Lying to Live by Darrien Lee Page B

arrived, he found out what happened and then took his baton and searched the bushes.
    â€œDid anyone see what kind of snake it was or who threw it?” he asked as he continued to search for the snake.
    There were a lot of kids standing around, but no one spoke up to help the officer. Some were laughing, and others were shaking their head in disbelief. The officer finally found the snake, and he and a science teacher were able to determine that it was harmless before putting it in a large container.
    The officer approached Denim, who was clearly trembling, to make sure she was okay. Once he determined she was, he asked, “What really happened out here?”
    Domingo spoke up and said, “We were just sitting here, chilling, and some fool walked by and tossed that snake at her.”
    The officer pulled out his notebook and asked, “Who did it?”
    â€œI didn’t get a look at him. All I saw was the snake,” Denim admitted.
    â€œWhat about you?” the officer asked Domingo.
    â€œI’m scared of snakes. Hell, I ran,” he revealed.
    Julius knew exactly who had done it and he planned to handle it himself, so when the officer asked him the same question, he lied and said that he saw the guy only from behind as he ran away. He told him he was too busy trying to make sure Denim was okay. The officer closed his notebook and told them that if they remembered anything to let him know as soon as possible. As he left, he made the crowd disperse, leaving the three standing there, trying to understand what had just happened.
    Domingo turned to Julius and said, “You heard what that dude said, right?”
    Julius picked up Denim’s book bag and said, “Yeah, I heard him.”
    â€œWhat did he say?” Denim asked nervously. “Was it directed at me?”
    â€œDon’t worry about it, Denim,” Julius replied. “I know what this is about, and I’m going to handle it.”
    She grabbed his arm and said, “No, you’re not. If you know something, you need to tell me!”
    Julius thought about it for a moment and said, “No, I’m tired of walking around here, not knowing what’s going to happen next. Domingo, let’s go.”
    â€œWhere are you going?” Denim asked, but her question fell on deaf ears as she watched Julius and Domingo walk out of the school yard and down the block.
    Once they got a block away from the school, Domingo looked over at his friend and asked, “What are you going to do?”
    â€œI don’t know, but I have to do something,” he replied.
    They climbed on the city bus and made their way back to their neighborhood. When they hopped off the bus, all Julius could think about was how scared Denim was when she saw that snake. When they reached the neighborhood store on the corner of Elk, they saw a group of young men standing on the corner. Julius recognized one of them, and a sudden wave of anger immediately hit him. He dropped his book bag and sprinted over to the young men and jumped on one of them and repeatedly punched him in the face. The other guys tried to pull Julius off of the young man, but Domingo intervened, warning them to stay back. He wasn’t sure why his best friend had jumped on the guy, but whatever the reason he was going to back him up and make sure he didn’t get ganged up on by the others. Julius continued to beat the young man until they heard a car come to a screeching halt.
    A man jumped out and pulled Julius off and yelled, “Get the hell off my brother!”
    Domingo jumped in and shouted, “Get off my partner!”
    The man pulled out a gun and said, “Back the hell up, youngblood!”
    Domingo couldn’t believe his eyes. He recognized the man, who appeared to be in his mid-to late twenties.
    Julius was still angry, so angry that he wasn’t aware that the man was pointing a gun at him.
    â€œJulius, chill,” Domingo