Lisa raised her hands in praise and started singing along with the choir. Her voice was not meant for solos, but she could give praise to God in a group sing-along. She was enjoying the song so much she almost forgot about the flyers she was supposed to be passing out.

  Until someone tapped her on the shoulder. Lisa lowered her arms. She turned, taking a flyer from her stack, getting ready to hand it to the person who sought her attention, but then she saw it was Dana.

  “Oh, hey. I didn’t see you walk up.”

  “I bet you didn’t. You had your eyes closed. By the way, you may want to take a few singing lessons if you’re going to be out in the open singing for all to hear.”

  Lisa wasn’t offended. She knew she couldn’t hold a tune. “God doesn’t care how bad I sound. It is all sweet music to Him.”

  “Whatever.” Dana smirked. “You are such a cornball.”

  Lisa did take offense to those words. Her hand went to her hip, lips twisted to the left. “Call me a cornball if you like, but I’m not the one who’s always finding trouble and hanging with the wrong crowd.”

  “You still mad?”

  “You’re hanging around thieves, Dana. That’s a problem for me.”

  “I didn’t mean to get you caught up with them like that.” Dana nudged Lisa’s shoulder. “But you’re my girl, so don’t be mad. Okay?”

  Lisa wanted to stay ticked and keep her distance from Dana’s situation, but Dana had been her best friend since first grade. And when a friend was in need, the Christian thing to do was to lend a hand.

  Who knew, maybe Dana would come to realize she didn’t need to hang out in the streets and would instead register for college. That would certainly be making a difference in someone’s life, as Mrs. Richardson said.

  Chapter 3

  Derrick knocked on Dana’s door about six in the evening. Dana stepped outside and closed the door behind her. She didn’t know whether she was happy or mad about him showing up at her place after leaving her to fend for herself at Dr. Jays.

  “That wasn’t cool what you and Jasmine did the other day. Me and Lisa could have gotten arrested.”

  “Ah, baby, you’re worrying about the wrong stuff. You weren’t going to get arrested.”

  Crossing her arms over her chest, Dana pursed her lips. “How do you know? You took off running so fast, you didn’t even look back to see what happened to me.”

  “You should have been closer to the front door when I took off. Keep hanging with me . . . you’ll understand how I move.”

  Derrick was fine and all, but the boy had sticky fingers. She didn’t want to understand how he moved. She didn’t want to be a part of his band of thieves. She was about to tell him she didn’t think they should be together anymore when he held up a plastic bag.

  “I brought you something.”

  Dana took note of how Derrick said he brought, not bought. Then he pulled a record player out of the bag.

  Her eyes widened. He took the New Edition record out of the bag also. Dana’s first thought was, Derrick kept his word. He told her he would bring her a record player so she could play New Edition’s new song on it. Most of the people in her world said one thing but did another.

  Her second thought . . . Derrick must have stolen it like he stole the record and those Jordans he still has on his feet. Dana’s lips twisted. “I don’t know about this. It doesn’t seem right. What if you got caught?”

  “That would mean I’m bad at my job.” He smiled, showing off his deep dimples as they dipped into his chocolate cheeks. “And trust me, I’m too good to be bad at anything.”

  “Not funny. I’m serious. I don’t want to be responsible for you getting arrested.”

  Her mom opened the front door, took one look at the record player in Derrick’s hand, and said, “I’ve seen you around here before. You after my daughter?”

  “I like her very much,” he answered while looking at Dana like she meant something to him.

  Vida pointed at the record player. “You selling or giving?”

  “Dana told me she didn’t have a record player. Since I have a couple at the crib, I thought I’d bring this one to her.”

  Vida opened the door wider, gave a sweeping motion with her hand. “Well, come on in here. I’ve got a nice spot for Dana to put her new record player.” Vida directed Derrick over to a mahogany table in the living room, where the last record player had sat.

  Dana wondered how long she would have this gift before her mother took it to the pawn shop. She didn’t want Derrick leaving his stolen goods at her place. But even if she told her mother he stole the record player, Vida wouldn’t care. So she let him set it on the table and plug it in. Thank God the electric bill had been paid this month. She would be mortified to have anyone see them sitting around the living room with candles burning.

  “Are you hungry?” Vida asked him. “I made a pasta salad. On hot nights like this, you need something cool to eat.”

  Derrick grinned, patted his stomach. “I ate a hero sandwich before I came over. I’m on my way to 262 to shoot some hoops, and I was hoping Dana would come hang out and be my cheerleader.”

  Dana glanced in her mother’s direction.

  “Don’t look at me. You’re old enough to make your own decisions. Not that you’ve listened to me in these last few years anyway.”

  People used to tell Dana she looked like her mother. They had the same light coloring, the same hazel eyes. But her mother’s eyes had lost their luster as she’d become more and more skeletal with sunken-in cheeks.

  Vida Jones had once been beautiful and sought after by the single men in the neighborhood. Dana remembered how her mother used to tell guys to stop bothering her when she was with her daughter. Told them it was disrespectful to push up on her like that. Dana wished Vida had thought Sam was disrespectful and had told him to leave her alone. If she had, Vida wouldn’t be standing in the middle of the living room scratching her arms like she had fleas.

