The Big Green

The Big Green is a 1995 family sports comedy film. Dialogue [The four boys, all aged thirteen, pedal their bicycles down the dusty main street of Elma, Texas, population: 923. Not much is going on in Elma that day, but the boys know that is not unusual. Not much ever happens in Elma anymore. Just about everybody who lived there agrees that Elma is the most boring town in Texas, especially if you are thirteen years old] [The boys ride slowly and lazily, until they reach the gas station and general store that is run by Polly's mum. They park their bikes, laying them down in the weed patch behind the gas pump, and go inside. Polly's mother, who is counting the store inventory for the second time that day, is glad to see them. After all, they are the only customers she's had all afternoon] [The boys stay just long enough to buy a bag of cheese curls, but hurry back outside. One of them, Nick, kicks an empty beer can into the middle of Main Street, where it is immediately crushed by a passing truck] Nick: Two points! [Larry bursts into an old song] [Jeffrey, who likes to think of himself as the leader of the group and likes to boss the others around] Jeffrey: Change songs, Larry. Larry: I don't know any other songs. [Evan takes up the rear. He always moves a little more slowly than the rest, probably because of his pants, which are always too long. While the other boys are climbing back onto their bicycles, Evan catches sight of an oddly shaped rock. Wow, he thinks. He bends down and picks up the stone, and his thick-framed glasses slide down his nose] Jeffrey: Hey, Evan? How many rocks you have at home? Evan: Lots. You know I collect them. Nick: What else is he gonna collect? [The others shrug in agreement. After all, they live in Elma] [And as everybody knows, Elma is the most boring town in Texas. In the world] [The boys ride their bikes to a small two-room building that stands between two fields. The Elma schoolhouse serves as both a high school and an elementary school. Mostly, it is an embarrassment. On one side of the building is the recess yard and a baseball diamond that is covered with weeds. On the other side is another, larger field, also covered with weeds. A chain-link fence runs along the outside of this field, and two goalposts sag at either end. A sign at the entrance proudly declares "The Big Green, District 34 Recreation Area". The sign is so old and rusted, it is hard to read] [The boys laugh as they ride past the sign. There is nothing "big" about this field, and there is certainly nothing green about it] [The boys ride over to the recess field, dump their bikes and march to the center of it. Nick hands the bag of cheese curls to Evan. Then Nick, Larry and Jeffrey lay down on the ground] [Evan tears open the bag and begins drizzling the cheese curls over his friends] [CRUNCH!! Larry has sneaked one of the cheese curls into his mouth] Jeffrey: Larry! Larry: Just one! To see if they're fresh! Nick: No more, Larry. [As Evan has done covering his friends with chips, he lays down and drizzles the rest of the bag on his own legs] [Then they wait. And wait. And wait] [Eventually, they see a pigeon flying overhead. Soon the pigeon is joined by another pigeon, then another, and another. Now there are dozens of hungry pigeons circling overhead] Larry: Here they come! [Suddenly, the pigeons swoop down on the boys and begin pecking and pulling greedily at the cheese curls that covered them. The boys laugh and try to keep silent] [No doubt about it, this is the most fun they have had all summer] [Not far off, on the paved road that leads toward the schoolhouse, three girls watch the boys disgustedly] Kate: I can't believe tomorrow we start another school year with these geeks. [She has a shag of unkempt hair and wears an outfit of rough-and-topple clothes. In her hand is a pocketknife, her constant companion, that she is forever twirling absentmindedly like a baton] Sophia: We're never gone to school with anyone but these geeks. Polly: At least tomorrow, we get a new teacher. [She tags behind her two friends, pulling her pet goat, Ernie, by a rope] Kate: Perhaps. Perhaps not. Nobody's shown up yet. Sophia: I hope this year she won't drink. Polly: I hope she doesn't smell. Sophia: Mrs. Vancil smelled because of the medicine. Kate: I thought she smelled because she chewed garlic pills. Sophia: She smelled because she had such gross body odor. Kate: She smelled because she chewed garlic pills, which she thought were medicine, which gave her gross body odor. [Sophia and Polly pause for a bit] Sophia: I didn't know that. Polly: Me either. Kate: The only fashion we know for sure, is the new teacher will be a loser. Otherwise, she wouldn't come here. [With that said, the three girls return to their task at hand. Namely, lining the road with a variety of crushable items, such as soda cans, a packet of mustard, and an empty milk carton. The idea is that a car passing side-by-side will flatten the stuff like a pancake. But the girls never stick around to see the items get crushed anymore. It is just something to do] [SCRUNCH! BURST!! HISS!!! SPLAT!!!! The red convertible comes to a screeching stop and the driver, a woman in her late twenties, gets out and closes the door] Woman: Oh, my heavens! [Soda cans, milk cartons and mustard is scattered and splashed over the road. But that isn't what caused her to exclaim. In a field next to the schoolyard, four boys are being attacked by dozens of pigeons] [The woman races over to where the boys lay and looks around in a panic for something she can use to frighten off the birds] [She is in luck. There is a small tool shed nearby, and in front of it is a hose and spigot. She grabs the hose, aims it at the boys, and turns on the water complete blast] [The alarmed pigeons take to the air in an explosion of flapping wings, and the woman is able to heave a sigh of relief. The four boys, though soaked, seem unharmed. In fact, as they get to their feet, she notices that they seem almost...frustrated] Jeffrey: What are you doing here? Woman: I thought you were in danger. Nick: Then you hosed us? Woman: I was trying to help. Jeffrey: Well, thanks! Woman: I'm sorry. What were you thinking about? [The boys give her and "Isn't it obvious?" look] Evan: Feeding the birds. Larry: There's not a lot to do around here. Who are you, anyhow? Woman: I'm the new teacher. All: No luck! Woman: Luck? [Luck? The boys exchange bewildered expressions] Evan: What's she speaking about? Woman: I'm here from England for a semester on a teaching exchange. Jeffrey: Nobody warns us anything. Nick: There's two classes. Little children–––– Jeffrey: And big children. Woman: I'm the teacher for the big children. All: No luck! Woman: Luck. Hey, it's jolly nice to meet you. Nick: Jolly pleased? Larry: The new teacher's a pirate. [Sheriff Tom Palmer speeds down the road, the red light on top of his police car flashing. He has gotten a call about an emergency on Hicks Road that requires his immediate attention] [Tom is glad to get the call. Not much police business that day, then Tom is anxious for some emotion. In fact, the last emotional nonsense Tom can remember going on in Elma is since big Sissy Whitehead got stuck in the doorway of her back porch. It takes Tom, Cookie and Ed to squeeze her out] [As he drives, Tom remembers how it is in Elma fifteen years earlier. That is back until everybody has jobs. Before the grain-processing plant closes. In these days, Tom is the star quarterback for the Elma High School Armadillos. Of course, Elma has an actual high school back then. After the mill closes, most families move aside in search of jobs. But Tom stays on and becomes sheriff] [After a while, Tom pulls over to the side of the highway and gets out of his car. He has found the emergency. A large armadillo is flattened across the road like a pancake. Road murder. And it is Tom's job to clean it up] [Some emergency, thinks Tom as he opens the trunk of his car and takes out a shovel] Tom: This town doesn't need a sheriff, it needs an undertaker. [As he stuffs up the armadillo, Tom warns the carcass] You're going to a better place. [After disposing of the armadillo, Tom feels hungry. Driving down Main Street, he passes a row of boarded-up shops and abandoned cars and pulls up in front of The Office, the local bar and grill] [Nick, Larry, Jeffrey and Evan, yet damp from their shower at the schoolyard, are kicking around an old ball as Tom pulls up] [WHAM!! Nick kicks the ball into the side of Tom's car] Tom: How many times do I have to warn you to keep away from the car? Jeffrey: How many times have you warned us today? Nick: Hey, however many, I think it wasn't enough, Deputy Dog. Tom: Watch your mouth or I'll kick your butt! Nick: All the road to Pizza Hut? Larry: I wish we lived in a town that had a Pizza Hut. Tom: Move it, midgets. I have work to do. Jeffrey: Hey, wait! You may think you know everything, but here's a news flash. Something radical eventually happened in this town! Tom: Nothing radical ever happens in this town. Larry: Wrong. Evan: We met our new teacher. Tom: You get a new teacher every year. [He shrugs his shoulders] Nick: This one's different, Deputy Dog. Jeffrey: Yes. Really different. [Tom pauses for a brief moment. The boys have roused this interest. For these children to get this emotional, the new schoolteacher may really be something special. He decides he has to find out for himself. Tom gets back into his patrol car and drives to Bomma Cole's farmhouse] [Bomma Cole is the schoolteacher for the elementary grades. Tom guesses that the new schoolteacher may be staying with Bomma since Emma has no hotel. As he sees an unfamiliar red convertible parked in Bomma's driveway, he knows he has guessed correctly] [Bomma knows why Tom has come] Bomma: News travels fast. Tom: It's a small town. Bomma: She went running. [Then she adds with a laugh] Probably looking for the easiest fashion out of bounds. [Tom thanks Bomma and drives away, a man with a mission. It isn't long before he sees a lone figure jogging along Old Country Road, a complete two miles from Bomma's place. As he gets closer, he sees that the jogger is a woman in a brightly colored athletic outfit. He has found the new schoolteacher] [Tom grins appreciatively. Then he swiftly combs his hair and checks it in the rear-view mirror. Then what if I'm not a star quarterback anymore, he thinks to himself. I yet have what it takes. But just in case, he decides he'll stay inside the car where the new schoolteacher won't notice his slight paunch] [Tom turns on the car siren and picks up speed. He races past the schoolteacher, noticing her head turning to see him as he whizzes side-by-side. Seconds later, he hits the brakes and turns the car around as if on a dime. That ought to impress her, he thinks. Then he guns the engine and races back down the road. As he comes up alongside her, he hits the brakes again and brings the car to a jolting, tire-squeaking stop] Tom: Excuse me, ma'am. Sheriff Tom Palmer, Lane County. I've had an APB out of Austin. Bank robbers. Heading this fashion. Driving a Chevy with a–– [He suddenly lost his train of thought. Then he notices the schoolteacher's jogging outfit] A white top and a red bottom. You see this? [The schoolteacher is running in place next to the patrol car] Anna: Only car I've seen is yours, Sheriff Tom Palmer. Tom: Call me Tom. Anna: Call me Anna Montgomery, Sheriff. Tom: You can drop the sheriff part. Anna: I'm sorry I can't help you. [Tom puts his car into reverse and slowly follows alongside] Tom: Where'd you say you were from? Anna: Surrey. Tom: Where? Anna: Surrey, England. Tom: I'm planning a trip to England. Real soon. I've always been interested in English...nonsense. Anna: I've always been very interested in America. I had no idea it would look like this. Tom: Not an entire lot worth seeing around here. Of course, there are a few local points of interest. The Elma Armadillos were at one time a football powerhouse. [He grins appreciatively] That was back in the days if I played. Voice: Like she cares? [Tom cranes his head around. Nick, Larry, Jeffrey and Evan have ridden up alongside the car and are brazenly eavesdropping on the conversation] Tom: Zip it, midgets! As I was saying. This town at one time had a real football dynasty. There's a billboard off Main Street, documents some of the achievements. You might want to take a look at it. That's me on the left side. Of course, a big twister last year took off the top of my head, but you can yet see the resemblance if you're coming in on Route Forty-nine. Anna: