Brandon said, “Oh yeah, your girlfriend asked about you.”

  “My girlfriend?” Elijah raised his eyebrow.

  “Bria Stevens. You know who I’m talking about.”

  “She’s not my girlfriend.”

  “You’re the one that said she was your girlfriend.”

  “Well, she’s not technically my girlfriend though we did kiss a couple of times.”

  “Is she your girl or not?”

  “Maybe,” Elijah said. “Did Bria really ask about me?” Elijah smiled for the first time since Virgil passed.

  “I was about to get on the bus when she approached and said, ‘Why didn’t your boy come to school today?’ I just told her you had family stuff to deal with.”

  “Are you serious? She asked about me?”

  “Yeah.” Brandon shrugged. “Would I make this up?”

  “And she noticed that I wasn’t there?”

  “Yeah. You know that girl likes you,” Brandon said.

  “Does she like him or does she like that he sometimes does her homework?” Daniel said.

  “You do her homework?” Brandon said.

  “Come on, man! Why wouldn’t she want a nerd to do her homework? If I were a pretty girl and I knew some lame liked me, I’d use him to do my homework too,” Daniel laughed.

  “Lame?” Elijah said.

  “Well, I didn’t mean it that way. But you’re lame for doing her homework,” Daniel said.

  “I don’t actually do her homework,” Elijah said.

  “What do you call it then?” Daniel asked.

  Elijah shrugged as he looked away. “I mean I might have helped her study a time or two in study hall.”

  “Whatever,” Daniel laughed.

  “I dunno maybe she’s out of my league,” Elijah said.

  “Bruh, you’re the LeBron James of math. You’re the prize. Remember what Virgil said?” Virgil had always taught Elijah to be confident. Virgil had always taught Elijah to be himself and the right girl would come. He had instilled in Elijah that he was the catch and not the other way around.

  “I don’t mean out of my league with intelligence.”

  “You mean because she lives in the Valley?” Brandon said.

  “Yeah.”

  “Just because she lives in a nice house doesn’t mean she’s smart or a good person.”

  “I know. Do I have to point out that we live in the hood?”

  “So?” Daniel said. “She probably knows that.”

  “You think so? I never told her I lived in the hood.”

  “Why not? Are you ashamed?”

  “No, of course not,” he lied.

  “She knows I live in the hood and she knows I’m your best friend.”

  As they were talking, JJ approached the boys, wearing a royal blue skater dress and white high top Chuck Taylors.

  “JJ,” Daniel stuttered.

  JJ smiled revealing turquoise colored braces.

  “You look pretty,” Brandon said then offered JJ some of his chips.”

  “Thanks,” JJ said. “What are those?”

  “Cardi B Bar-B-Que Cheddar.”

  “I’ll pass.”

  “Too uppity for Rap Snacks?”

  “Naw. just not the Cardi B’s. But if you had those Lil Boosie Cheese Puffs, I’d murder them.”

  “Oh, I thought you were being funny because you don’t want to mess up your li’l Easter dress,” Daniel said.

  “This ain’t no Easter dress.”

  “Your Sunday best,” Elijah said.

  “Oh, ya’ll got jokes.”

  Chapter 6

  JJ was tom-boyish and rarely wore dresses because when she wasn’t running, she was playing basketball or softball. She was an excellent athlete who excelled at most sports, but she had recently given up basketball to focus on track and field. The blue dress contrasted with her walnut-colored skin brilliantly.

  “Where you going dressed up?” Elijah asked.

  Her smile revealed deep dimples. “Had to go to court today.”

  “Court?”

  “Dad and grandma having a custody battle.”

  “Custody battle?”

  “Yeah, genius. You know where one parent tries to get custody from another? My granny has custody over me and my dad wants it.”

  “I know what a custody battle is,” Elijah said.

  “Well, you acted confused.”

  “Not confused, just surprised. Why are they having a custody battle?”

