Ghost 4 O'Clock Club

# Where do you go when you know nobody can understand you?

# When it's just too much to handle?

# What do you do when you end up somewhere you never planned to?

# Washed out, stressed out like it was shampoo

# You should stay It can change

# There's good days and bad days

# But one day down the line this time is sure to stop

-# So the only time is now, 4 o'clock

-4 o'clock.

-#

# Oh! This is my moment

# Up to the task? This is my chance to show it

# Like I could beat and defeat my opponents

# I told 'em, yo! This is my moment

# Never mind your watch, Fam, it's time for Josh

# How to be average? Oops! I forgot

# My new school celebrates all the rhymes I got

# When I'm there I'm prepared to be twice as hot

# See, today it starts and it might sound harsh

# But Elmsmere, just a blast from the past

# Got dreams and I won't let 'em squash mine

# So Hill-view? It's Josh time

# Hold up, it's the boy of the hour

# The world is my oyster, I'm poised to devour

# Got my own room now, all the time

# And if Josh is gone for good the school is mine!

# The throne is looking vacant so, yes, I'm in

# Plus Mum's away! Hey, I can spread my wings...

# Fly so high I can clear those towers

# That's right, yo, it's Nero Hour, uh!

# Wait a minute! Save a second for Dexter!

# Hard times? All those were yester...

# ..Day now I'd say I'm a whole new package

# Without Josh Carter round to do damage

# I can focus on Elmsmere and me

# Being the best we can be, so you see

# As we reach nine with a tick and a tock

# I'm ready for the test cos it's Dexter o'clock!

# Oh! This is my moment

# Up to the task? This is my chance to show it

# Like I could beat and defeat my opponents

# I told 'em, yo! This is my moment

# Oh! This is my moment

# Up to the task? This is my chance to show it

# Like I could beat and defeat my opponents

# I told 'em, yo! This is my moment. #

You're sure you've got everything?

Aw, you've got to be hoaxing me. Ash says it's an emergency.

No! No, you don't have time.

Nero! Dexter's ready!

Listen, I can still make it if I just get the late train, yeah?

Dex, just without me.

-Joshua?!

-It'll be fine.

I love you.

-Good luck, Josh.

-See you at the weekend, love!

Nero! Get a move on!

Quality's worth waiting for, Auntie.

Come on, Dex. We're going to be late.

Pow!

SHE LAUGHS

Take care of him, eh? He's been through a lot.

I'll do my best, Mrs C.

Why ain't Parkwood coming back?

MISS Parkwood has gone travelling.

One less teacher though.

Result.

Spoke too soon.

Good morning! Do you need a... RIPPING FABRIC

Nero, could you...?

My keys...

Check him out, Miss.

Joker thinks he's got some moves.

NERO BEATBOXES

Eh, yo!

All right, thanks for that.

Now, she's going to think I've got funny problems.

All part of the service.

-You made it!

-Are you OK? What's happened?

Nothing happened.

He just called us here to say goodbye.

Ash, you do realise that I've got to be at my new school?

Or did that just slip your nugget?

I dunno. Did it slip your nugget that we're your best friends

and you might never see us again?

Oi, you! Give me your biggest breakfast and no baked beans,

cos they're orange and slimy and everything orange and slimy

should totally just be banned.

Actually, we got up to a lot of cool stuff at scout camp.

Kayaking, tying knots,

telling scary stories.

I've got a scary story - word is, Elmsmere's haunted.

Oh, well that's utter drivel.

There's no such thing as ghosts.

Forget ghosts.

You want real thrills?

Stick with me.

It's Nero hour.

Are, too!

Look, I could produce any number of scientific facts...

Oh, shut up! It was all over the estate.

There were spooky lights in the windows

and sobbing echoing across the playground.

The next thing, you'll be telling us Santa lives in the girls' loo!

What's your proof he doesn't, eh, Owen?

Eh?

