KHADIM: I have some friends.

DANIELSON: Good. I know it’s hard to be a new kid. And it can be difficult when you have a different background.

KHADIM: You mean coming from private school?

DANIELSON: Has that been different?

KHADIM: Than the private school? Than Eagleton Academy?

DANIELSON: Yes.

KHADIM: Yeah. Much.

DANIELSON: Is that right?

KHADIM: There’s three thousand kids here.

DANIELSON: 3,478 to be exact.

KHADIM: And at Eagleton there were like one hundred.

DANIELSON: 117 to be exact.

KHADIM: Wow, Dr. Danielson. You know your facts.

DANIELSON: I’m a numbers guy, Khadim. I can’t help it. When I was in high school I was embarrassed by it. Sometimes I’d pretend I didn’t know the answer when I knew it. Sometimes it feels so awkward to be smart, to be precise. I can’t believe I acted that way, but when we’re younger, sometimes the pressures of everyone around us compel us to act outside of our character.

KHADIM: Dr. Danielson, why am I here?

DANIELSON: Right. I just get chatty. You’ll have to excuse me. Why are you here. Why is Khadim sitting here in the vice-principal’s office.

KHADIM: Yeah.

DANIELSON: Well, let’s think for a moment. Maybe you could tell me.

KHADIM: Tell you what?

DANIELSON: What do you think? Considering there should be a reason. Have you done anything lately that would warrant me calling you in here for a chat?

KHADIM: No. I don’t think so.

(beat) No! What?

Danielson refers to some papers.

DANIELSON: Well, how about eighth period this past Tuesday.

KHADIM: Yeah?

DANIELSON: You have French with Madame Friedman.

KHADIM: Yeah.

DANIELSON: But this past Tuesday you weren’t in her class. You have an unexcused absence.

KHADIM: This past Tuesday?

DANIELSON: I understand that eighth period is the last class of the day, and that sometimes it can be tempting to break work early, but that doesn’t make it right. We may be a big public school, but we keep our records straight.

KHADIM: This past Tuesday?

DANIELSON: That’s right. There was a fire drill near the end of eighth period. It says here: You were present in class before the fire drill, but not there afterwards.

KHADIM: There was a fire drill . . .

DANIELSON: Yes there was.

KHADIM: Everyone left school for the fire drill! I just went home. It was the last class of the day.

DANIELSON: I’m not here to debate the rationale of your absence, although if your parents want to excuse you from this class, then that’s fine. Can you get your parents to call in for you right now?

KHADIM: No. But . . .

DANIELSON: Khadim, I just want to make something clear: I’m not here to harass you. It’s tough being a student, especially a new student to a big public school like Sheffield. But, with a big school, there are strict rules that always apply. It’s how we keep order.

KHADIM: So that is it? What do I get? Detention?

DANIELSON: Yes, you get detention.