonna
figure out why anything?
Amy, we can't do this right now.
I gotta go to this meeting.
- I have to be there.
- I know, but I wanna just
tell you that I, I just,
I can't be alone right now.
Jess, I can't do it.
Can I help you find anything?
Are you the librarian too?
Why is he at
that school in the first place?
I wanted to send him
to Fieldston. Why is he there?
Where have you been?
When it's time
to do the homework,
- where have you been?
- I've... what do you mean?
I've been at work.
I've been busy.
Would you... don't...
Can we, can we...
Are you really
You're gonna blame, you're gonna
put all the blame on me now.
I'm so sorry.
I made a mistake. I'm so sorry.
How did we end up here?
I could've just...
How did we end up here?
How did we end up with Matty?
- I could've just...
- Are we really gonna
do this right now?
- You didn't even wanna have...
- Twenty minutes, can you ple...
You didn't even wanna have him!
You didn't even wanna have him.
Get the fuck outta here?
Are we really gonna have
this conversation right now?
I was a kid. I was Matty's age.
I was a kid.
I was young too.
We made this decision together.
I was young too.
Don't yell at me.
Don't yell on the street.
I'll fucking yell on the street
if I wanna yell
on the fuckin' street.
Don't yell at me.
Don't you yell at me.
Are you married? What's your...
- Uh, no, I'm not.
- Oh, okay.
What happened?
Why not?
Um, I don't know.
I've just had really bad luck
with men.
Really?
I was Matty's age
when we had this discussion.
You think I wanted to have a kid
- when I was that...
- I was young too.
My mom and my dad,
I love 'em both.
They made me. I just wish they
would've never stayed together.
They stayed together because
of me, but that was stupid
because I would have
preferred nothing more
than them being apart.
When I was younger, I used
to pray that they got divorced.
Matty's the best fucking thing
in my life, Olga.
Oh, I don't wanna yell.
I don't wanna yell!
Then I guess I got used
to it, or I stopped praying.
I don't wanna yell either, okay.
- I still love you.
- What about you?
Do you still love me?
Uh, I have uh, two kids.
Good to know.
I wish I could go back in time
and have a different outcome.
- I would have never...
- I meant, are you married?
Oh, oh, yeah.
- You are?
- Yes.
- Yes, yes.
- Oh.
- Okay.
- Yes, I am.
Um... well, yeah.
Well, I didn't, I didn't,
I didn't see a ring, so...
Yeah, well, I...
I don't believe in rings.
They're confining...
and I suffer
from claustrophobia.
Oh, I'm sorry.
Hello?
The world you see
is just a movie in your mind.
The world you see is just
a movie in your mind.
The world you see is just
a movie in your mind.
The world you see is just
a movie in your mind.
Let's make sure
the custodian set it up
and then the,
the papers for the parents,
and where do those go?
Like maybe on a table outside.
- Okay, all right.
- Parents can pick 'em up
as they walk in.
And when does that
have to happen?
Like, in 15 minutes.
Oh, okay, so I
better go do that.
- Thank you.
- Sure.
- I'm sorry.
- It's no problem, Jess.
Hello.
Hello.
My name is Nick Kazantzoglou,
and I would like to see
the headmaster, please.
Do you have an appointment?
No, but...
Kazantzoglou, K-A-Z-A-N-T-Z-O-G-L-O-U.
You need to have an appointment
to see the principal.
I'm sorry, I'm sorry.
Uh, the gentleman is with me.
Um, I'm a parent, and, uh,
my name is David McKenna,
and, uh, I got an email
about a meeting,
uh, with the principal.
The meeting's in the afternoon.
Well, uh, well,
we're, we're early,
but we can,
we can wait if, if...
- McKenna?
- Yeah.
Can you give me one second?
Yeah, sure.
The gentleman is with me.
You sure know how to do things.
Um...
I'm sorry.
Uh, I can't, I can't let you in.
You're on a list of people
I can't let in.
Wait, what do you mean
you can't?
I'm, I'm a parent.
- I understand.
- David McKenna.
I understand.
I don't know
why you're on the list,
but you're gonna have to talk
to the principal about that.
Well, I'm here to talk
to the principal,
So if you can go get
the principal...
The principal's not here
- right now, sir.
- I'll talk to him right now.
I wanna see the list.
I can't show you the list, sir.
I wanna see the list.
Show me the list.
I can't show you...
- Sir, you're gonna have to...
- Show me the list.
I can't show you the list, sir.
Sir, you're gonna have
to calm down.
I wanna see the fucking
principal right now.
I'm gonna have
to ask you to leave.
Where are you going, sir?
- You're not going.
- [Joh Sir!
Calm down. Calm down.
Sir, I'm gonna
have to call this in
- if you don't leave.
- Call whoever you want!
I'm a parent here!
Okay, okay, okay.
Fucking restraining order on me!
Ah! I can't...
She put me on a fucking list!
You know what?
I'm gonna go back in there...
No, no. No, don't.
She... My fucking bitch
ex-wife just did this.
She put me on a fucking list.
She put me on a fucking
restraining order!
I'm not gonna be able
to see my daughter. I'm...
It's okay. Calm down.
I know another way, okay.
You look like shit,
you know that?
I got fired.
Okay? I got fired.
I lost my fucking insurance.
I'm gonna lose my apartment.
You know, you're raising
a kid and you got a reason
to get up in the morning,
that's what you do.
You get up in the morning.
That's, that's what you do.
You know? That's what you do.
You got a kid, right,
so you get up for the kid.
Then you don't have
a reason to get up.
And that...
I'm gonna go back in there.
- No, no, no.
- I'm gonna go back in there.
You made her a nervous wreck,
you know that.
I know Miss Dhawan had
some issues. I am aware.
You were one of the
biggest issues she had, Jess.
Because she didn't come to me.
I think you've cultivated
a, a culture of fear,
- a toxic culture here.
- Are you making
a direct connection
between the accident
and the evaluations?
And what if I am?
Are you just gonna deflect it?
Or are you gonna
actually refute it in some way?
You know you made her
a nervous wreck.
Refute? I'm not gonna refute
your spurious accusations.
Guys, are we not
all being evaluated
anonymously by students?
Is that maybe a little unethical
if he never asked us about it?
You've brought it
to the teacher's union,
why don't you leave it at that
instead of bringing it
into this room and making it
everyone's business.
It is everyone's business!
It is everyone's business
if we're being snitched on
by students at your behest.
I would sincerely
appreciate your support.
There are a thousand kids
in this school.
Of course,
you don't get what I'm saying.
Most of them are still here.
And we have to continue
to educate them.
- You think about education.
- Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.
Education is what
they're here for?
Is it what you're here for?
Give me a break.
Empower us,
'cause we're the ones
who care about the education.
Not the parents,
not the students.
You just want to get
better grades and get them
into better colleges,
so when we give them a B,
they come after us.
If you don't
feel like you wanna come
to this meeting, I understand,
and you are excused.
All you're doing
is deflecting, Jess.
Would you keep your voice down?
You, shut up!
Whoa, Jason, let's...
I think you're here
to make a name for yourself.
- You wanna clean up the school.
- I think you need to leave.
I need to leave?
I think you need
to leave right now.
It's not us against them.
We're all trying
to work it out, together, okay?
Get that in your brain.
Instead of this.
Give me a break, Jamie.
Give me a break.
There's no need to insult...
- I think it's pretty insulting.
- fellow staff members.
I think it's pretty insulting
that she's coming in here
lecturing me
and treating me like an idiot
when I've been a teacher
- for seven years, and she has...
- She's trying to give you
a different perspective.
The problem is, you and him
have made the kids feel like
they're the adults in the room,
like they should have
the authority.
Why are you so angry?
Because you're an idiot...
and you're questioning me
- like I'm an idiot.
- Whoa, whoa, Jason, just...
I'm the school counselor,
- I'm a psychologist.
- Yeah, I know you want this
- petri dish to be...
- So I get a lot more shit
- than you do.
- your own psych ward.
I get that.
You know, there are
other places to teach.
What?
There are other places to teach.
Are you kidding?
You want solidarity?
Stop coming after teachers.
When was the last time
you were in a classroom?
When was the last time you
sat in on anybody's classroom?
That's what I thought.
What are you doin'?
- What are you doin'?
- I'm thanking him.
God?
Yeah, God, for leaving
the door open for us.
Oh, shit. Shit.
You, uh, you gonna take
your thanks back?
No.
What the fuck is that?
What're you doin'?
I'm praying.
To the lock?
What language is that?
Arabic.
- Arabic?
- Shh.
Isn't that a
different religion than before?
Does the religion matter?
Do you have just, like,
a different religion
- for every situation or...
- No.
Let's smoke. Let's smoke.
There is no smoking inside.
Fucking America.
Come on.
Why do you have a gun?
I wanna know why you have a gun.
- Why?
- Because, what are you,
- a criminal or something?
- Why do you want to know?
Are you a criminal or something?
Do I look like a criminal?
Yes, yes, you look
like a fuckin' criminal.
And I'm not lettin' you
in here with a gun!
We're in America, Davy.
We're in America.
It's the easiest thing
in the world,
having a gun in America.
Bullshit, why do you have a gun?
I owe money to the wrong people,
that's why.
Aye, uh, I gotta be
out of my fucking mind.
Uh, yeah, um,
I'm just calling to confirm
my appointment for this evening.
Uh, yeah.
Willmore, Alis. Mm-hmm.
Thank you.
You must think I'm an asshole.
No.
It's too scary to stand up
the way you did, you know.
Not everyone...
can do that.
Can I buy you a cup of coffee?
Just to prove I'm not a monster.
Um...
I'm not married.
I'm, I'm sorry.
That was so stupid.
I'm sorry, uh, I am...
Coffee sounds good.
Yeah?
Will you just please just
stop talking bullshit to me.
You don't believe
in any of that.
No, I believe
in facts and logic.
Logic. How about numbers?
Yeah, numbers, numbers are good.
Numbers are good.
How about 9-11?
- 9-11?
- Yeah.
The day the American dream died.
Where I come from,
9-11 means
the ninth of November.
Only Americans read backwards.
9-11, 1989.
It was the middle of the night
when the wall came down.
You know that, huh?
No, I was 11.
I don't know that.
You were 11. You were 11.
Do you see that?
9-11, you were 11.
Okay, okay, okay.
Big party day.
November 9th,
I was in Berlin.
Everyone is out
on the road, celebrating
that they got
capitalism, freedom.
And people still thought
that freedom is to buy stuff.
Bananas everywhere,
they didn't have bananas.
Behind the wall,
there were no bananas,
so when they came to freedom,
they were rewarded with...
bananas.
You know what November 9th was
up until the big party day?
It was called The Night
of Broken Glass,
November 9, 1938.
That was the same day
as, be careful,
when the wall came down.
My point is,
a bad day became
a good day, just like that.
You don't believe
in any of that?
No, I believe
in facts and logic.
Facts... Are you okay?
- Yeah.
- This is a fact.
This is logic.
Okay.
Wow.
Parents are a thing
of the past, don't you think?
Wow.
There's so many people here.
And they're all so pissed.
Good afternoon, ladies
and gentlemen. Good afternoon.
- I guess I'd be angry too.
- Can everyone please
take a seat.
You know, it could be
any one of their kids.
Thank you, thank you.
That's just another reason
not to have them.
Look, the sooner we get started,
the more information
you get from us, thank you.
All right, I'm,
I'm Principal Williamson.
We appreciate you being here
more than you know.
Uh, I sincerely apologize
for the way you were notified.
We're gonna get started
today with a report
from our school safety officer,
Officer Genet.
Hello, everyone, thank you
for your attention.
I am Officer Genet of the NYPD
and head of security
here at Coles.
- Alis.
- We understand
that this is
a very difficult time...
Sittin' here
by your lonesome, huh?
- Oh...
- Did I miss everything?
Has issued notices
of violations
to the institution.
An NOV will list violations
and must be corrected
within 35 days.
- Oh, come on.
- It is the responsibility
of the NYPD, the FDNY, Coles...
Oh, hey, Jack.
- How are you, buddy.
- It's Jason.
Parents to make
a serious commitment
towards all of this compliance.
- At this time,
- That's my seat.
That's all I have for you,
I will now turn the meeting
- back over to...
- And that's my coffee too.
Oh, that's your coffee, okay.
- Yeah.
- Okay, great.
- Talk to you later.
- Okay.
Thank you, Officer Genet.
We will be working very closely
with her in the coming weeks
regarding all of the
violations that she mentioned.
- Hi.
- Hey, um...
How's it goin' up there?
Um, it's, it's loud.
Um, have, have you...
have you seen
the principal's wife?
Yeah, she came in earlier today.
No, I mean, like
a couple minutes ago.
Have you seen her?
Did she go by here?
Uh, I don't, I don't think so.
I mean, I had
to go the bathroom, I mean.
I'm sorry.
I fell asleep.
You know, I have that condition,
um, insomnia condition,
since Afghanistan.
All right, um...
Can I, can I come in there?
Just for a second.
Yeah.
I was supposed
to keep an eye on her
and stay with her and make sure
she didn't leave my sight,
and I messed that up
and now she's gone.
I have no idea what I'm
gonna say, like I don't know.
She's an adult.
But that... Okay, the meeting
that's going on upstairs
is because I sent out an email,
I was supposed to send it
to, like, a few people,
and I sent it to everybody.
Because I just can't, apparently
just can't do anything.
- Okay, okay.
- Right?
Hey.
I'm living upstairs right now.
I'm sleeping upstairs,
and I, I can't,
I can't keep an eye
on the principal's wife
for five minutes.
I'm not paying my rent.
I'm not...
I have a question. Why are
our kids being investigated
without us or our lawyers
being present?
So a parent says,
wady-bomby-domby-domby-dah.
And you're gonna say.
Until we let this process
take its course,
there's really nothing more
I can share with you.
I don't understand.
What does that mean?
They're only gonna
respect you more
as a result of this,
I guarantee you.
- Teacher was wearing goggles...
- There's a process...
but none
of the students were?
Is it true?
Yes, that is true.
- How is that possible?
- Oh, my God.
Are there no safety regulations?
Yes, there are
safety regulations.
The science teacher
made a choice,
an unfortunate choice
in this instance.
- That's ridiculous.
- But really she's not obliged
- to, to, make students...
- No, that's crazy.
And what about the
the chemicals themselves
- I heard that it was broken.
- Obviously, something got
a little out
of control in this case.
Frankly, it's also
a matter of budget.
You should've told me.
I would've got you
safety goggles.
There's a child
in the hospital right now,
and you're talking about budget?
So the kids get to not wear
safety goggles.
You got some stones, man.
Can we have less questions
in the room, please.
- You're not the only one here.
- That is not...
Oh, so you get
to decide how this meeting goes?
That's really self-centered.
I'm self-centered?
- We almost had a heart attack.
- I'm self-centered?
Are you fucking serious?
He was crying.
He was, he was hurting.
And I was just doing
everything I could
to help him, you know.
Yeah, we know you did
everything you could.
I really tried.
I used everything that I knew.
I know.
Did he say anything?
Um... yeah. Well, he was
saying a lot of things
and um, a couple things.
But there's one thing
in particular
that he was saying,
but I don't,
I don't know if it would...
make sense to you,
like it's, you know,
people say things when they're
- in shock so...
- Mm-hmm, what did he say?
Um...
he said I would
rather pick up dog shit
than stay with him.
I had heard J.C. and him
fighting earlier that day,
and he was screaming at him,
I'd rather pick up dog shit
than stay with him.
I'd rather pick up dog shit
than stay with him.
- Did you...
- It sounds weird, right?
It doesn't make sense.
The only other thing
that he was saying,
and I don't know
if it was in reference
to this or not,
but he was saying it was a joke.
- A joke?
- It was a joke, it was a joke.
He was like, ah, joke,
it was a joke.
And like, he was...
Any idea?
No. I didn't know.
I mean, it was just
a sight to see him,
you know, he's,
you know he is
a good kid, right?
He's such a good kid.
I liked him a lot.
He was always really nice
to me and really sweet to me.
Okay, just, um...
Thank you.
You know, he's lucky
you responded so quickly.
Do you really think so?
I know so.
I tried so hard.
I know.
It's okay, okay.
Let's... We're done.
- Okay.
- This is great. Thank you.
- Thank you.
- Thank you.
You were really helpful.
Thank you.
- It was a pleasure...
- Thank you for coming down.
To meet you.
Yeah, excuse me.
Can you get yourself together
and...
Do you want some water
or something?
All right, I'll take
you to see your counselor,
and it'll be okay, all right?
- Natalie...
- Hi, I've got
to get her to her counselor.
- All right.
- Come on, sweetie. Let's go.
- J.C.
- I gotta use the bathroom.
- The principal's office?
