The ButterCream Gang

Margaret Miller:
I came to collect on that favor you owe me.

Lanny:
You owe *her* a favor?

Eldon Flowers:
That's worse than dog breath!

Scott Carpenter:
Very funny!

Pete Turner:
My aunt's alone with two little boys. I gotta go help her out. I'm a ButterCreamer, right?

Lanny:
Yeah!

Eldon Flowers:
You know it!

Pete Turner:
Besides, it's the closest I may ever get to having a real mom. And she does make spaghetti with ketchup. Now, in my last official act as President, I would like to nominate Scott to be President of the ButterCreamers in my absence.

Scott Carpenter:
Why do you want to nominate me?

Pete Turner:
All in favor say aye?

Lanny, Eldon Flowers:
Aye!

Pete Turner:
Hey, Aunt Maria.

Aunt Maria:
Well, hey, Pete. How'd you do in school today?

Pete Turner:
Fantastic. Got an A on the old history report.

Aunt Maria:
Pete, that's great. You know, if your parents were alive, they'd be so proud of you. Oh, you got a letter from Scott today. He's your friend, right?

Pete Turner:
Yeah, he's the best.

Scott Carpenter:
Hey, Mom, any mail for me?

Mrs. Carpenter:
No, nothing from Pete. Sorry, Scott.

Aunt Maria:
Do you know what this is? It's a letter from your school. You've been expelled. It says you broke into another kid's locker!

Pete Turner:
One of the other gangs set me up.

Aunt Maria:
Ever since you were arrested, you've been blaming other people.

Pete Turner:
I didn't do anything wrong this time.

Aunt Maria:
Well, what you did do was pick the wrong friends, and ever since then you've been getting into trouble!

Pete Turner:
I'll stop hanging out with them.

Aunt Maria:
You've told me that before. I asked you here because I thought you'd be a good example for my children. Now all they talk about is being in a gang like you.

Pete Turner:
I'll do better.

Aunt Maria:
Help me to the curb with this.

Pete Turner:
Where we going?

Aunt Maria:
You're catching the bus back home.

Scott Carpenter:
We're picking up some things for Mrs. Jenkins.

Mr. Graff, the store manager:
Oh, ButterCream business. Did I ever tell you boys that my great-grandfather was one of the first ButterCreamers?

Eldon Flowers:
Yes, about a thou...

Mr. Graff, the store manager:
It was in the early days of the town after a raid killed many of the young men. The reverend asked some of the boys, including my great-grandfather, to help the widows by churning their cream into butter. It was hard work. The whole town started calling those boys the ButterCream Gang, and we've had one ever since. I've seen many come and go, but I think you boys are the best I've seen yet.

Scott Carpenter:
What's this?

Margaret Miller:
It's a picture of a gang in Chicago. I'm doing an extra credit report on inner-city gangs.

Eldon Flowers:
Another report? Margaret, you already got an A. Why do you torture us?

Scott Carpenter:
They look pretty mean.

Margaret Miller:
That's because they're a real gang, not like you guys.

Eldon Flowers:
I hope Pete doesn't run into them.

Scott Carpenter:
Wow, you look different.

Pete Turner:
So do you, man, but that's cool.

Scott Carpenter:
When did you get back?

Pete Turner:
Just now. Hey, how'd you guys even know I was in town?

Scott Carpenter:
We didn't.

Eldon Flowers:
We saw your grandfather yesterday, and he spaced out when we asked how you were doing.

Lanny:
We thought something might be wrong.

Scott Carpenter:
How come you didn't write?

Mr. Graff, the store manager:
Why, Pete Turner, I almost didn't recognize you!

Pete Turner:
Actually, I've changed my name to Pete Valdez. That was my mom's name.

Mr. Graff, the store manager:
Well, Pete Valdez, I can tell you've been to the big city.

Scott Carpenter:
I think Pete stole the treats he gave Lannie and Eldon and me from Mr. Graff's store. But Pete's my best friend in the world. I really missed him while he was gone.

Mr. Carpenter:
I guess you think he joined a gang back in Chicago?

Scott Carpenter:
I don't know. But I don't want to get him into trouble. What should I do?

Mr. Carpenter:
Son, if you think this pie was stolen, you need to either return it or pay for it. If you think Pete stole it, you need to tell Mr. Graff. But before you go accussing him, you need to find out the truth. You need to ask Pete.

