How It Went Down

The chapter begins with Jennica’s point-of-view. Jennica imagines Tariq Johnson’s death unfolding like a movie with subtitles. She describes Tariq’s shooting in terms of colors: black, white, and red. Red symbolizes the blood spilled from the gunshots. Black symbolizes Tariq’s hair and skin, while white comes from the milk that Tariq was holding when he was shot. In Jennica’s words, “the spilled milk seemed wronger than the blood, somehow. I keep thinking that” (3).The next point-of-view is that of Brian Trellis. He mentions how the shooting “was over in a minute” (4). He saw Tariq go down and noted how the shooter looked at him. He tasted blood on his lip and wanted to throw up. He then knelt by Tariq as the dying boy looked up at him.

The chapter then shifts to Noodle’s point-of-view. Noodle sees the scene akin to a movie as well, though he doesn’t want anything to do with Tariq. He’s at the scene with Jennica, and tries to get her to leave, but she continues trying to give Tariq CPR. Noodle notes how angry and desperate Jennica seems to save Tariq, and though he admires her determination, he wants to leave, like the rest of the Kings (his fellow gang members). He’s also angry because he and Jennica were making out when Tariq was shot. He’s reminded of how “perfect” Jennica is and how he’s not good enough for her. Sammy’s point-of-view follows, and all he can think of is running from the scene. He’s ashamed at himself for running, especially because he could have done something, as he was carrying a gun himself. He continues after Brick, who also seems to be fleeing the scene, and believes that T—Tariq—can make it, despite being shot twice in the chest. The chapter ends with Tina’s point-of-view, which is clipped. She hears a siren outside her window and wants it to stop. She notes that sirens mean bad news.

The chapter begins with a 911 emergency response call log. The caller informs the operator that a kid has been shot in the back on Peach Street by a white guy. Then the guy shoots the kid again. The caller then mentions that the shooter is driving away, and that there is blood everywhere. He next mentions that a girl is trying to give the boy CPR and that the boy’s name is Tariq. Then he hangs up.

The chapter shifts to Brian Trellis, who explains that he was coming out of a hardware store when he heard someone shout, “stop, thief.” He saw a kid in a black hoodie dart past him, while a shop owner was out of the store trying to get the kid to stop. Though Brian is afraid of the 8-5 Kings, a gang in the neighborhood, he isn’t afraid of the kid and stops him so that the police can handle the situation. He hears the Kings call out to the boy, named Tariq, and realizes that the kid must be one of them. He then feels something “roundish, and firm (12)” push out at him. Someone yells that someone has a gun. Brian apologizes; he doesn’t want to die. He backs away but can’t see any gun in the kid’s hand, so he’s puzzled. Suddenly, the kid goes down. People begin panicking. Another popping sound is heard. Brian turns and sees a white man hustling away.

Jennica mentions that she and Noodle were across the street cuddling when Tariq was first shot. They were also high. She didn’t see the first shot, but she saw the man shoot Tariq for the second time and then flee. She ran across the street and tried to give Tariq CPR, but it didn’t work. Noodle is angry at Tariq for ruining his afternoon. He and Jennica were getting intimate, and he was even thinking of ditching plans to hang out with the 8-5 Kings later, when he heard Tariq being loud as usual and mouthing off to Brick. Brick is the leader of the Kings, and he wanted Tariq to be his number 2, though Noodle doesn’t know why, especially as Tariq didn’t want to join the Kings. Noodle got up because he wanted to see Tariq get beat up by the huge guy who walked up to him (Brian Trellis). Then he heard someone yell that someone had a gun. He thought maybe Tariq would kill the white/light-skinned guy, but Tariq got shot instead. Everyone started running, and though he shielded Jennica, she ran over to Tariq and tried to give him CPR. Noodle wanted to flee with the rest of the Kings, but he followed his girlfriend. Though Tariq got shot, Noodle believed that he had it coming.

The chapter next shifts to Brick. He admits that Tariq gets heated all the time, and that he yelled at Tariq because Tariq was shouting at him. Brick wanted Tariq to run the Kings with him. He realized since Tariq was young, he had the right kind of energy to be a leader. On the day Tariq died, Brick started hassling Tariq and got the other Kings to join in. Then Sammy yelled that someone had a gun, as he was looking toward the street. Brick says he saw Tariq holding a black gun, and he was proud because he thought Tariq was about to kill the light-skinned guy and take his place as a Kings member.

