The Angels r the bad guys I said. They do tagging on our turf.
But you have a deel with them. Your working together. You and the Angels and the Buffalo mob.
O yah Buffalo I said.
We no a lot he said. But we need more if were going to stop the deel. Talk now and itll be better for you later. You dont want to go to jale do you? So help us. Talk. Will you talk to me?
Sure I said.
Wen is the deel going down? he ast.
I dont no.
Sunday? Monday?
I dont no.
Well what r you deeling?
I dint no what he ment so I dint say any thing.
Come on what? What kind of product?
I dint no why he was on me about this.
Ast Cobra I said. He nose. Or mayb Jello or Snocone I said. Dont ast Xray hes always moning. But Cobra wud no for sure.
Sarjent Don shook his head. His chins wiggld back and forth.
Tell us about the deel he said. Let us help you. You dont think so but were your frends Bunny. We r. You think Cobra cares about you? You think the possy cares about you? They dont. Sum thing goes rong they will throw you away. They will save themselves and you will go down. They dont care about you.
Yes they do I said.
So many things I dint no but I new this. Jaden cared about me. The others 2—mayb not as much but they still cared sum. Cobra put his hand on my sholders and said this heres Bunny. I was part of the possy. They cared about me and I cared about them.
How did I no this? How was I so sure? I dunno. But I was.
Wens the deel? Don ast agane.
I dunno.
But there is a deel.You just said so. You said you dint no wen it was.
Im not very smart I said.
Get smart he said. Its smart to no who your frends r.
I was slipping down the chair agane. I pulld myself back up.
Don stoppd the tape recorder and got up to go. Befor he went he leend over and said he had to ast me sum thing. No tape he said. I just want to no.
What?
He leend forward and talkd soft.
I no how gangs work. What r you doing with 15 Street Bunny? Your the only face rite?
The only—?
I no wen Im in a room full of white peepl he said. I look around and I see theres no 1 like me and I feel differnt. Even if there my frends I feel differnt from them. Dont you feel differnt?
Don left and an other guy came in. He dint tell me his name. He had dark hair and littl eyes and his chin was blu. I stared at it. Blu. He ast the same questions as Don and wen I still dint no the ansers he got mad. Not the norml Jeez Bunny kind of mad. His mouth went all wide and he had bulgy things on his face.
Your LYING! he shoutd.
I dont—
I NO the kind of punk you r! You think you can SCARE me with THAT?
Pointing at my arm.
I am NOT scared. I am disGUSTd he said. That candl makes me want to PUKE! Your a SICK peace of CRAP kid. TALK to me or Ill HURT you! Ill put you in jale and you will NEVER get out. You cud go there NOW!
Im used to yelling but this was xtra loud and weerd. The guys face was dripping wet with swet. He movd his mouth like he was chewing and then spit on the floor. He leend close.
TELL me! he shoutd.
What?
Ware the stash is. Wen the deel goes down. Its a 3 way deel—rite? Pipes for cash for hash? Who you talking to in Buffalo? WHO?
I shook my head. I had no idea what he ment. It was like he was talking french or sum thing. Or klingon or dog.
Your blu I said.
WHAT?
Like a smurf. You no? Your face is blu. Rite there.
I pointd. I saw now that his chin was stubbly. That was what made it blu. He slappd at my hand but I pulld it out of the way and he fell down. And just then the door opend and a pleece woman lookd in.
Loyers here Sarj she said.
Behind her was a guy in a soot and breef case. He pushd past her into the room and lookd at me and the angry pleece man who was back on his feet now.
Just what is going on here? said the loyer. R you questioning this boy? he said. You shudnt be. Why r you hiding him? Ive bin all over this pleece stashun looking for him. R you trying to sum thing? R you? Do you no sum thing sum thing? This boys a miner. Look at him. You have no rites here. I will file a sum thing about you. Sum thing els 2. And sum thing sum thing sum thing els.
I dint understand a lot of what he said.
The angry sarj walkd out of the room with the loyer talking after him into the hall. Then the loyer came back in and kept going.
