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Jeremy. Come on, I've gotta go.
Sorry, Dad. One second.
Live from Washington where tax hikes have been approved
by the House Ways and Means committee.
The same higher corporate rate of 26 and a half.
The same capital gains rate, 25% we told you about on Monday.
We're going to get into the details in just a moment.
But first, today's weather.
But what about that boy in your math class you told me about?
The one that's been teasing you. He still teasing you?
Yeah, but only when he's with this dumb friend,
otherwise he's okay.
- Okay. - Yeah.
Oh, good morning, Ms. Carrie Mae.
Oh, good morning.
- So how are you today? - I'm okay.
Listen, thanks so much for getting her to school and picking her up and every...
- Oh, please. It's my pleasure. - Why is Ms. Carrie Mae picking me up?
I have a meeting after school. I'll be home late.
But it's Friday. Friday's movie night.
I know.
Sorry, sweet pea. Mommy needs to take this.
- Hey Greg. - Hey. Just checking in.
See how you're doing. Big day today.
I just want this all to be over.
It's gonna go great. Don't worry.
Just remember what we talked about, everything will be fine.
You want what to be over?
Right. I'm ready.
Look, I need to prepare for the hearing.
I'll see you at the courthouse at four. Don't be late.
I won't be. See you there.
Maya, sweet pea. I'm sorry.
You can watch a movie with Ms. Carrie Mae.
You can even order pizza if you want.
But Mommy has to go to an important meeting. You understand?
Maya? Come on baby.
I have to go. I'm late for school.
And if you don't finish your breakfast, you will be too.
Love you.
I can't believe they would take so long to decide.
What if you get it?
You only have two months to... write and practice your speech.
I should call the school.
Tell 'em to hurry up and make up their mind already.
- Dad, don't call the school. - Why not?
Do you know how much money I give them?
And they keep us in suspense like this.
It shouldn't even be a question anyway.
You're a much better student than that girl.
- Whatever. Just don't call them. - Fine.
But if they don't announce it by the end of the week,
I'm gonna go down there with you and make them.
I'll see you at home.
How does Angelou expound on Dunbar's declaration,
the caged bird singing?
What is she saying?
Kyle.
As a little Black girl growing up in the south, she wasn't free.
She was caged.
Yeah, but I mean, singing was a way to like, feel free.
- Angela? - That's not really it.
She is stuck. She's in prison.
Go on, Angela.
I mean, she's a victim of oppression.
- And racism. - And rape.
Maya Angelou saying, "I am the caged bird."
Crying out to be seen,
heard... understood.
"I want to be free."
But Ms. H, can I be a bird right now and fly four minutes before the bell?
Because Mrs. Shaw's gonna kill me if I'm late for woman's studies class again.
- What? I study women, man. - My boy.
On that note, your homework for the weekend is to write a poem.
No more than 10 lines, no less than six,
about a time you felt caged.
Due Monday.
Turn in your essays on the way out.
Thank you.
Mrs. H?
Can I ask your advice about something?
Of course. That's why I'm here.
Well it's, it's not really a school thing.
I mean, it's kind of a school thing,
but it's not like an academic thing, you know?
So you didn't stay to talk about the reading. What's up?
It's about a boy.
Oh, a boy. Do tell.
- Just a boy. - Fair enough.
Sorry. Hold on.
That's better.
Okay, so what's the deal with this boy? How can I help?
I don't know.
We're in the same chemistry lab and we flirt all the time
but, he won't ask me out and the spring formal is coming up
and, I just don't know what to do.
Well, why don't you ask him out?
What? No, I couldn't do that.
- Why not? - Because that's just not...
Not what? Not how it's done.
So what, this is the 21st century, not "Middlemarch."
- Who cares? - I don't know. It's not even that.
What if he doesn't like me back?
What if I ask him and he says no?
Then you forget about him and find a new boy to worry about.
Your life doesn't revolve around him.
But... if you want to go with him, tell him that.
Yeah, I guess.
Trust me, if you ask him, he might say no, he might say yes.
Either way, you'll know where you stand.
Plus, he'll be psyched if you ask him.
You really thinks so?
You're late.
- Thank you so much, Mrs. Hill. - Anytime, honey.
You let me know how things go with the mystery boy.
- I will. - Okay.
Bye.
Yo, Jeremy, what's going on, man?
Oh, nothing much, I guess. What's up?
Just got that senioritis sending bad, you know what I mean?
I'm like totally checked out, dude. It's fucking great.
Yeah, it feels so good not to worry about all that stuff anymore.
Holy shit. Now don't tell me Jeremy's slacking off on us.
I mean, why not? It's not like it matters anymore.
Oh, that's right. They gave valedictorian to Julia, right?
Oh, I mean...
- Sorry about that dude. - No, whatever. I don't care.
Like you said, I am... totally checked out.
That's the spirit, bro.
Hey, my dad just got a new lake house, bro.
Come through this weekend. Hey, I'll see you, man.
- Hey, Greg. - They're trying to move the hearing.
What? Wait, hold on.
Say that again.
They're trying to move the hearing up to 1:30.
I can't...
Unbelievable. That's in an hour. How can they change the time like that?
They can't, not unless you agree. It's a power move.
If you don't accept the new time,
they'll file continuance and get a new court date.
- It's scummy lawyer tactics. - So what do we do?
Well, that's really up to you.
You can either get here by 1:30 or wait for a new date,
but that could take a couple months.
I can't believe this.
Okay, let's do it.
Listen, it's not a problem if you can't make it.
Better to wait a month or two than show up late today.
No, there's no traffic right now.
- I can be to you in 40 minutes. - Are you sure?
