The Rest of Us
By Jenzo DuQue, first published in One Story
Three boys navigate their youth in Chicago, but are forced to grow up quickly when they start cooking drugs for money.
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Plot Summary
A young boy, Daniel, and his two friends, José and Christian, grow up in South Chicago. Daniel stands out because of his nerdy interests and his light skin, so they name him Frail Boy. Even still, Daniel, along with José and Christian, form an unbreakable bond with the folks in their neighborhood. They learn at a young age what it means to have undocumented parents. They are prepped for what to do if their parents one day do not return home. The boys play soccer and hang out in their neighborhood. Their community is strong -- hispanic people of all nationalities come together in their neighborhood. After a few years in high school, the boys drop out. After their friend, Nubarrón's brother Tomás is sent to prison, they're left with his stash of drugs. They rent an apartment from a junkie, Mickey-Dee, and agree to pay him in the drugs they cook up. The boys run the operation, and grow it slowly. Soon enough, they hire kids in the neighborhood to help sell it. They make more money than they know what to do with. They're raided a few times, but the boys are apparently invincible. The boys find out Mickey-Dee has been skimming some extra money off the top. Tomás and Nubarrón insist they need to teach him a lesson. They kidnap him, and then shoot him. Daniel is uneasy about the whole affair and tries to separate himself from the others. Christian feels the same way, so the two return home to their neighborhood and try to forget about what they've done. One day, Daniel gets a call from José and Tomás' mother. She tells him that her sons are missing. It turns out Mickey-Dee's group killed both her sons, stole their drugs and money, and then burned down the house for good measure. After that, Daniel and Christian stick to selling weed. Except they sell to the wrong person one day and both wind up in prison. Their neighborhood changes without them -- it becomes wealthier and lonelier, and they're forgotten.
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