Grieve Khalil all you want. Miss him, allow yourself to miss what could’ve been, let your feelings get out of whack. But like I told you, don’t stop living. All right?

My thing is, girls usually date boys who are like their daddies . . . Thought I turned you against black men or didn’t set a good example of a black man.

Yes, ma’am. It seems like they always talk about what he may have said, what he may have done, what he may not have done. I didn’t know a dead person could be charged in his own murder, you know?

At Williamson I’m cool by default because I’m black. I can go out there and do a silly dance move I made up, and everyone will think it’s the new thing. White people assume all black people are experts on trends and shit.

I wanted to, but everybody who knows I was in the car acts like I’m made out of glass. You treated me normal. You were my normal.