- Yes.
Um, it was there
two days ago, but...
- they moved it down the hall.
- What happened to your eye?
What?
What happened? You all right?
Yeah, I'm good, I'm good.
Don't worry about it.
Uh, two things, actually.
Uh, one, that there were
trace amounts of methanol
on all the beakers.
But also that
they were varying degrees.
What the hell? She said
she didn't use methanol.
- But there was methanol?
- There was.
There was an accident
up there yesterday.
Kid got burned really bad.
He died?
He's in a coma.
- Poor teacher.
- Poor teacher?
Yeah,
she fucked up. Poor teacher.
What do you mean
he wasn't supposed to be there?
He wasn't supposed
to be up there.
He was called up by her.
What was
the disruption in class that
she had to call
Matty up front for?
Were you guys just...
I actually, I'm not too sure,
we were just talking.
I mean, not even loud at all.
We were kinda whispering.
And what did you do
when the explosion happened?
Well, the rest
of the class just,
we all just ran to the back
and opened the windows
to breathe.
Were you worried
for your friend?
Of course I was worried
for my friend.
Is he a good friend of yours?
I'd say we're like
best friends, yeah.
You, Matty, and Lawrence, right,
- you guys?
- Yeah, yeah.
The three of you are tight?
- Yeah, we're like...
- yeah.
Have you
visited Matty in the hospital?
No, I was going
to go today, yeah.
How'd you become
friends with Lawrence?
Have you been friends
since you were little or...
No, we did... That was...
No, we recently became friends.
Yeah?
What prompted that?
I think it was this one time
when he gave me his homework.
Aha!
- There it is.
- Yeah, yeah.
Yeah.
Whenever I need help,
he just, he's always there.
And you...
No, I just...
offer your friendship?
Yeah like, whatever
he needs, I'll be there.
- Protection.
- You got his back.
- Yeah, I got his back.
- Protection?
Does he need protection a lot?
I mean, you know,
like a kid like that
in a school like this,
kinda, you know.
People make,
people poke fun, so...
What's going on with your face?
What are you talking about?
I'm talking about the
mark I can see on your face,
high on your cheek,
what happened?
You know, I mean,
you can take the sunglasses off.
Oh, these are
actually prescription.
I'm like short-sighted,
I kinda need them to see, so...
Your, your teachers
let you wear them in class?
Hm? Yeah, 'cause they know
I can't afford new ones.
Did some kid rough you up
a little after school?
Did you steal
somebody's lunch money?
No, I don't think a kid
- would rough me up.
- What happened to your face?
No, you don't look like
you get roughed up
- by other kids much.
- No.
Are you the rougher-upper?
Yeah, I'd say so.
It was a fight. It was just
a fight, and yeah.
Yeah? Who was
in the fight with you?
I don't think that's important.
I don't think that's relevant.
It's actually
our job to find out.
So it doesn't matter if you
think it's relevant or not.
- Who was in the fight with you?
- Yeah but, like, we're talking
about Matty, so I don't know
what this has to do
with that at all.
Were you
in the fight with Matty?
No.
The fight happened
on school grounds?
Um, yeah.
Do you get
many phone calls home?
Had a few.
- Mm-hmm.
- Yeah.
How'd that go over?
What did they say?
Um, it was like...
just like don't do it again.
It happens.
Blah, blah, blah. Yeah.
It happens?
Yeah.
You and your dad have
a close relationship?
Mm-hmm.
Closer than say with your mom?
My mom actually isn't around.
Oh, I'm sorry.
Sorry.
Yeah.
You said they called
them on the phone.
Mm, you said parents,
I just went with parents.
You know your dad is
crossing the line sometimes,
and it's not okay.
Yeah, but I can deal with that.
Yeah, but clearly you can't.
All right, Matty was right.
This is not something
you need to put up with.
All right, J.C.
I'm done with this.
You're done with this.
Yeah, I'm, I'm done with this.
Right, that's what
I'm saying to you.
- You're done with this.
- Mm-hmm.
You may leave.
Oh, so you're
telling me to leave.
- Thank you.
- I'm going
because I wanna go.
Thank you very much.
All right,
don't tell me what to do.
We'll call you in
if we have any questions.
Someone's gonna shoot us, boy.
No one's gonna shoot at me.
Watch your fuckin' shoes, bro!
- Stop.
- Stop.
Don't...
What are you doing?
Shit.
Open it, open it,
open it, open it, open it.
- Go.
- Oh, my God.
Where are the lights?
Come on, guys, let's get it.
Come on!
You'd like that.
What's this gonna do?
It's gonna do exactly
what I want it to do.
What the fuck was that?
- Let's go.
- What the fuck was that?
- Just leave, just leave.
- Let's go, let's go.
- We gotta go, we gotta go.
- Go, go. Just go on.
- No, no, we all gotta go.
- Just go. Wait by the door.
You wanna get in trouble?
We're not getting in trouble.
We're gonna get in trouble.
Wait, wait, actually...
He's actually... Wait.
Of course I'm right.
I'm always fucking right.
- Matty, w need to go!
- Let's go!
Let's go. We have
to get out of here!
Have a seat. Hi.
Can I talk to you for a second?
Yeah.
I know I was running late.
I'll be there.
No, I haven't changed my mind.
Listen, I can't talk
right now. I have to go.
Okay.
Really upset.
They were talking
about the accident
that happened yesterday,
and she just fell apart.
Excuse me?
Who let you in here?
You can't be in here.
You can smell it.
What?
You can smell
the drugs in the pee.
That's how I found out
that Adam was using drugs.
What, he forgot to flush?
He forgot. He always forgets.
You know why people
do drugs in the toilets?
- This is a school!
- Okay!
Look, will you just put
the gun away, please?
Please, just put it away!
You're gonna fuck us both here!
She found pot in a bag.
Her mother did, and then
she found, like, condoms,
and I don't know,
she's acting out.
She's just acting out.
Did my brother...
What?
- Did my brother...
- Yeah, I don't know. She said...
She said she's in love
with an older guy. I don't know.
Fuck.
You know,
my father was like that.
He had whoever he wanted.
Perhaps I have hundreds
of half brothers
all over the world.
That's a scary thought.
He had no sense
of right and wrong.
He would always put us
in danger.
That's how I grew up,
always in danger.
You know what my father did?
Hmm?
- What?
- You know?
He killed himself.
He smoked 100 cigarettes
in one day.
He drank 10 bottles of ouzo.
In seven days, he was dead.
You can do whatever you want
with your own life
but when you start destroying
the lives of other people,
you have to go.
Let's go.
But nothing unusual to report?
- Nothing...
- No, I don't...
I mean, are you suggesting
that she
- intentionally burned a student?
- Oh, I'm not, I'm just...
No, no, no, no.
I'm actually not at all.
- I didn't, uh...
- She's a very careful
and intelligent person.
Have you been
at the school long?
- Uh, yes, I have.
- Mm-hmm.
Too long to count.
- Oh?
- How's that?
Uh, I went to school here.
And you teach English?
Yes, I teach English.
Let me know if you...
need any lessons.
I...
- It's a joke.
- I know it is.
It's actually funny because
I've noticed the grammar
of some of
the students here is...
Oh, it's suffering.
- Thank you. I'll review that.
- Yes, but I assume
it's just a habit,
not, not as a result
- of your instruction.
- It's hard to teach
these kids, you know,
proper English
when they wanna, you know.
Right, like it's not
very straight to conjugate
Yeah.
I'm so sorry. I'm sorry.
It's just, it's from earlier.
Please continue.
- Yes, from earlier.
- Yeah.
What are you doing?
Babe, we gotta prep
for tomorrow.
I have to leave.
What are you talking about?
Where's your apron?
We got a...
- we've a shit ton of stuff.
- No, no, no.
I have to leave.
I've gotta go. I have
to get out of here, okay?
What are you talking about?
Hey, I'm sorry.
Don't touch me!
I saw you.
I saw you. You gave
one of your little
pill bags to Matty
and that chick Toni whatever.
These.
Your weed and your pills.
Gave it to the kids!
You gave it to Matty
and then look what happened.
You think I caused that?
- Yeah.
- No.
They would have been
doing that anyway
whether they were
taking drugs or not.
And if they weren't
taking my drugs,
they'd be taking someone else's,
and I really believe
that I'm a better person
to provide them than other
people out there on the streets.
I'm sorry.
- Let me come with you.
- No.
- No, I wanna come with you.
- No, no.
- Yeah, let me come with you.
- No!
I know you do,
but you have
your own stuff to deal with.
Look at you, you're saving up...
so that you can go study...
and you almost have
enough money.
And then in a few years,
you'll be sitting
in some little office,
and you'll have
a little notepad and pencil
and glasses on a string.
On a string?
Yeah, you know, like on a chain.
I don't wear glasses.
Well, you'll have to to
look like a real psychiatrist.
And then...
one day you'll look up and...
I'll walk in.
- Hey.
- Hey.
Hi.
Can I show you something?
Yeah, come in.
No, it's on, um,
it's on Lisa's computer.
- Yeah.
- Can you come with me?
- Sure, are you okay?
- Excuse me?
- I'm fine.
- Um...
Do you know how to get
to the principal's office?
Uh, yeah, from here,
the easiest way is gonna be,
um, keep going down
this hallway,
uh, you'll see a doorway
to the stairs,
take the stairs
two flights down.
- Two?
- Yeah, two flights down,
right, and then when you get
to that level,
right, it's gonna be level two,
you're gonna turn right,
there's gonna be a double door.
You want the right door.
You go down that hallway.
- Um, you'll get to a rotunda.
- Oh, my God.
Okay, so, down... This is
the easiest way from here.
- It's just two flights down?
- Where did you come from?
We're gonna go two flights down?
Two flights down,
take a right...
We got it, thank you.
Go through the rotunda,
you're gonna come in
at your six o'clock
and you're gonna go to...
You're welcome.
There's construction
the other way, so...
What do you mean?
Well, like, are we gonna
rehearse for the play?
Are we gonna cancel the play?
We have the dress rehearsal.
- The show is tomorrow.
- We can make time.
So we're gonna
completely forget about Matty?
- No one's forgetting about him.
- We haven't forgot about him.
Wait, wait, wait.
It seems like we don't care.
It's like now he's not here.
Well, I mean, that's why
I'm here. I'm the understudy.
We can sort of do
without a lead.
Well, I feel like we have
the space open
where Matty would be,
and we have someone else
reading the lines for him.
So it's like he's there
in spirit.
Something like that.
Alex, what do you think
about this?
It doesn't make sense.
Okay, but you also don't know
a lot of blocking.
That doesn't make sense!
Guys, guys, guys!
- What!
- Guys!
Calm down, all right.
We have to make a decision.
- Are we gonna do it or not?
- We can't do it
without actually
having him here.
I don't think we should do it.
We can't do it
without him. It's not fair.
So what's going on?
You wanna talk about it?
I guess.
Hey, I'm sorry.
Hi.
Can we talk for a minute?
I'm sorry to interrupt.
Oh, right now?
Yeah, yeah,
it's pretty important.
Hey, I'll be right back.
What's up?
So Alis found this
on Lisa's computer.
Apparently, some kids
have been harassing her
on social media,
on Twitter, Facebook.
She collected it all.
There's images and tweets
and threats, comments
about the way she looks.
Okay, that's...
It's pretty upsetting stuff.
It's pretty ugly.
Mm-hmm. Yeah.
We just copied it to the USB.
We should show it to Jess.
Yeah, absolutely.
Right?
Yeah. I think...
Okay, thank you.
I'll let you know.
So, uh, um, this is my office.
Would you like
to sit in your seat?
- That's great, thank you.
- Nice,
yes, you're very welcome.
- Thank you.
- Have a seat.
And I'm powerless
in this situation.
I'm sort of like Harvey Keitel
in Pulp Fiction.
I clean up the mess,
but I have no power.
So I'm just gonna sit
right here.
So, it would seem
we have a mess to clean up?
Uh, no, that's not what I said.
I said I'm powerless.
That should make you happy.
Thank you for letting us
use your office.
Absolutely.
How did you feel about
the response to the explosion?
Did everything go according
to protocol, according to plan?
Were there any glitches?
As far as I can tell,
everything went
according to plan.
- Mm-hmm.
- Um,
the school safety desk
at the front,
at the entrance...
received a call
pretty immediately
that an accident was happening
on the fourth floor.
They called FDNY
and NYPD immediately.
They were here within minutes,
and everything went
according to protocol
as far as I can see.
And when did you respond
to the fourth floor?
I was not in the building
at the time of the accident.
The AP was there.
He's not required
to be there in the morning.
You could designate an AP.
I didn't, uh, suggest
that he was required
- to be in the school.
- Okay.
There was a...
There was an emergency.
I was away.
What, what kind
of, uh, emergency?
What does that have
to do with this incident?
My wife was in the hospital.
Look, my wife had...
my ex-wife.
No, you don't get
into personal business.
We're talking about an incident.
He wasn't there.
There was a,
- there was a supervisor on site.
- Look, my ex-wife
had tried
to kill herself, all right?
On the day of the incident?
No. No.
Like three weeks ago
and I was picking her up.
Is she all right?
We were... pregnant,
and she...
we lost it.
I'm, uh, having
an abortion tonight.
I was supposed to be there
like an hour ago, actually.
You know, I never wanted Matty?
I never wanted him.
Even after he was born.
When he was born...
I loved him more than
anything in the world
and I still do.
But there was always
this bit of resentment I had.
So stupid.
And now...
and now he's...
he's not who he used to be.
This was the last place he was
when he was who he was.
When he was...
It's my, it's my fault.
It's my fault.
Tell me why you're saying that.
Did you have
any reason to suspect
that Miss Dhawan
was being bullied?
What does that have
to do with anything?
Do you know J.C. Caraballo?
I'm aware of who he is.
He's a student here.
And do you, do you know him?
I-I know who he is.
Hey, guys.
What the fuck?
That did not go well.
Tha-tha-that just went about
as terrible as it
possibly could!
- Easy! It is what it is.
- It is what it is?
Are you kidding me?
She was, she was, she was...
They got my balls
in their hands!
They're-they're-they're-they're grabbing,
and they're squeezing!
- Easy.
- Easy!
- Just move on to the next thing.
- Where the fuck is Amy?
Where's my wife?
She cannot be wandering
the halls!
Heather, Heather!
Oh, and of course
on top of all that,
now I've got this charge
for domestic violence
hanging over my head.
Hey, there's no way
she's gonna report that.
If she did,
they'd deport J.C.'s father!
She's aware of that,
you told her!
- Yeah, but...
- Easy.
Whew!
I'm fucked.
Fuck.
Fuck.
Fuck.
Fuck.
Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck!
Fuck!
Oh, fuck.
Yeah, I think we need
to really stick to the facts
'cause we're getting
into her emotional state
and the kids' emotional state,
and that's like, that's not...
Okay, um, do you...
So you put the keys away
on the day of the incident...
- Yes.
- after you locked
- the cabinet?
- I, I,
I put the keys
in the office room
with the other keys
in the faculty room, yes.
Okay. And that's where
you always keep them?
I us... Yes, usually.
I usually do that.
- Usually?
- Usually?
Yes.
Yes, she has a routine.
She followed the routine.
Yes, there are rules,
and there are rules about...
There are rules about
how to put the keys away.
I'm sorry, I'm very tired...
No, right, no, of course.
And I'm just saying...
And I followed the rules
about how to store the keys.
No, I mean, I hear that you're
saying what you usually do,
but do you remember
specifically on that day
because, I mean,
I know, routines,
you can kinda get lost
in the routine,
and you don't do it
sometimes, and...
Do you remember
doing it on that day?
Ye-Yes.
You do?
Yes, I mean...
- Except...
- You can answer the question,
but you keeping asking her
50 different ways,
she's giving you
the same answer.
Except what?
Except there was...
Except there was what?
- I was running late for class...
- Mm-hmm.
And in some
of the student evaluations,
there was something
about me being late,
so I, I had the keys with me
and I left them on the desk
in the classroom.
In room 42?
Th-The classroom I was in
prior to the one I was going to.
- Okay.
- And, uh, they were on my desk
but only for the duration
of the class
because after the class
I came back,
and they were still
where I left them
and then I put them away.
So they were on the desk...
during the class period?
Yeah.
But when you came back,
so you left the room?
For just a short period of time,
and then when the class was over
and I came back,
they were still
where I left them.
So they were left
unattended in an open room
for the duration
of the class period?
Yes, but they were exactly
where I left them
when I came back so...
And was there another class
- in that other classroom...
- No, no,
- at that time?
- There was not.
So it was empty?
Yeah.
They were...
I knew where they were.
I-I-I was running late,
so I didn't want
to be late for class.
I love being a teacher.
Okay, what?
