Chris, who is late to his Algebra class, is scolded by the teacher. He has a visible bruise on the side of his face.

"Mr. Winslow,"The Teacher says. "You're late.”

"I got in a fight," Chris replies. The entire class erupts into laughter.

"Well did you tell a faculty member?"

"Oh, well no.”

"Hmm, well that's an unexcused absence now have a seat."

Chris then says "Yes sir."

He sits down and turns to the right where he sees Tatianna, one of the most pretty and popular girls in the whole school. She is a young, Hispanic woman with long, curly hair, big brown eyes, and a nice body. The teacher is still talking, when Tatianna turns to Chris and begins talking to him.

" hey," she whispers.

"Oh," Chris says, nervous. " hey.”

"So what happened wit' you and Mike?"

"Oh, it was nothing.”

Tatianna looks at the bruise on Chris's face. She smirks, snickers, and shakes her head. She then looks at him again, becoming sympathetic, feeling sorry for the boy.

"Why you keep lettin' him mess wit' you?" she asks.

"What am I supposed to do?" Chris asks. " he's bigger than me."

"You scared of Mike?" Tatianna asks, snickering quietly.

"I mean, the boy Craig said that he has my back."

"Naw you gotta stick up for yourself," Tatianna replies. "Don't you want people to respect you?”

"I mean…”

The teacher then clears his throat loudly to get their attention and they both turn around. By this point, he was tired of their interruptions. His face becomes red, and he looks directly at Chris.

"So not only were you late to my class," he says, "You want to carry on a conversation back there too?”

"Sorry sir," Chris replies.

"Mr. Winslow I'd like to see you after class."

"Ok," Chris says.

After class, Chris goes to the teacher. He is furious with Chris and begins giving him a stern lecture.

"You wanted to speak to me sir."

"Yes I do,"the teacher says, "You were late to my class unexcused and then you were in the back talking."

"But sir I told you," Chris replies, "I got beat up.”

"Why didn't you tell the principal?”

"Well," Chris says, before the teacher interrupts him.

"Mhmm,"The teacher replies, "Well I'm letting you off with a warning. Whatever happened don't let it happen again. If you're late three more times, I'll have to count it as an unexcused absence, do I make myself clear?”

"Yes sir."

"Good,"the teacher says, "I'll see you tomorrow.”

Chris walks out of the room, he is a bit mad that he got in trouble. Tatianna is posted up on the lockers on the other side of the classroom. As Chris is coming out, Tatianna approaches him, wanting to apologize for getting him in trouble.

"Sorry about getting you in trouble," she says.

"Oh, it's alright," Chris replies

"But remember what I said, okay?"

"Yea," Chris replies, "So what class do you have next?"

"Oh, I have Biology."

"I have English."

"Oh, okay," she replies.

Craig swaggers up to the two of them as they are talking. He has a huge grin on his face.

"What up girl?" Craig asks Tatianna as he hugs her.

" hey Craig," she replies. Looking at Chris, he asks, "Ya'll know each other?"

"Yea, he's in my class," she replies. "Well I have to go," she says, "Bye guys." v"Bye Tatianna," Chris says.

"Alright," Craig says.

"Yo you like her?" Craig asks.

"Yea, she's so cool and pretty." Chris replies.

"Yo, you gotta get ya' swag right if you want her," Craig says

"What does that mean?”

"You gotta loosen up," Craig says. "Get fresh man. You feel me?”

"If only I had some type of job or something," Chris says. "I don't have a lot of money."

"You ain't gotta worry about that," Craig says. "I can probably help you find one. What class you got next?"

"I have English," Chris replies.

"What floor and room number?"

"In Room 205 on the second floor."

"Yo we got the same class," Craig says. "Could you walk me up there ‘cause I don't know where it is.”

Chris knew where the room was and agreed to show him where it was.

"Yea man sure," he replies. "Follow me."

Before they walk into the class they see one of Craig's friends, Cole. He is a fat, fair-skinned teenager with dreadlocks.

"Yo' What up Big C!" Cole yells.

"What's good Cole!"

They slap hands and then Craig introduces Chris and Cole to each other.

"Yo Cole this is the little homie Chris he's wit' us now."

