Read this New York Times article for a list of major SCOTUS decisions made in 2022—there's more than just Dobbs v. Jackson: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/06/21/us/major-supreme-court-cases-2022.html
For information on the Break Free from Plastic Pollution Act, please visit the official Break Free from Plastic Pollution website: https://www.breakfreefromplastic.org/
Inspired by Community S3E2: "Geography of Global Conflict."
Piper POV
Piper always thought she hated boring. Boring means beige and grey walls when you just want to paint your bedroom seafoam green like every other pre-teen. Boring means eating your ice cream out of a dish instead of a waffle cone. Boring means listening to yacht rock instead of the Barenaked Ladies. All her life, Piper was convinced that if she looked up 'boring' in the dictionary, a picture of her dad's secretary would be there.
She didn't realize it at the time, but during the college admissions process, Piper must have pulled out a thesaurus and found the antonym for 'boring.' Yes, that's right. If you Google some opposite words for boring and then click on images, there's a picture of a shiny balloon arch outside the New Rome Community College library.
For some reason, Piper never really saw herself at twenty-one years old in the same place she was when she was nineteen, but here she is, starting her junior year at this completely not boring college! And what do you know? She finally picked a major. Piper figured with all of that debating and persuading she likes to do that it might not be a bad idea to major in political science with a focus on international relations. She still has no idea what she wants to do with that kind of degree—most of the other students in the politics department have full-time internships this semester—but the good news is that she can just apply to law school or something if she can't come to a decision.
And if things really don't work out, well, she's got a decent body, and there are plenty of clubs here in SoCal.
But she digresses, as many ADHD college students do. The point is that this year is going to be normal and boring. Piper is going to do homework, go to some parties, buy too much Starbucks, and then cry during finals week like every other college student in America. Hell, the most exciting thing that's going to happen this year is the party inside Piper's stomach after she eats the dining hall food.
Hazel Levesque dives under a purple and yellow balloon arch and greets Piper on the quad. "Piper! Did you get my Evite?"
There is no, how was your summer? Hazel, in the twenty-first century, asks Piper if she received an Evite. Nobody uses Evite anymore. Piper doesn't even have an account on that site.
"Uh, no. Should I have?" she asks.
"Yeah," Hazel says, "but you can just check for it when we get to the study room! That way, I can tell you and Annabeth all about it together!"
"Sure," Piper says. A normal person might find this kind of behavior from Hazel weird, but Piper knows her friend well enough to know that whatever Evite is sitting in her inbox must be important to her friend.
And then she sees Octavian in a security guard uniform, his hand on a taser attached to his belt. "Keep it moving, people! I'm looking at you, freshman!"
"Is that what I think it is?" Piper asks.
Hazel shrugs. "It's kind of weird that they hire students as campus security officers, but I guess they're desperate for workers."
"Yeah, but Octavian?"
"I'd rather not think about it if that's okay. Cops make me nervous." Hazel fidgets with her pink and blue friendship bracelet.
Piper wants to tell her that there's nothing to be afraid of, but when it comes to a guy so prone to power trips, she's not sure she can honestly offer any reassurance.
"C'mon." Piper shifts her backpack over her shoulder. "Let's go hear about how many animals Frank got to pet this summer."
Hazel smiles because that's what she does whenever someone mentions Frank. Piper's looking forward to seeing him too, but mostly because he spends the summers up in Canada with his grandmother and works at a zoo making balloon animals. Hazel, on the other hand, would probably be excited to hear about what Frank ate for breakfast this morning and how his sensitive stomach was affected by it.
Someone should set them up, but that would be too eerily close to a sitcom plotline, and Piper isn't doing the sitcom thing this season. Year. Whatever.
While Hazel searches the many pockets of her overalls for her student ID badge, Piper reads the sign on the library door. NEW ROME COMMUNITY COLLEGE IS NOW A MASK-OPTIONAL CAMPUS. And underneath that is a picture of a smiley face. How tacky, she thinks, but then again, that's quite on-brand for New Rome.
