- Laurie isn't sure she wants to go to the Wave rally in the gym. The anonymous letter just added to her growing feeling that The Wave is something to be afraid of.
- Suddenly, she hears loud noises. When she looks out the window, she sees Brian Ammon fighting with another guy, and a crowd of students are standing around them.
- A teacher manages to separate them and takes them toward principal's office. Laurie can hear Brian yelling The Wave mottos as he walks. Uh oh.
- David comes up behind Laurie, surprising her. He says that the guy Brian was fighting is Deutsch, the one from the football team who wants Brian's position. (Yeah, we saw that one coming.)
- Laurie wants to know why Brian was shouting The Wave motto – kind of peculiar, she thinks. But David says that they are all just really excited about The Wave. No big deal.
- He also says that if Deutsch were in The Wave, he wouldn't be trying to steal Brian's position: he'd been acting like part of the community instead. Then David takes it one step further: he wishes that non-Wave people would be kicked off the football team. Wow.
- Laurie has had enough: she tells David that she's not going to the rally.
- Not surprisingly, David is really peeved: he wants her to be serious about The Wave.
- Then there's some more arguing:
- Laurie: "I can't believe how crazy this has gotten. The Wave is taking over everything" (12.24).
- David: "The Wave makes sense, Laurie. Everybody's on the same team. Everybody's equal for once" (12.25).
- You get the drift. Finally, Laurie makes a sarcastic remark and David flips out. He accuses her of not liking The Wave because it has stripped her of her popularity. Now she's just like everybody else. Ouch.
- Laurie denies this and then spits out a super solid comeback: she calls him "stupid" (12.32).
- He tells her that if she feels that way, she should go find herself a smarter boyfriend. (Ouch, dis!) Then he walks away and goes to the rally.
- Hmmm, that didn't go so well.
- Laurie hides out in the publication office during the rally, trying to figure out what she can do about The Wave situation. Soon Alex and Carl join her: Carl didn't go to the rally, and Alex snuck out early.
- Neither of them is even slightly interested in being part of The Wave. They tell Laurie they need to publish something on The Wave. And fast. (Go free speech!)
- Laurie asks Carl and Alex to tell the members of the staff who aren't in The Wave to meet at her house on Sunday for an emergency editorial session.
- Laurie stays in her room by herself that night. She and David had a date, but he didn't show up. They have had fights before, sure, but he's never stood her up. This is serious stuff.
- Ugh, she can't believe that The Wave actually broke up their relationship.
- Laurie is crying when her dad knocks on her door. She wipes her eyes and lets him in.
- Now it's her dad's turn to talk to her about The Wave: he's really worried because a boy was beat up after school today.
- Laurie says it was probably somebody who refused to join The Wave, but her dad explains that it's not so simple. The boy who was beaten is a Jewish boy.
- Laurie is shocked. She explains that the whole thing started because Mr. Ross wanted them to understand what happened in Nazi Germany.
- Her father says it sounds like things have gone too far. Sure does.
- Neither of them is going to stand by and watch this happen. The parents are going to see the principal about it on Monday, and The Gordon Grapevine is going to put out a special issue on The Wave.
- Her dad tells her to be very, very cautious… and she totally agrees.