Survive 2

Chapter Thirty Two

Los Angeles, California, U.S.A.

November 22, 2022.

Madison Stone's Point Of View.

I get into the car after putting the posters I made last night before bed on the back seat and pull out of the garage, heading towards the school.

I see from the dashboard that Ashley is calling me, so I take the call.

Call On.

"Where are you?"

"Hi to you too, Ashley," I ironize.

"Oh, sorry. Hi Mad. Where are you?"

"I'm on my way to school. Why?"

"I don't know whether to tell you or wait until you get here to see for yourself," she says and I get worried.

"What happened, Ashley?"

"You know what? When you get here, you will see," and I deny it.

"No. Now you've got me worried, so you can talk."

"Did you see the amount of followers on the account we created?"

"I checked before I went to sleep and it was at 48 followers and I was going to check today when I went to breakfast, but I ended up forgetting. Why? Is that what you're talking about?"

"The account has 129 followers and many people, despite not having followed the account, shared the publication."

"Are you kidding?" I say happily surprised.

"I'm serious. Some even commented on the post as well, some supporting the protest and as there is always the class of the against, some people also commented criticizing the idea."

"Uhm... at least the majority is in favor, right?"

"Yes."

"So that's what matters," I say happily.

"Will it take you long to get here?"

"No. I will be there in a few minutes."

"Then I will hang up now. I will talk to you in a little while."

"Okay."

Call Off.

I confess that I am feeling nervous because I have never participated in a protest before, let alone given the idea of doing one, but I also feel useful because I know that I am not doing anything wrong, but rather trying to make the place where I study a better place for everyone.

I arrive at Royalty, so I grab my backpack and get out of the car, opening the back door to get the posters and after grabbing them, I lock the car and walk towards the entrance of the school.

I hear a shouting, the same shouting that seems to increase every time I get closer.

As the entrance enters my field of vision, I am in shock at the amount of students holding signs and shouting "hey, hey, hey, Alexander get out of here."

I think this is what Ashley was talking about.

I approach the entrance and look around for Ashley, the same one that after a while of looking for her, I find her further into the back of the crowd, so I go to her.

"Mad!" Ashley speaks as soon as I approach her.

"There are a lot of people! Even the boys from the soccer team," I say, surprised and happy to see that there are so many people protesting.

"Yes! David, Ryan and Andrey convinced them to participate."

"Where are they and the girls?"

"They're in the middle of the cake of screaming people," and I agree.

"Here," I hand her two of the three posters I made for her to hold up one and give another to someone, which she does.

"Let's go further forward," and we do as she says, going further forward and shouting what everyone else is shouting, holding the posters I made.

"Hey, hey, hey, Alexander get out of here."

"Did you know it was Sarah and Emily who pulled the rallying cry?" And I'm happily surprised.

"Serious?"

"Yes. Apparently they really have changed."

"Good then," I say and she nods, so we're back to screaming what the girls created.

Everyone screams in unison and that's just what we hear for a long time, but then what we sing joins the siren noise of the police cars that approach and stop at the entrance of the school.

I see Christopher getting out of the car with a paper in his hand and entering the school with the two policemen who were with him on the day of the lecture accompanying him.

Alexander will be arrested. I believe it.

Other police officers get out of the car and approach the other Royalty's teachers watching the protest in surprise.

Yeah.. I guess they don't know their co-workers.

We continue to protest, but I and some other students stop after a few minutes, as Alexander leaves the school in handcuffs accompanied by Christopher and the other two policemen, the same ones who guide him to the police car.

He stares at me with hatred and I stare back at him, looking into his eyes and saying by lip expression:

"They believed me."

He is placed in the vehicle and soon after, Christopher and the policemen who entered the school with him enter the police car.

"HE WAS ARRESTED!" Ashley hugs me tightly and then joins the crowd to celebrate, but I remain where I am looking at the car that Alexander has entered.

Alexander is finally arrested.

If I had been told two weeks ago that I would be able to go after justice, and not alone as I thought, but with people I love and with other people, who after the lecture felt encouraged to speak out as well, I would not have believed it.

If I had been told two weeks ago that we would be holding a protest today and that Alexander would be arrested, I would not have believed it.

The police car leaves and I look around, seeing the students celebrating and hugging each other, making me feel an inexplicable joy, and not only for me, for knowing that he will finally pay for what he did, but for all those whom he hurt, for all those who had the courage to denounce him and also for those who did not.

"YOU MADE IT!" I am a little startled by the shout Andrey gives me in my ear, but I understand that he did it because of the noise, so I turn around and smile at him.

"WE MADE IT!" I jump for joy, dropping the poster on the floor and give him a hug, who hugs me around the waist and lifts me up, putting me down on the floor soon after, but we remain embraced.

"He's finally been arrested, Mad," he shakes me in his embrace celebrating, making me smile even more.

"Yes. He's finally been arrested."

I feel someone jumping on top of me, causing Andrey and I to almost fall over and let go, so I turn around and see David.

"IT ALL WORKED OUT! YOU GOT IT!" David celebrates and Abigail, Sophia, Bryan and Ryan join in.

"WE GOT IT, DAVID! WE GOT IT!" I say and we all hug each other jumping up and down, with Ashley joining in afterwards.

"HE IS ARRESTED!" Sophia shouts out happily.

"I AM SO GLAD WE MADE IT!" Abigail celebrates and we stop jumping.

"You did it, girls." Bryan says and I smile.

"We all did it, guys, because if you hadn't supported not only me, but the girls too, and helped us, this wouldn't have happened. So thank you very much. You are exceptional friends." I say, getting emotional and everyone starts to make that melting noise, coming closer and we all hug each other again.

How I love these people.