Aren't you concerned about the bank robbers, Sheriff Tom? Tom: That's right. I have to get on that. Jeffrey: You have to do something. [Tom ignores the boys] Tom: Well, welcome to America. [With that said, Tom steps on the gas. Only his car is yet in reverse and it shoots backward. Red-faced, Tom hits the brakes and shifts into drive. The four boys howl with laughter] Anna: Welcome to America. My name is Anna Montgomery. I'm from England, and I will be your teacher for the first half of your school year. [Anna has just done writing her name on the blackboard as she turns around and introduces herself to the class. Then Anna goes around the room and asks the students to introduce themselves. As they say their names, Nick, Larry, Jeffrey and Evan blush until she grins at them familiarly. They sit on one side of the room with the rest of the boys in the class. Across the room sits the girls] Jeffrey: Hey, before you get all sweaty, don't waste your time with us. We're losers. Anna: You're not losers! Polly: Yes, we are! You just don't know us very well. [Her friends, Kate and Sophia, nod in agreement] Evan: Didn't anybody warn you? We have the worst test scores in the state. [Anna is here to teach these children, no matter how hopeless that may seem. And the first stuff she wants to teach them is that they are better than their test scores indicated] Anna: Then you all had a worst test day. Nick: Four years in a row we had hard test days. Jeffrey: What's this to you, any matter? You just said you'd be out of range in six months. Anna: Six months is a long time. Sophia: Especially in Elma. Anna: We can do a lot in six months. Now, let's get to know each other. Someone warn me something that makes you feel special. [There is a long silence] Anna: Alright, I'll start. I believe you are special because you live in America. And America is a place where you can be anything you want to be. Evan: I think that was before Reaganomics, ma'am. [She tries again] Anna: I watch out at you here today, and I dare see ten special faces. Larry: That'll change once you get used to us. [Anna sighs heavily. There has to be some fashion to get through to these children] Anna: Let's think of this another fashion. What makes you different from the boy sitting next to you? [Two hands shoot up in the air. One belongs to Sue Landon. The other to her identical twin sister, Lou] Sue and Lou: We have asthma! Anna: Well, that's different. Sue and Lou: And we've had our own inhalers! Anna: That's special, as well. Sue and Lou: Can we use them right now? Anna: Of course. [The twins pull two plastic inhalers out of their pockets and begin breathing deeply. In and out. In and out. It is hypnotic. Soon the rest of the class is breathing deeply, as well] Anna: Alright, c'mon. What's so special about the rest of you guys? Evan? Evan: I swallowed a pencil last year. I could be slowly dying of lead poison. No one knows for sure. Anna: Right. We'll keep an eye on you. Tak? Tak: I can burp the entire ABCs. Except a Z. No one burps a Z. Anna: That's a skill. Sort of. Sophia? Sophia: I have a grand aunt who has a beard. She lives in Rome. Anna: I love Italy. Sophia: Rome, Texas. It's near Waxawachie. Anna: I didn't know that. Larry, what makes you special? Larry: My dad has a job. [Cookie is his father, owner of The Office] Polly: That's very special for this town. [Anna looks around the room. Most of the children have offered responses to her question] Anna: Kate, what makes you special? Kate: My parents are divorced. Thanks for bringing it up. [A shrill bleat from outside breaks the silence. It sounds like a goat] Anna: What's that? Larry: First recess. [Then the entire class files out of the classroom] [Anna watches with dismay as her students fill the schoolyard and break apart into small groups. Polly sits with her goat, Ernie, which she takes everywhere, including school. Sophia sits by herself leafing through a magazine. Sue and Lou braid each other's hair, and Tak fries ants with the help of a big magnifying glass. The rest of the children just mope around] [As Anna watches her class, Bomma Cole emerges from the building, followed by her class of grade-schoolers] Bomma: How's it going, darling? Anna: I don't think they like school. [Bomma tries reassuring her] Bomma: Don't take it personal. They don't like anything. Not even each other. [After school, Kate and Sophia wait on the steps while Polly unties Ernie from the stair railing. Their classroom window is right next to the stairs, and the girls can see the new teacher inside collecting her stuff] Sophia: Then whaddya think? Kate: She'll never last. [Polly walks up with Ernie in tow, and the three girls hike the short distance from school to Mrs. Holland's gas station. Polly's mum gives the girls a free bottle of Coke, which they pass back and forth as they sit on the stoop in front of the station] [A few moments later, a station wagon pulls up to the gas pump. It is an old, beat-up car that looks as if it either hasn't been washed in years or has been on the road for a very long time. Or perhaps both. A woman and a boy are up front. Probably a mother and son. The back of the car is crowded with boxes and suitcases, and the girls figure the two of them are moving somewhere. No fashion can they be moving to Elma. After all, no one is that desperate] [The woman gets out of the car and goes inside the store. She hands some money to Polly's mum. Then she returns to the car. The boy climbs out and goes to the gas pump and begins filling the tank] [Kate watches the boy. She decides he may be Mexican, since Elma is so close to the border. He looks to be about her age, she thinks. And not hard-looking, either] [After a moment, the boy feels Kate's eyes on him and returns her gaze. Their eyes lock] [A battered pickup truck drives into the gas station. The truck comes to a sharp stop, and a man steps out] [Kate's face flushes red. The man is her father. And he is drunk] Man: Kate, warn her to turn it on! [Kate sighs, but gets up and goes into the store. Sophia and Polly follow behind] Kate: My dad wants gas. Mrs. Holland: I'm sorry, Kate. But this isn't the United Road. I can't keep giving it away. Kate: Hey, it's alright. I understand. Polly: I hope your dad does. He sure looks like he's in a worst mood. Kate: Now a days, he doesn't have any other mood. Mr. Mullaney: Brenda! Get this stuff going! BRENDA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! [echoes] [Polly's mother goes outside, followed by the girls. Kate's father is holding a gas nozzle in his hand, and Kate winces as she sees him staggering. Even by his standards, he appears drunker than normal] Polly's Mother: What's your problem? Mrs. Holland: My problem is you owe me too much money for anymore gas to be going in that truck. Kate's Father: I'll pay. I just don't have it right now. Brenda: And you won't have it tomorrow. Or the next day. I have to draw the line, Ed. Ed: Then I'm short on cash! Big deal. Perhaps you never heard, but the factory closed! Mrs. Holland: And my husband hasn't worked since, either. How dare you act like I don't know what the plant's closing means! Ed: Then how come you're willing to turn against people who are hurting? Mrs. Holland: I have my own bills to pay. My own mouths to feed! [Ed looks over to where the boy is pumping gas and his face becomes red with frustration] Ed: My family's lived in this town for years. But suddenly, I'm nothing and they're something! [The boy is about to get back in the car until Ed steps in front of him] Boy: Excuse me. [Ed shoves the boy hard, pushing him down] Ed: Get out of my face! [The boy's mother races to her son, but grabs Kate's father by the arm, afraid he may strike her boy again] Kate: Dad! [She runs to her father and holds him back] [Tom Palmer has just driven side-by-side in his patrol car until he sees the scuffle. He turns into the gas station and gets out of the car] Tom: We have a problem here? Kate: No, sir. My dad was just leaving. Ed: Have ourselves a hot-tempered boy as is all. Tom: Emotion's over. Let's get back to our own business. [Then Tom hears the boy and his mother speak to each other in Spanish. He has lived in this border town long enough to learn the language] Boy: Why did he do that? I didn't do anything. Mother: Of course not. But we're different. That's enough for some people. [Jobs are scarce in Elma, but for Larry's dad, Cookie, business is booming. The more folks don't work, the more they hang out at The Office. And it is just about the only place in Elma that is open for business on a regular basis] [That afternoon, the atmosphere in The Office is gloomy and dull. That is, normal. Cigarette and pipe smoke waft through the air as folks sip their beers. Some are leaning against the bar, while others sit at the few tables that are scattered about the room] [Tom Palmer has just arrived. He takes his usual seat at the bar until he hears Darius shout from behind] Darius: Showtime! [Tom turns around. Darius, who has been staring out the window, shouts from the other end of the room] Darius: Here she comes! [Everyone in the room jumps from their stools and crowds around the window] [Sure enough, Anna Montgomery, the new schoolteacher, is jogging down Main Street. She is big news in Elma] Darius: Uh-oh. She's coming this fashion! [They do a fast about-face and hustle back to their seats. As Anna enters the bar, everyone acts as if she are just another customer] [All except Tom] Tom: Cookie! Get the young lady a beer. Anna: Bottled water's fine. [Cookie has never heard of bottled water, where he improvises. He takes an empty beer bottle, fills it with tap water and hands it to Anna] Tom: Then how was your first day at school? Anna: The children didn't have much enthusiasm. Tom: None of us do. Anna: They explained that to me. Tom: You live here a while and you'll get the idea. Anna: That's encouraging. Then how's the sheriff business? Tom: This sheriff nonsense is strictly a temporary gig. I'm very close to a big position with a multinational corporation. Anna: What have they done? Tom: All kinds of stuff, I hope so. I haven't settled on a corporation yet. I'm just narrowing down the list. One of them has offices in Africa. I'd go on safari on my days off. Anna: Sounds emotional. [Tom shrugs his shoulders] Tom: A man has to dream. [Anna sighs heavily] Anna: I wish I could get the children to dream. Cookie: If anyone could, I'd put my money on you. [Anna nods a thank-you to Cookie. Then she does her water and puts the bottle on the bar] Anna: Well, I'm back on the road. [Tom calls after her] Tom: Perhaps we could do something together sometime? Anna: Do you run? [Everyone in the room turns and looks at Tom] Tom: Sure, I run. I mean, I used to run. It's not like you forget how. Anna: Then we'll run together. [Then she is out the door and gone] Tom: Yes. We'll run together. Sure. [The following morning, Anna stands in front of the classroom holding an old globe. She has just announced to the class that they will be having a lesson in geography. She is surprised that the children have no reaction to the announcement. Not a clap. Not a moan. Nothing. They just stare blankly at her with bored expressions. That is as if even moaning is too much of an effort for them] Anna: Kate, will you come show the class where Columbus first landed in the New World? Kate: You mean, get up? Anna: Yes. Kate: I don't get up. For anybody. [Just then, the classroom door opens and Bomma enters, her hands around the shoulders of a young boy. Kate, Sophia and Polly recognize the boy immediately as the one Kate's dad shoves at the gas station the day before] Bomma: Class, I'd like you to meet Juan Morales. He's new in town, and he's joining your class. Larry: Pull up a cot and get a pillow. We're in the middle of geology. Anna: Geography. Larry: Whatever. [Anna sighs heavily. No matter how hard she tries, nothing seems to work. It is more than outrageous. It is mournful. These children have given up on life before they've even had a chance to live it] [She tries again] Anna: Let's everyone please focus their attention. Juan, we are studying world geography. Nick: She's studying world geography. We're bored out of our minds. [For Anna, that is the last straw. She frustratingly snaps the globe out of its holder and holds it up in front of the class] Anna: Will someone warn me what's wrong with this globe? Polly: You just broke it? Anna: No. It's outdated. Times have changed. Many countries in the world are no longer the same. Jeffrey: Texas is yet Texas. Anna: There's more to this world than Texas. Kate: