The King I Can't Arrest

(Song: "Heaven" by Beyonce) Desrianna "Ri, how was school?" Antron asks, swinging my backpack over his shoulder like it weighs nothing as we start down the sidewalk. "Boring," I groan, dragging my feet a little. "Mr. Harris gave us this huge algebra test. Pretty sure I bombed it." He laughs. Loud. Easy. The kind that makes you want to laugh too even if nothing's funny. "Girl, you ain't fail nothing. You actually do your work. Unlike me when I had him." I snort. "Yeah. He still talks about how bad you were." We turn onto another street, cicadas buzzing in the trees above us, loud enough to fill the quiet between passing cars. "I'm glad you ain't nothing like me," Antron says after a minute. His voice sounds softer now. "You smart. Got a good head on your shoulders. Maybe you'll be a doctor or lawyer someday." "Maybe," I reply with a shrug. "I'll be saving lives while you're busy playing ball for the Carolina Panthers." His grin stretches wide, lighting up his whole face. "Still a few years away, but I'm ready." I glance up at him and smile before I can stop myself. "You're gonna buy me my first car, right?" He chuckles. "Yeah, yeah. Long as you promise not to wreck it the first week." I bump his shoulder playfully. "Please. I'll be a better driver than you." He bumps me back harder. "Oh, yeah? We'll see." We keep walking like we've got all the time in the world. Mom isn't home anyway. She's a trauma nurse, which basically means the hospital owns her more than we do. That's why Antron picks me up every day. Even though he's only sixteen. Even though he acts like he runs the entire planet. Even though he swears I'm not allowed to have a boyfriend until I'm thirty. He's still the best big brother ever. A car rolls past us, music thumping through the open windows. I watch it disappear before staring down at my pink sneakers. "Are you gonna help me cook dinner tonight?" I ask. "Nah." He shakes his head. "Gotta work. But Ma said she might be home early." Disappointment settles heavy in my chest. "You're always working lately," I grumble. He sighs, nudging my shoulder. "I know, Ri. But Ma needs help keepin' the lights on." I swallow. "I just miss when we used to hang out." He smiles a little. "Tell you what. I got a day off this weekend. How 'bout we go bowling? Just you and me." I perk up instantly. "You mean it?" "Course I mean it. When have I ever lied to you?" I tap my chin, pretending to think. "How 'bout when you told me coffee makes you stupid?" He snorts. "Okay, maybe that one time." We pass the old abandoned house the high school kids always hang around. Something in my stomach tightens. Just a little at first. Then more. I don't know why. It just... does. One of Antron's classmates calls out when he spots us. "Hey 'Tron." A slow grin spreads across his face. The others go quiet. Watching. Antron keeps walking like he didn't hear them. But I know he did. He hears everything. He catches me every time I sneak into the kitchen at night when I'm supposed to be asleep. His hand closes around my arm, pulling me along faster. "What's going on?" I whisper, half jogging to keep up. "Nothing," he mutters, guiding me closer to his side. "Just keep walkin', Ri." His voice is low. Too low. Tight. Something's wrong. I can feel it crawling up my spine. "Hey, where you goin', man?" the boy shouts. "You scared or somethin'?" Antron doesn't answer. Footsteps scrape against the porch behind us. Not just voices anymore. Movement. They're moving. "Yeah, keep walkin', b***h," one of them laughs. My fingers clutch the back of Antron's shirt. "'Tron... I'm scared," I say, my voice coming out small. Like it doesn't belong to me. He squeezes my arm, gentle but firm. "I got you. Ain't nobody gonna hurt you." I want to believe him. I really do. But my stomach won't stop twisting. Sneakers pound against the pavement behind us. Close. Too close. Like they're right on our backs now. Shadows stretch across the sidewalk in front of us. "Yo," someone barks. Antron stops. Everything inside me does too. He turns slowly, pulling me behind him like I'm something he can hide. "Stop following us," he growls. I've never heard him sound like that before. Not even when he's mad. I glance around. There are four of them. All bigger than me. Two even bigger than Antron. They spread out across the sidewalk like they've done this before, blocking the only way forward. The biggest one grins again, shoving his hands in his pockets. My grip tightens in Antron's shirt. My heart pounds so hard it makes my chest ache. "You deaf or somethin', 'Tron?" he says, stepping closer. "Nah," Antron answers evenly. "Just takin' my little sister home. That's it." Nobody moves. The leader's eyes drop to me, sharp and dangerous, and I shrink back without thinking. "That your excuse now?" he asks. "Thought you said you needed money." Antron's shoulders go tight. "I told you before," he says. "I ain't runnin' nothin' for you." I don't know what they're talking about. But the guy sounds mad. Real mad. "You think you better than us or somethin'?" another one asks. Antron shakes his head once. "Nah. I just ain't stupid." The leader laughs. There's no humor in it. The sound sends a chill down my spine. Maybe we should call mom, I think. Maybe we should just run— The laughter cuts off as he lifts his dark hoodie. Something black flashes at his waistband. A gun. A startled gasp rips out of me before I can stop it. "W-What are you doing?" I ask, my voice shaking. "Ri, shut up," Antron hisses. He shoves me farther behind him, but I can still see everything. The boy pulls the gun free. One of the smaller ones' eyes widen. "Quay... what are you doing?" he whispers. The leader doesn't even look at him. "Told you what happens when people say no to me, little bro." His glare settles back on Antron. "They get dealt with." For a second, I think he's just trying to scare us. Like this is some stupid joke. Then the gun lifts. "Ri, run!" Antron shouts. His hand slams into my shoulder. I stumble backward, hitting the pavement hard. The gun goes off. The sound is louder than anything I've ever heard. My ears ring. Everything goes fuzzy. Another shot cracks through the air almost right after. Someone hits the ground. I turn. Antron is lying on the sidewalk. My brain won't understand what I'm seeing. It doesn't want to. Dark red spreads across his shirt. Two holes in his chest. Blood keeps coming. No. No. No. I scramble toward him, my knees scraping the pavement. "Antron?" I can't hear my own voice. His brown eyes stare past me. Through me. "Get up," I whisper. Blood soaks through my fingers when I press my hands against his chest. It's warm. Too warm. I hear footsteps pound away in the distance. They're running. Cowards. "Stay with me," I beg. "Please... I need you. Ma needs you." He doesn't answer. Blood slips from the corner of his mouth. "No. Wake up," I say louder, shaking him. "Wake up." His chest doesn't move. Not even a little. I look up. The smallest boy is still standing there. He looks just as scared as I feel. "Help me!" I scream. Tears blur everything. "Please... he needs help!" He doesn't move. Just stands there like he's frozen. His mouth opens like he wants to say something. Like he wants to help. "O," someone snaps behind him. "Let's go!" His eyes drop to the blood on my hands. Then he turns and runs. "No... please don't go!" I start to cry, but he's already disappearing into the woods behind the house. And suddenly it's just me. And Antron. Sirens wail somewhere far away. But I already know. It's too late. Too late to save him. Too late to bring him back. Pain tears through my chest as I lay my head against him. He's still warm. Still him. My tears soak into his shirt. "You promised nobody was gonna hurt me," I sob. They never even touched me. But they took the most important person in my life. My protector. My best friend. My big brother. I don't know how long I stay there before someone grabs my shoulders. "No!" I scream, clinging to him. Firm hands pull me away anyway. The last thing I see is my brother lying alone on the sidewalk. My backpack next to him. Drenched in his blood. After that day... I never walked home from school the same way again. Because some losses don't just break your heart. They change the way you see the world forever.