"White Mike and his father moved after his mother died of breast cancer." "It ate her up- and most of their money." "They can't control the old radiators, and it's very hot in springtime." "In White Mike's room, old unpacked boxes stick out of the closet... so he can see them." "Maybe you know how it is." "Maybe you don't." "But sometimes, if you can't see what you're finished with, it's better." "White Mike stripped to his shorts and lay down on the floor... so he felt a little cooler." "That's how it was the first night in his new room." "And that's how it still is." "White Mike is thin and pale, like smoke." "White Mike has never smoked a cigarette in his life." "Never had a drink." "Never sucked down a doobie." "He once went three days without sleep as a kind of experiment." "That's as close as he's ever gotten to fucked up." "White Mike has become a very good drug dealer." "Upper East Side of Manhattan." "Beginning of spring break." "All the kids home from boarding school." "And everyone has money to blow." "White Mike is busy with pickups in Harlem." "The other New York City." "The one that the kids White Mike sells to only know from rap songs." "It's dangerous." "But Lionel has the best bud." "Ounces and fifties and dimes." "And loud music and packed houses and more rounds." "And kids from Hotchkiss and Andover and St. paul's and Deerfield- all looking to get high." "They tell stories about how it is to kids from Dalton and Collegiate... and Chapin and Riverdale... who have stories of their own." "All the same stories really." "White Mike has different stories." "You've reached Mike." "Do your thing at the beep." "Look, shit is happening, Coz- monstrous, bewildering shit- and I need to see you." "You know, so call me back fast, all right?" "White Mike is avoiding his cousin Charlie's phone calls tonight... because Charlie is strung out on a new drug called Twelve." "I saw the popgun man... in the park today." "Charlie and their friend Hunter stayed with White Mike... the night of his mother's funeral." "They had their own ceremony." "It was like they were saying..." ""It's just us, like it always was."" "But that was last year." "So, to my mom." "To your mom." "Now everything's different." "White Mike thought, "Business first." "I'll deal with Charlie later."" "Jessica Brayson barely noticed him." "All she could think was, "That bitch, Miss Lemky, gave me a 'B."'" "Miss Lemky has had it out for me ever since she overheard me telling Vanessa she's a lesbian." "Seriously, you hire your girlfriend as your assistant?" "How obvious is that?" "No!" "This isn't just one "B." This is huge." "This can affect everything- getting into Wesleyan, Which law school I attend, the firm I become partner at... maybe even Who I marry- assuming I don't marry Johnny Depp." "They should send Miss Lemky back to Reade Where they found her eating pussy and granola." "I see you." "Sara Ludlow is the hottest girl in her school." "And it's not even close." "When that kid Chris, whose house she's going to, made up the chart... about where the girls stood- like the stock market quotes" "Sara was always on top." "Where are we going?" "Who's gonna be there?" "Mostly seniors, I hope." "It's that kid Chris's house with the crazy-ass brother Claude." "Oh, my God." "His parents sent him to some Outward Bound boot camp so he wouldn't go to jail." " Jail!" " Okay." "But he is so superthug six-pack hard." " We have to go." " Ew." " Whatever." "Your nose job looks good." " Thank you." "I got you, White boy." "Come on." "Hunter McCullough plays ball at the Harlem rec... 'cause he doesn't like being the rich white kid from the Upper East Side." "Yo, Watch it, man!" " They don't like it either." " Whoo!" "Yo, What the fuck?" "Get fuckin' off!" "Hey, man." "Get off me!" "Hell yeah!" "Fuck him up, man." "What the fuck is wrong with you?" "Stay down, punk!" "Down!" "Stay down." "Get off of me!" " It's over, man!" "Chill!" " Get the fuck off me." " Fuck is wrong with you?" " What the fuck?" "It's fucking done." "Get the fuck out." "It's over." " Shut the fuck up." " Yeah, shut the fuck up." " You shut the fuck up, man." " Get the fuck out." "You don't fucking belong here!" " What's up?" " Yo, fuck your boy, Mike." "Nana." "What the fuck?" " Consigliere." " What the hell happened, man?" "Can you believe this shit?" "Nana fucking Went crazy." " Geez." " How's school going, man?" "Yo, my dad told me if I didn't get into Harvard, I had to go to Dartmouth." "He Went there, right?" "My grandfather gave them a science building." "Yeah." "I guess if you got into Harvard, you'd get to be with Warren." "That's good, right?" "Yeah, dude." "That's What I'm saying, man." "If Warren got in, We could rip that place up." " Ah." " Come on." "The three of us together." "Old times." "Look." "You'd be my year." "No, I know, man." "I just" "That's exactly What I want, right?" "Old times." "Come on." "Look." "Could you just let one go?" "Hey." "Spring break, Hunter-gatherer." "Hey." "What do you need?" ""Yeah." "Old times, Mike,"Hunter thought." ""When you weren't a drug dealer and Charlie wasn't a junkie with a gun." "What's wrong with that?"" "On the corner of 149th Street and Malcolm X Boulevard... is the fried chicken joint." "Nana hates the place." "For him, it's always a lot better going down to the rec than it is coming back uptown- coming home." "Nanq's mother just finished her shift." "She's a subway agent at 68th and Lexington." "Nana introduced White Mike to her once." " What the fuck is the matter with you, Charles?" " I'm gonna need some more." "Think I got time to be out here bullshitting with you?" " Man, What?" " I'll get it to you tomorrow." "Come here with that bullshit." "Where my money, Charlie?" "No, I'm sorry." "You're right." "No, I fucked up." "Get the fuck over here." "Give me the fucking money, you White junkie-ass bitch." "I got your