NADINE

<><><>

I CLENCH MY JAW so hard, my teeth feel like they would crack.

That stupid bitch stole Evander from me. Then got me arrested like some criminal. When all I tried to do was right — fight for my man.

The air around me smells of damp soil, sweaty bodies and stale urine. Of course it does. An illegal drug alleyway is not supposed to smell any better.

I sit, back against a peeling wall, the night air cold against my skin. I pull the thin coat I stole from a thrift clothing ...