‘I ain’t lyin’ to you, man,’ Saiquan said to Manny. ‘I didn’t shoot nobody. Marcus did all the fuckin’ shootin’, man, not me.’

  Manny still looked like he was gonna do it; then Kemar said, ‘Oh, shit.’

  Saiquan looked over and saw the two cops - the Latina and the black one from before. They both had their guns out, and then the black cop yelled, ‘Drop your weapons and get your hands on your heads!’

  ‘Fuck, man,’ Kemar said.

  Saiquan put his hands on his head.

  ‘Drop the fucking guns!’ the Latina cop screamed.

  ‘Now!’ the black cop said.

  Kemar dropped his gun, but Manny was still holding his.

  ‘Drop the weapon now!’ the black cop shouted.

  ‘Just drop it, man,’ Saiquan said.

  ‘Yeah, just give it up, yo,’ Kemar said.

  ‘I wanna see that weapon on the ground!’ the black cop yelled.

  Manny didn’t move.

  ‘Just do it, man,’ Kemar said. ‘The fuck you waitin’ for?’

  Manny turned slowly toward the cops, looking like he was about to drop the gun; then all of a sudden he started shooting. Saiquan saw the Latina cop get hit in the leg, and the black cop was shooting back. Shots were going everywhere and people were screaming. Saiquan, keeping his head down, was trying to go hide behind the Dumpster. He made it a few steps, and then he felt the pain rip through his back and chest. He tried to keep going, but he couldn’t, and then he went down hard onto the concrete.

  Ryan lifted the window shade, sunshine stinging his eyes. Then he checked the time on his cell phone: 7:58 A.M.

  ‘Shit.’

  He got up slowly, his stomach still very sore from where his father had kicked and punched him. His neck hurt too.

  After taking a long leak, he headed downstairs. He could hear commotion outside, and he wondered if the cops were still there, investigating the shooting.

  He pushed open the swinging door and went into the kitchen and saw his mother sitting at the table, having her usual breakfast of coffee and a bowl of cornflakes with bananas. The area under her left eye was black and blue, and her nose was swollen.

  ‘Jesus,’ Ryan said.

  ‘Good morning,’ Rose-Marie said as if nothing were wrong.

  ‘I can’t believe he did that to you.’ Then Ryan remembered how Rose-Marie had stormed out of the house yesterday, threatening to leave for good. ‘What’re you doing back here?’

  Of course, Ryan knew exactly why she was back - because she always came back. For years she’d been talking about leaving Rocco because of his drinking and abuse, but she hadn’t gone anywhere and never would.

  Rose-Marie continued eating her cereal, ignoring the question.

  Ryan went to pour himself a cup of coffee. As he lifted the pot, Rose-Marie said, ‘So you heard the news, right?’

  ‘What news?’ Ryan said, wondering what else could possibly go wrong in his life.

  ‘Didn’t you wonder what all the commotion outside’s about?’

  ‘I figured the cops were still here ‘cause of yesterday.’

  ‘There’s news trucks from all the networks, reporters everywhere. It’s insanity.’

  ‘What’s going on?’ It annoyed Ryan the way his mother was dragging this out, keeping him in suspense.

  ‘It’s probably gonna be the top story for weeks. I bet it makes the cover of People magazine.’

  ‘You gonna tell me what’s going on or not?’

  ‘Jake was accused of rape.’

  Ryan spilled hot coffee from the pot onto the counter, and some went onto his bare left foot, but he didn’t feel any pain.

  ‘Fuckin’ son of a bitch - I’ll kill him. I’ll kill him right now.’

  ‘Look what you did,’ Rose-Marie said, getting up.

  ‘When did he rape her?’ Ryan asked. ‘Last night? After he left here?’

  ‘Are you okay? It’s dripping on you.’

  ‘I said when did he fuckin’ rape her?’

  ‘I don’t know - a few months ago, I think. Why’re you cursing at me?’

  Ryan was lost. ‘A few months ago?’

  ‘Yes. He met some Mexican girl at a nightclub - 1 think it was in San Diego, they said. She was underage - fourteen. I can’t imagine Christina’s gonna want to marry him now. Poor Donna. She was so happy when she found out Jake had a wedding date. She thought that’s what he needed, to settle down. It’s really so terrible.’

