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Before the Dawn (2019)
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Please stand clear. The doors are closing. - Hi. - Good morning. Lila, nice to meet you. Nice to see you. Well, it's a beautiful day out. I hope that's a good omen. Did you have any trouble finding a parking space? Oh, no not at all. These facilities are great. I can't wait to settle in. Well we're very happy to have you. I mean, your previous school just speaks glowingly of your teaching methods. Yeah. I'll miss them but it was definitely time to move on. Shannen, I want you to meet Miss Kendy. She'll be taking over Pauline's classroom. Miss James is right across the hall if you need anything. Oh great. Lila, nice to meet you. Well, if you'll excuse me, I have a parent meeting to get to. So enjoy your first day. Okay, thank you Principal Gibney. Well, don't you just have the sweetest manners. If you need me. Okay. You wanna stay in that school, you got to get your grades up and you got to cut out all that other shit you're getting into. You think we're stupid? We know. What makes you think I wanna stay in that school? Why should we waste good money on that school if you're just gonna piss away your chance? And stop acting like you're paying for it. We all know the church is. Hey, watch your mouth. What, it's true. Okay, that makes it even worse. You're wasting God's money, Jason. Oh my god. Do you wanna end up like your brother? I'm not Michael! I actually had friends there. I kinda liked that school. Please Jason, can't you see they're not good for you? You need to stay away from them. You're so fucking clueless. That's enough! Jason, we just love you and want what's best for you. Please, just try and do better at school. Hey. Yeah, you always find the spots with no security cameras. No, it's 50. Are you serious? That's the price. What? Dude, don't act like you don't have the money. Do you want it or not? What's with the raise in price? Inflation. It's a pleasure doing business. Good morning, everybody. My name is Ms Kendy. And I am your new English teacher. All right, settle down. Let's get started. Hope they didn't give you too much trouble. Are you kidding? Compared to my last school, they're a dream. Oh. Mr. Matthews. Just call me Andrew. Lila. You can call me Ms Kendy. Well, it was a pleasure meeting you. I'm off to coach a basketball practice. I'll see you in the halls. You will. With this brown bag. Put it over her fucking head. Jason, man, hurry the fuck up. Fuck you. Ah, fuck. I'm trying to imbibe the vibe, man. What the fuck? What the fuck? What? Yo, yo, yo. That new school of his is turning him into a pussy, man. Oh, fuck you. No, no, dude, dude, dude. You should see this new teacher that we got. What the fuck? Like, no dude. Like she's all proper and shy and shit but those are the ones always freak in the sheets, man. Dog, you know shit about freaks in the sheet. What? I know a lot more than you, fag. - Fuck no. - Like Sarah Kadinkski, huh? The fuck, bitch ass hoe. Fuck you. - I never... - Yeah you did! Yeah you did! Yeah they seem like good kids for the most part and the school's really nice. I certainly won't miss Braybrook, that's for sure. Well you never complained about Braybrook before. Look, I know you're getting a fresh start but don't forget where you came from. No, I know. And it's not Braybrook that I needed to get away from but Westbury's a definite improvement. You know, I wish Dale could've gone to a school like this. Don't worry about your brother. He can take care of himself. Hi sis. Tell him hi back. Oh, I miss you guys. Nothing's gonna change if you keep hanging around those same people. They're my friends, Mom. Can't you make friends at your new school? Can you just relax? Look, I wasn't even doing anything wrong. Relax? I've already lost one son. What are you two screeching about this time? Nothing, Dad. Just go back to sleep. I'm not Michael. Stop putting that on me. I still need that note from your parents. Okay. Well if they've signed off on it. All right, thank you for that, Cindy. Jason, what can I do for you? I think I need some help with my personal essay assignment. Okay. Well have you picked a topic yet? Well, I mean, it's a personal essay. So the obvious thing to write about is my family or myself, right? Right. Yeah, I expect that's what most people will write about or an experience that they've had. A lot of people use them as practice for their college application letters. Look, the purpose of the essay is just to practice structured writing. But it also helps me to learn more about each of you. If you're worried about who's gonna see them, I guarantee that it's just me. Well, what about you? What do you mean? What about me? I mean, you wanna know all about me? I don't even know who you are. I mean, what do I know about you? Well, what do you wanna know? Forget it. Slow down. Little shit. Sorry about that. It's not your fault. But hey, don't waste your time with that one. He's a bad seed. How do you mean? I mean he doesn't give a shit. Couldn't care less about school. He'll be dead by the time he's 20. Oh, that's a bit extreme, don't you think? Trust