Scorpions

Tito saw Jamal run out of school after the fight with Dwayne and decided to follow him. He says that Dwayne told the other kids outside the storeroom that Jamal is a Scorpion and has a gun. Tito doesn’t know if Dwayne told Mr. Davidson. Jamal admits that he “almost shot Dwayne” (113), which makes Tito visibly upset, but he doesn’t say anything. They watch in silence as a barge floats by on the river.

Tito asks if Jamal will throw the gun away. Jamal says that he’d like to give it back to Mack, but he wants Tito to keep it at his house until then. Tito asks if they should try shooting it. They go to a dark corner of the park, and Jamal shows Tito how to shoot it. He’s taken aback by the kickback from firing it. Then, they notice that a white woman walking her dog is watching them, terrified. They run away.

The scene shifts to Jamal’s apartment. Mama questions him about why Tito came by with his jacket this afternoon and how Jamal got that black eye. Jamal says that he got in a fight but doesn’t offer more information.