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knockoffs.”
    â€œThey weren’t knockoffs,” Angelita shot back in a way that made Kennin suspect they’d had this argument before.
    â€œSomeone could have pawned them off on you without you knowing it,” Tito said.
    â€œI’d know,” Angelita retorted.
    An awkward silence followed.
    â€œIf it wasn’t the wheels, then what else could it have been?” Kennin finally asked.
    â€œI don’t know,” Angelita said. “Nothing makes sense. The car ran perfectly the heat before. If there’d been anything wrong, you would have felt it during the drive back up the mountain.”
    â€œUnless it was a cheap wheel and it just broke,” Tito said.
    Angelita’s face hardened with anger and she glared at her brother. “For the last time: It was
not
a cheap wheel.”
    They’d reached a stalemate. Angelita’s tone implied that there’d be no more discussion on the topic. Tito looked at Kennin. “You made the newspapers again. There’s been this big public outcry. Street racing is dangerous to lawabiding citizens. It has to be stopped. Innocent people are going to be injured. Blah, blah, blah …”
    â€œThey didn’t mention me by name, did they?” Kennin asked.
    Tito shook his head. “No, ‘cause you’re still a minor.”
    â€œSo when do you get out?” Angelita asked.
    â€œAbout a week, I think,” said Kennin. “But it’ll be a while before the cast comes off.”
    An awkward silence followed. Finally Tito said, “Hey, Angie, think I could have a private moment with
mi amigo?
”
    Angelita frowned, but then nodded and stepped out into the hall. Tito moved closer to Kennin and said in a low voice, “Two months from now, she’s out of here.”
    Kennin scowled. “What do you mean?”
    â€œI mean, she’s got enough credits to graduate from Dorado by Christmas,” Tito explained. “Then she moves to California, establishes residence, and pays in-state tuition next year. There’s only one thing that can stop her, dude, and that’s you.”
    Tito paused and gave Kennin a meaningful look. “She’s still hung up on you. She won’t admit it, but I can see it in her eyes. You gotta do the right thing, man. You gotta let her go, okay?”
    Kennin didn’t answer. It still rankled him that Tito didn’t think he was good enough for Angelita. But Tito was right about one thing: Angelita had worked really hard to get good grades and save money so she could go to college in California. And Kennin didn’t want to stand in the way.
    Tito pressed on. “It’s no big deal, right? You can get any babe you want. I saw what was going down with Mariel whenwe got here. She’s the hottest chick around, and all you gotta do is snap your fingers.”
    Kennin nodded slowly.
Maybe … Maybe not.
    Leon came in and took the joystick away. “Fun’s over, dawg. No more of this for you.”
    â€œHow come?” Kennin asked.
    â€œThey don’t want you to get used to it,” Leon said as he removed the IV from the back of Kennin’s hand. “This is a hospital, not an introduction to Junkie 101. Believe me, I’ve been there. I know.”
    â€œYou were a junkie?” Kennin asked.
    â€œLet’s just say that for a time I followed the path of the unenlightened,” Leon said, and unhooked the small clear plastic bag from the IV stand.
    â€œHow’d you get off it?” Kennin asked, thinking of Shinchou.
    â€œSista Bertha. She runs a rehab clinic over on the south side. Place looks like a dump, but believe me, she knows what she’s doing.”
    â€œWhat’s it cost?” Kennin asked.
    â€œIt don’t cost nothin’, dawg,” Leon said. “Sista’s doin’ God’s work. She gives you one shot at redemption, understand? The second time you fall from grace, you fall