He made a copy of the key,
and then he put it back.
Who, who, when...
Are you saying that
Matty did that?
Yeah.
But there wasn't really
a plan or anything.
We were just kinda
messing around.
Smoking weed.
And then...
Did you go?
No, I was grounded.
- Oh, my God.
- They're not gonna deport you.
- Why would they deport you?
- They'll fucking deport me, bro.
No, they're not gonna
deport you...
What are you talking about?
As long as you don't talk shit,
they won't be able to.
- Then of course not.
- I didn't say anything.
You didn't say anything?
What's so bad
about Mexico anyway?
What the fuck? Have you been
to fucking Mexico, bro?
I wouldn't last a day.
Imagine what you would.
You wouldn't even
fucking last an hour!
You need to chill.
Don't tell me
to fucking chill, bro?
Take it down a notch.
What the fuck are you
talking about my dad for?
Look at your fucking eye!
Look at your eye!
Are you in my fucking situation?
- Look at your eye!
- What?
- You're gonna defend him?
- What the fuck.
'Cause your dad is an asshole!
You don't know
what the fuck he does to me!
- You know it!
- What?
Don't push me.
- Don't push me.
- Wanna get fucking physical?
You know that your dad's a dick.
You're not in my fucking house!
You're not in my fucking house...
Everybody knows the situation.
You don't know what
I've been through, all right?
- So shut the fuck up!
- It doesn't matter!
- Shut up!
- You like going through it?
- You like it?
- Shut the fuck up!
- Really?
- Shut up!
You sound real familiar, right?
I bet you hear that
all the time, right?
Oh, my fucking God.
- That sound real familiar...
- Keep talking shit,
I swear to God I'm gonna knock
the fuck outta you.
You sound just like
your little pops.
- Don't push me.
- Shut the fuck up!
- Don't push me.
- Shut up!
Now you're gonna make me...
Gonna fucking fall, bitch.
- What, what?
- No, chill. Chill!
- Fuck you mean chill?
- Chill!
Don't tell me
what the fuck to do.
It's not even
that big of a deal.
What the fuck you mean
it's not that big of a deal?
Because it was Matty's idea!
What the fuck
are you trying to say?
We were there too.
It's our fault!
- So?
- We didn't say no, did we?
- No, we didn't say no.
- All right then.
What the fuck,
it's our fault too.
- You need to chill.
- No, you need
- to fucking chill...
- You need to chill.
- You really need to chill.
- I swear to God...
- Your gun!
- I don't know where it is.
- How did you let this happen?
- I don't know. I...
How could you possibly
let this happen?
That is like
the most important part
of your entire job!
We are police officers
at an educational institution
in charge
of monitoring children,
and now your gun
is on the loose.
Are you out of your mind?
Oh, shit. It's stuck.
It's stuck!
Holy shit.
They said, what if we messed
around with the chemicals
and played a joke
on Miss D because...
A joke?
Not really a joke, but...
they just wanted
to get back at her
because she had told
the principal
on J.C. for acting out in class
and then his dad beat
him up really bad,
but he was only acting up
in class because...
The only reason that
he was acting out in class
was because Miss D
caught me smoking
and then she told
my dad and then...
and then my mom found out,
and then I had
to go live with her.
So who was actually there,
Matty and who else?
What are you doing?
We had quite an evil eye on us.
That's why it happened.
Evil eye, you know.
Bad energy. Evil eye,
bad energy, you know.
- An evil eye.
- Yeah.
- Is on us.
- Yeah.
- Elevator got stuck.
- Exactly.
Awesome. That's great.
That's great.
In five minutes, we'll be okay.
Everything happens for a reason.
I'm not talking to you anymore.
- Hey.
- Hi.
- How are you doing?
- Uh, good.
Uh, do you have
Ross Fairchild's contact info?
Maybe. Why?
I-I found something of Matty's,
and I wanted to give it
back to the family.
Um, I mean, I could
give that to them
if you wanted to give it to me.
Uh, it's just really personal,
and I'd prefer...
I'd prefer to give it
to him myself,
if you don't mind.
Um...
yeah, I mean, I guess
that should be okay.
Hang on.
I can write it down.
That would be great.
Thank you.
You don't believe in that, why?
Why you don't believe that
everything happens for a reason?
Explain to me, please.
Because it doesn't...
What you're saying
doesn't make any sense.
It is like
you don't believe in love.
You don't believe in love?
With love, you can...
- you can create miracles.
- Oh, my God.
This now, this is my hell.
This is my hell.
Was it just weed?
No.
No?
You have something
on you. What is that?
Give me that.
What is that?
It's...
it's not Tylenol.
It's just...
Matty...
he...
he likes me, you know?
And he...
he just wanted
to show me that, you know,
he wouldn't let anybody...
mess around with me.
People make choices.
That's why, okay.
Everybody makes a choice.
Choices affect other people.
Okay. It's not some grand plan.
It's not some deeper meaning
when shit happens.
Hi.
I'm sure they will
let us out soon.
Don't cry.
It's okay. It's okay.
We...
You okay?
Uh...
Yeah, yeah. Yeah, I'm okay.
Uh...
What?
I fucked up.
You lose the glasses,
or I take them off your face.
I'm pretty sure
you can't tell me what to do.
It's your...
- Right now?
- Don't make me say it again.
- Oh, sass.
- Thank you.
- Can I just hold 'em?
- No, no, no, you can't.
Meanwhile, uh, Lawrence?
Miss Dhawan's keys?
Yeah.
What happened to them?
Who knows?
It was Matty. He, uh,
he got, he got 'em.
He had the keys.
Do you know how he
came into possession
of the keys?
- No.
- No? Okay.
Uh, but he accessed
the supply closet
in the science lab?
That was me.
- It was you?
- Yeah.
He gave you the keys?
We-We all were together.
Keys?
How would I know about the keys?
You know about the keys?
All right, so here's
the situation, J.C.
As you said yourself
in the locker room,
you are an accomplice
in this crime
which has been committed,
so it is to your advantage
to be forthcoming
in this situation.
This is like when you watch TV
and there's a cop drama,
this is like that,
only this is your life.
I know your status. I know
the status of your father
and I need you
to be forthcoming,
or there may be
serious consequences.
Do you understand
what I am saying to you
or do I need
to be more explicit?
I understand the words.
I just don't know
where they're coming from.
- I don't think you know...
- You're trying to go back?
Oh, okay.
You guys all right?
No, Lawrence
just has some jokes.
No, I don't have anything
to joke about now.
I mean...
Lawrence recognizes the severity
of the situation, J.C.
- You can drop the act.
- There's no act.
You can drop this bravado
that you have.
There is no act.
There is actually no protecting
your father at this point.
He's under investigation.
It's in motion, all right?
We are here talking
to you right now,
in this case.
In the case with your father,
you are the victim.
Now, in the case of this school,
you are potentially
a perpetrator.
I suggest that you start
telling the truth,
the whole truth,
and nothing but the truth.
So help me God.
Let's go, all right,
that's enough.
They're looking for the truth.
The only problem is,
what is the truth?
Theoretically, I'm the only
person that could tell them,
and I can't speak.
Does it start with me?
Or does it start
with Adam smiling at Toni?
Or Shannon hiring Adam.
Or Miss D telling on Toni?
Or Toni's dad grounding Toni?
Or her mom taking her
away from her dad?
Or Principal Williamson overreacting
because he's mad at his wife!
Who can you blame?
If Heather hadn't made
that noise that night,
the first beaker
would have exploded
as planned.
And Miss D would have been
wearing protective gear,
and I would have been
on the other end of the table!
Whatever.
The only questions that's worth
its weight is this,
is there a fucking script,
or does everything
happen by accident?
One thing leading to another,
a simple chain reaction.
And if it does happen
by accident,
why does one accident happen
and not another?
Why me?
Why the hell me?
That's actually
fucking great. Let's go!
- Shh!
- Let's go!
Fuck, bro.
Yo, there's a ghost in here.
What?
What the fuck you mean
there's a ghost in here?
What are you, a pussy?
Come on, man.
What the fuck
you mean am I a pussy?
What the fuck?
Of course I'm not...
I'm not a fucking bitch.
Shut the fuck up.
- What are you doing?
- What is wrong with you?
- Shh!
- Geez.
I'm good, I'm good.
No, no, no. Serious question.
Why is Toni not here, bro?
Yo, her mom grounded her.
Yo, she's such
a bitch. What the fuck?
Guys, I really hurt myself.
- Shit.
- Why did you trip?
What the fuck.
Nothing bad's gonna happen.
Are you gonna tell 'em
just like you told me?
I guess I have to.
I'm proud of you.
Hey. Hey.
Mind if I...
Please, come join me.
You're leaving?
Yeah.
You're lucky.
Why do you say that?
I'd like to leave sometimes.
Well, you can. Why don't you?
It's not that easy.
Well, nothing's that easy.
I wouldn't go back to that.
What?
To being a teenager again.
How were,
how were you as a teenager?
Being a teenager was hell.
What?
Why?
I don't know, nothing
fell into place, you know.
What were you like?
Awkward, stupid.
Lost.
Are you gay?
I mean, I'm whatever
I want to be I guess.
You want some of this?
There's a little left.
I...
Uh...
Mrs. Fairchild?
Yes, yes, I'm Mrs. Fairchild.
Have you found my husband?
Have you located him?
He called me, and I was
there, I was there with Matty,
and he was supposed
to come to meet me,
but he said that he had to...
Hello.
You can see me?
Of course I can see you.
What do you mean?
Because nobody else can.
See?
- Who are you?
- I'm Matty.
I'm Nicky. Hi.
Are you... a ghost?
I hope not.
- I thought maybe there was...
- He was gonna take care
- of things?
- He was gonna take care
of things, um,
- he said that he was...
- Let's go!
- He sounded angry.
- Okay, we need to go.
Do you think
that he's looking...
Thank you, Toni.
Please just wait here, okay?
- I need to come with you.
- I need you to wait here.
- Sir.
- Come on!
- John!
- Please, wait.
- You want me to stay here?
- Please.
Hello, hello, excuse me?
Hello, is anyone here?
I don't want
to be alone right now,
so it's good that
we're all together.
It was after school Monday.
Amy, we're in a meeting here.
What's going on? Dad?
Who are you? Who are they?
- What are you doing here?
- Who are you?
- You are the principal?
- Yes, I am the principal!
Who are you?
My name is Nikos Kazantzoglou,
and I want to report...
Where's the teacher?
If she did do it,
why wasn't she told
to give all
of the students goggles?
Why the hell doesn't
the school even own goggles?
And if we don't have
goggles here,
why don't the parents know
so that we can supply
the fucking goggles!
Where's the teacher?
Where's the teacher?
Where's the teacher?
Where's the teacher?
Where's the teacher?
Mr. Fairchild.
- Where's the teacher?
- Mr. Fairchild.
- Where's the teacher?
- Look, look, she's not here.
This is my favorite part
of the movie right here.
Where's the fucking teacher?
All right, I know
you're looking for Miss Dhawan.
She's not here.
Look, I can call her.
You want me to call her?
- Call her.
- All right, I'm calling her.
- Principal Williamson...
- Yeah.
Has been delayed.
You can imagine
that he's probably speaking
to who God knows who,
and so he's coming,
he's on his way.
- Do we have a timeline?
- Uh...
- He did not do anything.
- Amy!
Shut up. Shut the fuck up!
Shut the fuck up!
- Oh, my God.
- Put the phone away!
Put the phone down, put it away!
- I'm putting it away.
- Everybody!
- Dad, stop!
- Where is she?
I am representing
thousands of parents.
- Duly noted...
- Don't...
- smirk at me.
- What?
You just gave me a little look.
Just let my daughter go.
Let my daughter get
out of here please?
There's a child here!
- Shut up!
- Amy...
Just let her get out.
Let her get out of here!
- Are you a father?
- Am I a father?
- Yes.
- Yeah, I'm a father!
Think, Ross. Think.
'Cause this time is not
an accident, is it?
You think there's
gonna be an accident
like the one that killed my kid!
This won't be an accident, Ross!
Matty died?
He might as well be dead!
Let's talk about it.
Let's talk...
This is a big misunderstanding.
Let my kid out of here.
- Let the girl go.
- Let her go!
Just everybody sit down
and let me think!
Please sit down
and let me think!
Everybody just sit down.
- Just sit down!
- Sit down.
Just do what he says!
You, uh...
You and you, you two, get out.
Okay.
- Okay. Let's go.
- Go, go, go, go.
Okay, come on, come on.
No, no, no, no, no!
Sit down. No!
Everybody, sit down!
I told you,
he didn't do anything.
I don't even know
why you're here.
I'm sorry. Sit down.
- Put the gun down!
- No, no, no!
- Put it down! Put it down!
- Put the gun down.
I did it.
- That's not what we...
- Yeah.
That's not what
we were talking about.
Put the gun down!
I need you to put the gun down.
Okay, where is Jess?
No, she is
accepting responsibility.
A statement like that
isn't helping anything.
Just shut up!
No one's going anywhere
until I get some answers.
I know more information now.
Do you wanna hear it?
Where's the teacher?
Look, Ross, there's
some things you don't know.
It was my fault.
The children were under my care.
- Okay, I assume...
- Where's the teacher?
The one that killed my son!
She's not here.
Put it down!
- No, no, no!
- Put the gun down!
Put the gun down.
Put the gun down!
Put that gun down!
Oh, my God.
And I died.
I shan't get on board either.
Why do you have a gun?
I think people change.
Is there a fucking script?
Why the hell me.
Day became a good day.
Will you just put the gun away.
In his world,
fire does not exist.
Matty's the best
fucking thing in my life!
Everybody makes a choice.
He wants to save the world.
I can change it.
The world we see is just
a movie in our mind.
John never fell asleep.
It was my dad
who fell asleep in the lab.
John never lost his gun.
David never met Nicky.
Nicky never found the school.
As for my friends...
they did the play without me.
They left a void for me.
Nobody knew I was there.
Except perhaps for Toni.
I kissed her.
I kissed Toni...
and she smiled.
So I came back to life...
for another 62 years.
How long do you have?
Ah.
- Ah.
- Yo, J.C., J.C., you and me?
Ah. Let's throw it.
- Hey, hey, hey.
- Ah.
Principal Williamson?
All right, we'll set up in here.
We'll set up in here.
Ike Nicholson,
Sila Dawson, with SEI.
- Oh.
- Thank you so much.
We can page you
if we need you, right?
Listen, also, I'd like any files
on the investigation
you've performed so far, please.
Wow, it's like a fuckin'
cop show in my own school.
Only these guys
are Department of Education,
partly teachers, partly cops,
like all teachers.
They're good
at asking questions.
You answer their questions.
You don't give them attitude.
That's the whole trick.
You don't give them anything.
The guy you didn't get to see speak,
that's Principal Williamson.
He's the top douchebag
around here.
He runs the place.
He's got everything
under control.
- Nobody's leaving!
- Calm down, please.
Shut the fuck up!
Shut up!
Put your gun down.
At the time of the flood,
they all went into the ark.
All of the animals by agreement.
It was the only time
the creatures of this world
ever agreed upon anything.
They really all did come.
But the Ichthyosaurs didn't.
Everybody said he should get
on board the ark,
but he was very busy just then.
Noah himself warned him
that the flood was coming,
but he quietly said,
"I don't believe it."
He was universally unpopular
when he drowned.
Ah yes, they all said
the Ichthyosaurus
won't be coming.
He was the oldest beast
of them all.
Well-qualified by his great experience,
he could say whether
something such as a flood
was or was not feasible.
It's quite possible
if a similar situation arises...
I shan't get on board either.
Excuse me.
I arrived at 9:00 a.m.
As soon as I got in,
I heard their voices.
And I heard that
there was a fire
on the fourth floor lab.
So I responded immediately.
There was orange powder
all over the room.
From the fire extinguishers.
Mm-hmm.
Um...
then a student told me
another student was on fire,
and he was brought
to the room across the hall.
So, I went to the room,
and there was
the English teacher,
Jamie Freeman,
and the school nurse, Mrs...
It's, uh, Karen Pitt.
- Yeah, Miss Pitt...
- Mm-hmm.
And they were administering
first aid to Matty.
He was...
His ear was melted off,
and there was
a hole in his shirt and...
Okay.
How is, how is Matty?
You did well.
Thank you.
Tell me about Miss Dhawan.
I was told she
was brought to the faculty room.
FDNY asked me
to bring her back to room 42.
She didn't want
to go back in there.
I get it.
All right. Thank you.
- Thank you.
- After you.
D-H-A-W-A-N.
What engine are you guys from?
- Engine 11.
- All right.
All right, take us
through what happened.
Uh, I set out four beakers.
There was a solution
of nitrate and water,
um, that I prepared
the night before.