Not from where I sit. [This makes Sophia and Polly chortle] [Anna lets the globe drop, but before it hits the floor, she flips it back up with her foot. Then she bounces it from her left knee to her right knee, then back again. Next, she sends the globe up into the air, bounces it twice off her forehead, but lets it fall to her foot, kicks it up and back over her shoulder and then kicks it straight back. The globe hits against the blackboard and then ricochets into a wastepaper basket that stands next to Anna's desk] [The children all watch this in stunned silence] Larry: Where'd you learn to do that? Anna: Prison. All: What the?! Anna: That was a joke. I learned how to do that at school in England. Which is another country, far from Texas. [Anna grins to herself. At last. They have suddenly come to life. Now all she has to do is turn that spark of interest into a fire] [Anna leads them out of the classroom to the school gymnasium. She glances around the old gymnasium and then walk over to a closet door marked "Equipment"] Anna: We're gonna learn something together. Something everyone can participate in! Polly: There's nothing in there except dead mice, ma'am. Anna: Then we'll learn about mice. [She yanks open the closet door. To everyone's surprise, the closet isn't filled with mice, just a few moths. Anna waves aside the moths and digs into the closet. A few seconds later, she pulls out an old, scuffed, kickball] Here we have it. A football. [The children look at Anna] Nick: I don't think so. Larry: It's Mrs. Curdley's old kickball. Anna: No. It's a ball. And if we use it for football, it becomes a football. Evan: Ma'am. Footballs aren't round. They look more like lemons. [Anna understands why the children are so confused] Anna: What I call football, you call soccer. This is a soccer ball! Polly: Are you feeling alright, ma'am? It's alright with us if you want to chew garlic pills. Anna: I'm feeling better than I have in days. We are going to learn soccer. Sue and Lou: We don't play soccer. Nick: Yes. It's for foreigners. Anna: Well, I'm a foreigner. Sue and Lou: Well, we're American. Tak: And we don't like soccer. [Anna frowns furiously] Anna: You guys don't like anything. The boys don't like the girls. Kate doesn't speak to anyone. Polly speaks to a goat. The twins speak only to themselves. And nobody speaks to Tak. Juan's going to fit right in. Well, all that's going to change, whether you like it or not. [She points to the door] Outside, everybody. Today's lesson has changed. You're going to learn how to play soccer! [Anna leads the children out to the schoolyard] Anna: In soccer, you don't use your hands. Nick: We know that. Anna: But just because you can't use your hands, doesn't mean you can't use your body. [The school bell rings] Anna: Whoever would like to try should stay after school. We'll have a practice. [The children exchange looks. They decide to stay] [Only the new boy, Juan Morales, walks off] Anna: Juan, where are you going? We need you. Don't you want to try? [Juan doesn't respond. He doesn't even turn around. He just walks out of the schoolyard and down the road, until he is out of view] Anna: Alright, he's new. He's shy. He'll come on board later. [Then she rolls the ball to Nick] Give it a kick. [Nick gives it a powerful spike, just as if he are kicking a can into the middle of the road. The ball shoots high into the air and disappears into the street. Anna grins, impressed. There may be signs of life in Elma, after all, she thinks optimistically] [All the children run into the middle of the street in search of the ball. Suddenly, they are distracted by the lament of a police siren] Tom: Hang on right there, youngsters! [The children stop as they see his car rolling slowly up the road] Foolish nonsense I happened to be in the area, ma'am. You know, cars come whizzing down this street like there's no tomorrow. [Anna throws Tom a suspicious look] Anna: I haven't seen a car pass all day except yours, Sheriff Tom. Five times. Tom: Just doing my job, ma'am. [The children chortle] Nick: Ooh! [sings] Deputy Dog's in love. Deputy Dog's in love! [Then the rest of the children join in] Children: [singing] Deputy Dog's in love, Deputy Dog's in love! [Tom sees one of the children holding the soccer ball. He climbs out of his car] Tom: Then what's going on? Anna: We're playing football. Tom: This isn't football. I know football. Anna: This is what the rest of the world calls football, Sheriff Tom. [Then she turns to the children] Alright, get into a circle and kick the ball back and forth to each other. This is called passing. Tom: Passing is in the air. [The children form a circle and begin kicking the ball around] It's with a pigskin. It's "First and ten, do it again". [Anna catches sight of some rusty metal drums sitting among the school shed] Anna: Give me a hand, and we'll discuss it. [Tom helps Anna roll four of the drums into the schoolyard. Then they set two up at either end of the field, forming two makeshift goalposts. The children play carelessly and with abandon, and only occasionally stop long enough to take pointers from Tom and Anna. But that is fine with Anna. Everybody is having fun––except for Kate, who stands on the sidelines scowling] Anna: Alright, that's it for today! [The children have been playing for almost an hour, and it is starting to get dark] [Much to Anna's surprise, the children moan. They don't want to stop. Even Kate, who has spent most of the time watching, is disappointed] Anna: Sure! Grand! [The children fall to the ground in exhaustion] What a start! You showed so much potential! Tom: You were awful. Anna: Now listen, everyone. While you were practicing, I called the school board and joined a league. Our first game is tomorrow in Austin. [The children stare at Anna, stunned. They haven't expected this] Larry: Tomorrow? You mean, like the day after today? Tom: That's what we call tomorrow. Sue and Lou: In Austin? Nick: That's like a million miles afar. Forget it. Anna: All you have to do is believe in yourself. Tak: Why not? Anna: Just try. Sheriff Tom and I believe in you. Don't we, Sheriff Tom? Tom: Uh––oh––yes. Sure. Kate: Even if we did decide to go. How are we going to get there? Walk? [Anna turns to Tom] Anna: Sheriff Tom, could you do me a personal favor? Tom: Name it. Anna: Help me drive the children to Austin. Tom: Hey, I'd love to. [It is pretty obvious, however, that he can think of at least silly nonsense he'll really rather do] Anna: One more request. [There are ten all together] Tom: Anything. Anna: I'm short a player. Whaddya think? Tom: I'd never pass for a twelve-year-old. Anna: I meant, what about finding us another boy? Larry: Whaddya say, Deputy Dog? You going to help us? [Tom frowns, thinking. Then he pulls Anna aside] Tom: Look, I'll drive the midgets to Austin. I'll get another player. I'll paint the stadium if you want. But you have to do one stuff for me. Anna: What the? Tom: Seize them to stop calling me Deputy Dog! [That evening, ten-year-old Newt is ambling along the road near Miller's Creek collecting junk in his wagon. It is what he always does this time of day. As he is finished collecting, he will take the wagon-load of junk home and catalog each and every item in his mind. It is his favorite fashion to do] [Newt suddenly feels as if he are being watched. He turns around and notices that Sheriff Palmer is driving slowly behind him] Tom: Hey, Newt! What's up? Newt: Not much. I've had part of a tailpipe and an old shoe. You seen anything well? Tom: Nah. Look, I came to ask you to play soccer with the big children. They're starting a team, and we're down a player. [Newt's face lights up. Nobody has ever asked him to play with the big children before. He agrees on the spot] Tom: Sure. We've had a game tomorrow. Newt: Wow! A game! [Then he tilts his neck and scratches his head] What's soccer anyhow? [Tom rolls his eyes] Tom: It's sort of like kick ball mixed with hockey. Newt: Hey. I don't know much about kick ball or hockey––but I'm your man! [Tom meets Anna in front of the schoolhouse the next morning. Nick, Jeffrey, Larry, Evan, Tak and Newt pile into Tom's patrol car. Kate, Sophia, Polly and the twins ride in Anna's convertible. Even Ernie the goat comes along for the ride] [The only one who doesn't come along is Juan. He walks home alone and watches the children drive off. Kate sees him and turns around in her seat to watch him] [A little more than an hour later, they reach Austin. They drive past what looks like a model community. All the houses are identical, with expensive cars in the driveways] [They reach the Austin High stadium just before noon. An enormous playing field stretches before them as they pull up behind the school. The field is immaculate. The grass is freshly mowed, and the boundary lines have been freshly painted. Across one end of the field, a black-and-silver banner ripples in the wind. An elaborate insignia, two swords crossed over a soccer ball, is embroidered into the banner, followed by the words "Austin Knights". Alongside the banner stands a complete-sized suit of armor. Its freshly polished metal gleams and sparkles in the sunlight] [A group of eleven boys, all dressed in matching black rugby tops and silver shorts, is practicing on the field as the Elma children pile out of the cars. The home team moves across the soccer field like a well-drilled battalion of battle-tested marines. These children are amazing. These children are awesome. These children are the Austin Knights] [As the children from Elma see who they are up against, they feel sick. They don't have uniforms. They don't have banners. They don't have a complete-sized suit of armor, either. And worse yet, they don't have a clue how to play soccer. All they had are their torn jeans, worn-out sneakers and a lazy old goat] [As one of the Knights catches sight of the Elma children, he lets out with a loud guffaw] Knight #1: That's the team we're playing? Knight #2: They don't look like a team. Knight #3: What are they called? Knight #4: The hicks from the sticks. Knight #5: Hey! Whaddya turkeys call yourselves? [The children look at one another questioningly] Polly: What's our name? Jeffrey: We don't have a name. [Larry shouts out to the Knights] Larry: We'll warn you later! [Suddenly, Ernie the goat steps out from Anna's car with a growl. The Knights explode with laughter] Knight #6: Hey, they bought a goat! [Kate scowls at the boy] Kate: He just happened to be in the car. We didn't bring him on purpose. [Meanwhile, Tom and Anna have gone away in search of the Knights' coach. They find him standing near one of the corner arcs, dressed in the same silver-and-black as the boys on the field. He is speaking into a mobile phone. As Anna and Tom approach him, the man looks up. He almost freezes like a statue until he sees Tom] Tom: Oh, dear. I know him. Anna: He looks rough. Tom: He was always a pinhead. [Tom and the Knights coach shake hands, but Anna can warn that there is no love lost between the two men] Jay: Tom! Long time no see. Tom: It's been a few years. [As the Knights coach sees Anna, he looks her up and down] Jay: Well, va-va-voom. I'm Jay Huffer. Tom and I played football together. That was back in the days since we were both young. Anna: Was that back if you were a pinhead? [Tom's face turns red] Tom: She's from England. There's a language barrier. Jay, this is Anna Montgomery. She's an exchange teacher in Elma. Jay: I can't imagine coming all the road from England to that one-horse town. Anna: They have more than one horse now. Jay: Spare me. I've had out the day I graduated. [Then he looks straight at Tom] Only losers stick around. [Tom has to fight to restrain himself] Tom: I'm leaving soon myself. I've had several different possibilities. Jay: Oh, I bet. You yet have that shovel in your trunk? Tom: Get two. One's a deluxe model. It's for the big stuff. Bought it mail order. Jay: My son's the lead scorer. How's your boy do? Tom: I don't have a boy. Jay: Oh. Really? And you're coaching? Why bother? Tom: Love of the game. [Huffer shakes his head sympathetically as he glances at the ragtag group of children from Elma] Jay: What's the story on your team? They sure look young. My heavens, you've had girls out here. In our league, the girls have their own teams. Tom: We don't have enough children for that. Jay: Then you're playing with a bunch of little children and girls? Anna: Yes. [Huffer laughs heartily] Jay: I'm afraid you haven't heard. We won the league championship last year. We were undefeated! Tom: Might be different this year. [The game is about