  Dana couldn’t stand seeing her mother like this, so even though she didn’t want to watch Derrick play basketball, it beat sitting in this apartment with her mother, wondering how long it would be before her record player disappeared and Vida acted as if she had no idea what happened to it.

  “Come on, Derrick. Let’s go.”

  * * *

  The 262 was the elementary school for Bed-Stuy students, but it was also the place where hood legends were born. Anyone who thought he could dribble like Magic Johnson or shoot like Bernard King, the Brooklyn native who was now playing for the New York Knicks, could be found at the 262.

  Dana often hung out in the back of the school, cheering for one would-be superstar after another. She loved the game of basketball and she had fond memories of this school.

  Her mother used to walk her to school almost every morning on the way to catch the A Train for her job at McCrory’s. She lost her job during Dana’s last year at the 262. But Dana still loved the school. She and Lisa became friends during those years. And when she had problems at home, Dana had a true friend she could talk to.

  “What are you daydreaming about over here? You missed my dunk.” Derrick wiped the sweat from his face with the bottom of his shirt.

  Laughing at herself for totally ignoring the game, Dana told him, “It’s the school. I loved elementary school, so whenever I come over here, I always think about the good old days.”

  Derrick glanced at the brownish-red brick building with the massive red doors. “I went to elementary in Connecticut, so the only memories I have of this school is . . .” He turned his head toward the court and shouted, “When I’m dunking on fools!”

  “Oh, you dunking on us, huh? Well, come on back and see if you can get it off again,” the tallest player on the court said while cracking his knuckles.

  Derrick turned back to Dana. “You think I can take him?”

  Dana looked Derrick up and down. Derrick was tall, but he wasn’t Hakeem Olajuwon–tall, like the guy standing on the basketball court waiting to take him down at the hoop. “I don’t know. You might want to shoot some jumpers.”

  “You don’t believe in your man, huh?” He leaned in close and pressed his lips to hers. “Well, I’ll take that as my good luck charm.”

  Derrick gave her a dimpled smile as he went back to the court. Dana pressed her fingers against her lips. He actually kissed her in front of everyone, and he’d called himself her man. Derrick had never said or done anything like that before. What did this mean? Were they a serious couple? Did she want to be a couple with Derrick?

  “Dana!” Derrick yelled her name.

  He had the ball; he dribbled it as he raced down the court. The seven-foot guy was on his heels as Derrick went straight for the hoop. He caught up with Derrick and stood with his arms up.

  Derrick moved to the left, then the right. Someone in the stands hollered, “Did y’all see what happened? He crossed him and broke his ankles.”

  Dana jumped out of her seat. “He can’t check you. Go, Derrick!”

  Derrick was about six foot three, but it seemed like wearing those Jordans gave him some kind of superpower as he leaped so high his head was above the rim and he dunked the ball.

  Derrick’s partner on the court put his fist to his mouth, eyes big. “Ooh, that was nasty.”

  Dana pumped her fist in the air. “You did it, Derrick!”

  The seven-foot guy walked over to Derrick and shook his hand. “You all right with me, man.”

  “You almost had me,” Derrick told him as he strutted off the court like a man who owned his own little piece of the world. Another hood legend was born at the 262.

  “You hungry?” Derrick asked as they left the school.

  Her stomach had growled a few times while she watched the game. She nodded. “I could eat something.”

  “Let’s go get a slice.”

  They held hands as they walked over to Fulton Street. Dana felt a fluttering in the lower part of her belly again. She was conflicted. Derrick was being good to her, but she knew in her heart what they had was all wrong. She wanted so badly to be convinced otherwise. Maybe she could help him find a better way to make a living.

  After they ordered their slices of pizza and sat down in the back of the pizza parlor, she breathed in the scent of dough baking along with the oregano sprinkled on the pizza. Her stomach growled.

  Their slices were ready. Derrick grabbed them from the counter. He had cheese, and she had the pepperoni slice. Looking at the pizza, she asked, “Why me, Derrick?”

  “What do you mean?” Derrick took a bite of his cheese pizza and chewed it.

  “You could be with any girl in Brooklyn. Why you coming for me so hard?” She lifted her slice, folded it, then took a bite and almost closed her eyes to savor the deliciousness of the ooey-gooey cheese and pepperoni.

  Derrick used his index finger to lift her chin. “You really don’t know how beautiful you are.” He laughed. Leaned back in his seat. “Maybe I shouldn’t be telling you this. I don’t need my woman getting the big head, but I had my eye on you from the moment I moved here.”

  Dana had been told countless times how beautiful she was, but beauty faded. Her mom was the living example. She wanted someone to see more than her face when they looked at her. “I got really good grades in school until the tenth grade, when I stopped studying for tests. But I still passed with Bs and a few Cs. If I had studied, I could have graduated with honors.”

  “I’m sure you could have. I like that about you. I need a woman with brains and beauty.” Derrick turned his head and looked at the guy behind the cash register. He then glanced around the small parlor.

  “What are you looking for?” Dana thought they were having an important conversation, but she didn’t have Derrick’s full attention.