- I want this done today. - Okay, you got it. I'll tell the judge.
Okay. I'm leaving now.
God. Son of a bitch.
God.
Oh crap. Mrs. H., I am so sorry.
- Yes. Okay. - So sorry.
Here.
No, that's okay, Jeremy. It's my fault. I was in a hurry. You all right?
Yeah. I was gonna knock on the door and ask if you're having office hours.
I wanted to talk to you about my final project.
You know what, Jeremy? I was, but I actually found out I have to go.
So, can it wait until next Tuesday?
Wait, Mrs. H.
- You're not here about the project. - I really need to talk to someone.
All right. I can stay for five minutes, but then I really need to go, okay?
I've got somewhere to be.
Come on, have a seat.
Okay, so what's going on?
Jeremy?
You know I can't help you if I don't know what the problem is.
Look, Jeremy, I am more than happy to sit here silently with you
for as long as you want next week.
But right now, if there's something you need to talk about,
you need to actually talk.
Okay. Okay.
Do you play chess, Mrs. H.?
What?
- Chess. Do you play it? - No.
I mean, I know how to play it, but I haven't played in years.
I suppose you're more of a backgammon person then, huh?
Jeremy, what does this have to do with...
You'll see, but if you want to understand,
you need to let me explain everything in order.
Okay.
No, I don't play chess.
Okay, well, I don't know if you know,
but I'm the president of the chess club.
And in chess there's a term, a gambit.
- Do you know it? - I've heard it before. What does it mean?
A gambit is an opening maneuver.
You sacrifice some pawns to position the board in your favor.
You suffer a loss, but you gain an advantage
in the overall long scheme of the game and...
- Are you even listening to me? - Of course. I'm sorry, Jeremy.
I just don't know where this is going...
I think someone's gonna shoot up the school.
I'm sorry, what?
I know someone's gonna shoot up the school.
Jeremy, you know that's a very serious thing to say, right?
- Do I not seem serious? - Jesus.
Okay, well, talk to me. What do you know?
Did another student tell you they're gonna do that?
- No. - So what then?
Did you see someone with a gun? Was it on social media?
No, no. Nothing like that.
So then why are you saying someone is gonna shoot up the school?
Jeremy, come on! This isn't a game.
Your friends' lives could be at risk.
I need you to tell me what makes you suspect
someone's going to shoot up the...
If I told you you wouldn't understand. Not yet, at least.
Jeremy. You know, you need to tell me.
You wouldn't be here if you didn't.
I'll listen and I'll do my best to understand, okay?
- Please. - I know you will.
That's why I came to you. It's just... hard to know where to start.
It'll be okay. Whatever it is, we'll figure it out. Okay?
Do you actually have any evidence,
that someone is planning a shooting?
Jeremy, I hate to even suggest this, but I think it bears mentioning,
do you think there's any chance you might be a little... overly suspicious
considering what happened to Lee?
Overly suspicious? Isn't that just a nicer way of saying paranoid?
Honey, I would understand if you worried about that kind of thing sometimes.
- He was your brother after all. - No, no. This was a mistake.
You're never gonna understand I can tell already.
Okay, just wait. I'm sorry, Jeremy.
Look, I'll be honest, I'm late for a very important meeting,
so I'm a little distracted. But this is obviously more important.
So, why don't we go down to the office
and talk to the headmistress about this?
No, no. I only wanna talk to you,
Jeremy, you know I'm gonna have to report whatever it is you tell me
as soon as we are done talking, right?
Yeah, I know. But for now, I only wanna talk to you.
All right, then. I'll stay here with you.
But you have to tell me everything. Okay? Everything.
I will.
Okay...
God, I don't think it's too late for me to cancel my meeting.
Let me call and tell them I'm not gonna be able to make it and then I'm all ears.
I don't think that's a good idea.
- Sorry. It'll just take a second. - I said don't do that.
Jeremy, stop. I need to let them know I'm not coming.
I can't be late. Okay? Just gimme one minute.
- Hang up the phone now, Mrs. H. - Jeremy.
Hang up the phone or I'll kill you
and everybody else in this building. Do it now.
Okay. Now I need you to listen to me very carefully.
The most important thing for you to understand right now
is that this gun is equipped with a suppressor, commonly known as a silencer.
That means I can fire it without anybody outside this room hearing.
- Jeremy... - Let me finish.
I'm telling you this because I'm sure you're thinking of screaming for help.
And what I'm trying to say is, if you do,
I'll have to shoot you in the head before anyone outside can hear.
Please don't scream.
I don't wanna kill you unless I absolutely have to.
Nod if you understand.
Mrs. H., I have a bar gag and zip ties if you make me use 'em,
but I'd really rather not.
I'm sure you're going to have questions and I'd rather have an actual dialogue.
Gimme your phone.
Stop thinking and just do what I tell you or lots of people die.
Is this little Mrs. H.?
I'll take your keys too.
Perfect. You're doing great. Now take a seat and don't move.
Which key is it?
- The brass one. - Okay.
Okay.
That's better.
Jeremy, what are you doing?
I told you someone is planning on shooting up the school.
- I'm someone. - But why?
You don't understand, but you will.
But this doesn't make sense.
You're such... you've always been such a...
Model minority?
Good student. This isn't like you.
No, this is me. Mrs. H, this is me.
- Is this because you didn't get valedic... - No, I don't give a shit about that!
My dad is the only person who cares if I get valedictorian or not.
Okay. I'm sorry.
Jeremy, please, please don't do this.
Whatever it is you're thinking,
whatever it is you're feeling, this isn't the answer.
I promise you, whatever it is you have planned,
you don't want to go through with it.
