CHAPTER 5

“SEE THIS?” CHAD wants us to look at his phone.

“What?” Dan crowds him. I hesitate, then check his phone too.

Chad points at a YouTube video of a Black man on a stage. “You know this comedian?”

We shake our heads no.

He keeps on. “Watch him joke about how Black people act when craziness happens outside.”

I’m confused. Why’s Chad bringing this up? And Black jokes? He’s white.

The comedian acts it out. “If something strange happens outside, white people act like this . . .” He makes his voice extra white and nasally and starts walking all concerned. “‘What’s happening over here? We should investigate.’” The comedian laughs. “White people walk right into the craziness! But Black people? We do this.” He switches into a hood Black voice, pretends to be in the middle of a conversation, spots another Black person running from whatever, then sprints across the stage.

Chad lets out a laugh so hard. “Oh man, that’s so true.”

Dan chuckles.

It’s legit funny to them.

To me? Maybe it’d be funny if it wasn’t Chad showing it. It doesn’t feel funny because they’re laughing at me. I smirk.

“Yesterday, Stephen, you ran that way from the super,” Dan says.

“He did?” Chad asks, too thirsty to know more.

I shake my head. “Nah, Dan—we both ran that way.”

“But you zoomed off like the Flash. I couldn’t keep up.”

“You just hating ’cause I’m faster than you.”

Chad’s watches us beef, loving it.

Why do I feel ganged up on all of a sudden? Because they’re cousins? Because they’re both white? Sandwiching me over some joke about me and Black people?

I get serious. “Wait, Dan. You say I ran like that because my dad is Black? And, you, Chad, show me this video because you racist?”

Dan’s jaw drops. He holds up his open hands like Whoa! and starts apologizing. “I didn’t mean anything by it. I wasn’t trying to be racist.”

But Chad doesn’t deny he’s acting all racist.

“This video is wack,” I say, and then try to change the subject. “You know what’s tight, though? It’s Halloween soon.” I point to a shop’s window full of costumes.

“For real,” Dan says. “It is October first today.”

“I wonder if they sell a Miles Morales costume. They’d make bank. So many kids will want to be Miles. I’m gonna see if they have him and other Black heroes.”

“What Black heroes you mean? There’s just Miles Morales. Oh, and Black Panther.” Chad talks like some cocky expert who’s glad there’s almost no Black heroes.

“Nah, there’s more. Not enough Black super-heroes, but more than Miles and Black Panther. Dan, let’s take turns naming some until we can’t.”

Dan jumps in. “Luke Cage!”

“Cyborg from Teen Titans and Justice League.”

“War Machine from Iron Man.”

I put my fist over my heart. “My bae. Storm from X-Men.”

Dan shakes his head. “Your bae! Whatevs. Anyway, that Black Green Lantern.”

We go back and forth more, and either Chad’s not into this game or he’s not feeling Black superheroes.

“I’m out.” He fist-bumps Dan and skates off.

No fist bump for me. Not even a nod.

I watch Chad roll away. The past two days have gotten me tight. Something says tell Dan why. “That video was annoying. It kinda proved I should run since I’m Black.”

“What?” Dan gets dead serious. “Why?”

“C’mon. You saw what happened yesterday, with Junior swearing I knew that bike thief just because we’re Black. Maybe the video is saying Black people stand out and we’re targets for people to think we in the wrong when we not. So we should run and not get in trouble for nothing.”

“Nah.”

“C’mon. Today isn’t more proof of that? Did you see the cop at the factory eye me differently than everyone?”

“I didn’t. And why would he do that?”

“Because everyone was white. And I’m not.”

“That’s not true. Everyone wasn’t white.”

“Everyone wasn’t white?”

“No . . .” He bites his lip. “What about . . .” It hits him. “Bruh . . . you’re right. I never thought about that before.”

I stare at him, wondering how he hasn’t. But then again, he’s not the one people act prejudiced toward.

Then a thought hits me. Are we in two different lanes? I get seen as trouble but he gets left alone?

I hate thinking that.

Dan interrupts the awkward quiet. “I’m sorry.”

“Sorry for what?”

He shrugs. “I don’t know. Maybe I should notice stuff more. What you notice.”

And wow. Wowwowwow. It feels so good hearing Dan say that.

“Word.” I put up my fist and he fist-bumps me back.