Splitting the Loot

On the third floor of a building in the Jamaica Community, the curtains were drawn tightly shut, and only a desk lamp was on.

The things spread across the living-room table looked like a small auction: three down jackets with their tags still on, two pairs of nearly new Nike Air Force 1 sneakers, five pairs of Levi's jeans, and a PSP.

The other clothes and odds and ends, none of them recognizable brands, were piled on the sofa—gloves, hats, a gray jacket, an Apple charger, and even an unopened pack of Oreos.

Three young Black guys whose full names Lin An couldn't remember crowded around the table, their eyes shining as they went on and on with "yo," "damn," and "this is crazy."

One of them, nicknamed Fatty, had already put on a down jacket.

Darnell stood at the center of the table, bracing both hands on it like an auctioneer, his expression stern.

"Quiet. Everybody, quiet. We're splitting the loot, not playing poker. Can you show a little professionalism?"

Lin An leaned against the wall by the door, holding a hot coffee paid for by the viewers. He watched the chat on the Bullet Screen, utterly unconcerned with how they divided up the spoils.

Fatty flexed his limbs, savoring the warmth of the down jacket, and said:

"Darnell, your friend's a genius. We were trying to figure out how to grab stuff from the store and escape the cops, but he took us straight to a little stockroom near the back alley to resupply.

"This is the first time shoplifting's been as easy as grocery shopping. All we had to do was open that damn door, and nobody bothered us!"

The other two laughed and nodded.

Darnell rolled his eyes.

"You guys don't get it. That's what a genius is like. He can always see farther and knows more than ordinary guys like us."

He turned to Lin An and crossed his arms.

"Okay, genius, you're the star of the day. By the rules of the Jamaica Community, you get first pick."

A genius?

No. Lin An had only found out about the tiny stockrooms the stores kept near their shops because the Bullet Screen had pointed them out.

At Darnell's invitation, Lin An set his hot coffee aside and walked up to the table, scanning the items.

Then he picked out a thin black sweatshirt, a pair of dark gray cargo pants, and a knit cap.

All three were his size.

Then he stepped back and continued drinking his coffee.

The room fell quiet for about three seconds.

"That's it?"

Fatty's eyes widened.

"You're only taking that much?"

"That's enough," Lin An said.

"These clothes fit me. I have no use for the rest."

Darnell frowned.

"That's not fair, and it's not how we do things, Lin An. We—"

Before he could finish, the familiar, rapid-fire Nokia ringtone blared from his clothes.

Lin An's hand jerked, and he nearly spilled his coffee. The Bullet Screen quickly filled his vision.

[Holy shit hahahaha what the hell is that ringtone? Scared the crap out of me]

[Classic Nokia. You know what's up.]

[I saw Lin An's hand shake. I'm dying.]

[Darnell, shouldn't you get a new phone?]

Darnell, however, stayed calm. He pulled the Nokia from his pocket, its screen already scratched around the edges, glanced at the caller ID, and immediately wore a complicated expression.

"Shh..."

He pressed a finger to his lips. The confidence he'd had while arguing over the loot vanished.

"Not a word. It's my sister."

Fatty was about to say something, but one look from Darnell shut him up.

Darnell answered, lowering his voice and sounding unmistakably guilty.

"Hey? Meiling... Yeah, I'm at Fatty's place, just... discussing some things. School stuff."

Fatty mouthed silently, When have we ever studied?

One of the other guys kicked him, and Fatty shut up.

Whatever Meiling said, Darnell's shoulders visibly slumped. He went from "Brooklyn's underground kingpin" to "a grade-schooler called on by the teacher."

"The subway station, now? No problem, Meiling. I'll head over right away. I'll bring a friend, too. He can solve your problem... definitely."

He paused, clearly listening to her, then his voice grew quieter and quieter.

"Okay, okay. I'll be there in fifteen minutes..."

The call ended.

Darnell stared at the phone screen for two seconds, took a deep breath, then turned to face everyone.

In just a few seconds, his expression went from "guilty" to "serious" to "I'm in charge here."

"Okay. Listen up. I've got something to do, so I have to go."

He hurried to the table, grabbed the black North Face down jacket he'd been eyeing, tucked it under his arm, then pointed at the others.

"Fatty, you're in charge of splitting things up. You know the rules... based on how much each person contributed. Lin An came up with the idea and found the stockroom, so he gets the biggest share. But he doesn't want it, so the clothes he took don't count toward his share. The three of you can split the rest."

He paused, then added:

"Take the PSP to school and sell it, then split the money. The Oreos are mine. My sister likes them. Anyone got a problem with that?"

Nobody did.

Darnell put on his shoes, opened the door, then glanced back at Lin An.

"Genius, come with me."

Lin An raised an eyebrow.

"Me too?"

"Yeah. My sister's in trouble, and you can solve it."

He paused, then added:

"Plus, I need to borrow your bike. If you come with me, the cops won't think I'm a bike thief. They'll think we're two lost Asians. Safe. It's called strategy. You get me?"

The Bullet Screen started flooding with comments again.

["Two lost Asians" hahahahahaha]

[Darnell, have you looked in a mirror? Since when are you Asian?]

[Lin An: So I'm your human shield now?]

Lin An stood up, picked up the coffee, which had cooled halfway, and headed for the door.

As he passed Darnell, he said, "Your strategy is very creative."

"Of course. Who am I? Darnell Washington... the smartest guy in the Jamaica Community... well, the cleverest Black guy."

He shut the door, then opened it again and poked his head inside.

"Fatty, don't take too much, especially that North Face jacket you're wearing. If you walk out with it, I'll make you swim across the Atlantic in it... You get me?"

The door shut.

Footsteps echoed down the hall, along with Darnell's voice.

"Genius, why didn't you take anything for yourself? I really don't get you. Someone like you, if you were at a church in the Jamaica Community, the pastor would say you weren't swayed by worldly things. But out on the street, you'd just be some idiot with something wrong with his head. Which one are you?"

Lin An's calm voice floated back.

"Maybe both."

"Both... Listen to yourself. 'Maybe both.' Good grief, I'm starting to regret bringing you to meet Meiling. I'm afraid you'll lead her astray... Oh, right, how are your grades?"

Their voices faded into the distance.

Back in the room, Fatty looked at what was left on the table. After a few seconds of silence, he said to the guy beside him, "His friend seems kind of crazy, but Darnell... Darnell seems to like him."

The guy beside him nodded.

"Didn't you hear him? That's what a genius is like. He can always see farther than ordinary guys like us... When has Darnell ever complimented anyone?"

Fatty picked up the pack of Oreos, looked at it, then put it down again.

"Never mind. Let's leave them for him. His sister likes them."