The "+" Club

The Rainbow Riot

   A few days after my argument with Nera, a few of the other club members and I were planning a protest. A few of the homophobic kids from a secret "Homophobes Anonymous" club had started a petition. The wanted gay marriage to be outlawed again. Since we live in the south, of course they had enough signatures.

   I was the last one to know because the others knew that I wasn't out of the closet and they wanted to keep me safe. While most of the kids were getting ready, I was still trying to figure out what was happening.

   "So... What did you say you were doing?" I asked Jamal while he put on his gas mask.

   "We're protesting. Sorry for not telling you earlier." He saw me pick up a mask. "What are you doing?"

   "Putting on a mask. I want to protest too."

   "Um... I'm not sure you want to do that."

   "What? Why not?"

   "The police might show up... And they might have tear gas. This could get pretty dangerous."

   "Do you think I can't handle it?"

   "No. I just don't want you getting hurt. You're one of the youngest in the group and you're still new to this stuff."

   "I'll be fine! I promise I'll be careful if you just let me come with you!"

   He thought about it for a moment. "Fine, but if anybody asks, we were at the twins' party. Before you ask, the twins are James and Jane; they're both pansexual."

   "What about their parents?"

   "They're in on it. Now put on both of your masks so we can leave."

   We all had to wear two masks to keep our Identities a secret and protect us from the tear gas. The masks were even specially designed to disguise our voices. I called my mom and told her that I would be home a bit later than usual. When I told her that I was going to a party, she both worried and happy.

   ' I can't stand her sometimes...'  I thought as I walked to City Hall with the rest of our rainbow army. The walk was long but it was a good chance to think and actually look at everything. This was the first time I had been outside for month; unless I was going to school or to the store, I never went outside.
   When we arrived, the "M.I.S." (marriage is sacred) group was already there. When they saw us, they stopped. It was like having two armies staring each other down. One stood for injustice, inequality, hatred, and discrimination. The other just wanted freedom and equality.

   Most of them were wearing masks too, but their voices weren't disguised. Their leader decided to speak up.

   "What are you fags doing here?"

   I recognized that voice immediately. It was Gigi Phillips. She was one of the most popular girls in my school. I never doubted for a moment that she was homophobic. She held the petition in one hand and a pride flag in the other. Nobody quite knew what the flag was for.

   "We're here to protest." Jamal said calmly and slowly. His voice sounded a lot deeper with the mask on. He almost sounded like Darth Vader.

   "Protest what? We're doing the right thing. Just go home and put on some make up or something."

   "What you're doing is wrong. We just want equal rights. Everyone has the right to be married but you're treating us like criminals."

   "That's because you're disgusting. I knew you would never understand so we brought a symbol to help you understand."

   She put the flag on the ground, poured gasoline on it and set it ablaze. She started to walk forward but she tripped and fell into the flames along with the petition. She screamed and someone pulled her out as fast as possible. She wasn't burned very badly but she was pretty upset. She pointed at Jamal and attempted to say something but a loud 'beep' interrupted her. We  all looked around before seeing a metal sphere being thrown as far away as possible. A few seconds later, there was a loud explosion...

   'Were they going to use that bomb on us?  ...Of course, but I can't understand why anyone would do that.'

   She ripped her mask off and slapped her boyfriend as hard as she could.

   "I TOLD YOU TO BE CAREFUL WITH THAT!"

   "I know... I'm sorry." He practically whispered.

   Someone from the back of their group spoke up. "Are you crazy?! We were just supposed to bring the petition! Nobody was supposed to get hurt!" That voice belonged to Nera! I was almost shocked to know that she was here with them.

   "Shut up! The first plan failed and I forgot to make backup copies of the petition. We're doing Plan B!"

   Most of the group whipped out knives but a few of them had guns. Our group turned tried to flee as quickly as possible but the police showed up.
 
   One of the officers stepped out and looked at all of us. "What are you kids doing? All of you look like terrorists! Now which one of you had that bomb?!" Nobody dared to say anything. "Okay. I guess you're all under arrest!"

   I spoke up. "They had the bomb! This was supposed to be a peaceful protest but they brought weapons!" Suddenly, a shot rang out and a hot bullet flew past my face. It was mere inches from hitting me.

   The officers tried to arrest the MIS group as we were running away but a few of them were too fast. Most of our group split up but I stayed close to Jamal. One of the cops called for backup and managed to arrest Gigi but Jamal and I were still being chased. He dropped all of his colorful smoke bombs, one at a time, to hopefully slow down whoever was chasing us. It worked but we kept running until they were out of sight. I eventually tripped and twisted my ankle, so Jamal had to carry me on his back the rest of the way to his car.

   "Okay... So do you want me to take you home or should I take you to the ER?" Jamal asked.

   "My ankle isn't broken so can you just drive me home please?"

   "Sure. By the way, I like the way you handled that situation back there."

   "I told you I could handle it. I was right."

   "Yeah, but we won't be able to meet up at school for a few weeks. We'll meet at Sarah's house..."

   "...I just remembered something! You can't drop me off at my house; you need to drop me off down the street."

   "Why? That seems a little sneaky. What are you trying to hide?"

   "My mom would assault me with questions."

   "Oh. I know how that feels."

   After I thanked Jamal for dropping me off, I headed straight home. When I opened the door, my mom looked at me like  I was wearing a giant fruit hat.

   "What's wrong with your ankle?" She asked as soon as she saw me limping.

   "I fell off of a trampoline."

   "Why do you have your backpack?"

   "I carry my backpack everywhere." 'I also have my mask in there.'

   "Okay."

   'That was not necessary'

   I went to bed early that night to avoid further suspicion.