How can you say that when you don't even know what it is yet?
Because what you're talking about is...
Violence is never the answer.
Now, with all due respect, Mrs. H,
you don't know what I'm thinking.
You don't know what I'm feeling. You have no idea what I have planned.
So maybe you shouldn't be so quick to say it's a bad idea.
Aren't you always telling us not to judge a book by its cover?
This isn't a library book, Jeremy.
This is real life and you have a gun!
- Please just put it... - Lower your voice!
Please. This is crazy.
No, it's not. I'm not crazy!
Of course you're not, but this is.
Look at yourself.
I just don't want you to make a mistake.
This isn't a mistake.
This isn't Columbine. This isn't Sandy Hook or Parkland.
I'm not Seung-Hui Cho. Okay? I'm not mentally ill.
I need you to see, that I'm completely of sound mind.
Okay.
So why don't we talk about this?
Since I clearly don't understand,
why don't you start by telling me what you're planning to do with that gun?
A gambit.
If you wanna talk, talk.
Don't give me some cryptic chess metaphor.
I suppose that's fair.
Besides, we wasted enough time already.
At 1:50 PM when that bell goes off...
and eighth period gets out,
I'm gonna stand in the hallway and shoot my schoolmates in the head
as they file outta their classes.
Why? Why would you wanna do that?
I don't want to. I need to do it.
I need to show everyone that I can do it and that's the problem.
Think of all the pain you'll cause, Jeremy.
The people you'll hurt.
You of all people know what that pain is like. Your brother...
My brother is exactly the reason I'm doing this. This is for him.
No... No, he wouldn't want this.
You don't know that. You barely even knew him.
Besides, Mrs. H.,
I've only told you what I'm gonna do.
I haven't told you why I'm going to do it.
It doesn't matter. There's no good reason, no excuse.
- Really? You think so? - I know so, Jeremy.
Do you know what kind of gun this is Mrs. H.?
A pistol.
This is a 9mm semi-automatic handgun with a 10-pound trigger.
It usually holds 10 rounds, with the extended magazine it holds 20.
It's the same kind of gun that killed my brother.
And that one didn't have a suppressor but it didn't need one in that loud theater.
He was in a bad mood that night.
He'd just gotten a B-on an essay earlier that afternoon
and my dad got home and found out. They got in a huge fight.
Finally my dad said if he got another B, he'd kick him outta the house.
So Lee stormed out and went to blow off steam the best way he knew how.
Went to the movies.
He paid $11.50 cents for a ticket to a movie.
He bought a large popcorn and a soda...
and hurried into the theater to get a good seat to watch trailers.
He loved the trailers.
And Lee got to enjoy 47 minutes of glorious action,
before a man in the very back row loaded his own 9mm,
began shooting movie goers in the back of the head, one by one.
Thanks to the theater's state-of-the-art surround sound speakers,
most people just thought the shots were part of the movie.
As I said, there was no need for a silencer.
He killed nine people before anyone understood what was really going on
and started stampeding towards the exits.
My brother was the eighth.
Within seven minutes, 26 people were dead and another dozen or so injured.
All because the wrong man had one of these.
I remember when I got the call from the headmistress,
I didn't believe her at first. It didn't make sense.
No it didn't. In fact, that's what they kept saying.
Senseless, they said. A senseless act of violence.
26 people dead.
Just because some psychopath got it in his head
that shooting random people in the back of the head would be a fun night out.
I am so sorry, Jeremy.
- Yeah, me too. - It must've been so awful.
It was. It was the worst thing I've ever experienced in my entire life.
Then why would you wanna repeat it?
Don't you see? I don't want to repeat it. I want to end it.
End it? You mean you...
No, no, I... that's not what I mean. I mean...
I probably will be dead by the end of the day. I've accepted that.
No, but I mean... end this...
this epidemic.
That phone call you got from the headmistress,
somebody gets that call 800 times a month.
10,000 a year. And that's just homicides.
If you include suicides, it's triple that number.
You seem pretty anti-gun for someone waving a gun in my face.
Oh, come on Mrs. H., you're an English teacher.
If anyone can appreciate irony, it should be you.
This isn't ironic, Jeremy. It's missguided.
Honey, what are you doing?
Do you know where I got this gun?
Come on, guess.
- Is it your dad's? - Yeah right.
Like my dad would have the balls to pick up a gun.
No, he fights his wars with cash.
I take it you're not very close with your father then?
We're not here to talk about me and my dad.
- Now guess. How'd I get this gun? - I don't know, Jeremy.
Online. Can you believe that? I got it online.
Maybe it wasn't exactly as easy as one click, but it sure as hell wasn't hard.
I had to wait a couple months, created a few fake profiles,
and then one day, it just came in the mail.
Along with a silencer and extended magazine and six boxes of ammunition.
The man who shot my brother, James Duncan,
he got his at a gun show outta state.
He paid cash, never had to show an ID.
He was in and out in less than half an hour.
And after that, he drove 600 miles outta his way
to carry out his master plan at the Multiplex.
Nobody knows how he chose that spot.
Nobody knows why he did it.
And we know that somebody sold him a gun,
capable of killing 26 people within seven minutes.
Now tell me, which factor in that equation is senseless.
So you're what?
You're gonna shoot up the school to prove some point about gun control? That's it?
Oh my God, Jeremy, that's...
this is not a good idea, honey.
Yeah. It's a brilliant idea.
Don't.
Who is that?
I told you, I'm late for a meeting. People are expecting me.
- They're gonna be wondering where I am... - Shut up.
Who's Greg? Who is he?
He is my lawyer.
Your lawyer?
