To add to the interesting developments in his experiment was a report he'd heard that David Collins and his friends Eric and Brian had successfully infused The Wave into the school's football team. Over the years, Norm Schiller, the biology teacher who also coached the school's football team, had become so soured by wisecracks about the team's continual losses that during football season he practically went months without speaking to another teacher. But that morning in the faculty lounge Norm had actually thanked him for introducing The Wave to his students. Would wonders never cease?
On his own, Ben had tried to find out what it was that attracted students to The Wave. Some of those he asked said it was just something new and different, like any fad. Others said they liked the democracy of it — the fact that they were all equals now. It pleased Ross to hear that answer. He enjoyed thinking that he had helped break down the petty popularity contests and cliques that he felt often preoccupied too much of his students' thinking and energy. A few students even said they thought the idea of increased discipline was good for them. They had surprised Ben. Over the years, discipline had become an increasingly personal responsibility. If the students didn't do it themselves, their teachers were less and less inclined to step in. Maybe this was a mistake, Ben thought. Perhaps one of the results of his experiment would be a general rebirth of school discipline. He even daydreamed about a story in the education section of Time magazine: Discipline Returns to the Classroom: Teacher Makes Startling Discovery.
Laurie Saunders sat on a desk in the school publications office, chewing on the end of a pen. Various members of The Gordon Grapevine staff sat on desks around her, biting their nails or chewing gum. Alex Cooper was wearing his Sony radio and was bopping to the music through his earphones. Another reporter was wearing roller skates. This was The Grapevine's excuse for a weekly editorial meeting.
“Okay,” Laurie told them. “We've got the same problem as usual. The paper is due out next week, but we don't have enough stories.” Laurie looked at the girl wearing roller skates. “Jeanie, you were supposed to do a fashion story on the latest clothes. Where is it?”
“Oh, nobody's wearing anything interesting this year,” Jeanie replied. “It's always the same thing: jeans and sneakers and T-shirts.”
“Well then write about how there are no new styles this year,” Laurie said, then she turned to the reporter who was bopping to his radio. “Alex?”
Alex kept bopping. He couldn't hear her.
“Alex!” Laurie said more loudly.
Finally someone near Alex gave him a nudge. He looked up, startled. “Uh, yeah?”
Laurie rolled her eyes. “Alex, this is supposed to be an editorial meeting.”
“Really?” Alex replied.
“Okay, so where's your record review for this issue?” Laurie asked.
“Oh, uh, yeah, record review, right, uh yeah,” Alex said. “Well, uh, you see, it's a long story. Uh, like I was going to do it but, uh, remember that trip I said I had to take to Argentina?”
Laurie rolled her eyes again.
“Well, it fell through,” Alex said. “And I had to go to Hong Kong instead.”
Laurie turned to Alex's sidekick, Carl. “I suppose you had to go to Hong Kong with him,” she said sarcastically.
Carl shook his head. “No,” he replied seriously, “I made the trip to Argentina as scheduled.”
“I see,” said Laurie. She looked around at the rest of The Grapevines staff. “I suppose the rest of you have been too busy hopping around the globe to get anything written as well.”
“I went to the movies, “Jeanie said.
“Did you write a review?” Laurie asked.
“No, it was too good,” she replied.
“Too good?”
“It's no fun writing reviews of good movies,” she said.
“Yeah,” said Alex, the globe-hopping record reviewer. “It's no fun doing a review of a good movie because you can't say anything bad about it. The only time it's fun to review something is when it's bad. Then you can tear it to shreds, he, he, he.” Alex started rubbing his hands together as he went into his mad scientist routine. Alex had the best mad scientist routine in school. He also did a great imitation of a wind surfer in a hurricane.
“We need stories for the paper,” Laurie said resolutely. “Doesn't anyone have any ideas?”
“They got a new school bus,” someone said.
“Whoopee!”
“I heard that Mr Gabondi's going on sabbatical next year.”
“Maybe he won't come back.”
“Some kid in the tenth grade put his fist through a window yesterday. He was trying to prove that you could punch a hole in a window and not cut yourself.”
“Did he do it?”
“Nope, got twelve stitches.”
“Hey, wait a minute,” said Carl. “What about this Wave thing? Everyone wants to know what it is.”
“Aren't you in Ross's history class, Laurie?” another staff member asked.
“That's probably the biggest story in school right now,” said a third.
Laurie nodded. She was aware that The Wave was worth a story, and maybe a big story at that. A couple of days ago it had even occurred to her that something like The Wave was probably just what the sluggish, disorganized staff of The Grapevine itself needed. But she had set the idea aside. She couldn't even explain her decision consciously. It was just that creepy feeling she'd begun to get, the feeling that maybe they should be careful with The Wave. So far she'd seen it do some good in Mr Ross's class and David said he thought it was helping the football team. But still she was cautious.
“Well, what about it, Laurie?” someone asked.
“The Wave?” Laurie said.
“How come you haven't assigned that story to us?” Alex asked. “Or are you just saving the good ones for yourself?”
“I don't know if anyone knows enough about it to write about it yet,” Laurie said.
“What do you mean? You're in The Wave, aren't you?” Alex asked.
“Well, yes I am,” Laurie replied. “But I still ... I still don't know.”
A couple of the staff members scowled. “Well, I think The Grapevine still should have a story reporting that it exists, at least,” Carl said. “I mean, a lot of kids are wondering what it is.”
Laurie nodded. “Okay, you're right. I'll try to explain what it is. But in the meantime, I want you all to do something. Since we still have a few days before the paper has to come out. Try to find out everything you can about what kids think of The Wave.”
Ever since the night she had first discussed The Wave with her mother and father at dinner, Laurie had purposely avoided the subject at home. It didn't seem worth creating any more hassles, especially with her mother, who could find something to worry about in everything Laurie did, whether it was going out late with David, chewing on a pen, or The Wave. Laurie just hoped her mother would forget about it. But that night while she was studying in her room her mother knocked on the door. “Babe, can I come in?”
“Sure, Mom.”
The door opened and Mrs Saunders stepped in, wearing a yellow terrycloth bathrobe and slippers. The skin around her eyes looked greasy, and Laurie knew she'd been putting wrinkle cream on.