I'm Not Dying with You Tonight

by Kimberly Jones

“Cops!” I say. “It’s gonna be okay.” “Oh, now shit’s about to get real,” Lena says at the exact same time. I turn my head, her eyes meet mine, and we stare at each other.

“We are only as good as the five people around us,” Marcus says, up in his pulpit now. “Mostly because we share the same value system as those five. So he with them, then he made a choice on livin’ like them. He can be an eagle, but if he choose to flock with pigeons, he gon’ have pigeon ways.”

When you push people to their breaking point, and they ain’t got no power, they’ll find a way to take it. What’s so wrong with that?”