Don't tell me you're in trouble with the law, Mrs. Hill.
If you had just let me call him before, I could have canceled.
Now he's gonna be looking for me.
He's going to keep calling me.
Let me just call him back and tell him I'm not going to make it.
I may not have made valedictorian, Mrs. H., but I'm not that stupid.
What's the passcode?
Am I gonna have to ask you everything twice? What's the code?
Zero three seventeen.
Your daughter's birthday?
It's my cousin's.
Send a text to Greg.
What do you wanna say?
Sorry. Stuck in a little traffic. Be there soon. Don't worry.
Here's your message. Ready to send it?
- Yes. - Okay. It's sent.
There. Now where were we?
You were about to realize what a horrible mistake this is.
You know, I recommend positive thinking Mrs. Hill.
We're here's so I can tell you what I'm doing,
not so you can talk me out of it.
And again... you need to understand this
isn't an impulse decision.
It is not some senseless act of violence.
I've planned this for a long time.
Every-single-detail.
I know where I need to be,
when I need to be there.
I've thought it through,
and I know, once I do what I need to do,
people will open their eyes and finally put a stop to gun violence.
Let's say you're right.
You're not, but let's say you are.
You kill a bunch of innocent kids
and the Jeremy Gun Control Act gets passed.
That doesn't make it okay to kill...
- Of course it does. - Jeremy, no.
You can't just decide who gets to live and who has to die.
- It doesn't work that way. - Of course it does.
- You of all people know that. Mrs. H. - What are you talking about?
You ever get tired of the knee on your neck?
- Whose knee? - Come on, you know what I'm talking about.
The knee. The knee that follows you into stores,
that pulls you over for a bogus traffic violation,
that calls the cops on you for playing in the park with their daughter
because they don't think you belong there. The knee that won't hire you
because you have the wrong first name.
And if they do hire you, pay you less
than the lesser-qualified person sitting next to you.
What does this have to...
The knee that can take your life in a heartbeat?
Even as you sit in the safety of your own home.
That knee.
They decides who gets to live and who has to die.
- Where is this going Jeremy? - You don't follow?
I do what I have to do.
And I do what I have to do.
And sometimes you have to sacrifice your king-side pawn.
Sometimes your queen's. But either way,
you sacrifice the pawns you need to win the game.
This isn't a game.
This is life!
You win it by being a good person, by living a happy, fulfilling life,
by helping other people do the same.
That's exactly what I'm doing.
Hypothetically, if I step outta this classroom and kill just a hundred people,
and legislation is passed that reduces that statistic by even a third,
then I'm responsible for saving over 15,000 lives
within the first five years.
That comes out to 165 future lives saved,
for every one I take today.
You're gonna sit there and tell me not to do it.
- That's right. - Stop.
You're saying that if a train was gonna hit 165 people,
but you could switch your tracks to only kill one,
you wouldn't hit the switch? Because I sure hope you would.
Even if the one person was your brother, Lee?
It doesn't matter.
- Do the math. - There is no math.
The value of human life isn't quantifiable.
I look forward to proving you're wrong, Mrs. H.
You won't prove anything. This isn't some trolley problem.
Isn't it?
The difference is you're not switching railroad tracks,
you're driving the goddamn train.
So what? Am I supposed to sit back and do nothing?
This isn't the way to change the world, Jeremy.
Sure it is.
You change the world by taking away their power.
- You have a better way? - I don't know.
But killing somebody to get what you want is never okay.
Well, let's see. After James Duncan killed my brother and 25 other people,
I joined Students Against Gun Violence shortly after.
Senate put forth a gun control measure that would ban guns like this
and close purchasing loopholes like the ones James Duncan used to buy his.
- And the one you used to buy yours. - You catch on quickly, Mrs. H.
I went to rallies, I canvased door to door,
I got signatures, I wrote postcards.
I spoke at marches!
Gun control. Now!
I did everything a person could do to help get that bill passed.
But just like every gun control bill
Congress votes on after a mass shooting,
they shot it down.
60 to 40. It wasn't even close.
Boom.
Just like that, I spent all that energy,
all the time and effort, I accomplished nothing.
Because at the end of the day,
the decision came down to a room of politicians,
politicians who are corrupt,
who are in the pocket of the NRA
or who are too scared to break party lines because they're up for reelection.
So if you have a problem with the government,
maybe you should run for office.
You're already student body president.
You're, you're going to Harvard. You're already on track.
Get yourself elected.
Vote on a bill. Propose a bill. Do it right.
- Forge thine own legacy. Right? - That's what I'm doing.
I'm just skipping all the bullshit.
You know, when Lee and I were in sixth grade,
our teacher announced that she would give the class a pop quiz.
So she handed out this piece of paper and on top it said,
"Read all instructions carefully and complete."
So I read the first question,
"Write your name on the top-right corner of this page."
"That's easy," I thought.
So I wrote my name... Jeremy Chue.
Question number two,
"Turn this page on his back and draw a star in the center."
So I drew a star.
Question number three,
"Fold the bottom-left corner of this page and draw a circle."
Question four, "Spell dog."
Each question easier than the last...
until the final instruction.
Number 25...
"Disregard questions 1 through 24
and turn in a blank quiz when you're ready.
Each student will get an A+."
- And? - And it was a trick.
A dumb trick to make little kids feel stupid.
You know, I had done such a good job on that quiz.
I drew a perfect star. I printed my name flawlessly...
just to find out that it was all pointless.
It meant nothing.
Lee read all the way through, of course. He was always smarter.
But I won't fall for that trick this time.
Sure, I could spend 20 years getting elected
and push legislation through inch by inch.
Or...
I could be smart and skip all the bullshit.