The chapter then shifts to Tom Arlen. He agreed to loan Jack Franklin his car for a few days, and when he saw Franklin off, he noticed that he stopped less than a block away. He then saw a disturbance, where a bunch of menacing gang members were threating a scared-looking white guy. Tom mentions how he’s never had problems in the neighborhood due to his skin and that he avoids the gang members like the rest of the community. He saw Franklin get out of the car and felt proud because Franklin was unafraid and standing up to the bullies. He then saw the kid with a gun and tried to warn Franklin. Franklin defended himself and shot Tariq, and the scared white guy looked grateful. Though Franklin is a hero in Tom’s eyes, he’s remiss that Franklin fled the scene in his car.

Edwin “Rocky” Fry is the next character. He’s the shop owner, and he says that Tariq simply forgot his change and left. He called after him to try and give him his change back. He mentions that Tariq bought everything he left the store with. He stepped out and called after him, but once the commotion started, Rocky went back inside so that he wouldn’t have to be involved. He put Tariq’s money aside as he knew that his mother would send him back to retrieve it. Though he heard the shots, he didn’t realize that it was Tariq who was shot.

Sammy’s point-of-view ends the chapter. Sammy explains how Tariq was a friend, and how he won’t tell anyone what he saw. He admits that Tariq and Brick had an agreement so that no one would know his eventual involvement with the Kings, and that this is what they were arguing about. Tariq dropped all his groceries, except the Snickers bar, which was for his sister. Sammy looked away because he didn’t want to see Tariq get beat up, only to see Jack Franklin approaching with a gun. He yelled out, and Franklin shot Tariq twice. Sammy says that there was only the Snickers bar by T’s body; Franklin just thought he saw a gun.

Kimberly is a hair stylist at Mollie’s Manes. She barely hears the sirens when she’s interrupted by her client talking about the noise. Her client is a woman with money from out of town who comes in occasionally. The woman strains her neck to see what’s happening, but she also feels guilt about rubbernecking. Kimberley notes that there is a lot of noise on the streets, but she tries to mind her own business, especially living in what she calls the ghetto, with the Stingers gang and Kings gang making trouble. She then sees an ambulance leaving without its lights on and deduces that it was either a false alarm or that someone died.

The paramedics arrive at the scene and only Noodle, Jennica, and Brian Trellis are left. Though Noodle still believes that Tariq had it coming, the blood on Jennica’s clothes makes it “realer” (30). The cops try to split them up to take statements but Jennica won’t let go of Noodle. She says that the white guy (Jack Franklin) shot Tariq and that Tariq didn’t have a gun. Noodle agrees with her, though he thinks without a doubt that Tariq had a gun on him. He also now thinks that though Tariq had it coming, maybe it didn’t have to actually happen the way it did. Lastly, he wishes Tariq had killed the white guy (Franklin) so that they’d all be out of trouble.

Tyrell is doing homework when he hears on the news that there’s a shooting on Peach Street. He looks outside, because he lives on Peach Street, but sees and hears nothing. He then calls Tariq because Tariq always knows what’s happening, but the phone just rings and rings. Meanwhile, Tina waits for Tariq to come home with the candy he promised her. She thinks he’s forgotten all about his promise because it’s been so long since he left. Tariq’s mom, Vernesha, is also wondering where Tariq is. She sent him out to get supplies over an hour ago. Though he goofs off and hangs out with his friends, and she doesn’t mind, she needs the items for dinner (milk for Tina). Her mother says they should just eat, but Vernesha has a funny feeling in the pit of her stomach that won’t go away, a feeling that is underscored once someone begins banging on her front door. Redeema, Vernesha’s mother, mentions that cops have a unique way of knocking—very forceful, with the meat of their fists. And what follows the knocking is never good.

The next point-of-view is that of Melody. She sees the commotion and the street being sectioned off and decides to walk a different route. She passes by Ms. Rosalita, an ancient-looking woman, who asks what the all the trouble is. Melody then makes it to her building and asks the person in the elevator to hold it. It turns out that the kid is Sammy Neff, who looks shaken. He then changes his demeanor and tells her that Tariq has been shot and that he’s dead.