Lost in memories, Darcy did not see Cooper and his friends in front of the school. Noisy as usual, they were sitting on top of Cooper’s pickup truck and peering from the shell. There was also a lot of other noise around the front of the school, including loud rap music from a red Nissan parked at the curb. As Darcy got closer to the Nissan, she could feel the rap’s deep bass pulsing in the air, shaking the windows of nearby cars.

Think hard, think fast,

Today might be your last,

chanted the rapper as Darcy passed the red car.

Man you better try,

Maybe you gotta lie,

Maybe you gonna die,

Ain’t it a shame?

You got no one to blame,

When you’re six foot under

ground,

And lookin’ up instead of

down.

Just as Darcy got ready to cross the street, she heard the sound of an engine revving up loudly behind her. She turned and instantly the red Nissan sprang to life and blocked her path. Bobby Wallace leaned out the window. “Wanna talk to you, girl,” he barked.

“I’m late for school,” Darcy snapped. “Get out of my way. ”

“Better watch your mouth,” Bobby snarled. “You in a lotta trouble for messin’ me and Jamee up. We had a good thing, and you went spreadin’ lies. I want you to fix it, you hear what I’m sayin’?”

“Are you crazy?” Darcy cried. “You think I want my sister hanging around with you? She was stealing for you, and when she broke up with you, you smacked her around. I wish you were in jail. If you touch her again, I’ll make sure that’s where you end up!”

Bobby’s friend, who had been driving the Nissan, jumped from the car and came around, moving menacingly toward Darcy.

“You think little old Jamee’s face looked bad?” Bobby sneered. “You won’t wanna look in the mirror tomorrow when I get through with you. ”

Darcy tried to run around the Nissan, but Bobby, out of the car now, grabbed her wrist. His friend took out a knife and flashed it at her. “You and me gonna get in the car and go for a drive and talk,” Bobby said, turning up the car’s stereo to drown out the sound of Darcy’s screams.

“Maybe you gonna die!” the rapper repeated.

Darcy yanked on her wrist, trying to pull free. Up ahead she saw students streaming into Bluford High, laughing and chattering. Nobody seemed to see the drama blocked by the red Nissan.

“Get your hands off me!” Darcy screamed as loud as she could, swinging her free arm and kicking at Bobby’s shins. “Let me go!”