I said yah and ast what his name was. He jumpd down from the ring and walkd over. His belly hung over his shorts.
His names Jello. Cuz he got a jelly belly.
Shut up Jaden. You just a kid.
Jello movd easy. He was in shape. His hair was shavd so I cud see his skull underneeth. He had reel black skin—blacker than Jaden or Morgan.
There were flys all over. Jello swiped at 1 and it buzzd away.
So you tuff he said to me. You a tuff Bunny. A killer like Scratch. Can you fite? Mayb you can toss sum Angel on the street. Mayb you put down sum guy in hall—white guy I bet. But can you take on a brother?
A brother? I said.
He dint meen Spencer. I can nock Spencer down evry time. We dont fite any more. We never did much but its bin a long time now.
I dont want to hurt any brother I said.
Dint think so. You not 15. I wont beleev it til Cobra says so.
His words hung in the air in front of me. Like a sheet or sum thing. A curtin.
Cobras coming said Jaden. You wate Jello. Wate and see. Hey Bunny you want sum thing to drink?
Mayb I shud go I said.
Yah said Jello.
No—wate for Cobra.
There was 2 flys buzzing around my head. I grabbd them both. I dont like flys.
Huh! said Morgan. You got fast hands Bunny.
Jaden and I drank coke wile Jello went over to the punching bag and startd in punching. He was good.
The bag was jumping round. Morgan was with him but kept looking back at me. Jello wud punch the bag and Morgan wud look at me. The other fiter came over to ware we were on the couch and hung his head. I cud see his ribs go in and out wen he took a breth. Jaden calld him Xray.
Wo he said.
Wen I was dun my coke I went over and pickd up a wate. It said 20 on it so I thot I wud lift it 20 times. Wen I got to 20 I put it down and my phone rang.
IT WAS SPENCER. HEY! I SAID.
HE SAID HEY BACK and we talkd for a wile. He told me he got my shot of the tatoo and it was cool. His words went in and out. I pushd the phone into my ear so I cud here him. He ast sum thing about the 15. I told him about Jaden and the possy. Im in I said. I ast him if he got his kiss. Not yet he said. They were in a place calld Torrents. I ast if Torrents was in Buffalo cuz I thot thats ware Spencer was going. No he said it was Torrents Ontario and he was there with an other guy insted of Dad. And get this—Spencer was driving. He told me all about it.
Al Capoli? I said. Your with Al Capoli? And your driving a white convert able car?
Not bad I thot.
I herd a gasp and turnd round. A stranger was staring at me. He must of come into the jim wile I was on the phone. He was like 7 feet tall. I came up to his shirt. He was thin but not week. Bendy like a bow like he was reddy to shoot arrows at you. Cool guy with a super cool tatoo on his neck—a snake with fangs.
Al Capoli? he said to me.
He must of herd me.
I coverd the phone. Im talking to my brother I said.
Al Capoli from Buffalo? he said.
Yah.
Jaden stood next to the tall guy. Cobra this is Bunny he said. Pointing at me. You no him rite?
Evry 1 was staring at me—Morgan and Jello and Xray and Jaden and Cobra.
I wavd hi to Cobra.
Is Al Capoli in Torrents now? he ast. I nodded my head. You no how your talking on the phone and talking to sum 1 in the room at the same time? Thats how I was talking to Spencer and to Jadens brother.
Al Capoli is in Torrents Ontario in a white convert able I said to Cobra and he threw his hands in the air and walkd away.
I went back to Spencer. He was glad things were cool with me. I told him I was pumpd and he said that was xellent but that he had to run. I made a joke and said wasnt he driving? Insted of running you no. He said yah and later and hung up.
9 oclock soon. I shud be going.
Cobra was holding a sell phone. I wud like to talk to Rocko or Al he was saying. This is Cobra from 15 Street. I have got sum thing for you. Give me a call.
Your brothers tall eh? I said to Jaden. He dint anser.
The wate on the floor next to me was pretty big. It had a 35 on it. I dint feel like lifting it 35 times.
Cobra came over to me. Bent down.
How do you no so much? he ast.
His head was close to my head. Was he joking? No 1 ever thinks I no so much.