- And how often do you...
- And then.
Do this experiment?
Um, it's, um,
it's pretty standard but, um...
Um, What happened then?
I turned the Bunsen burner on...
Are the students wearing
any sort of
safety equipment for this?
I wasn't planning on involving
any of the students
in the experiment.
Huh, plans.
That's the thing about plans.
They never go the way
you think they will.
How 'bout yourself?
Uh, yes, I had, um,
I had safety goggles on, yes.
And then you would take
and, uh, take the stick
and place it over the flame.
And a color would shoot out,
a different color
for each
of the different solutions.
Then, uh, the students were...
they were, they seemed
to like the experiment,
so they were asking
for more colors, more colors.
Uh, So I brought
four more beakers out
that I had prepared
also the night before.
I'd prepared everything
the night before.
And, um...
same thing, um,
but Matty and some of the kids
were being disruptive
so I asked Matty
to come up and...
Is that Matty Fairchild?
Yes, Matty Fairchild.
You asked a disruptive child
to come up?
He came and stood
right here, right next to me.
He took one of the sticks...
Excuse me, did you have
any safety equipment
for Matty?
No.
He took one of the sticks,
and he put it over
the Bunsen burner,
and then there was this huge,
like, fireball that came out,
like a white flame.
I think he let the stick fall.
Yeah.
Yes.
And then it seemed
like everything was on fire.
And, and then one of the,
one of the students brought me
one of the fire extinguishers,
and I couldn't,
I couldn't, I couldn't...
What do you think you're doing?
What's going on here?
- That's Erin Bennett.
- Oh Christ.
He's the teacher union rep.
He's been coming around here
a lot lately.
Mainly because of him.
He hates his guts.
Jess, there's an issue involving
an accident with a teacher,
teacher's union needs
to be here.
You guys all should know that.
- I didn't know, I'm sorry.
- All right, come on,
- Lisa, let's go.
- You've gotta be kidding?
No, I'm not kidding you.
Lisa, let's go.
You know, thank you, Jess,
for letting me know.
I appreciate that, all right.
Thank you for your time.
By the way, forgive me,
I forgot to introduce myself.
My name is Matty,
I'm the victim.
Yeah.
Boo.
- What, it's over?
- Yeah.
That's it?
Well, these were the fo...
these were the four solvents
that you studied, right?
- Boo!
- The solutions.
Well, you wanna...
Those are the four that were
gonna be on your pop quiz.
Don't let me make it worse.
More colors.
More colors!
- Matty, Matty.
- More colors,
more colors, more colors,
more colors!
You wanna, you wanna
do this one more time?
Let's do it two more times!
Come on, guys.
I'm a Ryan beast
and I'll never stop...
Matty, get off.
I eat like a feast
'cause I'm at the top
Oh!
My name's Matty,
you can call me Maury...
Get off the table.
I'm your boy
and I only make porns
Get off the table.
Matty, Matty, get up here.
You're gonna help me with this.
Ooooh.
Come on, come on.
Matty, Matty, Matty...
Settle down, settle down.
Matty, get up here, come on.
- Do it, you're cool.
- Over here.
Oh, what are you afraid of?
All right, come over here.
All right, come on. Turn around.
- Stay right here.
- More colors, more colors.
Over here.
- Oh.
- Oh, come on.
I'm a failure, That's me.
Come on, Matty.
All right, we're gonna
do the same thing.
We have
a different salt solution.
Matty's gonna put it
over the flame
and we're gonna
identify what it is.
Matty come on, hurry up.
Matty, Matty, Matty...
Come on, Matty, come on.
Matty, Matty, Matty,
Matty, Matty, Matty!
And you have
my sincere apologies. I,
I realize that you...
Well, ye... yep, yes.
Yep, of course.
Yes, I...
No, of course you almost had
a heart attack.
Of course, I-I, I do.
Okay, okay, goodbye.
What did it say?
- I need to see what it says.
- It, it said...
Please, can you
pull it up, please.
I need to see what it says.
There.
There was a terrible accident
in a classroom,
and a student
is hospitalized as a result.
What did I ask you to do?
You wanted me
to call an ambulance.
You did that?
- Yeah, I-I called the ambulance.
- Okay, and then?
And you wanted me
to get Ana and Karen
to go with the kids
to the hospital, I...
And after that.
You wanted me
to email the parents.
The parents, the parents,
not all parents!
Is it... Do you see how
a parent could read that
- and think...
- Yes, yes, yes.
That it's their child? Are...
- I do, yes, sorry.
- I-I don't need you,
I don't need you to be sorry.
I need you to not make mistakes
like this,
because this is not
the first time.
Excuse me, do you know where
is Robert Coles High School?
What school?
Robert Coles.
Excuse me.
That's Toni.
What?
I'd have done anything for her.
Pot, pills, you name it.
But for that, she had Adam.
Just, um, don't take
them together, okay?
Thanks.
How are you feeling?
There's just so much going on.
I don't even, I don't know.
Well, you want some?
- Yeah.
- To help you out.
Dad, what're you doing here?
What is this? Who is this?
Hey, who is that?
Hey, yo, who are you?
Who is it? Is that a teacher?
- No, it...
- Is that a teacher?
- It... He's my friend.
- Is he a teacher here?
No, no, no, he's not a teacher.
What are you doing here?
Aren't you supposed
to be at the clinic?
I-I took...
I, um,
there's a big meeting today.
All the parents
have to be there.
Mom's gonna be there.
I'm-I'm dealing
with your mother,
but just tell me
what happened, what...
Deal with her? That's what
you say every time,
and then you start
shouting at each other.
All right, that's...
It, it'll be fine.
Tell me what happened.
Did you know this kid?
Is he a friend of yours?
Yes.
I'm, I'm sorry.
- You okay?
- Yeah.
- Are you okay?
- Yeah.
Come on, you can talk
to me, you know that.
What's wrong? What's wrong?
Mom told me that
you started drinking again.
I'm sorry.
No, I, uh, I-I took...
What, what, what...
What was that?
What did he give you?
- It's just Tylenol,
- No.
I had a headache.
This isn't Tylenol.
Dad, I gotta go.
I told you.
- Dad, no. I have to go.
- No.
- I have to go to class.
- Toni, listen,
Please just talk to me.
Just, just talk to me.
There's a passage
I got memorized
that seems appropriate
for the situation.
The world you see is just
a movie in your mind.
Nobody understands it.
Nobody listens.
They're all running around
like chickens
with heads cut off.
- Hey.
- Hey!
It's not your fault.
What's not my fault?
- What's wrong?
- Yesterday.
Yeah, I know.
Look, I gotta put
these trays out.
You're a flirt.
I can't help it.
You're lucky I love you.
Hi. I'm Ross.
They told me that you have
- something for me.
- Oh hi, I'm Anna.
Hi.
Excuse me.
Do you know where
is Robert Coles High School?
I've never heard of it.
I know how hard this is.
I get it.
So I'll just take
his things right, and, uh...
How the fuck do you get it?
What, what, what makes
you think you get it?
You get it, you really get
what the fuck
is going on with me right now?
Is that what they
tell you to say?
They tell you to say, oh,
the father's gonna come in,
just to make him
feel like you know
what he's going
through right now.
Just make him feel like, uh,
everything's gonna be fine.
His face is, like, gone. It's...
He's not...
Was he scared?
I don't know.
Did he say any,
he didn't say anything?
No, but he sq...
he definitely squeezed my hand.
I could feel him.
He was there.
You don't know
what happened at all, huh?
I'm so sorry.
Here you go.
I can't, I can't.
I'm like, oh,
I can't let that happen.
Good morning.
How we doing today?
Who, Tomas?
Yeah, 'cause it's all...
I know yesterday was
a really, uh, was a really...
rough day for everyone, okay.
But I'm happy to see your faces.
I think it's good
for us to be together.
Ah, Miss Green.
She knows her shit,
and she always casts me
as the lead in her plays.
I mean, I was right next to him.
I literally saw it hit him.
It was, it was like a fireball.
I didn't know what to do.
It was, it was terrifying.
Alex is always right next to me.
He's a real go-getter.
Half Italian, half Cuban.
He wants to be an actor.
He wants to be me.
He's the understudy.
Like one second,
everything was fine,
and then the next second,
there was just chaos.
It-it, I mean, it just
happened, you know, and...
That's Rod.
He wants to be deep.
There is no why. It just did.
Paul.
Only Chris knows Paul.
You think she, like,
mixed up the chemicals
- or something the second time?
- I don't know,
She didn't mix up the chemicals.
So then why would it be,
why would it be different?
Julia. She's captain
of the volleyball team.
She's a member of the Chinese
and National Honor Society,
and she's been playing violin
for ten years.
One day she'll be president
of the United States,
you mark my words.
How come it
didn't happen to her?
I don't know.
It was just an accident, guys.
And Karla.
I wish I had
an answer, I don't...
Joe.
It couldn't have just
happened like
if he dropped the stick
in or something...
And Kid. Kid loves his music
more than words.
And Toni more than his music.
- Well, I mean...
- Could it, I mean...
It happened when he,
when he held it out.
No, he held it out.
That's how it happened.
I saw it.
He didn't drop it.
As soon as he pulled it up,
that's when it happened.
However,
she's still responsible.
This is, this was her class,
you know.
How 'bout you, J.C.?
What do you...
do you have anything to say?
Whatever.
Whatever?
Matty was your best friend.
Is your best friend.
J.C.'s a good guy.
He looks tough and like
he doesn't care, but he does.
And he always feels guilty.
He feels guilty when his dad
beats the shit out of him.
He feels guilty that
he didn't stop me that day,
or any day, really.
J.C. can never stop me
from doin' shit.
How 'bout you, Lawrence?
I-I have to, I have to think.
You have to think?
I have to think.
I can't speak.
Smart ass Lawrence.
You can't overlook Lawrence.
I saw my best friend
go up in flames,
so you're gonna ask me
how I feel?
You're really asking me
how I'm affected
by my friend's death?
He's not dead!
He can die.
He can die!
- He can die...
- He's not dead though!
The whole point of this
is to talk about our feelings,
not to blame people.
Well, maybe if Lawrence
would stop blaming people
all the time, acting like
he's better than us!
Better than you, okay.
I am not better than you...
Yeah, you're not, shut up!
- Calm down,
- Lawrence,
I see your point.
His life as he knew it is,
is not gonna be the same.
I know what
you all think, right,
that it,
it could've been you, right.
You were all in the class,
you were all doing
the experiment.
You all think
it could've been you, right?
Yeah.
Toni, are you okay?
She's not okay.
Hey, I just, I don't really
wanna talk about this, okay?
I'm sorry.
We were just in front of a fire.
We just saw our friend
get burnt in a fire.
I-I was, I was in a panic.
You know,
the right word is shock.
A lot of people are shocked
under surprise circumstances.
It's common for a person
to be shocked
when a child
under their supervision
is suddenly on fire.
I mean, in your opinion
then, did Miss Dhawan
do anything out of the ordinary
or was it by the book?
Eh, I mean, she could've
set it up differently, sure.
How?
Jason Phillips.
The bad ass amongst teachers.
When I grow up,
I wanna be just like him.
He knows everything,
and he can do anything
better than everybody else.
Because methanol has
a very low boiling point
any spark can, can set it off.
As far as we know though,
Miss Dhawan didn't use
any methanol.
Well,
I can't imagine anything else
reacting the way that it did.
But I, I could be wrong.
He's never wrong.
I can't, I can't say that I...
I can't say that
it wasn't working.
I don't know. I don't remember.
Okay, do you remember saying,
"I burned a kid,"
or "Oh, my God,
I set a kid on fire?"
It could have happened
to anyone.
Goggles, if there's
an explosion and flame,
goggles aren't really
gonna do much of anything
against a fire,
although I'm sure
after all the VOs and the NOVs,
everything will be brought up
to standard.
Little late for Matty,
don't you think?
Phew!
Someone's head
is gonna roll over this.
That could be yours,
could be someone else's.
Any experiment is dangerous.
Right.
So, how can we do our jobs
if we don't do
these experiments?
I mean, it's like gym class.
Gym class is dangerous.
You know,
we can't do our jobs if...
We can't do any experiments.
I mean,
I mean, how much chemistry
do you guys know?
I know enough to know
that kids don't usually burst
into flame during gym class.
Look, something happened,
you know. Accidents happen.
Would you say that
this is Miss Dhawan's fault?
That, that this
accident occurred
because she was not careful?
Tha... look, I...
If she...
You're not on trial.
I know, but I feel... Look,
this is a fellow teacher.
I mean, it's one of my students.
It's really hard.
I don't know how she's gonna
live with herself, all right.
I don't know how she's
gonna be able
to get through her days.
I mean, you make
a mistake like this
- All right.
- It's not easy
to be a teacher
these days, okay.
Yes, all right.
Thank you, Mr. Phillips.
We'll be in...
Will you be in later
in case we have questions, or...
Yeah, sure.
- Okay, thanks.
- Thank you.
It's not easy to be
a teacher, my ass.
Why is it not easy
to be a teacher?
You just have to tell us
what the fuck to do.
And we're all the same,
makes us easier to teach.
Teaches us to be just like them.
Eat, sleep, make money
for someone else, and die.
Eat, sleep, make money
for someone else, and die!
Hi.
I have to go to the hospital,
so I wanted to...
I didn't know what
to do with this, so...
- Yeah, sure.
- Figured I'd put it,
I didn't really
know that he was, um...
I didn't know
he was so into art.
It's really beautiful, isn't it?
Yeah, I guess. I don't know,
I don't know what it...
I don't know what it is?
What is it?
Ah, come on.
It's pretty obvious isn't it?
Mr. Prasec says it's not art
unless it has the potential
to be a disaster.
It looks like kinda burnt here.
- He didn't get...
- Everybody was supposed
to do this?
Was he working on,
like, a tree, uh,
a tree thing?
He's really into,
like, myths and symbols.
We talked about it
a lot actually.
You and him talked
about it a lot?
A really special kid.
Yeah, that's Matty.
Yeah.
You must've seen him in
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.
He was really good in that.
I, uh, no, I cou...
You know, I couldn't actually,
unfortunately was not able
to see him in that.
- I work a lot, um, nights.
- Oh, yeah.
- Yeah, lots of long hours...
- He was really good.
- I heard he was really good.
- Yeah.
How is Matty?
I'm going to actually take this.
Oh, sure.
If that's...
Thanks.
That ticker tape, oh,
just flick, flick it that way.
It's got those spikes.
Good morning everyone.
Can I have
your attention, please.
As you are all aware,
Miss Dhawan is
on a leave of absence.
While she is away,
we have secured a substitute.
Her name is Alis Willmore.
If you'd like to maybe
introduce yourselves to her,
uh, that would be a great way
to start this meeting.
Hi, I'm Anna.
Hi, Anna.
Nice to meet you.
Oh, yeah.
Nice to meet you.
Anna's the school counselor.
I'm the school counselor, yeah.
Oh, great.
John Peters, security.
- Hi.
- Hi.
Uh, Peter, I'm new here,
I'm actually teaching
American History.
Oh, great.
Nice to meet you.
Nice to meet you.
I'm Jamie Freeman.
English. Welcome.
Thank you.
- Oh, this is, uh...
- Tomas.
Uh, Tomas, he's the art teacher.
- Oh, hi.
- Hi.
I'm Alis.
Nice to meet you.
Nice to meet you too.
I'm Karen, the school nurse.
- Hi.
- Hi, would you like a cookie?
Oh, I'm okay, thank you.
I'll have a cookie.
Okay, everyone
is welcome to cookies.
Not all at once.
How you doing,
Coach Randall, Phys Ed.
I'm Adam, uh,
teaching a dead language
to kids with no attention span.
- It's an uphill battle.
- Nice.
You in the union?
- I'm sorry?
- Are you in the union?
Um, no.
Jason Phillips, also science.
She's not.
- I'm, I mean I can join...
- Figures.
If that's...
- Oh, my God, lighten up!
- That's not the point.
Yeah, I'll take this in stride.
- Of all days, of all days.
- All right, no problem.
- Thank you.
- Yeah.
- Your job's not on the line.
- Thank you again.
Again, I appreciate you
welcoming Miss Willmore.
- Thanks, Jess.
- That's the second course.
- I'm having trouble...
- Thanks.
Got your class list here.
You might wanna go
through these kids.
There's some goodies
and some baddies.
Alex Imparato, he's a nice kid.
Tom Smith is, uh, so-so.
In this street?
This street, thanks.
Thanks. Happy new year.
Uh, Karla Smart is anything but.
Uh, Joe's nice,
and Toni McKenna's nice.
Ray, just stay away
from Ray at all costs.
You know, avoid him
in the hallways.
No, he's all right,
he's all right.