money." "Give me the fucking money." " Oh, shit." " Get back, all right?" " Chill out, man." " Just give me the shit, Lionel." "Just give me the shit." "Relax, man." "You got What you want." "Here's the twelve, man." "Take it." "Relax, man." "Yo, it's Charlie." "Not here." "Yo, Charlie." "It's your cousin." "Call me back, man." "Hey." "Chris Kenten throws parties for people... he doesn't really know and doesn't really like... and pretends to enjoy them because he thinks he should." "Hey, you want to come in?" "Uh" " No." "I'm good." "You guys have fun." "Call me." "Oh, shit." "That's White Mike." "No shit." " Oh, Ludlow, I love you so much!" " Ladies." "Yo, White Mike." "Hold up, man." "Hold up." " What's up, buddy?" " Yo, We gotta smoke some bowls tonight." " Rothko." "Cool it." " And then We can find some hos." "You thuglings gotta quit smoking Weed." "Mark Rothko is called Mark Rothko..." " because on a school trip to the Met" " Hey!" "He careened into the real Mark Rothko's Untitled" "Oh, shit!" "The painting had to be restored." "He has no ideq who the real Mark Rothko was... but he likes the name." " You know me?" " Everyone knows Who you are." "It's not too packed." "It's early." "Where's your boyfriend?" "Driving in from Southampton." " Is your brother here?" " No." "Alissa Royston Reade... thought there were only two people at this party she'd want to talk to" "Roy Llewelyn Frowick, who is the last word on fashion... and Tobias, the hot male model." "Hi." " How are you?" " Good." "How are you?" "Yo, White Mike is a douche bag." "They developed it." "It's really not that complicated." "Toxic sludge spills over CÃte d'Ivoire, a bunch of Africans fall over dead." " Hey." " Hi." "How are ya?" "Who was driving that boat?" "A Greek tanker flying a Panamanian flag." " Molly, What are you doing?" " Hey, Michael." "Molly Norton." "Her father had once worked for White Mike's father as a waiter." "They've been friends ever since childhood." "He always kept her separate from the privileged world he grew up in." "Now he lies about his current career." "How is working for your dad?" "Are you glad you took the year off?" "Yeah, no." "It's good, you know." "I'm just, um" " I'm learning a lot, Which is nice." "And I" " I'm working so much..." "I can practically run the place with my eyes closed, so that's good." "That's cool." "What kind of stuff does he have you doing?" "What's your day like?" "Well, I normally go in around 1:00... and I just do errands for my dad and bookkeeping and all that." "Just, you know, living the life." "You know me, Molly." " Hey." "It sounds nice." "Better than my job." " Yeah." "Uh, do they have you working on Saturday night?" "Yeah, I actually do have to work on Saturday night." "Would you maybe want to grab coffee in the afternoon?" " I can do that." "That sounds good." " Yeah?" "Yeah, sure." "Hey." "Hey, Saturday afternoon's perfect." "But listen." "I gotta go." "I'll talk to you soon, okay?" " Yeah." "I'll see you on Saturday." " Okay." " Okay." "Bye." " Bye." "Molly always reminded White Mike of his mother." "They'd been friends since she was seven... and she couldn't remember a time she hadn't been in love with him." "Molly came to Mike's mother's funeral, but Mike didn't talk to her." "He didn't talk to anyone that day." "When his mother died a year ago..." "Mike dropped out of school and started dealing to his ex-classmates." "That's how it was." "And that's how it still is." "What the fuck is this shit?" "Chris!" "Oh, Christopher!" "Oh, my God." "It's him." "It's Claude." " Go fuck him." " What?" "Like just go" " Go." " Okay." "Fuck!" "Chris's brother Claude once took a shit in the middle of his bed... just to see what their parents would do." "They made Luisa the housekeeper clean it up." "He thought that was hilarious." "The story made him a legend." "Daddy's home, boys." "Hi, Claude." "Listen." "You're not gonna be a fuckin' pussy and tell Mom I'm home, are you?" " Of course not." " Yeah?" "What about the time I Went AWOL from Mountain School and was chilling in the Hamptons?" "I told you a thousand times, Claude, that wasn't me that ratted you out." " Just keep it shut." " What happened?" "I kicked the boot camp guy's ass and split." "So fuck your punk-ass party!" " Yo, T-Man." " Hey, man." " We're out." " Right now?" "Yes, now." "Now!" " Wait." " What if Mom and Dad call?" "Just keep your mouth shut." "Hi." "Hunter?" " I'm kind of tired, Dad." " Hey." "Look." "I gotta get going, but your letter of intent is due in a couple Weeks." "I just want to remind you how lucky you are that you're going to Harvard." "I worked my ass off in prep school, and even if I got into Harvard... your grandfather wouldn't let me go." "And look, the, um" "The cell phones- they're not gonna work on the boat." "So, I want to use the sat phone, all right?" "You didn't even notice the blood, Dad?" "Hunter." "Claude and Tobias are in Chinatown... buying a barbecued duck for Claude's piranhas." "In Claude's pockets he's carrying one clear plastic prism filled with weed... one biker wallet carrying $967... one fake I.D. with his picture and fake name, Maurice Charles, Columbus, Ohio... purchased from a tattoo place in Chinatown." "Guy said, "Never fails- $40."" "One Citibank A. T.M. card." "One American Express Platinum card." "One naked picture of a drunk girlfriend... whom he fingered while they watched Blue Man Group." "Two MetroCards and one cell phone that says "Pussy Monger" when he turns it on." "Get the fuck out, man." "You are one true criminal, Claudius." "You know that?" "I'm out of here by Easter, man." " No way, dude." " Yeah, the Gunnery." "You've been in more fucking boarding schools than my mom's had husbands." "You know that?" "Cash only." " You're so not gonna do this." " I am so gonna do this." "Gabby and Shelly don't think blow jobs are sex." "They're best friends because