Free Color of Love by Sandra Kitt Page A

behind his completely disorganized desk.
    Slack rubbed his throat. “You saw him. He tried to kill me, man. I could bring his ass up on charges of police brutality.”
    Jason continued to ignore the young teen and began searching for something on his desk. He shifted stacks of papers and miscellaneous objects from side to side as he looked.
    “Keep still,” he ordered Slack.
    “Mother fucker …” Slack muttered, his body tense with energy as he shifted restlessly in his seat. He glanced up at Jason from under his lids and made an impatient smirk. “Not you, man. That other dude.”
    “I thought we agreed you’d try to stay out of trouble, Slack,” Jason commented, making a note on one piece of paper and starting to look for another.
    “I ain’t in no trouble. I was just hanging out.”
    “Why aren’t you in school?”
    Slack cackled at the foolish idea. “You know school is shit, Jason. I don’t learn nothin’ there.”
    “You have a choice. Stay in school or you go upstate.”
    Slack played with the zipper on his bright orange anorak jacket, indifferent to Jason’s veiled threat. “I been upstate.”
    Jason gave him a brief, thorough once-over. “Nice jacket. Where’d you get it?”
    “I didn’t steal it. The Mex gave it to me.”
    “Just because he wanted to be a nice guy?”
    Slack grinned broadly. “’Cause I done him a favor. He owed me.”
    “You continue to hang out with Razor, Mex, and that bunch, and you’re gonna end up dead.”
    Slack was unconvinced and sat sullenly staring into space. Jason handed him the paper he’d been searching for.
    “You never showed up for counseling. What happened?”
    Slack merely glanced at the paper. His butt was almost on the edge of the chair as he leaned against the wooden back. He sat with his legs spread wide apart, his knees rocking back and forth. He shrugged. “I was sick, man. Nobody called me or nothin’.”
    Jason eyed the petulant teen, trying not to lose his temper, trying hard not to just give up. He wanted to believe that Slack only needed time to realize that he was on his side. “I called. I spoke to your grandmother. She said she hadn’t seen you in a week.”
    A sly and slightly embarrassed grin appeared on Slack’s oak brown face, adorned with straggling chin hair and a very thin mustache. “Oh, shit,” he chuckled. “She gave me up. That’s cold.” He licked his lips and the grin disappeared. He’d been caught in his lie. But still he shook his head. “That ain’t right. I was sick. I swear, Jason.”
    Jason sat back in his chair and watched Slack closely. The boy was incredibly street smart. Too smart for his own good, since he made so many stupid decisions. Jason sighed. He’d been having a hard time trying to get Slack to think before he acted out, to control his quick temper and his tendency to hurt and destroy. Jason pushed back farther in his chair and let it rock gently.
    “So, I’m hearing that if I set up the appointment again, you’ll keep it. Correct?”
    Slack nodded but wouldn’t look Jason in the face. “Yeah, man. I’ll go.”
    “What about this morning?”
    Slack was shaking his head again. “I was outside the store and I didn’t have no gun. I’m not trippin’ on you, man.”
    Jason said nothing but continued to stare and to gauge Slack coldly. The boy finally got serious. He leaned toward Jason and he put up his hand with the fingers spread.
    “I’m telling you the truth. I didn’t have no gun.”
    Jason dropped his gaze to the pen he’d absently been playing with. “You understand what I could do if you’re lying to me?”
    “Yeah,” Slack said sullenly.
    Jason let the silence and his disbelief stretch out until Slack stopped posturing and cut his game. The boy looked at him squarely.
    “I didn’t have no gun,” Slack repeated slowly.
    After another moment Jason threw the pen onto the desk. “Wait outside. I’ll drive you home later.”
    Slack jumped up from his chair and headed