How It Went Down

Reverend Sloan comes out of intense prayer to the sound of knocking and knows instantly that it’s Kimberly. He regrets his base desires, but he does want Kimberly to be with him at the moment. He lets her in, knowing again that he’s tempting fate. He pours them strong drinks and asks her how old she is, and is relieved to hear that she is 19, almost 20. The narrative then switches to Kimberly’s point-of-view. She takes notes about a demonstration they will have where they’ll demand justice for Tariq. She notes how the drinks and soft lighting remind her of the dates she’s been on, and how she believes that Reverend Sloan will make a move on her any minute now. Instead, he eventually walks her to the door.

The chapter next moves to Tina’s point-of-view. She goes through the things in Tariq’s room and finds a lot of money. In addition to the money and his dirty clothes, she finds a long knife with a red sheath. She injures herself when she touches it and realizes that it’s not a toy. Redeema hears Tina crying as Tina runs to her in pain.