  “What?” He turned back to her. “Oh, I need a napkin.” He waved the busboy to their table. “Yo, man, can I get a napkin?”

  The busboy pulled some napkins out of the pocket of his apron and handed two of them to Derrick.

  “You’re not even listening to me.” Dana poked her lip out in a pout.

  Derrick wiped his hands with one of the napkins, then he looked at the other napkin, grinned, folded it, and slid it into his pocket.

  Derrick then turned his attention back to Dana. “Stop being so sensitive, girl. You caught my eye when I first saw you, and I promise . . . you have my attention.”

  She smiled at him. She wanted his attention. Needed someone in her life who was all about her. Her mother used to be . . . but that was a long time ago. Dana had been left to fend for herself. The abandonment had made her feel alone in this world. Maybe she had finally found someone who cared about her.

  * * *

  “I’ll get you the rent money, but you have to give me some time.”

  Dana had been sleeping, but she heard her mother yelling at someone, and it woke her up.

  “You ain’t right, Mr. James. You and your wife always talking to me about taking better care of Dana. How you think I’m gon’ do that if y’all throw us on the street?”

  Dana got out of bed, threw on a pair of shorts, and was rounding the corner to the living room when she heard Mr. James say, “The eviction has already been processed with the courts. You need to be out of here by next week, or the police will put your stuff on the curb.”

  “Well, the place is still ours for another week, so you can get out of my face.”

  Dana could see people walking past their apartment, looking toward their place. “Ma!” she yelled. “Why you talking so loud? Everybody can hear what’s going on.”

  Vida put a hand to her chest, then slammed the door. “Girl, don’t sneak up on me.”

  “Why do we always have to be the talk of the neighborhood? This stuff is embarrassing.”

  “I’m not trying to embarrass you.”

  Dana’s eyes bored into her. “We’re getting evicted again . . . right? How embarrassing.”

  Vida’s hands went to her hips. “Don’t give me your guff today. As far as I’m concerned, you’re grown, so if you don’t like the way I’m handling things”—Vida made a sweeping motion with her hand—“Then get on out there and show me how much better you can do this.”

  Her mother was insufferable. Sometimes Dana didn’t even want to go outside. She couldn’t stand the look of pity on the neighbors’ faces. Worse yet was when the neighbors sat on the stoop and Dana heard them talking about her mother.

  But at this moment, Dana couldn’t stand being in the same room with her mother. She stomped to the front door and went outside. The neighbors might be gossiping about what they’d heard from Vida and Mr. James, but she sat on his stoop anyway. She kept her eyes averted and her head low as she tried to imagine a world where things were good. A world where people were stable and took care of their children.

  After she’d sat out there for about thirty minutes, Derrick came over and sat down next to her.

  “I brought you something.” Derrick reached behind his back and pulled out a camera.

  Dana’s smile dimmed a bit. Derrick had said brought again. She shook off the thought, focusing on the camera. It was the exact one Dana had wanted for Christmas during her sophomore year of high school. The Minolta X-700. It was an all-black 35 mm camera with a flash and a roll of film. It fit snugly in her hand, and Dana was absolutely beside herself with joy.

  “I begged for this camera when I was in high school. I can’t believe you’re actually giving this to me.” Looking at Derrick with adoring eyes, she asked, “How did you know?”

  He pointed toward the apartment. “Your mom told me, so I went and snatched it for you.”

  So her mother was encouraging her boyfriend to steal. Dana sighed. She wanted to give the camera back to Derrick so he would get the message. She didn’t like the fact he’d chosen being a thief as his profession, but she’d begged for this camera and had been so disappointed when she didn’t get it.

  “Thank you, Derrick.”

  She leaned forward and kissed him, then snapped his picture.

  Derrick said, “I’m glad you like it. It’s good to see a smile on your beautiful face.”

  “I love it.” She might not have been able to make her scrapbook during high school, but she was going to take as many pictures of friends as she could before she and her mother had to move again.

  Derrick leaned back against the concrete step, looked around, then said, “I’m going to need you next week. I’m planning something big.”

  She sat up straight, put the camera down. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “I’ll tell you more once I have it all planned out, but this will set us up for a while. I might even be able to get us an apartment and move you out of here.”

  He wanted to take her away from her mother. She wanted to get away from Vida too. But she wasn’t the stealing kind. “I don’t know, Derrick. You’ve got to give me more time.”

  “The time is now, Dana. Don’t you want to get out of here?”

  She did. Seeing Vida in this haphazard condition every day tore at her heart. The only problem was, Dana hadn’t bothered to come up with any kind of plan to get her own place. She was planning to put in job applications at a few places, but nobody was going to pay her enough money to live on her own. She didn’t have much work experience.

  Chapter 4

  Lisa spent the following week shopping for school supplies and bedding since she would be staying in the dorm at her college. She and her mother used her father’s credit card like it had no limit. That is, until Daddy started yelling so loud through the house the walls vibrated.

  “Brenda, why on earth would you go out and spend over a thousand dollars in one week like this?”

  “Lisa needs things for school. We can’t send her off to college without supplies and things to make her dorm room feel homey.”