Capoli is missing he said. Rocko Wings does not no ware he is. No 1 in Buffalo nose ware he is.
But you do. Strange white kid out of no ware. How is that? he ast.
I dint say any thing. Cobra was 2 big. Not just tall but—there—you no? He took up room. I cudnt think next to him.
Your a mistery Bunny he said. A reel mistery. Who did you kill?
What?
He pointd at my arm.
That says your in the possy he said. Says your a killer. Jaden told me you were inside. I have bin inside 2 and I no there r bad guys in there. Sum times you can work with them and sum times you cannot. Sum times you have to step up. Rite Bunny? Step up for yourself and for your frends.
Things were weerd here. Evry 1 was black and tuff and staring at me and I dint no why xept that I wasnt black. Cobras eyes were like lazers flashing inside me. I dint no what he ment about being a killer. I feel stupid looking back but I reely dint. Grampa wud call us killer sum times and he was kidding. Hey killer he wud say to DJ or Webb or Steve. Hey killer hows it going? I dint no what was going on here so I nodded at Cobra. Jaden stood next 2 his brother smiling at me. I did no about Jaden—leest I thot I did.
Step up for your frends I said. Yah.
I was thinking about Jaden.
Cobra undid buttons on his shirt and pulld it aside. There was a 15 with 3 candls.
Do you see that Bunny? he said and I said yah. You no what it meens rite? It meens I am not scared to step up for the possy he said. And nether r you. The possy comes first. Rite?
Rite I said. Frends first.
Say it. Say your 15.
He was doing up the buttons agane.
Sure I said. Im 15.
Sum thing was rong about the tatoo. Why was my 15 all over the place? I dint no but I kept on saying yah like I always do. Cobra thot I was tuff and that made me happy. He held out a fist and I did 2 and we did our xploding together. He calld evry 1 over and put his hand on my sholder.
This here is Bunny he said.
Jaden smiled. Morgan nodded. Jello dint look happy. Xray was still shaking his head and saying wo.
Cobras phone rang and he jerkd it open rite away.
Hello Rocko he said. Did you get my message?
THE NEWS WAS ON
WHEN I GOT HOME. Mom was in her chair. I dont like the news so I was standing in the door getting reddy to go up stares wen the pleece cars and yello tape came on the screen and the news guy said sum thing about Angels.
What Angels r they talking about? I ast Mom.
A gang she said. Mimico Angels. There from west of here. See on the TV—thats the subway stashun.
Whats rong with these Angels? I ast.
They do awful things she said.
On TV 2 pleece men put a guy into a car. He had a black beerd and vest like a pirate. The car door closd and that was the end of the news and we went to a girl opening a can of cat food.
Nite Mom I said.
Nite.
I went online to see ware Spencer was. It took me a wile but I finally found Torrents. It dint look far from Trono but nothing looks far on a map does it? I meen China and Peru r only this far apart. You can cover Africa with your hand.
I put on my goop. There was no blud and the tatoo dint hurt much. I flexd my arm and the 15 movd. I went to bed and thot about that bully and Jaden. I thot about Cobra with his hand on my sholder and Jaden smiling.
Mom went off to be Prof O’Toole and tell peepl more about how we no what we no. I was alone in the house. Sum times Im alone cuz Spencers watching a movy in h
is room and Dads riting in the basment—not reely alone. Today was differnt—I was reely alone. I had my tost and jam and TV and I had a place to go after. I was so xited I cud hardly eat my brekfast. Goop on the tatoo and out the door. Morgan was sweeping the jim wen I got there.
Well well he said. Look whos here.
He was the only 1 around. I ast ware Jaden was. He said he dint no but did I want to work out wile I was wating? Help yourself he said and went back to sweeping.
I was lifting the 20 wate wen Morgan came over and said I was doing it rong. He showd me. His arm was huge.
I tryd it his way but it was harder. I cant do 20 I said.
OK how about 12?
But it says 20.
12 is fine he said.
He ast if I wantd to try fiting and I went yah. I like fiting I said.
