70

“Michael fought alongside you yesterday.”

“Yes, for you. Because you got hurt. Not because of me, or some brotherhood or some shit.”

She rolled her eyes. “Come on. If we don’t get started, we’re going to be late. You can come home with me after school and get your bike.”

I grinned. “Oh, really now? Will your mother be home?”

All she did was giggle, giving me an answer that suddenly made me want this entire school day to be over.

We walked hand in hand through her neighborhood, and I got a good look at it. There was trash lying around in the streets. The lawns were filled with dirt and mud rather than freshly-trimmed grass. The homes had crooked porches and dilapidated roofs. Rae and her mother honestly lived in the best house on the block. Which still wasn’t saying much. It gave me a glimpse into the life Rae led. The dark shadows that shrouded this place. The smell that hung in the air around the homes, no matter how hard the wind blew.

But, once we got to the exit of the neighborhoo