After Tupac and D Foster

The narrator describes Jayjones, Neeka’s older brother, whom the narrator has a crush on. He is a basketball player and works at KFC; he often brings fried chicken home for his family and friends to eat. The narrator notices that he has taken an interest in D, which makes her a little jealous. Compared to D, who has a unique look and mysterious past, she knows that Jayjones just sees her as a little sister.

One day, the narrator, Neeka, and D are sitting on their front steps and Jayjones brings them some fried chicken. While they eat, they talk about their families. Jayjones and Neeka describe their crowded household: their parents, two sets of twins, plus another brother in addition to the two of them. The narrator notes that Neeka’s other older brother, Tash, was arrested before D came to town and went to jail. She knows that Tash is gay, and when she and Neeka hear rap songs with anti-gay lyrics, they turn the TV off because it hurts to hear people talk that way about someone they love.

Jayjones brags that he made 397 out of 400 free throws the night before, then he offers to walk D to the bus stop when it’s time for her to go.