[00:00.151]Thomas
[00:00.305]And so i started writing. Anything and everything got put on paper.
[00:05.685]A one-sentence preface...
[00:06.864]
[00:07.077]Alvin
[00:07.219]From a book i gave you.
[00:08.076]
[00:08.238]Thomas
[00:08.370]... Nudged me into a "neat career" as...
[00:09.962](he tears the page from the book.)
[00:11.041]
[00:13.432]This isn't about me.
[00:14.351]
[00:14.654]Alvin
[00:14.819]Isn't it?
[00:15.512](thomas writes.)
[00:15.670]Thomas
[00:16.132]We are gathered to honor the life of alvin kelby.
[00:20.348]Write what you know tom.
[00:22.830]Write what you know.
[00:24.438](alvin selects another story and reads.)
[00:25.011]
[00:25.406]Alvin
[00:25.611]A stupid squashable bug.
[00:28.090]A story about alvin and thomas.
[00:29.642]
[00:29.841]Thomas
[00:30.011]One afternoon, when i was fourteen,
[00:33.062]I borrowed one of the magazines my father kept hidden in his nightstand.
[00:37.837]I found alvin at the bridge by the falls staring intently at a butterfly.
[00:42.405](alvin steps into the past.)
[00:43.019]
[00:43.196]Alvin
[00:43.375]Tom. Watch this. They say that every time this butterfly flaps
[00:47.462]It causes a tiny ripple in the air that can spread out and grow and change wind currents and
[00:54.630]Weather patterns. They call it the butterfly effect. One flap could cause a blizzard in africa.
[01:01.841]
[01:02.150]Thomas
[01:02.757]To any other fourteen-year-old, alvin was a freak.
[01:05.992]Alvin
[01:06.267]I prefer the term "individual". Watch.
[01:10.712](thomas joins alvin. They watch the butterfly for a very long time. Nothing happens.)
[01:11.867]
[01:24.055]Thomas
[01:24.246]This is ridiculous.
[01:25.676]Al, we’re starting high school in the fall
[01:28.454]And you don’t seem prepared for that at all.
[01:31.326]When everything is different
[01:33.226]And the kids are mostly new.
[01:34.963]You’ll see high school can be hard
[01:37.080]On ‘individuals’ like you.
[01:39.599]
[01:39.818]Alvin
[01:39.982]Whoa. It's flapping.
[01:42.656]
[01:42.996]Thomas
[01:43.157]It’s a bug. A stupid, squashable bug.
[01:48.431]
[01:49.311]Thomas
[01:49.643]Look at this magazine, alvin.
[01:51.808]See what regular guys are obsessed with.
[01:55.079]You’re chasing insects
[01:56.305]While you could be learning
[01:57.421]What miss april tattooed her giant breast with.
[01:59.894](thomas shows alvin the cover of the magazine.)
[02:00.091]Alvin
[02:00.374]Get that out of my face.
[02:01.453]Thomas
[02:01.628]Being eccentric was fine
[02:03.178]When it was just junior high.
[02:06.521]If you want to fit in at high school, al,
[02:08.928]Be normal.
[02:10.769]Just try.
[02:12.128](thomas opens the magazine.)
[02:12.887]Miss april... Likes action movies, stock car racing, and soup.
[02:17.125]You like soup.
[02:18.692]
[02:18.964]Alvin
[02:19.137]She looks uncomfortable. Crap. Where’d the butterfly go?
[02:23.512]
[02:23.802]Thomas
[02:24.000]You’re gonna need to be different alvin.
[02:26.434]You gotta draw less attention.
[02:28.973]It’s better to just be like one of the crowd
[02:31.133]Than a dweeb who dropped in
[02:32.625]From the fifth dimension.
[02:33.841](alvin sees the butterfly.)
[02:34.088]Alvin
[02:34.421]There you are.
[02:35.545]Thomas
[02:35.689]Wouldn’t you like to be more
[02:37.088]Than just ‘that weird kelby kid’?
[02:40.165]You could fly under the radar, al
[02:42.853]Be normal.
[02:43.976]Alvin
[02:44.126]Shhhhh!
[02:44.952]Thomas
[02:45.136]No more playing with bugs, alvin.
[02:47.736]No more wearing your dead mother’s robe.
[02:51.396]There are bullies and thugs, alvin.
[02:53.659]Every one a potential alvin-o-phobe.
[02:57.097](the butterfly flaps.)
[02:57.370]Alvin
[02:57.642]Whoa!
