Summary

Chapter 16

Maurice isn't doing well. He drops out of school. He's living on the streets. He even goes to the social workers, who just put him back with his grandmother, so he goes back on the streets. Maurice's family business is the drug trade. He could have easily started in it and made hundreds of dollars on his first day. The temptation was strong. But instead, he applies for a job at a few messenger services before one accepts him. He has his first job.

He likes the feeling of a regular paycheck, making $8 an hour as a young teenager. He wants more and finds a way to sell knock-off jeans, buying them for $7 and selling them for $40. This lets him afford his first place to live. He rents a room daily at a hotel that usually rents hourly to prostitutes. But, it's...