Tough crowd.

Maybe this place was built on a weird graveyard.

Maybe it was.

Ghosts still don't exist!

-'Sup?

-Oi! Were you saying this place is haunted?

Yeah, that's about as likely as him and me getting married.

IE, not likely.

Look, there's always a rational explanation for "hauntings".

Shadows,

drafts,

people being idiots.

Yeah... And ghosts!

This is a joke, I said, "No beans".

Now, I have to eat around all this contaminated rubbish.

How can you eat at a time like this?

This is goodbye!

What are you talking about? We're all friends on like Facebook,

Twitter, Snapchat, WhatsApp.

Yeah, my newsfeed is full of pictures of flippin' monkeys cos of you.

And you and me are going to Josh's on Saturday to eat wings

and watch kung fu.

It just feels like the end, OK.

Come on, it's only the beginning, man.

I mean we're all moving on to better things.

Or in your case, working at your dad's garage.

What about you, Isaac?

Yeah, you've been well cagey about what you're doing next.

No, I haven't. Why are you asking me all these questions?

Oh, look at the time. Right, I've got to go. See you Saturday.

I literally love him.

We did have some good times though.

The best. Do you remember when we painted

that cow on the wall in detention?

And you painted the udders.

Disgusting! They should well make cows wear bras.

And when we joined the football team?

Talking of, Mr Thorne should be here by now.

You invited Thorne?

And Byron.

OK, I think it is time to go.

-Bye, Ash.

-See you Saturday, mate.

Result!

There's only one way to find out whether this place is haunted -

camp out in the school.

-Tonight.

-Awesome idea!

Like we don't spend enough time in this fish sack already.

It'd be a laugh.

Antisocial behaviour like that is a way

of externalising painful feelings.

How are things with your parents, Nero?

Everything's fine with Mum and Dad.

They're back together like I wanted.

Yeah, in Kuwait.

And how are you FEELING about that?

Oh, I dunno.

Like you should - butt out!

This is classic acting out.

I'm studying psychology at weekends.

It's going to make me a wicked patrol leader.

SO interesting!

Look, Nero, the police and Mr Bell won't care what you're going through

if you're caught breaking into the school.

I ain't scared of Ding-Dong.

"Oh, I'm Mr Bell. I shout all the time

"to hide my lack of personality.

"When I die, I'd like to be cast in concrete and put on display,

"so all the pigeons can use me as a public toilet."

Ahem.

What?

Mr Bell.

Hey, is that a tan?

Looks like someone went abroad this summer...

That was weird.

Nah, it was a sign.

Even if I do break in here tonight,

they ain't going to touch me.

Settle down.

My name is Miss Andress.

I've been brought in to Elmsmere

as your new permanent head teacher.

Bell's out as head?

Explains why he let you off earlier.

He's yesterday's man.

Respect is our byword.

Respect for one another.

And respect for the teaching staff.

DOOR BURSTS OPEN

Find a seat, quickly. Now.

What, no "please"?

You're already late. Don't make this worse for yourself.

I'm late because my bus didn't show up.

That my fault?

Or is it the fault of the mediocre people in charge,

as always...?

-Sit down, now.

-Oh, here we go.

Barking orders at kids give you a sense of power, does it?

ALL: Ooo!

"Oh, look at me, up here on the stage,

"with my eyes bulging like they're onions on sticks.

"I'm so important my support pants are on fire."

LAUGHTER

Sit down!

What? Another "sit down"?

Is there an echo in here?

ALL: Ohh!

In all my years of teaching, I have never...

Oh, "Blah, blah, blah!"

We can all shout, love.

And I've been shouted at by way worse than you.

My office, now!

Try asking instead of telling.

-Get out!

-You first.

-I mean it.

-So do I.

Somebody remove that girl!

The girl will remove herself.

ALL: Ohh!

Who is she?

She's awesome!

Hello? Hello? Excuse me?