to begin, and Jeffrey finds himself looking down at a soccer ball that the Austin referee has just rolled to his feet. He looks up, puzzled. The referee has to explain to Jeffrey that he is supposed to start the game with a kickoff from the center spot on the field. No sweat, Jeffrey thinks] [The Knights are assembled downfield in three neat rows. They look eager and ready to pounce. The Elma children, on the other hand, are loosely scattered on the field in no particular order or formation. In fact, a few look as if they'll rather be someplace else. Even Elma] [Anna has briefly explained the rules of the game to the children before they leave Elma. There are two goal nets, each on separate ends of the field. Players have to maneuver the ball into the opponents' net to score a point. But they have to do this without using their hands. The only players allow to use their hands are the goalies] [Anna has assigned positions. Jeffrey, Nick and Sophia are forwards. Sue, Lou and Newt are midfielders. Kate, Polly, Evan and Tak take up the rear defense. Larry, because he can't run and can't kick, is assigned to the goal net] [Anna has run them through some basic practice drills, as well. First, they learn the offensive moves. Dribbles, chip passes, back passes. Then the defensive ones. Marking and tackling. Eventually, Anna shows the children how to shoot and volley the ball] [Unfortunately, by game time, the Elma children have forgotten most everything Anna has taught them. The children wander around the field aimlessly. They can't remember their positions on the field] [BLEEEE!!!! The ref blows his whistle, and almost immediately Anna moans. Jeffrey, instead of passing to a teammate, has kicked the ball straight to a Knight] [The surprised Knight player lofts the ball into the air with his foot and passes it to the striker. Then a left midfielder goes running past the center spot into Elma territory. The striker pushes the ball to the running midfielder, who swiftly gains control of it. He dribbles in and around the Elma defenders with ease as he races for their goal] [Larry grows fearful as he watches the midfielder running toward him. His imagination takes over. As if by magic, the Knight midfielder is transformed into a real knight full of chain mail armor. And he is galloping toward him on a huge horse] [Larry panics and covers his eyes with his hands. Then he feels a gust of wind whip among his head. As he opens his eyes, the knight is a midfielder again. He has just kicked the ball past Larry's head and scores the first point for Austin] [The Austin Knights cheer] [Forty-five moments later, the Knights are yet cheering. The first half of the game is over, and they are ahead 10-0] [Jay Huffer gathers his team around him] Jay Huffer: Men, we're ten to zip. What have we done if we are clearly superior to the enemy? Knight: Go for the throat! [Huffer looks at the boy and grins appreciatively. It is his son, Jay Junior] Coach: Exactly. We do not back off! We go for the murder! Make them pay for even thinking of playing against the Knights! [From the other side of the field, Tom watches Huffer exhort his team. He remembers his own playing days as a star quarterback on a championship team. Winning has felt so well. Then he turns to face the Elma children, who are huddled around Anna, and sigh heavily. These children look as if they have just gone ten rounds with George Foreman, he thinks] Anna: This is a learning experience. Jeffrey: Why? We already know how to fall down. Polly: My feet hurt. Tak: My shins hurt. They keep kicking me. [Everyone is in the dumps except Newt. He is grinning] Anna: Newt, are you alright? [She concerns that he would have been kicked in the head] Newt: I just can't believe you asked me to play. Nobody ever asks me to do anything. Tom: You're all doing grand. Sort of. Kate, you could go after the ball more. Kate: I've been watching them eat turf for the last half hour. I'm not doing that. Anna: Let's just get back in there and have a nice time. Jeffrey: Hey! We may not be the sharpest tools in the shed, but we know the difference between a best time and a worst time! Larry: And this is certainly not a brief time. [Fashions only get worse for Elma in the second half. The Knights, merciless in their play, score point after point after point] [It is a comedy of errors, and the Elma children are the big stars] [On one play, Nick tries to block a Knight striker as he crosses the center spot, but as Nick tries to steal the ball he goes sliding across the grass and misses it] [On another play, a Knight right winger dribbles in and around Elma's loose defense. Evan, on the defense line, tries to act as a stopper and mark the player. But the Knight counters. In one move, he flicks the ball up and head-butts it at Evan. The ball smacks Evan in the forehead and knocks him backward onto the ground. Then the Knight casually retrieves the ball and destroys it into the goal net for yet another point] [Newt, playing midfield, has tried to stop a Knight who is dribbling toward him. The Knight doesn't even bother to sidestep Newt. Instead, he bears down on Newt like a sixteen-wheeler diesel truck and Newt goes flying. Oomph!] Newt: Cool! Playing with the big boys! [Kate has not been so anxious to have her limbs rearranged. In fact, she has spent most of the game avoiding any contact with the Knights. Positioned in the backfield, she lingers as close to the sidelines as possible. On one play, however, a Knight has dribbled downfield, right toward her] Anna: Kate, get in there! Tackle him! Tom: Tackle him? This isn't football. Anna: Tackle means to get the ball away from him. Tom: Does Kate know that? Kate: Tackle him. [Just as the Knight dribbles side-by-side, she sticks out her leg. The Knight trips and goes sprawling face-down into the dirt. Kate grins appreciatively. Perhaps I could get into this after all, she thinks] [But on the sidelines, Anna moans] Jay Huffer: Penalty kick! [The referee blows his whistle and signals a foul. Then he places the ball for the penalty shot] [The Elma children line up in front of their goal, and Jay Junior comes up to the ball. Jay Junior has a crazy, insane-scientist smirk on his face. One by one, they step out of his line of fire. Tom and Anna signal for them to get back in formation, but none of them moves] [Jay Junior's kick blows into the net like a shot from a cannon. Then, eventually, the ref blows the whistle and the game ends. The Knights have won, 18-0] [The Knights cheer in victory] Knights: Two-four-six-eight, who did we decimate? Jay Junior: What were their names again? Knight #1: The Losers? Knight #2: The Hicks? Knight #3: The Goats? Jay Junior: They're not even well enough to have a name! Teammate: They're the Nothings from nowhere! [The Knights resume the chant] Knights: Two-four-six-eight, who did we decimate? The Nothings! The Nothings! YE-EE-EE-ES!!! Sophia: We're not the Nothings! We're the Elma Nothings! Nick: Will you shut up? [Jay Huffer ambles up to Tom and Anna with a cocky smirk on his face] Jay Huffer: We're on a high-scoring team. But eighteen to nil? That's big, even for us. [He is enjoying humiliating the Elma team] A suggestion? Lose the girls. On second thought, lose them all. These children aren't cut out for the game. Find some players with talent. [He turns to walk off, but pauses] Of course, I have no idea how you're going to do that in Elma. Victory lap, men! [Huffer jogs back to his team and joins them in a lap around the field] Kate: What a total jerk. Tom: Hey, you tried. Anna: And we're proud of you. Jeffrey: Why not? We stank. Tom: Well, technically, speaking yes. Anna: But you played. That's what's reluctant. Larry: What's reluctant is that we never play again. [The children all nod in agreement and begin heading back to the cars. And back to Elma] Anna: They'll probably feel different about this after a best night's sleep. Tom: I wouldn't count on it. [The next day, Anna and Tom are standing in front of the Elma schoolhouse, waiting for the children to show up for practice. They are half an hour late, and there is yet no sign of them] Tom: You can hardly blame them. It could take years to get over a defeat like that. [Anna frustratingly kicks a soccer ball against the door of Tom's patrol car] Anna: I don't get this town! You're all a bunch of quitters! Tom: Would a quitter be standing here on a Saturday? Any matter, soccer is my life. Anna: Please... Tom: I didn't have any life before then it was an easy transition. [But Anna isn't ready to give up on these children] Anna: You know, I had a coach who used to warn us that you'd never get to the top of the mountain by standing in a field. Tom: I think the guy wasn't a rocket scientist. Anna: He was amazing. And the metaphor works. We were all in a field, and he made us find the mountain. That's what I want to do here with these children. [Tom looks at Anna for a brief moment. It has been a long time since anyone in Elma has cared much about anything. Perhaps, he thinks, she is beginning to rub away on him. The fact is, Tom is beginning to care, as well] Tom: Hey, I'm with you, I swear! Give me the afternoon, and I'll see if I can sign anyone else up for the hike. [A few moments later, Tom finds Sophia and Polly standing in the middle of a road planting crushable objects in the path of oncoming cars. Tom turns on his emergency lights and pulls over to the side of the road] Tom: How many times have I warned you to keep this junk out of the road? Sophie: However many, it wasn't enough. Tom: This time we're going to your parents. Unless, of course, you are willing to climb a mountain! [Sophia and Polly throw each other a quizzical look] Both: [in unison] What the–– Tak: There's no mountain around here. [Tom has found Tak bird-watching high up in the branches of a tree] Tom: It's a saying, Tak! C'mon. You're smart enough to figure it out. [Tak looks over and sees Sophia and Polly in the backseat of Tom's patrol car. No luck, he thinks, shaking his head] Tak: We got creamed. What's the use? [All of a sudden, Tak grabs hold of a branch as the tree begins to rumble. Tom is trying to shake him down] Tom: Alright, forget the mountain. The point is, I haven't had a date in months and you're not going to mess it up for me! [Tak loses his footing and plummets to the ground] Tom: I'm sorry, Tak. You alright? How's the old kicking foot? [Tak looks Tom straight in the face] Tak: Is this your idea of being a coach? [Sue and Lou are in their barn sitting on matching ponies and wearing matching overalls until Tom finds them and asks them to come climb the mountain] Twins: WE WANT UNIFORMS!! Tom: Alright. We'll get uniforms. Lou: They'll have to match. Tom: If you wear uniforms, everyone will match. You're on a team, remember? [Lou points to her sister] Lou: We are a team. Remember? Tom: Of course. Sue: And we'll want the same number. [Tom furrows his brow in exasperation] Tom: You can't wear the same uniform and the same number! People won't be able to warn you apart! [Sue and Lou burst out with big grins] Both: [in unison] Exactly! [Then they follow Tom outside to his car and pile in alongside Tak, Polly and Sophia] [Tom finds Kate sitting staring between the planks of the boarded-up window of the old dress shop. A mannequin is yet in the storefront wearing the same pretty pink evening gown it has been dressed in two years earlier until the store has gone out of business] [Kate is alarmed as Tom walks up behind her. His car is parked in the street, and inside it, she can see the other children he has rounded up. She knows instantly what he wants and turns him down flat] [Then Tom pulls a pair of handcuffs from his belt and steps toward Kate] Tom: Deal? [Kate looks at the handcuffs for a moment. She has always wanted them for her own] Kate: I didn't say I'd play. But I'll stand on the field and watch. [Tom just rolls his eyes] [Tom drops the children off with Anna at the schoolyard. Then he drives around until he finds Nick, Larry, Jeffrey and Evan counting along with the second hand of the old clock in the town square] [The boys don't want to play another soccer game. And they don't care a hoot about mountain climbing] Tom: Well, what would it take to get you to go to practice? [By this time, he is getting ready to do anything] [The boys eye Tom's car. Tom knows exactly what they want] Tom: I don't know about this. The mountain fashion worked for everyone else. Larry: Yes, well, they're foolish. [Tom pauses and thinks for a moment] Tom: Alright. One lesson a piece. Five moments. No warning anyone. Ever! [Moments later, each