ooh, good word. i'm penny able. doug penhall. i know. i've got a thing for big fish, too. you're a police officer? no, i'm a cop. my friend, tom hanson, he's a police officer. how did you know that? these guys can never keep a secret. all right, that's it. forget my greenpeace donation this year. no, really, how did you know? he called-- told me you were a good guy. said if i didn't go out with you they would have to put you to sleep. hanson? but before we go out, there is something i want to ask you. do you have a girlfriend? me? no, the whale.

you know, honesty. no, i really don't. 'cause i'm reall tired of that. you know, dating some guy who has a whole other life. me too. i mean about dating some girl. okay, good. i know this great fish fry place. shh! not in front of the children. hi. harley?

i'm tom hanson. i know. then i guess you know why i'm here, right? more than you do. you can bet on it. you like motorcycles? yeah, i like motorcycles. yeah, me, too. i like scaring the heck out of myself you know? cool. ? yeah, i used to. back when i could pass the physical. so you're a cop, huh? yeah. you don't look like a cop. i'm not supposed to. that's why they give me this kind of assignment. you like it? being a cop? it's all right. no, i mean, getting this kind of an assignment? baby-sitting some kid

benevolent fund? i'm here because your civil rights have been violated and you're getting kicked around at school. i'm supposed to make sure it doesn't happen anymore. i've been told that someone with your... situation could die if you get too bruised or something. look, it's a condition. laverne and shirley is a situation. anyway, i hear it's a real bitch of a disease. it's hemophilia, okay? and it's a condition but it is a bitch. now, aids, on the other hand, is a disease. you've got a hell of a bedside manner. i'm a cop, not a doctor. oh? did they tell you i'm going to die, doc? everybody's going to die.

i've got about two years max. yo imind if i smoke? that, yeah. ooh. it's against the law. so what? this is going to be hard as it is. look, pal, understand something-- doesn't worry about breaking laws.

( loud knocking )

dorothy? hi, doug. dorothy pezzino? doug penhall? this is sort of... surprised? shocked. what are you doing here? waiting to be invited in. i see you're still a slob. so, this is the place. yes, i am and it is. come on, don't play games with me. you know. i just want to hear you say it... quickly. how have you been? better. have you turned into a flit? what's going on? wow, you look great.

two years, three months and 12 days. two years, three months and 11 days-- living with todd rubach. seven days. i left him last wednesday. but what do you think you're doing here? why are you so hostile? last time you called the cops on me. my pop called the cops. ( buzzer ) you got somewhere to go? this is bizarre. doug, do you have a date? no, i... yes, i do. that's great. for two years you've been living with a guy

yes, dorothy, i do. okay, fine. i can deal with that tonight but what about us? us? you promised that if i ever wanted to come back... ever... even in a million years... you promised to take me back and love me forever. dorothy: a lot. i want back. am i interrupting? yes. no. this is dorothy pen... pen... penhall-- she's my sister. girlfriend.

and to think, some people wondered what i saw in you. (protestors chanting) so does anyone else know you're a cop? that's not usually how we do it. smoking a joint in the john. thank you. i'm not here to bust kids for smoking pot in the john. just in the garage. you don't have to talk to me. i don't get paid extra. what if i tell them you're a cop? what would you do? i would thank you. then they'd have to get you a new boy.

got room for us. you don't mind, do you? come on. you've got plenty of lunch time left. where you going? i'll catch you guys after school. i'd think someone in your situation would want to be making friends instead of losing them. you think i would make friends with these guys? god forbid i kiss one of their daughters. not a chance. you're real tough-- you and james dean. this cowboy wants to die alone. look-- first, i don't want to die. second, from what i get, everyone dies alone. there's no chaperon. just you, hanson.

yeah, well... i'll let you know. i wasn't always such a horse's ass. i hope not. but dead men don't make friends easily-- especially with kids who think they'll never die. like you-- dy in here, but me. i wish they weren't so afraid to even touch me. nobody touches me anymore. not my dad-- hardly even my mom. it's the worst part. i'm giving them rubber gloves

here. i don't like chocolate. yeah, well... no one does. doug: just tell her i called. penny able. tell her doug penhall called. i know i called before. please tell her i called, okay? ( phone ringing ) penhall. we've got to talk. i've been calling all morning. you were right here. i've been calling all modorothy. do you want peas, corn or carrots?

whatever you want. doesn't matter. okay, corn. not peas? okay, peas. i thought you wanted corn. i do, but peas are fine. carrots, lizard eggs-- it doesn't matter. so now you're mad. no, i'm not. i'm... i... i think we have to talk. rn or carrots? where's your helmet? i don't wear one-- too safe. when i raced, yeah, full leathers but then the bummer virus. my mom freaked. my dad had a man-to-man with me. he said life wasn't fair, and to live every moment. then he cried.

hey... great move, dink-breath. poolish, i'd beat the crap out of you but i'm afraid i might catch something. i'll give you something. hey! both of you.

leave him alone. we're trying, man. we're going. we're gone. don't worry about it. bye, boys. you all right? you didn't get cut or nothing? hey!

hi. hello. hello again. i came to apologize. that isn't necessary. not to you, to the children. i'm sorry. you told these guys you're sorry. they accept.

i'm not a liar. relax. i only lost out on a free dinner. no big deal. i'm not a liar. it doesn't matter. it does to me. last night, that girl-- she was my girlfriend. the one you said you didn't have. i didn't. she took off. i said she could always come back. and... well, she came back. congratulations. there was nothing i could do. you could have said it's too late. maybe it isn't. you see, that's it. you guys are always afraid to make a commitment.

