- Date:
- 1973
- Main contributors:
- Agency for Instructional Television
- Summary:
- Adrian is a new boy in the school, and an outstanding student. Frankie, who is not good at school work, increasingly resents him, and as Adrian returns to his desk after starring in a math quiz, Frankie suddenly trips him. The teacher startles Frankie by asking him a question, and his fumbling response brings derisive laughter from the class. But it's Adrian whom Frankie singles out as the one who is mocking him. At recess as Adrian wanders shyly around the playground, Frankie sneaks up on him and pins him from behind. Before anything can happen, the bell rings, and Frankie, forced to let him go, snarls, "Just wait until after school." Throughout the day Frankie continues to taunt him while Adrian tries to find an ally. At the end of the day as the students are being dismissed, Frankie plants himself beside the front door of the school to catch Adrian on his way out. But Adrian sees him there and dashes out a side door. The chase is now on, and Adrian heads for the downtown section, hoping to find someone to protect him, but instead loses his way. When Frankie catches up with him, Adrian tries to persuade him to talk out their differences, finally offering him a quarter if he will leave him alone. Frankie is in no mood to be reasonable and keeps after him, trying all the harder to pick a fight. Frankie pursues him to the edge of town, where Adrian spies an abandoned farm and runs for the barn to hide in the loft. As Frankie closes in on him, taunting him to come down and fight, Adrian looks around in panic and sees several old tools, which he imagines using as weapons. As Frankie starts up the ladder after him, Adrian jumps down and circles around below him. Impulsively, he knocks over the ladder with Frankie on it, and the boy falls hard to the ground. As be writhes in pain, pleading for mercy, Adrian gloats, "I could really hurt you now ... I could leave you here all alone." Adrian starts to speak again, but the words catch in his throat.