ushes on the new boy wit

d his mixed-race parent

bby Ray Dean, but learn

t-or lost one. He follo

t hit hard if one comes

stays down; wa

ds. They broke rules an

they always had money

mily members. When Reape

to deliver a package to

out saying yes. He knew t

to belong

ore he'd gone a block

ed the cops. Rather tha

s done. He'd been runni

irst nights in foster ca

how to get from one roo

cyclone fence, swing ove

He delivered

he found Reaper and de

er's eyes. He paid up a

sixteen, a Denzel Washington look-alike with

and had a nervous laug

king away from a comput

s feet and looked

get hooked on what th

didn't like carrying wh

de a delivery, he'd dre

tting on rumpled sheets

d shame. She'd cry and h

aby. You know I'm gonn

eat, heart pounding, tear

pened, Bobby Ray raked

of the bed, fighting down

challenge to his author

with murder. Bobby Ra

is weakness, something

. He wanted their respect

te

he did that best when

ing the curtains aside,

ents' apartment, he spot

he wall across the stree

er? That was the

tagger's work, his min

done with a couple

e along with the ideas.

ay to stay in the gang w

traff

all and inched along t

inpipe and climbed, hand

and swung over. He got a running start and leape

borin

down the other side. He

ost was messy, clearly d

ugh Bobby Ray knew

blow minds, make peopl

place, a place where th

by city

was get his hands on a

r what a real gang tagg

He'd be in the gang wit

n the gang's

g harness, Bobby Ray h

of red spray paint from

, keeping watch on the

place where anyone and h

d to take risks to estab

tter. "Another

s down!" Lardo h

ore as the harness cut

grabbed hold of a pipe. P

ad dressed in black for a

. Cops usually kept their

ed how long it would take

w his gear and paint sup

ll and looked down witho

t the wall. Bobby Ray spit out a profan

straps as Lardo yanked o

It exploded in front of

his face away before the

d he grabbed hold of the

t r

, Bobby Ray reached fo

ome on!" He ran for th

ed b

e cool. "They didn't se

k and tossed it onto the

far enough to get a runni

nd rolled

k, he ducked down and

street. They let him go

the alley with flashli

ar and left, Bobby Ray

so he had to tie the rop

ew minutes and used the

pipe to w

e able to leave it alo

lo

up to the roof and stuf

h to draw attention, sm

nteers wouldn't be in a h

over

the apartment house ac

ewing the graffiti as a

mbed down the fire escape t

siren made Bobby Ray's

cker, he could run over a

shouted after him. Lard

lley. Bobby Ray waited

a merry chase. Adrena

ning hi

p when he climbed, u

atest foster pa

fell into step with Bobb

ere you been

is foster father, had r

hool. He didn't want soci

t week. Chuck spent most

drinking Budweiser. He

s at a grocery store. Bo

times the three of the

on the day a social work

t that red face on the

windows loo

onth

as taking

ept files on gang tagge

Ray wanted his work rec

ork faster or

bout another party happ

eeded to get to

n and slid into a desk

he Civil War, but Bobby

end-to-end with heads, each a different color, al

ing teeth. How many cans

g with him. He'd have t

color. He'd need lookout

alone, with on

im asked a question ab

t of his dreaming. He tr

otes. She was one of th

, and dreamed of gettin

tebook and started sket

n the marble steps of cit

is h

n the middle of his dra

tebook and studied the p

immed glasses. "Ar

N

and away. "Test on Fri

sted on the board." He lo

d a Union soldier, and I

you didn'

t his notebook and lean

lk to the front of the c

k into school so he co

f chapters on that sweet

f before the day was over

ad friends here.

s, thinking. He'd have t

going to draw Ci

ckers. The two of them

st of the gang members h

ideo games, eating junk food. Red Hot, Reaper's

Bobby Ray stayed in th

e big man when his brot

o years of age from diff

bby Ray thought of his

guy knocked her up jus

er and moved

Lardo punched Bobby Ra

the party ton

made him slow and dum

did to stay away from

s eyes like an oncoming

e made sure no one knew

d rather read than do hom

ldiers than listen to Re

n. Tonight