boy is taking a turn behind the wheel] [As the driving lessons are finished, Tom and the boys head back toward the school. On the road, they see Newt, who is walking along the road pulling his red wagon complete with newfound junk] Newt: Hey, sure I'll play! Nobody ever asks me to do anything! And I never even knew we had mountains around here! [By midday, all the children have been assembled at the schoolyard. That's until Anna realizes that someone is missing] [Tom has one more stop to make] [The trailer park is situated about a mile from the Elma town limits. It is a desolate area filled with several homes on wheels. Tom knows that most of the families that lived there are Mexican immigrants who have come to Elma a few years back. That is until the mill is open and Elma yet has a future. Stuff has changed rather faster in recent times. Many of the new immigrants move on to new towns, but some yet stay, hoping, like Tom does, that Elma will one day prosper again] [The trailer park is the most likely place Juan Morales and his mother may be, Tom deduces after Anna asks him to find Juan and convince him to join the soccer team. Anna wants desperately for Juan to become part of the class] [Some men are kicking around a soccer ball until Tom drives into the trailer park. It is the fashion they spend most of their time these days. Tom knows the men and asks them if they have seen a woman and a boy who are new to the park. The men point to a trailer at the far end of the park, and Tom drives over to it. Then he goes to the front door and knocks] [Juan's mother, the woman Tom has seen in the scuffle with Ed at the gas station a few days earlier, opens the door] Tom: Mrs. Morales? [Her face turns cold as she sees Tom's uniform and patrol car] Mrs. Morales: Whaddya want? My boy didn't do anything. Tom: Of course not. [He grins appreciatively, trying to make Mrs. Morales feel at ease] I'm here as a coach. Miss Montgomery's trying to get a soccer team going over at the school. Mrs. Morales: Juan doesn't play soccer. Tom: None of the children do. Mrs. Morales: He doesn't like sports. Tom: Perhaps he'll learn to. It's an after-school fashion. Mrs. Morales: I want him to come home right after school! [Then she starts to close the door] Tom: Look, I'm sorry about the damage the other day. You wanna think about it? Mrs. Morales: No. [Mrs. Morales closes the door] [Tom turns to leave, but he sees Juan's face in a window] [After Tom leaves, Juan asks his mother] Juan: Why not? Mrs. Morales: I explained why. Juan: But if I don't play soccer, I'll never make any friends. Mrs. Morales: I'm your friend. Juan: You're my mother! Mrs. Morales: There's no reason to make friends. We'll only be here for a very short time. You'll just be sadder until we leave! [Frustrated, Juan storms out of the room] [The children stand in the schoolyard and wait as Tom and Anna approach them with soccer balls] Tom: Alright. You guys experienced the agony of defeat. Big time. I first started playing organized sports if I was your age. Right over there on the Big Green. And we weren't very well at first, but we never gave up. Larry: Hey, I've had a question! Tom: Sure. Participation is the right fashion to start. Fire away, big guy! Larry: While you're here, who's giving speeding tickets and scraping dead animals off the highway? [The other children burst out laughing] Tom: Alright. First rule. No questions. About anything. Kate: C'mon. You don't fool us. You don't know jack about soccer! [Ten hostile faces are looking at Tom] Tom: I may not know all the rules, but I know a moment or two about kicking the ball. Check this out, Miss Attitude. [Tom takes the soccer ball and drop-kicks it. The ball soars high into the air, across the field. The children's mouths drop open in admiration] Sophia: Now I can see why they put you on the billboard. Anna: If you practice, perhaps someday the town will make a billboard for you guys. [Newt thinks about what Anna said for a second] Newt: Whaddya think they'd do with the stuff on the old billboard? There's some money to be paid there. Evan: Before we could ever have a billboard, we'd hafta have a name. Jeffrey: Yes. Even worst teams have names. Newt: How about the Big Green? You know, like the old sign. It's our field! [The rest of the children like the idea. They nod in agreement. Newt is surprised] Jeffrey: Then we're the Big Green. Anna: No one plays well without practice. We start with the basics. Soccer training involves four areas. Fitness. Technique. Tactics. And game psychology. Tom: I knew that. Anna: Form two lines. [The children begin splitting into two groups. Girls in one line. Boys in separate] Anna: Coach Tom, you may as well get in line with them. You look like you've had one too many nacho plates. Larry: Ma'am. If I ran for an hour, it would murder me. Tom: Neither do I. Anna: That's right. Then we work up to the hour. Today, we run for twelve moments! Let's go! [And she takes off across the field. The children remain in their spots and watch as their teacher recedes into the distance] Tom: Hey, you heard her, midgets! Get your butts in gear! Go! [The children moan collectively. But they begin to run] [As the twelve-moment jog is over, Anna gathers the children back onto the recess field. For the rest of that afternoon, she teaches them everything about soccer. She shows them frontal block tackles, cross field passes and how to blindside the opponent] [As practice is finished, the children are dirty, sweaty and tired] [But they feel grand] Sophia: Then whaddya think? [Practice is done and she, Polly and Kate are heading home] Kate: We'll never last! [Turning a corner and heading along Main Street, the girls pass The Office. Kate glances through the window. Her grin is replaced with her usual scowl. Hunched over one of the bar stools is a familiar sight. Her father, Ed] Kate: See, you guys? Polly: You wanna come to my house? [Kate shakes her head, no. Then she turns around and starts running] [Kate runs for several blocks. She has started out in no particular direction, but as she stops, she finds herself standing in front of the old granary building] [Kate walks around to the back. She climbs an old rusted ladder that leads to a small window high at the top of the building. The window is yet open from the last time she has climbed through it] [Inside is a small room. Several pictures are tacked to the wall. Her Walkman and tapes are on a milk crate. And there is a coffee can filled with candy, as well. It is Kate's secret hiding place] [Kate relaxes as she bursts a tape into her Walkman] [But just as she is about to slip the headphones over her ears, she hears a thumping noise from underneath. Like someone is bouncing a ball...] [She puts down her Walkman and leans forward. Her room is actually a loft that looks down over the main space of the granary warehouse. She peers over the edge of the catwalk and sees that someone is kicking a soccer ball against the walls] [It is Juan Morales, the new boy at school] [Kate leans over to get a better look and knocks the coffee can filled with candy over the edge of the catwalk. Juan spins around in alarm] Juan: Hey! Who's there? [But he can't see anybody at first] Kate: What are you doing here? [Juan looks up and sees Kate] Juan: You first. Kate: I've been coming here for years. This is my place! Juan: Alright. I'll leave. [Kate watches as Juan heads for the door] Kate: Hey, wait! I'm coming down. [She climbs down the ladder] Then you can play soccer. [Juan holds the soccer ball between his arm and waist] Juan: Yes. Kate: If Anna or Tom saw how well you are, they'd positively drool. How come it's a secret? Juan: I've had my reasons. [Kate shrugs her shoulders] Kate: Alright. Stay and kick the ball! I'm done in here anyhow. Besides, soon I won't need this place. I'll just run away for real! Juan: Running away is no luck. Kate: How would you know? Juan: Just be happy you can say you were born in the U.S.A. Kate: Yes. Too hard it had to be the Elma part of it. [With that said, Kate heads out the door] [The next morning, Anna walks up and down the aisles of her classroom. The children sit hunched over their desks trying to do the math worksheets Anna has passed out in exhaustion. As she reaches Kate's desk, she notices that Kate's worksheet is empty and she is drawing doodles in the margins] Anna: Kate, I know you can do this. Kate: C'mon. I'm probably going to end up a supermarket, then what difference does it make? Anna: I know how smart you are. And checkers at supermarkets need math, as well. Kate: No, they don't. They've had all these little black stripes on all the zebras. It adds stuff automatic. Anna: Giving up before you've ever really started is a mournful fashion to live your life. If you keep your talents hidden or undiscovered, you only cheat yourself! [Kate looks up and sees that Juan is staring at her. He is grinning, obviously finding her danger amusing] Kate: Why don't you all worry about your own work! [Now the entire class is looking at Kate] Anna: Kate's right. Everyone get back to work! [That afternoon during recess, the children break into two teams to start up their soccer practice. Kate immediately stuffs up the ball and throws it frustratingly at Juan, who is walking off] Kate: Perhaps Juan has some hidden talents. Jeffrey: No luck. He doesn't play! Larry: Juan doesn't look very athletic. Sophia: Like you do? [Juan's face hardens. He is insulted by Larry's comment] Juan: You gonna play goalie? Larry: I always play a game! Juan: Mind if I take a few shots against you? Jeffrey: You gonna play? Juan: Don't worry. [His eyes are firmly planted on Larry] I'm not very athletic. [He flips the ball up with his feet in one smooth move] Get in the net, Larry. [Now everyone is staring at Larry] Larry: Hey, what did I do? [Juan waits until Larry is standing in the goal area. Then he drops the soccer ball and begins dribbling it across the field. Juan's moves are precise and controlled. He seems to know where the soccer ball is going before it gets there. It is obvious to everybody that Juan has been playing for a very long time] Polly: We don't look like that if we've had the ball. Tak: You think he's finished this before? [To Nick, the response is obvious] Nick: I think he's finished this a lot before. [Juan directs the ball closer to the goal area swiftly and efficiently. He traps it several times, alternating between both feet, using both the outsides and the insides of his feet as he goes. As he is close enough to the goal area, he moves to the right and pulls his leg back, readying the kick. Seeing the kick coming, Larry dives to Juan's right as well. But at the last moment, Juan swerves left and lets loose with the kick. Larry hits the dirt. The ball shoots forward through the goal drums, easily passing Larry and landing several yards beyond him] Nick: He's awesome! Sue and Lou: Too hard he doesn't have a twin! Jeffrey: He couldn't have a twin. He isn't human. [Larry, who is yet on the ground, looks up] Larry: He's the response. Evan: What was the question? Tak: How are we gonna win? [The children nod at one another and say Juan's name. But it's no use. Juan has already walked off the field and is heading home] Nick: Hey, he's getting away! [Nick and the other children take off after Juan, who is halfway down the road by this time] Sue and Lou: Wait up! Jeffrey: We need to speak to you! [Juan stops and turns around] Juan: Yes? Nick: Where'd you learn to play like that? Juan: In El Paso. Everybody plays there. Evan: Well, you must play with us here. [Juan shakes his head, no] Sophia: C'mon. We need you. You're so well! Juan: No. Jeffrey: Hey, just play with us during recess. Polly: Please. If Newt's not around, we don't have enough players. [Juan thinks about the suggestion. He wants to play soccer with the children] [Kate puts the ball on the ground and kicks it to Juan] Kate: C'mon! You're on my team. [Juan grins and merrily follows Kate and the others back onto the playing field. Because of Juan, Kate's team wins, 6-0] Anna: Then you were holding out on us? Juan: It's just a game. Nick: Not the fashion you play it. [Suddenly, Juan's merry expression fades] Juan: I can play at recess. But I can't go to Austin. [The children are stunned] Kate: Whaddya mean? Juan: I can't. I'm sorry. Jeffrey: I don't get it. Juan: It's a family fashion. [But he can see from their expressions that the children don't understand. His mother will never let him go to Austin to play in the tournament. But if he plays only at school, she may never have to know] [After school, the children hold