Black Isn't Just For Rebels

Chapter 1

The Riot marched out of the library, leaving the librarian in tears and her collection of books scattered all over the floor. Anyone who was in the library knew what had gone down. The Riot girl had argued with the librarian who called her in to discuss a book she never returned. She simply flipped the books off the counter and used her cigarette to burn a hole in the librarian's sweater. Nobody moved-everyone watched as the Riot girl left before security could come and take her to the principal. The old woman wept and crouched down to pick up her books, and a few people helped her.

Jupiter sat in the back of the library, listening to music and doing her homework for the first few periods of the day. Next was lunch, and then she only had a few more classes before she had to go to work at the apothecary shop. She sighed, wishing her shyness would kick it to the curb so she could stand up and maybe hand Mrs. Melrose a tissue, because she felt sickened by the fact that the Riot would hurt a sweet, old lady who only wanted to help. So she forgot a lot of things and sometimes spaced out, but that didn't give the girl the OK to bad mouth her. She was murdering her own lungs smoking that cigarette.

Jupiter always thought the Riots were hard-headed and violent, because they always threw fits or shouted and they often wrote graffiti on the walls demanding for a "better nation". Jupiter didn't understand the nation, and she didn't dwell in politics, but she knew the important people worked their best to make a better nation, and the Riots were only slowing them down. These things took time, but the Riots were never patient.

Once the library drama was over Jupiter returned to her work and ignored the rest of the library, even though people still spoke about the incident. She chose to not dwell in the big gossip and preferred the little things, like a new discovery in a cure for cancer, or the fact that a Golden Retriever's lips were so soft if they held an egg they wouldn't break it. She knew more than what other people didn't know, and she was fine with that. She didn't like gossip. She was good at avoiding it. So the Riots couldn't influence her with their drama.

The bell rang and everyone dispersed themselves from the library. Jupiter followed the crowd and walked down the hallway. She heard the kids in study hall tell their friends the big news and when she walked downstairs she saw a few staff members standing with the Riot girl who was leaning against the wall with a bored face. Jupiter shook her head as she passed by. Didn't the girl care if she got suspended? No, Jupiter reminded herself. They don't care.

She was in the lunch line paying for her meal when someone bumped into her shoulder lightly. It was Gabriel, her friend. They met in freshmen year when they struggled to find their way around the school and asked each other if they knew where the music room was. They had the same classes. Then they set out on a hunt and had kept tight since then.

"Want to spill the beans?" he asked playfully, but then he chuckled when Jupiter rolled her eyes. He liked to bug her like that, and loved when she reacted by sticking her tongue out and rolling her eyes. They were as close as siblings, and they even planned to be roommates in college. Was there a time when they liked each other? Only briefly, but when they admitted that they were too close for a relationship, they didn't pursue it no questions asked.

"How'd it go in class?" she asked, referring to the class period she had next, and the one Gabriel had before lunch.

"Pop quiz, so I hope you're good with writing paragraphs. No multiple choice."

"Great." She never liked bubbling in answers, and loved practicing her fancy, old-styled scrawl that was more eligible then a doctor's writing. She studied for the class anyways and smiled as they made their way to a table. None of the kids in her class were prepared. None had been paying attention during the entire week of school either. They were hyped for a big soccer game coming up soon.