I slip my phone into my backpack pocket and look at the clock. Mr. Bartley’s now five minutes late. Most of the class has earbuds in, listening to music or watching YouTube videos on their phones. Heather is reading. Mason is talking to Kerrianne. Daniel has his head down and might be sleeping, and Cade is still sketching. I tear a corner of my notebook, roll the paper between my fingers, and shoot the ball at his paper. It bounces off his ear and onto the floor. He turns his head, his eyes full with questions. I plaster on a contrite smile, form a heart with my hands, flash it his way, and stick out my tongue, curling it into a U.

He shakes his head, and just when I think all is lost, his lips twitch.

Under his desk, he does something completely unexpected. He raises his pinkie, pointer finger, and thumb and bends his other two fingers down into his palm. Sign language for “I love you.”

Wow.

Then he crosses his eyes and sticks out his tongue.

I laugh.

He smiles, and my world is back on its axis. This is us: best friends.

Mr. Bartley walks in, hits the lights. The windows let in the late-afternoon winter sun. “Sorry, people. Let’s get started.” He picks up his clicker, fast-forwards through the beginning of Conspiracy, and pauses on an image of Nazis arriving at a mansion.

Mr. Bartley says, “To prepare for your assignment, we’re going to watch this reenactment of the Wannsee Conference, which was held at a villa in the Berlin suburb of Wannsee. Reinhard Heydrich, one of Hitler’s most powerful and highest-ranking officers, arranged the top-secret conference.

“As you’ll see, the discussion becomes intense. Take notes—pros and cons—on how the Nazis propose to deal with the Jewish problem. Remember, this is 1942 and you need to think not from your modern perspective, but from theirs.”

I open my mouth to object, but the words don’t come. Should I stand up and reveal my theory?

Mr. Bartley continues. “A little background. By 1942, Jews had already suffered under the Nuremberg Laws, which were enacted on September 15, 1935. The laws forbade Jews from marrying or having sexual relations with Germans. Previous intermarriages were declared invalid. The laws took away German citizenship from Jews. They were banned from teaching or attending German universities and schools, from practicing medicine and law, from government positions. No Germans could conduct business with Jews, forcing many Jewish businesses to close or to sell at prices way below value. At first only Jews were targeted, but eventually the laws included others—Roma, criminals, people with physical or cognitive disabilities, and anyone else the Nazis saw as undesirables. Who can tell me why the Nazis did this?”

Prepared to answer and to also share my theory, I raise my hand. Mr. Bartley calls on Reg.