Meghan, uh, is a beautiful girl.
This is helpful.
- Okay.
- What?
No, this is the faculty room,
- we can say whatever we want.
- I know.
Let me find the Tylenol.
Oh, geez, just take three,
or how many, four is good.
You can change it,
you can change it.
Hey, I'm gonna have
to ask you to leave.
I've got the big meeting
coming up.
I've gotta clear everything out.
Oh, sure, yeah.
I'm done anyway.
Oh, yeah? You okay?
Yeah.
What you drinking there,
something strong?
What is it, tea?
Tea.
Love tea.
Are you...
I mean, you have
an English accent.
Oh, right.
Well. I am, uh...
I am from London.
I moved over a few years ago.
And you?
Oh, I've never,
I've never been to London, no.
That's not really what I meant.
Well, I don't know.
Yeah, we can, sure.
- We can?
- Get a coffee,
you know, it's all good.
Isn't that, you've been...
- No, I'm...
- staring at me, I was...
Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.
My mistake.
You have a good, um...
- You have a good afternoon.
- It was just...
It was just a misunderstanding.
Okay.
- Do you got enough?
- Yeah, thanks.
- Yeah?
- Yeah.
All right, um, great.
You helped out
that kid yesterday, right?
How's he doin'? Is...
is he gonna make it, or...
Um... I don't know.
Everything's gonna be okay.
Everything's gonna
be fine, you know.
No, it's not.
That's just something
that people say.
Like, that they don't
mean it, do they, right?
I really don't understand
why, like, everything...
Nothing, nothing's
gonna be okay, right.
I mean, nothing's
gonna be okay for the kid.
Nothing's gonna be okay
for his family.
Nothing's gonna be okay for me.
I'm tired of people saying
things are gonna be all right.
I don't like having,
living in this place
where we're not really relating,
do you know what I'm saying?
Everyone's talking
to each other,
and they're trying
to talk to each other,
but they're not really talking
to each other.
I don't wanna do anything
that's superficial stuff
with people, tell me
everything's gonna be all right,
people change.
People don't fucking change!
- Yeah, they do change.
- No, they don't!
- People change.
- They just stay the same.
You have to accept them
or just...
Why would you
just say that to me
when you don't even know, right?
Why would you say that...
I could've done
something different
when I don't... I think
that I couldn't have done
something different,
and I'm sorry that I didn't,
and I tried to do it,
and that's the only thing
that I can go on at this point.
I tried to do what I...
I tried to do what I could,
and that was all
I could do at that moment.
Not, not now. Not now.
Sorry.
That was a lot
in a short amount of time.
You're good to go.
I'm right down the,
right down the hall.
If you need anything, you can
interrupt my class at any time.
I would welcome that.
Good to know.
What are you doing here?
And why aren't you in Chicago?
Hello, I'm lookin' for,
uh, the principal, Jefferson,
No Williamson,
Jessie Williamson.
Principal Williamson?
Yes.
Uh, hi, I'm Sebastian Summer.
I'm the guy that
they sent from Central.
- We talked on the phone.
- Oh, right, yes, Sebastian.
- Oh, you remembered me?
- Yes, on the phone. Right.
- That makes me feel so good.
- Yes, please.
I'm not much,
but I'm all I think about.
How you doin', man?
I've been better.
I know. Here,
let's shake hands again.
It's gonna be all right.
It's gonna be all right.
Have a seat, please.
This ain't gonna work.
- Okay.
- So I have a solution.
I don't like any of the chairs
in, in our system.
They're all sort of built
to encourage too much comfort.
You know, my philosophy is
not too tight, not too loose.
So I'm gonna sit on my yoga mat.
- Okay.
- Okay,
Don't worry.
It's not a big deal.
Oh, that.
Does that sound more
like Jingle Bells,
or does it sound more like
a technique
for raising ghosts up
from, like,
an underworld ghost river?
Uh...
- the ghost river?
- Yes baby,
that's what I'm talkin' about.
I live pretty far away.
Uh, last stop on the 3 train.
- It's a trek.
- Wow, that's really far.
Yeah, I get to
school late most of the time.
I try to get on time,
but I'm not motivated
to come to school but,
you know, who is?
- Sure, like, you're not even...
- You're not motivated?
- Yes.
- Who are you?
I...
- Who are you looking for?
- Where's Jess?
- Jess?
- Uh, he's the principal.
Who are you?
He, um...
Uh, he moved down the hall,
another office for today.
Why'd he move down the hall?
He, he's just been
temporarily relocated.
Why are you sitting
in his chair?
That's where the principal sits.
Well, Jess is still
the principal.
He's in a temporary location.
I expect that the, uh, secretary
or maybe security
could direct you
to his... present location.
I study Shamanism.
Don't worry. I'm not here to,
you know, do any magic
or anything.
You're un...
you're unzipped. Just, sorry.
That's okay.
Thank you. Thank...
Good lookin' out as they say.
All right, this is
my Grateful Dead tie.
The Grateful Dead tie is
for one kinda conversation,
and this is my Thunderbird tie.
I didn't know what kinda
conversation we were gonna have,
but I can tell
this is gonna be more
of a Thunderbird conversation,
- so that's, that's good.
- Yeah, I think so.
Don't worry about me.
I'm here for one reason
and one reason only.
I've been a principal
for six years.
The superintendent called me up,
the chancellor called me up.
Okay? These people know me well.
I'm only here for one thing,
and that is to get your back.
I'm a brother principal, baby.
- Great.
- What's happening?
- Oh, Miss Williamson.
- Who are those people
in Jess' office?
Um, oh, we, we had an accident.
Those are the investigators...
Did Jess do something wrong?
- No, no, no, no.
- Is he okay?
No, he didn't do...
They, they just have,
they have to do
a report, that's all.
You have the parents
coming at what time?
- Three.
- Three?
Yeah, yeah.
They're all coming.
All right, so we have some time.
Here's what I wanna say to you.
Ninety percent of
what's goin' on with the kids
isn't about the kids,
it's what adults are projecting
on the kids, okay?
Parents in America
who feel that their children
are entitled
to all kinds of things,
whether it's private
or public or whatever, okay?
Children themselves that think
that they should be getting
everything they want
when they want it.
And if they don't get it,
it's somebody's fault.
How do your parents
feel about you
being late to school every day?
They don't care.
I get good grades,
so they don't really
bother me too much.
'Cause you're top of the class.
Top of the school.
Top of the school.
Do you do well
in Miss Dhawan's class?
Yeah, it's not much work.
Okay, so you're the brain,
J.C. tries, Matty's the clown,
Matty's the actor,
- Matty's the... He's the leader.
- No, no. He's the...
I mean like, we're all
pretty much leaders.
You're in New York City,
public education,
1.1 million kids,
in America, at a time
when public education
is under attack.
You're living at a time
when the country's
in total upheaval,
and you're a principal
in the very midst of it.
You're a warrior.
Why did he have
to leave his office?
Why don't you sit down?
Is it nice where they have him?
Like, is it...
I guess so. I mean,
he's the principal, so...
Yeah, he's the principal.
I-I got a kid who's in the ICU,
burns over half of his body.
I've got SEI talking
to everybody in this school.
I've got a thousand parents
coming that got an email
that said a kid had been burned.
So they all think
it could be theirs.
Now, I've gotta meet them
in an hour and a half
and let them know what happened.
Even if it's not their kid,
which they know by now,
they know that something could
easily happen in this school
that could get
their kid in the hospital.
All right, are you worried
that they might just throw
- your ass out on the corner?
- Yeah, absolutely, yes.
Okay.
I failed. I...
What if they fire me?
Well,
she's so insecure, you know.
Do you get the feeling she wants
the students to like her?
Yeah, I mean,
she does it all wrong, you know.
Like, you don't say,
this is fun, guys, you know,
before you do a fun experiment,
you know.
She's not cool.
No, she's not cool.
They don't fire you
over something like this.
Yeah, there you go.
Sit up. Shit.
You can't be lookin'
like some guy
who's been completely deflated.
Matter of fact...
let's change seats.
Maybe I should sit
on the yoga mat.
Come on, baby. Let's switch.
Your husband, he's, um...
No, no, no. He's really
not my husband technically.
I mean, the divorce isn't final,
but he probably
wouldn't like it if...
Okay, well,
would you like to sit down?
Okay.
Can I get you anything?
Thank you, yes. Water.
Yeah, yeah. Uh, one sec.
Has the UFT been in touch?
Yeah.
Okay, what's their problem?
Lots of things.
Ever since the evaluations,
they've been up my ass.
Yeah, I heard about that.
How'd that go for you?
You introduced
your own teacher evaluation
at a time when teachers are
getting tons of evaluations
rained down upon them
like drone strikes.
All right, maybe it wasn't
the best idea, I don't know.
Hey, it's an innocent,
honest mistake.
Don't ever do that again.
I just don't think I have them
on my side right now, so...
You don't have them
on your side.
You know what? Join the club.
Public education, man.
It's nobody's fault
and everybody's responsibility.
And everybody's gonna be
happy, joyful, and free
as long as everybody
covers their ass.
Now, did you look
at her curriculum?
Yes, of course
I looked at her curriculum.
Did you look
at her lesson plans?
Yes, I looked
at her lesson plans.
Are you in a relationship
with this teacher?
Absolutely not!
Okay, then you have nothing
- to worry about.
- She was getting harassed
by students though.
I called them in... as you do.
One of the kids
was Matty Fairchild.
That's dicey.
He had a little
weird thing with Miss D.
What?
- Miss D?
- Yeah.
Yeah, is that what you guys...
Miss Dhawan.
Yeah, yeah. Th-Th-That's...
that's what,
that's what,
that's what we call her.
Matty was who called her that.
It sounds like a,
- it's like a nickname.
- Yeah, I mean,
he didn't like her very much.
Any particular reason?
No, I mean, he was always
upset at her because of...
her getting a friend
of mine into trouble.
She, she talked about J.C.
Is this another...
- Another student.
- Classmate, okay.
Yeah.
It's a good friend of ours.
Talked about him getting
in trouble with his dad,
and that was not cool, you know.
- J.C. got in trouble...
- He didn't want them
- to know, man!
- with his dad.
- What the fuck?
- His dad, yeah.
And Miss Dhawan talked about it?
- Yeah, um...
- And that's
a problem because?
You don't wanna get
in trouble with J.C.'s dad.
Is he violent?
Oh, like, you know.
And Miss Dhawan
brought it up to the school?
Yeah, I mean,
she sort of noticed the...
the... we sort of all, yeah.
When was this?
You have
to move your sits bones.
Move, move your butt cheeks
so that you are
on your sits bones.
This is where we constantly
screw up in meditation as well.
You need to be sitting
so that you can,
you know, hold your seat,
be uplifted.
Take a nice breath.
Not too tight, not too loose.
Breathing in...
I absorb
all the deep, dark, ugly,
black shit that's about
to happen from the parents.
Breathing out...
I let it all go.
Breathing in...
I take in all the deep,
dark, black,
oily, thick shit
from the parents.
Breathing out...
I let it go.
That look on your face
is a little scary.
Try to relax your face muscles.
Yes, relax.
Look at those wrinkles disappear.
Ah, you look five years younger.
That easy, huh?
Now, you were left alone
to handle all of that
by yourself...
you might,
you might make a mistake.
I'm here to make sure
that you are good on that.
You know what you need to do?
You need to be out there
talkin' to your custodians.
'Cause if lights go out
like that, that's some shit.
You know?
I don't know what's happening
in this school.
- You're in charge...
- Jess.
Of the custodians.
Amy. Oh, my God, what?
I woke up and you
weren't there and then
I came here and then...
- Hello.
- they told me they wanted me
to wait, but it wasn't
even your office.
- This isn't your office.
- Wait, what happened?
- Wait, wait, Amy.
- Babe, I'm so sorry.
- Jesus Christ.
- Amy, what are you doing here?
Sorry that this is your office.
Amy,
what happened? What...
Are you in trouble?
In a minute,
he'll be gone, okay?
- And this office is...
- Hey, uh, Jess.
Is it all right if I
just leave my stuff here?
Yeah, of course, of course.
- Hello there.
- Just, could you just
- sit down for me.
- She said they called,
- called you my husband.
- Sit down, just come.
I'll give you some privacy.
Don't worry.
Everything's all right.
I gotta take my shoes.
Otherwise, somebody's gonna
look at me like I'm crazy.
Ah, deadbeats, man.
Yo, J.C., I heard you wanted
to play in the game
That's great
but that's too bad
You should join
the legendary circle eight
Yo, Joe, you think
you're going to circle around
But your boys are runnin' it
all into the ground
Yo, wait, guys, you forgot
about my home boy Rod
In the summer,
he has a nice little bod
Mary had a little lamb
Mary had a little lamb
Mary had a little lamb
Whose fleece was white
as snow
All right!
Yo, J.C., man
- You are out of your mind
- Why you tellin' me?
Maybe it's because
you are legally blind
- Settle down, please.
- J.C., J.C., J.C.
He's blind.
Hey, guys, get down here.
He can't hear you, he's blind.
You give me life.
He gives me life.
All right, guys.
Hey, guys, guys,
enough.
Paul, do I need
to throw you out of class?
Give me that. Give me that.
I do not wanna be throwing
anyone out of class.
We don't have that much time.
Please, eyes up here.
Eyes up here.
J.C., Matty.
Matty, Matty, settle down.
- What are you doin'?
- Oh!
It tastes gross.
It tastes gross.
Do I need
to separate the three of you?
In case you were wondering.
Enough, settle down.
I am giving you
till the count of three.
One.
Two.
Three.
Don't drink the Kool-Aid.
I got so wet, Miss D.
When the head game
is too strong.
Matty!
Enough, all right, enough.
Enough. Enough!
Guys, up here right now.
Or I swear to God,
you are all gonna fail.
What was the lesson plan
that you guys had last week?
There was none!
Yes, there was. Enough.
Could you grab me a glove?
Step back,
right now. I'm serious.
Step back right now.
Oh!
Uh-oh,
the gas is on. Uh-oh!
J.C., take your
sunglasses off right now.
- I'm blind.
- Take your sunglasses off
- right now.
- He's blind, legally.
I'm trying to feel
my way around the room.
- I'm legally blind.
- Pay attention.
There are four different
elements, correct?
We're gonna see
four different colors, correct?
What is this experiment called?
Do I need a lawyer?
No, you don't need a lawyer.
Just be open
and honest with them
- about what happened.
- J.C. needs a lawyer.
Paul.
J.C., put your phone
away, please.
Why is Lawrence
near the end here?
I-I thought Johnson
came after Caraballo.
There's no logic
to it like that.
They just, they call in
everybody that was there,
and they try to get
to the bottom
of what happened, that's all.
There's the logic to it.
They bring in the person
who did it last.
You tryin'
to say somethin', Paul?
No, I'm not.
What are you tryin' to say?
I'm not saying anything. You're
the one that keeps talking.
- Get the fuck outta my face.
- Language, guys!
Someone's getting
pretty fuckin' defensive.
'Cause you keep fuckin' talkin'.
Man, go back to Mexico.
- Shut the fuck up.
- Oh!
Come on.
Stop it.
You are not...
I'm gonna fuckin' kill you!
Like you killed Matty!
Guys, that's enough.
Paul, calm down!
J.C.!
Guys, stop it!
Stop it, stop it.
Stop it right now.
- Get off of me.
- Stop it.
Stop, please.
Cut it out. Stop it.
Stop, calm down.
Enough.
Enough! Please, enough.
Is that a man tree?
What?
Half man, half tree.
A man tree.
A man that grows into a tree?
He wants to save the world,
so he lets a tree grow in him.
You know, fire can destroy him.
Not the man tree,
'cause he's not human.
In his world,
fire does not exist.
It's cool.
You want it?
- Yeah.
- Yeah? It's yours.
Thank you.
Hey.
Always I find a coin.
- Always.
- You're getting rich.
- So, uh, how much is it?
- Every day.
14.50.
- Oh, shit.
- 14.50.
Do you have money because I,
I must have left it
in the hotel, shit.
What hotel are you staying at?
Uh, some hotel
close to the station.
Okay.
Anyway, I checked out.
I thought... Beautiful.
Thank you.
- Nice.
- Thank you, thank you.
- Thanks.
- You know...
I thought I could stay
at your place.
Oh, no, that's not
gonna be possible.
Why is it impossible, why?
What's going on with your,
uh, with your new joint?
I opened it.
Great. That's great.
No, it's not.
- No?
- I got out.
The whole nightclub
business is shit.
The truth is,
I, I trusted those men,
bad men, wrong men to trust.
Now, I'm in a bit of a hole.
Okay, so I can stay
at your place, huh?
No, I told you
I've got a girlfriend.
- It's not gonna work.
