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“Fuck!” I muttered.

I glanced in my mirror, and two police cars were behind us. They were comin’ up fast, sirens blarin’.

“JUV!” Dice hollered.

“I SEE ’EM!”

My heart fell to my ass. I knew damn well I wasn’t supposed to be out here doin’ this shit. One phone call to my coach, and my ass was cooked. And if Yusef found out? That was a whole different problem. I wanted to take these niggas on a high-speed chase, but Dice was already slowin’ down. If I let my boy deal wit’ this shit on his own, it wouldn’t sit right wit’ me. When we finally pulled over, I cut the engine, then took my helmet off real slow, hopin’ these police wouldn’t shoot my black ass.

“Step off the bike and put your hands behind your head!”

I kicked the stand down, then got off. One wrong move, and these mufuckas would open fire. People stood along the sidewalk with their phones out. More police pulled up, blockin’ us in.

“Do not turn around. On your knees.”

All that adrenaline I had before was gone. I just knew I was goin’ to jail. No motorcycle license, these bikes weren’t ours, and we were racing. Shit wasn’t lookin’ good for Dice and me. Heavy footsteps hit the asphalt toward me. Then they yanked me to my feet and patted me down.

“Any weapons on you? Anything that could injure me?” the officer asked.

“Nah.”

All I had was my driver’s license, my school ID, and a couple hundred dollars in my wallet. The officer cuffed me, then guided me to the car. Dice was already cuffed, leaning against another police car. I stayed quiet while the police officer emptied my wallet. He was yankin’ shit out, low key pissin’ me off ’cause there was one thing inside that I never took out.

“Don’t rip that picture,” I said quietly.

He nodded, stared at my school ID, then looked back at me. “You’re JuMarion Ross? Shortstop for Georgia Tech?”

“Yeah.”

He shook his head. “What the hell is wrong with you, kid?”

“Ion need no lectures, man. If you gon’ take me to jail, just do it.”

“If your name stayed off my scanners and on the field, you wouldn’t have to worry about me saying anything.”

“Savage! I got JuMarion Ross down here! You’re a Tech fan, right?” he yelled to another officer.

He yelled back, “And I’ve got Dice Williams! Tech’s own bad boys. Should we call their coach?”

“Should we call him? Or should I lock your ass up? Choice is yours, kid.”

I shrugged. “Do what you want. Just put that picture back.”

“Is this your girlfriend?” he asked.

“She was…”

“Alright,” he replied. “Well, you are being detained while Officer Savage and I figure out what to do with you two.”

I didn’t have nothin’ else to say. If they locked me up, cool. If they let me go, I was gon’ get into some other shit, anyway. When he placed me in the back seat and closed the door, I stared straight ahead, watchin’ a whole crowd of mufuckas recordin’. By then, the whole campus knew what was goin’ on. I didn’t give a fuck either way. Yusef knew about this shit already. He always did. I couldn’t do shit without him knowin’ directly after.

The officer came back to the car and swung the door open. “Somebody cares enough about you that they made a call on your behalf. But I hope you save every dollar you make because I’m giving you a citation for everything. Especially speeding. Step out. Let me get these cuffs off you.”

I didn’t want to be saved. I didn’t want nobody callin’ in no fuckin’ favors either. I’d rather sit in jail. This had Yusef all over it. After the officer removed my cuffs, I stood next to Dice while we waited for our tickets.

“You think Coach gon’ suspend us for this shit?” Dice asked.

“Dice, I really don’t give a fuck what they do. But for you, I hope not.”