The Wave

by Morton Rhue

“Honey, just remember that the popular thing is not always the right thing.”

When Ben stood up Christy thought he was going to help her, but instead he started pacing around the kitchen, deep in thought. Christy went on getting the meal ready, but she too was thinking about The Wave. There was something about it that bothered her, something about the tone of her husband’s voice when he spoke about his class—as if they were now better students than the rest of the school.

“If you turn them over you will find that some of them have been marked with a red X. If you have a red X you are to be a monitor, and you will report directly to me any members of The Wave who do not obey our rules.”

believe. As The Wave you must act together like a well-oiled machine. Through hard work and allegiance to each other, you will learn faster and accomplish more. But only if you support one another, and only if you work together and obey the rules, can you ensure the success of The Wave.”

Remember, in The Wave you are all equals. No one is more important or more popular than anyone else and no one is to be excluded from the group. Community means equality within the group.

Ben noticed a marked improvement in preparation for class and in class participation, but he also noticed that there was less thinking behind the preparation. His students could glibly spit back answers as if by rote, but there was no analysis, no questioning on their part.

Several times over the last few days he had heard Wave members discussing “orders” he had given: orders to put posters up in the halls, orders to organize The Wave movement in the lower grades, even the order to change the pep rally into a Wave rally. Except the crazy thing was, he’d never given those orders. Somehow they’d simply evolved in the students’ imaginations, and once there, they automatically assumed he’d given them.

“Because it means that nobody is better than anyone else for once,” Amy said. “Because ever since we became friends all I’ve ever done is try to compete with you and keep up with you. But now I don’t feel like I have to have a boyfriend on the football team like you. And if I don’t want to, I don’t have to get the same grades you get, Laurie. For the first time in three years I feel like I don’t have to keep up with Laurie Saunders and people will still like me.” Laurie felt chills run down her arms. “I, I, uh, always knew you felt that way,” she stammered. “I always wanted to talk to you about it.” “Don’t you know that half the parents in school say to their kids, ‘Why can’t you be like Laurie Saunders’?” Amy asked. “Come on, Laurie, the only reason you’re against The Wave is because it means you’re not a princess anymore.

“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.

But Laurie only struggled harder to get out of his grasp. “I hate you!” she cried. “I hate The Wave! I hate all of you!” The words struck David like a hard slap in the face. Almost out of control, he screamed “Shut up!” and threw her down on the grass. Her books went flying as she fell roughly to the ground.

Was it a weakness of man that made him want to ignore the darker side of his fellow human beings?

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.

Gross. Why does David get redemption?