Pete Turner:
I picked up a lot of bad habits back in Chicago. But hanging out with you's helping. It's helping a lot.

Regina:
I heard Scott talking to Dad about Pete being in a gang, and I heard Pete say that he stole from Mr. Graff.

Margaret Miller:
So that's why he wanted to borrow my report.

Regina:
What should I do?

Margaret Miller:
Well, what you need now is more proof of what Pete's been doing. Maybe some of your friends could help you follow him.

Regina:
Why should we do that?

Margaret Miller:
Because the ButterCream Gang can't do everything.

Margaret Miller:
Pete's been picking on little kids, stealing from Mr. Graff, and Regina and her friends say they've seen him doing all sorts of different things. This is serious, Scott. I think you need to do something.

Scott Carpenter:
Well, what am I supposed to do?

Margaret Miller:
Stand up to him. You're the only one he'll listen to.

Scott Carpenter:
Okay, I'll talk to him. See you, Margaret.

Margaret Miller:
Not so fast. You still owe me that favor.

Scott Carpenter:
I thought talking to Pete was the favor.

Margaret Miller:
No, that's just the right thing to do. The favor is you have to take me to the dance. Pick me up at seven and don't be late.

Scott Carpenter:
But...

Eldon Flowers:
Hey! Pick her up at seven and don't be late!

Scott Carpenter:
Pete, the ButterCreamers had a meeting. If you don't start doing your share of the work, you're out.

Pete Turner:
Okay, I make it unanimous. There, I'm out.

Scott Carpenter:
Don't you want to talk about it?

Pete Turner:
Smarten up! This is my gang now! I don't want anything to do with your stupid club! Me and these guys, we can have anything we want just by taking it, so you, your geek girlfriend, and everybody else just better stay out of my way!

Margaret Miller:
Look, if you don't want to go to the dance with me, that's fine! I don't want you to feel obligated!

Scott Carpenter:
No, I really want to go to the dance with you.

Margaret Miller:
You do? Why?

Scott Carpenter:
Well, I've never seen you look so pretty before.

Pete Turner:
You and your two buddies over there better watch out!

Scott Carpenter:
No, you watch out!

Pete Turner:
I'm warning you!

Scott Carpenter:
You best stop what you're doing!

Pete Turner:
Who's gonna stop me? You and the two stooges? I don't think so.

Scott Carpenter:
If we have to.

Pete Turner:
Oh, big talk, Scott. I'm real scared.

Scott Carpenter:
Yeah, well, this time it's not talk.

Pete Turner:
Are you threatening me? Is that a threat?

Scott Carpenter:
No, that's a promise.

Pete Turner:
I came here to fight.

Scott Carpenter:
I think there's a better way.

Pete Turner:
Sounds to me like an excuse not to fight.

Scott Carpenter:
I'm here, aren't I? I'm not afraid of you.

Pete Turner:
Yeah, well, maybe you should be. I learned a lot back there in Chicago.

Scott Carpenter:
Maybe not enough.

Pete Turner:
What's that supposed to mean?

Scott Carpenter:
What you learned in Chicago is how to fight.

Pete Turner:
What else is there?

Scott Carpenter:
Courage.

Pete Turner:
I ain't afraid of nothing.

Scott Carpenter:
All right, then, I challenge you to spend the whole day with me tomorrow, just like we did last summer. If you've got the guts.

Scott Carpenter:
Well, you did it again.

Pete Turner:
What'd I do now?

Scott Carpenter:
Made me relax and forget all my worries.

Pete Turner:
What worries?

Scott Carpenter:
Our big championship game tomorrow. I completely forgot about it.

Pete Turner:
Except it's not like old times, is it?

Scott Carpenter:
It could be.

Pete Turner:
I don't think so.

Scott Carpenter:
Why not?

Pete Turner:
Because things change. People change.

Scott Carpenter:
They don't have to.

Pete Turner:
They already have.

Scott Carpenter:
But look at you and me now. It's just like old times, isn't it?

Pete Turner:
Except that what you're really trying to do is safe me from myself, and I already know it's too late.

Scott Carpenter:
It is not. Today proves it.

Pete Turner:
No, the only thing today proves is that we *were* friends.

Scott Carpenter:
What do you mean?