  “My dad says he wants custody of me until my mom gets out of rehab, but I don’t believe him.”

  “So you’re moving?” Elijah asked.

  “I hope not.”

  “Your dad lives in the Valley, right?” Daniel asked.

  “Right.”

  “See, Elijah, JJ’s a Valley girl. All Valley girls aren’t bad.”

  “I’m not a Valley girl. I’m Westgate all day.”

  Daniel bit his lip. “What kind of girl is a Valley girl?”

  “A social butterfly. Someone that does equestrian sports and plays tennis,” Brandon said.

  “They are rich over there,” Daniel said.

  “They are not rich,” JJ said.

  “Compared to us, they are.”

  “So, what’s up?” Elijah asked.

  “Look, I came to tell you something, but you have to promise me that you won’t tell anyone.”

  “What is it?” Elijah asked.

  JJ gave the boys a once over, trying to determine if she could trust any of them.

  “All of you have to promise.”

  “I’m not gonna say anything,” Daniel said.

  “Me neither,” Brandon said.

  “What is it?” Elijah said.

  “I heard my Uncle Tuck say that he’d heard that Major was the one that shot Virgil.”

  “Who is Major?” Daniel asked.

  “Major lives in the yellow house on the corner of Broad Street. He’s an older boy. I think he’s like eighteen or nineteen, but he’s short. Actually, he’s shorter than Elijah.”

  Elijah frowned. “So I’m like the poster boy for short dudes?” Elijah was indeed short but he was powerful from doing pushups. His skin was wonderfully smooth his smile was infectious with a chiseled jawline, he sported 360 waves with a temple fade, though he was on the smaller side, he was considered attractive.

  “No, but you’re definitely the benchmark for what short is,” Daniel said, he was not quite as tall as Brandon but he was still above average in height for his age, like Brandon he was thin, with broad shoulders and full lips, he wore a buzz cut fade, His face displayed an outbreak of teen acne.

  Everyone laughed except Elijah. “I know Major.”

  “It makes sense because I do see him in the path to Miss Connie’s house chain-smoking Newports.”

  “You have to tell the police,” Daniel said.

  “What?” JJ said.

  “You have to tell the police,” Daniel repeated. “I ain’t telling the police shit,” JJ said. “Uncle Tuck always say snitches get stitches.”

  “We’re talking about Elijah’s father,” Daniel said.

  “Right,” Brandon agreed.

  JJ sighed. “Elijah, you should tell your mother what I know.” She sighed before kneeling to tie her Chuck Taylors. “Uncle Tuck is going to be pissed if he learns that I told you, so don’t mention my name.”

  “Your Uncle Tuck the big dude with the Afro, huge muscles, and forearm tats? I saw him the other day. He just looked at me real hard and I was so afraid that I almost peed my clothes. Then he said, ‘You’re Cherise’s son, right?’ I said yeah and then he smiled and said tell her Tuck said hi,” Daniel said.

  “Uncle Tuck wants to be your step-daddy,” Brandon laughed.

  “They were friends in high school,” JJ said.

  “You don’t know that. You weren’t born then,” Brandon said.

  “Granny told me,” JJ said.

  Daniel stared at Elijah. “So what are you going to do? Now that you know what happened?”

  “Huh?” Elijah said.

  “Tell your mom.”

  Elijah snickered. “I’m not telling my mom.”

  Daniel laughed. “Bruh, you’re the neighborhood nerd.”

  “But I can fight.”

  “Since when? Bruh, you’re 0-1 in the hood. Michelle Henly beat yo ass decisively.” He nudged Brandon and JJ and they all laughed.

  “Bruh, that was the second grade,” Elijah said.

  “I ain’t got nothing else to go on. Who else have you fought?”

  “I’m stronger now. Why do you think Mr. Harper wants me on the wrestling team?”

  “Ok, yeah, I believe you can take Michelle out, but Major is bout dat life bruh,” Daniel said.

