The Drop

"It's not much, but I know you like your little music,"
she said, setting the box on the table without looking at me.
"Happy birthday, Denzel."

The Drop
A novel by Stephanie Criner
Told by Denzel "Dizzy" Hardiman Jr.

Tyreese was supposed to make it to the league.
Han was the one with all the plans.
Zoey danced like nothing could touch her.
And me? I was just trying to stay quiet enough to be left alone.

But it doesn't work like that. Not around here.

One mistake turned into a mess we couldn't clean up.
Now everything's different.
The crew. The city. Me.

People say you can't outrun where you're from.
They're right.
But sometimes, you don't even get the chance to try.