Chapter Ninety-Four

WHITE MIKE IS in, surrounded by a crush of kids. He knows the number that beeped him five times in a row. It is that girl Jessica. White Mike starts looking around the house. He does not slide easy past the kids standing and sitting, he pushes them out of the way, and they look at him funny, but even the drunk ones see something in him that looks terrible, and they know he isn’t here for the party. He is moving too fast. He is not being cool.

White Mike doesn’t like the music. He just doesn’t like it. He has heard one too many Bob Marley songs at these parties. What am I doing here? What do I care if this girl beeps me? But White Mike always does what he’s supposed to do. It is like he is on a mission. Some crazy fucking mission. Charlie’s dead, murdered, Hunter’s in jail for murder. And White Mike is on this mission. White Mike comes to the open closet with the house stereo system in it. And as “No Woman No Cry” comes on and he hears the first voices somewhere in the house singing along, he grabs a piece of the equipment and hurls it from the shelf to the floor.

“Oh shit,” says a kid who sees him do this.

“What the fuck are you doing?” Chris appears and is yelling, but he steps back when he realizes who he is talking to.

“Who turned off the music, mon?” someone yells from the next room.

“Where’s that girl?” White Mike shouts at Chris.

Chris is scared. Kids are packing into this hallway off the main hall in front of the stairs. They are standing behind Chris, seeing what will happen. This is going to make an unbelievable story when school starts again. People are going to be sorry they weren’t here to see it. Sara pushes through the crowd and stands next to Chris.

“Umm, I think you better go,” says Chris to White Mike.