“And that’s how the Marls became the dominant force in the region for the next three centuries,” said Mr. Johnson.

     “Yes?” he said, pointing to Carl, who had his hand raised.

     “Why does this matter?” asked Carl. A few of the other students giggled.

     Mr. Johnson blinked. “It’s history,” he said. “History repeats itself, you know. ‘He who does not know history is doomed to repeat it.’”

     “How do you figure?” asked Carl. The same students giggled.

     Mr. Johnson blinked again, three times. “It’s a known fact,” he said. “People do the same things, and the same things happen.”

     “But things are never exactly the same,” said Carl. “It’s a different place, a different time, whatever.”

     Mr. Johnson blinked rapidly, an uncountable amount of times, maybe twelve or so. “Certain things are the same,” he said pedantically, “certain basic concepts. Now come on, I have more to tell you about the Marls.” Mr. Johnson looked back at his computer, clicked a button, and the next slide appeared.

     “But it’s not the same,” Carl protested. “It’s a different time and place.”

     Mr. Johnson didn’t return Carl’s gaze. “If you insist on interrupting, I’ll have to give you a referral,” said Mr. Johnson, crossly. “Now..”

     “It’s not the same,” interrupted Carl. The same students giggled more than ever, more annoying than ever.

     “That’s it,” said Mr. Johnson, looking at Carl over his glasses. “I didn’t want to, but I’m going to write you up a referral after class. If you don’t behave, I’ll send you directly to the principal’s office.”

     “What is a referral anyway?” asked Carl. “Does it even matter?”

     “That’s it!” said Mr. Johnson. “You go to the principal’s office.”

     The students giggled at the greatest volume yet. Carl dutifully rose to his feet and walked to the principal’s office.

     “Yes?” said the woman who sat at the desk, not the principal.

     “Mr. Johnson said I should report to the principal,” Carl said.

     “Why?” asked the woman.

     Carl shrugged. “Because I don’t understand what he’s talking about with the Marls,” he said.

     “Mmm,” said the woman. “Sit down.” She pointed towards a row of chairs against the wall. For when a whole group of troublemakers came in, must be.

     Carl sat and the woman walked through a door in the back of the office. Shortly, she came back out.

     “Go in,” she said, pointing towards the door.

     Carl went in. The vice principal sat behind a bigger desk than the woman’s.

     “Mr. Johnson sent you here?” he said.

     “Yes,” said Carl.

     “Why?” asked the vice principal.

     “I thought I was supposed to talk to the principal,” said Carl.

     “He’s busy,” said the vice principal gruffly. “Why are you here?”

     “I can see him right over there,” said Carl, pointing through the glass front of the office and into the glass front of the principal’s office, where he sat staring at his desk.

     “Never mind that,” said the vice principal. “Why did Mr. Johnson send you here?”

     “What’s your name, anyway?” asked Carl.

     “My name is Mr. Paulson,” said the vice principal, taken aback.

     “Nice to meet you, Mr. Paulson,” said Carl.

     Mr. Paulson looked surprised, but he quickly recovered, looking angry again. “Why are you here?” he repeated.

     “I wasn’t sure why we should learn about the Marls,” said Carl.

     “This was history class?” asked Mr. Paulson.

     Carl nodded. “So you know about the Marls?” he asked.

     “Yes,” said Mr. Paulson dismissively. “What did you do in Mr. Johnson’s class?”

     Carl ignored the question. “Have the Marls ever helped you?” he asked.

     Mr. Paulson blinked. “I don’t know,” he said. “Probably.”

     “How?” asked Carl.

     “Uh, well,” said Mr. Paulson. “Uhh. Well.”

     Carl waited.

     “That doesn’t matter,” said Mr. Paulson, again looking stern. “You must have done something to make Mr. Johnson angry. Don’t do it again.”

     “I’m not sure what I did,” said Carl.

     “That doesn’t matter!” said Mr. Paulson, more angry now. “Don’t do it again!”

     “Do what?” asked Carl.

     “I will send you to the principal,” said Mr. Paulson.

     “Okay,” said Carl.

     Mr. Paulson stared at Carl, who made no response, then picked up the phone. “Send Carl to James,” he said, abruptly placing the phone back in the cradle.

     “We don’t tolerate trouble at this school,” said Mr. Paulson.

     “I don’t understand how I’m causing trouble,” said Carl.

     “Don’t be smart with me,” said Mr. Paulson.

     “I’m not,” said Carl.

     Mr. Paulson stared at Carl, eyes squinted. The door opened and the woman entered.

     “Come with me,” she said.

     Carl stood and followed the woman to the principal’s office, where a man sat behind a desk larger than the vice principal’s.

     “Have a seat,” said James. The woman left, closing the door behind her.

     Carl sat. “Hello, James,” he said.

     “Hello, Carl,” said the principal, standing and extending his hand over his desk.

     Carl stood, approached the principal’s desk, shook James’ hand, then sat again.

     “So Carl, I understand you’ve been causing some sort of trouble,” said James.

     “I guess so,” said Carl. “I asked Mr. Johnson why we had to learn about the Marls.”

     “Ah, the Marls,” said James. “I remember learning about them.”

     James paused. Carl said nothing.

     “To tell you the truth, I’m not sure knowing the history of the Marls has helped me much at all,” said James.

     Carl smiled. “I knew it,” he said.

     “Listen though,” said James. “You look like a smart kid. You have to graduate from school, you understand? That’s how you make money and that’s how you succeed. You can’t just cause trouble all the time. Sometimes it’s better to keep your mouth shut. Understand?”

     “But it doesn’t make any sense for us to learn some of this stuff,” said Carl.

     “Sometimes it’s easier to just go along with everyone else,” said James. “What do you really have to gain?”

     “It’s just not right,” said Carl, fidgeting in his chair. “It’s just a big waste of time.”

     “Who knows, Carl, maybe someday the exploits of the Marls will be useful to you,” said James, eyes twinkling. “You can’t know for sure.”

     “But there’s other stuff that’s even more pointless. I’ve learned the same things in health class three or four times..”

     “You see this office, Carl?” James extended his arms, encompassing his office, larger than any other school office Carl had seen, with a padded swiveling chair and a desk lamp..

     “I make a lot of money, and I control an entire school of youngsters just like you,” said James, indicating Carl with a tip of his head. “You can’t do that if you ask questions all the time. Sometimes you just have to go along with everyone else if you want to succeed.”

     Carl fidgeted some more. “But it just doesn’t seem right,” he said.

     James leaned forward in his chair. “Well listen Carl, maybe you’re not like me. But how about if you just don’t cause any more trouble for right now, and I won’t have to do anything? I’d hate to have to suspend or expel you. Kids without high school diplomas really don’t get very far in the real world.”

     “There’s ... GEDs, aren’t there?”

     James leaned back and sighed. “Do whatever you want, kid. Don’t forget about your parents, too. They want to see you graduate with everyone else, get all those pictures. You don’t want to embarrass them. But do whatever you want. Since this is your first time, I won’t do anything, but trust me,” – James leaned forward, pointed at Carl and looked serious – “the next time you won’t be so lucky.”

     Carl sighed. “I just don’t get it,” he said.

     “Go back to Mr. Johnson’s class,” said James, “and don’t cause any trouble. And my name is Mr. DeSilva.”

     Carl stood wordlessly and left Mr. DeSilva’s office, then the woman’s office, then walked down the empty halls lined with numbered lockers one after another, past rooms filled with students numbered one after another, up the stairs, back to Mr. Johnson’s history class, where students stared at him with smirks in their eyes and Mr. Johnson regarded him smugly.