I ask Milton to cover for me for a while. He tries to play it off like it’s a huge imposition, but we both know he’s full of it. He’s glad he gets to take over. It feeds his ego. Whatever, I’m just glad I get to run from the eyes. That’s really all that matters.

I can hear the music booming down the street. My heart starts pounding, as I get closer. This isn’t my first party, but it is my first party after school without any adults around. It’s also the first time a guy has asked me to come. And as if that wasn’t enough, that guy is Devonte Evens. That’s three major events all happening at once. I head up the steps of the five-story building, barely able to contain myself.

Ayo, be cool and tone down your smile. If you enter the party with a big-ass grin, they’ll think you’re a thirsty loser who rarely gets invited to things like this.

The music grows louder with each step I take toward the apartment. The bass is crazy hard and makes the floor jump under my feet. On the staircase are kids from the track team; some I know, but most I don’t. They’re talking, drinking, and making out.

Yes! This is where I want to be. This is what I should be doing with my life, not looking at posters of poor souls lost to the battle of racial inequality. Real talk, half these kids don’t even know there’s a battle. I want to be one of them. I want to know what’s out there.

I walk through the door, and it’s just like I thought it would be: kids from various schools, wall to wall, bumping and grinding to the beat. They jump up and down, go side to side, and raise their hands high up in the air. It’s like they’re performing some kind of futuristic African rain dance. The music possesses their bodies and lays claim to their souls.

The smell of sweat, alcohol, and heat mixes with the air of recklessness. It makes for an intoxicating scent. These kids don’t give a damn about anything that’s going on outside in the real world. They only care about right here and right now.

I spot Devonte; he waves me over. It’s at that exact moment that I know there’s no way I’m going back to the meeting. I get past the sea of arms and legs and hips. I make it over to him, and he says something but I can’t hear. The music is just too loud, and I like it like that. It’s loud enough to drive away all thoughts. Devonte pulls me close and starts to dance with me.