they agree on things like that." "The lighting in here is terrible." "Really?" "Shut up." "Do I look fat?" "Put Claude's face next to your face." "Sara Ludlow is tired of waiting for her boyfriend." "She thought, "How long does it take to drive in from Southampton anyway?"" "I had to wait for my parents to go to their stupid party so I could sneak the Porsche." "I'm coming as fast as I can." "Well, hurry up." "This party sucks." "Fuck you." "Whoo!" "Gabby." "Shelly." "You're not" " You're not leaving?" "You should've invited more people." "Did you just come in your pants?" "I'm gonna" " I'm gonna get a beer." "Okay." "Hey." "You." "Um" "You" "Jessicq's an ace at soccer, swimming, skiing... and a very good student." "Early decision from Wesleyan next year." "Late one night she read the Gettysburg address for her advanced history class." "She memorized it and liked it more than anybody." "I chose to do my speech on Abraham Lincoln because he was so tall." "Well, Lincoln became a martyr... the same way John F. Kennedy would become one." "And in their deaths... was created a symbol of freedom and peace." "Something this country can look up to." "But the truth is, death doesn't vindicate." "It doesn't vindicate." "It may have been good for the country, but it wasn't good for Lincoln... and it definitely wasn't good for John F. Kennedy." "'And it wasn't good for me," thought White Mike..." " whose mother had died the day before." " So" "White Mike's father said he didn't have to go to school." "White Mike said, "What'll that do?"" "What are you saying?" "Did they die in vain?" ""Four score and seven"" "But if you had to ask John or Abe... if they liked being shot in the head... probably say "no."" ""We cannot dedicate, We cannot consecrate... we cannot hallow this ground."" "Where the tragedy lies- they Were robbed of their future... and the possibilities that lay within it." "And these lives will never be replaced." "So you're born in the capital of the world." "And you can never escape." "And that's how it is, because that's how everyone wants it to be." "It is all about want." "No one needs anything here." "It is about when you wake up in the morning and the snow is already coming down... and it's bright between the buildings where the sun falls... but already dark where the shadows are." "And it's all about want." "What do you want?" "Because if you don't want something, you've got nothing." "You are adrift." "You're washed away and then buried under the snow and shadows... and when in the spring the snow melts... no one will remember where you were frozen and buried." "And you will no longer be anywhere." "I can't find Charlie, Mike." "He left this Weird message." "Yeah." "He said he saw the popgun man in the park." "All right." "Call me." "Yeah." "Me and Nana Were tight." "Was he ever in any kind of trouble?" " No, man." "He was straight up, man." " How was he last night?" "This punk-ass White kid, Hunter, just started fucking with him." "He's like a racist or something, Detective, like one of them Nazis or some shit." "He comes up here to play ball at our rec 'cause he likes starting shit." "The Man fucking with minorities." "Jessica had every bear that she had ever purchased... or that had ever been given to her since the day she was born." "Hi." "I'm Donnie." "Aren't you too old to be a Donnie?" "Tell your mom I'll call her later." "Jess." "Baby." "Would you get me a little blue pill from my medicine cabinet?" "Mm-hmm." "Jessica got one pill for her mother and two for herself." "Â¶ California friends Â¶" " Hello." " Hey, Chris." "It's Jessicq." "Thank you for taking care of me last night and getting me home and everything." "Yeah, sure." "So you get your Weed from that White Mike dude, right?" "Yeah." "Um, could I get his number?" "Yeah." "Yeah, sure." "You want to get some and smoke?" "Actually, I was thinking about getting something else." "Where's Sara?" "Oh, my God." "Sean totaled his dad's Porsche and is near death at St. Luke's." "Oh, please!" "He hurt his ankle or his shoulder or something." " Whatever." " Is she there now?" "Later." "She Went to go get her teeth Whitened for her birthday." "Exactly." "What are We doing tomorrow night?" "Fieldstone lacrosse team is having one on Madison." "Riverdale boys on Fifth." "Dalton- cute guys- on 58th." " That kid." "You know his dad's" " No." " What?" " 58th is too far downtown." " Well, yeah." " Yeah." "Even though Jessica knows she is smarter than her friends... they agree about certain fundamental things." "Who is cool and Who is not." "Chicks must come before dicks." "Our parents suck." "The Hamptons rock." "Oh, my God." "It's Andrew." "He's, like, deep." "He's never hit on me." " He must be so gay." " He's really cute." "Hey, Hunter." "It's Andrew." "Where are you, man?" "I'm headed for the reservoir." " Oh, my God!" " Oh, my God." "You're bleeding." "He's bleeding." " Oh, my God." "Is he okay?" " EW!" "Hunter McCullough?" "You played ball at the rec center, 129th and Lex last night?" "Yeah." "You mind taking a ride down to the precinct to answer a few questions?" "Wha" " About What?" "The fight at the rec?" "Did Nana press charges?" "Just a few questions, Hunter." " I'm just gonna go change." " No." "You're fine like that." " Did something happen?" " No." "Who said anything happened?" "Just gonna ask you a few questions." " There you go." " Thanks, man." "White Mike." "Um, Chris sent me." "Oh, yeah." "What do you need?" "Um, last night I did this thing." "It's like... coke... and then it was like ecstasy, and then" "Yeah." "It's called Twelve." "Can I buy some?" "I don't handle it." "Um, do you know Who does?" "Yeah." "Yeah, I think I can hook you up." "Chris has your number, yeah?" "Mm-hmm." "Yeah." "Bye." "In second and third grade, Charlie's nanny, Dorrine... an excellent woman who made $350 a week... took Charlie, Hunter and White Mike