Piper holds her pink disposable mask by the elastic ear loops. "What do you think? Masks or no masks?" she asks Hazel.
She purses her lips. "I think I'd like to see everyone's faces," she says, "but if someone's uncomfortable we can put them on."
There's a silent understanding between the two of them: whatever Annabeth says goes.
Piper puts her mask on her wrist just so it's clear she'll put it on if someone asks. "Can't wait to breathe in that New Rome library air."
Hazel scans her ID and the double doors open automatically.
The library is practically empty, which shouldn't come as a surprise because it's only the first week of classes. Still, Piper's having flashbacks from finals week.
"Look, Frank and Annabeth are there!" Hazel says as she peers through the window into their study room. "And Leo, and Jason, and Percy... Oh, that's everyone!"
"Is Nico joining us?" Piper asks.
"No, he says he found someone to tutor him, but between you and me, I think he's just looking for an excuse to spend time with Will. They spent a lot of time FaceTiming this summer," Hazel says. "I should probably find a backup ride in case I lose my seat on Nico's scooter."
Piper wants to offer to be Hazel's backup ride, but then she's physically cut off by Annabeth.
"We'll meet you in there," she says to Hazel.
Completely oblivious, Hazel skips into the study room and claims a seat next to Frank.
"Hi, Annabeth," Piper says. "Love the tattoo."
"Thanks, I was tripping on mushrooms."
So that would explain the tattoo of a banana stripping itself of its peel on Annabeth's thigh. Other than that, she looks good. There's a gold ring through her nostril, which means last summer's impulsive decision didn't bite her in the ass. Her hair is pulled back in a ponytail. Piper can't imagine what it would be like to have hair that thick in the middle of this heat wave.
Annabeth apparently doesn't have time to reflect on her life decisions because she gets right down to brass tacks. "So about this Evite from Hazel-"
"Whatever it is, we have to go, right?" Piper asks. "I mean, I'm sure it'll at least involve her homemade cookies or muffins or something."
"Let me add that to my list of silver linings."
"Is it that bad?"
Annabeth sighs. "She wants to have a slumber party. Like, an honest to god sleepover with face masks and makeup and nail painting and baking and-" she fakes a gag. "She wants to watch 10 Things I Hate About You."
"Oh my god," Piper says. "I guess we're both not really like other girls, huh?"
"Whatever. I have a plan," Annabeth says.
"Shoot." That's even worse.
Annabeth scratches the back of her neck, revealing the text on her t-shirt: BANS OFF MY BODY. Piper will have to ask where she got that shirt when she's not in planning mode.
"I told Hazel I could bring the movie, so I'm going to bring Friday the 13th or something of the sort."
"She's going to hate that."
Annabeth smirks. "I'm just teaching her feminism one step at a time."
"I thought there were boobs in Friday the 13th."
"You ever notice how the only person to escape Jason is always a woman?"
"So the boobs are just a bonus?" Piper teases.
"Yes. No. Shut up and buy Funyuns and Doritos for tonight, will ya?"
Piper throws her hands up in surrender. "I'm good. Sleepovers aren't really my thing."
"They're not mine either," Annabeth says. "C'mon, you don't want to have a sexy pillow fight and then show Hazel how to obliterate misogyny?"
"Tempting, but I'd rather play video games with Leo and Jason."
"Oh god, you're not serious?"
The Leo/Jason video game incident was terrifying, and not just because it involved throwing Cheeze-Its. Piper would rather have a sexy pillow fight with Annabeth, but that's not really on-brand for her.
"So," Piper says, "you'll keep Hazel happy at her slumber party, and I'll go take down the patriarchy?"
Annabeth shoots finger guns. "I'm taking it down from within, baby!"
Piper rolls her eyes and opens the door to the study room before Annabeth can convince her to make an appearance at Hazel's slumber party. Who in their right mind throws a slumber party on a Tuesday night? She must be going through her rebellious phase or something.
