An idealistic, straight-edge teacher is drawn down a horrid rabbit hole by an honors student when he gives him a B+ on a paper.
Plot Synopsis:
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Passionate high school English teacher Mr. Butler (Owen Dagget) speaks to his class about their most recent reading assignment while his students pay little to no attention and have no answers to any of his questions. Butler meets with Science teacher Mr. Sheldon (Randall Park) and they discuss how uninterested the students seem to learn. Butler then goes home to his wife Rachel Butler (Alycia Delmore) and infant son. Rachel, a stay at home mom, suggests she goes back to work. Butler replies she won't have to as he has a good shot at promoting to a professorship. He stays up late that night attempting to fill out the application for the professorship but fails to write anything.The next day Mr. Butler walks into his classroom only to be startled by the only student there, brilliant transfer student, Lucas Ward (Dylan Sprouse). Lucas presents Mr. Butler with all of the previous assignments he has missed thus far, explaining he contacted a student to get the syllabus to do so. Lucas impresses Mr. Butler with his preparedness and intelligence, even going as far as to present him with a red glass apple and explaining the origins of gifting teacher's apples. The rest of the class fall into class and Lucas introduces himself, interrupted by a student mocking him. Lucas sits next to Rebecca (Rae Gray) and thanks her for giving him the syllabus. She asks him to lunch. Mr. Butler again asks his students questions on the reading, this time Lucas answers with a brilliant answer.Lucas and Rebecca Have lunch on the roof of the school. Discussing how small minded the town in, Rebecca states that Lucas is kind of weird, but before he can get offended she states that it is a compliment and that "weird is good".Mr. Butler is teaching his chess club when Lucas walks in. Mr. Butler and Lucas begin to play speed chess while discussing Lucas's past. Lucas explains that his father is a criminal defense attorney and that his mother died a long time ago. He goes on to state that his father doesn't have a lot of time off work and that he taught himself chess. He states he wants to go to Harvard and that "there's no use in doing anything, unless you can be the very best at it". Lucas checkmates Mr. Butler, and Mr. Butler offers him a spot on the chest team.Mr. Butler goes home to his wife and discusses how brilliant Lucas is and how he thinks he should mentor him. His wife is happy at how excited he is about school. Mr. Butler goes to his home office and again tries to fill out the application to no success.Lucas is at home completing his English paper on an old fashion type writer. In English class, Lucas notices two students talking which begins to really distract and annoy him. He stops Chris after class and politely yet oddly asks him not to speak during class. Chris gets offensive and tells him he won't shut up. Lucas becomes angry and says "maybe I should stab my pen through your windpipe and staple your tongue to the roof of your mouth". Chris becomes quiets and they depart. The next class Chris refuses to talk to other students in fear of Lucas. As all the student turn in their English papers, Lucas puts his on the pile and it is hard covered and resembles a dissertation which amazes Mr. Butler.At chess club Lucas defeats another member Alex, however with seniority Alex still is awarded first seed for chess tournament which angers Lucas. While partnered with Alex in science class, Lucas purposefully mixes a chemical with a mineral while Alex is looking through a microscope causing an explosion and Alex becoming injured. Mr.Sheldon is terminated because of the incident. Mr. Butler talks to Lucas about the incident and Lucas's answered seems unconcerned with Alex and only for becoming first seed in the tournament.Mr. Butler goes home and reads Lucas's paper grading it as a B+ paper. When Lucas receives his paper he is distraught. He argues with Mr. Butler about the grade and content of his paper. He also defends the villain of the paper saying that although he lies he never lies to himself. Mr. Butler refused to raise his grade and Lucas storms off.Lucas then watches Mr. Butler arrive home from his car parked across the street. That night butler completed his application. The next morning, butler's car tires are flat so he rides to work on his bike again. He gets to school and all his white board markers fail to work. At lunch he goes to eat his lunch and cannot find it in the refrigerator. The packages his application ready for mail.Lucas speaks to Rebecca on the roof about Mr. Butler. Lucas convinces Rebecca that butler's home life is a mess and that Mr. Butler likes her, even giving her pointers on how to catch his