"Oh hey," Chris says. "What's up man."

" hey yo," Cole says, "Wasn't you the one who Mike beat up? Hey yo C this lame can't chill wit us man!"

"Chill yo' we gonna teach him a thing or two."

"Oh alright," Cole says.

The three of them walk in just before the bell rings and they take their seats. Chris is sitting in the front row, while Craig and Cole are sitting next to each other in the row behind Chris's. The Teacher hands out the syllabus.

"Okay class,"the Teacher says, "I'm now handing out the syllabus."

As the teacher is talking, Craig and Cole are laughing and goofing around.

"Yo C?" Cole whispers.

"What's up" Craig replies.

"Don't that girl next to you smell like three cans of back dat ass up?”

" hell yea yo, I was wonderin' what dat smell was."

Chris starts laughing at their conversation, he turns around to look at them.

"Yo, you heard what we said?" Cole asks, whispering. "I know you smell that shit, she sittin' right next to you.”

The girl looks at Chris, with a frown of embarrassment on her face. She is a young, shabbily dressed girl. Initially, Chris feels bad, but eventually participates in the jokes as well.

"Don't she stink though yo?" Craig asks.

"Yea," Chris says.

"I can smell her dirty ass all the way back here," Cole says.

The teacher catches them talking and interrupts them.

"Are you done back there?" she asks.

"Sorry ma'am," Craig replies.

"Very well then," she replies. "Anyway, I will now pass out your first assignment. You are to handwrite a two-paragraph essay, in which you will tell me what your expectations are in this class, and where you are in terms of writing essays."

"What if you don't know what to expect?" Cole asks. "Or how to write essays?"The entire class bursts out in laughter.

"Well write that down, and explain it in detail."

The students spend the remainder of the class doing their assignments and they pass them in. When they are done, they give them to the teacher and the bell rings.

"Okay class I'll see you all tomorrow."

Everyone leaves and heads to lunch.

" hey Chris," Craig asks, "You tryin' to come to lunch wit' us?”

"Naw man," Chris asks, "I gotta go to the office for something. I'll probably see you guys there though."

"Oh alright yo."

Chris makes his way to the office to speak with Ms. Applegate.

"Can I see Miss Applegate?" Chris asks the secretary.

"What's your name?"

" Chris Winslow."

"Oh, okay Chris she's been waiting for you."

Chris walks to the back and enters her office.

" hey Chris, have a seat"Miss Applegate says. "So Chris, I know what happened this morning between you and Mike. I just wanted to let you know that he's been suspended."

"For how long?" Chris asks.

"Five days,"Miss Applegate says, "That should keep him away from you for a while.”

"I'm not afraid of him.”

"Chris,"Miss Applegate says. "You don't have to lie to me.”

"I'm not.” Chris scratches his head. He looks down at the floor. Miss Applegate sighs. She knows him too well.

"You know the kids from the projects?" he asks. " Craig and Cole?”

"No, uh-uh," she says. "Those two are nothing but trouble! They will influence you negatively; I don't want you hanging out with them, is that understood?" she asks.

"What?" Chris replies, "But they accept me!"

"Honey I accept you.”

"But you're the principal!" he says. "Oh, so you just want me to run to you for everything?”

"This is how you want respect Chris?" She asks. "By being one of them?”

Chris becomes silent.

" Chris,"Miss Applegate continues. "As much as I hate to say this, those boys have no future. But you do, if you hang out with them you'll go the same way they're going."

"I don't care," Chris says, "Even if you're right my life couldn't get any worse than it is now.”

"Get out of my office.”

"Fine.”

"This isn't going to turn out well for you," she says. "And I hope you come to your senses."

"Whatever.”

Chris picks up his book bag and leaves the office, going to lunch. When he walks in, he sees Tatianna and her friends at a table. He stares at her, looking like an idiot, and fantasizing about all of the things he wants to do to her.

" hey Chris!" she says, waving at him. He happily waves back.

Craig and his crew are at the other table, eating. Chris doesn't notice them because he's too busy staring at Tatianna.

"Yo Chris!" Craig yells.

Chris turns around, sees him, and walks to the table.

