Mr. Atkinson - English Lit.



(Ep 109 - "Nose")

(Mr. Atkinson walks across the room holding a book.)
Now when Holden Caufield...was talking about all the...pain and...sadness...(gestures)...he experienced as a teenager...(gestures)...how does that relate to your own lives?
(The class is unresponsive. He waves his hands.)
Come on! (Smiles.) Y-you're stuck in this place everyday with all its cliques...(gestures)...a-and...all the put-downs! (Waves.) What really bugs you?
(He points with the book.)
Kevin.
(Kevin looks up.)
Fortunately, when it came to protective self-covering...
Uh...
(Kevin glances off, then at Mr. Atkinson.)
The...cliques and...(smiles)...the put-downs. (Nods.)
(Some of the class chuckles.)
I was a master.
I just said that.
Yeah! (Points.) I really liked it. (Smiles.)
Brett? What about you?
(Mr. Atkinson walks toward Brett and gestures.)
What really gets to you?
(Brett is wearing a varsity jacket.)
Brett Davis. Class president, captain of the football team...and voted the boy most likely to be better than everybody else.
Well, uh, sometimes in the middle of a game I get worried that I'm not stepping up into the pocket fast enough. (Nods.)
Yee-ah.
(Ricky smiles and leans toward Kevin.)
Yeah. He's got a lot of problems. (Smiles.)
OK...(points)...for your next assignment, I want you all to write about something that...(gestures)...really bothers you ...about yourself!
(Ricky, Kevin and Chuck frown and shake their heads.)
And there ya had it.
(A girl approaches the door window and looks inside.)
There was an unspoken code not to speak.
(She knocks on the door.)
Except when you had something to speak about.
Come in.
(She opens the door and steps inside.)
Hello.
Yes - may I help you?
(Chuck looks at he girl as Mr. Atkinson walks toward her.)
Whoa...
(Ricky leans slightly toward Kevin.)
Look at her. (Smiles.)
And you are? Uh?
Hayley Green. I just started school here.
(Kevin and Chuck lean over slightly to look at Hayley.)
It was a moment ya don't forget.
(Ricky smiles slightly.)
This girl was beautiful.
Great.
(Mr. Atkinson steps back.)
You can take that desk right over there. (Gestures.)
(Hayley flips her hair back and walks forward.)
She had absolutely everything.
(She turns in profile as she walks, revealing a large nose. Twang of music. Kevin and Chuck watch Hayley and frown.)
Holy cow.
And, a little bit more.
Holy cow. (Frowns.)
And there was nothing more to say except...
Holy cow. (Smiles.)
(Ricky leans toward Kevin.)
She's beautiful. (Smiles.)
*
(Kevin and others have made jokes about Hayley's nose, but Ricky hasn't noticed how big it is. Now they are in class. Mr. Atkinson stands at his desk.)
OK, everybody...class is starting. Take your seats. Today's reports are on things that really...(gestures)...bother us about ourselves.
(He holds his hands out.)
Who wants to read theirs first?
(Kevin and Chuck look at Mr. Atkinson, then glance off.)
And, it was time to get back under our shells.
How about you, Hayley?
(He gestures then walks across the room. Hayley looks up, then nods.)
All but one of us.

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11/28/14 19:20