  “Just tell your mom,” Brandon said.

  “And be labeled as soft?” Elijah said.

  “Violence doesn’t make you a man,” JJ said.

  “It’s not about violence. I owe this to Virg. I loved that man.”

  “I agree with Daniel,” JJ said.

  “So you want me to tell my mom?” Elijah stared at JJ.

  “Yes.”

  “And you know she’s going to ask me where I got the information.”

  “Tell her you got it from me, but tell her not to reveal that it was me that gave the info or else Uncle Tuck will kill me. Let the police figure it out. Besides, if people are talking in Westgate, it won’t be long before the police find out.”

  Daniel’s mother Cherise approached. She held onto the hand of Daniel’s five-year-old brother Owen. Cherise was a tall, wiry woman with a thoughtful face. Splotches of moles surrounded her eyes. Cherise embraced Elijah.

  “Auntie Cherise,” Elijah said.

  “I’m so sorry about what happened, baby.” She pecked Elijah on the forehead. “Where’s Khadijah?”

  Elijah pointed toward the apartment. “She’s inside.”

  Cherise turned to Daniel. “You do your homework?”

  “No. Not finished.”

  “Go home and finish your homework,” Cherise said.

  “I gotta go too,” Brandon said.

  The boys gave Elijah a pound before walking toward their homes. After they were gone, JJ said, “Let the police do their job. You don’t want to throw your life away. You’re just a baby.”

  “And you’re only a few months older than me, so what does that make you?”

  “An older baby than you are,” she said.

  “But who’s the smartest?”

  “I’m the prettiest,” she said. “If you’re so smart, and I’m not saying you are, why are you thinking about doing something you know you’re not capable of pulling off?”

  “Whatever?” he said.

  “We’re both babies, Elijah. Is that what you want me to say? I mean granny is almost seventy, and if I live to be eighty and you live to be seventy-five that means we have a long time to go and you don’t want to ruin your life so early.”

  He laughed. “Did you just say I’ll only live to be seventy-five? Why can’t I make it to eighty?”

  “Everyone knows women outlive men and plus I beat you in everything.”

  “So you’re going to let me beat you at dying?”

  “No, I’m going to beat you at living,” JJ said.

  “You can run faster than me, but that’s it.”

  They made eye contact. “Seriously, Elijah, you know I don’t want anything to happen to you.”

  “Can I ask you a question?” Elijah said.

  “Sure,” JJ said.

  “Why didn’t you tell the police what you heard?”

  JJ stepped back. “Elijah, you know I can’t do that around here. You know if word gets around that I told, I can’t live here with granny.”

  “So you do care about what people think?”

  She turned from his gaze and stared into space before mumbling, “I see where you’re going.”

  “Why is it okay for you to care what people think and not me?”

  “Is this about you enhancing your reputation or your love for your father?”

  “I can’t let it go.”

  “Let it go or go to prison.” Their eyes met and held. “If it will make you feel better, I’ll tell the police what I know and move in with my dad,” she said. “I don’t want you to do anything stupid, Elijah.”

  “You’d do that for me?” Elijah said.

  “You know I would.”

  “But why?” Elijah asked.

  “I care about you.”

  Kwame walked up then stuck his cellphone into the back pocket of his Levi’s. “Hey, what’s up, JJ?” he said and then gave Elijah a pound. “Have ya’ll heard the latest?”

  “The latest about what?” JJ asked.

  “Word is that Major was the one that did it.”

  “Did what?” JJ said. She knew he meant the murder, but she wanted him to say it.

  “He was the one that killed Virg.”

  “How do you know this?” Elijah asked, trying his best to sound surprised.

  “He told his girlfriend and the girlfriend was trying to talk him into turning himself in but he wouldn’t do it. But his girlfriend told her best friend Nay Nay. She was telling everybody in the hood.”