Dexter Harris Head of Music.

We haven't properly met.

I remember you from assembly.

And the car park. You were dancing.

I didn't really understand why.

No, I wasn't dancing.

My jacket just got caught in the car door.

I know how overwhelming first terms can be.

So, if you ever need any help with anything just...

How about I carry those books for you?

Oh, I had them all in order!

I'm really sorry.

And now they're everywhere.

Mr Bell. Have you met...?

Lizzie Baker. Science.

Crispin Bell. History.

Welcome to Elmsmere.

Mr Bell used to be Head.

Head...

Head teacher, only he...

..sort of... It was...

Mr Harris is really tremendous fun.

Last year he even managed to convince some of the students

that he'd murdered the head of school.

Enjoy your time here.

Going now.

I'm forming a dance crew this year.

Enter some competitions.

Bone-break and flex!

She's called Clem. My cousin went to middle school with her.

He says she was suspended for punching the school rabbit.

She sounds cool.

She sounds a bit like an attention-seeker.

But what is that about?

Is it a cry for help?

For connection? For...

I'm going to go say hello.

Be careful. She's like a lit firework strapped to a volcano.

How are you doing?

I'm Nero.

Nero Johnson.

Elmsmere's Public Enemy Number One.

How'd it go with Andress?

-What do you want?

-Come on, it's your first day at school.

It don't hurt to have a mate.

Andress is down on me, too, so...

-Um...

-He's so out of his league.

Impress me, bad boy.

Well, my cousin burned down his old school.

I was there, too. I'm telling you, it was harsh, man.

This is doing nothing for his self-esteem.

We've got to get him out of there.

And there is that little matter of me breaking into the school

-tonight.

-Yeah?

Yeah! We're going on a ghost hunt.

A ghost hunt?

What are you, like, five?

It's not a ghost hunt.

Well, come on, Nero.

If we don't hurry up we're not going get a good seat in Maths.

Well, I guess that's that then, Nero Johnson.

You wouldn't want to upset Dobby the House Elf, here.

This one ain't the boss of me.

SMASH! ALL: Ohh!

Detention!

Only me.

Ah, cool! Bunsen burners. I remember these!

Please, don't touch those.

I just set them up and they present a risk of fire...in the wrong hands.

Listen, I think we got off on the wrong foot.

You must think I'm a complete plank.

HE LAUGHS

How about I come by after lessons

and talk you through how things work here at Elmsmere?

I can't. I have to prepare a lesson plan on the Niels Bohr

model of the hydrogen atom.

Sounds a bit Niels Bohr-ring!

Niels Bohr made huge contributions to our foundational

understanding of atomic structure.

How is that boring? It's not boring.

It was a joke.

Sorry. I sometimes...

Never mind.

Five minutes, please?

Just give me a chance to prove that I'm not, you know, a plank.

OK. After lessons.

After lessons. See you, then.

I think I split your atom.

That's a DNA helix.

Unbelievable.

First day of term and we're already in detention.

Isaac? What you doing here?

I'm not here. Who's Isaac?

Are you the caretaker now?

No.

Maybe. If you tell Josh, I'll make you regret it.

You can't hit us. You're a member of staff.

-What?!

-Yeah.

-Nobody told me that!

-Aw.

So, Lizzie, have you heard the one about the positron and the...?

-Mr Harris.

-Yes, Miss Andress?

Tonight's detentionees.

But it's only the first day of term! I had plans tonight.

Blame Nero Johnson and his accomplices.

I'd like you to keep especially close eye on him.

Isaac, keep an eye on the 4 O'Clock Club for me?

-It'll just be a minute.

-That's not in my job description.

I just need to tell Miss Baker something. Please?

Can I take my mop?

Who are you trying impress?

Did the Ancient Egyptians try to impress anyone

when they built the triangles?

It's fun.

And what's next,

potty training?

So, who's coming with us tonight when we...

break in here?