me. The kids from Malburg never last. They don't have it in them. They don't wanna learn. No, you're wrong. He was just here asking for help with homework. He does care. Fine, waste your time. I don't think of it as wasting my time. I'm a teacher. I think of it as doing my job. Good luck with that. This toxicity I must destroy. The flames lick away the pain. Self-preservation is my ploy and my freedom I'll regain. Thank you Nina. I enjoyed the imagery. Thank you. Jason. You're up. Still don't see how writing poetry's ever gonna help me in the real world. Yeah, come on. Read. What happens happens for a reason. Though those reasons remain unknown. It won't be this bad forever though you feel like you walk alone. I can hear somebody screaming. I can hear fear and agony. Frantic I open my eyes. I realize that somebody's me. You cannot change what happened no matter how hard you try. You cannot turn back the hands of time no matter how much you cry. The past is the past for a reason. That's where we should let it stay. Sometimes it's hard to let it go. Try not to let it eat you away. Dark times make you stronger though sometimes cold and withdrawn. When it feels too much, remember it's always darkest before the dawn. That's it. Thank you, Jason. I can hear myself scream. That's enough, David. Come on, let's see what you've got. Oh, Jason. Can I see you before you leave, please? What's up? I was just looking over your file. Oh, it's okay. I'm just looking over everybody's files. I notice that you're new here too. Transferred last semester. What made you wanna transfer? Do you know Malburg? Not personally but I have heard of it. Were you having trouble with the other kids there? No, it was nothing like that. I was happy there. My parents just don't want me to get into trouble. My mom's pretty religious so she asked a priest to get me in here. You said you were happy there. Are you happy here? I don't like taking charity. What do you mean? Forget it. Can I just go? Just a second. I wanted you to know how impressed I was with your poem today. I have to say, I was surprised looking over your grades. I think you're more capable than you're giving yourself credit for. Well you don't know me. I know talent. I'm not letting you get away with the bare minimum anymore. Not now that I know what you can do. Well it's just a poem. Regardless, you set the standard. Now I expect you to live up to it. Okay? Okay. Can I go? Yeah, get out of here. All right, got to go. Where are you going? Study group at the library. Oh. What, that's it? Oh? I thought you'd be a little happier. I am. I knew you'd do the right thing. Don't be too late. Bitch, she's got me like working for it out here. I mean, she's hot but she's... She has everybody working for it. She thinks that she's the shit and everything but it's... Hey, look who it is. Oh shit. How kind of you to grace us with your presence. Oh yeah, shut the fuck up. Yeah, we're not keeping you from all your preppy new friends, are we? I'm here aren't I? Yeah, I guess. Thank you, asshole. So where you been? I'm just fucking trying to lay low right now with my mom. Like she's been riding me with this shit - that happened to Michael. - Shit. Dude, that shit happens like everyday. I don't get why she's so upset. You know how she is. Dude, we're lucky she hasn't sent you off to military school. Oh shit, I got a pic. - Oh shit, man. - Hey, hey, hey. Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. Hold on, let me look first, let me look first. Damn, she's fine. What, that bitch is ugly, bro. I'm telling you, no dude, she's fine. Ugh. I'm 'bout it. You have really low standards. Oh my God. This is my life, this is my life. This is my life right now. You nasty asshole. You gonna break me down like that? Here you go sweetie. Good morning. Jason, you're gonna be late again. No, I'm not. - Hey. - Oh hey. We still on for tonight? Tonight? Oh, the hot spots, right. Come on, it'll be fun. Yeah. Sure, why not? - Perfect. - Okay. I noticed you were distracted today in class. Just under a lot of pressure right now. My stupid parents are on my back about my grades. Well you know the personal essay doesn't go towards your overall grade. That's not my issue with the essay though. Well what is? I'm not from here. So, neither am I. But you don't get it. We don't have any money. So my essay, it's not gonna be all rosy like everyone else's. Jason, you don't have to worry about that with me. I'm from Braybrook. Wait, for real? For real. Well, how'd you end up here? You religious? No. I'm not even Catholic. Shh. Look, how about I spend 30 minutes with you after class each day and we just work on whatever it is you need help with. You don't have to. I know I don't have to. I want to. I told you I'm not letting you get by with the bare minimum anymore. Your parents want you out of Malburg. Well, getting your grades up and going to college is gonna be your ticket. Well we both know I'm never gonna make it to college. So you can just stop playing that line. It's not a line. There's no reason you can't do whatever you want to. You just need pointing in the right direction. So what do you say? Okay. Thanks Mrs Kendy. Ms. I did the