Did you say any thing to that cop? he ast me. Did you admit any thing? Did you sum thing sum thing? Did you sine any thing? If you did tell me now. Im your loyer. I can fix it.
I laffd.
Your like that guy on TV I said.
What?
The guy selling choppers. It does all these differnt things and never gets dull and its yours for 2 easy payments call now I said.
He talkd xactly the same as the chopper guy—so fast you dint here the words 1 by 1 but all in a bunch like a shower. His name was Julius and he was Jadens uncle but I dint find that out til the next day. He was the loyer for the possy. He got evry 1 els out of this place and now it was my turn.
A funny guy—he dint want to no any thing. Wen I startd to talk about what was going on he shook his head. Dont tell me he said over and over. If youve dun sum thing I dont want to no. Dont tell me any thing about plans or Angels or deels or guns or any thing. Now lets go.
Guns? I said.
I dont no any thing about guns he said. I dont no what your talking about.
Ware is Jaden? I ast. Wares evry 1?
I dont no he said. They were here and now there not. I dont no ware they r or what they plan on doing. And if you no—dont tell me!
We went down the hall reel fast. Pleece offisers were all over but we went thru them and out the front door of the pleece stashun. I dint no any of the bildings or streets. There was a statu on the sidewalk—a littl kid pulling a wagon with a triangl thing on it. He lookd tired and I cud see why—the triangl thing was bigger than he was.
I dint move rite away. Dint no what to do ware to go. The loyer pointd.
Streetcar stop is there on the corner he said. Good by.
He shook my hand and went back in.
I never saw him agane.
I SENT JADEN AN OTHER TEXT
AND WATED. NOTHING. I dint no any other possy numbers so I got on a streetcar for home. I dint no ware els to go. I got a text from Spencer—almost dun jackfish. Whatever that ment. I dint no what a jackfish was. Then gost town tomoro morning. I red it agane but dint understand the fish part. Unless jackfish was a place. Maybe that was it. Mayb it was the gost town. I sent him a text back but it dint go thru. Error said my sell phone. I tryd agane. And agane. Error. Error. I lookd up wen the driver calld out a street name I dint no.
Inside the streetcar evrything lookd norml. Ads for movys and pills and sad babys and a pull cord over the door. But outside was differnt. I dint no the street names or the stores. We past a restront and a church and a park with a glass house in the middl. Weerd eh? House made of glass. A minit later we came to the end of the rode and the streetcar turnd like a car. I dint no they cud do that but this 1 turnd rite and kept going. What to do? What to do? Dad says wen your lost stay ware you r and sum 1 will find you. But what about now? If I stayed ware I was I wud keep moving. That was rong wasnt it?
I calld Moms sell phone and home. I got the voys saying pleas leev your name and hung up. I never no what to say to the voys. I dint want to say help me Im lost. Id sound like a littl kid.
I countd parking meters. I dint no what els to do. They were on both sides of the street so I was up to 20 22 24 in no time.
Moving moving. What to do? What to do? We turnd agane. Left. This streetcar was like a dodjem. Not so many restronts now. The stores were closed. Sum of the street lites were on
and sum wernt. The windo was open. I cud hear the sound of the metal weels on the metal rales. A singing sound.
No more meters. I went up to the driver and ast ware he was going. He told me a name but I dint no ware that was. I ast if it was any ware near Tecumsee and he shook his head. Your on the rong car—Tecumsee is back there he said.
The weels sang on the rales.
Let me off! I said. Man O man O. I was going away from home. Evry second I was farther and farther away. Let me off ! I said agane. Let me off! Let me off!!
I got so upset that the driver stoppd in the middl of a block and opend the doors. I jumpd onto the rode and almost got run over by a littl green car. The driver had his mouth open wide.
Shut up! I said to him. Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!
I pounded the hood of the car and walkd away slow.
The partments on my side of the street were ugly and squashd and no 1 cared what was in them. Like boxes at the back of the closet. Windos with bords on them. Close hanging over ralings.