- You missed the point of that lesson. - Oh really?
While you were sitting there seething about being tricked into doing busy work,
all the other kids were just having fun drawing stars and circles.
They were all enjoying having a period free to doodle and answer easy questions.
To them, it was fun. And that was the point, honey.
That life isn't a quiz you need to get an A on.
It's about the joy you get from doodling a star
or eating a slice of pizza or listening to a beautiful piece of music.
The pointless things... are the point. It's about the bullshit.
Give me a break, Mrs. H. There's no real beauty in music.
It's just more math.
Just a pattern of notes either theoretically correct
or it isn't. That's all music is.
The beauty is between the notes.
Come on, you're going to tell me you don't feel anything
when you play a sonata on your cello.
I only play the cello because my dad made me start when I was seven.
I could play that thing perfectly all day and not feel a god damn thing.
And my dad always cries when he hears me practicing.
But that's not because of the music.
No, it's because I remind him of Lee.
That's the fucked up thing about being the surviving twin.
My very existence makes my parents randomly burst into tears.
I'm sorry, Jeremy.
That must be terrible. I can't even imagine.
No matter what I do with the rest of my life, I will never be enough.
I will always make them sad.
So I might as well make that sadness count for something now.
You might not believe this, Jeremy, but I know what it feels like
to lose someone you love because of a gun.
It's true.
I don't really talk about where I come from in school.
When you grow up poor and Black
in the Pork & Beans projects of Liberty City, Miami,
and you're trying to get tenure at a place like this,
you're not super eager to talk about your childhood.
But I'll tell you because you'll actually understand.
It was my cousin Jay's 12th birthday.
I was eight years old.
My best friend Jasmine and I
were at my cousin's house playing hopscotch.
I was so focused on staying on one leg,
I never even noticed Jay running down the sidewalk behind us
or the police car chasing him.
The sound.
I still don't think I've ever heard anything as loud.
It was over before I even knew what happened.
About 10 seconds total.
I know what you're going through.
I know what it's like to have someone ripped away from you.
Your cousin's birthday. That's what your phone code is.
Mrs. H., I'm sorry that your cousin died. I am.
But, but he was just your cousin.
I lost my twin.
So no, I don't think you know what I'm going through.
But I do, Jeremy.
My cousin, like so many Black people in this country,
had a target on his back.
He was just playing with his toy gun.
You asked me what it feels like to have their knee on our necks.
It's fucking painful.
But you don't see Black people picking up arms to protect ourselves.
Well maybe you should.
Because I'm sure that would get Congress's attention.
There are mass shootings all the time and nothing gets done.
Like you said, Sandy Hook. Kids, Jeremy.
And nothing changed.
Parkland, nothing. Pulse Nightclub, nothing.
Las Vegas, nothing.
This little stunt is just going to hurt more people,
cause more suffering...
- Volume. - Listen to me, please.
All you'll do is destroy dozens of lives, including your own.
You won't change a thing.
Yes, I will.
That's why you are here talking to me today
so you can set the record straight.
What?
When this is all over,
I'm going to need someone to tell them why I did it.
A witness, someone to explain that I wasn't crazy.
That I did what I did to save thousands.
And you expect people to do what?
Forgive you, respect you, pat you on the back?
They're supposed to pass common-sense gun laws
so something like this never happens again.
I'm sorry, Jeremy.
That's just not how things get accomplished.
Trust me, Mrs. H. You know me, I always do my homework.
This will work.
Why me?
Oh, come on, Mrs. H.
Don't you know you're my favorite teacher?
This isn't funny...
Hello? Mrs. Hill, are you in there?
I think I forgot my book in there. Can I just come in and grab it?
If you make a noise, I'm gonna start shooting.
I'm gonna start with you.
Hello?
Mrs. Hill?
Mrs. Hill, is that you?
Play along.
If you try something, I have to kill her. It's your fault.
- Hey, Angela. - Jeremy. Hey, how's it going?
Pretty good. I'm sorry we didn't hear you.
Mrs. Hill just helped me practice this stupid little skit
the student body is putting on for Senior Day.
Wow, that sounds like fun.
If making a fool outta yourself in front of the whole school is fun,
I guess you could say that.
Isn't that kind of the point of Senior Day though?
You know it's the end of high school so you can stop
worrying about what people think or what they might say.
I guess so.
I could do without the cream pie in the face though.
- Well, I'm sure you'll do great. - Thanks. Let's hope so.
Anyway, sorry to interrupt.
I think I left my English book in here
and I just wanted to grab it before the bell rings.
- Mind if I take a look? - Of course not. Come on in.
- Hey Mrs. Hill, sorry to bother you. - No problem at all, Angela.
- Here's your book, safe and sound. - Great. Thanks.
I'm just glad you didn't forget it.
- See you Monday. - See you.
Hey Mrs. Hill, that thing we talked about earlier,
you didn't tell anyone about that, did you?
Oh, no. No, of course not.
Okay, good. Wish me luck then.
- Hey, Jeremy. - What's up?
I just wanted to say, I've had a lot of fun with you in lab this year
and I think you're really cute
and I was wondering if you might wanna take me
to the spring formal next month, as your date.
Angela...
Good wow or bad wow?
Definitely good wow. I'd love to go with you.
But... seeing as how you asked me, let's just say I'm going as your date.
- Sound good? - Sounds amazing.
Perfect. I actually have to get back
to going over this skit but why don't we talk later?
In the meantime, you better start looking for a dress.
Lemme know what color it is, I don't wanna get you the wrong corsage.
I will. And I'll talk to you later.
Great. Can't wait.
- Bye. - Bye.