  The news was starting to set in -Jake was a rapist, a child rapist. Finally the whole world would know the truth about that lowlife. N o more talk shows and screaming fans and street parties for Jake Thomas - now he’d be the big loser. He’d lose his endorsement deals - hell, he could even go to jail. When he got out, he’d probably have to move back in with his parents and become a fucking housepainter.

  ‘What’s so funny?’ Rose-Marie asked.

  ‘Nothing,’ Ryan said. ‘Nothing at all.’

  ‘What about your foot? Doesn’t it hurt?’

  It didn’t. ‘No, I’m fine, Ma. Thanks.’

  He kissed her on her unbruised cheek.

  ‘What’s that for?’

  ‘What? I can’t kiss my mother?’

  ‘But I didn’t even have a chance to tell you the good news yet.’

  ‘The good news?’

  ‘Before I left Donna’s house, that nasty detective called. You know, Noll. He said the guy they were after, the one they think shot at you and killed that other guy - he’s dead.’

  ‘Excuse me?’

  ‘He’s dead. The police shot him at the project where he lived. Isn’t that weird?’

  ‘You sure about this?’

  ‘That’s what Donna said Detective Noll told her. Noll thinks he tried to shoot you, then went back to the projects. There was some shoot-out or something and he was killed. It sounds crazy, doesn’t it?’

  ‘Yeah, it sounds really crazy. Are they sure that’s what happened?’

  ‘Donna said Noll was sure. So at least now we don’t have to worry about going outside anymore, right?’

  ‘Yeah,’ Ryan said. ‘I guess not.’

  ‘You really have no idea why he was shooting at you?’

  ‘Honestly, Ma, I have no clue. Maybe he was just nuts.’

  ‘Noll did say he had a long criminal record.’

  ‘Did Noll tell Donna what the guy’s name was?’

  ‘Yeah, it was a funny name. Sackon Harrington or something like that. Why? You know him?’

  ‘Nope,’ Ryan said.

  He kissed his mother again and left the kitchen. Rose-Marie called after him, ‘Where’re you going? Aren’t you having breakfast?’

  Ryan went upstairs and put on baggy jeans, a DREXLER 22 jersey, and his LeBrons. If he’d gone out and talked to Noll last night he would’ve been screwed, but finally something had gone his way. He knew Christina would take him back now - there was no way she’d stay with Jake after what he’d done, and she’d have to realize the huge mistake she’d made. He wanted to go over to her house and talk to her, but then he decided to play it cool. Instead of his rushing over there again, acting desperate, it would be better to let her make the first move. He didn’t want to make her think he was too obsessed or anything.

  He went downstairs and outside. It was an even bigger scene than he’d imagined. Ten news trucks must’ve been there, and hordes of reporters and other people were jammed in front of the Thomas’s house. The WELCOME HOME JAKE, OUR HERO banner was still hanging there, and looking at it, Ryan couldn’t help smiling.

  Jake’s cell started farting, jolting him out of a deep sleep. When he noticed it was still dark outside he knew this couldn’t possibly be good news.

  ‘Yeah,’ he mumbled.

  ‘Jake?’ Stu asked.

  ‘What is it?’

  ‘I wake you?’

  ‘No, I’m always up at four o’clock in the fucking morning. What’s going on?’

  ‘Sort, but I thought you’d want to know ... . The Fernandez story just broke.’

  ‘What?’ Jake heard him perfectly but he was still disoriented from sleep and hoped he’d gotten something wrong.

  ‘Marianna Fernandez,’ Stu said. ‘Her lawyer did some kind of press release - the DA’s office in San Diego is probably going to get involved. I don’t know the details, if charges are gonna be filed or what, but I just thought you should know ASAP.’

  ‘You sure you’re getting all this right?’ Jake asked.

  ‘Positive. Her lawyer just called Ronald, and Ronald’ll be in touch with you, I’m sure, as soon as he gets all the facts. What I’m gonna do right now is get on the horn with Ken and try to .. . ‘

  As Stu went on, Jake understood for the first time how serious this situation really was. A fourteen-year-old girl was accusing him of statutory rape. Last night he thought his problems were over when that detective called the house and said that Cornrows was dead, but the media was going to jump all over the rape story, try to ruin him, and he could forget about his big multiyear contract and any career in Hollywood. He didn’t know why he didn’t see this coming.