"Hey, Piper!" says Percy. He sets a Ziploc bag of gummy sharks in front of her when she sits down. "How was your summer?"
"Good," she replies. It's not like there's much for her to say. When you're living on a reservation, it's near impossible to have a hot girl summer.
Leo rocks his chair back and forth. "Jason and I just moved into an apartment together."
"Oh, that's nice!" says Hazel.
"Congratulations," Frank adds.
Jason rolls his sleeves up. "Thank you. Once we're settled, we'd love to invite you all over for a little housewarming get-together."
"Jason won't let us call it a party," Leo says.
"Anyway, we have more important business to attend to," Jason says.
Piper rolls her eyes. "Seriously? We haven't even had our first bio lab and you're going to drill us on vocab?"
"No," says Jason. "I've decided to start my junior year strong by founding New Rome's first-ever Mock Trial team."
Lame. That's all Piper has to say about it. If you can't say anything nice, however, you shouldn't say anything at all.
"And?" Annabeth asks.
Jason pushes his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "I'm looking for a team... So far it's just me. I need at least three other people to come to the board meeting to watch me present our club tonight, and then compete against Valhalla on Monday night."
Everyone stares at Jason with blank faces because there are no motives to join this Mock Trial team, even for Piper, who very well could be a lawyer someday.
At last, Jason sighs and says, "You don't have to stay on for the whole year if you can stick it out this week and then find a replacement."
"I guess I could use some practice public speaking," Frank says.
"I've been watching a lot of Law and Order lately. I'm in," Leo adds.
"There," says Jason. "Now we can practice in the comfort of Leo's and my new apartment. One more spot... Any takers?"
Jason scans the table and locks eyes with the second most obvious choice. "Piper? Mock Trial will look great on a political science resume."
She needs to come up with something, and quick. A cause. Yes, that will outweigh Mock Trial.
"I'm uh..." What's important to her right now? Think, McLean, think. McLeans aren't known for their ability to think, are they?
Aha! Piper thinks back to this morning on the quad when she and Hazel saw Octavian in a campus security uniform bossing students around. "I'm bringing down the house," she says.
Jason cocks an eyebrow. "And by that you mean?"
"Octavian was appointed to campus security. I'm going to give him hell."
"Sounds fun. Annabeth? Please?"
Annabeth chokes on her gum. "I'm going to Hazel's sleepover."
Percy laughs until she narrows her eyes at him. That doesn't seem flirty. Something's up.
"Oh, you're serious..." he trails off.
Jason cracks his knuckles and turns to Percy. "Bro."
Percy sighs in defeat. "Can't turn down my bro. I'll do it, but heads up: I'm pretty bad at this stuff."
Piper rolls her eyes at their silly bro hug, but she does secretly love their bromance.
Hazel beams at Annabeth. "I'm so happy you're coming!"
"Of course," she says through gritted teeth.
And now Hazel's giving Piper that sad puppy dog face. "Are you coming? I bought the ingredients for cookies, and some premade cookie dough in case it doesn't work out."
"Thanks, but I'm going to have to take a rain check," Piper says. "This could be an all-night mission. I might even be spending the night in custody."
Hazel gasps. "That sounds scary!"
But of course, Piper is just embellishing. There's absolutely no way Octavian has the power to hold someone hostage in the school overnight.
Jason frowns, contorting the shape of that cute little scar into a crescent. "Are you for real? Piper, go to Hazel's sleepover party."
Hazel sits up a little taller. "I promise it won't be lame!"
"No, thank you," says Piper. "I don't do sleepovers."
"Nico won't be there if that's what you're worried about," she adds.
"I'm serious. I don't do that girly kind of stuff."
"Neither does Annabeth, but she's coming."
Annabeth jumps at the mention of her name. "Sleepovers aren't inherently misogynistic. We can erase the gender norms associated with sleepovers by-"
"I'm not going to your stupid sleepover, okay? I'm not like you guys," Piper finally snaps.
