Lovers & Haters Read Online Free Page A

night?”
    Xavier had to keep from laughing at the question. He knew Ms. Gorman was trying to set him up. “Teach, you gotta come up with something better than that if you’re trying to throw me off my game. Marcellus didn’t tell Hamlet anything. It was Hamlet’s friend Horatio, who said he had seen a ghost who looked like King Hamlet. And as for the method Claudius used to knock off his brother—it was hemlock, a poisonous plant that he’d cooked into a liquid. One afternoon, Claudius crept on his brother while the king was sleeping and poured the poison inside his ear.”
    Cheese tapped Xavier on the shoulder and excitedly yelled, “Dazam, my boy’s a walking Hamlet encyclopedia! That’s my dude—y’all get up off him!”
    Cheese’s energy had sparked a buzz of chatter among the students.
    Xavier looked over at Samantha and winked. “Impressed, huh?”
    Ms. Gorman said, “Yes, Mr. Hunter, fabulous job. We are all impressed that you took the time out of your busy summer schedule to look over this semester’s required reading. So I’m going to encourage you to keep your play in front of you. And, Samantha, please feel free to look on with another student.”
    The class laughed while Xavier was smiling, hoping that he made enough of an impression to catch him a Fox.

2
LIFE AT THE CRIB
    X avier got home a little after six. He almost never went straight to the crib from school. Life at home sucked. His father was away, locked up in jail. Xavier’s mother, Ne Ne Alexander, was the only one holding down the fort. At age thirty-two, she was all about herself and rarely home. When she wasn’t working a swing shift at Walmart, Ne Ne ran the streets—barhopping and wildly chasing any thug who would lay down some loot on a drink. Xavier hated when he would get to his house and find his little ten-year-old brother, Alfonso, all alone playing PlayStation 3.
    The family lived in a small weather-beaten bungalow on the west side of Detroit. A bad economy along with the housing market collapse had left the area in shambles. Crumbling, decayed, and vacant homes that the residents looked upon as eyesores littered the landscape. Crackheads broke into abandoned homes and stripped them from the inside out, stealing whatever they found valuable: copper wiring, water heaters, furnaces, windows, and aluminum siding. It was nothing to see a dope fiend creeping around the early morning darkness, pushing a shopping cart filled with any of these items.
    Young thugs loitered on street corners and sold dope to the hopeless in an effort at building the kind of respect that commanded hood politics. Xavier wanted out. He knew if he stayed that he would eventually get caught up in the grind and follow in his father’s footsteps. There was no life for him in the ghetto. Xavier especially wanted to get his baby brother as far away as he could.
    Alfonso was a special needs kid who was easily influenced. The little kids around the neighborhood weren’t into playing video games. They were more interested in getting tips from the older guys and establishing themselves as thugs. A few times Xavier had come home and found Alfonso running with a rough crowd of juvenile delinquents. And every time, Xavier would snatch Alfonso up by his collar and drag him home.
    Xavier opened the screen door and used his key to unlock the heavy wood door, then walked in to the magnificent smell of pancakes, bacon, and eggs. He was surprised by his mother’s presence.
    â€œXavier, tomorrow you need to come home from school early because my shift starts early,” Ne Ne explained.
    Xavier walked into the kitchen with his leather book bag slung over his right shoulder, holding it by the strap. “I have to stay after school tomorrow because Ms. Gorman, my English teacher, wants to talk to me.”
    â€œSomebody has to watch your little brother. I’m the supervisor and I