It was 9:10 by my sell phone. I was breething better now that I wasnt going the rong way. I was stoppd and sum 1 wud find me. And sum 1 did—an old raggy guy. But he cudnt help me cuz he dint no ware he was ether. I ast him and he pointd at the sky and at the ground and then shook his head. So I gave him a loony and he wandered away smelling like garbaj. Next past me was a girl with a baby. I ast ware I was and she laffd and kept going. No I meen it ware am I? I yelld. She went into 1 of the box places pushing her stroller.
A streetcar went past. It was weerd to see it coming around the corner tord me. On the front it said MAIN. I calld home agane but it was still the voys on the other end. I startd to jump up and down. I cud feel myself getting workd up agane. Like water on the stove. All the bubbls going up and up. Thats how my insides felt. My phone said 9:11. Then 9:12. Then 9:12 agane. I was talking out loud. I do that sum times. Come on I said. Come on come on.
My phone buzzd. Mom I thot. But it was Jaden.
Hi! I shoutd.
Bunny?
Did you get my text?
Yah he said. Ware r you?
I dont no!
Were cruzing around he said. The jim is off limits. Cobra is at home and the rest of us r in Jellos car. You shud be here. You want to come along?
Yah! I said. But you have to find me.
Jaden said no problem. He ast what I cud see and I told him about the streetcar that said MAIN and the box houses and he said the same as Dad—stay ware you r and weel get you he said.
I stared at the store across the street. There was used stuff for sale in the windo—a thing to put your close in with drawers and a meer on top and a trumpet hanging on a string and stacks of DVDs. The windo had bars across it. The sun was down but there was still lite in the sky. I cud here car doors and music. A siren rising and falling a long way away. City things. I cud here the same things outside my place.
I thot about that. I dint want to be here but did I want to go home? I did and I dint. What wud I do at home? What was home any way? My famly? My stuff?
Huh.
I dint notice the 2 guys until they came rite up and ast for my shoos.
What? I said.
Your shoos. Take them off said the big guy with the cigar and hat.
Why?
Cuz there good 1s. And you dont belong here. Take them off.
He was blowing smoke up—like a chimny. The other guy was behind me now. He movd sneeky and sideways.
We were standing under a street lite and it came on just then.
I seen that befor said the cigar guy.
He was staring at my arm.
A guy in my range at Millhaven had that 15 on his chest. Striped like that. Thot he was cool as any thing but he was crap. You seen that 15 befor Dixon?
The other guy made wisper sounds from behind me. I dint no what he was saying. Sum thing rong with the way he talkd. I tryd to look at both guys at the same time. Dixon pulld a long stick out of his pocket and slappd it on his hand. Not a stick from a tree but like a club. The big guy threw away his cigar and made his hands into fists. These 2 reely wantd my shoos. I thot about xplaning about them being a birthday present but I new they wudnt care. I wonderd how much the club wud hurt. Probly a lot.
What a mess. It was bad being lost but this was worse. Things can always get worse. But they can get better 2 and they did rite then. A car pulld up to ware we were standing—old car about a block long with a black body and white top. Jaden was leening out the windo. Hey Bunny he said and I said Hey back. Befor the car stoppd he was on the sidewalk and so was Xray. Doors swinging. The car rumbld like it was about to spit. Jello got out the driver side and Snocone with him so now there were 4 of them on the sidewalk with me. And the other guys were gone. I dint see them go but they were hurrying down the walk to the next bilding block place. The door swung shut behind them.
What was that about? said Snocone.
My shoos I said.
Huh?
Jello was all reddy in the car. Jaden was shaking his head. Man Bunny we leev you alone for a minit you get in a mess.
I got in the back with Jaden and Xray. Jello made a U turn and we rored away.
If that cop Don was there Id say to him told you so. They do care.
WE DROVE AROUND
PLACES I NEW and places I dint. Down along the river to the lake and then across town under the xpress way ware there were pot holes and hobos and the CNE and then back up thru streets I new with houses and partments and parkd cars and dark lanes and trees. Streetcar tracks made us bump up and down. Music playd. Bildings leend on each other. Smells of garbaj and summer nites. Peepl around—lots of them. Jello slowd down wenever we past a park and we all stared out the windos. I dint no what I was looking for but I stared all rite. 1 time we drove into a parking lot and rolld reel slow past a car with guys sitting on it and they all stared at us and we stared at them. Our music was loud and so was theres. We drove away still staring.
