Getting Played by Celeste O. Norfleet

usually nice.”
    â€œWhy’d she quit?”
    â€œHer mom made her. There was another break-in down the street over the weekend and she was scared this place might be next.”
    â€œWhat do you mean another break-in over the weekend?”
    â€œGirl, didn’t you hear? There’s been all these break-ins in the neighborhood lately. It’s been going on for the past two weeks. I heard it’s like a crew of four or five guys doing it. Everybody’s talking about it at school. The police think it’s all drug related, but they say that about everything that happens in the hood. Can’t it just be some stupid break-ins?” she asks rhetorically, getting all militant.
    â€œMaybe it is drugs,” I say.
    â€œNah, it doesn’t sound like it to me. It’s all too random and scattered, like a last-minute afterthought. It sounds like whosever’s doing it are just playing games. They break in after hours but don’t steal anything, not even money. They just drink soda and beer and eat stuff. But whatever, all I know is that they were talking to some of the guys at school.”
    â€œWhat, at school?”
    She nods. “Yep, they think it might be guys from The Penn.”
    â€œWhy do they think somebody there is part of this crew?” I ask, now more interested. Ursula shrugs. “Who did they talk to?”
    â€œI don’t know. That’s just what I heard. I’m just glad D’s still locked up or they’d be talking to his dumb-ass. I know they’d probably be looking at him, too. You know the cops came to our house when it first started, asking questions. It was like they were checking out all the usual suspects. I hate it when the cops come to my house.”
    That reminds me… “I heard he’s getting out,” I say.
    She shrugs again. “I can’t stand it. His dad is all pissed off that he’s there. The night it happened, the cops came inour house and found drugs in his room. I wasn’t surprised, although my mom was shocked. They were stuffed in his stupid trophies. When you broke one over his arm and dropped it, some of the little packages came out and they were just lying there on the floor. The police knew all about D. They were just waiting to pull him in. That fight with Terrence made it happen. You know he’s still pissed.”
    â€œDrugs in the trophies, I didn’t see any of that.”
    â€œYeah, girl, the cops were threatening to seize the house.”
    â€œOh, shit. Can they do that?”
    â€œOh, yeah, but they didn’t do anything. Anyway, later I overheard my mom talking to my aunt about D. She said the assistant D.A. was talking about making a deal. But I don’t know if he’s gonna do it.”
    â€œWhat kind of deal?” I ask. The first thing I thought was he’d try to pin all this on Terrence, but I was sure he wasn’t that insane.
    â€œHe could get less time if he talked. Apparently the cops want whoever he’s working for. It’s some guy in Montgomery County. I don’t know him, but I used to hear D talking on his cell with this guy named Dantee all the time. I think it’s him.”
    Shit. I know that name. Darien took me to his town house before everything happened. Dantee gave me the creeps. Seriously, he actually made my skin crawl. The two hoochies with him were acting all pathetic like they were scared to death of him. But for real, he was scary. He reminded me of some kind of modern-day slave trader or something. He was looking at me like I was a piece of meat. I guess I was supposed to act like I wasn’t hearing anything,but I heard what they were talking about. Ursula was right, he was Darien’s boss.
    â€œSo, is he getting out or what?”
    â€œI don’t know. I hope not. If you ask me, he’s right where he belongs. I know that sounds harsh. I know he’s my half brother and family loyalty and all, but I