a special meeting. They need a plan to persuade Juan's mother to let him play in Saturday's upcoming game. It is decided that the direct approach is best, but as soon as evening falls, they all go over to the trailer park] [Kate knocks on the Moraleses' door] Kate: Are you Juan's mother? [Mrs. Morales nods in agreement] Nick: We must speak to you. [Mrs. Morales leads the children into the small trailer. Juan sits down next to his mother and the children explain to Mrs. Morales why they have come] [Mrs. Morales shakes her head, no] Mrs. Morales: I don't want Juan going off by himself to the city. Polly: He's not among himself. We all go. Larry: He'd probably do better without us, Mrs. Morales. But it's a team sport. Tak: Austin's really not that far. Jeffrey: You could come. My mum's gonna go this time. Mrs. Morales: I can't. I work during the day. Newt: We'll look out for him, ma'am. We promise. [Mrs. Morales looks at Juan. He looks at her. She knows he wants more than anything to play soccer with his classmates. In so many towns since they've come to this country, they have been made to feel different, like outsiders. These children from Elma are making Juan feel as if he are a part of their group, as if he belongs] [She doesn't want to stand in the fashion of that] [That Saturday morning, a string of cars from Elma pull into the parking lot at Austin High. This time, not only are Tom and Anna there, but some of the children's parents have come along as well. The children, now dressed in T-shirts, pile out the cars. Juan Morales gets out and surveys their opponents] [They are called the Terminators, and they look like they can certainly terminate the children from Elma] [Tom opens the trunk of his car and pulls out a large box filled with cardboard strips, egg cartons, bubble wrap and masking tape] Tom: My Aunt Burr used to say that anything you need in life can probably be made with masking tape or spit. Anna: Then what are we making? Tom: Shin guards. [Tom outfits each one of the children with shin guards made out of the cardboard and bubble wrap] [As the referee blows the start-up whistle, the Big Green takes their positions on the field, across from the Terminators. The Terminators sneer and chortle as they see the ragtag team from Elma] [The referee places the ball at Juan's feet and then blows his whistle. Juan kicks the ball to Kate, who is playing left forward. As they have practiced in Elma, Kate kicks the ball right back to Juan, who begins dribbling it into Terminator territory and toward the goal net. Jeffrey, playing the right, spreads out and crosses the center line as well] [Juan passes the ball to Jeffrey, who traps it and then continues across the field. After he has dribbled the ball a few feet, he passes it back to Juan] [The Terminators see that Juan is the Big Green's star player. They instinctively concentrate on defending against him, triple teaming him at one point] [But Juan is too nimble. He kicks the ball and crosses it to Tak] Anna and Tom: Shoot! Kick it in, Tak! [But Tak hesitates, afraid. He isn't sure what to do. He clumsily kicks the ball back toward Juan. The ball is swiftly intercepted by a Terminator middleman] [The Terminator drives the ball down the field and dribbles it into Big Green territory. None of the children from Elma move to block him. As the Terminator reaches the far end of the field, he easily kicks the ball past Larry and into the goal net] [Juan watches the play in amazement. Then he turns to Tak] Tak: What's wrong with you?! You were wide open! [Tak looks like he is about to weep] [Although the Big Green tries hard, they just can't seem to play as a team. Wherever anyone gets control of the ball, it is immediately passed to Juan. No sooner will he get the ball than Juan finds himself tripe-played by Terminators. They want to keep him separate from the goal net] [By the middle of the second half, the score is 6-0, Terminators] [A Terminator heads toward Larry for the seventh goal] [Larry panics. His heart is beating rapidly. Sweat is pouring down his face and into his eyes. Suddenly, the oncoming Terminator changes into a huge Arnold Schwarzenegger look-alike––full of leather jacket and motorcycle. A real Terminator] [Larry covers his eyes and dives to the ground. As he opens his eyes, Arnold Schwarzenegger is gone. And the Terminator middleman has scored a point] Evan: You alright? [Larry pulls Evan over to the side] Larry: Can I warn you a secret? [Evan nods in agreement] If I get really afraid, they change into naughty guys. I mean they really change. [Evan looks at his friend] Evan: You're a pretty complicated guy. [Just then, the ref blows his whistle, signaling the end of the third quarter. The children run over to Tom and Anna on the sidelines] Polly: No one's passing to me. Nick: You just lose the ball. Juan: Well, too many people are passing to me! Tom: Silence down! Listen to me. Jeffrey: Why should we listen to you? Tom: Because I'm your coach. Larry: No. You're just here because you're after our coach. Tom: Look, I'm here, midgets. That should be enough. [Anna is getting dismayed] Anna: This is wrong! We don't fight with each other. On the field or off. That is not what we spoke about until we spoke of teamwork. [Then she turns to Tom] And quit calling them midgets! Evan: Yes! [Tom pauses for a moment]Tom: Alright. She's right. Now, listen up. Juan can't do everything. You have to pass to each other.Tak: But he's the only one who's any luck.Tom: Right now playing as a team is more reluctant than winning.Anna: And if we can play as a team, perhaps we will be able to win.Tom: Now, you have ten moments left. Support each other! If they put three guys on Juan, that means you two of you are open. Take advantage of it! [As the game resumes, the Terminators swiftly get control of the ball and begin charging toward the Big Green's net. A Terminator takes a shot, but Larry stops the ball, landing on it with his entire body. Then he kicks the ball across the field to Juan]Larry: Juan, keep it outta here! [Juan takes the command of the ball and charges across the center line into Terminator territory. Tak and Kate are running parallel to him] [Juan works his road toward the Terminator's goal net. He sees Kate and passes the ball to her. She instantly passes the ball back to him. Juan stares at her. She is centered in front of the net and is in a better position to score. He passes the ball to her again]Kate: Speak about being in the wrong place at the wrong time.Juan: Kate! Shoot!!! [Kate hesitates, uncertain. Then she boots the ball hard. The ball sails past the Terminator goalie] [The Big Green team jump and cheer] [Tom, Anna and the parents charge onto the field and converge upon Kate with grins]Juan: I scored!Kate: I did? [It seems like a dream to her]Juan: You did!Kate: I did. I did! I did! [Then, without thinking, she puts her arms around Juan and gives him a big hug. Juan, also without thinking, hugs her back] [As soon as they realize what they are thinking about, they pull apart, their faces red with embarrassment] [That evening, Kate returns home tired and dirty from the day's game. She is feeling well, despite the fact that the Big Green has lost to the Terminators 16-3] [But Kate's heart sinks as she enters the house. Ed is lying on the couch. Drunk, as usual]Ed: You're late.Kate: We stopped at Pizza Hut after the game. I scored a point. [Ed is silent. Kate waits for a reaction and doesn't get one. She starts for her room]Ed: Ya win?Kate: No. [But moments later, she opens the door] Next time we'll win! [It is drizzling the next day, but the dripping rainwater hasn't stopped the Big Green from meeting for soccer practice in the schoolyard. A game is scheduled for the following Saturday, and this time the children want to be ready for it. Even their parents have come out to the practice field to cheer them on]Anna: That's enough for today! [But the children ignore her and keep practicing]Tom: That's it! Practice is over!Nick: It's not over for us! [Then he passes the ball to Sophia] [Anna and Tom run onto the field and try to get the ball separately from Sophia, but she passes it to Juan. Once Juan has the ball, he passes it to Evan] [Cookie Dunk turns to the other parents]Cookie: We'd better help them out. These children'll never give up the ball! [Cookie runs onto the field and tries to get the ball separately from one of the children. But before he knows it, he is scrimmaging with them]Larry: Dad! What are you doing here?Cookie: I'm playing soccer! [Cookie is having so much fun the other parents decide to join in. Suddenly, a game is being played; parents against the children. Soon everybody is wet and muddy. Even Kate really gets into it, and everybody notices how well she is. And nobody can remember the last time they have this much fun in Elma]Tom: What have you done to us?Anna: I didn't do anything.Tom: Yes, you did. You did this.Anna: Don't be silly. [Suddenly, Tom stops playing and allows Nick to get away with the ball. Anna stops as she sees that Tom has a serious expression on his face]Tom: You've done something to me. I feel like I was asleep, and if I met you, I eventually woke up.Anna: Go back to sleep. [But then, she grins warmly at Tom] [The feeling in Elma has changed in the weeks since Anna's children join the soccer league. Not only are the children emotional about something, but the adults are as well] [Bomma Cole dyes white cotton soccer jerseys green. Anna cuts some position numbers out of felt and sew them on the jerseys...] [Newt, Evan and Tak get some cows to "mow" the playing field. Sue and Lou, with the help of Jeffrey and Nick, transform an old fishing net into a goal net. Now the children have real practice goals instead of metal drums...] [Jeffrey's dad, Albert, and Newt's mum, Connie, look through a sports-equipment catalog with Tom and chip in to buy some real shin guards, clean sneakers and brand-new soccer balls...] [Cookie places a hand-painted sign in the window of The Office that reads "Go Big Green"] [And go they do. The children practice every day during recess and after school. On some mornings, they even get to the schoolyard early to get in some practice before the bell rings] [They are determined to be ready for that next match in Austin] [That Saturday, Larry watches as the opposing team, the Ninjas, charge across the Austin soccer field toward him] [On the outside, he feels well in his new Big Green uniform, shin guards and sneakers. But on the inside, he is frightened] [It is happening again. As they draw closer, the Ninjas seem to change right before his eyes. Their rugby shirts and shorts change into sleek black ninja warrior costumes. Their flailing arms now wave long, gleaming swords]Larry: This is a real problem. [Thump! Larry opens his eyes. He has blocked it. Then he hears his father cheer from the sideline]Larry's Dad: Way to go, Larry! [Larry sighs with relief. The real ninjas have changed back to regular children. Not only that, but Evan has gotten control of the ball and is now dribbling with his foot toward the center line. Then he boots the ball, sending it several yards to Juan, who is already running to intercept it. Juan traps the ball with his instep, dribbles it a few feet and then spikes it toward the Ninjas' goal and scores] [The children jump in celebration. The parents hug one another. Anna and Tom slap each other in a high five] [The Big Green plays better and better soccer in the weeks that follow. In game four, against the Zombies, they win 4-1. In game five, they play the Gladiators and win 6-2] [The children feel grand. They are filled with new enthusiasm. And they have Anna to thank for it all. One day, they gather early in their classroom and decorates the blackboard with drawings, pictures and two maps. One of Texas, the other of England]Polly: Here she comes! [She is watching through the window as Anna approaches. The children scurry into their seats just as she enters the room]Larry: We figured out what makes us special.Anna: I can see that.Tak: It's not all the stuff we put up, ma'am. [Then Kate stands up]Kate: It's you. [Anna looks at Kate. She is so happy, she almost starts to weep. Then she pulls a copy of the "Austin Gazette" out from her lesson-plan book, spreads it open and slaps it between the two maps on the blackboard with a piece of scotch tape] [A headline across the newspaper reads "District Soccer Championships Set Division #3 Finals––Elma Big Green to Face Off Against Austin Knights"] [The children cheer. They are set for a rematch. The Knights have clobbered them their first time