The Wave Chapter 13 Summary

  • Amy and Laurie always sit together at football games. Laurie is particularly excited to see her friend this time: after she tells her about the Jewish boy who was beaten, she's sure Amy will understand that The Wave is dangerous.
  • And of course, Laurie wants to talk to Amy about the fight she had with David. Major dish session.
  • Laurie sees Amy up in the bleachers and rushes up toward her. But Brad from history class stops her: he says she can't go up there unless she gives The Wave salute.
  • Whoa. What?!
  • Laurie argues with him, and he admits that he doesn't really believe in all this either. She refuses to give the salute, but Brad lets her go up anyway; he figures no one is watching them.
  • But now, Laurie isn't so sure she wants to go up in the bleachers after all. She asks Brad why he's part of The Wave even though he knows it's crazy.
  • He doesn't give her a straight answer, but he tells her that people are noticing that she isn't into The Wave. She should watch her back. (Uh oh.)
  • Denied her girl talk, Laurie goes on with her day.
  • There are a heck of a lot of staff members missing from the editorial meeting at Laurie's house on Sunday. Carl says the people who didn't show up are afraid of making The Wave mad.
  • Time to talk shop: the special edition will include the anonymous letter Laurie got, and an article by Carl about the guy who was beaten.
  • Carl reports that the boy wasn't badly hurt. It turns out it wasn't a beating, just a scuffle. It's also unclear as to whether they were actually fighting about The Wave.
  • It seems like some guys who aren't part of The Wave might have used The Wave as an excuse to fight with the boy. Not cool.
  • Even less cool: one of them had called him "a dirty Jew" (13.36).
  • (In case you were wondering, in the real experiment on which this book is based, no one called anyone a name like that. Why do you suppose our author decided to add this to the book?)
  • So, the special issue will also include interviews with teachers and parents.
  • But the biggest article is the one Laurie is writing herself. The article "condemned The Wave as a dangerous and mindless movement that suppressed free speech and thought and ran against everything the country was founded on" (13.37). Now that's an opinion.
  • Her article also points out that The Wave doesn't even work. Their football team lost again. Burn!
  • They plan to have the issue out by lunchtime tomorrow.