- You, you,
you have a girlfriend?
- Yeah.
- You have a girlfriend?
That changes everything.
Is she, is she hot?
Yeah, look, I'm gonna
call you later, okay?
You'll call me later when?
- You don't have my...
- Hey, hey!
- Hey!
- Wait, relax, wait...
- Get back here!
- Wait.
Calm down, please...
Oh, fuck off.
Get out of the way!
Okay, okay.
That motherfucker, I'm...
Okay, okay.
It's none of your
fucking business.
It is. He is my brother.
What is his name?
- What?
- What is his name?
- Adam.
- Adam what?
Adam Kazantzoglou.
- I'm gonna kill him.
- Why?
I'm gonna kill
your fuckin' brother.
What did he do?
He's selling drugs
to my daughter!
- She is 16 years old!
- Selling drugs?
- Selling drugs?
- Yes!
Shit. Okay, okay.
Be quiet. Okay.
Sixteen!
You want a cigarette?
You want a cigarette?
Get the fuck... No, I don't want
a fucking cigarette.
It's okay. He left.
He is gone now.
- He is my brother.
- I'm gonna kill
your fuckin' brother. I'm gonna
kill your fucking brother.
Okay, you are right.
I will kill him too.
Shit!
I'm gonna kill him.
I'm gonna kill him.
I'm gonna stop this.
He's selling drugs. I...
We have to tell the headmaster
what's happening in his school.
We have to stop this.
He's your brother?
He's your brother?
Hello?
Are you talkin' to me or...
Yeah, hi.
Hey.
Do... Are you
looking for someone?
Do you need something?
Um, so you're like a shrink.
Uh, well, I don't really like
to call it that.
You help people.
Oh, I try to.
That's the goal.
I wanna help people too.
- Yeah?
- Yeah.
Working in the cafeteria?
Yeah, right.
I just do that to save up
to go to school to be like you.
I knew Matty.
How's he doin'?
He wanted to be an actor.
- He did?
- Yeah.
He, uh, was friends
with, um, Adam,
who works with me
in the cafeteria.
Um, he goes to acting school,
so they kinda hit it off,
and they had, like,
their own thing.
'Cause you know how actors are.
They have like their...
And they're just, um...
Adam actually...
well, he gave, um...
I gotta go back to work, so...
You, you're not gonna wake...
Olga, lis-listen to me.
Please, just listen
to me for a second.
- I know that this is hard...
- Ross.
But we really need
to go in there,
and we really need
some answers right now.
- Ross.
- Okay?
- Olga, please.
- We need to be with our son.
- I know we need to... I know.
- We need...
- Don't you wanna know?
- something that...
- I just, they're running late...
- Why?
Why? Do you think we're
gonna figure out why tonight?
Do you think we're gonna
figure out why anything?
Amy, we can't do this right now.
I gotta go to this meeting.
- I have to be there.
- I know, but I wanna just
tell you that I, I just,
I can't be alone right now.
Jess, I can't do it.
Can I help you find anything?
Are you the librarian too?
Why is he at
that school in the first place?
I wanted to send him
to Fieldston. Why is he there?
Where have you been?
When it's time
to do the homework,
- where have you been?
- I've... what do you mean?
I've been at work.
I've been busy.
Would you... don't...
Can we, can we...
Are you really
You're gonna blame, you're gonna
put all the blame on me now.
I'm so sorry.
I made a mistake. I'm so sorry.
How did we end up here?
I could've just...
How did we end up here?
How did we end up with Matty?
- I could've just...
- Are we really gonna
do this right now?
- You didn't even wanna have...
- Twenty minutes, can you ple...
You didn't even wanna have him!
You didn't even wanna have him.
Get the fuck outta here?
Are we really gonna have
this conversation right now?
I was a kid. I was Matty's age.
I was a kid.
I was young too.
We made this decision together.
I was young too.
Don't yell at me.
Don't yell on the street.
I'll fucking yell on the street
if I wanna yell
on the fuckin' street.
Don't yell at me.
Don't you yell at me.
Are you married? What's your...
- Uh, no, I'm not.
- Oh, okay.
What happened?
Why not?
Um, I don't know.
I've just had really bad luck
with men.
Really?
I was Matty's age
when we had this discussion.
You think I wanted to have a kid
- when I was that...
- I was young too.
My mom and my dad,
I love 'em both.
They made me. I just wish they
would've never stayed together.
They stayed together because
of me, but that was stupid
because I would have
preferred nothing more
than them being apart.
When I was younger, I used
to pray that they got divorced.
Matty's the best fucking thing
in my life, Olga.
Oh, I don't wanna yell.
I don't wanna yell!
Then I guess I got used
to it, or I stopped praying.
I don't wanna yell either, okay.
- I still love you.
- What about you?
Do you still love me?
Uh, I have uh, two kids.
Good to know.
I wish I could go back in time
and have a different outcome.
- I would have never...
- I meant, are you married?
Oh, oh, yeah.
- You are?
- Yes.
- Yes, yes.
- Oh.
- Okay.
- Yes, I am.
Um... well, yeah.
Well, I didn't, I didn't,
I didn't see a ring, so...
Yeah, well, I...
I don't believe in rings.
They're confining...
and I suffer
from claustrophobia.
Oh, I'm sorry.
Hello?
The world you see
is just a movie in your mind.
The world you see is just
a movie in your mind.
The world you see is just
a movie in your mind.
The world you see is just
a movie in your mind.
Let's make sure
the custodian set it up
and then the,
the papers for the parents,
and where do those go?
Like maybe on a table outside.
- Okay, all right.
- Parents can pick 'em up
as they walk in.
And when does that
have to happen?
Like, in 15 minutes.
Oh, okay, so I
better go do that.
- Thank you.
- Sure.
- I'm sorry.
- It's no problem, Jess.
Hello.
Hello.
My name is Nick Kazantzoglou,
and I would like to see
the headmaster, please.
Do you have an appointment?
No, but...
Kazantzoglou, K-A-Z-A-N-T-Z-O-G-L-O-U.
You need to have an appointment
to see the principal.
I'm sorry, I'm sorry.
Uh, the gentleman is with me.
Um, I'm a parent, and, uh,
my name is David McKenna,
and, uh, I got an email
about a meeting,
uh, with the principal.
The meeting's in the afternoon.
Well, uh, well,
we're, we're early,
but we can,
we can wait if, if...
- McKenna?
- Yeah.
Can you give me one second?
Yeah, sure.
The gentleman is with me.
You sure know how to do things.
Um...
I'm sorry.
Uh, I can't, I can't let you in.
You're on a list of people
I can't let in.
Wait, what do you mean
you can't?
I'm, I'm a parent.
- I understand.
- David McKenna.
I understand.
I don't know
why you're on the list,
but you're gonna have to talk
to the principal about that.
Well, I'm here to talk
to the principal,
So if you can go get
the principal...
The principal's not here
- right now, sir.
- I'll talk to him right now.
I wanna see the list.
I can't show you the list, sir.
I wanna see the list.
Show me the list.
I can't show you...
- Sir, you're gonna have to...
- Show me the list.
I can't show you the list, sir.
Sir, you're gonna have
to calm down.
I wanna see the fucking
principal right now.
I'm gonna have
to ask you to leave.
Where are you going, sir?
- You're not going.
- [Joh Sir!
Calm down. Calm down.
Sir, I'm gonna
have to call this in
- if you don't leave.
- Call whoever you want!
I'm a parent here!
Okay, okay, okay.
Fucking restraining order on me!
Ah! I can't...
She put me on a fucking list!
You know what?
I'm gonna go back in there...
No, no. No, don't.
She... My fucking bitch
ex-wife just did this.
She put me on a fucking list.
She put me on a fucking
restraining order!
I'm not gonna be able
to see my daughter. I'm...
It's okay. Calm down.
I know another way, okay.
You look like shit,
you know that?
I got fired.
Okay? I got fired.
I lost my fucking insurance.
I'm gonna lose my apartment.
You know, you're raising
a kid and you got a reason
to get up in the morning,
that's what you do.
You get up in the morning.
That's, that's what you do.
You know? That's what you do.
You got a kid, right,
so you get up for the kid.
Then you don't have
a reason to get up.
And that...
I'm gonna go back in there.
- No, no, no.
- I'm gonna go back in there.
You made her a nervous wreck,
you know that.
I know Miss Dhawan had
some issues. I am aware.
You were one of the
biggest issues she had, Jess.
Because she didn't come to me.
I think you've cultivated
a, a culture of fear,
- a toxic culture here.
- Are you making
a direct connection
between the accident
and the evaluations?
And what if I am?
Are you just gonna deflect it?
Or are you gonna
actually refute it in some way?
You know you made her
a nervous wreck.
Refute? I'm not gonna refute
your spurious accusations.
Guys, are we not
all being evaluated
anonymously by students?
Is that maybe a little unethical
if he never asked us about it?
You've brought it
to the teacher's union,
why don't you leave it at that
instead of bringing it
into this room and making it
everyone's business.
It is everyone's business!
It is everyone's business
if we're being snitched on
by students at your behest.
I would sincerely
appreciate your support.
There are a thousand kids
in this school.
Of course,
you don't get what I'm saying.
Most of them are still here.
And we have to continue
to educate them.
- You think about education.
- Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.
Education is what
they're here for?
Is it what you're here for?
Give me a break.
Empower us,
'cause we're the ones
who care about the education.
Not the parents,
not the students.
You just want to get
better grades and get them
into better colleges,
so when we give them a B,
they come after us.
If you don't
feel like you wanna come
to this meeting, I understand,
and you are excused.
All you're doing
is deflecting, Jess.
Would you keep your voice down?
You, shut up!
Whoa, Jason, let's...
I think you're here
to make a name for yourself.
- You wanna clean up the school.
- I think you need to leave.
I need to leave?
I think you need
to leave right now.
It's not us against them.
We're all trying
to work it out, together, okay?
Get that in your brain.
Instead of this.
Give me a break, Jamie.
Give me a break.
There's no need to insult...
- I think it's pretty insulting.
- fellow staff members.
I think it's pretty insulting
that she's coming in here
lecturing me
and treating me like an idiot
when I've been a teacher
- for seven years, and she has...
- She's trying to give you
a different perspective.
The problem is, you and him
have made the kids feel like
they're the adults in the room,
like they should have
the authority.
Why are you so angry?
Because you're an idiot...
and you're questioning me
- like I'm an idiot.
- Whoa, whoa, Jason, just...
I'm the school counselor,
- I'm a psychologist.
- Yeah, I know you want this
- petri dish to be...
- So I get a lot more shit
- than you do.
- your own psych ward.
I get that.
You know, there are
other places to teach.
What?
There are other places to teach.
Are you kidding?
You want solidarity?
Stop coming after teachers.
When was the last time
you were in a classroom?
When was the last time you
sat in on anybody's classroom?
That's what I thought.
What are you doin'?
- What are you doin'?
- I'm thanking him.
God?
Yeah, God, for leaving
the door open for us.
Oh, shit. Shit.
You, uh, you gonna take
your thanks back?
No.
What the fuck is that?
What're you doin'?
I'm praying.
To the lock?
What language is that?
Arabic.
- Arabic?
- Shh.
Isn't that a
different religion than before?
Does the religion matter?
Do you have just, like,
a different religion
- for every situation or...
- No.
Let's smoke. Let's smoke.
There is no smoking inside.
Fucking America.
Come on.
Why do you have a gun?
I wanna know why you have a gun.
- Why?
- Because, what are you,
- a criminal or something?
- Why do you want to know?
Are you a criminal or something?
Do I look like a criminal?
Yes, yes, you look
like a fuckin' criminal.
And I'm not lettin' you
in here with a gun!
We're in America, Davy.
We're in America.
It's the easiest thing
in the world,
having a gun in America.
Bullshit, why do you have a gun?
I owe money to the wrong people,
that's why.
Aye, uh, I gotta be
out of my fucking mind.
Uh, yeah, um,
I'm just calling to confirm
my appointment for this evening.
Uh, yeah.
Willmore, Alis. Mm-hmm.
Thank you.
You must think I'm an asshole.
No.
It's too scary to stand up
the way you did, you know.
Not everyone...
can do that.
Can I buy you a cup of coffee?
Just to prove I'm not a monster.
Um...
I'm not married.
I'm, I'm sorry.
That was so stupid.
I'm sorry, uh, I am...
Coffee sounds good.
Yeah?
Will you just please just
stop talking bullshit to me.
You don't believe
in any of that.
No, I believe
in facts and logic.
Logic. How about numbers?
Yeah, numbers, numbers are good.
Numbers are good.
How about 9-11?
- 9-11?
- Yeah.
The day the American dream died.
Where I come from,
9-11 means
the ninth of November.
Only Americans read backwards.
9-11, 1989.
It was the middle of the night
when the wall came down.
You know that, huh?
No, I was 11.
I don't know that.
You were 11. You were 11.
Do you see that?
9-11, you were 11.
Okay, okay, okay.
Big party day.
November 9th,
I was in Berlin.
Everyone is out
on the road, celebrating
that they got
capitalism, freedom.
And people still thought
that freedom is to buy stuff.
Bananas everywhere,
they didn't have bananas.
Behind the wall,
there were no bananas,
so when they came to freedom,
they were rewarded with...
bananas.
You know what November 9th was
up until the big party day?
It was called The Night
of Broken Glass,
November 9, 1938.
That was the same day
as, be careful,
when the wall came down.
My point is,
a bad day became
a good day, just like that.
You don't believe
in any of that?
No, I believe
in facts and logic.
Facts... Are you okay?
- Yeah.
- This is a fact.
This is logic.
Okay.
Wow.
Parents are a thing
of the past, don't you think?
Wow.
There's so many people here.
And they're all so pissed.
Good afternoon, ladies
and gentlemen. Good afternoon.
- I guess I'd be angry too.
- Can everyone please
take a seat.
You know, it could be
any one of their kids.
Thank you, thank you.
That's just another reason
not to have them.
Look, the sooner we get started,
the more information
you get from us, thank you.
All right, I'm,
I'm Principal Williamson.
We appreciate you being here
more than you know.
Uh, I sincerely apologize
for the way you were notified.
We're gonna get started
today with a report
from our school safety officer,
Officer Genet.
Hello, everyone, thank you
for your attention.
I am Officer Genet of the NYPD
and head of security
here at Coles.
- Alis.
- We understand
that this is
a very difficult time...
Sittin' here
by your lonesome, huh?
- Oh...
- Did I miss everything?
Has issued notices
of violations
to the institution.
An NOV will list violations
and must be corrected
within 35 days.
- Oh, come on.
- It is the responsibility
of the NYPD, the FDNY, Coles...
Oh, hey, Jack.
- How are you, buddy.
- It's Jason.
Parents to make
a serious commitment
towards all of this compliance.
- At this time,
- That's my seat.
That's all I have for you,
I will now turn the meeting
- back over to...
- And that's my coffee too.
Oh, that's your coffee, okay.
- Yeah.
- Okay, great.
- Talk to you later.
- Okay.
Thank you, Officer Genet.
We will be working very closely
with her in the coming weeks
regarding all of the
violations that she mentioned.
- Hi.
- Hey, um...
How's it goin' up there?
Um, it's, it's loud.
Um, have, have you...
have you seen
the principal's wife?
Yeah, she came in earlier today.
No, I mean, like
a couple minutes ago.
Have you seen her?
Did she go by here?
Uh, I don't, I don't think so.
I mean, I had
to go the bathroom, I mean.
I'm sorry.
I fell asleep.
You know, I have that condition,
um, insomnia condition,
since Afghanistan.
All right, um...
Can I, can I come in there?
Just for a second.
Yeah.
I was supposed
to keep an eye on her
and stay with her and make sure
she didn't leave my sight,
and I messed that up
and now she's gone.
I have no idea what I'm
gonna say, like I don't know.
She's an adult.
But that... Okay, the meeting
that's going on upstairs
is because I sent out an email,
I was supposed to send it
to, like, a few people,
and I sent it to everybody.
Because I just can't, apparently
just can't do anything.
- Okay, okay.
- Right?
Hey.
I'm living upstairs right now.
I'm sleeping upstairs,
and I, I can't,
I can't keep an eye
on the principal's wife
for five minutes.
I'm not paying my rent.
I'm not...
I have a question. Why are
our kids being investigated
without us or our lawyers
being present?
So a parent says,
wady-bomby-domby-domby-dah.
And you're gonna say.
Until we let this process
take its course,
there's really nothing more
I can share with you.
I don't understand.
What does that mean?
They're only gonna
respect you more
as a result of this,
I guarantee you.
- Teacher was wearing goggles...
- There's a process...
but none
of the students were?
Is it true?
Yes, that is true.
- How is that possible?
- Oh, my God.