out] [But this time, the Big Green will be ready for them] [They are standing on the Big Green, all freshly mowed and cleaned up and set up for soccer, until a sleek Cadillac pulls up to the schoolyard and Jay Huffer gets out]Kate: Look who's here.Jeffrey: I remember him.Larry: I'll always remember him.Anna: It's the pinhead.Tom: Anna, that's our little name for him, alright?Jay: Place hasn't changed. You can say that much.Tom: You haven't, either. Makes it even. [Jay notices Juan standing among the children]Jay: See you dug up a ringer.Tom: He's one of Anna's students.Jay: What a twist of fate. Some real talent eventually back in the area.Tom: Look, I know we never liked each other as children, but––Jay: We couldn't stand each other as children. Once my team beats you on Saturday, it'll only get worse.Tom: It can't get worse.Anna: And you're not going to beat us on Saturday. [Jay snickers]Jay: You two make quite a team.Anna and Tom: Thanks.Jay: I didn't come to chat. I came to give the team the once-over. [Anna doesn't want the Knights' coach watching her children practice]Anna: It would be grand for you to watch, but...PRACTICE IS OVER!![The children stop playing and stare at Jay]Jay: I've seen enough! Have them ready on Saturday. Perhaps it'll be a better game than last time! [Then he turns around and returns to his car. He doesn't want them to see how concerned he is]Anna and Tom: What a pinhead. [Frustrated and shaken, Jay Huffer stops in front of The Office. He needs a drink]Cookie: Well, if it isn't Jay Huffer in from the big city. [A fast glance at the bar makes Jay even angrier. Photos of the children of the Big Green are everywhere. Cookie is wearing a green shirt. Even the beer is green]Jay: A mini-mall is a big city compared to this place. Gimme a double scotch!Ed: Stuff is that kind?Jay: It's one of these days.Cookie: What ya doing for a living nowadays, Jay?Jay: I'm an auditor for the tax department. And I'm darned well at it. [He takes another look at the photos on the wall] Well, somehow you all got yourself a brief soccer team.Cookie: They're winners. This town has gotten out of the habit of winning. It feels nice.Ed: Hard to believe the Mexican boy is the star.Cookie: Juan is incredible. And Kate's darn real, as well. You ought to watch her play.Ed: I've had better stuff to do.Jay: Just my luck, someone who could play would move here.Ed: Yes. If people would stay put, it would change stuff. I'm sick of solving everyone else's problems! [Jay's eyes narrow as he focuses on the photo of Juan that is pinned over the bar]Jay: I wonder if they're regal?Ed: Probably not. Most foreigners aren't. [Ed's comment gives Jay an idea. If Juan Morales are an illegal alien, he can't be in the soccer league. In fact, neither he nor his mother will be allowed in the United States. And without Juan, the Big Green will stand no chance against the Knights. No chance at all] [Jay buys Ed some more beers and asks questions about Juan. He makes Ed take past him past Juan's trailer. Then Jay calls the sheriff's office and asks to speak to the chief of police. Chief Bishop gets on the phone] [Without giving his name, Jay warns the chief that the Moraleses are illegal immigrants and that they are living in a trailer park near the outskirts of Elma] [The next morning, Tom pulls up in front of Marbelly Morales's trailer, but he doesn't get out of his car. He doesn't want to believe that what Chief Bishop warns him earlier that morning is real. The chief has received an anonymous tip that the Moraleses may be illegals] [After a few moments, Tom gets out and knocks on the door]Mrs. Morales: Hey, Tom, is everything alright?Tom: You warn me. [Once inside the trailer, Tom says he can help the Moraleses]Mrs. Morales: And you can hurt me, you're the law.Tom: Right now, I'm not.Mrs. Morales: Ten moments from now you will be. [Juan appears at the bedroom door. He is dressed for school, but he has heard everything]Juan: Mum, warn him. [Mrs. Morales pauses for a moment. She has no choice but to warn Tom the truth]Mrs. Morales: I've been in America for fourteen years. But Juan was born in El Paso. He's a citizen. They had amnesty eight years ago, but I didn't apply. I'd gone back to El Salvador to see my parents. You are supposed to have stayed in this country the entire time.Tom: Do the people you work for now know you're illegal?Mrs. Morales: I bought a fake social security card in San Antonio five years ago. I pay taxes and social security under that name. [She looks at Juan] I have an American son. But I can be deported. Sent back. Just like that. [Tom looks at Mrs. Morales hopelessly. She has started to weep]Anna: Are you sure she was weeping?Kate: Yes. She was really upset. [Kate has warned everyone in the classroom what she's seen that morning. She's been on her road to school, walking past the trailer park as she usually does, as she sees Tom's police car parked in front of Juan's trailer. Suspecting something is up, she has ducked behind a tree and watches as Tom and Mrs. Morales emerge from the trailer]Kate: Let's get over there!Anna: No. School starts in ten moments. I assure Juan will be here, and we'll make sure everything's alright.Kate: But everything's not alright! That's what I'm warning you!Anna: You're overreacting. Sit down. [Kate huffs and goes to her desk]Kate: You're wrong. You'll see. [Anna begins teaching the first lesson of the day. Later, Juan yet hasn't arrived for school]Polly: Perhaps he has a cold or something.Kate: He's not sick! [Anna is beginning to concern. At recess, she goes to the school office to call Juan's mother. But there is no response, she calls Tom] [The children wait in the schoolyard while Anna is in the office. But they are becoming patient]Kate: I'm going to his house.Polly: But we're not allowed to leave school. [Kate doesn't care what Polly says. She runs out of the schoolyard and heads straight for the trailer park] [She isn't alone. The rest of the Big Green follow right behind her. As they get to the trailer park, they know at once that Juan and his mother are gone. Their car is nowhere to be found, and their trailer looks empty]Nick: We just lost our center forward!Sophia: We also just lost our friend, as well. [Red-faced, Nick nods in agreement]Larry: And now we're busted. [Everybody looks toward the road. Tom is pulling up in his patrol car. And Anna is with him]Anna: What are you boys doing here?Kate: They're gone! We can see inside. Their stuff's all gone! [Tom glances through the window of the trailer]Tom: She panicked.Kate: I warned you. [Then she throws a scornful look at Tom] You did it! It's your fault! I saw you here! [With that said, Kate takes off down the road at a run] [Kate is out of breath by the time she gets home and shuts the door behind her. She has run all the road from the trailer park] [Her father, heaped on the couch, stirs until he hears her come in]Ed: What's got into you?Kate: Juan's gone.Ed: The Mexi boy? [Kate's face hardens]Kate: Don't call him that! Don't you ever call him that!Ed: I didn't mean nothing among it. [Kate stares at her father]Kate: Yes, you did.Ed: What's gotten into you?Kate: As soon as I'm old enough, I'm outta here. Nobody in their right mind would stay in this town!Ed: Now wait a moment––Kate: Don't worry. You'll never know I'm gone. You don't even know I'm here right now! [She walks back out the front door, closing it behind her. Then she runs all the road to the old granary, climbs up to her secret room and looks at her special fashions. She hates everything she sees. She pulls out her pocketknife and begins slashing at everything in sight. The pictures of the walls, the throw pillows, everything. As she is finished, she finds that she doesn't feel any better. She collapses on the floor and weeps] [Kate doesn't want to go home, where she goes for a walk into town]Anna: Been looking for you! [Kate swerves around, alarmed. Anna is standing behind her]Kate: Small town. Not a lot of places to look.Anna: I found quite a few. [She explains to Kate why the Moraleses have left Elma] Tom has no idea they were going to leave. He was trying to help them. A lot of people would have tried to help them. But they got frightened.Kate: They didn't even say a farewell.Anna: I'm sorry.Kate: That's how you know they aren't coming back. People only say a farewell if they plan on saying hello again. It's a rule. [Anna puts her arms around Kate's shoulder, giving her a gentle hug]Anna: The other children don't know if they want to play tomorrow. They think perhaps we should forfeit.Kate: Whaddya think?Anna: I think Juan would want you to do well. In school and in soccer.Kate: He wouldn't want me to do well. He'd want me to win. [The next morning, everyone in town gathers in front of The Office to see the Big Green off to their long-awaited match in Austin] [After a while, Anna and Bomma Cole pull up in Anna's red convertible. Everyone gathers around as they get out of the car, opens the trunk and pulls out a box. Anna slices open the box and pulls out a set of clean and neatly wrapped green uniforms. Each shirt has a different number on it and the name "Adidas" sewn onto the back. They are real uniforms]Sue and Lou: Where'd they come from?Anna: Everyone chipped in. As a surprise.Larry: Hey, where's the sheriff? [Tom is nowhere to be seen, and it is almost time to go]Anna: He was out all night looking for Juan and his mother.Sophia: Did he find them?Anna: No. But he's going to meet us in Austin later.Cookie: Where's Kate? [Everyone looks around in confusion. Kate isn't there either]Larry: If she doesn't show up, we forfeit! It's hard enough playing without Juan! [Just then, Kate comes running down the street, surprising everyone]Kate: What are you all staring at? Let's get going. We need time to warm up! [The children, their parents, Anna and just about everybody else in town pile into their cars and head to Austin] [A little more than an hour later, the caravan of cars from Elma reach Austin. A pregame parade is going on around Austin Stadium that day. The Austin Knights drive side-by-side in expensive convertibles, their fans cheering them on as they go]Polly's Mother: We look like a buncha hicks compared to the Knights.Cookie: I hate to break it to ya, babe. But we are a bunch of hicks. [After a while, the two teams reach the stadium and take to the field. The Knights begin their warmups]Kate: They don't look so hot.Larry: They frighten me.Tak: Visualize a victory.Larry: I'd rather visualize a pizza. [Anna walks over and waves the children into a huddle]Anna: No matter how you do out there. I want you children to know that we're proud of you. Warm you, you guys! [The children run onto the field and begin kicking a ball around. The Knights stop practicing to watch. This time they don't laugh. The children from Elma have gotten better since the last time they play them. Much better]Jay: Where's the coach?Anna: I'm the coach.Jay: I mean Palmer.Anna: He'll be here. [Jay glances out on the field, searching for Juan Morales. He isn't there]Jay: Where's your star player?Anna: Everyone on our team is a star!Jay: We'll just see about that. We've had a tradition around these parts. Coaches make wagers before the game.Anna: What are we betting for?Jay: I'd hate to take your money. But I wouldn't say no to a kiss.Anna: That's none of your affair. But if we win, you kiss our mascot. [She points to Ernie the goat, who is munching on a pile of garbage] [Upset, Jay shouts to his team]Jay: You better not lose! [Just then, the referee's whistle blows. The ref has just placed the ball at Kate's feet. The game has begun] [Kate kicks the ball to her right, passing it to Nick. Nick traps the ball with his instep and immediately passes it back to Kate. At once, the Knights charge at her] [Kate swerves and slices the ball to Jeffrey with a clumsy and effective banana kick. Her spirits soar. It isn't the best kick in the world, but it works]Ed: Hey, my boy's real! [The other parents turn around, surprised to see that Kate's father, Ed, has come along after all. And he is wearing a clean shirt, as well]Cookie: Look who showed up. [Back on the field, Jeffrey is too slow. Jay Huffler, Jr., a Knight forward, intercepts the ball Kate has just passed. His teammates cover him, and now they drive the ball across Big Green territory toward the goal. As he is close enough, he forward kicks the ball past Larry and scores]Kate: That's alright! That's alright. You're doing grand! [But deep down, she knows the Big Green is in danger. Without Juan, she doesn't know if they stand a chance. She looks around in