PAY IT FORWARD [2000]

Some Favors You Are Not Allowed 
To Pay Back

Mr. Simonet: How often do you think about things that happen outside of this town?
Do you watch the news? Yes? No?
Allright, so we're not global thinkers yet, but why aren't we?
Trevor: Because we're 11.
 Mr. Simonet: Good point. What's your name?
Trevor: Trevor.
Mr. Simonet: Maybe Trevor's right.
Why should we think about the world?
After all, what does the world expect of us?
Trevor: Expect?
Mr. Simonet: Of you?
What does the world expect of you?
Trevor: Nothing.
Mr. Simonet: Nothing.
My God, boys and girls, he's absolutely right. Nothing.
Here you are. You can't drive, you can't vote, 
you can't even go to the bathroom without a pass from me.
You're stuck, right here in 7th grade.
But not forever... because one day you'll be free.
[students are cheering]
But what if on that day you're free, you haven't prepared, you're not ready, 
and then you look around you and you don't like what the world is.
What if the world is just a big disappointment?
Student: We're screwed.
Mr. Simonet: Unless... unless you take the things that you don't like about this world,
and you flip them upside down right on their ass.
 Don't tell your parents I use that word.
[students giggling]
And you can start that, today.
[showing the assignment on the board
"Think of an idea to change our world, and put it into ACTION"]
This is your assignment.
Extra credit, it goes on all year long.

The realm of possibility exist in each of you.
~Mr. Eugene Simonet

Arlene: What is going on with you and my son?
Jerry: He wanted to help somebody.
Wanted to get somebody back on their feet, so he gave me a little money.
Arlene: He gave you money?
Jerry: Yes, ma'am.
Arlene: That's his savings.
Jerry: Well, it's clothes and shoes and I got the job off it.
Arlene: You think you can keep it?
[glance at Jerry's scars on his hand]
Looks to me like you've got yourself a little problem.
Jerry: I can lick it.
Arlene: How's that supposed to happen all of a sudden?
Jerry: You ever been on the street?
Arlene: My mom took us pretty close.
Jerry: Well, you can't know, not untill you're looking at a dumpster.
But when you climb in the first time, and pull the newspapers over you
that's when you know you've messed your life up.
Somebody comes along like your son and gives me a leg up, I'll take it.
Even from a kid, I'll take it.
I can't mess up again or I'll be dead.
Arlene: I appreciate that you're trying to pay back Trevor...
Jerry: I'm not allowed to pay back Trevor.
Arlene: Then what is it you're doing?
Jerry: I'm paying it forward.

[Trevor makes some sketch on the board]
That's me.
And that's 3 people.
And I'm going to help them, 
but it has to be something really big, something they can't do by themselves.
So I do it for them. 
Then they do it for 3 other people, that's 9.
And I do 3 more... 
~Trevor McKinney

[after her kiss got rejected]
Arlene: Okay, that's the best I got.
Mr. Simonet: It's not about you.
Arlene: Yes, it is!
Something's been offered to you here and you don't want it.
Maybe you're scared to get rejected.
Well I can't reject you.
You're too quick for me.

Mr. Simonet: Your dad will come back and... 
what will happen when he comes back, Trevor?
Will he hurt you?
[Trevor shake his head]
Will he hurt her?
Trevor: Not if someone's there... instead of him.