to the zoo regularly." "They would always wait so they could see the animal statue strike the time." "The most important ritual, the one the boys remembered as long as they lived... was the weekly buying of popguns." "They were always broken by Thursday." "White Mike hadn't seen the popgun man or Dorrine in years." "He started imagining what he would say to her." " By the way, do you smoke dope?" " Oh, yes, Michael." "At those parties, me and all the other nannies and housekeepers... used to smoke spliffs out in the back stairwell... and talk about all the famous, beautiful people... after I put you to sleep." "And don't you know, Michael?" "We really moved like ghosts in and out of your lives... just the way good help should." "Yeah." "Yeah." "I know What you mean." "It's like What I do now in dealing and all that." "It's like that." "I move in and out of people's lives like a ghost... so no one even remembers When I'm gone." "That's the way the best help is supposed to be." "Take care of your cousin Charlie, Michael." "Where'd you get that, Charlie?" "I love how shiny it is in my hand, you know." "It's like" "It's like I'm pointing lightning, you know." "Get that out of my face, huh?" "You know I don't do guns, man." "Hey." "It's Hunter." "Leave a message." "Hey, Hunter." "It's me." "Just wondering if you've seen Charlie around anywhere." "He's vanished again." "So let me know." "And Where are you?" "Call me back." "Bye." "How often do you play ball up there?" "I don't know." "It depends." "About twice a month." " You ever see Nana outside the gym?" " No." "How'd you get home after the game?" "I walked." "Why not take a taxi?" "I'm sorry." "Did something happen to Nana or" "Maybe you know something you're not telling me." "Look." "When can I get out of here?" "Your doorman, Javier, nice guy." "Says you're a good kid." "Says you came home around 10:00... but you left again shortly after." "Where'd you go?" "I went for a walk." "You do a lot of walkin', huh?" "Yeah." "I like the city at night." "Huh." "Why didn't you change your shirt before you left?" "Hunter thinks he should call someone." "But his father and mother are on some boat, and they'd be pissed." "He could call White Mike, but he's a drug dealer... and what kind of idea is that?" "Hi." "Mmm." " Where are your parents?" " They just left." "Dad's so pissed I totaled the Porsche." "Yeah." "What did the doctor say about football?" "I don't remember." "You're on heavy drugs, huh?" "Yeah." "How about a hand job?" "This is supposed to be a private room." "I was born in this hospital." "I mean, it's just a few stitches." "I can go home." "Seventeen stitches, actually, and you have to stay for observation." "You should go see Dr. Baker Who did my mom's face-lift." " You're Sara Ludlow." " You know me?" "My sister Vanessa, she goes to school with Layla" "Yeah." "Everyone knows everyone." "What happened to you?" "Um, hockey." "Oh, yeah?" "Where do you play?" "Collegiate." "Collegiate?" " Isn't that all guys?" " Yeah." "Your playlist is so cool." "Mine sucks." " Take it." " No, I couldn't." "No." "Really." "Just take it." "It's okay." "I'll get it from you next time I see you." "That's sweet." "Thanks." "Hey." "Where are we gonna party for your birthday tomorrow night?" "I have a plan." "Bye, jocks." "I'm glad you're home, Bro." " Chris." " No, I don't want to" "Hit me." "Come on." "Hit me!" "Go." "Come on." "Come on!" "That's What I'm talking about." " Whoo!" " Â¶Â¶" "Hello?" "Chris, are you home?" "Uh, yeah." "Who's this?" "Me, Sara." "I'm coming over." "Ludlow?" "Sure." "I mean, sure." "Sara Ludlow is coming over." "Ludlow?" "Tap that fine pussy, Bro." "My son Jeremy's third grade teacher gonna disrespect him for writing on the desk." " Yeah?" " He said, "My daddy gonna shoot you."" " Bitch backs off, quits a couple weeks later." " No shit." "Shit, I shoot any bitch-ass fuck with me and my kids, Mike." "Yo, there she is up ahead." "This is Lionel." " Hi." "Jessica." " How much?" "A thousand." "Here." "Get that shit out of my face." "What the fuck is wrong with you?" "Let's walk." "Ball it up in the palm of your hand." "Pass it to me." "Here." "So, Lionel, I was thinking, maybe I could get your number, then we could just" "You know, it'd be easier if we just went direct next time." "No." "Miguel Blanco here will hook us up." " Start stepping, bitch." " Sorry." "Bitch gonna ask for the number." "Fuck." "Have you seen my cousin Charlie around?" " Who?" " Charlie." "The guy Who hooked us up." "He's still dealing Twelve for you, isn't he?" "No, I ain't seen him." "All right." "If you do, let him know I'm looking for him." "I appreciate that." "Later." "Peace." "We should throw my birthday party here tomorrow night." "Just had a party last night." "No." "I mean... famous party." "Page Six, W." "The kind of party people lie and say they were at." "I could get everybody cool to come." "Sit down." "Wouldn't want it to be too big." "Don't you want to have a famous party for my birthday?" " Yeah." "Sure, but" " Biggest party ever." "It'll be amazing." "Wait till you see my dress." "Not too many people though." "But it has to be huge." "Besides... people will need to keep themselves entertained... in case we start to have extra fun by ourselves." "Somewhere else." "Thought you had a boyfriend." "I have lots of boyfriends." "I mean, I'm not a slut." "Of course you're not." "But different guys are interesting for different reasons." "You're interesting for a very specific reason." "What's that?" "You'll have to figure that out for yourself." "I just don't want too many people." "You want me, don't you?" "Just..." "leave the people up to me." "Okay?" "Now, how about some cash for your part?" "Yeah." "Come upstairs." "I'll grab the money." "How much?" "Two grand." "And I'll stay here." "Okay." " You want a beer or something?" " I'm good." "Thanks." "Are we