9780063056534

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“Uh-oh!” P-NNut call out. “Li’l Don in troooouble. Got his mommarolling through on a disciplitarianship.”A discipli-what?Forget P-NNut. I open Ma’s passenger’s door. “Hey, Ma.”“Hey, ba—” She cover her nose. “Damn, boy! You ripe! What youdoing so musty?”I sniff myself. I ain’t that bad. “I played ball.”“Did you wrestle with pigs too? Good Lord! You gon’ clear the clinicout.”“If we run by the house real quick, I can shower—”“We don’t have time for that, Maverick. We told Iesha and her mommathat we’d meet them at two. It’s already one forty-five.”“Oh.” I ain’t realize my life might be changing so soon. “My bad.”Ma must catch the dip in my voice. “We need to know the truth. You getthat, right?”“Ma, what I’m gon’ do if—”“Hey,” she says, and I look at her. “NNo matter what, I’ve got you.”She hold her fist out to me.I smirk. “You too old to be dapping folks up.”“Old? Boy, please! I’ll have you know I got carded when me and Moewent out last Saturday. Bam! Who too old now?”I laugh as she crank up the car. “You. You too old.”“Ay, hold up!” Shawn call out. He dash across the parking lot and runaround to Ma’s side. “I gotta say whaddup to the queen. How you doing,Mrs. Carter?”“Hey, Shawn,” Ma says. “You making it?”“Yes, ma’am. Looking out for your boy.”“Good,” Ma says, and this time her voice dip.NNo mother want their son in a gang, but no mother want their son deadeither. Pops made so many enemies in the streets that I need somebody tohave my back. He told Ma I had to join. Kinging run in my blood anyway.Ma’s brothers claimed it, then Pops and his cousins. It’s like a fraternity forus.Ma think I’m an “associate” though, aka somebody who only claim itand don’t sling or put in work. She say this whole King Lord thing istemporary. She drill it into my head all the time—get my high schooldiploma and go away to college so I can get the hell away from all of this.
“We’ve got an appointment to get to,” she tells Shawn. “Be safe outhere, baby.”“Yes, ma’am.” Shawn look at me and nod. “Good luck, li’l homie.”I nod back.Ma pull outta the parking lot, and I watch the homies in the rearviewmirror. They ball on the courts without a care in the world. I wish that couldbe me again.Instead, I’m headed to the clinic to find out if King’s son is actuallymine.
Page 3 and 4: DedicationFor all the roses growing
Page 5 and 6: Twenty-ThreeTwenty-FourTwenty-FiveT
Page 7 and 8: OneWhen it comes to the streets, th
Page 9 and 10: “We should’ve stopped calling y
Page 11 and 12: I stand between her legs. “We gar
Page 13: One of the windows roll down, and t
Page 17 and 18: hotel during the day and clean offi
Page 19 and 20: I’m feeling real bad for her all
Page 21 and 22: “A’ight.”I change my first di
Page 23 and 24: something new outta them.“Are you
Page 25 and 26: I startled Li’l Man. His face scr
Page 27 and 28: every weekend. He stay in the Garde
Page 29 and 30: Kenny got jumped. The big homies be
Page 31 and 32: FourI finally got Iesha on the phon
Page 33 and 34: Andreanna’s old baby monitor and
Page 35 and 36: Pops a fool for the Lakers. He wors
Page 37 and 38: “Oh.” That’s all King say at
Page 39 and 40: FiveDre swing by the house around n
Page 41 and 42: “It’s seven years after he fake
Page 43 and 44: I knew, he put his arm around my sh
Page 45 and 46: Tammy’s momma, Ms. Rosalie, is ri
Page 47 and 48: “Going back to your movie and sta
Page 49 and 50: “You gotta be kidding me.”“We
Page 51 and 52: tripping. NNot like I got time to h
Page 53 and 54: Would say I better come to her hous
Page 55 and 56: This “tough love” shit she do i
Page 57 and 58: “Focus on them grades, that’s a
Page 59 and 60: “What’s really messed up is the
Page 61 and 62: them beanbag chairs in the back. I
Page 63 and 64: The Wyatts were King’s last foste
Page 65 and 66:
Connor? She went from me to a white
Page 67 and 68:
This nig . . . “You know what? I
Page 69 and 70:
“Yep. For every fifteen minutes y
Page 71 and 72:
I been tryna shake Lisa outta my he
Page 73 and 74:
She said it was none of my business
Page 75 and 76:
I can’t be in here when he tryna
Page 77 and 78:
We use some of Ma’s good towels t
Page 79 and 80:
I’m a pro at diapers now. The key
Page 81 and 82:
TenA week ago, I sat in the street
Page 83 and 84:
breaking her smile, and tears build
Page 85 and 86:
closing you can get on as many ride
Page 87 and 88:
Lisa got her braids in a bun and we
Page 89 and 90:
“Yep. She’s at rehearsals. Her
Page 91 and 92:
“Seven? You did not name that bab
Page 93 and 94:
Part 2Growth
Page 95 and 96:
I glance around. I can’t go out t
Page 97 and 98:
“Since when did I ask for your op
Page 99 and 100:
Thirteen“Yo, Mav!” Rico wave in
Page 101 and 102:
Junie take a bite of his second bur
Page 103 and 104:
“Yep.”Shawn sighs. “You mad o
Page 105 and 106:
“You may not get that TV. Red alw
Page 107 and 108:
Mr. Wyatt pick up a hoe and hold it
Page 109 and 110:
FourteenAt Friday night football ga
Page 111 and 112:
“He still mad that he got detenti
Page 113 and 114:
That’s the thing. Fights like thi
Page 115 and 116:
Space Jam at my favorite part. It
Page 117 and 118:
dance.She laugh. “Oh my God, what
Page 119 and 120:
SixteenPregnant?What?I gotta sit, a
Page 121 and 122:
Shit, Ma. When I told her Iesha’s
Page 123 and 124:
I shut up and wait. After a while,
Page 125 and 126:
“I’m back! Brought you some—
Page 127 and 128:
SeventeenIt’s the day before Than
Page 129 and 130:
I try to get Seven situated in his
Page 131 and 132:
Pops look at me. These days we eye
Page 133 and 134:
“Are you? Maybe if you wasn’t w
Page 135 and 136:
“What I did ain’t got shit to d
Page 137 and 138:
I sit beside her. “That ain’t i
Page 139 and 140:
EighteenThanksgiving used to be my
Page 141 and 142:
“Whew, chile! You fertile!” Gra
Page 143 and 144:
“You his daddy! You supposed to t
Page 145 and 146:
Wonder if Lisa able to eat or if he
Page 147 and 148:
NineteenIt’s two days before I ca
Page 149 and 150:
everything he need.I can’t go the
Page 151 and 152:
Ma told her the deal by now. She gi
Page 153 and 154:
“Earlier, I had to tell Coach tha
Page 155 and 156:
stomach. Dr. Byrd puts some kinda w
Page 157 and 158:
Part 3Dormancy
Page 159 and 160:
I imagine him twisting his mouth li
Page 161 and 162:
It kinda peeve me how life set up.
Page 163 and 164:
stomach. Her puffy coat hide her bu
Page 165 and 166:
“Me and Khalil’s daddy moved ou
Page 167 and 168:
He go over to her and kiss her on t
Page 169 and 170:
Everybody in the Garden know that R
Page 171 and 172:
“Have to agree with you there,”
Page 173 and 174:
He wave me off as he and the homies
Page 175 and 176:
Twenty-TwoI couldn’t sleep last n
Page 177 and 178:
your grades and all of your absence
Page 179 and 180:
She come and snatch a bag. “Thank
Page 181 and 182:
Twenty-ThreeSeven don’t care ’b
Page 183 and 184:
thud as she toss it onto the living
Page 185 and 186:
Ma’s eyes get that sparkle I’ve
Page 187 and 188:
“Keep my hands visible, don’t m
Page 189 and 190:
“Well, he ain’t mean to keep yo
Page 191 and 192:
“Air don’t got a smell, Lisa.
Page 193 and 194:
“See?” I say. “You don’t kn
Page 195 and 196:
“I get it. I try not to think on
Page 197 and 198:
“That kinda shit doesn’t matter
Page 199 and 200:
Today, I walk right up to the house
Page 201 and 202:
That was the first time in a long t
Page 203 and 204:
He reach the table. “Hey.”“He
Page 205 and 206:
handle for Dre.”“What kinda bus
Page 207 and 208:
Twenty-SevenTwo days later, I’m r
Page 209 and 210:
“Shut up!” I say, deeper than I
Page 211 and 212:
Twenty-NineThe neighborhood blur pa
Page 213 and 214:
I think I get that now, too.I got s
Page 215 and 216:
shoebox in my closet. I throw mysel
Page 217 and 218:
“I said it was an accident, a’i
Page 219 and 220:
“NNo doubt.” I run my finger al
Page 221 and 222:
“I’m good, Pops,” I say. “N
Page 223 and 224:
EpilogueBud
Page 225 and 226:
“She will,” Lisa murmurs. She l
Page 227 and 228:
It don’t hurt as much to hear stu
Page 229 and 230:
I pull the rubber band—wait, this
Page 231 and 232:
About the AuthorPhoto by Imani Khay
Page 233 and 234:
Books by Angie ThomasThe Hate U Giv
Page 235 and 236:
CopyrightBalzer + Bray is an imprin
Page 237 and 238:
www.harpercollins.co.ukUnited State
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