We both knew the rules. While Stacia and Tonya roamed the building, Precious and I weren’t supposed to leave the porch without an adult, but I was showing off in front of my new friend. Tonya followed me. Stacia and I ran down the stairs until we got to the last three, then holding on to the rail, we swung around to the next landing. I heard Tonya behind me, her feet hitting all the stairs, so I stopped and schooled her.

When we got to the first floor, I knew something wasn’t right. Usually, when we walked out of the building, we had to weave through guys standing around, lining the brick wall that faced the entrance. They always looked so relaxed, like kids hanging out at a rec center, smoking cigarettes or weed and shooting dice. The parking lot was usually full of cars thumping bass that smothered the lyrics, so you couldn’t really understand what the rapper said, but that day, it was quiet.

Maybe I could’ve ignored all these signs if I didn’t see the gangbangers huddled up together getting instructions from their leader.

At the candy truck, we greeted Ms. Rose, this nice lady, old enough to be our grandmother. She’d packed up some of the candy, and I could tell, even though it was early evening, with hours of sun left, that she was about to leave. While I pointed to banana Now and Laters and Flamin’ Hots, and gave her my flavor choices for a snow cone, I watched Tonya. She stood off to the side, looking at her shoes, kicking rocks around. This wasn’t how you behaved when you were about to get some candy. You craned over those boxes, breathing in the yummy fruit flavors. Her body language told me that she didn’t have any money.

I looked back at the building to see if Precious watched us from the window. I saw her lime-green tank top popping against white curtains.

What I’d said to her was mean, and I would apologize. I snapped on her because she was right; she was right most of the time, but that summer, I’d often choose fun over right.

I got Tonya a snow cone and gave her half of the other sweets. Stacia didn’t like that I was sharing with her, so she yanked her body around and went to talk to her brother. He was standing a few feet away under a tree, scanning the parking lot and State Street. He wasn’t a Lookout, but that day, everyone downstairs seemed to be more alert and tense.