Right. I'm in charge. Everyone shut up and don't do anything.

No! Sit down and stare into space.

And pick up these chairs.

We can't pick up the chairs

if we're sat down staring into space.

Stop making me confused!

I'm getting really stressed!

So, here's the plan.

We meet outside the back gate at ten.

Got it?

If you really insist on doing this, you leave me no choice

but to tell the proper authorities.

I can't let you do that.

Listen, I'm really sorry but I can't stay.

One moment. I just need to put these away.

LIQUID SPLOSHES

BUBBLING NOISE

What are you doing in there?!

Open this door!

I can't. I'm erm...

I was... Well, I am helping

Miss Baker tidy up but I got some chemicals on my trousers

and now I'm getting changed.

Mr Harris, open this door immediately!

Erm, I can't. I'm naked from the waist down.

-You really don't want to see that.

-What's going on?

Mr Harris has locked himself in and removed his trousers.

Open this door now, before things get worse for you!

-Detention.

-Me?

Oh, yeah!

I'm really sorry. I'll clean this up later.

Please, don't.

Who is it you really wish you were pinning beneath a chair, Nero?

Only you. Swear you'll keep your big flap shut and I'll let you go.

Hey! Hey! Get him up. Hey!

Stop doing things! Oi!

Nero! Enough!

-He's going to break into the school.

-What?

-Snitch!

-No, I'm your friend,

and I don't want you getting into trouble.

Nero?

That's your auntie.

Do you want me to tell her what you've been planning?

Hello, Mrs Carter.

Guess that's tonight out, then.

Are you really going to let a teacher tell you what to do?

I dunno about the rest of you, but I'm well up for breaking in.

To look for ghosts?

To stick it to this rotten institution.

Who's with me?

Yeah, we all are.

I think that ALL is a bit of an overstatement.

-Chickens.

-I'm still in.

In case you missed it -

you just got busted.

Right, you. Your auntie's working a shift tonight,

so you've got me baby-sitting.

-What?!

-I'm not happy about it either.

And you can bring your chair over here where I can watch you.

The rest of you, clear all this up!

-See you back here at ten?

-Sick!

# This was supposed to be that year

# When I broke out my shell here with no fear

# With no-one breathing down my neck

# No Josh, no Nathan, now to check

# Up on me like my mum or dad

# No folk who just won't understand

# I'm Nero! And I'm my own man, yep!

# Even if I'm not a grown man yet

# This was supposed to be MY year

# When I made my authority quite clear

# I never planned to Nero's dad

# But the fact that there's nobody here's so sad

# Somebody's got to take the step up

# And if no-one else can than guess what?

# I'll be the one who will keep an eye out

# On whatever prank he decides to try out

# So, it's come to this

# I can't stay!

# So, it's come to this

# I have to stay!

# So, it's come to this

# Oh, well

# Guess it's time, guess it's time now

# He can even push me to the edge

# But it won't work cos I made a pledge

# I may not have wanted the job for me

# But I'll be the best at it I can be

# If Nero Johnson thinks he's free

# To do anything, quite simp-l-y

# He better wipe that thought from existence

# Cos he won't break my resistance

# So, yes, you could say I'm bitter

# Being stuck right here with a baby-sitter

# And he's my teacher, not my old man

# So him looking after me is so sad

# Now I gotta find out a way to get shot of the

# Prison guard here cos I'm not a toddler

# Man, this ain't fair, it's a shakedown

# So I can't hold back, gotta break out! #

Nero? You awake?

I know this year hasn't been easy

but I'm here for you, if you ever want to talk.

Nero?

HE SIGHS

Well creepy.

Ooooh!

We should have a nose around the staff room.

Move the furniture around, really freak 'em out.

IN THE DISTANCE: Whoo...

Ghost...

Ghost. There. Ghost!

Greetings, oh, spirit...

Whoo!

WHOO!

Argh!!

Your face, man. Priceless.

