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what are you talking about?”
    â€œI’m just saying . . . ’cause you so fine. He must have bust a special one.”
    Tori hit me on the leg and showed me that smile again. Then she took my arm, wrapped it around her shoulders, and sat underneath me.
    â€œYou know, L , it’s a trip because I sit around and listen to my grandmother always talk about how things and families used to be, compared to the way things are around here. It’s just so hard to believe some of the things she tells me that used to happen that people don’t do these days.”
    I knew exactly what she was saying. “Like how people would whup somebody else’s child when they saw them doing wrong?”
    â€œYup, and how families used to stick together, no matter what. I just can’t believe that ’cause families around this joint fight every damn night until the police gotta come out and take somebody away.”
    â€œAin’t no love. Everybody out for self.”
    â€œWell, I’m not trying to live like that. If I tell a man that I’m going to be with him, then that’s what the hell I’m goin’ to do forever, so my kids can see the love.”
    â€œSo who are you talking about?”
    â€œWhat you mean?”
    â€œThe man you going to be with?”
    â€œI’m just saying.”
    â€œWhat if it was me? How you know it won’t be me?”
    â€œMaybe. I mean, if you goin’ to be him, then I would put my word on it that it would be forever and always straight love, boy.”
    â€œUmm, I likes that. Maybe we should get married.”
    â€œBoy, shut up!”
    â€œI’m serious.”
    â€œNo, you’re not. How you goin’ to marry me anyway?”
    â€œWhat you mean, how?”
    â€œYou’re going to be leaving soon.”
    â€œSo?”
    â€œAnd you’re going to be playing ball overseas.”
    â€œAnd?”
    â€œShut up, Langston. This ain’t nothing to be playing around with.”
    â€œWho’s playing? Look, why don’t we get married? I mean, you love me, don’t you?”
    â€œFo’ sho.”
    â€œAnd you know how I feel about you?”
    â€œI guess I do.”
    â€œWhat you mean by that?”
    â€œSay it. Tell me you love me.”
    â€œGirl, you know I love you. And we need to get married because I’m going to need somebody I can trust to watch my back when I go pro. I mean, we practically have seen and talked to each other every day since sixth grade, right? I’m not leaving you here and not be able to continue to see you every day.”
    Tori had this glazed look on her face and then smiled. “Yeah.”
    â€œWell, let’s get married. I won’t be right out there any other way.”
    â€œAre you sure?”
    â€œC’mon, girl, ride with me.”

Chapter Nine
    If You Must
    On Saturday morning I chilled in the bed until noon watching SportsCenter and the story that ran hour after hour confirming that I was going to go overseas to play ball. I didn’t know who broke the story, but I did like hearing the sound of my name and seeing some highlights of some of my games over and over again.
    I was so hyped over the news, I went outside in the hot sun and ran more than six miles on one of my routes through The Vil, up, down, and through the units, like I had done so many times before. This time, though, I was taking the atmosphere in and loving every second of where I grew up, instead of keeping my head straight down at the ground, blocking out the sights and sounds of people who had been there for years and probably their families who would be there for years to come.
    After my run, I used my key to the gym at school that Coach gave to me and was inside working hard, still remembering the sound of my name on national television.
    I yelled over to Jalen. “How many is that?” I knew I was close to a hundred and fifty jumpers. My plan was to do two