Nine
Drake looked defeated as he trotted back to his friends. “They’re still ‘processing’ us,” he said, adding finger quotes.
“It’s an intentional disruption,” Mikaela said. “They keep us here, overnight, nowhere to sleep, no food, barely any water- the whole point is to make it as close to impossible for us to show at the next protest.”
“Sounds about right,” the sergeant who arrested them the previous day said, stepping up behind Drake.
“Have you been here all night?” Demi asked.
“Hah. No. I worked my shift, went home, had a beer, and a shower and slept in my own bed, then had a hearty breakfast, a sensible lunch. It’s just my shift all over again now. Now, seeing as it’s now three, I’ve been instructed to inform you you’re free to go, without charges. But, if you’re picked up again, we will charge you with felony rioting- and I mean if we pick you up anywhere in Seattle, even if you’re miles away from the riot.”
“I think you mean protest,” Mikaela said.
“Tomato, toe-mah-to. As a good-will gesture, we’ve waived the tickets on your vehicle, to better streamline you getting out of town. I know you’re all college students- you belong in school. But if you insist on staying out here, in the real world, there will be real-world consequences for your actions. I sincerely hope I never see you again. I believe all of your personal items are in this bucket, here.” She sat down a white plastic bucket, turned and walked away.
“So what are we going to do?” Drake asked.
“I could eat a whole cow’s worth of cheeseburgers,” Iago said. “Just use the condiments to stick buns on the sides of it and unhinge my jaw…”
“My mouth is watering at that description, even through smelling the cow,” Demi said, “how messed up is that?”
“The smart play might be for us to go back to Bellingham,” Mikaela said. “But fuck that.”
“Butt-fuck that?” Drake asked.
“I don’t have time to play with you, now. I’m not leaving. I’m not getting intimidated. And I’m not leaving other people to fight my fucking battles for me.”
“Yeah. Butt-fuck that,” Demi said, nodding emphatically.
“Let’s make some calls.”
“While walking to the nearest eatery.”
“Fine. Yes. We’ll get something to eat, and enough caffeine to mess up Iago’s cowburger.”
“Wow,” Iago said, splaying his fingers by his head to show that his mind was blown. “Cowburger. Why don’t we call them that, instead of hamburger?”
“Big Pork,” Tucker said over-seriously. “Even when you’re not eating pig, they want you thinking about it.”
“I’m going to eat so much goddamned bacon it’ll be disgusting,” Demi said.