Was that the right thing to do? Absolutely not, but how else is Piper supposed to get Hazel and Annabeth off her back?
Everyone's staring. It's time to get her first Starbucks of the semester.
Piper gathers her bag and throws Leo a peace sign on her way out, not caring to see if he reciprocated the affection.
She doesn't go to sleepovers or do makeup or watch romantic comedies or any of that crap.
"I'll have a venti coffee, please. Medium roast," she tells the barista at Starbucks. She's not treating herself to the frappuccino today; that's how unlike other girls she is.
"Nice to see you too, Piper," says Nico. "Do you want cream or sugar in that? Or milk? The oat milk is pretty good."
"None of that."
"Black coffee? That's metal, even for me."
Piper collects her black masculine coffee at the counter and takes a seat in the cafe. What's a cause she can use to get under Octavian's skin?
She opens a Google search on her MacBook. For a politics major, she doesn't know all that much about politics. There has to be an issue that isn't too controversial for campus life but is just controversial enough that Octavian will overexert his powers as a campus security officer.
It should be a no-brainer: abortion rights. Despite that, Piper has this little voice in her head saying, mmm, that's more of an Annabeth move. More importantly, she hasn't been a political science major long enough to know the political culture of the campus.
Freakin' Annabeth. She's always been a go-big-or-go-home kind of person, so Piper shouldn't be all that surprised that she plans to take down Hazel's internal misogyny instead of just quietly turning down her Evite. Yes, Annabeth would tackle the big issue, as long as it isn't whatever weird tension she and Percy have. She better not think Piper hasn't noticed that the tension is less sexual and more heated.
Let's see, what issues have people been ignoring because of the summer slaughter of Roe v. Wade?
Oh, she can just Google it.
Piper learns so many crazy things she never knew a group of nine unelected officials could and did do to people like her! Sure, they voted to rob her and millions of other Americans with uteruses of their bodily autonomy, but that's just the start of it.
The backing for that decision is essentially that abortion isn't mentioned in the U.S. Constitution. You know what else isn't mentioned in the U.S. Constitution? Gay marriage and interracial marriage. Even more of Piper's rights are at stake. Fantastic.
It just keeps getting worse. At the end of June, the Conservative bloc voted that a football coach can legally pray with his team at the 50-yard line. What happened to the separation of Church and State?
And now people can just carry concealed firearms? Even better.
And then she sees it—her golden ticket. Well, it's more like a planet on fire. The Supreme Court of the United States ruled to limit the power of the Environmental Protection Agency, which means that innovative energy methods like solar power can't progress the way they need to. Meanwhile, large corporations producing dirty energy can continue to contribute to the ever-growing climate change problem. Sorry to all the billionaires having their midlife crises, but not everyone can hop on a rocket ship shaped like a penis and go live on Mars or something when the planet melts down.
Piper McLean is going to end climate change and piss off Octavian. Two birds with one stone. It's going to be epic.
"Well, hey, Piper! How was your summer?"
"Your Texan accent still hasn't worn off for the school year, Will." She takes a sip of her coffee. It tastes awful.
"Oh, uh, I guess I'll go to my environmental politics class early then..."
Wait. "Will, hold up."
Will clutches his coffee and freezes in his tracks. "Y-yes?"
"Environmental politics, you say?"
"Yeah."
"Is that the class with the crazy final project? The one where you have to prove you made political environmental progress?"
"Yeah. I have no idea what I'm going to do for my project. I'll probably have a bake sale to raise relief funds for Australian Bushfire recovery," Will says.
That is so last season!
"It'll take me all semester," Will adds glumly. "I suppose I better start looking for a project group to work with."
"How would you like to join my protest on the quad tonight? Bring everyone in your class if you have to."
"Oh, boy! I'll make signs! Golly, I need to get to Michael's for some glitter!" Will almost drops his coffee as he jogs out of the cafe.