personal essay if you still want that. Yeah, of course. You know Jason, I want you to know that you can talk to me if you need to. Okay? Thank you. Thank you. So what is your situation? My situation? Well yeah, I don't, yep, I don't see a ring on your finger. So I assume you're not married. That situation. Yeah. No. I pawned it. Good. Free as a bird. Perfect. Oh, I love this song. Come on. Oh, dancing. I'm really Caucasian. All right, we're gonna do this. You sure you don't want your purse? I guess I drank more than I realized. Yeah, happens to the best of us. I would give you my coat but... Oh. I am not wearing one. It's fine, I'll live. Okay. Well, there you go. Your chariot awaits. Thank you. Oh, hugs. Goodnight. Night. Had fun. We should do it again sometime. Okay. Maybe next time. Yeah. That'd be fun. Just give me a call. Yeah, I'll see you at school. Bye. Hey. Oh, hey. I wasn't sure you'd make it in today. Oh God, I'm so embarrassed. I hope I wasn't too much of an annoying drunk last night. No, no, you looked like you were having a good time. Yeah, I was. Glad to hear it. I guess I just haven't drunk alcohol in such a long time that I've lost my tolerance for it. I guess we will just have to work on building it back up again. Oh god. Drinking again is the last thing I can think about. How are you feeling? Probably better than I deserve. Oh, come on. Don't be so hard on yourself. You're gonna make me feel bad. I feel like I'm responsible. Don't be silly. I'm a big girl. Yeah, you keep telling me you're tougher than you look. We will see. Mm-hmm. Oh. I'm not sure who dreads that bell more, them or us. Did you think I wouldn't notice that you weren't in class today? Why, did you miss me? Look Jason, if you aren't gonna show up to my class, then you clearly don't really wanna learn. So why should I waste my private time tutoring you? No, you're right. I can see how it looked that way but I just didn't wanna be distracted by the other students in class so I was working in the library. Jason, I saw you sneaking out at lunch. And lying to me really doesn't make me wanna help you. You're right. I'm sorry. I'll go. I guess I'm just destined to fail, end up a gang banger in the streets running guns, girls, and crack. Oh, sit down. So I was thinking we could start off with my history homework. All right, show me what you got. Hangover? Excuse me? I saw you last night at the bar. Well what were you doing there if you're underage? The guy who runs it owes me. Okay, let's do some work. That's what we're here for. No. Aren't you gonna give me some dancing lessons? Okay, I think we're done here. Oh, come on, no, relax. I'm just teasing. How often do you think I get to see a teacher in her natural habitat? Okay, I'm sorry. I couldn't resist. Come on, let's do some work. Wait, so you're not gonna report me for ditching? Well how would that benefit anyone? Plus I trust that you're not gonna do it again, right? Right. Okay. Women in history. It was good though. I mean, I had a little bit too much to drink but I did have fun. Did you kiss? No, I just told you we're colleagues. Will you see him again? I see him everyday at school. You're making this into something that it isn't. I'm just excited for you! I wanna see you happy and settled. You know, I'd eventually like to get some grandkids, you know. Oh, here we go. Look, I think I deserve a little bit of time to myself before I jump back into baby mode, okay? All right. All right. Mom, hold on a sec. Mom, I'm gonna go. I'll call you tomorrow. Jason. What happened? What are you doing here? I'm sorry. I wouldn't have come here. I just don't have anywhere else to go. No, it's okay. Does it hurt? What do you think? Do you think it's broken? I don't think so. Look, I just wanted to get cleaned up before I go home. I can't let my parents see me like this. Of course. Just let me get a towel. Well, do you want me to take you to the station to make a report? Absolutely not. Can you tell me what happened? It's nothing. Just an occupational hazard. What occupation is that? You ask a lot of questions. You don't answer many. Okay Jason, look, if you're gonna show up to my place in the middle of the night, I think that means that you trust me, and you can, but you can't expect that I'm not gonna want some kind of explanation in return. I wasn't asking for help. I just wanted to wash up. I've done that, thank you. I won't come here again. Stop. Where are you going? Home. Before my mom sends out a search party. Let me drive you. Fine. Do you have any siblings? Yeah. How many? Two. Don't drown me in details. Hmm? I'm trying to talk to you. Sorry. Just got a lot on my mind. Hey, turn down there. Why? Just trust me, turn, turn. Okay. What are we doing here? Come on. What? Where? It's raining. So what? What the fuck am I doing? It's beautiful. So are you gonna give me that dancing lesson? We should go, it's freezing. You can just drop me off at the corner. I just don't want my parents asking any questions. Look, Jason, I think you're a great kid but I'm your teacher. Things went too far tonight and that's my fault but it can't happen again, okay? Hey kiddo. You got something you wanna tell me? No. What? Your