Are there no safety regulations?
Yes, there are
safety regulations.
The science teacher
made a choice,
an unfortunate choice
in this instance.
- That's ridiculous.
- But really she's not obliged
- to, to, make students...
- No, that's crazy.
And what about the
the chemicals themselves
- I heard that it was broken.
- Obviously, something got
a little out
of control in this case.
Frankly, it's also
a matter of budget.
You should've told me.
I would've got you
safety goggles.
There's a child
in the hospital right now,
and you're talking about budget?
So the kids get to not wear
safety goggles.
You got some stones, man.
Can we have less questions
in the room, please.
- You're not the only one here.
- That is not...
Oh, so you get
to decide how this meeting goes?
That's really self-centered.
I'm self-centered?
- We almost had a heart attack.
- I'm self-centered?
Are you fucking serious?
He was crying.
He was, he was hurting.
And I was just doing
everything I could
to help him, you know.
Yeah, we know you did
everything you could.
I really tried.
I used everything that I knew.
I know.
Did he say anything?
Um... yeah. Well, he was
saying a lot of things
and um, a couple things.
But there's one thing
in particular
that he was saying,
but I don't,
I don't know if it would...
make sense to you,
like it's, you know,
people say things when they're
- in shock so...
- Mm-hmm, what did he say?
Um...
he said I would
rather pick up dog shit
than stay with him.
I had heard J.C. and him
fighting earlier that day,
and he was screaming at him,
I'd rather pick up dog shit
than stay with him.
I'd rather pick up dog shit
than stay with him.
- Did you...
- It sounds weird, right?
It doesn't make sense.
The only other thing
that he was saying,
and I don't know
if it was in reference
to this or not,
but he was saying it was a joke.
- A joke?
- It was a joke, it was a joke.
He was like, ah, joke,
it was a joke.
And like, he was...
Any idea?
No. I didn't know.
I mean, it was just
a sight to see him,
you know, he's,
you know he is
a good kid, right?
He's such a good kid.
I liked him a lot.
He was always really nice
to me and really sweet to me.
Okay, just, um...
Thank you.
You know, he's lucky
you responded so quickly.
Do you really think so?
I know so.
I tried so hard.
I know.
It's okay, okay.
Let's... We're done.
- Okay.
- This is great. Thank you.
- Thank you.
- Thank you.
You were really helpful.
Thank you.
- It was a pleasure...
- Thank you for coming down.
To meet you.
Yeah, excuse me.
Can you get yourself together
and...
Do you want some water
or something?
All right, I'll take
you to see your counselor,
and it'll be okay, all right?
- Natalie...
- Hi, I've got
to get her to her counselor.
- All right.
- Come on, sweetie. Let's go.
- J.C.
- I gotta use the bathroom.
- The principal's office?
- Yes.
Um, it was there
two days ago, but...
- they moved it down the hall.
- What happened to your eye?
What?
What happened? You all right?
Yeah, I'm good, I'm good.
Don't worry about it.
Uh, two things, actually.
Uh, one, that there were
trace amounts of methanol
on all the beakers.
But also that
they were varying degrees.
What the hell? She said
she didn't use methanol.
- But there was methanol?
- There was.
There was an accident
up there yesterday.
Kid got burned really bad.
He died?
He's in a coma.
- Poor teacher.
- Poor teacher?
Yeah,
she fucked up. Poor teacher.
What do you mean
he wasn't supposed to be there?
He wasn't supposed
to be up there.
He was called up by her.
What was
the disruption in class that
she had to call
Matty up front for?
Were you guys just...
I actually, I'm not too sure,
we were just talking.
I mean, not even loud at all.
We were kinda whispering.
And what did you do
when the explosion happened?
Well, the rest
of the class just,
we all just ran to the back
and opened the windows
to breathe.
Were you worried
for your friend?
Of course I was worried
for my friend.
Is he a good friend of yours?
I'd say we're like
best friends, yeah.
You, Matty, and Lawrence, right,
- you guys?
- Yeah, yeah.
The three of you are tight?
- Yeah, we're like...
- yeah.
Have you
visited Matty in the hospital?
No, I was going
to go today, yeah.
How'd you become
friends with Lawrence?
Have you been friends
since you were little or...
No, we did... That was...
No, we recently became friends.
Yeah?
What prompted that?
I think it was this one time
when he gave me his homework.
Aha!
- There it is.
- Yeah, yeah.
Yeah.
Whenever I need help,
he just, he's always there.
And you...
No, I just...
offer your friendship?
Yeah like, whatever
he needs, I'll be there.
- Protection.
- You got his back.
- Yeah, I got his back.
- Protection?
Does he need protection a lot?
I mean, you know,
like a kid like that
in a school like this,
kinda, you know.
People make,
people poke fun, so...
What's going on with your face?
What are you talking about?
I'm talking about the
mark I can see on your face,
high on your cheek,
what happened?
You know, I mean,
you can take the sunglasses off.
Oh, these are
actually prescription.
I'm like short-sighted,
I kinda need them to see, so...
Your, your teachers
let you wear them in class?
Hm? Yeah, 'cause they know
I can't afford new ones.
Did some kid rough you up
a little after school?
Did you steal
somebody's lunch money?
No, I don't think a kid
- would rough me up.
- What happened to your face?
No, you don't look like
you get roughed up
- by other kids much.
- No.
Are you the rougher-upper?
Yeah, I'd say so.
It was a fight. It was just
a fight, and yeah.
Yeah? Who was
in the fight with you?
I don't think that's important.
I don't think that's relevant.
It's actually
our job to find out.
So it doesn't matter if you
think it's relevant or not.
- Who was in the fight with you?
- Yeah but, like, we're talking
about Matty, so I don't know
what this has to do
with that at all.
Were you
in the fight with Matty?
No.
The fight happened
on school grounds?
Um, yeah.
Do you get
many phone calls home?
Had a few.
- Mm-hmm.
- Yeah.
How'd that go over?
What did they say?
Um, it was like...
just like don't do it again.
It happens.
Blah, blah, blah. Yeah.
It happens?
Yeah.
You and your dad have
a close relationship?
Mm-hmm.
Closer than say with your mom?
My mom actually isn't around.
Oh, I'm sorry.
Sorry.
Yeah.
You said they called
them on the phone.
Mm, you said parents,
I just went with parents.
You know your dad is
crossing the line sometimes,
and it's not okay.
Yeah, but I can deal with that.
Yeah, but clearly you can't.
All right, Matty was right.
This is not something
you need to put up with.
All right, J.C.
I'm done with this.
You're done with this.
Yeah, I'm, I'm done with this.
Right, that's what
I'm saying to you.
- You're done with this.
- Mm-hmm.
You may leave.
Oh, so you're
telling me to leave.
- Thank you.
- I'm going
because I wanna go.
Thank you very much.
All right,
don't tell me what to do.
We'll call you in
if we have any questions.
Someone's gonna shoot us, boy.
No one's gonna shoot at me.
Watch your fuckin' shoes, bro!
- Stop.
- Stop.
Don't...
What are you doing?
Shit.
Open it, open it,
open it, open it, open it.
- Go.
- Oh, my God.
Where are the lights?
Come on, guys, let's get it.
Come on!
You'd like that.
What's this gonna do?
It's gonna do exactly
what I want it to do.
What the fuck was that?
- Let's go.
- What the fuck was that?
- Just leave, just leave.
- Let's go, let's go.
- We gotta go, we gotta go.
- Go, go. Just go on.
- No, no, we all gotta go.
- Just go. Wait by the door.
You wanna get in trouble?
We're not getting in trouble.
We're gonna get in trouble.
Wait, wait, actually...
He's actually... Wait.
Of course I'm right.
I'm always fucking right.
- Matty, w need to go!
- Let's go!
Let's go. We have
to get out of here!
Have a seat. Hi.
Can I talk to you for a second?
Yeah.
I know I was running late.
I'll be there.
No, I haven't changed my mind.
Listen, I can't talk
right now. I have to go.
Okay.
Really upset.
They were talking
about the accident
that happened yesterday,
and she just fell apart.
Excuse me?
Who let you in here?
You can't be in here.
You can smell it.
What?
You can smell
the drugs in the pee.
That's how I found out
that Adam was using drugs.
What, he forgot to flush?
He forgot. He always forgets.
You know why people
do drugs in the toilets?
- This is a school!
- Okay!
Look, will you just put
the gun away, please?
Please, just put it away!
You're gonna fuck us both here!
She found pot in a bag.
Her mother did, and then
she found, like, condoms,
and I don't know,
she's acting out.
She's just acting out.
Did my brother...
What?
- Did my brother...
- Yeah, I don't know. She said...
She said she's in love
with an older guy. I don't know.
Fuck.
You know,
my father was like that.
He had whoever he wanted.
Perhaps I have hundreds
of half brothers
all over the world.
That's a scary thought.
He had no sense
of right and wrong.
He would always put us
in danger.
That's how I grew up,
always in danger.
You know what my father did?
Hmm?
- What?
- You know?
He killed himself.
He smoked 100 cigarettes
in one day.
He drank 10 bottles of ouzo.
In seven days, he was dead.
You can do whatever you want
with your own life
but when you start destroying
the lives of other people,
you have to go.
Let's go.
But nothing unusual to report?
- Nothing...
- No, I don't...
I mean, are you suggesting
that she
- intentionally burned a student?
- Oh, I'm not, I'm just...
No, no, no, no.
I'm actually not at all.
- I didn't, uh...
- She's a very careful
and intelligent person.
Have you been
at the school long?
- Uh, yes, I have.
- Mm-hmm.
Too long to count.
- Oh?
- How's that?
Uh, I went to school here.
And you teach English?
Yes, I teach English.
Let me know if you...
need any lessons.
I...
- It's a joke.
- I know it is.
It's actually funny because
I've noticed the grammar
of some of
the students here is...
Oh, it's suffering.
- Thank you. I'll review that.
- Yes, but I assume
it's just a habit,
not, not as a result
- of your instruction.
- It's hard to teach
these kids, you know,
proper English
when they wanna, you know.
Right, like it's not
very straight to conjugate
Yeah.
I'm so sorry. I'm sorry.
It's just, it's from earlier.
Please continue.
- Yes, from earlier.
- Yeah.
What are you doing?
Babe, we gotta prep
for tomorrow.
I have to leave.
What are you talking about?
Where's your apron?
We got a...
- we've a shit ton of stuff.
- No, no, no.
I have to leave.
I've gotta go. I have
to get out of here, okay?
What are you talking about?
Hey, I'm sorry.
Don't touch me!
I saw you.
I saw you. You gave
one of your little
pill bags to Matty
and that chick Toni whatever.
These.
Your weed and your pills.
Gave it to the kids!
You gave it to Matty
and then look what happened.
You think I caused that?
- Yeah.
- No.
They would have been
doing that anyway
whether they were
taking drugs or not.
And if they weren't
taking my drugs,
they'd be taking someone else's,
and I really believe
that I'm a better person
to provide them than other
people out there on the streets.
I'm sorry.
- Let me come with you.
- No.
- No, I wanna come with you.
- No, no.
- Yeah, let me come with you.
- No!
I know you do,
but you have
your own stuff to deal with.
Look at you, you're saving up...
so that you can go study...
and you almost have
enough money.
And then in a few years,
you'll be sitting
in some little office,
and you'll have
a little notepad and pencil
and glasses on a string.
On a string?
Yeah, you know, like on a chain.
I don't wear glasses.
Well, you'll have to to
look like a real psychiatrist.
And then...
one day you'll look up and...
I'll walk in.
- Hey.
- Hey.
Hi.
Can I show you something?
Yeah, come in.
No, it's on, um,
it's on Lisa's computer.
- Yeah.
- Can you come with me?
- Sure, are you okay?
- Excuse me?
- I'm fine.
- Um...
Do you know how to get
to the principal's office?
Uh, yeah, from here,
the easiest way is gonna be,
um, keep going down
this hallway,
uh, you'll see a doorway
to the stairs,
take the stairs
two flights down.
- Two?
- Yeah, two flights down,
right, and then when you get
to that level,
right, it's gonna be level two,
you're gonna turn right,
there's gonna be a double door.
You want the right door.
You go down that hallway.
- Um, you'll get to a rotunda.
- Oh, my God.
Okay, so, down... This is
the easiest way from here.
- It's just two flights down?
- Where did you come from?
We're gonna go two flights down?
Two flights down,
take a right...
We got it, thank you.
Go through the rotunda,
you're gonna come in
at your six o'clock
and you're gonna go to...
You're welcome.
There's construction
the other way, so...
What do you mean?
Well, like, are we gonna
rehearse for the play?
Are we gonna cancel the play?
We have the dress rehearsal.
- The show is tomorrow.
- We can make time.
So we're gonna
completely forget about Matty?
- No one's forgetting about him.
- We haven't forgot about him.
Wait, wait, wait.
It seems like we don't care.
It's like now he's not here.
Well, I mean, that's why
I'm here. I'm the understudy.
We can sort of do
without a lead.
Well, I feel like we have
the space open
where Matty would be,
and we have someone else
reading the lines for him.
So it's like he's there
in spirit.
Something like that.
Alex, what do you think
about this?
It doesn't make sense.
Okay, but you also don't know
a lot of blocking.
That doesn't make sense!
Guys, guys, guys!
- What!
- Guys!
Calm down, all right.
We have to make a decision.
- Are we gonna do it or not?
- We can't do it
without actually
having him here.
I don't think we should do it.
We can't do it
without him. It's not fair.
So what's going on?
You wanna talk about it?
I guess.
Hey, I'm sorry.
Hi.
Can we talk for a minute?
I'm sorry to interrupt.
Oh, right now?
Yeah, yeah,
it's pretty important.
Hey, I'll be right back.
What's up?
So Alis found this
on Lisa's computer.
Apparently, some kids
have been harassing her
on social media,
on Twitter, Facebook.
She collected it all.
There's images and tweets
and threats, comments
about the way she looks.
Okay, that's...
It's pretty upsetting stuff.
It's pretty ugly.
Mm-hmm. Yeah.
We just copied it to the USB.
We should show it to Jess.
Yeah, absolutely.
Right?
Yeah. I think...
Okay, thank you.
I'll let you know.
So, uh, um, this is my office.
Would you like
to sit in your seat?
- That's great, thank you.
- Nice,
yes, you're very welcome.
- Thank you.
- Have a seat.
And I'm powerless
in this situation.
I'm sort of like Harvey Keitel
in Pulp Fiction.
I clean up the mess,
but I have no power.
So I'm just gonna sit
right here.
So, it would seem
we have a mess to clean up?
Uh, no, that's not what I said.
I said I'm powerless.
That should make you happy.
Thank you for letting us
use your office.
Absolutely.
How did you feel about
the response to the explosion?
Did everything go according
to protocol, according to plan?
Were there any glitches?
As far as I can tell,
everything went
according to plan.
- Mm-hmm.
- Um,
the school safety desk
at the front,
at the entrance...
received a call
pretty immediately
that an accident was happening
on the fourth floor.
They called FDNY
and NYPD immediately.
They were here within minutes,
and everything went
according to protocol
as far as I can see.
And when did you respond
to the fourth floor?
I was not in the building
at the time of the accident.
The AP was there.
He's not required
to be there in the morning.
You could designate an AP.
I didn't, uh, suggest
that he was required
- to be in the school.
- Okay.
There was a...
There was an emergency.
I was away.
What, what kind
of, uh, emergency?
What does that have
to do with this incident?
My wife was in the hospital.
Look, my wife had...
my ex-wife.
No, you don't get
into personal business.
We're talking about an incident.
He wasn't there.
There was a,
- there was a supervisor on site.
- Look, my ex-wife
had tried
to kill herself, all right?
On the day of the incident?
No. No.
Like three weeks ago
and I was picking her up.
Is she all right?
We were... pregnant,
and she...
we lost it.
I'm, uh, having
an abortion tonight.
I was supposed to be there
like an hour ago, actually.
You know, I never wanted Matty?
I never wanted him.
Even after he was born.
When he was born...
I loved him more than
anything in the world
and I still do.
But there was always
this bit of resentment I had.
So stupid.
And now...
and now he's...
he's not who he used to be.
This was the last place he was
when he was who he was.
When he was...
It's my, it's my fault.
It's my fault.
Tell me why you're saying that.
Did you have
any reason to suspect
that Miss Dhawan
was being bullied?
What does that have
to do with anything?
Do you know J.C. Caraballo?
I'm aware of who he is.
He's a student here.
And do you, do you know him?
I-I know who he is.
Hey, guys.
What the fuck?
That did not go well.
Tha-tha-that just went about
as terrible as it
possibly could!
- Easy! It is what it is.
- It is what it is?
Are you kidding me?
She was, she was, she was...
They got my balls
in their hands!