inviting everyone?" "Well, not everyone." "Everyone." "Well, I mean, everyone cool." "Tobias has been a model since getting discovered... on the beach in East Hampton when he was 11." "He loves hands touching his head, face and body- styling, primping, caressing." "He loves every minute of it." " Yo." "Medicine Man." " Hey." "How's it going?" " Tobias." " Fuck." "There's a bombshell model back there if you want me to hook it up." " I'm good, man." " Sure?" " Yeah." " I'll hit you up later." "I'll let you get back to it." "See you." " Hey, Molly." " Michael." "Hey, what are you doing?" "Not much." "Just running a few errands for my dad actually." "How about you?" "I'm just writing a report on The Plague by Camus." "Have to finish before break's over." "Can you believe it?" "Oh, my God." "Yeah, I totally know The Plague." "How do you like it?" "Rats dying, people dying." "It's just so much death and... dying." "I'm" " I'm so sorry." "No, no." "Don't worry about it." "You know, Michael." "I'm here for you if you ever want to talk, you know, about your mom or" "Hey, listen." "My dad's calling me on the other line, so I'm just gonna go." "I'll talk to you When I see you." "Okay?" "Yeah, yeah." "Are we still on for tomorrow?" "Yeah, yeah." "I'm gonna see you tomorrow." "That's right." "All right." "See you then." "Okay." "Bye." "Bye." "Molly didn't see White Mike cry at the funeral." "Never saw him cry about it." "She saw his cousin Charlie cry about it- and White Mike's father." "But not White Mike." "Everyone said he looked handsome at the funeral." "He didn't care." "There was a wig on his mother's corpse, which made him angry." "Wigs weren't real... and he wanted real." "He would have rather had seen her for the last time... with her head bald." "I can see you." "Can you see me?" "No, Mom." "Adjust your camera." "How's Saint Martin's?" "Besides your father's sunburn and the mosquitoes... and those boring Jarvises down again... things are going as planned." " Everything okay, sweetie?" " Yeah." "Carmelita's nephew came in from the Dominican, so I gave her a few days off." "Thank you, darling." "You are really taking control." "Very adult." "Are you having any fun before you" "I'm having a few people over tomorrow night." "Nothing too big." "Oh." "Hmm." "Actually, I gotta go." "Mark and Timmy just showed up." "Guys." "Hey!" "Mommy dearest!" "How are you?" "Claude, you know you are not welcome in that house." "Well, rehab was great." "Thanks for asking." "You look tired, Mom." "You still taking your Ambien, Xanax, Sonata, Lunesta?" "Did I miss any?" " I want you to leave immediately." " But I'm just settling in!" "If you don't leave immediately, I'm gonna get your father." "I love you too, Mom." "Chris, I'm disappointed in you." "I think I should call the police." "Mom, you have to talk to him." "Just ask him about rehab or something." "He's leaving in a few days for the Gunnery." "Just chill out, Mom." "All right." "Go get him." "Mom wants to talk to you." "Claude." "Claude." " You guys really need to cut this shit out." " Fuck you!" "Please talk to her, man." ""Maurice Charles. " "Columbus, Ohio"?" "How's it hanging, dog?" "It's fake." "No." "Come on." "What the fuck, man?" "Fake, fake." "No wear hat in real I.D." "Just give him the beer, okay, Al-Qaeda?" "Please." "Thanks." "Leave, or I call cops." "Well, how about I call my foot up your ass?" "Shit!" "He just busted out a nine-mil." "He was gonna pop a cap in your ass." "So, there's a whole lot of shit that goes down at school, huh?" "Sure is." "Yeah, they all have bad taste in music, and they're all assholes." "What about her friends?" "Especially her friends." "Who would you kill first if you had to kill someone there?" " I'd kill 'em all." " I would have to kill that Jessica bitch first." "I'd take the nine-milli, and I'd be like "pop, pop" right to the back of her head." "And then I'd be dead." "And I would never have to be an honor student at Wesleyan." "Everyone would cry and say what a lovely, lovely girl she was." "And the school would have a moment of silence." "And then Matt Lauer would have your mom on." "Diane Sawyer would have Sarq, Gabby and Shelly" "Katie Couric would do an in-depth report on high school violence." "And the most moving voice of all, Ann Curry... would look directly into the camera and say..." ""Our thoughts and prayers are with her family."" "Oh, no." "Uh-oh." " Did it all." " All gone." "Oh, fuck." "Oh, no." "Oh, fuck." "I'm looking for something special." "Cash only." " Can I go now?" " You know a kid named Arturo Berrara?" "Uh, Arturo from the rec?" "Arturo can place you at the projects a few minutes after the shots were fired." "Shots?" "No, he's lying." "I" " I want an attorney." "I need to contact my father by satellite phone." "Forensics has a match." "The blood on your shoes and the blood at the murder scene." "Murder scene?" "What?" "You murdered Nana." "And now you want to tell me the name of the White kid you killed?" "His I.D. says he's Maurice Charles from Columbus, Ohio." "But, Hunter... there is no Maurice Charles from Columbus, Ohio." "Yo, Warren." "What's going on, man?" "You back in the city?" "Yeah, Well, listen, I have a- I've got about a quarter left." " You want it?" " Yeah, yeah, yeah." "I'll take it." "Meet me up on 88th." "88th?" "All right." "Cool." "All right." "Bye." "Oh, shit." "White Mike thought..." ""This is what it's like for my mother now."" "Fuck!" "I was just thinking that maybe instead of us going to Bergdorf's... you could just give me money and I could go myself." "Absolutely not." "You've already spent all of your vacation money." "Oh, my God." "Mom!" "I'm buying you a new dress for Sara's party tonight, and that is it." "I don't want a new dress." "You have no idea how lucky you are." "Are you aware that the Mortimers have lost 40 % of their net worth?" " Forty." " Yes." "And they