confusion, then at her watch] [Where is Tom, she wonders]Anna: Tom will be here any moment. [They have gathered at the sidelines and are gulping down water. But the children are not hopeful. The game is half over and the score is 2-0, Knights]Sophia: If he's not here any moment, why bother?Anna: You guys are doing grand. [She is trying her best to sound encouraging]Nick: Two to zero.Kate: It's better than seventeen to zero.Evan: Point well-taken.Newt: Hey, I'm having fun!Nick: We know. Nobody ever asks you to do anything. [As the game resumes, the Knights pummel the Big Green mercilessly. With ten moments left in the game, Jay Junior sneers at Kate from his forward-center position]Junior: You're ten moments from curtains.Kate: Perhaps. But you're an entire lifetime from having a brain. [The ref tosses the ball to Jay Junior and is just about to blow the starting whistle until one of the Elma parents shouts]Parents: Look! [Tom Palmer's patrol car has just pulled up to the field. The sheriff climbs out. And Mrs. Morales and Juan are with him] [The children of the Big Green jump for joy and run to meet Juan]Kate: You're back!Juan: Yes, I came to beat these guys! [Anna approaches Tom]Anna: What's going on?Tom: I found them outside of Alvin.Mrs. Morales: It looked like a brief place to hide. But Tom has a better plan than running for the rest of my life.Tom: We've already had her a lawyer.Mrs. Morales: And Tom's going to be my sponsor. [Tom shrugs his shoulders]Tom: If I'm going to spend my life in a little town, I must get real people there with me.Jay: Then you made it, coach!Tom: I was just bringing the last member of our team!Jay: Everyone qualified to be here deserves to be here!Tom: They all qualify, [He grins at Mrs. Morales] and so do their families. [By now, the children have returned to the field. Juan takes his position as center forward, and Jeffrey moves to the middle line]Kate: You didn't even say a farewell.Juan: Don't be insane. I wanted to.Kate: I can't believe you're here. If you ever leave again, say a farewell.Juan: If I ever leave again, I'm taking you with me. [The ref throws the ball back onto the field and blows his whistle] [Juan charges the ball and passes it to Kate. It is a short pass that Kate traps firmly. Then she begins to dribble the ball toward the Knights' goal. A Knight winger tries to steal the ball, but Kate can see that Juan is a few yards separately, heading for the goal himself. She lunges to the left, and the Knight's winger goes with her. Then she fakes him out and lunges back to the right. She brings her leg back and flicks the ball to Juan, who sends it into the goal net] [Juan and Kate meet each other with victorious high fives] [Anna, Tom and the parents cheer from the sidelines] [The score is now 2-1]Anna: One goal.Tom: One goal. One goal and we tie! [Once again, the ref blows his whistle, and once again Juan charges the soccer ball and begins driving it across Knight territory and toward the goal] [That's until Jay Huffer, Jr., runs to block Juan. Their legs mingle in an intense effort for control of the ball. Then Juan feels Jay Junior's shin against his. Jay Junior pulls his leg across Juan's, and Juan goes toppling, face downward, to the ground] [It is an international trip up and Juan knows it. He rises to his feet just in time to see Jay Huffer, Jr., drive the ball across the center line and kick it straight toward the Big Green net] [That's until Polly plows in front of the ball and blocks it with her chest. It is a perfect save] [Jay Huffer, Sr., shrieks so loud he can be heard clear across the field]Senior: What's wrong with you guys?! They're controlling the ball! You're not trying hard enough!Knight #1: You can shout all you want, but I don't think it's gonna help!Jay: You're gonna be beaten by a bunch of girls!Knight #2: Hey, give us a break! We're doing our best. [But the Knight's bet is not well enough for their coach. He pulls the two players who have yelled back at him out of the game and replaces them with two subs. They are only two moments left in the game, and Jay Huffer isn't going to risk a tie] [The ref blows the whistle. As soon as he hears that sound, Juan gets possession of the ball and moves up the field toward the Knights' net. The Knights crowd on Juan and block his path. Juan has seen them coming, though. He knows there is no fashion the Knights are going to let him tie the game easily. He scans the field for an open player and finds Kate running on the outside. He kicks the ball toward her just before three Knights surround him] [Kate receives the ball effortlessly. Now the Knights go after her. That gives Juan the freedom he needs to outrun the three guards and sprint toward the net] [Kate sees him and passes the ball back to him before the Knights can reach her. It is a clear, straight pass that flies through the air, hits the ground and rolls straight to Juan's feet. Juan kicks the ball toward the net] [The Knights' goalie runs to meet the ball. He jumps into the air and deflects it with the tip of his fingers. He can't control it, though, and it goes back toward the field] [Tak realizes that the ball is flying straight toward him. He knows that there is only one fashion to make the play. He lowers his head and smashes the ball directly into the net. GOAL!!] [The ref blows his whistle. The game is over. The children cheer, and their fans shriek with emotion] [They have tied the game]Referee: The regulation play has resulted in a tie! We will go into a shoot-out! [The Big Green gather around Anna as Tom explains what's going on in a tied game]Anna: Five players from each team will go out onto the field. And you will each take a shot against the goalie.Polly: Let Juan kick five times.Anna: Each player can only kick once. [Tom warns Juan to go first. He will be followed by Kate, Nick and Sophia. But they yet need someone to shoot last]Tom: Any volunteers for the last position. Jeffrey?Jeffrey: My kick's no luck. Don't make me do it.Anna: Evan?Evan: Don't ya remember I swallowed an entire pencil alive last year? I could be dying right now. I can't do it. I could choke. Literally.Sue and Lou: No luck. [Anna looks at them pleadingly. Then she asks Tak if he'll like to take the last position]Tak: I already did my nonsense. I feel like a hero. Don't take it away from me! How about Polly?Polly: I would. Really? But I have a stomachache. And a fever. Came on real sudden. [It seems as if nobody wants to take last position] [Just then, Newt raises his hand]Newt: I'll do it. [Everyone stares at Newt. Nobody has thought to ask him]Larry: I don't think so.Newt: Why not? I've had a grand kick. And I'm not afraid. [Tom and Anna exchange looks]Anna: Whaddya think?Newt: I'm little. I'm low to the ground. I have power. I've had the moves. I'm your man!Anna: In soccer, size isn't reluctant.Newt: C'mon. I can boot. And I have nerves of steel. [Tom nods in agreement]Tom: You've had the job, big guy. [Newt jumps up and down]Newt: Wow! You guys are the biggest!Nick: Hey, wait! This may be the last time anybody lets you do anything––then don't mess it up. [Anna and Tom lead Juan and the other shooters back toward the field]Tom: You guys played a grand game. If you miss your shots, run back to the circle with your head held high.Anna: That's right. You played brilliantly.Tom: Now go seize them. [The five shooters for the Big Green line up in order at the center of the field. Behind them, the five shooters for the Knights are already assembled] [Then the ref blows the whistle and the shoot-out begins] [First up is a Knight. The ref places the ball at his feet. The boy kicks, sending the ball straight toward the Big Green net. Larry lunges and tries to block the ball, but misses. The ball goes in, giving the Knights the winning edge] [Juan is up next. He looks at the ball, then at the Knights' net. Then he takes a running kick. The ball flies inside the net. The Big Green is even once again] [The next Knight destroys the ball toward Larry. It is wide, and Larry is unable to block it. The Big Green are behind again] [Kate is up next. She kicks the ball, sending it straight into the Knights' net. It is 2-2] [The third Knight walks up to the next ball and kicks. The ball goes flying high into the air. It is so high, it overshoots the net] [The Big Green fans cheer from the sidelines] [Sophia is next. She steps forward and shoots the ball into the Knights' net] [The Big Green children jump for joy. They are now ahead among one point] [The fourth Knight is one of the biggest players the children from Elma has ever seen. He looks as if he is all power. As he kicks the ball, it sails across the field so fast it can hardly be seen] [Larry dives for the ground. There is no fashion he is going to even try and stop that ball] [The score has tied again] [Now it is Nick's turn to shoot. He lines up his shot with his eyes and then kicks. His kick is even and powerful. The ball flies straight toward the net, but the Knight goalie blocks it] [The score is 3-3, and each team has one player left] [The moment of truth has arrived]Larry: Time out! Time out! [He runs to the sidelines, freaked. Jay Huffer, Jr., is the next Knight to shoot. As he approaches the ball, Larry's vision has begun to haze over. Once again, Jay Junior looks like a real knight in real armor] [Larry is certain he can't defend the goal net against that]Larry: Make somebody else do it! I'm gonna choke. I'm gonna hafta close my eyes. He looks like a monster. [Tom and Anna kneel behind Larry]Tom: We know you're frightened. But you can't run away from it. You're the best goalie the team has.Anna: If you look at him and he's a monster, become part of the nightmare. Join it. Turn yourself into a monster and fight back. [Something about what Anna said seems to make sense to Larry. He hasn't thought of turning the tables before. This he has to try. Then he heads back to his position at the net] [Jay Junior is staring right at him with a nasty look in his eyes]Larry: Join the nightmare. Fight back. [By the time Larry reaches the net, he feels like a different person. He is walking taller. His chest bursts forward, and his shoulders spread themselves wide] [Jay Junior blinks. He notices the change in Larry, as well. Suddenly, Larry takes on a different form. He is wearing armor, like a real Knight. But the armor is made of leather, like a real Terminator. And a sword is in his hand, like a real Ninja] [Jay is frightened, but he grits his teeth and kicks the ball] [The ball sails across the field. Larry sees it coming and dives into the air as if he has wings. He meets the ball in midair as it hits his chest. It is a save] [The Big Green fans go wild with emotion. Then a silence comes over the crowd. Anna and Tom brace themselves] [Little Newt has just walked up to the ball for the final kick] [Newt can feel everyone's eyes as they watch him. He knows that if he can score the point he'll win the game for Elma. He'll be a big hero. If he misses, no one will ever ask him to do anything again] [He knows he has to score] [Newt starts to kick to the left, but changes his mind at the last moment and goes right. Then, his footing gives room, and he begins to slip backward. As he falls, his kicking foot makes contact with the ball] [Newt lands on his back with a thud. He is sure that he has blown it. But as he looks up, the ball is sailing high in the air and heading straight for the Knights' goal net] [The Knights' goalie wobbles back and forth, trying to judge where the ball is going to come in. But he misjudges it] [The ball enters the net] [Newt has scored] [The Big Green has won] [The children jump all over one another, cheering in victory. The parents on the sidelines do the same. Anna and Tom go ballistic. Newt suddenly finds himself being lifted off the ground and hoisted onto the shoulders of his teammates] [Ed runs onto the field and hugs Kate. Surprised, she gives her father a grand big hug] [Across the field, Jay Huffer snarls. Then he takes one of the Knights' lances and pierces it into the soccer ball] [Anna turns to Tom]Anna: Well, sheriff, we won! You know what that means.....Tom: Warn me.Anna''': It means we've had Jay Huffer's goat![Tom isn't sure what Anna means by that. Then he sees that the children are leading Ernie the goat across the field toward Jay Huffer][And Jay Huffer leans over and gives Ernie a big kiss on the snout][Soon the original billboard with Tom and Jay is replaced by a billboard with a portrait of the children proclaiming Elma's name, home of District 34. Junior Soccer Champions of the Big Green]'' Category:1995 films