Raders? said Jaden.
Raders said Snocone.
Hate those guys said Xray.
Jello got a phone call that made him sware. He lissend and nodded and swore sum more. Yah Ill tell them he said. He threw the phone down on the seat next to him.
That was Cobra he said. Deels off.
He turnd up the radio. We were on a twisty street with big houses.
Jaden was shaking his head so I did 2. I dint want him to think I dint care.
This is bad news rite? I wisperd.
Yah.
The car went skid round a corner. Jaden bumpd into me.
Deel was to pay for the jim said Jaden. Were behind on the rent. If we dont do the deel we dont get the money. They kick us out of the jim. Morgan has no ware to live. We have no ware to hang out. Jello is traning for UFC. Without the jim he has no ware to trane.
Too bad I said.
Jello was zooming down the rode. There were speed bumps and the car went bang bang wen we hit them. The lite went from yello to red. We dint slow down. Bang.
Hey said Snocone from the passenger seat. Hey Jello!
Bang.
The lite was red. Jello held on to the weel tite. Snocone yelld at him to stop. Jaden put his hand on my arm. I was counting my breths agane. I cud feel the air going in 2 3 out 2 3. There was a crack in the wind sheel—zig zag zig. At the last minit Jello slammd on the brakes but we dint stop. It was 2 late and we went skid and kept going. We were rite at the lite now and there were cars going across the street in front of us. Jello spun the weel and our car went round in haff a circle so we were facing back the way we came. And now—now we stoppd.
Jello turnd in his seat.
Shut up! he yelld. Evry 1 just shut up—OK?
We went back the way we came. Jaden shook his head. I was trying to think what this reminded me of.
They talkd about things I dint understand. Points and numbers that dint meen a thing. Ware we cud get money. Who wud by our stuff off us. How much time we had. Not much. Thats my point
said Jello a few times. My hole point. We got to move now. We need money by next week. Thats wen the rents do. We got to find a deel. We got stuff to sell—we got to sell it. Got to find sum 1 to sell it to. Any 1 thinks differnt you can get out of the car now—OK?
No 1 said any thing for a bit. Then Xray said he dint trust the Angels.
Yah I said.
Well I dont trust those Raders said Snocone. Or the Sonix.
Who we going to deel with then? ast Jello.
I wish Scratch wasnt in Torrents said Jaden. Wens he back?
We were over by Hi Park—trees on our left there branches full of darkness. Stars on top like salt on french frys. Old timey. Spooky. Kind of sad.
Torrents? I wispered to Jaden. You meen where my brother is? Cuz hes not there now.
The lite changed. We took off like a sling shot and I thot about being in the car with Mom and Dad upset about sum thing so that there feelings—the upset feelings—wud spill over the back seat. Id ast Mom why she was fiting with Dad and she wud say they never fot—that this was a free xchange of ideas. Spencer wud be sitting beside me reeding a comic and rolling his eyes.
One time we were on our way to the cottage and Mom almost hit a squirrl and Dad told her to go slower and she said if he dint like her driving he cud get out of the car and not go to the cottage. He said that sounded good to him and she told him to watch out. Dont you dare Jerry O’Toole she said.
Thats what it was like now—Snocone getting mad at Jellos driving and Jello telling us we cud get out of the car.
They were talking about me. Jaden was saying I must have lernd fiting wen I was inside and Jello was saying I was pretty good but not as good as him.
His ink is fresh said Snocone. How long he bin 15?
Thats what I want to no said Xray.
Hes rite here—why dont you ast? said Jaden.
We were passing a hotel. The sine was lit up but there were letters missing. Park sum thing and then Arms.
So what about it white boy? said Xray. Scratch and Jello and me bin 15 a long time—gonna be 15 a long time. What about you?
Silents. They were wating for me to talk.
Im 15 a hole year I said. Then Ill be 16.
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