They're-they're-they're-they're grabbing,
and they're squeezing!
- Easy.
- Easy!
- Just move on to the next thing.
- Where the fuck is Amy?
Where's my wife?
She cannot be wandering
the halls!
Heather, Heather!
Oh, and of course
on top of all that,
now I've got this charge
for domestic violence
hanging over my head.
Hey, there's no way
she's gonna report that.
If she did,
they'd deport J.C.'s father!
She's aware of that,
you told her!
- Yeah, but...
- Easy.
Whew!
I'm fucked.
Fuck.
Fuck.
Fuck.
Fuck.
Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck!
Fuck!
Oh, fuck.
Yeah, I think we need
to really stick to the facts
'cause we're getting
into her emotional state
and the kids' emotional state,
and that's like, that's not...
Okay, um, do you...
So you put the keys away
on the day of the incident...
- Yes.
- after you locked
- the cabinet?
- I, I,
I put the keys
in the office room
with the other keys
in the faculty room, yes.
Okay. And that's where
you always keep them?
I us... Yes, usually.
I usually do that.
- Usually?
- Usually?
Yes.
Yes, she has a routine.
She followed the routine.
Yes, there are rules,
and there are rules about...
There are rules about
how to put the keys away.
I'm sorry, I'm very tired...
No, right, no, of course.
And I'm just saying...
And I followed the rules
about how to store the keys.
No, I mean, I hear that you're
saying what you usually do,
but do you remember
specifically on that day
because, I mean,
I know, routines,
you can kinda get lost
in the routine,
and you don't do it
sometimes, and...
Do you remember
doing it on that day?
Ye-Yes.
You do?
Yes, I mean...
- Except...
- You can answer the question,
but you keeping asking her
50 different ways,
she's giving you
the same answer.
Except what?
Except there was...
Except there was what?
- I was running late for class...
- Mm-hmm.
And in some
of the student evaluations,
there was something
about me being late,
so I, I had the keys with me
and I left them on the desk
in the classroom.
In room 42?
Th-The classroom I was in
prior to the one I was going to.
- Okay.
- And, uh, they were on my desk
but only for the duration
of the class
because after the class
I came back,
and they were still
where I left them
and then I put them away.
So they were on the desk...
during the class period?
Yeah.
But when you came back,
so you left the room?
For just a short period of time,
and then when the class was over
and I came back,
they were still
where I left them.
So they were left
unattended in an open room
for the duration
of the class period?
Yes, but they were exactly
where I left them
when I came back so...
And was there another class
- in that other classroom...
- No, no,
- at that time?
- There was not.
So it was empty?
Yeah.
They were...
I knew where they were.
I-I-I was running late,
so I didn't want
to be late for class.
I love being a teacher.
Okay, what?
He made a copy of the key,
and then he put it back.
Who, who, when...
Are you saying that
Matty did that?
Yeah.
But there wasn't really
a plan or anything.
We were just kinda
messing around.
Smoking weed.
And then...
Did you go?
No, I was grounded.
- Oh, my God.
- They're not gonna deport you.
- Why would they deport you?
- They'll fucking deport me, bro.
No, they're not gonna
deport you...
What are you talking about?
As long as you don't talk shit,
they won't be able to.
- Then of course not.
- I didn't say anything.
You didn't say anything?
What's so bad
about Mexico anyway?
What the fuck? Have you been
to fucking Mexico, bro?
I wouldn't last a day.
Imagine what you would.
You wouldn't even
fucking last an hour!
You need to chill.
Don't tell me
to fucking chill, bro?
Take it down a notch.
What the fuck are you
talking about my dad for?
Look at your fucking eye!
Look at your eye!
Are you in my fucking situation?
- Look at your eye!
- What?
- You're gonna defend him?
- What the fuck.
'Cause your dad is an asshole!
You don't know
what the fuck he does to me!
- You know it!
- What?
Don't push me.
- Don't push me.
- Wanna get fucking physical?
You know that your dad's a dick.
You're not in my fucking house!
You're not in my fucking house...
Everybody knows the situation.
You don't know what
I've been through, all right?
- So shut the fuck up!
- It doesn't matter!
- Shut up!
- You like going through it?
- You like it?
- Shut the fuck up!
- Really?
- Shut up!
You sound real familiar, right?
I bet you hear that
all the time, right?
Oh, my fucking God.
- That sound real familiar...
- Keep talking shit,
I swear to God I'm gonna knock
the fuck outta you.
You sound just like
your little pops.
- Don't push me.
- Shut the fuck up!
- Don't push me.
- Shut up!
Now you're gonna make me...
Gonna fucking fall, bitch.
- What, what?
- No, chill. Chill!
- Fuck you mean chill?
- Chill!
Don't tell me
what the fuck to do.
It's not even
that big of a deal.
What the fuck you mean
it's not that big of a deal?
Because it was Matty's idea!
What the fuck
are you trying to say?
We were there too.
It's our fault!
- So?
- We didn't say no, did we?
- No, we didn't say no.
- All right then.
What the fuck,
it's our fault too.
- You need to chill.
- No, you need
- to fucking chill...
- You need to chill.
- You really need to chill.
- I swear to God...
- Your gun!
- I don't know where it is.
- How did you let this happen?
- I don't know. I...
How could you possibly
let this happen?
That is like
the most important part
of your entire job!
We are police officers
at an educational institution
in charge
of monitoring children,
and now your gun
is on the loose.
Are you out of your mind?
Oh, shit. It's stuck.
It's stuck!
Holy shit.
They said, what if we messed
around with the chemicals
and played a joke
on Miss D because...
A joke?
Not really a joke, but...
they just wanted
to get back at her
because she had told
the principal
on J.C. for acting out in class
and then his dad beat
him up really bad,
but he was only acting up
in class because...
The only reason that
he was acting out in class
was because Miss D
caught me smoking
and then she told
my dad and then...
and then my mom found out,
and then I had
to go live with her.
So who was actually there,
Matty and who else?
What are you doing?
We had quite an evil eye on us.
That's why it happened.
Evil eye, you know.
Bad energy. Evil eye,
bad energy, you know.
- An evil eye.
- Yeah.
- Is on us.
- Yeah.
- Elevator got stuck.
- Exactly.
Awesome. That's great.
That's great.
In five minutes, we'll be okay.
Everything happens for a reason.
I'm not talking to you anymore.
- Hey.
- Hi.
- How are you doing?
- Uh, good.
Uh, do you have
Ross Fairchild's contact info?
Maybe. Why?
I-I found something of Matty's,
and I wanted to give it
back to the family.
Um, I mean, I could
give that to them
if you wanted to give it to me.
Uh, it's just really personal,
and I'd prefer...
I'd prefer to give it
to him myself,
if you don't mind.
Um...
yeah, I mean, I guess
that should be okay.
Hang on.
I can write it down.
That would be great.
Thank you.
You don't believe in that, why?
Why you don't believe that
everything happens for a reason?
Explain to me, please.
Because it doesn't...
What you're saying
doesn't make any sense.
It is like
you don't believe in love.
You don't believe in love?
With love, you can...
- you can create miracles.
- Oh, my God.
This now, this is my hell.
This is my hell.
Was it just weed?
No.
No?
You have something
on you. What is that?
Give me that.
What is that?
It's...
it's not Tylenol.
It's just...
Matty...
he...
he likes me, you know?
And he...
he just wanted
to show me that, you know,
he wouldn't let anybody...
mess around with me.
People make choices.
That's why, okay.
Everybody makes a choice.
Choices affect other people.
Okay. It's not some grand plan.
It's not some deeper meaning
when shit happens.
Hi.
I'm sure they will
let us out soon.
Don't cry.
It's okay. It's okay.
We...
You okay?
Uh...
Yeah, yeah. Yeah, I'm okay.
Uh...
What?
I fucked up.
You lose the glasses,
or I take them off your face.
I'm pretty sure
you can't tell me what to do.
It's your...
- Right now?
- Don't make me say it again.
- Oh, sass.
- Thank you.
- Can I just hold 'em?
- No, no, no, you can't.
Meanwhile, uh, Lawrence?
Miss Dhawan's keys?
Yeah.
What happened to them?
Who knows?
It was Matty. He, uh,
he got, he got 'em.
He had the keys.
Do you know how he
came into possession
of the keys?
- No.
- No? Okay.
Uh, but he accessed
the supply closet
in the science lab?
That was me.
- It was you?
- Yeah.
He gave you the keys?
We-We all were together.
Keys?
How would I know about the keys?
You know about the keys?
All right, so here's
the situation, J.C.
As you said yourself
in the locker room,
you are an accomplice
in this crime
which has been committed,
so it is to your advantage
to be forthcoming
in this situation.
This is like when you watch TV
and there's a cop drama,
this is like that,
only this is your life.
I know your status. I know
the status of your father
and I need you
to be forthcoming,
or there may be
serious consequences.
Do you understand
what I am saying to you
or do I need
to be more explicit?
I understand the words.
I just don't know
where they're coming from.
- I don't think you know...
- You're trying to go back?
Oh, okay.
You guys all right?
No, Lawrence
just has some jokes.
No, I don't have anything
to joke about now.
I mean...
Lawrence recognizes the severity
of the situation, J.C.
- You can drop the act.
- There's no act.
You can drop this bravado
that you have.
There is no act.
There is actually no protecting
your father at this point.
He's under investigation.
It's in motion, all right?
We are here talking
to you right now,
in this case.
In the case with your father,
you are the victim.
Now, in the case of this school,
you are potentially
a perpetrator.
I suggest that you start
telling the truth,
the whole truth,
and nothing but the truth.
So help me God.
Let's go, all right,
that's enough.
They're looking for the truth.
The only problem is,
what is the truth?
Theoretically, I'm the only
person that could tell them,
and I can't speak.
Does it start with me?
Or does it start
with Adam smiling at Toni?
Or Shannon hiring Adam.
Or Miss D telling on Toni?
Or Toni's dad grounding Toni?
Or her mom taking her
away from her dad?
Or Principal Williamson overreacting
because he's mad at his wife!
Who can you blame?
If Heather hadn't made
that noise that night,
the first beaker
would have exploded
as planned.
And Miss D would have been
wearing protective gear,
and I would have been
on the other end of the table!
Whatever.
The only questions that's worth
its weight is this,
is there a fucking script,
or does everything
happen by accident?
One thing leading to another,
a simple chain reaction.
And if it does happen
by accident,
why does one accident happen
and not another?
Why me?
Why the hell me?
That's actually
fucking great. Let's go!
- Shh!
- Let's go!
Fuck, bro.
Yo, there's a ghost in here.
What?
What the fuck you mean
there's a ghost in here?
What are you, a pussy?
Come on, man.
What the fuck
you mean am I a pussy?
What the fuck?
Of course I'm not...
I'm not a fucking bitch.
Shut the fuck up.
- What are you doing?
- What is wrong with you?
- Shh!
- Geez.
I'm good, I'm good.
No, no, no. Serious question.
Why is Toni not here, bro?
Yo, her mom grounded her.
Yo, she's such
a bitch. What the fuck?
Guys, I really hurt myself.
- Shit.
- Why did you trip?
What the fuck.
Nothing bad's gonna happen.
Are you gonna tell 'em
just like you told me?
I guess I have to.
I'm proud of you.
Hey. Hey.
Mind if I...
Please, come join me.
You're leaving?
Yeah.
You're lucky.
Why do you say that?
I'd like to leave sometimes.
Well, you can. Why don't you?
It's not that easy.
Well, nothing's that easy.
I wouldn't go back to that.
What?
To being a teenager again.
How were,
how were you as a teenager?
Being a teenager was hell.
What?
Why?
I don't know, nothing
fell into place, you know.
What were you like?
Awkward, stupid.
Lost.
Are you gay?
I mean, I'm whatever
I want to be I guess.
You want some of this?
There's a little left.
I...
Uh...
Mrs. Fairchild?
Yes, yes, I'm Mrs. Fairchild.
Have you found my husband?
Have you located him?
He called me, and I was
there, I was there with Matty,
and he was supposed
to come to meet me,
but he said that he had to...
Hello.
You can see me?
Of course I can see you.
What do you mean?
Because nobody else can.
See?
- Who are you?
- I'm Matty.
I'm Nicky. Hi.
Are you... a ghost?
I hope not.
- I thought maybe there was...
- He was gonna take care
- of things?
- He was gonna take care
of things, um,
- he said that he was...
- Let's go!
- He sounded angry.
- Okay, we need to go.
Do you think
that he's looking...
Thank you, Toni.
Please just wait here, okay?
- I need to come with you.
- I need you to wait here.
- Sir.
- Come on!
- John!
- Please, wait.
- You want me to stay here?
- Please.
Hello, hello, excuse me?
Hello, is anyone here?
I don't want
to be alone right now,
so it's good that
we're all together.
It was after school Monday.
Amy, we're in a meeting here.
What's going on? Dad?
Who are you? Who are they?
- What are you doing here?
- Who are you?
- You are the principal?
- Yes, I am the principal!
Who are you?
My name is Nikos Kazantzoglou,
and I want to report...
Where's the teacher?
If she did do it,
why wasn't she told
to give all
of the students goggles?
Why the hell doesn't
the school even own goggles?
And if we don't have
goggles here,
why don't the parents know
so that we can supply
the fucking goggles!
Where's the teacher?
Where's the teacher?
Where's the teacher?
Where's the teacher?
Where's the teacher?
Mr. Fairchild.
- Where's the teacher?
- Mr. Fairchild.
- Where's the teacher?
- Look, look, she's not here.
This is my favorite part
of the movie right here.
Where's the fucking teacher?
All right, I know
you're looking for Miss Dhawan.
She's not here.
Look, I can call her.
You want me to call her?
- Call her.
- All right, I'm calling her.
- Principal Williamson...
- Yeah.
Has been delayed.
You can imagine
that he's probably speaking
to who God knows who,
and so he's coming,
he's on his way.
- Do we have a timeline?
- Uh...
- He did not do anything.
- Amy!
Shut up. Shut the fuck up!
Shut the fuck up!
- Oh, my God.
- Put the phone away!
Put the phone down, put it away!
- I'm putting it away.
- Everybody!
- Dad, stop!
- Where is she?
I am representing
thousands of parents.
- Duly noted...
- Don't...
- smirk at me.
- What?
You just gave me a little look.
Just let my daughter go.
Let my daughter get
out of here please?
There's a child here!
- Shut up!
- Amy...
Just let her get out.
Let her get out of here!
- Are you a father?
- Am I a father?
- Yes.
- Yeah, I'm a father!
Think, Ross. Think.
'Cause this time is not
an accident, is it?
You think there's
gonna be an accident
like the one that killed my kid!
This won't be an accident, Ross!
Matty died?
He might as well be dead!
Let's talk about it.
Let's talk...
This is a big misunderstanding.
Let my kid out of here.
- Let the girl go.
- Let her go!
Just everybody sit down
and let me think!
Please sit down
and let me think!
Everybody just sit down.
- Just sit down!
- Sit down.
Just do what he says!
You, uh...
You and you, you two, get out.
Okay.
- Okay. Let's go.
- Go, go, go, go.
Okay, come on, come on.
No, no, no, no, no!
Sit down. No!
Everybody, sit down!
I told you,
he didn't do anything.
I don't even know
why you're here.
I'm sorry. Sit down.
- Put the gun down!
- No, no, no!
- Put it down! Put it down!
- Put the gun down.
I did it.
- That's not what we...
- Yeah.
That's not what
we were talking about.
Put the gun down!
I need you to put the gun down.
Okay, where is Jess?
No, she is
accepting responsibility.
A statement like that
isn't helping anything.
Just shut up!
No one's going anywhere
until I get some answers.
I know more information now.
Do you wanna hear it?
Where's the teacher?
Look, Ross, there's
some things you don't know.
It was my fault.
The children were under my care.
- Okay, I assume...
- Where's the teacher?
The one that killed my son!
She's not here.
Put it down!
- No, no, no!
- Put the gun down!
Put the gun down.
Put the gun down!
Put that gun down!
Oh, my God.
And I died.
I shan't get on board either.
Why do you have a gun?
I think people change.
Is there a fucking script?
Why the hell me.
Day became a good day.
Will you just put the gun away.
In his world,
fire does not exist.
Matty's the best
fucking thing in my life!
Everybody makes a choice.
He wants to save the world.
I can change it.
The world we see is just
a movie in our mind.
John never fell asleep.
It was my dad
who fell asleep in the lab.
John never lost his gun.
David never met Nicky.
Nicky never found the school.
As for my friends...
they did the play without me.
They left a void for me.
Nobody knew I was there.
Except perhaps for Toni.
I kissed her.
I kissed Toni...
and she smiled.
So I came back to life...
for another 62 years.
How long do you have?