Well terrifying.

-I thought you weren't coming?

-I write my own rules.

Oh, get the king of all rebels!

Check it.

They treat us like sub-humans,

but without us this place is useless.

Like a horse without a face.

THUD!

What was that?

Did you hear that?

If you're trying to get me back cos I scared you...

Sssh!

METAL CLATTERS

Aaah!! Ahhhhh!

It's not a ghost.

Right.

It's so not a ghost.

But we should probably check on Eli.

Ahh! Argh!!

-Shut him up.

-Eli, it's just a skeleton.

I know it's just a skeleton!

FOOTSTEPS APPROACH

It's probably just rats.

FOOTSTEPS GROW LOUDER

Really big rats.

Yeah, because enormous rats aren't scary either!

Keep it frosty. It's coming back.

LOUDER FOOTSTEPS

ALL: Argh!!

See? Nothing scary.

Relax!

What is going on?!

Mr Harris. We just wanted to see the ghost.

There are no such things as ghosts.

And even if there was, that's no excuse to break into the school!

THUD!

No such thing as ghosts, eh?!

-Argh!

-Argh!

HIGH PITCHED: Argh...

Well, at the very least we're talking suspension.

Maybe even the police.

-The police.

-Mr Bell, please.

Let's think about things before we overreact.

Hang on, double standards.

You're here after hours.

Why can't we be?

Oh, my house has a dry rot and it's taking

a little bit longer than expected to repair.

Anyway, to report this break in...

Does Miss Andress know you're sleeping in the school, sir?

That's none of your concern.

Can't see her being too happy about it.

Hate to think what would happen

if I accidentally mentioned seeing you here.

I hate to say it, Mr Bell, but he might have a point.

Well...

If anything like this happens again...

..the consequences will be dire.

Let's go. Come on!

Do you really think you should still be staying here?

You'll put me up?

Oh, that's very kind of you, Dexter.

Thanks very much. I'll just grab all my stuff.

This sticks in my throat, but you've actually got some chops.

Blackmailing a teacher. Not bad.

Just a regular day for me.

Nero!

I'll meet you at your car.

Just so you know, I'm going to be watching you from now on.

That a threat, Dex?

It's a promise.

Bring it on.

Can't wait.

-# Don't think I won't keep watching

-Keep watching!

-# Don't think I won't keep watching

-Keep watching!

-# That's right, I will keep watching!

-I don't care

-# Fine, listen

-To what?

# Don't think I won't keep watching

# If he gets out of hand, I'll have to stop things

# And I'll be darned if he's going to tarnish my record

# This is just the very task I was meant for

# Keep watching, keep watching

# I'll be the daddy and he can play the offspring

# Run as fast as he can, I'll still stop him

# And keep watching, keep watching

# Ah, keep watching, bruv, keep watching!

# It don't matter to me, I'll be gone! Zing!

# Cos I move at a pace that is shocking

# Look but don't touch, you'll get burnt like a hot drink

# Trust me, this is only the beginning

# And Dex is deluded if he thinks he's winning

# So let the games begin, I can't be contained

# Face to face, I'm a beast out of the cage!

# Keep watching, keep watching

# I'll be the daddy and he can play the offspring

# Run as fast as he can, I'll still stop him

# And keep watching, keep watching

# Ah, keep watching, bruv, keep watching!

# It don't matter to me, I'll be gone! Zing!

# Cos I move at a pace that is shocking

# Look but don't touch, you'll get burnt like a hot drink. #

Argh! LAUGHTER

Come on.

-# Can't live with 'em

-# And you can't kick 'em out

-# They rub it in your face

-# Kick you when you're down

-# When no-one understands them

-# You know what they're about

-# Always going to be around

-# Got to find a common ground

# If you know so much about me

# Where do I go from here?

-# If you see 'em every day

-# You can never get away

-# Only time that you're the boss?

-4 o'clock. #