"Yo sit down," Craig says. Chris sits down and looks around at everyone. They are talking about a party and also plotting on how to strike back at Mike's gang.

"Alright so we was talkin' about how we could get back at Mike and his gang." Craig says.

"Yea," Cole says, "We finna put the pressure on those bitches."

" he got suspended so now we can get back at them easier, wit' out getting' in trouble," Craig says. "There's gonna be a party tomorrow night after the basketball game, over by Annabel Street, and he's definitely gonna be there.”

Everyone nods their heads in agreement.

"True, True," Cole says, "But yo C, how we gonna do this? We prolly won't even make the party, you know how coach be givin' them long ass speeches.”

"Damn," Craig says, "You right, but yo' we gonna make that party, no matter what.”

"Can I come to this party?" Chris asks.

"Yea man," Craig says. "You can come.”

"But yo Chris," Cole adds, "We gotta get you some new clothes for real. You can't be wit us lookin' like a broke boy.”

" he's right," Craig says. "Ride our bus today, we gonna give you a makeover.”

Chris replies "Thanks guys.”

"And you gotta stop talkin' like that man," Cole says, laughing. Everyone laughs.

"Yo Chill, he'll learn," Craig says.

After a few more class periods, the school day ended. Chris, on his way out of school runs into Tatianna again. She waves at him, and he waves back. He checks his phone to see what Craig's bus number was.

"755" he says to himself.

Upon finding the number, he walks to the bus where he sees Craig and Cole in the back and sits down.

Craig stands up says to everyone in the back, "Yo this is my homie Chris, if anyone messes wit' him we gonna have some problems!”

"Yea alright!"Someone yells.

Craig replies, " hey yo, who said that?”

There was silence.

"Oh alright," Craig says, "Like I was saying, Chris is down wit us now. If any of ya'll mess wit' him you gonna have me to deal with.”

He sits back down and begins joking around with everyone in the back. There is a fat, dark-skinned kid with dreadlocks in the back named Tavon. He's making jokes, and laughing with everyone in the back.

"Yo ya'll know that girl Tatianna?"Tavon asks.

"Who doesn't know her dumbass," Cole says.

"Yo she can get it,"Tavon says. " she hella thick!”

I'm tryin' to get with her too," Chris says.

"Boy shut up!"Tavon says, laughing. " she ain't lookin at ya ugly ass!”

" hey yo don't come at my boy like that," Craig says.

"Yea yo," Cole says. "What the hell's wrong wit' you?"

"Yo chill, I was just messin wit' him,"Tavon says, "Go ahead yo, you can talk to her, but you better pass her over to me when you done.”

The bus finally stops at the projects. They all begin walking until they get to Craig's house, once they get in his house: Craig pulls out his keychain and opens the door. There isn't much in the house but a sofa, and a computer in the corner. The walls have old paint that is chipping off, and the floor is old creaky hardwood. Chris and Cole sit down, as Craig turns on his computer and begins playing some hip-hop.

"Yo this shit goes in!" Craig says, "Dude be goin' off!”

" he weak bruh," Cole says. "This nigga garbage. I'm about

" hell no," Craig says. "That dude's garbage, Meek Mill is the nicest rapper out right now.”

"You guys should listen to Immortal Technique and Lupe Fiasco," Chris says.

" hell naw, they be on that political bulls—t," Cole says, "2 Chainz be goin off.”

Chris replies, "I don't know, I'm not really into mainstream rap.”

"I feel you Chris," Craig says. "Anyway, I got some clothes upstairs in my room. I want you to have them, after that Imma introduce you to a few people around the neighborhood.”

So Chris, Craig, and Cole all go upstairs to give Chris the clothes the clothes that Craig promised he would give him.

" here are a couple Polos and some jeans," Craig says, "Try ‘em on.”

"Yea they're cool," Chris says. "I like ‘em.”

"What'chu think Cole?" Craig says.

Craig replies, "Yea, he lookin' fresh. But you still gotta find da swag to go wit it, you feel me?”

"Yea," Chris says. "I really appreciate this though.”

"Don't mention it man," Craig and Cole collectively reply.

"Let's go outside so I can introduce you to the big homies around here," Craig says

"Who are they?" Chris asks.

"You'll find out yo," Craig says.