- Actually, Angela. - Yeah.
This is totally random, but do you mind if I take a look at your book?
I'm... just curious about something.
- Thanks. - No, wait.
No!
Angela?
Oh my God! No, no, no, no.
What have you done?
- Shut up. - What the hell did you do?
I said shut up.
This is, this is on you.
I didn't mean to. I... I didn't mean to!
Not a sound.
Just keep it quiet.
I'm gonna go lock the door again.
I don't want to see you move an inch!
All right.
Everyone's in class.
All right? All right?!
Nothing is all right about this, Jeremy. Nothing.
What the fuck have you done?
You really thought I'd let you give her that book without checking it first?
You've known me four years now and you really think I'm that stupid.
No. I pulled the trigger, Mrs. H., but you're the one that killed her.
- Bullshit! - Quiet.
You did that.
Besides, isn't this what you want?
Isn't this your whole master plan?
No it's not, actually.
Angela wasn't on my list.
List? You have a list?
I told you, I'm not crazy.
I don't want to kill any more people than I have to. This isn't fun for me.
Who's on this list?
Nine students. Just nine.
Who are they?
The problem is with Congress, they'll never stop what's happening
because it doesn't ever affect them.
They can shoot down gun control bills and line their pockets with NRA cash,
and never feel the pain of losing someone to one of these.
- Who's on the list, Jeremy? - Look, don't you get it?
I'm gonna show them the pain.
I'm gonna show them what it's like to lose their sons and their daughters
and then they won't think twice about voting for better gun control.
There are three congressmen and one congresswoman
with children attending King's Academy.
And all of 'em have pro-gun records. That's the first six on the list.
Lauren made the list because her dad is an NRA lobbyist.
Bobby and Brian made it
because their mom is head counsel for Smith & Wesson.
Once they understand that this can happen to them too,
that this problem affects everyone,
then they'll put a stop to it.
- You're a liar. - What?
You're just a liar.
Mrs. H., I promise you, I haven't told you anything but the truth.
You want people to think you're some kind of martyr
doing what needs to be done for the good of mankind.
But this isn't martyrdom, it's assassination.
- It's revenge. - This isn't revenge.
Yes it is.
You blame Congress for what happened to Lee and you wanna get back at them.
I get that. I do.
After my cousin got shot,
I fantasized constantly about killing the cops.
I thought about shooting them.
It's natural to think like that, but that...
That isn't what this is. I'm not going after them.
Right.
You're going after their kids, which is even worse.
This isn't noble. It's not heroic.
You're not trying to change the world.
You're just trying to get back at the people you are mad at.
This isn't about eye for an eye.
It's about making sure the people in charge
know what it's like to lose someone at random.
You mean the same people whose lives were threatened
in the Capitol during an insurrection where people died.
Stop the steal!
The same people whose power meant more to them
than calling out domestic terrorists and launching an investigation.
Those people?
Dress it up as political activism all you want.
It's selfish and it's wrong
and you're only doing it to make yourself feel better
and in the end, you are no different than them.
No, you're wrong. And trust me, Mrs. H.,
you're lucky I don't care about revenge.
Because if I wanted to kill everyone responsible
for Lee getting killed that night,
you wouldn't be walking outta this classroom alive.
What? Now you're blaming me too?
You know it's amazing what people can do without thinking about the consequences.
If you remember, I told you Lee went to the movies
after getting a fight with my dad over a bad grade.
- Guess who gave him the bad grade? - So what?
You want me to feel guilty about Lee because I gave him a B-?
It wasn't his best work. I gave him a B, I didn't kill him.
He wouldn't have been at that movie if it wasn't for you.
You knew him.
You should have known what a B- could mean for us at home.
Is that why you chose me?
Is that why I'm the one you're telling all this to,
because I didn't give your brother a good grade?
I chose you because your classroom was at the end of the East Wing hall
where all nine in my targets have class eighth period.
At 1:50, when that bell rings again
and their classes let out, I'll be waiting.
I should probably start getting ready.
Oh my God.
Want to guess where I got this one?
- Online? - Ding, ding, ding. We have a winner.
Now I'm gonna put this pistol down,
and I'm keeping it close by.
I'm a quick draw so don't make the mistake of thinking it can't kill you
just because it's not in my hands the moment. Got it?
Got it.
Good.
Now this is an M15 tactical carbine.
Gas-operated semi-automatic with a four-power ACOG scope
and a flash suppressor.
The mag holds 30 rounds of 5.56 ammo,
which when fired, leaves the barrel
at a speed of just over 2000 meters per second.
It weighs six and a half pounds unloaded,
has a hair trigger and is accurate to over 500 yards.
It's just a shame that it was built to kill human beings.
Earlier, you said I don't get to decide who lives and who dies.
It doesn't work that way.
Would you say the same about the cops who killed your cousin?
'Cause it seems to me, cops decide who lives and who dies,
especially when they're Black lives, right?
It's not the same.
Yet here I am, assembling my personal weapon of mass destruction.
No!
Stop!
Just stop it.
It's over.
- It's far from over, Mrs. H. - Enough.
I'm not gonna let you hurt anyone else.
Gimme my phone.
Go on, take it outta your pocket
and put it down on the floor. Now!
- And if I don't? - Just give it to me.
- You're gonna shoot me? - I don't want to.
But like I said, I'm not gonna let you hurt anyone else.
Gimme my phone.
I'm not kidding, Jeremy! Do it now!
Slowly. Give me the phone!
I'm sorry Mrs. H., I can't do that.
Jeremy... I don't wanna hurt you.
You could never hurt one of your students.
You're not a student.
You're not even a person. You're a monster!