I dont fite at home cuz Mom and Dad hate it and Spencer cant. And no 1 pix on me at skool any more. But theres fiting on TV. Spencer and I watch UFC sum times befor Dad changes the channel. I try to see how the guys do the moves.
Your fast said Morgan. I saw you catch those flys yesterday. You have fast hands.
I gess I said.
We climed into the ring.
First thing is to lern how to fall he said. Your going to get hit and you have to no how to fall safe and fast. Lets do it here in the ring cuz its a soft floor.
I can fall I said.
Yah? Show me.
And he nockd me down. His hands came out of noware and hit me in the chest and his leg was behind my foot and I fell to the floor and lay there going O. I wasnt hurt—just suprised. I climed back onto my feet.
Pretty slow said Morgan. With a littl smile on his face.
No fair I wasnt reddy I said.
Fiting isnt about being fair Bunny. Your a kid and I used to be a pro. That isnt fair ether. Trust me—you want to lern how to fall.
I was staring at him.
For reel? I said. A pro fiter like on TV?
Yah.
Like UFC?
Yah. Now watch me.
He went down but befor I new how he was back on his feet.
And thats with my bad leg he said.
I ast if he new any of the UFC guys on TV now. He said no. It was a wile ago he said. He was traning in a New York jim and they were all going to sine sum TV deel only he broke his leg in a practis fite and never came back.
And it happend cuz I dint fall rite he said. I got my leg twistd and sum 1 jumpd on me and it snappd.
Ew I said.
You try now he said. Try falling.
I did. Try agane he said. So I did it agane. Tuck in your sholder he said. Dont land flat. Land rolling. Hit like a brick and fall like a ball.
What?
Its what they say.
I smiled. Nice I said.
I fell agane. And agane. And agane. My sholder was hurting but I was getting the roll and Morgan said I was doing better.
Jello came in and ast what I was doing there.
Looks like you want to fite he said. He had on sunglasses and a stripy shirt and was eating a donut. You want to fite white boy? Do you? Ill fite you. Ill beet you like a drum he said.
I dunno said Morgan. Bunnys pretty fast.
Like a drum said Jello.
But just then Jaden came running in and ast did I want to do sum thing for Cobra? Sure I said. So I left without fiting Jello. I told him mayb later and he said any time at all. He tryd to push me but I got out of the way.
I thot about what they said. Hit like a brick and fall like a ball. Cool eh?
THE SUN WAS BEHIND US
WALKING UP THE STREET. My shadow was bigger than Jadens—his was like a bunch of sticks walking beside my big lump. He was talking about tagging. Thats what we were going to do. We were going to do sum tagging today.
Like the game? I said.
What game?
Tag.
He laffd. Your funny he said.
I ast did he no about Morgan being a pro fiter? Jaden dint like fiting at all and dint want to talk about it. OK I said. We walkd sum more and then he stoppd so I did 2.
Wud you look at that? he said.
What?
He was pointing at a brick wall—the front of a place with bords on the windos. Uh huh I said but dint no what I was looking at.
Those dam Angels he said. Tagging on our turf. This is—15 Street. They cant put there tags here.
Huh? I said.
Well look!
Lots of riting and drawing on the brick wall. Differnt things. In the middl of the wall was a big white letter A with a little O on top. Like this:
Thats there tag? I said.
Jaden was carrying a nap sack. He pulld out a spray can and sprayd out the sine in red. Then he took a can of black and sprayd a 15 on top of the red.
Wont they be mad? I ast.
Who?
Whoever lives here. Were riting on there house.
No 1 lives here stupid he said with a smile and a push.
The smile was reel and that made it OK. 1st time ever sum 1 calld me stupid and dint make me feel bad.
15 like my tatoo I said.
Were the 15 Street Possy arnt we? Thats our tag. Any 1 sees that sine they no that 15s bin here.
O yah I said. Cors.
So now I new about tags. It was a way of saying we r here. We. R. Here.
Me and Jaden went up and down 14 and 15 and 16 Streets looking for Angel tags and spraying over them. They were on bildings and streetcar stops and sidewalks. There was a big A on the side of a donut shop. I went inside and ast if it was OK to spray over it. The guy behind the counter dint no what I was talking about and Jaden draggd me out of there and said I was crazy.
