I close down the diner. Grab the to-go container of salad and chicken strips Troy prepared for me after Kimberly texted to say she was not going to be home in time to pick up our usual pizza.

The chaos in the neighborhood is worse than it looks on TV. One small lens can only hold so much. The diner is ten blocks from home. A comfortable walk on a normal night. Tonight the sidewalks are full of people running and shouting.

It’s not a bad idea to be with Brick. I’m safe, riding with him. The leader of the 8-5 Kings. Nobody will touch us. His low red car is a bubble floating on the surface of things. Out the windshield, it’s as if I’m still viewing it all on a screen. I don’t want it to come any closer.

At the stoop, I unlock the door and turn to him. If he comes in, it will get extra awkward. There’s a line we cannot cross, and it’s unclear whether he knows it. He’s looking at me with those eyes that seem to see something in me. But I can’t have it. The best choice is to lean in and kiss him on the cheek. Quick and gently. “Thanks.”

He squeezes my shoulders. “You know I got you.”

Once he’s moved back down the stairs, I go inside. I let myself into the apartment. Kimberly’s still not home. I text her:

I’m home. Where are you? You safe?

She answers:

Safe. At UCC, helping out. Don’t leave home!

I curl up on the couch to wait.

@WhitePowerCord: #Underhill What a mess. Barricade them in! Let them destroy themselves. It wont take long.

@Viana_Brown: Protest is our right. Our voices matter. Our lives matter! #Underhill

@Momof6: Doesn’t anyone trust cops’ judgment anymore?

@BrownMamaBear: What will it take for black children to walk safe in their own neighborhoods? #BlackChildrenMatter

@WesSteeleStudio: White officer on duty, black suspect dead. Guess who’s under the microscope? THE WAR ON POLICE IS REAL. Click here for Wes Steele’s latest hot take. #SteeleStudio

@KelvinX_: Will someone please take this asshole’s microphone? I’m busy. #UnderhillRiot

@WhitePowerCord: TRUTH WILL OUT. #HeroCop

@KelvinX_: There isn’t a shovel big enough for @WesSteeleStudio’s bullshit. Anti-white racism is not a thing. Cops are the aggressors. Just look at #Underhill tonight.

@WhitePowerCord: Can’t handle the truth? We will hand you your ass. #WhiteMightWhiteRights

@KelvinX_: All those who feed on the racist White-Power structure will eventually starve. Our day of liberation is coming. #UnderhillRiot

@WhitePowerCord: Fuck these niggers. We’re gonna take it to them where they live. #MakeItKnown

@KelvinX_: Give us equality or face the consequences. #YouHaveBeenWarned #UnderhillRiot

DAY TWO:

THE AFTERMATH

PEACH STREET

In the light of day, the street appears unchanged. The feeling in the air, the one that can’t be shaken, is intangible.