Three O'Clock High

I guess I should have known from the beginning.

It was gonna be one of those days.

That thing's been buzzing for almost an hour.

I thought you were dead.

Aren't you supposed to open up the student store at 7:00?

I think Mom put your shirts in the wash before they left for Fort Lauderdale.

Sometimes I wonder why Mom even bothered buying a dryer.

Looks like we're gonna have to take Mom's car.

What do you think it'll be this time?

What d' you mean?

Franny. Last semester it was punk and now it's the '60s.

Why is it seniors always freak out and decide they have to be different?

Franny just likes change, that's all.

So the new look is all black, huh?

No, not really. I just had this feeling about today.

So what are your plans for tomorrow night?

I don't know. I was... I was probably just gonna hang out with Vincent.

Well, um, I was kind of thinking, you know, maybe we could, um...

Hmm?

Jerry, I think red means stop.

I'm telling you, this new guy's supposed to be a total psycho.

I heard he broke another kid's neck at his last school.

Then he got kicked off the football team for pulling a knife on a coach.

And all the coach did was grab him, and the guy goes nuts!

- And this guy's coming to our school? - Today.

After he broke that kid's neck, they tried to throw him in jail.

- The judge let him off. - This guy ought to be locked up.

Did you hear what he did at Lincoln?

They were supposed to be dissecting these pregnant sand sharks.

But he refused to do it. He said sharks were his favorite animal.

- Great. A psychotic shark lover. - So the teacher grabs him by the arm...

and tries to take him down to the office.

Thing is, the teacher didn't know the guy was a touch freak.

- Touch freak? - Yeah.

He doesn't like to be touched by anybody.

Put the teacher in the hospital for three days.

Just because he touched him? This guy is definitely on tilt.

Guys!

That's not even the whole story. After he duked the science teacher,

they send the dude into Continuation.

And on the first day there, he got into a fight with the three baddest dudes.

Seriously totaled their asses... at the same time!

- Have you heard about his brass knuckles? - Dude has brass knuckles?

Yeah. Always carries them with him. He uses them on special occasions.

He hit that Continuation dude...

- so hard his nose flew off his face. - Seriously?

Totally serious. He's also got this thing about being touched.

I heard he one time broke a guy's neck just because he touched him.

- Just because he touched him? - He just decided he didn't like to be touched.

- That's completely weird. - Does this guy play football?

- No. - Good.

Used to, though. Remember the story about guy who pulled a knife on his coach?

Yeah.

- That's him. - Jesus.

He was in Continuation. He even took a swing at one of his teachers.

And these guys aren't your average history types. They're like ex-cops or something.

- In fact, I heard they carry guns. - He came here from Continuation?

Uh-huh. That's why they call it Continuation:

so you can continue murdering people and still graduate.

What's this guy's name, anyway?

His name's Buddy Revell.

- Good morning, Jerry. - Hi, Mr. Rice.

All right, now.

We got pens, and we got plastic tabs.

All you have to do is sign right above my name, right here.

- How we doin' this week? - Oh, we're doin' really great.

Over $470.

That's terrific. Well we must be doin' something right, hmm?

Uh, listen, that's a lot of cash, so uh...

I suggest you take it over and deposit it after school today.

All right? I'll see you later, son.

I gotta chalk the sidelines for the J.V. game this afternoon.

That's terrific.

You know, we could have a great party with all that money.

Mom and Dad aren't gonna be back from Fort Lauderdale until tomorrow.

That's called grand theft, Brei.

I'm just kidding. Besides, grand theft is only if you steal more than $500.

Excuse me.

Hi. Can I...

Help me?

I'd like some notebook paper.

Paper? Any kind in particular?

I could show you something in standard, or a nice college rule model.

Legal pads, steno pads, spiral pad, uh...

Just regular white will be fine.

White. Right. Good choice.

And a pen?

A pen. You won't believe what just came in.

It's this new pen from Wright Brothers.

It has this amazing flow system, you know. When you're doing homework in bed...

and you're writing upside down and the ink stops flowing?

- Well, this pen... - I don't do homework in bed.

Oh. Yeah. Mm. How about a Bic?

That's fine.

Um, I think I gave you a five.

Ohh.

It's okay, really. I'll pick it up later.

No, no. I... I have it right here.

It's okay, really.

Looks like it's gonna be one of those days, Jerry.

I take it you heard.

That's a little general, Vincent. Buddy Revell.

The guy's the closest thing to Charlie Manson ever seen at Weaver.

This could be a big story for the Titan. We could be talking major literary awards.

You want to do an article about this guy for the paper?

Yeah. I was thinking, maybe we do one of those new student profiles, you know.

Up close, personal. Get some insights into who he is as a human being.

- You're sick, Vincent. - No, no! This guy's news.

He's never lost a fight, ever. He's got a perfect record.

Yeah, but Brei told me he broke some kid's neck over at Jefferson.

Yeah. Isn't it great?

Before I assign the articles for next week's issue,

there's something I want to talk to you all about.

There's a new student on campus today. Buddy Revell.

Now we've all heard the stories about Buddy,

but I happen to think we should make him feel more welcome here at Weaver...

rather than alienating him,

which seems to have been the policy at his previous schools.

So Vincent and I have decided that we should do a "welcome aboard" piece on Buddy,

which has been assigned to...

Jerry Mitchell.

- Now, Susan... - Mrs. Phillips?

May I go to the restroom, please?

Um, excuse me.

Hi. I... I'm Jerry Mitchell.

I'm with the school paper.

The Titan.

I... I know this is a little weird, me asking who you are...

standing side-by-side in front of the urinals.

If you're a fag...

Oh, God. Uh, me? N-No way.

What I'm trying to find out is, you are Buddy Revell, right?

- You a narc? - No. I'm with the school paper.

What do you want, man? I just got to this school.

I don't want anything. Th-That is, all I want to do is talk to you. See?

See, they told me to write this stupid little piece because you're the new kid on campus.

You're gonna do a stupid little piece on me?

- Why would I want to look stupid? - No, no, no.

You're not gonna look stupid. N-Not at all.

And, incidentally too, just so you know,

I don't care if you do all kinds of dope and shit.

I'm not anybody's narc, you know?

Not that I think that you do dope or anything like that. I mean...

Shit. Listen.

Why don't we forget this whole thing and pretend this never happened, okay?

You're never gonna forget this happened.

I want you to understand something, Jerry.

I don't like it when people know about me.

In fact, I don't like it when anybody knows about me.

So you can take that newspaper of yours and wipe off your dick with it.

You made me mad, Jerry.

Now I'm gonna have to do something to work it off.

Work it off?

You and me, we're gonna have a fight today, after school.

3:00 in the parking lot.

You try and run, I'm gonna track you down.

You go to a teacher, it's only gonna get worse.

You sneak home,

I'm gonna be under your bed.

You and me.

3:00.

You okay, Jer? Uh-huh.

- Look, Jerry, about that article... - I just talked to him.

- Who? - Him.