Mr. Simonet: What are you doing here?
Arlene: I want you to understand.
Mr. Simonet: It's not necessary. No explanation required.
Arlene: Please, don't talk to me like that.
We had 13 years in, Eugene.
He's sober now. We've never been sober together.
Mr. Simonet: Well, I wish you luck.
Arlene: I feel like I've got to give him a chance.
Mr. Simonet: A chance? A chance for what?
Arlene: To change.
To try to make up for lost time.
Mr. Simonet: To take Trevor to ball games? Do some real 'daddy' things with him?
Arlene: Yeah, he promised to try.
What you want me to do?
Mr. Simonet: Oh, I don't know, be smart?
Arlene: He's his father, Eugene.
Mr. Simonet: He impregnated you, Arlene.
In what other way has he been a father to Trevor, 
unless knocking somebody around is a new family value?
Arlene: What do you talking about?
He never touched Trevor.
 Mr. Simonet: Oh, that's right. Only you.
He only took it out on you. That's so much better.
Arlene: What did Trevor tell you?
Mr. Simonet: Enough.
Secrets like that shouldn't be kept.
What good does it do to Trevor?
Arlene: Ricky never meant to hit me. We were drunk!
Mr. Simonet: Christ! What is it with women like you?
Is that something you tell yourself, "it's okay he beat me.", "Trevor's okay."
Trevor locked himself in a bathroom and he can't breathe... 
and he said he's hoping and praying that it will stop!
Arlene: Trevor never went throught that!
Mr. Simonet: You know what Trevor went through?
How do you know?
How do you know that the next time after you, he doesn't come for Trevor?
I know what I'm talking about, Arlene.
My father got on his knees and begged my mother...
and my mother, she always took him back.
I never understood it.
She'd cover the bruises ans the cuts and she'd take him back...
because he begged and he cried.
 Now you ask me what happened after he came back.
Arlene: No...
Mr. Simonet: No, go on! You wanted to know what happened to me! Now ask me!
Arlene: I don't like this.
Mr. Simonet: "Did he hurt you?" Ask me!
Arlene: Did he hurt you?
Mr. Simonet: Not for long.
By 13 I was gone. I ran away.
But I missed her, so I had to go back and see her.
So one night I did.
Ask me what happened. "What happened that night you came back, Eugene?"
Arlene: What happened?
Mr. Simonet: He was there, drunk as usual.
Only this time, I wasn't the same.
I was 16 years old and I was no longer afraid of him.
And when I looked him in the eye, and told him if he ever touched her again, I would kill him, he knew... he knew that he would never exist for me again.
And I'm standing in front of the house, I'm screaming for her to come out,
I'm telling her she doesn't have to take it anymore.
 She can come with me now.
I don't see it coming.
He hits my head with a 2-by-4 and I'm bleeding from my ear.
He's dragging me behind the house into the garage, then he's gone,
a minute, 5 minutes, I don't know.
Then he's back and wetting me down.
And I don't understand, why water should smell so bad.
And then I see it.
I see... this... this gas can... this red gas can from his truck.
And he looks at me one last time, and he lights a match.
And the last thing I remember, and I'll never forget it, were his eyes,
because they were filled with this... immense... satisfaction.
Arlene: I'm so sorry.
Mr. Simonet: Don't tell me how sorry you are for me!
Just tell me how you gonna stop it happening to Trevor.
Arlene: Ricky would never do that.
Mr. Simonet: Oh, Jesus, Arlene, he doesn't have to.
All he has to do is not love him.

Chris: Hi, I'm Chris Chandler and I'm joined today by an unusual 7th grader, Trevor McKinney.
Trevor, you must be pretty proud of yourself.
Trevor: No.
Chris: So you're not proud at all?
Trevor: I don't know, I guess.
Chris: Come on, you start a movement like Pay It Forward. You're not proud?
Trevor: I guess. I mean, I got an A in social studies.
But that was just for the effort.
Stuff I did, it didn't work out.
Chris: You're here.
Trevor: Yeah, but... I don't know, I tried real hard, but nothing really happened.
My mom's stuff worked.
She talked to my grandma, kind of made up with her.
It was really hard for her.
It was great for me, because my grandma came to my birthday party.
And I had really missed her.
And that's why Pay It Forward went to all those places... because of my mom.
Because she was so brave.
My stuff, I don't know, I think some people are too scared or something, 
to think things can be different.
The world's not exactly... shit.
I guess it's hard for some people who are used to things the way they are,
even if they're bad... to change.
And they kind of give up.
When they do, everybody... they kind of lose.

Mr. Simonet: I don't want to be one of those people he's talking about.
And I've become one.
I don't want to spend another second of wasted air.
Please don't let me stay trapped in here forever.
Arlene: I won't.
Mr. Simonet: I don't want to spend another second without you.

I guess it's hard for some people who are used to things the way they are,
even if they're bad... to change.
And they kind of give up.
When they do, everybody... they kind of lose.
It's hard. You can't plan it.
You have to watch people more, sort of keep an eye on them to protect them.
 Because they can't always see what they need.
It's like your big chance to fix something that's not like your bike.
You can fix a person.
~Trevor McKinney

*****