[02:58.821]Thomas
[02:59.016]The tiniest transgression,
[03:00.873]Like to stick out or rebel,
[03:03.336]Will destroy their first impression
[03:05.840]And turn high school into hell.
[03:08.205]Al!
[03:08.961]Alvin
[03:09.112]Sh!
[03:09.885]Thomas
[03:10.062]I threw miss april at the butterfly.
[03:12.006](thomas does so. The butterfly flies away.)
[03:12.161]Alvin
[03:12.480]No! It’s flapping. It’s flapping. It’s flapping a lot. Oh my god.
[03:16.209]There’s no telling what chain of events you just set into motion.
[03:18.595]Thomas
[03:18.725]Nothing's gonna happen!
[03:19.667]Alvin
[03:19.808]Don’t move. If a stupid, squashable bug can have that kind of power, what about us?
[03:26.602]Thomas
[03:26.822]Alvin moved his finger.
[03:29.024]Alvin
[03:29.188]What do you think that did?
[03:30.179]Thomas
[03:30.338]And then his hand.
[03:31.412]Alvin
[03:31.566]Or that?
[03:32.238]Thomas
[03:32.378]And then his whole arm.
[03:33.494]Alvin
[03:33.646]Or that?
[03:34.314]Thomas
[03:34.445]Until he was flapping around like some crazed pterodactyl.
[03:38.573]Alvin
[03:38.714]Woo hoo! Look at me tom. I’m changing the weather. I’m redirecting the jet stream.
[03:44.977]I’m melting the polar ice caps.
[03:47.439]Thomas
[03:47.627]Nothing is changing! You look like an idiot!
[03:51.806]
[03:52.137]Nobody said it was easy, alvin
[03:54.725]Nobody said it was pretty.
[03:57.246]And hearing this stuff from a friend may be hard,
[03:59.357]But not knowing at all would be twice as shitty.
[04:03.812]You’ll get through high school unnoticed
[04:05.556]Then you’ll thank me, you’ll see.
[04:09.701]So don’t be the guy who bucks every trend
[04:12.362]
[04:12.557]Alvin
[04:12.710]Give me that magazine.
[04:13.580](alvin picks up the magazine and examines it closely.)
[04:13.730]Thomas
[04:14.244]Who i have to justify and defend.
[04:17.573]Alvin
[04:17.755]I didn’t see that before.
[04:20.141]Thomas
[04:20.275]If you want to keep being my best friend
[04:22.672]Be normal...
[04:25.500](alvin plucks something from the cover.)
[04:25.670]Alvin
[04:26.183]A caterpillar.
[04:26.994]Thomas
[04:27.217]... Like...
[04:27.673](thomas selects a story and alvin falls to the ground writhing in pain.)
[04:27.801]Alvin
[04:28.077]Tom!
[04:29.245]Thomas
[04:29.421]Bullies and thugs.
[04:30.362]Alvin
[04:30.507]Tom!
[04:31.044]Thomas
[04:31.189]A story about alvin kelby.
[04:32.400]Alvin
[04:32.548]Tom!
[04:33.139]Thomas
[04:33.283]For our tenth grade halloween party,
[04:34.806]Alvin came to school dressed as his mother’s ghost again.
[04:37.284]Bathrobe and all.
[04:38.369]Alvin
[04:38.493]Tom!
[04:39.110]Thomas
[04:39.258]What was cute at six was just weird at fifteen.
[04:41.046]Alvin
[04:41.347]Tom!
[04:42.017]Thomas
[04:42.153]Donnie carter chased alvin all the way to the bridge and, by the time i got there,
[04:45.448]Had him pinned to the ground and was pummeling him mercilessly.
[04:48.298]Alvin
[04:48.453]Tom!
[04:48.937]Thomas
[04:49.078]Get off him!
[04:49.695]Alvin
[04:49.829]Tom!
[04:50.399]Thomas
[04:50.541]I said get off him now!
[04:52.245](thomas helps alvin to his feet.)
[04:52.404]Alvin
[04:52.781]He’s got my robe, tom.
[04:53.830]Thomas
[04:54.031]Give him the robe, donnie.
[04:55.000]Alvin
[04:55.144]Please give it back.
[04:55.740]Thomas
[04:55.889]Give it back now.
[04:56.556]Alvin
[04:56.727]No. Don’t do that. No no no. Please. Please. Don’t!
[04:58.716]Thomas
[04:59.039]Donnie threw the robe over the side of the bridge and ran away.
[05:05.138]We watched it disappear over the falls.
[05:07.697]
[05:11.969]But seriously al, what were you thinking?