grades. I am so proud of you. Huge improvement. Yeah, it's not that big of a deal. Are you joking? This is the best you've ever done. Guess the school's finally paying off. Yeah. I can't really take all the credit. Ms. Kendy, she's really been helping me out. Kendy, that's the new one? Mm-hmm, yeah. She offered to tutor me after every class a bit. That's really nice of her. She must like you to do that. I don't think she likes me. I just think... I don't know. I think she's just doing her job. I'll have to thank her at the parent teacher conference. You did good, honey. So anyway, he bucks, I go flying through the air, land on my wrist, bust it, but hey, I guess I deserved it, right? Jesus. Remind me to never piss off a bull. Yeah, right. So was this while you were married? How did you know I was married? You mentioned it before when we were here, that you pawned your ring. Oh. Shit, I must have been drunk. No, this was before that. So what happened? Oh, I got a metal plate screwed in. No, I mean with your husband. Um. He was volatile to say the least and I could never seem to do anything right. Not a good combination. So I guess he didn't take it well when you asked for a divorce? No. Um. Look, do you mind if we talk about something else? Of course, yeah. I'm sorry. I guess I'm just... So, have you dated much since? Not really. Um. I'm just gonna go to the bathroom. I'll be right back. Oh shit. Hey, I'm gonna go to the bathroom. Jason. Stop. Hey, I ordered us some drinks. Thanks. Um. Hey look, my mom just called while I was in the bathroom and look, something's going on at home. I really need to leave. Would that be okay? Of course, yeah. Go ahead. I got this. Thank you so much. Let me know if you need anything. Or not. Andrew, hi. Can I join you? Hi Shannen. Yeah, sure. I swear that kid follows her around like a puppy dog. Yeah. I guess so. Who is it? It's Jason. Are you gonna open the door? I don't think that's a good idea. I just wanna talk. I'm sorry about before. Look, I accept your apology but this has got to stop. Can I just come in for a minute? What for? You really think this is a conversation we should be having in the street? Look Jason, I should've been clear about this the first time. You can't be here. It's inappropriate for a teacher and a student to be alone together outside of school. I know, I know. I just wanted to see you. No. Do you think I'm gonna hurt you? No. I just think we need to keep our distance, okay? You kissed me back. Why? Why what? Why'd you kiss me back? I shouldn't have. I'm sorry. That's not an answer. I don't know. I don't have an answer. I wasn't thinking. Bullshit. It's not bullshit. We have chemistry and you know it. Can I kiss you again? No. Please? This isn't right. Who cares? I care. Do you? I can't. Stop thinking. Fuck, this is bad. Okay. Not you. Just this should never have happened. Well it did. So just relax and enjoy it for now. Nobody can know about this, okay? Promise me. I promise. And it can't happen again. It's not gonna happen again, all right? Hypothetically speaking, if I agree to that, will you agree to just relax and enjoy the rest of the morning with me? I promise no one's gonna find out. Trust me. Trust me. Okay. Oh god. But aren't your parents gonna wonder where you are? No, I texted my mom last night. What did you tell her? I told her I was inside of you all night. Ow, I'm kidding. It's not funny. I just texted her saying I was playing video games at Nick's and was staying there. Oh god. What are you staring at? You. Tell me about your family. What do you wanna know? Well you never told me about your siblings. I have an older brother and a younger sister. Classic middle child syndrome. Are you close with them? I was close with my older brother. I'm very close with my sister. She's my baby. You said was. Did your brother pass away? No. He's in jail. Oh, I'm sorry. What did he do? A lot of things. But he's not a bad guy. He was just trying to take care of us. I'm sure that's rough on your parents. Yeah, it nearly killed my mother. Now they just take it out on me. How? They're just so paranoid I'm gonna make the same mistakes. Like that's why they're so worried about me getting good grades. They're desperate for me to get out of the shitty neighborhood and just go to college and... Well you can't hold that against them. They just want what's best for you. I know, but it's just exhausting. I constantly have to make up excuses for where I am every second of the day. Well where are you going that you can't tell them? Don't you start. We have to get up. No. Mm-hmm. Hey, listen. I'm not gonna make it to class today. Is that okay, Ms Kendy? How come? I have to take my dad to his doctor's appointment. - Uh-huh. - I'm serious. Mm-hmm. I'll definitely make it back for our tutoring session though. Okay? Okay. Okay. Saw you last night. With Andrew. Oh. We had a great time after you left. That's nice. Oh, well you probably didn't know that Andrew and I used to date. No, I didn't. What about it? I just hope it doesn't make you feel insecure working with me. Shannen, Andrew and I are just friends if that's what you're worried about. I'm not worried. Just thought you should