"Watch the accent!" Piper calls after him.
✎✎✎
The New Roman Times: Back to School Edition! New friends, new clubs, and new faces because we're mask-optional, baby!
The MythoMagic club will be selling sexy nerd calendars in the student union from 11:00-2:00 every day this week to raise money to cover travel fees to the MythoMagic: The Movie premiere in LA. For questions and accommodations, please contact blackstonel@newrome.edu.
The New Rome Community College Glee Club presents "Aca-scuse Me? A musical introduction to healthy relationships" this Friday at 8:00 pm in the Big House! Bring a date! Jamba Juice will be provided, and one lucky raffle winner will win a seat on the bus ride to regionals! ***Note: the winner of the raffle will be responsible for providing their transportation home from regionals, as the Glee Club will need a seat for the trophy they anticipate winning. For questions and accommodations, please contact lakeau@newrome.edu.
Tonight through Wednesday there will be a protest against climate change on the quad! Bring friends and signs. Jamba Juice and Cosmic Brownies will be provided. For questions and accommodations, please email solacew@newrome.edu.
The New Rome Community College Mock Trial team is looking for new members! Learn about the ins and outs of the courtroom and meet some new people along the way! The first meeting is tonight at 6:00 pm. Jamba Juice will be provided. For questions and accommodations, please contact gracej@newrome.edu.
Piper leans over the desk. "C'mon, Silena, is this really the best you can do for me? I helped save the school from City College last semester and you put my announcement at the end?"
Silena pushes her fake glasses up the bridge of her nose. She's taking her position as editor of The New Roman Times way too seriously this year. It almost makes Piper ask how she and Beckendorf are doing. "Well, you're not at the end."
"Nobody gives a shit about Jason's Mock Trial team."
"Fair point." Silena clicks some buttons on the computer, placing the notice about the remaining spots in Chariot Building 202 right before Jason's ad.
"You can do better. C'mon! It's going to be wild."
"Is it?"
"If we can get people to come. We're going to make some positive change, get Will an A on his project, and take down Octavian," Piper says.
Silena looks up from her work at last. "Octavian? Like, the TA?"
"TA turned SoundCloud rapper turned campus security officer."
"No freakin' way."
"Yes, freakin' way, but only if people show up."
Silena taps her pen against her chin. "Well, I suppose since you're providing Jamba Juice and Cosmic Brownies, it'll be of higher interest to the student population... Alright, Piper. You're on."
"You're the best, Sil!"
"Hold up."
Piper pauses. What more is there to say here?
"I'm sending a correspondent to your event. It better be front-page material or I'm going to make you join the paper," she says.
"Good god, why would you want me on the paper?" Piper asks.
Silena takes off her lensless glasses. "I used to just work in the investigative journalism column, which we all know is just code for gossip. Tabloids. That's what I like to do. It's exhausting being the editor. I have to like, read people's stuff! I've never read the paper before! And newspaper editors don't get big fancy cigars and diva privileges like in Spider-Man!"
Piper cocks an eyebrow.
Silena continues anyway. "You wouldn't believe how boring Dean D's updates are. I have to put them next to Cecil's knockoff Garfield comics just so people know they exist!"
"Well, thank you so much for that, Silena," says Piper, "but I do have to go. Will and I are distributing the extra signs before the protest tonight."
Silena smirks. "I'll save you some Jamba Juice and a seat right between the Stolls at our next meeting!"
"Don't count on me being there!" Piper calls as she makes her dramatic exit.
It's one of those days where it's so hot and humid, you're praying to every god you can think of that it'll rain, but this is California. No amount of praying is going to pull New Rome out of this drought.
Piper makes a mental note to add this drought to the list of things to bring up at her protest.
She rolls her t-shirt sleeves up and loops them through her bra. Suns out, guns out should be a summertime thing. Screw climate change, honestly. Screw the Supreme Court for not doing anything to help.