are still stinking rich." "Better not let your father hear you talk that way." "Better not let my father meet Donnie." "I just got your report card." "Mom, I got one fucking "B." Can we not make a media circus about it?" "Okay." "I was just wondering if anything was bothering you." "No!" "No." "Well, if there is, it might be time for you to go talk to someone." "You want me to go to a shrink." "Yeah, a shrink." "I go to one." "Three-quarters of your idiot friends go to one." "And the other quarter should go to one." "I try to fuck with my shrink." "I try to fuck my shrink." "Mine knows nothing about sex or guys." "My shrink is so stupid." "It might help to get that grade up." "This Whole Wesleyan idea- that's between you and your father." "It has nothing to do with me, and a "B" isn't cutting it." "Whatever, Mommy!" "I don't need a shrink." "I don't know What I would talk about." "You'd talk about school, boys, me." "I'm sure you'd find something." "Fine!" "I will go." "Can I just have some money?" "Absolutely not." "And I put a great little Marc Jacobs on hold for you at Bergdorf's." "Rosa, we're leaving." "God!" "I can meet you around, like, 4:00?" "Is that too late?" "No, not at all." "Listen, let's meet at that coffee shop you like on Lex." "Across from that pizza place." "Remember?" "Yeah, yeah." "That sounds good." "All right." "Listen, I'll see you When I get there." "Okay?" "I'll see you at 4.00." " Bye." " Bye." " What's up, warren?" "I thought you were in Cancun." " How you doin'?" "I gotta meet the family." "We're skiing in Sun Valley." "I leave tonight." "It's boring." " I'm almost looking forward to going back to school." " Yeah, right." "No, really, man." "Harvard's better than you think." " You should come." " Nah." "You got no discipline, Mike." "Discipline?" "Warren, my Whole life disciplined me." "Yeah." "And so real." "Excuse me?" "What, you come back here thinking you're learning something important?" "I spent the night in a fucking construction hole there, Warren... to save my last bag to bring to you on 88th Street." "My dad's a waiter." "All right?" "To pay off his debts from my mom's cancer and his bankrupt restaurant." " And you think you're real?" " Don't be so melodramatic." "Look at yourself." "Fuck off." "Hey, do you know Where Hunter is?" "Hey, it's Hunter." "Leave a message." "Yeah, Hunter." "Where are you?" "If you and Charlie are fucking with me, I swear to God." "By the way, Warren's a douche." "Hunter." "You may not remember me." "Avery Kimball, your father's attorney." "I brought you some fresh clothing." "And I have your father on the line." "We'll have you out of here in an hour." "Dad, I didn't kill anyone." "Don't say anything, Hunter." "You're in Avery's hands now." "He tracked us down." "We left you our itinerary." "You know that." "Yeah, I know." "Why didn't you call me?" "All right." "I'm on the first plane there." "That's the best I can do." "JesusI Who could have expected anything like this?" "Yeah." "I know." "Hunter thought..." ""He's the dad." "Let him figure it out." "Let him decide what to say next."" "How are you feeling?" "Pretty shitty, Dad." "Just say it once, please." "I love you, Son." "You need to be moving Twelve, man." "I got orders off the rack coming out your hood." " Yeah?" " I'm telling you, Mike." "This is What you need to fuck with, right here." "Twelve, man." " You know that girl you sold to yesterday?" " What girl, man?" "She's been hitting me up hard." "She wants your number." "She wants to place a tall order for some birthday party." "But, Lionel, look." "I can't be getting involved with this Twelve shit, man." "All right?" "Is it cool if I give her your number?" "White Mike's just popping, man." "You're full of questions, man." "You want some trees or not?" "Give her my number, man." "All right." "Cool." "Thanks." "It's gonna be a famous party." "And I'll be famous." "That's What you want- to be famous?" "Well, if you're famous in your school, you're famous in all schools... and then in the city- or at least the part that matters." "Then you have a career." "So..." "Sean's your boyfriend?" "I have lots of boyfriends." "I mean, I'm not a slut." "Different guys are interesting for different reasons." "You're interesting for" "I'm sorry." "That's a line." "I've used it before, a lot." "I think if I met myself, I'd hate me." "Why do you say that?" "Because..." "I'm a shallow, narcissistic bitch..." "Who manipulates everyone for everything... and freaks out royally When I don't get What I want." "I mean, you wouldn't even like me if I wasn't hot, right?" "Who says I like you?" "You're sweet." " Do you have any weed?" " Yeah." "Sure." "Bring it tonight, okay?" "Everyone's bringing something." " That blonde bitch is using you." " Shut up." "Not that you'll listen to me... not that you actually have a chance of popping your fucking cherry." "Shut up." "I'm not a virgin." " Oh, yeah?" "Who?" " Zibby Schwartz, Southampton." "You wish." "How would you know?" "You weren't even there." "Where the hell did you get that?" "The only tits you ever sucked on are Mom's." " You're Mama's boy." " Shut the fuck up." "I" " I'm sorry." "What?" "What did you say?" "I couldn't hear you." "Chill out." "Listen!" "You've always been her favorite." "That's Why you're going to Saint Martin's tomorrow, and I'm not." "I found your ticket in your room." "Mama's boy." " She thought you'd still be at boot camp." " What?" "You on roids again?" "Say it. "I'm a" " I'm a fucking mama's boy."" " No." " Say it!" "Um" "Luisa has to get in your room to clean." "Yeah." "Get the fuck out of my face." "Luisa Bustamonte has worked for the family for 25 years." "Chris, Claude and their parents think she loves them." "She doesn't." "Careful, careful." "Let me help you." "Jessica?" "Chris." "Hey, could I borrow some money?" "I'll pay you back as soon as school starts." "I