know. Anyway, enjoy the rest of your lunch. Boy, you more of a hustler than I thought you was, little bro. Yeah, you know your bro was a good earner too. There's your cut, kid. Hey. Come see me in a week. I've got a business opportunity for you. Hey. Hi. I wanted to check if your mom was okay. My mom? Oh, right. Sorry, I'm just a little bit out of it today. So? Oh! No, yes, she's fine. Turns out she was just making a big deal out of nothing. Oh. Well, it was too bad our date got cut short. We should pick it up again sometime this weekend. Oh. I'm ready Ms Kendy. Andrew, I will talk to you tomorrow. - Okay? - Okay. Bye. Walker. Well you look very happy. I take it your dad's appointment went well. I'm just happy to see you. Jason. We need to pretend like last night didn't happen. You agreed to that. Can I at least give you your gift first? Look, this needs to be purely a student teacher relationship. Otherwise, I can't tutor you anymore. Okay, fine. Okay, good. What are we working on today? I just need to give you your present first and then we can go back to normal. Close your eyes. Jason. Just close them. Nobody's watching. All right. Open. Thank you. It's beautiful. Look Jason, I like you more than I should, but I could lose my job over this. I'm not gonna tell anyone. That's not the point. You're my student and you're underage. It's wrong. You didn't think it was wrong last night. Yes I did, I told you that. But you did it anyway. Let's just spend one more night together. No. Just to say goodbye. I don't think that's a good idea. All right. Let's just focus on homework now and then we'll discuss it Saturday. There's nothing to discuss. I'm not giving up. - Fine. - Fine. Geography. Give me that. Hi Mom, how's Dad? Oh, still a miserable prick but he loves you. So, tell me about Mr Lover Boy. Oh god, you're ridiculous. We're just friends. We agreed to keep it professional. What, why? Well, actually I kinda met someone else. What, who? Look, never mind. I don't even know why I brought it up. He's younger. It's not going anywhere. Just, it felt nice. Forget I said anything. Well, do you like him? Yeah, I do. That's all that matters then. I wouldn't write it off just yet. Maybe. But I wouldn't be doing my job as your mother if I didn't say I still think you should consider Andrew. He's got a reliable job. P.E. teacher so he's probably in pretty good shape. Oh, you need to be with someone reliable. Don't make the same mistake I did and get stuck with someone like your father. You already have one mistake under your belt. Okay, thanks for the pep talk, Mom. I don't know how I let you talk me into this. This was not the deal. It'll be fun, trust me. Would you stay down? Well, you could've just asked. Stop! All right, now where am I going? Just get across the town border and then I'll direct. All right. This is very nice. But I'm sure that we didn't have to come all the way out here to have this conversation. Would it kill you just to live in the moment, not worry about every little thing? Come on. No, come on. See? Isn't it nice? Yeah, I suppose so. - What? - Hey. What, you camera shy? Come on, one. All right, one. One. I'll send these to you. Wait. Is this why you got kicked out of your last school? No, I didn't get kicked out. Why then? I just needed a clean slate. Well usually people say that when they've made some huge mistake. I mean I guess you could look at it like that but I don't. If I could take it back I would but I don't think it was my fault. That's very cryptic. Can I get a little more information? Look, I know you're just trying to get to know me but it's really not my favorite topic of conversation. Well generally the things people hate talking about are the things they need to talk about. Oh, thank you Yoda. I was married. Didn't end well. Cheat? No. Not that I know of. He was aggressive. Like violent? Mm-hmm. He still giving you any problems? No. I got a restraining order and left town. I would never hurt you. I know. Thank you. Hey. That night that you showed up at my house with the bloody nose. What happened? I told you it was just a occupational hazard. Yeah, I remember. You didn't say what occupation that was. Okay, let me ask this. Is it the same occupation that got your brother in trouble? Look, just don't talk about my brother. You don't know anything about him. Well, that's why I'm asking. You wanna know about me, I wanna know about you too. All right, yeah. I run with the same crew my brother does but it's not what you think. I don't even know what I think. Look, I just wanna make enough money to get my family out of the neighborhood. I mean, you think I want my sister growing up there? Do your parents know that? Are you out of your mind? They would flip. So what does this work involve? Oh my god, Lila. Give me a break. Come on. We had a good day today, didn't we? I don't wanna rock the boat but I think you did a complete 180 today. No I haven't. I know this is still incredibly stupid and reckless. But you're right. We had a good day and. I feel good when I'm with you. Ditto. You do know how serious this could be for me, right, if this got out? Like I could end up in with your brother. That's not funny. I'm not