The next morning in Principal Owens s office, Ben had to pull his handkerchief out of his pocket and pat the perspiration off his forehead. Across the desk, Principal Owens had just slammed his fist down. "Damn it, Ben! I don't care about your experiment. I've got teachers complaining, I've got parents calling me every five minutes wanting to know what the hell's going on here, what the hell are we doing with their kids. You think I can tell them it's an experiment? My God, man, you know that boy who was roughed up last week? His rabbi was here yesterday. The man spent two years in Auschwitz. Do you think he gives a damn about your experiment?"
Ben sat up in his chair. "Principal Owens, I understand the pressure you're under. I know that The Wave went too far. I..." Ben took a deep breath. "I realize now that I made a mistake. A history class is not a science lab. You can't experiment with human beings. Especially high school students who aren't aware that they're part of an experiment. But for a moment let's forget that it was a mistake, that it went too far. Lets look at it right now. Right now there are two hundred students here who think The Wave is great. I can still teach them a lesson. All I need is the rest of the day, and I can teach them a lesson they will never forget."
Principal Owens looked at him sceptically. "And what do you expect me to tell their parents and the other teachers in the meantime?"
Ben patted his forehead with his handkerchief again. He knew he was taking a gamble, but what choice did he have? He had got them into this and he had to get them out. "Tell them that I promise it will all be over by tonight."
Principal Owens arched an eyebrow. "And exactly how do you intend to do that?"
It didn't take Ben long to outline his plan. Across the desk, Principal Owens tapped out his pipe and considered it. A long and uncomfortable silence followed. Finally he said, "Ben, I'm going to be absolutely straight with you. This Wave thing has made Gordon High look very bad, and I'm very unhappy about it. I'll let you have today. But I have to warn you: if it doesn't work, I'm going to have to ask you for your resignation."
Ben nodded. "I understand," he said.
Principal Owens stood and offered his hand. "I hope you can make this work, Ben," he said solemnly. "You're a fine teacher and we'd hate to lose you."
Outside in the hall Ben had no time to dwell on Principal Owens's words. He had to find Alex Cooper and Carl Block, and he had to work fast.
In history class that day Ben waited until the students had come to attention. Then he said, "I have a special announcement about The Wave. At five o'clock today there will be a rally in the auditorium — for Wave members only."
David smiled to himself and winked at Laurie.
"The reason for the rally is the following," Mr Ross continued. "The Wave is not just a classroom experiment. It's much, much more than that. Unknown to you, starting last week, all across the country teachers like myself have been recruiting and training a youth brigade to show the rest of the nation how to achieve a better society.
"As you know, this country has just gone through a decade in which steady double-digit inflation has severely weakened the economy," Mr Ross continued. "Unemployment has run chronically high, and the crime rate has been worse than any time in memory. Never before has the morale of the United States been so low. Unless this trend is stopped, a growing number of people, including the founders of The Wave, believe that our country is doomed."
David was no longer smiling. This was not what he had expected to hear. Mr Ross didn't seem to be ending The Wave at all. If anything, he seemed to be going more deeply into it than ever!
"We must prove that through discipline, community, and action we can turn this country around," Ross told the class. "Look what we have accomplished in this school alone in just a few days. If we can change things here, we can change things everywhere."
Laurie gave David a frightened look. Mr Ross went on: "In factories, hospitals, universities — in all institutions —"
David jumped out of his chair in protest. "Mr Ross, Mr Ross!"
"Sit down, David!" Mr Ross ordered.
"But, Mr Ross, you said —"
Ben cut him off urgently. "I said, sit down, David. Don't interrupt me."
David returned to his seat, unable to believe his ears as Mr Ross continued: "Now listen carefully. During the rally the founder and national leader of The Wave will appear on cable television to announce the formation of a National Wave Youth Movement!"
All around them students started cheering. It was too much for Laurie and David. Both rose to their feet, this time to face the class.
"Wait, wait," David pleaded with them. "Don't listen to him. Don't listen. He's lying."
"Can't you see what he's doing?" Laurie said emotionally. "Can't any of you think for yourselves any more?"
But the room only grew quiet as the class glared at them.
Ross knew he had to act quickly, before Laurie and David revealed too much. He realized he had made an error. He had asked Laurie and I )avid to trust him, and he had not expected them to disobey. But instantly it made sense to him that they would. He snapped his fingers. "Robert, I want you to take over the class until I return from escorting David and Laurie to the principal's office."
"Mr Ross, yes!"
Mr Ross quickly walked to the classroom door and held it open for Laurie and David.
