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“No, it’s on account of my last name being Lamb. So, like, Lamb Chops.”
“You ever been in a place like this before, Chops?”
“Nah, first time.”
“What happened to your parents?”
“They weren’t around. My grams was taking care of me and then she died.”
Harry just nodded. Every kid had a story like that, including himself.
“What dorm they put you in?” he asked.
“I’m in the gym,” Chops said. “They waiting on a opening for me in a dorm.”
“Damn place is so crowded.”
“How long you been here?”
“Two years. You got anybody else out there?”
“My sister, but they split us up. I wish she was here with me.”
“I don’t think you should wish that for anybody. Especially a girl.”
“How come?”
“Because it’s bad for them here.”
“How come you asking me who I got out there?”
“’Cause I know where you got that shirt. It means you got nobody to bring you stuff. Like me.”
Before Chops could respond, another two trays came down hard on the table and two boys sat down. One was Eaton and the other was Stokely. Bosch braced for trouble.
“Hey, new guy,” Eaton said. “The colored kids eat at those tables.”
He pointed to the far corner of the dining hall, where there were two long tables with bench seating. It was where Blacks and Mexicans sat — if they didn’t want trouble.
Chops looked indignant, but he also looked a bit scared.
“I’ll go with you,” Harry said.
They both got up and walked away from the table, side by side.
“It’s not worth it with those guys,” Harry said. “They want you to fight them, so the best thing is to stay away.”
They got to the long tables and climbed into spots across from each other. At two years in, Harry had been at MacLaren longer than most of the other kids. He knew everyone at the table.
“Hey, this is Chops,” he told them. “He’s new.”
“He better be new,” said an older girl named Velvet. “Otherwise he shouldn’t never been anywhere near those two crackers.”
“We were there first,” Chops said.
“That don’t mean shit, little brother,” Velvet said. “Not with them two.”
Harry looked across the table at Chops, waiting to catch his eye. When he did, Harry just nodded. He was telling Chops that he was safe. For the moment.