As much as you want to believe that, but you know that's not true.
I'm just a teenager.
I'm just a misguided youth trying to figure out how the world works.
I'm just Jeremy Chue, gregarious chess player
and you're my English teacher and I'm your pupil and you can't hurt me.
Because it's your duty to help me.
That's why I chose you to be my witness because I knew, you could help me.
Put the phone on the floor
or you'll find out how wrong you are.
Maybe I chose you because I knew, if things got dicey,
you wouldn't do what needs to be done to stop me.
Maybe I chose you because I knew you'd be too weak to do anything.
- Jeremy. - You don't have what it takes.
Jeremy!
Okay. Okay.
- Sorry. Here. - Slowly.
Slowly. Okay.
- Yes, I got it. - Slowly.
- Put it down.
Wakey, wakey.
I know. I'm sorry. I didn't wanna resort to this,
but you didn't leave me any choice.
Don't look at me like that.
You should be grateful I didn't put a bullet in your head
after what you just tried to pull.
You're lucky I need a witness at all.
Look, I know this isn't easy for you, but don't worry, it's almost done.
We're getting close.
Just 19 minutes to go.
Guess I gave myself more time than I needed.
Hey, A for effort, Mrs. H, but... that's not gonna work.
- Do you want me to take the gag out? - Yes.
I can't cut you loose, but I wouldn't mind talking to someone
before the end of the period. Kill some time and that can't be comfy.
You got it. But there are two conditions to that.
First, no screaming, obviously.
And second, you've gotta answer something for me.
You agree to those conditions?
So then, tell me what was the meeting you were late for today?
What?
Your meeting, the one your lawyer's been texting
and calling you about all day?
- It doesn't matter. - Oh, come on, Mrs. H. I'm curious.
I mean you're a high school English teacher.
Why do you need a lawyer? Why are you meeting witha judge?
Sorry.
I don't like to discuss my personal life with students.
I could put the gag back on. You did agree to the conditions after all.
Fuck your conditions, you little brat.
I know you're not gonna kill me.
I'm your witness, right?
So do what you're going to do but I'm done talking to you.
Okay. I'm impressed, Mrs. H. I didn't think you had that in you.
But you're right, I'm not gonna kill you.
In fact, I'm not even gonna torture you.
But remember this,
in 17 minutes now,
I'm gonna stand in that hallway and start shooting.
Your behavior in here decides whether or not I just killed the nine on my list,
or if I go for 10 or 11 or 12...
What happened to not killing more people than you absolutely have to?
If you tell me what I want, I won't need to.
That's not fair.
- My personal life has nothing to do... - No, of course it does!
Your lawyer is calling, texting, trying to find you.
If he calls the office, it would ruin my plans.
- Oh, what a shame that would be. - No, it would be, actually.
Because if we were interrupted right now, the only thing that would happen
is more people would die, the wrong people,
and then it would all be for nothing anyways.
So tell me... why are you meeting with a judge?
It's not a meeting,
it's a hearing, a custody hearing.
Custody?
Are you getting a divorce?
I didn't want anyone to find out.
At least not until next year after... everyone's gone for the summer.
Well, the good news is, I'm not gonna tell anyone.
I don't care anymore.
Well, I take it that it didn't end amicably if you're going to court.
Not exactly. No.
I'm not used to all this, you know?
All this... private school, old money bullshit.
I told you, I'm from a poor neighborhood in Miami.
I went to public school,
I went to community college for undergrad.
I worked hard, really hard.
And then I went to grad school and worked even harder.
And little by little, I worked my way up here with the rich folk,
teaching their kids to work hard.
Then I meet a guy...
who sweeps me off my feet
and whose family happens to have plenty of money.
And then we get married... and have a daughter
and all of a sudden he expects me to stop working hard.
He says I don't need to work,
even though I keep telling him I do.
I want to, I love my job.
And sure, sometimes that means I have to stay late
for a parent-teacher conference
or I'm too busy grading papers to go have fun.
But I love it.
I mean, is that so wrong?
Does that really make me a bad mother?
Well, I don't know, Mrs. H.
But I do know one thing,
you really are a good teacher.
I may not seem like a prime example right now, but you are.
I mean, you were Lee's favorite.
Yeah, well, he accused me of caring more about my students than my own child.
And like I said, he comes from money
and I was dumb enough to sign the prenup he gave me.
Now he has an expensive team of lawyers and I have Greg.
And now I missed the hearing so I'm not sure
how much my being a good teacher is gonna help me.
God.
The last thing I ever wanted
was my baby to be raised in a broken home.
Whatever. I'm tired.
Maybe it's just better if she lives with him.
You know, I can tell you from the kid's perspective, it's never better.
My parents got divorced a year after Lee was killed, and...
if your daughter's anything like me,
she won't want you guys to split up at all.
My daughter... is nothing like you!
You should be thanking me.
Look, thanks to what I'm about to do, your daughter can grow up without worry
about going to the movies...
Because of you she's going to grow up terrified.
She's gonna grow up terrified anyways.
Look, I didn't create the terror, Mrs. H., the knee on your neck did.
Jeremy.
You know it's a glass half full, glass half empty sort of thing.
The good news is, you're gonna have a great excuse
for missing your custody hearing.
Jeremy, please. I'm begging you. Don't go through with this.
I told you, I've thought this through.
If anything, you'll just give them something to latch onto.
Maybe instead of passing laws to limit access to guns,
they'll just decide to give guns to teachers.
- How about that for your legacy? - That's why I'm keeping you alive.
You need to make them understand. You need to see it through.
All they'll understand is that you're a murderer.
You get that, don't you, Jeremy? That this is murder.
