Dark Stars, Light Stars

Chapter 2 - This Place is Called the Glade

This place is called the Glade . . . It's where we live, where we eat, where we sleep – we call ourselves the Gladers. – James Dashner, The Maze Runner

'You met the new kid?' Riley asked Justice the following Monday. Justice ignored him and kept reading her book, her nose literally stuck in it. Her friend flicked the pages of her book but she acted like he wasn't there. He then took one look at the cover of her book and gave up.

'Again?' He asked her. Justice just turned the page and let her eyes take in the words. Riley sighed and leaned against her locker.

'Justice, they closed down Barnes and Noble.'

The girl's head snapped up from the book and whipped to the side.

'What? Why? Those bloody shanks! I swear if I get my hands on them - '

' – you'll send them out into the maze so they can die in the many hands of the Grievers?'

He plucked the book out of her hands and placed it on the top shelf of her locker.

'I asked you a question and you ignored me.'

'You did?' she replied. Riley nodded and she slumped her shoulders.

'Sorry. I just got up to the part where - '

Riley held up a hand, a signal for her to stop talking.

'Look, Justice, I love you, but can you please, please just stop reading for the day?'

The girl rolled her eyes and turned her attention to her locker, sorting through her exercise books until she found the one she wanted.

'I could try,' she told him without looking up. 'I'll just go onto audible and read it that way.'

Riley groaned banged his head against the locker beside hers. Justice just laughed and her snuck her TMR book into her open backpack.

'You right there buddy?' she asked jokingly as she peeked over the side of her locker door. Riley nodded, his head still against the metal and replied, 'Have you seen the new kid?' he gestured to the lockers on the other side of the hallway and stood back from his position. Justice shook her head in response, just as a group of students walked by. Justice turned her back to them, but they had already noticed that she was there.

'You gotten a new name yet, Justice Casa-whatever.'

The boy's group laughed at his pathetic joke and convinced him to say something else.

'Well, I guess if you ever become an author, you can use a Pen Name, because nobody would read a book with that name on the front.'

More laughter from the boys, and joined laughter from the people around her. Justice kept her face expressionless and leaned against her locker.

'Ever heard of the author Cassandra Clare?' she asked him, not expecting an answer, 'One of the world's greatest authors and that isn't even her real name.'

The boy rolled his eyes and rolled back his shoulders as if preparing for a fight. Riley noticed this action and took a step closer to Justice, just in case anything happened.

'She must be a crap author if I haven't heard of her.' The boy told her, his eyes set in a glare.

'She has her own TV show and movie based off her books. You know, the movie City of Bones with Lily Collins?' Justice said this so casually that it surprised the group of boys, and even Riley.

'Oh, I remember Lily. She's hot.'

Justice snorted and closed her locker shut.

'You're such a slinthead.'

Riley laughed, but soon covered it with a cough at the group looked his way.

'What did you just call me?' the so called 'Leader' asked a few moments later. Justice shrugged and made her way to her next class, casually looking over her shoulder and saying, 'If you weren't such an airhead you'd know.'

This time, the laughs of the students in the hallway were directed at what she had said to the boy, and she smiled at the realisation.

Casanova: 1

Shank: 0

~~~

'Hey, that was cool what you did back there,' Riley told Justice as they walked through the doorway of their English class. Justice shrugged and walked towards an empty table, Riley following in pursuit behind her.

As they both sat down, Riley said, 'That's him over there.'

Justice pulled out her books from her bag and looked up, her eyes wide. 'Him?' she asked. Riley smirked and looked sidelong at her.

'What, you find him handsome?'

Justice shook her head and pointed to the book in his hands. Blue background with two black and white clouds.

'He's reading The Fault in Our Stars.' She whispered excitedly. Riley groaned and dropped back into his seat.

'Why oh why must he be reading?' he asked the ceiling as he tipped his head back. Justice ignored him like she usually did and pushed her chair back. Riley snapped his head forward and looked at her.

'What are you doing?' he asked quickly. Justice looked at the boy reading and kept walking.

'Warning him about the end, he's only a quarter through and - '

'Oh no you don't.' Riley said as he pulled her back into her seat. 'You are not going to spoil another book for another person. I thought that was against the rules of a fangirl.'

Justice stood up from her seat and pointed a finger at him.

'One: The only rules that a fangirl follows is to fangirl whenever necessary, and two: That kid at the park was reading Allegiant. I didn't want to see him cry in front of random strangers.'

Riley just laughed at her as the bell went, signalling the start of class.

~~~

Throughout the whole period, the boy only put his book down once – Justice noticed – and in that short amount of time, he was able to write the draft of their essay and hand it up to the teacher for correcting.

That was it.

'Justice, you coming to the courts?'

Justice looked up at Riley and the students leaving the classroom. She shook her head to get herself out of her daze.

'Uh . . .  sorry what did you say?'

Riley hung his head and pushed his chair in.

'It doesn't matter.' Riley paused as his friend packed up her books. He noticed the crease her eyebrows made and spoke again.

'You're confused. Talk to me.'

Justice walked toward the doorway with her books resting in the crook of her elbow.

'Did you see that kid? He only put his book down once Riley, once, and he was still able to write a draft and hand it in.' She shook her head in disbelief and walked down the hallway towards the building doors. Riley was left standing there and had to jog to catch up.

'Are you jealous of him?'  He asked, opening the door for her. She mumbled her thanks and stepped out into the courtyard.

'Yes. Maybe. I don't know. I just wished I could do that.' She paused and found the boy sitting at the table that she usually sat at near the soccer oval and basketball courts.

'I just can't write essays,' she continued, turning to Riley. 'It doesn't matter. I'll see you next break.'

And with that, she walked off towards the table. Dumping her bag down and taking a seat next to the boy.

'Hey there Greenie.' She started, 'Welcome to the Glade.'