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She shook her head

“Go to church?”

Negative

“Your o to church?”

“Naw She work Sundays”

I was fishing for the kind of “give-her-a break-your-Honor-she’s-a-good-kid-with-a-bright-future” stuff that defense attorneys routinely trot out, in the hope their clients will get off with lighter sentences Unfortunately, this approach tended to work better for middle-class kids, who had been fast-tracked for success as early as nursery school By high school, they were already padding their future resumes with internships and other extracurricular activities that would set them apart from—or, at least, keep them abreast of—their career-driven peers Unfortunately, the neighborhoods that fed Silver Hill Middle School were far fro rap sheets than resuht, shiny future” stuff sees-any-worse-than-they-have-to-be” approach

With that in mind, I asked, “Have you ever been suspended?”

“Nuh-uh I done some detentions”

“What for?”

“Bein’ late, talking in class” She ticked theht, but the other girl started it”

I looked at her She stared back, daring me to say otherwise “How’d it start?”

“I was eating lunch in the caf with my friends This heifer named Lakeesha, she step up, start dissin’ in’ on her She jus’ jealous, is all Anyway, she start in on Rochelle again Rochelle say, ‘Girl, you got a mouth on you You want to back your noise with some action?’”

Tina snickered “That heifer was frontin’, big time She back down I kep’ a eye on her, anyway

“Then, as getting up to leave, Lakeesha get up, too I saw her come up behind Rochelle wit’ a razor in her hand So I shoved Lakeesha and knocked her ass down Then Rochelle and this other girl start wailin’ on the bitch for sneakin’ up on her like that I started kickin’ her, too”

“So you were the one who knocked her down?” Just like the old wo her, if she was already down?” And would you have beaten up the old lady if the cops hadn’t been there?