attention. Becca then goes up to butler after the next English class and tries to flirt with Mr. Butler and leaves him uncomfortable. Mr. Butler meets with a woman about his application and finds out it has been rejected. She reads him his application essay and it is filled with egotistical rude comments. Butler looks over the sabotaged application and notices it uses the same language as Lucas English paper.Mr. Butler speaks with Lucas after class, asking him frankly if has has been sabotaging him and his application. Lucas denies it but indicated he did. Butler asks what will happen if he doesn't give Lucas the A on his paper, to which Lucas replies that it's more interesting when the stakes are higher and someone might lose everything. Butler speaks to the principal about Lucas explaining that has odd and threatening him. The principal disagrees and states that he can speak to Lucas's father if he wishes.Butler meets with Lucas father and discovers the house to be a cluttered mess, and his father isn't the successful lawyer Lucas claimed. His father defends Lucas and shouts at him to leave calling him Mr. Garret instead of Butler. Butler leaves and calls Lucas's old school asking for Mr. Garret. Lucas calls Butler's wife to ask about Butler being sick and butler's wife explains he's not sick, informing Lucas that butler was not at school for another reason. Butler gets a call from the Garret and he tries to leave arguing with his wife about it. When Lucas home to a drunk father he immediately notices that someone was in the house earlier.Butler and Garret meet at a diner and Garrett explains that he taught Lucas in history and Lucas has twisted thought on people and perfection. He also tell butler about how he shot a video of Garret and his old high school friend engaging in homosexual behavior through a window in his house. He states that Lucas then brought the video to him and demanded he raise his grade or he'd leak the tape. Garrett admits that he gave him the raised his grade but it affected him negatively after. Garett also states that he found out Lucas paid garrets old high school friend to come and entice Garett. He also states that Lucas is a psychopath.Lucas receives his report card and finds that Butler gave his an F in the class. This enrages Lucas to the point that he destroys his room in a fit. Butler is relieved to notice that Lucas isn't at school the next day. Rebecca meets Mr. Butler in his class late, and again tries to flirt even calling him by his first name and cornering him. It is shown that Lucas has planted a camera in the room in hopes to record Butler engaging with a student. Becca calls Lucas confused as to why she was rejected and they agree to meet on the roof, all the while Lucas still trying to convince her butler wants her and that Rebecca should write him a love letter and he tells her what to write.The principal and a police officer meet with Butler and explain that Rebecca jumped off the school roof the night prior and died. Butler argues that Lucas is behind this and he killed Rebecca. The principal fires Butler as a result. Butler goes home to find his wife upset and that he's not welcome home anymore. The principal and police officer talk to Lucas about the situation and he plays to be distraught and the principal promises Lucas that she will change his grade to an A.Butler waits for Lucas to leave the house then confronts Lucas's father. Butler storms in the door and starts refiling though Lucas's room. He finds the camera with the evidence and tells Lucas's dad that they both know Rebecca didn't just die and his father knows what Lucas is. Lucas is called to the principal's office and is shown the video of him setting up the camera on Mr. Butler and Rebecca. The officer explains he's reopening Rebecca's case, that Lucas is expelled, a restraining order has been issued for him to stay away from Mr. Butler.Lucas goes home to find his father drinking, having taken bottles of pills, and watching videos of a young Lucas trying to teach himself emotions. His father explains that he won't do it anymore and begins to drift away. At home Mr. Butler takes a shower and while Mrs. Butler is making a bottle for the baby Lucas sneaks in and Mrs. Butler turns to find Lucas stroking the baby. Mr. Butler comes back from the shower to find signs of a struggles and Mrs. Butler strangled to death on the kitchen floor. Next to her body is a baby blanket with a king chest piece inside. Butler drives to the school to find a distraught Lucas and the baby in the classroom. Lucas threatens to stab the baby and forces Butler to sit down. A struggle ensues in which butler is stabbed, and Lucas is being chocked. This is broken up by the police office who then arrests Lucas. Mr. Butler walks away with his baby as the film ends.
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