Pete Turner:
Sometimes I want so bad for things to be the way they were! But they can't!

Scott Carpenter:
But why not?

Pete Turner:
They can't! It's like you're riding your bike somewhere, and you get lost. You try to go back and figure out where you made the wrong turn, but you don't know where you made the wrong turn, and every turn you make just gets you more and more lost.

Pete Turner:
You never once asked me what happened to me in Chicago! You never once asked me!

Scott Carpenter:
What's going on? What happened?

Baseball Coach:
It's about Pete.

Mr. Turner:
I got a letter from his aunt today.

Mr. Carpenter:
I just want you to know, son, it doesn't always turn out this way.

Scott Carpenter:
What happened?

Margaret Miller:
I'm really proud of you. You did the right thing.

Scott Carpenter:
Will someone please tell me what's going on?

Mr. Carpenter:
Mr. Turner, I think we ought to have the reverend read that letter.

Baseball Coach:
[reading] "Dear Mr. Turner, I know I haven't written since last year when I told you that Pete was coming back to town to stay for the summer. I was reading the paper today when I saw his name in the article included. I guess it's pretty self-explanatory." Scott, why don't you read this?

Scott Carpenter:
[reading] "Today at two o'clock, the mayor of Chicago honored, for the first time in the city's history, a member of a gang. That gang member was Pete Turner. Mr. Turner's gang is rather unusual. Mr. Turner tells his gang, 'If you accept yourself for who you are and truly love others, a lot of good will happen.' This gang, which only a few months ago was typical of those found in the area, refuses to fight or participate in any illegal activities and instead devotes much of their time to helping and serving the community around them."

Baseball Coach:
Will we really take the time to learn to love all people? Not just our friends, but our enemies and those who hurt and abuse us? We simply cannot just offer our help and love and friendship to those people when it's convenient for us. The old Mosaic law of an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth has been replaced. It's been replaced by the concept of turning the other cheek. Will we do it with cheerful hearts?

Baseball Coach:
Someone did a golden deed. They willfully said, "I'm glad to give". And cheerfully tried to lift a load. Was that somebody you.. was that somebody you? Is our spiritual progression based on our ability to love and care for one another? I think we'd all admit that there is a direct correlation between our ability to love and care for one another, and the quality of our own lives. But to what degree do those abilities effect the quality of the lives of those around us? Will we really take the time to learn to love all, not just our friends, but our enemies? Those who hurt and misuse us. We simply cannot offer our help, love and friendship to people when it's convenient. The old mosaic law of, "An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth" has been replaced. It's been replaced by the concept of turning the other cheek. And will we do it with a cheerful heart, regardless of whether or not there's a reward in it for us? Because I can tell you this; Whether or not you see the results of your actions, they do make a difference. And absolutely no good deed goes unrewarded.

Pete Turner:
Just remember, in my neck of the woods, there are only two kinds of people, your friends and your enemies.

Scott Carpenter:
Is that a threat?

Pete Turner:
No, that's a promise.

Mr. Turner:
I'm sorry, Scott, I wish there was something I could do with him.

Scott Carpenter:
You could send him back to Chicago where he belongs!

Baseball Coach:
Did you know that India was still ruled by England until after World War Two?

Scott Carpenter:
No, Coach, I didn't know that.

Baseball Coach:
They tried to win their independence through violence over the years, but they never quite succeeded. Don't swing too early, wait for the ball. Finally a man by the name of Mahatma Gandhi convinced the people that they could win their independence without using violence. A lot of people thought he was crazy, but it turned out he was right. When somebody asked him why he was so sure that nonviolence would work, he said that the idea of an eye for an eye only made the whole world blind.

Baseball Coach:
Absolutely no good deed goes unrewarded.

Scott Carpenter:
Shouldn't doing what's right change something?

Mr. Carpenter:
Scott, you know I don't like to talk much about the war, but in Vietnam, I knew a soldier who always introduced himself by saying, 'Hi, I'm Scott Paulsen, and I'm a Christian.' Well, needless to say, we made his life miserable because of what he believed, but he never got angry at us. In fact, he was always the first one to help whenever anyone needed anything. I tried to get him to talk about it one night, but all he would say was, 'Tom, the way you treat me is between you and your god. The way I treat you is between me and mine.' Well, a few months later, Private Paulsen was killed. We were out on night patrol, and we got ambused. Twenty men down. Private Paulsen, being the man that he was, had volunteered to go, and the ironic thing about the situation was that he died saving a soldier who absolutely hated him. I just couldn't understand why he would do it. Then the war ended and life went on, and I forgot all about him until the night you were born. The first time I held you in my arms, I knew that I would give my life to protect you. And in that moment, I remembered Private Scott Paulsen.