just" "Uh, actually, Sara spent all my money." "You're looking at it." "Here you go." "Andrew thought, "Damn." "This is a drug deal."" "Is this your first time?" "And the last, hopefully." "Since you're not planning on becoming a regular customer, Why the weed?" "This girl I know wanted it, so I'm sort of picking it up for her." "It's her birthday." "She shouldn't smoke it if she's not brave enough to buy it." "Yeah, I guess." "You know girls." "Yeah." "Do you have a girlfriend?" "Not really, no." "She's, um" "Well, she's too good for the life I lead, you know?" "Well, listen, um" "Good luck with the girl and everything." " Yeah." "Thanks for the weed." " Hey, anytime." "Good luck to you too, man, you know, with dealing or Whatever." "I hope it works out for you." "Yeah." "Thanks." "As Andrew walked away, he thought..." ""That must be the wackest drug dealer ever."" "Hey." "What do you got for me?" "Medicine Man." "Can you hook me up with a couple ounces for the bounces, quick?" "Okay, listen, I have a 4.00 at 71st and Lexington." "That pizza place, you know?" "If you can be there in five minutes." "Oh, dude, I'm so there." "Fuckin' Medicine Man." "Fuck." "Yol Medicine Man." "Hey, Where are you?" "I said fi" " I said five minutes." " I'm across the street, dude." " Okay, Well, I'm here." "Bye." "Man." " Yo, Medicine Man." " Hey." " I'm sorry." "I ran into this babe." " Don't worry about it." " So What's up?" "How are you?" " Here." "Good." " Are you listening to me?" " Yeah." "There's undercovers in the area." "We gotta get the fuck out of here as fast as we can." " I will catch you at Sara's party tonight." " Will do." " See you later?" " Okay." " All right." " Bye." "Hey!" "Hey!" "What's going on?" " How are you?" " I'm good." "How you been?" "I've been really, really good." "It's been a long time, Michael." "Yeah, I know." "I've just been" "A lot of late nights, you know?" "It's good though." "You look tired." "Has your dad been working you hard?" "I've just been working till 3:00 in the morning every night hosting for my dad." "But other than that, yeah, it's a good gig." " Good." " The restaurant host." "How you doing?" "I'm good." "I think I need to induct someone into the Hypocrites' Club." "Uh-oh." "Who's that?" "Me." "It's not that easy to make the cut, Molly." " You know that." " Oh, I don't know about that." "I just let some pretty boy try and put the moves on me." "Oh, so What?" "So What about the fact that guys like him stand for everything we despise... and I totally let him flatter me?" " I did." "And get this" " Hmm." "Hmm." "Not only is he a model, he made sure to give me his card." "But he told me exactly What pages of What magazines all of his pictures are on." " And he had blue toenail polish." " Oh, that's painful." " Cool." "Thanks." " Thank you." " I ordered us hot chocolates." " Thank you." "So, What do you think?" "Do I make it into this dreaded club or What?" "Well, let's see." "He's obviously pretty good-looking, and girls are attracted to beauty." "But no, you're repelled by superficiality... so it's complexity, not hypocrisy." "You don't get in." "Why are you the only one that gets me?" "And Why can I never figure you out, Michael?" "I don't know." "Uh" " Well, Blue Toes invited me to a party tonight." "What party?" "Sara something and I guess a guy named Chris." " I don't know them." " Yeah?" "Let me see." "Well, um, are you gonna go?" "I was, uh" " I was thinking maybe I could come by the restaurant tonight." "I haven't been by in forever, and it'd be nice to do something When you get off." "It just gets really busy on Saturday nights." "Or you could." "I mean" "It's just busy." " Yeah, yeah." " I mean, maybe some other time." "Yeah, I understand." "So" "Well, um, I guess I'm gonna go to this party then." " You are?" " Yeah." "Yeah?" "Okay." "Um" "Okay." "Well, uh" "Listen, I gotta go." "My dad's, um- he's waiting on me." " And, um" " All right." " I gotta get to work, so" " Okay." "But listen, it was really nice to see you." "Um, here." " No, I got it." "I already paid." " What?" "Don't worry about it." "Thanks." "All right." "Well, have fun at the party..." "With Tobias the tool bag." "Is that a hint of jealousy I'm hearing in your voice, Michael?" " No, it's not jealousy." " No?" "Come on." "We're friends, right?" "Yeah." "Bye." " Take care of yourself, okay?" " You too." "White Mike loves rooftops." "He would love to jump from rooftop to rooftop." "He knows he never will." "It's Saturday night, and the city is bright and loud... but he is alone." "Chris checks his long-unused condoms... in case he finally gets laid tonight, pops his cherry... fucks her brains out, fucks her raw... fucks her hard, fucks her from behind, fucks her gratuitously... taps that ass, gets with her, gets some, gets in, gets it on... pokes her, bangs her, boinks her, scores... does the hippity-dippity." "Hmm." "He thought, "I'm gonna get laid." "I'll never need porn again." "From now on, I can get Sara Ludlow to whack it."" "Andrew masturbates in the shower... because he doesn't want to seem too horny if he hooks up with Sarq." "Andrew decides he looks bad." "He is doomed." "I'm not a tank-top girl!" "Molly decides this would be a good night to get drunk." "Jessica thought, "Strong eyes... stronger than all your friends... strong enough to get dressed... strong enough to get whatever you want... strong enough to do whatever it takes." "Strongest."" "Lionel, it's Jessica." "And Claude didn't give a shit what anyone thought." "Thank you so much." "Hi." "How are you?" "Hey." "How are you?" "So, I was thinking that maybe We should get some Twelve later." "I would get it, but I don't have any cash." "I don't have shit on me." "I'm so sorry." "We'll talk about it." " I don't even" " Hi!" "Chris!" "We need more champagne!" " Okay." " Tobias invited me." "Claude could feel the house filling up." "He doesn't