trying to be funny. I'm just trying to get you to understand how serious this is. I get it. Just give me a break. Look, no one's gonna find out. I can promise you that. Okay. All I'm trying to say is... Okay, shh, shh, shh, shh. All right. Just let me ask one more question. Oh my god, Lila. How did you know where I lived? I did my homework. Touche. What's up, little man? What are you doing here? This is my house. The fuck you just say? You in my good graces, kid. You might wanna stay there. You don't want us to have to teach you another lesson again, do you? No. Good. We got work for you. Yeah. We need a little debt collecting done. What? No, I sell. I'm good at selling. That's my job. Think of it as a promotion. Yeah. You wanted to take over your brother's role, right? You got to take on all his responsibilities. Here are the details. See it done. Tonight. Mom? Oh. Just getting laundry. Oh. Thanks. Yo Franklin, you're overdue! I can get it by next week! I don't have it, I'm sorry! Bullshit! Stay down! Don't make me visit you again. Knock, knock. Who's there? Sorry for interrupting. It's fine. You are always welcome. I was just hoping to get the student transfer file for the Polish girl. Oh, right. Here you go. Great. Okay, well I better get going. Parents are gonna start showing up anytime now. Hey, Lila. I just wanted you to know I'm okay with being friends. I'm here if you need anything and hopefully when you're ready for something more, you'll think of me. That's sweet of you to say. Well, thank you so much for coming in. Thank you. It was lovely to meet you. Nice to meet you. I'll see you next time. See ya. Mr and Mrs Galea. - Hi. - Hi. Come on in. Yeah, Daniel's a great kid. Anyway, thank you for coming in. Thank you so much. Great to meet you. Nice to meet you too. - Same here, thank you. - I'll see you next time. - Okay. - Okay, thanks. Take care. Mrs. Walker. Hi. Come on in. Please. Thank you so much for coming in. You know, it's important to us that we establish an open line of communication with all of our parents so that they have a feeling for how their kids are progressing. So, I was pleased to learn that Jason's a talented writer. Yes, he tells me you've taken quite the interest in him. Yeah, I like to get to know all of my students so that they feel comfortable with me. Well, you certainly have a unique way of getting to know your students then. Do you tutor them all? Um, no. Actually Jason came to me and then we... Don't you dare blame my son. Excuse me? Don't play dumb with me, girly. I am onto you. What kind of sick methods are you using to get his grades up? It's not what you think. Don't tell me what I think. This school is my kid's chance to get out, to have a better life. Don't mess that up for him. I'm trying to help him. You better end this. I am warning you! That was Mrs. Walker, right? Uh-huh. Well, she didn't look very happy. Um, I think she was just in a rush. She's definitely happy with Jason's improvement in grades. Okay, well that's good. Listen, is everything all right, Lila? You seem like you're a little... Sorry, I just, I have just a bit of a headache. I'll be fine. Well all right then. I'll leave you to it. Thanks. You'd better do something about that headache before it turns into something worse. Look, I did what you wanted. That's it, I'm out. Out. Man, there is no out. Yeah, even your brother knew that. Nah, homie. You just gettin' started. Mm-hmm. We got a real big job this weekend and we a man short. You're it. What's the job? You know what? I don't think you appreciate the opportunities I'm giving you. You got a big payday coming your way, kid. Yeah, it's time to make big brother proud. Mm-hmm. So I don't wanna hear anymore of this out bullshit. Do you understand me? I'll be there. Ay, that's the spirit. Fuck out of here. Out. I'm out. Little boy. Yo boy, he crazy. Jason, can you come here please? What's up, Mom? I wanted to ask how your study sessions are going with Ms Kendy. Good. I mean, you've seen my grades. It really seems like the extra attention she's giving you is paying off. Yeah, I guess so. Do you think I'm an idiot? What are you talking about? I saw the photos on your phone, okay. - How can you be so stupid? - Why are you going through my stuff? You think the church will keep supporting you being at that school when this gets out, Jason? And it will. These things always do. Mom, you're overreacting. What's going on? Your son. He's diddling his teacher. - What? - No, I'm not! He has pictures of them together. Mom, would you stop and listen for a second? Oh, okay. I'll listen. You explain it to me so I can understand. Look, forget everything for one second. We have a connection. A connection? Christ Shell, let the boy finish. Look, the age thing, her being my teacher, it's not important. I love her. Oh my god. Do you think this family needs another scandal? Okay, I can't take this. You're gonna cut it off, you hear me? Get back here! I'm not finished! And then Aunt Katherine says to Grandma that she can't have the cream. Oh my god, then all hell broke loose. Yeah, that's good. Good? What's good about it? Are you even listening to me? I'm sorry Mom. I've just got a lot on my