Danielson stares at Khadim for a moment and then looks at papers on his desk.

DANIELSON: What happened at Eagleton Academy?

KHADIM: At Eagleton?

DANIELSON: Why’d you leave Eagleton and come here?

KHADIM: I just left.

DANIELSON: No you didn’t. You’re lying again.

KHADIM: I’m not lying!

DANIELSON: Yes you are. Because you didn’t just “leave.” No one just “leaves” Eagleton Academy.

KHADIM: You can look at my records.

DANIELSON: Oh, I have. Trust me on that. I’m very thorough.

Danielson picks up a thick folder from behind his desk.

DANIELSON: I have your records right here. See this? This is you, Khadim. Everything you are is right in here.

KHADIM: That is my transcripts?

DANIELSON: We’re very thorough. You were a B student. You weren’t failing out. Quiet. Attentive. Cross-country runner. Your parents were paying full tuition, so I know Eagleton didn’t want you to leave without good reason. So I call Eagleton up. I call up the office at Eagleton and I say, “Look here, there’s this perfectly good student leaving your school. His parents can certainly afford tuition, and not only that, the kid is a minority.” I mean, those folks over at Eagleton, they love to get a minority they can slap on the covers of their brochures. You know what I’m saying?

KHADIM: Yeah.

DANIELSON: But what do they tell me? They tell me you just up and left. No reason. And so I call up the principal at Eagleton. They call him the “Headmaster”—“Principal” is too working class for those guys—and you know what he says to me? You know what he told me?

KHADIM: No.

DANIELSON: He says something happened that they would just as soon keep quiet. “Discretion.” He said that. One word, as a sentence he said, “Discretion.” And wouldn’t say anything more to me.

(beat) Well?

KHADIM: Well what?

DANIELSON: Discretion?

KHADIM: What?

DANIELSON: What happened at Eagleton?

KHADIM: Nothing.

DANIELSON: You’re not going to tell me?

KHADIM: Nothing happened. I just left.

Danielson stares at Khadim for a moment.

DANIELSON: (with odd contempt) Discretion.

(beat) Okay, so nothing happened at Eagleton. I’m sorry I assumed.

You do understand why it’s curious to me.

KHADIM: Why.

DANIELSON: I’m saying, someone, anyone, just decides for the heck of it to leave the most prestigious prep school in the state . . . and come here.

I mean, you should have heard how they spoke to me. It’s a downgrade, man.

KHADIM: Are you accusing me of vandalizing the school?

DANIELSON: (suddenly frustrated; hits the desk) Oh for Christ’s sake . . .

(calms himself; careful) We’re just talking.

Danielson gets up and takes out a bottle of Advil and takes a few.

DANIELSON: You want a soda?

KHADIM: What?

DANIELSON: Do you want a soda.

KHADIM: No thank you.

DANIELSON: Advil?

KHADIM: No.

DANIELSON: You’re giving me a fucking headache here, Khadim.

Khadim doesn’t answer.

DANIELSON: You’ll excuse my language. As an administrator, I’m supposed to keep all that in check. And I do. From 8 AM till about 4 PM I’m the freaking Pope around here. But I’m human. We’re all human, you realize that, don’t you?