Margaret Miller:
Two papers in one day? You are an anteater, aren't you? To what do I owe this unexpected surprise?

Scott Carpenter:
Pete. My dad made it sound so easy in his story, but in real life, it's a lot harder.

Margaret Miller:
Maybe it isn't supposed to be easy.

Scott Carpenter:
I wouldn't mind if it would make a difference, but Pete's just getting worse.

Scott Carpenter:
I know I should've told you sooner, but Pete's been stealing from your store. He had the nerve to tell me that you owed it to him for all the stuff's he done for you.

Mr. Graff, the store manager:
I thank you, Scott, for telling me. You're right, you should've me sooner, but if it makes you feel any better, I already knew.

Scott Carpenter:
You did? Why didn't you do anything about it?

Mr. Graff, the store manager:
I did. I thought about it, and I decided that a little love and patience was worth more than a few pennies.

Scott Carpenter:
But you shouldn't let him steal from you.

Mr. Graff, the store manager:
You're right. You're absolutely right. So from on, I'm just going to give him the treats, in appreciation of all the help he's given me. Then he won't be stealing.

Lanny:
I think somebody broke into Pete's house!

Scott Carpenter:
Are you sure?

Lanny:
No, but I left Eldon there to watch.

Scott Carpenter, Margaret Miller:
Eldon?

Lanny:
Could you see me sending him for help?

Scott Carpenter:
Well, that's a good point.

Lanny:
I promised him a big chocolate milkshake if he would just stay there.

Scott Carpenter:
We just saved you!

Pete Turner:
Saved me? What did you save me from? I set the whole thing up to get money to go back to Chicago!

Scott Carpenter:
I don't believe that! Why?

Pete Turner:
You ruined everything!

Pete Turner:
Give me your money, old man! Open it up, come on!

Mr. Graff, the store manager:
All right, Pete, if you need money, I'll give you some.

Pete Turner:
Don't you get it? You're being robbed here!

Mr. Graff, the store manager:
Well, I know that's what you're trying to do, Pete, but if I give you the money, then you're not robbing me. Here's two hundred and seventy-four dollars. Is that enough?

Pete Turner:
You're as crazy as Scott! This whole town's crazy!

Pete Turner:
You better back off, Scott, or I'm gonna swing you upside the head! You're not gonna touch me!

Scott Carpenter:
You're right, I'm not. I just want to know what you really want. I've done everything I know to show that I accept you for who you are. You're my friend no matter what you do. I've tried to show you that. Pete, what do you really want?

Pete Turner:
I want you to hate me!

Scott Carpenter:
Hate you? Why?

Pete Turner:
Because I hate myself!

Margaret Miller:
Guys, I've been thinking.

Scott Carpenter:
About what?

Margaret Miller:
Well, now there's a Chicago chapter of the ButterCream Gang.

Eldon Flowers:
Yeah, so?

Lanny:
I think it's cool.

Margaret Miller:
But there's another change the ButterCreamers need to make.

Scott Carpenter:
And what's that?

Margaret Miller:
I think it's time for the ButterCream Gang to have a girl member.

[repeated line]

Eldon Flowers:
You got the right one, baby!

Scott Carpenter:
You turned out to be so selfish.

Pete Turner:
What makes you think I'm being selfish?

Scott Carpenter:
You take things, and you only think of yourself.

Pete Turner:
I only take what I deserve! I spent hours helping people like Mr. Graff and never got anything in return. I've done plenty for this crummy little town, and what did I get for it? Nothing! No, Scott, I think you're the one being selfish!

Scott Carpenter:
Me?

Pete Turner:
Yeah, you! Real friends accept each other for who they are, but you're only willing to be my friend if I change. I'm not who I was, Scott, I am who I am!

Scott Carpenter:
That's garbage! You chose who you are! I'm trying to be your friend, so don't accuse me of being selfish!