He was also surprised to find himself disturbed by the football team's embarrassing defeat by Clarkstown. It seemed odd to him that although he didn't care the least about high school athletics, this defeat would bother him so. Was it because of The Wave? During the last week he had begun to believe that if the football team fared well it would be a strong argument for the success of The Wave.
But since when did he want The Wave to succeed? The success or failure of The Wave was not the point of the experiment. He was supposed to be interested in what his students learned from The Wave, not in The Wave itself.
There was a medicine chest in the faculty lounge, stocked with just about every brand of aspirin and non- aspirin headache remedy that had ever been invented. A friend of his had once remarked that while doctors as a group suffered from the highest incidence of suicide, teachers had to have the highest incidence of headaches. Ben shook three tablets from a bottle and headed for the door to get some water.
But just as he reached the faculty room door, Ben stopped. Outside in the hall he could hear voices — Norm Schiller's and another male voice he didn't recognize. Someone must have stopped Norm just as he was going into the faculty lounge and now he stood outside the door talking. Ben listened from inside.
“No, it wasn't worth a damn,” Schiller was saying. “Sure it got them psyched up, made ’em think they could win. But out on the field they couldn't execute. All the waves in the world don't mean a thing next to a well-executed quarterback option. There's no substitute for learning the damn game.”
“Ross really has these kids brainwashed if you ask me,” the unidentified man said. “I don't know what the hell he thinks he's up to, but I don't like it. And none of the other teachers I've talked to do either. Where does he get the right?”
“Don't ask me,” Schiller said.
The faculty room door began to open and Ben quickly backed away, pushing through a door into the small faculty bathroom that adjoined the lounge. His heart was pounding rapidly and his head hurt even more. He swallowed the three aspirins and avoided looking at himself in the mirror. Was he afraid of who he might see? A high school history teacher who had accidentally slipped into the role of a dictator?
David Collins still couldn't understand it. It didn't make sense to him why everyone hadn't joined The Wave in the first place. Then there never would have been these hassles. They all could have functioned as equals, as teammates. People were laughing and saying that The Wave didn't help the football team at all on Saturday, but what did they expect? The Wave wasn't a miracle drug. The team had known about The Wave for exactly five days before the game. What had changed was the team spirit and the team attitude.
David stood outside on the school lawn with Robert Billings and a bunch of other kids from Mr Ross's class looking at The Grapevine. Laurie's story made him feel a little sick. He hadn't heard anything about anyone threatening or hurting anyone and for all he knew, she and her staff had made it all up. An unsigned letter and a story about a sophomore he'd never heard of. Okay, he was unhappy that Laurie refused to be part of The Wave. But why couldn't she and the people like her just leave The Wave alone? Why did they have to attack it?
Robert, beside him, was getting really upset over Laurie's story. “These are all lies,” he said angrily. “She can't be allowed to say these things.”
“It's not that important,” David told him. “Nobody cares what Laurie's writing or what she has to say.”
“Are you kidding?” Robert said. “Anyone who reads this is going to get the completely wrong idea about The Wave.”
“I told her not to publish it,” Amy said.
“Hey, relax,” David said. “There's no law that says people have to believe in what we're trying to do. But if we can keep making The Wave work, they'll see. They'll see all the good things it can do.”
“Yeah, but if we don't watch out,” Eric said, “these people are going to ruin it for the rest of us. Have you heard the rumours going around today? I heard there are parents and teachers and all kinds of people in Principal Owens's office complaining. Can you believe that? At this rate no one will get a chance to see what The Wave can do.”
“Laurie Saunders is a threat,” Robert stated bluntly. “She must be stopped.”
David didn't like the sinister tone in Robert's voice. “Hey, wait—" he began to protest.
But Brian cut him off. “Don't worry, Robert, David and I can take care of Laurie, right, Dave?”
“Uh ...” David suddenly felt Brian's hand on his shoulder slowly guiding him away from the rest of the group. Robert was nodding in approval.
“Look, man,” Brian whispered. “If anyone can get Laurie to stop, you can.”
“Yeah, but I don't like Robert's attitude,” David hissed back. “It's like we must wipe out anyone who resists us. That's the exact opposite of how we should approach this.”
“Dave, listen. Robert is just a little over-enthusiastic sometimes. But you have to admit he has a point. If Laurie keeps writing stuff like this, The Wave won't have a chance. Just tell her to cool it, Dave. She'll listen to you.”
“I don't know, Brian.”
“Look, we'll wait for her after school tonight. Then you can go talk to her, okay?”
David nodded reluctantly. “I guess.”
15
Christy Ross was in a hurry to get home after choir that afternoon. Ben had disappeared from school half-way through the day, and she had a feeling she knew why. When she got home she found her husband hunched over a book on Nazi youth. “What happened to you today?” she asked.
Without looking up from his book, Ben answered irritably, “I left early. I, uh, wasn't feeling well. But I need to be alone now, Chris. I have to be prepared for tomorrow.”
“But honey, I need to talk to you,” Christy implored.
“Can't it wait?” Ben snapped. “I've got to finish this before class tomorrow.”
“No,” Christy insisted. “That's what I have to talk to you about. This Wave thing. Have you any idea what's going on at school, Ben? I mean, let's not even dwell on the fact that half my class has been skipping just to go to yours. Do you realize that this Wave of yours is disrupting the entire school? At least three teachers stopped me in the hall today to ask what the hell you're up to. And they're complaining to the principal too.”
“I know, I know. And that's because they just don't understand what I'm trying to do,” Ben answered.
“Are you serious, Ben?” his wife asked. “Did you know that the school counsellors have begun questioning students in your class? Are you sure you know what you're doing? Because, frankly, no one else in school thinks you do.”
“Don't you think I know that?” Ben replied. “I know what they're saying about me. That I'm crazy with power ... that I'm on an ego trip.”
“Have you thought that they may be right?” Christy asked. “I mean, think of your original goals. Are they still the same ones you have now?”
Ben ran his hands through his hair. He already had enough problems with The Wave. “Christy, I thought you were on my side.” But inside, he knew that she was right.
“I am on your side, Ben,” his wife answered. “But I've seen you these last few days and it's as if I don't even know you. You've become so involved in playing this role at school that you're starting to slip into it at home. I've seen you go overboard like this before, Ben. Now you've got to turn it off, honey.”
“I know. It must look to you like I've gone too far. But I can't stop now.” He shook his head wearily. “Not yet.”