she came back. you don't need to explain. you'na going to let dorothy stay? yeah, i figure i owe her that much. why? because i said i would. oh, yeah, right. if it doesn't work out with dorothy... don't even... right, i won't call.

i went looking for him. he wasn't there. i know. last night he told his father and me he's decided to quit-- that he didn't see much point in it. he said, "you don't need good s.a.t. scores to get into heaven." quitting school might not be the best thing. my little boy is dying. but i guess you know that. yes, ma'am. or that's what they say. i don't mean the doctors i mean the newspapers. doctors won't tell you anything except "well, research is being done

more people will be dead from aids than from the vietnam war. this is easy to say, and maybe i have no right but there's always hope. i mean, i hope there's hope. do you know what hope is? fear. hope is all that's left harley is dying. but that's nothing new. people have been dying from this for eight years. yet, our president has never even publicly mentioned the word aids. i bet he would if his kid had it. yeah, probably. maybe then those drugs

but they're not. thank you for spending time with harley. even if he didn't tell you he likes you. i can tell. i'd really like to see him. could you, uh... tell me where he is? he asked me not to. i thought you said he liked me. he does. but you make him feel like a leper. next time, drink the milk.

don't move, don't move. is it against the law to quit school now? are you all right? yeah, never felt better in my life. i had her working there, huh?

it is. what do you want? you can check out now, hanson. don't need your protection. never really did. how did you find me? your mom. i asked her not to. hey, look, i'm sorry about the milk. unless we have sex or share the same hypodermic needle. i don't know about you. i'm not interested in either of those options. you want to give me a hand? yeah. your mom's very cool.

she had big plans for me. i had big plans for me. let's check it out. she'll hold up. want to take her for a spin? really? yeah. absolutely. one down, five up right? watch that clutch. it's a killer. thanks. ch. no problem. just watch it anyway, big shot. i've ridden before on a police motorcycle-- a harley. ooh, big deal. bigger than this. yeah. yeah. come on, i can handle it. just watch that clutch. i'm watching it already.

sure.

it's ft t out right. i'm 16, open class in my fourth race. i'm on the guy for third. he misses a down shift. bam! i tag him. some jerk won it with a bike his dad bought. i couldn't believe it.

only raced in two nationals before i got sick. three, but i finished in 14th. it was cool, though. man, it was very cool. you know, i've been thinking. what i don't understand is, if you're a hemophiliac and you can't risk getting hurt because it's a lie. you don't race motorcycles? no, i'm... not hemophiliac. you madet up? i didn't, my dad did. we got all this attention

why not just tell the truth? are you kidding? my dad? look, hanson there are three ways to get aids-- blood transfusion, needles... i don't use needles and i've never had a blood transfusion. so figure it out. your dad wasn't real cool about it, huh? he's like the anita bryant of the hardware business. and, well... i'm not. ( clears throat ) you can relax, hanson. we don't bite.

i'm glad. look, i'm really sorry you got involved in all this. it wasn't my idea. i feel bad. once we fooled them that i was a bleeder-- they figured i needed protection because there was going to be trouble. like at the other schools. got way out of hand. no. so then this whole thin. i have aids. but i'm not going to die from it. i'm going to beat it. yeah? yeah.

aids? don't let it kill you first. when you're not happy anymore take yourself out. wait, are you talking about suicid maybe. if i'm going to die, at least i'll know when. is this one your deals or is it serious? on whether you're a friend or not. know how many friends i have, hanson? one. you.

yeah, i'm your friend. which means you can't go and blab this to your boss. okay. and you won't try to stop me. nobody can stop you if you want to do it. i want to do it, all right. check it o. on my birthday. right down to the very minute. the eighth of this month, at 5:46 a.m.. that's day after tomorrow.

i'm going to fly my bike off the end of clear canyon

dorothy: who is it? doug? doug, is that you?

out. out is a big place. i'm a big boy. i was worried. listen... i think we ought to give this thing one more shot. i'm still not over you yet-- and i must not be if i'm going through all this-- and i figure maybe there's something there, you know? of course i kn. what are you doing? what does it look like i'm doing? you're taking off your clothes. and they say you're not a rocket scientist. i'm not a rocket scientist. i'm going to bed. here?

let's wait. wait? wait. wait?! just until you're sure. i'll never be sure. i don't know what to do. what should you do? punt. we could have him picked up and put into protective custody. i can't do that. he made a suicide threat to a police officer. that's a crime. only if he goes through with it. besides, i wasn't a police ofbcer when he told me

ess people with aids don't have a lot of. i gave him my word. is your word worth more than saving his life? that's the thing-- nobody can save his life, not even him. okay. is your word worth more than making it a little longer? i don't know. i believe this is what he wants to do. or-- he's just seeing how good a friend you are. i am nobody to play god with this kid. doesn't harley have the right to die when he wants to? there's only one guy who has that right. he doesn't ride motorcycles, though.

i don't have to. i figured you would turn cop-- wimp out. i didn't wimp out. it looks like you did, though. i mean about trying to stop me. you gave me your word.

and i did. if you're going to catch my lie it might as well be the right one. still friends? we were... almost. let's pretend we still are almost. so the next time you want to kill yourself don't tell me. i can't take it. hanson--

i'm glad you came. nobody else would have. i don't want to die, man. but i am. i'm sorry. would you do me a favor?

how is married life treating you? i'm not married. i'm in hell. you're just about married. what did i say?

er getting married. some girls have all the luck. there's meat loaf, mashed potatoes, peas, carrots, corn. who wants what? peas. not corn? take all three. trust me. ( phone rings ) i'll get it. judy: which one veggie would you like, captain? carrots. hello? hanson, it's for you. quite a little woman you've got there. yeah, hanson. tom, i thought you should know harley died this evening of pneumonia. i'm sorry.

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