Piper sits down at Jason's favorite bench and sends some texts to her protest contacts. Silena's friends Lacy and Mitchell are coming, there's Grover Underwood and his girlfriend Juniper, and that guy Don that's always asking Piper for lunch money. Not the most flashy group coming from Piper but at least they're dedicated, and Will said most of the people in his environmental politics class would probably show up since they have to write an event assessment. Damn, that class is a heavy load. Too bad Piper will probably have to take it for her major.
Because it always seems to do the trick, Piper throws her head over the back of the bench and groans loud enough to turn some heads.
It does not help. Piper would go so far as to say it actually makes things worse because now she's looking at an upside-down Octavian, wearing that stupid security guard uniform and smacking a baton against his palm. Is he guarding that balloon arch?
Piper sits up and turns around to get a better look. Yep, he is guarding that balloon arch.
So she fishes one of those mechanical pencils out of her backpack, the kind with the thin pointy lead tip, and marches right over to him and his display.
"Hello, Octavian," she says nonchalantly.
He raises an eyebrow as if challenging her.
Piper accepts that challenge. She sticks her pencil right into one of the purple balloons and runs like hell because she can't get taken into custody just yet.
"Get back here! Sabotaging the freshman orientation program is against the New Rome bylaws!" he calls.
"Oh yeah?" Piper taunts. "Abandon your post and come get me then!"
A red blush rises to Octavian's cheeks. Checkmate. He can't abandon his post because he's all loyal to New Rome or something stupid.
Piper goes free.
✎✎✎
"Oh. My. God." Piper can't keep her mouth from hanging open at the sight of Will's numerous signs of various shapes and colors that, for lack of better words, litter the picnic table in front of her.
"Is it too much? I wasn't sure how well the 'we're burning the wrong amazon' one would go over," Will says.
"No, that one is hilarious, but I think this one is my favorite." Piper picks up a pink sign that reads THIS IS NOT WHAT I MEANT BY 'HOT GIRL SUMMER.'
Will grins. "I thought you would."
Piper looks at the time on her phone, noting the text message from Hazel offering to save her some cookies from the slumber party, and another one from Annabeth, asking which Friday the 13th movie is best for the occasion. "Shouldn't people be showing up by now?" she asks.
"I told them 6:30."
"So why did you tell me six?"
"Because I thought you'd be late."
Ouch, but also that's kind of valid.
"Oh, there's Katie and Miranda," Will says. "Hey, friendships! Over here!"
Katie presses a pen into her notebook. "So we're supposed to list the measurable goal of the event for our assessment assignment," she says. "What's the goal?"
Will looks to Piper.
"Uh, raise awareness? End climate change?" she offers.
"Yeah, but it has to be measurable. Like, for our project, Miranda and I are going to host a letter-writing campaign and a petition signing to urge our congresspeople to pass the Break Free from Plastic Pollution Act. Our goal is to engage at least fifty people."
"Will, how many people do we want to engage?"
"I guess our goal can be to grow the protest group by like, fifty percent by the last day, and maybe get positive media coverage? Didn't you say someone from The New Roman Times was coming?" Will asks.
"Allegedly," Piper says. "Silena told me the paper staff is spread pretty thin this semester."
Will snaps a finger gun at Katie. "You got that all written down?"
She rolls her eyes. "Yup."
Miranda's phone buzzes. "Ugh, my boyfriend says he can't come. Sorry, Will."
"It's okay," he says. "He can come tomorrow and be part of our fifty percent increase." He gestures to the table, inviting Katie and Miranda to choose some handmade signs.
Katie chooses the classic THERE IS NO PLANET B, while Miranda chooses one with a picture of a sweaty personified Earth that says, IT'S GETTIN' HOT IN HERRE!
And there are some of Piper's people! "Grover, Juniper! So good to see you!"
"Anything for the planet," Juniper says. She brought her own sign that says, OUR HOME IS ON FIRE!
