"Hey, fuck you, man! I didn't ask for any of that shit!"
My voice echoed down the alley Damien and his crew dragged me into. Water dripped from a broken pipe above us. Slow. Steady. Each drop hit the pavement like a countdown.
Damien looked at me and scoffed.
"You know Kenny got a year, right? His life's screwed right now. And you just walk away like nothing happened."
"No one told him to sniff cocaine at one-thirty in the morning on a school night," I shot back. "That's not my problem."
I tried to step past him. Someone shoved me back hard. My heart kicked into overdrive.
Anxiety pressed into me from all sides.
"Hey, man, where are you going?" Damien asked, tilting his head.
I stared at him. "Home."
"Don't be a dick. Let's talk."
I glanced around. Thirteen of them. Pipes resting on shoulders. Bats tapping against palms. One guy flipping a knife open and shut. Another cracking his knuckles like he was warming up.