You murdered Angela.
Keep your voice down or the gag's going back on.
Listen to yourself. You're insane. You're crazy.
No I'm not. Everyone else is crazy.
I mean, they walk around all day thinking they're perfectly safe.
Like it's totally fine that 27 million guns
were sold across the United States last year because that's normal.
Bringing a gun to school and shooting your friends isn't normal.
Of course it's not normal. It's radical.
You know, normal doesn't work.
You're gonna go down in history
as just another sociopath who saw too many R-rated movies
and played too many violent video games.
In fact, when people ask me what happened in here,
I'm gonna tell them you were stark-raving mad.
How you spoke in nonsense sentences the whole time.
- How you kept muttering to yourself. - Shut up.
How you had conversations with imaginary people,
how your brother Lee would talk to you.
- I said, shut up! - You are not going to kill me.
If you do, I won't have to tell people how nuts you are.
They can let their imaginations run wild.
You're not gonna tell people that.
Because if you do, then all those kids will have died in vain.
If you want their lives and deaths to count for anything,
then you'll tell the truth.
You'll tell the world why I did what I did.
- You'll make sure it gets done. - You're right.
I will tell the world the truth.
I'll tell them you shot up the school
because you were mad about not getting valedictorian.
You better watch it, bitch!
Because I wasn't kidding about expanding my list.
You want more dead kids on your conscience? Fine.
Here.
Hannah will be getting out of AP history. I can get her.
Josh, Cara.
It'll be like shooting fish in a barrel.
Go ahead. You're not gonna convince me that's my fault.
But remember, the more people you kill, the crazier you'll look.
The good news is,
you'll bring a lot of awareness to mental health.
I just keep wondering...
what this will do to your mom, your dad.
I mean, it's one thing to have a son killed by a mass shooter,
but for your son to be a mass shooter?
I can't imagine how awful that must feel.
- It will break them. - Whatever. Fuck my dad!
It's not like he did anything to stop this.
It's not like he's some great father, that I'm letting him down. No.
All he cares about are grades and Harvard.
Well, you're going to ruin him and your mother too.
The media's going to hound them. They'll be pariahs.
Your parents are going to have to legally change their names and move
just to live in a place where no one knows who their son is.
You don't know what the fuck you're talking about.
Just wait till they pass that bill... and the statistics are coming out.
My parents are gonna be proud of me.
Once they see how many lives I'm saving,
they'll be proud of me.
They'll pretend you never even existed.
They'll say, "Lee didn't have a twin."
I'm doing this for Lee.
You want me to tell your father that with a straight face?
He'll slap me harder than you did.
No, no, no. It'll work. He'll understand.
Eventually he'll understand.
Why don't you call your dad?
Tell him.
Tell him you're doing this for Lee. See what he says.
You really think I'm that stupid?
What? Are you scared to call him?
Maybe because you know exactly what he'll say about all this.
Oh, I see. That's not it, is it?
You're tired of your father's knee on your neck?
Fuck you! And I see what you're doing here.
You're just trying to get me riled up.
And boy is it working. Look at you.
I mean, this daddy stuff really gets you.
You know, keep talking shit Mrs. H.,
'cause you only got a few more minutes left.
You really are scared to call him, aren't you?
You're scared of your own father!
Suppose it's like you said, glass half full, glass half empty sort of thing.
After everything he's done for you, you turned into a brat.
- He's done shit for me. - Jeremy, please.
Look at where you go to school,
your education, your food, your house, your cars.
Not everybody had that growing up.
He provided that for you.
And yeah, maybe he was hard on you,
but that's only because he wants what's best for you.
And now you're going to ruin his family name
and break his heart.
And you're not even going to say goodbye?
He already lost Lee.
And you know how hard that was not to be able to say goodbye,
not to be able to tell him, "I love you," one last time.
And now you're going to put him through that again
only this time with guilt piled on top of it?
Call him,
say goodbye.
Tell him you love him.
No, no. I'm not gonna tell him what I'm doing.
- I'm not stupid. - That's okay, honey.
You don't have to say anything you don't want to.
Just don't disappear on him.
Well... we can't have you scream in the background now can we?
Jeremy.
Please. Jeremy, please don't...
Jeremy. Stop! No!
Stop!
- Hello? - Hey, Dad.
Jeremy?
Yeah. Yeah, it's me.
How's it going?
Whose phone is this? Are you calling me during school?
Aren't you supposed to be in class?
I have a... study period right now.
So why aren't you studying?
I just wanted to call you
and tell you that l... and tell you that I love...
I called the school today.
They told me they made the decision about valedictorian two days ago.
That they gave it to Julia.
I guess they just thought she deserved it more than I did, Dad.
Well, she got it so maybe she did.
Maybe if you spent study period studying
instead of playing with your friend's phone...
Goodbye, Dad.
Oh, no! Oh, no...
There, I did it. I said goodbye.
Jeremy, please!
Three minutes.
Time to get in position.
Look, I'm sorry that I have to leave you tied up like this,
but someone will find you in a while.
- Don't worry. - Jeremy!
And thank you for sitting here and listening to me.
Not that you really had a choice, but...
I know it hasn't been fun for you.
I know that we... don't really see eye to eye very often, but...
I hope you at least see that my intentions are good.
And I know if you wanted to,
you could tell the whole world that I was crazy.
Who the fuck knows, maybe I am.
But I hope you'll think about what a waste that would be
if I did this terrible thing and nothing good came from it.
So, tell the world why I did this.
Tell them that things need to change...
and make sure this never happens again.
Now it's time to go.
It's been real, Mrs. H.
Subtitling: FAST TITLES MEDIA