Manny pauses the game. Turns to his best friend.

“Sorry.” Justyce drops his head. “Can’t really handle the gunshots and stuff right now.”

Manny reaches out to give Jus’s shoulder a supportive squeeze, then pushes a few buttons to switch games. The new Madden. Which doesn’t even hit the shelves for another week.

Justyce shakes his head. If only he had his best friend’s life. Must be nice having the VP of a major financial corporation for a dad.

The guys choose their respective teams. Manny wins the coin toss and elects to receive. He clears his throat. “You wanna talk about it?”

Justyce sighs.

“You know I’m like…here if you do, right?” Manny says.

“Yeah, I know, Manny. I appreciate it. Just not real sure what to say.”

Manny nods. Puts a spin move on Justyce’s defensive lineman and gets the first down. “Wrists feelin’ any better?”

Justyce fights the urge to look at his arms. It’s hard to see the bruises because his skin is such a deep brown, but even after a week, they’re still there.

Sometimes he thinks they’ll never fade.

“Yeah, they’re all right. Mel gave me this weird ointment from Norway. Smells like Altoid-covered feet, but it’s doing the trick.” Manny’s quarterback throws a deep pass, but it’s short. Justyce’s free safety intercepts. “We got back together last night.”

Manny presses Pause. Turns to his boy.

“Dawg, you are not serious right now.”

Justyce reaches over and hits the triangle button on Manny’s controller. Jus’s QB tosses the ball to his running back—who is unguarded since Manny’s stare is burning a hole in the side of Jus’s face. The virtual player runs it in for the easy touchdown.

The kick is good.

Manny pauses again. “Jus.”

“Let it go, man.”

“Let it go? That ho is the reason you sat in handcuffs for three hours, and you want me to let it go?”

“Stop callin’ my girl a ho, Manny.”

“Bro, you caught this girl wrist-deep in another dude’s pants. Helloooo?”

“It’s different this time.” Justyce starts the game again.

His team kicks off, but Manny’s players don’t move because he’s still gaping at Justyce like he just confessed to murder. “Hold up,” Manny says, stopping the game and tossing his controller out of Jus’s reach. “So you mean to tell me that after this girl sat there and watched this cop brutalize your ass—”

“She was scared, man.”

“Unbelievable, Jus.”

“Whatever.” Justyce stares at the football frozen in midair on the massive flat-screen. Girls don’t flock to Justyce like they do to Emmanuel “Manny” Rivers, Bras Prep basketball captain and one of the best-looking guys Jus knows. There’s a lot of stuff Manny has that Justyce doesn’t—two parents with six-figure salaries, a basement apartment, a badass car, crazy confidence…

What does Justyce have? The hottest girl in school.

“I don’t expect you to understand, Manny. You run through girls like underwear. Wouldn’t know true love if it kicked you in the nuts.”

“First of all, true love wouldn’t kick me in the nuts. Considering how many times Melo has figuratively kicked you in yours—”

“Shut up, man.”

Manny shakes his head. “I hate to break it to you, homie, but you and Melo’s relationship puts the ick in toxic.”

“That’s some girly shit you just said, dawg.”

“You know my mom’s a psychologist,” Manny says. “You got Codependency Syndrome or something. You should really take a look at that.”

“Thanks, Dr. Phil.”

“I’m serious, Jus. I can’t even look at you right now. This thing you’re doing? This always-running-back-to-Melo thing? It’s a sickness, my friend.”

“Shut up and play the damn game, man.”

Just then Manny’s mom appears at the foot of the stairs.

“Hi, Dr. Rivers,” Justyce says, rising to give her a hug.

“Hey, baby. You doin’ all right?”

“Yes ma’am.”

“You sleeping over? Dinner will be ready in a few. Chicken cacciatore.” She winks.

“Aww, you know that’s my favorite,” Jus says.

“Dang, Ma, how come you don’t never make my favorite?”

“Don’t ever, Emmanuel. And hush.”

“Don’t be mad cuz your mom likes me more than you, Manny.”

“Shut up, fool.”

Dr. Rivers’s cell phone rings. “This is Tiffany Rivers,” she says when she answers, still smiling at the boys.

Doesn’t last long. Whoever’s on the other end of the phone, it’s obvious from her expression they’re not bearing good news.

She hangs up and puts her hand over her heart.

“Mom? Everything okay?”

“That was your aunt,” she says. “Your cousin’s been arrested.”

Manny rolls his eyes. “What’d he do this time?”

Dr. Rivers looks from Manny to Justyce and back again. “He’s been charged with murder,” she says.

Manny’s jaw drops.

“They say he killed a police officer.”

Justyce has a lot on his mind as he steps into his Societal Evolution class on Tuesday. For one, yesterday a Nevada grand jury didn’t return an indictment on the cop who killed Shemar Carson. Since being arrested, Justyce has spent all his free time following the case, and now it’s just…over.

Speaking of cops and arrests, yesterday Justyce also learned that the cop Manny’s cousin confessed to shooting was none other than Tomás Castillo.

What Jus can’t get over is that he knows Manny’s cousin. His name is Quan Banks, and he lives in Justyce’s mom’s neighborhood. Quan’s a year younger than Justyce, and they played together back when the only thing that mattered was staying outside until the streetlights came on. Like Justyce, Quan tested into the Accelerated Learners program in third grade, but when elementary school ended, Quan started running with a not-so-great crowd. When Quan found out Justyce was headed to Bras Prep, he mentioned a cousin who went there, but Jus never put two and two together. And now Quan’s in jail.

Justyce can’t stop thinking about it.

Yeah, Castillo was an asshole, but did he really deserve to die? And what about Quan? What if they give him the death penalty?

What if Castillo had killed Jus, though? Would he have even been indicted?

“Come here for a second, Jus,” Doc says as Justyce drops his backpack on the floor beside his seat. Dr. Jarius “Doc” Dray is the debate team advisor and Justyce’s favorite teacher at Bras Prep. He’s the only (half) black guy Jus knows with a PhD, and Jus really looks up to him. “How you holding up, my man?” Doc says.

“Been better, Doc.”

Doc nods and narrows his green eyes. “Figured as much,” he says. “I wanted to let you know today’s discussion might hit a nerve. Feel free to sit it out. You can leave the room if need be.”