Outside in the hall, David and Laurie walked slowly towards the principal's office, followed by Mr Ross. In the background they could hear steady, loud chants emanating from Mr Ross's room: "Strength Through Discipline! Strength Through Community! Strength Through Action!"
"Mr Ross, you lied to us last night," David said bitterly.
"No, I didn't, David. But I told you, you would have to trust me," Mr Ross replied.
"Why should we?" Laurie asked. "You were the one who started The Wave in the first place."
The point was a good one. Ben could think of no reason why they should trust him. He only knew that they should. He hoped that by evening they would understand.
David and Laurie spent most of the afternoon waiting outside Principal Owens's office to see him. They were miserable and depressed, certain that Mr Ross had tricked them into co-operating with him so that they could not prevent what now appeared to be the final hours before The Wave movement at Gordon High joined the national Wave movement, which had been growing simultaneously at high schools all over the country.
Even Principal Owens seemed unsympathetic when he finally got around to seeing them. On his desk was a brief report from Mr Ross, and although neither of them could see what it said, it was obvious that it must have stated that Laurie and David had disrupted the class. Both of them pleaded with the principal to stop The Wave and the five o'clock rally, but Principal Owens only insisted that everything would be all right.
Finally he told them to go back to their classes. David and Laurie were incredulous. Here they were trying to prevent the worst thing they'd ever seen happen in school and Principal Owens seemed to be oblivious.
Out in the hall, David threw his books into his locker and slammed the door shut. "Forget it," he told Laurie angrily. "I'm not hanging around here any more today. I'm splitting."
"Just wait for me to put my books away," Laurie told him. "I'll join you."
A few minutes later, as they walked down the path away from school, Laurie sensed that David was getting depressed. "I can't believe how dumb I was, Laurie," he kept saying. "I can't believe I really fell for it."
Laurie squeezed his hand. "You weren't dumb, David. You were idealistic. I mean, there were good things about The Wave. It couldn't be all bad, or no one would have joined in the first place. It's just that they don't see what's bad about it. They think it makes everyone equal, but they don't understand that it robs you of your right to be independent."
"Laurie, is it possible that we're wrong about The Wave?" David asked.
"No, David, we're right," Laurie answered.
"Then why doesn't anybody else see it?" he asked.
"I don't know. It's like they're all in a trance. They just won't listen any more."
David nodded hopelessly.
It was still early and they decided to walk to a park near by. Neither wanted to go home yet. David wasn't sure what to think of The Wave or Mr Ross. Laurie still believed it was a fad that the kids would ultimately get bored with, no matter who organized it or where. What frightened her was what the kids in The Wave might do before they grew tired of it.
"I feel alone all of a sudden," David said as they walked through the trees in the park. "It's like all my friends are part of a crazy movement and I'm an outcast just because I refuse to be exactly like them."
Laurie knew exactly how he felt, because she felt it too. She moved close to him and he put his arm around her. Laurie felt closer to David than ever. Wasn't it odd how going through something bad like this could bring them closer? She thought back to the night before, how David had forgotten entirely about The Wave the second he'd realized he'd hurt her. Suddenly she hugged him hard.
"What?" David was surprised.
"Oh, uh, nothing," she said.
"Hmmm." David looked away.
Laurie felt her mind drifting back to The Wave. She tried to imagine the school auditorium that afternoon, filled with Wave members. And some leader somewhere speaking to them over the television. What would he tell them? To burn books? To force all non-Wave members to wear armbands? It seemed so utterly crazy that anything like this could happen. So... suddenly Laurie remembered something. "David," she said, "do you remember the day this all started?"
"The day Mr Ross taught us the first motto?" David asked.
"No, David, the day before that — the day we saw that movie about the Nazi concentration camps. The day I was so upset. Remember? No one could understand how all the other Germans could have ignored what the Nazis were doing and pretended they didn't know."
"Yeah?" David said.
Laurie looked up at him. "David, do you remember what you said to me at lunch that afternoon?"
David tried to recall for a moment, hut then shook his head.
"You told me it could never happen again."
David looked at her for a second. He felt himself smiling ironically. "You know something?" he said. "Even with the meeting with that national leader at the rally this afternoon — even though I was part of it, I still can't believe it's happening. It's so insane."
"I was just thinking the same thing," Laurie said. Then an idea struck her. "David, let's go back to school."
"Why?"
"I want to see him," she said. "I want to see this leader. I swear, I won't believe this is really happening until I see it for myself."
"But Mr Ross said it was for Wave members only."
"What do you care?" Laurie asked him.
David shrugged. "I don't know, Laurie. I don't know if I want to go back. I feel like ... like The Wave got me once and if I go back it might get me again."
"No way," Laurie laughed.