These are some awesome signs.
"I brought the tunes!" Mitchell calls as he pulls up on an electric Lime Scooter alongside Lacy.
"Are you sure about that?" Katie asks. "It's a protest, not a party."
"I'm so freakin' sure," he says, hitting play.
We love the Earth... It is our planet... Lil Dicky sings.
"I stand corrected," Katie says.
Piper and Will take their positions behind the table, him passing out more signs and signing in the protesters and her pouring Jamba Juice and handing out Cosmic Brownies.
While she's attempting to describe the flavor of one of the smoothies to Don, Jason and the guys pass by, no doubt to present the objectives of the Mock Trial team to the board. She waves because wishing them good luck from all the way across the quad is overkill.
"Yes, but what about-"
"Just drink the damn smoothie, Don."
Will hoists his Uno reverse card sign over his shoulder. "Now that everyone's been properly refreshed, let's get this show on the road." Is it possible that he sounds even more like a Texan even after being on campus for almost a week?
Piper grabs her sign and the stuffed Smokey the Bear she brought along. Smokey seems like a good mascot for the protest.
Will holds a bullhorn up to his mouth and stands on top of the picnic table. "What do we want?"
Piper and the others chime in. "Climate justice!"
"When do we want it?"
"Now!"
Octavian looks up from his post at the balloon arch but doesn't make an effort to thwart the protests.
"We need to turn up the heat on this," says Piper. What good is a protest if it doesn't even violate New Rome's rowdiness policy?
Mitchell turns up the volume, blasting Lil Dicky's "Earth" loud enough to bother the people at the old folks' home down the street.
Will shrugs and turns the volume up on his bullhorn. "Hey, hey! Ho, ho!"
"Fossil fuels have got to go!" the others shout.
Now they've thrown Octavian off his rhythm. "Hey!" he shouts. "You're in violation of campus demonstration policies! Did you clear this event with the Office of Campus Activities?"
Piper gets up on the table next to Will and swipes the bullhorn. "Tell me what democracy looks like!"
"This is what democracy looks like!" the team hollers back.
"This is unacceptable! I could cite you for standing on tables, loud music, rowdiness... Take your pick!"
"Okay, guys, maybe we should-" Will starts.
"What do we pick, everybody?" Piper shouts.
The reply is obvious. "Climate justice!"
This is way cooler than Hazel's sleepover.
✎✎✎
This was way not cooler than Hazel's sleepover.
As it turns out, Octavian does have the power to take people into custody, so Piper spends a not-so-nice evening in the girl's locker room alongside Grover, Juniper, Lacy, and the other protesters.
Will got lucky. Hazel's brother Nico bailed him out right away so they could go study together or something. It's the first week of classes! What is there to study?
And because Nico wasn't allowed to bail out the entire group of protestors, Piper and the others were left to nap on the floor, which is almost as gross as Don passing gas in his sleep.
It can't get worse, right?
Wrong. If Piper didn't already feel rotten over being single, Grover and Juniper spend the whole night cuddling and whispering sweet nothings to each other.
"I'm going to see if Valentina can bail me out," says Mitchell. "Hey, Octavian! I'd like to make my one phone call." He gets up to meet Octavian in the doorway. He returns Mitchell's cell phone so he can call his ride.
"He didn't even read us our Miranda Rights," Piper mutters.
"Who are you going to call?" Lacy asks.
That's a hard one. Hazel's slumber party itinerary probably doesn't include bailing Piper out of fake jail, Frank goes to bed early, and Leo's probably watching television or playing video games...
Piper knows what she has to do.
She stands up and addresses Octavian. "I'm ready."
He hands over Piper's cell phone. She'll be complaining about the chip in her new case from Claire's. Has she never called him before? He's not in her recents page.
She finds his contact page and presses the call button.
"Hello?" says a tired voice on the other line.
Piper sighs. "Hey, Jason. It's Piper. Can you please pick me up?"