mind. Well like what? Is everything okay at school? I don't know. I just, it's complicated. I think I might be in trouble. Asshole hasn't breached his restraining order, has he? No. Well, what is it then? Have things gone sour with Andrew? No, it's nothing to do with him. Well, spit it out, Lila. Remember I told you I met someone? Oh, the younger guy. But I thought that wasn't going anywhere. Yeah well... I don't even know what to say 'cause I don't want you to flip out. Why would I flip out? I met him at school too. Lila, you can't go dating men that work together. It's like dating brothers. He's not a teacher. Mom? What do you expect me to say? Honestly? I don't know. I just needed to tell someone. Here I was thinking that I didn't have to worry about you anymore because you were getting a fresh start. Do you realize you're throwing all of that away right now? Have you even thought about the consequences of this? I didn't do it on purpose. It just happened. Oh for Christ's sake, Lila! Grow up! Take some responsibility. Do you realize that getting involved with a student is criminal? Do you even know that? I can't even talk to you right now. Hey sis. Hi Dale. What is Mom talking about? Nothing. It's nothing. Look, you got something good going right now. All right, don't screw it up. It's not like he's 12. He's practically an adult. You cannot be serious. We were already together at his age. That's completely different. You were only a few years older and you weren't my freakin' teacher. All I'm saying is that he's past the age of being taken advantage of. Are you joking? You would not be this calm if it was Penny. Hey, that's ridiculous. Penny is only 13. I am saying in a few years. If Penny got involved with a male teacher you would blow a gasket. That's different. Why, why is that different? 'Cause I know what men are like. Well, I know how some women are and I'm telling you, she is taking advantage. - Look Lila... - You can't be here. - Why? - We can't do this anymore. - Why? - Why didn't you tell me that your mother knows about us? Shit, what happened? She came to the school. - Fuck! - Why didn't you warn me? You know how much trouble that I could get in. Look, I didn't know. I'm sorry, I just found out. She was this close to Principal Gibney overhearing. Okay, no. You're just, calm down. Calm down? I could go to jail, I could lose my fucking job. - Shh. - Don't shush me! Don't you get it? Shannen was there as well. She knows. Now it's just a matter of time before this gets out. You're just being paranoid. No, you're being naive. I should've known that you wouldn't have the maturity to deal with this. Lila, Lila. - Just go. - No, Lila. - Just go. - I just wanna talk about it! Oh shit. Lila, I'm sorry. Get out. What do you wanna do? I don't know. I just definitely got the impression. Gibney suspected something. I don't have a good feeling about this. You're just being paranoid. If she overheard, she would've said something. Well I'm not being paranoid about Miss James. She definitely knows something. Somehow I don't get the impression that she can be trusted. This is a fucking nightmare. Thanks. You know what I mean. This is dangerous for me. It's just a matter of time before Shannen says something to someone or your mom goes to the school or the police. What if we left? What if we left town? I mean, if you resign and then you don't have to worry about losing your job and so if you're not my teacher, there's no issues. No. I have money. Absolutely not. I'm not using your family's money. It's my money. I choose what I wanna do with it. Right now this is what's important. Lila, I need this too. Can you just promise me that you'll at least think about what I've said? I want you to consider it as a legit option. Okay. I'll think about it. Don't wanna be late for school. Probably about 15 more minutes. Sorry Miss. So have you given any thought to what we discussed in the morning? Jason, we shouldn't be discussing this in public. Well, have you? Hey. You want a cup of coffee? No. What do you know about Jason Walker? Kendy would know more about him than I would. What does that mean? Why are you wasting your time with her? You're embarrassing yourself. Oh fuck off, Shannen. Why are you always such a fucking bitch? I'm just saying. 'Sup bro? Hey. - How's it going? - Chillin', bro. How you doin'? So it's your lucky day today. I'm running a midweek special. It's 20% off when you buy two or more bags. Shit. Well, if that's the case, let us get two then, bro. All right, that's what I like to hear. Yeah. There you go man. What are you in such a good mood for? Love. All you need is love. Mom wants you to come down for dinner. What's that? It's nothing. Hey Penny, can you wait a sec? Come on, I'm hungry. Come on, I just wanna give you something. Come on, sit. Your bunny? I didn't even know you still had that. Well you can have him. Really? Why? Well you always wanted him more than I ever did, so. I'm a bit old for it now, but thanks. And you know I love you. Yeah. Okay, good. Why are you being so weird? Weird? You're the one playing with a bunny. Freak. Come on, let's get you some food. - Hey. - Oh shit! Andrew, you scared the shit out