  ‘Listen to me,’ Jake said, cutting Stu off. ‘You have to take care of this. Just do something to make this go away.’

  ‘Look, Jake, I’ll try to—’

  ‘Fuck trying. Just do it.’

  ‘I realize how upset you are right now, Jake, but there’s a limit to what I can—’

  ‘Just do it, man. And next time you call you better have some fuckin’ good news or you’re fired.’

  Later, as Jake lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, he knew it was his fault, not Stu’s. If he’d just stuck to the team’s curfew, if he hadn’t gone out clubbing that night in San Diego, if he’d thought with his head instead of his dick and realized that Marianna was fourteen, not eighteen, he wouldn’t be in this mess. He knew his only way out now was Christina. He needed the PR bump more than ever, and he had to do whatever he had to do to make sure the engagement was solid.

  At around five A.M. he heard voices outside, and he knew this was only the beginning. Soon there would be a media frenzy, with reporters from all over the country showing up at the door, and the phone ringing nonstop. This would definitely be the worst day of his life.

  Jake’s cell rang and he thought, Shit, not already. Then he saw it was Ken, the Pirates owner calling, but he didn’t want to deal, so he powered the phone off.

  Then, a couple minutes later, someone started knocking on Jake’s door. He ignored it, staying with his head covered, and then he heard the door open and his mother said, ‘Jake? Jake?’

  Jake didn’t answer, hoping she’d go away, but she came over and tapped him on the arm and said, ‘Jake? . . . Jake? . . . Your team owner’s on the phone,’ and he knew he had to say something so he said, ‘Tell him I’ll call back.’

  ‘I think you should talk to him,’ Donna said. ‘He said there’s some story in the news—’

  ‘I’ll call him back.’

  Donna waited then said, ‘He said it has to do with some girl accusing you of—’

  ‘I said I’ll call him back,’ Jake said.

  ‘Is it true? I mean, is what he said—’

  ‘No, it’s not true.’

  ‘But he said it’s on the news—’

  ‘So you think everything you hear on the news is true? It’s not true, all right? It’s total bullshit, and I’ll call him back later.’

  ‘Okay,’ Donna said. ‘Whatever you say.’

  Jake didn’t feel like he fell asleep, but he must’ve, because when he rolled over and looked at the clock it was almost six thirty and there was a much bigger commotion outside. He didn’t even want to go over to the window to look because he figured they had cameras aimed up there, and a grainy picture of himself hiding out in his parents’ house, looking like he was afraid to go outside, was the type of photo op he definitely didn’t need.

  Even though he had to take a leak badly, he stayed in his room because he didn’t want to get into it with his parents - especially his father. He knew his old man would flip when he heard the news. Actually, Jake was surprised that his father hadn’t started banging on the door already to try to drag him out of bed to give him the lecture from hell about his partying and womanizing.

  He turned on the TV, channel-surfing for a while. On ESPN, no one was talking about him, but on one of the channels there was a picture of him - a headshot from the Pirates yearbook, the one they always showed on TV - and the commentator was talking about how a fourteen-year-old girl had filed statutory rape charges against Jake Thomas in San Diego. Jake couldn’t believe how bad it sounded, as if he were some kind of pedophile or something, and he turned the TV off in disgust.

  He decided he had to see Christina as soon as possible, before she got too many wrong ideas about him. He packed a carry-on bag with a few outfits, and then, after poking his head out the door to make sure no one was around, he headed downstairs.

  He went through the living room and dining room into the kitchen. He was starving and had to have something to eat, so he took out a bowl of chicken salad and, standing at the counter, had several quick bites. Then he put the bowl back in the fridge and guzzled down some Diet Coke straight from the bottle. When he closed the fridge, his father, standing right behind him, said, ‘Where the hell you goin’?’

  ‘Jesus,’ Jake said. ‘You scared the shit out of me.’

  ‘Answer me. Where you runnin’ to?’

  ‘I’m not running.’ ‘You make me sick, you know that?’

  ‘You don’t know the facts.’

  ‘I know enough facts. What do you think’s gonna happen now? You run and this whole thing disappears?’

  ‘I didn’t do anything wrong.’

  ‘So you gonna tell me you don’t even know this girl? She’s making it all up?’