  “Nay Nay? Who is Nay Nay?” Elijah asked.

  “You know Nay Nay. Tall girl? The booster? The girl that be selling polo shirts and sweaters in front of the store?” JJ said.

  “Yeah, her,” Kwame said. “I’d figured you want to know if you haven’t heard it.”

  “What are you hoping to gain by telling him that?” JJ asked.

  Kwame frowned. “What are you trying to say, JJ? It’s all over the hood anyway.”

  “Seems kind of messy for a dude to be running around here telling people what he heard.”

  “You don’t know me.” He pointed his finger, almost touching her temple, and stepped toward her. Elijah wedged himself between them, turning to face Kwame. “Just chill, bruh.”

  “You don’t tell me what to do,” Kwame said.

  “I’m asking you to chill. I’m not going to let you do anything to JJ.”

  Kwame stared at Elijah and laughed. “You little nerd. Bruh you know I’ll beat yo ass.”

  “Look, man, thanks for letting me know what you heard, ignoring the fact that Kwame just said he’d beat his ass.”

  Kwame took a deep breath. “Look, JJ, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to go there with you.”

  JJ shrugged. “No worries, but you told him this information for a reason. Let me ask you a question, Kwame.”

  Elijah wedged himself between the two of them.

  “What is it?”

  JJ shrugged. “If you were Elijah, what would you do?”

  Kwame laughed. “That’s hard because Elijah has always been—”

  “Soft,” Elijah said.

  “I wasn’t going to say soft. I was thinking more like the smart one,” Kwame said.

  “Bruh, I know how people perceive me.”

  “How people perceive you?” Kwame mocked him. “Who even talks like that over here? You sound like a straight-up white dude bruh.I think what you meant is what people think of you.”

  JJ turned to Kwame. “So let me get this straight. Because Elijah has a big vocabulary and knows how to enunciate makes him sound white?”

  “Yeah, that’s about right or shall I say that’s about white,” Kwame laughed.

  “Too bad nobody cares about your opinion,” JJ said.

  Kwame sighed then crossed his arms. “Shouldn’t you be somewhere jumping hurdles or watching a make-up tutorial on YouTube?”

  “I should be right where I am,” JJ said.

  Kwame ignored JJ. “But to answer your question, if it were me, I’d try to get to Major before the police does.”

  “And how would you do that?” JJ asked.

  “I’d shoot him like he did Virgil,” Kwame said.

  “Kill him?”

  “Yes.”

  “No value for a life,” JJ said.

  “Bible says an eye for an eye,” Kwame said.

  “I don’t have a gun,” Elijah said.

  “And you don’t need one,” JJ said.

  “This is not the chess club, bruh,” Kwame said.

  Elijah had never even considered that he would need a gun for revenge. He’d seen guns a few times around the hood. Virgil owned a gun once. He didn’t even know what kind it was. All he knew was the gun was big and black and it was registered. He knew it was registered because he’d overheard Virgil telling Khadijah it was registered during an argument about the gun. She had told him that she wanted the gun removed from the house. Elijah himself had never held or even fired a gun.

  “You think you can find me one?” Elijah found himself asking.

  “You? A gun? For what?” Kwame laughed.

  JJ laughed even harder.

  “What do you think?” Elijah asked.

  “You’re gonna get Major?”

  “He doesn’t need a gun,” JJ said, but she was still laughing.

  Elijah turned to JJ. “Just stay out of it, will you?”

  When Kwame stopped laughing, he said, “For $300.”

  “What kind?”

  “Do you know the difference between a 9mm and a .45?”

  “Come on, bruh, I play Fortnite and Call of Duty.”

  “This is real life, not a video game.”

  “I want a 9.”

  Kwame laughed again. “I’ll see what I can do.”

  “And you’re wrong,” JJ said. “Elijah, you’re going to get yourself killed.”

  I have $150 and my PlayStation. Do you think I can get a gun for that?”