That guy dont care about whats on his store he said.
O I said.
My fav was 1 we did on a STOP sine. The Angels had put A under the O to make it look like there tag. Jaden made a new tag for us on the sine. He sprayd out the A and then—you no how S looks like 5? Jaden put a white 1 in front of the STOP and fixd the S to be more like a 5 so the sine lookd like 15 TOP—like were the top. Cool or what? He climed onto my sholders to get hi enuff.
This was his job—looking for other tags. Its why the Angel bully was pushing him down wen I met him—he dint like Jaden spraying out his tags.
I look after the possy on the street he said. We have to be able to say this is our turf.
Turf I said.
Ware we r. Ware we hang out. Other gangs come along and tag on our turf and I rub them out.
Like picking up dog poop I said. You dont want those Angels pooping on our front lon.
He laffd agane. Your a funny Bunny he said.
It was lunch time so we went back to the donut shop with our tag on it. I got cool running shoos for my birthday and also money and I had sum money left so I bot us donuts and coffee. I wud of got coke but Jaden said coffee so I did 2 even tho I never had it befor. I put in milk and 4 sugars like he did. We took our lunch down to the lake. Theres stones and garbaj and stuff and we went rite down to the water and climed big flat stones and stood there drinking and eating. The lakes so big you cant see across. The world looks flat all the way. The coffee was pretty good.
A bird landed near me and startd yelling. It went rite up to me and opend its mouth and yelld. Gimme it said. Gimme gimme gimme gimme. I still had sum donut left and I was going to give the bird sum and then an other 1 landed and started the same thing. Gimme. And an other 1 and an other. White birds with yello beaks and meen eyes. They were all round us going Gimme. I cudnt give them all donut so I ate it.
I ast if the Angels had turf. Jaden said of cors they did. Over by Mimico Street. I said we shud put our tags there and his face lit up. Thatd be aw sum he said but weed have to ast Cobra first. So we did—we went back to the jim and ast Cobra and he said no. He dint want any 1 messing with the Angels.
Not now he said.
That Angel guy was messing with me yesterday said Jaden.
That was away over
on 20th said Cobra. And you were bugging the guy wernt you? Following him and spraying over his tag as soon as he put it on?
Mayb said Jaden.
We were all in the offis—a littl room off the jim smelling like smoke and swet. Cobra and Jello were sitting on the couch and watching TV. Cobras head was on a level with ours—Jadens and mine.
I dont want any problem with the Angels until after the deel goes thru he said.
O yah the deel said Jaden.
They both turnd to look at me.
You dont no any thing more about that do you mistery boy? said Cobra.
What? I said.
The deel said Cobra.
What deel?
The 1 with the Angels and the guys from Buffalo. You new ware Al Capoli was. Hes part of the deel—Rocko says so. Do you no sum thing you havent told us?
My brothers the 1 in Torrents I said. He textd me agane but it wasnt about the deel.
You sure? said Jello. What was it about? Lets see.
He stood up and came over to ware I was standing.
What did your brother tell you? he ast. You guys talking about our deel on the phone? Show us.
Yes show us said Cobra. The tatoo on his neck was dark ink xept for the eyes and fangs witch were red. Pretty intens.
I got out my phone. See? I said. Heres my text saying my tatoo still hurts. And heres what Spencer sent back.
I held my phone flat and we all stared at the screen together—me and Jaden, Cobra and Jello. The text said—outhouse xploded tell u later.
What the hell does that meen? ast Cobra.
I had no idea.
MOM WAS IN A GOOD MOOD
WEN I GOT UP THE NEXT DAY. She was in the kitchen with her coffee and her golfing hat and those shorts that make her look like 2 peepl. She said hi and did I sleep all rite. I said uh huh. And how about you?
Fine.
The coffee smell reminded me of the donut shop. I pored sum into the mug and put in lots of milk and sugar. The sun was shining and the floor of the kitchen was yello dime ends.
Mom had her phone out. Isnt that grate she said.
What?
I got a text from your father. He says he and Spencer r having so much fun on there trip. He sounds reely xited.
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