of me. What are you, what are you doing? You need a man, Lila. Stop! - Stop! - I know your ex hurt you. - That's not how real men act. - What are you? - Stop it, Andrew. - And now you're stuck with a boy. I'm gonna take care of you. Stop! You need a man for that. Stop! Andrew, stop! Who is it? Me. It's not a good time. What? What do you mean? What's wrong? Nothing. What is it? What happened? I can't tell you. No, you can tell me anything. Come on, please. You're scaring me. Andrew. What about him? What the fuck did he do to you? That motherfucker. I'm gonna fucking kill... Stop, please. Well let's call the police. We got to call the police or do something. - Let's call the police. - No, we can't. Why not? He knows. About what? About us. Oh. What, how? - How's he know? - I don't. What'd he say? That you're a boy and that I needed a man. Oh. I can't wait to get out of here. Let's leave now. Let's leave tonight. - We'd have to just... - No. What? Tomorrow. I have to go to school and put in my resignation and get my things. You wanna go back there? - Come on. - I have to. No, what if he tries something again? - You can't... - He won't. Not in front of other people. I'll be fine. Lila. It's just one more day. I love you. I love you too. We don't think that you should deduct points from us because we're... Discuss more about that. Hey, Matthews. So you're a man now, huh? Stop it! Jason! Stop! Stop it! Fuck you! Stop it. Stop it. Stop. Get off! You're done. Watch your step. Come on. I swear to God, Jason. Jason. Are you okay? What happened? You stay away from my son or so help me God, I will walk back in there and have you thrown in jail. Mom, mom! Get in the car, Jason. Now. Jason. Get in the car. Now. I told you to stay away from him. He is a child. What is wrong with you? I just want to know if he's okay. What happened with the police? Go back to where you came from and leave my boy alone. Don't look. Come on. I knew you'd come around. You raped me, Andrew. Come on. I'm filing a report tomorrow. So you can expect a visit from the police. You're out of your mind. Am I? Yes. You know the security cameras that monitor the schoolyard? Well there's one that points directly at my classroom window. So why tell me now? Why not just go straight to the police? Because I'm giving you the opportunity to make something right. What? Jason. Tell the police whatever you have to to make sure he gets in as little trouble as possible. Why would I do anything to help him? Because I am not fucking around when I tell you that I will go down with you if I have to to save him. What am I supposed to say? I don't care. Whatever you have to. If you do that, I won't press charges and you're gonna resign. This is a fucking joke. Oh fuck, I missed you. I have good news. Well that would make a nice change. Yeah. The police are just gonna let me off with a warning. Apparently Matthews didn't even wanna press charges. Aren't you happy? You're almost all packed up. Uh-huh. Well is everything okay? Jason. Shit. All right, what now? Just, come on. Just, what? Say it. You're not coming with me. What? We need to start being realistic about this. What are you talking about? We had it all planned out. You need to stay here with your parents and be in school and start thinking about college and girls your own age. I don't want girls my own age. I want you. I let this go on for longer than I should have and I'm sorry about that. But you just still have so much more growing up to do. Don't. Don't do that. Don't just treat me like I'm some sort of child or something. I don't mean it like that. I just... Jason, I have told you you're so smart and you can do whatever you want in life. But you still have so much more to experience before you get to where I am and it would be unfair of me to take that away from you. Well what about me, hmm? What about what I want? I mean, don't I get a say? Take this as your get out of jail free card. Literally. So I just never meant anything to you, - is that what it is? - You know that's not true. Fuck. Lila. I'm doing this because I love you. Jason? Are you okay? Go away. Honey, what is it? She's leaving. Without me. I know you're upset now but you have your whole life ahead of you. I knew you'd say that. It's exactly what you wanted. Do you think it makes me happy to see my son in pain? Trust me, I know you don't wanna hear this, but there will be more girls and more heartbreaks. It hurts now but eventually it'll just be a memory. Let me make you some food. Fuck. Hello? Hey little man, it's go time. Hey, you hear me? Yeah. Get over here now so we can go over the plan then. All right. What happens happens for a reason. Though those reasons remain unknown. It won't be this bad forever. Though you feel like you walk alone. I can hear somebody screaming. I hear fear and agony. Frantic I open my eyes. I realize that somebody is me. You cannot change what happened no matter how hard you try. You cannot turn back the hands of time no matter how much you cry. Dark times make you stronger. Though sometimes cold and withdrawn. When it feels too much remember, it's always darkest before the dawn. |
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