“Don’t trip on the news. The kids at school. None of that matters. I stopped caring a long time ago.”

“What about Jamal?” Quincy’s guard is down. I can’t help but use this. “You heard from him again?”

“Nah. He’s a ghost now.” Quincy looks away. “Too dangerous. Jamal’s tough; he’ll figure it out.”

“If you see him…talk to him…tell him I get why he doesn’t talk to Mama, Corinne. But he’s gotta know I got his back. That I will fight to the death to free him.”

“He knows. He also knows you gotta keep your family together. You’re gonna be the key.”

“Right,” I say. “How am I supposed to do that?”

Quincy rubs his hands over his head, considering, then reaches into his backpack. He puts a small phone in my hand.

“Once a day he turns his burner on. Won’t answer a call, only text. Whatever you get, you delete. Whatever you send, you delete.”

I shuffle back a step, surprised. Quincy and Jamal have been in touch.

“Don’t make me regret giving that up.”

“When did you—”

“Jamal will seriously be pissed. Please do what I say.”

“How will you reach him? Get another phone?”

“Can’t risk it. Shoot, after this, I think your brother might write me off. Anyway, you know how to help him more than I do. Don’t waste his minutes. He can’t get a replacement or charge often. He turns it on at ten each morning.”

“Thank you for trusting me.”

Quincy turns back around.

“Wait, where you going? Bell’s about to ring.”

“I’m not going. Came to make sure you got in safely. See, this knee be acting up, so I’m gonna need to make up my work at home.” Quincy grins.

“Two weeks, Quincy. Summer will be here soon enough. You can do it.”

Quincy steps back and points at me. “Stay in school, Tracy.” Then he jogs off toward the west gate.

When I reach my locker, I find Tasha waiting at hers for me.

“Where you coming from?” Tasha asks. “It’s a madhouse out there.”

“I came from the west gate, cut through the back hall. Media after me.” I keep to myself that I’ve got a way to reach Jamal.

“Damn,” Tasha says. “They should just close school for the rest of the year.”

“I wish,” I say. “I thought today would be hard, but not like this. All this media, you’d think they’d respect minors’ privacy.”

“You didn’t hear?” Tasha pauses. “There’s gonna be an assembly first and second period to memorialize Angela. They’re doing attendance in homeroom, then heading out in groups by class.”