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had on me. I must have looked pretty disappointed, because he asked what I could afford. I told him the amount, to the last dime, that I had in my pocket.
    â€œMaybe,” he said with a slow, lazy smile, “we can work something out for the rest, mon.”

chapter three
    I ’m no idiot. I knew right away that whatever he had in mind, it wasn’t going to be something I’d want to hurry home and brag about to my mother. I thought it might be smart to clear out of there, but the guy was talking.
    â€œEasy, mon,” he was saying. “You don’t hafta kill nobody — this time.”
    A big laugh followed that, and it pretty much went with the dreads and the way he was dressed, a deep laugh rising up from inside, an almost Santa style, “Oh, ho, ho, ho.”
    Only it was just a shade off.
    I looked at him closer, really seeing him for the first time.
    â€œRodney?” I asked. He looked alarmed for a few seconds, and I think he was going to deny it, but then he changed his mind.
    â€œHey, Porter. I didn’t recognize you.” His shoulders rose and fell in a “what can you do?” shrug.
    â€œWhat is wrong with you,” I asked. “Did you forget where you were from or what?”
    â€œIt’s just part of the, you know, ambiance , man,” he said, waving his arm around the room. He looked embarrassed. “You got to look and sound the part.”
    I nodded toward the skull. “And what were you going to ask me to do for this?”
    â€œJust help clean out the back room.” He laughed, normally this time. “It’s taking forever to get this place organized. You shoulda seen your face, though.”
    I hadn’t seen Rodney for a couple of years, since before he finished school. He used to rule the skate park a couple of blocks away. He could make that board do anything. Showed me a few tricks, too, though not if anyone else was around.
    â€œClean out the room? That’s it?”
    â€œWhat did you think I wanted you to do? Sell crack to kindergarteners?”
    â€œSomething like that.”
    â€œJust so you know, this business is one hundred percent legit,” he said. He looked offended.
    â€œYeah, well, I didn’t know it was you ,” I said. “I thought I was talking to Bob Marley’s second cousin.”
    He laughed good-naturedly, then asked, “So, do we watcher have a deal, or what?”
    I said yeah, and he led me to the back room. It needed cleaning all right, but mostly it needed to be organized. There were stacks of papers and boxes — some opened and some still taped up — in haphazard piles everywhere. One look around told me I’d earn the rest of the price of the bong all right.
    I spent a couple of hours that day, and went back a few more times before the room was done. I worked hard . Not only that, but I still had to find a way get those stupid Christmas gifts.
    Like I said before, I’m no criminal. This was just one of those situations where I really didn’t seem to have a choice. You know how it is.
    So I stole them.
    It was the first time I ever jacked something and I might as well admit I was pretty scared going in. I’d thought about asking Tack to come with me, but in the end it seemed like something I might want to keep to myself. I went alone to the nearest department store — the kind that they have big chains of — so it wasn’t like I was putting some little old lady out of business.
    The big problem, I realized right away, was that I felt out of place in the aisles with ladies’ clothing, jewellery, candles, and things like that. Those sections aren’t exactly overrun with teenage boys and I felt like I stuck out. My uneasiness made the chance of someone noticing me (okay, catching me) far more likely.
    Two different salesladies asked if they could help me. I had a mental picture of them later on, discovering that something had been taken