  ‘What difference does it make? N o matter what I do you’re always gonna find some way to shit on it. Think whatever you wanna think.’

  Jake went around his father and left through the back door. ‘Go ‘head, run!’ Antowain called after him. ‘Run all you want, but it ain’t gonna get you nowhere!’

  Jake took the secret passageway out to Avenue J. There was no one around but he walked fast, with his head down, so he wouldn’t get spotted.

  He thought there might be reporters or paparazzi at Christina’s house, but there weren’t - not yet anyway. He rang the bell, working out in his head what he’d tell her. He knew it would take a lot more than some bullshit about Leonardo DiCaprio and Enrique Iglesias to win her back this time.

  Al Mercado answered the door and, seeming pleasantly surprised, said, ‘Hey, what’re you—’

  ‘Is Christina here?’

  ‘Yeah, sure, but how—’

  ‘It’s okay, Daddy. You can go.’

  Christina had come up behind her father.

  ‘Yeah, okay,’ Al said. ‘You two talk. I mean, I’m sure you have a lot to talk about. Go ahead.’

  Al left, and Jake said to Christina, ‘Look, it’s not true, all right? I know it looks bad, really bad, but it’s all bullshit. These people, the girl and the father, have been trying to extort money from me for months. I swear to God, you can talk to my lawyer and agent and ask them. I danced with that girl, that’s it. Nothing ever happened between us. I didn’t kiss her; I didn’t even hold her hand. Hell, I didn’t even know her name till her father called, asking for money.’

  Jake expected Christina to curse him out or slam the door in his face.

  He was very surprised when she said, ‘Don’t worry. I believe you.’

  ‘Yo, Ry.’

  Ryan had just made his way through the huge crowd in front of the Thomases’ house. He looked over to his right and saw Jamal, the kid from across the street, with a friend of his whom Ryan had seen around the neighborhood before.

  ‘Hey,’ Ryan said.

  ‘Crazy fuckin’ shit goin’ on here lately, huh?’ Jamal said.

  ‘Yeah,’ Ryan said.

  ‘You think J.T. did it, man?’

  ‘Got me.’

  ‘Yeah, he did it,’ Jamal’s friend said. ‘Why’d she lie?’

  ‘Girls always be lyin’ ‘bout that shit,’ Jamal said, ‘tryin’ to get money.’

  ‘Naw, he’s gonna go to jail. You’ll see.’

  ‘Hey, that guy find you yesterday?’ Jamal asked Ryan.

  ‘What guy?’ Ryan said.

  ‘Yesterday afternoon guy came by asking where Ryan Rossetti lives at. He said he was a friend of yours.’

  ‘So you told him where I live?’

  ‘Yeah, I told him. Why? He didn’t come to your house?’

  ‘He was probably that guy who tried to kill me.’

  ‘Oh, shit.’ Jamal was scared. ‘I woulda told the cops, man, but he said he was your friend and shit. I mean, I didn’t mean to—’

  ‘It’s cool,’ Ryan said. ‘It’s over now anyway. The cops shot him - he’s dead.’

  ‘Oh, shit,’ Jamal said. ‘That’s fucked-up.’

  ‘Yeah, but it’s good fucked-up, you know what I mean?’

  ‘Why was he comin’ after you?’ Jamal’s friend asked.

  ‘No idea,’ Ryan said. ‘But at least it’s over now. See ya later.

  ’ Ryan continued up the block, trying to decide whether to go to Christina’s. He couldn’t wait to be with her, but then he figured it would be a better strategy to give her a little more time. She was probably a mess right now, waking up and finding out that her fiance was a child rapist. But once that all settled in she’d realize how she’d blown it with Ryan, the guy who really loved her, and beg him to take her back. He figured he’d get a phone call from her sometime today - tomorrow morning at the latest.

  He walked along Flatlands to the Arch Diner and ordered a stack of blueberry pancakes and a ham and cheese omelette. For the first time in a long time he was excited about the future. Maybe he wouldn’t get the fame and the fortune that Jake had, but he’d have a wife who loved him, a nice house, two great kids, and he’d own a successful business. After a while, he’d forget all about the fuckups of the past, and maybe someday he’d even realize that not making the big leagues was the best thing that had ever happened to him.