A Teacher
TuesdaysA Teacher Quotes
Eric: You all right?
Chloe: I’m not gonna hook up with you. I’m… you’re way too young, and I just got out of a long-term thing. Five years. It’s been really hard.
Eric: Yeah.
Chloe: Yeah, my friends know it has. They just don’t want to hear about it. They just want to fix me, as if sex could fix me. I can’t really… I can’t really talk to them about it. I can’t really talk to anybody about it. No one understands. I don’t know, I just feel so confused. When we first were together, I was so madly in love with him. I felt sick. But he put me through the wringer, and now that I’m out of it, I can see how unhappy I was. I don’t want to feel this way anymore.
Wyatt: Claire? Claire? Talk to me. What is it, Claire?
Claire: Stop trying to help me.
Wyatt: I’m just trying to do right by you.
Claire: I can’t even look at you. This whole good man act. You know I used to go through our trash when I was a kid? I used to count the number of empties to make sure you weren’t going to die. I was 10 years old, and I would get into bed terrified, thinking, maybe I missed a cue or something, and that when I woke up, you’d be gone. What, now I’m supposed to watch you thrive? Knowing that you could beat it, you just couldn’t do it for me.
Wyatt: Claire, I wish I could go back. I would give anything to be able to…
Claire: I have spent my entire life running from you, trying to feel safe. I… I wanted to help kids that were like me and give them what… what I never got, and somehow I’ve hurt everyone, and I’ve fucked everything up, and I don’t know how to fix it, and I’m such a fucking horrible person.
Wyatt: You are gonna find a way to keep going, I promise you.
Claire: I don’t want to be here. Everybody wants me gone. I just want to be fucking gone.
Wyatt: I know. I know it feels that way, but you got to stay. You gotta stay. You gotta.
Wyatt: I’ve been thinking. Have you given any consideration to going back to Al-Anon? It used to help you. I remember before.
Claire: Well, that was to help deal with you, dad.
Wyatt: Oh, I just know I value.
Claire: Dad, I’m fine. Just stop.
Guy: I don’t think I can hit you any harder without hurting you.
Claire: Just do it. Come on.
Guy: Are you OK? Oh my god, I am so…
Claire: Why’d you stop? Come on.
Guy: No, no, no, I’m not.
Claire: Come on. That was great. Keep doing it.
Guy: You’re fucking bleeding.
Claire: I’m fine.
Guy: I don’t think I can do this. I’m really sorry. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to. Are you OK? No, like actually, are you OK?
Eric: What?
Ryan: I, uh, look, I saw the letter the school sent. The one about you being put on academic probation and about losing your scholarship.
Eric: You looked through my shit?
Ryan: It was on your desk.
Eric: Not cool, man.
Ryan: I just… I just feel like… I feel like you got this different vibe than you did at the beginning of the semester, you know.
Eric: Different vibe?
Ryan: Yeah, you know…
Eric: I’m fine. Seriously, I’m fine.
Lisa: Starting early, huh?
Claire: Yeah, sorry, I should have asked you first. It’s just been such a while since I’ve had any wine. Can I pour you a glass?
Lisa: No, maybe later. You look surprisingly good, considering.
Claire: Thanks. I just wanted to feel like myself again.
Yvette: OK, so you just fill out one of these, do an interview, our target customer’s everyone, blah, blah, blah, and after a quick background check we’ll be good.
Claire: OK, so about the background check, there may be this small misdemeanor that comes up but…
Victoria: Claire Wilson? It really is you.
Claire: Just excuse me for one minute.
Victoria: You’re out already?
Claire: I served my time, Victoria.
Victoria: Oh come on, you got to be kidding me. OK, no, no, no. This woman cannot work here. Google her. Claire Wilson, you’ll see, she’s a sexual predator.
Claire: You do know it was consensual, right? If the roles were reversed, you would be high fiving me right now.
Nate: Are you listening to yourself? He was your student.
Claire: I know, but he pursued me. He kissed me.
Nate: And you didn’t say no.
Claire: I wish I could have been the perfect little wife and popped up a bunch of babies like I was supposed to, but I wanted… I wanted to feel free. I wanted to do what I wanted for the first time in my life. Look, I get that you and dad are cool now, but you have no idea what it was like for me in that house with him. For you guys to just show up like that…
Nate: Don’t blame your fucked up childhood, all right. Take responsibility.
Claire: How have I not? I just spent six months in jail. I’m about to have five years’ probation, and I’m immortalized as a teacher slut. Is that not enough?
Nate: So, your life was boring. Who gives a shit? People kill to live boring lives, Claire. That doesn’t give you a license to do whatever you want. Do you even realize the damage that you’ve done? How much shit I get from Lisa for having you here? You jeopardized my career, and don’t even get me started on Matt; he’s barely functioning. And that kid.
Eric: I’m sorry, Claire. I am so sorry.
Claire: Eric…
Eric: This is all my fault. I convinced you to run away, and then I left like a fucking idiot.
Claire: It’s not your fault.
Eric: I mean if I hadn’t… if I hadn’t told the cops, none of this would have happened.
Claire: It’s not your fault.
Eric: All I can think about is just you being in jail because of me.
Claire: No, I’m the one who… I just wanted someone else to know how happy we were. We were happy, right?
Eric: Yeah. Yeah, Claire, are you kidding me? Last year with you was… being with you… it was… it was everything. I can’t do anything without you. I can’t eat. I can’t sleep. I can’t go to class. I’m… without you, I’m alone. I need you.
Claire: What we had was an escape. It wasn’t love. Look at what it’s doing to us. I’ve tried to convince myself that it’s OK, but it’s not.
Eric: No.
Claire: You need to leave.
Eric: No, you can’t. Come on.
Claire: This is violating my probation. You need to go.
Eric: Claire, please.
Claire: You should have told me you were bringing dad. It was a complete ambush.
Nate: I mean, he just wanted to help out his daughter. I didn’t see what was the big deal.
Claire: How long have you guys been talking?
Nate: Ever since Lisa went back full-time, he’s been helping out with the kids. It’s been nice.
Claire: Until it’s not.
Nate: Well, he’s been sober almost seven years.
Chris: You’re not gonna sit here man and fucking smoke my weed and drink my booze without telling me about banging your teacher, man.
Eric: What?
Cody: You didn’t think I wasn’t gonna tell them that a fucking legend was pledging?
Chris: Let me get this straight, you nailed a hot…
Cody: The hottest.
Chris: The fucking hottest teacher while you were her student?
Ryan: You hooked up with your teacher?
Chris: Yes, bro, like multiple times and then sent her ass to jail like a fucking savage.
Ryan: Holy shit.
Girl: No, no, I feel like an asshole. Like, I told my therapist about it, and she said we can build intimacy without even having sex, like eye contact or cuddling. You must have such a weird relationship with sex.
Eric: No, no, I don’t.
Girl: No, I mean, you’re a survivor and stuff, and I’m a feminist, and I think I should be an ally to all survivors. So, I want you to know that I’m here for you. So, whatever you need, and however you want to feel comfortable and safe, that’s what we’re gonna do, so, you’re safe with me.
Eric: Thank you, but I don’t need to go slow, though. I’m good.
Girl: OK, but I want to go slow, though.
Eric: But we already had sex.
Girl: I know, but now I want to go slow.
Eric: So, why the hell am I here?
Girl: Because you texted me.
Eric: Yeah, I texted you, ‘you up?’ That means let’s fuck, not whatever bullshit this is.