know if he likes it." " Yo, Whitey!" " What the hell are you guys doing here?" " We hanging with the White Dog!" " No, you're not." "We're trying to score some chronic, man." "Can you hook us up?" " We need the hookup." " Holler, baller!" "For the last time, you guys aren't getting any weed, okay?" "Ever!" "I'm sorry." "Goddamn it!" "Now we're never gonna get blizzy." "Yo, fuck this shit." "Let's go to Chris's party, man." "We can probably score some shit there." "You know Who else is gonna be there?" "Ludlow!" " Dad?" " Michael?" " Hey." " Um, hey, listen." "Where are you?" "What are you doing right now?" "Can you come to the restaurant right away?" "Why?" "What's wrong?" "I really think it's better if I tell you when you get here." "No, Dad, just tell me now." "I can take it." "I" " I think it's best if I tell you in person." "No, Dad." "What is it?" "Just tell me right now, please." "Charlie's dead." "He was murdered two nights ago in Harlem... but they could not identify him right away." "The police just called Uncle Dave." "I am so, so sorry." "Sorry." " This is like the best party... ever!" " Ever!" "Party people, I have returned!" " I'm so happy you're here." " You are?" " Yeah." " Yeah." " Hi." " Hi." "I'm Molly." "Tobias invited me, but I haven't seen him yet." "He's around somewhere." "Hey, I'm Chris, and this is my party." "Really?" "Chris, is this the kind of party Where a 16-year-old girl can get drunk?" " Yeah." " Yeah." "Damn, girl!" "You some fine-ass booty!" "I'm really sorry about them." "White Mike thought, "Why am I going here?"" "This is what people do at times like this... even if they are not religious." "And it either helps or it doesn't." "And so what?" "Hi." "Let me see the thousand." "I don't have any money right now." "Wait!" "I can get you the money later... if you just leave the Twelve now." "Not without the cash." " I'm good for the money, Lionel." " No." "You need to go back in that house and get you some drinks." "Just relax." "Wait!" "I can give you something else." "I don't want some antique piece of shit out this old-ass house you just came out of." "I'll give you a blow job." "A blow job?" "I'm serious." " A thousand-dollar blow job?" " I'm serious." "What's so funny?" "That's an expensive blow job." "I'll fuck you." "I'm a virgin." "Two fucks." "One before I give you the drugs, one after." "No." "First drugs, then we'll have sex." "What are you waiting for, Lionel?" "White Mike knew he'd been in there a long time... and he realized his phone had been off." "The lapse had left him a lot of messages... but none from the only person he wanted to see right now." "So, What's going on with you and Tobias?" "Nothing." "I haven't even seen him actually." "Excuse me." "You guys know Molly Norton?" " No, you hold it." " Idon't have time for your bullshit." "Fuck you, Mike!" "Hey, Molly Norton." "You know Where she is?" "She's at your party." " Why don't you chill the fuck out?" " Who the fuck are you?" " What the fuck you gonna do?" " Fuck with me, huh?" "Don't fuck with me." "I'm fucking with you!" "You're ruining my party!" "Hey!" "White Mike, the drug dealer, is starting shit upstairs." " Molly Norton, Chris!" " I don't" " Upstairs, man." "Fuck!" "Yeah, that's the drug dealer right there." "Michael?" "Yo." "Molly?" "Oh, shit!" " Fuck." " Lionel." "Whoa." "What the fuck you want?" "I don't know." "Lionel, that's Charlie's gun." "Fuck, man." "He was on some shit, man." "He pulled it on me, man." " You shot him." " What the fuck?" "You would've shot him too, man." "Oh, God." "You killed him." "Chris?" "Chris?" "Christopher!" "You fucking pussy!" "Get out here!" "Christopher!" "The shooter?" "Is the shooter inside?" "Second floor." "His name's Claude." "Good party." "Claude!" "Put your weapon down and come out with your hands up!" "Put your weapon down and come out with your hands up!" "Do it now!" "Mmm." "Yeah." " Drop your weapon!" " Drop it!" " Drop the gun!" " Drop it!" "As Sara lay dying, she thought..." ""This will be famous... and make an unbelievable story when school starts again." "People will be sorry they weren't here."" "Molly, I'm so sorry..." "I lied to you." "I just" "You know, I didn't want you to know I was the president... of the Hypocrites' Club." "Why do you do it?" "I mean, how- how can you do it?" "I mean, there's" "There's no reason." "I think there is." "You don't" " You don't drink." "You don't do drugs." "Because you like the power you have... being sober... around people Who are always fucked up." "But you know What?" "That makes you so much more fucked up than them." "Because Who gave you this right... to just go around and experiment With other people's lives?" "No, you're right." "You're right." "I'm sorry." "I just" "Molly, When I get out of here, I'm gonna call you." "No, Michael, no." "Please, don't." "Do not call me or anything until you stop dealing." "Okay?" "I'm sorry." "Molly always reminded White Mike of his mother." "Hi." "I'm sorry." "Don't say that, Mom." "Okay?" "Okay." "We won't talk about it anymore." "We'll just live the best life we can." "Did you hear me, Michael?" "Always live the best life you can." "You will not be remembered if you die now." "You will be buried and mourned by a few." "And what more can you ask for?" "The world will spiral from underneath you... and you're either too smart or too dumb to find God." "Maybe you are angry... only because the way out is through love... and you are just horny and lonely." "You have seen that before you lies a great stretch of road... and it is windswept... or blasted by the hot sun... or covered in snow... or it is dirt... or concrete... or shrouded in darkness... or bright and clear so you have to squint." "But no matter what... it feels utterly empty." "But there are sons who have lost mothers... and mothers who have lost sons." "So... we must live the best life we can."