Crimes of the Streets

Chapter Two

Demetrius was busy trying to do AP Calculus, AP Physics, and AP History before class in the morning. Being Riot and being Demetrius wouldn't be easy. It was usually one or the other.

He had trouble focusing at times; his mind wandered from time to time to his "other" interests. Thankfully, he had a keen intellect, allowing him to keep his high grades in school. While finishing his math homework, he decided to take a break and turn on the TV. He liked studying crimes on the news. It helped him learn more about detectives.

Demetrius: Wait, what?

When he turned on the TV, the first thing the news reported was:

"Street Mugger Shot Dead In Back Of Police Car; Police Receive Warning Letter"

Demetrius: Wait, that's the guy I stopped...

Demetrius did talk to himself at times. By "times," it was a lot. He had few friends, and most of his family lived in other states or countries. And his mother and father were always out. He was the only one he could really count on. But this news report did surprise him. Did the mugger have enemies? Did he owe money? Did someone want him killed for failing them?

Demetrius decided that all these theories could wait. If he had the time, he could secretly investigate tomorrow. Work needed to be done, and school time was fast approaching. He spent the next 3 hours working on his homework. As soon as it was done, he fell asleep.

THE NEXT DAY

Demetrius woke up bright and early to his alarm. He took a shower, got dressed, grabbed his backpack, and walked out his door. His father, Darius, was busy on a phone call with his "business" partner, Peter, and his mother, Tiara, was cooking breakfast before her business meeting. She owned a tech company called E-Tech. They sold phones and other devices such as computers and watches. The pair greeted their son when he left his room.

Darius: Hey, son. Ready for school?

Tiara: Of course, he's not. He hasn't eaten yet! Come here, honey, come eat.

Demetrius ate his mother's special cooking: waffles with eggs and bacon. She even gave him orange juice to go with the meal. She had ensured he was healthy since that "day" years ago. Once Demetrius was done, he left home and took the bus to Stuy High School. When he arrived, he ate breakfast and went to his first class, AP Calculus. His teacher, Mr. Turner, was busy grading last week's tests. When he saw Demetrius, he smiled.

Mr. Turner: Hello, Demetrius. Glad you made it on time today! Do you have your homework?

Damn right, he did. He sacrificed 4 hours of sleep just to get it in. The fatigue wasn't so bad due to his conditioning, but he would soon tire without rest.

Demetrius: Yep. Here you go.

He gave the homework to Mr. Turner. Mr Turner looked it over with approval.

Mr. Turner: Not bad! You got 97% on this!

Hah. Demetrius wasn't really interested in the grade. What he cared about was the murder of the mugger he stopped. Crime-solving was his most loved hobby. It was half the reason he became a "vigilante," and the other half, well...

He hadn't even been Riot for long. Yesterday was his first actual day in the field.

The class began, and all the students quieted down. Mr. Turner had started passing out last week's end-of-quarter exams. They were taken at the end of the first quarter.

Demetrius, to no surprise of his, got a 95% on the test. A few of the questions he missed were simple mistakes. Ah well.

Some kids got B's, some got C's, a few scored A's, like Demetrius, and some stupid, or maybe just "bad," kids got F's.

Mr. Turner finished passing out the tests, and then he went to the front to make an announcement.

Mr. Turner: Now, class, I'll remind you. If you received an F, I will call your parents, as there should be no reason you should be getting F's.

Some of the students got nervous at this. The school's football captain, Bryant Spencer, got an F, and while he was popular, he lacked either smarts or the drive to be smart. All football players were like that. Famous, attractive, but utterly stupid. And they liked to be bullies. Demetrius wished one would try him; he'd put a bullet in their damn knee.

Bryant: Wait! My mom will mess me UP if she knows I got an F!

Mr. Turner: I'm sorry, Mr. Spencer, I told you to study multiple times.

He didn't. He was always busy flexing his muscles and picking on poor kids. Demetrius never got picked on because he was A. Rich, B. He looked scary, and C. People assumed what happened years ago had something to do with HIM.

The class ended with a lecture on grades and a simple video into the next curriculum, and Demetrius moved through his next classes with ease:

- Period 2: AP History with Dr. Patricia Rodriguez

- Period 3: AP Physics with Professor James Mitchell

- Period 4: English Literature with Mrs. Elizabeth Walker

- Period 5: Spanish with Senora Maria Garcia

- Period 6: Physical Education with Coach David Williams

- Period 7: Art with Ms. Sarah Roberts

They all didn't have anything of note happen. Typical popular kids, typical smart (ass) kids, typical quiet kids, and yours truly, Demetrius Anderson.

Bryant bumped into him after 7th period, when Demetrius was leaving campus.

Bryant: Yo, bro, I need your help. If I don't pass Calc' this quarter, it will be my ass. You're smart, right?

Demetrius wasn't really interested in helping him, but at the end of the day, maybe helping the football captain would lead to some benefits. That's when he saw her.

Girl: Hey, Bryant, we still down to hang tonight?

Some beautiful African-American girl in fancy clothes and shoes walked over to Bryant in a teasing manner. She put an arm around him and snuggled into his chest. Demetrius found the snuggling cringe, but the girl seemed pretty cute.

Bryant: Uh, look, Diamond I gotta—-

Diamond: You gotta what? You promised me, remember?

Demetrius was ready to take a hike, but the girl looked at him, narrowed her eyes, and spoke.

Diamond: And who is he, your new friend?

She gave him a wink. Darn it, he knew he'd been spotted.

Demetrius: Uh, I barely know—-

Bryant: Yeah, yeah! He's my homie, Demetrius. We cool, like, for real.

Demetrius literally barely knew the guy. The only reason they knew each other's names was because they shared four classes. He was sure Bryant was failing them all.

Diamond looked him up and down.

Diamond: Eh, not bad. Nice to meet you, Demetrius. I'm Diamond.

Demetrius didn't like the way she said his name. That tone wouldn't work.

Demetrius: Nice to meet you...Diamond?

They awkwardly shook hands. Demetrius turned to leave again.

Bryant: Yo bro, you should totally come to my lit-ass party on Friday night! It's gonna be awesome!

Diamond: Yeah, Demetrius, you should definitely come.

He really didn't want to. He was sure Bryant was sucking up to him to try and convince him to help with his homework. But he didn't want to argue with a popular football star and what "seemed" to be his girlfriend.

Demetrius: Uh......okay.

Little did he know, his dual life as Riot AND Demetrius was about to get more complicated.

END OF CHAPTER TWO.